La vie des gens de la campagne en ville sous la dynastie Song

Chapitre 24

Seeing Zhao Huan nod, Zhu Lian became even more flustered, standing there at a loss for what to do.

Before her cousin Zhu Lian was sent to the palace by her uncle to serve the crown prince last year, the two sisters had always lived together. Although she was a bit confused, she was also intelligent and knew in a moment that the man in front of her was the current crown prince!

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Some people say they can't stand my book being portrayed as a great traitor, so they strongly oppose it. But I believe the Qin Hui in my book is not the historical Qin Hui. To dismiss my book like that is a bit hard to understand…

I naturally strongly oppose traitors and acts of selling out the country. If everyone in the Song Dynasty was a good person, then why would I send them back to be remade?

Volume One: Fate Determined 048 The Thing Called Fate

Zhao Gou, who had been waiting impatiently in the carriage, had already lifted the curtain to look at them. Seeing the gentle smile in Zhao Huan's eyes, he tactfully got out of the carriage and walked over, saying, "I suddenly remembered that there is something I haven't bought yet. I'll go back by myself after I finish this. Brother, you don't need to wait for me. Go do what you want to do."

The little devil chuckled. Zhao Huan, seeing that his thoughts had been read, winked at him approvingly and ordered a few men to follow him, telling him to be careful.

After Zhao Gou left, Zhu Lian was invited into the carriage by Zhao Huan, and she was in a state of panic.

Since Zhu Xuan entered the palace, Zhu Lian felt even more lonely in the mansion. Although she had a younger sister, her sister was still young, and their conversations were naturally not as intimate as those with peers. Today, at the urging of her maid, she had mustered a great deal of courage to sneak out for a stroll, but unexpectedly, on her first solo outing, she got separated from her maid... and then even bumped into the Crown Prince's carriage... What should she do now!

She sat alone in the corner, lost in thought, while Zhao Huan watched her with a smile, completely unaware that she was still worried about the "startled carriage" incident. He just found this absent-minded woman quite adorable. Growing up in Bianjing, how could she get lost on the street? Was this really the talented cousin Zhu Xuan had described? He was truly very curious.

When Zhao Huan escorted Zhu Lian back to the Duke of Fu's mansion, the maid who had lost Zhu Lian was being punished with a beating. Seeing that her young mistress had returned safely, she thought to herself that she was finally saved.

When Zhu Guina heard that her daughter had left the mansion without permission and gone missing, she was extremely anxious. She had just sent the servants out to look for her when she was overjoyed to see that her daughter had been returned safely. Even more gratifying was that it was Crown Prince Zhao Huan who brought her back!

He had previously blamed his second brother for sending his daughter to the relatively powerless crown prince, which he felt was a terrible waste. But the situation had changed drastically in the past year, and he now regretted not making arrangements sooner. However, all his worries vanished, and he quickly ordered people to receive the crown prince upon his arrival.

Zhu Lian didn't share her father's thoughts. She was simply relieved that the Crown Prince hadn't blamed her for startling the emperor, and that her father hadn't reprimanded her for leaving the palace without permission. Naturally, she was happy to be so lucky.

Zhao Gou, who left alone, did not go to buy anything, but went straight back to the palace. When he saw that Qin Zhen had not returned, he suddenly remembered that there was something he had not done, so he left Zhao Yong and went out of his bedroom alone.

Qin Zhen returned within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after Zhao Gou returned to the palace. Seeing that Zhao Gou was not in the palace, she assumed that he had not yet returned. Taking advantage of the twilight, she went to deliver the tassels to Li Shishi.

Upon arriving at Xiyan Palace, where Li Shishi resided, Qin Zhen had someone announce his arrival before entering.

When Li Shishi saw Qin Zhen arrive, she smiled and said, "It's been a long time."

"May Lady Yingguo be well." Qin Zhen gave a proper curtsy; as a palace maid and concubine, she couldn't abandon the proper decorum.

Seeing her bow, Li Shishi understood Qin Zhen's meaning, so she didn't offer her a seat, but only asked, "Did you need something from me?"

Qin Zhen presented her with a tassel wrapped in a white silk handkerchief and said, "An old friend of yours asked me to bring you something."

Li Shishi assumed that the old friend she was referring to was Master Huiyuan, so she curiously reached out and took the gift, wondering why Master Huiyuan would suddenly bring her something.

When that crimson hue entered her eyes, her body visibly trembled. Her hand was half-clenched, as if she wanted to crush the tassel, yet she couldn't bear to actually do it. Qin Zhen saw her staring at the thing in her palm, the conflicted and painful expression on her face revealing everything in her heart.

Qin Zhen sighed, for her, and even more so for his senior brother.

Li Shishi slowly raised her head, casually wrapped the tassel in a handkerchief and put it in her sleeve, then said, "I've received the gift. Is there anything else?"

"That's all. Don't you have any messages for me to pass on?"

She smiled wryly and said, "The Emperor has bestowed so much gold and silver upon me, and I haven't even thanked him yet. It's just a tassel; what could I possibly say?"

Seeing that Li Shishi's emotions were somewhat turbulent, Qin Zhen felt that this topic was not suitable to be discussed further. She was new to the palace and, being from a brothel, was not accepted by everyone. The palace was full of hidden dangers, and if someone were to find a handle against her, wouldn't that harm her?

Before leaving, Qin Zhen suddenly turned back and asked Li Shishi, "Have you seen the person who captured you last time?"

Li Shishi glanced at the ground before looking at her and saying, "I've never seen it before. When I regained consciousness, I saw the soldiers who rescued me."

Qin Zhen closed her lips slightly, nodded, and took her leave.

Stepping out of Xiyan Palace, Qin Zhen shook her head to herself, thinking that eyes were indeed the easiest place to reveal the truth; Li Shishi was clearly lying. However, Qin Zhen couldn't force her to question her. Li Shishi was not related to her, and it was already good enough that she agreed to cooperate with her. It was normal for her to have her own secrets, so why should she care?

Li Shishi watched Qin Zhen's departing figure, then tucked the silk handkerchief in her sleeve tighter before heading towards the inner palace.

"Your Highness, please come out. She has gone back."

A figure emerged from behind the dimly lit screen—it was none other than Zhao Gou!

Li Shishi looked at his face in the shadows and said, "About what we just talked about... I agree to cooperate with you."

Zhao Gou was slightly startled. What had suddenly made her make this decision? But then he heard her say, "However, I also have a condition: after His Majesty departs, you must release me from the palace."

Zhao Gou thought that Li Shishi was worried that he had no children and would be buried with him after the emperor's death, so he said, "I can guarantee that you will become a concubine dowager."

"No need, let me out of the palace."

"You don't want wealth and honor, yet you want to leave the palace?" Zhao Gou asked coldly.

Li Shishi nodded, and Zhao Gou said, "Since you insist on this, then so be it."

Seeing that a decision had been reached, Zhao Gou opened the window, jumped out, and walked towards the back wall, disappearing from the top of the wall in the blink of an eye.

Li Shishi leaned against the window and smiled unconsciously, muttering to herself, "At that time, the one you'll have to let go is your father's killer..."

As she laughed, a single tear slid down her cheek. She carefully took out the tassel from her sleeve and whispered, "I had no desire to live, so why are you still looking for me?"

Volume One: Fate Determined 049 Leaving the Palace to Fight on the Battlefield

As Zhao Gou walked alone back to his palace, he was still somewhat dazed as he recalled his deal with Li Shishi. However, he now understood that he did indeed have the ability to protect others!

He initially sent people to investigate Li Shishi because of Qin Zhen, but later he unexpectedly learned about her relationship with his father, the Emperor, earlier than anyone else. From then on, an idea began to gradually take root: it was time to change the long-standing situation where Consort Wang and her son Zhao Kai monopolized the Emperor's favor...

Once the idea took hold, he kept thinking about it. He needed Li Shishi to enter the palace, and Li Shishi was also eager to enter the palace. Although her reasons for wanting to enter the palace were different from Zhao Gou's, it did not prevent them from reaching an agreement and making a deal.

He helped her get into the palace, and she helped him with his work.

Because of the kidnapping orchestrated by Zhao Gou, Li Shishi successfully entered the palace, thus giving Zhao Gou an ally.

When you first do something, you don't know what the effect will be. For example, Zhao Gou did not expect that Li Shishi's entry into the palace would save his mother from disaster.

He could easily imagine that if Li Shishi hadn't suddenly entered the palace and diverted the attention of the concubines, his recent sudden gain of his father's favor would have become the reason for the concubines' hatred towards his mother.

Zhao Gou was quite grateful for these additional benefits, but he had not yet obtained the result he most desired: the downfall of Consort Wang!

Zhao Gou was very worried about Qin Zhen being suddenly tricked by Zhao Kai. He often wondered who had exposed Qin Zhen's identity, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that it might be someone close to him.

It seems there might be someone acting on the behalf of Consort Wang...

Since Qin Zhen is now a threat, we cannot simply sit idly by and wait for our demise.

Li Shishi once asked Zhao Gou, "Why won't you let me tell Qin Zhen about our deal?"

Zhao Gou did not answer, but he knew very well that it wasn't that he distrusted Qin Zhen, but rather that he no longer wanted to see Qin Zhen silently doing things for them. Some things, he should bear alone. For example, protecting his mother and protecting Qin Zhen.

He had just gone to Li Shishi to ask her to keep an eye on the palace's movements and his mother's safety while he was away from the palace. This request was outside of their initial agreement, but now that the new deal had been reached, he could face the upcoming challenges with peace of mind!

As Zhao Gou watched the crescent moon gradually appear in the sky, he was filled with emotion. He could finally go on his mission to the Liao Kingdom with peace of mind. What would the moon look like in a foreign land?

The Spring Festival of the seventh year of the Zhenghe era passed quickly, and Zhao Gou also looked forward to the day when he would break out of the palace and fly to the heavens.

In February of the new year, two teams drove out of the palace in an orderly fashion, one heading east and the other north.

The group heading east was led by Zhao Kai, heading towards the Jin Kingdom. They crossed the East Sea from Goryeo to the Jin Kingdom; although the journey was long, there were few obstacles.

The group that went directly north was naturally the envoy led by Zhao Gou to the Liao Kingdom. Accompanying him were a few people from his own palace, a special imperial guard, and several civil officials sent by the emperor to assist him.

Zhao Gou was in high spirits and abandoned the specially prepared carriage, insisting on riding a horse with his guards. Zhao Yong knew that since leaving the palace, his young prince's life was no longer so safe, so he kept his guards by his side at all times.

Among those closely associated with Zhao Gou and Zhao Yong was a dashing young man, Liu Qi, the commander of the Imperial Guards. Liu Qi was the ninth son of General Liu Zhongwu. He was a prodigy from a young age, and at fifteen, he followed his father to the Western Xia battlefield to defeat the enemy. Last year, he was awarded a title for his merits and transferred back to the palace to serve as a squad leader in the Imperial Guards. He was not yet nineteen years old this year.

Qin Zhen leaned against the carriage window, looking at the young, promising, and dashing Liu Qi. A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. As long as such a capable general is given important responsibilities, how could he not accomplish great things?

Liu Qizhi was focused on his surroundings, completely unaware that a pair of eyes were smiling at him from behind.

Braving the slightly chilly spring breeze, Liu Qi rode up to Zhao Gou and said, "Ninth Prince, we've reached the city gate. The wind will be strong and dusty once we leave the city. Please return to your carriage."

"No need, I will ride with you. What is there to refuse a little dust?" Zhao Gou was in a good mood. This was his first time riding a horse outside the palace, so he was unwilling to go back to the carriage.

Looking at Zhao Gou's still narrow shoulders on the chestnut horse in front of him, Liu Qi smiled and stopped trying to persuade him.

When Liu Qi first heard that this young man dared to accept the mission to the Liao Kingdom, he was quite surprised. So when Gao Qiu asked the imperial guards who was willing to lead the expedition, he stepped forward without hesitation. This Prince of Guangping intrigued him greatly.

The convoy traveled north at a leisurely pace. Besides attending to Zhao Gou's daily needs, Qin Zhen and Qing Mei also looked after the accompanying civil officials. Although servants were provided for them, there were still some tasks to be done to demonstrate the prince's consideration for his subjects.

That day, they abandoned their horses and switched to boats at the Yellow River ferry to cross the river, but unexpectedly, several officials suffered from seasickness and vomited violently. Qinglan helped the accompanying imperial physicians prepare medicine in the boat's kitchen, while Qin Zhen delivered the prepared medicine to the various ministers.

Having just finished distributing the supplies, she came out of a cabin carrying a tray and ran into Liu Qi, who was patrolling the deck. Qin Zhen stepped forward and asked, "My lord, are any guards seasick? The imperial physician has some extra medicine prepared; if needed, I'll take it to them right away."

Seeing that the maid in front of him was small but very thoughtful, and knowing that three of his soldiers were indeed suffering from severe seasickness, Liu Qi thanked her and said, "Thank you. I'll have them go to the kitchen to get the medicine, so you won't have to make the trip for me."

"Alright then," Qin Zhen replied.

Liu Qi thought she had nothing more to say, and was about to turn around when he heard Qin Zhen ask, "I heard that Lord Liu went along voluntarily. Can you tell me why?"

Turning around and nodding, Liu Qi said, "A true man should fight on the battlefield. The palace will not be any less than one of me. I do not wish to spend the rest of my life there."

"Lord Liu is indeed incredibly magnanimous. I had heard of him before, but seeing him today makes me believe it. If my lord heard what you just said, he would surely consider you a confidant!" Qin Zhen emphasized the word "confidant," which indeed caught Liu Qi's attention.

Liu Qi and Qin Zhen exchanged a knowing smile; people with similar ideas are indeed easier to get along with.

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Yes, it seems some readers have misunderstood. I don't delete comments easily. If you can't find a comment, check if it was posted on the old version and not on the new version. The data is inconsistent; some comments appear on the new site, and some on the old site, which is frustrating for me. In my book review section, as long as it's not a personal attack, everyone has freedom of speech.

Also, the price of P tickets hasn't gone up for several days. If anyone has any, please give me two.