Zhenshu coughed for a while in anger before complaining, "Then why did you give him your undergarment? Besides, you can't write, so how could your name be on your undergarment?"
Zhenxiu said, "It was Zhenyuan who wrote the book and I embroidered it myself. You've been to Zui Renjian, so you must go and get it for me."
Zhenshu had been lying in bed for too long and wanted to go out for a walk, so she agreed to Zhenxiu's request, saying, "I'll take it for you tomorrow morning."
That evening, Madam Su came upstairs and asked Zhenshu with a half-smile, "That eunuch hasn't proposed marriage in a long time. I'm afraid the marriage is off."
Zhen Shu replied, "It's yellow."
She returned home that night with her hair disheveled and looking terrifying. Even Song Anrong breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't matter if she lost face or was embarrassed, as long as she didn't marry a eunuch, he would just consider it a crazy tantrum or a joke.
☆、87|Loyal to the King
Hearing Zhenshu's reply, Madam Su continued, "If you ask me, it's better this way. Aunt Su is truly a godlike person. Even when you were keeping it from me, she knew you were having an affair with that eunuch. I was the only one who was completely oblivious. Now she knows a prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, a very handsome man. His wife is dying of tuberculosis and he wants a second wife. He only cares about looks and doesn't care about reputation or appearance. I'm thinking of agreeing to go with him. What do you think?"
Zhenshu was still ill and didn't want to give her any more ideas, so she flatly refused, saying, "I will never mention marriage again in this life, and you don't need to worry about me anymore."
Now, Su was so exasperated by her daughters that she had no temper left. She sighed, "You don't want such a bright future, so what can I do? I've paved the way, but you all have to walk it yourselves. If one or two of you are like this, I won't bother with you anymore."
The next morning, Zhenshu got up early, dressed, and went downstairs. She asked Zhenxiu, "What month is it now?"
Zhenxiu said, "You're still half asleep. Tomorrow is the 18th of August. What kind of day is that?"
Zhenshu sighed deeply. She had been sleeping in bed for nearly two months. Her reputation had risen and then faded, her marriage had almost come to fruition but then fell through, and now she was still penniless. She tied her hair up and went out with Zhenxiu to Zui Renjian. She went to the pimp and bowed, saying, "Gentlemen, we need to go upstairs to find a girl. Please do us a favor."
These two men had met Zhenshu before and assumed it was still a matter of calligraphy and painting business. Moreover, Zhenshu's reputation was now so great that they showed him the utmost respect, gesturing for him to come inside, saying, "Young Manager Song, please come in."
Zhenshu led Zhenxiu upstairs to the brothel she had visited before. She knocked on the door and asked politely, "Miss, did you receive a bellyband from Tong Qisheng?"
The girl was Yu Yichen's informant, but since she was in this building, she didn't recognize Zhenshu. She touched Zhenshu from the neck down and said, "Not only did you accept it, you're wearing it now."
Zhenxiu burst into tears. Zhenshu reached out and said, "Then please take it off. My sister's name is embroidered on it. It might not be appropriate for you to wear it."
The prostitute turned around and exclaimed, "Your mistress has come knocking!"
Tong Qisheng came out wearing only trousers. When he saw Zhenshu, his eyes blazed with anger. He sneered, "You're becoming more and more shameless, daring to come to places like this. If you set up a sign here tomorrow, I will definitely come and help you out."
Zhenshu ignored Tong Qisheng and pointed at the prostitute, saying, "Quickly tear off my undergarment."
The prostitute covered her clothes and said, "Even if I take them off, would your sister still be willing to wear the one I wore?"
Zhenxiu cried and refused to answer. At home, she was sharp-tongued and sarcastic, but outside she was timid and wanted to disappear into a mouse hole. The prostitute was dressed very lightly, and Zhenshu, seeing that she wasn't paying attention, ripped the strap of her bodice off her neck. The prostitute screamed, and Zhenshu handed the bodice to Zhenxiu, asking, "Is this the one?"
Zhenxiu rubbed the bodice a few times and said, "Yes."
Just as Zhenshu was about to leave, Zhenxiu grabbed her again, saying, "There's another box with some jewelry inside. I don't want the jewelry, but you have to return the box to me."
The prostitute was furious. She turned and went into the room, rummaging around and cursing, "I don't even want these things. Who would come begging for them after giving them away?"
After saying that, he threw a box out from a distance, and it rolled around with a clatter.
Zhenshu dared not linger any longer, fearing the prostitute would start a commotion, so she grabbed the box, grabbed Zhenxiu, and left. Suddenly, she felt a tightness behind her head; turning around, she saw Tong Qisheng pulling at her collar. Enraged, Zhenshu elbowed him, saying, "Let me go!"
Tong Qisheng, being a stronger man, pulled Zhenshu into his arms and whispered in her ear, "You wait, one day I will get back what happened that night by the Wei River."
He had barely finished speaking when he abruptly let go. Zhenshu, having used too much force, nearly fell to the ground, but thankfully Zhenxiu caught her. Turning back, she cursed him as a bastard before the two of them left the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Tong Qisheng stood behind them, laughing loudly.
Zhenxiu helped Zhenshu downstairs and then left her behind. She tore the undergarment to shreds and threw it into a garbage dump. She took the box back to the small building in the backyard, closed the door to her bedroom, and did something inside.
Zhang Rui sat in the outer room with Song Anrong, sighing and lamenting. Zhen Shu, having gradually put aside her shop affairs, returned to the second floor without saying hello. Seeing that Zhen Xiu had gone inside, she had no choice but to sit with Madam Su in the outer room. After a while, the slender, thin-legged Madam Su came upstairs with a smile, grabbed Zhen Shu, and showered her with praise. Finally, she sat down, served tea, and said as she drank, "The political situation in the court changes quite quickly these days. I'm afraid Yu Yichen's good days are numbered."
As the Imperial Inspector on the City Patrol, she naturally knew about Zhenshu's impending marriage to Yu Yichen. However, Zhenshu never revealed that the two had broken up, so it's likely that very few people know about it now.
Seeing Zhenshu get up to leave, she quickly pulled Zhenshu's hand and made her sit down before saying, "Originally, everyone in the capital was afraid of Yu Yichen. He monopolized the emperor and was inherently ruthless; who wasn't afraid of him to some extent? But recently, a group of Tartars from who-knows-where entered the nearby Li County and looted, only to be surrounded and annihilated by Du Yu, the former heir of the Duke of Du's mansion who had fled. Du Yu had originally escaped from prison to Liangzhou, but now that he's back, he doesn't even enter the city, only carrying thorns and waiting outside for the emperor's orders, which shows his sincerity. If Du Yu and the Duke of Du's mansion cooperate from the outside, what trouble can Yu Yichen possibly cause?"
It turned out that Du Yu had indeed come to the emperor's aid, saving Li County from ravages. Zhen Shu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Dou Mingluan must have written a letter to Du Yu, which was why he came. But if that were the case, Du Yu already led troops in Liangzhou, and Duke Du was also the Protectorate General. With attacks from both sides, Yu Yichen's good days were probably numbered.
Seeing Zhenshu dejectedly lower her head, Aunt Su continued, "So how can Yu Yichen be married? I'm afraid he'll be imprisoned as soon as he marries her. On the contrary, Prefect Wang was originally a deputy, but Prefect Zhou was dismissed by Yu Yichen because of his involvement in the case of the Marquis of Beishun's mansion, so he took his place. Besides, his wife is clearly not doing well, so he can become the Prefect's wife as soon as he enters the family. There's no better option."
She could never forget her old profession as a matchmaker. Zhenshu shook her head with a wry smile, made an excuse to leave the small building, and wandered aimlessly in the East Market. Suddenly, she heard someone ahead exclaim, "Go and see! Du Yu has entered the city!"
Another person said, "I heard that he was very brave and led a dozen men to wipe out a group of Tartars in Li County. Is that true?"
The other person nodded and said, "Like father, like son. His father is the Protector-General of the Army, how could he be weak?"
Having been away from the capital for more than two years, Du Yu was now dressed in a short blouse and straw sandals, carrying a thick bundle of brambles on his back. His leggings were tied up to his calves, and his face was bronze with a scraggly beard. He looked incredibly weathered at first glance.
But he had done a hero after all, and the enthusiastic cheers from the people lining the streets made him feel very good. If Li Xucheng hadn't repeatedly told him to keep a low profile, he would have loved to raise his hands to respond to these people who had once despised him as worse than pigs and dogs.
The Imperial Guards, spears pointed at each other, escorted Du Yu to the Donghua Gate. A group of military officers, flanking him, were waiting outside. Upon Du Yu's return, Du Wu snatched a pre-prepared club from one of his attendants and began to beat him mercilessly, targeting every visible spot. Du Yu's face was swollen and red, his hands bruised and swollen, until a club as thick as a wrist snapped in two. He then pointed to the Donghua Gate and said, "Go inside and face your death!"
Du Yu hadn't seen his father for over two years. Upon seeing him again, he noticed that his once dashing Duke father now had gray hair at his temples, undoubtedly caused by him. Feeling somewhat ashamed, he said after being beaten, "Father, you've grown gray hair. Could it be that you couldn't control yourself and took a concubine?"
He originally wanted to say that he was worrying too much about his son, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he felt that they were too cheesy, so he changed his words. As soon as the words came out, he wished he could slap himself twice. Du Wu was even worse. He picked up the broken stick and was about to rush over, but fortunately his men stopped him.
In the east hall of the Chui Gong Hall, Li Xuzhe paced back and forth in the spacious hall. Hearing Mei Fu outside call for an audience, he retreated behind the large table and sat down, placing his hands on it. He saw a tall man covered in dust, dressed in black, with a bruised and swollen face and a long beard, slowly enter and kneel down. The man introduced himself as Du Yuyin, and Li Xuzhe confirmed that this was indeed Du Yu. He then extended his hands and said, "Get up quickly!"
Du Yu dared not get up. Du Wu followed him in, knelt down to pay his respects, and then said, "This old minister regrets that my son is not up to par, so I beat him first. I hope Your Majesty will not take offense!"
But if he didn't fight it himself, and it fell into the hands of the eunuchs, he would be beaten to death or crippled. Du Wu was ultimately just being overly protective of his son.
Li Xuzhe opened his mouth, tilted his head back, and stared blankly for a long time before saying, "The Duke beat you too harshly!"
He turned around and saw that Yu Yichen had retreated to the back hall at some point. He then asked, "What exactly happened at Cheng Family Fortress in Daxia River back then?"
The late emperor died because of that incident, and it involved Yu Yichen, whom he had raised since childhood. He had to find out the truth.
Du Wu first took out a letter and respectfully presented it to his forehead. Sun Wu, who was serving below, took it and placed it on a lacquered tray lined with red brocade, then presented it to Li Xuzhe. Li Xuzhe took it and frowned as he looked at it. He was a slow-witted person to begin with, and after sitting on the dragon throne below, which felt like it was being roasted by fire, he became even more slow in speech and action.
Not only was Du Wu below feeling uneasy, but Yu Yichen behind the gauze curtain was also inwardly pounding. If he wasn't mistaken, this letter should have been written by Prince Ping. Xu Xiu hadn't found this letter when he captured Du Yu, which meant that at least before Li County, the letter should have been on Du Yu, and only after Li County did it end up in Du Wu's hands.
"So, my second brother also vouches for you, that you didn't take the gold mine map?" Li Xuzhe rarely spoke so quickly to his court officials: "Then tell me, where exactly did the gold mine map go?"
Du Yu looked around but couldn't find Yu Yichen. Remembering the many instructions Du Wu had given him, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it must have been taken by Sun Yuqi's men!"
This answer was honest and matched his and Yu Yichen's speculations from last night. Li Xuzhe nodded and said, "It's good that you're back. The Duke missed you very much, and Li County is also very grateful to you."
Du Wu and Du Yu bowed their heads in thanks, and then Li Xuzhe said, "Now that you're back, let me think about it and give you a job."
Du Wu hurriedly kowtowed again and said, "This old minister believes that he was originally a criminal awaiting punishment, and that His Majesty's decision not to punish him is already a great favor. How could we dare to let him take on any more court duties?"
Li Xuzhe was a little tired, and waved his hand, saying, "Let's discuss it again later!"
Du Wu and Du Yu then respectfully withdrew. Li Xuzhe glanced back at the curtain, rubbed his eyes, yawned, and said, "Looking at my second brother's letter, it's true that Du Yu didn't steal the gold mine map. We've wronged him all these years."
Yu Yichen emerged from behind the curtain and bowed, saying, "It was this servant's dereliction of duty!"
Li Xuze waved his hand: "It can't be entirely your fault. It was a simple matter, but he dragged his feet for more than two years without going to the capital to explain clearly, and he also refused to let Du Yu come back. He was also at fault."
“So, perhaps it is as we have guessed…” Yu Yichen remained standing respectfully, looking up at Li Xuzhe and speaking slowly: “Prince Ping wants to connect the northwest border with the northern border into a single, impregnable fortress, in order to defend against foreign enemies.”
Li Xuzhe pondered this convoluted passage for a long time, and then considered the two men, Prince Ping and Du Wu, together for a long time. He also looked at Yu Yichen and saw him nodding slightly as if in agreement. He sighed and said, "I dare not think in this direction."
This confirms Yu Yichen's earlier speculation: if the Protectorate General surrenders to Prince Ping, then he, as emperor, cannot simply be replaced at will.
If they missed their first attack on Du Wu, it would be difficult for them to strike again.
Li Xuzhe sighed and asked Yu Yichen, "Then what do you think we should do about Du Yu?"
Yu Yichen had been on guard for two years, with all the passes on high alert to prevent Du Yu from returning. Who knew that he would appear out of nowhere and arrive in Li County overnight? Now that he has returned, the pretense has been broken, and there is no point in sending him back. Keeping him in the capital would be troublesome, because he has now become a hero, and ordinary people love heroes the most.
“This servant thinks it would be better to give him a small post to do first.” Yu Yichen was also considering it, but her speech did not slow down: “Yingtian Prefecture is very good, he came from there.”
Now that Yingtian Prefecture is also under his control, it's much more convenient to keep it under his watchful eye.
Li Xuzhe said, "Okay, you can arrange it."
The next day, Du Yu, who had refused to go home the night before and was beaten up by Du Wu, spent the night in a small inn and became an ordinary street patrolman in Yingtian Prefecture. Because of his meritorious service in fighting bandits, the prefect specially assigned him a long-haired, skinny horse and asked him to ride it to patrol the streets all day.
Returning to the East Market of yesterday, Zhenshu glanced at the crowd surging towards the Imperial Street like a tide, then silently turned and went back to the mounting shop. Just over two years ago, Du Yu was a fugitive shouting curses, a sinner plotting to rape his stepmother; now he had returned to the capital as a hero, swaggering in. She shook her head with a wry smile, thinking to herself that the fellow was indeed a master of deception, and wondered if it was Dou Mingluan's letter that had worked, summoning him back from Liangzhou.
She wondered if Yu Yichen could handle him. She didn't want Yu Yichen to lose, but she also hated what he had done. After much deliberation, she sighed and thought that she should go to the capital to see Zhenyuan. She hadn't visited Zhenyuan since she gave birth.
She walked back dejectedly, but fearing that her great-aunt Su might still be making a fuss at home, she continued to wander outside. As night fell, she ate a bowl of glutinous rice balls on the street and continued to wander until the moon rose before heading to the framing shop.
From afar, she saw that the shop door was half-closed, but the lights inside were still on. A sense of doubt and worry filled her, and she hurried inside. There she saw Song Anrong lying face down on the floor, eyes closed. Zhenshu's heart sank. She quickly patted Song Anrong's face and cried out, "Father! Father, wake up!"
She helped Song Anrong up, and when she lifted his eyelids, she saw that he wouldn't even look at her. She quickly called out, "Uncle Zhao!"
An apprentice ran out from the inner room and said, "Young manager, my master has gone to Liu Family Village."
Zhenshu called two apprentices to lift Song Anrong up and place him in his bedroom on the second floor. She then hurriedly summoned another apprentice to fetch a doctor to examine him. The doctor examined him for a long time but could only diagnose him with infantile convulsions and prescribed some herbal medicine to be prepared. Zhenshu sent an apprentice to fetch the medicine, then squatted in the courtyard to brew it. She then hurriedly brought it up and tried to feed it to Song Anrong, blowing on it to cool it down, but the medicine wouldn't go in and would come out again – she couldn't get it down at all.
With Zhao He gone, Madam Su was easily flustered and indecisive, surrounded by women and children, with only Zhen Shu able to handle things reasonably. She had several apprentices pry open Song Anrong's teeth and feed him the medicine with their fingers, then cleaned him up before coming downstairs. She sat behind the counter with a tall candle and asked an apprentice named Xiu'er if they had seen anything inside.
Na Xiu'er scratched his head for a long time before saying, "A big customer came in the evening and talked with the shopkeeper for a long time. He put down a lot of deposit for calligraphy and paintings and said he would pick them up later that night. The shopkeeper saw that we were sleepy, so he told us to go upstairs and go to sleep while he waited outside. Later, I fell asleep and heard some noises outside, but I was too sleepy to get up, and then..."
Zhenshu looked around from the tall pillar, but there were no footprints on the stone floor. There was still some tea left in the two cups in the inner room, indicating that someone had come and served her. She came out of the entrance room and saw several handprints on the wall. After looking at them repeatedly, she believed they were Song Anrong's. Then she examined the unopened door closely, but the wood was too old to see anything.
She went to the inner room to sort through the goods and looked at the inventory list. Sure enough, nearly three thousand taels of calligraphy and paintings were sold out.
She sent the apprentice to sleep, went upstairs, and held Song Anrong's hand, keeping watch over him. Madam Su, unable to stay awake any longer, took Zhenxiu and the others to sleep. She held his hand for a long time before falling asleep, but dreamt that on the night of the Lantern Festival, Yu Yichen took out a lotus lantern from his arms and smiled at her. She woke up with a heavy heart, clutching Song Anrong's hand tightly and crying. Perhaps it was a father-daughter connection, for Song Anrong finally woke up in the middle of the night, but he had truly suffered a stroke; he couldn't move his mouth, his hands, or his feet. His eyes remained fixed on Zhenshu, and he made incoherent sounds.
Zhenshu asked, "Father, how did you fall? Did a customer really come to the shop? Where are they from? Did it affect you?"
Song Anrong seemed unable to turn his neck, his eyes darting around, and he was breathing heavily. Zhenshu helped him up after a while, gave him some water, and stretched his stiff arms and numb fingers. Suddenly, she touched the back of his head and found a large, swollen bump. He had been lying face down; if he had truly suffered a stroke, he wouldn't have been able to turn over, so how could there be such a bump on the back of his head?
Zhenshu grew increasingly suspicious and waited until dawn before reporting the case to the Yingtian Prefecture. The Yingtian Prefecture soon sent two people to investigate the scene, noting down Zhenshu's doubts before leaving. Zhao He returned in the afternoon, also looking around and inquiring from various sources about the origins of the customer who had come to sell calligraphy and paintings that afternoon. He didn't return until dark.
Despite numerous inquiries and a lengthy investigation in Yingtian Prefecture, the matter remained an unsolved mystery. Song Anrong was unable to speak or write, and could only silently open his eyes and close them each day, eating only watery food. He, who was originally a tall and imposing man, gradually became a emaciated and emaciated old man.
Because he strongly forbade Zhenshu from serving him closely, Zhenshu urged Su to go and serve him instead, to relieve Zhao He. After all, the mounting shop needed Zhao He to train apprentices to keep it running. Su stormed upstairs, and after a while, she suddenly came running down screaming, "Your father... your father..."
Zhenshu asked in surprise, "What's wrong with Father?"
Su said, "He kicked his leg!"
Zhenshu threw down her work, took off her apron, and walked upstairs, saying, "That's a good thing. He can slowly move his arms by kicking his legs. Even if he can't speak, he can tell us what happened and who hurt him."
Madam Su also came up and watched from here. Zhenshu helped Song Anrong to his feet and asked, "Father, what do you want to do?"
Song Anrong's eyes were fixed on Madam Su, who turned away and said, "Why are you looking at me?"
Song Anrong kicked his legs frantically, and Zhenshu suddenly realized and asked, "Father, do you need to urinate? I'll get you the chamber pot."
He made a slurping sound and rolled his eyes, kicking his legs to prevent Zhenshu from getting close. Zhenshu had no choice but to hand the chamber pot to Su Shi and say, "Father probably doesn't want me to watch, so please help him urinate."
Su put her hands behind her back and said, "I called your Uncle Zhao up here. I have never done such a thing before."
Zhenshu angrily threw the chamber pot into her arms and said, "He is your husband, the person you are closest to. How can you entrust him to an outsider?"
The mention of her husband suddenly brought Yu Yichen to her mind. Wasn't he her closest person? Even now, if he were in this state, she would still serve him without hesitation until he recovered.
Su gently picked up a chamber pot with both hands and stuffed it into the quilt, saying, "Go ahead and pee."