Lanting

Capítulo 57

A muffled groan escaped my lips. Ouch!

I could hear Xiaoyu sobbing softly in my ear.

"Father Emperor." This voice, as if from beyond the heavens, was actually Fifth Prince!

"Father, everyone says that women have long hair but short wits, and that young girls don't understand anything. Why do you say that, Father?"

I am grateful for Fifth Master's words. But I also know that no one can stop me from doing this.

Perhaps because someone pleaded for mercy, the palace servants' board did not fall for a long time.

Eunuch Chang asked expectantly once again, "Your Majesty—"

"Add five strokes. If someone pleads for mercy again, add ten strokes."

No one dared to utter a sound.

I wasn't too surprised. He was an emperor; he had personally killed his own son and daughter-in-law, imprisoned his own son, and twenty-five strokes of the cane were indeed lenient towards me, a servant whose life was worth less than paper. This was his authority, which brooked no questioning from anyone.

Grandpa Chang dared not ask any more questions. He continued to strike her with the paddle, and slowly her body began to convulse. She was in so much pain that she could no longer utter a sound, not even a groan. Her consciousness was gradually drowned out by the increasingly clear sobs of Xiaoyu in her ears.

I vaguely felt someone come to help me up, and I heard someone kowtowing and begging for mercy. When I regained consciousness, I realized that it was Eunuch Chang who had helped me up, and Xiaoyu was the one kowtowing. She didn't dare to plead for me, so she just kept kowtowing. I struggled to stand up, feeling that my skirt was covered in blood, but I didn't feel any pain anymore.

"Miss Yan, don't just stand there like an idiot, the sedan chair is already waiting outside the palace," Eunuch Chang urged again.

I reached out and wiped away Xiaoyu's tears. After spending so many days together, my wariness of her had lessened considerably. "Do you really want me to leave feeling so uneasy?!"

"Make sure you've packed all your summer and autumn clothes. Don't forget the hand warmer I gave you. Who knows how long this trip will take?"

I stood up, smiled slightly at her, and turned to leave the inner hall.

For the past two weeks, Xiaoyu has been taking care of me, and my injuries have healed quickly. I can now move around freely again. The Emperor hasn't pursued that matter any further; he's just letting me recuperate first. Yesterday, an imperial decree was issued allowing me to go and accompany Lu Xiu, but without giving me any official title. It was said that I would be summoned back to the palace once Lu Xiu has fully recovered.

After getting off the sedan chair, a palace servant led us through a dark and narrow corridor, at the end of which was a small courtyard, with a long corridor dividing it into east and west sections.

Once inside the deep courtyard, the palace servant who had been in front of me suddenly appeared behind me. I turned to look at him, but a menacing fence blocked my view.

I smiled and shook my head; it really was isolated from the world.

When I saw the old man humming a tune leisurely on the recliner in front of the courtyard, I felt relieved and content, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

As I expected, Lu Xiu was not surprised, nor could I expect him to be overwhelmed with emotion.

In fact, this glib-tongued, foul-mouthed man couldn't say a single kind word; the first thing he said to me was:

"Oh ho, I've long heard that a shameless little girl is desperately trying to get into my arms. Turns out it's you, the most popular person in front of the Chaoyang Palace."

"You're really being unfair, aren't you? You come to such a nice place to find peace and quiet, but do you know how hard it is for me to come all this way?! And you're still stuck with this shameless reputation. You don't choose any of the favored princes, but instead run off to this godforsaken place."

Just kidding! When has Rong Zhaozhi ever lost to him in a battle of wits?

I found a place to sit next to him, and he leaned in halfway, asking curiously, "How did you get in?"

I rolled my eyes at him: "I have my own brilliant plan."

He chuckled and waved his paper fan dismissively, "Kneeling all night plus a beating is considered a brilliant move?!"

"You don't understand the art of feigning injury, do you?"

He stared blankly, then frowned. "My dear seventh sister-in-law, I really can't understand you anymore. From coming back from the dead, to disguising yourself, to clinging to the master and insisting on returning to the capital, and now to this situation."

"My gratitude to you stems from the fact that your eighth uncle was so generous, giving our son several thousand taels of gold for his full moon celebration."

After saying that, I stood up, but before I could even stand properly, he pulled me over. After a long moment of confusion, he said, "Why me of all? Of all my brothers, you only trust me? Aren't you afraid that I'll tell the Emperor that my good seventh sister-in-law is right in front of me?"

I leaned back and laughed, looking at his utterly bewildered expression.

“If Eighth Master were such a shrewd person, how could he have fallen to this state? What I value in you is your straightforward and naive nature.”

Lu Xiu shook his head and leaned back in his chair, fanning himself again. "I can't clear my name."

I knew that from the moment he brought me back to the capital, from the moment he watched me disguise myself and handed me over to Eunuch Chang, this man was determined to share my fate, my glory and my shame, my ascension to the heavens and my descent into hell, no matter what I was about to do. And he was the only person I could truly trust.

"Virtue." I gave him a disdainful look and stood up. "Do you still remember Lu Hong? He saved me, so I'm repaying his kindness by protecting the Rong family in my stead."

I recounted my experiences over the past two years in detail, and I no longer needed to hide anything from him.

After listening, he remained silent for a long time, only fanning himself, which annoyed me. I reached out and snatched the fan away, saying, "Why are you fanning yourself in this cold weather?"

He rubbed his shoulders and leaned closer, "Why didn't you come to me when you were having an affair? I had to wait so long... How lucky my second brother was to have tricked you away."

I angrily smacked him a few times with my fan, "Why is there not a single utterance from your mouth that's uttered?"

He gripped the other end of the fan, his eyes calm. "Seriously? Want to hear it?!"

"you say."

"Whether you decide to return to Seventh Brother's side in the future or not, you can never talk about the years you spent with Second Brother. Even if it was just in name only, people will still gossip about it. Some things are better left unsaid. You know that in your heart."

I naturally understood what Lu Xiu meant. I suppose he could guess what I was thinking even if I didn't say it.

I'm only here for the Rong family. Once I make a comeback, I'll leave and never have anything to do with the deep, unfathomable world of noble families again.

Chapter Ten: Imprisonment

The days, including the Mid-Autumn Festival of that year, were spent in this simple courtyard.

The winter of the twenty-fourth year of Tianyou arrived amidst this uneasy tranquility. Occasionally, I would pause to reflect on the past. Since I married and moved to the capital at the age of fifteen, four years had passed, and I had lost far more than I had gained.

During the day, I humbly served the extremely picky Lu Xiu. In the afternoons, while he looked at the books I had brought from the palace, I would sit in the room and practice my calligraphy. Ever since I married Lu Li, whenever I had nothing to do after looking at the account books, I liked to practice calligraphy by copying the calligraphy he left in his study. His calligraphy was said to be among the best of all the princes, and even the Emperor had praised it highly.

“I said, stop practicing! You’re not going to take the imperial examination, so why bother writing such beautiful characters? Come out and ride horses with Eighth Master,” Lu Xiu shouted from outside the door.

I looked out the window and replied, "Don't you even look around? There's not even enough room to turn over in this yard. You should just sit here for a while."

Lu Xiu pushed open the door and entered, sitting down at the table and pouring himself a cup of tea. "I've been idle for most of the day, haven't I?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "You've finished reading all those books?"

He curled his lip and said angrily, "You still know how to ask, bringing me some 'daughter's classics,' 'female virtues and precepts,' do you want me to turn into a woman?"

“Xiaoyu, there’s nothing else.” I paused, writing. “If you don’t want to read it, just wander around in the yard by yourself. Don’t bother me. Can’t you see I’m cultivating my mind and body here?”

"There are only the two of us here. If you find it troublesome, wouldn't I be bored to death?!"

He put down his pen and teased him, "Who says otherwise? You, the once carefree and frivolous prince, have now become the most idle prince in the world. What a great irony!"

He had no rebuttal. He walked over in a few steps, glanced at my handwriting, and said, "Wow. It really is getting more and more like it."

Looking at my own handwriting, I sighed helplessly, "It lacks the essence. It's just a superficial resemblance."

He grinned. "Seventh Brother's handwriting is really that good?!"

I looked at him with amusement. “It’s better to compare yourself to some people who try to emulate Wang Xizhi’s cursive script with a touch of detachment, only to be laughed at by their fathers.”

His face flushed. "That happened so long ago. Where did you hear that from? Fourth Brother? Or Seventh Brother?"

I folded the papers in my hand, walked to the box by the bed, and put them in. I turned back and smiled. "None of them. It's Sixth Sister-in-law."

"I knew Sixth Brother would show off in front of women and expose their shortcomings," Lu Xiu said awkwardly as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I came in during the Qingming Festival, and it's almost the beginning of winter now. I wonder what kind of chaos it's caused over there." I sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing my shoulders.

Lu Xiu approached with a smile, "Why don't you become my concubine? Once I've made it big, I'll let you live a carefree life outside this courtyard."

I laughed and said, "Great idea! But we should also ask Eighth Master if I'll have lost all my teeth and have gray hair by then!"

He wanted to laugh, but ultimately didn't. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes. Seeing him like this, I didn't dare to joke anymore. I grabbed his sleeve and said, "Alright, alright. If we really want to go on a carefree trip, I'll take you with me. We'll see all the beauties in the world and enjoy all the delicacies."

He chuckled, pointing a finger at me, "Really? You said it yourself?!"

She immediately realized she had fallen into his trap, and glared at him resentfully. "Why did I think that serving a heartless man like you for the rest of my life would be much better than following some favored master?"

He shook his head and put his arm around me, saying, "This is what they call a single misstep leading to eternal regret."

"And what about you?" I suppressed my smile and looked into his bright eyes. "Aren't you afraid of ruining your promising future with a single slip of the tongue?!"

"Who told me I couldn't tolerate being unclean?" He gave a bitter smile, then looked at me and emphasized, "I'm not going to regret it!"

"I'm afraid it'll be too late to regret it." I pretended to push him away.

He held on even tighter, saying, "And because of this, I've gained a beautiful woman by my side for support. What more could I ask for?!"

Seeing his mischievous smile, I asked him very sincerely, "How many days has it been since you last showered? You smell like old pickled vegetables."

His face turned pale and then flushed red. He suddenly let go of me, almost choking with anger.

Someone like Lu Xiu, who is used to being waited on, probably doesn't even know how to boil water for a bath. And since he is indeed clean and has obsessive-compulsive disorder, he would definitely not be able to tolerate such a humiliation.

He glared at me fiercely for a long time, then gritted his teeth, leaned closer, and said, "You little brat, you're disliking your master?"

I held my breath and backed away, shoving him away haphazardly with both hands. "You get all worked up just because I said you're fat. You're really making it hard for me to breathe. How can you not be disgusting, you lecherous man? Can't you even stand the truth?"

“If you keep trying to take my clothes off, you’ll strip me naked.” He laughed even more wildly. “You keep calling me a lecher, yet you try to take my clothes off. I am the dashing and handsome Song Yu, and you are the lecherous Doctor Chu.”

"You're just being unreasonable." I stopped what I was doing and looked at how messy he really was. "If you ask me, the most wronged man in history has to be Deng Tu Zi. Song Yu's 'Rhapsody on Deng Tu Zi's Lust' completely ruined him and he can never recover."

"Alright, you're always so idle, aren't you? Why not compose a poem like 'The Eighth Prince's Lustful Delight' and sing it to pass the time?" Lu Xiu said, straightening his disheveled clothes as he made fun of him.

"Ahem, you're too idle."

The sound that came from above made us both shudder. For so long, there hadn't been any other sounds besides the two of us. Lu Xiu and I looked at each other, waiting for the sound to come again to prove it wasn't a hallucination.

"I think you all have too much free time."

As soon as the sound fell, the two of them reacted immediately. I kicked Lu Xiu away, and he barely managed to regain his footing.

The two men stood awkwardly on either side of each other, so embarrassed that they forgot how to greet each other, creating an extremely awkward atmosphere.

The visitor stood at the door, frowning: "It seems that while I ordered you to reflect on your mistakes here, you've actually been enjoying yourself."

Lu Xiu and I were completely awake now, and we hurriedly led the Emperor into the room. Actually, we didn't need to lead him; in less than two steps, the Emperor found the broken table and sat down. There was a broken teapot on the table, which was usually just for decoration. Perhaps because he had been served in the palace for so long, the Emperor subconsciously reached for tea, and his hand just touched the teapot.

I quickly replied, "There's no water."

The emperor pursed his lips, withdrew his hand, and said nothing more.

Going to boil water was indeed an excuse to escape the awkward situation between the father and son. I bowed and walked out carrying a broken teapot.

Lu Li stood outside the door. It wasn't that he didn't want to come in, but there wasn't enough room to move around. If he didn't mind sitting by the bed, he could come in.

I quickly gave him a curtsy, my gaze lingering on him for a moment before I averted it.

The father, sons, and brothers must have something to say, so I didn't want to disturb them. I stayed in the small shed where I boiled water and kept warm. I noticed that the small shed across the street with its large open doors and windows was unusually quiet.

After boiling the water and washing the broken teapot several times, I felt it was presentable enough before leaving the hut.

The doors and windows remained wide open, but Lu Xiu knelt in the center of the courtyard, staring intently at the gate.