Zhen Shu said, "You had no choice but to give it away. Liu Zhang spent two million taels of silver on that dog, saying it was his lifeblood."
The two looked at each other and laughed heartily. Zhenshu thought he wouldn't bring up marriage again, but to her surprise, he gently tucked her hair in his hand and said slowly, "I will no longer stay in the palace. I will return here every night. You can work at the mounting shop every day and only come here to keep me company in the evenings. We can live together like an ordinary couple, okay?"
Although Zhenshu knew in her heart that she should refuse him, she didn't know how to say it, and she looked at Yu Yichen with her almond-shaped eyes wide open. He continued, "A few days ago you were sick, and I stood downstairs. I really wanted to go up and see you, hold your hand and wipe your body to relieve your pain. But I couldn't, because I am not your husband yet."
Looking into the sincerity in his eyes, Zhenshu answered as if possessed, "Okay!"
He gently kissed her forehead and said, "You are the only happiness and faith I can find, do you know that?"
Zhenshu suddenly remembered the elderly singer she had seen at the Yu residence last month and asked, "Is that old singer alright now?"
Yu Yichen nodded: "He is very good, as good as can be."
Zhenshu then asked, "How did you become a eunuch? When did this happen?"
Although she agreed to marry him, she first wanted to understand his life, the part of his upbringing, and the part he was willing to talk about.
Yu Yichen gently tucked Zhen Shu's exposed arm under the covers before slowly recounting, "Back when Blackwater City still existed, my grandfather was its king, and my father was the crown prince. They both greatly admired the culture of the Central Plains. My grandfather even sent many children to the Central Plains to learn the Central Plains script, instructing them to translate the Four Books and Five Classics and other ancient texts into Western Xia script for circulation in Blackwater City. My father was deeply influenced by this; he spoke excellent Chinese and was also quite accomplished in the art of playing the zither and calligraphy. Later, the Liao Dynasty in the north grew in power and invaded Blackwater, annihilating our last remaining branch of Western Xia. My father, as the crown prince, fled to the Central Plains and became a zither player in the emperor's palace in the capital."
My father met my mother and became pregnant with me. Through various connections, he arranged for my mother to be sent out of the palace. Because of his skill in playing the qin (a seven-stringed zither), which greatly pleased Emperor Taizu, the emperor granted his request to leave. On the eve of his departure, perhaps because he had drunk some wine and was in high spirits, my father played a piece called "Guangling Zhixi" for the musicians present. The score for this piece was lost, and the melody had long been extinct in the Central Plains. My father had only learned it because he had somehow obtained the score during his studies in the Central Plains. These musicians, wanting the score, inquired about his background. In his drunken state, he revealed the truth, which they reported to the emperor. The story reached the powerful Liao Dynasty, which demanded my father's return. The emperor then sent my father to the Liao ruler. Several years later, Emperor Chengfeng ascended the throne, and my mother and I were brought back to the palace…”
"How old were you then?" Zhenshu interjected.
Yu Yichen said, "I forgot. Because a kind person delivered the message in time, my mother and I escaped for a long time, but we were eventually caught. Later, my mother was executed, and I was sent to the palace to be castrated. Later, I became a companion to the then Crown Prince and have been there ever since."
So, was he forced to be castrated at that time?
Yu Yichen laughed and said, "Luckily, I was too young back then and have forgotten everything."
Zhenshu suddenly realized: "The old man singing and those musicians must be the bad guys."
Yu Yichen said, "That's right. My father has passed away, but they can still play music and express their feelings through poetry."
Zhen Shu said, "Then you're being too kind to them. If it were me, I would have arrested and killed them all."
Yu Yichen chuckled and blew a stray strand of hair off her nose: "So you're a bad person too."
The two of them slept until almost sunset before getting up to eat. Zhenshu left the house disheveled, and only then did she become anxious and angrily say, "How am I going to explain this when I get home?"
Yu Yichen said, "So what if you say you came to see me? Anyway, whether you tell me when you get home or not, I'm going to your house to propose marriage at the end of this month."
Despite the numerous difficulties he described, Zhen Shu changed into a rather inconspicuous outfit and, deep in thought, went out to take a carriage back to the East Market. As soon as she entered the mounting shop, Song Anrong came out from the inner room and asked, "Your Uncle Zhao said you left early this morning. Where did you go?"
Zhenshu rolled her eyes for a while before saying, "I just went out for a stroll in the West Market."
Seeing that her hands were empty, and considering that she hadn't recovered from her illness yesterday and had gone out for a day of wandering around, Song Anrong felt that she had been going out too often lately. He said with a hint of reproach, "You can't always run around like this. After all, this is the capital city, and it's not safe for you to go out alone."
Zhenshu nodded in agreement and returned to the small building in the backyard. There she saw Zhenxiu standing at the top of the stairs, looking her up and down. After she passed by, Zhenxiu gritted her teeth and whispered, "Second sister, not only did you change all your clothes today, but you also smelled of fragrance. You're out all day long. It's really strange where you've been."
Zhenshu turned around and stared at Zhenxiu, grinning cheekily, "We're all the same, so let's not laugh at each other."
After speaking, he raised his head and went back into the house. Zhenxiu followed him in and asked, "You're always out and about, have you ever seen Tong Qisheng?"
Zhen Shu thought to herself that Tong Qisheng frequented brothels, so how could she have seen him? She casually asked, "What happened to him?"
Zhenxiu sat down by the bed and said, "He hasn't come for about ten days. I went to the inn to look for him, but he had checked out and wasn't staying there. I don't know where he went; there's been no news of him."
Zhenshu sat down next to her and asked, "Didn't you say you'd get married right after the imperial examinations? Why hasn't he proposed yet?"
Zhenxiu gritted her teeth and said, "Last time he always made excuses that there were too many classmates and he couldn't attend banquets or have drinks. I don't know where he ran off to this time. I'm so worried."
Zhenshu said, "If that's the case, I'll inquire for you when I go out and give him a message. As for his marriage proposal, he has to come himself; no one can force him to do anything. Take Zhang Rui, for example. Now that my elder sister is about to give birth, he's disappeared somewhere. What can we do about him?"
The two women sighed and looked worried for a while, when Madam Su walked in and said, "It's been so long since the imperial examinations ended, and Tong Qisheng still hasn't come to propose marriage. What should we do?"
Zhenxiu always defended Tong Qisheng in front of her mother: "Zhang Rui hasn't gone to Liujiazhuang either? He's probably busy."
Su said, "Zhang Rui is different. He always comes back to visit every few days. This is his proper home."
Zhenxiu sneered, "He's here for the money, isn't he? If I don't give him money every day, you'll see if he comes or not."
Now, Su Shi was completely charmed by Zhang Rui's sweet talk, and she couldn't listen to anyone who spoke ill of him. She tossed her handkerchief and went out. Zhenxiu then turned back and said, "In any case, please ask him for me. I've made up my mind about him, and I can't let him play me for a fool."
(For those reading pirated versions, if you encounter any parts you don't understand, it's because they've been edited out. Please support the official 123 Romance novels!)
Chapter 79 Marquis Dou
Zhenshu saw Zhenxiu out the door, then lay back on the bed and sighed: "Those who are eager to marry don't come to marry, and those who don't want to marry are forced to. Having too many daughters is really troublesome; there's never one who can satisfy me."
Although she had promised Yu Yichen that she would talk about her marriage in front of Song Anrong, she knew that if she did, Song Anrong would be greatly shocked. So she kept putting it off and couldn't bring herself to say it.
Time flew by so fast that Zhenshu wished she could cut it off with a knife so she could linger a little longer and catch her breath. May 18th finally arrived. She knew that Yu Yichen would still press her about the marriage at the Yu residence, but she dared not speak to Song Anrong. She paced anxiously in the shop. Suddenly, she saw Sun Yuan beckoning at the door. She went out and led him a distance before asking, "What brings you here?"
Sun Yuan said, "My father-in-law has important business to attend to today, so Miss Song doesn't need to come to the mansion."
Zhen Shu felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and almost kowtowed to Sun Yuan, bowing with both hands and saying, "Okay, thank you for informing me."
She breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Sun Yuan off. It was clear that they wouldn't see each other again until at least June, which would make her feel better for a few more days.
Inside the Chui Gong Hall of the Imperial Palace, Emperor Li Xuzhe frowned and rubbed his forehead, saying, "They're pushing me too far. Before I had children, they pressured me to have them all the time, leaving me no say in anything. Now that the Crown Prince is born, they want me to open the palace gates wide and take in many concubines. With my health like this, I don't really need the few I have in the palace now, so what's the point of having so many?"
It's not like that little rascal in the Empress's palace, who's in heat day and night, all year round. Bringing in those women is wasteful; you can't use them all, and it's dizzying to look at them.
Seeing that Yu Yichen, who was standing beside him, remained silent, he continued, "Taking concubines requires money. Speaking of money, the Ministry of Revenue gives less than what you give as tribute each year."
Yu Yichen said, "Dou Tianrui is easy to deal with, but his sons are troublesome. If we do something, it will affect the whole situation. If we do something, we must wipe them all out."
Li Xuzhe rubbed his face and looked at Yu Yichen, saying, "What good ideas do you have?"
Yu Yichen said, "These days I have been racking my brains, going through all the departments he has served in, but the charges are still too minor and I'm afraid they won't be enough to silence the gossip. The best course of action now is to accuse him of treason."
Li Xuzhe said, "He didn't rebel, so how can we make assumptions about this?"
Yu Yichen said, "The matter in Hui County is still a disaster without a master, so what difference would it make if we just put it to him?"
Li Xuzhe was stunned for a long time before saying, "You mean the Tartars burned Huixian County?"
Yu Yichen replied, "Yes."
Li Xuzhe was stunned for a long time. He was now being played around by his ministers, and he would think long and hard before speaking after hearing a single word. He hesitated and said, "Since the blame is placed on Marquis Dou, then the real culprit has escaped."
Yu Yichen said, "Nearly two years have passed since the incident. Even if the culprit is not him, it will be difficult to find the real killer."
Li Xuzhe sighed and said, "I also want to be a wise ruler, but they always treat me like a fool. Fine, I won't care anymore, you can do whatever you want."
Yu Yichen excused himself and took the wingless turban that only eunuchs wore, handing it to Mei Fu and whispering, "Go in and serve him well."
Seeing that Yu Yichen had already taken big steps to leave, Mei Fu caught up with him in a few steps and whispered, "The Emperor has sent word many times that once you enter the palace, you must go to Yanfu Palace."
Yu Yichen nodded and said, "I understand, you can go now."
He dismounted from Danxi and stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the courtyard. He glanced back at the direction of Yanfu Palace and then instructed the eunuch Sun Wu beside him, "Go and fetch Xu Xiu."
Xu Xiu was the Commander of the Imperial Guards, in charge of the palace's elite troops. To capture Dou Tianrui, the guards and eunuchs that Yu Yichen had personally trained were far from sufficient. He needed to bring the Imperial Guards to wipe out the entire Dou family in one fell swoop.
After the Imperial Guards surrounded the Marquis of Beishun's residence, Yu Yichen led his men to the Marquis of Dou's residence. He sat cross-legged in the sedan chair, still deeply troubled. No matter how many civil and military officials he killed, it was useless; Du Wu was the toughest nut to crack.
Although Du Wu had been lying low for two years, appearing respectful and silent on the surface, Yu Yichen could sense his deeply buried ambition. After all, since the reign of Emperor Chengfeng, his control of military power had never wavered, and there was also Wang Ling's uncle, Wang Zhen, who now controlled the Privy Council. If he joined forces with Du Wu, they would be even more difficult to deal with.
Du Wu and Wang Zhen are the real tough nuts to crack. If Chang fails to defeat them in the end, then everything he's doing now will only be paving the way for Du Wu.
He didn't want to do the work for others, but circumstances forced him to take each step.
Only Du Yu, that impetuous and hot-blooded young man, could not resolve the misunderstanding between Li Xuzhe and Li Xucheng as long as he did not return to the capital. The court officials also had to avoid Du Wu for fear of being implicated. As a military man, without the support of civil officials, he would find it difficult to cause trouble in the short term. On the other hand, Wang Zhen had Wang Ling to restrain him, which could give him some time to recover.
Yu Yichen closed his eyes and frowned, thinking to himself: Du Yu must not be allowed to enter the capital.
Zhenshu had been busy at the mounting shop all day. Just as she was about to close the shop herself, a disheveled maidservant came running in from afar, startling Zhenshu. She helped the girl up and asked, "Miss, what's wrong?"
Because it was already dark and she couldn't see clearly, Zhenshu was about to go to the inner room to get a lamp when she saw the girl grab her leg and say, "Second Miss Song, I am Dou Mingluan."
Zhenshu was even more startled and helped her to the light at the door. Sure enough, it was Dou Mingluan, dressed in the simple vest and short skirt that ordinary maids wore, her face filthy. She gasped for breath and cried, "Our house was just surrounded by the Imperial Guards, and they're searching it now. Zhenyu said you have connections here and can speak to them, so she told you to hurry and bring Nannan out first. She has a fever, and if we wait any longer, things might get worse."
Zhenshu asked urgently, "Who dares to raid your home? How could it be someone I know?"
Dou Mingluan cried, "It's the Imperial Guard. They're all under the command of Grand Eunuch Yu Yichen now. Zhenyu said your family has some connections with him. See if you can get Nannan out first."
Zhenshu was confused. She took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, asking again, "Then how did you get out? Why didn't you bring Nannan with you?"
Dou Mingluan took the handkerchief, wiped her face, and shook her head, saying, "Because of my large feet, I disguised myself as a rough old woman to let her out. Nannan is the granddaughter of the Marquis's family, so naturally they wouldn't let her go."
Zhenshu had no choice but to take off the door panel and tell Song Anrong what had happened together with Dou Mingluan. Song Anrong said, "In that case, Zhenshu and your Uncle Zhao should go to the gate of the Marquis's mansion and take a look. No matter who arrests people, the young children must be released."
Upon hearing this, Zhenshu went upstairs and called Zhao He down. It was dark, and there was nowhere to hire a carriage, so they hurried towards the Marquis's residence. At this time, the entire Beishun Marquis's residence was completely surrounded by the Imperial Guards, with long spears and cannons densely packed along the high walls. Zhenshu wasn't sure if these men were Yu Yichen's subordinates, since she always saw him alone. His demeanor in front of her didn't seem like that of someone who could command such a group and give orders.
Because the east and west gates were all nailed shut from the outside with wooden planks, Zhenshu went straight to the main gate of the Marquis's mansion, stepped forward, clasped his hands, and asked a man wearing a hard turban, "Your Majesty, may I ask when people will be allowed to enter and leave this mansion?"
The man glanced at Zhenshu and said, "You can come in at any time, but once you're in, you can't come out."
Zhenshu still cupped his hands and said, "My sister married into this household and gave birth to a baby girl who is a few months old. She still has a fever. May we take the child out to see a doctor first?"
The man looked Zhenshu up and down, then said with a forced smile and a strange tone, "I'm not a nanny, why would I do this for you?"
Zhen Shu knew that he wanted to get some benefits, so she quickly took out a silver note that she had just prepared from her bosom, turned sideways and handed it to him, saying, "Please do me a favor, Your Excellency."
The man shielded the others with his sleeve, glanced at the silver note, and seeing the large amount, forced a smile and said, "We're just doing our job, here on orders. Which room are you looking for, young lady?"
Zhenshu hurriedly said, "The youngest daughter of the Dou family of the fifth branch of the Marquis's mansion, we just need to bring her out."
The man glanced around and beckoned another man over, saying, "Keep watch for me, I'll be right back."
He turned and went into the mansion. Zhenshu and Zhao He waited outside with their hands in their pockets, but the man was nowhere to be seen. She was extremely anxious, wondering if the man had taken the money and gone into hiding or if he had really gone to look for the child. She also didn't know if he could find the child or if he had given the wrong child. Thinking these thoughts, she kept her eyes fixed on the gate of the mansion, not daring to look away for a second. Suddenly, someone appeared behind her. The imperial guards standing at the gate had all their spears and cannons neatly erected. One of the guards pushed Zhenshu and said, "The Inspector General is here. You should hurry up and leave."
Zhenshu said urgently, "I want to wait to hold the baby."
The man glanced at the gate and said, "If you had come earlier, it would have been better. But the Inspector has just arrived. We wouldn't dare let a fly out in front of him. Hurry up and leave."
Zhenshu told him to push the man a few steps, but Zhao He pushed him away, and the two of them stood far away and waited.
A moment later, a sedan chair appeared in the distance, escorted by imperial guards. It stopped far from the gate of the mansion. Several lantern bearers lined up on both sides of the road, and someone else lifted the curtain, allowing a person to alight from the chair. Zhenshu saw him, covered her mouth, and stopped breathing. She then turned around abruptly.
It was indeed Yu Yichen. He was dressed in a red eunuch's robe with thick black trim, his hair held up by a jade hairpin. His face was far from the gentle expression he had shown when he was with me, and the desolation and sorrow in his eyes were gone. His eyebrows were high, his eyes bright, and his expression was dignified and solemn. He didn't even look around after alighting from the sedan chair. He simply stood with his hands behind his back, glanced up at the main gate of the Marquis of Beishun's residence, and strode inside. He walked through the two largest central gates, the ones usually opened only during ancestral worship ceremonies for the ancestral tablets.
That's true. He really did confiscate the Marquis's mansion, and he also killed the other two regents. Killing a minister is not a simple matter; his entire family, hundreds of people, were either killed or scattered, displaced, with the men exiled to the army and the women sent to the inner palace.
Zhao He whispered in Zhen Shu's ear, "I told you, he's a bad person."
Zhen Shu was stunned for a long time without speaking. After seeing that Yu Yichen and his group had all gone inside, she said, "I remember what that guy looks like. He took my 100-tael silver note inside. It's best if he never comes out. If he does, we'll grab him and either give him the child or return the money."
Yu Yichen entered the Bei Shun Marquis's residence, first admiring the main hall and its furnishings before heading to the place where prisoners were held. It was the residence of Marquis Dou Tianrui and his wife, a grand and ancient courtyard, brightly lit outside and blazing with torches inside.
"He Shun Tang!" Yu Yichen murmured, then turned to Xu Xiu and asked, "Are all the people here?"
Xu Xiu cupped his hands and said, "The men are all here, while the women and children are imprisoned separately."