Yu Yichen nodded and pointed, saying, "Lead the way."
Xu Xiu led Yu Yichen into the inner courtyard of Heshun Hall. The main hall was brightly lit, and a group of men, young and old, were all bound with their hands tied behind their backs and forced to kneel on the ground. The Imperial Guards stood with their spears raised. Although the hall was crowded with people, there was not a single sound of noise or crying.
Once Yu Yichen entered the hall, Dou Tianrui shook himself violently and spat out, "Eunuch!"
Yu Yichen asked Xu Xiu, "Can we announce the imperial edict to them?"
Xu Xiu said, "It has already been announced, but..."
☆, Chapter 80 The Duke
"Not confessing?" Under the blazing lamplight, the tall, thin eunuch suddenly smiled, his long eyebrows raised high, revealing a captivating beauty on his face. He walked around with his hands behind his back before saying, "Send them to my residence."
Xu Xiu nodded and then asked, "Would you like to go and see the woman?"
Yu Yichen shook his head: "Send the woman directly to Yingtian Prefecture, where Marquis Dou resides. She should be able to receive some assistance there."
Before he could finish speaking, not only Dou Tianrui, but also his sons began to curse: "Eunuch! Castrated man! You sonless bastard!"
Dou Tianrui was in charge of Yingtian Prefecture. Not to mention how many people he had offended openly, he had also made many enemies in secret. If he sent his own women and children there, not only would they not be able to leave unscathed, but their chastity would also be in jeopardy.
Dou Tianrui suddenly stretched his neck and sneered, "You eunuch, how dare you pin the Huixian incident on me? Don't think I don't know who did it."
Yu Yichen had already stepped out of the main hall when he heard this, so he turned back, stared coldly at Dou Tianrui, and said in a shrill voice, "Since Marquis Dou knows, then I will have to find a quiet courtyard in your mansion so we can have a proper talk."
Seeing that the man hadn't come out for a while, Zhenshu simply asked for two small stools from some onlookers and sat down with Zhao He outside the Marquis's mansion, one for each of them, to wait. The man who had been on guard duty, seeing that the two weren't leaving, quietly went inside to find the one who had taken the silver notes. Perhaps he had found him and made arrangements, for he came out and said to Zhenshu, "Eunuch Yu is still in the Marquis's mansion; we don't dare to bring people out unnecessarily. You should wait until Eunuch Yu leaves before we talk."
Zhen Shu nodded in agreement, and she and Zhao He waited until the third watch of the night before they heard footsteps inside. Several lantern bearers rushed out and stood in position, and Yu Yichen walked out from the main gate of the Marquis's residence. Behind him, the Imperial Guards had tied many people up and strung them forward in a line, including Dou Keming.
He still got into the sedan chair. When he put down the curtain, he seemed to glance at where Zhenshu was. Zhenshu's heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly turned her back and didn't dare to look back for a long time. When she turned back, Yu Yichen's men had already left.
After another half hour, just as dawn broke, the man came out carrying a child and handed it to Zhenshu, lamenting, "For your few coins, I almost lost my official robes and my life today. This child is indeed burning with fever. Take him to find a doctor quickly. As for your sister, forget about her. If Eunuch Yu finds them guilty, losing their titles is a small matter; I'm afraid their lives will be in danger."
Zhenshu took the small swaddle blanket and saw that the child's face was flushed red and her little lips were burning purple. She touched the child's forehead with her lips and found it was frighteningly hot. She and Zhao He quickly carried the child back, and when they arrived at the doctor's house, they started banging on the door. After breaking down the door, they called for the doctor to prescribe medicine while wiping the child with a warm cloth.
When they returned to the framing shop, it was already broad daylight. Zhenshu carried the child to the small building in the backyard for Su to watch over, while she went downstairs to brew the medicine. She hurriedly finished brewing the medicine and came upstairs, only to find that the handkerchief Su had used to wipe the child's face was now ice-cold. With the child burning up like that, even if she kept wiping the child's face, it wouldn't get cold. Su must have left the handkerchief lying there for quite some time. She couldn't help but complain, "The child is burning up like that, and this cold handkerchief is making him tremble. What should I do? Why didn't you tell me to change it with some warm water to rinse him?"
Su complained, "How would I know how to do these things?"
Zhenshu countered, "Then how did you raise us?"
Madam Su said in a low voice, "What would I know to bring? Weren't you all raised by your aunt?"
She was called an aunt, but she was actually Su's maid who had accompanied her to her home. She raised all of them, but she herself died young.
Zhenshu changed the warm cloth and kept wiping the child. She mixed the medicine with a spoon and fed it to the child, then gave her some warm water, and stayed by the child's side to wipe her. In the morning, Zhenxiu came out and saw that there was a child in Zhenshu's room. After asking and learning that it was Zhenyu's child, she sneered, "She treated you like that back then, and you are a loyal subject, even spending money to smuggle the child out for her."
Zhenshu said, “I argue with you all the time, but when the women under Zhenyu beat you, I would stand up for you. It’s not because I believe you didn’t take the money, but because you are my sister. What does it matter if sisters quarrel in ordinary times? The key is to help each other in times of trouble. Only then can we live up to our blood ties.”
Zhenxiu said, "You're always the one spouting the grand principles, and you're always the one playing the good guy. Let's just be the bad guys ourselves."
After saying that, he closed the door and left.
Zhenyi had loved children since childhood, and she constantly took care of Zhenshu, bringing her medicine, porridge, changing her water, and changing her diapers. Zhenshu herself had no children and had never taken care of one. Every time she visited the Marquis of Beishun's residence, she wished she could bring the child to her bed to rest for a couple of days. Now that the child was actually here, she was caught off guard and realized just how troublesome it was to take care of a child. She had only dozed off for a short while when she heard the child crying heartbreakingly. She quickly picked the child up and tried to comfort her for a long time, but the child continued to cry until the child had soaked through her clothes. Only then did Zhenshu realize that the child had wet the bed. She quickly took off all her clothes and threw them to Zhenyi to wash, then found one of her own large coats to wrap the child in and put her on the bed. It was almost noon, time to give the child her medicine.
Just as she finished feeding the child the midday medicine, the child started crying again. Zhenshu reached in and touched the blankets, finding them soaked with a large, burning patch of urine. This time, not only the mattress but the blankets were completely wet. She quickly called Zhenyi to bring bedding from her room to change it. The two sisters, exhausted, smiled like fools. This time, after the mattress was changed, the child slept soundly, and Zhenshu also took a nap by the bedside. When she woke up, she saw that the child's fever had subsided, but she had kicked off the blankets and was lying naked on the bed. She was terrified and quickly tucked the blankets back in, only to have the child kick them off again. This happened several times. Zhenyi saw this and came in, laughing, "Look how cute she is, all soft and fluffy!"
Zhenshu also tried touching her a couple of times, and the little girl laughed at their antics. The two then wrapped the naked child in a large coat and held her on their laps to play. Zhenxiu, who had somehow gotten hold of two pieces of clothing, threw them in and said, "If you're so determined to be a loyal subject, you should buy her some clothes to wear, otherwise the child is being treated too unfairly."
Ignoring Zhenxiu's sharp tongue, Zhenshu and Zhenyi dressed the child together, combed a few sparse strands of hair from her head and smoothed them out, then started teasing her again.
A moment later, the child started crying again. Zhenshu checked and found no urine, and then checked again and found no fever. She paced anxiously, asking, "What's wrong now?"
Having experience with children, Madam Su came in and asked, "Is she hungry?"
Zhenshu then slapped her forehead: "I wonder if her wet nurse also escaped, otherwise where would she find milk?"
Suddenly remembering that Dou Mingluan had come last night but was not here today, Zhenshu hurriedly went to the front to ask Song Anrong. Song Anrong explained, "She left last night, saying she was going to the Duke of Du's mansion to discuss something. I'm afraid she's still at the Duke of Du's mansion."
Zhen remembered that last night she had said all the maids with bound feet in the mansion had been released. Now she only didn't know whether Nannan's wet nurse had bound or bound feet, or whether she had been released. So she asked Su, "Can we hire a wet nurse?"
Madam Su shook her head and said, "Where am I supposed to find a wet nurse for you now?"
Zhenshu had no choice but to go downstairs and ask Wang Mama again. She wondered if such a young child could eat adult food. Wang Mama, who had taken care of children herself, went upstairs to take a look and shook her head, saying, "Her stomach can only hold some soup and water now, but it won't be enough to fill her up. She still needs to drink human milk."
Zhenshu was so anxious that she had no choice but to go downstairs and ask Song Anrong and Zhao He to go out and inquire. They found the wife of the shopkeeper of a clothing store across the street, who was also breastfeeding. She came over and nursed the baby once. The baby peed and soaked Zhenshu's body, and then Zhenshu fell asleep contentedly.
Zhenshu, shaking her wet skirt, cried out, "What should we do?"
Madam Su said, "This is a good thing. The child peed all over you. It seems your marriage is settled this year."
Zhenyu didn't know how long it would take to escape from the Marquis's mansion, but the child needed to be nursed several times a day, and it was absolutely necessary to have a wet nurse. Besides, her own wet nurse would be more capable of taking care of the child. Thinking of this, Zhenyu went downstairs and called Zhao He over, saying, "Uncle Zhao, I need to trouble you to accompany me to the Duke of Du's mansion again. I need to ask if Miss Dou's wet nurse has been released."
Zhao He agreed, and the two hurried towards the Duke of Du's residence before nightfall. The Duke of Du's residence happened to be located in the east of the city, very close to the palace. They had already informed each other at the gate, and someone opened a side gate to let them in. Because Zhao He was a family member, he waited outside the main courtyard without moving forward, while Zhen Shu went in alone. She didn't know how many courtyards they had passed. The Duke of Du's residence was shrouded in darkness in the dead of night, with only a couple of lights flickering on the various gates.
Upon arriving outside a grand hall, the family told Zhenshu to wait while they went to the door to announce her arrival. After a while, someone came out and called Zhenshu inside. Zhenshu entered the hall and, finding it spacious and empty, tentatively called out, "Miss Dou?"
Suddenly, a person emerged from behind a screen, looked at Zhenshu, and asked, "Are you looking for Miss Dou?"
Zhen Shu saw that this man was forty years old, very tall and imposing, with a long beard under his chin and still full of heroic spirit. Suddenly, she realized that this man must be Duke Du. He looked so much like Du Yu. She had long forgotten what Du Yu looked like, but the moment she saw Duke Du, she immediately remembered. If Du Yu were older, he would definitely look like Duke Du now: calm, composed, and full of masculine charm.
Thinking of this, Zhenshu quickly straightened her clothes and said, "My daughter is Song Zhenshu, the second daughter of Song Gongzheng. My second sister married into the Beishun Marquis's family and had a daughter. This morning I asked someone to bring the child out. Now the child has no wet nurse. I would like to ask Miss Dou if she knows where the child's wet nurse is?"
Duke Du listened and nodded in praise, saying, "You did a very good job."
He summoned someone to fetch Dou Mingluan, then sat down on a chair in the main hall and asked Zhenshu, "I've heard that you have some connection with Yu Yichen?"
Zhen Shu guessed that Dou Mingluan must have hinted at something first, and since she had taken the child that morning, the Duke of Du must have believed it. So she quickly explained, "My daughter was able to take the child out only because she bribed one of the gatekeepers. As for Yu Yichen..."
She couldn't very well tell him that she was about to marry him, could she?
Dou Mingluan walked in from outside the palace, having changed into clean clothes. She ran over and hugged Zhenshu, saying, "You brought Nannan out?"
Zhenshu nodded and asked, "Do you have any news about her wet nurse, or know where she lives? I need to find her to breastfeed my baby."
Dou Mingluan shook her head and said, "Everyone scattered after leaving the mansion, and in the chaos, I didn't know where the wet nurse went."
That must be the case. Zhenshu said, "If that's the case, I must hurry back and find a wet nurse tonight. I won't stay any longer."
After she took her leave of Duke Du and exited the station, she saw Duchess Yang standing in the courtyard with a boy of about five or six years old beside her. Zhenshu straightened her clothes slightly and was about to walk out when Dou Mingluan rushed out and grabbed her, saying, "Since you can bring out the child, why not bring out Zhenyu as well, and my fifth brother too?"
Zhen Shu knew that she also mistakenly thought that she had taken the child out through Yu Yichen's connections, so she quickly explained, "I paid money to have someone secretly take the child out. How could an adult have gotten the child out?"
She glanced back at the main hall of the Duke's mansion and said softly, "Why don't you ask Duke Du for help?"
Dou Mingluan shook her head and said, "Du Yu has been staying in Liangzhou and hasn't returned. Even Duke Du is now less confident in front of the emperor. If he didn't still hold the title of Protector General and command the army, the emperor would probably arrest him too. How could he dare to help us?"
Zhenshu had no idea about these court affairs. She sighed, bid farewell to Dou Mingluan, and went outside to meet Zhao He. The two of them walked with worried expressions on their faces.
Chapter 81 The Child
That night, Nannan started crying, so Zhenshu had to wrap her up again and take her to the clothing shop across the street to have the shopkeeper's wife breastfeed her. The next morning, she went around asking around for a wet nurse. Fortunately, she finally managed to find one for three taels of silver a month. She paid two taels upfront, and only then did Nannan have a stable food supply.
A few days later, Dou Mingluan came to the East Market to see Nannan. She saw the whole family bustling around in Zhenshu's cramped little house. The outer room was full of baby diapers, clothes, pants, and blankets. She managed to play with the child for a while, but still looked worried and said, "That day was my father's birthday, so the whole family was at the mansion. He probably knew all along, which is why he set up the ambush that day. Now, I don't know where my father and several brothers have been taken by Yu Yichen. Of the several noble families in the capital, except for the Marquis of Nan'an who has long since abandoned politics, the others are gradually being wiped out by Yu Yichen."
Zhenshu remained silent for a moment, then advised again, "Since they haven't broken the law, they'll be released eventually."
Dou Mingluan had overheard Zhenyu and her brother Dou Keying talking about Zhenshu and Yu Yichen's alleged affair. Now, hearing her words, which even seemed to defend Yu Yichen, her tone turned ruthless as she said, "Yu Yichen is a eunuch, heartless and inhuman. He has now expelled and killed all these noble families, not because anyone committed a crime, but because he was castrated at a young age and his body is incomplete, which corrupted his mind and made him enjoy killing for pleasure. My father served three emperors and held the position of the Capital Region Inspectorate for so many years, and now he is in charge of Yingtian Prefecture. How could he not have made some mistakes? If he wanted to kill, he could have easily dragged anyone out and killed them. How could he be without consequences?"
Seeing that Zhen Shu remained unmoved, she said bitterly, "He was originally a eunuch in front of the Crown Prince. A few years ago, when the prison built by Emperor Taizong next to the Crown Prince to punish palace servants was moved to a new location, he took over the prison, modified it, and turned it into his current residence. I heard that although the place is small, it is very spacious inside, and it keeps many lackeys there to cause trouble for the court officials. It is a very gloomy and terrifying place."
Zhenshu increasingly disliked hearing outsiders say that Yu Yichen was a eunuch, yet she had to admit that he was indeed a eunuch. However, she had also been to the front courtyard of the Yu residence, and it was definitely not as these people described; the number of people kept inside clearly did not seem to be that many.
But where does that white-haired singer and those musicians live? Do they really live in the Jade Mansion all along? Then why are they so rarely seen when she goes there, and why are they always so quiet?
She recalled the bold and unyielding words she had uttered in the new courtyard he had built for her the first time, and now she felt a little uneasy. If he was really the inhuman being that Dou Mingluan described, should she really marry him?
Seeing that Zhen Shu remained silent, Dou Mingluan sighed again, "If Jin Yu were here, that would be great. If he could explain to the emperor that he did not steal the treasure map and dispel the emperor's suspicions about Duke Du, Duke Du could still fight against Yu Yichen, so that the major families would not decline."
From Dou Mingluan's words, perhaps Du Yu wrote to her to explain that he did not obtain the treasure map?
Zhen Shu had also asked Yu Yichen about this matter but had not received an answer. Between the two groups, who had obtained the blueprint? Thinking of this, Zhen Shu sneered: "If Du Yu did not obtain it, he should go to the capital to plead guilty and explain the situation. If it is true, the emperor will forgive him. It is better than him hiding in Liangzhou like a coward and refusing to come back."
Her words were rather harsh. Dou Mingluan was furious when she heard her criticizing her lover like that. She retorted, "These days, the Tartars often harass and invade the border. Last time, I heard that he chased the Tartars in the Hexi Corridor and went deep into the Gobi Desert for six hundred miles, killing them all before returning. He was leading troops there to kill foreign enemies. The Tartars all know the reputation of Du Yu of Liangzhou. He is not a coward."
He possesses brute strength; he can kill even a tiger, so killing a human is a piece of cake for him.
Marquis Bei Shun had held the position of Inspector General of the Capital Region for many years, and his sons all held important positions in the capital. The sudden downfall of such a powerful family overnight became the talk of the town. When discussing Marquis Bei Shun, Yu Yichen was inevitably mentioned, and he was described as despicable, vile, and shameless. Some said he was the emperor's favorite, others said he was the empress's lover, and still others said he served the emperor by day and the empress by night. The rumors about him could fill five erotic novels, each different.
On the third day of the sixth lunar month, Zhenshu entrusted her child to the newly hired wet nurse, put on a thin silk jacket that the child hadn't yet torn, tied it with a long gauze skirt, and secured her hair in a high bun with a wooden hairpin before heading towards the Yu residence. Sun Yuan was already waiting at the back gate. Seeing her arrive, he hurried over and asked with a smile, "With such a bright sun shining, why doesn't Miss Song bring an umbrella?"
Zhenshu had no idea why young women in the capital would carry umbrellas when leaving the city. She suddenly realized and laughed, "I've seen many women carrying umbrellas and laughed at them for using them in broad daylight. Turns out they're using them to shield themselves from the sun!"
Sun Yuan escorted her to the door of the small building before saying, "My father-in-law is busy with something in the front yard today. He told me that Miss Song is here, so please come upstairs and rest as you please. He will come as soon as he is done."
Zhenshu agreed and went upstairs to wander around, but found nothing to do. Then Sun Yuan brought over some herbal tea, cold noodles, and crystal pastries and placed them on the balcony. She sat on a futon, drinking tea and eating pastries, gazing at the vast sky and clouds in the distance.
She didn't know how long she had waited before Yu Yichen arrived, sitting on a cushion next to Zhenshu and smiling at her. Zhenshu thought to herself: Yes, this is the Yu Yichen I know.
Seeing her staring at him with a silly grin, Yu Yichen reached out and wiped the pastry from the corner of her mouth, then put it in his own mouth and ate it, asking, "Why are you grinning like that?"
Zhen Shu recalled the rumors she had heard about him these past few days, patted the crumbs off her hands, and continued to gaze at him without speaking. Yu Yichen pulled her close, nuzzled her forehead against his chest, and said, "I haven't seen you for a whole month."
"You didn't miss me either." Zhenshu felt a pang of sadness as she recalled the time she saw him outside the Marquis of Beishun's residence. She smelled a very strong, fishy odor emanating from him, a scent that shouldn't be his usual smell, so she followed her inhalation up his neck. Yu Yichen frowned and asked, "What are you smelling?"
But he himself rolled up his sleeves and smelled them. It was the smell of blood. He had heard she was coming and left in such a hurry that he hadn't even changed his clothes. Yu Yichen pulled Zhenshu up and ran into the east room, saying, "Go take a bath quickly, I'll be right there."
Zhen Shu was about to retort, "I didn't come here for this," when she saw him close the door and hurriedly leave. Furious, she threw off her clothes and soaked herself in the bathtub, pouring water over herself while muttering curses under her breath. After a long while, he finally walked in, wearing only his undergarments and still fastening his belt. Zhen Shu deliberately splashed water on him, raised her eyebrows, and glared at him, saying, "Did I come to find you for this? Have I been waiting for you for ages?"
Yu Yichen had already kissed her, sucking and biting until she was panting heavily and unable to control herself, before he released her lips and asked, "Isn't it?"
"Maybe it really is." Zhenshu chuckled as she stood up, her whole body soaking wet, and she pounced on him. The two of them began to writhe in the cramped bathroom, all the way into the bedroom. He somehow produced a string of jingling, rattling objects. Zhenshu's legs often went weak at the sound of these strange things, so she quickly clenched her legs and hid, whispering, "What did you bring this time? Why is it making noise?"
Yu Yichen placed a layer of fine linen white silk handkerchief under her before saying, "Myanmar Bell."
After trying to dodge and weave, Zhenshu was finally pinned down and manipulated by Yu Yichen. When it was over, he pulled out the silk handkerchief, and all the layers of white handkerchief were soaked through.
Zhenshu blushed, crumpled her handkerchief, threw it far away, and snuggled into his arms. After a long silence, she looked up to find him fast asleep. He had made her feel so comfortable and her heart was racing, preventing her from sleeping. So she propped herself up on her elbows, half-leaning in the blankets, and gently traced the hairpin between his brows with her hairpin. His eyebrows were neither too thick nor too thin, their color perfectly balanced, curving upwards gracefully at about two-thirds of their length. His eyes also had a slight upward tilt, and his nose was rounded and beautifully shaped. Only his lips, a deeper color than most women's when made up, were full and plump, possessing a certain feminine charm. Yet, when he pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows, he exuded a captivating and sharp aura.
He wasn't a woman after all, but he was just too beautiful. Zhenshu became interested and simply got up and climbed on top of him, kissing him little by little from his brow down until he smiled and pressed her down beneath him. Then he chuckled and looked up, asking, "Why are you sleeping so soundly in the middle of the day?"
Yu Yichen rubbed his temples and said, "I've been quite busy lately."
"Is it for the trial of the case involving the Marquis of Beishun's residence?" Zhenshu asked tentatively.
Yu Yichen's smile vanished, but he nodded and said, "Yes."
Zhenshu pointed behind her and asked, "Are they all in this mansion?"
Yu Yichen mimicked her, lightly kissing her brow, while teasing her with one hand, saying indistinctly, "Why are you bothering with all this?"