As the room grew darker, the terracotta figures holding lanterns on the walls gradually lit up. Turning the corner of the corridor, she could indeed see the other end in the distance, the end she had walked through before. Compared to that end, the terracotta figures at this end were even more terrifying. They all looked like they were being tortured, their faces either extremely miserable, numb, full of fear, or in great pain, yet they all struggled to hold a lantern.
Zhenshu walked to the vertical corridor, no longer daring to look at the lantern figurine. She gently pushed open the two large doors, assuming Yu Yichen would be inside. But inside, there was no one; thick curtains blocked the view, and only the echo of her closing the doors could be heard. She circled around and found herself back in the main hall.
It was so dark inside that it took her a long time to adjust before she could gradually make out the interior layout. Following the path she had taken that day, she went to the left corner where she and Yu Yichen had sat and eaten. There was a large table there, with a chair behind it. She sat behind the table for a while before getting up, when suddenly the main door of the small building opened, and Yu Yichen walked in from the outer room.
For some reason, she acted impulsively and immediately squatted down under the table.
Yu Yichen, seemingly accustomed to the darkness, pushed open two more doors through the hall to leave, only to be met by Mei Xun who was approaching. He then asked Mei Xun in a shrill voice she had never heard before, "Sun Yuqi's men have arrived?"
Mei Xun also said in a high-pitched voice, "They're here, waiting on the second floor."
Yu Yichen asked again, "Who was shouting just now?"
Mei Xun said, "It was Dou Wu. Marquis Dou couldn't withstand the torture and died. He was probably terrified."
Yu Yichen asked with a hint of anger in his voice, "Why didn't you shut him up?"
Mei Xun lowered his head and remained silent. After a while, Yu Yichen said again, "There are too many people locked up here now. We need to transfer some eunuchs from the Inner Affairs Hall to handle them. Also, from now on, any more prisoners should be sent directly to Yingtian Prefecture. There's no need to detain them all here. Pass down the order to close all the windows tightly and draw the curtains down. No more sound is allowed to come out."
After speaking, the two of them went out. Zhenshu crawled out from under the large table, ran a few steps, and pushed open the door. She saw that in the corridor she had come from, a wall inlaid with lantern figurines was slowly closing. As soon as she got closer, the wall was already closed. She looked at the figurines from all sides and suddenly noticed that the lantern figurine lying stiffly in the square frame on the wall was cleaner than the others. So she gently pried it open, and the door in the wall opened with a click.
She entered the room and found it was a passageway with stairs leading up and down. There were no windows on either side, only lantern figurines hanging on the walls, their expressions particularly terrifying in the dim firelight.
Zhenshu descended the stairs with trepidation, gradually realizing that the Jade Mansion was likely far larger than she had imagined. Even so, she was still stunned when she reached the bottom. A long corridor stretched out before her, its ends invisible, with only scattered lights fading into the distance.
She saw two young servants, also speaking in shrill voices, dragging a disheveled, death-looking man along. She quickly hid at the top of the stairs, waiting for them to disappear before quietly approaching the corridor. Further in, there were more than just this one corridor; below lay a maze of rooms. Zhenshu dared not venture deeper, only continuing down this side. She could no longer discern directions, only remembering that this side led towards the small building. After walking an unknown distance, she suddenly saw an unlocked door, from which came low moans. With a heavy heart and her hand clutching her collar, she approached, peering through the door. Inside, she saw several men, all bound hand and foot with iron chains, even their necks bound like dogs with iron rings. They lay prostrate on the ground, seemingly utterly exhausted, refusing to rise, except for one who still emitted some moans.
Inside, there were several young eunuchs dressed in dark red eunuch robes standing nearby. These children, no more than the age of Sun Yuan, had indifferent expressions, and some even had cruel and ferocious expressions on their faces.
The air here is filled with a strong, rotten smell that makes people want to vomit.
Zhenshu recognized the man and leaned forward to get a better look. She saw him raise his head and howl again—it was Dou Keming! Her legs went weak with fear, and she turned and ran frantically towards the stairwell.
Just as they moved to the inside of the stairs to hide, the two eunuchs ran over again. One complained to the other, "Today, the eunuch is entertaining Miss Song in the small building behind the building. If Miss Song hears such noises, the eunuch might not let us live. Quickly knock out Dou Wu's teeth and gag him to shut him up."
The other nodded in agreement, and the two jogged past.
Zhenshu dared not go any further. Her heart pounded as she went upstairs to the second floor. Unlike the basement, the second floor didn't have many cramped rooms. She walked a short distance down the corridor and saw a place surrounded by rough wood. There, she found the same torture instruments that had been displayed in the rooms on the first floor. However, these instruments were now covered in blood and reeked of a foul stench. Further on, there were braziers burning, and something inside also emitted a foul odor.
Even though Zhen Shu had long been prepared for the task Yu Yichen was to perform, she still felt somewhat distant from him. That time, he was wearing clothes that reeked of fish; he had left in such a hurry that he forgot to change, which was why she could smell it.
She stepped back and walked to the other side, towards the direction of the small building, where there was a room with its door half open. Yu Yichen, Mei Xun, and two other men were talking inside. Although Yu Yichen's voice was very harsh at this moment, Zhen Shu immediately recognized it as his voice.
He said with a sneer, "Since I dared to let you come, I can definitely get you out safely. Is Sun Yuqi getting more and more timid as he gets older?"
One of the men, speaking with a very stiff accent, said, "It's not that we're cowardly, but that Du Yu of Liangzhou is simply a madman, killing without regard for his own life. They now have a large army at their disposal. What if they arrive halfway to aid the emperor and, together with the military governor, surround and annihilate us inside the Wuling Mountains?"
Yu Yichen said, "The military governor doesn't think you dare to cross the Wuling Mountains. His defenses are all in the Qingzhou area. But you have my token, and all the border guards will let you pass. As long as you come and go quickly, the military governor won't have time to withdraw his troops to defend the area. And Du Yu is far away in Liangzhou, so what is there to fear?"
The man with the stiff accent continued, "Although Li County is wealthy, it's still not comparable to the capital. We're currently in the grazing season, and unless we have a large fortune, it's not worth the risk. Why don't we head to the capital instead? There's plenty of silver and money there, and lots of women too, haha..."
Yu Yichen said coldly, "I am now in charge of the capital region. It seems you don't want me to have an easy time."
Zhenshu quietly withdrew, went downstairs, pushed open two doors in the lobby, entered the corridor, and then went through the corridor to the small building. There she saw Sun Yuan, sweating profusely, searching for her everywhere. When he saw her come in, he said, "Miss Song, where did you go just now? Your father-in-law came by just now and told me you were taking a bath. You mustn't tell him you went to the front, otherwise I..."
He pointed to his neck, his face filled with panic and fear. Zhen Shu nodded, stepped upstairs, and went to the bedroom. She opened each of Yu Yichen's wardrobes, took out all his clothes, and threw them all over the floor, searching through them one by one.
After finishing his business, Yu Yichen hurriedly came down from the front building, passed through the hall, and pushed open the door to the corridor. He went in through a door on the side, and soon came out after washing up and changing into another set of clothes. He then pushed open the same door and entered the small building. He saw Sun Yuan standing on the first floor and asked, "Is Miss Song still here?"
Sun Yuan didn't dare to look at him, and replied with a bowed head, "Yes."
Yu Yichen went upstairs with a happy heart, but when he found that she was not on the balcony, he went to the west room to look for her. When he found that she was not in the west room, he went to the east room and finally to the bedroom. There he saw Zhenshu sitting in the dim light among the clothes scattered on the floor, doing something.
He kicked aside two pieces of clothing and walked over, calling softly, "Song Zhenshu?"
☆、86|Du Yu
When Zhenshu saw him arrive, she lifted up the dark gray cloak with silver-threaded floral collar and pressed it on his shoulder, saying, "Call me 'this humble one' so I can hear you."
Yu Yichen's expression suddenly changed drastically, and he asked, "Where did you hear that from?"
Zhenshu pressed on, asking, "Why do you call yourself 'Sajia'? Is it because you truly can sever all emotions and desires, and be utterly empty?"
She threw the cloak at Yu Yichen and said, "My Hui County has been free of bandits for twenty years, but because of you, it was turned into ashes overnight. Does anyone know that it was you who let those Tartars in?"
Yu Yichen still asked, "Where did you hear that from?"
Zhen Shu said, "That night you were at Liu Zhang's residence, I was the one who was eavesdropping on your conversation outside and was the one you chased."
Therefore, Liu Wenxiang was actually wronged; Mei Xun killed the wrong person. The person eavesdropping outside the window was actually his shopkeeper, Song Zhenshu. In fact, he and she had met before delivering the painting, but neither of them had seen the other.
Seeing him standing there silently, Zhenshu asked again, "So you still want to bring those Tartars into Lixian and let them burn it all down and turn it into ashes, is that right?"
Yu Yichen nodded silently, and after a long while said softly, "Back in Huixian, I was sorry to you, but you are a young girl, so just pretend you don't know about these things."
Zhen Shu was about to persuade him, but seeing that he not only did not repent but also advised her to leave it alone, she angrily pointed at Yu Yichen's nose and said, "Indeed, what that old man said was right. You are not human, you are a devil. Even a devil should know not to bring foreign invaders to kill his own family and seize his own country. You are not even as good as a devil."
Yu Yichen suddenly sneered and stared at Zhen Shu, saying, "I told you a long time ago that I am a bad person, and you said that you are too."
Zhenshu shook her head and said, "That's different. You can punish those who oppose you or want to harm you, but how can you..."
Yu Yichen took a step closer and said, "What can you do? Do you think I can intimidate them by spanking the Confucian scholars and scolding the officials for their memorials all day long?"
Zhen Shu said, "You shouldn't harm this country and its unarmed people."
Yu Yichen said, "Whose country is it? Whose people are they? What do they have to do with me?"
Zhenshu retorted, "Could it be that we, the unarmed common people, caused your family to be destroyed and brought you to this state?"
Seeing that he remained silent, she urged him again, "Don't let those Tartars in. We are all women with bound feet who can't run. If they come, they will catch them like chickens and kill them or make fun of them. That's terrible. I don't care about the affairs of the court, but please don't do anything that would lead to foreign invaders, okay?"
Yu Yichen sneered, "A nation that smashes and breaks women's feet, turning them into rotten flesh and wrapping them into tiny clumps, so that they can never walk and are captured like chicks, deserves to be slaughtered."
Zhenshu retorted angrily, "That shouldn't be you either."
She was already walking out when Yu Yichen grabbed her hand and said, "War will come sooner or later, it's just a matter of time. These weak people will eventually have to learn how to run away without getting caught. Now that we're surrounded by powerful enemies, do you think this country has any way out?"
Zhen Shu was so angry she didn't know what to do. She searched all over her body, pulled the hairpin off her head, and threw it into his arms, saying, "Here you go. If you really bring the Tartars in, I will not marry you. I will not marry a devil."
After speaking, she strode downstairs with her hair disheveled. Yu Yichen caught up with her in a few steps, grabbed her hair and hurriedly tied it up for her, then put the hairpin back in. Zhenshu pulled it off and threw it away, then walked out. He grabbed her again, held her in his arms and said, "Even if you don't want to marry me, you must wear this hairpin. You promised me that once you put it on, you wouldn't take it off."
Zhenshu flung the hairpin far away and said bitterly, "Have you ever thought that if I hadn't fallen from my carriage in the Wuling Mountains and ruined my reputation, I would be dead now, because of the Tartars you let in. I don't want your hairpin, nor do I want you. I don't want you anymore!"
After saying that, he went out and left.
Yu Yichen stood in the room for an unknown amount of time, the night gradually engulfing him in darkness. It wasn't until the night watchman's drum sounded that he snapped out of his daze, came out, and angrily demanded of Sun Yuan, "Why did she go there?"
Sun Yuan said, "Please calm down, sir. I was only away for a short while. Miss Song went ahead."
Actually, it was because of the heat and fatigue, and Yu Yichen was not around, so he took a good nap. But when he woke up, he ruined the rest of his life.
Yu Yichen waved his hand and said, "Go find Mei Xun yourself and ask him to give you a more comfortable way to end things."
Zhenshu rushed out of the Yu residence, when suddenly a sharp pain shot through her chest. She braced herself against a tree to stop, and before she could even open her mouth, a gush of hot blood gushed out. Seeing the ground covered in dark purple blood clots, she was terrified. With trembling hands, she pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth. Feeling much better, she hurried on her way.
Not far past the Imperial Street was the Duke Du's residence. Zhenshu reported to the west gate of the Duke's residence and then waited outside the courtyard.
A moment later, Dou Mingluan's maid, Leng Lu, arrived at the door. Upon seeing Zhen Shu, she quickly waved and said, "Second Miss Song, please come in quickly."
As Zhenshu entered the Duke's mansion, she heard Leng Lu say with a smile, "Our young lady is currently staying at his mansion and is always frowning and sighing. We are just waiting for you to come and comfort her."
Zhen Shu smiled and followed Leng Lu through a long alley and around a corner, where they came to a small courtyard.
Dou Mingluan was already standing at the door. When she saw Zhenshu, she forced a smile and asked, "Why are you here?"
Zhenshu leaned against the wall and said, "Quickly, quickly write a letter to Du Yu and tell him to come back."
Dou Mingluan was a little puzzled, and helped Zhenshu up, saying, "If you're not feeling well, let's talk inside."
Zhenshu waved her hand: "I'll only say this much and then I'll leave. Write a letter and tell Du Yu to come back."
Dou Mingluan said, "Actually, I wrote a letter before, but I haven't received a reply yet."
Zhenshu said, "That's not enough. In your letter, ask him this: Is your wife more important, or is Duke Du more important? Is your wife more important, or is the discord between Liangzhou and the capital more important? He's a grown man. If he's made a mistake, he should at least have the courage to admit it. At worst, he'll just kowtow. Is he really so afraid of death that he won't come back?"
Dou Mingluan frowned and asked, "Why are you so agitated?"
She seemed even more excited than she was.
Zhenshu suddenly realized that if she said anything more, Dou Mingluan might associate it with Yu Yichen. Although she hated Yu Yichen for colluding with foreign barbarians to kill innocent people, she did not want Dou Mingluan to report this matter to Duke Du and others, so that Duke Du could immediately find a pretext to punish Yu Yichen to death.
With a thousand and one difficult thoughts in her heart, she opened her mouth and said, "I just feel that you are suffering too much. Living like this, why not let him come back and become his wife as soon as possible, so that you can live here legitimately?"
Dou Mingluan blushed, pursed her lips, and smiled, "Thank you. Of all you sisters, you are the most sincere. It's a pity we haven't met you enough."
Zhenshu waved her hand, refusing Dou Mingluan's offer to stay, and left the Duke's mansion. Alone on the street, she walked with her shoulders hunched, thinking to herself: I am but an ordinary woman, powerless to even kill a chicken, and unable to stop the iron cavalry brought by Yu Yichen. Now I only hope that Du Yu can come to my aid, but if he doesn't come, I will remain at peace.
Since I love that man and can't stop him, what's wrong with going to hell with him?
Dou Mingluan saw Zhenshu out the door. After Zhenshu had gone far away, she turned back and pulled Leng Lu, saying, "Quick, go find the Duke. I'm afraid things are not going well now."
The news of Song Zhenshu and Yu Yichen's impending marriage is now widely known throughout the capital. She couldn't possibly have sent such a message without a reason.
Dou Mingluan recalled the words Zhenshu had spoken to her when he visited the Marquis of Beishun's residence, as well as some of her father Dou Tianrui's suspicions. She put them all together and hurriedly went to inform Duke Du.
Zhenshu went off excitedly, but returned dejectedly. Su Shi and Zhenxiu were exchanging knowing glances. It was too hot and humid inside the small building, so she went downstairs to cool off in front of the mounting shop. She noticed an old homeless man across the street eating some dry biscuits. Feeling sorry for him, she fetched some cool water from inside and gave him some coins. She then took out a handful of copper coins from her pocket and asked the old man, "Old man, where are you from?"
Although the old man was a wanderer, he was still polite and courteous. He returned the greeting with a bow and said, "I am from Qingzhou. I can't stand the Tartars burning, killing, and looting there every day, so I have wandered all the way to the capital."
Zhenshu felt a pang of sadness and couldn't help coughing. She took out a handkerchief to collect the blood, and seeing that it was covered in black blood, she quietly covered it and asked the old man, "What about your family?"
The old man waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about it. They've all died. Now I'm the only one left in my family. I don't know how long I can live."
Zhenshu's nose stung with tears upon hearing this, and she gave him another handful of copper coins before returning to her small building. From that night onward, she developed a fever again and remained in bed for over half a month. During this time, Zhenyu was released and took Nannan away, and Zhenyuan wrote to say she had also given birth to a daughter and was in postpartum confinement. She slept fitfully and refused to eat. Su Shi, who had never cared for a sick person before, refused to care for her, and Zhenxiu, having broken off her engagement because of her, became even more distant. The only one who could bring her three bowls of rice a day was Zhenyi.
Later, when Madam Su saw that Zhenshu was constantly coughing up blood and couldn't get better, she concluded that Song Anrong had kicked her and caused her to develop tuberculosis. She thought it would be better to go to Yu Yichen's residence to inquire, and if he was still willing to marry her, she could just take her away. Upon hearing this, Song Anrong was furious and said, "Even if I die, I will die in this house, I will never marry that eunuch."
In July and August, she was always lying in bed. When she coughed, it felt like the earth shook and her bones were about to fall apart. Blood stuck in her throat could never be cleared, and her whole body was covered in rashes, but she didn't even have the strength to scratch them.
No one knows who hired it, but every day a doctor would come up to examine her, take her pulse, and then prescribe a medicine for her. After who knows how many days, around August when the weather gradually cooled down, Zhenshu was finally able to eat a few bites of food, and her health slowly improved. However, she still coughed up blood incessantly, and every day she had to be given three large bowls of strong medicinal soup.
That day, she was sitting in the outer room with a bowl in her hand when she saw Zhenxiu come upstairs with her mouth covered. After crying for a while, she said, "Tong Qisheng is engaged."
Zhenshu asked curiously, "With whom?"
Zhenxiu said, "I heard she is the daughter of the Privy Councilor. She is eighteen years old this year, but she has not been married because she is too ugly."
After Zhenshu finished drinking the medicine and wiped her mouth, she said, "Then he has gotten what he asked for."
Zhenxiu suddenly knelt down and said, "Second sister, you have to do me a favor."
Zhenshu asked in surprise, "What is it?"
Zhenxiu cried for a long time before saying, "I gave him a bellyband before, but who knew he would give it to a prostitute in a drunken world. My maiden name is on that bellyband. If that prostitute wears it to entertain customers, wouldn't that be utterly humiliating to me?"