Hier gibt es Liebe für dreihundert Tael

Kapitel 13

Qin Hui explained with a heavy expression: "Back then, we married because she was pregnant, but we had a very good relationship, and I have never regretted marrying her. After my wife married into the Qin family, she was a dutiful wife, serving her parents and managing the household affairs. She did everything in an orderly manner, but my father always had a prejudice against her background and his criticism never stopped. Even after his death, it was not relieved."

After we observed three years of mourning for my late father, my daughter returned home. With no more worries, I took them to the capital to take the imperial examinations, hoping to start a new life. I thought the past was all in the past, but I never expected the Emperor to know even about this. He presented the testimonies of our neighbors and demanded that I divorce her on the third of the seven grounds for divorce: "disobedience to one's parents"...

——

Note:

The seven grounds for divorce are: first, childlessness (effective after age 50); second, adultery; third, disobedience to parents; fourth, talkativeness; fifth, theft; sixth, jealousy; and seventh, serious illness.

Volume 1: Destiny's Fate 024 Two Awkward People

Zhao Huan knew that it was impossible for Emperor Huizong to have ordered the investigation into Qin Hui's divorce, because he understood his father, Emperor Huizong, and probably never cared about anything else so much except his own hobbies.

So as soon as Qin Hui finished speaking, he slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "What kind of villain is this, stirring things up in the middle? They even prepared such a complete testimony. What are they after?"

"Your Majesty, I was just thinking about this matter. I agree that it is quite strange, but I haven't been able to figure it out yet."

Both Zhao Huan and Qin Hui fell into deep thought. At this moment, someone announced that the Ninth Prince Zhao Gou was requesting an audience.

Qin Hui's face was full of worry. He pleaded with Zhao Huan, "Your Highness, I beg you not to inform the Ninth Prince of this matter yet..."

Zhao Huan nodded in agreement. He was probably afraid that Qin Zhen would find out. He could understand Qin Hui's feelings of not wanting Qin Zhen to worry about his mother.

"Qin Qing, you should go back and rest for today."

Qin Hui thanked Zhao Huan for his concern, expressed his gratitude, and withdrew, just as Zhao Gou and Qin Zhen entered. Qin Hui greeted Zhao Gou as usual, smiled at his daughter, and then left.

Qin Zhen turned to look at her father and felt that there was more bitterness on his face. Had something happened?

Zhao Gou stepped forward to Zhao Huan's side and said, "Brother, I have come today to ask you for a favor. You must help me!"

“I will naturally keep Ninth Brother’s matter in mind. Tell me what it is.”

"The Grand Tutor is not teaching me anymore, you have to find me a good martial arts Grand Tutor."

Zhao Huan picked out a memorial from the list of memorials and said, "This is the memorial that was sent to me today. I was just looking for you. What did you say to the Grand Tutor that made him leave in shame?"

Zhao Gou scratched his head and said, "It wasn't me..."

Following his gaze, Zhao Huan understood; it was Qin Zhen. Zhao Huan didn't ask any more questions, but simply smiled. This wasn't the first time he had witnessed Qin Zhen's extraordinary nature.

"Brother, among all the brothers, I am the only one who studies martial arts. The Grand Tutor of Martial Arts is essentially my only teacher. Can I choose him?"

Zhao Huan was somewhat surprised and asked, "You want to choose your own teacher? Who do you want to find?"

"Li Gang, Your Majesty, you know Li Gang, right?"

Zhao Huan was surprised again. How could he not know Li Gang?

Li Gang was a rare loyal and courageous minister who was not afraid of powerful figures, and Zhao Huan greatly admired his talent. Last year, Li Gang was demoted, and Zhao Huan wanted to help but couldn't. Now that he had the opportunity, how could he let it pass?

"Hmm... Ninth Brother does have good judgment. I will do my best to arrange it, but I'm afraid there will be some twists and turns, and we'll have to wait a while longer."

Zhao Huan was worried that promoting Li Gang would provoke opposition from many ministers, which is why he said that. But Zhao Gou said to him, "Why don't you let Grand Tutor Cai make the arrangements? Such a matter would be very simple for him."

"Yes, that's right," Zhao Huan thought with delight. "Since we've agreed to cooperate, both sides need to make some concessions. Surely Cai Jing wouldn't refuse to give us even this much face?"

After finishing this matter, Zhao Huan looked at Qin Zhen, who had remained silent, with a worried expression. He suddenly sighed, thinking about the matter of the arranged marriage again, which was giving him a real headache.

Zhao Gou noticed the way Zhao Huan looked at Qin Zhen and asked, "If Your Majesty has something on your mind, I am willing to share your burden."

"It's alright. Ninth Brother, you've done very well lately. What could I possibly have to worry about now?"

Seeing him like this, Qin Zhen was filled with doubt again. What were the Crown Prince and her father both troubled about?

The answer to this question came when she and Zhao Gou returned. Li Yan secretly sent someone to tell her the whole story of the arranged marriage, and also conveyed Liang Shicheng's apology for not controlling the matter well.

"You bastard Wang Zhongshan, how dare you plot against my family!" Qin Zhen thought bitterly. Her mother loved her dearly, and if she couldn't protect her, she would be unworthy of being a daughter!

Qin Zhen's face turned increasingly pale. Zhao Gou, unaware of the reason, saw her like this and habitually reached out to take the letter from her hand. Unexpectedly, the letter turned into dust the moment he touched it.

Zhao Gou's heart trembled. What had made Qin Zhen so angry, and what was it that he couldn't let him know?

In fact, Qin Zhen did not intend to hide it from Zhao Gou. However, when she saw the last line of the letter, she learned a very shocking piece of news. She lost control of the strength of her inner energy and shattered the letter.

Zhao Gou thought that if she didn't want him to know, why bother asking? He'd just wait for her to tell him herself. Qin Zhen, on the other hand, felt it was a family matter and there was no need to involve Zhao Gou, so she didn't intend to tell him. Neither of them mentioned the letter again.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Qin Zhen sat anxiously in her room. She thought of her frail mother; if her father truly intended to divorce her, she would likely only complain about her birth, without blaming anyone else. She also thought of Wang Zhongshan's daughter, Wang Shi, who was the true Lady Qin in history; her mother, Wang Xuliu, had become pregnant only because of the unexpected arrival of Qin Zhen, an outsider. Furthermore… that person had already appeared; if left unchecked, things might change.

No, she thought, she had to resolve this before anything changed. Then she lightly touched the windowsill and leaped away, disappearing into the newly descending night.

"Zhao Yong, follow her, make sure nothing happens to her."

Zhao Yong nodded silently, then quickly chased after him, leaving Zhao Gou alone facing the desolate sky.

He knew all along that he didn't understand Qin Zhen, that there were many things about her that he didn't know. But why did he feel so uneasy this time? Was it simply because this concealment had been exposed to the light of day, revealed to his very eyes?

Qinglan took a cloak from inside the house and put it on Zhao Gou: "Your Highness, it's late autumn and the wind is chilly, let's go inside."

Leading Zhao Gou, who was pouting slightly, back into the house, Qinglan pondered to herself, "I haven't seen His Highness unhappy for quite some time. What's wrong with him today?"

★……Ling……★……Jia……★……Brand……★……Separation……★……Line……★

The spider was deeply in love with the ant, but was rejected when it expressed its love. The spider roared, "Why? Why is this happening?" The ant timidly replied, "My mom said that people who spend all their time online are not good people!"

Volume One: Destiny's Fate 025 - Those Past Events

Zhao Yong returned shortly afterward and apologized, saying, "Please forgive me, Your Highness, I lost her."

"Lost? Where did you lose them?"

"The last time I saw Qin Zhen was in front of the small building in Nonghuating, and then I couldn't find him again," Zhao Yong said in a low voice.

Zhao Gou asked, puzzled, "What is Nonghua Ting?"

Zhao Yong glanced quickly at Zhao Gou. Zhao Gou noticed his shifty expression and his face hardened, thinking that Zhao Yong was hiding something from him.

"Are you trying to hide this from me? Although we are master and servant, I have always regarded you as my elder brother for so many years. Why are you hiding this from me?"

“Your Highness, I didn’t mean to hide it… Nonghua Ting… is the private residence of the famous courtesan Li Shishi.” Zhao Yong said in a muffled voice, feeling somewhat embarrassed to talk about prostitutes with a child.

"Li Shishi..."

Zhao Gou softly murmured the name and memorized it.

Qin Zhen lightly flew out of the palace and indeed went to Li Shishi's private residence, Nonghua Ting. Seeing the mixed lights and constant music inside, she knew that the person must be inside, so she quietly sneaked in from the backyard.

She peered into the small building from the window and, sure enough, Emperor Huizong Zhao Ji and Wang Fu were sitting around a small round table, having a great time with several beautiful women! The woman in Zhao Ji's arms, though not particularly young, possessed a charm and elegance that was unmatched by ordinary women, and every gesture she made stirred Zhao Ji's heart.

Qin Zhen glanced at Zhao Ji's obsequious expression and Wang Fu's fawning manner, gave a disdainful snort, and darted into Li Shishi's room. The curtains and drapery fluttered as Qin Zhen moved swiftly, moving freely in the dark room. She found the chaise lounge, sat down, and then took something from her sleeve to play with.

In her hand was a string of wooden beads, the colors of which had faded, but Qin Zhen still cherished them. This was the only thing she took with her when she left her master.

She still remembers when she was first reincarnated, she came to this strange world with memories from a thousand years in the future. Although she was free from the suffering of her previous life, Qin Zhen's body could not fully merge with her soul. She often suffered because her body and soul repelled each other. Whenever this happened, her master would gently hold her in his arms, like a kind old grandfather holding his granddaughter, patting her back and saying, "Only after suffering can there be sweetness, just as the purest clear sky can only be seen after the storm. Zhen'er, just bear with it a little longer."

I don't remember which time it was, but Qin Zhen was crying and unable to eat or sleep because of the physical pain. The prolonged torment was gradually destroying her will. Her master put the string of wooden beads on her wrist and told her a story…

“I once met a child as young as you. Her family suffered a disaster and she was sent to a Buddhist temple to be fostered. She was all alone and could only sit in front of the Buddha hall all day staring blankly at the sky. Although I could feel her helplessness, I never saw her sad or upset. Even when she saw her father beheaded at the street corner, she did not shed a single tear.”

I asked her why, and she said that before her father was arrested, he gave her this string of colorful beads and told her that as long as she didn't cry and was happy every day, one day her father would return to her side along the rainbow bridge that the beads turned into. So, she dared not cry, and she forced herself to live happily...

Shortly after her father's death, she was taken away by relatives. Before leaving, she gave me this string of colorful beads, saying she no longer wanted to live in lies; she wanted to fight against reality and carve out her own path. What an obedient child; she understood everything...

Look how strong she is! Now I'm giving this string of colorful beads to Zhen'er so she can be like her, persevering no matter how bitter or difficult things get..."

Her master's words echoed in Qin Zhen's ears, and she always kept his instructions in mind. During the six years she was away from home, her master tried everything he could to regulate her body. Finally, her soul and body achieved a balance, and her intelligence, thanks to the medication she received over the past six years, made an even more astonishing improvement than in her previous life.

She misses her master so much. It's been two years since she left him. He's all alone and no one is taking care of him. Does he feel lonely?

Qin Zhen longed to return to the mountains to visit her master, but she couldn't. Her master had said that no disciple sent out of the mountains was allowed to return until they had completed their duties. And she still had a long, long road ahead of her...

The tinkling of her jade pendants brought Qin Zhen back to reality. She listened intently and heard only one footstep; it seemed Zhao Ji had already left. It seemed Zhao Ji wouldn't have time to stay here tonight either. In a few days, delegations from Goryeo, Dali, and Xia would arrive in Bianjing to pay tribute. With such a busy schedule, how could he possibly expect to enjoy a romantic night outside the palace?

Li Shishi carried the candlestick slowly into the room. The dim, flickering candlelight illuminated her weary face, making her appear even more distressed. Life in the world of pleasure must have been difficult.

Who's there?

Li Shishi was unexpectedly alert and immediately sensed that an outsider had entered the room.

Qin Zhen rose from the chaise longue and walked toward Li Shishi, saying, "I have come to visit you on behalf of an old friend."

By candlelight, Li Shishi could clearly see Qin Zhen's face. Seeing that he was just a child, she was somewhat surprised, but also much more relaxed. She walked to the candlesticks in the room and lit the candles one by one, instantly illuminating the room.

She turned around and smiled sweetly, saying, "Little sister, how did you get in? This is trespassing. Aren't you afraid I'll take you to the authorities?"

Volume 1: Fate Determined, Chapter 26: Revenge Is Never Too Late