Mein erster Ehemann nach der Transmigration

Kapitel 33

As things unfolded, so did the aftermath—Kyoto was rife with纨绔 (wan ku, spoiled brats) who neglected their duties, preferring to peep at women going to Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries to offer incense, gossiping and spreading rumors. Some even went so far as to harass them, and forced marriages were not uncommon. Someone who had long disliked this situation found inspiration in this affair. He hired several female impersonators from the opera troupe, dressed them up, and spent his days frequenting the haunts of these纨绔. Within half a month, one of the actresses was indeed abducted. The纨绔 forced her into the bridal chamber, only to discover she was a fake Wenjun (a woman who had been mistaken for Wenjun). He was furious and wanted to report her to the authorities. The actress, however, was quite clever. She claimed, "I was rehearsing there, practicing at home. You suddenly came up and harassed me, forcibly taking me away. No matter how I explained, you wouldn't listen. How could it be my fault?"

Unfortunately, the political scene in Kyoto has been quite unstable lately, and the slightest disturbance could ignite a major conflict. The playboy father has repeatedly warned him against causing trouble, so the man had no choice but to swallow his anger and secretly remember the incident, planning to get his revenge later.

After this incident, there were far fewer young men in the capital loitering near temples and monasteries, and life became much more peaceful.

Inside the room, they laughed for a while and chatted about some interesting anecdotes from the capital. When they got to the topic of popular clothing patterns, embroidered accessories, and new lyrics and songs, Lin Suxia finally came out. The group drank some tea, chatted casually, and then dispersed. Yongjiao secretly pulled Su Chen to stay behind.

After everyone else had left, the two exchanged a few words of longing. Yongjiao seemed hesitant to speak, and knowing she had something to say, Su Chen laughed and said, "Why are you hesitating? You've only been gone a few months and you've already picked up this behavior. Do you think it's not worth telling me?"

Yongjiao laughed at this, and after a long pause, she slowly began to talk about Lin Suxia.

"This younger sister is always very well-behaved and there's nothing wrong with her, but I don't like her. I always think she's too proper," she said, seeing Su Chen's ambiguous smile. "I'm not just making things up based on my own opinion. Her family got into political turmoil, and she, a young girl, ran away to escape. She must be pitiful. How could I not tolerate her? I just thought she was cunning, so I only told you this so you wouldn't get too close. If you also doubt me, what's the point of me coming here?"

Seeing that she took it seriously, Su Chen suppressed a laugh and said, "When have I ever doubted you? As long as you tell me, what is there that I wouldn't believe? I'm just laughing at how you've become so cautious in everything after only a short time in the capital. Is it really that complicated there?"

Yongjiao stopped laughing and said, "Recently, the factional strife in the capital has been fierce, and everyone is on edge. Lin's family has been implicated. To be honest, we were sitting together drinking tea and chatting just a few days ago, and a few days later, her house was ransacked. My mother brought her to Suzhou because of our childhood friendship. Father doesn't know about it..."

Will harboring the family of a wanted criminal bring disaster? Su Chen initially only sympathized with Lin Suxia, whose family had been broken apart at such a young age. Then she thought of how carefully the Jia family in *Dream of the Red Chamber* handled the confiscated wealth of the Zhen family, only to suffer the same fate. Now that the eldest son's family was in charge, they were taking in not just property, but people. What would happen if they were discovered?! Thinking this, she broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly asked, "Does Grandma know about her family's situation?"

Yongjiao nodded. "Grandma didn't say anything, just offered a few words of comfort and told Mother to tidy up the house." She paused, then added, "Grandma didn't seem very happy either."

Su Chen felt relieved for a moment. If Tang's mother knew, it probably wouldn't be too important.

Chapter 52, Circumstances

The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now! That evening, as expected, Tang's mother summoned Su Shi and his sister. After chatting for a while, she hugged Su Chen and said, "Your mother wants your brother to go to the capital. Would you like to go with him?" Then she turned to He Su Shi and said, "Is it really worth going to the capital? I reckon it's time to start preparing. Since he's going to take the exam, he should prepare in advance and get to know the students there."

He Su Shi smiled and said, "Of course, I'll do as Grandma says, but I don't know when to go." Su Chen said pitifully, "If I go, won't I not see Grandma for a long time?"

Tang's mother chuckled and patted her head. "I think you've been wanting to go out and see the world for a while now, making this show of it!" Su Chen lowered her head in embarrassment. "Grandma is talking nonsense. I really want to be with Grandma, but you're hurting your granddaughter's feelings like this."

Tang's mother hugged her tightly and squeezed her twice, then said to Zhang, "Look at these two children, they're always so cunning, it breaks my heart."

Madam Zhang smiled and said, "The old lady didn't say who spoiled them. If it weren't for you keeping them in check, they wouldn't dare to act so cunningly in front of you even if you gave them ten lives."

Tang's mother squinted and smiled for a while before asking, "When do you think we should ask them to go? Or should we wait until after summer? It'll be terribly hot on the road."

“Yunyuan said it would be best to do it sooner rather than later, because if we wait until then, things will get even more chaotic in the capital,” Zhang said after a moment’s hesitation.

Yunyuan is the name of Wu, the mother of Su Shi and his sister.

Tang's mother was a little unhappy. She put down the handkerchief in her hand and leaned back. "Since you know that things are in chaos in the capital, why are you so eager to send people over so early? Why not wait a few more days? It won't make a difference if you go in a couple of years! None of you two families are reasonable. You're all in your forties, yet you still act so recklessly, bringing just anyone into your home. If something happens, it won't be a joke!"

Zhang nodded in agreement and carefully explained, "Yunyuan means that Shige'er is already sixteen. If we wait another two years, he will be too old. If he is to enter officialdom, it is always better to start sooner and accumulate some experience. Besides, although the capital is in chaos right now, it doesn't affect our household, and no one is being dragged into it. So it should be relatively stable."

Tang's mother's expression softened a bit. "I understand what she means, but the current situation is not good. I always think that it's better for the children to go out when they are older, so that they can avoid taking detours."

Madam Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. "Even so, everyone has to walk their own path. It's impossible for Shige'er to rely on the family forever. Although he's not young, he's not a child either. He needs to gain some experience. Remember when my second brother was still a teenager? He traveled around before he even reached adulthood, and after entering officialdom, he traveled to various countries. No matter how hard or dangerous it was, you didn't worry about him like this. Although the child has the family's protection, he still needs to be capable and worldly-wise. That's the right thing to do. Why do you need us servants to say such things, Madam?"

Tang's mother sighed, "How could I not know all this?" She then patted Su Chen's head. "I've been taking care of these two children since they were little, watching them grow up. Since their parents aren't around, they're more lovable. It's understandable if I feel a little too sorry for them."

Su Chen leaned against her chest, glancing at He Su Shi, whose head was lowered, lost in thought. Tang's mother sighed, then said, "You know the current situation, why bring just anyone home? As long as I'm here, I can protect them for a while, but it's not a good thing. Others might not even remember your kindness. What if the higher-ups misunderstand?"

Zhang's face turned pale immediately. "I thought it was because of our childhood friendship. How could I just stand by and watch someone die?" Tang's mother narrowed her eyes. "You only think about your childhood friendship and don't think about your own family? You don't even think about your husband. Think about the children in the family. If something goes wrong, the whole family will be dragged into it."

Upon hearing this, He Su Shi gave his younger sister a knowing look, while Su Chen shook his head, indicating that he wasn't quite sure either.

It seems to be a matter concerning Lin Suxia's family, but it's not very clear.

Tang's mother didn't say much, only mentioning it briefly before arranging the things to take to the capital in two months, and briefly explaining the things to pay attention to, such as not letting He Su Shi cause trouble in the capital. She also instructed Su Chen to make sure to pay his respects to the old lady of the Cui family next door whenever he had time before leaving. She said, "This old lady likes you the most, so you should give her a return gift. I've known the Cui family's old lady since I was a child, so you can treat her like your own grandmother."

Su Chen nodded repeatedly, but in her heart she didn't think so. She wasn't very familiar with Cui's mother, and even when she was with Tang's mother, she sometimes had nothing to say and felt a little awkward. Let alone going to Cui's mansion, a place where she was unfamiliar with everyone, she might really be extremely awkward from beginning to end. She didn't want to suffer there.

Zhang seemed to have figured it out, so she said, "Guazi should also visit the old lady of the Cui family more often. They will be coming to the capital in a few days. If you get to know her, you can keep her company on the road. Otherwise, it would be awkward to ride in the same carriage with her without her knowledge."

He Su asked, "Shall we go to the capital with the Cui family?" Madam Zhang replied with a smile, "It was originally the old lady who decided that you and your sister would go together, even though there are servants with you. She said that if you go with the Cui family, she won't worry." She added, "Don't you often visit the young master of the Cui family? I thought you two were on good terms. I thought you would be happy if both families went together."

Su Shi smiled and said, "Auntie knows me best. It would be best if we went together."

So they decided that they would go to the capital with the Cui family in another month.

That night, He Su and his sister talked about what happened during the day in the study. Su Chen asked with a smile, "Aren't you scared?"

He Sushi asked, puzzled, "What are you afraid of?"

“Going to Kyoto is another place we’ve never been before. The factional strife is fierce right now, and it’s likely to become extremely brutal soon. The timing is so bad for us to go now; things might get tough. Are you afraid?”

He Su Shi laughed speechlessly, then said, "Do you think I'm some naive young man who's never seen the world? The factional strife in the capital isn't too serious yet, and our family can get by peacefully thanks to He Zi Yuan's name."

That's not necessarily true. Su Chen said, "The factional strife has even spread to our Suzhou and Hangzhou area. You still say it's not too serious? It's hard to say what might happen in the future. He Ziyuan isn't in power now, so he can't necessarily be relied upon."

"How so? The signs of factional strife aren't very obvious here yet, are they?" He Su said with a smile. "If it were here, I wonder how fierce the infighting would be in the capital."

Seeing his relieved expression, Su Chen sighed, "It just arrived, and it was brought over for Auntie..."

Chapter 53, An Accidental Encounter

The promoter function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join us now! </A> Su Chen recounted Lin Su Xia's story from the daytime in detail. He Su Shi frowned and said, "Such a person is clearly a troublemaker. Auntie isn't stupid, so why would she bring her back?"

Su Chen shook his head, indicating his confusion, and said, "It can't be like that, can it? I think that girl, although she was a bit cautious in her actions, was still pitiful and didn't cause any trouble. How could she have caused trouble?"

Su Shi became serious: "You know that there's chaos in the capital. I've heard that several households have been raided. They're either scapegoats thrown out in the factional struggles or people who didn't know the reason and became the first to stick their necks out. The sons of the raided households are exiled, and the daughters are forced into prostitution. That's the law of this dynasty. It's good that Auntie took her in and nothing happened. But if she's impeached, how can she be easily persuaded?" He sighed, "I originally thought that although there's a big struggle in the capital, it wouldn't be too chaotic. Who knew it would spread to our area and become so big? How to handle this is a problem."

Su Chen also sighed, "Do you think it's possible that Emperor Huizong is cleaning up the mess for his son, so that when the Crown Prince ascends the throne, everyone in court will be people who have been purged, making things much easier for the new emperor?" However, such a high-profile purge through factional strife suggests that the situation will remain chaotic for a long time. Whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages or vice versa is hard to say.

He Sushi sneered: "Paving the way for the new emperor? I wouldn't believe it even if you killed me! Emperor Huizong of Song is only in his fifties, and he has a lot of things he wants to do. Besides, how could he be the kind of person who would pave the way for the next generation? The infighting in the court has been going on between the Crown Prince and Liu Guozhang's factions, and Emperor Huizong hasn't said a word. How could he be paving the way for his son? He's probably paving the way for himself!"

Seeing Su Chen's indifferent attitude, he laughed and said, "I forgot that you're not interested in this kind of thing. Oh well, I'll figure it out myself."