Tong Qisheng replied casually, "Definitely."
Seeing that he wasn't looking at her, Zhenxiu shook his sleeve and asked, "This time, are you sure you'll pass the exam?"
Tong Qisheng impatiently shook off Zhenxiu's hand and said, "Of course you'll pass. Money is good wherever it's spent. If you spend it on the list, you'll be in the top three. What are you afraid of?"
Zhenxiu frowned and nodded. She and Su watched as the two of them slowly entered the examination hall with the other examinees. They stood there for half a day before taking Zhenyi home.
On the first day of the third lunar month, they entered the examination hall. After finishing the exam on the third day, they could go home. Zhang Rui and Tong Qisheng agreed to leave the examination hall at the same time. They went to the East Market and asked Su to rent an inn. The two of them took a good bath and had a comfortable sleep. Then they agreed to go to Zui Ren Jian to lick the stinky feet of that prostitute.
Zhenshu returned from the Yu residence in the evening and, upon inquiring about Su Shi, learned that Zhang Rui had not only failed to accompany Zhenyuan to Liu Family Village during her pregnancy, but was also not at the inn at all, his whereabouts unknown. Enraged, she took two apprentices and went straight to Zui Renjian. She was still carrying a scroll, and upon meeting the pimp, she clasped her hands in a fist and said, "Gentlemen, I am truly sorry, but the guest from last time again asked us to deliver this scroll upstairs today. Please do us a favor."
Seeing that it was the young manager of Song's mounting shop again, and that she had been here before, going up and down the stairs quietly, the two pimps assumed she had made an appointment and agreed to let her in. Zhenshu, seeing that they were still blocking the two apprentices, took two steps back and handed a few copper coins to one of them, saying, "Last time my daughter wasn't careful, as there are many men upstairs. My two apprentices are with me to act as witnesses for her. I hope you two will do me a favor."
The man glanced at the other one and nodded, saying, "We must hurry down and tell them not to look around and startle the girls."
Zhenshu agreed and rushed up to the third floor. She sent an apprentice to knock on the brothel's door, where Zhang Rui and Tong Qisheng were indeed lying around drinking. Zhenshu disliked the brothel's smelly bound feet and refused to go in. She then sent two apprentices to call Zhang Rui out to her.
Two apprentices, acting on Zhenshu's orders, went in and dragged Zhang Rui out. Zhenshu pointed at his nose and asked, "Why didn't you go to Liu Family Village?"
Zhang Rui could barely stand, his nose reeking of alcohol, and said, "Good sister, please give me two more days. I'll leave after the results are posted, okay?"
The results of the imperial examinations were released within seven or eight days after the examinations. The list was divided into three grades: Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3. Those in Grade 2 and above were all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), while those in Grade 3 were Tong Jinshi (successful candidates in the same imperial examinations).
Zhenshu shook her head and said, "No, you must go back today. Your sister is definitely waiting for you."
Zhang Rui still bowed and said, "Good sister, I beg you, please give me two more days."
If he talked back or was stubborn, Zhenshu could still scold or beat him. But his clingy, subservient behavior disgusted her. She took a few steps back and said, "If you go, I'll give you money."
Zhang Rui was overjoyed and staggered over, saying, "Good sister, quickly give me the silver."
Zhen Shu said, "Once you get to Liu Family Village, I'll have Hua'er give you the money."
Zhang Rui shook his head and said, "So you were lying to me after all. There's nothing there, not even anyone drinking or any women. What would I do there?"
Tong Qisheng also came out to watch, and seeing Zhenshu's angry but unable to vent her anger, he came over and advised, "Your sister can give birth by herself. What help can a man like him do? Can he deliver a baby or treat a patient? We are also doing something important right now, and you shouldn't be holding us back like this."
Zhen Shu gritted her teeth in anger, deeply regretting that she shouldn't have let Zhang Rui return to the capital. However, she had no choice but to leave the drunken world and write a letter to Zhen Yuan at the mounting shop, lying that Zhang Rui would have to wait for the results to be released after the exam and would only come after the results were announced.
Seven or eight days later, the results were released, and Zhang Rui and Tong Qisheng both indeed ranked second. It was said that people would wait at the post-announcement list to find a son-in-law who had passed the imperial examinations. Madam Su had been waiting for the results for a long time, and seeing that both of her future sons-in-law were in the second tier, she was overjoyed. Coincidentally, she ran into Aunt Su, who was also there looking for a suitable match, and she took Aunt Su home as well, listening to her gossip about the city.
When Aunt Su heard that both of Su's daughters were engaged and that both of her husbands had passed the imperial examinations, and that she now owned a small, rented house in the back and a large, spacious shop in the front, and that she seemed to have become quite wealthy in just over a year, she sighed and said, "If a person wants to become wealthy, he must do some business. Look at how long your family has been here, and now you have such a rich family fortune."
Su was slightly showing off, but she couldn't let it show. She covered her mouth with her handkerchief and said, "All the sons-in-law I've found are satisfactory, and their businesses are doing well now. The only problem is that my second daughter is having trouble finding a husband."
Since Granny Su claimed to be the Imperial Inspector of the City, how could she not know what happened to Zhenshu in the Five Mausoleums Mountains? Moreover, she had heard some things from somewhere and embellished them to create her own version. She pressed down on Madam Su's arm and said, "I heard that your second daughter encountered a bandit in the Five Mausoleums Mountains who tried to rape her. Later, she was rescued by the Grand Eunuch Yu Yichen. She came to the capital after finding this eunuch. Is that true?"
Hearing this, Madam Su's face turned green with anger. She angrily flung her handkerchief and said, "Where did this gossipy woman come from, spreading such rumors? My Zhenshu may like to run away a little, but she's probably never even seen what a eunuch looks like since she was little. How could she have been saved by a eunuch? Her leg was broken by a carriage, and she couldn't run away. Once she could, she ran away on her own. That robber killed a tiger at night and was scratched by it. He might already be dead in the Wuling Mountains. My dear lady, please don't listen to these rumors anymore. My Zhenshu is an innocent and virtuous girl. If people keep spreading these rumors, how will she ever get married?"
Seeing that her words had provoked such a strong reaction from Madam Su, Aunt Su felt slightly embarrassed. Although Madam Su had forgotten how she had fooled her before after finding two sons-in-law, Aunt Su was still her aunt, and it was indeed not good to spread rumors about her niece's children. Thinking of this, she volunteered again, saying, "Although there are some rumors in the capital, she runs a shop here and is the manager. What difficulty would it be for her to find a husband? Let me slowly inquire for you and make sure that the second daughter marries into an official's family."
Since her great-aunt had deceived her last time, Madam Su was quite distrustful of her now, and asked with some doubt, "Do you really know any officials or wealthy families?"
Grandma Su came over and patted Madam Su's hand, saying, "Good niece, it's not that your aunt didn't want to find you a good one, but your old lady passed away too suddenly and I had nowhere else to turn, so I found a few replacements. If you want to take your time to find someone over the next year or two, I can find you not only the son of the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, but also the Prefect himself."
Hearing her words of concern, Madam Su sneered, "To become a prefect, one must be in one's thirties or forties, and already have wives and concubines at home. What use is a chastity certificate to him?"
Grandma Su said, "Niece, you should know, Prefect Wang of Yingtian Prefecture is only in his early thirties. He's a very handsome and talented man. His wife is dying of tuberculosis and he's looking for a healthy and fertile young woman to remarry. But Prefect Wang is too picky and hasn't found anyone suitable. I have two fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls on hand for him to choose from. If you're willing, I can ask around for you, what do you say?"
Su thought to herself: Where could such a good thing happen?
Not caring at the moment, she nodded slightly and replied, "In that case, please keep an eye out for me, Grandma."
After having dinner with her great-aunt, Madam Su saw her off and hired a cart to take her home. When she returned home, she saw Zhen Shu had finished washing up and was sitting in the outer room trimming her toenails. Madam Su went over and took the scissors from her hand, saying, "Let me trim them for you."
Zhenshu now refused to let outsiders touch her body, not even Su Shi, and snatched the object away, saying, "I'm afraid you'll pinch my flesh, I'm afraid you'll break my toes."
When she refused to bind her feet, Su Shi once broke her toes in the middle of the night, causing her so much pain that she almost went crazy.
Her daughter refused to be close to her, and Madam Su was at a loss. Sitting beside her, she sighed, "Gossip is truly a fearsome thing. Some people in the capital have ulterior motives and have even linked you to eunuchs from the Imperial Palace, saying that you were kidnapped by a bandit in the Five Mausoleums Mountains and that a eunuch named Yu rescued you. Isn't that blatant nonsense?"
Zhenshu smiled and shook her head, saying, "Let them do what they want. It won't cost me a hair or a piece of flesh, so why should I care?"
Madam Su said, "But you also have to get married. Now that Zhang Rui is here to support my family, you must get married. If such rumors spread, who would dare to propose marriage?"
Zhenshu smiled and said, "There will always be suitors, just don't throw them away when the time comes, Mother."
She could foresee the shock, panic, and disbelief Su Shi would feel if Yu Yichen came to propose. If Yu Yichen suddenly appeared and Su Shi couldn't accept it, some rumors were already creeping into her ears, so it was good for her to be prepared.
Seeing that her daughter was always muttering to herself with her head down today, seemingly oblivious to what others were saying about her, Madam Su stared at her for a while before suddenly realizing, "You haven't already found someone for yourself, have you?"
Zhenshu shook her head and dodged the question: "No."
Madam Su leaned closer and looked at her radiant face, then nodded and said, "You must have found it. Look at how happy you are."
Zhenshu threw the scissors into the sewing basket, picked them up, and said, "No means no. I will wait until Zhenxiu and Zhenyi are married before I get married. Mother, you can rest assured."
Seeing her get up and leave, Madam Su nodded and said to herself, "It's better to look for someone later. We need to keep the shop running and earn money first, so we can support the two young children after they've married off."
After the results were announced, everyone was busy inviting their fellow graduates to banquets. Zhang Rui and Tong Qisheng were constantly being invited to drinks, and they had to reciprocate. Tong Qisheng, in particular, was living a life of luxury, making money from who-knows-where. He wore fine silks, employed servants, and had a long-term lease on inns, rarely staying there, spending every night indulging in revelry. Every two days, Zhang Rui would go to the small building in the backyard to find Su Shi, cry about being broke, call out "Mother" a few times, and then coax a few coins out of him to go out drinking. Zhen Shu, seeing that he refused to return to Liu Family Village, and knowing that Zhen Yuan's belly was growing larger, didn't want to provoke him with the truth. Instead, she wrote letters full of lies, which she herself became embarrassed to continue.
Chapter 76 The Imperial Court
Since her last trip out of the capital, and now when she was delivering goods to Liu Family Village, Zhao He didn't even inform her beforehand, going in person. It seemed he was deliberately avoiding her, fearing she might be kidnapped by Yu Yichen again outside the city. However, even within the city, for someone like Zhenshu who frequently traveled, finding Yu Yichen wouldn't be difficult.
On the eighteenth day, she arrived at the Yu residence again. Sun Yuan greeted her with a respectful smile and said, "Miss Song, your father-in-law went to the palace this morning and instructed you to wait here patiently. He will be back soon."
Zhenshu went up to the small building. It was the season when the garden was full of blooming flowers. Sun Yuan had set up a small table on the balcony with tea and snacks. Zhenshu had no appetite for these. She was straightforward by nature, and now she was like a well-behaved puppy in front of Yu Yichen. She knew that every time she came, Yu Yichen would do "that" thing. So she went back to her bedroom and saw that hot soup had been prepared in the bathroom. The water in the bathtub was steaming and covered with petals.
The mounting shop was small and crowded, so Zhenshu couldn't enjoy a full bath. She took off her clothes and soaked in the bath for a while before changing into the white cotton sheet that Sun Yuan had prepared. She then took the "Great Tang Records on the Western Regions" from Yu Yichen's study and lay on the bed to read it.
A moment later, there was a soft sound outside the door. Zhen Shu had just sat up cross-legged when she saw Yu Yichen walk in from outside.
Today he was wearing a pure white coarse linen long gown, his long hair tied up in a high ponytail, his fair skin and red lips complementing the white clothes, his eyes under his long eyebrows filled with affection. Although she often saw him and was used to it, his attire today, simple yet extremely sharp in beauty, made Zhenshu unable to help but stare in amazement.
Yu Yichen naturally noticed Zhenshu staring at him and smiled, "I originally wanted to take you out for a stroll, but who knew you..."
He ran his fingers up Zhenshu's wide trouser leg, gently rubbing it, and frowned, saying, "Who knew you would only think about things like this?"
Zhen Shu also felt a little ashamed, and crossed her legs, saying, "I don't want to, take your hands away."
Yu Yichen smiled enigmatically, then withdrew his hand to show Zhenshu the glistening on his fingers, asking, "You really don't want to?"
When Zhenshu saw that he was placing the pure gold-inlaid jade bowl on the bedside table with his other hand, she noticed that it was not the same object she had seen before. She asked Yu Yichen with some curiosity, "Where did you get this from this time?"
Yu Yichen reached in and took out a round jade ring, its color a bluish-black. He fastened the ring to Zhenshu's index and middle fingers. Zhenshu's fingers were slender, and the ring reached all the way to the base of her fingers, binding her two fingers together. Zhenshu noticed the fine, oily texture of the jade, and when she rubbed it against her cheek, she felt a slight itch. She held out her hand and asked Yu Yichen, "Why does such fine jade make me feel itchy?"
Yu Yichen reached out and continued to tease Zhenshu between her legs, saying softly, "Naturally, it was made by the craftsmen on purpose, but I was afraid that the jade was too hard and would scratch you, so today I had it engraved in the palace and had someone test it."
"Who are you looking for?" Zhenshu naturally guessed the purpose of this thing. When she heard him say that he was going to the palace to find someone to test it, her smile hadn't faded before her eyebrows stood up.
Yu Yichen still smiled and said gently, "Your Highness."
Seeing Zhen Shu's puzzled expression, Yu Yichen patiently explained, "People say that a baby's skin is the most delicate, and yours is even more delicate than a baby's. I used it to rub the Crown Prince's arm, and he didn't cry because it hurt, so this thing is obviously fine enough."
He took the ring from her hand and hooked it onto his own finger, stopping it just below the fingertip. He then kissed Zhenshu's lips and teased her with his hand. Zhenshu was indeed aroused, so he leaned down between her legs and wholeheartedly entwined with her.
After finishing her business, Zhenshu took another bath. Seeing Yu Yichen busy behind the large table in the west room, she looked up at the books on his bookshelf, picked up the "Great Tang Records on the Western Regions" again, and flipped to the first volume, saying, "I haven't read for you these days. How about I read for you again?"
Yu Yichen didn't look up, and said with a gentle smile, "What use is it for me to listen to a monk's ascetic practices in the freezing cold? Stop reading now, just sit there and keep me company."
Zhenshu closed the book and said, "You were the one who wanted me to come to the manor to study with you, but now you refuse to listen?"
Yu Yichen then looked up and said, "I just thought that the book was thick enough, and that if you were to read it, it would take you a long time to finish. So I wanted you to stay with me for a few more days."
Now that you've already tricked them, why bother listening anymore?
She suddenly pulled out the piece of paper she had written on that day and held it in her hands, looking at it. Before she knew it, Yu Yichen walked over, snatched it, and pointed at the writing, saying, "Your handwriting is really ugly."
Zhen Shu snatched it away, saying, "I have no talent for these things, and I lack perseverance, so I can never improve my calligraphy. Now, take it and burn it."
Yu Yichen snatched it back again, saying, "Why burn it? Since you gave it to me, I'm going to keep it."
After speaking, he tucked the book back into the box, closed it, and placed it in a high place that even Zhenshu couldn't reach.
Zhenshu asked with a smile, "Why did you come to me? Haven't you had enough of the ladies in the palace?"
Yu Yichen remained seated behind his desk, busy for a while before saying, "On the night of the Lantern Festival, you were reading in that bookstore. I stood and watched you for a long time, seeing you shake your head, see you laugh, and see you talking to yourself."
He had come to arrest and kill someone. But when he saw her, still in the same clothes she wore when she first entered the Jade Mansion, one hand holding a book and the other stroking the bookshelf, it seemed as if flowers bloomed along the path she touched. The dim light from outside flickered on her young, delicate yet slightly spirited face. She was engrossed in the book in her hands, completely unaware of the commotion outside the shop and the sound of a knife slicing through the floor inside.
Of course, it was because his men acted too quickly and ruthlessly that the dying men didn't make a sound. When they came out to arrest the bookstore owner, he deliberately turned away to block her view, perhaps from that moment on, he wanted to show her a different side of himself, as if in doing so, he could become a normal person.
The first time he wanted to have a normal life began that night.
He raised his head and smiled, as if he had returned to the night of the Lantern Festival last year: "I should have severed all feelings and lived out my remaining years alone, but you were too vivid and lovely, and I reached out my hand as if possessed, and from then on I could not and did not want to let go."
Zhenshu felt a warmth in her heart from his words. She went outside to the balcony extending from the small building and saw that the sunlight was still as intense as it had been a year ago, illuminating the building and the entire garden. Flowers bloomed in abundance, just as they had on this day last year. She saw Yu Yichen approaching and standing beside her. The sunlight dispelled all the gloom from his face. He was still wearing that royal blue robe, the cloud patterns on his chest and the silk ribbons on his collar simple yet beautiful. His high eyebrows, fair skin, and vermilion lips were all things she loved. So what if he was a favorite? So what if he was a bad person? This man, at this moment, was hers.
Zhenshu walked over and hugged him, saying, "Holding you is like holding all the beauty and joy in the world."
"So you will accept all my good and bad, darkness and light, sin and ugliness?" Yu Yichen suddenly asked.
Zhenshu pondered for a long time before saying, "I don't want you to get involved in too many things in the court or the palace. Just do your job conscientiously and earn your share of the money. If you really can't make it, we'll find another place to make a living. Let's not let someone secretly harm us, okay?"
The words Zhenyu had said a few days ago had been on her mind, but she knew too little about him and didn't know how to advise him.
Yu Yichen said, "The affairs of the court did not begin because of me, nor will they end because of me. But I promise you I will protect myself and will not let anyone assassinate me, is that alright?"
Although Zhenshu outwardly agreed, she still felt somewhat heavy-hearted.
After seeing Zhenshu off, Yu Yichen reopened the two doors and returned to the front courtyard. Zhang Li was already waiting in his spacious official room. Upon seeing Yu Yichen, he quickly stood up, brought over the dossier, and said, "This is what I collected later. Please take a look and see if it's usable, Your Excellency."
Yu Yichen watched as he placed the items on the table before gently picking them up with two fingers and examining them. When he first arrived, his tall, arched eyebrows had been raised, but they slowly furrowed together. After a long while, he said, "These things are not enough! Far from enough."
Zhang Li said, "If we continue searching, we might have to go all the way to Yingtian Prefecture."
Yu Yichen said, "I will send people to search Yingtian Prefecture again. You should still start with the capital region and the Censorate."
Zhang Li nodded in agreement, cupped his hands in farewell, and withdrew. Yu Yichen pressed two fingers to his brow at his desk when Mei Xun entered and said, "Father-in-law!"
Yu Yichen shook his head again: "Lord Dou has five sons. Except for Dou Wu, who is a bit unworthy, the others all hold important positions in various departments. To catch them all in one fell swoop, the mistakes of these ordinary officials are far from enough."
Mei asked, "Then what should we do?"
Yu Yichen glanced up at Mei Xun, one hand pressing down on the stack of files: "Treason! It's an old method, but it always works."
On April 18th, the pear blossoms on the tall pear trees in the far corner of the courtyard were in full bloom, and the snow-white pear blossoms fell from the tall, straight pear trees with the wind. Zhenshu was overjoyed. While Yu Yichen was busy in the house, she ran out, lifted her skirt, and walked to the pear tree to catch the pear blossoms that had been blown down by the wind.
Ever since she'd passed through the back gate once, she'd never again visited the somewhat eerie front courtyard and front gate of the Yu residence. She walked for a long time, following the pear trees, then looked at the building in the courtyard from a distance. The small building was connected to the large room she'd entered before. But it wasn't visible from the outside. From a distance, it was a dark and enormous two-story building. She wondered which room she'd entered was among them.
She walked back and counted the dimensions of the small building. As she walked further back, all she saw was a dark, monotonous mass of buildings, with no difference between the front and back. From a distance, the building had a somber, deathly feel, and the empty courtyard added to the eerie chill.
Zhenshu walked straight to the high wall separating the front and back yards before stopping and looking up at the wall, which was as tall as the building. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching.