Zhenshu was afraid that if he continued to tease her, she would not be able to go home until the evening. She quickly squeezed her legs together to stop him and said, "My second sister is married to the Marquis of Beishun. A few days ago, her family was besieged and their property was confiscated. I went to the gate of that mansion to ask for her child back."
Yu Yichen then stopped and reached out to tease Zhenshu's lips and tongue, slowly saying, "No wonder I saw a woman in front of the Marquis's mansion that night who looked a lot like you."
Zhenshu said in a low voice, sounding somewhat aggrieved, "That was me. The child had a high fever and was confined to the house, so I had to pay money to bring her out so she could get medical treatment."
Yu Yichen clearly didn't like talking about children. He lay down on his back and pulled Zhenshu's hand, saying, "If you want to get rid of someone, there are many families in the capital who have close ties with the Marquis of Beishun's family, but they all avoid it like the plague. Why do you insist on going against the grain and getting a child out during the most critical time?"
Zhenshu said, "Zhenyu is my sister. If I don't help my sister when she's in trouble, how can I call on anyone?"
Yu Yichen shook his head and said, "In most cases, even close relatives can be disregarded, let alone sisters from other branches of the family?"
Seeing how casually he spoke, Zhenshu argued, "That child is truly adorable. Although I have taken care of him for many days, I like him very much and I like him more and more. I wish I could raise him myself until he grows up."
Before she could finish speaking, she noticed the dimness in Yu Yichen's eyes and suddenly realized that if she followed him, she would never have a child of her own. So she snuggled against his chest and whispered, "Actually, I only like him a little bit. Kids are so annoying."
☆、82|81.1
Yu Yichen remained noncommittal, simply pulling her tightly into his arms and closing his eyes.
The two slept soundly in each other's arms. When Zhenshu woke up again, she saw that it was pitch black all around her. She jumped up in a panic and cried out, "It's over, it's dark!"
Yu Yichen also opened his eyes and saw that it was indeed night. He hurriedly went outside to call Sun Yuanyuan to set out the meal.
Seeing Zhenshu hopping around searching for her clothes, he deliberately untied her skirt, which she had just tied, and threw it far away. Zhenshu hurriedly picked it up and tied it back up, but he then untied the belts of her short jacket from the waist. Zhenshu angrily kicked him with her bare feet and said, "You're going to die! You're trying to hurt me!"
Yu Yichen, with his hands behind his back, watched her flustered state and said sullenly, "I told you that you would tell your father about us by the end of last month at the latest, but you still haven't said anything."
He's going to settle old scores. (This story was first published on Jinjiang Literature City; other websites have incomplete chapters. For the part about the eunuch's boat, please visit the main site.)
As Zhenshu tied the ribbon, she said, "But you haven't proposed yet. If you propose now, it will save me from telling them and give them a big surprise."
Yu Yichen believed him and smiled as he cornered her against the wall, saying, "Then let's have a proper meal, and after we finish, we'll go back to your house to discuss the marriage, okay?"
Every time Zhenshu came, she wanted to talk to him about serious matters, but he always managed to sabotage the conversation. Now, seeing that he had pushed her to this point, she thought that since she was going to marry him anyway, it was better to discuss some things before the wedding. With that thought, she simply threw down the shoes she was holding and said, "But I still have some questions for you. If you tell me the truth and agree to my request, I will go back tonight and tell my father about us. Once I have persuaded him, you can come and propose marriage."
Yu Yichen looked down at her and saw that she was serious and wanted to talk to him. He reached out and pulled her, saying, "Let's talk while we eat."
The two sat down on the cool balcony on a summer night. Zhenshu picked up her rice bowl and chopsticks. Seeing that Yu Yichen was eating with unusual focus and seriousness, as if he were starving, she couldn't bear to ask him anything. Only after he finished eating and drinking his soup did she say, "You must answer all my questions truthfully, or I will not marry you."
Sun Yuan came up, removed the table, and replaced it with a tea table between them before stepping back. Yu Yichen then nodded and said, "Ask away."
Zhenshu thought for a moment before saying, "When we arrived at Chengjiabaozi, who got the map of the gold mine? You have to tell me."
Yu Yichen said, "It's me."
It turns out that Du Yu was wronged.
"The gold mine originally belonged to my Blackwater City. When the city fell, the map was lost, but it reappeared by some unknown coincidence. I am crippled and my country is destroyed. What's wrong with holding onto this bloodline of my ancestors?" He finished speaking calmly, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at Zhenshu in the darkness.
Zhen Shu also took a sip of tea, held the cup, and looked up at Yu Yichen. His brows and eyes showed no trace of the hardships and changes he had experienced. Whenever she sat in front of him, he became as gentle as a piece of jade, his eyes shining with a soft light. This was the tacit understanding that love and being loved could perceive in each other's hearts.
Zhenshu secretly thought to herself: I must not let you down.
She then asked, "I heard that the late emperor left behind four regents, and now, with the addition of Marquis Chengshun, you have dismissed and killed three of them. Is that true?"
Yu Yichen chuckled and said, "Did the Imperial Censor on patrol tell you this again?"
Zhenshu said, "No, I heard it from my second sister and Dou Mingluan."
Yu Yichen nodded and said, "It was me. But this matter did not originate from me. The general trend of the court cannot be changed by one person or one side. It is always a tangled web of forces tearing each other apart."
"So, it was the emperor?" Zhenshu asked. "Did the emperor order you to do this?"
The wall that the late emperor had built to shield him from the wind felt like a shackle binding him, and he wanted to break free of it and become independent. That's why he used Yu Yichen to eliminate these nominal ministers one by one.
Thinking this, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Yu Yichen again.
Zhenshu asked, "Why would you do such a thing for him? He is the emperor; he can kill whomever he wants. Why should he use you to make the world blame you?"
Yu Yichen said, "He is just an emperor in the palace. He can only command a few thousand imperial guards. Military and financial power are in the hands of aristocratic families. He wants to take back these powers but is afraid of angering them and forcing them to unite and rebel. That's why he has no choice but to use me as a proxy."
Zhenshu said, "Why are you taking the blame for him?"
Yu Yichen smiled bitterly and took a sip of tea, saying, "The Crown Prince was kind to me back then. If it weren't for him, I would have been a ghost in the thick snow of the inner palace, long ago, with no trace of my body."
That wasn't entirely true. He intentionally or unintentionally embellished and embellished his image, ultimately daring not to show her his most cruel side. More often than not, he simply wanted to conquer those arrogant and haughty noble families, to see them build grand mansions, summon maids and servants, and then watch their mansions crumble, their maids and servants vanish, and their lives be lost.
"So you're going to repay him with your reputation and your life?" Zhen Shu bit her lip, on the verge of tears. "Do you know how much those powerful families hate you and want to get rid of you?"
Yu Yichen said, "I know. Someone like me originally feared nothing. It's just that I'll be infamous for ten thousand years. I'm a useless person anyway, so what's there to fear about fame and fate?"
He listened quietly to the soft chirping of various insects in the garden, then pulled Zhenshu's hand and held her in his arms before saying, "But after meeting you, I can't think like that anymore. With you by my side, fame and fate have new meaning. I want us to live in that little courtyard, free from burdens, clean and happy. For this, I must fight again and carve out a way for myself to survive."
This was indeed his true feeling. He hated the world because of the pain of his broken body. He used his power to arbitrarily stir up the chaos and disorder in the world, seeking solace in the chaos and brokenness, hoping that one day he could bury the cold that permeated his bones and seeped into his heart and lungs with mountains of corpses.
Unexpectedly, when he had nowhere else to turn, he found his only warmth and comfort in this young and vibrant woman.
For her sake, he must continue to fight. That seemingly attainable ordinariness and simplicity, the most genuine happiness, will ultimately require him to exchange it for an equal amount of his own life. And more likely, he will fall from grace, be shattered to pieces, and lose everything.
Zhen Shu thought to himself: So things aren't as simple as they seem on the surface. He only got to where he is today because of a debt of gratitude for being recognized and appreciated. And now his life isn't simple either. The powerful families will eventually form a network to launch a counterattack. If the emperor fully supports him, that's fine. But if the emperor doesn't fully support him, he will be the villain who is ultimately condemned by everyone, the real eunuch, the traitor.
Zhenshu felt a sharp pain in her heart as she thought of this. She stretched out her arms and pulled his slender body into her embrace, whispering, "I am your little stove, warming your hands and feet in winter and letting you cool me in summer. You can never push me away, nor can you look at anyone else, not even the emperor."
She was already short-tempered, and holding Yu Yichen, such a cold person, in her arms was indeed very comfortable. Yu Yichen chuckled at her words and lowered his head to ask, "Why can't I look at others a little longer, even the emperor?"
Zhen Shu said, "Because there are many rumors in the capital, all saying that you and the emperor... Just tell me, isn't that right?"
Yu Yichen shook his head: "He has his woman, and I have mine. That's all."
Zhenshu asked with a smile, "Then have you ever coveted his women? I know it's easy. You can fool me, and you can fool them too. I've heard that the women in the palace are crazy about men, and their eyes light up when they see one."
Yu Yichen asked with a smile, "Did the Imperial Censor on patrol tell you this again?"
Zhen Shu chuckled and nodded. Yu Yichen didn't answer, but held her tightly in his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder as if he were about to fall asleep. Seeing that he was really sleepy, Zhen Shu helped him up, took him to the bedroom, helped him to sleep, and covered him with a blanket before going downstairs herself and calling Sun Yuan to bring a carriage to take her away.
After Zhenshu left, Yu Yichen got up and went to the front yard. He called Mei Xun over and instructed him, "Go to the mounting shop in the East Market to find out what's going on. If Zhenshu is having trouble, or if her father is furious and refuses to listen, you..."
Mei Xun looked at Yu Yichen and, seeing his hesitation, hissed, "Should I kill him?"
Yu Yichen waved his hand and said, "No."
Those were her family members; he naturally couldn't kill them.
However, no one would willingly let their daughter marry a eunuch. In previous dynasties, some noble families would send a concubine's daughter to a eunuch as a wife to curry favor with powerful officials, but this dynasty has never done so. Furthermore, Song Gongzheng is an upright person, and Song Anrong is proficient in calligraphy and painting, so he must also be an extremely orthodox person.
what to do?
After a long pause, Yu Yichen said, "You can only listen outside. Unless it is extremely urgent, you must not go in and disturb us."
Even if he's furious, Song Anrong probably won't make things too difficult for Zhenshu, after all, she's his daughter. He can only wait now, wait for her to clear away the obstacles on her side, and he won't dare to interfere in the slightest, so that she doesn't see his more cruel and dark side again.
Mei Xun bowed and left, while Yu Yichen remained standing there with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed. When it came time to discuss marriage, what mattered was not his courage, but hers and her persistence.
He returned to his study, took the box of books from the bookshelf, and first examined the few words written by Zhen Shu before opening the third volume of "The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions".
He has now read up to the third volume of the ascetic monk's travels to the west, which includes his observations and descriptions of the customs and cultures of various countries.
It was unclear what time it was, but the moon was high in the sky, and there were no pedestrians on the streets. Even the wards were under curfew. Sun Yuan had Yu Yichen's token, so he ordered the curfew to be lifted and escorted Zhenshu all the way to the mounting shop before stopping the carriage. As soon as Zhenshu lifted the curtain, she saw that the mounting shop was still not boarded up, and Song Anrong and Zhao He were both sitting behind the counter. She inwardly cried out that something was wrong, knowing that this matter would have to be brought to light tonight.
Song Anrong had been staring at the door when he saw a carriage stop. He stood up and then saw Zhenshu jump down from inside. The driver clasped his hands in a fist salute, nodded, and drove away. Song Anrong rushed over, grabbed Zhenshu, and asked, "Where have you been all this morning?"
Zhenshu withdrew her hand and said, "Father, let's talk inside."
Zhao He went up to the door panel. Zhen Shu went up to the second floor first, to the place where calligraphers and painters usually wrote and painted. She first invited Song Anrong to sit down, then lit the lamps one by one and sat down herself. Only then did she say softly, "Father, I'm getting married."
Song Anrong had already guessed that Zhenshu might have a lover outside, so he wasn't surprised. He simply said "Oh" and asked, "Who is that person? Where is he from? What does he do?"
Zhenshu nearly gritted her teeth to the bone before managing to utter, "He's a eunuch named Yu Yichen. I've heard that nowadays..."
*Smack!* Zhenshu's cheek swelled up and burned. Song Anrong was about to hit her again when Zhao He stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and advised, "Let the child finish speaking."
Suppressing his anger, Song Anrong growled, "Speak!"
Zhenshu lowered her head and said, "I heard that he is now the chief eunuch in the palace, working for the emperor."
☆、83|82.81.1
Song Anrong was trembling with rage. He reached for the chair to sit down, but suddenly he leaned straight back. Zhao He quickly caught him from behind, pinching his jaw, while Zhenshu hurriedly put her finger in for him to bite on, crying out urgently, "Father! Father!"
She endured the pain in her finger, then fetched a cup of cold tea and poured it down Song Anrong's throat. After Zhao He patted and soothed him for a long time, Song Anrong gradually recovered. He pointed at Zhenshu and said, "Get out of here, you disgrace to the family!"
Zhenshu knelt down with a thud and said, "Father, he is a good man. He truly wants to marry me. I will be happy with him. Why do you..."
Song Anrong pointed a trembling finger at Zhenshu and said, "Do you know what a eunuch is? How can they get married if they don't even have reproductive organs?"
He was furious and said those words without considering his daughter's feelings.
Seeing that Song Anrong's face had turned pale with anger, Zhenshu crawled over to Song Anrong's knees and patted his chest, saying, "Father, I lost my virginity long ago, I don't care about those things."
Although Song Anrong had some suspicions about what happened in the Five Mausoleums Mountains, he had always firmly believed Zhenshu's words. Now, hearing her speak so frankly, he felt even more pain and anger. He was pained that his laziness in going to the capital had caused her to lose her virginity in the Five Mausoleums Mountains, and angry that she had despised herself because of it, actually wanting to marry a eunuch who couldn't perform his duties. He grabbed the teacup and threw it far away on the ground, where it clattered loudly.
Because Zhenshu hadn't returned, Madam Su was already worried. Hearing the commotion in the shop outside, she, Zhenxiu, and Zhenyi rushed upstairs. Seeing Zhenshu kneeling and Song Anrong still angry, Madam Su asked Zhao He, "Uncle, what's going on this time?"
Zhao He, not wanting to get involved in his family affairs any longer and also wanting to save face for Zhenshu, turned and left. Song Anrong pointed at Zhenshu and said, "She's gone mad, actually wanting to marry a eunuch."
Upon hearing this, Madam Su hurriedly covered her mouth with a handkerchief and looked around. She realized that Song Anrong couldn't blame her, and felt a sense of relief. She thought to herself, "Your daughter isn't much better than mine." Then she thought of what her aunt had said a few days ago and realized that the old woman must have found out about her daughter's affairs from somewhere, knowing more about them than she did.
But after much thought, Zhenshu was, after all, her own daughter. If she were to marry a eunuch, she herself would be the one who would lose face and be unable to hold her head high. Thinking of this, Madam Su couldn't help but cry and slap her thigh, saying, "Your two younger sisters are not yet married. If you marry a eunuch and become the laughingstock of the whole capital, how will they ever be able to find husbands?"
Zhenshu lowered her head and said, "I've thought it through. I'll marry him quietly and then move out to live in his house. At least until Zhenxiu and Zhenyi get married, I can hide from people just like my elder sister."
Song Anrong slammed his fist on the table in anger, saying, "You all avoid people. Did I bring you into this world just so you would be so self-deprecating and lack self-respect? Zhenyuan is one thing, she was just being childish. But what about you? Have I ever lacked anything for you since you were little? Whatever book you wanted to read, if it wasn't in the county town, I would cross the Wuling Mountains to Wenxian County, and if it wasn't there, I would go to Lixian County. When have I ever lacked anything for you?"
He roared in fury, "I've spoiled you rotten, made you so wicked! If I don't beat you to death today, I'll just end it all right here..."
Song Anrong searched around and picked up a stone from a large table in the distance, intending to smash it over Zhenshu's head. Su Shi and Zhenxiu, among others, were terrified and dodged to the side. Zhenshu, however, didn't flinch, kneeling on the ground with her head held high, waiting. She knew her father, Song Anrong, would definitely make a scene and be angry. Her only fear was that he would bottle it up like he had with Zhenyuan, ruining his health. If he vented his anger on her, and it didn't harm his own body, then it wouldn't matter. After all, marrying a eunuch was already the hardest thing in the world; she could endure some physical pain for it.
Seeing Song Anrong's stone flying towards them, Zhao He finally couldn't stand it anymore and came back to block it, sending the stone flying far away. Song Anrong loved this daughter the most in his life, and he knew that she was the most stubborn and unwilling to listen to advice. However, if he didn't beat her into submission today, he was afraid that she would really marry a eunuch tomorrow and regret it for the rest of her life. So he didn't care about anything else, broke free from Zhao He, and kicked Zhenshu hard in the chest. Zhenshu fell to the ground with a jolt, and the pain was so intense that she almost fainted.
When Su saw Song Anrong kick the stone earlier, she thought he was just bluffing and would miss his target. But this time, the kick was real. Enraged, she stepped forward and tackled Song Anrong, saying, "If you want to kill her, kill me first! She just said she wanted to get married, and the other party hasn't even proposed yet. Besides, even if they come, we'll have to decide whether they're willing or not. Why are you beating her to death?"
Then he called out to Zhenxiu, "Are you dead? Aren't you going to help her up?"
Zhenxiu tiptoed over and stretched out her sleeve to Zhenshu, saying, "Get up."
Zhenshu had already recovered from the pain and got up on her own, saying, "Father, Mother, I'm going back to my room first."
She didn't hold onto the handrail, but instead climbed down the stairs step by step, entered the inner room, passed through the courtyard, and went up to the first floor of the small building. Then she slowly climbed back up. Zhenxiu caught up in a few steps and reached out to help her, but Zhenshu shook off her hand and continued climbing step by step. Zhenxiu quickly took a few steps ahead of her and stood on top, sneering, "Indeed, we're all the same, and no one should laugh at anyone else. But Second Sister is too amazing; she always surprises us with everything. To be honest, is there really nothing down there under the eunuch's thing?"
Seeing Zhenxiu looking down at her from the stairs, and hearing her ask the eunuch if there was anything down there, Zhenshu was about to speak when a hot, metallic taste rose in her throat. Besides, the newly hired wet nurse was also watching from the stairs, holding the baby. Not wanting to frighten the child, she quickly shut her mouth and swallowed her anger. She pointed fiercely at Zhenxiu and went back to her room, locking the door behind her. Then she took a stack of thick handkerchiefs, opened her mouth, and vomited a large mouthful of blood.