Zhenxiu glanced coldly at Zhenshu and said, "Since you speak of such grand principles, why can't you cut ties and start over? Aren't you still thinking about that eunuch?"
Ultimately, the two of them couldn't see eye to eye and exchange a single word.
Zhenshu straightened her clothes, picked them up herself, and instead of returning to the alley behind, headed towards the courtyard in Chuanzi Alley. Huang Zijing followed her from a distance, watching her enter the courtyard and wait for her to leave and return to the East Market before rushing to the Inspectorate. He went straight to Du Yu's office, closed the door, and said, "Elder, Madam went to that courtyard in Chuanzi Alley again, put down a bundle, and then left."
Du Yu asked, "Where did the bundle come from?"
Huang Zijing said, "A mounting shop."
Du Yu frowned, rubbing his temples, and asked Huang Zijing, "Are you sure that courtyard belongs to Yu Yichen?"
Huang Zijing said, "Mei Xun, one of Yu Yichen's subordinates, has been frequently seen in that small courtyard lately. I haven't gone to investigate, so this is still just a deduction."
Du Yu nodded and waved his hand, saying, "I'll have to trouble someone to keep an eye on things for me again. Don't always go alone. Those eunuchs are extremely ruthless; you could easily lose your life if you're not careful."
Huang Zijing accepted the order and left.
Du Yu glanced at the time and realized it wasn't time for the court session to end yet. He waited patiently until it was finally over, then grabbed his turban and ran home in a flash. Seeing the lights and smoke rising from his house, he knew that Zhen Shu was still there, and his heart filled with joy. He entered the house and asked, "How did you feel today, my lady?"
Zhen Shu said, "Very good."
While she was out in the kitchen giving orders, Du Yu lifted the trunk to look inside. There were only a few children's clothes inside; everything else was gone.
☆、122|Elopement
She was planning to elope with Yu Yichen, but Yu Yichen was probably finding it difficult to even leave the palace these days, so how could he go with her?
Both he and she were outsiders to the court, yet now they were entangled in the political situation. He had no intention of getting involved in the court affairs, but now he was also worried about Yu Yichen's future.
Zhenshu, annoyed and reluctant to talk to him, looked up from her needlework and asked, "Why didn't you go to the west room to study today?"
Du Yu quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed), went to the west room to get the military book, and sat cross-legged on the kang again, loudly reciting it. Zhen Shu was so annoyed by his noise that she poked a needle and frowned, saying, "You usually only read silently in the west room, why do you have to recite it loudly today?"
Du Yu reached out and touched Zhen Shu's round belly, saying, "My father and I have never been able to get along, probably because he never came to see me or spoke to me when I was still in my mother's womb. So I've decided to talk to him more from now on so that my son can hear me and leave a good impression on him, so that he won't be born as disobedient as I was."
Zhenshu reached out and took the book, saying, "Let me read it for you. Your voice is too loud and it's giving me a headache."
Just as she was about to turn the page, Du Yu suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Oh no!"
He then lunged to snatch the book. Zhenshu protected him, pressing the book to her chest and punching him twice, asking, "Are you trying to die? What do you think you're doing?"
Du Yu grinned and held out his hand, saying, "Good wife, give me the book."
Seeing his impatient look, Zhenshu became even more suspicious and pointed, saying, "Be careful not to crush the child, stay away from me."
Du Yu was most afraid of her bringing up the child, so he slowly backed away with his hands raised. Zhen Shu suddenly pulled out a book and flipped through it with a clatter, several folded picture cards falling out. Du Yu bent down and pulled them into his arms. Zhen Shu punched him a few times, caught one, flipped it open, and almost died of anger. She unfolded it and said to Du Yu, "You're going to show these to your son?"
Du Yu looked at the naked man and woman embracing in the picture and said with a cheeky grin, "I suppose we can only show it to him when he's older and more mature."
Zhen Shu angrily smacked Du Yu on the head twice with the picture, then flipped it over to examine it closely. She saw that the man was completely naked, while the woman still had some clothes on her body, except for her two tiny bound feet that were sticking out high. She angrily folded them up and slapped Du Yu on the head again, saying, "You still like these little bound feet? Don't you even find them smelly?"
Du Yu wasn't actually in pain; on the contrary, Zhen Shu's teasing made them seem like a real married couple. He felt a pleasant, ticklish sensation, but deliberately feigned great pain, groaning, "I don't care about big or small feet, it's just that the woman's breasts are bigger..."
Zhen Shu angrily kicked him hard and said, "If you say any more, your son will hear it and come out to learn your skills."
Du Yu grabbed Zhenshu's leg and pounced on her, pinning her down on the kang (heated brick bed). He nuzzled her neck for a long time, and seeing that she didn't object, he reached for her sash. Zhenshu suddenly grabbed Du Yu's hand and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry, I..."
Du Yu reached out and helped her up, smiling as he said, "I understand."
The night was delayed until the thirteenth day of the first lunar month. Du Yu and Zhen Shu were sleeping soundly when suddenly someone pounded on the courtyard gate. Du Yu sat up abruptly, got out of bed, went out of the courtyard, and opened the door. He saw Huang Zijing and asked, "What is it?"
Huang Zijing said, "The Duke's Mansion sent word that our Censorate must assemble immediately and go to the palace gate."
Du Yu had anticipated this day and hurriedly went back inside to put on his official robes. Before he knew it, Zhen Shu, who was also dressed, came over and asked, "What happened?"
Seeing that she was holding up a tall candle, her face expressionless but her brows furrowed with anxiety, Du Yu said frankly, "I'm afraid she's going to capture Yu Yichen."
Zhenshu asked, "May I come along?"
Seeing that Du Yu remained silent, she added, "I promised to collect his body."
Du Yu nodded and said, "Alright, but you can't be with me. I'll have Huang Zijing go with you. If things get too chaotic, you can't push your way forward. After all, the child is the priority. If it really comes to the point where he dies, I'll protect him and prevent others from humiliating him, even without you saying so. Is that alright?"
Zhenshu nodded and said, "Okay. Thank you."
Du Yu felt a pang of sadness, and tears welled up in his eyes. He wiped them away with his hand and said, "Let's go."
Du Yu rode his horse to the outside of Donghua Gate and saw that tents had already been erected in the open space outside the palace. Du Wu was also on horseback, looking into the palace. The Imperial Guards on the palace walls were waiting with their guns drawn, and the situation was tense. He rode up to his father, Du Yu, and bowed, saying, "This humble official, the Inspector General of the Censorate, has come to receive orders."
Du Wu glanced at his son, who was already dressed and leading people over, and nodded slightly, saying, "It's time for the morning court session, but the palace gates are not open. When I went to visit yesterday, I found that His Majesty was already dying. Now, I'm afraid that Yu Yichen knows that His Majesty has passed away and that I want to settle old scores with him, so he simply closed the city gates today and ordered the Imperial Guards to be on high alert. You must be prepared. If he doesn't open the gates today, we will have to launch a full-scale attack."
The Imperial Guard numbered only a few thousand. Du Yu turned around and saw banners waving behind him; there were probably tens of thousands surrounding the palace gates. He had no idea when Du Wu had silently assembled such a force, so he nodded silently and withdrew.
Huang Zijing placed Zhenshu among the soldiers of the Censorate, who kept her company while they waited. Seeing Du Yu approaching from afar, Zhenshu ran over and asked, "How is the situation?"
Du Yu spread his hands and said, "I'm afraid we'll have to keep them surrounded for two days until Yu Yichen comes out. If he doesn't come out soon, I'm afraid we'll have to launch a full-scale attack."
Zhenshu asked, "Is the emperor really dead?"
Du Yu nodded and said, "I suppose so."
With changes occurring in the palace, the restrictions on the wards were naturally lifted, and a curfew was imposed even during the day. The vast palace gates and the entire Imperial Street were deserted. Apart from the large army led by Du Wu, all the civil and military officials could only stay at home and wait for the dust to settle in the court.
By noon, Zhenshu was starting to feel the strain. Du Yu found her a tent to lie down in and brought her some dry food and water to quench her hunger. Only then did he go to Du Wu's main tent to see him.
Du Wu and several generals were discussing where to launch a strong attack, how to set up siege ladders, and how to find Yu Yichen as quickly as possible. When they saw their son arrive, Du Wu threw down the stick he was holding and asked Du Yu, "What are you doing here?"
Du Yu said, "Let's see when you're going to attack, and what our Inspectorate should do."
Du Wu said, "Your main task is to guard the Imperial Street and prevent him from escaping. As for when we will attack, we will inform you then."
This was the first time the father and son had met since their outburst at the Duke's mansion. Seeing his son's furrowed brow and the fact that he had come immediately upon being summoned, Du Wu knew that his son still sided with him on important matters. Moreover, his son was a military officer with a considerable reputation. Putting aside his critical mind, Du Wu asked his son to sit down and inquired, "Where is your wife who lives outside the palace?"
Du Yu naturally dared not say that he had brought it here, and subconsciously lied, saying, "Wait at home."
Du Wu said, “That’s right. Although she is an outsider and her behavior is dissolute, making her unsuitable as a wife, if she is truly carrying your bloodline, you cannot let her continue to act recklessly and abort the child. You are my son, and no father in the world does not want his son to be well. If she really has given birth to your child, you can settle her outside and make her a mistress, and I will not object.”
Du Yu nodded and said, "Okay."
Father and son remained silent for a long while. Du Yu then withdrew and assigned tasks to the Censorate, ensuring everyone was present from the city gate to the Imperial Street before returning to his tent. Zhen Shu was fast asleep and unaware of the situation outside. He squatted by the bedside for a while before coming out again to stand outside.
They stood there until nightfall, and it was still the middle of the Lunar New Year; the Lantern Festival was just two days away. But this year, it seemed that the officials and common people of the Dali Dynasty would all be at home pretending to be dead, unable to celebrate as they had in previous years.
When Zhen woke up and saw the stalemate still outside, she ate some dry rations and went back to sleep. She wanted to conserve her strength to wait for him. No matter what situation he was in, since he had said he would send someone to inform her to see him one last time, he must have a way. Zhen Shu saw Du Yu occasionally come in and tap her, and comforted her, "I'm fine. You go out and keep watch, so your father won't scold you."
After Du Yu left the tent, she closed her eyes and slept soundly. She needed to be well-rested to have any chance of escaping. Around the fourteenth, after the night watchman's drum sounded, the large army standing outside the palace began their attack. Zhen Shu sat in the tent for a long time, hands tucked inside her sleeves. She then pulled a dagger from her boot to test its edge. Huang Zijing suddenly lifted the curtain and entered, carrying a cup of hot water. Seeing Zhen Shu holding the dagger, he quickly advised, "Madam, try to look on the bright side."
Zhen Shu put the dagger back into her boot and smiled as she took the water, asking, "How was the attack?"
Huang Zijing said, "I think it will take some time. The Imperial Guards in the palace are not easy to deal with."
At dawn, due to the fierce resistance of the imperial guards on the palace walls and the approaching daylight, Du Wu halted the siege and ordered everyone to retreat to the outside of the Jinshui Bridge to rest before resuming the siege.
Another day passed, and on the day of the Ghost Festival, Du Wu led his troops to attack again. They attacked until midnight but still could not take the palace. He was both angry and anxious, and he was also afraid that the scouts would report to the King of Liangzhou that he was coming to the aid of the king. He discussed with his soldiers whether to set fire to the palace gates or to build ladders and charge through again.
Du Wu's actions were intended as a military remonstrance to purge the emperor of corrupt officials, but if it truly escalated to setting fire to the city gates, it would be tantamount to committing treason. Furthermore, whether the emperor was truly dead in the palace remained unclear. Although the emperor had sent him a message, their alliance was recent, and the emperor and Yu Yichen had long been entangled. With the palace gates closed, no one knew for sure. The soldiers discussed the matter back and forth until dawn.
This day was the Lantern Festival, a day that should have been a time of celebration for the entire capital. Lantern displays and riddles were to be set up on the Imperial Street, and lotus lanterns were to be released into the moat to mark the occasion. However, a curfew had already been in effect for two days, and there was a fear that the people in the city might be incited to cause unrest, which would only add fuel to the fire.
☆、123|Death date
Du Wu was extremely anxious; overnight, his beard grew long, and several white hairs sprouted. He angrily summoned Du Yu and asked, "What do you suggest we do?"
Du Yu shook his head: "My son doesn't know."
Du Wu pointed at Du Yu and said, "You have never liked studying since you were a child. You are good at martial arts but not at strategy. In the end, you are only a general, not a commander. If you are still so ignorant after all the hard work I have put into this, how will you stand shoulder to shoulder with me in the future?"
Du Yu pointed and said, "And Heng'er, you can train him."
Du Wu was furious, his beard bristling and eyes wide with anger. The father and son stood there, when suddenly someone came to report from the palace gate: "Yu Yichen just shouted that he wants to see the Inspector's wife."
Du Yu glanced at his father and saw that his expression was as if he wanted to kill him immediately. He cupped his hands and said, "I will go and call her."
After saying this, he took the token from Du Wu and left.
Du Wu and his eldest son had been sworn enemies since childhood. Seeing that he had only been gone for a quarter of an hour, and that he had already brought Zhen Shu, who was heavily pregnant, Du Wu became even more furious and asked, "Didn't you say that she was quietly staying at home?"
Du Yu did not answer, and he and Zhen Shu stood silently. Du Wu sent his men back a few feet before asking Zhen Shu, "Did you also come prepared to see him?"
Zhen Shu curtsied and said, "Yes."
Du Wu glanced at his son, seeing that he still had that shameless, brazen look, and then asked Zhenshu, "Why did you see him?"
Zhen Shu said, "Collect his body."
Du Wu sneered, "What a loyal friend. Since he wants to see you, go in and persuade him to quickly lower the Golden Water Bridge, open the palace gates, and surrender. Otherwise, when it comes to the moment of being slaughtered and dismembered, he won't have a good death either."
Zhen Shu agreed, and Du Yu accompanied her all the way to the outside of Donghua Gate. Banners stood in the distance, and the Jinshui Bridge creaked as it was lowered. The Imperial Guards on the wall shouted, "Only Song Zhen Shu is allowed to come up. Everyone else, stay away or you will be shot dead by stray arrows immediately."
Du Yu couldn't help but add, "You can't possibly take him out of the palace and leave."
Zhen Shu didn't turn around and said, "How do you know it's impossible if you haven't tried?"
Du Yu wiped away his tears, took two steps forward, knelt down beside Zhen Shu's swollen belly, and softly called out "son." He pressed his ear to her belly and listened for a while before patting it and saying, "I am a disobedient son. If you had come out alive and grown up, you probably wouldn't have been disobedient either."
Zhenshu felt a pang of sadness and pried his hand away, saying, "You are a man, a seed-planter. As long as you find a good wife in the future, she will eventually give you many children. This is mine, and has nothing to do with you."
After speaking, she turned and walked onto the Golden Water Bridge. As soon as her foot touched the ground on the other side, the bridge creaked and rose up again. Du Yu saw her step over the piles of broken weapons and wait at the palace gate. He knew she would never look back, but he still hoped she would turn around and look at him. So he stared at her intently.
Zhenshu did not look back one last time. As soon as the palace gate opened, she slipped inside. The gate closed again, blocked by heavy stones, becoming a silent, dead gate once more.
For Zhenshu, who had never entered the palace before, the imperial palace was like a maze. This was where the emperor lived, with palaces connected one after another. Two eunuchs jogged ahead to lead the way, and Zhenshu walked quickly, passing through palace gate after gate, and through long alley after alley. Red walls and yellow tiles made her feet ache before she finally arrived at the gate of a palace. A group of eunuchs and imperial guards surrounded the gate like an iron barrel. The eunuch announced loudly, "Your Majesty, Miss Song requests an audience."
If it weren't for these Imperial Guards standing by with their guns, they would appear as if the people inside the palace were unaware of the fierce battle raging outside.
A group of women in palace attire filed out, and one of them lifted the curtain and said, "Miss Song, please."
As Zhenshu entered the warm, fragrant room, she couldn't help but sneeze. She covered her nose and walked inside when she suddenly heard Yu Yichen say, "You've come?"
Following the sound, Zhen Shu looked over and saw Yu Yichen sitting cross-legged on a small couch, drinking tea. Beside him sat a woman dressed in plain silk robes, very thin, who was raising her eyebrows and looking at her. She instinctively felt that the woman must be the Empress, and thought to herself with resentment: No wonder he avoided talking about it several times. Judging from this, he really has some kind of entanglement with the Emperor's woman.
Seeing that Zhen Shu had raised her eyebrows and was staring at him with unfriendly eyes, the sage stood up and said, "Alright, your little lover is here. Shouldn't I make room for you two?"
After speaking, he was about to walk out of the hall. Yu Yichen called out, "Wang Ling."
When the sage heard Yu Yichen call her by her maiden name, she paused for a moment, turned around, and said, "Hmm?"
Yu Yichen smiled gently and pointed behind him, saying, "Go to the inner hall."
The sage's face turned white then red, then red then white again. He glared at Yu Yichen hatefully before heading into the inner hall.