《Who Cares》


 CH 1

    Chapter 1 Mourn the death


    Guan Suyi was sitting in the pavilion surrounded by greenery while arranging flowers. Two maids stood at the left and right, handing out flower branch or a pair of scissors from time to time. Outside the bamboo curtain, which was swayed back and forth by the breeze, was the setting sun and many fallen leaves. Autumn has arrived.


    ¡°Madam, the eldest son is here, he wants to see you.¡± The middle-aged servant¡¯s hasty footsteps disturbed the tranquility.


    Guan Suyi was stunned, her calm face showed a daze, as if she tried to remember who the ¡°eldest son¡± from the woman¡¯s mouth was . After a while, her eyebrows frowned, she slowly and decisively spit out two words, ¡°Not seeing.¡±


    The servant woman wanted to say something but stopped, she also knew that the madam was stubborn and very assertive, when she said not seeing it means not seeing. But this was just a remote estate of the Zhao family. Only domestic slaves or female relatives who have made mistakes would be sent over. Life was extremely miserable. How could it be compared with the prosperity and wealth of Yanjing? The servant woman wanted to return to the main house but had no opportunity. After finally waited for so long finally the eldest son came, how could she missed the chance to curry favor with him, after leaving the second gate, she ignored the madam¡¯s order and let the eldest son in.


    After inserting the golden chrysanthemum into the vase, Guan Suyi turned it around, trying to find any shortcomings. Suddenly saw one of the golden chrysanthemum leaves was too lush, lacking the artistic conception of blankness and the beauty of containment. She picked up a small scissor and wanted to trim it a bit.


    ¡°Mother.¡± The guilty shout made her fingertips tremble slightly, the sharp blade missed the extra leaves, but cut off a beautiful golden chrysanthemum. Guan Suyi didn¡¯t immediately put down the scissors, nor did she show any annoyance. Even the frowning eyebrows were flattened at this time. She picked the leaves with the tip of a knife, then took the cut flower branches and threw them into the small bamboo basket beside her. Then she looked at the young man standing outside the pavilion with a panic and decadent face.


    Looking from top to bottom, her gaze rest on the crutches in his hand and the obviously short left leg, Guan Suyi was a little surprised and wanted to ask, but in the end, she didn¡¯t speak. Wasn¡¯t she being sent away to Cangzhou precisely because she cared too much?


    The young man saw the concern in her eyes, and the misery and guilt that had stuck in his heart instantly broke out. He limped a few steps forward, and wanted to rush to the woman¡¯s feet to cry. Guan Suyi did not dodge, but the two maids had already blocked the young man. They asked while supporting him, ¡°Eldest son, what¡¯s the matter with you? What kind of grievance have you suffered? Your foot is injured, you must not knock it!¡± What kind of grievance can make the eldest son, who regard madam as an enemy, come all the way to Cangzhou to complain, and still in this kind of bad situation?


    If the two of them didn¡¯t ask, the young man was able to tolerate it, but once asked the flood seemed to break away, tears fell instantly, choking while intermittently saying, ¡°Mother, son has let you down! You have always been strict with this son, you would scold if son was too playful, you would punish if son made a mistake, but you also would praise if son made progress. You treat son as your own, but son listens to other people¡¯s slander. I always felt that you have ulterior motives, inside harbor evil intentions, so deliberately alienate you and get close to Aunt Ye. Son is really stupid. Son is wrong!¡±


    Guan Suyi held her forehead with one hand, and placed the other flat on the stone table. She tapped the edge of the table with her fingertips, seemingly to be listening attentively, but also looked stunned. Aunt Ye? Which Auntie Ye? After two years in Cangzhou, she deliberately forget about Zhao¡¯s mansion, and it took quite a while to find this person from her dusty memory.


    Aunt Ye was the cousin of Zhao Luli¡¯s first wife, and soon after she passed the door she took the name of taking care of the children to climb higher. She had blood connection with Zhao Luli¡¯s children. It could be said that she had watched them grow up since childhood, and she also looked very similar to their mothers, completely satisfying the children¡¯s desire for maternal love. On the surface she was just a concubine, but she was quite popular in the Marquis mansion. Zhao Luli was also particularly infatuated because of her similar appearance to his first wife. Needless to say, the two children treated her as their biological mother.


    On the other hand, Guan Suyi was in embarrassing position. There was no prominent family background and no rich dowry. In order to gain foothold in the high gate Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, she had no other choice but to restrain herself and observe proprieties, adhered strictly to her role. She did everything she could to serve her mother-in-law, take care of her husband, educate her children, fulfill her duties, and she did everything to perfection. But in the end she was ruined and sent away.


    The unbearable memory became clear again, and the corners of Guan Suyi¡¯s mouth raised slightly, as if mocking herself at that time, as if mocking the young man crying miserably and desperately under the stairs.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your legs?¡± she asked quietly.


    After receiving the long-lost care from his mother, the young man burst into tears and felt guilty. ¡°Son¡¯s leg was broken by people! It was Aunt Ye who bribe son¡¯s close servant and order him to lure son into fight with the rogues. The imperial physician said that I will never be able to walk like ordinary people anymore, it¡¯s basically crippled. In order for Zhao Guang to inherit the position of Marquis Zhenbei, she ruined son¡¯s life! Mother, you have always been strict with son, teach son to study, and order son to observe courtesy, and you will punish if there¡¯s mistake and negligence. On the other hand, Aunt Ye who only blindly pampered and indulged, told son to go farther and farther on the treacherous road, and today become like this.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes were distant and her expression was hard to fathom. The young man once called ¡°Aunt Ye¡± so affectionately, but only said ¡°Madam¡± when he came to her, and never called ¡°Mother¡±. When she left Zhao¡¯s Mansion, she thought: I don¡¯t know how long the harmony of this ¡°close family¡± will last. But she didn¡¯t expect that after only two years it came to this point, broken leg and crippled, Ye Fan is really cruel.


    The young man was so distraught and did not notice his mother who was obviously distracted, still confided, ¡°At this moment, son finally figured out that what is good for you may not be really good, and what is bad for you may not be really bad.¡±


    Guan Suyi laughing silently, her eyes became more and more mocking. What is bad for you? Daily necessities, study books, practice martial arts, and even future marriage, she exhausted her body and mind to plan for both this son and daughter that had no blood connection with her, but in their hearts it turned out to be something bad.


    Forget it, encountering such a wolf-hearted family, it was not wrong to end up like today. Guan Suyi shook her head and sighed slightly.


    Hearing the sigh, the guilt in his heart grew stronger. He hesitated for a moment and finally confessed, ¡°Mother, son was so wrong back then. I should not listen to Aunt Ye¡¯s instigation and slander you for having an affair with Master Xu. Although son¡¯s legs and feet are useless, and Aunt Ye is not good, but with my father still here, the title of Marquis Zhenbei is still mine. When I become Shizi, I will definitely take you back.¡±


    At this point, his eyes became red and his fists were also firmly clenched, it made a ¡°click¡± sound like cracked bone, as if enduring great humiliation and anger. He hesitated and hesitated, faltered and faltered, but in the end gritted his teeth and squeezed out a word, ¡°Mother, do you know? My mother is not dead!¡±


    Your mother? Guan Suyi was in a daze for a while before she realized that Zhao Wangshu¡¯s mother was Zhao Luli¡¯s first wife, Ye Zhen. She was not dead? how could it be possible? Zhao Luli hated himself for not be able to follow his wife to reincarnated and continue their fate together. If she didn¡¯t died, how could he not look for her, and why would he want to marry another person?


    Soon, the young man gave the answer, ¡°My mother is exactly Ye Jieyu, Ye Zhen. She is not my mother¡¯s twin sister, she is precisely my mother. For glory and wealth she abandoned her husband and son. I hate that that my father and my sister know the truth, but they still helped her everywhere. They even killed the fetus in your stomach, and sent you to Cangzhou on the charge of losing your chastity. She has already switched to other¡¯s embrace, why should she still want to dominate father, why should she let me be covered with such an unbearable life experience¡­¡±


    The young man changed from a low sobbing to a weeping bitterly. The Aunt Ye he loved was cruel, cold-blooded and merciless; the dead mother he admired was greedy for wealth and abandoned her husband and children. If she put herself in his shoes, Guan Suyi would cry too. But what she cared about was not this bizarre, ridiculous scandal, but the middle sentence.


    ¡°My miscarriage is not an accident, but the work of your father and sister?¡± Recalling that one extremely humiliating night, Guan Suyi¡¯s plain heart suddenly stirred up a storm. It¡¯s ridiculous. Zhao Luli had never touched her in the five years of being married to Zhao¡¯s family, only once when he was drunk. To this day, she still remembered the disgusting alcohol on his body and the sound of ¡°Ye Zhen¡± that kept echoing in her ears, full of love and guilt. He regarded her as a substitute for his cherished dead wife, and this substitute wanted to give birth to his child, which would interfere with the interests of the children from the first wife, it was naturally intolerable.


    After thinking about everything, Guan Suyi¡¯s calm face finally shattered, and she asked slowly, ¡°Have I wronged Zhao Luli, wronged you, wronged Zhao Chunxi? Why are you doing this to me? What a pure family style Marquis Zhenbei Mansion is; what a noble original wife; what a virtuous character and well-loved by the emperor Ye Jieyu, but it turns out just male thief and the female prostitute, bunch of pigs and dogs!¡±


    The young man was ashamed and embarrassed, but faintly feel pleased. The male thief and the female prostitution, bunch of pigs and dogs, the scolding was really right! Only mother the most qualified to scold like this. He knelt down willingly, originally thinking that mother would lose control and vent, but he saw her suddenly chuckled and shook her head, quickly recovered her calmness.


    It¡¯s a good thing she had a miscarriage. Guan Suyi stroked her flat abdomen, only to feel the pain of guilt and regret buried deep in her heart, disappearing without a trace at this moment. ¡°Su Yi Zhu Bo, Cong Zi Yu Wo¡°, Su Yi (white clothes) spotlessly white, pure and good character, this was her grandfather¡¯s expectation of her. Although falling into the quagmire of Zhao¡¯s family and couldn¡¯t escape, she was not contaminated with the slightest filth after all. This child was not a hope or sustenance for the future, but a sin, doesn¡¯t matter if it doesn¡¯t come.


    If the father was not the father, the mother was not the mother, the son was not the son, how could the Zhao family was not in chaos? Guan Suyi had anticipated this a long time ago, but she didn¡¯t think that there was such a shocking inside story hidden inside, which really opened her eyes. She didn¡¯t care about the repentance of the young man, and she didn¡¯t want to be a tool for him to vent his grief and resentment. Just as she was trying to get people to drag him away, someone from the Zhao Mansion in Yanjing came in and carried the eldest son with his unhealed leg into the carriage and quickly left.


    Outside the pavilion, the autumn cicadas made a loud sound and the tired birds swirl in the air. Guan Suyi was in a daze for a while. Then she pulled out the golden chrysanthemums in the vase and replaced them with twisted thorns and withered reeds. The spikes of thorns pierced her fingertips, causing a piercing pain, but she seemed to not feel anything, her expression remained flat and calm from beginning to end.


    After trimming the reed flock with scissors, Guan Suyi laughed at herself. What a weird and sad work, just like her life. What if it was possible to leave at the beginning? Knowing that Zhao¡¯s family was a puddle of stinking dirt, she could not leave or stay, so could only watch as she drowned. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of  books on the table, and finally showed a resentment expression and threw them into the tea-making stove and put them on fire.


    The maid exclaimed, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t you read these books every day? How could you burned them?¡±


    ¡°Half of my life¡¯s tragedy probably stems from this. How can I not burn them?¡± Guan Suyi stared at the rising flames and thick smoke, her eyes felt sore, and tears gradually flowed.


    Another maid pulled her and told her to stop talking. If madam was born five years earlier and met a strange flower like the Zhao family, she would divorce and remarry along time ago, how could there be such today? If it weren¡¯t for the popularity of Xu shi¡®s Neo-Confucianism, if it weren¡¯t for the popularity of ¡°Female Caution¡±, ¡°Internal Training¡± and those kind of books, how could madam be imprisoned here and not free. If she remarried or divorce, it would be tantamount to ruining the reputation of the sisters in the clan. They would have no marriage prospect in the future, lonely and helpless, so they would have no choice but to shattered their teeth and swallow their blood. Those hypocrites were really harmful!


    After that day, perhaps because she felt that there was no hope in this life, Guan Suyi¡¯s unhealthy body rapidly deteriorated. When the end of her life was approaching, she seemed to hear Zhao Luli and Zhao Wangshu¡¯s hurried footsteps and distraught repentance, but only left one sentence: ¡°I only wish I will never see you again in the next life.¡±

 CH 2

    Chapter 2 Rebirth


    Guan Suyi originally thought that she would start a new life after death. But she opened her eyes and saw a plum forest covered in dark mist, snowflakes drifting in the mist, like an illusion, but appear so real because of the sudden cold air. Guan Suyi was stunned for a while before realizing that the dark mist shrouded everything in front of her was because she was wearing a veil hat over her head. The black gauze at the edge of the veil hat was blown by the cold wind, and a few snowflakes got in and fell on the tip of her nose, making her shiver for no reason.


    ¡°Miss, are you cold? This servant will go back to fetch the hand stove.¡±


    The crisp voice awakened Guan Suyi, who was hovering between confusion and reality. She lifted the corner of the black veil, and the hazy world immediately became clear and vivid. Her extraordinary memory told her that this was the plum forest in the back of Jueyin Temple. When the Guan family moved to Yanjing, they temporarily lived here for a few days while their house was still repaired.


    ¡°Where¡¯s grandfather? Where¡¯s my parents?¡± Guan Suyi tentatively asked Ming Lan carefully. She understood that she was back, back to the past, back to the time when she first entered Yanjing, and everything has not yet begun. It was not difficult to make this judgment. The coldness on the body could not be faked, the cold wind like a steel knife could not be faked, the suffocation of death could not be faked, and Ming Lan, who was much younger, could not be fake.


    ¡°The old master is attending the literary meeting in Bodhi Garden. Master and madam went to the Beishan Pavilion to enjoy the snow and paint, and maybe they won¡¯t be able to come back until the evening.¡± Ming Lan rubbed her hands, ¡°Miss, let¡¯s go to Bodhi Garden. It¡¯s too cold here. Be careful not to freeze.¡± She was a little girl who couldn¡¯t understand such an elegant thing as an appreciation of plums in the snow.


    Literary meeting? Guan Suyi was in a daze for a while, then turned around and went to Bodhi Garden. Regardless of whether all this was true or not, or the refraction of the reincarnation mirror, she was willing to change from this moment on.


    There were several huge braziers burning in the courtyard, and the raging flames breathe out the heat, setting off the surroundings as warm as spring. Compared with the outside world where snowflakes were flying and the cold wind sent a chill, it was indeed much more comfortable and lively here. A group of men gathered around the stone table to talk and talk, a few young novice monks concentrated on making tea, and guqin master bowed their heads to play the strings. The bustling sound of the guqin gave a distant and long flavor.


    A few women stood in the water pavilion not far from the stone table, whispering to each other, laughing and playing; or leaning on a railing to look out, pondering with themselves; there were also a few pointing at the men, seeming to be discussing something. The scene where men and women mixed together made Guan Suyi a little nostalgic, but also a little sad. After Xu¡¯s Neo-Confucianism flourished, such scenes would probably no longer be seen. Now they never imagined that after five or six years, if women tried to criticize men, they would have no chance to step out of the second gate.


    ¡®The door does not go out, and the second doors do not move.¡¯ This commandment trapped women in the back house until they died, and also trapped them in unfortunate marriages dominated by men one after another. ¡®Divorce wife¡¯ had become a reminder for women, and the Four Books for Women had become a soul talisman for women. Life you are the husband¡¯s family and dead you are the husband¡¯s ghost, even after entering the Yellow Springs, you couldn¡¯t get the slightest freedom.


    Thinking of this, Guan Suyi looked cold and walked slowly to stand beside her grandfather. She wore a veil hat on her head to hide her beautiful secular appearance, but she was still eye-catching with her refined temperament. Due to the nobleman¡®s manner, these people didn¡¯t ask much, just unobtrusively glanced at her and continued the debate.


    At this period, the status of women was not low, there were several women politicians and historians, and also there were no lack of imperial women who held power of the country. As long as there was someone who could recommend, anyone could enter such place like literary meeting. The reason why Guan Suyi wore a veil hat to block her face was not because of the women¡¯s precepts, but because the world was too chaotic and bandits were rampant, so she had to protect herself.


    At this time, the political power changed frequently. Today you will be the king, and tomorrow I will ascend the throne. The various nations would conquer each other, thus gave birth to a large number of people who fished in troubled waters. Misfortunes could come from the sky while staying at home, let alone during long-distance migration. Guan Suyi had always been cautious, even if her appearance could not be said to overturn the country, but it was enough to overturn a state. In order not to cause trouble to her family, the veil hat was indispensable, and she always equipped herself with a sharp silver hairpin for self-defense or to kill oneself. Not only her, but men and women in troubled times were like this.


    Gathered together the black gauze that was tossed by the wind, she bent over and stretched out her hand to add a cup of hot tea for her grandfather.


    Old master Guan studied Confucianism all of his life. He was very knowledgeable, but suffered from poor eloquence. At this literary meeting he was asked questions many times, for a moment he was blushing and looked embarrassed. The era of fighting for hegemony had just passed. A descendant of Jiuli tribe, Huo shi, who unified the five state of Central Plains invited scholars with aspiration from all over the world to serve the court. The scholars who were familiar with poetry and books were waiting for such an opportunity, so they responded and gathered in Yanjing.


    At this time, The Hundred Schools of Thought had their own opinions, and they all wanted to develop and achieve their own ambitions, and the phenomenon of squeezing each other out was very serious. In order to gain fame, to attract the attention of the upper echelons, even more to refute the views of other schools and strives for the best interests of the teachers, they frequently hold literary meeting like today.


    Guan Suyi listened quietly, patted her emotional grandfather on the back from time to time, trying to relax him. The farther behind, the sharper the arguments of the Legalism scholars became, and the others gradually became unable to parry. As the backbone of the Confucian school, her grandfather endured the most questioning.


    Seeing that her grandfather was forced to a dead end, the scholars from the same school cast anxious and dissatisfied looks at him, and Guan Suyi¡¯s lips moved slightly, as if pondering. Through the hazy black veil, she stared at a very elegant and handsome middle-aged man with a goatee who was hidden in the crowd. That was Xu Guangzhi, the founder of Xu¡¯s Neo-Confucianism, who would become popular in the future, and also honored as semi-sages of Confucianism by Emperor Sheng Yuan.


    Although he was still unknown at this time, Guan Suyi knew that in a few moments, when her grandfather was forced to vomit blood, he would come forward and refute all the scholars present one by one, thus establishing his own reputation. The pragmatic and powerful legalism, the eloquent political strategist, they were all defeated by his clever tongue. It was precisely because the wonderful performance of this literary meeting that he became a representative of Confucianism in one fell swoop, and finally embarked on an official career and achieved steady progress.


    Guan Suyi did not think that she has the ability to change this era, nor did she want to compete with Xu Guangzhi. She just didn¡¯t want this person to step on her grandfather¡¯s position, let alone watch her grandfather indulge in this failure, and never recover from it. In the previous life, she sat beside her grandfather and listened in the same way. She deliberately argued a few words for her grandfather. However, due to etiquette, she didn¡¯t dare to say too much, until her grandfather suddenly vomited blood. In this life what¡¯s etiquette, what¡¯s a woman¡¯s ignorance is virtue, just go to hell.


    Thinking like this, Guan Suyi suddenly held her grandfather¡¯s trembling left hand, and slowly said, ¡°If you talk about Hundred Schools of Thought, you should respect Confucianism.¡±


    The scene was quiet for a while, and Xu Guangzhi, who was about to step forward, walked back silently. His cold eyes looked back and forth on the woman¡¯s black veil hat.


    Guan Suyi drank a sip of hot tea, said unhurriedly, ¡°The Sage follows ancient rituals, respects virtues, treats others according to etiquette, and governs the country with courtesy. Therefore, the rituals flourish makes the family prosperous, the prosperous family makes the village party gather, when the village party gather then the state will be established, when the state established then the world will be peaceful. The heroes will compete, the country will be unified, and the religious rituals will continue. If the religious rituals continue, all people will submitted. This is what the Sage said, ¡®There is no way to stand without courtesy.¡® ¡®If the rituals and music cannot thrive, the punishment will not be properly executed; if the punishment is not be properly executed, the people will be at loss¡­.¡¯¡±(from The Analects)


    She turned to look at the aggressive Legalism scholars, and continued, ¡°The so-called legalism ¡®set point to set disputes, rejoice in power and fear violence¡¯, (from Seven Ministers and Seven Lords by Guan Zi) its various laws and regulations were established based on the patriarchal ritual teachings. How can they be qualified to criticize and insult the Confucianism who respects ancient rituals. Human relations are the way of righteous beginning, ethics education is the foundation of the Emperor¡¯s enlightenment, all theories cannot escape those two constraints. Therefore, Confucianism, which values human relations and respects ethics education, is a well-deserved academic supremacy. The Sage¡¯s words: ¡®If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good¡¯. This is the real power of enlightenment, the way to govern people¡±


    As soon as her voice fell, Confucian scholars clapped their hands in applause. Xu Guangzhi looked down and pondered. He never expected that this woman was quite talented. It was really sharp to refute Legalism from the basis of legislation, but it was not without flaws. He thought of countless mistakes and omissions in an instant, only to wait for the Legalism scholars to drive this person to the end of the road and show their power again.


    Old master Guan breathed a sigh of relief, and patted the back of his granddaughter¡¯s hand with relief. He only had this one granddaughter, who had been taught nobleman character since she was a child, and she had never fallen behind in the Six Arts of a nobleman character, full of talents and learning comparable to those great scholars. As long as she was willing to speak, it was more than enough to deal with this kind of scene.


    When it came to human relations and ethics, the scholars on the scene found it difficult. No matter how they opposed Confucianism, they dare not say that their school exists outside the human relations and ethics. Otherwise they became heretics, or even evil sects, and they would definitely be criticized by the world.


    While the others were still contemplating, Guan Suyi touched the tea cup, and softly persuaded him, ¡°Grandfather don¡¯t be anxious, drink the hot tea slowly. The Sage said: ¡®A nobleman should be cautious in his speech and act swiftly, how can it use to flatter¡¯. Bad tongue is not your fault, it¡¯s your virtue.¡±


    After hearing those words, the Confucian scholars who were dissatisfied with the old man all introspected themselves and showed shame on their faces. The old master Guan was completely relieved, and smiled while stroking his beard.


    Seeing his pale complexion gradually eased, Guan Suyi let go of her high-hanging heart, and said to the Legalism scholar who was about to stand up to refute her, ¡°Guan Zhong reformed the law to reinvigorate Qi, one era stopped, and then Qi died; Li Kui reformed the law to reinvigorate Wei , one era stopped, and then Wei died; Wu Qi reformed the law to reinvigorate Chu, one era stopped, and the Chu died; Shang Yang reformed the law to reinvigorate Qin, and eventually unified the Central Plains to establish a hegemony, once again one era stopped, and then great heroes pursue deer in the central plains, and the society collapsed. Countries have prospered through reforms, and perished by violent politics. Dare to ask everyone what is the reason for this? Where is the eternal way of legalism? If you can¡¯t even answer this question, wouldn¡¯t it be a joke for you to keep trying to govern and transform the nation into a strong country?¡±


    As soon as this remark came out the audience was silent. Throughout history, reforms and reorganization have indeed helped many countries to prosper, but they have also driven them to extinction very quickly. This was indeed the biggest drawback of Legalism. However, no one had said clearly what this drawback was, nor could they understand it. The woman¡¯s question was like a dagger pierced through the heart, hitting the central point.


    The legalism scholars were dumb and embarrassed, but Guan Suyi had already helped her grandfather to get up and said goodbye. The scholars hurriedly got up to send them off, and frequently rushed to the old man, praised his family¡¯s learning origin and good education. Xu Guangzhi, who had a lot to say, saw that the rest of the people were all gone. Although he laughed on the surface, he hated it inside.


    What Guan Suyi wanted was for him to have no opportunity to talk, and couldn¡¯t post his aspirations, that was why she raised a few questions to completely confuse the essays. If Xu Guangzhi wanted to become famous and embark on an official career, just look for another opportunity, but to use her grandfather as a stepping stone, in this life she would never let him do so.


    After the group of people left, the women also felt bored and left in twos and threes. A man with a strong build and resolute face came out from behind the rockery, staring thoughtfully at the direction where Guan¡¯s grandfather and granddaughter had left. Following him, a white-faced, sharp-sounding old man admired, ¡°They said that all women in Central Plains are full of talent and knowledge, it is not a lie.¡±


    Seeing the man raised his eyebrows and laughed sarcastically, the old man¡¯s conversation turned, ¡°but her vision is limited, the end is too narrow.¡± Although the master invited many famous scholars and intended to ask them for advice on how to govern the country, but he had already had an opinion in his heart. All the books on his desk were Legalism classics, and the most respected ones were also Legalism scholars, he obviously value Legalism more. After a while, the era of Hundred Schools of Thoughts would soon pass, and the legalism would certainly be very popular in the future, and the reform of the law and system was imminent.


    The man glanced at the old man with a smile, said with a deep and mellow voice, ¡°Send someone to check the grandfather and granddaughter just now.¡± In his heart, he wondered: Where is the eternal way of legalism? This was indeed a problem.


    The air fluctuated slightly, and after a while, the death soldier hiding in the dark left quietly to investigate the background of Guan¡¯s family.


    Translator¡¯s notes:


    This chapter really showed why I reluctant to translate this novel, this whole philosophical debate is really over my head. Researching into it really reminded me of school, which is not fun! So I didn¡¯t delve too deeply into it, so if you want to know more you have to google it yourself (I¡¯m sorry). But I will leave the key point and their wiki page.


    During Spring and Autumn Period (771 to 476 BC) and Warring States period (475¨C221 BC) of ancient China, there were a lot of social and political turmoil that it birthed a lot of thoughts and philosophies which is called Hundred Schools of Thought , with Confucianism and Legalism are among them.


    Confucianism relies on the fundamental goodness of human beings, whereas Legalism presupposes that people are fundamentally evil. Therefore, Confucianism casts everything in terms of corresponding responsibilities, whereas Legalism casts everything in terms of strict laws and harsh punishment.


    During Warring States Period Legalism played a critical role in unifying China. Legalism scholars argued that if the state allowed individuals to pursue their own self-interest and accumulate wealth, the state would become weak. However, the ultimate downfall of the state occurred through the oppression of the individual, or as Confucius argued, by governing against nature. This led to the return of a Confucian style of economics during the Han dynasty.


    Now, Neo-Confucianism, is different matter, the real Neo-Confucianism started in the Tang Dynasty around eighth century, way after the setting of this novel which I think around Han Dynasty. I think Neo-Confucianism in this novel mean the branch of Confucianism where it reinterpret or modify the Confucius teaching.

 CH 3

    Chapter 3 The Way Forward


    The resolute man was exactly Huo Shengzhe who proclaimed himself as the emperor. His father was originally the leader of the Jiuli tribe, but he rose up because of his dissatisfaction with Qin¡¯s tyranny and politics. He wiped out or annexed all forces all the way and eventually became a powerful chief in the Central Plains. However, his knowledge and courage were limited, he only relied on the emperor to make himself a justified vassal lord, and checked and balanced with the other vassal states, live together in harmony. Unexpectedly his son was so outstanding, not only eliminated the rest of vassal lords and a few restless brothers, he also get rid of the little emperor. He then unified the rivers and mountains, ascended to the throne, changed the country¡¯s name to ¡°Wei¡± with honorary title ¡°Sheng Yuan¡±, implying that he was the first Holy King to pioneer the world.


    This shows how arrogant and self-reliant Huo Shengzhe was.


    Although he came from a barbarian tribe, he loved Han culture very much. He possessed superior insight and talent in politics and military affairs. Although he had never governed the country, he understood that as an emperor, the most important thing was not to do it himself, but to be good at discovering and using talents, while at the same time finding the right way to govern the country.


    After experiencing the struggle for supremacy among the warlords during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States period and the tyranny and fragmentation of the Qin Dynasty, almost every hero who wanted to be the ruler or a literati warrior who tried to save the common people was thinking about the same question, how to govern the country? They were either for personal gain or for common people, and the doctrines of the philosophers and Hundreds Schools of Thoughts had also been greatly promoted.


    Legalism, Miscellaneous Schools, Taoism, Mohism, and Confucianism appeared one after another, and they also sent disciples to visit various vassal states to lobby and attempted many progress. Among them, the most successful was undoubtedly the Legalism. Since Huo Shengzhe learned Chinese characters, the first article he read was Han Feizi¡®s ¡°Five Beetles¡±. At that time, he was shocked. He immediately collected all of the Legalism classics. Even if the government affairs was busy, he would set aside two hours every day to study. By contrast, looking at the classics of the Confucian school, he no longer knew where he had thrown them.


    Hearing that Jueyin Temple would hold a debate between Legalism and Confucianism, he immediately braved the wind and snow to observe, planning to find a few usable talents.


    The white-faced old man was called Baifu, one of the servants left by the emperor of the previous dynasty. Because of his outstanding ability and good at observing people, he was fortunate enough to be favored by Emperor Sheng Yuan and served as Zhongchang Attendant. Seeing that his master only sent death soldier to investigate the two grandfather and granddaughter, but never mentioned the few Legalism scholars who just performed outstandingly, he was puzzled, but didn¡¯t dare to ask more. The new master¡¯s temperament was extremely changeable, sometimes resolute and straightforward, sometimes vicious, sometimes generous and open-minded, sometimes elegant and gentle, even a seasoned courtier could be played on the palm of his hand. He was really unfathomable. Wanting to guess what he was thinking, not to mention Bai Fu was only fifty years old, even if he live another fifty years it would be useless.


    The Holy¡¯s ride came and returned in a hurry, actually not as single person knew. As soon as he entered Weiyang Palace, the death soldier had already given a secret letter, which recorded all the circumstances of the Guan family and his nine generations. Huo Shengzhe looked at it for a long time, and sighed, ¡°With both talents and virtues, innocent family background, and loyalty, Guan Qiguang can be used a lot.¡± After speaking, he raised the brush and wrote two edicts with the handwriting of iron painting and silver hooks. After thinking about it, he felt it was still insufficient, then added three words ¡°Guan Suyi¡± to the list of candidates for beauties (as in for imperial concubines).


    Bai Fu secretly took a deep breath, one moment he understood, then the next moment he became more puzzled: the emperor was planning to promote the Guan family. Not only did he order the Guan family¡¯s father and son to become officials, he also admitted the Guan family¡¯s daughter into the harem, there were no greater grace than this. However, he used to admire the Legalisms so much, but now he didn¡¯t mention a word, what on earth he want to do? What are you trying to achieve?


    When others wondered for themselves, Huo Shengzhe had put two edicts into a dark box, then spread a piece of brocade and wrote carefully and slowly. As a Zhongchang Attendant, Bai Fu knew a few words quite a bit, and was stunned after a short glance, he saw the black ink spreading out such a sentence ¡®Dismissed a hundred schools and respected Confucianism¡¯.


    Baifu blinked his eyes quickly, and finally understood that the rule of the country that the emperor wanted to promote and implemented was not Legalism thinking, but Confucianism. How come?


    When Bai Fu secretly sighed that Emperor Sheng Yuan was unpredictable, an unremarkable little eunuch sneaked into Ganquan Palace and reported the emperor¡¯s white dragon fish suit action and secretly checked the Guan family¡¯s matter to the woman in the head seat. The woman was in her early thirties, but she was still well maintained. Her skin was delicate, her face was beautiful, her pale lips and frowning eyebrows showed that she seemed to be suffering from ill health, and her gestures were filled with frail and amorous feelings, which made people feel pitiful.


    She was the most beloved concubine of Emperor Sheng Yuan, Ye Zhen, who had just been named Jieyu, only two ranks lower from the empress. The Emperor Sheng Yuan went on expeditions outside the country all year round, and had no time or mind to find a woman. Although he was now on the throne, he was busy with government affairs, which made him even more elusive. His concubines in the harem, when all was said and done, were only a small number, and several of them were selected by the Empress Dowager on her own initiative, and have yet meet him so far.


    Because Ye Zhen had a life-saving grace for him, and he had an unspeakable shame to Ye Zhen, his attitude was very different. While the other women still anxiously waiting in the hidden mansion, he immediately received Ye Zhen in Yanjing, gave her a high position and real power, even the Empress dowager couldn¡¯t overstep her.


    Now Ye Zhen has neither Zhaoyi nor Empress above her. Except for the Empress Dowager¡¯s Changle Palace, all other palaces would follow her blindly and ordering a few eunuchs even if that eunuch was people by the emperor¡¯s side, it was easy. The death soldier were only responsible for protecting the emperor¡¯s safety. The emperor didn¡¯t talk about investigating, so naturally they would not follow and monitor an inconspicuous eunuch.


    ¡°Oh? You said that the emperor added the name of Guan family¡¯s daughter to the Beauties Selection?¡± Ye Zhen¡¯s beautiful eyes opened slightly, and the lazy body leaning on the soft couch finally sat upright.


    ¡°This is absolutely true, niangniang! That Beauties Selection was handed over to Inner Harem Deputy by this slave myself, this slave will never be mistaken. The original list did not contain the name ¡®Guan Suyi¡¯, but now it was added at the first place. It¡¯s undoubtedly the emperor¡¯s handwriting.¡± The little eunuch was a direct disciple of Baifu, and naturally had some sources to learn about these secrets.


    It was a rule left over from the previous dynasty to fill up the harem by a wide selection of beauties in August every year. The empress dowager sent out words that she want to continue this tradition, the emperor naturally wouldn¡¯t push out the beauty in vain. Because it was the first time to do such errands, the Palace Senior Officer and Inner Harem Deputy didn¡¯t dare to neglect, they bitterly searched for four to five months to submit the list, and hurriedly let the newcomer enter the palace before the years ended, warmed the emperor¡¯s bed, to open the branches and scatter leaves.


    The top ten on the list were all noble ladies of the Jiuli tribe personally selected by the Empress Dowager. Their pedigree overshadowed other people, Ye Zhen couldn¡¯t refute it. But how divine this ¡°Guan Suyi¡±, to actually pressed on the heads of many noble ladies?


    She sent away the little eunuch, and said while pondering, ¡°Yonghe, send a message to my father, let him check this Guan Suyi carefully.¡±


    All the people of the Jiuli tribe were warriors, as long as they were given a sword, both men and women of all ages could go into battle. Therefore, most of women in the tribe were stout, bold in words and deeds, without the gentle and freehand feelings of the women in Central Plains. In the face of these vulgar people who didn¡¯t know a big character, Ye Zhen was not afraid, in any case she was the number one beauty in the Central Plains, and also the number one talented woman, as long as the men were not blind, they would never abandon a beautiful jade for a dross. Furthermore, Emperor Sheng Yuan admired Han learning very much, and in the harem only she could understand what he was talking about and what he was thinking. He often praised her as considerate flower, which showed that this was her biggest advantage in the harem.


    However, that old pious Empress Dowager could not bear to see her being pampered in the Sixth Palace alone, and proposed to choose concubines from the two ethnicity. Waiting for more Han women who have studied poetry and full of learning to come in, could she maintain being special? Thinking of this, Ye Zhen felt a little flustered, unconsciously stroked her cheek with her fingertips, and slowly calmed herself down.


    She lacked confidence in her talents and learning, probably because the reputation as ¡°first talented woman¡± was passed down from the army, the soldiers of the Jiuli tribe didn¡¯t even know Chinese characters, so how did they know what a real profound knowledge mean? But when it comes to looks, it¡¯s not that Ye Zhen was boasting, after thirty years of life, she had never seen a woman who looks more beautiful than herself.


    ¡°If the emperor doesn¡¯t even look at you, who else can he look at? Ye Zhen, don¡¯t panic, the emperor will definitely belong to you, and that position will definitely belong to you. Everything you throw away and everything you endure will be worth it.¡± After waiting for the maid to leave, Ye Zhen muttered to herself as she walked to the window and stared at the Jiaofang Hall, her eyes were full of wild hope.


    ¡ª¡ª


    After living in the Jueyin Temple for about a month, the newly-purchased house of Guan¡¯s family was finally repaired, and they chose an auspicious day to move in. Guan Suyi paced back and forth in the newly furnished boudoir, with a confused and nostalgic expression on her face.


    After more than 30 days of repeated verification, she gradually confirmed that she had been reborn. Perhaps the illusion produced in the mirror of reincarnation could also reach the point for fake being passed as genuine, but she didn¡¯t want to miss any chance to change her destiny. This time, she would never step into the Zhao¡¯s house, and she didn¡¯t want to see even Zhao Luli¡¯s face.


    As soon as she put her luggage in order, Guan mother Zhong Cailing sent her servant to call her, saying that she had something to discuss. Guan Suyi knew what she wanted to say, and she couldn¡¯t help but sigh inwardly.


    After entering the main hall, Zhong shi passed over a few posts to her, ¡°Because of mother-in-law passed away, it took three years to observe filial piety. With this delay, unknowingly, you are already eighteen, and have missed the time for a lifelong event. I originally wanted to choose among your father¡¯s disciples, the one who have a good moral character. But I didn¡¯t expect that the old master suddenly decided to go north to Yanjing. Right now we are strangers in a strange land, which is really unthinkable, and your age is getting older and can¡¯t be delayed. So mother can only take you to attend more gatherings, so you can take a good look. You can pick these posts first, they all have a son of the right age in the family, the second son of the Zhou family¡­¡±


    Listening to her mother¡¯s endless narration, Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes were dimmed, remembering the past. In her previous life, Zhao Luli fancied her at a certain banquet. Originally, based on family background of the Guan family, it was absolutely impossible to climb into a high gate and deep house like Marquis Zhenbei. Her parents and grandfather were also very hesitant at first, and only agreed after examining Zhao Luli¡¯s talents and personality. However, after passing the door, she knew that what Zhao Luli fancied was her humble family background and knowledgeable temperament. What he wanted was not a wife, but a servant who would take care of his children and serve his mother.


    It¡¯s ridiculous that she did everything he asked for, in exchange for insincere, nevertheless malicious, even cruel treatment. Now to started all over again, she didn¡¯t want to take revenge, she just hopes the years would be well. As for who should be Marquis Zhenbei madam in this life? Who do you love? What it got to do with her?


    TN:


    Happy New Year everyone!! Wishing you all a happy year of 2022.

 CH 4

    Chapter 4 Conspiracy


    Guan Suyi picked and chose among the many posts, Zhong shi would then introduce the sons of families she picked up. It could be seen that she had already sent someone to inquire about it clearly. In her life, she had only one daughter, Guan Suyi, naturally she dare not take her daughter¡¯s marriage lightly.


    However, how could the news from the matchmaker or neighbors be accurate, most of them were untrue or inflated praises. As Guan Suyi listened carefully, she sighed in her heart: Among the seven or eight men of the right age, according to her last life, at least six had a large numbers of concubines in their house and the back house was chaotic; also one died before he reach twenty. And their family status were comparable to the Guan family, with neither power nor wealth. However, even so, they have to accept concubines one by one, as if they were competing something, really poor choices to entrusted a lifelong event with.


    Nowadays, women still have some status that was difficult to block. After four or five years, Xu¡¯s Neo-Confucianism would completely prevailed. His thought of ¡®Preserving the laws of nature and destroying human desire¡¯ had spawned a large number of hypocrites, and pushed the oppression and cruelty towards women to the extreme.


    Guan Suyi had really experienced it once. She already viewed marriage as something dangerous, so how could she dare to jump into the fire pit? But she couldn¡¯t tell her mother about her experience. After thinking about it for a moment, she replied, ¡°Mother, when it come marriage we still need to know their roots and their family, lest daughter will be wronged but have nowhere to complain after marrying. Grandfather and father have students everywhere, there will be a few disciples that will come to Yanjing, you wait and see. After all, marriage is a life-long event, we must be cautious. Daughter will rather shelved for another three years than have to pay for the mistake.¡±


    Zhong shi would also hate if her daughter suffer a hardship. At home she was a precious young lady, when married she would become someone else¡¯ daughter-in-law. In private, didn¡¯t know how she would be treated by her parents-in-law and husband. Instead of marrying someone with unknown background, it would be better to marry her husband¡¯s disciple. As the saying goes ¡®Be a teacher for a day, be a father for life¡¯, he wouldn¡¯t dare to treat her too badly.


    Thinking of this, Zhong shi hurriedly retracted the post, planning to write refusal letters one by one in a while. She thought for a moment, then smiled, ¡°Fortunately, you reminded mother. Mother remember that your fourth senior brother will be entering the capital in a few days. Although his family¡¯s circumstances is a bit embarrassing, his talents and character are first-class, and his parents are both honest person. I just don¡¯t know if you are willing to suffer from poverty.¡±


    How could poverty be regarded as suffering? Guan Suyi immediately smiled, she was about to nod and agreed but stopped in time. The fourth senior brother was indeed a rare good man in the world. He had a good character and was full of learning, he would be single-minded and loyal toward his wife. If she marry him, even if she eat unappetizing vegetables every day, it would be more comfortable than staying in Marquis Zhenbei Mansion and enjoying exotic delicacies, or wearing beautiful and magnificent clothes.


    But the problem was that in her previous life, his wife was another person. The husband and wife were in perfect harmony, and they were loving until their hair turned white. If she was agreeing at this time, it would seem to steal other¡¯s fate. If she takes away other¡¯s fortunes because of her own misfortune, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t pass the hurdle in her heart. In her memory, men like fourth senior brother who could be relied on with one¡¯s life were rare in the world. If she miss this time, she might fall into another quagmire. Guan Suyi was thinking deeply but inevitably shook her head and sighed, ¡°Mother, daughter doesn¡¯t want to marry.¡±


    ¡±As a woman, how can you not marry? Yiyi is shy, right?¡± Zhong shi embraced and patted her daughter.


    Guan Suyi also knew that she was a little silly, so she changed her words, ¡°Mother, the fourth senior brother¡¯s family is poor, afraid daughter cannot bear the suffering. Please look at another.¡± Next time, she would continue to find excuses to push it away. In her life, she would rather become a nun than marry.


    Zhong shi squeezed her daughter¡¯s tender little face, and thought to herself: Can¡¯t bear the hardship, dislike the poor and love the rich is not like Yiyi at all, wouldn¡¯t this child have a sweetheart but too shy to open up? She hinted over and over again for me to look at husband¡¯s disciples, which one should I see? It¡¯s not the little four, is it the little six? I should ask Minglan and Mingfang carefully to find out.


    When Zhong shi was busy taking care of her daughter¡¯s marriage, Madam Ye handed out the sign to enter the palace. In Ganquan Palace, mother and daughter dismissed the servants to have a private conversation.


    ¡±Where is Guan Suyi worthy? Actually make His Majesty thinking of her?¡± Ye Zhen¡¯s eyes were full of stern expression.


    ¡±Your father has checked it out. Guan Suyi is the granddaughter of Confucian master Guan Qiguang. She had fate to meet His Majesty at Jueyin Temple that day, perhaps he had taken fancy to her at that time.¡± Ye mother said anxiously, ¡°Now the emperor has announced to the world, canonized Kong Ming as the sage Confucius, the teacher of the world, and praised Confucianism as the emperor¡¯s enlightenment, and built a Confucian temple in the suburbs of the capital, wanting to go to worship in person. Nowadays, Confucian scholars have been reused one after another, as the master of Confucianism, Guan Qiguang is expected to be in a high position. Your father has received definite news. In two days, his majesty will call Guan family father and son to become officials. Guan Yunqi will be promoted as the Chief Minister of Ceremonies, Guan Qiguang is even worse, he will serve as the emperor¡¯s teacher, the rank salary of ten thousand stones. Before this, they were just common people, without power and influence.¡±


    After she finished talking, Liu shi showed a gritted expression, showing that she was extremely unhappy about the sudden wealth of the Guan family.


    Ye Zhen was also greatly shaken, and said in surprise, ¡°Chief Minister of Ceremonies? That is one of the Nine Ministers, in charge of the ancestral temple ceremony, the position is very precious. And the official position of the emperor¡¯s teacher is even more unprecedented, the rank salary is ten thousand stones, and the power is noble and comparable to the prime minister. How can they be called common people?¡±


    Liu shi quickly agreed, ¡°Yes, your father is the emperor¡¯s father-in-law, but he only sealed a Grand Scribe deputy with a salary of four hundred stones, and he can¡¯t even support his family. Before Guan Suyi entered the palace, the emperor lifted Guan¡¯s family to such a high position, does he want to canonize her as the empress?¡±


    Ye Zhen immediately denied, ¡°There is empress dowager, it¡¯s not yet the turn for Han woman to be the empress.¡±


    ¡±But there is Zhaoyi  position, did you forget?¡± Liu shi reminded worriedly.


    Yes, there was Zhaoyi above Jieyu, who was the ¡°Vice Empress¡±, who was also powerful enough to overwhelm her. If the emperor wanted to promote Confucianism, he would naturally elevate the Guan family, a position of Zhaoyi, he would definitely be willing to give it. Ye Zhen¡¯s eyebrows wrinkled tightly, she was pondering, ¡°How is Guan Suyi¡¯s talent?¡±


    Liu shi¡®s eyes flickered, she was about to modify her words, but listened to her daughter¡¯s sharp command, ¡°Be honest! If you deliberately belittle her, This Palace will underestimate the enemy, you should know how underestimated the enemy will end.¡±


    The back house was full of swords and shadows, intrigues and deceit, let alone the palace where the dirt was hidden? If her daughter was a little careless, she would lose everything, and the Ye family would surely fall. Thinking of this, Liu shi did not dare to conceal it anymore, and said anxiously, ¡°That Guan Suyi has followed Guan Qiguang to study literary characters since childhood. Guan Qiguang is proficient in all nobleman¡¯s Six Arts, poems and songs, no one can compare. Even Han Xinfang, the leader of the Legalist school, also praised him as this generation¡¯s literary giant, his talents and learning are evident¡­ ¡°


    How could Ye Zhen be patiently listened to Guan Qiguang¡¯s achievement, and was about to wave her hand to interrupt, but heard her mother¡¯s next words. ¡°Someone once said that Guan Suyi is the student that surpasses the master. Her talent is not under Guan Qiguang. A modest and prudent person like Guan Qiguang also nodded and smiled. It can be seen that he agrees with Guan Suyi¡¯s talent. Niangniang, in the aspect of talent, afraid you cannot compare to her.¡±


    Ye Zhen gently curled the corners of her lips, and then asked, ¡°What about the face?¡±


    Seeing her daughter¡¯s conceited look, Liu shi dared not hide it. ¡°Do you remember the poem ¡°Shuo Ren¡°? Guan Suyi¡¯s appearance is about comparable Zhuang Jiang.¡±


    Ye Zhen stunned for a while before speaking with a trembling voice, ¡°Shou Ren appearance¡­ the hands are like catkins, the skin is like condensed fat, the collar is like a grub, the teeth are like rhinoceros, the eyebrows are like crests, with a beautiful smile, beautiful eyes look forward to it. Is that true? Someone really grows up like this?¡± ( T/N : of course the English translations of the poem is rubbish, but it¡¯s beautiful and rhyme in Chinese, you can take my word for that, lol)


    Liu shi nodded heavily, ¡°Your sister-in-law and I have both seen her secretly, and it is true. You and her¡­ you are still a little bit inferior to her.¡±


    Ye Zhen heard the jealousy and helplessness in her mother¡¯s voice. Afraid that it was not only ¡°a little bit inferior¡±, but a lot, right? She always flaunt her beauty, she couldn¡¯t imagine what a woman who was more outstanding than herself should be like? She couldn¡¯t compare with her talents and her looks. Now even her family background was overwhelmed. When Guan Suyi enters the palace, how could she survive? In recent years, she had offended the Empress Dowager and other concubines many times. Seeing her fall out of favor, these people would surely throw some stones and leave no room to come back.


    When Ye Zhen was frightened and uneasy, Liu shi counseled her, ¡°Niangniang, don¡¯t think about it, things may not be so bad. His Majesty has no heirs now. As long as you give birth to the first prince, you can be promoted to Zhaoyi. His Majesty has favored you alone for several years. Is his deep affection comparable to others? At this time, you must be steady.¡±


    Speaking of offspring, there was a quick flash of bitterness in Ye Zhen¡¯s eyes, but she hurriedly covered it up, for fear that her mother would see some clue.


    Liu shi didn¡¯t notice, and continued, ¡°Although recently Zhong shi is looking at other people¡¯s families for Guan Suyi, but the Empress Dowager will soon call the beauties into the palace for the selection. This marriage will definitely not going to happen. Your father and I have plan to take drastic measure to deal with the situation, first ruin her innocence.¡±


    Ye Zhen pondered for a moment and waved her hand, ¡°No! This Palace and His Majesty have been together in the border for two years, although could never guessed what he thinks, but still more or less understand his behavior and ability. Since he has decided to put the Guan family¡¯s father and son in important positions, he will definitely send someone to watch them at all time. If something goes wrong with Guan Suyi at such a critical juncture, His Majesty will definitely investigate to the end. Are you sure you can avoid His Majesty¡¯s eyes and ears?¡±


    Avoiding Huo Shengzhe¡¯s eyes and ears? Afraid only ghosts and gods dare to answer this question. In the world, there were things he didn¡¯t want to know, even disdain to know, but there was nothing he couldn¡¯t know.


    ¡±What should I do then? Let Guan Suyi smoothly enter the palace right away?¡± Liu shi¡¯s tone was anxious.


    ¡±She must never enter the palace!¡± Ye Zhen closed her eyes firmly, and powerlessly waved her hands, when she opened them again she said, ¡°You go back first, don¡¯t let Dad act rashly. He is a little Grand Scribe deputy, what big things can he do?¡±


    ¡±He is indeed a low-ranking official, but you are Jieyu niangniang anyway. You often blow pillow breeze to the emperor. Why our family cannot go up there?¡± Liu shi wanted to say more, but was invited out by two grand palace maids.


    Ye Zhen pondered for a long time, and finally slowly unrolled a piece of rice paper, and raised a brush to ask someone for help. Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t enter the palace, so let her get married. She would pointed out to a rare good marriage under heaven, who knows, maybe she would kowtow in gratitude to her in the future.


    After making the last stroke, Ye Zhen smiled briskly.

 CH 5

    Chapter 5 Old Friend


    After successfully persuading her mother not to rush finding husband for her, Guan Suyi really spent a few days leisurely. That day, she was sitting in the warm pavilion practicing calligraphy, the maid Minglan came in, holding a cotton cloak, ¡°Miss, the carriage is ready to set off, madam is waiting for you at the front hall.¡±


    Because Emperor Sheng Yuan especially admired Confucianism, he built a Confucian Temple in Minde Mountain in the southern suburbs, people below do what people above do, so these days people who went to worship Confucius were endless. As the masters of the Confucian school, of course, Old Master Guan and Father Guan couldn¡¯t be left behind. They had ordered Zhong shi to cook lamb meat for the sacrifice. To showed their sincerity, the two people already carried the lantern and went out at yinshi (3-5am), preparing to climb the mountain step by step, leaving the mother and daughter behind to ride in the carriage.


    Guan Suyi put on the big cloak and walked into the fluttering snowflakes. Although her feet at ease, her thoughts kept surging. Only with a small change, everything seems to be different. That day, her grandfather was not so angry that he fell sick in bed, nor was he ridiculed and teased because of his awkward speech, nor even lost his reputation. Now he was still a leader of the Confucian school, and he was also admired as literary giant. Her father didn¡¯t have to wait by the bedside every day, and eventually got the nickname ¡®Turtle with head shrunk¡¯, and since then he was ashamed and unable to show his face.


    Now they used literature to make friends and made good connections, even if they didn¡¯t become officials they could still live a stable life.


    Remembering her grandfather in the previous life holding his sick body to come to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion to seek justice for her, but he was so angry that he fainted; Remembering that her parents were resolutely unwilling to believe in the Zhao family¡¯s slander, they were so desperate that they wanted to let her divorce and almost expelled from the clan; Remembering that her maternal grandparents had come to the other people¡¯s house to take her back to their hometown and then were hurled with verbal abuse, Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes were full of tears.


    In this life, the humiliation and torture that she shouldn¡¯t have to bear had probably gone away. Thinking of this, she quickly blinked away the tears in her eyes and walked towards the smiling Zhong shi who was standing in the corridor.


    The mother and daughter got on the wupeng carriage and drove slowly towards Minde Mountain. Although the heavy snow was still falling, due to Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s several homages to Confucius, the road had long been flattened by the passing armored horses. There were also labors who cleaned it every two hours, so it was not difficult to travel. At the foot of the mountain, the carriage slowly stopped by the side of the road, there seemed to be a little girl crying outside.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhong shi asked through the bamboo curtain.


    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t know whose carriage broke down, now it stuck in the middle of the road. The young lady of that family is crying with cold. It¡¯s really pitiful.¡± The coachmen said with pity.


    Zhong shi opened the bamboo curtain for a moment. She saw a well-used wupeng carriage parked in front of her, the coachmen meandering around looking anxious, seemed to be at his wit¡¯s end. The master was afraid to get out of the carriage for fear of freezing, but the cries of grievances came from time to time, which was indeed heartbreaking.


    Zhong shi was infected by her father-in-law and husband, and always used to the words ¡°Don¡¯t think that bad thing are small and do nothing, don¡¯t think that good things are small and don¡¯t do it¡±, and then said, ¡°Li Wen, go and help them see if the carriage can be repaired. Tao Hong, you go ask, if all are womenfolk in the carriage, please invite them to ride together.¡±


    At this time, men and women were not as strict as later generations. It was not uncommon for men and women to ride in a carriage. That¡¯s why Zhong shi asked this question. Guan Suyi knocked her chin on her mother¡¯s shoulder and looked across the gap between the bamboo curtains. She couldn¡¯t help but frown. She always felt that she had seen the coachman somewhere, he really looked familiar.


    Tao Hong, Zhong shi¡®s maid, ran over, said a few more words, and then a luxuriously dressed middle-aged woman came down with a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl. The little girl has bright eyes and white teeth, pink face and cheeks, two strings of teardrops hanging from the corners of her reddish eyes.


    Zhong shi felt affectionate at first glance, and hurriedly lifted the curtain of the carriage to call them, ¡°Look at how this little face is frozen, come up and warm it up!¡± She never noticed her daughter¡¯s complexion became pale instantly.


    It was strange that the coachman seemed so familiar, it turned out to be an old friend. In half a breath, Guan Suyi had already restrained her abnormality, and calmly watched the two staggering people.


    The middle-aged woman and the little girl climbed into the carriage supported by Tao Hong, first saluted to Zhong shi, and then looked at Guan Suyi, both eyes radiating amazing light. They were all related to the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, which Guan Suyi avoided. One was Ye Zhen¡¯s mother, Liu shi, and the other was her daughter, Zhao Chunxi.


    Even after secretly observing Guan Suyi many times, at close range, Liu shi was still captured by her dignified, restrained yet refined appearance. If it changed to a man who came in, afraid he would lose his soul at this moment. No wonder His Majesty lifted Guan¡¯s family so high, it was to build momentum for her entering the palace. Such a stunner, really couldn¡¯t let her in, otherwise her daughter would have no place to stand.


    Thinking like this, Liu shi and Zhao Chunxi exchanged glances secretly, and then pretended to be grateful and approached Zhong shi.


    Guan Suyi had become indifferent towards everything from her previous life, so in this life, she would naturally not be disturbed by the old people and the old things. She stretched out her hand, poured two cups of hot tea slowly, and softly whispered , ¡°Please drink.¡± All of them had already come up, and she wouldn¡¯t push people for no reason.


    The girl wore the most simple and pure blue dress. The wide sleeves were slightly raised to reveal half of the slender, snow-white wrists. There were no gold, silver or jade ornaments on them, but they were gorgeous enough. This gorgeousness infiltrated the skin and flesh into the blood and bone, like tender peach fragrant apricot, shocking the heart and soul. No wonder people said ¡®beauty is in the bones, not in the flesh¡¯, this was the truth. On top of that her clear and mellow voice inherently contained a hint of tenderness and honey. It was fine when she speaks normally, but when she deliberately lowered her softness as she does now, it was hard to resist even for women like Liu shi and Zhao Chunxi. The two touched their numb ear, and then raised their tea cups to express thanks, but a sharp glow appeared in their eyes as they sipped.


    Guan Suyi had already noticed abnormalities in their speech and behavior, and could not help but secretly speculate about their intentions. With the power of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, how could they let their di young lady ride in the wupeng carriage exclusively for the common people? She remembered that Zhao Chunxi had a carriage decorated with gold powder and vermilion lacquer, which was especially ostentatious when she parade around the town. Unlike now, actually said that her surname was Zhao and never mentioned the word ¡®Marquis Zhenbei¡¯, which seemed to have deliberately hidden her identity. What does she want to do?


    Guan Suyi was curious and tried to deal with Zhao Chunxi, which seemed naive, but when she was about to inquire the truth, they had arrived at the Confucian Temple without realizing it. A man with a long stature and noble temperament has been informed by his servant, standing by the gate with an umbrella waiting, his face full of concern. Seeing the carriage slowly stopped, he stepped forward to help his daughter and mother-in-law, and finally thanked Zhong shi through the curtain of the carriage.


    Seeing the man has incomparable handsome face, Zhong shi had a good impression of him, continuously said it was not a trouble, you¡¯re most welcome, and so on. Guan Suyi had already put on the veil hat, calmly followed her mother to get out of the carriage, and then nodded at the man slightly. The moment she met Zhao Chunxi, she knew that Zhao Luli must be in the Confucian Temple. Zhao Wangshu and Zhao Chunxi, these two children, were the lifeblood of Zhao Luli, even a bit of hair fell out he would be distress for a long time, so how could they be allowed to go out alone. Her marriage with this person had never filled with deep feelings. Even if the heart moved, it was only for a moment, and then it was obliterated by various misunderstandings and humiliations.


    When she saw him again in this life, Guan Suyi had no love nor hatred for him, so she could face him calmly. However, the enthusiastic Zhong shi started talking with Zhao Luli, and thus learned of his prominent status as Marquis Zhenbei.


    ¡°This country woman have seen Lord Marquis, it is only a matter of effort, Lord Marquis doesn¡¯t have to worry. The worship ceremony is about to begin, allow this country woman to take one step ahead.¡± Zhong shi¡®s enthusiasm quickly decrease, bent her knees and said goodbye. Guan Suyi didn¡¯t speak from beginning to end, and her expression couldn¡¯t be seen clearly through the veil hat, but her eagerness to leave could be seen from her frequent movements to the front door.


    The unusual reaction of the two surprised Liu shi and Zhao Chunxi. They thought that after seeing Zhao Luli, the Guan family¡¯s mother and daughter would surely entangle him to the ground, but they actually quite disdainful. It should be known that Zhao Luli not only had a high-ranking title, but also a well-known handsome man. Even as continuation, there were many young women in the prime of life who were willing to marry him, even imperial clan noble ladies also flocked over him. Why the mother and daughter of the Guan family seemed indifferent?


    Zhao Chunxi, who was originally worried that Guan Suyi¡¯s marriage into the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion would harm her own interests, has now changed from hesitation to annoyance. After the two walked away, she took her father¡¯s arm and praised Guan Suyi very much. Liu shi also help beat the drum, and bluntly said that her granddaughter was getting older and that he should find a mistress to take care of her marriage, so that she would not be looked down upon. And also the grandson was still young and needed the care of a mother.


    Zhao Luli regarded his children as his life, always fear they would be wronged. But thinking about his daughter¡¯s marriage, and remembered his son who always clamoring for his mother, he was finally moved.


    ¡ª-


    Presiding over the whole process of the ceremony to worship Confucius, Old Master Guan¡¯s reputation among scholars had reached the peak. After returning home from the mountain, guests would come to visit every day, and there was an endless stream of carriages. Since the ¡®coincident encounter¡¯ with Liu shi and Zhao Chunxi, Guan Suyi had a vague premonition. Originally she was somewhat resistant to the idea of marriage, but became uncharacteristically positive.


    However, the candidate had not been yet selected, and the matchmaker sent by the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion had already come with a generous gift, even Liu shi had come several times to intercede for her former son-in-law. Fortunately, the Guan family was not the one who tended to follow the flames, and categorically rejected on the grounds of ¡®improper gate and wrong house¡®. The matchmaker and Liu shi tried their best to persuade them to no avail, so they had no choice but to turn around angrily, and Guan Suyi let out a sigh of relief.


    But the matter was not over yet, the news of the marriage rejection caused Zhao Chunxi to cry in sorrow, and immediately led her younger brother to kneel in front of her father¡¯s study and refused to get up. She only recognized Guan Suyi, and refused to listen to anyone¡¯s advice, and under her instigation Zhao Wangshu was also desperately want a gentle and kind mother.


    Zhao Luli couldn¡¯t figure out what magic power Guan Suyi had, to the point that his daughter could not forget her. Even though he was rejected, he would not force it. But he could not resist the ardent and sad disappointed eyes of the pair of children. Even his mother-in-law Liu shi also praised Guan Suyi, saying that she would feel rest assured to give her two grandchildren to her more than to anyone else.


    Zhao Luli felt ashamed towards his ¡°late wife¡± and was about to order someone to send a letter to ask for her opinions. After going back and forth, Zhao Luli finally made up his mind and went to the palace to ask for audience. And because of all kinds of unspeakable entanglements, although he was in a high position after the founding of the country, he had no real power and rarely made inquiries about the affairs of the court. Therefore, he did not know that Guan Suyi had been appointed by the Emperor Sheng Yuan as the imperial concubine, and would enter the palace soon.

 CH 6

    Chapter 6 Bestow Marriage


    In the Weiyang Palace, Huo Shengzhe magnificently sat on a soft chair, on his hand piled a lot of Confucian classics. From the curled side pages, it could be seen that he had read it many times. Apparently he seemed to not understand some parts of the book, his brows frowned and tightened, and his resolute and stern face showed a little irritable expression.


    Just when Baifu want to persuade him to take a sip of hot tea and relax, there was a message from a eunuch outside the hall, saying that Marquis Zhenbei seek an audience with him.


    ¡°Chen Guang? Really a rare visitor. Announce him to come in.¡± Huo Shengzhe put down his book, and the sword eyebrows that flew diagonally into the temple slightly raised. Since Ye Zhen was sent to him, this former comrade-in-arms haven¡¯t communicated with him for a long time, even conferring him as Marquis Zhenbei still unwilling to participate in the courts, as if he was evading from everything in the past. Of course, Huo Shengzhe could understand his feelings. As a man, it was indeed a shameful thing.


    Zhao Luli walked into the hall cautiously, and then bowed respectfully, his eyes kept hanging down, he did not dare to look directly at the holy face. Just looking at his horrified appearance, no one could imagine that he and the man on the dragon chair were once confidants who talked about everything, and trusted each other with their lives on the battlefield.


    ¡°Long time no see, hope you have been well since we last met?¡± After a long silence, Huo Shengzhe spoke first.


    Zhao Luli hurriedly replied, because his voice was too low, even Huo Shengzhe, who had a deep internal strength, could not hear clearly for a while. It was only after a moment of recollection that he realized that he was saying ¡°Everything is well.¡± A talented general among his generation who had fought bravely on the battlefield and planning strategies to kill the enemy, did not know when he turned into this cowardly and dull appearance. Huo Shengzhe was quite contemptuous of this, even more so for the fact that he didn¡¯t have the courage to protect his own woman. Slowly, the feeling of comradeship faded.


    ¡°Ones doesn¡¯t visit a temple without a cause. You finally enter the palace for the first time, you have something to ask Zhen?¡± With the one below didn¡¯t say anything, Huo Shengzhe straightforwardly pointed out.


    Zhao Luli¡¯s eyes showed a struggle, resentment surged in his heart. But he didn¡¯t dare to let this person notice the slightest abnormality, and pressed the already drooping head again, and said with difficulty. Enlighten the emperor, the small minister entering the palace this time is to ask you to bestow a marriage decree.¡±


    ¡°Oh. You want to remarry?¡± Huo Shengzhe was very surprised, ¡°Which young lady is so noble that you are willing to come to me?¡±


    In order to satisfy the wishes of his children, Zhao Luli dared to break through mountains of daggers and sea of flames, let alone endure a little humiliation? He calmed down and replied, ¡°Enlighten the emperor, the small minister wants to marry Old Master Guan¡¯s granddaughter Guan Suyi. Although her family background is not prominent, she is superior in her moral character, has a pure and good temperament, reliable and elegant, she surely will be able to bear the responsibility of Zhao family¡¯s madam.¡±


    The family background is not prominent? Hearing this, Huo Shengzhe stroked the bloody jade ring on his hand, and his eyes flashed something that like a smile yet not a smile. If it weren¡¯t for the person in front of him was Zhao Luli who didn¡¯t care about the world¡¯s affairs, he really wanted to suspect that the other person was pretending to be stupid. The Guan family was precisely the benchmark for his promotion of Confucianism, and would surely be elevated in the future. It was not enough to give official position. If there were girls of the right age in the family, they would also enter the palace and be given grand favor and emperor¡¯s grace. In this way, the people of the world could clearly see how His Majesty admired Confucianism, and how the study of Confucianism could make progress.


    The prosperity of the world is for profit, and the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit. All were driven by huge interests, within three years, Confucianism would surely become national culture, while other theories would gradually fade out of people¡¯s field of vision.


    But at the moment, Zhao Luli wanted to cut off Huo Shengzhe¡¯s pre-determined ¡®vice empress¡¯ with a few words, which could be said to be rebellious. The hall was quiet for a while, not to mention that the palace people were terrified, even Baifu had cold sweats. If it hadn¡¯t been known that Marquis Zhenbei never asked about the court affairs, he would have suspected that this was the other party¡¯s revenge towards His Majesty for taking away his wife.


    Huo Shengzhe looked at Zhao Luli for a while, and finally smiled lightly, ¡°You have a comradeship with Zhen, how can Zhen not grant this will? Baifu, grind the ink for me.¡±


    Your Majesty, why did you agree? Miss Guan is your default Zhaoyi niangniang! Baifu¡¯s expression was stupefied for a moment and then quickly converged, and he hurriedly stepped forward to grind the ink. Zhao Luli breathed a sigh of relief. After the imperial decree was issued, he thanked the holy grace and returned home to his children.


    ¡°Why would he look at Guan Suyi?¡± Huo Shengzhe asked, staring at the man¡¯s back.


    A death soldier appeared out of thin air, kneeling and cupping his hands, ¡°Enlighten the emperor, Miss Zhao went to worship Confucius temple. On that day, her carriage was damaged and unfortunately trapped at the foot of the mountain, coincidentally met the mother and daughter of the Guan family who were passing by, so they took her up together. Since then, Miss Zhao felt familiarity at first sight with Miss Guan and clamored for her to become the mother. Marquis Zhenbei gave in, so he came to propose marriage but was rejected by Guan¡¯s family.


    Huo Shengzhe waved back the death soldier, looking down and pondering. Miss Zhao, who was the daughter left behind by Ye Zhen back then, Zhao Chunxi, should be thirteen years old. Without the upbringing and supervision of the mistress, marriage would be a bit difficult. There was nothing wrong with her eagerness to find a stepmother, but was it really a so-called ¡®coincidence¡¯ to choose Guan Suyi?


    Huo Shengzhe walked to the window and looked in the direction of Ganquan Palace, shook his head and laughed. Coincidence or not, he had no intention of pursuing it. Since Chen Guang deliberately breaks away from the past, why couldn¡¯t he help accomplish it? After all, he felt ashamed to those two people back then, so that the husband and wife were separated and lived far apart. Now the family and the country were unified, the universe had changed, it was time to look forward.


    ¡ª¨C


    At the same time, Zhong shi and Guan Suyi were hosting several family members at home. One of them was the wife of cousin Guan Yunqi. Usually an expert at inquiring the news. She heard that Guan family had rejected Marquis Zhenbei¡¯s proposal and immediately came to be a lobbyist.


    ¡°Sister-in-law, you are so stupid that you even rejected the marriage with Marquis Zhenbei. If you missed this village, there will be no more shop! Who is Marquis Zhenbei? Maybe because you just came to Yanjing so you don¡¯t understand, let me very well tell you.¡± She grabbed a handful of melon seeds and talked eloquently. ¡°Marquis Zhenbei is the son of an important official in the former dynasty. Because his father was wronged, he was sent to the frontier by the former emperor to enlist. There, he accidentally got acquainted with the current emperor and became close friends. Then he followed him to fight in the north and south and made great contributions. His current title is all based on military exploits. It can be said that he is well versed in literary and military, and also very handsome.


    ¡°No matter how high-powered and handsome, he is still a widower, with a pair of children under him. My Yiyi will not be a second wife, let alone a stepmother!¡± Zhong shi curled her lips.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with a widower? A widower is good enough for our family¡¯s status!¡± The cousin spit out a few pieces of melon seed shell and said anxiously, ¡°He and the emperor have a comradeship, during the Battle of Sushui they fought to death together; his di younger brother was named General Dangkou, he is now guarding the border and has a bright future. Is this mansion with two heroes not good enough? What¡¯s more, his wife¡¯s clan is even more important. Ye Zhen, the twin sister of the deceased wife, has a life-saving grace to the emperor, and she is now the Jieyu, two steps up is Zhaoyi and the Empress! Who doesn¡¯t know that Ye Jieyu loves the children left behind by her sister so much that she always give generous rewards and takes care of them everywhere. As long as our Yiyi take good care of them, don¡¯t be afraid of losing our footing in the Marquis Mansion. Two of half older children, who have not been loved by their mother since childhood, should be coaxed very well. Yiyi is extremely smart and knowledgeable, she definitely will be able to deal with it.¡±


    Zhong shi¡®s expression became more and more disgusted, and she was about to retort, but Guan Suyi, who had been silent all this time, said slowly, ¡°So my aunt, you also know that if you want to stand firm in the Marquis Mansion, you have to take care of the two children. Am I going to be the mistress or a maidservant? Who doesn¡¯t knows that Marquis Zhenbei is still infatuated with his deceased wife, and loves his children like his life. Now he want to remarry, just to consider the future marriage of his daughter Zhao Chunxi. What status can the married woman have? After my usefulness has passed I will be put aside. In the future, I will be alone in my empty boudoir, and my misery will be unspeakable. Besides, it was originally to be Zhao family¡¯s madam, why should the Ye family come to see me? Will I be ruled by a dead person everywhere in the future? If Aunt like this marriage, leave it to your daughter.¡±


    Twin sister? Guan Suyi lowered her eyes and sneered, Ye Zhen, Ye Zhen (TN: the name is homophone, they sound the same only the characters are different), these two names were good, and there was no fear for people who knew the inside story would make a mistake; there were no better excuse than a twins, even the point of making mistakes was completely avoid, really covered up the bad things in the past. She didn¡¯t want to explore how Ye Zhen could feigned death and escape, and she didn¡¯t want to know how she changed her name and became the superior Ye Jieyu. She just wanted to stay away from the Zhao family, this house full of male thieves and female prostitutes.


    Fortunately, her parents and grandfather loved her very much, as long as she refuse, this marriage would not be possible. Zhao Luli¡¯s self-esteem was too strong that he would not come back after being rejected several times. In the previous life, she would not easily agree marrying into Marquis Zhenbei¡¯s Mansion if it weren¡¯t to rescue the Guan family that was trapped in a bad situation. The so-called glory and wealth, brocade clothes and jade meals, have never been her heart¡¯s desire.


    The woman was a little annoyed after being confronted, and was about to scold a few words, Zhong shi immediately said, ¡°My husband and old master are both common people and low-minded, so dare not marry our daughter into such a high-gate deep house. Sister-in-law and everyone, please return, I have a bit of cold recently and have a splitting headache, so I won¡¯t stay too much.¡± the words was issued, Taohong escorted the guests off.


    The sister-in-law and everyone stood up angrily and left one after another. Just at this moment, a eunuch arrived with the imperial decree of marriage, shaking Guan¡¯s family ups and downs, especially Guan Suyi, who was dumbfounded for a while before slowly kneeling down, her hands trembled when receiving the decree, her skin was cold.


    Was this fate? In this life, even if she didn¡¯t play along, Zhao Luli would still have a way to push her into the fire pit. For a moment, Guan Suyi began to doubt the meaning of rebirth, even completely disheartened, her heart was like a dead wood. But soon, she broke free from the suffocating pain and became steady and strong.


    Good! Very good! It¡¯s better to marry into the Zhao family than to marry someone with unknown foundation. This world is inherently difficult for women. Whether it was a merchant, a farmer, or a noble scholar, as long as they have wealth, they would keep taking concubines at home. This was the normal state of men in the world, and it was inevitable. Instead of going through the journey from joy and hope to despair and numbness in the future, it would be better to sit on the sidelines from the beginning.


    The reason why she failed in her last life was precisely because she did too much and said too little, which made those people think that everything she gave was justified. In this life, she decided to just say nothing, put on the hypocritical face of a virtuous wife and mother, and strive for the reputation as a gentle and virtuous woman. Instead, she wanted to see what kind of beautiful flowers the Zhao family could produce without her own efforts, and what a luscious fruit they could yield.


    While thinking, Guan Suyi grabbed the bright yellow imperial edict in her hand and smiled sarcastically.

 CH 7

    Chapter 7 Married Preparation


    The people of Guan clan originally thought that the marriage between Guan Suyi and Marquis Zhenbei was ruined, but the emperor directly ordered the marriage decree, this was a great glory. For a while, there were people who were ecstatic, people who were worried and people who were jealous. But everyone didn¡¯t dare to show their true inner thoughts, put on a happy appearance, and ran to congratulate Old Master Guan.


    Due to the urgent pressing of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, the wedding date was set in the middle of next month, making Zhong shi very anxious that in one night her mouth was full of blisters. The Guan family was originally a farming and scholar family, they had quite a lot of land in their hometown in Yuanping. But Old Master Guan insisted on going to Yanjing, so Zhong shi had to sell the land to raise money for the journey. They had already spent most of it along the way and there was not much left. If their daughter was married to an ordinary family, there was still time to prepare, but Marquis Zhenbei Mansion was noble and powerful, the things in her hand wouldn¡¯t be considered enough.


    For this reason, Old Master Guan and Father Guan emptied their private treasury and handed them over to Zhong shi, and even her maiden clan who was far away in Yuanping sent people with a lot of things. Even so, wanting to let her daughter marry gracefully, but there was still a big gap. Especially after passing through the door, there was a custom of showing off the dowry. The guests invited by Marquis Zhenbei must all have extraordinary backgrounds. Would they belittle her daughter more because of this? Would her daughter have a firm foothold with her in-laws in the future?


    The more she thought about it, the more she had trouble sleeping and eating. In just a few days, her hair had become white. But Guan Suyi still had a leisure life, seemingly unconcerned. Still eating and sleeping well, her spirits were even better than before. Fortunately, the Guan clan had strict rules, and people hearts gathered together, one after another sent something to add the trousseau, which slightly eased Zhong shi¡¯ predicament.


    ¡°Sister-in-law, our Yiyi married into the Marquis Mansion is still a high climb. Please take the time to teach her a little bit about the rules, so as not to be embarrassed herself. It¡¯s also because of her good fate, in her previous life must have burned the best incense, so in this life she¡¯s being admired by Marquis Zhenbei. But you must be cautious in words and deeds, be respectful and humble. If you still shoot your mouth to your elders like last time, cannot say that you won¡¯t become a discarded wife!¡± The second aunt who was scolded by Guan Suyi last time said sourly.


    Although the woman at this time had not been constrained by extreme chastity of later generations, and there were no lacks of powerful women, but among the common people, their status was not high. If a man disliked his wife, he could thrown her out without any reason, and he did not need to return her dowry, this was called ¡®discarded wife.¡¯ It sounds a bit miserable. Women who became ¡®discarded wife¡¯ would be ridiculed by their neighbors, but only for a while. It was not difficult to find someone else to remarry after the storm have subsided, and everyone would not always hold on to the past.


    However, after Xu¡¯s Neo-Confucianism became popular, the so-called ¡®seven outs and seven not outs¡¯ came into being. It sounded like protecting women¡¯s rights, and stipulating that the dowry should be returned to the woman, and the man was not allowed to use it. But it was like putting on a coat of compassion for men¡¯s fickleness, but actually blamed all the faults on the woman, which made their situation even more difficult.


    The in-laws did not like, divorced the wives; had no children, divorced the wives; prevented the husband from accepting concubines, divorced the wives; used the husband¡¯s property without authorization, divorce the wives; talked a few more gossips, divorced the wives¡­ Since then, women had completely become an object. Fiddle with it when one like them, and throw it away when one dislike them, but women was responsible for all kinds of guilt. What even more frightening was that after being abandoned, they would endure a lifetime of contempt and abuse. Not to mention remarrying, even taking their own life would not freed them. As for their dowry, only a few people could get it back, and the rest were mostly taken over by their husbands on the ground of raising children.


    Speaking of ¡®discarded wife¡¯, Guan Suyi¡¯s hand that was copying the dowry list stopped, and a pair of dark and deep eyes fixedly looked at the second aunt. Zhong shi was also extremely angry, and scolded, ¡°Sister-in-law, Yiyi hasn¡¯t married yet, you just talks easily about discarded¡­ You are too much!¡± She came from a scholarly family and was not good at swearing.


    The second aunt was being pulled secretly a few times by other sisters, but she became more annoyed, ¡°Did I say something wrong? Look at your house made of broken logs, and then look at the magnificent Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. This girl Yiyi has never seen the world, don¡¯t be shocked as soon as you cross the doorstep, at that time you certainly will lose face!¡±


    Inexplicably climbed up to Marqui Zhenbei Mansion this high gate in-laws, Zhong shi was also dizzy, but also worried that for a while her daughter would be fascinated by the glory and wealth of the Marquis Mansion, and behave improperly. Especially that Lord Marquis seemed to be an aloof figure, if her daughter didn¡¯t serve well and incurred disgust, how could she be able to stand up for her daughter?


    The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became, her face changed involuntarily. The second aunt snorted coldly when she saw it, thought it really looked like a small character and her jealousy disappeared by half. The other sister-in-laws frequently winked at her and told her not to offend others too much. No matter how humble Guan Suyi¡¯s background, her appearance was there. As long as Lord Zhao was a normal man, how could he not love it. When she was favored in the future, wouldn¡¯t it be an easy matter to support the clansmen?


    The second aunt also slowly remembered. While coughing, she wanted to find a step down, but she saw Guan Suyi who looked stunned before suddenly smiled and copied the dowry list again, but her handwriting became more unconstrained than before.


    ¡°Aunt said that my Guan house¡¯s gate is humble, but I¡¯m not convinced. If there is no marriage decree from the emperor, in a few days, let alone Marquis Mansion, I will be able to marry even imperial family.¡± She rolled up her wide sleeves, lightly dipped the ink in the inkstone, and continued, ¡°Who climbed who, it¡¯s hard to say.¡±


    In this life, her grandfather was in good health and her father was full of spirits. The two went out early and returned late in the evening, and their reputations had been rising steadily. And Xu Guangzhi, who should have become famous, has yet to find a chance to rise above others. In the previous life, Emperor Sheng Yuan would focus on supporting the representatives of Confucian school, and he would naturally do so in this life, but after counting, Guan Suyi could not find a better candidate than her grandfather and father.


    Wasn¡¯t this sudden marriage decree the best proof?


    Unlike her daughter¡¯s determination, Zhong shi didn¡¯t have much thought about the future of Guan family, it was enough to just eat and wear warmth clothes. Catching sarcastic expression on her sister-in-laws, she was about to take back her daughter¡¯s ostentatious remarks, but suddenly there was an anxious voice of the maidservants from outside, ¡°Madam, Miss, hurry up and dress up, someone from the palace send a decree!¡±


    After a period of turmoil and chaos, the people of Guan family successfully accepted the imperial decree. Old Master Guan was awarded the title of Emperor Teacher, and his position was comparable to the prime minister. Guan father was promoted as Chief Minister of Ceremonies, responsible for ancestral temple ceremony, and the head of the Nine Ministers. The father and son reached the highest official position overnight, and they also raised the Guan family¡¯s status a lot. Now if anyone said that Guan family climbing up to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, that would be a joke. Marquis Zhenbei had no real power except for one nobility title, while the Guan family¡¯s father and son, one was to teach His Majesty and the other one was to teach the imperial clan disciples, could be said to be the emperor¡¯s close ministers, one casual sentence had more weight than ordinary officials.


    The complexions of all the sister-in-laws who hide in the side room were blue and white, especially the second aunt, shaking all over, and the last bit of jealousy in their hearts disappeared completely. That¡¯s how people are. When you met someone stronger than yourself, you couldn¡¯t help being jealous. When you met someone stronger than yourself and hard to reach, you wouldn¡¯t have any thoughts.


    After the palace people who sent the imperial decree left, they went out and said goodbye tremblingly. They only hated that the gift they brought was too thin, it weakened the relationship with Guan family, and they must make up for it in the future. Zhong shi was overjoyed, where she could take care of others, put her hands together and bowed to the sky, ¡°Thank you Bodhisattva for your blessing, husband and father-in-law has won official positions, Yiyi will not be afraid of being bullied by her husband!¡± After all, glory and wealth was not as important as their daughter.


    Although Old Master Guan and Father Guan were full of ambitions, what they most concerned about was the life-long happiness of their granddaughter (daughter), and they sighed that this imperial decree came in time.


    Looking at her rejoicing family, Guan Suyi looked down and smiled sarcastically. Now that her grandfather and father were literary giants and important ministers, she couldn¡¯t lose their face. In this life, she originally didn¡¯t want to have another entanglement with Zhao Luli, and didn¡¯t want to hold on tight to those people who failed her in the past. Just because a little bit of hatred from another lifetime then she made herself full of filth again, she couldn¡¯t do this kind of thing that didn¡¯t pay off. But since Zhao Luli insisted on pulling her down the quagmire, then don¡¯t blame her for digging holes and burying people.


    Guan Suyi, who was somewhat disheartened, suddenly looked forward to the wedding in the first month.


    ¡ª


    Time flies by, and the wedding date soon arrived. When Guan Suyi stepped onto the sedan chair with an insincere smile, someone in Ganquan Palace fell ill. After hearing the news, Huo Shengzhe rushed to her, picked up the bowl with his own hands, and feed medicine to the person with a weak body.


    ¡°So many years have passed, are you still thinking about him?¡± This sentence was full of sighs and helplessness.


    Ye Zhen smiled miserably, and finally opened a dressing box, took out a carved-wood magnolia hairpin and gave it to the grand palace maid, and said, ¡°Give it back to Lord Zhou. Tell him, To go also must go,so how do you go? If the mountain flowers are full of heads, don¡¯t ask the slave to return to the place.¡± When the words fell she was in tears.


    Huo Shengzhe put down the bowl and said coldly, ¡°How do you go? What, do you treat this Ganquan Palace as a cage?¡±


    Ye Zhen smiled bitterly without answering, with a sad expression.


    Huo Shengzhe decided to watch her for a long time before sighing, ¡°Since he has remarried, you should let go. In the future, I will take good care of you.¡± Then he patted the woman¡¯s thin shoulder.


    It took Ye Zhen a lot of effort to press down the corners of her mouth that was about to rise. This sentence was similar to a promise that she had waited for six years! If she had known earlier that with Zhao Luli remarried she could get the emperor¡¯s closeness, why should she hold onto Marquis Zhenbei Mansion? But Zhao Luli always listened to her words and obeyed her, in the end still have some usefulness, so she couldn¡¯t let go of this hand yet.


    Guan Suyi, even if you are exceptionally beautiful, you can¡¯t stand the guilt that the emperor feels towards Zhao Luli and me. The glory in the palace has no relationship with you, I hope you are satisfied with the marriage that I carefully selected for you. Thinking of this, Ye Zhen hurriedly covered her mouth and coughed, lest the viciousness and pride in her eyes would be noticed by the emperor.


    At the same time, Lord Zhao, who wore a grand red robe, was full of pain. He held the magnolia flower hairpin, not dare using too much force, for fear of breaking it, but also not dare to let go, for fear of losing it, his mind kept pulling. The grand palace maid who gave the hairpin secretly stuffed a note into his palm, and then return back to report.


    Ye Jieyu, who deserved to be the favorite in the Sixth House, dared to openly deliver news to her ex-husband in front of Huo Shengzhe, without arousing any suspicion. No wonder she was able to climb from remarried woman to her current high position.

 CH 8

    Chapter 8 Married


    ¡°To go also must go, so how do you go? If the mountain flowers are full of heads, don¡¯t ask the slave to return to the place.¡± In the study, Zhao Luli repeatedly recited the poem ¡°Bu Shouzi: Not Love the Wind and Dust¡±, his face was full tears.


    He stroked the rough-cut magnolia hairpin with trembling hands, and his wife¡¯s delicate face with tender smile appeared in front of his eyes. Suddenly, the smile turned into resentment and sorrow, as if accusing him of cowardice and incompetence. Zhao Luli felt a pain in his heart and never dared to recall the past. He wanted to put the hairpin in the secret compartment in the drawer but was reluctant to part with it, in the end he put it in a sleeve pocket and kept it next to him.


    Thinking of the note sent by the palace maid, he showed a struggling and eagerness looks on his face, as if he was afraid of the unfeeling words written in it, but also afraid that he would miss the words that his wife finally sent out. Without thinking about it for long, he slowly and carefully unfolded the note. The first sentence made him feel painful and regretful, and it was difficult to hold on to himself.


    ¡°My dear Chen Guang, you probably surprise seeing this letter. The day before yesterday, my mother told me that Xi¡¯er is almost coming of age. Suddenly I realized that time has slip away, and the years were merciless. In a blink of an eye, the blue sea has turned into mulberry fields and cannot be recalled. Xi¡¯er¡¯s big marriage still needs the  mistress¡¯s management. My mother-in-law misunderstood me deeply, afraid her heart won¡¯t be in it. In desperation, I can only consent you to remarry. Wangshu is young and needs the care of a mother. I only regret for my weak temperament in those years. I actually harmed you and harmed the child because of momentary slip. I wish you will forget the past and move forward¡­¡­ of course, the wedding date is approaching, and my heart aches unbearably¡­¡­ I never forget and not dare to forget the vows back then. Are you with me in this heart?¡±


    There were only a few hundred characters, Zhao Luli looked and looked again, read and read again. His heart momentarily joyful, momentarily regretful, momentarily surged with love, and the expression on his face became extremely twisted and tangled. When he was immersed in his endless thoughts, he did not notice that his daughter had been standing at the door for a long time. She came and left quietly, walked to Chui Hua Gate and said softly, ¡°Give my dad a pot of hot water to wipe his face, and put it on his eyes. Today is his happy day, don¡¯t let the Guan family see it that he has cried.¡±


    The servant in charge of guarding the study repeatedly promised and went down quietly.


    Thinking of the sudden wealth of Guan family, Zhao Chunxi¡¯s expression darkened. She thought that this time she could get rid a strong enemy for her mom and find a puppet for herself that was easy to control in Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, but she didn¡¯t expect that the emperor would suddenly put the Guan family¡¯s father and son in high positions, disrupting her overall plan. With a strong and powerful backing, it would not be so easy to exploit Guan Suyi later.


    But soon, she laughed in a low voice. So what if she was a Peerless Beauty? So what if she was full of talents? After all, she was no match for her mom¡¯s charm. Even if she enter the palace and become the emperor¡¯s person, as long as mom passed a few words casually, mom would be able to make dad desperate. She didn¡¯t know what her mom wrote in the letter, anyway she wouldn¡¯t let Guan Suyi have an easy time in the Marquis Mansion.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s time to set up the wedding banquet. That old thing seems to be very happy today? I don¡¯t know if she will be able to laugh in a few days.¡± Zhao Chunxi took two steps quickly, her tone was harsh.


    The maid knew that the old thing she was talking about was not someone else, but her grandmother, Sun shi, so she didn¡¯t dare to answer the conversation, she just pretended not to hear anything, and bowed her head to lead the way.


    When the palace maid returned to the palace, the emperor had not left, so she had to hold back her full stomach. Ye Zhen seemed to want to pull her to ask about Zhao Luli¡¯s situation, but as soon as she reached out her hand she retracted it again, and instead squeezed the bedding tightly, eyes full of sad tears.


    Huo Shengzhe saw her eyelids drooping, her complexion was pale, there were a few line between her eyebrows due to years of sorrow, her frail body seemed that it could collapse at any time, so in the end he was asking for her, ¡°Did Lord Zhao asked you to say something?¡±


    The grand palace maid hurriedly knelt down and replied, ¡°Enlighten the emperor, enlighten niangniang, Lord Zhou just said to let niangniang to take care of herself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Ye Zhen asked urgently, as if realizing that something was wrong, she glanced at the emperor with a nervous look.


    Huo Shengzhe didn¡¯t care, his big hand covered the back of her cold hand, which was full of veins, and gently patted it a few times. This was a very common gesture that represents comfort and care, but Ye Zhen was ecstatic. With great difficulty she suppressed the boiling joy, just the opposite she needed to put on the trapped in love and heartbroken expression. Her facial features were twisted and tangled, she seemed to care very much about Lord Zhao.


    The grand palace maid sighed that her niangniang was too good at pretending, while shaking her head and said, ¡°Enlighten niangniang, that¡¯s it.¡±


    Ye Zhen seemed to have exhausted all her strength, her leaning body suddenly fell back on the soft pillow, her eyes looked straight at the bed curtain above her head, and couldn¡¯t recover for a long time. Between the opening and closing of her eyelids, large drops of tears fell down, wet the clothes and bedding. Huo Shengzhe had never comforted a woman before, waved to Baifu, and the attendant handed over a black handkerchief.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry. You are already weak because of the remaining poison. If you are too anxious, it may get worse. Now he has remarried, and you have entered the palace, everyone is well, don¡¯t worry about it anymore.¡± He passed the kerchief over while speaking.


    Ye Zhen held the handkerchief with trembling fingertips, it seems she was wiping her tears with her head down, very miserable, but in fact the corners of her mouth rose, and her heart jumped with joy. ¡®Everyone is well, don¡¯t worry about it anymore.¡¯ Was this His Majesty¡¯s decision to put aside the unbearable past and live with her? Although there was no shortage of women around His Majesty, there were only a few who have been approached by him, and the only one who could talk to him was only her. Ye Zhen knew that once he figured it out and put the past aside, His Majesty would accept her and even favor her alone. She had never value the name Jieyu, she wanted the sincerity of His Majesty, and then the position of mother of the world.


    Knowing that the other party doesn¡¯t like crying women, Ye Zhen calmed down after wiping tears for a while, and said in a dumb voice, ¡°This concubine is all right, Your Majesty, you must be busy with government affairs, please go back first.¡±


    The more she pretended to be stronger, the more  Huo Shengzhe felt not reassured. He caught a glimpse of many books on the short table beside the bed. He took out one and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. You are also tired. Sleep for a while. I will sit here to accompany you. Then wait for you to wake up and have dinner with you.¡±


    Where could Ye Zhen sleep, she wished she could tell her heart to him immediately, but she knew that she should not be too hasty, so she smiled bitterly and shook her head. ¡°This concubine cannot sleep, so I¡¯ll accompany you to read a book. Reading a book is good for calming the mind, and a calm mind will not think about anything.¡±


    Huo Shengzhe¡¯s eyes showed pity, but he didn¡¯t know how to comfort her. He flipped through the book in his hand and changed the subject and said, ¡°Are you also reading The Analects? What are your thoughts?¡±


    Ye Zhen ¡°reluctantly¡± squeezed out a smile, ¡°No wonder the emperor named Old Master Kong as the sage and praised him as the master of the world. After reading the Analects, this concubine learned that there is such a noble character in the world.¡± when the words feel, she pointed out to one of the passage and said, ¡°If the Old Master is still here, he will definitely help Your Majesty to settle down the world and help the common people. Look at this sentence: If you can be useful to me, you can do it in months, and you will have success in three years. What kind of a vision and courage should be able release this rhetoric. There is also Mencius¡¯s ¡°Being poor cares for themselves, being wealthy cares for the world¡±. Ones has to have the will to help common people; if ones hasn¡¯t successful then he must hides in the mountains and keeps quiet. His way of life is truly admirable, and really thought-provoking. This concubine has been upset recently, but after reading the works of the two sages, she gradually feels that the world is vast, her body is small. A few worries, indeed is really not worth mentioning.¡° At the end, she smiled shyly, and the haze on her body disappeared.


    Baifu nodded secretly after hearing this. No wonder the emperor loves to come to Ganquan Palace. Among all the niangniang, Ye Jieyu was the only one who was knowledgeable and has remarkable literary talents, and could talk to His Majesty. The so-called considerate flower was probably like this.


    However, Huo Shengzhe¡¯s reaction was different from what the two expected. He was not evoked to talk, but instead put down the book, with a slightly perfunctory tone, ¡°Unfortunately, Zhen don¡¯t have the blessing to listen to the teachings of the sage with my own ears. Zhen still have memorials that has not been approved, just now Zhen was forget and only now remember. Sleep for a while and don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. Zhen will order the imperial physician to stay in Ganquan Palace. If you feel unwell, you can call him immediately.¡±


    Ye Zhen wanted to hold the other person, but she didn¡¯t dare to make any trouble, so she could only agreed and waited until the group of people walked away before looking at the grand palace maid, Su¡¯e, ¡°Is This Palace saying something wrong?¡±


    Su¡¯e thought for a long time, and shook her head determinedly. ¡°Enlighten niangniang, this servant do not think you said something wrong, maybe His Majesty is really busy.¡±


    Ye Zhen also looked down and ponder, and after a long while nodded in relief. In any case, she finally achieved her success, as long as she was careful in her words and deeds, step by step, she would be able to overlook the world side by side with the emperor one day. And those who stand in her way would eventually become the dust that has been wiped out in the long river of years.


    ¡ª¨C


    Guan Suyi got off from the sedan chair, stepped over the brazier, worshiped across the main hall, and led into the bridal chamber. Zhao Luli lifted the bridal veil under the playfulness of the womenfolk. The two quickly looked at each other, and then both looked down, as if they were very shy. Everyone was taken aback by the bride¡¯s gorgeous glory, and because of the her family¡¯s nobleness, they received the emperor¡¯s grace, so the womenfolk didn¡¯t dare to make trouble, and said goodbye after only a few auspicious words. Within a short period of time, the news that Guan family¡¯s daughter was a peerless beauty had spread, aroused the envy of others.


    Zhao Luli didn¡¯t expect that his new wife would be so outstanding. She wore a bright red wedding gown and a dazzling flower crown, which made her skin became more and more creamy, seemed like a pile of snow. Her wonderful eyes were gleaming, deep and unfathomable. When she looked over for a moment, it almost sucked his soul. He had to look away quickly, like a prey eager to escape from a trap.


    ¡°If you are hungry, you can eat something to cushion your stomach. I will deal with the guests and come later.¡± He urged with hard tone, and then hurriedly left.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t answer, and waited for people to walk away before raising her head, taking off the flower crown and jewelry with an indifferent expression. She deliberately covered the memories of her previous life with dust, but after being stimulated by the same scenes and characters, it came in endlessly. In the big wedding last time, Zhao Luli was so evasive after lifting her veil, behaved in a flustered manner, but there were also completely different things. For example, he didn¡¯t say even a little thoughtful words to her, and left without giving a decent reason, leaving her alone to wait until dawn, leaving her weeping silently in embarrassment and fear.


    Power was really useful. Was the treatment different because of different identities? As the granddaughter of the emperor¡¯s teacher and the daughter of chief Minister of Ceremonies, even if she continued her own way to get divorce from Zhao Luli, he also couldn¡¯t slight her. Guan Suyi shook her head and laughed sarcastically, and finally looked down to think about how to spend the night in the bridal chamber. Zhao Luli would never dare to leave her alone this time, but this was exactly what she didn¡¯t want.


    The filth that has been thrown away in the last life, how could there be any reason to pick it up again in this life?

 CH 9

    Chapter 9 Bridal Chamber


    In the previous life, because her grandfather lost his standing and his father¡¯s hopelessness in becoming an official, Guan¡¯s family had little foothold in Yanjing, but suddenly she was favored by Marquis Zhenbei and married in with the ceremony of  official wife, which greatly eased the family¡¯s plight. Guan Suyi¡¯s mood was sincere and fearful, as if walking on thin ice, for fear that she would do something wrong which lead to disgust. After Zhao Luli left, she sat blankly, even if she was hungry and dizzy, she did not dare to touch the food on the table.


    She would always remember the confusion and helplessness that suddenly rose from the bottom of her heart when the pale golden warm sun shone on her hungry and cold body the next morning. Since then, she had a premonition of her sad and ridiculous second half of her life.


    In this life, without the sincerity and fear, without walking on thin ice, and without the hope and expectation of married life, Guan Suyi felt extraordinarily at ease. Taking off the wedding gown, removing the hairpin, and washing off the powder, she sat by the table and ate slowly, and handed out a few dishes to the joy matron and the maid outside so they could eat at the side room next door.


    Minglan and Mingfang also got a snack table, but they didn¡¯t dare to move their chopsticks, feeling entangled, ¡°Miss, you will have a bridal chamber later, don¡¯t eat too much. Beside, if the master sees you eat up all the dishes, I¡¯m afraid he will think you¡­ think you¡­¡±


    Guan Suyi interrupted the two with a smile, ¡°What will he think of me? Greedy? Don¡¯t worry, your master has a big heart and won¡¯t care about it.¡± Zhao Luli was a man with the biggest heart she ever met. The man wore a bright green hat on his head, not only was he not ashamed, he was proud of it, and for fear that he wore it not firm enough, he would buckle it on his head from time to time. He was Ye Zhen¡¯s dog, told him to go east and he would not dare go west, even if he was thrown away carelessly, he still would unswervingly wait, and when he saw a little bit of hope, he rushed forward desperately.


    He had exhausted all his affection for Ye Zhen, so he could be vicious to others to the end. Even his own flesh and blood, as long as they didn¡¯t crawl out of Ye Zhen¡¯s belly, they would be killed without hesitation.


    In this life, Guan Suyi didn¡¯t want to get involved with him, but since she was unable to resist, she quickly figured it out. Staying in Marquis Zhenbeihou Mansion was much more comfortable than being a nun. There was no need to eat vegetarian food, nor  abide by the precepts. On weekdays, she could enjoy flowers, write, and read, it was very free. If she married an unfamiliar person, it¡¯s still unknown what would happened in the future, but she understood that for the husband to take concubine, managing the back house, getting jealous, and deceitful things would definitely be indispensable. Instead of lived a lifetime muddleheadedly like that, it¡¯s actually better not to reborn again.


    It seems that God refuses to let you and me go, then continue to fight to death in this life. Guan Suyi curled her lips, her eyes were a little chilly.


    Minglan and Mingfang knew that their mistress had always have her own idea since she was young, so they didn¡¯t dare to persuade her too much, and restlessly ate all the food on the small table. After half an hour, the sound of clamoring outside gradually disappeared. They assumed that the banquet was almost over. They immediately cleaned up the dishes and wiped off the greasy mouth for their mistress.


    Guan Suyi put her knees together, half sitting on the edge of the couch, her hair scattered like a waterfall, her delicate face half hidden by the hair, made her lips even more red and her teeth look brighter. As soon as Zhao Lulifu pushed open the door, what he saw was this scene, and his heart jumped slightly. Everyone has the love of beauty, and even if the infatuation in this life had been spent on one person, he couldn¡¯t deny how excellence and outstanding his newlywed wife was.


    The feeling of guilt and regret faded in a flash, and he slowly walked to the couch, thinking about how to spend the night in the bridal chamber. He once made a heavy oath that no one would take his wife¡¯s place, so he couldn¡¯t touch Guan Suyi, but her family background was no longer what it used to be, so she couldn¡¯t be treated coldly.


    Thinking of this, Zhao Luli was in a dilemma. If it was replaced by the humble Guan family who had just entered Yanjing, why would he be this worried, he would just leave Guan Suyi unhesitatingly. But now, if she received any grievance, he still had to deal with Old Master Guan and father Guan who would stand by her, if the two families made a ruckus it would be ugly.


    So Zhao Luli held his forehead with his hands, staggered, and decided to pretend to be drunk.


    Guan Suyi narrowed her eyes at him, and the corners of her mouth slowly raised. It¡¯s okay to pretend to be drunk. If not, she would make him remember his ¡°virtuous, beautiful and innocent¡± late wife, let him feel brokenhearted and run away in embarrassment. In the last life, as long as she mentioned the word ¡°Ye Zhen¡±, Zhao Luli would always walk away. She still felt wronged at the time, but now she loved this sharp blade that cuts the other¡¯s heart.


    She also didn¡¯t know what Ye Zhen looks like, was she really so dazzling, peerless and graceful? Otherwise, how could Zhao Luli and Emperor Sheng Yuan be so fascinated that they would not wake up? Guan Suyi suddenly became curious about the ¡°Late Madam¡± who she had never met before, and brushed the hair on the side of her cheeks, with a very casual attitude.


    The corners of Minglan and Mingfang¡¯s eyes were almost cramped from blinking but didn¡¯t see any movement from their mistress. So they stepped forward to help the new master, and then one helped to change clothes and the other went out to fetch water. Guan Suyi covered her mouth and yawned, ready to go to sleep when Zhao Luli finished acting. She didn¡¯t want to have any physical contact with the other person, because she would feel nauseous, and she didn¡¯t want to give birth to a child with half of his blood, because it was a sin. Have nothing to rely on or support on the old age was not in her consideration. As long as the Guan family could stand upright, she would be able to live comfortably and freely in this life.


    Zhao Luli¡¯s acting skill was not very good. To prevent exposure, he have no alternative but to rush to the bed in a few steps, fell down and pretend to sleep, and let Minglan and Mingfang take off his robes. In embarrassment, he did not realize that his new wife had never say a word of concern or helped him.


    ¡°Miss, the master is very drunk, this servant will go and cook a bowl of sobering soup to help him.¡± Minglan said breathlessly.


    Mingfang suddenly robbed her, ¡°It¡¯s better if this servant go. This servant  just now asked the housekeeper, so know where the kitchen is.¡± Her heart thumped and thumped so hard, she never thought that the master was such a handsome and elegant figure. No wonder the ladies in Yanjing called him ¡®Jade Son¡¯, and every time he went out, there was bound to be a trail of fascinated women. If, if it could be exchanged for a night of grace, that would be great!


    Guan Suyi seemed to have never noticed Mingfang¡¯s shy and eager look, and waved her hand, ¡°Go.¡±


    Minglan got along Mingfang day and night, naturally knew her every move, she looked at her mistress, quite a bit hesitant to say something. Guan Suyi half-supported her forehead and looked at her, with a playful smile on her face, then put her white fingertip on her lips, and made a silent gesture.


    Seeing miss¡¯ rising eyebrows and the soft lips with a shallow dent pressed by the pink fingernails, Minglan¡¯s cheeks were red, and she sighed in her heart: Only a wonderful person like Miss can match the Jade Son, Mingfang is really overestimating herself.


    Guan Suyi hugged the bedding on the soft couch by the window, planned to stay in it overnight. In the last life, Mingfang and Minglan failed to accompany her to the end. One attempted to seduce the marquis and was killed by Ye Fan and Zhao Chunxi; the other went back to Guan¡¯s house to ask for help after she was in trouble, but was finally sold by Zhao Luli.


    Starting all over again, she did not intend to deal with Mingfang. An ambitious woman like Mingfang could be easily used as a tool in her hands. Regardless of whom she would marry, it was unavoidable for the husband to take concubines, instead of accepting someone with unknown origins and unpredictable temperament, it was better to receive someone who was easy to control. Facts had proven that she was right. When Ye Fan entered the door, she could easily push Mingfang and let them had a dogfight, and then her own main house would be quiet. As for Minglan, she must find a good husband for her in this life and marry her gracefully.


    Minglan knew that her mistress dislike the smell of wine and has a serious cleansing habit. Afraid that she would not let the master get close tonight. But this was her bridal night, how could it be wasted, she deliberately tried to persuade a few words, but saw her put up her index finger again, pursed her red lips, and shushed inaudibly.


    Minglan¡¯s charming face blushed and nodded repeatedly.


    The master and servant were talking in riddles, and Zhao Luli, who was lying on the bed, felt a little uncomfortable. He wanted to open his eyes to take a look, but worried about getting into more embarrassing situation. The two maids served very well, but he never heard a word from his new wife, also didn¡¯t know what she thought in her heart. Would she be resentful or dissatisfied? If she insists on calling him to get up, how should he respond?


    While thinking, He Xiang¡¯s anxious voice came from outside the door, ¡°Lord marquis, it¡¯s not good, the eldest miss suddenly has high fever, just now she lost consciousness, please go and see!¡±


    The daughter who was about eight points similar to his wife had always been Zhao Luli¡¯s heart and flesh, the affection and love was better than that of his di son. At this time, where could he looked drunk, suddenly turned over and sat up, put on his boots, and ran out while hastily put on his outer robe.


    With a ¡°bang¡±, the door that was pushed open bounced back to the door frame, startling Minglan. She stammered as she slapped her chest, ¡°Isn¡¯t the master very drunk? How can he move so quickly?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it easy to pretend to be drunk?¡± Guan Suyi tied her hair into a simple bun and used a hairpin to secure it, pointed to the cloak on the hanger and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s follow along, lest others say that the stepmother is cruel.¡±


    When the two came to Penglai Garden, there were people entering and exiting inside, and Zhao Chunxi shrank into the thick bedding, with a wet kerchief on her forehead, and her cheeks flushed abnormally, she looked extremely weak. Seeing the new madam suddenly appeared, the servants all over the house showed hostility. On the contrary, Zhao Luli¡¯s expression looked very ashamed and guilty at the thought that he just pretended to be drunk.


    ¡°Well! It¡¯s so hot! Have you sent for a doctor?¡± Guan Suyi went straight to the bed and gently caressed Zhao Chunxi who was dazedly ill.


    ¡°Someone has been sent to invite. It should be on the road right now.¡± Zhao Luli dodged her eyes.


    Guan Suyi sat down on the bed, took off the slightly hot veil, and replaced it for Zhao Chunxi. An anxious expression appeared on her face, but she smiled slowly in her heart. With a different family background, everything was also different. In the last life, where did Zhao Chunxi need to use this self-destructive method to deal with her? Only inviting her to Penglai Garden the next morning after guarding an empty boudoir alone, a few words of comfort was able to make her grateful. At that time, the Guan family got out of the predicament because of Zhao Luli¡¯s importance. She was only grateful to the Zhao family and had no suspicion. Why would she think of anything else?


    Looking at it now, the daughter summoned the mother to her courtyard to talk, this was an act of establishing superiority. Zhao Chunxi never paid attention to her from the beginning to the end, let alone showing filial piety. It was so stupid that she pitied and thought about her everywhere.


    In this life, in order to suppress her famous stepmother, she did not hesitate to make herself ill. It was unknown how long she was blown by the cold wind to have such a high temperature? Thinking of this, a smile flashed in Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes. Seeing that these people were not doing well, she felt relieved. It was worthwhile for her to endured the nausea of marrying in.

 CH 10

    Chapter 10 Flower Candle


    After changing to a more damp and cold kerchief, Zhao Chunxi was awake for a moment. She tried her best to open her eyes and saw Guan Suyi¡¯s flawless face, she was taken aback for a while.


    Guan Suyi held her hand and asked softly, ¡°Xie¡¯er, are you better? Mother is here to see you.¡± When the words fell, her throat tightened slightly, as she was disgusted by the word ¡°mother¡±.


    No matter how scheming Zhao Chunxi was, she was only a little girl of twelve or thirteen years old. Moreover, she was ill, her brain was already burnt, so she subconsciously showed disgust, then she shook her head while tried to dodge, taking advantage of the situation to break away her hand from the other party¡¯s tight hold.


    Guan Suyi let go of her and chuckled, ¡°It seems Xi¡¯er is not ready to accept me, it doesn¡¯t matter, we will have a long time in the future.¡± Then she twisted the kerchief and planned to change it again


    The maid and the old mama who stood by the side were already very defensive against her. Seeing that the eldest miss showed obvious resistance, they hurriedly stepped forward and squeezed her away, muffledly asked the new madam to go back first, so as not to get sick. Zhao Luli was suspicious and felt that his daughter¡¯s behavior was not as close to Miss Guan as she said. On the contrary, she was a little disgusted. If that the case, then why did she cry and shout to let him marry her?


    However, in his heart, his daughter was right no matter what she did or said. Even if he had doubts in his heart, he quickly put it behind him and waved his hand to his newlywed wife apologetically, ¡°Ma¡­ you go back first, Xi¡¯er is very ill. I will stay here to look after her tonight.¡± The phrase ¡°Madam¡± could not be said after all.


    That¡¯s all? Not even a word of sorry? This is your wedding night. Guan Suyi smiled sarcastically in her heart, but on the surface she generously said that it was all right. She thanked Zhao Chunxi for her self-sacrifice, otherwise the big carved jujube tree bed she brought from home would have been soiled by Zhao Luli¡¯s filth.


    The two master and servant walked back slowly carrying the lanterns. As soon as they came out of the courtyard, they saw a black figure rushing over from the other side of the path and hitting Minglan who was at the front, causing her to fall. They didn¡¯t say sorry, didn¡¯t even stop to check the situation, flying far away like the wind. The servant following him panted and shouted, ¡°Young Master, slow down, be careful of falling! The eldest miss just has a high fever, will be fine after drinking medicine, and nothing will happen.¡±


    The voice and figure quickly faded into the night, making Minglan stared dumbfounded, ¡°Miss, that¡¯s the marquis mansion¡¯s Shizi ? How come all of the Zhao family have this energetic temper, one runs faster than the other. Also, how did the master was swaying and didn¡¯t wake up before, but once there was shouting outside he immediately ran. He was really pretending to be drunk? Why?¡±


    Guan Suyi gathered her big cloak and smiled lightly. ¡°It said that dragon gives birth to dragon, phoenix gives birth to phoenix, the rat gives birth to rat that punch holes. Lord Zhao¡¯s hoof is so fast, and his son of course is not bad. As for why he was pretending to be drunk, maybe he was wearing green hat for too long and reluctant to take it off. In short, he can do whatever he likes, it¡¯s not our business.¡±


    Minglan first nodding stupidly, then she remembered, ¡°That¡¯s not right! What kind of rat, hole, and hoof. Miss, why do you always compare Lord Zhou to animal? And what is it about that green hat thing?¡±


    Guan Suyi poked the small servant¡¯s head and walked back first, ¡°Comparing him to animal is still a compliment. Anyway just remember, these people in Marquis Mansion are not fuel efficient lamps. Don¡¯t get too close to them.¡±


    ¡°Sure enough, such high gate mansion is not easy to climb. Miss, don¡¯t worry, this servant will remember.¡± Minglan replied dully, covering her forehead. At this moment, she could tell that the master didn¡¯t care about miss at all, the eldest miss and Shizi were also hostile to her, afraid that the future might be very difficult.


    The master-servant duo returned to the main house. From a distance they saw  Mingfang standing under the porch with sobering soup, facing the dim candle she asked, ¡°Where is master?¡±


    ¡°The marquis is guarding the eldest miss tonight , will not coming back.¡± Minglan blew out the lantern, her tone slightly sharp.


    However, Mingfang who was wholeheartedly thinking about Zhao Luli, didn¡¯t notice it at all, suddenly she raised her voice and asked, ¡°How can he¡¯s not coming back? This is his bridal chamber night!¡± She looked even more indignant than the new madam, and when she noticed Minglan¡¯s suspicious eyes, she hurriedly say, ¡°How could master treat miss like this! If other people know about this matter, wouldn¡¯t they making joke of miss?¡±


    Guan Suyi waved her hand, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m not afraid of people making jokes.¡± Since she was sent to Cangzhou in her previous life, she had slowly developed a body of copper skin and iron bones, and forging a heart of stone, no matter how slanderous people in this life, there would be no waves.


    Mingfang was afraid of being noticed by her mistress, so she had to go to pour out the sobering soup and didn¡¯t speak all night.


    ¡ª¨C


    The next day, Zhao Luli came back in a hurry and brought his freshen-up new madam to offer tea to his mother. That year, the Four Books of Women had not yet been published, and the restraint and contempt towards women at that time had not reached the extreme, so there was no custom of examining wedding night¡¯s kerchief. Therefore, Guan Suyi did not have to bear other people¡¯s scrutiny, contempt, or pity.


    But the news that the two of them failed to consummate their wedding night still reached the old madam Sun¡¯s ears. At the moment, Sun shi was sitting in the main hall, her face with countless lines carved out by the wind and frost looked old and cold. Seeing the gorgeous and dignified face of her new daughter-in-law, she was stunned for a moment, then calmed down, took the tea and drank it, and gave a very heavy meeting gift.


    ¡°Xie¡¯er¡¯ illness has her own servant to take care of. You are just newly married, you should be close and intimate, so you can spread the branches and leaves for my Zhao family.¡± Putting down the teacup, she looked at her son, and her slightly soft face immediately tightened, ¡°Xie¡¯er over there, I will send someone to take care of it, there is no need for you to be with her all day and night. As a man, you should work for the country. Take a look at yourself now, all day long pampering your children and hurts for the spring and sad for the autumn! Okay, go down and accompany Suyi around the house to familiarize herself with the environment.¡±


    Zhao Luli was only superficially respectful to his mother. After promising to do it, he led his new madam to leave. When he reached the fork of the path, he parted ways and went to Penglai Garden as usual, but this time he finally made progress, and left a sentence ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±. Guan Suyi politely stated that she wanted to follow along, but was dismissed by him in a few words. It seemed that he was still on the defensive stage towards this second wife, and would never let her approach the pair of children without going through a long inspection.


    That was exactly what Guan Suyi wanted, but with an awkward expression on her face, she stood still for a long time before slowly leaving. The master and servant returned to the main house and sat down. Guan Suyi casually found an excuse to dismiss Mingfang, and let Minglan pour a cup of hot tea to dispel the cold.


    Minglan hesitated, ¡°Miss, I don¡¯t know if this servant thinks too much. I always feel that the old madam¡¯s attitude towards the eldest miss and lord marquis is wrong, as if a bit disgusted. No, it must be this servant who thinks too much. How can there be a mother who hates her biological son and granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that you think too much.¡± Guan Suyi unfolded a book and said casually, ¡°On the surface this Marquis Zhenbei Mansion looks glamorous, but it¡¯s shelter evil and accept wrongdoing, bad luck everywhere. They are mother is not mother, father is not father, and son is not son. Not only don¡¯t have a sense of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and honor, but also unaware of filial piety and loyalty, so how can there be family affection. Even if you see anything, don¡¯t talk about it, it just not our business.¡±


    It¡¯s the phrase ¡°not our business¡± again, it seems that miss doesn¡¯t think of herself as Zhao¡¯s family at all. Minglan nodded repeatedly, blindly following the learned mistress.


    The little girl put it aside, but Guan Suyi inevitably fell into memory. At that time, she also noticed that the old madam¡¯s attitude was different. She was disheartened at her son; she was critical of her granddaughter in every possible way; she was extremely doting and pampering with her grandson. Obviously they were all one family, and was not divided by di or shu, why the treatment was so different? Could there be any unhumane secrets? This question was solved by Zhao Wangshu when she was about to die. It turned out that Ye Jieyu was Zhao Luli¡¯s ¡°deceased wife¡±. No wonder the old madam hated both Zhao Chunxi and Ye Fan, who told them to look like Ye Jieyu. As for Zhao Wangshu, after all, he was Zhao Luli¡¯s son, and he was also the hope of rejuvenating the lintel, so naturally he should be well protected.


    Now that she thought about it, the old madam previously treated her well, but when she saw that she couldn¡¯t hold Zhao Luli¡¯s heart, it slowly faded. She had never harmed her, nor helped her, they had nothing with each other that¡¯s all. After she stopped thinking, Guan Suyi spread out a rice paper and started painting the white snow and little red plum outside the window.


    In the main courtyard, Old Madam Sun had changed out the gorgeous dress, and lying on the couch in a well-used and old-fashioned clothes. She caught a glimpse of the housekeeper who was opening the hanging screen to go inside and asked in a deep voice, ¡°The marquis did not accompany Guan shi visiting the garden?¡±


    ¡°No, he went to Penglai Garden on his own. Looking at madam¡¯s complexion, she seemed to feel wronged.¡± The housekeeper mama whispered back.


    ¡°I accompanied the old man to travel north and south, and I have seen so many handsome figures, but none of them can beat Guan shi. Wasn¡¯t that bitch claimed to be number one beauty in the Central Plains? Compared with the Guan shi, it¡¯s really one in the sky and one on the ground. Lord marquis doesn¡¯t like it now, but it doesn¡¯t mean that he won¡¯t like it in the future. Feelings will always come out. Go and give her the key to the warehouse, the account book, and the matching cards. In the future, she will be the well-deserved mistress of the Marquis Mansion. I must lift her up.¡± As if thinking of something, Sun shi snorted, ¡°Give all the dowry left by that bitch to Guan shi. If it weren¡¯t for holding these dowries, where can Zhao Chunxi come here to pay respect every day, she would just hide at the end of the earth like her father did. Worthy of being that bitch¡¯s evil spawn, with the same vicious mind and nasty methods, in order to prevent that unfilial son from consummating his marriage, she directly made herself sick. You tell me what¡¯s the point of her tossing like this?¡±


    The housekeeper mama didn¡¯t dare to answer the question, she only slandered in her heart: Of course she think like this. The new madam has a distinguished family background and both talents and appearance. If she is favored by the marquis and gives birth to a son, where can she and the eldest young master have a foothold? As long as she dominates the marquis for a long time, it will be easy to attack the new madam again.


    Sun shi also knew this very well, and waved her hand tiredly, ¡°Brings the things over, I don¡¯t care about this family, let them toss on their own. I want to see if they can toss a blooming flower out. I hope that Guan shi, like they all said, is a shrewd and capable person, able to hold lord marquis and suppress that evil spawn.¡±


    Guan Suyi was not surprised when she received the things from the old madam. In her previous life, she also took over the stewardship on the second day of her wedding. At that time she felt both moved and panicked, and immediately dispelled the resentment of guarding an empty boudoir alone. As for Zhao Chunxi¡¯s dowry, she had been doing her best to take care of it, but she didn¡¯t expect that this action would become a weapon for Ye Fan and Zhao Chunxi to accuse her for coveting her husband family¡¯s property, to the point that she was almost divorced.


    Holding the dowry list, Guan Suyi tugged the corner of her mouth lightly, revealing a sneer. Since you think I am too dedicated, I will save a little effort in this life and leave you with nothing.

 CH 11

    Chapter 11 Rumors


    Zhao Chunxi was very ill. She even took a few doses of strong medicine to lower the high fever. She needed to lie in bed and rest for ten days to half a month to regain her vitality. When Guan Suyi learned about the situation from the imperial physician Cheng, she secretly said ¡®serve you right¡¯ in her heart, but on the surface she looked very distressed and brought soup to visit every day. Now she has developed a new hobby, that is, silently admiring Zhao Chunxi¡¯s apparent resistance to hatred, but having to pretend to be grateful.


    On this day, she put the stewed turtle soup in the food box, and led Minglan to walk towards Penglai Garden. As for Mingfang, as early as the day after the wedding, she offered herself to take care of the seriously ill eldest miss. At the moment, she might be dreaming of becoming a concubine.


    The two talked while walking, walking slowly, not afraid that the soup would be cold, Zhao Chunxi never drink it anyway, only find an excuse to put it aside, then pour it into the bucket when they leave.


    Minglan rubbed her nose and couldn¡¯t bear the smell of the turtle soup. ¡°Miss, why do you stew turtle soup every time? This smell is so strong that most people don¡¯t like to drink it.¡±


    Guan Suyi chuckled, ¡°Turtle¡¯s grandson should drink turtle soup. The ordinary people say to supplement shape with shape. As long as master comes to have a meal in the future, you have to serve this dish, remember it?¡± It¡¯s fun to supplement ten thousand years old turtle! (t/n: let¡¯s simplify, turtle = bastard)


    Minglan didn¡¯t know why her mistress hated the master so much. Although she smiled and spoke with a gentle tone, but there was a big problem with her words. What kind of beasts, turtle, and turtle grandson, one was more slanderous than the other. As if like the master dug her ancestral grave in the previous life.


    Even though there were thousands of doubts in her mind, Minglan didn¡¯t dare to ask anymore, but guarded the food box more carefully.


    ¡°Miss, you are here.¡± As soon as the two of them stepped into Penglai Garden, Mingfang hurriedly greeted her, raised the curtain while smiling, ¡°Please come in, just now the young miss still talking about you, asking this servant when will you come. The marquis has just arrived, with a lot of snow grain on his body, and he is changing his clothes inside.¡±


    The door curtain made of shells and jade beads clashed for a while, and then a crimson beautiful shadow moved lightly and stepped in, illuminating the dim inner room. Zhao Chunxi quickly sat up and called affectionately, ¡°Mother, daughter has been ill for a long time, it¡¯s really drags you down. Piaoxu, move the embroidered stool to the bedside so that my mother can sit closer to me, then we mother and daughter can hold hands and talk.¡±


    Guan Suyi unobtrusively stroked the back of her hand, feeling that it was covered with goose bumps. Zhao Chunxi probably already knew that her dowry was sent to the main house by the old lady, so her attitude changed drastically. She remember that in the previous life, before taking back the dowry, she was also fawning like this, acted like a baby, and coaxed herself round and round. Thinking about it now, the age difference between the two was not that big, one was thirteen and the other was eighteen, it was only five years. Why her thinking was so deep, that she almost couldn¡¯t see the bottom of it?


    This point probably followed after Ye Zhen, and Ye Fan was also not bad, indeed originally from family learning.


    As soon as Guan Suyi sat down on the embroidered stool, Zhao Luli came in. Seeing Minglan carrying a bowl of turtle soup to feed his daughter, he hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯m hungry too. Give me a bowl first.¡± After taking a sip, he put it down, said ¡°It tastes good, but it¡¯s a bit hot, so let it cool before eating it.¡±


    Would you drink it after it was cold? Guan Suyi smiled and agreed, but her heart was clear. The father and daughter could not decide how to guard against her in their hearts. In the previous life it was probably the same, but at the time she was full of gratitude to the Marquis Mansion, and didn¡¯t think much about it. The bastard drinks the bastard soup, which matches very well.


    Zhao Luli felt that his new wife¡¯s smile was a little weird, but he couldn¡¯t say how, so he quickly put it aside. Before he was sure that the other party was harmless, he would not let his children get too close to her. The three of them gave the false front, and when the snow stopped outside, they each breathed a sigh of relief.


    Stepping out of Penglai Garden, making sure that there was no one around, Minglan complained, ¡°Look at lord marquis being so polite, really don¡¯t treat you as his own person. And Miss Zhao, on the surface, looks very proper and affectionate, the words are also beautiful, not one drop of water can leak out. But this servant thinking in private, always felt something was wrong.¡±


    Guan Suyi brushed off the goose bumps on the back of her hand, and smiled without saying a word. When the two walked to a warm pavilion area, they saw a handsome boy in a mink fur coat running up and down, seeing the master and servant, his eyes widened immediately, ¡°Are you Guan shi? That day I hid under the window of the joy room and secretly saw you.¡±


    Guan Suyi was about to answer, he spontaneously rushed over, took her one arm and shook it, ¡°My sister is sick, and my dad wants to accompany her. No one is playing with me. Walk around and go skating with me.¡±


    ¡°Are you Zhao Wangshu? If I remember correctly, you should be in the clan school at this hour?¡± Guan Suyi bent down to look at him with a joking expression.


    Now that Confucianism was prevalent, the emperor released a message a few days ago that he wanted to use the imperial examination to select officials. This was the first step to break the dominance of noble families and the first step to abolish the Nine-grade Zhongzheng system. Although the big noble clans had many ways to obstruct, but they had lost too much of their heritage in the flames of war, and they were unable to resist the new emperor, and there were so many poor scholars in the world that it would be best to support them. Therefore, within three years, the imperial examinations system would become the most important way to become officials. Although Zhao Luli was a living turtle, but at any rate he has some insights, so he established clan school on the day the decree came out, and hired a great scholar as a master for his son, hoping that one day he would be able to rely on his learning to pursue official careers.


    But Zhao Wangshu didn¡¯t appreciate it, and tried his best to play truant and be lazy. He was ten years old this year, at the age when he loves to play around and be lawless. He drag his stepmother into the frozen lotus pond, ¡°I went to school in the morning. Hurry up, there is a sled board made by Zhao Erbao for me buried in the snow over there, it¡¯s fun!¡±


    Guan Suyi was stumbling, with great difficulty stood up and said, ¡°You will go to the clan school with me first, if you really went to school, I¡¯ll take you to play again. But if you lie to me, I¡¯ll tell your father.¡±


    ¡°I said I went to school means I went to school. Why are you so stubborn?¡± Zhao Wangshu was a little angry and stomped his feet, ¡°Your dad and grandfather¡¯s official posts were obtained by my father begging to the emperor. You married to the Zhao¡¯s family is climbing higher branch. You should be obedient and humble everywhere. How can you you screw it up with this young master? Will you play with this young master or not? Give me your word!¡±


    ¡°Not playing. Go, I¡¯ll take you back to school.¡± Guan Suyi stepped forward to pull Zhao Wangshu, but he broke away after a few tugs, in an instant ran ten meters away, yelling angrily, ¡°Okay, you Guan shi, actually dare to defy this young master! I don¡¯t want you to be my mother, so daddy will divorce you! And your grandfather and your father don¡¯t even think about becoming an official, this is the fate of offending this young master!¡± He stomped his feet and ran away quickly, seemed to be afraid of being dragged back to the clan school.


    Guan Suyi stared at his distant back with an unpredictable expression. In the last life, she had a headache for this stubborn stepson and spent countless energy to teach and persuade him. Because her grandfather devoted his whole life to teaching and educating people, she was exposed to some methods, slowly brought her stepson into proper order, and brought him up very well. Unexpectedly, he not only didn¡¯t know how to be grateful, but also falsely accused his stepmother of having an affair with an outside man, and forcibly erased the last trace of warmth she had towards the Marquis Mansion.


    To start all over again, where did Guan Suyi have the leisure to teach this little devil, just to watch him grew up and became crooked, and finally ruined by Ye Fan¡¯s hands. The snowflakes that had just disappeared began to fall again and again. She took one, covered it in her palm, and whispered , ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Minglan tremblingly followed, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Miss, what if you chase the young master back, then play sledding with him? Even if you don¡¯t like lord marquis, you still have to think about Master and the Old Master. Their official positions depend on lord marquis¡­¡±


    Before the little girl finished speaking, Guan Suyi sneered, ¡°Who tell you that the Guan family need to lean on the Marquis Mansion?¡±


    ¡°But everyone say that.¡± Minglan whispered.


    ¡°It seems that this rumor has spread throughout the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion?¡± Guan Suyi smiled, with a cold expression, ¡°If it change to a short-sighted and ignorance woman, chances are she will be fooled by this rumor, then she will be grateful and fearful toward the Marquis Mansion. I don¡¯t know what the people behind this rumors think of Guan Suyi, a fool? With Zhao Luli¡¯s good-for-nothing behavior, he can find super-first-grade official post. He thinks he can fly?¡±


    ¡°Miss, isn¡¯t the master and old master¡¯s official post asked by lord marquis?¡± Minglan couldn¡¯t believe that the Guan family, who came from a poor and humble family, would be valued by the high above emperor, after all, there were so many noble families in Yanjing.


    Guan Suyi denied it unhesitatingly but didn¡¯t explain it anymore, because Minglan wouldn¡¯t understand it at all. But this was not to blamed on her, the Nine-grade Zhongzheng system had been popular for hundreds of years, and only the disciples of the noble family could hold high positions, and even if poor scholars with ambition were talented, they couldn¡¯t make advancement. There was no such thing as an example of sudden wealth like the Guan family. It was like a mythical story in the ears of ordinary people. If this story was related to Marquis Zhenbei, it would become credible. Without the help of Marquis Zhenbei, how could there be Guan family like today? This was roughly the consensus of ordinary people.


    However, behind the outward appearance, who would have thought that this was a magnificent emperor paving the way for his own eternal world? Not to mention the common people trapped in the world below, even many scholars, afraid that they would not have thought of such far-reaching idea. Thinking of certain someone sitting on the dragon chair, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t tell whether she should admired or resented him more. After all, the tragedies of her two lifetimes were inseparable from him.


    But he was too far away from her, as far as the sky, so she could only look up, resentment was out of the question.


    ¡ª¨C


    Guan Suyi did not trace the source, did not kill the chickens and curse the monkeys to suppress the rumors, only on the next day, when Zhao Luli and she returned to her family¡¯s house and attended a family banquet, she suddenly raised a wine cup to toast, ¡°The people in the mansion said, grandfather¡¯s and father¡¯s official position was requested by the marquis, This Concubine is grateful for this. Both of them enter the officialdom for the first time, and they don¡¯t understand everything, will troubled the marquis to take care of it. This one cup This Concubine drink first, my lord as you wish.¡±


    Zhao Luli, who was still smiling, became stiff in an instant, and didn¡¯t know how to respond to these words.


    Old Master Guan and Father Guan both looked at him, their eyes full of scrutiny. They were so good at teaching Guan Suyi, they were naturally not short-sighted, they had long understood the emperor¡¯s intention to put the Guan family in high position, and they knew how to deal with themselves in the future. This official position was not requested by anyone, it was based solely on their true talents. But Zhao Mansion had spread such rumors, wasn¡¯t it mean the face of his granddaughter (daughter), and even the face of Guan¡¯s family, had been trampled to the ground?


    The Guan family¡¯s father and son, who had a good impression of Zhao Luli, who was well-mannered and dignified, now showed a little contempt.


    Zhao Luli looked at his new wife, and then at the others, slowly tightening his knuckles, almost crushing the wine cup. Where did he have the ability to seek the position of Emperor¡¯s teacher and one of The Nine Ministers for Guan¡¯s family? If this word reaches Huo Shengzhe, how could he not laugh at his boasting and ridiculousness? Especially the father and son of the Guan family were now close ministers of the emperor, it was very possible to say a few words before him. That scene was equivalent to abruptly pulling his face off and stepping on it, which was painful.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s toast, Zhao Luli would not dare to respond, he wished to escape into the ground and flee back to Marquis Mansion, strangling all the people who spread the rumor to death. He was embarrassed enough, and Huo Shengzhe must not be allowed to see him even more embarrassed.

 CH 12

    Chapter 12 Know Your Shame


    There was a long silence during the banquet, when the Guan family put down their wine cups together, it made two soft pops that break the silence. Zhao Luli hadn¡¯t thought of how to answer his new wife¡¯s words, but a lot of sweat broke out of his forehead, and his heart was even more embarrassed.


    Guan Qiguang turned his head to look at his granddaughter, with occasional light flashing in his eyes. Although he was not good at words, he knew everything in his heart. This kind of rumors, if replaced with any other poor girl, might be easy to believe, but could they fool Guan Suyi? However, not only did she appear to be convinced, but she also expressed her gratitude at the her maiden family banquet, which was clearly intended to embarrass Marquis Zhenbei. In just three days, what had happened to her? How could her calm, gentle and elegant temperament become the kind of needle hidden in the cotton, with a hint of hostility?


    Needless to say, the Marquis Mansion must have treated her harshly. Thinking of this, Guan Qiguang¡¯s impression of the so-called Jade Son had fallen drastically, but instead of reprimanding him, he waved his hand at Father Guan.


    Father loves her daughter like fate, couldn¡¯t bear seeing her wronged at all. The older man signaled that he would personally pour two cups of wine and invited Zhao Luli to drink together. The courtesy was thoughtful, but the tone was full of sarcasm, ¡°It turns out that the Guan family have today because the support of lord marquis. This official often serves by His Majesty¡¯s side, and has never heard of it before. Now it is time to lord marquis.¡±


    Zhao Luli waved his hand to speak, but was interrupted by him, ¡°Although Chief Ministry of Ceremonies is the head of Nine Ministers, but do not have real power, if this official wants to go further, I implore lord marquis to help. What do you think of the prime minister position?¡± He said while pointing to the prime minister¡¯s mansion across the streets.


    It was the mid-winter season, but Zhao Luli was sweating like a waterfall. Don¡¯t look at the ambition in his father-in-law¡¯s mouth, but the expression on his face was 120,000 points of carelessness. Where did he want to be the prime minister, he was clearly try to bury him with sarcasm. How did this official position come about, who knows better than the Guan family¡¯s father and son, and the one in the throne hall?


    Zhao Luli¡¯s eloquence was not bad, but at this moment he couldn¡¯t speak because of his shame. Guan Yunqi drank a full cup and continued, ¡°Super-grade emperor¡¯s teacher, genuine third grade Minister of Ceremonies, as long as the marquis speak, His Majesty will easily agree, indeed the friendship between the two of you is really deep. This official does not understand His Majesty¡¯s preferences, always trembling and fearful in front of him. In the future, I will talk to him more about lord marquis, then maybe the monarch and minister will be even closer. Lord marquis, if you have time, go to Weiyang Palace to walk around. Don¡¯t let this friendship fade.¡±


    If the words before were just probing, the next few sentences were stabbing Zhao Luli¡¯s lethal point. Suddenly his face was deathly pale, his thin lips were tightly pursed, and the shame and embarrassment between his eyebrows could not be concealed. Guan Yunqi was satisfied now, and asked the servant to replenish her cup and took a sip. As one of the founders of the country, and the former right-hand man of Emperor Sheng Yuan, why was it that other people were in power, rich and noble, but he alone stayed behind closed door and kept away from the court? One tiny clue revealed general trends, if it said that there was no gap between the two ruler and minister, Guan Yunqi would never believe it.


    After entering Minister of Ceremonies office, he gradually stood on his heels, and also inquired thoroughly about the mystery behind the marriage decree. It turned out that the emperor intended to admit his daughter into the palace, but Zhao Luli took advantage of his former friendship to intercept his daughter halfway. Guan Yunqi did not feel dissatisfied with him when he learned about this incident, and was even a little grateful. The palace hides dirt and grime, it was an extremely dangerous place. How could he let his daughter jump into the fire pit? No amount of honor could compare to the happiness of his daughter¡¯s life. Since Zhao Luli was so sincere, he would definitely treat her kindly in the future.


    However, it was a conjecture after all. When he saw his daughter whose temperament had become sharp and cold, he realized that perhaps the Marquis Mansion was also a fire pit, but at this time there was no way out, and the marriage given by the emperor could not be easily reconciled.


    At this moment, Zhao Luli wished that he could turn into a green smoke and disappear directly in front of the Guan¡¯s family, so he didn¡¯t have to suffer such humiliation. The person he hated the most was Huo Shengzhe, and the person he feared most was also Huo Shengzhe. It was only after the marriage that he vaguely heard that Guan Suyi was originally a Zhaoyi appointed by Huo Shengzhe, position comparable to vice empress. Snatching Guan Suyi from his palm, Zhao Luli inevitably felt a little secret indulgence, but those indulgence were washed away by these terrible rumors.


    If Huo Shengzhe learned that he was pulling the emperor benevolence¡¯s mighty tiger skin to suppress Guan¡¯s family, he would definitely show his most disgusting smile. He could already imagine how he despised himself in his heart, and then ran to Ganquan Palace to force Ye Zhen to see the nature of his cowardice and incompetence.


    So this matter must be clarified, and it must be eliminated from the source! After thinking about it, Zhao Luli was about to beg forgiveness, but was interrupted by Old Master Guan who waved his hand, ¡°No need to explain. They all say that when the family is unified, the country is governed, and the world is peaceful. You don¡¯t even have unified house, so why take on the heavy responsibility of the court? After you return, clean up your house, don¡¯t make a joke outside.¡± He then looked at his granddaughter again, and said warmly, ¡°Take down the picture hanging in my study and take it back. Take it as a warning in the future.¡±


    Guan Suyi obediently agreed, got up to get the calligraphy, and showed it to Zhao Luli when she came back, only to see five characters written in wild cursive on it ¨C Know Your Shame Then Be Brave.


    The Old Master Guan was indeed not good with words, so he didn¡¯t speak to his grandson-in-law, but this picture and the implicit meaning behind them were a fatal blow to Zhao Luli. He thought, in the next three years, no, maybe five years, he would have no face to go to the gate of the Guan family again.


    After a round of beating, Zhao Luli was finally able to take his new wife home. In front of Guan¡¯s family, he helped his wife into the carriage very considerately, but when he entered the carriage he hid his hands in his sleeves and rubbed it secretly. Guan Suyi sat down opposite him, took out a veil, and wiped the touched wrist over and over again, and finally put on the pungent safflower oil.


    Seeing Zhao Luli¡¯s surprised expression, she smiled slightly, ¡°Sorry, I have a sanitary disease, and it is very serious.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Facing Guan shi, Zhao Luli felt very weak.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t mind making him even weaker, and said frankly, ¡°I was deliberately make it clear at the family banquet before. Although my Guan family is a poor family, but we are family of farming and reading heirloms, we have no less knowledge than your wealthy family. Since young I have followed my grandfather throughout the twelve states of the country, preached Confucianism everywhere, and when a little older I was sent to my maternal grandparent, studied history with my grandmother, and also learned agriculture from my grandfather. If you really take me seriously, you should know, ¡°Zuo Shi Biography¡± was written by my grandmother, and now the widely circulated book ¡°The Farmer¡± is the painstaking work of my grandfather. I¡¯m never ashamed of my birth, on the contrary, I am very proud. Because the knowledge they taught me and the principles of how to conduct in society allows me to face anyone without fear.¡± Even in her previous life, she never felt that she was humble. The reason she endured all kinds of misunderstandings and censure was just because she was grateful for the Zhao family¡¯s assistance to the Guan family.


    The kindness of the previous life had been paid off, and there was no need to bear it in this life.


    Zhao Luli had never realize his wife¡¯s family background, and was surprised when he heard those words. The three surnames of Zuo, Zhong, and Guan may be very common, but if history, agriculture, and Confucianism were involved, everyone would instantly realize that three masters were referred by these three surnames. Zuo Dingxiang, Zhong Chuanbo, and Guan Qiguang, these three were the top three of the top ten literary giants, they were indeed like thunder piercing the ear. No wonder Huo Shengzhe wanted to accept her as Zhaoyi, the root cause were actually here.


    Zhao Luli suddenly understood, finally came back to his sense. How could Guan Suyi, who was brought up by three literary magnates, be deceived by such bad rumors? She just embarrassed him on purpose!


    ¡°Yes, I deliberately embarrassed you.¡± Guan Suyi admitted openly, took off the silver hairpin on her head, poked a roll of charcoal in the small incense burner, and said casually, ¡°It¡¯s better for me to embarrass you than if His Majesty embarrass you. You fought everywhere with him, you should know what is the most frightening army of the Jiuli tribe.¡±


    ¡°Scout army.¡± Zhao Luli uttered two words with difficulty.


    ¡°So you still remember.¡± Guan Suyi wiped the gray stains on the silver hairpin with a veil, there were waves in her eyes, but her tone was light. ¡°The scouts are everywhere, and the entire Wei is in His Majesty¡¯s eyes and ears, not to mention a small Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. I don¡¯t know the dispute between you two monarch and minister, but I know that a military commander who has lost the trust of the emperor must have no shortage of scouts in his mansion. With one sentence you let my father get the position of the head of the Nine Ministers and let my grandfather become the emperor¡¯s teacher, who do you think you are? Who do you think His Majesty is? Is he a puppet that you can control at will? Maybe His Majesty will not care about you, but is it a glorious thing to end up with the impression of deceiving the world and ridiculous self-importance? Even the late emperor and empress dowager cannot control His Majesty¡¯s will. Which great gods of Marquis Zhenbei¡¯s memorial tablet have you rely on?¡±


    Relied on the cap on his head, but the emperor wouldn¡¯t blindly indulge Marquis Zhenbei, because after all, he was the overlord of the Central Plains. Guan Suyi shook her head secretly, saying that apart from her father, grandfather, and maternal grandfather, men in the world really don¡¯t have a single good thing.


    ¡°Stop talking! Don¡¯t say these things in the future! I beg you!¡± Zhao Luli showed shame. He knew Huo Shengzhe¡¯s suspicious and cold temperament better than anyone. But compared with his suspicion and suppression, he couldn¡¯t bear to be despised by him. He had already lost, but he didn¡¯t want to lose too unsightly.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t talk, can this be regarded as not happening?¡± Guan Suyi finally looked him in the eye, ¡°Of course I can suppress the rumors. But I came from a poor family, how can the servants of the Marquis Mansion really respect me? Complying on the surface, but it¡¯s unknown what will be passed on behind the back. Now the world has just been settled, the government is not stable, so many eyes are staring at the Marquis Mansion. The one who start the rumor want to see the jokes of my Guan¡¯s family, but they don¡¯t know that they have turned the Marquis Mansion into a big joke instead. You have to figure out how to solve this problem yourself. I know that you pretended to be drunk on the night of the wedding, and that you deliberately avoided me. You have unresolved heart, and I can wait. Since l have already married into the Marquis Mansion, I will live with you, but only if you respect me and trust me. I, Guan Suyi, also have lofty and unyielding character, can¡¯t tolerate slander and trampling.¡±


    Even after the speech over, Zhao Luli had no temper, instead he was attracted by his wife¡¯s firm and deep eyes. In his impression, his wife was gentle, elegant, and quiet. It could be said that she was a person with no sense of existence. However, now she had become so vivid and fierce, showing her extraordinary person. It made Zhao Luli, who was used to seeing humble and weak women, was greatly shocked. She is willing to wait for him, and willing to face the problems of Marquis Mansion with him, and even more willing to talk frankly and openly. This is good, really good.

 CH 13

    Chapter 13 Investigate


    After a cordial conversation with his wife, Zhao Luli¡¯s impression of her changed drastically. Although he was still a little wary, he also appreciated her a lot and his guilt was increasing inside. He sent the people back to the main house, immediately sent the housekeeper to investigate the source of the rumors secretly, and then hid in the study for introspection.


    Guan Suyi took off her gorgeous dress and wore only a plain cotton blouse, sitting lazily on a recliner drinking tea. It was unknown where Mingfang going, she was either in Zhao Chunxi¡¯s courtyard or wandering near the study. Minglan was the most honest, she was putting the cloth, jewelry, medicinal materials and other things that Zhong shi had sent into the trunk, and muttered, ¡°Golden nests and silver nests are not as good as our own doghouse. Only after entering the Marquis Mansion that I found out that it¡¯s still best at home. Miss, I really don¡¯t want to come back just now.¡±


    ¡°You think I want to go back to this ghost place?¡± Guan Suyi put down the tea cup and took out an unfinished embroidered purse from the sewing box to sew slowly.


    Minglan hesitated for a while and then said, ¡°Miss, just a few rumors, why would the old master and master be so angry? Know Your Shame Then Be Brave, I know this sentence, it¡¯s imply that lord marquis doesn¡¯t know how to be ashamed. I never expected the old master to curse people so badly, he doesn¡¯t even need to speak!¡±


    Guan Suyi twisted the silver needle and slowly stretched the thread. ¡°Those rumors are just trivial things. My grandfather and father were angry at marquis mansion for trampling on me. Of course, they have to beat him vigorously, to avoid me unable to straighten my waist. What you don¡¯t know is that there are some crucial point in this, but I can¡¯t explain it to you. You only need to know that Marquis Zhenbei has no friendship with the emperor, moreover there is still a conflict. He pulled the emperor¡¯s banner to press down on Guan family, saying that father and grandfather¡¯s official positions were obtained by him, he won¡¯t care if it spread to the other people¡¯s ears, but if it¡¯s reach the emperor¡¯s ears, it¡¯s equivalent to scalping his face off and stepping on it.¡±


    She smoothed the silk cloth with her white fingertips, and smiled, ¡°You said, if I take your face off, will it hurt? Will it be painful? Wouldn¡¯t you want to die?¡±


    ¡°It hurts! It¡¯s painful! I think I want to die!¡± Minglan covered her face and nodded in fear.


    ¡°So I frightened him casually, and he was scared. You wait, whoever dares to chew their tongue behind my back in the future, no need for me to do anything, they will be fiercely crushed. I don¡¯t come to Zhao¡¯s house to fight this or that, I¡¯m here to live a good life. Someone rushed over to become my gunman, why wouldn¡¯t I use it?¡± Of course, her simple life only included Minglan and her relatives, but not the Zhao family.


    ¡°Will the rumors really reach the emperor¡¯s ears?¡± Minglan asked cautiously, then walked to the window and looked around, like a thief.


    ¡°Silly girl, who do you think Zhao Luli is? Is he worth the emperor¡¯s concern? There must be one or two scouts. Not only the Marquis Mansion, but also in other noble families, and even the royal family members. But the emperor has ten thousand things to do everyday, how can he have the time to pay attention to this. As long as the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion does not commit rebellion or intends to rebel, he will not be interested with other things. Zhao Luli, this living turtle, takes himself too seriously. I don¡¯t know what he was thinking to make him scared like that.¡± If the emperor took the wife of fierce general, capable official, or a powerful prince, he might bother to kill that person so as not to leave troubles, but Zhao Luli this dull and silent wimp, he couldn¡¯t bother to look him!


    Guan Suyi concealed these last sentence in her heart and did not dare to say it, fearing this little girl Minglan, could not hold back, and cause trouble. The source of the rumors, without checking she already knew who was the ghost, except for Zhao Chunxi, no one could come up with such a childish and clumsy trick.


    It seemed that she had two purposes. One was to deceive herself, let her feel gratitude and awe towards the Marquis Mansion, in the future would be easily controlled; second, when she was in fear and embarrassment, Zhao Chunxi would stand up and stop this unhealthy trend, and sold personal affection to her. The red face and white face, she sang all herself. To be so sly at a young age, she really had her mother¡¯s demeanor.


    When she was thinking about it, Mingfang¡¯s affectionate voice came from outside, ¡°Oh, eldest miss is here, please come in! This servant has just boiled a warming soup, I will bring it for you.¡±


    Minglan rolled her eyes and muttered softly. Said, ¡°Miss, you have been back for a long time, but she didn¡¯t say that she is boiling a warming soup in the kitchen.¡±


    Guan Suyi raised her index finger against her lips, and her slightly raised eyebrows were full of playful smiles.


    Zhao Chunxi walked in slowly with the support of two girls, her face still ill, looking very weak. Minglan hurriedly let her sit on the warm Kang bed. Guan Suyi pulled the quilt to cover her cold legs, and scolded, ¡°It¡¯s cold day, why don¡¯t you lie down and instead run around all over the place? If there is something, just let the maid make the journey to me.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi put on a shameful face, wanted to say something but hesitate, and after a while said softly and quietly, ¡°I, I¡¯m here to make amends to mother, so how can I let people below do it for me? Mother has already heard the news, right? The servant who passed it on is not good, and I¡¯m really ashamed when I heard it¡­¡± After roughly telling the rumors, she went down from the kang bed and knelt down. Fortunately, she was pulled up by Minglan, who had quick-eyes and fast hand, and pressed her on the kang bed. She had no choice but to apologized, ¡°Mother doesn¡¯t need to be anxious, I have suppressed the rumors. Whoever dare to make irresponsible remarks in the future, I will never tolerate them in Marquis Zhenbei Mansion.¡±


    In the future? In other words, forget it this time? Suppress the rumors you made, and the servants involved won¡¯t be given fart, perhaps even won a lot of rewards, then you sell this bitter master¡¯s front to me, it¡¯s rare to be so shameless at such a young age. Guan Suyi replied while slandering in her heart, ¡°Originally it¡¯s like this. Your father has also heard about it, and now he is investigating it. Punish that should be punished, beat that should be beaten, sale that should be sold, whoever commits the crime will be held responsible. I don¡¯t need you to make amends. Moreover, your father has personally confessed to my grandfather and father before. Family members speak frankly with each other, you don¡¯t have to always take troubles to heart.¡±


    Guan Suyi touched Zhao Chunxi¡¯s head, softly comforting, ¡°Don¡¯t take care of these things, just take care of your health.¡±


    Guan family already knows? Zhao Chunxi¡¯s heart skip a beat, and her face instantly turned pale. The Guan family¡¯s father and son were the benchmarks set up by the emperor to promote Confucianism, and their official positions had nothing to do with the Zhao family. Originally, this rumor was meant to passed to Guan Suyi alone, and it was enough to frighten her, but didn¡¯t expect it to be passed on to the Guan family. How ashamed was her dad?


    After thinking about the fact that her dad had sent someone to investigate this matter, Zhao Chunxi wanted to reverse the matter immediately, but she was afraid of showing her tracks, for a while she was like sitting on pins and needles. Fortunately, her two senior maids were very clever and hurried away looking for an excuse.


    ¡°It¡¯s good if mother doesn¡¯t blame.¡± Zhao Chunxi endured and forbeared as if she was really grateful. ¡°When I saw you that day, I immediately felt very close, as if I had known you in my previous life. Then I asked my daddy and said that I want you to do be my mother. Daddy also likes you very much. In order to give you a beautiful wedding, he specially asked the emperor for a marriage imperial decree¡­¡±


    These remarks were undoubtedly for gaining favor, and intended to tell Guan Suyi: ¡®You can get married by the emperor¡¯s decree and become the mistress of the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, it¡¯s all the thanks to me, Zhao Chunxi¡¯. It was baffling where the other person¡¯s self-confidence came from. It was true that a lot of women in Wei wanted to marry Zhao Luli. He was indeed handsome and talented, and in the eyes of others, he was like a beautiful jade, but in Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes, he was a turtle with green head.


    In the previous life, if she hadn¡¯t been confused by Zhao Luli¡¯s pretentious appearance, how could she fall for a lifetime? People and turtle were not the same race at all, and they have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Interrupting Zhao Chunxi¡¯s enthusiasm, Guan Suyi curled her eyebrows and said, ¡°I said how can I marry into Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. It turns out the two of you father and daughter insisted on it. My grandfather is the emperor¡¯s teacher, and my father is Chief Minister of Ceremonies, in terms of family background, I am no worse than di young lady of the prime minister¡¯s mansion. Why she can enter the palace to be an imperial concubine, but I can only be a small Madam Marquis?¡±


    Zhao Chunxi was dumbfounded. She didn¡¯t expect the other party to react like this. When she was about to explain, she heard her say, ¡°No matter, marrying a chicken follow the chicken, marrying a dog follow the dog. Since I already missed it for the second half of my life, I can only admit my fate. You go back first, I want to stay alone.¡± The tone was full of disgust and helplessness.


    Zhao Chunxi was extremely angry, if she was not good at maintaining outer appearance, her facial features would probably already deformed. She originally thought that this person would be infatuated with her dad like other girls, but not only she was not infatuated, but also disliked it. Chicken, dog, she really a beast to compare her dad with animals! But she was right, compared with the position of imperial concubine, Madam Marquis was really nothing.


    Farming and reading heirlooms, noble conduct, not coveting fame and fortune, bah! All were lies! Zhao Chunxi bid farewell politely, went out of the main house, cursed the other person in her heart, and then thought of her mother in the palace, which made her even more frustrated. The Marquis Zhenbei Mansion had fallen, and this realization came to mind so clearly that her straight back was slowly bend down. In a short time, she dared not come to the main house again, so as not to be slapped in the face by that poor woman.


    When people walked far away, Minglan said in a low voice, ¡°Miss, you really want to be a concubine in the palace?¡±


    ¡°I deliberately used that words to stop her, so that she won¡¯t always thinking that Marquis Zhenbei Mansion is so honorable, noble, and superior.¡± Guan Suyi pointed to the embroidered stool where Zhao Chunxi had been sitting, and said, ¡°Clean it with boiling water. It¡¯s very dirty.¡±


    Minglan hurriedly brought the boiling water, and said while pouring, ¡°Miss, you are not afraid that Zhao Chunxi will run to tell lord marquis? You now are Madam Zhao after all. It¡¯s unpleasant to say that you want to enter the palace, right?¡±


    ¡°So what? Silly girl, I said I want to wait for Zhao Luli to live with him, do you believe it? I never thought of entering the palace as a concubine, but I hate them for coming to disturb the new life I finally got. In the future, whenever they make me feel a little bit more uncomfortable, and I will make them ten thousand times worse, it¡¯s quite interesting for us to play around like this.¡± Guan Suyi smiled as if thinking of something.


    Minglan was full of doubts, and she didn¡¯t understand where the deep hatred between miss and the Marquis Mansion came from. But she had always been honest, and only wiped the embroidered stool clean and bright, so she sat obediently on the footsteps to help her mistress fill the soles of her shoes, didn¡¯t dare to ask more.


    The ground dragon was burning in the room, and the heat quickly evaporated the water gathered in the cracks of the bricks. The two masters and servant, one was reading a book and the other doing needlework, and without knowing it more than an hour has passed. Suddenly, messy footsteps came from outside the courtyard, and immediately Zhao Chunxi¡¯s maid, Hexiang, could be heard shouting, ¡°Madam is not good, lord marquis wants to use family law to the young master, please go and persuade! This is also because of you and still need you to go help resolve it!¡±


    Was this the result of investigating Zhao Wangshu¡¯s head? Guan Suyi closed the book, stretched it flat, and pressed it under the pillow, by no means in a hurry to change her clothes and put on her shoes. Hexiang was anxious, but she didn¡¯t dare to urge too much. She finally understood, how could this new madam looked like a poor girl, her arrogance were bigger than anyone else!

 CH 14

    Chapter 14 Beating


    Before Guan Suyi entered the main courtyard, she heard the sound of ghost crying and wolf howling, especially Zhao Wangshu was the most noisy, yelling dad and mom non-stop, the sounds seemed very angry.


    ¡°Mother, you are here, please help intercede for my brother! Daddy is going to kill him!¡± Zhao Chunxi stood in the corridor waiting anxiously, and seeing the late master and servant group, she hurriedly greeted and pulled her over. Although she blocked the mouths of her servants and told them not to betray her, but her exasperated brother was so brainless that he went straight to the study to file a complaint with their father, saying that he want him to divorce Guan shi, and asked him to hold off the Guan family¡¯s father and son¡¯s official position. What do you mean by this? No wonder Daddy is furious.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry, let¡¯s talk about what¡¯s going on first. There must be a reason to move the family law, right?¡± Guan Suyi walked into the main hall and saw Zhao Wangshu kneeling on the ground under the pressure of two guards, while Zhao Luli held a rattan cane and drew it on his back, his expression very annoyed. The old madam couldn¡¯t persuade him, she could only sit aside and wipe her tears.


    Where did Zhao Chunxi dare to tell the truth, she was stammering, and Guan Suyi smiled lightly, ¡°Without you telling I also know, it¡¯s nothing more than telling your father to divorce me, and to take down my grandfather and father¡¯s official positions.¡±


    ¡°How do you know? ¡°¡± Zhao Chunxi was still young, so she was easily swindled out of the truth.


    ¡°He dared to say this in front of me yesterday, how can I not guess?¡± Guan Suyi walked to the old madam and stood still.


    When Sun shi saw her daughter-in-law coming, she couldn¡¯t help but overjoyed, and said hurriedly, ¡°Go and stop lord marquis, hurry! Any more hits will hurt Wangshu¡¯s body!¡±


    ¡°Mother don¡¯t be anxious, I still haven¡¯t figured out what happened yet.¡± Guan Suyi pressed the old madam¡¯s thin shoulders.


    Sun shi was also stubborn, not daring to tell the truth, and only scolded, ¡°I told you to stop him, why do you asked so much? You are now the mistress of marquis mansion, and it¡¯s your duty to take care of your stepson. Seeing lord marquis beating your child, you don¡¯t try to persuade him, instead you stand aside and watch the show. Do you want lord marquis to beat your stepson to death so can make way for your own child? Is this the upbringing of your Guan family? Don¡¯t you afraid to end up with the reputation of being selfish and vicious, ruining the reputation your grandfather worked so hard to build.¡±


    As long as it involved Zhao Wangshu, the old madam would become harsh and sharp. Guan Suyi had heard similar accusations countless times in her previous life. Carrying the infamy of treating her stepson harshly, she tried her best to train Zhao Wangshu to become a talent. In exchange, there was no gratitude, only misunderstandings. However, she never explained, because she thought one day, when Zhao Wangshu won top marks in the imperial examinations, everyone would understand her painstaking efforts. However, that day was never realized after all, because even Zhao Wangshu could not understand her, even secretly hated her in his heart.


    Well, she didn¡¯t care about anything in this life. Thinking of this, Guan Suyi sat down directly next to the old madam, and slowly said, ¡°I heard some news before I came. This one beating is something he deserve , and I won¡¯t persuade it.¡±


    The old madam was furious. Pointing to her daughter-in-law, and to her more ruthless son, she shouted, ¡°Come here, quickly pull lord marquis away, quickly pull away!¡± But the servants in the front yard who executed the family law only listened to Zhao Luli. How could they dare to act rashly if one order the other.


    Zhao Wangshu cried out of breath, and sobbed, ¡°Mom, this son will go down to accompany you, and ask you to take a good look at how cruel Zhao Luli is! They said that if you have a stepmother, you will have a stepdad, it¡¯s true. He shed tears at your portrait yesterday, and today he is able to beat his son to death for the new wife. Mom, if you know it under the spring, please reincarnate as soon as possible. Don¡¯t wait for this wolf-hearted person!¡±


    They deserves to be a pair of sons and daughters raised under by Zhao Luli¡¯s extreme pamper, really understood where his weakness lies. These words pierced into his heart like a needle. He raised his hand high, but finally failed to hit it. After a few breaths, he suddenly threw the cane away and said dumbly, ¡°Bring the young master back and take my card to ask for imperial physician.¡±


    A group of servants hurriedly carried Zhao Wangshu down. Zhao Chunxi breathed a sigh of relief, rolling her eyes, and suddenly said with a sobbing voice, ¡°Mother, you don¡¯t say anything when my brother is beaten, you really want to see dad beat him to dead? I, I really misunderstood you at the beginning, you are so cruel!¡± After she finished she also glared at Zhao Luli, then lift her skirt and chased out.


    Zhao Luli was already broken by his son¡¯s wailing accusation, and now his daughter¡¯s eyes that was full of resentment has cut him deeply, causing pain for a while. He staggeredly sat in the chair, and saw Guan Suyi who was sitting on the sideline with indifferent expression, he felt a sense of disgust for no reason. If he had known that this person was so cold-hearted and cold-lung, he wouldn¡¯t have agreed with the crying of his children at the beginning. In this world how could there be a stepmother who would truly consider her stepchildren? He hated himself for being muddle-headed and vented the humiliation he experienced in the Guan family on his son. It shouldn¡¯t be! Really shouldn¡¯t be! If Zhen¡¯er know, she will definitely blame him even more, right?


    The more Zhao Luli thought about it, the harder it was to calmed his mind. Originally, developed a little bit of dislike towards Guan Suyi, but later actually saw her as an enemy. He looked straight at her, his face twisted with anger, looking extremely terrible.


    Although the old madam was anxious to see her grandson, she didn¡¯t want to let go of Guan shi so easily, and hissed, ¡°Return the account books, keys, and the matching cards that I gave to you a few days ago. I dare not let you take care of this house. It¡¯s unknown whether Wangshu will be killed by you one day.¡±


    This was really damning. Minglan and Mingfang¡¯s expressions changed drastically, but Guan Suyi was still sitting still like a mountain, then spoke word by word. ¡°Do you two think that this beating is wrong? Not afraid to let people laugh, my grandfather stuttered when he was young. To correct it, he chanted the scriptures while sucking stones every day, so his lips and tongue ulcerated to the point that even eating and drinking was difficult, but he refused to give up and became a literary giant like today. My father traveled with him to preach Confucianism since he was a child. He encountered numerous difficulties and went through life and death dangers, and eventually became a Confucian scholar. Not only them, but I didn¡¯t suffer less when I was young. Take a look at my hand, how thick the calluses from the grinding when practicing calligraphy. Because I am a woman, I may not have enough strength when writing with the brush, so my father tied a sandbag to my wrist to practice. From half a catty at the age of five, slowly increased to four catties now. The knot worn through my skin layer by layer, and there are still scars that are difficult to eliminate, which finally made me practice a good calligraphy that is three points into the woods and iron painting, silver hooks. In those year, our family traveled to Mohe to spread Confucianism. To prevent me from dying prematurely because of the severe cold, my mother would take off my robe every day and let me run in the heavy snow with only a single coat, and forced me to into the icy river and dive, the feeling of freezing into the bone marrow, can any of you imagine? It¡¯s true that she is my biological mother connected by blood, but why did she treat me like this, you say? Was she trying to kill me?¡±


    There was silence in the hall, and even the old madam was dumbfounded. Never expected the Guan family¡¯s learning was so strict.


    Guan Suyi put down her sleeves, concealed the scars and thick calluses on her wrists and knuckles, and said slowly, ¡°Because they good to me, they could especially very strict. I can recite the ¡®Warring States Policy¡¯ when I was three years old, write essay sat the age of six, and at the age of ten, assisted my grandfather in teaching disciples older than myself. We in Guan family know what benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom, faithfulness, filial piety and fraternal duties, even more knowledgeable of how to restrain ourselves and return to the rites, also distinguish right from wrong. On the other hand, Wangshu, at the age of ten, how many characters does he know? How many essay can he write? How proficient he is at Six Arts of Nobleman? Does he understand the political situation?¡±


    In the early years, Zhao Luli was fighting outside and had no time to educate his children. The old madam always blindly indulged and pampered. He was now around ten years old, don¡¯t say writing essay, even the simplest characters couldn¡¯t recognized all. If Guan Suyi didn¡¯t ask, they wouldn¡¯t even notice that something was wrong. With this questions, they really wished to drill themselves to the ground.


    Wangshu was not even a good tool! The two overbearing people were now ashamed and depressed, and there was a faint feeling of anxiety in their hearts.


    However, Guan Suyi¡¯s next words were like a wake up call, which made them awakened and empowered, ¡°His Majesty wants to use the imperial examination to select officials. After a long time, it will replace the nine-rank Zhongzheng system. If there is no solid learning, it will be difficult for Wang Shu to be put in a high position in the future. And you don¡¯t have to hold on to your face, anyone can see that now Marquis Zhenbei has no friendship with His Majesty, on the contrary, there is quite a disagreement. Therefore, Wangshu¡¯s situation is even more embarrassing. Without knowledge, if he is honest, responsible, and respectable, perhaps still be able to stand up to the title of Marquis Zhenbei and grow old safely. But look at him now, arrogant, stubborn, blabbing his mouth, unfaithful, unfilial, rebellious, and even dare saying to take off the emperor¡¯s teacher and chief minister of ceremonies position so easily. Who gave him the confidence? Does he thought you, Zhao Luli, can replace the emperor? Perhaps most people will not care about a child, but are you sure that Marquis Zhenbei Mansion don¡¯t have any enemy outside? Don¡¯t have any scout placed by others? They will not using this as pretext to impeach the Zhao family? As the saying goes, the heavenly power is unpredictable, the emperor can tolerate you for a while, not necessarily for the rest of your life. With some discord, maybe someday it will become a thorn in his heart, impossible not to be pull out. Since you are in a grave situation, shouldn¡¯t you be low-key and humble? Now that Wangshu is still young, he can use the excuse of ¡®young and ignorant¡¯ to be careless. But wait for him to grow up, if he cause trouble again, I¡¯m afraid it will become a disaster.¡±


    Zhao Luli and the old madam felt overwhelmed by these words, their hearts and souls were lost. Wangshu was the son of Ye Zhen and Zhao Luli. The emperor doted on her so much, but could he have a good opinion on Wangshu? When Ye Zhen gave birth to a prince, in order to maintain the royal lineage and face, it was not be impossible for him to find excuses to harm Wangshu. Now he blabbered his mouth everywhere and didn¡¯t understand everything. Wasn¡¯t it like he had braids all over his head and asked people to yank it?


    Thinking of this, the two were already sweating profusely.


    Guan Suyi smiled and continued, ¡°You say I am cruel, but I don¡¯t know if I am really cruel. I should have stopped lord marquis early on, so Wangshu can¡¯t remember this lesson, and can¡¯t remember what it means to be cautious in words and deeds. I will spoil him blindly, indulge him, give him the most money, the most beautiful maid, the most slick servant, and the greatest freedom. He doesn¡¯t like to read, so I will help him skip school. If you want to teach him, I will stand up and defend him. If he spend his time drinking and seeking pleasure outside, not only I will not discourage him, but I will also help conceal it. Sooner or later I will train him into an ignorant and arrogant dude. Wait until he cause disaster, wouldn¡¯t it be great if I stab him to the end? Don¡¯t think I¡¯m unpleasant, my family¡¯s education is like this. If have something to say then say it, if have something to do then work on it, always straightforward. I am sincere to Wangshu and the marquis mansion, and I consider all of you have trust in me, if you don¡¯t appreciate it, then forget it. But I still have one more thing to say, ten years old is not young, it is time to be properly educated.¡± After the words fell she bowed and walked away.


    Zhao Luli and the old madam thought for a long time, and they both sighed. They now were not thinking that Guan shi was selfish and vicious, on the contrary felt that the beating had a strong start but weak finish, and Wang Shu might not be able to bear the lesson, so they inevitably felt anxious.

 CH 15

    Chapter 15 Unfilial Son


    Guan Suyi went back to the main house after watching the play. In the cold weather, she didn¡¯t want to go and invited the snub, so she only ordered Mingfang to bring a few sticks of sore medicine to Jingzhe Tower to visit the young master. Mingfang thought that Zhao Luli was also there, and left happily holding the brocade box.


    ¡°Look at her frivolous appearance, even I can see it, and I thought you didn¡¯t know anything, miss.¡± Minglan spit at her swaying hips from the back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. Mingfang is a clever person who knows how to make progress. I will find a good future for her in a few days.¡± Guan Suyi held a small pair of scissors in her hand, slowly trimming a few red plums branches, and inserting them into the vase one by one in the correct position. Anyhow, the days in the Marquis Mansion were not at all sad. There were good shows to watch, and there were clean courtyards and groups of servants, which much more comfortable than being a nun.


    ¡°Miss, do you want to promote her as a concubine? Be careful of nurturing tigers, invites calamity!¡± Minglan frowned, tried to dissuade her.


    ¡°With today mess, I manage to fool the old madam and Zhao Luli over there, but don¡¯t forget that there is still Ye family. Just a few days after I walked in, I persuaded Lord marquis to beat his di son. How could the Ye family be willing to just let it go? Although their official position is not prominent, there is still Jieyu niangniang in the palace. They won¡¯t openly try to rip the Guan family¡¯s face, but it¡¯s easy to add some blockage for me. I assume in a few days, Madam Ye will come and persuade Zhao Luli to accept Ye family¡¯s shu daughter as a concubine. After all, she is a real aunt, which is much more reliable than an outsider like me.¡± After arranging a vase of red plum, Guan Suyi slowly cleaned up the fine branches and leaves on the table, her eyes a little empty.


    ¡°Ah? Lord marquis has just been married to you and take a concubine so soon, won¡¯t it embarrass you in public?¡± Guan family¡¯s father and son never accept a concubine, so Minglan looked extremely surprised. Only then that she understood why her miss could not have a sense of belonging in the Marquis Mansion. Compared with the simple and beautiful Guan house, this place was just a fire pit!


    ¡°Were men who take concubine after marrying a wife for several days can be count as few? Look at the merchant named Li in the east of the city. On the day he married his wife, he brought in three small pink sedan chairs. Others just sighed and called him romantic. This world respects men, who will sympathize with women and protect women? We are powerless to resist, we can only find joy in sorrows, that¡¯s all. If Zhao Luli agrees to the request of the Ye family, I will just help him find a few more and carry it together, let them enter the door together to make it lively.¡± The tabletop was cleaned, the vase was placed by the window, Guan Suyi untied her belt and was ready to go to bed, with no sorrow on her face.


    Minglan very carefully served her to lie down, in her heart pray that Miss  didn¡¯t like lord marquis, so she wouldn¡¯t be bruised all over her body if she couldn¡¯t move his heart. It turns out that it was such a difficult thing to marry into a high gate. It¡¯s better to find an honest farmer.


    The lights in the main house had been turned off, Zhao Luli and the old madam still reflected on themselves for a while before rushing to Jingzhe Tower. There were bright candles inside and outside the building, and there were more servants coming and going, in and out the building, holding basins, rags and other things in their hands, and a few people pour out the broken porcelain with a dustpan. It could be seen that the debacle was not light.


    Before the two approached, they heard Zhao Wangshu exasperated cursing, ¡°Guan shi that bitch, this old man will kill her, take out my machete¡±, and there was a loud noise of throwing things in between. The maidservants avoided the door one after another, but Zhao Chunxi stood by the bed and kept trying to persuade him not to get angry, and to be careful of the wound.


    Zhao Luli and the old madam, who had been frightened by Guan Suyi¡¯s words, couldn¡¯t avoid it anymore at this time. Ten-year-old children were no longer considered young, and those who were intelligent and outstanding had now beginning to show their signs, and on the battlefield the children of Jiuli tribe of this age could be found everywhere. On the other hand, Wangshu was no different from the bullies who wandered the street all day.


    ¡°Sinister! I originally pitied him because his mother died when he was little and just indulge him, but could he be spoiled to this extent. Now Yanjing has been designated as the capital of the country, and the current situation is not as good as before. If he run to cause troubles outside and offend someone who shouldn¡¯t be offended, even one fallen ridge beast tile can kill several imperial clan nobles. Who can protect him? Do you expect it to be that bitch? Chen Guang, your wife is right, Wangshu should really be properly taught, otherwise he will inevitably go on a crooked road.¡± The old madam¡¯s tone was depressed, her face was ashamed, as if she became ten years older overnight.


    Zhao Luli didn¡¯t bother to get angry with his mother at this moment, and quickly stepped into the inner room, sternly yelling, ¡°Unfilial son, you haven¡¯t eaten enough rattan whip, still want to add another fifty?¡±


    Zhao Wangshu was very afraid of his father. Seeing him came in, he stopped immediately. Zhao Chunxi hurriedly blocked in front of the bed and shouted, ¡°Daddy don¡¯t hit, brother is ignorant, if you have something to say him please tell him slowly.¡±


    ¡°He will be eleven after the new year, why is it still ignorant ?¡± Zhao Luli didn¡¯t care about his son¡¯s injury. Called a few young manservant and asked them how he performed in the clan school. Where did the little servant dare to tell the truth, and utterly praised the young master for being extremely clever, diligent and hardworking, and his future was boundless.


    Zhao Luli sneered when he heard it, and ordered the housekeeper to take his son¡¯s bookcase over and looked through it. There were knives, slingshots, woodcarvings, pastries, and other things, but the books were missing. He finally took out a crumpled ball of rice paper from the corner of the bottom, unfolded it, and almost vomited blood with anger. He saw on top written in crooked, unintelligible handwriting¡ªConfucius said: Study and learn from time to time, don¡¯t you say? Is it not joy to have friends come from afar? People who don¡¯t know don¡¯t feel hurt, not also a nobleman? People don¡¯t know but not stunned, it¡¯s not a gentleman. (From The Analects, let¡¯s paraphrase it: Confucius said ¡°I am very happy when I review and practice what I have learned on time. Isn¡¯t it also very happy to have friends from far away? Others don¡¯t understand me, but I don¡¯t get angry. A cultivated nobleman?¡±)


    There were total thirty characters, six were wrong, some strokes were too many, some too lazy to stroke so he directly use ink stick instead. How could this be a writing of a ten-years-old and half teenage boy? It was worse than a young child who was just getting started! Zhao Luli¡¯s anger rushed to the top of his head and make him dizzy; the old madam leaned over to take a look, and also gasping a few breaths anxiously before she manage to control it.


    ¡°Since you people are not good at serving the master, then you don¡¯t need to serve, all of you go home. People come, take the rattan cane, today I will hit this evil creature and let him admit his mistakes!¡± Zhao Luli rubbed the rice paper. Zhao Luli crumpled the rice paper and smashed it on the head of the little servant who knelt down and begged. A group of guards walked in, dragged the few people away, and on the way offered the hard rattan cane.


    Zhao Chunxi thought that her daddy would hate Guan shi after hearing what she said, and then rushed to apologize to her younger brother. Then she would cry again, pretending to say a few words for Guan shi magnanimously, daddy would become guilty, and even more distressed for her grievances. But the reality was contrary to what she wants, and her dad¡¯s temper had no sign of declining, clearly became more and more angry.


    What did that bitch Guan say to daddy? She cursed in her heart, but two lines of tears fell from the corner of her eyes, she hugged Zhao Luli¡¯s legs and knelt down, ¡°Daddy, please don¡¯t hit, Wangshu knows that he is wrong !¡±


    ¡°Where did he know that he was wrong?¡± Zhao Luli was afraid of hurting his daughter, still holding the cane and dare not move.


    Zhao Wangshu was a bully but afraid of hardship, so he hurriedly said, ¡°Daddy, I really know I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t insult Guan shi.¡± He felt aggrieved and cried, ¡°I just want a mother too much. Mother can play with me, take care of me, touch my forehead when I¡¯m sick, and pat my back when I¡¯m sleeping. I just want such a mother, but Guan shi refused to accompany me, she even disliked me and wanted to drive me away.¡±


    This was the truest desire in his heart, but even if Guan Suyi from the previous life fulfilled all of his hopes, he did not feel half grateful to her. That¡¯s why in this life she learned what a ¡°stone heart¡± really mean.


    But Zhao Luli and the old madam didn¡¯t have a stone heart. When they heard this, their anger disappeared into nothingness, also forgot to discipline him properly, their nose went sour, and both of them shed tears. Zhao Chunxi quickly grabbed the cane and threw it to the guard outside the house.


    Zhao Luli was very weak, and he muttered after thinking about it for a while, ¡°If you are obedient in the future, your mother will naturally love you. Today I will give you the bottom line, so that you won¡¯t end up in a big disaster in the future. Our Marquis Zhenbei Mansion is already dying, dad in this life unable to re-enter the court. What is the life of noble families who have the title but no power? You will understand by looking at the Prince Jin Mansion and Prince Cheng Mansion.¡±


    Prince Jin and Prince Cheng were imprisoned for conspiracy, and their lives were poor and destitute, treated as scumbags everywhere. Zhao Wangshu and a few playmates climbed across the wall of Prince Cheng Mansion, smashed Prince Shizi with stones, insulted him, spit on him, and humiliated him as much as possible, so he immediately felt as if it had happened to him. He said in disbelief, ¡°Da, daddy, our Marquis Zhenbei Manison won¡¯t be that bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Sooner or later. You just need to remember that my relationship with the emperor is not as close as the rumor says, it¡¯s all in the past. On the contrary, he now sees me as a thorn in the eye and a thorn in the flesh, and maybe one day he will try to get rid of me. And the Guan family is now in full glory, and in the imperial¡¯s heart. Don¡¯t even say me your daddy, even the emperor must be respectful and hold a disciple courtesy in front of Old Master Guan. Your future may have to rely on the support of Guan family, daddy is already powerless.¡±


    If it were not for Ye Zhen¡¯s mediation in the palace, Zhao Luli believed that he would have died hundreds of times. In order for the two children to get along well with Guan shi, and to make their lives safe and prosperous, Zhao Luli had to abandon his self-esteem and strip the most embarrassing truth before them.


    Seeing that his son was still unable to accept, he had no choice but to ask, ¡°You also the son of the Lord, is there anyone who wants to play with you on weekdays?¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t want.¡± Zhao Wangshu¡¯s face was as gray as death, as if he realized why he was always rejected by other noble children. He stopped making noise, slowly buried his head in the soft pillow, and started crying. Inferiority and fear swept through his heart instantly.


    Zhao Chunxi was wise very early, and naturally knew more than her younger brother. Even thought she was very unwilling, but she had to admit her daddy¡¯s incompetence and Guan family¡¯s power. That¡¯s why she recognized Ye Zhen as her family¡¯s backing, because she was her only help. She hated her father¡¯s cowardice, hated the old madam¡¯s partiality and heartlessness, and also hated Guan Suyi for looking down on people. But what can be done? With the Guan family climbing status, her identity suddenly became much more valuable, as evidenced by the successive invitations and greetings in recent days.


    As the so-called word forbearance puts a knife on its head, she would be able to enjoy her life after a while, and there would be a chance to clean up Guan shi sooner or later in the future. Thinking about this, Zhao Chunxi also softened.


    Seeing his children finally accepted the lesson, Zhao Luli hugged them and wept. Today, he skinned his face alive and threw his self-esteem on the ground, but if the children could grow up safely and healthily, everything was worth it.

 CH 16

    Chapter 16 First Rank


    The next day, Guan Suyi habitually woke up at the beginning of maoshi (5-7am), and like in the past, read poetry and classic records a hundred times, and then began to practice calligraphy.


    Half an hour later, the sun was rising and the sky was breaking. The stewards who had received the summons gradually arrived, ready to listen to the instructions of the new master, the so-called three fires when new officials takes office. Because the old madam had no intention to manage the household, they were often slack off. Waking up so early this morning, there were not a few people with sleepy eyes, yawned, and complained. As for those who were sincere and fearful, or had some reverence, there was actually no one.


    Most of the servants in the mansion believed the previous rumors. After all, they were just servants, not very knowledgeable, let alone broad-minded, they always thought that lord marquis was a great official, and even the emperor had to give him three-pointed face. They heard that the new madam came from a poor family, and that the Guan family¡¯s father and son entered the officialdom after she was confer the marriage to the Marquis Mansion. It showed clearly that she was in the light of lord marquis, so they looked down on her more and more.


    The new madam brought only two maid on the day she entered the door, and the sending off team was laughable. It could be seen how impoverished the Guan family was. Now that she manages a huge Marquis Mansion, could she handle it? Could she read the account book? Would she able to take care of the matching cards? Wouldn¡¯t those treasures in the storeroom blind her eyes? Thinking about this, several plump housekeepers snickered together, and several others rolled their eyes, looking very impatient.


    They had come for a long time, but the new madam just flipped through a book slowly and didn¡¯t say anything. What did she mean by this? Want to showed everyone a power play? Alright, let¡¯s stand with you. Anyway, the master didn¡¯t speak, and the servants couldn¡¯t talk freely. In the end, it depend on who was in a hurry.


    While thinking about it, a voice came from outside, saying that it was the eldest miss who came to pay respect to madam.


    The eldest miss come to pay respect to the new madam? Didn¡¯t yesterday she still point finger at the new madam and scold her for being cruel? Everyone was blanked at first, and then a little startled. Before they could think deeply, the person had already come in, her eye sockets were slightly red and swollen, her skin was pale from freezing, and looked very haggard.


    ¡°You are here. Sit down.¡± Guan Suyi put down the book and said lukewarmly. Whether it was for dowry or marriage, Zhao Chunxi had to come to the main house, she had long expected that from today onwards, the other would put aside her self-esteem and perform ¡®compassionate mother, filial daughter¡¯ with herself. This was also her old trick.


    Zhao Chunxi bent her knees to saluted then said with a sincere tone, ¡°Yesterday Xi¡¯er speak without scruples and said things that shouldn¡¯t be said. I hope mother will be magnanimous and don¡¯t care about Xi¡¯er. This set of head ornament is given to mother as an apology, please see if you like it?¡±


    The golden nanmu box was covered with a layer of black silk, when the morning light spread on it, it showed a maltose-like burnt yellow luster. In this burnt yellow halo lied a set of head ornament with flower jadeite, gold and silver filigree, and hanging beads. The green ones were like spring buds and the white ones were like dew in the middle of the night, and the golden light, silver light and morning light reflecting each other, which was so beautiful.


    Mingfang looked dumbfounded immediately, her face couldn¡¯t help showing a coveted look, and the stewards standing on both sides were curling their lips, cursing Guan family for being really poor, couldn¡¯t be put on stage. Minglan was also taken aback, afraid of embarrassing her master, she hung her head to cover it up. On the contrary, Guan Suyi was indifferent, only swiping the corner of her eye and drinking tea slowly.


    Zhao family was a convicted court official from previous dynasty. After being assigned to the frontiers, they took shelter with the Jiuli tribe and earn a marquis title, which had a bit of a foundation. But the Ye family was different. They had been engaged in business for generations and had low status. They traveled between various vassal states and nomadic tribes, and managed traveling brokerage business, making it difficult for the country to make money. They sold whatever the war needed. Food, herbs, horses, etc.. Until the establishment of the Wei, they had accumulated a huge amount of wealth. With money, they naturally wanted to have power and status, so Ye Zhen became Zhao Luli¡¯s wife.


    This set of head ornament was her dowry. In her previous life, Guan Suyi didn¡¯t know any of this and accepted the ¡°filial piety¡± of her stepdaughter. As a result she was greatly reprimanded by Zhao Luli, and accused for being greedy. In this life, she dare not receive anything from Zhao Chunxi.


    ¡°Take the gift back. I¡¯m unlikely to bother with a little girl.¡± Guan Suyi tapped the book that was place on the side, and said with a long sound, ¡°I just turned over ¡°Records of Noble Family¡±. It turns out that your Zhao family is not the di descendant of the Zhao family in Tianshui, or even the shu branch. He¡¯s just that a stablehand servant in Tianshui¡¯s Zhao family who fled to Lincheng during the war to survive, and borrowed the name of the Zhao family of Tianshui. He originally didn¡¯t have a surname, and have no noble blood. And your mother¡¯s Ye family¡­¡± At this point, she seemed to be afraid of getting her lips and tongue dirty, so she said ¡°Don¡¯t say it,¡± and then gently blew the edge of the cup.


    There was no abnormality on her face, but her every move showed strong contempt and despise, which made Zhao Chunxi, who had an extremely high self-esteem, very angry. The bunch of stewards were also captured by her graceful and stern bearing, and broke out a lot of cold sweats.


    At this period, the literate people were extremely rare, and books were more precious than precious stones and jade, even if people had silver, they couldn¡¯t buy it. ¡°Records of Noble Family¡± was an exquisite collection that everyone were flocking to. With it, ones could search for family roots, ask about their ancestors, and trace their origins. If one¡¯s own family was fortunate enough to be included in it, it would be a great honor, enough to engrave the relevant content on the inscription or seal, and pass it on from generation to generation.


    Nowadays, the wealth of noble families had been more or less consumed by the flames of war, but as long as ones enter their ancestral halls, they would surely see a copy of ¡°Records of Noble Family¡± enshrined in the most conspicuous position. When the old lord marquis was still alive, he had traveled to Tianshui and borrowed the copy of ¡°Records of Noble Family¡± from Zhao¡¯s own family, but he was severely ridiculed, and became seriously ill after he returned. When other people wanted to ask for more details, they were all dragged out and be given punishment by him. Even the old madam and lord marquis didn¡¯t clearly understand the reason, and when they tried to investigate, it provoked him to fly into rage, in the end they leaved it like that.


    Thinking about how during that time the old marquis made the Zhao¡¯s family so turbulent and the people very anxious, these stewards still remembered it clearly. When they looked at the new madam and the scrolls in her hand again, first, they were suddenly enlightened, and then they were in awe. It turned out that Zhao family was run-away slave, it¡¯s no wonder that the old marquis was ashamed to speak of it. Furthermore, ¡°Records of noble Family¡± was not something that anyone could get. If didn¡¯t have thousand years heritage, let alone nobility and prime minister, even the emperor might not see it. The new madam just casually threw it on the table, how confident is this?


    Zhao Chunxi¡¯s cheeks have turned from purple to blue to white, and she stubbornly resisted the desire to inquire about Ye family¡¯s roots, and smiled forcefully, ¡°Then which line of ancestors is you, mother?¡± If she had any background, how could she be so poor to the point of unable to afford a meal before?


    However, the world were in confusion, wars were raging everywhere, and families who couldn¡¯t afford to eat were many. She counted out more than ten after a little thought, but then swallowed the last sentence. Even if the children of Noble families were poor and begging for food, as long as they count the ancestor¡¯s tablets one by one, there were many people who would help, even treat them as guests. Their poverty was only superficial, but their dignity was destined in blood.


    Guan Suyi opened one of the pages and said slowly, ¡°The surname Guan originated from the Ji surname. During the period of Emperor Shun in ancient times, Dong¡¯s father raised the dragon for the emperor. He was very proficient in this way and the emperor was very pleased, therefore conferred him with surname Huan Long (Raise Dragon). Because of this, my surname was originally called Guan Long, but was later simplified as Guan. My grandfather¡¯s branch is a descendant of Guan Longfeng, the wise minister of Xia, who lived in Pingling to escape Xia Jie¡¯s imprisonment and killing. Now living in Yanjing, my Guan family is a literary noble family, and a virtuous minister.¡±


    She put ¡°Records of Noble Family¡± into the brocade box, and her conversation changed abruptly, ¡°So that you know that I, Guan Suyi, is indeed from a poor family, but not from a humble background. I didn¡¯t raise my body not because of inferiority, but because I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary. Usually I don¡¯t say anything, it doesn¡¯t mean that my eyes and ears are clogged, or that I am confused, or that I let you bully me. When it comes to bloodline, honor and power, there is no shortage in my Guan family, let alone comparing it to the declining Marquis Mansion. The emperor has been in throne for a year and a half, when did you see your lord marquis go to court¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡± Zhao Chunxi guessed that Guan Suyi would make a fuss about the discord between her daddy and the emperor again, so that everyone in the Marquis Mansion could see the reality clearly and thoroughly understand everything, so she couldn¡¯t help but interrupted sharply. Ever since Guan Suyi learned that marrying into Zhao Mansion was the result of her daddy¡¯s anxious begging, she had never stopped being disgusted with Marquis Mansion, and even lazy disguising it. She could stretch out her hand to beat her daddy, younger brother, and herself in the face. She could also open her mouth to pierce through the embarrassment of Marquis Mansion, leaving no room for others. The powerful methods were inconsistent with her soft appearance.


    It was so hateful that she was so acrid and mean, but daddy and the old madam were still indulging her, on the other hand Zhao Chunxi, the eldest miss who used to get whatever she wanted, was pressed down until she couldn¡¯t breathe. Last night she finally accepted the fact that the Marquis Mansion had fallen. Today, Guan Suyi would make all the servants understands the embarrassing situation of their master. This was really a ruthless trick! Worse because she peel the skins in public!


    Zhao Chunxi couldn¡¯t let her go on. She knelt on the ground and pleaded, ¡°Mother, last night brother was not filial and offended you. I also made a mistake in my words, so I will apologize to you. Now that you have married into the Marquis Mansion, we are one family. We supposed to help each other through thin and thick, and be of one heart and one mind. So why bother to say those foreign words that hurt each other¡¯s hearts? If anyone disrespecting you again in the future, daughter will not spare them!¡±


    Guan Suyi stared at her for a long time before waving her hand, ¡°Get up.¡± She actually didn¡¯t think that the promotion to a high official position were so great, nor did she think that the dignity in the blood could represent everything. But after experiencing a humble and dusty last life, she suddenly understood a truth ¨C if she wanted to live in the Marquis Mansion, she had to trample everyone under her feet, regardless if it was servants, stewards, or masters. As long as she showed a little humble attitude, they would humiliate her to their heart¡¯s content, as if by doing this they could get the greatest joy.


    To put it bluntly, the Marquis Mansion was sometimes as good as the Shura Field, and Guan Suyi didn¡¯t plan to entangle with these demons and monsters, so she had to put on a high posture to let these people understood, not to mention humiliating her, even her heel was not something they could touch.


    Seeing that the eldest miss was kneeling, the stewards also knelt down one after another. But there were still a few who held their seniority that barely straightened their backs, and seemed to be stubbornly resisting. But then an anxious voice of a maid could be heard from outside, ¡°Madam, someone has come from the palace. Please hurry up and take the order!¡±


    Guan Suyi did not panic, and led a group of people to the outside of the courtyard. Looking up at the sky, a third quarter of chenshi (7-9am), about the time when the officials go to court. This decree was probably requested by grandfather and father, it should be a good thing. Sure enough, the flattering little eunuch quickly issued the imperial decree, to the effect that His Majesty was grateful for the emperor teacher¡¯s enlightenment, while Guan shi was warm and chaste, diligent and gentle, virtuous and honest¡­ in fact she was an exemplary role model for women, so Guan shi was awarded the First Rank madam marquis¡¯ title.


    Zhao Luli and Sun shi also hurried over, and knelt down on the corridor, their expressions changed after listening to a long paragraph of praise. Because Ye Zhen hated Sun shi, at the beginning of the establishment of Wei, when the emperor conferred all the meritorious officials and their families, he left out the old madam of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion alone, which made everyone saw a joke. For this reason, Marquis Zhenbei Mansion had never walked with other Duke, Marquis, and Count Mansions, one, for fear of losing face and two, everyone would ignore them.


    Now, the new madam of Marquis Mansion finally got a first-rank title, which means that the womenfolk of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion could finally go out to socialize with their heads upright. How could it not be exciting? Sun shi almost fainted with joy, Zhao Luli was also very pleased, but Zhao Chunxi was happy and resentful that she didn¡¯t know how to react.


    Those arrogant stewards were already scared to death, wiping their sweat while thinking about how to curry favor with the newly-appointed First Rank Madam. As for being a ghost behind the back? Who has the guts now?

 CH 17

    Chapter 17 Clever Tongue


    A thick red seal was stuffed to the eunuch. Sun shi called her daughter-in-law to the main courtyard to speak. Except for Zhao Wangshu, who was in bed due to injury, the other masters also came. No matter what they thought, they all showed a happy appearance.


    Sun shi carefully stroked the red imperial court dress, and sighed, ¡°This patchwork is so exquisitely embroidered, it must look good on.¡± Zhao Chunxi stood by the side and looked at it silently, her eyes hid some envy, but also overflowed with longing and admiration. First-rank title, except for the imperial concubine, this was probably the highest reward that a woman of Wei could get. How could Guan Suyi get it?


    She wanted to tell herself that Guan Suyi get it because of her father¡¯s light, but she felt even more bitter when thinking of the old madam who was overlooked by the emperor alone.


    The servants below rolled their eyes, thinking that Guan shi also said that the glory of the Guan family had nothing to do with the Marquis Mansion, so did this granted title have nothing to do with the Marquis Mansion? If she didn¡¯t marry lord marquis, could she become a first-rank madam? Before the triumphant expression appeared, they heard the sound of congratulations from outside the courtyard. It turned out that the Guan family¡¯s steward woman came bringing gifts. Corals, jade, and antiques were all imperial gifts, and their preciousness was staggering. Before leaving, the steward still said, ¡°The old master and the master came to the palace specially to ask for this first rank title. Miss, if you are wronged in the future, just go back and tell them and they will be the masters for you. Old madam, please don¡¯t blame them and be lenient, the Guan family now has only one seedling which is miss here, of course they will protect her tightly. Please bear with it.¡±


    Although Sun shi was unhappy, she did not dare to show it, even saying that it¡¯s okay, the in-laws was thinking too much, and so on.


    It turned out that this first rank title was requested by the Guan family? That¡¯s right, if it¡¯s because of Lord Marquis, then the old madam should be conferred first. The mistresses of the other Marquis Mansion all have already been granted title, but the old madam did not. Was it possible that the emperor had forgotten about the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion alone? Alas, it seems that the friendship between Lord Marquis and the emperor is nothing more than this! Thinking of this, the stewards who straightened their backs a little bit buckled again, standing at the door with low eyebrows and waiting for the admonishment. Guan Suyi didn¡¯t open her mouth to let them go, but none of them dared to move.


    After sending off the Guan family¡¯s people, Sun shi interest was greatly reduced, and she returned the imperial court dress to her daughter-in-law so that she could keep it properly. Zhao Luli was speechless the whole time, flipping through the ¡°Records of Noble Family¡± in his hand that he get from Mingfang, his face was very ugly. He always thought that the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion was a direct descendant of the Zhao family in Tianshui, but who would have thought that they were actually after a runaway slave. At that time his father rushed over to recognized relatives, and he was probably very humiliated.


    How come the Marquis Mansion seemed to have been stripped several layers of skin after Guan shi came, and it was painful and embarrassing? He was in a bad mood, slammed shut the book, then saw the author¡¯s name printed in the lower left corner, and his eyes could not help feeling stabbed ruthlessly. Zuo Boxiong, the ancestor of the Zuo shi, which was also great ancestors for Guan Suyi. He served the Kings of Qi, Chu, and Qin successively. He was a historian whose name has passed through the ages, and his reputation was even higher than Zuo Dingxiang. This ¡°Records of Noble Family¡± was actually written by him, it¡¯s no wonder that Guan Suyi had it at her fingertips.


    Although the Zuo family and the Guan family had no wealth, their academic and prestigious accumulations were very outstanding. Marrying the daughter of Guan¡¯s family, Marquis Zhenbei Mansion has benefited a lot. At that time, Huo Shengzhe wanted to accept Guan Suyi as imperial concubine, it was probably to attract the famous scholars of the Central Plains, but unfortunately was asked by himself. How could he agree? Was this some kind of test?


    Zhao Luli¡¯s forehead instantly burst into a lot of cold sweat, and he hurriedly tossed ¡°Records of Noble Family¡± into the brocade box, his face turned extremely pale. The old madam was sure she still misunderstood, and asked with a smile, ¡°Suyi, the matter of the rumors has been resolved by lord marquis, all the broken-mouthed slaves will be sold out, none of them will be kept. If you still have some dissatisfaction you can talk to lord marquis in private, or you can discuss it with me, why should you expose people¡¯s scars and not be forgiving?¡± She also found out afterwards that the Zhao family was a runaway slave, and her heart was extremely uncomfortable. If it wasn¡¯t for the good news of the granted title, she might have fallen ill from embarrassment and anger.


    Guan Suyi offered a cup of hot tea, and slowly said, ¡°Old madam, I¡¯m talking about Zhao family¡¯s roots, you and lord marquis must be very unhappy, right?¡±


    The unranked Sun shi couldn¡¯t lose her temper, could only lower her head and snorted inaudibly. Zhao Luli finally recovered from his terrible conjecture, waved his hand to dismiss the few stewards, ¡°You go down first.¡± The ugliness of the family should not be exposed, even if he was dissatisfied with Guan shi, he couldn¡¯t let others see the joke.


    All the stewards complied and raised their legs to leave, but they were stopped by the new madam, ¡°Where are you going, I still haven¡¯t arrange the housework today. Wouldn¡¯t it be troublesome to call back one by one later? What should be known, what shouldn¡¯t be known, everyone already understood, unless you want your tongue to be pulled, you better be able to control your mouths, understand? Within Central Plains¡¯ noble families, which family¡¯s ancestral hall does not have a copy of ¡°Records of Noble Family¡±? What is the origin of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, others have long been aware, they just don¡¯t reveal it, that¡¯s all.¡±


    All the stewards were shaking and sweating like pulp, for fear that the lord marquis would really pull their tongues, they couldn¡¯t help but kneeling on the ground and kowtow.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s index finger touched her lips, and her tone was light, ¡°Be quiet, don¡¯t be too noisy.¡±


    In a split second everyone fell silent, and moved to the corner by their own initiative so as not to obstruct with the new madam¡¯s eyes. This master now have a family background, a rank title, and her method of killing someone with other people¡¯s knife was so cruel, which showed that her scheming were also very deep. Seeing that even lord marquis and the old madam were unable to suppress her, the little fishes and shrimps bellow should go rolling as far as possible.


    Zhao Luli really couldn¡¯t suppress his new wife. In front of her, he felt powerless, embarrassed, and ashamed again and again. But now, this shame has reached the point where it burned all his insides. It turned out that the great families of Wei all knew the origin of Marquis Zhenbei. No wonder in those days his father couldn¡¯t get into their eyes no matter how much currying he done, no wonder even if he worked so hard to earn the marquis title, he often marginalized and despised by others. Descendant of runaway slave, as long as this ¡°Records of Noble Family¡± still exists, this extremely shameful name would always be engraved on the plaque and even the tombstone of the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion.


    Thinking of this, he had so many evil thoughts and wanted to take out the book from the brocade box and throw it into the brazier.


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Guan Suyi first closed the lid of the box, and said slowly, ¡°Burn the book in my hand, can you burn other houses¡¯ collections? Noble comes from blood, but also from the heart, as long as the heart is strong enough, even if everyone looks down on you, you can stand proudly in the world. I took out this ¡°Records of Noble Family¡± is not to belittle the Zhao family. I just want you to know that when you insult others, it is also mean you are humiliating yourself. The Sage said: ¡®Do not do to others what you don¡¯t want done to yourself.¡® if you find it unbearable for yourself, don¡¯t force it on others. Your Zhao family made a big fuss about my background, my mood at the time, you may feel the same way now? If a marriage or a family needs to use the method of ¡®you suppress me, I humiliate you¡¯ to maintain a balance, then it¡¯s not far from falling apart. Once the misunderstanding has occurred, it¡¯s like a broken wound covered with rotten flesh and soaked with venom, it¡¯s useless to clean it alone. You have to scrape the bone to heal the injury, break it and then set it straight.¡±


    She hung a nine-knot chain lock in the latch of the box lid, pressed it firmly, and then threw the copper out of the window, and he said, ¡°The nine-rank Zhongzheng system will be replaced by the imperial examination system, and sooner or later the noble family will become a legacy in the long river of history, not worth mentioning. The Jiuli people were once the defeated generals of our Han people, but now they have entered the Central Plains again, and dominating one side. It can be seen that time has changed, the vicissitudes of life, even the dynasty cannot last forever, let alone the family. We should abandon the prejudice of blood and caste, and also abandon the previous misunderstanding and resentment. Live in harmony as family, live our life with affection and respect, this is my true original intention.¡±


    After saying this, Guan Suyi poured two cups of hot tea, raised her hands across the peak of her eyebrows, bowed and said, ¡°If it seems to have offended before, Suyi hereby apologizes to the two of you. Now Marquis Zhenbei Mansion is also my home, I naturally want it to be prosperous and flourishing. Therefore, there¡¯s more need for everyone to work together with one mind and one heart. The so-called ¡®The virtue of the emperor come from boudoir¡¯s gate¡¯, the rise and fall of a family and even a dynasty, the honor and disgrace of a family and even a dynasty, half of them is tied to the tens of thousands of women in the back house. However, a huge marquis mansion, now they have joined hands to squeeze out and even suppress the mistress, causing panic and distracting people. How can you talk about being unanimous to the outside world? How can you talk about preserving the clan and reviving the lintel? I am a straightforward person, if I have something to say then I will say it. If you two feel that I have done something wrong, just point it out in front of me in the future, don¡¯t hold grudges and makes the house restless. If there is any deficiency, I will correct it, and if not, I will encourage myself to be careful not to make mistake, and build a calm and stable backyard for the Marquis Mansion. Let¡¯s live our lives well, what does it matter what others think? Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    The teacup was right in front of her eyes, bubbling with white steam, and it looked extremely hot and fragrant. Sun shi wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and then took the heart of her daughter-in-law and drank it all in one fell swoop. Guan shi have a sharp tongue but a soft heart, every move, every word and deed was fair and straightforward. She was able to cut it open, crushed it into pieces, and explained her inner thoughts and the situation of the Marquis Mansion one by one, which showed that she was sincerely considering everyone.


    On the other hand, if she hid the ¡°Records of Noble Family¡±, the Marquis Mansion would never know what they were like in other people¡¯s eyes, and then they would always call themselves the lineage of Zhao family in Tianshui, causing others to ridicule and invite contempt. Was that kind of thing right? No, it would only make the Marquis Mansion¡¯s situation even more embarrassing.


    Sun shi stretched out her hand, touched Guan Suyi¡¯s dark cyan hair, and sighed, ¡°You are a good child. The Guan family really knows how to teach people.¡±


    What his mother could think, Zhao Luli would only think deeper. His heart that was full of resentment had turned into guilt and gratitude. He put the teacup aside and said muffledly, ¡°I can¡¯t take this cup of tea. Originally it should be me who apologize to madam. If madam didn¡¯t say anything, my Marquis Mansion is still a joke.¡± When the words fell, he stood up, and bowed to give a big salute, the word ¡°Madam¡± was actually called willingly.


    Guan Suyi quickly avoided and said a few beautiful words.


    The stewards kneeling in the corner were stunned by this new madam¡¯s mouth that could invert black and white. It was obvious that she deliberately embarrassed the eldest miss. In the end, she became the benefactor of the Marquis Mansion and firmly nailed her position as the mistress. If anyone disobeys her, or undermines her prestige in the future, wouldn¡¯t they become the chief culprit who disturbs the Marquis Mansion, and everyone would be beaten? Thinking of this, everyone bowed down in fear and put their foreheads on the back of their hands to show their respect for the new madam.


    On the other hand, Zhao Chunxi couldn¡¯t keep up with all of this. She only knew that she, and even the entire Marquis Mansion, had been devalued by Guan Suyi, but not only her daddy and the old madam did not get angry, they were coaxed back by her again, and they were still shed tears of gratitude and respected her very much. She, she is too good at talking, isn¡¯t she?


    Mom, you give me evil calamity! Zhao Chunxi felt regretful at first, but then thought: If this person enters the palace, she will be able to coax the emperor into a circle, and make mom lose her favor. In that case, mom has the foresight to bring her to the Marquis Mansion first. If I can¡¯t restrain her by myself, can¡¯t I just find a helper?


    After a while, she actually buried her head and smiled.


    Translator¡¯s note:


    First of all Happy Lunar Year!


    Secondly, I decide to increase the release times to (hopefully) five times a week. The chapters are relatively short and has consistent length, which is amazing, I think I can handle this much work. Let¡¯s finish this novel quickly.

 CH 18

    Chapter 18 Eloquent


    Stomped the high above Marquis Mansion into the mud with one foot, while settled down Zhao Luli and the old madam, Guan Suyi then sat back to her original position and said slowly, ¡°I can conceal the origin of the Maquis Mansion, and not become the villain that attract resentment. Of course, in the future, I will be in charge of the mansion, social affairs and human relations, I have to deal with it clearly. Just as civil officials have their own cliques, military commanders have their own circles, and prestigious families in Yanjing also each have their own category. The noble families holds its own bloodline and dignity, have always only interacted with families of comparable strength, and the upstarts from humble backgrounds are also very exclusive. If I don¡¯t say anything, Marquis Zhenbei Mansion will not be able to enter the circle of noble families, nor can it be close to the circle of upstarts. As time goes by, it will only become more and more difficult.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Sun shi nodded again and again, suddenly said, ¡°If you do not say it, I still would not figure out why the gift that the marquis mansion sent to the Zhao family in Tianshui were returned every year, why noble families¡¯ gatherings never invited us, why some patriarchs and clan wives turn around and leave when they saw me and lord marquis, turns out this is the reason. Why old marquis didn¡¯t make it clear back then, it made us¡­ made us the clowns who jumped on the roof beam for years.¡± When the words fell, Sun shi already flushed with anger, too ashamed to show her face.


    Zhao Luli held his forehead with his hands, and said nothing. He originally had a very strong self-esteem, he would only be more uncomfortable than the old madam, but he couldn¡¯t speak.


    Zhao Chunxi seemed to think of something, and her face became very pale.


    Guan Suyi glanced at her and continued, ¡°In the future, we have to find the position of the marquis mansion. Not only can we not squeeze in with the noble family¡¯s circles, we have to stay far away. We can actually make friend with the upstart of the court, but we can¡¯t cross the line. It still the same old saying, I will not ask the reason why your marquis mansion was spurn by the emperor, so don¡¯t prevaricate me. Many signs have shown that marquis mansion may have been written down by the emperor, and I don¡¯t know when he will settle the account. Therefore, it¡¯s necessary to keep low profile and be cautious. Don¡¯t act like outer part rafter.¡±


    Sun shi strongly agreed, ¡°Suyi said it very well. Chunxi, I heard that you¡¯ve received many posts recently. You should reject those who can be rejected, and the ones that cannot be rejected you should invited the people to the mansion. Let your mother help assess everything first, don¡¯t learn from those merchant girls who are climbing dragons and attaching phoenixes, pick up a thigh and want to hold it, isn¡¯t it embarrassing?¡±


    Zhao Chunxi was embarrassed and annoyed by these indirect scolding, but it was not easy to attack back, so she could only respond aggrievedly. Thinking of the past gatherings, she was always ostracized by the daughters of noble families and the noble ladies. She always thought it was because her dad was not in power and her mom¡¯s whereabouts were unknown, but now she realize that it was because of her birth. She, the eldest miss of the dignified Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, would also be despised because of her birth. No wonder her mom would rather abandon her husband and children, separated from her flesh and blood, and be a concubine in the palace.


    It had only been a few days since Guan shi married into the marquis mansion, but Zhao Chunxi felt like it had been several years, because she knew too well how to tear other people¡¯s faces, dug out other people¡¯s wounds, sprinkle handfuls of salt on them, and let people be in so much pain they wished they¡¯d die. However, she was better at turning other people¡¯s pain and resentment into tears gratitude, this skill of reversing black and white was extremely terrifying.


    Straightforward personality? afraid only daddy and the old madam would believe this! Thinking of this, Zhao Chunxi felt depressed, but at this moment, she heard Guan Suyi said softly, ¡°The previous things are over. We will live with the door closed in the future. It will be good for the family to be peaceful and reunited. I have a straightforward personality, so I often offend people without knowing it, and I still need everyone to bear with it in the future. Wangshu was beaten yesterday, and I didn¡¯t interfere, so Xi¡¯er misunderstood me for being cruel. Now I will say something from the bottom of my heart, at this pair of son and daughter of lord marquis, I really¡­ can¡¯t treat them like they were my own. ¡±


    Huh? What did you say? Did this old body hear something wrong? I thought my daughter-in-law would say something sweet, but unexpectedly, there was a huge turn afterwards. Sun shi was shocked that she almost spewed a sip of tea.


    Zhao Luli hesitated, ¡°Did you misspoke some words?¡± According to common sense, shouldn¡¯t the stepmother who had just passed the door make a swearing determination to her husband, saying that she would treat her stepson and stepdaughter as her own? How did Guan shi do the opposite? But he was not in a hurry to get angry, expecting Guan shi to finish her words.


    Zhao Chunxi¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, and she fixedly looked up.


    Guan Suyi took a sip of hot tea slowly, and continued, ¡°I am eighteen this year, Xi¡¯er is thirteen, and Wangshu will be eleven after the new year. We are not very different in age. It is weird to be a mother and child, and we are not used to it. Besides, feelings comes after getting along. I just passed the door for a few days, if I say that I like those two, and feel familiarity at first sight, do you believe it? Anyway, I don¡¯t believe it. Of course, no matter whether we can get along in the future, whether I can devote myself to them, I will do my duty as a mother. You may not believe my character, but my grandfather¡¯s reputation is there. As an Emperor¡¯s Teacher, he must acted his teaching himself, set an example, be benevolence, courteous, wise, loyal and filial, absolutely must not be rebellious. Therefore, I will also not corrupt my grandfather¡¯s name and smear my Guan family¡¯s brilliant literary standing. I will find a good family for Xi¡¯er, I will also instruct Wangshu how to go on the right path. As for whether we can be as close as mother and children in the future, this depends on fate.¡±


    Although this was a bit straightforward, for Zhao Luli and Sun shi, it sounded very pleasing to the ears. Guan shi was indeed still young and had never bear children, so it was impossible to assume the role of a mother at once. If she pretended to be virtuous, gentle and kind as soon as she walks through the door, it would make people suspicious, so it¡¯s better to told frankly like now.


    Sun shi was extremely satisfied with this daughter-in-law, and smiled again and again, ¡°If you have fate, naturally you have fate, how else would you be the daughter-in-law of my Zhao family? Chunxi, you will be filial to your mother in the future, you know?¡±


    Zhao Chunxi had nothing to say except for sullenly agreed. Guan Suyi knew the skills of communication too well. First control and then suppress, blend emotions into reason. She could irritate people instantly and calmed them down immediately, in the end, they were deeply touched. Guan shi really worthy of being family member of literary giant, her mouth was as good as her pen, they were first-class and powerful!


    Feeling aggrieved and suffocated, this morning just passed like that. Guan Suyi bid farewell to the grinning Sun shi, and went with Zhao Luli and Zhao Chunxi to visit the bedridden Zhao Wangshu, followed by a row of stewards, looking very ostentatious.


    Zhao Wangshu was frightened by his father¡¯s words last night, so he was a little cautious around his stepmother. In fact, his nature was not bad, but he was soft-hearted and easily used by others. The reason why he framed Guan Suyi in the previous life was because Zhao Chunxi and Ye Fan¡¯s instigation. There were also some disputes in the court, he happened to become a gun in someone else¡¯ hand, and broke into two pieces at the end.


    He was still young in this life, so Guan Suyi would naturally not harm a child, but she couldn¡¯t teach sincerely and protect him everywhere like in the previous life. After another beautiful scene, she easily got Zhao Wangshu¡¯s favor, and Guan Suyi led a group of stewards back to the main house.


    Zhao Chunxi found an excuse to pull Zhao Luli away, so that he would not be swept away by her stepmother.


    Guan Suyi was very grateful for this, and asked Mingfang to go to the kitchen to cook a pot of turtle soup for lord marquis and eldest miss.


    The stewards stood neatly under the corridor. In the main hall of the main house, four carved vermilion lacquer doors were open. The new madam with a strict temperament and gorgeous face sat high above at the head seat. She called people in one by one to report the affairs. Whether it was purchases, income accounts, expenditure accounts, social dealings, and trivial matters, all were handled in an orderly manner and without any leak. The method was more skilled than the old madam.


    The stewards who had already respected and feared her were even more convinced now, and didn¡¯t dare to make any more troubles.


    After sending away the cold-sweating stewards, Minglan said angrily, ¡°Miss, the Zhao family actually a runaway slave¡¯s descendant, they swindled the marriage! The Zuo family, Zhong family, Guan family, are all well-known literary families. How is the Zhao family worthy?¡±


    ¡°Runaway slave? To say some rebellious thing, the Jiuli tribe also become slaves of the Yanhuang tribe after their defeat in the war. For the sake of future generations, the clan leaders had to take his tribe to the jungle in the deep mountains to escape and reside there. Now more than a thousand years have passed, and they eventually became the overlord of the Central Plains. As the saying goes, ¡®heroes don¡¯t ask where they come from¡¯, this dignity in the bloodline has long been out of fashion. In the future, I will not talk about family backgrounds and origins again.¡± Today she used tyrannical method, and showed domineering personality, but she had never liked the constraints of noble family. In this world, only the surname Huo that matters, and the prosperity and glory of noble family would be a thing of the past.


    Without finishing her words, Guan Suyi didn¡¯t say much to the little girl anymore, only asked her to put ¡°Records of Noble Family¡± in the bottom of the box, and don¡¯t take it out again in the future. In the last life, she hid this book carefully, did not dare to let anyone in the Zhao family read it, for fear of breaking their faces and hurting their self-esteem. When socializing, she never allowed Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu to communicate with the children of the noble family, so as not to invited humiliation to themselves, but she was misunderstood by them to be a black heart and black liver person, deliberately obstructing their future.


    She secretly canceled the annual gift that she had to sent to the Zhao family in Tianshui every year, and changed it to subsidize the nursery hall, but was reported by Ye Fan, which made her bear the crime of coveting the property of her husband family, and forced to death several times.


    She dug her heart out and tried her best, but in return she only get scolded and persecuted. But now she stomped Zhao family in the mud, but these people were grateful to her and trust her. People, ah! They will only turn a blind eye to your silent efforts, but if you just say you don¡¯t practice a fake hand style, they will be fascinated.


    Ridiculous, pathetic, sad! Guan Suyi shook her head again and again, feeling sorry for her former self.


    Seeing that she was in a bad mood, Minglan quickly changed the subject, ¡°Oh yes, this maid haven¡¯t mention it. This maid heard something new, would you like to listen.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Guan Suyi was not very interested.


    ¡°There is a Confucian scholar named Xu Guangzhi who sent a series of battle posts to ten famous legalism scholars, inviting them to debate in Wencui Building. Nowadays, there has been a lot of uproars outside, discussing who will lose or win. That Xu Guangzhi¡¯s manner of speaking was so big that he actually said if Legalism famous scholars can win one time, it will be considered a complete victory, and if he lose one time then it will be considered total defeat, then he will leave Yanjing and never return.¡±


    ¡°Oh? He really said that?¡± Guan Suyi suddenly raised her head and looked at the little girl.


    Minglan was startled, and then urged her, ¡°The debate will begin tomorrow, ten days in a row, one day one debate. Miss, let¡¯s go see it too?¡±


    ¡°Okay, of course we are going!¡± Guan Suyi held her forehead with her hand. Secretly thought: This Xu Guangzhi is really eager for success and profit. Last time he failed to seize the opportunity to stand out, but this time he create one. If this matter becomes a big issue, it will definitely attract the attention of the one above, and he is crazy about wanting become an official.

 CH 19

    Chapter 19 Battle of Words


    Because Xu Guangzhi wanted to make a name for himself, he secretly sent people to spread the news of the debate. He also invited many literary giants and big name to come to watch the battle and build momentum for himself.


    The next day, when Guan Suyi hurriedly came to Wencui Building, it was already full of people. Fortunately, she was already prepared. Last night she spent a lot of money to secure a private room on the second floor by the railings, otherwise even shoved in with others there wouldn¡¯t be other place.


    Caught a glimpse of Old Master Guan and Father Guan sitting in the big hall, she quickly held the veil hat more securely and gathered the black gauze again, so as not to be recognized by them.


    ¡°Oh, honorable guest, you are finally here.¡± The shop assistant nodded and bowed to greet her, apologizing, ¡°Honorable guest you see, our shop is overcrowded today, and the shopkeeper said that we can¡¯t drive customers out, so we have to take it all in. At this moment not to mention place to sit, even there is no place to stand. The private rooms on the second floor has also been demolished and replaced with round tables. If you don¡¯t mind, you can go upstairs and make do  with others. If you mind, we will return the deposit to you.¡± He pointed out to the second floor, and his tone became more attentive, ¡°In fact, it doesn¡¯t matter. You look at it, everyone make do juts like this. Besides, we will return your deposit in full, and we will give you 20% off for tea and snacks, as well as a side dish for free. What do you think?¡±


    Guan Suyi looked up, secretly surprised. The people of Yanjing were too idle, the huge Wencui Building was almost full. Not only the big hall on the first floor was crowded, but the second floor was also very lively. The private rooms on the second floor were all separated by screens. The shopkeeper thought it would take up too much space. At this moment, it had all been removed. When she looked around, she saw that the railing was full of people, and it was very dense.


    At this time Xu¡¯s Neo-Confucianism has not yet prevailed, so the separation of male and female were not very important. There were well-dressed noble ladies who shared a table with others, and there were even a few girls from Jiuli tribe who wore men¡¯s clothes, mingling in the crowd and talking freely.


    Guan Suyi was not a hypocritical person, she quickly agreed, and walked up with her head down.


    At the corner of the second floor, a tall, handsome man was leaning against the railing, holding a small and exquisite hip flask in his hand, swaying from side to side with a leisurely look. Perceiving the shop assistant leading a woman wearing a veil hat into the shop, and frequently looking in this direction, he couldn¡¯t help but raised his eyebrows and smiled, ¡°Old Master Guan¡¯s precious granddaughter is also here. Remember her? That¡¯s your Zhaoyi niangniang who have no chance to enter the palace.¡± After he finished talking he took out a sandalwood Buddhist bead from his purse and threw it into the tray with a clang.


    Hearing these words, the tall man who came with him also walked to the side of the railing and looked down, ¡°She is wearing a veil hat, how do you know that¡¯s the old man¡¯s granddaughter?¡±


    The handsome man did not answer, but only tapped the purse on his waist. The tall man seemed to snorted coldly, and seemed to have no response. He sat back to his original position with a golden sword, and continued to close his eyes and rest his mind. In the end, the handsome man couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, and asked curiously, ¡°I heard that Guan Suyi has a beautiful appearance, outstanding talent, and an exceptionally gentle and virtuous temperament. Such a good woman, how can you be willing to give it to that coward Zhao Luli?¡± After the words fell, he took another Buddhist bead from his purse and threw it into the tray.


    The tall man raised his eyelids and said in a casual tone, ¡°I saw her once, but I didn¡¯t see her face clearly, but her eloquence was quite good. Compared with most women, she is quite knowledgeable. But she is Guan Qiguang¡¯s granddaughter after all, I¡¯m afraid I have no blessing to enjoy. It¡¯s annoying to listen to Guan Qiguang talking about humanity and morality all day long, and his granddaughter¡¯s tongue is even sharper. If I have to listen again when I go back to the harem, my teeth will be sour. No wonder you call Confucian scholars sour scholars, turns out it¡¯s because of this, I finally understand.¡±


    The tall man rubbed his eyebrows and seemed to have a headache. The handsome man laughed loudly, his expression very gloating.


    While talking, the imperial guard guarding the periphery reported, ¡°My lord, the shopkeeper brought someone to share the table, saying that this position was already reserved by that person, you see¡­¡±


    The handsome man didn¡¯t answer, just tapped the railing with his knuckles. The guard understood, waved his hand to let the shop assistant approach.


    Guan Suyi carefully observed the guest who came before her. Although her face didn¡¯t show it, she was slightly surprised inside. Never expected that the person who shared the table with her would be Qin Lingyun.


    Qin Lingyun was now only a Marquis Zhenxi who had faded out of the court, and seemed to be in a similar situation with Zhao Luli, but in the future, he would become the sharpest knife in Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s hands, and he would also become the first ruthless official of Wei who was notorious for shaking the whole Central Plains. He was a representative of the Legalism school. Not only was he eloquent and intelligent, but he also had sophisticated methods and deep scheming. In order to eliminated dissidents and consolidated imperial power for Emperor Sheng Yuan, he did many unsightly things.


    When Guan Suyi died, this man was fighting with Xu Guangzhi in the dark, and she didn¡¯t know who was winning in the end. In the last life, the people who died in his hands if it was not ten thousand then at least eight thousand. Because of this, he got the title ¡®Living King of Hell¡¯, which was said to be feared by everyone, but in Guan Suyi¡¯s view, he was just a pitiful man with an unattainable love.


    Speaking of which, Qin Lingyun¡¯s tragedy was still somewhat similar to her experience. He lost his parent since he was young, and his elder brother was weak and sick with constant need of medicine. He was able to grow up safely, thanks to his sister-in-law. His sister-in-law, Li shi, was five years older than him. After marrying into the impoverished Qin family, she not only had to take care of her husband, raised her brother-in-law, but also plough the fields and planted crops, life was not easy. But she never complained, nor was she discouraged. Although she became a widow within a few years, she raised her brother-in-law safely and paid for his literacy study.


    Qin Lingyun was someone who knew how to return kindness, and treated Li shi very affectionately, but because of his youthful spirit, he angered a local gentry and was forced to leave his hometown. And like Zhao Luli, he had quite a bit of luck, he unexpectedly formed a bond with Emperor Sheng Yuan. Since then, he abandoned his pen to join the army and rose up, vowing to fight back to his hometown for revenge. When he escaped he didn¡¯t forget to take Li shi with him. The two people relied on each other for their lives, life and death together. Overtime they developed feelings for each other, at first, Li shi did not dare to agree because of ethics, but she was finally moved by his sincerity and prepared to remarry.


    As a result, just when the two of them were about to get what they wanted, Xu¡¯s Neo-Confucianism suddenly blew like a demonic wind, disturbed their happy occasion. Not to mention, the patriarch of the Li clan was an old Confucian student, and he was deeply influenced by Xu¡¯s Neo-Confucianism, he actually deceived Li shi to return home, then secretly sunk her in the pond. When Qin Lingyun received the news and ran to save her, he only found a cold and stiff corpse. The heart-wrenching feeling was unimaginable.


    After that, Qin Lingyun confronted Li clan, the world¡¯s Confucian scholars, and even Xu Guangzhi, and his temperament became more and more violent. Guan Suyi died earlier than him, but she could foresee his ending, there were only these sentences ¨C when every hope turns to dust, then just destroy everything.


    Because fellow sufferers empathize with each other, and at this time Qin Lingyun had not yet lost his love, and his temperament had not changed drastically, so Guan Suyi did not evade, and walked slowly over to greet. ¡°Guan Suyi rashly come to disturb, and hope for forgiveness, dare to ask who is your distinguished self?


    Qin Lingyun did not answer, but instead looked at the tall man standing next to him who was pretending to be a guard. The man replied, ¡°Qin Lingyun.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually Marquis Zhenxi, have long admired the name.¡± Guan Suyi once again cupsed her hand, and saw that shop assistant was about to move a screen between them, so she waved her hand and said. ¡°No need, just put it there, block the view of the side table. We know each other.¡±


    The shop assistant hurriedly placed the screen at the location she designated, and after getting the silver, he happily left. This was the corner closest to the wall, and the screen was used to block the sight of everyone on the other side of the railing, forming a space of its own.


    Feeling that the surrounding area were much peaceful, Guan Suyi slowly took her seat, and then glanced at the tall man, thinking slightly. Qin Lingyun was eight feet tall and had a strong physique, but his personal bodyguard was half a head taller than him, and had a thick beard. The muscles on his chest and upper arms were bulging, with undulating vein lines, wearing the black uniforms to the point of bursting, and the pair of starry eyes were deep and unfathomable, implying evil spirits. He must be an expert who used to come and go in the blood and rain, and looking at his deep and sharp facial features, he must be a member of the Jiuli tribe.


    In the last life, she heard that Qin Lingyun was protected by a guard from Jiuli tribe with outstanding martial arts. Guan Suyi made the connection between the person with the one in her impression, apart from secretly thought that this person was too powerful, she didn¡¯t think much about it. The two sat leaning on a railing and looked down.


    Guan Suyi pointed to Xu Guangzhi who was standing on the high platform, and said confidently, ¡°If you haven¡¯t place a bet, the Legalism school will undoubtedly lose.¡±


    Oh, she started to challenge as soon as she came, really worthy of being the granddaughter of Old Master Guan. Qin Lingyun raised an eyebrow, seemingly dissatisfied. The tall man standing behind him opened his lips slightly, but did not speak.


    Guan Suyi said a few words and saw that Qin Lingyun was always perfunctory, or nodded and shook his head, without uttering a word, she had already thought about it in her heart, and then took a glance at a few Buddhist beads in the tray, finally said, ¡°Are you practicing a closed-mouth mediation?¡±


    Qin Lingyun looked surprised, as if asking her how she knew. Guan Suyi was also setting up suspense at this time, waved her hand and smiled without saying a word. This matter, she had listened to others discussing it in her previous life, if she hadn¡¯t seen the Buddhist beads, she almost forgotten it. Come to think of it, Qin Lingyun had already confessed to his sister-in-law at this period of time, but he was sternly rejected by the other person, and kept telling not to mention it again in the future. Qin Lingyun felt pain and despair in his heart, but refused to embarrass his sister-in-law, so he began to meditate.


    It was not so easy for common people to practice the closed-mouth mediation, if he was not attentive he would break the vows, so he prepared a purse, put a hundred Buddhist beads in it, every time he said a sentence he took out bead, and when the purse was emptied, even if it was killing him, he wouldn¡¯t utter half a word anymore. At first, it was 100 sentences a day. After half a year, it was reduced to 10 sentences a day. After a year, he became completely mute.


    Li shi was not ruthless towards him, how could she see him torturing himself so much, and after persuading him to no avail, she had to fulfill his extravagant request. Of course, extravagance was ultimately extravagant, and it was destined to be hopeless. Recalling the past, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t help but feel sad. Fortunately, the black veil covered her face, so Qin Lingyun didn¡¯t see a clue.


    Between their silence, the debate began. Standing on the high platform, Xu Guangzhi picked up the brush and wrote four characters on a huge wooden board ¡ª Fagu Xunli.


    Confucianism advocated that the ancients follow rituals, while the legalism advocated that the ancients are lawless and does not inline with the present. Based on this, the two ideas were completely opposite. It could be seen that this was the subject of today¡¯s debate. Qin Lingyun, who was sitting and drinking, showed a pensive expression. His personal bodyguard said in a hoarse and thick voice, ¡°This topic is a bit interesting.¡±


    Guan Suyi held her forehead with her hands, thought to herself, she only hated that she was Guan Qiguang¡¯s granddaughter. Otherwise, she would represent the Legalism school and go down to fight with Xu Guangzhi, and she would definitely destroy his dream of being an extremely noble official.

 CH 20

    Chapter 20 Fascinated


    Although Xu Guangzhi was eager for quick success and narrow-minded, he was extremely skillful and knowledgeable. At the beginning of the debate, he threw out many arguments and defeated the legalism scholars. What Confucianism called Fagu (ancient law) was exactly what the Zhou Dynasty followed, followed the rituals then followed of the Zhou dynasty rituals.


    There were more than 30 emperors during the Zhou Dynasty, which lasted for more than 700 years. It could be called an era with the longest ruling time, the brightest civilization, and the relatively stable life. It was precisely because there were few disputes and wars in that era that Confucian scholars especially praised and advocated the superiority of various systems of the Zhou Dynasty, and appealed to those in position of authority to uphold benevolence and to emulate them, so as to return the people to a peaceful and prosperous age, when the Yellow River is clear and the sea has no wave.


    Xu Guangzhi was able to cited many historical evidences, and he was full of words and eloquence for a time. On the other hand, legalism scholars, when it came to governing the country, almost 80% of the cases ended in failure. Even the Qin Dynasty, which reformed the country and eventually unified the Central Plains, quickly perished in tyranny and politics. Then the people of Central Plains fell into wars that lasted for hundreds of years, and they were forced to leave their homes and in precarious state since then.


    Wei was established less than two years ago, and the cruelty of war was still imprinted in the hearts of the common people. When it came to peace and stability, everyone yearned for it. When it came to tyranny and political warfare, everyone hated it. The benevolence ideology of Confucianism was easier to move the heart at this time, but the severe punishment of legalism has caused many boos. The debate off-stage was almost one-sided, and in just three quarters of an hour, the challenger had lifted up the white silk and completely surrendered, while Xu Guangzhi used a sonorous voice to draw the conclusion, ¡°Therefore, now the Wei should be like as the Sage said, abolish the hundred schools of thought and respect only Confucianism!¡±


    Thunderous applause erupted in the hall, and Old Master Guan and Father Guan stepped forward to congratulate Xu Guangzhi one by one. He spoke to the two of them with neither humble nor arrogant tone, and then frequently bent over to thank a Jiuli nobleman who sponsored his debate. People from the Legalism school did not dare to stay longer, so they hid their faces and left.


    ¡°It¡¯s over?¡± Qin Lingyun didn¡¯t speak, only his expression was extremely ugly. Instead, his personal guard asked in a non-standard (ancient) Mandarin.


    Guan Suyi looked up, because the other person had a thick beard and couldn¡¯t see his expression clearly, but she could detect the incredibly bright light in his slightly bluish pupils, as if he was extremely dissatisfied with the result. They all say that servants followed their masters, and it seemed that this person was also a loyal supporter of the Legalism school.


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Guan Suyi raised her teacup and sipped, inside she was anxious. In terms of eloquence, afraid only Qin Lingyun could compete with Xu Guangzhi in the whole Wei. From this, it was conceivable that the results of the next nine debates would be the same as today.


    Total victory of ten battles, sooner or later he would become famous throughout the land. Emperor Sheng Yuan was eager to seek for talents, afraid he would specially call Xu Guangzhi to become official as he did in her previous life. So naturally, Xu¡¯s Neo-Confucianism would prevail, and women would start a life of invisible end, being despised, controlled, and restrained by others.


    It stands to reason that as long as she didn¡¯t repeat the mistakes of her previous life, this change would not have much impact on Guan Suyi, but she just couldn¡¯t understand Xu Guangzhi¡¯s hypocritical face, and she hated his theory even more. But after all, she was Guan Qiguang¡¯s granddaughter, so she couldn¡¯t stand up and slap Confucianism in the face, she could only watch from the sidelines.


    Glancing at the opposite Qin Lingyun, she secretly shook her head. Forget it, this person was practising closed-mouth meditation, afraid he would not get involved in this debate. In his mind, Li shi was the most important, and the face of Legalism School was worthless. Besides, she couldn¡¯t find any excuses to persuade the other person, could she tell him that if Xu Guangzhi succeeded, it would indirectly kill his sister-in-law? Wouldn¡¯t it just cause suspicion and trouble for herself?


    After thinking and thinking, Guan Suyi finally suppressed the hatred, but the resentment was hard to settle, and sneered, ¡°Ancient law followed the rites. If it¡¯s really like Xu Guangzhi said, the ancients have no disputes and wars, nor do they harm their compatriots, and all were benevolent person, then why did the Zhou Dynasty perish? You people of the Legalism School are also useless. Many arguments can be easily overturned, but you can¡¯t seize the opportunity at all, and become Xu Guangzhi¡¯s stepping stone for nothing. When it comes to the way of governing the country Confucianism is far from legalism!¡±


    Qin Lingyun and the tall man looked at her in unison, with stunned expression on their faces. It should be known that Guan Suyi was Guan Qiguang¡¯s granddaughter, logically speaking she should be a fan of Confucianism. But at this time, she bluntly declared her admiration for Legalism. Could it be that she had lost her mind?


    Guan Suyi put down the tea cup and leaned against the back of the chair, instantly changed from a dignified lady to a lazy idler, and her gentle temperament suddenly became sharp. If the other side was any other person, she would definitely not easily express what she thought, but that person was Qin Lingyun. Qin Lingyun who was very trustworthy, and even more so Qin Lingyun who cultivated closed-mouth meditation. She believed that he would never reveal today¡¯s conversation to others.


    This change made the two opposite people even more surprised. They looked at her up and down, as if they didn¡¯t know who she was. Especially the tall man wanted to open her veil hat to see if her expression was the same as he had imagined, showing disdain and cynicism.


    After rebirth, Guan Suyi had long been suffocated, and urgently needed to find an outlet to vent. Right now, Qin Lingyun inevitably had become her tree hole, couldn¡¯t wait to spit it out.


    ¡°Abolish hundred schools of thought, respect only Confucianism, puih¡­¡± Seeing that there were only three or two tables left on the second floor, most of the first floor was emptied, and her grandfather and father had disappeared, Guan Suyi looked like a prisoner who had taken off her shackles. Arrogant and aggressive, she said word by word, ¡°With only these eight characters, he is not worthy to learn Confucianism, and with only these eight characters, he is not worthy to challenge the Legalism as a Confucian.¡±


    Qin Lingyun suddenly raised his head, as if touched. The tall man took a seat opposite her, staring at her with a serious and focused gaze for the first time.


    Gaining the attention of the audience, Guan Suyi knocked on the table and said freely, ¡°The original words of this are ¡®Explain Confucianism, suppressing a hundred schools of thought¡¯. When it come to Xu Guangzhi, it turned into ¡®Abolishing the hundred schools of thought and respect only Confucianism¡¯. Suppress and abolish, the difference between these two word is like heaven and earth. What is the core idea of Confucianism, do you know?¡±


    The object of her question was Qin Lingyun. As for the tall man who stared at her with a burning gaze, he was naturally ignored. A member of the Jiuli tribe whose (ancient) mandarin was not so smooth, she didn¡¯t expect the other party to understand her own words, so this person was also a tree hole, and she was not worried he would reveal her secrets in the future.


    Qin Lingyun took out a Buddhist bead from his purse, threw it into a teacup, and uttered two words, ¡°Zhongyong¡°.(T/N: I will use the term ¡®Constant Mean¡¯ to flow better in English)


    ¡°Of course, impartiality, fair and honest, moderate, this is Constant Mean. The Constant Mean can involve all aspects of life, and it is the way of the life that Confucius most respected. Too far is as bad as not enough and it is against the doctrine of Constant Mean. Changing the ¡®suppression¡¯ to ¡®abolishment¡¯, Xu Guangzhi¡¯s desire to exterminate the hundreds of schools of thought is clear, and he also exposes his academic methods. There¡¯s Confucius¡¯s words that are the most appropriate to describe him.¡±


    At this point, she flicked the edge of the cup with her beautiful fingertips, and made a crisp ¡®ding¡¯ sound, signaled Minglan to pour tea to moisten her throat.


    The tall man couldn¡¯t stand her gasping effort, so he quickly raised the teapot to fill it up for her, and then looked over eagerly. Qin Lingyun¡¯s face was not reveal a thing, but glanced over and over again with the corner of his eye, thinking that this person had previously disliked Guan Suyi¡¯s sour speech, but now he was so diligent that he was not afraid of being slapped in the face.


    The tall man pushed the teacup forward, urging her with an awkward (ancient) mandarin, ¡°Hurry up, what words?¡±


    Guan Suyi took a small sip and continued, ¡°Confucius said: ¡®Study a heresy, and it¡¯s done harm¡¯.¡±


    Fearing that the Jiuli man would not understand, she followed up and explained, ¡°In the vernacular, it means ¨C if you blindly delve into heretic school and fallacious evil doctrines, the harm will be extremely great. What is heresy? To use Xu Guangzhi¡¯s comment, all schools except Confucian orthodoxy are heretics. However, in the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucianism was not orthodox, so where the heresy come from? Here, heresy should be interpreted as the two ends of the matter, and the two ends of the matter are balanced by  the Constant Mean, that is ¡®over¡¯ and ¡®under¡¯. To understand the scriptures too much, or not enough, is wrong and extremely harmful. This is the real thought that the Sage wanted to express. Look at Xu Guangzhi again, he misinterpreting a sentence today to the level of ¡®Abolishing the hundred schools of scholars¡¯, his academic spirit has shown a sign of going crazy, which is really too much. In the words of Confucius, he has stepped into heresy and lost his upright and peaceful mentality. How can he be qualified to criticize Legalism on behalf of Confucianism? With just this sentence, I can see through him, and it is enough to describe him in eight words¡­¡±


    The tall man was fascinated by what he heard, and when he saw her stopped and gasped again, he hurriedly took the initiative to pour the tea, and his hoarse voice sounded very simple and honest, ¡°Drink the tea, drink the tea, you go on.¡±


    Qin Lingyun almost couldn¡¯t hold back a smile, and could only turn his face and pretend to be coughing.


    Guan Suyi was pleased by his earnest and keen for knowledge attitude. While blowing her tea, she said softly, ¡°Eager for quick success, make a name for yourself. Do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The tall man clapped his hand and smiled. He had long been overgrown with dark fire by Xu Guangzhi¡¯s theory of imitating the ancients. What Yao Shun Yu, what Renunciation, what benevolence and wisdom, the world in great harmony, it sound fake at first listen. People in the Central Plains really know how to make up stories.


    As soon as he thought of this, he listened to Guan Suyi slowly said, ¡°The Renunciation system that Xu Guangzhi frequently listed is actually a lie, and the truth of history is often hidden under bloody battles.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What do you mean by that?¡± The tall man leaned forward, his eyes focused. Qin Lingyun, who said nothing, was squeezed and squeezed out by him, and now he could only shrink at the corner between the wall and the railing, smiled bitterly. The history of the Central Plains was the thing this person was most interested in, and he would be attracted when he heard it. If he hadn¡¯t changed his face today and his whereabouts had become a mystery, Qin Lingyun would have doubted whether Guan Suyi was deliberately creating a conversation.


    ¡°The theory of advocating Renunciation were first seen in ¡®Classic of History¡¯ compiled by Confucius and his disciples, and its authenticity cannot be verified. However, in ¡®Han Feizi¡¯ and ¡®Bamboo Annals¡¯, the exposition of this period of history is completely opposite. It¡¯s recorded in ¡®Han Feizi: Doubt¡¯: Shun forced Yao, Yu forced Shun, Tang exiled Jie, and King Wu attacked Zhou; these four kings are the ministers who killed their rulers, and the world praised them. It¡¯s recorded in the ¡®Bamboo Annals¡¯: In the last years Yao, his morals declined, and he was imprisoned by Shun. Shun imprisoned Yao, return Danzhu to Yan, so that he would not meet his father. Shun imprisoned Yao in Pingyang and took the throne. Leaving aside Han Feizi¡¯s statement, the ¡®Bamboo Annals¡¯ is several years earlier than ¡®Records of the Grand Historian¡¯, and it is the official history of the Wei State during the Warring States period, which is more credible¡­¡±


    Such an interesting conversation, Guan Suyi talked about the life of Yao, Shun, and Yu from the Renunciation system. How the three came to power, how to fight openly and maneuver covertly, how to win over people¡¯s hearts, control the political affairs, etc.. Her witty language, rich plots, and twists and turns could be written into a wonderful storybook.


    The tall man was fascinated by this, he simply sat next to her holding the teapot, and took the initiative to help refill the tea. The attentive attitude formed a sharp contrast with the previous dislike, making Qin Lingyun utterly stupefied.


    Translator¡¯s notes:


    A little bit of historical background. Renunciation system refers to monarchs in ancient times ceding the position of tribal leader when they still alive to the talented and capable people, instead of choosing to let their children inherit it. The most famous of these is when Yao ceded the position of leader of the tribal alliance to Shun, because he thought his son Danzhu has only average ability and not enough to govern the world. In the pre-Qin period, Confucianism, Mohism, etc. praised the Renunciation system. However the ancient sages were full doubts about this Renunciation system, thinking it was just a beautiful legend.

 CH 21

    Chapter 21 Storytelling


    The Wencui Building was no longer overcrowded. In the big hall downstairs there were two or three scholars who seemed to be composing poems and flaunting it at each other. On the second floor, only Guan Suyi¡¯s and Qin Lingyun¡¯s table were left.


    In her previous life, Guan Suyi was not an orthodox Confucian scholar. To be more precise, she liked to extract the essence from the hundreds school of thought, and removed the dross that did not conform to her own ideas, even the contradicting world¡¯s view. However, due to filial piety, she never revealed her true inner thoughts, and was forced to hold back for two lifetimes.


    It felt really uncomfortable to accumulate words for two lifetimes and couldn¡¯t tell them, especially since she also carried a huge secret that needed to be guarded day and night. Therefore, when she suddenly encountered someone with indifference relationship but could talk to, she changed from being reticent to a chatter, pulling the two of them to talk endlessly.


    At first she just said it to Qin Lingyun, but then she noticed that his personal guards were more interested in her topic and had a little knowledge of the history of Central Plains, so the addiction of being a teacher naturally appeared, and the talk became more ups and downs and unrestrained.


    After revealing the truth about the renunciation system, she drank the hot tea handed over by the tall man, and continued, ¡°In fact, there is no need to verify from elsewhere. Just based on the records in the ¡®Classic of History¡¯, you can see many contradictory details, so as to deduce the local style at that time. Before he took the throne, Shun was persecuted in every way by his father, stepmother, and the son of the stepmother Xiang. Since they didn¡¯t like Shun, then just live separately, why did the three of them want to force him into a dead end? Why don¡¯t you guessed the inside story?¡±


    The tall man didn¡¯t know much about the history of Central Plains, and he thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°Is it to fight for family property?¡± Most people would think this way.


    ¡°It¡¯s half right,¡± Guan Suyi smiled lightly, ¡°both for family property, but also for status and power. To be precise, Yao at the time was not the God Emperor, but the leader elected by many small tribes. Gusou was the chieftain of one of the small tribes. At that time, there was already a hereditary system, and it stands to reason that the position of the chief must be passed on to the eldest son. Shun was the eldest son, and he is popular among the people and had a high prestige. It would be impossible for him to pass the position of the chieftain to the incompetent and unworthy Xiang, unless Shun died accidentally. So you see, even the position of a small tribal chief were obtained by killing, and it was still a biological father who killed his child. So why would Yao be willing to practice the system of renunciation? He had long established Danzhu as the crown prince, and he was also his only di son.¡±


    ¡°This is the reason!¡± The tall man was convinced.


    Guan Suyi pushed the tea cup in front of him, tapped her very delicately manicured nails, he then immediately served tea with a courteous attitude.


    Guan Suyi was not in a hurry to sip, she held it in her palm and turned it around twice, saying, ¡°It¡¯s recorded in the ¡®Classic of History: Canon of Shun¡¯, after Shun ascended the throne, he selected and appointed worthy people, used ¡®eight kai¡¯ and ¡®eight yuan¡¯ to govern civil affairs, exiled the ¡®Four Evils¡®, appointed Yu to control the floods, complete Yao¡¯s unfinished business, and support Emperor Yao to the end of his life. As long as the order of this sentence is reversed, the truth of history will be revealed. According to my great ancestor¡¯s textual research, Shun selected the ¡°Eight Kai¡± and ¡°Eight Yuan¡± before his succession, and the exile of the ¡°Four Evils¡± was also before his succession. Only the appointment of Yu to control the floods was after his succession. When you think about it, what mystery hidden here?¡±


    The tall man scratched his head and smiled, ¡°What is the seniority of great ancestor?¡±


    Qin Lingyun was choked by his unexpected answer, and Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. She smiled and tapped the belly of the teapot with her fingertips, making a crisp sound.


    The tall man stretched out his hands and kneaded his earlobes, smiling even more foolishly.


    ¡°The great ancestor is my Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather.¡± Guan Suyi stretched out a palm, bending a finger every time she said the word ¡®Great¡¯, just like oriole¡¯s beautiful voice that was full of joy and lightness. This man of the Jiuli tribe was both studious and honest, really interesting.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it!¡± The man suddenly realized, and asked, ¡°What is the mystery?¡±


    This topic was too jumpy, one moment turned to the horizon, the next moment turned back instantly, if it weren¡¯t for Guan Suyi¡¯s quick thinking, afraid she would really be confused by him. She pointed at the man and shook her head and laughed. ¡°The mystery is to suppress, more precisely, to kill Shun, who has a high degree of merit. Emperor Yao ordered him to remove the ¡°Four Evils¡± in the hope that both would lose. Unexpectedly Shun was unscathed, and still fulfilling his mission. After his safe return, he became wary of Yao, so he began to cultivate trusted aides with the intention of usurping the throne. ¡®Eight Kai¡¯ and ¡®Eight Yuan¡¯ had noble blood but no real power, and they had been ignored by Yao for a long time, and they became the first target he wanted to win over. After taking the throne under the recommendation of many aides, he first imprisoned Yao, then exiled and forced the crown prince Danzhu to death. When he was old, he saw the prestigious Yu, and naturally thought of the past. So he also imitated Yao and sent Yu to control the floods, trying to kill people with other¡¯s knife. So you see, the same things, arranged in a different order, can come to the completely opposite conclusion.¡±


    This was the first time the tall man heard of such an ingenious remarks, and he was a little silly when he thought about it repeatedly.


    Guan Suyi chuckled and sighed, ¡°History is written by humans, so it¡¯s inevitable to bring the will of the writer. As the so-called ¡°winner become the king and loser become the bandit¡±, the winners will leave a good reputation forever, the losers will be stinking for thousands of years. But the real history, who can tell exactly what it looks like? Maybe these ¡°truths¡± that I explained to you are nothing more than malicious speculations of future generations. But the fascinating part of history lies in this, the diligent pursuit of the truth and the unexplained doubts about it can only be a little satisfied in the midnight dream.¡±


    The tall man pondered her words carefully, and he found it interesting, he couldn¡¯t help but agree. ¡°But I think your statement is more credible and more in line with common sense. Really worthy of Zuo Boxiong¡¯s descendant, indeed very knowledgeable.¡±


    Guan Suyi smiled without saying a word, raised the slightly cool tea to her lips and drank it, got up and said goodbye, ¡°It¡¯s getting late, and Guan will leave first.¡±


    ¡°Just now we talked about Yao, Shun and Yu, then let¡¯s talk about Xia, Qi, Shang and Zhou that happened next.¡± The tall man immediately urged her to stay, his eyes full of meaning.


    ¡°If you want to know what happened next, please listen to the next breakdown.¡± Guan Suyi picked up the small tea lid and patted it on the table lightly.


    The tall man was startled at first, and then laughed loudly, but then he saw her walking a few steps and turned around, raised an index finger at Qin Lingyun, and hushed, ¡°Today¡¯s conversation, I hope Lord Marquis Zhenxi will keep it secret for me. ¡±


    Qin Lingyun nodded slightly, and saw her flung her wide sleeves and walked along the winding stairs. The cold wind outside the window lifted a corner of the black veil, revealing a slender snow-white neck and half a small exquisite chin, a strand of dark black hair was swept into the crimson lips by the wind, gently holding it, and the tip of the pink tongue slightly exposed a little clove, as if to push it out. Only this startling glance, the ordinary details, was already touched the heart and intrigued the soul.


    The tall man¡¯s simple and honest expression stiffened for a moment, and when he returned to his senses, the person had already left. Several guards hurriedly waved to shop assistant to erect the removed screen again, isolating the world.


    ¡°Guan Suyi, it turns out that this is the real Guan Suyi!¡± At this time, the man still had a Jiuli accent, but he spoke mandarin more fluently than the native Yanjing. He sat down with a golden sword, raised his teacup and drank, his domineering phoenix eyes slightly squinted.


    If Guan Suyi was still here, afraid she would be shocked by his sudden change.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say before that Old Master Guan¡¯s granddaughter is just like him, also full of mouths, all the traditional virtues and sour teeth? Why the real person is not like that at all?¡± Qin Lingyun took out a Buddhist bead and threw it into the teacup, smiling gleefully. Even though he already had someone in his heart, he had to admit that Guan Suyi was a wonderful person who was well-informed, brilliantly knowledgeable, and very witty. It was very enjoyable and relaxing to get along with her. And this person in front of him was most fond of Han learning, and also loved to discuss Han learning with others, but unknowingly, he actually given up the considerate flower that suits him the most to others. Should he regret it now?


    The tall man, that was the Emperor Sheng Yuan in the white dragon fish suit, was indeed in a subtle mood. But he was used to be tyrannical and didn¡¯t know what ¡°regret¡± was. Only felt something blocking his heart for a while before returned to normal.


    ¡°I think because of filial piety, she didn¡¯t dare to speak her mind directly. Listening to what she said, she seemed to disagree with Confucianism. Guan Qiguang¡¯s granddaughter didn¡¯t like Confucianism, so funny, really funny!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan wanted to laugh again and again. He was in a good mood, and ordered the guards to bring two jars of spirits and slapped the clay stopper to drink.


    Qin Lingyun laughed too, and asked the shop assistant for a big bowl, slowly filling it up.


    The two of them sat for a while, and suddenly saw Emperor Sheng Yuan patted the table and sighed, ¡°No, I just forgot to invite her to come again tomorrow. If she doesn¡¯t come, when will I be able to hear the next breakdown. When you go back later, you send her a post in the name of Marquis Zhenxi, and you must invite her out.¡±


    Qin Lingyun endured and endured, but finally could not hold back, and pointed out, ¡°Your Majesty, who are you visiting in plain clothes for? Shouldn¡¯t you have forgotten it by now?¡± After speaking he reluctantly took out a Buddhist bead.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten, wait until nine days later.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan remembered Guan Suyi¡¯s evaluation of Xu Guangzhi, and his originally not very eager to solicit intention, had faded eight or nine points. Since the Guan family had been promoted, there was no need to set another benchmark.


    After the two had eaten and drunk to their heart¡¯s content they quietly return and parted ways in front of the palace gate. Emperor Sheng Yuan stepped into Weiyang Palace, ripped off his beard, revealing a resolute and stern face, Baifu and others hurriedly went up to undress him and wiped the dust off.


    He quickly changed into his regular clothes and ordered someone to bring the box with the history books over. He planned to use the lamp to read at night, but after only reading two pages he found it uninteresting, it was not as exciting as Guan Suyi¡¯s dictation. In a daze, scenes of chatting with that person began to emerge in his mind, and many of the neglected details became extremely clear at this time, and they were also extremely touching.


    Although he couldn¡¯t see her appearance due to the veil hat, how did she chuckle gently; how she held the teacup slowly in her palm; how she stretched out her jade-white index finger, pressed it against her lips through the black veil, and pressed it into a small indentation; and at that time when half her face was revealed by the cold wind was magnified over and over again by concentrated memories, and tasted over and over again.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan unconsciously fell into fascination, but at this moment he heard a sharp voice from outside the palace, ¡°Your Majesty, Ye Jieyu is outside asking to see you.¡±


    All the pictures that were both hidden and full of brilliant color were shattered into pieces in an flash. The empty eyes of Emperor Sheng Yuan quickly focused, and he said solemnly, ¡°Let her come in.¡± Then, he put aside this unfamiliar and momentarily throbbing, as if the previous indulgence and absentmindedness had never happened.


    Translator¡¯s note:


    The characters above, Yao, Shun and Yu, are mythological rulers or deities in very ancient China, we¡¯re talking about 2000 something BCE, that¡¯s more than four millenniums ago. All the books/records mention above are real, Classic of History or Book of Documents were credited to Confucius and his disciples, Records of the Grand Historian, Bamboo Annals, all of them were published hundreds of years Before Current Era, and they were talking about figures two millenniums older than them, which I found particularly mind-blowing. Chinese¡¯s history are profound but more than that it¡¯s well-preserved, you can find text of those thousands years old book online.

 CH 22

    Chapter 22 Talented Woman


    After Ye Zhen walked slowly into the palace, she was helped by Emperor Sheng Yuan before she could salute, and said warmly, ¡°It¡¯s a cold day, why you don¡¯t stay in Ganquan Palace but come out instead? Be careful of catching cold.¡±


    Ye Zhen waved her hand and was about to say a few words, but suddenly coughed, and her pale cheeks were stained with a layer of crimson, which looked really pitiful. Emperor Sheng Yuan hurriedly pulled her onto the couch and ordered Baifu to add another brazier. After coughing for a long time, Ye Zhen finally regained her breath, saw the box placed at his feet, and smiled, ¡°Your Majesty, are you reading a book? The candlelight is dim at night, which is not good for your eyes. Why don¡¯t this concubine help you read a few paragraphs.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid the candle light will hurt Zhen¡¯s eyes, so are you not afraid of hurting your eyes? Besides, you¡¯ve been coughing for a while, you should protect your throat.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan took the cloak from Baifu¡¯s hand, draped it over Ye Zhen¡¯s shoulders, and put a heater into her arms.


    Under the meticulous care of this person, Ye Zhen¡¯s heart was as sweet as honey, and her voice became softer, ¡°Your Majesty has been reviewing memorials all day, and his eyes are very tired. This concubine is lying down everyday, and it seems like a crippled person, so she should study and keep her mind active. Your majesty, don¡¯t worry, if this concubines¡¯s throat is uncomfortable, she will stop.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan felt sorry for her frail body and worried about her, felt it would be helpful to find something for her to do. So he handed over the ¡®Bamboo Annals¡¯ in his hand, ¡°Well, just read these two pages. If you feel depressed and unhappy on weekdays, you can call your mother into the palace to talk, don¡¯t just lie down and thinking about nothing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Your Majesty for your compassion.¡± Ye Zhen smiled extremely sweetly. After receiving the book, she looked at it and said in surprise, ¡°What kind of book is this? I have never heard of it before.¡±


    ¡°A history book, seems relatively obscure.¡± If Guan Suyi didn¡¯t mention it, Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t know that there was such a history book. If he wanted to study history, the Central Plains scholars around him would only recommend ¡®Classic of History¡¯ or ¡®Records of Grand Historian¡¯, as if these two books were the orthodox books.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Your Majesty read ¡®Classic of History¡¯?¡± Ye Zhen only mentioned it casually, and soon opened the pages of the book to read, ¡°Yao¡¯s last year, his virtue decline, and he was imprisoned by Shun¡­¡± After reading only a short paragraph, she shook her head and laughed, ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s no wonder that this history book is so obscure, it actually distorted history.¡±


    ¡°How do you know it distorted history? Who can tell the real history was?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan asked in a deep voice.


    ¡°This is the first time that this concubine has seen such a comment in a history book. In the ancient times, resources were scarce and life was difficult. From the common people to the chief, they all had to slash and burn and drink blood to survive. What¡¯s more, the chief also needs to set an example and take the lead, life was even more difficult. The harvested food and the prey were evenly distributed according to the population, and no one would have more or less. Therefore, the world only knows what is collectively owned, and not private, and so the system of renunciation came into being. The ¡®Records of Grand Historian: The Chronicle of The Five Emperors¡¯ stated: ¡®The world¡¯s virtuous virtue all began with Emperor Yu.¡¯ This shows that in the ancient times, there were fewer disputes and practiced virtuous governance, and such a well-know thing through the ages was slandered into such an unbearable appearance, it¡¯s really annoying and hateful.¡± Ye Zhen put down the book and sighed, ¡°Your Majesty, the writing of historians are different from ordinary scholars. If there is a slight error or omission, they will kill the glorious years and the cognition of our ancestors for the future generations.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan fixedly looked at her for a while, then smiled, ¡°No wonder when you were in Liaodong, all the generals in the army praised you as the number one talented woman in the Central Plains. As expected, you are very knowledgeable.¡±


    Ye Zhen waved her hands to humbled herself, put the ¡®Bamboo Annals¡¯ into the box, and then took out a copy of ¡®Classic of History¡¯ to read. When she thought about it, His Majesty who advocating Confucianism, would definitely favor the works of Confucius more, and she could also make comments and show off her talents while reading. Wouldn¡¯t it kill two birds with one stone? These days, she hasn¡¯t been idle at all. All the books related to Confucianism have been thoroughly studied over and over again, she was not afraid to having nothing to talk about with His Majesty. Talking and talking, maybe she could stay in Weiyang Palace and truly become His Majesty¡¯s woman.


    However, she imagined it very beautifully, but the reality was just the opposite. After only a quarter of an hour, Emperor Sheng Yuan waved his hand and said, ¡°Zhen is tired, you go down.¡± After the words fell he put his hand on his forehead, looking very tired.


    Ye Zhen¡¯s breathing was stagnant, her expression changed into shock, but it returned to normal in just an instant, she stood up and said goodbye graciously. Walking the long way out, her mind was still reconstructing the meeting in Weiyang Palace, broke apart every word she said and shattered it into pieces. After careful consideration, she didn¡¯t find any mistakes, so she felt relieved.


    At the same time, Emperor Sheng Yuan picked up the ¡®Bamboo Annals¡¯ she had dropped, turned to the previous page, and smiled inexplicably.


    Baifu saw that His Majesty never called to lie down with concubines, even Ye Jieyu, the most beloved, could not stay overnight. Seeing that he was twenty-seven or twenty-eight, almost thirty but without heirs, he couldn¡¯t help being a little anxious, but he didn¡¯t dare to persuade him. Just euphemistically said, ¡°Ye Jieyu deserves to be the number one talented woman in the Central Plains. This slave just didn¡¯t understand a word of what she said. Counting all over the palace, she is the only one who can converse with His Majesty, relieve fatigue and save you from being overwork and hurting your body.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan turned a page and pondered, ¡°The culture of Central Plains is extensive and profound, even the market slang reveals mystery within mystery of life wisdom. What is that saying? A bucket of water, half a bucket of water¡­¡±


    Baifu said with a smile, ¡°Enlighten Your Majesty, ¡®A bucket of water doesn¡¯t make a sound, half a bucket of water jingles¡¯.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded, ¡°It¡¯s exactly this sentence.¡± At the end, there were no other words.


    Bai Fu waited for a long time but there was no follow-up. He couldn¡¯t help but look up, and saw that His Majesty was focused, his face was cold, and there was no sign of being pleased. Only then did he realize later that the phrase just now was a subtle mockery of Ye Jieyu for being a half-assed talented woman.


    Baifu quietly wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead, wondering to himself, did he thought wrong? How could the emperor look down on Ye Jieyu? In the whole palace, only Ye Jieyu has the most beautiful appearance, the most talented, has gentle and supple temperament, and heart as pure as orchid. If the emperor even look down on her, who else would he look up to?


    While speculating wildly, he heard a lazy voice from above, ¡°Back then, my Jiuli tribe was defeated by the Huaxia tribe. All the tribesmen were imprisoned as slaves. They shed blood and sweat only to survive. The food they planted and the prey they brought were used to worship the leaders of the Huaxia tribe. I don¡¯t know the history of your Han people, but I know the history of the Jiuli. Slaves has appear since ancient times. The tribe leaders have the most slaves, so how can they work by themselves? When the common people saved some money, the first thing that comes to mind is to buy a slave as a livestock servitude. The so-called ¡°only know as collectively owned and not as private¡± has been a joke since ancient times, but some historians use their own ideas to forcibly distort history and cover up the ugly, get rid of the rotten ones, and leaving only what they think is beautiful. The so-called ¡°winner become the king, loser become the bandit¡± is made aptly. History is often compiled by victors, and losers become thieves and bandits, even death cannot wipe out their crimes. ¡±


    Baifu didn¡¯t dare to speak, and the cold sweat that had just been wiped off came out again. No wonder His Majesty would ridicule Ye Jieyu, it was her words that stabbed His Majesty¡¯s sore spot. Just as the hall fell into a deadly silence, there was a burst of light laughter from the top, ¡°What Zhen said to you, you wouldn¡¯t understand. Search the works of the Zuo family, Zhen want to look.¡±


    ¡°The Zuo family?¡± Bai Fu was frightened just now, his mind couldn¡¯t turn around for a while.


    ¡°Zuo Boxiong that Zuo family.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s tone was slightly impatient.


    ¡°Ah, Zuo! Zuo from a family of historians!¡± Bai Fu suddenly realized, and hurriedly stick out his butt to rummaged the box.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Guan Suyi returned to the Marquis Mansion to catch up with dinner. After Mingfang set the dishes, she said mysteriously, ¡°Miss, just after you left the mansion, the next moment Liu shi came here. First, she went to see the injured young master, she bawl a lot, and then brought lord marquis to the side to talk. This servant did not dare to approach, just vaguely heard a few words, saying something like ¡®sister-in-law¡¯, ¡®taking concubine¡¯, ¡®dowry¡¯, ¡®don¡¯t worry¡¯ and so on. Miss, does the Ye family want to send a daughter in here to be a concubine for lord marquis?¡±


    Mingfang was not stupid, on the contrary, she was too smart, so her heart would become bigger and bigger. Guan Suyi glanced at her appreciatively and smiled, ¡°Take concubine then just take concubine, I will accept them all.¡±


    Mingfang looked shocked, however just when she was about to give strong advise, she heard the voice of little maid from outside, saying Lord marquis and the eldest miss were here, and they wanted to have a meal with madam. Guan Suyi hurriedly asked Mingfang to go to the kitchen to pass a few more dishes, and repeatedly told her to cook a pot of turtle soup.


    Mingfang couldn¡¯t compute, so she had to go with head full of thoughts.


    The dishes were quickly prepared, and the three of them put on a happy appearance of persuading each other to eat. After a long talk, Zhao Luli came to the point, ¡°I heard from my mother, she has given you the dowry left by Zhen¡­my late wife? Xi¡¯er will soon started discussing marriage, why don¡¯t you give the dowry to her? So that she can practice her hands early.¡±


    Of course it could be handed over to Zhao Chunxi, but it couldn¡¯t be too straightforward, lest Zhao Chunxi would come and cry to ask for help in the future because of her poor management, and it would not end well, but instead, like in her previous life she would be accused of unwarranted crimes. How to deal with this dowry, Guan Suyi already had rules in mind, so she smiled, ¡°The dowry belongs to Xi¡¯er, so she should take care of it herself. But mother left it to me to take care of it, and she trusted my performance. If something goes wrong, I will not be able to explain it even with ten thousand mouths. I can give Xi¡¯er the dowry list first. If she is not at ease, she can take someone to the warehouse for inspection now. However, before the official handover, I have to take the liberty to ask, does she know how to do arithmetic, how to look at the accounts, examine the accounts, and how to manage subordinates? Does she know how to inspect the quality of goods, measure the price difference of goods in various places, and estimate the profit and loss?¡±


    Zhao Luli didn¡¯t understand it, so how could his daughter? For the treatment of this child, who was eight point similar to Ye Zhen, it could be said that he devoted everything he could to cultivate according to Ye Zhen¡¯s model. Therefore, when she was thirteen years old, she only knew zither, chess, calligraphy and painting, and knew nothing about common affairs. His cheeks flushed, his eyes wandered, and he was speechless for a while.


    Zhao Chunxi was very unconvinced, and was about to refute, when Guan Suyi brought out an exquisite little abacus, and slowly said, ¡°One plus one, plus two, plus three, add up to ninety-nine, you can calculate it for me. If you can calculate correctly, I will immediately asked people to carry the dowry to your courtyard. If added wrongly, from today onwards you will follow me to learn about management and central feeder. This dowry list, the old madam has a copy, your maternal family should have a copy. Now I will make three more copies, and we will each have one. So you can rest assured that I will not take any advantage of your Ye family.¡±


    Zhao Luli was embarrassed by her frank remarks, and hurriedly explained. ¡°Madam misunderstood¡­¡± And Zhao Chunxi was holding the abacus, her fingertips trembled.


    Guan Suyi raised her hand to interrupt the other person, with a very cautious tone, ¡°Don¡¯t secretly complain that I take the belly of a gentleman with the mind of villain. I am not a villain, but I¡¯m also afraid of being misunderstood, especially his kind of terrible misunderstanding of coveting the previous madam¡¯s dowry. I am the second wife, originally has to walk with difficulty, if I make a mistake, I will be criticized in the Marquis Mansion, furthermore the Guan family will also be discredited. Guan family is now the example of morality and learning of the world, a model of virtue, the white jade without flaw, and cannot be defiled. Therefore, I care about my words and actions more than you, and I understand the principles of self-denial and courtesy, and being kind to others.¡±


    Zhao Luli became more ashamed and couldn¡¯t even lift his head.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t look at him, tapped on the table, and whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s start the calculations.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi deeply felt that every time she came to Guan Suyi, she was humiliating herself. She determined she would be fully prepared the next time she come.

 CH 23

    Chapter 23 Merchant Woman


    The Qin Dynasty destroyed six states and unified the world. What they pursued was Legalism ideology, and Legalism emphasized on agriculture and massive military force, but suppressed the development of business. Furthermore Confucian scholars, school of diplomacy, sword-wielding people, deserted soldiers and business people, these five categories were called five beetles, and the Legalist were extremely capable of despising and suppressing them.


    After the demise of the Qin state, it experienced hundreds of years of disputes. The feudal states all followed the example of the first emperor, intending to reform the law and strengthen the army, then unify the world, so they also pursued the militarist idea of emphasizing agriculture and heavy military. Gradually, the merchants who were originally low-ranking, turned into the lowest existence of Nine Streams, and sometimes, even inferior to the servants of other noble families.


    The Ye family accumulated a lot of wealth by reselling war materials, and they wanted to take a shortcut and quickly squeeze into the upper class. It was obviously not feasible for their descendant to marry women from noble families, but there was still some hope for their daughters or granddaughters to marry into high gate families. Therefore, whenever there was a beautiful woman in the clan, the head of Ye family would spend great efforts to cultivate them, hoping to hoard it like Lu Buwei, and sell it at a price.


    Ye Zhen had won the favor of the head of the family with her beautiful appearance, and since she was a child, she had been prepared to marry into a high family. In terms of scheming, means, and talents, she was not lacking in everything. However, the merchant family had limited vision after all. They only knew how to teach zither, chess, calligraphy, painting and seduction methods. They didn¡¯t know that the only thing a real noble family mistress should learn was to take charge of central feed, and the rest were just embellishments, not essential.


    The daughter of Ye family could only become a concubine, female entertainer, or even fell into prostitution was like fish back in the water. But Zhao Luli liked that kind of woman, and didn¡¯t notice anything wrong, so he taught his daughter to be another Ye Zhen.


    At this time Guan Suyi was supporting her cheek with one hand and smilingly stared at Zhao Chunxi who was at a loss. She wanted to know, without her guidance and correction in this life, what kind of path would Zhao Chunxi open up? Was it still possible to obtain the title Lady of the Third Rank, with income of five thousand households? Could she still marry into the imperial clan, with the same impressive condition?


    Zhao Chunxi had never touched such a thing as an abacus, and had absolutely no idea what the beads on top and the beads on the bottom represented. But she didn¡¯t want to admit defeat, and she didn¡¯t want to show her timidity, so she had to bite the bullet, but only push until ¡°plus three¡± and couldn¡¯t continue.


    At this time, the world was beginning to settle. After hundreds of years of war and plight, people¡¯s only thought was to survive. Where would they be in the mood to attend school and learn to read, let alone study arithmetic. Even those merchant giants who have been traveling doing business outside all year round, their ability to settle accounts was limited to a small amount, and a little more, such as counting the number of arrows, horses, army provisions, etc., would need to call dozens or even hundreds accountants who were proficient in this matter, could only be determined by reviewing it day and night.


    From one to ninety-nine, not only was it an unimaginable number for Zhao Chunxi, but even if the head of Ye family was brought over, afraid wouldn¡¯t be able to calculate it in a short while. She repeatedly scratched the beads, her expression gradually changed from pretending to be calm to grievance and pain, her eyes were red, and she seemed to be about to cry. It¡¯s too hard, it¡¯s really too hard, Guan Suyi is deliberately making her look ugly!


    Zhao Luli¡¯s heart was so painful that he was about to open his mouth to intercede, but then Dou shi, Zhao Chunxi¡¯s wet nurse that was standing by the side, said indignantly, ¡°Madam, this servant came from Ye family and has a lot of knowledge. Our Ye family¡¯s shop are spreads all over the world and the money exchanges is very huge, even then there is no need to count such a huge number in one day. Naturally, there will be accountants below. Our miss will marry into high gate family in the future, there will be a group of servants bellow, and there will be efficient stewards working outside, there is no need to bother with these mundane affairs. If you don¡¯t want to return the dowry, just say it, why bother to humiliate her.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi burst into tears, looking at Guan Suyi with disbelief and aggrieved eyes, as if silently complained that she harbored unfathomable motives like the wet nurse said.


    Zhao Luli was secretly angry with Guan Suyi when he heard that even his father-in-law didn¡¯t need to touch this damn abacus.


    Guan Suyi glanced at Dou shi, and said calmly, ¡°The Ye family is indeed a family of merchants, and the vision is really¡­¡± She paused and sighed, ¡°let¡¯s not say it. Comparing a family of merchants and family of officials, it¡¯s no wonder that the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion has been chaotic and stormy in the past. They said that the subordinates follow the example of their superiors, but your Marquis Mansion is very interesting, it actually doing the opposite. Instead of imitating the legacy of famous scholars and noble qualities, on the contrary bent over and succumbed to the lowest of the nine streams. I said why Xi¡¯er and Wangshu are so old and still don¡¯t understand anything, turns out the root cause is here.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi and Dou shi were most afraid of others talking about the Ye family¡¯s status, they couldn¡¯t help but look at each other. Zhao Luli was also respected his wife family very much, at this time, he was also very angry, and said sternly, ¡°Guan Suyi, you must have some morals! Before, who said that we should get rid of the prejudice of blood and caste, and get along in harmony. And who has repeatedly humiliated the Ye family for this reason? That is Xier¡¯s maternal family and my late wife¡¯s family. It¡¯s not the lowest of the nine streams as you say.¡±


    ¡°Whether or not it¡¯s the lowest of the nine streams, what I say doesn¡¯t count, what you say doesn¡¯t count, it¡¯s what the world says that count. You can get out of the mansion¡¯s gate, grab a common man on the street, and ask to see if the merchant is the lowest of the nine streams. If he says I¡¯m wrong, I will go to Ye Mansion to apologize immediately.¡±


    Guan Suyi slowly blew the hot tea and said in a soft voice, ¡°For you, The face of your late wife and Ye Mansion is very important, but to me, the future of the two children is the most important. You follow Ye Mansion in everything, but I cannot agree. Ye Mansion is very rich, Ye Mansion has shops all over the world, Ye Mansion has no shortage of accountants, I know all these things, but it belongs to Ye Mansion. Does it have anything to do with Xi¡¯er? Yes, Xi¡¯er is indeed going to marry a high-ranking family in the future, and there must be a lot of servants and stewards to serve. But then you can sit back and relax and enjoy the wealth of your life? High-ranking womenfolk, it¡¯s not as simple as you think.¡±


    She lowered her eyes and sighed, ¡°Xi¡¯er probably has not learned anything except the Four Arts over the years. Speak too deeply and thoroughly she also doesn¡¯t understand it. And lord marquis is a the dignified man who doesn¡¯t know the internal affairs of the house. I will give a simple example, it was said that the former dynasty court official Ji Xiang was not defeated in the court battle, rather in his madam¡¯s hand. Do you know the inside story?¡±


    ¡°Only vaguely heard of it, but doesn¡¯t know the inside story.¡± Zhao Luli was so irritated by her unhurried, neither too fast not too slow attitude, that he could only reply in a muffled voice.


    Zhao Chunxi wanted to rush over and cover Guan Suyi¡¯s mouth, but had to hold back desperately. As long as she opened her mouth, all the plan of others would be in vain, which seemed to have become a norm.


    Guan Suyi chuckled inexplicably and said, ¡°Ji Xiang was fascinated by a beautiful merchant¡¯s daughter, so he divorced his original wife and married the merchant woman. After the original wife left, the steward who was loyal to her fiddled with Ji Mansion¡¯s accounts to take revenge on the merchant woman. Consistently, a dignitary family has a routine to follow in human relations, who is close and who is alienated, which one on top that should be flattered, and which subordinates that should be roped in. How many red envelopes, antiques, jewelry and jade artifacts should be given to someone during the New Year¡¯s Festival, and they can¡¯t be added or changed at will, let alone cut it out. The steward presented the account book as usual after the madam passed the door, but it was actually altered. Those who should be given generous gifts become thin gifts, and those who should be given thin gifts were directly erased. And that merchant woman, because of her ¡°family background¡±, was used to digging the money and haggle over every ounce, she actually made assertion to reduce the gift list, which was already much thinner, by 30%. So without Ji Xiang¡¯s knowledge, he offended his relatives, superiors, and subordinates at the same time. His relatives secretly blamed him for being unfilial, his superiors secretly blamed him for being disrespectful, and his subordinates secretly blamed him for being ruthless. The result, even I don¡¯t say it, you should know.¡±


    Ji Xiang was a poor man, he worked hard to become the deputy prime minister, and was finally impeached by his subordinates for 36 counts of dereliction of duty, embezzlement, treason, etc. None of his relatives and superiors stood up for him, and all his subordinates throw the stones at him, to the point that Ji Xiang, who was not guilty of death, was sentenced to be beheaded. His rise and fall had become hot topics among people at the time. Before his death, he cursed his second wife incessantly, bluntly said that he would never marry a merchant woman in the next life, which also added a bit of legend to this tragedy. So later generations speculated that the reason why he ended up in a different place should be related to that second wife, but the specific details were unknown.


    After that issue, the merchant women were few and far between, and they were always criticized. Fortunately, the previous dynasty perished and the war began.


    Guan¡¯s family always kept their hands clean and did not like to talk about bad things, but Guan Suyi¡¯s grandmother, Zuo Dingxiang, was a historian and especially loved to explore the urban legends. Under her careful teaching and immersion, not to mention the old news of the previous dynasty, even the palace secrets that went back for thousands of years, Guan Suyi also knew a lot about it.


    As soon as she said the word ¡°Ji Xiang¡±, Zhao Chunxi thought of the man¡¯s scolding towards the merchant woman, and her already ugly face became paler. Zhao Luli glimpsed many arcane truth from it, and couldn¡¯t help but ponder.


    Guan Suyi tapped the tabletop with her fingertips, making a regular tapping sound, looked left and right at the expressions of the father and daughter, and continued, ¡°A little trick in the back house is enough to overthrow a powerful official, so there is the ancestor¡¯s legacy that say ¡®marry a wife, marry a virtuous person¡¯, there is also a market slang saying ¡®to marry a virtuous wife, the husband have few misfortune, and the son is filial to his father¡¯. Looking at the accounts, examine the accounts, settle the accounts, dealing with human relations are the skills that the mistress and the matriarch need to master. Of course, you can drive your servants to do it, but how can you guarantee that you will not make mistakes and not be fooled when you yourself only know a little? If you think that by letting you learn arithmetic and central feed, I have tarnished your loftiness and damaged your pride, then I will return the dowry to you immediately, and you can just take care of it yourself.¡±


    As she spoke, she took the abacus from Zhao Chunxi¡¯s hand and fiddled with it quickly. In the whole room there was only a crisp sound of beads hitting each other, but after a while, could hear her say, ¡°From one to ninety-nine, the answer is four thousand nine hundred and fifty, is it difficult to count? Besides, there is an easier way, add the two numbers, multiply by ninety-nine and then halve the number¡­¡± After writing the deduction process one by one on the paper, she circled the answer with a brush, and sighed earnestly, ¡°Zither, chess, calligraphy and painting can only be used to cultivate sentiment. To really run the family, you also have to learn some strong skills. The matriarch and mistress, internally must be able to teach their children, serve their parents-in-law, and take care of common affairs; externally, they should assist their husbands and participate in social functions. The matter of inviting pampering and flattery, only lowly concubines will do things like that. Those people, which of them is not proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy and painting? Wouldn¡¯t it be self-defeating to compare with them?¡±


    Looking at Zhao Luli being embarrassed and Zhao Chunxi dying of shame, Guan Suyi made a concluding remark, ¡°I always think about the two children, but I didn¡¯t expect that in lord marquis¡¯ eyes, I became a person with ulterior motives. I don¡¯t mean to look down on the Ye family, but it¡¯s better not to bring the Ye family¡¯s education into the Marquis Mansion. People come, push Dou shi down and give her fifty rods, to teach her what respecting superiors means. When the mistress spoke, she as a servant dare to point finger and slandering out of thin air. What if she follow the eldest miss to her husband¡¯s house in the future? I am the madam of Zhao¡¯s family, and I can still tolerate one or two, but how can others be merciful? At that time, people will not say it, but secretly remember the eldest miss in their hearts. Over time, the relationship between husband and wife, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and children¡¯s relationship will be damaged. How can there be a happy life at all.¡±


    The rough old woman outside the house ran in immediately and pushed the frightened Dou shi down.


    Zhao Chunxi was still immersed in Guan Suyi¡¯s seemingly earnest teachings, but in fact, extremely derogatory words, when she came back to her senses, she heard her father shout sharply, ¡°Almost ruined Xi¡¯er¡¯s life, fifty is not enough, add thirty! After listening to madam¡¯s words, I am really enlightened. If you don¡¯t tell me, I really don¡¯t know what will happen to Xi¡¯er when she gets married in the future. I don¡¯t know the inner house affairs, my mother is old and frail, and her energy is limited, in the future still need madam to take trouble. I was the one who made a blunder before, madam please do not blame. To be able to marry madam, indeed is my blessing of three lifetime, and it¡¯s also Xi¡¯er and Wangshu¡¯s deep fortune¡­¡±


    Zhao Chunxi could no longer hear the following words of sincere apology, because the emotions of shame, anger, powerlessness, fear, and unwillingness were violently churning in her heart. Even if she hated the sharp-tongued Guan Suyi, she had to admit that what the other person said made sense. She almost, just a little bit, wasted her whole life by her daddy¡¯s teaching. Of course, she couldn¡¯t agree with all of Guan Suyi¡¯s point of views. Who said that only a lowly concubine would do it? Didn¡¯t my mom climb to high position of Jieyu with those skills? In the future, who will be noble and who will be low, and who will lose and who will win, is still unknown.


    Guan Suyi only glanced at Zhao Chunxi and could guess what she was thinking, probably took Ye Zhen¡¯s bad things to comfort herself. That¡¯s right, Ye Zhen really got ahead, but so what? Jieyu was just a concubine after all. Zhao Luli was so dedicated and infatuated with her, and became a good Marquis madam would not do, but ran to compete with hundreds of women for a man, indeed has water in the brain.


    However, everyone has their own aspirations. Guan Suyi would not care about Zhao Chunxi¡¯s actions or mistakes in this life, if she couldn¡¯t be happy and liked to toss around, just let her go. Anyway, what should be said had been said, what should be done had been done, and the reputation of virtuous character had also been earned, that was enough.

 CH 24

    Chapter 24 Until We Meet Again


    Zhao Chunxi originally came to ask for a dowry, but didn¡¯t expect she would be belittled by her stepmother. How could she be happy? She seldom mentioned her mom in front of her daddy, but because she was really angry in her heart, after thinking about it and thinking about it, she still retorted, ¡°Mother don¡¯t look down on my maternal family, now Jieyu niangniang who is in charge of the sixth palace has surname Ye, and she is the sister from the same mother of my mom.


    Zhao Luli thought that his daughter knew nothing about his wife¡¯s identity. Hearing her mention Ye Zhen in a proud tone, his heart ached.


    Guan Suyi picked up a thin porcelain bowl the size of a palm, slowly scooped the turtle soup, she said slowly, ¡°Your aunt have saved the emperor¡¯s life, this is her good fortune, otherwise, based on the Ye family¡¯s status, she will never be able to enter the palace. Such good luck is rare, you just have to look at it, don¡¯t take it seriously. Let¡¯s discuss our marriage and married in an upright manner, don¡¯t covet those undeserved wealth and honor.¡± When the words fell, she handed the bowl to Zhao Luli, and said softly, ¡°Lord Marquis, drink the soup. ¡±


    ¡°Thank you madam. ¡°Zhao Luli¡¯s voice was hoarse and his face was gloomy, obviously stabbed in his sore spot. Yes, if it wasn¡¯t for his father and mother coveting the undeserved wealth, how could he and Zhen¡¯er have separated? If his daughter was fascinated by the power of the imperial family, and determined to plant herself in, how would their mother and daughter get along in the future?


    Clenching his fist hard, Zhao Luli said sternly, ¡°Don¡¯t talk about your aunt. Your aunt married into the palace, that is the blessing of your aunt and the Ye family, and has nothing to do with us. All you have to do is follow your mother to learn how to run the family, in the future, you can find a steady and reliable husband from the right household and live a steady life.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi rarely saw his father¡¯s stern expression, so she couldn¡¯t help being frightened, and nodded quickly in agreement, her eyes were slightly red.


    Guan Suyi tucked the falling hair on her cheek to the back of her ear, as if affectionate, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be sad, I¡¯m just saying a few words for your own good, otherwise I might as well not mention anything and let your daddy make a mess. Your dad doesn¡¯t understand anything, and it almost delayed your future. If you follow me in the future, I will teach you. The world¡¯s requirements for women are inherently harsh, not to mention the mistress and matriarch who are responsible for the family¡¯s reproduction and prosperity.  Among virtue, speech, performance, and appearance. Virtue ranks first, it means being upright and establishing the foundation; speech and performance, one is to be cautious in words and deeds, and the other is the way of running a family, which also includes the husband and the children, serving the elders, increasing income and reducing expenditure and so on; appearance ranked last, but it does not mean beautiful appearance and good looks, but more dignified and sophisticated, calm and broad. So you see, there are so many things you need to observe here, and there is enough for you to learn before you get married.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi felt her whole body numb from her cool fingertips, but she couldn¡¯t evade in front of her father. Those words were all for her own good. If she showed any disgust or grievance, it would seem that she didn¡¯t know what was good for her, so she could only bite the bullet and expressed her gratitude.


    Zhao Luli saw that the two of them were ¡°get-along¡± well together, and his gloomy expression was gradually replaced by relief. At this moment, Zhao Wangshu walked in reluctantly and said in a muffled voice, ¡°Mother, are you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°School is over?¡± Guan Suyi waved at him, ¡°Come and have dinner together.¡±


    Zhao Wangshu hesitated for a moment, and finally sat down beside his sister.


    Guan Suyi personally served him a bowl of rice and smiled, ¡°In the future you will come to me after school to have meal. After dinner, I will help check your homework and practice calligraphy with you. You can rest after two hours.¡±


    ¡°What? Practice calligraphy for two hours?¡± Zhao Wangshu cried out in fear, when he met his father¡¯s sharp eyes, he hurriedly swallowed all the words of protest, his face turned blue.


    ¡°Madam is willing to teach you personally, that¡¯s your good fortune. Follow along in the future, don¡¯t be lazy. I¡¯m ashamed to say, if it wasn¡¯t for Madam to wake me up, I would have educate you badly, but fortunately it¡¯s not too late to correct it now. Madam, in the future, they will trouble you to tune and teach, if any one is disobedient, directly give the family law and no need to ask me.¡± Nowadays Zhao Luli calling the word madam very smoothly, and even felt very happy and fearful in his heart. If Guan Suyi hadn¡¯t married into the Marquis Mansion, in a few years Xi¡¯er would get married, and Wangshu would become adults, but didn¡¯t know where the road ahead lead them.


    The more he thought about it, the more he felt gratitude and admiration for Guan Suyi, and he gradually became more obedient.


    Guan Suyi hurriedly waved her hand to deny, said that the two children were not bad by nature, with smart minds, and they would have great potential in the future.


    Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu were extremely aggrieved in their hearts, but they did not dare to disobey, had no choice but to agree. After dinner, the few people went to the study together, there was one who practiced calligraphy, there was on who painted, there was one who watched from the sidelines. They looked happy and harmonious. But when it was time to go to sleep, Zhao Luli left with the excuse to send the two children, and in the end hid himself, making Guan Suyi very satisfied.


    ¡°Miss, why doesn¡¯t lord marquis ever consummate marriage with you? Is he have any hidden disease? How about this servant help you to inquire?¡± Mingfang said with a blushing face as they walked away.


    ¡°How are you going to inquire?¡± Guan Suyi soaked the used brush in the brush tub, and watched the ink balls change shape in the water. Minglan glared at Mingfang behind her back, and silently scolded ¡°sassy wench¡± with her mouth, which made Guan Suyi chuckled.


    ¡°This servant is thinking¡­¡± Mingfang was about to fool her mistress, but she heard the voice of steward woman from outside, ¡°Madam, just now Marquis Zhenxi Mansion deliver a post, please take a look.¡±


    ¡°Marquis Zhenxi Mansion?¡± Guan Suyi took the post and glanced at it a few times. She couldn¡¯t help but raise her eyebrows. It was actually sent by Qin Lingyun¡¯s sister-in-law, Li shi, who invited her to gather at Wencui Building tomorrow. Guan Suyi felt pity for this woman who had fate worse than her, and if possible, wanted to help her get rid of the tragedy of the previous life. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t get involved with the other people¡¯s emotional drama, just tell her to stay away from her clansmen.


    After writing a reply and changing into her bedclothes, she occupied the large bed with peace of mind and fell asleep.


    ¡ª


    The next day, the Wencui Building was still full of guests. Qin Lingyun and his sister-in-law, Li shi, sat in the original position, looking forward to it. Emperor Sheng Yuan was still dressed as a bodyguard. His height of nearly nine feet tall and strong figure made him stand out among the weak scholars.


    ¡°She said she would definitely come today?¡± The deep and rich voice suppressed the surrounding noise.


    Qin Lingyun squeezed the purse around his waist, his expression melancholy. Li shi gave him a distressed look and answered on his behalf, ¡°Madam marquis replied yesterday and said that she will definitely come. The Guan family made a heavy promise and will never break it.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan responded faintly, walked to the railing and looked down. Xu Guangzhi was sitting and talking with the Jiuli noble who sponsored him to hold the Ten Days Battle of Words. Old Master Guan and Father Guan had not yet arrived, they might be delayed by something.


    He paced back and forth a few steps, and seemed a little anxious. He was about to order the dark guard to go to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion to inquire some news, when he saw a slim figure walking in slowly. The goose-yellow ruqun was covered with plain white cotton coat. The wide sleeves were embellished with raw edge circles, which revealed a bit of playfulness and agility in the elegant. A veil hat was covering her face, and after being blown by the wind the black gauze was tightly attached to the face, outlining a few delicate and beautiful arcs.


    From the graceful ups and downs, it was not difficult to see the smooth forehead, the upturned nose bridge and the soft lips, and it was precisely because of this vaguely visible mysterious feeling that made people want to see more and more. Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s pupils shrank slightly, and after watching for a while, he suddenly came back to his senses, walked behind Qin Lingyun and stood still, pretending that he was just a bodyguard.


    Guan Suyi went up the stairs, smiled and greeted Marquis Zhenxi and Li shi, and was about to take off the veil hat, but Minglan, who was disguised in a  man clothes, tugged her sleeves twice, and reminded in a low voice, ¡°Miss, Old Master and Master are here!¡±


    The black veil that was lifted immediately dropped down again, not only that, but Guan Suyi also swiftly walked around behind the strong man of the Jiuli tribe and said with a smile, ¡°Help blocking me, I don¡¯t know how angry my family will be if they see me hanging out with your lord marquis.¡±


    At this time the Legalists and the Confucians were fighting fiercely, and Marquis Zhenxi was the leader of the Legalism scholars, so it stands to reason that Guan Suyi should not be involved with him.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan felt an unfamiliar aura approaching, and the vigilance developed over the years from the battles made him straighten his back immediately and gripped the handle of his knife. Then there was a feeling similar to thorns on the back, but there was no sense of crisis, it slowly seeping into the pores to the depths of the bone marrow, making the skin on the side close to the woman felt numb. Vaguely, he smelled a fragrance, not the precious spices used by concubines in the harem, but a faint smell that could only be acquire by immersing in pen and ink and books all year round. It was easily overlooked, but once caught, you would indulge involuntarily.


    He secretly took a deep breath, but when Old Master Guan and Father Guan looked over, he took the initiative to shift a step, covering the woman behind him even more tightly. The two did not recognize him, and soon joined a group of famous scholars to converse.


    Guan Suyi hid for a while, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Did they not find me?¡±


    ¡°No, Madam, please sit down.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s voice was a little hoarse. After she sat, he released the grip on the knife and stroked his itchy back with his backhand. The faint aroma was gone, leaving his mind blank for a moment, but this moment was too short, without noticing it was forgotten.


    In big hall on the first floor, Xu Guangzhi and a Legalist walked up to the high platform together, and each picked up a brush and wrote two lines of characters¡ªhuman nature is inherently good, and human nature is inherently evil. Legalism and Confucianism these two school were opposed with each other in many points of view, as if they were natural enemies and incompatible with each other. The good or evil of human nature was another highly controversial argument, and it was also a difficult problem for scholars from both Legalism and Confucianism to argue for hundreds of years, but they still could not decide the winner or loser.


    Despite deliberately pretending to be a pitiful in front of his sister-in-law, when Qin Lingyun saw this topic, he couldn¡¯t help but blurt out, ¡°Xu Guangzhi is so brave!¡± He frowned and took out a Buddhist bead from his purse.


    ¡°Is this question difficult?¡± Li shi, who was from the countryside, only roughly knew a few characters. She could read accounts and manage the household, beside that not a single character.


    ¡°It¡¯s very difficult. From ancient times to the present, scholars of the two schools have never determined the winner. Even if I go up, I¡¯m not sure  I can refute Xu Guangzhi. Of course, it would be difficult for him to refute me too. Legalism understands the evil of human nature best, and Confucianism understands the goodness of human nature best. We can cite hundreds of arguments at will, so we can never distinguish which one superior or inferior.¡± Qin Lingyun took out three Buddha beads and put them into the tray placed  by the side.


    Guan Suyi shook her head and sighed, ¡°This is a false proposition, what¡¯s there to argue about? It¡¯s really a waste of time.¡± She got up, intending to leave.


    ¡°Madam, why do you say this is a false proposition? Please advise.¡± The Jiuli man standing behind Marquis Zhenxi asked in stammering (ancient) mandarin, his deep eyes flashing with the look of seeking knowledge.


    Guan Suyi was nurtured by old master Guan, and since childhood, she was infected with the problem of being a ¡°good teacher¡±. She couldn¡¯t stand this expression the most. She tilted her head to think about it, and sat back again. When she bent her white fingertip and flicked the rim of the cup, the meaning was self-evident. The Jiuli man hurriedly walked over to serve tea, his every move was well coordinated, and there was even a faint smile in his eyes.


    Translator rambling: in historical Chinese novel I often find the height of the male character to be nine-feet long, if we use the modern measurement then it will be extremely tall, turns out the length of ¡®foot¡¯ in each dynasty can be different, but I think in most case nine feet tall should be 2 meters tall.

 CH 25

    Chapter 25 Pick-up Treasure


    A nine-foot-tall man standing right across from you, staring with eyes full of curiosity, especially his pupils are still light blue, which looks very distant and pure. This picture made Guan Suyi¡¯s heart softened. The Guan family was a family of literary giants and also an educational family. They had always adhered to the principle of teaching without distinction. As long as have a heart of eagerness to learn and seek truth, they were willing to teach others regardless of their status.


    Therefore, in the face of this rough man who was almost reaching thirties, but couldn¡¯t even speak Han language very smoothly, Guan Suyi was also willing to exchange knowledge with him, and even share everything she knew. She raised her eyebrows pondering, trying to find the easiest way to express her opinion.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan held the teapot and leaned slightly to look. His focused eyes seemed to want to penetrate the thin black veil to see the true face of the beauty. Qin Lingyun coughed first, seeing that he couldn¡¯t call back His Majesty¡¯s mind, he had to wink at his sister-in-law.


    Li shi said with a smile, ¡°Hunnar, don¡¯t block Madam¡¯s sight, sit down.¡±


    ¡°Thanking Madam.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan saluted in a dignified manner, then sat down in reserved manner, and still looked restlessly at Guan Suyi.


    Guan Suyi raised her eyebrows and said with a smile, ¡°Hunnar, the light of the temple. It¡¯s a good name, your parents must have high expectations for you.¡±


    Qin Lingyun showed a surprised expression, and even Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned for a moment. Asked, ¡°Do you know Jiuli language?¡±


    ¡°My grandmother is Zuo Dingxiang.¡± Guan Suyi replied politely.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan suddenly said, ¡°If we¡¯re talking about knowledgeable people, no one in this world can compare to historians.¡±


    ¡°Yes, no matter which school, which great man, which book, as long as they leave a trace in history, they all will be like enumerating one¡¯s family treasure.¡± Guan Suyi smiled heartily, obviously liked the indirect compliments of the Jiuli strong man for her grandmother. She pointed out at the topic board downstairs with her fingertips and continued, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just ask me why today¡¯s proposition is a false proposition?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think human nature should be evil. Otherwise, why is it easy to learn bad things, but difficult to be good? Why do we always have to use severe punishments and laws to restrain people¡¯s behavior, and once the legal system is in chaos, the social atmosphere will also be in chaos.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan looked over with a burning gaze. He highly praised Legalism thought, and naturally also agreed with the view that ¡°human nature is inherently evil¡±. He was curious how Guan Suyi would answer.


    Qin Lingyun also looked serious and waited solemnly.


    Guan Suyi was worried that Hunnar wouldn¡¯t understand too profound Han language, so she asked the shop assistant for a few white papers and a set of four treasures of the study, unhurriedly spread them out .


    She picked up a blank piece of paper and said slowly, ¡°People don¡¯t understand anything when they were just born, their brains are like this blank piece of paper, completely empty, it¡¯s the simplest and most harmless thing. At this time, they do not distinguish between good and bad, so there is no good or evil in human nature. In the process of growing up, children will come into contact with different people and different environments, some are comfortable, some are sinister, so they are painted with various kind of color and become a variety of people. Good people have dark thoughts, evil people have bright sides, and most people are neither good nor bad, just somewhere between them. In fact, what is the nature of human beings, Confucius and Gaozi have already answered.¡±


    As she spoke, she drew on two sheets of paper, and with just a few strokes, she vividly drew the Rakshasa evil spirit and the smiling face Bodhisattva. Just as she said, white paper was white paper, and only because it was painted by human that it could make people feel hate and joy.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan stared at her exposed jade-white wrist in a trance, and didn¡¯t speak for a long time. In the end, Qin Lingyun couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that human nature does not distinguish between good and evil, it¡¯s just a blank piece of paper? So why make a note of human nature?¡±


    Guan Suyi put down the brush, slowly dried the ink, and whispered, ¡°Confucius said in the ¡°Book of Rites¡±: ¡®food and drink, men and women (relationship), are people¡¯s great desires to survive¡¯ ,Gaozi also said: ¡®Appetite and lust are only natural¡¯. It can be seen from this that human nature cannot be without these two words ¡°food¡± and ¡°sex¡±. Food is for survival, and sex is for reproduction, which are the most basic needs of human beings. In order to survive, no matter how kind people are, they will do evil things like exchange children for food when they are extremely hungry; In order to reproduce, even the most vicious people will give up hope of life and use their lives to protect the safety of their children. One eats their children, and the other sacrifices their lives to save their children. The choice between the great evil and the great good is that the former takes their own survival more seriously, the latter take reproduction of their clan more seriously. It can be seen that the motivation that really drives a person to do good and evil is always unrivaled. In a peaceful and prosperous world, when the people are well fed, warmly clothed, and live well, there are naturally many people who do good deeds; In the midst of raging war, people didn¡¯t know when they ate their last meal, and in order to survive, there are many people who burn and loot, escape into the woods to become bandits. The purpose of Legalist and Confucian on labeling human nature as good and evil is to tame the people, and guide them to live in an orderly manner without jeopardizing the rights of others to live. Legalists use severe punishments to deter others, and Confucians use broad benevolence to persuade them. None of them can afford to feed and clothe people, and let them live in peace and contentment. Wouldn¡¯t you say it will be much easier to teach them to respect the law and do good deeds when they no longer have to worry about their lives.¡±


    ¡°Yes! You are so right!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan kept clasping his hands, his deep eyes were full of admiration. He never thought that Guan Suyi could extend from the essence of human nature to the causes of good and evil, and from the causes of good and evil to the way of governing the people. Her mind was like a sky, boundless, far and wide, made people always want to explore more and learn more.


    Qin Lingyun pondered for a moment, and his heart was full of admiration.


    Guan Suyi pointed to the two scholars who were already quarreling below, shook her head and said, ¡°Therefore, the emperor¡¯s top priority is to quickly make the people¡¯s lives stable and prosperous, and recruit these scholars, what¡¯s the use of arguing all day long.¡±


    Qin Ling Yun coughed, then squinted to take a look at His Majesty¡¯s expression. Li shi uneasily tugged her brother-in-law¡¯s sleeve, implying that he should help mediate for Marquis Zhenbei madam. Although she didn¡¯t quite understand the previous words, the last few sentences were deeply touching. Yes, if you can live a good life, who wants to be a wicked person? If he hadn¡¯t been forced to a dead end, her brother-in-law wouldn¡¯t have fled to the border and became the executioner for His Majesty.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was not angry, but laughed out loud, ¡°Does Madam also think these scholars are annoying? The emperor wants to invite talented people from all over the world to serve the country, reform the tax, distribute the land, drill the army, choose administrator, and so on. All need to be done by people who are proficient in the area. He only has one head, no three heads and six arms, so he is very busy. Indulging and even exalting these scholars is just to show his attitude.¡±


    ¡°South gate standing wood, Thousand gold to buys bones.¡± Guan Suyi nodded to Old Master Guan and Father Guan who were sitting below, and said sassily, ¡°Aren¡¯t my grandfather and father two most valuable horse bones?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned. For a while, he didn¡¯t know how to answer, but Guan Suyi had already stood up and bent her knees to say goodbye. After listening to the most of it, she could already guess the outcome of this debate. When people have just obtained a stable and peaceful life, they naturally prefer the doctrine of doing good deeds. From the very beginning the battle of words that Xu Guangzhi provoked had taken advantage of the right time, the right place, and the right people, how could he not win?


    When she walked to the stairs, she suddenly remembered something and turned back, ¡°Hunnar is very eager to learn. When he is not on duty, you should let him to read more.¡±


    Qin Lingyun replied with a smile, ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain this. Usually when there was time, I asked him to study, and even invited the most famous master to teach him. Unfortunately, he disliked the master for being a sour scholar, who chewed on words all day long, which made him had a headache when he heard it, and fled every time he saw the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Then give him a flexible master, or let him read the books he likes, doesn¡¯t necessarily need a master.¡± As Guan Suyi walked downstairs, she shook her head and chuckled, ¡°So old and still skipping school, just like my stepson.¡±


    Li shi was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she hurriedly stepped forward to pretend to send her off, but in fact tried to turn the topic away. Watching the two walk out of the building, Qin Lingyun pressed his fist to his lips and burst out laughing. If one day, Guan Suyi knew that the sour scholar in his mouth was Old Master Guan, didn¡¯t know what kind of expression she would show.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan stood by the railing and watched, waiting for the carriage of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion to drive out some distance before putting away his simple and honest expression, sat at the table and ordered, ¡°Serve the wine.¡±


    The guard immediately went to call the shop assistant. He picked up the two sketches and looked at them for a long time, then carefully folded them and put them in his sleeve, his meaning was unclear, then said, ¡°As expected of Guan Qiguang¡¯s granddaughter, she is a good teacher, and teach without looking at the background, even take care a little guard like this.¡± After a pause, he asked, ¡°What does her stepson look like?¡±


    ¡°I heard that his temperament is very naughty. At the age of ten, he still doesn¡¯t understand anything, and often used as a gunman by others. Didn¡¯t someone come to report a few days ago that Prince Cheng¡¯s Shizi was smashed in the head and almost died? He did it. Others wanted to test your attitude towards your brothers, but they didn¡¯t dare to stretch out their hand themselves, so they pushed him out.¡± Qin Lingyun reluctantly took out the Buddhist beads.


    ¡°Oh? Zhao Luli didn¡¯t even care? He was known as the think tank in the army, how could he teach his son like this?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was greatly surprised.


    ¡°He thought of his ¡®dead wife¡¯ all day long, where he have the mind to disciplined his son, and the children are the flesh and blood left by his ¡®dead wife¡¯, he regard them as his life, and reluctant to move a hair of them. Being able to marry Guan Suyi is like he pick-up a treasure. No matter how naughty the children are, Guan Suyi can educate them very well. I heard that Zhao Luli finally beat Zhao Wangshu two days ago, and now he is detained at home studying! Guan Suyi is not like Old Master Guan, who don¡¯t know how to be flexible and always adhere to old ideas. She is extremely good at guiding others. Just see, Zhao Wangshu will definitely be able to benefit in the future.¡± The words ended with a few beads.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded with deep feeling, but for some reason, he was very concerned about the phrase ¡°can marry Guan Suyi is like he pick-up a treasure¡±. After thinking about it, it took root and became a thorn in his heart, which made him in very bad mood.


    Qin Lingyun didn¡¯t notice his slightly gloomy expression, and continued, ¡°She said that Old Master Guan and Guan Yunqi are the two most expensive horse bones. This brain, this vision, actually penetrated to this point. If I am compared with her, afraid I¡¯m still not good enough.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan did not respond to his words, he sat for a while with a calm face, and suddenly got up and left, not caring about the outcome of this debate.


    Translator¡¯s note:


    Ladies and gentlemen, let me present you the most bonehead of all male lead!

 CH 26

    Chapter 26 Speech Karma


    After returning to Weiyang Palace, Emperor Shen Yuan took out the two pieces of paper in his arms and spread them out on the table. Because the folding time was too long, the imprint was difficult to remove, which made the Rakshasa evil spirit and the smiling Bodhisattva on it a little distorted. He pressed and stroked with his palm, but he couldn¡¯t return it to its original state, and he couldn¡¯t help but look gloomy.


    Baifu walked over with a tray and placed the teacups, teapots and other items within His Majesty¡¯s reach as usual, but heard him said in a solemn voice, ¡°Place it further, in case the tea overflow the edge of the cup and wet the paper.¡±


    Baifu moved the tray away while apologizing, found four paperweights to flatten the two paintings. He had the intention to praise a few words, but was afraid of flattering on the horse¡¯s leg, so he had to resentfully retreat to the side. After pressing for a while, the imprints were still there after the paperweight was removed, and the rice paper that Wencui Building prepared for the guests was thin and yellow, so it wouldn¡¯t last long. Emperor Shen Yuan looked at it, and finally picked up the paper and walked towards Ganquan Palace


    In Ganquan Palace, Ye Zhen sent away the attendants and was talking with her mother Liu Shi. When talking about how Zhao Luli whipped Zhao Wangshu, Liu shi was so angry and scolded him endlessly, saying that the other person had a bad heart, the tiger who poisoned its child, and so on.


    Ye Zhen didn¡¯t respond, she just frowned and listened. At that time, she was willing to throw away a pair of children and an extremely infatuated husband to pursue monstrous wealth. It was obvious that she was ruthless and heartless, and naturally would no longer have any nostalgia for the people in the Marquis Mansion. If it wasn¡¯t for Zhao Luli still having some use, she would have broken all ties with the other person long ago, and where would she still string him along. Hearing that Zhao Luli punished the pair of children under Guan Suyi¡¯s push and handed over all the power of the family to her, she was glad that she was one step ahead. Even the stubborn Zhao Luli could be quickly manipulated by her, if she was allowed to enter the palace, wouldn¡¯t it become a serious problem for her confidant?


    She didn¡¯t know why, even though she had never met her, she had a great hatred and jealousy towards Guan Suyi, hating that she could not be knocked out of the dust, couldn¡¯t watch her battered and exhausted, felt death would be better than life.


    Ye Zhen hated Zhao Luli for being soft-hearted, cowardly and useless, but she would not let him become someone else¡¯s arm. After thinking about it, she was about to instruct her mother to bring Ye Fan into the Marquis Mansion, when she heard a low voice from behind the screen, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    The mother-daughter duo were instantly panic, and while they ran out to welcoming the person, they repeatedly recalled what they had just said, whether or not they committed a taboo. The palace servants outside the hall were all crawling on the ground, shivering. Seeing that His Majesty was making an unannounced visit, no one dared to warn them.


    Fortunately, Ye Zhen resented Liu shi¡®s vulgar speech, and when she complained, she usually listened in silent, did not like to agreeing, and did not say anything that was not her usual style. And Liu shi hated Guan Suyi very much, and for half an hour, she just gushed about her various evil deeds, and did not expose the secrets of her daughter and the Ye family.


    It was not a big deal letting His Majesty listened to her scolding Guan Suyi, on the contrary it could help seamlessly plant the seed. Possibly in the future, in His Majesty¡¯s mind, Marquis Zhenbei madam would be a selfish and vicious figure who abuses her stepson and stepdaughter. And His Majesty was an extremely stubborn man, if he hated a person since the first impression, nothing would change his opinion, and vice versa.


    Love is added to the knee and hate is thrown into the abyss. This temperament was very easy to please, but it was also very easy to lose control. When he dotes on you, he will be obedient and grant whatever you asked for. If he hates you, you can only pray for more blessings.


    Ye Zhen repeatedly recalled the conversation with her mother, determined that there was nothing out of bound, moreover it could said to be a lucky stroke, so she felt relieved. Liu shi was able to teach her daughter to become a Jieyu, her mind naturally could turn very fast. When she knelt down to salute, her pale face returned to normal.


    Previously Ye Zhen told Liu shi that even if she left the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, she couldn¡¯t turn her face and didn¡¯t recognize anyone. On the contrary, it was even more necessary to inadvertently reveal her inner pain and reluctance to win His Majesty¡¯s pity; in order to make him understand that she was a weak woman who values love and righteousness, and was forced by life, and needed a strong and powerful shelter.


    Because of this, even if Ye Zhen didn¡¯t have much affection for the pair of children and her ex-husband, she always showed the appearance of ¡°never forget¡±. But there must to be a perfect balance between ¡°never forget¡± and ¡°have to forget¡±, otherwise, over time, it would inevitably frustrate His Majesty, and in the end it would be self-defeating.


    Therefore, Liu shi did not shy away from mentioning her grandson and granddaughter in front of Emperor Shen Yuan. After saluting, she wiped away her tears and said, ¡°Your Majesty doesn¡¯t know, that Guan shi is not at all like the people say, as soon as she passed the door, she urge lord marquis to beat Wangshu, and now he is locked in the house, not even letting him out of the door. And my poor granddaughter should be socializing and entertaining everywhere, so she can take a look at other families, lest the marriage will be difficult in the future. As the Marquis Mansion¡¯s mistress she should take the initiative to hold tea parties and flower meeting for her, and develop contacts. Unexpectedly, Guan Shi did the opposite, and repeatedly rejected many posts for Xi¡¯er, and strictly prohibited her from interacting with the daughters of other noble family, and only allowed her to follow and serve her. Your Majesty, you said, how can there be such a mother in the world? She wants to raise Wangshu as a waste, and delay Xi¡¯er lifelong event!¡±


    Speaking until here, Liu shi was already choked up.


    Ye Zhen ¡°didn¡¯t dare¡± to cry in front of His Majesty, but her eyes were filled with tears that could not fall, which was more pitiful than crying.


    Emperor Shen Yuan laid the two drawings on the table, and slowly flattening them with his palms, his resolute and handsome face did not reveal any anger. After Liu shi finished speaking, he said lightly, ¡°Someone came to report a few days ago, saying that Prince Cheng¡¯s Shizi was almost killed by someone breaking his head. Zhen was busy with government affairs at that time and did not conduct a detailed investigation, only ordered imperial physician to go and treat him.


    Liu shi gradually stopped crying and looked at her daughter nervously. Ye Zhen thought something was wrong, but she didn¡¯t dare to answer, only reluctantly pulled the corner of her mouth.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t even lift his eyelid, still staring at the drawings on the table, and continued, ¡°Guess who the perpetrator is?¡±


    Liu shi wiped her tears with her trembling hand, didn¡¯t say anything while pretending to choke with emotion and even held her breath. Ye Zhen didn¡¯t dare to not answer, and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Could it be Wangshu?¡±


    Emperor Shen Yuan responded lukewarmly, ¡°It¡¯s him. Even if Prince Cheng and Prince Jin were imprisoned for treason, their titles are still there, their identities are still there, their bloodline are still there, they are Zhen¡¯s brothers, and the members of imperial family. Those who murder the imperial family should be executed, and it can even implicate the nine generations. This is the law formulated by you Han people since ancient times.¡±


    ¡°Wangshu, he actually made such a big mistake!¡± Ye Zhen dropped her body down, put her forehead against the back of her hand and pleaded, ¡°Beg the emperor to forgive his sins, and beg the emperor to be kind. If the emperor wants to punish, then punish this concubine, it is this concubine who owes him. If he had his mother by his side since he was a child to teach him¡­¡±


    When Emperor Sheng Yuan heard her mention the past, he couldn¡¯t help feeling guilty, and waved his hand to interrupt, ¡°Get up, Marquis Zhenbei has beat him up, so this matter is written off. Zhen heard that Zhao Wangshu¡¯s temperament is very naughty, if he doesn¡¯t properly restrained at home to be grind and taught, it¡¯s inevitable that there will be disasters in the future. Zhen can tolerate him once, but not the second time. As for the Guan shi strictly prohibited Zhao Chunxi to interact with daughters from noble families¡­¡± He pondered for a moment, and suddenly smiled, ¡°Does she have a copy of ¡°Records of Noble Family¡± in her hand?¡±


    Before the four kingdoms were destroyed and the Central Plains were unified, this place was once ruled by noble families, and even the imperial family members were not as honorable as the children of the noble family. And Emperor Shen Yuan was used to revere as sole orthodoxy, and didn¡¯t like being overwhelmed by others. As the saying goes, ¡°know yourself and know your enemies, and you will never be defeated.¡±


    Those scholarly noble families that were far from imperial power, he intended to win over and use them, but the complicated and very tricky powerful official noble families, sooner or later, would become his stepping stone, a ghost under the knife. On the other hand, Zhao Luli couldn¡¯t see through his mind. He was always proud of his blood of the Zhao family in Tianshui, and had said it many times, so Emperor Shen Yuan wrote it down. After ascending the throne, someone presented a copy of ¡®Records of Noble Family¡¯, he turned the page of the Zhuo family, he couldn¡¯t help but smile, but because of the relationship were estranged, it had not been revealed.


    Ye Zhen saw that His Majesty was smiling strangely and wanted to ask the reason, but did not dare to speak. While hesitating, she heard him ordered, ¡°Bring the ¡®Records of Noble Family¡¯.¡±


    This was obviously said to Baifu, after the person took the order, he quickly assigned a quick-footed little eunuch to go th the Weiyang Palace to pick up the book, and in a short moment, the ¡®Records of Noble Family¡¯ had been opened on the table, Zhao shi escaped slavery, written in black and white, clear as bell. Ye Zhen flushed with embarrassment and was speechless for a while, but Liu shi screamed, ¡°The Zhao family cheated the marriage! If he hadn¡¯t said that he was the direct descendant of the Tianshui Zhao family¡­¡± Realizing that the following words were inappropriate, she immediately closed her mouth tightly.


    How could Emperor Shen Yuan not know what virtue the Ye family was. Merchant seek profit. If Zhao Luli had no outstanding point, the Ye family would never marry their exquisite daughter to a young sergeant who was still working hard in the army at that time. However, these past events have nothing to do with him, so he wouldn¡¯t bother, just clarify the misunderstanding for Guan Suyi.


    He didn¡¯t like Liu¡¯s mocking remarks towards her. When the noble ones were defiled by the mean ones, the situation were always made people angry.


    The mother and daughter of the Ye family were too embarrassed to speak, but he didn¡¯t even bother to lift his eyelids, so he slowly flipped through the ¡®Records of Noble Family¡¯ and sighed, ¡°It turns out that the author of this book is also her great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, no wonder¡­¡± As if thinking of something, he smiled softly, and his mood instantly brightened.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the minister¡¯s wife has made a mistake¡­¡± Liu shi¡®s scalp was numb by the moody Emperor Sheng Yuan, knelt down and was about to asked for forgiveness, but was interrupted by him, ¡°You have shallow knowledge, you must be careful in your words and actions in the future. Guan shi is dignified and gentle, respectful and cautious, and never climbed over the etiquette, which is inherited from the Emperor Teacher. She is also a model of clan woman, even more, Zhen personally confer her as first-grade title woman. You slander her, you slander the Emperor Teacher and slander Zhen.¡±


    The charges were counted one by one, and Liu shi couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. She withered to the ground, begging and begging for mercy before being dismissed by His Majesty. When she left, it¡¯s as if granted an amnesty.


    Ye Zhen also beg for forgiveness, but she felt extremely uneasy. The emperor defended Guan shi like this, wasn¡¯t it for the sake of the Guan family¡¯s father and son? If Guan family did not fall, it would be difficult to step Guan Suyi into the mud. She thought about it, and finally pressed the deeper and deeper fear.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan cleared out that ¡®love to lecture¡¯ woman¡¯s name. After  letting out his anger, his mood was refresh again, and then pointed to the two drawings that he had already flattened, and asked, ¡°You¡¯re good at embroidery, can you embroidered them into a table screen?¡±


    Ye Zhen hurriedly agreed, ¡°Naturally. Where did Your Majesty get these two paintings? The few strokes are extremely expressive, which shows the profound skill of the painter.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed but did not answer, handed the drawings to Ye Zhen, ordered her not to wrinkle or break it, after eight days, he would fetch it, then he left. When he walked to the door of the palace, as if remember something, once again said, ¡°After all, Liu shi is from a merchant family, and her words and deeds are vulgar, if you have nothing to do, you can read more. Don¡¯t call her into the palace to gossip too often, so as not to disturb the atmosphere.¡±


    Who was the person who asked me to call my mother into the palace the other day? Your Majesty, what about your words? But Ye Zhen didn¡¯t dare to say these questions, had no other choice but to pull the corners of her mouth in answer.

 CH 27

    Chapter 27 Take Concubine


    Ye¡¯s family was narrow-minded, liked to seek revenge over a dirty look. Even if Guan Suyi didn¡¯t hinder them, as long as she existed for a day, it would be a thorn in Ye Zhen¡¯s heart, not happy if it was not removed. Let alone there were two children living under her hands, made it more difficult to relax their vigilance. Due to the presence of the old madam, Liu shi could not reach her hand into the Marquis Zhenbei mansion, so after thinking about it, she had to stuff Ye Fan inside.


    Ye Fan was the only di daughter of the second branch of the Ye family. The second branch was born from a concubine. In the early years, the family had already lived separately, and also had no business acumen. The small property he got was quickly exhausted, and his life was very difficult. When she was ten, Ye Fan¡¯s father was killed by bandits on the way to do business, and her mother could not survive alone, so she had to send her back to the relative family and remarried herself.


    Because of her beautiful appearance, Ye Fan quickly won the favor of the Ye family¡¯s head, and she was brought into the main branch and raised carefully, in order to find a wealthy family to marry in the future. Becoming the first wife naturally impossible, becoming a spoiled concubine was more than enough. Ye Fan had had enough of the hard life, and she also already set her mind to drill into the deep house of the rich and powerful, and was not afraid of those shady methods.


    She was only six years younger than Ye Zhen, but she separated from her parents when she was young, as they went around to do business. She didn¡¯t remember that her relative family had only one di daughter, not a pair of twins. After being adopted by her relative family, she was provided with brocade garment and jade meals, slowly grew from a yellow-skinned little girl to a young girl with beautiful face. When she was fourteen or fifteen years old, her appearance was seven or eight points similar to Ye Zhen. It could be said the her captivating beauty made the fish sink and goose alights, hiding the moon and shaming the flowers, so her heart grew bigger, and she was extremely dissatisfied with several marriages that Liu shi picked, secretly fool around with a son of an aristocratic family.


    When the two fell in love with each other, they made a pledge to get married. In order to be together in an open and honest way, they made a ruckus in front of Liu shi. Seeing that Ye Fan was so prosperous, to actually hook up with an aristocratic son, she had no alternative but to hold her nose and agreed. Unexpectedly, just after the marriage was decided, the Jiuli tribe entered the Central Plains. As a result, the fire of war continued for years, bones of the dead were exposed, many vassal states were destroyed, and the noble family giants that had stood for a thousand years without falling were also severely damaged.


    When the Wei was established, Ye Fan¡¯s fianc¨¦ was lucky enough to survive, but the family had long since fallen into disrepair. They couldn¡¯t even afford a full meal, and could only count the glory of the past with the tablets of their ancestors. How could Ye Fan willing to endure the hardship? Looking in the mirror, she felt that she could find a better one, so she asked Liu shi to call off the wedding.


    The family originally looked down on Ye Fan, who came from merchant family, but fortunately, he was only a shu son born from a singer, so it didn¡¯t really matter. But now was different from the past. They were all counting on Ye Fan¡¯s large dowry to live. Naturally, they opposed it fiercely, and the two families started to fight.


    Ye Fan was delayed by the war, and also entangled by her fianc¨¦¡¯s family. If Ye Zhen hadn¡¯t been awarded the title Jieyu, and the saint intended to support the Ye family, she would probably have to be buried in the pit she dug herself for the rest of her life. When she finally got rid the bad marriage, she was already twenty-four years old, and soon there was no way out, how could she not be in a hurry? Zhao Luli was young, handsome, and held a high position. He was the dream husband of many Wei¡¯s noble daughters. Hearing that Liu shi was going to send her to Marquis Zhenbei mansion to be a concubine, she agreed without thinking.


    Ye Fan used to conduct herself well. In order to please Liu shi, she was very fond of the two children left by her cousin, and it was not an exaggeration to say that she watched them grew up. Therefore, the two children were very close to her, and after marrying in, at least the little brats were on her side, which means that lord marquis was on her side, and life would definitely be better. As for the legendary Guan¡¯s daughter, who was said to be highly talented, well-educated, knowledgeable, and highly appreciated by His Majesty, she didn¡¯t pay any attention to her.


    She knew that her biggest weapon was this face that resembled her cousin. Maybe she could only be a stand-in at first, but who could say exactly as time goes by?


    Liu shi and Ye Fan hit it off, and the next day they hurriedly knocked on the door of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. Zhao Luli saw that his mother-in-law had something private to say, so he asked Ye Fan to see the two children. As soon as the two entered the study, Liu shi opened her mouth to ask her son-in-law to take a concubine, and Zhao Luli was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t recover for a long time.


    ¡°I just got married, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not appropriate.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you afraid that the Guan family will trouble you? Well, you ungrateful bastard, where did you put my Ye family? If it wasn¡¯t for you, how could Zhen¡¯er bear to leave her children to go to that shameful place? How did you get your title, as well as your wealth and life, and how the Zhao family become rich and noble, have you forgotten? Zhen¡¯er gave everything to you, but you turned around and helped the newcomer abuse her son and daughter, if I don¡¯t send Ye Fan in, and let her take care the two children so they can grow up safely, I won¡¯t be able close my eyes even after dying, and Zhen¡¯er also won¡¯t be able to close her eyes after dying! It¡¯s my fault that I had no eyes and could not see people clearly, and I thought that Guan shi was a good one, but I didn¡¯t expect after entering the door she reveal her original form, kneading Xi¡¯er and Wangshu like clay figurines. My poor Zhen¡¯er, her life is really worthless!¡± Liu shi sat down on the ground, pointing to the sky and scolding the earth, cried and cried, just like a rural village woman.


    When she mentioned his ¡°deceased wife¡±, Zhao Luli suddenly felt  heartbroken, he stroked his chest while his eyes became red, and he couldn¡¯t say a word to refute. After poking his sore spot Liu shi lobbied again, and finally got a satisfactory answer.


    At the same time, Ye Fan was greeting the old madam, and she was shocked when she saw the woman sitting to her right. They all said that rumors were not entirely credible, but the rumors about Guan shi were actually far from being able to reach the person herself. At this moment, she was slowly playing with a bunch of daffodils, with a slight smile at the corner of her lips and soft color in her eyes. Without the embellishment of brocade clothes and jewelry, her gorgeous face, and her graceful elegant were the best decoration and also the most dazzling halo.


    Ye Fan, who was instantly reduced to a foil, smiled very reluctantly, and it was not until Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu ran to see her happily after hearing the news that she finally regained some confidence. The three of them had a good time reminiscing about the old days, and they put the old madam and Guan Suyi aside and ignored them.


    In a quarter of an hour Guan Suyi completed a pot of flower ball, and let the maid put it on the low table by the window, cleaned her hands, and wiped off the water while slowly saying, ¡°Xi¡¯er, you came to the main courtyard a quarter an hour late to pay respect today, I have already remind your four maidservants and asked them to hasten constantly, but if they fail to serve their master, they all will be deducted this month¡¯s monthly silver. If they commit the crime again, they will be deducted from the next month, and if there is a third time, they all will be sold.¡±


    This sentence broke the bubble of happiness in the room. The three people¡¯s voices stopped abruptly, except for the four senior maids who knelt down in unison, followed by a series of pleading guilty and ask for forgiveness. In today¡¯s Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, no one dared to challenge the authority of the mistress, even the old madam kept her mouth shut and stood on the sidelines.


    ¡°At present, although spring is approaching, the weather is still very cold. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s late a moment or two in the morning. Madam punishes Xi¡¯er like this, afraid it¡¯s too severe, right? I was fostered by my aunt since I was a child, and she always sympathize with me, and in the middle of the winter of the twelfth month, I am excused from paying respect¡­¡±


    Ye Fan was interrupted by Guan Suyi before she finished speaking, ¡°That¡¯s why you can¡¯t get married when you already twenty-four. When others look for a daughter-in-law, the most important thing is not her appearance, but her virtue. If a person is not filial to the elders of her own family, how can they expect her to be filial to the elders of other family? Serving the parents-in-law, assist the husband and educate the children are the duties that a mistress should fulfill, and it doesn¡¯t matter if the other point is not good. Seeing Xi¡¯er is about to discuss marriage, even if she is unwilling in her heart, she has to put on a filial piety appearance, otherwise when someone from another family come to inquire and learn that she is not even close to her own grandmother, let alone pay respect and accompany her, how can they expect her to be filial to their elders and obedient to her husband after getting married? Is this marrying a daughter-in-law or an ancestor?¡±


    Seeing Ye Fan biting her lip and holding back her anger, Guan Suyi chuckled and stabbed deeper, ¡°For women, especially unmarried women, reputation is very important. Sister Ye must have a deep understanding of this point.¡±


    The old madam softened her face and made another stab, ¡°Suyi is willing to discipline her children, that is their blessing, and it¡¯s not an outsider¡¯s turn to intervene. Zhao Chunxi, If you don¡¯t like to see me, don¡¯t come, you don¡¯t need to force it.¡±


    Seeing that her grandmother had clearly expressed her dissatisfaction with herself, if she said a few words outside, who would dare to come to ask for marriage? Zhao Chunxi once again realized that Guan Suyi¡¯s words were correct, and immediately knelt down and pleaded guilty, saying that she would never dare again next time. It was at this moment that Zhao Luli and Liu shi walked in. One was ashamed because of his daughter¡¯s ignorance, while the other held a grudge because of Guan Suyi¡¯s suppression.


    Little bitch, wait until Ye Fan enters the door and see how you fall! Thinking like this, Liu shi chatted a few words with the old madam, then said goodbye, but before leaving, she cast a contemptuous and pitying look at Guan Suyi. Zhao Chunxi knew that her mom and grandmother had done what she asked for, and she couldn¡¯t help feeling very happy.


    Zhao Luli felt very guilty towards his new wife, but he couldn¡¯t stand Liu shi¡®s soft and hard pressure. He had no alternative but to invite the old madam to the inner hall to speak, and tried to send others away. Guan Suyi pretended to not understand, and stayed outside to drink tea as usual. Zhao Chunxi also stayed while waiting to see her jokes, but Zhao Wangshu was ignorant and went to play on his own.


    ¡°There seems to be a commotion inside, mother, why don¡¯t you go in and take a look?¡± Zhao Chunxi pretended to be worried.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, how can there be an overnight feud between mother and son.¡± Guan Suyi smiled lightly.


    After half an hour, Zhao Luli came out first, saw his new wife was still there, his cheeks flushed red, then paled, and then gave her a deep bow. The old madam followed closely, scolding with her crutch, ¡°Unfilial son, get out of here!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± It was unknown who this sentence was addressed to, but the when words fell, the person had already gone far, the back looked quite embarrassed.


    The old madam collapsed on the soft chair, and she said with tears, ¡°Suyi, you are a good daughter-in-law, our Zhao family have let you down! I am old, and these children have hard wings, I really can¡¯t control it. If I¡¯m not here, please take care of marquis mansion, don¡¯t let it fall apart, collapse, defeated¡­¡±


    ¡°Old madam, you are too worried.¡± Guan Suyi patted the back of her hand and said calmly, ¡°Does lord marquis want to take Ye Fan as a concubine?¡±


    ¡°You know?¡± The old madam raised her head suddenly, as if thinking of something, and sighed, ¡°You are so smart, how can you not see through the Ye family¡¯s little tricks. That¡¯s right, they want to send Ye Fan in, I couldn¡¯t stop it.¡± When the words fell she glared at Zhao Chunxi.


    As soon as Zhao Chunxi¡¯s eyes showed a hint of happiness, she heard Guan Suyi disapprovingly said, ¡°Then let him accept her. On the day when Ye Fan enter the door, I will send my maid Mingfang too, and make it a double happiness. Old madam, what do you think? Mingfang has served me since she was a child, and she has an extraordinary relationship with me, so I will remove her slave status and give her a few acres of land and a small courtyard. This way, she can be regarded as a good family woman with a serious dowry and she can be a noble concubine like Ye Fan.¡±


    These words shocked the old madam and Zhao Chunxi, and after a while, one turned anger into joy, and the other almost choked to death.


    After the Ye family shoved their daughter in, Guan Suyi immediately promoted her maid too. The two were both noble concubines. Wasn¡¯t this equivalent to slapping the Ye family in the face? The face were all gone! This move was damaging, very damaging indeed, and it¡¯s unknown what Ye Fan¡¯s expression would look like when that day comes.


    The old madam swept away the previous depression, and said, ¡°Yes, both of them are acceptable, so they can spread branches and scatter leaves for my marquis mansion. Your maid is really good, I will give her some more dowry.¡±


    Guan Suyi pursed her lips and smiled, letting Mingfang, who was already out of her soul, quickly kowtow to the old madam. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law completely forgot to ask Zhao Luli¡¯s opinion. Of course, even if he didn¡¯t want to, Guan Suyi had a thousand ways to make him nod.

 CH 28

    Chapter 28 Wash One¡¯s Hand


    Guan Suyi came out of the main courtyard, followed by the ecstatic Mingfang and the unwilling stepdaughter. Because the sun was full and the temperature rose up, many bright yellow spring flowers bloomed in the yard one after another. The group was admiring them while walking back to the main house.


    Spreading the account book, Guan Suyi pointed to the incoming and outgoing items, and asked Zhao Chunxi to help settle the accounts, while she picked up a book and flipped through it at will. Thinking that it was because she was uncomfortable but didn¡¯t dare to show it on her face, Zhao Chunxi plucked the abacus beads and made a chaotic sound, which sounded very annoying.


    Minglan pouted in disgust, secretly slandering this duplicitous eldest miss in her heart.


    After enduring and enduring, Zhao Chunxi finally couldn¡¯t hold back, with great difficulty asked in a calm voice, ¡°Mother, you want to take a concubine for my daddy, why didn¡¯t you ask his opinion?¡±


    ¡°Then your grandmother stuffed Ye Fan in, did she asked my opinion? Your daddy went directly to the old madam, did he ask my opinion?¡± Guan Suyi didn¡¯t even bother to lift her eyelids, asked in an elongated voice.


    Zhao Chunxi had nothing to say, feeling suffocated for a while before saying, ¡°Even if you want to take a concubine for him, can¡¯t you wait a while? Do you have to pick it on the day my aunt passes the door? How uncomfortable my aunt would be?¡±


    ¡°Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire. Your Ye family wants to put Ye Fan in, but you don¡¯t choose anytime else, you have to pick it up soon after my wedding with lord marquis? Have you ever thought how uncomfortable I would be?¡± Guan Suyi closed the book, her voice slowly became cold, ¡°I am now the mistress of the marquis Mansion, and Liu shi forced lord marquis to take a concubine, which means to slap my face in public. The sage said: repaying resentment with virtue, why repay virtue? It is right to repay grievance with grievance and repay virtue with virtue. If others are sincere to me, I will naturally reply them with sincerity. If others want to plot against me, I am sorry, I will let them knock out their teeth and swallow their blood.¡±


    When the last sentence was said, Zhao Chunxi always felt that her stepmother was looking at her with sharp eyes, as if she had already understand her careful thoughts, and even her mom¡¯s plan was clear. But how could it possible? Despite this thought, she couldn¡¯t stop panicking in her heart, just because she really knocked down her teeth and swallowed her blood, just as the other person said.


    Guan Suyi curled her knuckles and knocked it on the table, said toward  Mingfang, ¡°You go to the government office with housekeeper Zhao now, he will help you eliminate your slave status and become a good citizen. What is the reason for me to lift you up to this point, presumably you are very clear in your heart. In the future you will serve Lord marquis well, and don¡¯t let me down. If I can support you, I will naturally be able to hold you down too.¡±


    ¡°Madam¡¯s great kindness and great virtue, this servants will never forget. As long as you send a message in the future, this servant will definitely jump into scalding water and plunge into raging fire for you.¡± Mingfang knew that miss lift her up to suppress Ye Fan, so she quickly knelt down and expressed her loyalty.


    Seeing this person¡¯s gesture of pointing to the sky and draws the earth, Guan Suyi laughed inwardly. In the previous life, she also saw through Mingfang¡¯s thoughts, but she was afraid that the master-servant friendship would be damaged, so Ye Fan used the condition of lifting her as a concubine to draw the people over. Therefore, Guan Suyi suffered losses in the open and in the dark, and finally almost drowned in the pond. Now, she simply took the initiative to lift up Mingfang. Both were noble concubines, and they went through the door on the same day. In order to compete for Zhao Luli¡¯s favor, afraid those two would try to kill each other.


    A dog bites a man is a tragedy, a man bites a dog is a farce, and a dog bites a dog is a good show. Guan Suyi would just sat in the main hall, waiting to see this good show. Sending away the grateful mingfang, she caught a glimpse of Zhao Chunxi¡¯s extremely ugly face, she said slowly, ¡°There are thousand of ways for the mistress to suppress the concubine, and the worst one is to do it yourself. Ye Fan is your aunt now, and it doesn¡¯t matter how close are you to her, but after entering the marquis mansion she will become your father¡¯s concubine, so it¡¯s better for you to move around less with her, so as not to end up with the reputation of being ¡®brought up by little woman¡¯.¡±


    The little woman was a lowly concubine, and being raised by a lowly concubine was a very humiliating and extremely shameful thing at the time. Guan Suyi¡¯s last sentence was vicious and made Zhao Chunxi almost faint. At this moment, Zhao Luli walked in and said furiously, ¡°When I was away, that¡¯s how you humiliated Xi¡¯er? What my mother-in-law said was right, no matter how good you look on the surface, you will never really consider Xi¡¯er. I am too gullible! Guan Suyi, you just be prepare, after a month I will let Ye Fan pass the door, and you have to agree even if you disagree. Without her to look after in the backyard, I¡¯m really afraid that Xi¡¯er and Wangshu will be hurt by you.¡± If he hadn¡¯t heard and seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn¡¯t have known how his daughter would cry when she returned.


    He was originally locked in the study and sulked, but after half an hour he realized that he still had to give an explanation to his new wife, so he walked back to the main house and planned to discuss and persuade in a good voice, but he didn¡¯t expect to hear those words, and his anger immediately ignited.


    Zhao Chunxi was overjoyed, many tears fell from her eyes, and she threw herself into his father¡¯s arms and sobbed. Although she didn¡¯t say anything, the appearance of silently enduring everything was heartbreaking enough.


    Seeing that Zhao Luli was furious and was about to go wild, Guan Suyi said calmly, ¡°I have a straight temper, if have something to say then I will say it. I have told you this long ago. If you think I am wrong, fine, wait until Ye Fan pass the door, and Xier and Wangshu will all move over to be raised by her, I¡¯ll wash my hands and don¡¯t care about everything. Are you satisfied?¡±


    Zhao Luli was dumb, Zhao Chunxi was dumb, the father and daughter looked at each other in dismay, it¡¯s difficult to get off while riding a tiger. No matter how close Ye Fan was by blood and relationship, she would still be a concubine when she pass the door. Where could there be a di son and daughter who were not raised under the mistress¡¯s knees, but sent to the concubine¡¯s room instead? If the news spreads, let alone let Zhao Chunxi marry a good family in the future, let Zhao Wangshu enter the imperial examination, even if the two step out of the door, they would feel embarrassed.


    The consequence of being too close to Ye Fan was just as Guan Suyi said ¨C brought up by little woman. She did speak straightforwardly, making it uncomfortable to listen to, but she never missed half a point.


    Zhao Luli¡¯s anger completely extinguished in an instant, secretly blaming himself for pouring the anger he had received from his mother on his wife¡¯s head. He had the mind to apologize but didn¡¯t know how to open his mouth, his face flushed, stutteringly tried to speak.


    Ye Fan merely a shu branch¡¯s daughter, that lived relying on other¡¯s charity, how could her foundation be comparable with Guan Suyi? If Guan Suyi was really angry and threw herself and her younger brother to Ye Fan to be brought up, how would she live in the future? She didn¡¯t have the blood of an aristocratic family in the first place, and her father was rejected by the emperor. By then, wouldn¡¯t those handkerchief friends die from laughter? The more Zhao Chunxi thought about it, the more anxious she became.


    Her mouth was bitter, her knees were weak, she trembled and tried to kneel to her stepmother, but was supported by her strong self-esteem and refused to admit defeat easily.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t care about the Zhao¡¯s father and daughter¡¯s apology, and said in a low voice, ¡°I sincerely considered the marquis mansion, but you have never regarded me as your own family, otherwise you would not take concubine less then half a month since my own wedding, and forgot to inform me. Never mind, I¡¯ll just be an idle shopkeeper. And one more point, on the day Ye Fan pass the the door next month, Mingfang also has to follow, and lord marquis has to agree even if he disagree, otherwise I will go home and let my parents talk to you. Looking around Yanjing, only merchants from lowly backgrounds who doesn¡¯t understand etiquette will take concubines at the same time as they marry their brides. If your Zhao family must follow suit, I will not stop it, you can do whatever you love, who cares.¡± (T/N: it¡¯s the title)


    ¡°Madam, I¡­¡± Only then did Zhao Luli realize that taking a concubine was not only his business, but also a family business. If Guan Suyi was not pregnant in three to five years, no one would stop him from taking a concubine, but now he hurriedly brought in a concubine from the Ye family within half a month of being married. It¡¯s no wonder that Guan Suyi was so angry.


    He regretted it very much, and was about to explain it properly, but saw the other person speak indifferently, ¡°Since you don¡¯t treat me as a family, I won¡¯t rush make a tiring effort with no results. That¡¯s how I am, I¡¯ll repay virtue with virtue, repay grievance with grievance, and exchange sincerity for sincerity. In the future you don¡¯t need to ask me if you want to do anything, except for being central feeder I don¡¯t care about anything. Now please go out!¡±


    Minglan immediately stepped forward to expel the people, and caught a glimpse of feather duster in the flower vase, she hated that she couldn¡¯t whip it on the father and daughter.


    Zhao Luli felt anxious, but didn¡¯t know how to smooth things out, so he had to retreat in embarrassment, walking back to the door he bowed deeply, and said in remorse, ¡°Madam, please calm down, don¡¯t be separated from me. I agree with Mingfang¡¯s matter. This family you will always have the final say, and no one can shake your position. This time it¡¯s still my fault, and I will never do it again. Before getting angry, I will let myself think it over calmly, and then I will discuss it with you properly, what do you think?¡±


    Zhao Chunxi said with tears in her eyes, ¡°Mother, I also know I¡¯m wrong, please don¡¯t leave me alone. I lost my mom since I was a child, and it was my aunt who watched me grew up, so I got closer to her and forgot your feelings. I will listen to you obediently¡­¡±


    Guan Suyi waved her hands coldly, ¡°No need to say anymore, just go.¡±


    Minglan then hurried people out, ¡°Lord Marquis, eldest miss, you go back first, miss is feeling sad right now, you let her lick her wounds alone. Her words are indeed unpleasant, but you have to carefully pondered it in private, when all is said and done, isn¡¯t it the truth?¡± As she spoke, she pushed the people out and closed the courtyard door.


    ¡°It¡¯s finally quiet.¡± Guan Suyi tapped her knuckles on the tabletop and muttered to herself, ¡°The one who should come then come, the one who should go then go, a good show also must start with an opening gong.¡±


    ¡°Miss, it¡¯s Mingfang who should go, but where should the Ye family¡¯s shu daughter come? If it wasn¡¯t for her, there would never be such a bad thing right now.¡± Minglan rolled her eyes in anger.


    ¡°When she come, this house will be lively.¡± Guan Suyi smiled very lightly.


    ¡°What¡¯s lively, there must be a lot of moths. Miss, do you really plan to let her raise the eldest miss and the eldest young master? That¡¯s great, these two people are really difficult to serve, the eldest young master likes to beat and scold people, the eldest miss looks very kind, but occasionally shows a particularly sinister look, which is really scary.¡± Minglan patted her chest, looking like she couldn¡¯t avoid it.


    Guan Suyi shook her head, ¡°I would love to, but Zhao Luli will never agree, jut see.¡± She originally planned to gather these people together and let them play by themselves, but now was not a good time. She was waiting, waiting for the Zhao family to continue tossing, and then she would be ¡°disheartened and left sadly¡±. At that time, let¡¯s see if the Marquis Mansion could play the zither, play the qin, play the tune, be happy and laugh, and whether it could make a flower bloom in the already ¡°extremely happy¡± life.

 CH 29

    Chapter 29 Chaos At Home


    Zhao Luli was not annoyed after being kicked out of the main house, instead he felt very guilty and anxious. One was because he had misunderstood his wife again, and the other was for the future of his children. At that time, his mother¡¯s abuse and scolding brought back many sad memories, and he turned the pain of losing Zhen¡¯er into resentment and poured it on his wife¡¯s head. To be honest, Madam didn¡¯t know anything, she¡¯s the most innocent. Not only could he not show the slightest affection for her, but he couldn¡¯t even consummate the marriage with her. It was inevitable for her to be unhappy in her heart, and it was inevitable for her to speak a little bit sharply, not to mention that his mother-in-law shoved Ye Fan at this stall, even someone with the heart of a Bodhisattva would be at the end of their patience at this time.


    Zhao Luli walked all the way and sighed, while leading his daughter to the warehouse, where he planned to pick out a few precious gifts and send them to his wife to make amends.


    ¡°Suyi spoke a little bluntly, but it¡¯s also for your own good. I know that you are close to Ye Fan, but in the future, since she will enter Zhao¡¯s house as a concubine, her identity will change, and her relationship with you will also change. You respect her and love her, just hold this in your heart, don¡¯t act too much on it, and don¡¯t get too close to her. After all if outsiders see it, it¡¯s not good for you.¡± Zhao Luli said while he took out a lot of jewelry from the box and placed them on the low table one by one.


    Zhao Chunxi obediently promised, on the surface seemed to be peaceful, but on the inside, she was angry and annoyed. This time Guan Suyi scolded her for being brought up by little woman, and daddy could be coaxed back by her with a few words. Next time, if she scolded her more severely, even taught her bitter lesson, daddy would probably pick it up and put it down gently, right? It¡¯s not that she doesn¡¯t believe daddy¡¯s love and affection for her, but she was too afraid of Guan Suyi¡¯s mouth. Even if the sky falls, she could easily hold it up with her silver tongue, as long as she wants to.


    The more Zhao Chunxi thought about it, the more she regretted it. She shouldn¡¯t have taken this big trouble for her mom in the first place. It was indeed easier to invite a devil than to send it away. Even if she brought her aunt into the mansion, it wouldn¡¯t block Guan Suyi at all, but put herself in even more embarrassing situation. If she really sent herself and her younger brother to be raised by her aunt, the next day, the di daughter of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion would become a laughing stock in the eyes of the noble children, there would be no dignity left.


    When Zhao Chunxi was thinking wildly, Zhao Luli had already put the selected jewelry into the brocade box and instructed, ¡°Give this gift to Suyi in person, and apologize to her sincerely. She is a person with knife-mouth and tofu-heart, will not bother with you. You must know that she is the daughter of the Guan family, and the word ¡®Guan family¡¯ represents benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, honesty, gentleness, respect, and humility, and represents the highest moral character that is highly respected and admired nowadays. If you can touch her light, even just a little bit, you don¡¯t have to worry about marriage in the future. She has the blood of a noble family in her body, with a Confucian halo on her head, and behind her back are the three great gods, the Emperor Teacher, chief minister of ceremonies, and His Majesty. Become a good friend with her will be of infinite use to you. It is only by enormous luck that I can marry her, and I don¡¯t know how fortunate I am, you also have to cherish it.¡±


    This was the first time that Zhao Luli had instilled a utilitarian heart in his daughter. He originally wanted to cultivate her to become a woman like Ye Zhen who doesn¡¯t eat the food of common mortals. But Guan Suyi¡¯s suggestion made him suddenly realize that a woman who doesn¡¯t eat the food of common mortals cannot survive in a deep house, especially in a noble family with complicated relationships.


    How can His Majesty become Guan Suyi¡¯s backer? His Majesty loves my mom like a treasure, it should be my mother¡¯s backer. If my mom meets Guan Suyi, you see who His Majesty will protect! Zhao Chunxi was not angry, but she also knew that His Majesty would protect Ye Zhen, but he would never protect herself, because she was not only Ye Zhen¡¯s daughter, but also Marquis Zhenbei¡¯s daughter, and Marquis Zhenbei was probably his most intolerable existence.


    ¡°Daughter understands what daddy said. In the future, I will stay away from my aunt and get closer to my mother.¡± She had to compromise, because the distant water could not save the near fire, and Jieyu niangniang, no matter how noble, was only her aunt in public eyes and could not interfere with her marriage. After all, the only thing she could rely on right now was Guan Suyi, and she was holding her dowry in her hand.


    ¡°Good child, don¡¯t feel wronged, Suyi¡¯s heart is not bad, you just need to listen to her words, learn the central feed well, and marry into a scholarly family with an honest family style and a high status in the future, and you will have a lot of good life.¡± Zhao Luli gently stroked his daughter¡¯s hair.


    Zhao Chunxi nodded with a strong smile, and finally went to apologize to her stepmother with the brocade box in her hands. When the father and daughter came to the main house, Zhao Wangshu, who was playing wildly, had been caught by the steward. He was standing at the table practicing calligraphy. Guan Suyi stood side by side with him, also holding a brush in her hand, and was sketching on a piece of rice paper.


    ¡°The tiger came out of the cage, and the turtle jade was destroyed in the cage. Who is to blame? It¡¯s just one sentence, sixteen characters, you have made six mistakes, and what do these ink balls means? If you don¡¯t remember how to write it then leave it blank, don¡¯t make the surface of the scroll so dirty, otherwise in the future when you participate in the imperial examination, the examiner will not even bother to read it, will just directly throw it out.¡± Guan Suyi put down the brush, picked up the ruler, and ordered, ¡°Spread your hands.¡±


    Zhao Wangshu put his hands behind his back, squinted at her, and said with a malicious tone, ¡°I heard that my aunt is going to marry in next month?¡±


    ¡°Your aunt will be brought in, not marry in.¡± Guan Suyi said expressionlessly.


    ¡°Bah! If I say marry then marry! My aunt watched me grew up since I was a child, she is no different from my mom, and my daddy likes her too. When she comes in, you will definitely fall out of favor, because we don¡¯t like you! I heard that at noon today, you told my sister that you don¡¯t want to manage us anymore, and want to let my aunt take care of us, right? Well,this little master don¡¯t care! You only holding me to study, hit my palm with a ruler, and when teaching me to practice calligraphy you still want me to tie a heavy sandbag, you poisonous woman deliberately wants to torture me, and I want my aunt, not you!¡± Zhao Wangshu said as he removed the sandbag on his wrist, broke the writing brush, brushed off the inkstone, and ran out.


    Every time he got off school these days, he would be taken back by his stepmother to practice calligraphy. If he made a mistake, his palm would be hit, and if he wrote two mistakes, he would be hit twice. If the homework assigned by the master was wrong, he would be hit a dozen times at a time, making him miserable. When he heard that his aunt was coming, it was like a divine soldier descending from heaven, and his confident was also grew.


    The inkstone fell to the ground, making a loud noise, and the splashes of the ink stained Guan Suyi¡¯s snow-white shoes, socks and skirt, and then slowly spread. Minglan knelt down to wipe it for her mistress, and ordered the steward to go out and catch him.


    ¡°No need to catch, go down.¡± Zhao Luli blocked the door, holding his son¡¯s back collar with one hand, his face extremely ugly. He originally thought that Ye Fan¡¯s passing through the door was equivalent to having an extra bowl and chopsticks on the table of Marquis mansion, which was a trivial matter that was not worth mentioning, but how could it bring such bad impact on his son and daughter.


    Xi¡¯er was fine, she knew the importance, but Wangshu was so confused to this point. Thinking deeper, if Suyi hadn¡¯t woken them up, his son would have been confused forever, and he might harmed himself and the marquis mansion one day. Zhao Luli stepped over the threshold, drove away irrelevant people, put his son down, and before he could stand firm, he slapped him hard and scolded, ¡°Still not apologizing to your mother?¡±


    Zhao Wangshu was startled and covered his face. He couldn¡¯t recover for a long time, and after a while, he suddenly slipped out under his father¡¯s arms, choked and roared as he ran, ¡°No, never apologize! She¡¯s not my mother, I don¡¯t want her care!¡±


    ¡°Wangshu, quickly come back!¡± Zhao Chunxi couldn¡¯t catch up, so she could only stare dryly.


    ¡°Come on, go and get the eldest young master back!¡± Zhao Luli was so angry that his fingers were shaking.


    Guan Suyi lifted up her cuffs and untied the straps of lead-filled cloth tied to her wrists, her tone was extremely flat, ¡°Forget it, let him go. Children of this age are heavy-minded and stubborn, the more he was restrained, the more noisy he become. You must have heard it, he only wants Ye Fan and doesn¡¯t want my care. Forget it, I will never care about your son and daughter. You don¡¯t need to apologize, if you have this heart, you shouldn¡¯t have taken concubine when we just got married for less than half a month, let alone take the daughter of the Ye family, making me fell into an embarrassing and difficult situation.¡± Guan Suyi rubbed her temples and waved her hands, ¡°Go back, I have a terrible headache right now, I don¡¯t want to talk.¡±


    ¡°Madam, let you suffer, I¡¯ll teach Wangshu properly¡­¡± Zhao Luli blushed with embarrassment, he never expected after persuading his daughter, his son would make trouble. This Ye Fan had not passed the door, the family was already chaotic and restless, could not be peaceful. He couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen after she passed the door.


    Thinking of this, he actually had some complaints about Liu shi, the culprit.


    Minglan already hated the Zhao family, so she casually stuffed Zhao Wangshu¡¯s four treasures of study, books and files into a bundle, and said coldly, ¡°Lord marquis, you go first, Madam has already sad enough, you let her have some peace. Take a look at the eldest young master¡¯s handwriting and homework, isn¡¯t he making progress? In order to teach him, madam must take two hours out of her busy schedule to accompany him to read and practice calligraphy. Madam¡¯s wrist was weighted down by four pounds of lead, she accompanied him to eat all the sufferings she suffered as a child, hoping that he would become a talent in the future. But didn¡¯t expect him to be like this¡­¡± unable to differentiate good from bad!


    The last word was a bit ugly, Minglan couldn¡¯t say it, so she shoved the stuffs into Zhao Luli¡¯s arms and slammed the door shut.


    Zhao Luli apologized repeatedly and stood for a while before returning with his daughter, who had an equally ugly face. The words Zhao Wangshu wrote and the articles he did, he read and checked them one by one. Compared with before, they were like made by two different people, the progress was really a lot. If he was properly taught by Guan Suyi here, and there was a master who guide him outside, just as Minglan said ¨C he would become a talent in the future.


    But now, he was crying and shouting to go to his aunt¡¯s place. Ye Fan was just a merchant girl, and she would still be the concubine of marquis mansion in the future. How could she teach him any good things? Wasn¡¯t that a self-destructive future? The more Zhao Luli thought about it, the more anxious he became, the more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became, and he had the mind to save it but didn¡¯t where to start.


    At this time, Zhao Chunxi also wished to catch Zhao Wangshu and give him a slap. If he was always so stupid, in the future don¡¯t say become her helper, not dragging her legs was fortunate enough.


    On the other hand, Zhao Wangshu himself never felt that he was wrong. Because the mansion was full of his stepmother¡¯s minions, he was afraid of being caught and punished, so he had to hide in his grandmother¡¯s courtyard who loved him the most, and conveniently complained about her.

 CH 30

    Chapter 30 The Source


    ¡°Grandmother, grandmother, you have to decide for your grandson!¡± Before the person entered the courtyard, Zhao Wangshu¡¯s voice penetrated through the window, frightening the parrot hanging from the beam into flapping its wings.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Who bullies my good grandson, let grandmother know, and I will definitely beat them on the board!¡± The old madam hurriedly welcomed him with a cane, although her face was still a little ugly, her eyes were full of smiles. When her son was so disappointing, she put the hope of revitalizing the family on her grandson, and it was inevitable that she favored him a little more on ordinary days, and couldn¡¯t see him being wronged at all.


    Zhao Wangshu threw himself into his grandmother¡¯s arms, pouted and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s Guan shi.¡± When the words fell he entered the inner hall, rolled up his sleeves, and complained, ¡°Look at this grandmother, she beat me! She even made me tie sandbags on my wrist, causing me wear out several layers of skin, the pain was so painful that I couldn¡¯t sleep at night. My sister lied to me, Guan shi is not good at all, I don¡¯t want her to be my mother, I want my third aunt to be my mother.¡±


    As the old madam checked the wounds on her grandson¡¯s wrist and palm, she raised her chin at the steward mama to let her inquire about the situation. Another maid brought golden sore medicine, cotton gauze and other items to bandage the wounds of the eldest young master.


    In order to win the love and affection of his grandmother, Zhao Wangshu, although was not in great pain, his mouth screaming very loudly, even frowned with tears in his eyes, showing an unbearable appearance.


    The old madam looked extremely distressed, but did not do what he wished which was to call Guan shi to complain or scold her. Guan shi¡¯s character was still very trustworthy, not to mention her family¡¯s education alone was one of the best in the whole Wei. The Guan family was a family of Confucianism and a noble family. Everyone has selfishness, and everyone may be unfavorable to their stepchildren and stepdaughters, but Guan shi would not. She would never let the Guan family¡¯s century-old reputation fall in her hands.


    The steward mama who inquired about the news quickly entered and whispered in her ear. Zhao Wangshu kept peeking from the corner of his eyes, and found that his grandmother¡¯s brows were getting tighter and tighter, and he thought that grandmother would definitely make decisions for him, so he continued to cry, ¡°Guan shi¡®s heart is so cruel, I don¡¯t want to go to her courtyard to study, in the future when my aunt come over, I will move to the courtyard next to my aunt, and my aunt will take care of me. She love my sister and me the most since we were young, and she is very sincere to us, not comparable to Guan shi at all.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± The old madam who had been silent all this time suddenly became angry, slapped the table hard and scolded, ¡°What aunt and aunt, when she passes the door, you can only call her yiniang (father¡¯s concubine). I have never heard di sons or daughters who are not raised by the mistress¡¯s side, but go to a concubine¡¯s room instead. You are already eleven years old, don¡¯t you even understand this? Don¡¯t call her Guan shi, she is your mother, you must respect her, even if she beat and scold you, and let you to tie a sandbag to practice calligraphy, that is also for your own good, and you need to be obedient. Come, take the eldest young master to the main house to apologize to madam, if he is unwilling, let him kneel outside the door and send him back to the Jingzhe Tower when the madam calms down.¡±


    Several strong old women entered in response, with the intention to escort the eldest young master back.


    Zhao Wangshu was stunned, and didn¡¯t wake up until he was supported out, he then struggled violently and wailing. The old women didn¡¯t dare to hurt him, so they quickly let go. But he had nowhere to run, he just lay on the ground and rolled around, beating the ground, complaining endlessly: grandmother doesn¡¯t care about me anymore; I don¡¯t have a mother, and now I don¡¯t even have a father. I¡¯m done; my elder sister lied, Guan shi is vicious, and deliberately tortured me; my aunt, hurry up, you¡¯re the only one who treats me with sincerity, and scolded everyone in the house.


    The old madam was really surprised to see him look like a scoundrel, as if she really knew this grandson only today.


    ¡°Pull him up quickly. If he doesn¡¯t like it, let him rolls on the ground, wailing and scolding like a dog, who taught him? huh? Who taught him?¡± The old madam was so angry that she almost fell down.


    At this moment, Zhao Luli and Zhao Chunxi who chased after him finally came over, and their faces became even more ugly when they saw the main courtyard were in chaos and boiling.


    Wasn¡¯t Zhao Wangshu¡¯s appearance of rolling and making a scene the same as Liu shi? A few hours ago, she was still making a fuss in his study, forcing him to agree to take a concubine. Except for Zhen¡¯er, none of the Ye family knew how to write the word ¡°etiquette¡±, that was fine, but they also taught his good son to be like this. Zhao Luli felt miserable in his heart, but he had no place to complain, so he had to step forward and drag his son up.


    Zhao Wangshu was most afraid of his father, seeing him was like a mouse seeing a cat. He quickly stood up, wiped away his tears, and then showed a timid smile.


    ¡°Go to the ancestral hall and kneel. When you know what is wrong, that¡¯s when you come out.¡± Zhao Luli flicked his sleeves slightly, and two guards escorted the dirty eldest young master down.


    This time, he no longer dared to struggle, roll, beat the ground, or wail, only glances at his sister over and over again, hoping that she could say a few words of pleading. Zhao Chunxi lowered her eyes and pretended not to see anything. The group gradually walked away, and the main courtyard was finally quiet.


    ¡°Let mother be worried, this son is not filial.¡± Zhao Luli apologized towards the old madam who was a few steps above.


    ¡°You have done a lot of unfilial things, this is not the worse.¡± The old madam turned around and went back to the house, and said coldly, ¡°After one Ye Zhen leave, one Ye Fan come in, the Ye family is not going to let go my Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, ah! In the early years, you lived as a widow, but  never saw the Ye family worry how your two children would be brought up. Now that you are married, and you married the famous Guan shi, they suddenly forced a shu daughter to come in, what do you mean by this? You can¡¯t even marry a wife and take concubines by your own will, but always at the mercy of the Ye family. If you ask me, you can simply join the Ye family, and treat me as if I have never given birth to an unfilial son like you!¡±


    Zhao Luli had nothing to say, only silence. Zhao Chunxi secretly grabbed his sleeve as a sign of comfort.


    The old madam sighed and said again, ¡°Suyi is good. If she is my daughter, I would rather marry her to a peddler than marry her to you. It was our Zhao family who harmed the Guan family. If you still have a conscience, treat her well, she may be able to wait and see now, but no matter how warm the heart and the feelings are, sooner or later, there will be a day when it will cool down. Even if you want to save it, you will not be able to save it. I¡¯ve said it all, whether you like to listen or not.¡±


    She had no expectations for this son, and after a few words, she ordered someone to prepare a generous gift, and went to apologize to her daughter-in-law in person. If her daughter-in-law really leaves Wangshu alone, there was no future for him to speak of.


    Zhao Lu was in a panic for a moment, and when he was about to think about it, the panic disappeared without a trace, but he was full of helplessness and remorse.


    ¡ª-


    Guan Suyi and the old madam talked for a long time until the middle of the night. Due to filial piety, she had to take Zhao Wangshu, this hot potato, back. Fortunately, the old madam didn¡¯t mention Zhao Chunxi at all, there was even the intention of throwing away her hands and letting her and Ye Fan gather together in a pile. After a night without dreams, the next day, she greeted her and went back to Guan¡¯s house to inform her grandfather and parents about the matter of taking concubines.


    ¡°Sure enough, they are descendants of runaway slave, so shameless! How can anyone take a concubine before they get married for half a month, this is clearly to demean our Yiyi! If I had married Yiyi earlier, she would not have to suffer such humiliation like now. Zhao¡¯s mansion and Ye family are really deceiving people!¡± Zhong shi was so angry that if Zhao Luli and Liu shi stood in front of them, they would definitely be torn to shreds by her.


    Old Master Guan stroked his beard and shook his head, saying that the Zhao family did not understand propriety and so on. He was an upright person and had a dull temperament. For a while, he didn¡¯t know how to help his granddaughter, and his heart was burning like fire.


    Guan Suyi did not expect to count on her mother and grandfather, she came back specially to communicate with her father. Don¡¯t look at her father¡¯s superficial gentleness and open-mindedness, inside he possessed his own tricks. He was knowledgeable but not pedantic, loyal but not old-fashioned, could serve the ruler and be sympathetic to the people, and had a harmonious relationship with his colleagues, had mutual exchange of assistance, and not lack scheming skills. In the last life, he missed the opportunity and wasted his whole life. In this life, he was like a dragon entering the sea, and he was bound to make a great picture.


    With her father here, Guan Suyi was not afraid of anything. She comforted her mother and grandfather in a kind voice, and finally said, ¡°Fortunately, Zhao Luli and I have no friendship at all. It¡¯s not a big deal for him to take a concubine. I will give him Mingfang as well, so that he can taste the happy fate of the man from Qi. As long as the Guan family does not fall, as long as grandfather and father can still speak in front of His Majesty, who can take me? I am still the mistress of the marquis mansion, no matter how many concubines Zhao Luli takes, it will not shake my status. It¡¯s just that Ye Fan¡¯s identity is somewhat special, and the Ye family will probably ask Ye Jieyu to support her.¡±


    Guan Father understood, and waved his hand indifferently, ¡°The previous dynasty¡¯s harem, His Majesty is very clear. No matter how favored Ye Jieyu is, she can¡¯t say anything about the court.¡±


    He slowly blew the hot tea, and Guan Father¡¯s voice became colder, ¡°If she blatantly supports Ye Fan, father will make the Ye family have no face, and let¡¯s see who has thicker wrists.¡± He touched the top of his daughter¡¯s head affectionately and softened his tone, ¡°You go back with peace of mind, everything is fine, there is father. Marrying into such a family, it is right not to open up your heart, if you don¡¯t open up you heart, you won¡¯t be sad, if you don¡¯t open up your heart, only then you can be heartless. Of course, don¡¯t be heartless unless you have to, but if it¡¯s really hopeless, our Guan family is not afraid of anyone.¡±


    ¡°Your father is right. Repaying grievance with virtue, why repay virtue? The Zhao family is not kind to you, and we don¡¯t need to be righteous to him, just keep a good face.¡± Usually Old master Guan would not blame others, even defend them, but if it was involved his granddaughter, he could completely deny his six relatives.


    After all, Zhong shi was a woman, so she understood the horror of loneliness in the back house. She pulled her daughter aside and told her to try to hold her husband as close as possible, and not to reach to the point of no return. Guan Suyi promised on the surface, but inside she couldn¡¯t agree. She stayed at her maiden house comfortably all day, and only took the carriage back to the Marquis mansion in the evening.


    Meanwhile, the debate in Wencui Building was still going on. This was the third round. Because the fame of the first two rounds, there were many people coming back this time, so it was also very lively. Qin Lingyun was sitting in the old place with his sister-in-law, Li shi, and Emperor Sheng Yuan stood by the railing. He seemed to be calm, but in fact his eyes were firmly fixed on the carriages passing by outside the door.


    Seeing that Xu Guangzhi and his opponent stepped onto the high platform and began to write the topic of this debate, he finally couldn¡¯t hold back, ¡°Why Marquis Zhenbei madam didn¡¯t come?¡±


    Before the waiting guard answer, Li shi sneered, ¡°How can she be in the mood to come? Something big happened in marquis mansion. If it¡¯s replace it with me, I will cut down Zhao Luli first, then kill the Ye family, and let that nasty people eat the evil consequences!¡±


    Knowing that Guan Suyi was in trouble, Emperor Sheng Yuan frowned. ¡°Why is the Ye family involved? What happened?¡±

 CH 31

    Chapter 31 Pearl


    Although Li shi was a village woman who didn¡¯t know big characters, her temperament was extremely straightforward, and she was especially protective to those who were pleasing to her eye. She thought that Marquis Zhenbei madam, who was born in a scholarly family, must be a little aloof and arrogant. When she heard that her brother-in-law was going to bring her to met each other, she was actually a little conflicted and had a little inferiority complex. Unexpectedly, Guan shi was really graceful and elegant, but she treated others earnestly and sincerely, gentle and courteous, so they quickly talked happily and became friends.


    The reputation of Marquis Zhenbei¡¯s infatuation had long been known to everyone. Seeing that he was so dedicated to his deceased wife, the noble ladies of Yanjing thought that he was a rare good man in this world, so they all wanted to marry him as his wife, to also won a share of that infatuation. But  Li shi disagreed. Since Marquis Zhenbei had already spent all his infatuation on his deceased wife, how could he still look at other women? Marrying him was not a blessing, rather a suffering. Maybe they would have to live alone in an empty room for the rest of their life. It¡¯s a pity that a good woman like Suyi should spend the rest of her life in such a vain way, and there was no way out, just because the marriage was granted by the imperial decree and could not get divorced.


    Thinking of this, Li shi couldn¡¯t help but complain about Emperor Sheng Yuan. Because she had been in charge of the kitchen in the military camp, and had served Emperor Sheng Yuan, who was only a rebel general at the time, the relationship between the two of them was familiar, so she said bluntly, ¡°Your Majesty, how can you hurt Suyi so much that you even pointed her to Zhao Luli that soft egg!¡±


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s voice was cold and his brows were wrinkled.


    ¡°Suyi and Zhao Luli had been married for less than half a month, but the old madam of Ye family actually came to the door, crying and shouting for Zhao Luli to take the di daughter of their shu branch who was raised under her knees as a concubine, saying that Suyi was cruel and treated the two children harshly, she have to have a Ye family member to take care of them in Marquis Mansion to feel assured. Do you think this is make sense? How can a mother-in-law put her hand in her son-in-law¡¯s room? Besides, this mother-in-law is no longer a serious mother-in-law, but she regards the big Marquis Mansion as her own back house, that she can controlled as much as she wants, and can manipulate as much as she wants. If it were me, I would have slapped that woman¡¯s mouth long ago!¡± The more Li shi talked, the more annoyed she became, to the point of exploding some foul language, completely ruined the noble lady¡¯s posture she had been cultivating.


    Qin Lingyun sighed while holding his forehead, while gently pulling his sister-in-law¡¯s sleeve, signaling her to pay attention to what she said. His Majesty was now the ruler of Wei, not the leader who made jokes with them back then.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan originally thought that Zhao Luli who had abandoned his self-esteem for this marriage, would definitely treat Guan Suyi kindly, but he did not expect him to do such a thing. Leaving aside the so-called love, the wife was bestowed by the emperor, and also had a first-rank title order, shouldn¡¯t she be valued?


    When he done this, where did he put Guan¡¯s family? Where did he put the Holy¡¯s intention? Since Ye Zhen left, he become completely helpless, and become more and more ignorant. Is a woman really that important? If so, why didn¡¯t you stop the old marquis in the first place? Emperor Sheng Yuan couldn¡¯t guess Zhao Luli¡¯s mind or understand what he was doing. He could only held back a breath in his heart, but he didn¡¯t know whether this breath was for his former comrade or for the woman who was humiliated to this point.


    Seeing that the emperor did not say anything for a long time, Li shi added, ¡°What kind of person Suyi is, I can tell just by seeing her once. With her extremely beautiful appearance, she will definitely not treat her stepson and stepdaughter harshly. The Ye family¡¯s remarks are just vicious slander. This marriage was given by His Majesty, and Suyi is a dignified first-rank madam, so she should be highly respected, but the Ye family did not take her seriously, and within a few days of the big wedding they forced Marquis Zhenbei to take a concubine. If Ye family say they did not intend to embarrass Suyi, even beaten to death I won¡¯t believe it. You said, Your Majesty, why do they despise the first-rank madam that was conferred by your golden-mouth?¡±


    Without waiting for Emperor Sheng Yuan to answer, Li shi sneered, ¡°Isn¡¯t it because of Ye Jieyu¡®s power? Without Ye Jieyu, Ye family will still selling horses at the border!¡±


    Qin Lingyun almost ripped his sister-in-law¡¯s sleeve, but he couldn¡¯t stop her from speaking up for justice, his heart was angry and funny, had no choice but to apologize to the emperor.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan would not argue with a woman, and Li shi was right. If it wasn¡¯t for the imperial family¡¯s backing, how could the Ye family dare to directly confront the Emperor Teacher¡¯s mansion? It¡¯s unknown how Guan Suyi is right now, how she feels in her heart, does she has any resentment about this marriage?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, whose face had been gloomy for a few minutes, finally couldn¡¯t sit still. He threw his sleeves and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back!¡± and strode downstairs. After a while, he disappeared without a trace.


    Qin Lingyun looked at Xu Guangzhi, who was talking eloquently and indomitable, and at the excited Confucian scholars, couldn¡¯t help laughing. It¡¯s pitiful that these people do their best, but they don¡¯t know the noble person they want to cling to have long been disinterested.


    He seems to care more about Guan Suyi than listening to the battle of words? With this thought in his mind, Qin Lingyun smiled again, seeing that his sister-in-law was still puffed up, he quickly patted her tense back, and his affection overflowed beyond words.


    As soon as Emperor Sheng Yuan returned to Weiyang Palace, a secret guard reported the recent events of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion one after another.


    ¡°First they tried to persuade Marquis Zhenbei to marry Guan Suyi as his wife, and then stuffed in the di daughter of their shu branch to restrain the mistress, Baifu.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan put down the secret letter and pondered, ¡°You said that the Ye family did this on purpose, or is it a mistake?¡±


    One moment His Majesty added the name of Marquis Zhenbei madam to the list of candidates for imperial concubine, and the next moment Liu shi  took Zhao Chunxi to meet the Guan family¡¯s mother and daughter by chance, and said they had familiarity at first sight, and felt extremely close, then decided she wanted Guan shi as Zhao Chunxi¡¯s stepmother. At the end there was the matter of Lord Zhao entering the palace to ask for a decree. So many coincidences happened at the same time, if it was said that no one pushed it, Baifu would not believe it.


    But when Ye Jieyu was involved, he didn¡¯t dare to answer rashly, so he had no choice but to vaguely say, ¡°This, this, it¡¯s not easy for this servant to say, maybe it¡¯s Heaven¡¯s will.¡±


    ¡°The so-called Heaven¡¯s will is mostly man-made. The news in Weiyang Palace was leaked too quickly.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan had already condemned the Ye family, and even Ye Zhen, of the crime in his heart. But in the early years he had sworn that he would protect Ye Zhen for a lifetime, as long as she didn¡¯t touch his reverse scale, he would not move her, but his impression of her was greatly reduced.


    ¡°In the past, you only knew how to protect Zhen, and didn¡¯t care about anything else. In the future, you have to change it.¡± Throwing the secret letter into the brazier and burning it, Emperor Sheng Yuan said word by word, ¡°Allocate a few more groups to clean up the palaces. From the noble masters to the lowly slaves, they all have to be investigated clearly, and if there is any suspicious behavior, no matter who it is, high or low, all of them will be disposed by Zhen. In the future, if there are changes in the palaces, Zhen want to be the first to know.¡±


    The dark guard was shivering inside, and took the emperor¡¯s order to do it immediately. They turned the huge imperial city upside down, and indeed cleaned up many hidden spies left over from the previous dynasty, especially in the Weiyang Palace, and casually found excuses to dispose a large number of snitches.


    Although Emperor Sheng Yuan was born from the clan leader of Jiuli tribe, but in the end he had never managed a country, let alone being an emperor, and everything was still being explored. Previously, he underestimated the strength of women, and only after receiving the report did he realize that the means of these women when they were fighting was not inferior to the cruelty of fighting with real sword and spear in the battlefield. In his mind, Ye Zhen, who was as bright as the moon, sweet-tempered and gentle, was not an easy person to get along with. For the time being she didn¡¯t have life on her hands, but facing the Empress Dowager and the concubines of the whole palace alone, she actually never fallen behind.


    It could be seen that her various self-pity actions were all to gain sympathy, and then took advantage of the situation to rise to the top, and even borrowing other¡¯s knife to kill.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s face was covered in frost, and said solemnly, ¡°Zhen thought she was forced to submit to Zhao Ming (Zhao Luli¡¯s father), and stays by Zhen¡¯s side is just to find a place to live, but it turns out that she is also flying around like flies, live like a dog and exhausted all methods. Her infatuation, unforgettable old feelings, depression, and washing her face with tears were all fake?¡±


    How could Baifu dare to criticize Jieyu niangniang, if he turned his face to the emperor and remind him of her life-saving grace, wouldn¡¯t he pull out his tongue, so he continued to answer vaguely.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t need his answer, he said with a sarcastic smile, ¡°In the face of such great power, who is able to not forget their original intention? It¡¯s not surprising that Ye Zhen became what she is now. Well, Zhen said that Zhen will continue to protect her, so let¡¯s keep it.¡± Having said that, he withdrew all the people dispatched to Ganquan Palace. With such talent, Ye Zhen didn¡¯t need extra help from others. To protect and to ¡°protect¡±, the word were the same, but the treatment was vastly different.


    After reading the secret reports from various palaces and getting rid of all the spies and snitches, the anger in Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart had not diminish. He picked up a memorial, and without turning a page for a long time, he suddenly said, ¡°Baifu, Zhen remember that you people from the Central Plains have a saying, but Zhen a little vague about the specific words.¡±


    ¡°Which saying?¡± Baifu was puzzled.


    ¡°There is a bright pearl, it is dazzling and valuable, it should be cherished and treasured, but it is acquired by someone who has no eyesight, and then it is thrown into the corner thinking it¡¯s a stupid stone or fish eye, causing it to be set aside day after day, covered with dust. What kind of saying is that?¡±


    ¡°Fish eyes mixed with pearls? Pearls covered in dust? Pearls thrown in the dark?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Pearls thrown in the dark.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan suddenly realized, his originally dark and gloomy eyes inevitably became deeper.


    Baifu waited for a long time and did not heard the following. He raised his head to glanced quickly and found that the emperor was slowly turning the blood jade ring on his thumb, with gloomy expression and unpredictable thoughts. He had no alternative but to retreat to the corner with trepidation, wondering what this ¡®pearls thrown in the dark¡¯ was referring to, or who?


    ¡ª¡ª


    The harem was so chaotic, Emperor Sheng Yuan also had a headache. Since Ye Zhen had the ability and influence, it didn¡¯t hurt to let her continue to manage it. As for a step further, to bear the sin of spying on the emperor¡¯s tracks, succeeding the position above Jieyu was an extravagant hope.


    Ye Zhen didn¡¯t know anything about these inside stories, but she was really flustered, just because the changes of personnel in various palace were not small, some people disappeared overnight, and some people suddenly appeared, especially in Weiyang Palace. And she was Jieyu, who was in charge of the Sixth Palace, but she didn¡¯t hear any wind, and only after contacting the snitch under her hand did she realize that they had disappeared for no reason.


    ¡°Niangniang, following the transfer of the aunt in charge, Siqin and Sihua also left, and this servant just asked them but they refused to say, and they don¡¯t know which master they will serve in the future. Niangniang, what should we do?¡± Ye Zhen¡¯s grand palace maid, Yong He, asked worriedly.


    The aunt in charge, Si Ming, was an old person from the previous dynasty. She had stayed in this forbidden palace for decades, had served two empress, one Zhaoyi in succession, could be said to have hand and eye in the sky. With her as a helper, Ye Zhen went all the way smoothly, and Siqin and Sihua were her direct disciples, one was good at medical skills and one was good at strategy, they were all rare talents.


    But because of lack of details, Ye Zhen didn¡¯t dare to put them in an important position, and only waited to seize their weakness and then threaten them, but even when she only asked occasionally, she was benefited a lot. Now she couldn¡¯t help but secretly regret that if she had gathered these people earlier, they would not have left without saying anything. If they become other¡¯s confidants, they would definitely turn their spear against her, which was not good.


    Countless sinister thoughts swirled in her mind, but Ye Zhen didn¡¯t reveal it on her face. She sent people away generously and gave rich rewards, considered it master-servant camaraderie, but behind their back, she planned to find out the movements of those people and then dispose them.

 CH 32

    Chapter 32 Make Face


    The changes in the palace made Ye Zhen really panic for several days. Up until the time the empress dowager issued a decree, stating that the emperor needed to do good deeds and accumulate virtue when he first ascended to the throne, he now would release the elderly palace women and internal servant to their hometown to reunite with their families, so as to restore calm. And Si Ming, Si Qin, Si Hua, and those snitches that disappeared without reason were all among this group of palace people.


    ¡°Really scared this servant to death. It turns out the empress dowager wanted to do good deeds, that¡¯s why she make such a big movement.¡± Yong He sighed while beating her master¡¯s legs.


    ¡°What good deeds? That cunning old woman is deliberately opposing This Palace.¡± Ye Zhen said fiercely, ¡°She must find something that make her clean up the Six Palaces, but it¡¯s fine, money can get anything done. Even if This Palace has nothing else, but money is still plenty, enough to buy a few more snitches.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, an inner attendant knelt down and reported that Grand Astrologer* madam handed over a sign to come to see her, and now waiting outside the palace gate to hear her instruction.


    ¡°No.¡± Thinking of the emperor¡¯s order, Ye Zhen waved her hand without hesitation, but in a flash changed her mind again, ¡°Stop, bring her in.¡±


    Liu shrunk her shoulder and walked into the hall, performing out of place court etiquette, and the appearance of not being able to put on the stage made Ye Zhen feel tight in her chest. Instead of waiting for Liu shi to speak, she said coldly, ¡°In the future, if there is nothing wrong, you must not enter the palace, you don¡¯t have to embarrass This Palace.¡±


    Liu shi flinched and complained, ¡°If there is nothing wrong, I don¡¯t dare to bother niangniang constantly. Speaking of which, there was a problem at the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. Didn¡¯t niangniang tell me to put Ye Fan in? Zhao Luli has agreed, but didn¡¯t expect Guan shi to play tricks and remove her personal maid¡¯s slave status and also forcibly given her to him, and still chose to pass the door on the same day. Right now, the news has spread all over Yanjing, praising her for being virtuous, kind, gracious, and worthy of being Emperor Teacher¡¯s successor. And reprimanding our Ye family¡¯s merchant background for not understanding etiquette. We didn¡¯t add any blockage to her, but instead got a fishy mess. When Ye Fan and that cheap maid passed the door, I¡¯m afraid I will be humiliated to death by all the honorable people in the whole city. Oh, I don¡¯t know where to put my face. ¡±


    For good effect, Liu shi raised her left hand to cover her face, showed a full grievance expression.


    Ye Zhen pondered for a moment, then sneered, ¡°This Palace thought something big happened, turns out it¡¯s such a trivial matter. It wasn¡¯t long since Guan shi pass the door, she must not have deep feelings for Zhao Luli, so she was willing to give him her own close maid. Most women take their husbands as their gods, and it is inevitable that they will fall in love after a long time, but in the end they would only spin a cocoon around themselves. Ye Fan is not someone who is easy to deal with, order her to properly rope in that maid, let the two of them joined attack, and with Xi¡¯er¡¯ help in the mansion, sooner or later, Guan shi will reap what she sown.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, but our Ye Mansion second branch¡¯s di daughter actually passed the door on the same day as a cheap servant, and they are both noble concubines. This is embarrassing.¡± Liu shi gritted her teeth and said, ¡°If I had known this, I shouldn¡¯t have brought Guan shi to the marquis mansion in the first place, and just found a lecher to kidnap her, ruined her innocence, and then sent her back. It would be better to let her to hang herself. At that time, the Guan family will also be discredited, and let¡¯s see how they can gain a foothold in Yanjing!¡±


    Ye Zhen said sarcastically, ¡°You are just full of drivel, if you have the ability just do it, and see if you can avoid the emperor¡¯s investigation.¡±


    Liu shi had no ability and could only shut up angrily.


    Ye Zhen sighed, ¡°Forget it, after all, she is the daughter of the Ye family, how can outsiders bully us. You can go back with ease, This Palace will send someone to make a face for Ye Fan. This Palace want to see, no matter how skillful Guan shi is, how can she be tougher than This Palace?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just a little madam marquis, how can she be compared to niangniang? The Ye family¡¯s face is also niangniang¡¯s face. Niangniang must make her face bigger, so that others will know that Ye family is honorable, rich and noble.¡± Liu shi anger turned into joy, and her words became flattering.


    Ye Zhen indifferently agreed, and the conversation changed abruptly, ¡°Recently, the empress dowager cleaned up the palace and wiped out many This Palace¡¯s informers. You also know that it¡¯s not easy to cultivate a useful person, and the cost is huge, still need the family to come to help. As the saying goes one loss, everyone loss, one prospers, everyone prospers. The Ye family now relies on This Palace for support. If This Palace is good, you will be better, if This Palace falls, there¡¯s no need to say the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Pah! Niangniang don¡¯t say these sad words, there is a live-saving grace, no one can make you fall.¡± After saying this, Liu shi felt a little guilty for some reason, and hurriedly turned over the silver note in her arms and handed it to the grand palace maid, Yong He.


    ¡°If something happens in the future, This Palace will send someone to deliver the letter, you shouldn¡¯t always go to the palace, so as not to be disgusted by His Majesty.¡± Ye Zhen instructed carefully, and finally ordered someone to send the guest off.


    At the same time, Emperor Sheng Yuan was meeting with Qin Lingyun, the Marquis of Zhenxi in Weiyang Palace. The two of them didn¡¯t speak, one handing over the memorial, the other flip through it, there was a tacit understanding between the movements.


    After reading the memorial, Emperor Shen Yuan sneered, ¡°After restoring the Great Zhou, Xue Mingrui become so daring. When the Wei Kingdom begins to flourish, sooner or later, I will retake Shuzhou and other places he has occupied.¡±


    Qin Lingyun did not open his mouth, just handed over the memorials for expanding the army, stock up the provisions, making weapons, purchasing war horses, etc., and the items and clauses were neatly listed, which showed that it had been planned for a long time.


    Xue Mingrui was originally a general of the previous dynasty. After the defeat, he led more than 100,000 soldiers and horses to flee into Shuzhou, where the mountains were steep and the roads were dangerous. He joined the local bandits to form a new army. After repeated expansion, he took the surrounding areas, establishing himself as a king, and wanted to divide the world with Wei. The side of the bed did not allow others to snore, Emperor Shen Yuan was used to being domineering, and he had already planned to counterattack. But because Wei Kingdom had just been established, the people¡¯s heart were still unstable, so they had to temporarily shelve it.


    After the two of them took care of the military and country¡¯ affairs, they started talking about the ten days Battle of Words. Emperor Sheng Yuan was not interested in who lost or who won. He opened his mouth and asked, ¡°Has Marquis Zhenbei madam come to listen?¡±


    ¡°Since the news of Zhao Luli taking concubine spread, she has never been there again.¡± Qin Lingyun took out a Buddhist bead and throw in a teacup. If he hadn¡¯t interested in the emperor¡¯s attitude, he would never waste his words on such trivial matters.


    ¡°Concubines are concubines. She has a first-rank order appointed by Zhen, could it be that she¡¯s afraid her position is not be stable enough?¡± Emperor Shen Yuan didn¡¯t know what kind of psychology he had, and added, ¡°It¡¯s really not worth to tax one¡¯s mind and body, feeling heartbroken and sad for someone like Zhao Luli.¡±


    ¡°Since you know what kind of trash Zhao Luli is, why Your Majesty conferred her the marriage in the first place? Wasn¡¯t this personally push her into the fire pit?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was stumped by Marquis Zhenxi¡¯s question, didn¡¯t open his mouth for half a day. If he had known that the real Guan Suyi was like this, how could he have, how could he have¡­ extinguished the vague thoughts buried in the bottom of his heart, he muttered, ¡°It was Zhen¡¯s oversight that caused her suffering, for the sake of the Emperor Teacher and chief minister of ceremonies, Zhen will make up for it.¡±


    ¡°How to make up for it?¡± Qin Lingyun asked with a smile.


    ¡°Keep her worry-free for the rest of her life.¡± After saying this, Emperor Shen Yuan felt a lot more relieved, and waved to Marquis Zhenxi, signaling him to step down.


    Qin Lingyun said goodbye and left, walked to the door of the main hall, and suddenly said, ¡°Tomorrow is the last day of battle of words, she may go.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan seemed to turn a deaf ear and looking pensive.


    The next day, in the overcrowded Wencui Building, Qin Lingyun and his sister-in-law were still sitting in the hidden corner, watching from the sideline. Opposite the two, Emperor Sheng Yuan, who was originally busy with government affairs, was also seated with a golden sword. A pair of long and narrow eagle eyes stared downstairs, not knowing if he was looking at Xu Guangzhi, who was proud as the spring breeze, or at the blocked door.


    Seeing that the battle of words was about to start, a wupeng carriage finally drove outside the door, and a woman wearing a veil hat and plain clothes entered with a little girl of thirteen or fourteen years old. They deliberately avoided the father and son of the Guan family and walked towards the narrow aisle, but they were always surrounded by the crowd and could not move an inch.


    ¡°Pick up Marquis Zhenbei madam.¡± Emperor Shen Yuan raised his hand slightly, and two guards accepted the order.


    ¡°Suyi is here?¡± Li shi looked down, her face full of joy, ¡°I thought she would be sad for a long time, and it would be a few more days before she return to normal. This is good, this is good, otherwise wouldn¡¯t she be riddles with holes from the wound in the future?¡±


    Emperor Shen Yuan felt that his heart had been stabbed, and couldn¡¯t help but blame himself for being too hasty at the beginning. Seeing that she had climbed the stairs safely, he stood beside Marquis Zhenxi and pretended to be a guard.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen for a long time, I trust everyone has been well.¡± Guan Suyi clasped her fists with both hands and said with a smile. It was clearly the vulgar etiquette of roaming swordsman, but it add an air of elegance and ease when when she did it.


    Qin Lingyun nodded slightly, but didn¡¯t say anything. Li shi repeatedly said yes, and pulled her to sit beside her.


    ¡°The matter in the house has been settled? You just accept it like that?¡± Li shi was an impatient person and asked this as soon as she opened her mouth.


    ¡°What else can I do if I don¡¯t accept it?¡± Guan Suyi smiled slyly, ¡°How can there be a man in the world who doesn¡¯t accept a concubine, I just want to be a good mistress, do my duty, and let nature take its course.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not easy to be a woman!¡± Li shi said with emotion, ¡°I want to tell you that instead of marrying into an aristocratic family, it is better to marry a common people. At least, the back house will be clean.¡±


    ¡°Where can there be a clean back house? In ¡°Han Feizi: Nei Chu¡±, there is such a story. A pair of husband and wife from Wey prayed in front of Buddha. The wife asked the Buddha to make herself rich and got five hundred pieces of cloth. The husband who listened felt strange, and asked her why she only asked for such meager things. The wife said: ¡®If you exceed this number, when you were rich you will come back with a concubine, then I will suffer.¡¯ So you see, as long as it¡¯s a man, as long as there are surplus of wealth, there¡¯s no reason to not want to take a concubine, unless you follow him in suffering and poverty all your life. Then to suffer hardship and poverty should be the best destination for a woman? If I have to say, it doesn¡¯t really matter who you marry, as long as you are open-minded. Of course, there are also people in this world who value love and righteousness, such as my grandfather, maternal grandfather and father, but among ten thousand unlikely to have one. Rather than wishing to run into that great luck, it¡¯s better to comply with the fate of Heaven and quit.


    Li shi was deeply impressed, increasingly more determined to not remarry which made Qin Lingyun almost hopping mad.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t feel comfortable listening to this, and inexplicably added a bit of disgust to Zhao Luli. During the conversation, there were many small eunuchs walking past, carrying huge boxes and cages tied with colorful silk, the banging sound along the way was very lively, luring away a lot of tea guests in Wencui Building.


    After a while, someone heard the exact news and ran back and discussed with others with relish, ¡°What do you think? It¡¯s actually Ye Jieyu, the most favored person in the palace, come to make face for her cousin, and gave many tributes, including an eight-foot-tall red coral, the entire thing is crystal clear and bright color, it can be said to be priceless. Such treasures cannot be used by merchants, cannot be bought by nobles, and only worthy of the imperial family.¡±


    ¡°Ye Jieyu niangniang is clearly telling the world that her Ye family¡¯s children has the backing of the emperor, and no one cant bully them, even Marquis Zhenbei madam, the descendant of the dignified Emperor Teacher, have to bow her head.¡± Some people sighed.


    ¡°The Ye family is too deviant. Married for three years without children then can take a concubine, this is the common trend. But their family can¡¯t wait for half a month before put people in their son-in-law¡¯s room. If I was Marquis Zhenbei madam, I would have fainted from anger!


    ¡°Yes, this son-in-law is not even a serious son-in-law, no more at least. Really rely on power to bully others.¡± There were a lot of people who agreed, but because Ye Jieyu was favored, they didn¡¯t dare to talk too much, so they quickly changed the topic.


    The Guan family¡¯s father and son were so angry that their faces turned blue, they stood up to bid farewell to their fellow friends, and then left in a hurry. The person involved, Guan Suyi, who should have fainted with anger, was leaning on the railing at the moment, laughing lowly.


    Hearing her laughter, whether it was from sadness or anger, depression or numbness, Emperor Shen Yuan¡¯s ears seemed to have been scorched by fire, and it was extremely hot.


    TN:


    *Previously I used the term Grand Scribe for Ye Zhen¡¯s father position, but it changed to Grand Astrologer. I found a Wikipedia page for English translation for official¡¯s titles in ancient China and it¡¯s really save me a lot of headache.

 CH 33

    Chapter 33 Agreement


    Li shi had an explosive temperament. Hearing the rumors, she immediately spit, ¡°Bah! Just a dog who relies on its master¡¯s power!¡±


    Qin Lingyun coughed, then winked at his sister-in-law, reminding her that the emperor was here, even if she was beating the dog, she had to look at the master. Of course, if the emperor was not there, she could scold whatever she wanted. In the final analysis, his perception of Ye Jieyu was also very bad. She swayed when she walked, as if she would faint at any moment, and when he talked left and right with her, it¡¯s not straightforward at all. Compared with Guan Suyi, it was really one in the sky and one on the ground. However, the emperor liked it, and there was no room for others to open their mouths.


    Guan Suyi patted the back of Li shi¡®s hand lightly, and said in a gentle and soothing tone, ¡°Sister, don¡¯t be angry, it¡¯s just bitten by a dog, we don¡¯t need to bite back.¡± Because there is naturally a stick to deal with her later.


    Qin Lingyun spit out a sip of hot tea with a squirt. Unexpectedly, Guan Suyi¡¯s words were more poisonous than Li shi, he couldn¡¯t help but look at the emperor.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was equally astonished, not knowing how to react. No matter how much Ye Jieyu indulged her family, after all she was nominally his concubine, but now she was compared to a dog. Even if Marquis Zhenbei madam had a prominent background, she had to bear the charge of slandering the imperial family. However, he couldn¡¯t get angry, and after thinking about it again and again, he also laughed quietly.


    Li shi originally wanted to laugh, but because the real god was here, she had to endured. Now that she saw the real god was also laughing, she clasped her hands and smiled, ¡°Yes, yes, there is absolutely no reason to compete with beasts.¡±


    Other people suggested that Ye Jieyu is a dog, but when it come to you, it directly changed into a beast. You are really capable! Qin Lingyun was delighted with his sister-in-law¡¯s boorish and straightforward attitude. For fear that the emperor would be annoyed, he glanced at his expression again and again, but saw that he was staring at Marquis Zhenbei madam¡¯s veil hat floating with the wind, not knowing what he was thinking.


    Fortunately, the gongs and drums sounded in unison downstairs, and the battle of words was about to start, which interrupted the discussion of the crowd. Xu Guangzhi and his opponent walked onto the high platform covered with red carpet together, picked up the brush, and each wrote the sentences ¨C govern by law, govern by benevolence.


    ¡°After fighting for nine days, finally talked about the fundamentals of Confucianism and Legalism. Presumably the answer to this question, from the master of the country down to the common people, has argue in their hearts, but it also confused them.¡± Guan Suyi raised both hands and clapped her hands lightly.


    ¡°Guess who¡¯s going to win?¡± Qin Lingyun took out a Buddhist bead, then pointed to the chair beside him, and put on a ¡°generous¡± posture, ¡°Hunnar, you don¡¯t have to be rigid when you walk outside, just sit.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, master.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan clasped his fists in a dignified manner, then sat down next to Marquis Zhenbei madam and asked, ¡°What does this question mean?


    ¡°Govern is to govern the country. The Legalists advocate severe punishment and harsh law, and the Confucians advocate benevolence and understanding. One is tight and one is loose, one is strict and one is wide, and which one is better or worse, who can lead the country to prosperity, this is the focus of the battle between Legalism and Confucianism. In a chaotic world, sever laws should be used, and at the prosperous world we should go with benevolent governance. While the chaotic times of the Wei Kingdom have just passed, the prosperous times has not been reached, and it is even more necessary to have an accurate measurement between strict laws and benevolent. However, the degree of leniency and severity of laws are only issues that the rulers need to consider, and ordinary people have no right to decide, and it is even more difficult to achieve. However, the common people have suffered enough from the war and are naturally more inclined to live a stable and peaceful life, so their desire for benevolent governance and the support of the wise Holy Lord have never been higher. It should be Xu Guangzhi who won the victory.¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± Hunnar praised in awkward (ancient) mandarin.


    ¡°Do you understand?¡± Guan Suyi liked to talk to Hunnar very much, just because he only knew a little about the culture of the Central Plains, in front of her, he was like an ignorant child, and children was very easy inviting people¡¯s soft-side.


    ¡°I understand seven or eight points. I have been studying hard recently.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan scratched his head with simple and honest expression.


    Qin Lingyun and Li shi covered their faces with their hands, not daring to look at His Majesty¡¯s stupid appearance, for fear that they would be killed and silenced when they returned.


    However, Guan Suyi didn¡¯t notice, and chuckled, ¡°As long as you have the heart to study, it¡¯s never too late to start working hard. If on ordinary days you don¡¯t understand anything, you can send a letter to ask me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Madam!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s cheeks were flushed red and his eyes sparkled, as if he was very happy. But in fact, he was indeed very happy. Guan Suyi¡¯s casual words were better than Old Master Guan¡¯s whole day of chanting, and the more he thought about it, the more interesting it became.


    On the stage, Xu Guangzhi had the upper hand as soon as he started, and the onlookers nodded in agreement. Guan Suyi stared at the man¡¯s arrogant face, and sneered, ¡°Confucian governance is like a child¡¯s cooking show. It looks good, but it¡¯s a situation that difficult to realized.¡±


    Qin Lingyun looked at her in amazement, as if he was frightened by her astonishing behavior. It should be said that this noble person was the Emperor Teacher¡¯s granddaughter. Who was the Emperor Teacher? The great master of Confucian school, and the brilliant student that was taught by the old man himself, said that Confucian governance was like a child¡¯s cooking show. If others hear it, there would be endless fun.


    There were a lot of people on the second floor, but it was precisely because of the noisy atmosphere that Guan Suyi dared to speak freely. Everyone was talking, cheering, clasping their hands, who had time to listen to what others have to say? Besides, Qin Lingyun, the dignified Marquis Zhenxi, was sitting here, and there were many guards holding the hilts of knives on full alert. Who would have the courage to come close?


    After being suffocated for a lifetime, Guan Suyi simply opened her mind. Do what she wanted to do, say what she wanted to say, otherwise wouldn¡¯t she waste the opportunity to live again, wouldn¡¯t she failed the pity of the gods and Buddhas? She smiled sarcastically and continued, ¡°Being poor care for themselves, being wealthy cares for the world. This is the standard of life for Confucian scholars. It can be seen from this that they are not averse with being an official, and they are even actively seeking positions. However, Confucius traveled around. For decades, he devoted his whole life to preaching, teaching and dispelling doubts, intending to apply his own ideas of governing the country. But he only served as an official once in his life, that is, from the ninth to the thirteenth year of Duke Ding of Lu, and in just five years he took off his official hat, why is that?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The big foreigner looked at her eagerly, which made Guan Suyi chuckle, ¡°Because his doctrine were inopportune, he could cultivate his own family, but it was difficult to govern the country and the world. The disciple asked to learn to grow crops, The Master said, ¡®How can I use the crops¡¯, so as time goes by, Confucian scholars are proud of reading and ashamed of labor. When they met a soldier who was fleeing from battle, and heard that the other party was going home to fulfill his filial piety and serve his parents, they not only did not pursue criminal responsibility, but praised it greatly. If it¡¯s publicized, it will only cause more and more soldiers to flee, and eventually there will be no one to resist at the border. If you don¡¯t work, do you have food to eat? If you don¡¯t resist the enemy, do you have a life to live? If an emperor dare to use such official, also worried that in the next three or five years, the country will be ruled into a bare land. And the streets are full of Confucian scholars who are just like that. When confronted with the enemy and labor, they all swiftly run away, euphemistically calling it returning home to do filial piety, what does this called to the people above?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded in agreement.


    Guan Suyi continued, ¡°Being poor care for themselves, being wealthy cares for the world. The inferiority of Confucian scholars has long been hidden in this philosophical saying. The whole world were sensible and the Holy Lord was wise, so Confucian scholars all ran to become officials; the world was dark, and the ruler was evil, so Confucian all hide and protect themselves. This is their way of life, which is called ¡®being wise and protecting oneself, advancing and retreating freely¡®. However, if everyone is like them, only care about protecting themselves, regardless the common people of the world, how will the war be quelled, how will the country be unified, how will the politics be prosperous, and how will life be stable? It¡¯s precisely because of thousands of righteous men who stood up, soldiers who poured their blood and throw their heads, farmers who worked hard to farm, and village women who picked mulberry and planted hemp, until the point of slaughtering the tyrants who slaughter the city, only then the feudal vassal collapsed, the war ceased, and the Wei Kingdom was established, and we now have a peaceful and stable life.¡±


    ¡°Well said, very well said!¡± Qin Lingyun raised his wine cup and laughed heartily, ¡°Just based on what you said, let¡¯s a drink a full cup! The Confucian children speak well, but in fact they are cowardly and incompetent, has no responsibility, but also loves to fight for power and profit. All of them are fucking hypocrites.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was fascinated, slowly chewing on these words, but heard Guan Suyi coldly said, ¡°Lord marquis, don¡¯t overturn a boat with a single pole. Although the Confucian school is full of hypocrites, there are also benevolent and righteous people who really care about the country and the people. For example, my grandfather and father.¡± With a little tea to moisten her throat, she changed her words abruptly, ¡°In terms of equality and clarity, Confucianism is not as good as Legalism, when it comes to loving the world, Confucianism is not as good as Mohism, when it comes to defending the country, Confucianism is not as good as military strategist¡­ but there is one point in Confucianism, which is beyond the reach of all the hundred schools of thought, and which is the most respected by the emperor. This alone is enough to make him make a decision to ¡®Respect Confucianism and suppress the Hundreds Schools of Thought¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Which point?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s breathing slightly stopped, and the man got closer, staring at the woman whose face couldn¡¯t be seen clearly  with burning eyes.


    ¡°If Legalism is the emperor¡¯s method, then Confucianism is the method of managing people, or the method of keeping people in ignorance is more appropriate. Confucianism divides people into three, six, and nine classes, and is constrained by clan etiquette and benevolence morality, domesticated by Constant Mean, leniency and fraternity, advocating filial piety, loyalty, etiquette, righteousness, honesty, and modesty. Over time, sons do not dare to offend their fathers, wives do not dare to offend their husbands, shu do not dare to offend di, children do not dare to offend their elders, servants do not dare to offend their superiors, and ministers do not dare to offend the monarch, then the four seas will be pacified, and the family and country will be peaceful. On the other hand, the Legalists advocate to lure by profit, driven away by harm, and suppressed by power. The monarch do not dare to believe his subordinates, to believe his wives and concubines, to believe his sons and daughters, or to believe his brothers, so he is always on guard; The people also do not dare to believe in their monarch, and also cannot help but being suspicious. As time goes by, the monarch will suppress with tyranny and political pressure, and his subordinates will retaliate with rebellion, and the great country will fall apart in an instant. The Legalism¡¯s militarism and centralization of power by the monarch are indeed conducive to growth the strength but they are also has a lot of backlash. The centralization of the monarchy is the core of Legalist thought, and it is precisely its impermanent drawback. But if you put Confucian¡¯s ¡®the ruler is small, the people are noble¡¯ benevolence cloak on top, it can win the hearts and minds of the people and stabilize the society. Therefore, whether it¡¯s to govern by law or to govern by benevolence, they are too one-sided. The fusion of the two, supplemented by Confucianism outside and law inside, is the best policy for governing the country.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart jumped wildly, and his sharp eyes wished that he could burn a big hole on that black veil, and see the woman¡¯s expression at this moment. In just a few words, she pierced through his thoughts, plans, and actions. Confucianism outside and law inside, word for word. This was exactly the way to govern the country that he had painstakingly pondered for countless days and nights, but she said it so thoroughly, vividly and clearly.


    He pondered over and over again, reflected over and over again, assessed over and over again, so he became more and more addicted. Well done, well done Guan Suyi and well done Emperor Teacher¡¯s descendant. It was indeed a student that surpassed the master!


    ¡°Madam, if you don¡¯t think Hunnar is rude, can you drink three cups with me?¡± For her brilliant mind, tongue as sharp as a knife, eyes that saw things clearly, and the wonderful ideology that merged with oneself was enough to make Emperor Sheng Yuan appreciated, admired, and delighted, and then get drunk together.


    High mountains and flowing waters, intimate friends are hard to find, once you meet them, how can you miss them?

 CH 34

    Chapter 34 Drunk Together


    Guan Suyi stared at the slightly agitated Jiuli man, and asked with a smile, ¡°You said you want to drink with me, did you understand what I said?


    ¡°I understand five or six points, but I feel that what Madam said is very reasonable. Legalists set point to stop disputes, rewards and punishments are clear, promote meritorious deeds and fear violence, the ancients are lawless and does not inline with the present, the rules change with time, and if not the chaos will occur; In contrast with Confucianism¡¯s clan rituals and the degenerate view of Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues, surely it¡¯s more superior and fair.¡±


    Guan Suyi tapped her finger on the table and said sarcastically, ¡°The Jiuli clan entered the Central Plains and became the ruler of the Han people. From then on, they were born nobler than the Han people, and you were originally have a different tribe bloodline, and also have an official position, but here you are, discussing fairness with me, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s ridiculous?¡±


    She still remember in her previous life, when the Jiuli people first entered the Central Plains, they acted extremely arrogantly, and there were a few narrow-minded powerful people who deliberately suggest to the Emperor Sheng Yuan to implemented the four-class system, which divided the people of Wei into Jiuli, Semu, Han, and Southern people according to their bloodlines, and the more they went down, the more they were exploited and oppressed. Although Emperor Sheng Yuan did not approve this memorial, he did not refute it, so the four-class system came into being. Since then, the life of the people in Central Plains became extremely difficult, and their situation was not much better than before the war.


    In the third year of Sheng Yuan, the people who were suffering from forced labor were furious and rose up. They seized ten cities in the two central and southern province overnight, and shaken up the court hall. Emperor Sheng Yuan subdued the rebel army by thunderous method, and only then did he issued  a clear decree, saying that Wei had no distinction between Jiuli, Semu, Han, and Southerners, and there was no distinction between high and low, noble and lowly, but all the people in the country were his subjects and could  bathe in the grace of the monarch¡¯s benevolence. It took another two years to clean up the mess.


    When Guan Suyi died, Wei had no bloodline separation, but the memory of being oppressed and humiliated was indelible forever. On the other hand, she was educated by Confucianism and it¡¯s in her nature to be tolerant. Although she was disgusted by Xu Guangzhi, she did not lose her ability to distinguish between good and evil. She disliked the four-class system, but she would not be like those narrow-minded people who put everyone in a certain class into an unbearable rank.


    Who was good and who was bad, who had good intentions or treacherous thoughts, most of the time she could see through at a glance. For example, the Jiuli man in front of her didn¡¯t have the slightest malice towards her, on the contrary, he was very diligent and eager, his eyes were always shining with light of seeking knowledge, and it was not an exaggeration to say ¡°cute¡±. It¡¯s really not right to put the grievances of the previous life on his head.


    Thinking of this, Guan Suyi waved her hands and sighed, ¡°Well, there is no separation in making friends¡­¡±


    ¡°Not only does making friends do not depend on the rank, but people all over the world should have no distinction between high and low. Both the Jiuli and the Huaxia people live in this land has the blood of Flame Emperor and Yellow Emperor flowing through them. Since ancient times, we have been from the same clan and ancestor, and now we share the same family and the same country, and we should work together to create a prosperous world. Does Madam think so?¡±


    This was the truest thought of Emperor Sheng Yuan. It was precisely because he had tasted the pain of being oppressed and despised that he hated the distinction of blood even more. Although Confucianism had many limitations, its definition of the monarchs, the ministers, and the common people was very delicate. He who made his fortune from rebellion knew better than anyone the importance of winning the hearts of the people, so no matter how much he resented the sour, rotten and decaying Confucianism, in the end he put it on the altar, just because the suffering people yearn for benevolent governance and supported a wise ruler.


    Guan Suyi never expected to hear these words from a member of Jiuli tribe, and was stunned for a while. After a moment, she slowly raised her right hand, took off the veil hat on her head, and smiled , ¡°Alright, let¡¯s become friends, please!¡± Then she took a drink from the wine cup, and finally put the mouth of the cup down to show her unrestrained feeling.


    Back then, she also followed her grandfather through the nine states, traveled all over the mountains and rivers, listened to the chirping of apes at the bottom of the stream, admired the setting sun in the desert, was exposed to the blowing wind and dry sun, bear the frost and snow, rain and dew, experienced all kinds of emotions and acting spontaneously. However, after marrying into the Zhao family and faced the prosperity of Xu¡¯s Neo-Confucianism, she was trapped in a nightmare.


    It¡¯s unknown since when she became depressed and gloomy, only wanted to die quickly. It was at this moment, when she met the vibrant smile and eager eyes of this Jiuli man, that she suddenly woke up. After living a new life, why not live more freely? Which people in high gate mansion doesn¡¯t step outside its second gate, and entangled with private dealings, if I want to, what business is it for other people? What¡¯s more, it¡¯s still unknown whether Xu Guangzhi will be able to succeed in this life.


    The more Guan Suyi thought about it, the more happy she felt. Before Minglan could serve her, she filled the cup herself and drank it again. Then, she wiped the wine stains from the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand, squinting her eyes and complimenting, ¡°Lord Marquis is so generous, even took out Gujing tribute wine.¡±


    ¡°Comparing generosity, how can the humble one compared to madam?¡± Qin Lingyun took out a Buddhist bead and secretly observed the emperor, only to see that he was holding a cup of wine for a long time, which seemed a bit silly.


    No wonder Guan Suyi loved plain clothes (suyi) very much, when she wore a floor-length dress that was neither embellished with jewels nor had complicated embroidery, only decorated the edges with dark silk, it actually made her more graceful and elegant. The thick inky black hair was tied behind the head with a flying phoenix silver hairpin, and two strands of hair hang down from the side of the cheek, natural and fresh. What¡¯s even better was that her facial features were all exquisite and gorgeous, both the femininity of a women, but also the heroic spirit of a youngster. Her eyes were as bright as stars, her gaze dazzling. She clearly came from a scholarly family, but there was a bit of unconstrained and unruly, prideful and wanton attitude in her. It was not an exaggeration to say that she was a peerless beauty!


    Not to mention the men present was stunned, even Li shi was in a trance for a moment.


    ¡°Oh my goodness! My sister is born like this and that Zhao Luli still wants to take a concubine. Is he blind?¡± Li shi slapped the table and scolded. ¡°It¡¯s indeed a good cabbage ruined by a pig.¡±


    Guan Suyi laughed, becoming more and more beautiful, which made Li shi became more fascinated, and kept persuading her to drink beside her.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan suddenly returned to his senses, immediately brought the wine cup to his lips, and took a few sips to quench his thirst. Like all men in the world, he also liked beauty, and naturally attracted to those who were bright and beautiful, but this level of beauty he was only seeing it now. When she raised her head to drink, her lips were dyed with pearlescent light; when she raised her hand and wiped it lightly, it was like a charm of the forest; when she laughed softly, it was like spring flowers blooming. In an instant, the surrounding noise and hustle and bustle faded away, and the darkness turned into brilliance, so that people could only look at her, listen to her, think of her.


    However, she was already a married woman, and from then on only Zhao Luli could openly look at her, listen to her, and think her. Emperor Sheng Yuan reluctantly looked away, and finally drank three cups in a row, only to felt that the taste of the tribute wine had changed, it was not rich and mellow, only sour and bitter.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t notice the gloom hidden under the bushy beard of the Jiuli man, just took a few more drinks and became more energetic.


    At this time, the battle of words on stage was in full swing, and Xu Guangzhi repeatedly threw out the arguments, bluntly saying that the rule of benevolence was better than the rule of law, and among filial piety, compassion, loyalty, and trust these four, filial piety was the most important, and should be established as the foundation of the country. Governing the country with filial piety was the core of Xu¡¯s philosophy.


    But Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t agree, she opened her red lips lightly, and slowly spit out three words ¨C what a fart.


    Li shi was stunned for a while, then she clasped her palms and laughed, ¡°I never expected my sister to curse people, why I don¡¯t feel it rude at all? People who are beautiful, and the words that spit out are also beautiful.¡±


    Qin Lingyun knew that her lecherous chronic problem had been committed again, and he couldn¡¯t help but have a headache.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan also forgot the sourness and bitterness in his mouth, and laughed in a low voice. Guan Suyi would actually curse people? Not surprising though. She could be graceful and elegant, unrestrained and uninhibited, she could be proud and self-assured, just because she has that ability. She grew up in Guan¡¯s house, but her temperament was like a wild horse without reins, dared to say dared to act, how exactly Old Master Guan raised her up?


    While he was pondering, Guan Suyi continued, ¡°If you govern the country with filial piety, then when there¡¯s dilemma between loyalty and filial piety, which one should you give up? According to Xu Guangzhi, you should give up loyalty and choose filial piety. However, when one falls in disgrace the whole family is doomed, and the country is lost, then where¡¯s the home? Do not defend the big country but take care of the small family, then what is there to take care? Among filial piety, compassion, loyalty, and trust, it should be loyalty first and filial piety second; If the two are in contrary, you should give up filial piety and be loyal to the end; If the family and the country are not secure, then take care of the big country and give up the small family. Help the common people and bring peace to the world. Only with great benevolence and righteousness will there be thousands of blessed homes! Xu Guangzhi¡¯s vision and pattern are really too small.¡±


    ¡°Well said, very well said! ¡°Emperor Sheng Yuan clasped his hands in admiration, and his heart was surging. Guan Suyi¡¯s words went straight to his heart, and her arrogant demeanor was so moving that his heart was burning hot.


    The audience erupted in thunderous applause, showing that the public agreed with Xu Guangzhi¡¯s point of view, which made Guan Suyi sneer, ¡°Confucianism spread countless poison, and it is also worthy to talk about governing the country. The so-called ¡®punishment is not for the counsellor, and the etiquette is not for the common people¡¯ , which is completely contrary to the saying that ¡®the ruler is light and the people are precious¡¯, it¡¯s equivalent to slapping one¡¯s own mouth; and the concealment of relatives can also be extended to the concealment of officials, so that blood relatives violate the law and the whole clan protects them, and officials that failed to do their duty is not declared. Over time, character of the people in every towns every counties will thoroughly collapse, the whole court will be corrupt and abuse the law, in the end it become the norm. Instead of being ashamed, they are proud of it. In ten, twenty, thirty years, there will be no cure.¡±


    Qin Lingyun looked solemn, nodded again and again. Emperor Sheng Yuan also put down the wine cup and listened.


    ¡°People have selfishness, this is their nature. Doing good is mostly for others, doing evil is mostly for oneself, it¡¯s difficult to do for others, but easy to benefit oneself, so it¡¯s difficult to be a clean official, and it¡¯s easy to be a corrupt official. Benevolent governance is equal to human governance, if there is no sever punishment and harsh law, how the official not benefit themselves, then who will govern the common people? Who will govern the country and the states? Who will govern the monarch on top? Anyway, if there¡¯s concealment of relatives and concealment of officials, the monarch will be like a puppet who has no eyes, ears, mouth and nose, just let others deceive. So benevolence governance is possible but it can never govern people. And law governance, no matter how many years have passed, will not be replaced, nor will it die out, because it protects the interests of the common people in a certain way.¡±


    Finally poured out the words that had been held back for two lifetimes, Guan Suyi drank a cup and felt very happy. Who stipulated that the Guan family must advocate Confucianism? Men can have their own thoughts, can women just be ignorant objects? She was not convinced.


    Putting down the wine cup, her voice was a little drunk, ¡°The law in the past was based on the monarch, ignoring the common people, and eventually led to public resentment, chaos, and subversion of the country. If the law was formulated with the people as the foundation, then the life of the common people should be better, right? Our Great Wei should stand longer, right?¡± After the words were finished, a pair of glassy black and white eyes fixed on the Jiuli big man.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was overwhelmed by her gaze and couldn¡¯t help but say in a hoarse voice, ¡°That¡¯s natural. Madam is worried about the country and the people, and has the world in her heart. His Majesty will definitely hear Madam¡¯s appeal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not my appeal, it¡¯s their appeal.¡± Guan Suyi pointed at the dark crowd downstairs and smiled lightly.


    T/N: I HATE THIS CHAPTER! It¡¯s so difficult I wanna cry. I¡¯m sorry dear readers for such a crappy translation.

 CH 35

    Chapter 35 Burning Books


    No matter how powerful Emperor Sheng Yuan was, he was still essentially a flesh and blood men, how could he not love beauty? And this beauty was still free-spirited and unrestrained, stood firm despite adversity, which made people more and more absorbed. At this time, he quietly sat closer, a pair of fiery eyes fixedly staring, and every time the woman drank a cup, he would pour the wine in time, took a pleasure in serving her. When she squinted and smiled, he once again adopted a silly and ignorant appearance, for fear that the other person would be able to detected his inner heart impetuousness, which would lead to disgust.


    On the stage, Xu Guangzhi was still talking eloquently, but every time he made an argument, he was refuted by Guan Suyi upstairs. Not to mention Qin Lingyun and Emperor Sheng Yuan were already dumbfounded, even Li shi who didn¡¯t know many big characters felt wonderful.


    ¡°According to what you say, Confucian scholars are equivalent to insects to the country and are useless?¡± Qin Lingyun smiled evilly, ¡°I really should invite the Old Master Guan and let him listen to your arguments. The brilliant student that was trained by the Confucian master himself, in the end actually dismiss him to be useless.¡±


    Guan Suyi was already slightly drunk, holding the small wine cup in one hand and shaking it gently, while the other hand supported her chin, her leisurely attitude grew without restraint. Her steamy eyes met the big man of the Jiuli tribe, and the other party immediately raised the jug to fill her cup, the base of his ears quietly turned red.


    Only then did she chuckle and slowly said, ¡°Who said my grandfather and father are useless? They preach, teach, solve doubts, enlighten young children, teach them propriety, morality, righteousness, and aspirations. When  they grew up in the future, these young people who know propriety, behave morally, act righteously, and have aspirations will become the mainstay of the Wei Kingdom. This is the merit of enlightenment, the merit is in the society, and the benefits are in the future. After ten thousand years, their names will definitely be engraved in the history books for future generations to pay their respects to, because they have broken through ignorance and enlightened the people of an era. Don¡¯t you think so lord marquis?¡±


    Qin Lingyun was speechless, and after a while, he angrily took out a Buddhist bead, and said sarcastically, ¡°Good and bad, black and white, are all up to you to say, we vulgar people should just shut up.¡±


    Li shi clasped her hands and smiled, ¡°This is the first time I meet a character that can outspoken Little Yun, punish with a big bowl of wine!¡±


    ¡°Sister, please.¡± Guan Suyi stretched out her hand to invite, turned her face, saw the Jiuli man staring at the wine cup in his hand, and couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s boring to drink a small cup? There is no need for you to serve here, go and drink a big bowl with them.¡± She pointed at the guards at the next table with her fingertips.


    Qin Lingyun covered his face, unable to believe that Guan Suyi ordered His Majesty so naturally. What ¡°no need to serve¡±? If she knew His Majesty¡¯s identity, it¡¯s unknown what her expression would be like, could she still be this calm and looked down on everything? She probably would scared to cry, right?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was not annoyed at all, but rather enjoyed her care. He did drink from a big bowl, but it wasn¡¯t because he was hooked by the wine bugs, rather fascinated by her transparent fingertips glowing like pink crystals, which made him lost his mind for a moment. He shook his head and said honestly, ¡°It is an honor for this humble one to serve Madam. Besides, Madam¡¯s words are very interesting, and this humble one like to listen to it. There is a saying in the Central Plains, ¡®Listening to your words is better than reading ten years of books¡®, which I didn¡¯t understand before, but now it touched deeply. Listening to a few words from Madam, it¡¯s more effective than reading thousand of books.¡±


    Guan Suyi was amused by him and waved her hand, ¡°You don¡¯t need to praise me, I still know my own worth, scholarly knowledge is not comparable to my maternal grandmother, and specialize skill is not comparable to my grandfather, just a few sour gossips, all for amusement. There¡¯s still another saying in Central Plains, ¡®Reading thousand book is not as good as travelling thousand of miles¡¯. If you have time, go out and walk around more, you will find that I am nothing more than this.¡± While speaking, she took the wine cup from the big man¡¯s hand, filled it for him personally, pushed it forward, and said in a gentle tone, ¡°Since you like to listen to me, then let¡¯s just drink and talk, don¡¯t worry about your lord marquis.¡±


    Marquis Zhenxi immediately nodded, ¡°Madam has invites you to drink, you can drink openly. Today, there is no distinction between noble and inferior, and there is no distinction between master and servant.¡± As for who was the master and who was the servant, they knew it in their hearts, and they only kept it from Guan Suyi.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan pretended to be stupid and scratched his head, thanked Madam for the reward, and finally drank the wine. He loved Madame¡¯s flushed cheeks when she was slightly drunk, and he loved her bright eyes that was always shrouded in mist. She spoke softly and gently like a feather across the tip of the heart, but sometimes powerful and deafening. Talking to her was indeed a great pleasure. As for what Xu Guangzhi said downstairs, he had completely forgotten about it.


    Several people gathered around the table to drink, and after a short while, thunderous applause came from the first floor, only to see that Xu Guangzhi had refuted the last Legalist scholar, and he wrote four words in cursive writing¡ªthe benevolent is invisible.


    ¡°Good, good words!¡±


    ¡°Great master Xu indeed has outstanding knowledge!¡±


    ¡°Abolish the hundred schools of thought and respect only Confucianism, these words are exquisite! If my Wei Kingdom respects Confucianism and implements benevolence governance, it will be invincible in the whole world!¡± The audiences cheered, obeyed completely.


    Xu Guangzhi cupsed his hands to everyone under the stage, and finally walked to the Jiuli nobleman who sponsored him to hold the ten-day battle of words, and saluted respectfully. A group of Confucian scholars immediately surrounded him, expressing admiration one by one, and the scene was very lively.


    ¡°The benevolent is invincible. These four words are very domineering.¡± Although Li shi didn¡¯t understand what she saw, but she listened to what people said and asked with a smile, ¡°Sister, what does this mean?


    ¡°The one who administers benevolence governance, who return the people¡¯s heart, pacifying the world, is invincible.¡± This sentence could be said to be words of wisdom, so the emperor would promote Confucianism, suppress many schools of thought, and govern the country with benevolence.¡± Because Marquis Zhenxi was the emperor¡¯s lackey, Guan Suyi easily said a few flattering words, then got up and said goodbye.


    As soon as the sweetness in Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart surged up, it was suppressed by the loss, and said hurriedly, ¡°Madam, please sit for a while, anyway, the hour is still early.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s unfinished words were all scattered with anger, when she saw Xu Guangzhi who won the debate actually changed the originally happy event and asked the Legalist scholars to hand over the books they carried and throw them into the brazier to burn. He intended to use his actions to show his determination to abolish hundreds of schools of thought and respect Confucianism alone, but the Confucian scholars around him not only did not stop him, but instead applauded and cheered for him.


    Qin Lingyun¡¯s eyes were red with anger, and when he was about to speak angrily, he heard a faint words ¡°incompetent¡± in his ears, and turned to look, it was Marquis Zhenbei Madam.


    ¡°The incompetent become famous, really have no shame!¡± Guan Suyi said in a more serious tone, ¡°On one hand, he keeps pushing for benevolence and universal love, and on the other hand, he imitates the violent Qin Dynasty, where they burned Confucian classics and bury alive Confucian scholars, when words and actions actually contradictory, it¡¯s very ominous! Reading books opened wisdom, reading books make you understand propriety, reading books cultivated one¡¯s heart and mind, build genuine harmonious feeling. If Xu Guangzhi is a serious scholar, how could he be so hostile! Taoism ruled by inaction, unification of the monarchy by Legalist, benevolence by Confucian, non-aggression by Mohist, Military Strategist¡¯s resourcefulness, healing by physician¡­ Each Hundred Schools of Thought has their own strengths, and they are all pearls of history and treasure of humanities. It¡¯s a sin to kill even half a point. Xu Guangzhi that incompetent, you dare!¡±


    She scolded incompetent several times in a row, it was obvious that she was really angry. At this time, the art of paper-making had just been invented and had not yet spread widely. Many bamboo slips were burned and destroyed due to war, and books were extremely precious, especially those books that are transcribed with paper and brush, and sewn together with ropes, which were invaluable.


    When she was about to get married, Guan Suyi wished she could exchange all her dowries for books and could not. But Xu Guangzhi was good, a few words could burn these many classics to the ground. Even if she was open-minded, but at this moment she felt anger surge into her heart, almost made her crying blood.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan felt the same, and quickly reassured her, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t worry, I will send someone to save the book.¡± after the words fell he waved waved to the guards standing by the side, and immediately a few people ran downstairs to put out the fire.


    ¡°Don¡¯t splash water, find a few stone slabs to suppress the burning flame.¡± Guan Suyi urgently ordered.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan made a gesture to the guard leader again, and the man immediately ran to the backyard, found a few stone slabs, and placed them on the roaring fire. The flames trembled and became smaller until they went out, leaving only the thick smoke billowing out of sight. The legalists knelt down and howled in pain, and the Confucians were furious and unwilling to let go, grabbing a few guards to questioned them.


    These people didn¡¯t want to bother, showed their token and quickly returned to report. The aggressive Jiuli nobleman completely stopped, and then looked upstairs in fear. He seemed to want to kneel, and his knees were already half bent, but he was stopped by someone¡¯s ruthless gaze, so he could only cupsed his hands with a pale face, and then left in a daze. As soon as they left, the Confucian scholars, whose mind was turning fast, had already noticed the abnormality, and followed suit. Several Legalists staggered along while weeping and went out of the door.


    After around three hundred feet away, Xu Guangzhi asked in a low voice, ¡°My lord, who is that person just now?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask too much.¡± Having said that, County Prince Jing pointed in the direction of the imperial city.


    Xu Guangzhi was startled at first, then he was ecstatic, and forced himself to suppress his heartbeat and said, ¡°Then His Majesty has seen this humble one¡¯s ability, right?¡±


    ¡°He is fond of Confucianism, so there is no reason for him to not come and watch the battle. This Prince guesses that he had come more than once. You have performed well. You have made a name for yourself in Yanjing. Tomorrow, This Prince will recommend you during the court.¡± After thinking for a while, he said, ¡°You have some skills yourself, why don¡¯t you ask a few master to write a few words of recommendation, it will be more convenient to do things.¡±


    ¡°The student will immediately visit various big masters. The kindness of the prince¡¯s support, this lowly one will never forget!¡± Xu Guangzhi said impatiently.


    ¡°This Prince helps you only because I likes your talent and learning, not expecting repayment. Go ahead, and  be loyal to the court in the future.¡± County Prince Jing seemed to be righteous, but in fact he was very ambitious. The two of them understood tacitly, no need to say more, they parted ways after a short while, each went to work out a plan.


    In the Wencui Building, the crowd walked and scattered, and after half a cup of tea later there were only three or two tables left. The servants in the hall was busy cleaning up the dishes and cleaning the filth, and there was a loud noise. The private rooms on the second floor were restored to their original state, with screens to cut off the sight, leaving only one exit.


    Guan Suyi was sitting upright, her knuckles were knocking on the table frequently, showing that she was very upset. A brazier emitting residual warmth was placed in front of her, and the bluestone slab pressed on it was still smoking. If it was rashly opened, the flames might reignite again, so she could only wait.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was afraid that she would be worried, so he could not help but persuade in a warm voice, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be impatient, the blazing fire have been suppressed, and the books will not be destroyed again. Let¡¯s slowly put it together when the heat dissipates.¡±

 CH 36

    Chapter 36 Blessing


    Guan Suyi slowly regained her calm, and ordered the shop assistant to send two extremely flat and thin bamboo strips and a brocade box, and put them aside for later use. After the heat dissipated, she said, ¡°Take the stones out.¡±


    Just as a guard was about to stretch out his hand, he saw that His Majesty had already stood up and politely said, ¡°I¡¯m here, Madam, please stand farther away, in case the ashes reignite and hurt you.¡± The stone slab was still scalding hot, but he easily took it out as if he didn¡¯t feel anything. After it was done, he spread out his palm to take a look, and his skin was not red even a little bit, showing that his internal strength was deep and his martial arts were strong.


    Guan Suyi thanked him softly, and then used two bamboo strips to clip out the burnt and incomplete pieces of paper, and put them into the brocade box carefully. Although Li shi had a bold temperament, her handwork was very meticulous, so she also helped pick up pieces of paper.


    Qin Lingyun knew that Marquis Zhenbei madam had followed her maternal grandmother to study history since she was a child, and that historians were very good at repairing books. If people who don¡¯t know how to do it intervene at will, they might not even be able to save these scraps of paper, so they could only wait and see. But in the end he couldn¡¯t bear the anger, and said solemnly, ¡°Confucianism advocates benevolence and virtue, but Xu Guangzhi burns books and abolishes the Legalism, the means were too cruel. After ten days of battle of words, he become famous in the Central Plains, and then want to take the Emperor Teacher¡¯s position, is he worthy?¡±


    Legalists were good at taking advantage of the situation and used every method to gain power, so at a glance Qin Lingyun could see through Xu Guangzhi¡¯s ambitions concealed by his profound knowledge. Old master Guan advocated uprightness and peace, and he preferred to advance on both ways; His Majesty advocated the promotion of the Confucian family and the suppression of the Hundred Schools of Thought. But he insisted on abolishing Hundred Schools of Thought and respect only Confucianism, since the beginning all kind of words and deeds had already revealed his intention to become official and climb higher.


    How could Guan Suyi no know what kind person Xu Guangzhi was? If she hadn¡¯t disrupted the situation herself, he would have become an extremely high-ranking official by now, and her father¡¯s current official position should have been taken by him, and then he also put forward the idea of ¡®abolishing the Hundred Schools of Thought and respect only Confucianism¡¯, and established the indestructible status of Confucianism in the Wei Kingdom at the fastest speed.


    On the other hand, grandfather and father, their means of promoting Confucianism were indeed too gentle compared to him. If they fail to meet His Majesty¡¯s expectations, it¡¯s possible that Xu Guangzhi could still ascend to high ranking position, then how many books would suffer this fire and turn to ashes? How many humanistic ideas would have been completely destroyed and wiped out? The sins in Xu Guangzhi¡¯s hands were comparable to the previous emperor who burned Confucian books and buried Confucian scholars alive.


    The more she thought about it, the more disturbed she became, she said coldly, ¡°Since His Majesty has made a clear decree, and wants to support Confucianism as a national study, he must be in great need of such talents. Although Xu Guangzhi is ruthless and narrow-minded, he has already made a name for himself, I¡¯m afraid soon he will soar to the sky. With him taking the lead, and to have highly ignited Confucian scholars echoing each other, Confucianism will surely rise rapidly. The chaos in the literary world started from him, and the abolition of a hundred schools of thought started from him, but compared with the stability of the society and the domestication of the people, that is not worth mentioning. After all, I am a boudoir woman, what lowly people think counts for little. What is the use of worrying about this, it¡¯s better to preserve a few more books.¡± Her frowning brows were stained with a hint of sadness.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan fixed a glance at her, his tone was extraordinarily gentle, ¡°Madam is worrying too much. His Majesty has already been assisted by the Emperor Teacher and Minister of Ceremonies. In three year, the imperial examination will be set up with Confucianism as the main subject. Then without the need of external force it will quickly become a national study, what¡¯s the use of another promoter? And Xu Guangzhi is very hostile, radical, and ambitious. He can be used for a while, but not for a lifetime. His Majesty is wise, and his ears and eyes are well-informed, certainly will not be deceived.¡±


    Hearing this, Guan Suyi really felt a lot more relaxed, smiled and sighed, ¡°Hunnar looks rough on the outside, but he has a clever mouth, can easily said a few soft words to comfort people. Never mind, what His Majesty thinking is not something small people like us can speculate. There is wine today and drunk today, tomorrow¡¯s worry will worry tomorrow.¡±


    The tip of the Jiuli man¡¯s ears turned red and he said, ¡°Madam has a first-rank title conferred by His Majesty himself, your status is noble. How can you compare yourself to a small people? Rest assured, Madam, your blessing are deep, lucky star high and shining. You will have this wine everyday, there¡¯s no need to be harmed by tomorrow¡¯s worry. You¡¯ll be worry-free and peaceful all of your life.¡±


    Guan Suyi smiled even more cheerfully, and her pink fingertips pointed at the Jiuli big man, and sighed, ¡°This impertinent man¡¯s clever mouth is really cute. Well, then I will accept Hunnar¡¯s lucky words.¡±


    The Jiuli man who was praised as ¡°cute¡± had red ears, and he didn¡¯t know how to react except scratching his head and laughed foolishly. Guan Suyi quickly calmed down and went to pick up the scraps, so she didn¡¯t notice his overwhelm feeling. But Qin Lingyun and Li shi were rather horrified.


    Perhaps in Guan Suyi¡¯s hearing, those words were just a blessing from this man¡¯s good heart, but when it passed through the two people¡¯s ears, this golden mouth jade words were extremely heavy. He was the supreme ruler of Wei Kingdom, the peerless hero who dominated the Central Plains, and if he wanted someone to live worry-free and peacefully, he only need to open his mouth. The so-called blessing and lucky star are probably alluding to himself, right?


    Thinking of this, Qin Lingyun couldn¡¯t help but smile happily. Others didn¡¯t know the inside story, but he was the dignified and respectful Marquis Zhenxi and His Majesty¡¯s close friend, how could he not hear a little bit of wind? The Ye Jieyu named Ye Zhen in the palace was actually Zhao Luli¡¯s ¡°deceased wife¡± Ye Zhen, who was sent to His Majesty due to various misunderstandings. Since then, Zhao Luli hated His Majesty and stayed far away from the court, but he did not expect that the second wife he married after many years would be favored by His Majesty again. This time it wasn¡¯t a fake, rather a serious interest, but His Majesty had never been very concerned about feeling and love, afraid he was still in ignorance.


    Thinking back at that time when Ye Zhen left, Zhao Luli was so devastated that he had a hangover overnight, causing him to delayed military situation and two cities were lost, which not only killed many of his comrades, but also killed countless civilians. His Majesty was completely disappointed in him because of this, and Qin Lingyun¡¯s two sworn brothers were also died in that fierce battle. How could he not hate Zhao Luli? If it was a different person, he would still dissuade His Majesty, but it was Zhao Luli and Ye Zhen who were unlucky, it was already considered benevolent and righteous if he did not add fuel to the fire.


    Hook up, just hook up, and let Zhao Luli wear another green hat! He was extremely happy in his heart, and the anger from the burning book were washed away.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan couldn¡¯t take care of his weird-looking subordinate, his slightly pale blue eyes stared at Marquis Zhenbei madam¡¯s every move, looking extremely focused. Her method of repairing books was really superb. She peeled off the charred black paper that had been glued together while handling it gently, and then sandwiched them one by one in a heavy book so that it could be brought back to put together. Tirelessly clipped for half an hour, only after all the fragments were neatly placed then it was put into the brocade box.


    Her serious attitude, serious expression, and even her eyes with hints of anger made her more attractive. Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at her again and again, and somehow remembered a certain passage in the ¡°Book of Songs¡±, and his heart that was still swaying with sweetness suddenly became sour and bitter. When he tried his best to suppress his agitate feeling, Guan Suyi had already cleaned up and bid farewell.


    ¡°Madam is leaving now?¡± He wanted to say something to keep her, but there was no justification, so the Jiuli big man could only ask dryly in the end.


    ¡°It¡¯s not early, we¡¯ll meet again another day.¡± Guan Suyi left the table holding the brocade box, as if thinking of something, she whispered in Marquis Zhenxi¡¯s ear, and finally smiled at Li shi and walked away gracefully.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, who did not get her private words, was even more disturbed. When she walked out of sight, his simple and honest attitude was replaced by a domineering one. He ordered in a deep voice, ¡°What did she just say, report it and let Zhen know.¡±


    Li shi also stared at her brother-in-law with suspicious eyes.


    There was a drop of cold sweat on Qin Lingyun¡¯s forehead, and after thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°Madam said: everything that was said in Wencui Building should not be heard by outsiders, otherwise I won¡¯t get what I wish, forever fail in love.¡± This threat was too poisonous, he definitely dared not violate it.


    Li shi¡®s cheeks flushed red and then laughed dryly. Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded in agreement, ¡°She is Guan Qiguang¡¯s granddaughter after all, how can she criticize Confucianism? You¡¯d better forget all those words.¡± As for the guards and the dead soldiers hiding in the dark, he didn¡¯t need to give too many orders.


    Qin Lingyun and Li shi nodded their promises, and finally watched the emperor¡¯s carriage return to the palace, and only then did they have the heart to play in the street, but Guan Suyi, who was supposed to return to the Zhao family, knocked on the door of the Emperor Teacher¡¯s mansion.


    ¡°I knew you were coming. You must have received the news that Ye Jieyu made a face for Ye Fan, right? Merely a concubine, they actually added such luxurious dowries. The eight-foot-tall red coral alone is worthy of a princess¡¯ dowry. The Ye family is indeed a merchant family, they act wildly and have no rules.¡± Zhong shi led her daughter inside, spitting words as she walked, very angry.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s face was like submerged in water, but she was not thinking about this. Seeing her grandfather and father hurriedly approaching, she immediately asked, ¡°Did Xu Guangzhi come to the door today?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask this?¡± Guan father was stunned for a moment, and then comforted, ¡°I already know about Ye Jieyu¡®s interference in Marquis Mansion¡¯s back house, in a few days I will let the Ye family fall into trouble. You don¡¯t have to worry about it, and feel at ease to go back and act your first-rank title. Xu Guangzhi did come, his front foot just left, your back foot arrived.¡±


    ¡°Father and grandfather decide the affairs of the Ye family. I won¡¯t worry about it. Let me just ask, does Xu Guangzhi want you to help write a few letters of recommendation?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Old master Guan nodded and said, ¡°He is very knowledgeable, has a golden mouth and wooden tongue, and a rare talent. Your father and I have already agreed to recommend him for an official position.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Guan Suyi took out the brocade box and said slowly, ¡°I heard that Ye Jieyu made a face for Ye Fan, so I went out to look for grandfather and father to discuss it, but didn¡¯t expect to run into him in Wencui Building. After the great victory, he actually burned the Legalist¡¯s books, trying to drive all the scholars and hundreds of schools to a desperate situation. Confucianism was known for its benevolence. Confucius and Mencius those two Sages cultivated morality all of their life, Zengzi was trembling in fear in order to maintain benevolence, as if facing an abyss, like walking on thin ice, and only rest went he died. And Xu Guangzhi burnt books and wasted articles, his methods are biased, narrow-minded, and has long violated the fundamentals of Confucianism, how can he serve as an official? I ask grandfather and father to refuse.¡±


    Having already agreed to this matter, it would definitely offend Xu Guangzhi if they were to refused. If what his daughter said was true, Xu Guangzhi was not a gentleman, but a villain. As the saying goes, it¡¯s better to offend a gentleman than a villain. The recommendation must not be done, but some roundabout way was also needed. Guan Father thought about it for a while, but he heard his father¡¯s angrily scold, ¡°Burning books and abolishing Legalism, creating chaos in my literary world, and doing things backwards, Xu Guangzhi that incompetent, we must not associate with him! The matter of recommendation is dropped.¡±


    Guan Father and Guan Suyi looked at each other and smiled bitterly: When will the old problem of my father (grandfather) who can¡¯t tolerate sand in his eyes be changed? If one day he offend His Majesty, they will be in a big trouble.

 CH 37

    Chapter 37 Slap In The Face


    Guan Suyi, together with Guan¡¯s father, with great difficulty calmed down Old Master Guan, who wanted to directly rebuke Xu Guangzhi for his perverse behavior, and then went out to bid farewell.


    ¡°Xu Guangzhi is a traitorous villain, but he likes to pretend to be a gentleman. Father, you must take more precautions against him in the future. If this recommendation is not successful, he may use some dirty means.¡± Before getting into the carriage, Guan Suyi reminded him repeatedly. In her previous life, her grandfather¡¯s literary name was destroyed, and her father had no hope of becoming an official, among those, there was no lack of Xu Guangzhi¡¯s means. After all, the two were giants of Confucianism, and both their talents and abilities overwhelmed him. He was extremely jealous and wished that the Guan family could be put to death. If it weren¡¯t at the critical moment, she married into the marquis mansion and won the protection, the Guan¡¯s family would have been destroyed by destitute and homeless people he brought under control.


    Therefore, she was grateful to the Marquis Mansion and tried her best, but in the end it ended badly. The past was over, and when she came back in this life, she must eliminate all hidden dangers one by one. Like Xu Guangzhi, a person who had talent but no virtue, it was better not to go in and out of the court and harm the people.


    Guan Father nodded and said yes, and gently advised, ¡°I already have some reservation about Xu Guangzhi in my mind, and I will never be used by him, let alone be framed. You just live your life in peace, and don¡¯t need to worry about irrelevant people. His Majesty is wise and insightful, serve the public interest wholeheartedly. Although Ye Jieyu is his favorite concubine, he has absolutely no reason to slap the face of an important official to favor a concubine. When the time comes, I will let the Ye family understand the consequences of provoking our Guan family. ¡±


    ¡°Always bothering father with my trouble, daughter is not filial.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes were full of tears, and she forced a smile, ¡°Grandfather is an upright person, doesn¡¯t know common affair, and doesn¡¯t understand worldly wisdom, so he will inevitably offend his colleagues in the court, I hope father will be more thoughtful for him.¡±


    Seeing that his daughter treated the old man like a child, Guan Father couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll remember. Our little Yiyi has also grown up and knows how to take care of her grandfather and father, and will be a rare good wife and mother in the future.¡± Recalling Zhao Luli¡¯s indifference, he suddenly turned cold and sighed, ¡°If there is no marriage decree, I will never let you marry into the Zhao mansion. Never mind, as long as there are me and your grandfather, the Zhao family can¡¯t bully you half a point. Just laugh when you¡¯re happy, scold when you¡¯re angry, and act spontaneously. How you lived in the past is how you will live in the future, you don¡¯t need to be timid and look forward to the future.¡±


    ¡°Well, I will remember too.¡± Guan Suyi then showed a sincere smile. The people who knew her best and protected her the most were her family.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    On the other side, the father and daughter bid farewell reluctantly. On this side, Emperor Sheng Yuan had returned to Weiyang Palace and was rummaging through the huge library.


    ¡°What kind of book Your Majesty wants to read, just tell the name, this servant has remember it in his mind, and will find it soon.¡± Baifu circled around the emperor, and was quite uneasy because he couldn¡¯t intervene.


    Although Emperor Sheng Yuan loved to read, he did not develop good habits due to his background in the army. Ordinarily after reading a book, he then threw it away, and within a few days he tossed all the books in the box. Just after he ascended the throne he lifted Baifu as the general director in charge of palace affair, the imperial library was built in a similar way, and the cultural relics were not wasted.


    ¡°I want to find a few Legalism classics. If there are single issue, extinct copy, or masters¡¯ manuscript, just pick them out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this servant will look for it.¡± Baifu searched through the piles of book boxes, and in a short time he picked out a dozen books, wrapped them in silk and placed them on the imperial table. Don¡¯t look at these books were old and yellow, and some of them were still rattan bamboo slips. They were extremely ancient. If talking about value, they were more precious than the pearls of the East China Sea and the rare horses of the Western Regions.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan checked it carefully to make sure that there were not too many flaws and damages. Then he nodded with satisfaction, ¡°Go get a better red sandalwood box, pack it up and send it to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion¡­¡±


    Send it to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion? Could it be that the emperor and lord Zhao have reconciled? Baifu speculated secretly, and then heard the emperor changed his mind, ¡°Wait, send it to Marquis Zhenxi Mansion.¡±


    How could a little guard have such precious books, sending it directly to Madam would inevitably arouse her doubts. In the end, he had to borrow Qin Lingyun¡¯s name. Thinking of this, Emperor Sheng Yuan wrote a letter, explaining that Marquis Zhenxi have to hand over the books and not to reveal his identity, then he put it in an envelope and dripped it with sealing wax. At this moment, there were words from outside the palace hall that Ye Jieyu asked to meet. His happy face instantly turned cold, and he waved his hand, ¡°Announce her to come in.¡±


    With a food box in her hand, Ye Zhen walked in gracefully and said with her knees bent, ¡°A few days ago, this concubine went to the bamboo garden in Nanyuan to dig up a lot of spring shoots. It then mixed it with young hens and seasoned with shiitake mushrooms that had been dried for a season, and simmered it in a clay pot. It took a long time to get a cup of thick soup, and then delivered it to Your Majesty to taste.¡± As she spoke, she walked over to the imperial desk, unloaded the food box, opened the lid, and took out the hot soup bowl.


    The rich aroma instantly filled the hall, causing Baifu and the others to salivate. Ye Zhen was proud and continued, ¡°I remember back then when Your Majesty was recovering from his wounds in Jiangzhou, he had no appetite because of the residual poison and bone pain, your favorite is this bowl of spring shoots chicken soup. You did not get bored even after drinking it for half a month. The little hens in the house are all ruined.¡±


    She seemed to find the past interesting, covered her mouth and chuckled, looked forward with glowing spirits, her brilliance compelled people.


    Baifu and the others sighed that Ye Jieyu was the only one in the palace who had an extraordinary appearance and shared hardships with His Majesty, no wonder she was the most favored. However when looking up to take a peek, His Majesty looked indifference and distant. Instead of indulgence, he revealed a bit of dangerous scrutiny. Could it be that the sin of spying at the Emperor¡¯s tracks a few days ago has not been forgotten?


    Ye Jieyu didn¡¯t know that her behavior of bribing the imperial servants had been exposed, but she still saw that the emperor was in a bad mood, so she put down the soup bowl and asked softly, ¡°Your Majesty, what¡¯s wrong? Are you tired from government affairs? Hurry up and drink the soup to restore your energy, and then rest early. As the saying goes, keep the green hills and not be afraid of running out of firewood. If you exhausted your body, what about the country, what about the civil and military affairs in the court, and what about the people of the world? What about, what about this concubine, without your protection, this concubine would have died a long time ago.¡± Tears filled her eyes, she looked weak and pitiful.


    Ordinarily, Emperor Sheng Yuan would have long comforted in a good voice, but now he was a little disgusted for no reason. He already knew that Ye Zhen, who seemed weak, was actually extremely tough in her bones. She had some means and scheming, even the Empress Dowager and the other imperial concubines were not her opponents, how could it still be the gentle and pure humble family¡®s daughter from back then.


    Without his protection, she would have died long ago? What a joke. Thinking of this, Emperor Sheng Yuan really laughed and said slowly, ¡°Zhen heard that the Ye family wants to send your cousin to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion as a concubine. Today, you add makeup for her with great fanfare and sent a lot of valuable things?¡±


    Ye Zhen¡¯s tears froze, she hesitantly said, ¡°Yes, Ye Fan likes the two children the most, it can be said that she watched them grow up since childhood. In the future, after she enter the marquis mansion she can do her best on behalf of this concubine. This concubine is grateful for her kindness, this then gave a lot of reward. Your Majesty specifically mentioned this matter, is there anything wrong with it?¡±


    ¡°The marriage of Marquis Zhenbei was given by Zhen, and the commandment of Marquis Zhenbei madam was personally conferred by Zhen.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan slowly stirred the spoon and said, ¡°One moment Zhen facilitated the marriage, and the next moment the Ye family forced Marquis Zhenbei to take a concubine, and you made a face for the concubine with a great fanfare, slapped Marquis Zhenbei madam¡¯s face, slapped the Emperor Teacher Mansion¡¯s face, and also slapped Zhen¡¯s face. Do you have any dissatisfaction with Zhen?¡±


    His tone was not harsh, even a little careless, but Ye Zhen sensed the sharpness of the sword. Looking in the whole Great Wei, who dared to be dissatisfied with the holy will, wasn¡¯t that like God of Longevity hanged himself ¨C too tired of living? However, after thinking about it carefully, what she did before was obviously to make a face for Ye Fan, and secretly wasn¡¯t she meant to humiliate the Guan family?


    However, she forgot the most important point. The Guan family was held up by His Majesty, and their faces were the faces of Confucianism, the faces of national learning, and even more the faces of His Majesty. They and His Majesty were people on the same boat, while the Ye Family was just a little bit of foreign relatives.


    While she was thinking this, Ye Zhen heard the emperor say again, ¡°In the previous dynasty, there were inner palace turmoils and disasters cause by foreign relatives, and the damage was even like a military disaster. Zhen will return your kindness by letting you live without worry, but you should also abide by your duties, to be safe then to obey. See what you have done now? Used official authority for private interests, bully virtuous subject, humiliated titled woman, and meddling in court affairs, no matter how many kindness, eventually you will wear it down. Zhen originally didn¡¯t want to say too much to you, but since you mentioned old feelings, Zhen also have to point out one or two, but only this time and there will be no next time, or you¡¯ll be on your own. ¡±


    Hearing this, Ye Zhen was already sweating like puddles, her clothes were soaking wet, she knelt down with a thud, and pleaded, ¡°This concubine was confused for a while, I beg Your Majesty¡¯s forgiveness! This concubine cannot forget the two children, cannot forget the Marquis, and more cannot forget the joy of the family in the past. When I saw him marrying another woman, I was blinded by jealousy and did such abhorrent things. This concubine never dared to have any dissatisfaction with Your Majesty, let alone indulge the families to cause disaster in the court. This concubine knows I¡¯m wrong, beg your majesty to forgive for the sake of this concubine who is also a pitiful person, woo woo¡­¡± After the words finished she just wept bitterly.


    Ye Zhen really couldn¡¯t forget Zhao Luli, couldn¡¯t forget the two children? Was it really because of jealousy that she made a big face for Ye Fan? Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart said not necessarily, but he was too lazy to delve too deep into it, because these things have nothing to do with him. However if Ye Zhen harmed the woman he greatly admired, even took as a confidant, and damaged his friendship with the Emperor Teacher and Minister of Ceremonies, he would never forgive her. Ye Zhen was nominally his woman, and what Ye Zhen did would naturally be counted on his head.


    ¡°Endlessly crying in front of imperial palace, what a joke. Go down, stay in Ganquan Palace and reflect on it for a few days. This cannot be repeated.¡± His patience with Ye Zhen seemed to be running out.


    Ye Zhen didn¡¯t dare to stay any longer, she quickly got up to take her leave, and returned to Ganquan Palace before she collapsed on the bed, she was completely terrified. In recent years, she had been living smoothly, even became a little complacent, and really regarded herself as favored as the outside world rumored to be. However, only she knew the truth. How could those glory and favors, that were supported by repaying kindness and easily shattered, compete with the real rights of the Guan family? Forcing the Marquis Mansion to take a concubine and making face for Ye Fan, these two moves were big mistakes!


    ¡°Niangniang, should we take back what we gave to the Ye family?¡± Yong He asked in a low voice. She was in the main hall just now, and she was also scared to death. Only then did she know that her niangniang didn¡¯t seem to have so much face in front of the emperor, at least it was inferior compared to the Guan family.


    ¡°Want to take back? Then This Palace will become a real joke. Pass the order, Ganquan Palace will close its palace¡¯s gate from now on, and refuse any visitors. His Majesty will handle the aftermath, no need for others to intervene. This Palace is tired and wants to be alone for a while, you all go down.¡±


    Everyone filed out, Ye Zhen numbly sat for a long time before closing her eyes, revealing the fear and embarrassment in her heart. No matter how the emperor took care of the aftermath, it¡¯s inevitable to step on the Ye family to support the Guan family. This time she failed to make face, but also beaten in the face, it was really a tragic lost. The next action couldn¡¯t be so hasty. However, her minions had been cut off by the empress dowager, and even if she wanted to send a message to the Ye family at this moment, letting them to know their place and not be ostentatious, but she was powerless, only hope that everyone would realize by themselves.

 CH 38

    Chapter 38 Tall Trees


    After ordering Ye Zhen to go back, Emperor Sheng Yuan put down the spoon and said solemnly, ¡°This bowl of soup is given to you, drink it while it¡¯s hot.¡±


    Who dared to refuse what the emperor gave, Baifu was flattered and took the soup bowl, took it in small sips and drank it all, he intended to praise Ye Jieyu¡®s cooking skills, but afraid of angering the emperor by saying the wrong thing, so he had to shut up. He really couldn¡¯t guess the emperor¡¯s mind now, saying that he didn¡¯t love Ye Jieyu, but of all the concubines in the palace, only Ye Jieyu could talk to him; saying that he loved Ye Jieyu, but he never never stayed in Ganquan Palace for more than an hour, let alone stay overnight.


    No wonder after so many years, not only Ye Jieyu had never given birth, but the rest of the imperial concubines did not move at all. And the empress dowager, who was not his biological mother, did not urge at all, and only concentrated on raising the little grandsons left by several princes. His Majesty was already twenty-seven this year, if there was no good news, afraid that in a few years, it would provoke criticism from the courtiers. Baifu finally realized the taste of ¡°The emperor is not in a hurry, but the eunuchs are¡°. But he did not dare to advise bluntly, only pick a few more beauties to serve in the palace, preferably someone as talented as Ye Jieyu.


    While thinking about it, Emperor Sheng Yuan had already leaned on the dragon chair and closed his eyes. The sky outside the window was getting dark. A layer of shadow covered his handsome and cold face, his thin lips pursed very tight and slightly pulled down, showing a bit of depression.


    Baifu didn¡¯t know what happened to the emperor when he went outside in plain clothes, but very sure that he was not in a good mood right now, if he make a slight mistake, he might throw himself onto the muzzle of a gun. The servants who could serve in Weiyang Palace were all experienced, and there was no need for the chief supervisor to remind them to lowered their eyes and ears, kept their voices quiet, and dared not make trouble.


    In this dead silence atmosphere, time passed quietly, as if a long time had passed, but it was only a moment, Baifu suddenly heard His Majesty¡¯s low voice, ¡°Bring the Book of Songs here, I want to see it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± Baifu hurriedly found the book and placed it on a tray covered with silk.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan flipped through the pages at will, his cryptic eyes suddenly fixed, and after a while, he slowly read word by word, ¡°There are tall trees in the south, and it is not to be contemplated; Han has a wandering girl, and it is impossible to think; The vastness of Han is incomprehensible. The eternal nature of the river is incomprehensible. Baifu, can you sing this poem? Sing and let me listen.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, due to the turmoil of war, the rise and fall of the feudal states, and the displacement of the people, many of the tunes in the Book of Songs have been lost. This servant have shallow knowledge and dare not show their ugliness. If Your Majesty really likes it, it is better to ask the Emperor Teacher tomorrow. The old master may know a thing or two.¡±


    ¡°Ask Guan Qiguang to sing a love poem? Forget it.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan shook his head and laughed, as if thinking of something, he murmured, ¡°Someone can certainly sing it, but if she sings it to Zhen, Zhen will be even more pathetic. But  it¡¯s better this was, what remain unseen is deemed clean, what remain unheard is deemed quite.¡±


    Which woman won¡¯t even give you face? And who can make you pitiful? Baifu felt incredulous. Seeing that His Majesty¡¯s expression changed from longing to loss, and then to gloomy and depressed, in the end he did not dare to ask.


    ¡ª¨C


    Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, Main House.


    Zhao Chunxi had been waiting in the side hall for more than an hour. Seeing that Guan Suyi had not returned to the house, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little anxious. Her two maids, Hexiang and Xueliu, repeatedly ran outside the second gate to take a look, their faces full of impatience. After another quarter of an hour, Hexiang ran back and said indignantly, ¡°Miss, don¡¯t wait, let¡¯s go back. Madam knew that you¡¯re going to apologize today, but without informing anything she went out privately and let you wait in vain. She is hanging you on purpose!¡±


    ¡°My aunt is about to pass the door. Wangshu and I have been close to my aunt since we were young. She is worried that we will be wooed, which will shake her status. It is not surprising that she gives us some power play.¡± Zhao Chunxi squeezed the veil tightly and endured secretly.


    ¡°But you are the serious eldest miss of Marquis Mansion, then just let her grind you? If she treats you so coldly, you should let lord marquis know, otherwise if you suffer in silence for a long time, she will treat you as a soft persimmon, and will squeezed more and more easily.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to tell daddy, so what if I tell him? He always asks me to please Guan shi more, and do not be disobedient, after all, my dowry and future depend on her planning. She also insulted me for being raised by a little woman, and daddy didn¡¯t listen to me and ignored it. They said that if you have a stepmother, you will have a stepfather, which is really true.¡±


    ¡°Miss, this servant will say something over the line. Aunt Ye is your own aunt after all. Behind her are Master Ye, Madam Ye, Jieyu niangniang, and even the emperor¡¯s support. Her identity is not comparable to that ordinary concubine, and when she gives birth to a son in the future, as long as Jieyu niangniang issues a decree, it will be enough to raise her as an equal wife. Then she will be in equal footing with Guan shi, so why should you alienate Concubine Ye according to the Lord marquis¡¯s orders, but instead force yourself to get close to Guan shi?¡± After saying this, Hexiang looked around, feeling rather guilty.


    Zhao Chunxi¡¯s eyes lit up slightly, and then dimmed again, ¡°Lifted her up to be an equal wife? Wouldn¡¯t you lead the wolf into the room?¡±


    ¡°What kind of person is Concubine Ye, you still don¡¯t know? She has watched you and the eldest young master grow up since you were young, she will treat you as if you are her own, she¡¯s extremely sincere. Compare to that Guan shi, she will be so much better. If you are worried after she has a son, her heart is easily change, then simply give her medicine for a few years, and when you get married, the eldest young master will be conferred as Shizi and inherit the title, and then give her a child to support her.¡±


    If you can give medicine to Ye Fan, you can also give medicine to Guan shi. Zhao Chunxi¡¯s heart trembled slightly, she was obviously persuaded. After thinking for a moment, she waved her hand and said, ¡°My aunt came from a humble background. If I want to raise her to be an equal wife, it is not easy, I still need to take care of slowly. However, my time is limited, and I¡¯m going to get married in two or three years. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to wait for her.¡±


    ¡°Miss, you are doing it the wrong way. The length of time is not only decided by Heaven, but also by us. Jieyu niangniang¡¯s holy favor will never fade, and a few pillow talk can make the Ye family become a top-level powerful family. When that time comes Concubine Ye¡¯s family background will also risen with the tide. And in the mansion, you and she can join hands to deal with Guan shi and suppress her. If Guan shi¡®s personal morality is detrimental, how can she manage central feed and still have the title. No matter what Guan family said, it won¡¯t justified. Combining attacks from three sides, and in one year she will become a phoenix that falls on the shelf.¡±


    ¡°Great idea!¡± Zhao Chunxi clasped her palm, and then worriedly said, ¡°But after all, she is a first-rank titled madam appointed by the emperor. If she is suppressed too hard, will it offend the emperor?¡±


    ¡°Are you still afraid that the emperor will protect her, but not protect Jieyu niangniang? The only woman who followed the emperor in and out of the battlefield was Jieyu Niangniang, the only woman who lived and died with him was Jieyu Niangniang, the only woman who sacrificed her life to save him was also the Jieyu Niangniang. Now that His Majesty has ascended to the throne and proclaimed the emperor, only Jieyu Niangniang has the highest position of all the imperial concubines in the whole palace. Holding the Phoenix Seal, commanding the Six Palaces and the Jiaofang alone, such a great honor, not to mention protecting you, it will be easy to create a giant noble family. Just wait, when Jieyu Niangniang gives birth to a dragon heir, and go further, Ye family will soar to the sky and be full of glory, and you and the eldest young master are the juniors who are most valued by her, the future will certainly not bad. You don¡¯t have to cling to the present, just take a long-term view.¡±


    ¡°My mom¡­¡± Zhao Chunxi changed her words in time, ¡°If my eldest aunt can really go further, my grandfather will become a true imperial father-in-law. According to the rules, he can be canonized as a Duke. When that time comes, a mere Guan family is really nothing to be afraid of.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so why do you have to humble yourself in front of Guan shi as Lord Marquis instructed? You just need to befriend your maternal family and approach Jieyu niangniang, and there will be countless glory and wealth in the future.¡± The more Hexiang spoke the more she felt she was clever, she couldn¡¯t help but felt pleased with herself.


    Zhao Chunxi was still hesitating when she suddenly saw Xueliu rushing over and said excitedly, ¡°Miss, just now the gatekeeper sent a message to this servant, saying that Jieyu Niangniang has rewarded many things to the Ye Mansion, one of them is an eight-foot-tall red coral specially given for Concubine Ye to add makeup. Its whole body is crystal clear, the color is gorgeous, the price is invaluable, and all the passerby were staring. The gatekeeper also said that the red coral alone is enough to defeat a princess¡¯ dowry! Good God, Ye Mansion is now famous, everyone is talking about it!¡±


    Hexiang hurriedly beat the drum, ¡°Jieyu niangniang care about Ye family the most, unable to tolerate them being bullied by others. When the time comes, Concubine Ye will no longer have to worry about being crushed by that cheap servant.¡±


    ¡°More than that, Concubine Ye can turn her back on Madam, and see if they dare to neglect eldest miss in the main house!¡± Xueliu raised her chin, her expression extremely arrogant.


    With such a powerful maternal family and such a favored mother, what else would Zhao Chunxi worried about? She felt a pang of relief in her heart, and immediately called out the steward and left with arrogance. As for her dowry and marriage, mom could help to plan. She was the noble Jieyu, with just one sentence, not to mention letting her daughter marry into an aristocratic family, even pointed out to to imperial family would not be difficult.


    One moment that group left, the next moment Guan Suyi returned, caught a glimpse of the still warm tea cup on the table, she asked, ¡°Has Zhao Chunxi come?¡±


    ¡°Reporting to madam, Eldest Miss has been waiting for you all afternoon, and she has only been gone for less than a quarter of an hour.¡± The steward cleaned up the table while she spoke.


    ¡°Leave without waiting for the people, perhaps she received the news that Ye Jieyu made a face to Ye Fan, and changed her tune then withdraw. In the future, if our courtyard want to welcome the eldest miss, it will be very difficult.¡± She smiled disapprovingly.


    ¡°It¡¯s better if she don¡¯t come, our courtyard is finally clean.¡± Minglan put the brocade box on the desk and went to prepare tools for repairing the shredded paper.


    The two master and servant worked on the book until the middle of the night, and finally kept the fragments properly and pressed them into a special splint. Minglan took advantage when the miss took a bath to asked her to improvise a poem, so as to teach her a few more words. The Guan family was a literary noble family, talking and laughing with great scholars, no contacts with white people. Even the uncle who guarded the gate was also articulate, not to mention the servants who served the master. If they didn¡¯t have a little bit of learning spirit, they would be rejected by the master.


    Guan Suyi rested her head on the edge of the tub, closed her eyes and hummed slowly, ¡°There are tall trees in the south, and it is not to be contemplated; Han has a wandering girl, and it is impossible to think; The vastness of Han is incomprehensible. The eternal nature of the river is incomprehensible.¡± The lingering voice was melodious and gentle, but it also carried an inexhaustible sadness.


    Minglan was stunned, clutching her chest and said, ¡°Miss, what does this poem mean? I feel a little sad in my heart.¡±


    Guan Suyi opened her eyes, looked at the void, and explained word by word, ¡°There are trees in the south of the Han River, but I don¡¯t want to explore the secluded forest. The beauty across the water is wandering leisurely, and my heart longs for it but it¡¯s difficult to seek. The Han River is deep and wide, the water is broad and I cannot swim. The boiling Han River is long and long, even if there are wooden rafts, it cannot be crossed. This poem tells the love of the heart, but it is also full of the pain of not being able to ask for it.¡±


    ¡°No wonder my heart is so sad in.¡± Minglan suddenly shed two lines of tears, in exchange Guan Suyi was laughing. Infatuated people are pathetic, infatuated people are pitiful, infatuated people are even more ridiculous. In this life, she will never be infected with even half a point of love.


    TN: Did she plant bug in Weiyang Palace?

 CH 39

    Chapter 39 Virtuous Minister


    The next day, in Chengde Hall, the civil and military officials divided to the left and right to present court memorials together.


    Because of Xu Guangzhi¡¯s request, several great scholars already prepared letters of recommendation to report to the emperor. When County Prince Jing stepped forward and urged Xu Guangzhi to enter the office, they also followed and spoke together. Guan Father took a step forward and was about to second a motion, but he heard his old man refute with anger, ¡°Report to the emperor, Xu Guangzhi is lacking personal virtue, have become depraved, and could not become an official¡­¡± Finally, he unfolded the long memorial in his hand, recited word by word.


    Father, didn¡¯t we agree before that we won¡¯t slap County Prince Jing¡¯s face in the court? Your words cannot be trusted, ah! Guan Father sighed in his heart, but his face didn¡¯t show anything. And at his instigation, several Legalism scholars who were preparing to impeach Xu Guangzhi for burning books and discarding articles were also caught off guard at this time. They never expected that Old Master Guan would be so upright, and even teared up the younger generation of his own school. However, listening to it, they were touched by his ¡®looking up not ashamed of the sky, looking down not ashamed of people¡¯ magnificent aura and candidness, one by one were moved to tears.


    Not long before, the Confucius¡¯s policy was promulgated, and the court ministers had their own schools of thought, naturally they were worried about the damage to their interests. And Xu Guangzhi¡¯s remarks of ¡°Abolishing a hundred schools of thought¡± made their already precarious situation even more difficult. If they didn¡¯t change the lane and withdraw, those Legalism classics couldn¡¯t be said what¡¯s their fate tomorrow. However, asking scholars to give up what they have learned all their lives and reluctantly accept ideas they do not agree with was more cruel than directly beheading them.


    Therefore, they want to fight against Xu Guangzhi to the end, but they also knew that the emperor would not open his eyes for other schools, and they could only fight to the end and sacrifice their lives for righteousness. However, they did not expect that as the Confucian master and Emperor Teacher, Old Master Guan, would stand up one step ahead of them and thoroughly criticized. If all Confucian scholars were as virtuous as Old Master Guan, the literary world would definitely flourish, the court would be stable, and the society would have a long history.


    When Old Master Guan finished reading the memorials in an eloquent manner, there was a roar of applause from the court, and even the generals who had always been at odds with the civil servants also clasped their hands, and the second motion continued.


    Xu Guangzhi¡¯s actions were very high-profile. No, it should be said that in these two lifetimes, he had been a small utensil that easy to fill, without regard for others. The difference was that in the previous life, he was supported by Emperor Sheng Yuan, but in this life, he could only cling to the powerful and planned every step. One point of fate differ made everything also very different. In the previous life, he had brutalized the scholars of other schools like that, not necessarily didn¡¯t make enemies, but because of his strong backing and deep background, he always stood firm. But in this life, he had shown himself without the strength to protect himself, and the fate after antagonizing countless enemies could be imagined.


    He thought that the ministers of the Confucian school would all backing him up, but he forgot whether those who was in charge, that was, Old Master Guan, would appreciate his style of bullying others, burning books and abolishing Legalism. The answer was he didn¡¯t appreciate it and even hated it!


    For the first time, Emperor Sheng Yuan listened carefully to the words of his teacher. Because of his selfish advocacy of Legalism and rejection of Confucianism, his impression of Old Master Guan had always remained at the level of conformity and ignorance. After he had a secret affection for Guan Suyi, he began to re-examine the old man, and finally found the other person¡¯s loyalty, honesty, uprightness and righteousness hidden under the pedantic and stubbornness.


    But Guan Father was even more interesting. He was a giant of Confucianism on the surface, but privately he was very close to scholars of various schools, and he was also extremely proficient in various schools of thought. It was not exaggeration to say ¡°omniscient and omnipotent, experienced in the ways of the world¡±. When he stepped into the court, he was like a dragon facing the abyss, and the wind and clouds would rise.


    It¡¯s no wonder that Guan Suyi had a pure heart and elegant character, endowed with fine spirits of the universe, her family learning was actually the source, influenced by seeing and hearing. At this time, Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t know that there was a saying in Central Plains ¡®Love the house and its crow¡¯. Because he liked someone, he naturally liked all the people close to her. Therefore, the Guan family¡¯s father and son, who he felt sour before, also now greatly admired.


    At this time he was still tormenting, resisting, and suppressing his feelings, but it didn¡¯t prevent him from further lifting the Guan family. When the applause and the voice of support gradually faded away, he said, ¡°What the Emperor Teacher said is very true, Xu Guangzhi is eager for quick success and lack personal virtue, and he is not worthy of being an official.¡±


    Seeing that County Prince Jing seemed to be about to argue, he continued, ¡°Zhen¡¯s holy idea is ¡®to promote the Confucian family, suppress the hundred schools¡¯, but he misinterpreted it as ¡®abolishing the hundred schools, and only respect Confucianism¡¯. If an official can¡¯t even understand the Holy Will, what is the use? Legalism¡¯s clear punishment, Confucianism¡¯s benevolence, Mohism¡¯s universal love, School of Military¡¯s defend one¡¯s country¡­ Each Hundred Schools of Thought has their own strength and strive for the best result. Each school¡¯s scholars are vigorous and active, have high fighting spirit. So when in my Great Wei, hundred of flowers bloom and hundred schools of thought contend, civil and military officials emulates the virtuous and unite their will, why worry the society is unstable, and the country is not strong? Zhen respect Confucianism because of the single character ¡®benevolence¡¯, benevolent to your subjects and benevolent to the people, so how could imitate the tyrannical Qin that practice ¡®burning books and bury alive Confucian scholars? You can have your own thoughts, and Zhen also have a policy for governing the country, do you think so?¡±


    After a few words, County Prince Jing was unable to refute and was too ashamed to speak, while hundreds of civil and military officials knelt down on the ground to shout Long Live, and Old Master Guan was moved to tears by the emperor¡¯s deep benevolence and kindness, he submitted happily.


    Xu Guangzhi¡¯s entry into officialdom was dismissed just like that. Emperor Sheng Yuan continued to carried out several other government affairs, and then he proposed to improve the legal code and restore order. Because there was act of benevolence towards scholars of various schools at the beginning, the civil and military officials were very cooperative, except for praising the emperor as enlightened monarch, there was no objection.


    After the court finished, Emperor Sheng Yuan made his imperial teacher, Chief of Ceremonies and several Legalists to stay behind and discuss the specific details of perfecting the law. Guan Father followed behind Old Master Guan, while walking slowly towards Weiyang Palace, he whispered, ¡°Father, you promised to be good yesterday, why you put your son in a tight spot during the court.¡±


    County Prince Jing was small-minded and ambitious. In the past, he wanted to win over the Guan family, but when he failed, he supported his minions and brought his confidants together. Now, his plan was once again disturbed by the Guan family. Although he pretended to be benevolent and righteous, he must have hated the Guan family. No matter what, he was also a member of the Jiuli tribe, even more, he was a relative of the imperial family. If he wanted to embarrass the Guan family, it¡¯s still unknown who the emperor would protect.


    Old Master Guan¡¯s lips didn¡¯t move, but a voice reached Guan Father¡¯s ear, ¡°Life is what I want, righteousness is also what I want. If I can¡¯t have both, then I will let life go for righteousness. I always use these words to encourage you and encourage myself. Others become officials because of power, or because of wealth, but my Guan family enter the officialdom because of what, have you forgotten?¡±


    Guan Father replied in a low voice, ¡°Son has never forgotten for a day, so that people of the world can be enlighten, so that people of the world can make a living, so that people of the world can be prosperous, so that the Yellow River is clear and the sea has no waves.¡± After a pause, he reflected deeply, ¡°Father, son is wrong!¡±


    Old Master Guan snorted coldly, and then eased his expression, ¡°It¡¯s good if you don¡¯t forget your original intention. You use your tactful way, I follow my loyalty and integrity way. In the future it may have nothing to do with each other, or maybe cooperate with each other, or maybe compete against each other, and it¡¯s up to your and my political opinions.¡±


    Guan Father could only promised and obeyed. Who said that the old man had no scheming and didn¡¯t know how to be flexible. To let the father and son went their own way was the biggest scheming, the best flexibility, when advancing could attack, when retreating could defend, and when one break, the other could be saved.


    The two of them tacitly understood, remained silent all the way. They waited outside the hall for a while before being led into the imperial study.


    ¡°Please sit down, dear gentlemen.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan had no arrogance at all. He had already taken off his dragon robe and changed into casual clothes, and stretched out his hand to invite several ministers to sit down. Marquis Zhenxi, who had taken three-month vacation, was waiting by the side, holding a thick memorial in his hand, showing that he was well prepared.


    ¡°A country can¡¯t be without a ruler, more so can¡¯t have a chaotic law. When the law is chaotic then the world is in chaos, when the world is in chaos then the people are dead. Therefore, Zhen have long wanted to revise the law, and I hereby invite dear ministers to help review the details, recast the code of law, and restore the world¡¯s clarity.¡±


    All the ministers were touched by the emperor¡¯s benevolence, and they all said, ¡°Willing to die for Your Majesty, willing to die for Great Wei, willing to die for the people.¡±


    ¡°Great kindness!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s dragon heart was delighted, and he said concisely, ¡°Zhen have just come into contact with the culture of Central Plains, the knowledge is limited, so it is inconvenient to say more. There is only one principle that dear ministers need to bear in mind: the revision of the law should be based on the principle that ¡®the ruler is light, the people are noble¡¯. It¡¯s important to be beneficent for the common people, the national law placed above the patriarchal clan system, the public opinion placed above the official voice, and if the prince and the common people break the laws the crime is the same. Abolish the old rules and bad habits of ¡®punishment is not for the senior official, and the etiquette is not for the common people¡¯, concealment of relatives, and concealment of officials, truly put people first, use benevolence at its root.¡±


    There was a few breaths of silence in the hall. The Legalism scholars were ecstatic and convinced, but they were worried that the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies would speak out against it. When they were about to look, they saw the two of them knelt down and called Holy Monarch. They were even more excited than they were. ¡°The emperor¡¯s heart is for the people, benevolent and righteous, and will create a great cause for eternity and leave a name for eternity! Your Majesty long live, long live, long live!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan quickly pulled up the two people, with a thousand thoughts and great ambitions surging in his chest. He pondered for a moment, and then said, ¡°In addition to revising the law, Zhen want to set up another official office, called the Inspectorate Department, which is composed of the Inspector Censor and Jishizong. Practice rules and remonstrate the emperor, speak left and right, impeach hundreds of officials, and investigate the real powers of regions and ranks, ranging from the central government to the small towns and counties, from the emperor to the officials, and from the country¡¯s major affairs to the people¡¯s livelihood, are all within the scope of the censor¡¯s supervision and speech. Zhen will assign them absolute freedom, impeach hundreds of officials, not convicted by words, and not put to death in prison, so as to avoid the calamity of incapable ruler, corrupt politics, and traitorous people that bring disaster to the country¡­¡±


    This was the idea that came from listening to Guan Suyi¡¯s blunt accounting on the shortcomings of the legalist monarchy¡¯s dictatorship.


    Before the emperor¡¯s words were finished, Old Master Guan had already knelt down again, his voice when calling ¡®long live the emperor¡¯ was trembling, he even offered to resign from the position of the super-grade Emperor Teacher and become the little seventh-grade censor to plead in the name of the people, to ensure that the facts were correctly understood. The rest of the people also knelt down willingly, without any reluctance.


    ¡°Good! If there are virtuous ministers like this, why worry that my Great Wei will not be prosperous, and the society will not be strong!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed loudly, very happy. From this moment on, his impression of Guan¡¯s father and son had completely changed, from being dispensable advertisement of Confucianism to the reliable right-hand man.


    Qin Lingyun was also infected by the great righteousness of the two of people, felt great respect towards them. No wonder Guan Suyi was so excellent and also unconventional, it was because of the upright family style. The dragon gives birth to the dragon and the phoenix gives birth to the phoenix, this was indeed true.


    The discussion continued from morning to evening, everyone used the imperial meal in the Weiyang Palace before returning home. On the moving carriage, Guan Father said slowly, ¡°Revising the law, setting up an Inspectorate, the emperor is worried about the country and the people, self-restraint and devoted to the public, but I want to use both of them to do a personal matter.¡±


    ¡°Yiyi¡¯s matter?¡± Old Master Guan understood.


    ¡°Father, you really know everything.¡± Guan Father smiled and flattered.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take care of this matter.¡± Old Master Guan took complete charge, even though he knew that he had fallen into his son¡¯s trap of eliminating dissidents, he happily endured hardship for the safety of his granddaughter¡¯s life.

 CH 40

    Chapter 40 Shattered


    When Old Master Guan and Father Guan went to court, Guan Suyi also woke up early. After washing, she went to the study, and while practicing calligraphy, she waited for Zhao Wangshu to come and greet her. She had a loop of gauze wrapped around her wrist, with lead blocks on the inside. If she took it off and weighed it, it would have weighed four to five pounds. However, she had become accustomed to this kind of hardship cultivation when she was eleven or twelve years old, so her hand that practiced calligraphy was so powerful that she could penetrate the back of the paper. At first glance, it seemed to be written by the general who went through many battlefields, never thought it came from a boudoir woman.


    Minglan was amazed when she saw it, and wished she could put her miss¡¯s hand on her wrist, and also write a few back and forth freely and unrestrainedly.


    After practicing for about a quarter of an hour, Zhao Wangshu, who should have arrived at maoshi (5-7am), finally arrived late, followed by Zhao Chunxi, who was blowing in the spring breeze. The old women who was guarding the gate of the courtyard hurriedly stepped forward to greet her, they were all very obedient. It seemed that they had already received the news that Ye Jieyu had given face to Ye Fan. Worried that madam would not only fall out of favor but also be stripped off her power, they wanted to make some good ties and went to higher place in the future.


    Yesterday, she was left to dry for more than half an hour, but today even the floor tiles that have been stepped on have been wiped clean. Power and Holy¡¯s favor were really good things. Thinking like this, Zhao Chunxi became more and more determined to curry favor with her biological mother, join force with her aunt, win over her maternal family, and suppress Guan shi.


    The two siblings crossed the threshold and saluted in unison, although their faces were respectful, there was a bit of contempt in their eyes. Zhao Wangshu didn¡¯t have any shrewdness, so he couldn¡¯t hold back what¡¯s in his heart. Before his sister could speak, he said triumphantly, ¡°Mother, today we won¡¯t go to the main courtyard to pay respect with you, and the homework at noon and evening will also be waived. This is what Dad said.¡± He blinked his eyes and had an expression of ¡°Come and ask me why¡±.


    How could Guan Suyi didn¡¯t know about his little thought, but she still played along, ¡°Oh, why is that?¡±


    ¡°My eldest aunt is adding makeup for the third aunt. One of them is an eight-foot-tall red corals which is a treasure of Wei Kingdom, and it¡¯s invaluable. My sister and I were invited to see it. I heard that the third aunt also invited many people to appreciate it together. Even the eldest princess will also attend. She herself said that such a treasure is not even in her princess¡¯s house. In the national treasury only have this one and it actually given to the third aunt. The third aunt is very blessed.¡± Zhao Wangshu stretched out his arms and pulled the air, looking very proud.


    Zhao Chunxi corrected with a chuckle, ¡°Silly brother, where is it the blessing of third aunt, it¡¯s obvious grandfather¡¯s family has dipped in the light of eldest aunt to have today¡¯s glory. The one we should be most thankful for is eldest aunt, after all, she is the daughter of our Ye family, as it should be bless the family. Oh, by the way, the third aunt also sent a post to mother, blame me for being so happy that I almost forgot, will mother go with us?¡± She took out a greeting post from her sleeve pocket.


    Hearing this, Guan Suyi almost laughed out loud. Unexpectedly, Zhao Chunxi, who was so scheming and had deep thought in the previous life would have such a naive moment, misunderstood other people¡¯s ironic remark as a compliment, and was proud and boasted everywhere just to see other¡¯s jealous and envious expression. But this also couldn¡¯t be blamed on her. She was not like in the previous life, given advice, urged, guided, and constantly taught by words and example. It was reasonable she became mediocre, silly, and narrow-minded, because her Ye family¡¯s education was like this. Just like her mom who thought she had outstanding means, but in fact neglected the root and pursued the tip.


    ¡°The Ye family is really the most respectable family in the honorable circle, even the eldest princess is slightly inferior. Well, since your father agreed, then just go. I don¡¯t like to join in the fun. Have you prepared the carriage?¡± Guan Suyi wrote slowly, her expression flat.


    Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu couldn¡¯t find humiliation and panicked expression on her face, so they were a little bit disappointed. She answered while adjusting her mind, ¡°The carriage and horses are ready, and Daddy will personally sent us over. So, we will take our leave.¡±


    Zhao Luli went to sent over in person, but unwilling to follow the children to the main house to take a look and say a few words to herself, probably afraid because Ye Zhen¡¯s provocation she would be fly into rage and embarrassed him, right? This living turtle, he only knew how to shrink into his shell when he encounter a problem, but there was no responsibility at all. No wonder Ye Zhen wanted the red apricot tree to lean over the garden wall, and remarry other.


    At this moment, Guan Suyi finally understood Ye Zhen¡¯s difficulties, waved her sleeves lightly, and said in a loose tone, ¡°Go, go early and come back early.¡±


    The siblings did not answer to agreed, turned around and ran out, and after a while disappeared from the gate of the courtyard. Several maids and old women hurriedly chased after them, and very attentively instructed, ¡°Eldest miss, eldest young master, run slowly, be careful of falling! Now it¡¯s still early. Even if a bit late, that¡¯s also your grandfather¡¯s house, they definitely will not to blame.¡±


    Minglan slammed the door and spat, ¡°These darn opportunist, they will go to whoever has the upper hand, what a traitorous face, it¡¯s extremely despicable! This servant guess that these two brother and sister will never come again once they went out today. Their Ye family has such a good face, and concubine Ye has Ye Jieyu as her backing. How can she put miss in her eyes again? This Ye Jieyu is also a confused person. Having so much power even take care her brother-in-law¡¯s room, not afraid of being laughed at.¡±


    ¡°Ye¡¯s family originally was just a merchant. Before the founding of the country, they were selling horses in the border. It was not easy to put their daughter in the harem. They couldn¡¯t be expected to know how to write the words ¡®shame¡¯ and ¡®etiquette¡¯. Those two brother and sister will always come again, because once my Guan family take action, the Ye family will be unlucky, and those two will come to me with their tails between their legs to make amends, will respectfully call me mother again, and pay respect in the morning and evening.¡± While talking Guan Suyi wrote the words ¡°Propriety, Righteousness, Honesty and Shame¡± on the paper, and finally held it high to appreciate it carefully.


    Minglan wailed, ¡°Are they going to come back? That¡¯s so annoying! The eldest young master is still tolerable, just a little bit stubborn, a little stupid, can barely bear him; however the eldest miss¡¯s is not what it seems on the surface, honeyed words with a sword in the belly. I feels terrified when I sees her, always worried about being stabbed in the back. She smiled at you for a while and said that you are good and good, but when she went back, she pulled lord marquis to cry and complain, saying that you are bad and bad. Insidious little girl, don¡¯t know where she learned this trick.¡±


    ¡°Probably come from the family education.¡± Guan Suyi shook her head and sighed.


    Just at this moment, the housekeeper brought a brocade box, saying that it was sent by the madam from the main house of Marquis Zhenxi Mansion, and she had to open it in person.


    ¡°Bring it over.¡± Guan Suyi sent the rest of the people away, opened the box cover to check inside, and saw that there were more than a dozen Legalism classics in it, all of which were single issue, absolutely rare, and famous masters¡¯ manuscript. ¡°Marquis Zhenxi is so generous, this is the real treasure of Wei Kingdom, and it is invaluable!¡± She also understood that these books could not have been given by Li shi, who was illiterate.


    Minglan was also a savvy person, and said in surprise, ¡°Miss, this gift is too expensive, isn¡¯t it too hot? Your friendship with Marquis Zhenxi has not reached this level!¡±


    ¡°Even if I burnt a layer of skin off my hand, I will still take this gift! He really doesn¡¯t have much friendship with me, but it doesn¡¯t mean that there is no need for friendship with Guan family in the future. A potential ally means an extra path, and even an extra life. Although there is no intention of forming a party, he has to plan ahead. Moreover, he is only sending a few books, and not doing other actions. Just accept it, no need to think too much about it.¡±


    Minglan was completely relieved, so she arranged the brush and paper for her miss to write a thank you post, and prepared a valuable return gift to send to the Marquis Zhenxi Mansion.


    ¡ª-


    When Zhao Chunxi and her younger brother arrived, the Ye Mansion was full of distinguished guests, it was very lively. Occasionally, there were elegantly dressed nobles entering and leaving the room, at first glance, it seemed to be family of great official. Master Ye didn¡¯t personally greet Zhao Luli, probably because he looked down on his status as an idle lord. Liu shi was also neither cold nor warm, but she still cared a little about the two juniors, called out the cousins of the same age to lead them to the backyard to play.


    Zhao Luli stood for a while in embarrassment. Seeing that his father-in-law never came out, he went to the front yard by himself.


    After waiting for about three quarters of an hour, the eldest princess arrived late. She waved back Liu shi and Ye Fan, who greeted with a flattering smile, and said straight to the point, ¡°This Palace will enter the palace later to see the Empress Dowager, cannot be delay. What about that red coral? Bring it out for This Palace to see.¡±


    The guests also urged again and again, their eyes shining.


    Everyone saw that the eldest princess didn¡¯t have a good attitude, and Liu shi and Ye Fan gritted their teeth in anger but could not do anything, only slander her in their hearts: ¡°You just wait, after niangniang gives birth to the dragon heir, our Ye family will become the number one family in Yanjing. You and the emperor are neither born from the same mother nor close friend. How can you compare with the Ye family? Now let you be crazy, there will be times when you cry in the future!


    While thinking wildly, she led people to the front of the water pavilion, where a huge gold-painted mahogany box stood, which was very bright against the sun. Before everyone could see the treasure, they began to murmur and praise its brilliant, and Liu shi who had slightly extinguished her arrogance became condescending again after hearing the adulation. She was going to open the box and presented the treasure when Master Ye arrived with the male guest, let this group of people gained some knowledge and understood the way of the world.


    Zhao Chunxi was frightened by the stern and contemptuous expression of the eldest princess, and faintly felt that she did not intend to befriend the Ye family as rumored, on the contrary, she seemed to be looking for trouble. But so what? She was already married and counted as an outsider, how could she be compared with her mom? Her mom was the emperor¡¯s wife. They accompanied each other day and night, slept on the same pillow, and would die together in the future. There was no more intimate relationship than this. Otherwise, how could the red coral, which only had this one tree in the whole country, got into her mom¡¯s hand, not the eldest princess, or even the Empress Dowager?


    Thinking like this, Zhao Chunxi lowered her eyelids and smiled triumphantly. She raised her head when she heard the sound of her grandmother opening the lid of the box with the key, and then she was shocked. She saw the whole body of crystal clear, brightly colored red coral somehow shattered into pieces, and when the wind blew, it raised a lot of white dust, making the person standing in front of it coughed incessantly.


    Liu shi and Ye Fan screamed in surprise, Master Ye also trembled and almost fainted. The rest were either in a mess, or enjoying other¡¯s misfortune, or leaned over to look closely, and some people took the opportunity to leave to avoid trouble.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go, no one is allowed to go! Hurry up, hurry up and report to the authorities!¡± After all, Master Ye was a shrewd and capable businessman, so he quickly recovered and asked the servants to seal the gates of the courtyards to prevent the culprit from escaping. If no one deliberately made trouble, the extremely hard coral would not be shattered like this! Who dared to destroy even the things bestowed by the emperor, who was so audacious?

 CH 41

    Chapter 41 Extravagant


    While sealing the gate of the mansion, Master Ye sent people to the capital city Yamen, the Joint Defense Department, and even the left, center, and right armies of the Imperial Guard to report the case, asking them to send people to quickly investigate. Although the Ye family came from a humble background and had a small official position, Ye Jieyu was the only woman favored by the emperor, and she was the woman with the highest status in the three palaces and six courtyards. Thinking that the next emperor would probably come from her, the people did not dare to neglect, and immediately sent elites to investigate, and immediately put on official uniforms and entered the palace to report.


    In order to show off the national treasure, the Ye family posted invitations to all the top clans in Yanjing. The noble families disdained dealings with the merchants, most of them refused, and several were increasingly declining, so they condescendingly agreed only because of Ye Jieyu¡®s face. Others just wanted to watch the fun or find fault, otherwise they didn¡¯t even want to step on the Ye family¡¯s land, lest they dirtied the soles of their shoes. And the most typical representative was undoubtedly the eldest princess.


    Now that she was locked in Ye Mansion and not allowed to leave, furthermore there were officers and soldiers who come and go to investigate, frequently inquiring, and treat her like a prisoner, how could the eldest princess not angry? She slapped the soldiers who were blocking the way, and shouted coldly, ¡°This Palace will come if she wants to, and leave if she wants to, see who dares to stop me! This Palace can even come and go freely in the imperial palace, but actually detained for no reason in your Ye Mansion. Is your Ye Mansion¡¯s style even bigger than the imperial palace? Ye Jieyu is just a Jieyu, she has never been promoted as the empress, don¡¯t take yourself as a serious imperial-in-law. It¡¯s not the turn of some horse dealer from the border to be my Great Wei¡¯s imperial-in-law, so I don¡¯t have to lose face!¡±


    The soldiers hurriedly knelt down and pleaded guilty, and finally retreated to both sides to send her away. Seeing that the eldest princess was gone, several prominent clan wives also wanted to go home, but they were stopped, and they couldn¡¯t help but attack with anger, bluntly saying they wanted to report it to the emperor, to punish the Ye family¡¯s great disrespect.


    ¡°My master and General of the Household have already entered the palace to report this matter, and the emperor¡¯s decree will come down in less than half an hour. Please wait patiently, sirs, madams, and misses, please don¡¯t panic. Fan¡¯er and I will go to Ganquan Palace and ask niangniang to help come up with an idea, after all, what was destroyed was a gift from the emperor, and it¡¯s extremely valuable, so my Ye Mansion would not dare to be too arbitrary.¡± While Liu shi¡®s asked the maids and grannies to serve the refreshments, she led Ye Fan, who was dressed in splendid clothes, to prepare to enter the palace and meet Jieyu niangniang.


    When the female guests heard her mention the emperor and Ye Jieyu, they had to shut up and sit down to drink tea, but the resentment and anger in their hearts were not less, but actually getting deeper and deeper. If there was no support from the emperor, what kind of thing was the Ye family, the body that was full of horse feces and horse urine smell, sprinkled with incense powder and wore a crown, could it pretend to be a person? How ridiculous!


    Zhao Chunxi was surrounded and comforted by several little sisters whose identity were not as good as her, and felt impatient. Hearing that Liu shi was going to enter the palace, she quickly ran to beg, ¡°Grandma, I haven¡¯t seen my eldest aunt for a long time, I miss her so much, please bring me too. I¡¯m very good, I will never talk nonsense, and I will not run around at will.¡±


    Liu shi really loved her two grandchildren, seeing her eyes full of admiration, she agreed after a little thought. A group of people drove quickly to the palace gate in a carriage and handed over for a sign card to request a meeting.


    In the Ganquan Palace, Ye Zhen threw the sign card and said coldly, ¡°This Palace is still grounded and can¡¯t receive guests, just reward them a few items and send them away.¡±


    ¡°Niangniang, this time something big has happened, you can¡¯t not see.¡± Yong He said anxiously, ¡°The old madam just said that the red coral tree you gave to the mansion was shattered by some thief, the Imperial Guard and the Capital Guard has checked and checked, rechecked and rechecked again, but couldn¡¯t find any trace, and there were more than a dozen servants who were responsible for guarding the coral. Don¡¯t you think this is strange, but it¡¯s unknown who is it coming for, the Ye family or the emperor?¡±


    ¡°Shattered?¡± Ye Zhen was shocked and raised her voice, ¡°Someone shattered it?¡±


    ¡°Yes! At first, this servant also thought that was just some nonsense.¡± Yong He showed a look of fear, just because the thief came and went without a trace, like a ghost.


    ¡°Help This Palace to change clothes, This Palace will go to see the emperor. You bring mother and the others in, This Palace will quickly return after receiving the Holy¡¯s intention.¡± Ye Zhen quickly put on makeup, her expression looked anxious.


    The red coral tree was very impressive because of its appearance, color, height, and posture. It could be regarded as a national treasure. However, the emperor did not love these. When she was brought into the palace, it was at her ¡°relapsed from old poison¡± time. Because of guilt, he opened his private warehouse, and pulled some things near the warehouse¡¯s gate to Ganquan Palace. This tree coral was one of them. Because of this, only Ye Zhen knew that the national treasure was not rewarded because of the emperor¡¯s favor, only by a mistake.


    But a national treasure was a national treasure after all, she could give it away, but not destroy it. Now that the Ye family was involved in this matter, if they couldn¡¯t catch the culprit, they would be charged with a few crimes.


    Only at this time did Ye Zhen realize that the emperor¡¯s warning could not be counted as a slap in the face, this disaster really hurt the bones. It would be fine if it was quietly broken in the Ye Family¡¯s warehouse, but it was broken in front of many people. This thief clearly did it on purpose and wanted to discredit the Ye Family!


    At the same time, Emperor Sheng Yuan met Master Ye and General of the Household in the imperial study. After the two finished speaking, he said unhurriedly, ¡°If you can¡¯t find any suspicious point or catch a suspect, then let it go.¡± No one in the Wei Kingdom knew better than him why the incident happened. But now he wanted to revise the law and reset the official office, and he hated that he couldn¡¯t break a quarter of an hour into half of an hour. Where he had the time and energy to waste on such trivial matters?


    A coral tree was also worthy of being called a national treasure, and it had provoked all kinds of envy, all kinds of jealousy, and in the end toiled this many manpower and material resources, causing many troubles. Even the Capital Yamen, the Joint Defense Department, even the three armies of Imperial Guard had been dispatched repeatedly, as if it was a major case of overthrowing a country¡­ If there was not this matter, he didn¡¯t know that the Ye family still had this capabilities.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan took a deep breath and told himself that he must be lenient and compassionate towards his ministers, so he suppressed the killing intent.


    Master Ye didn¡¯t dare to look directly at the holy face, so he couldn¡¯t see the expression of suffocating anger and extreme patient covering the emperor¡¯s face, and said unrelentingly, ¡°How can this matter be let go? This coral is a gift from the emperor, and that thief dares to attack it, isn¡¯t it coming after emperor? Now that Old Thief Xue has become the ruler in the west, and there are many remnants of the previous dynasty in the capital, cannot be said that this matter is not planned by them. Since they can target Ye Mansion today, how can we know that they will not dare to assassinate the emperor tomorrow? For the sake of the emperor¡¯s safety, we must be thoroughly investigated to the end!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan tapped his finger on the table and said slowly, ¡°Zhen will correct you on four points: First, that red coral is not a national treasure, but a dispensable decoration, and Zhen never pay attention to it; Second, that red coral was rewarded by Ye Zhen to Ye Mansion, its not a gift from the emperor. Don¡¯t use Zhen¡¯s dragon power to build momentum for your Ye Mansion. Third, the defense of the capital is decided by Zhen, and no one else can intervene. Fourth, Zhen have said before that if it is not for the enemy¡¯s troops coming to the city wall, or rebels and traitors plotting to usurp the throne, and the Wei Kingdom is in the brink of crisis, the three armies of Imperial Guard and the Joint Defense Department are not allowed to move without authorization, otherwise they will all be punished for treason, and will be killed without pardon!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, General of the Household, who accompanied Master Ye to meet the emperor, was already sweating like a waterfall and shaking like a sieve, his heart even cried out that he was cheated on by the Ye Family! The emperor did not dote on Ye Jieyu like the rumor said, let alone obedient and took her words as his own.


    And Master Ye was a businessman, he was more sensitive to his interests, quickly understood the meaning of the emperor¡¯s words: First, I don¡¯t value the red coral, so I don¡¯t value your Ye family¡¯s daughter; Second, the Ye family taking advantage of the dragon power to win over court courtiers have touched the bottom line of Zhen¡¯s patience, please self-discipline; Third, the Ye family is humble and unqualified to participate in the government; Fourth, mobilizing the Capital defense without authorization has already a capital crime, if Zhen is unhappy, I can pull you down at any time and behead you!


    One after another, vague warnings hit the eardrums, causing Master Ye to almost lose his mind. Daughter, aren¡¯t you very favored? Why it seems so different now? But the situation was so critical that he couldn¡¯t think deeply. He hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, begging for forgiveness. His sweat soaked his inner clothes, leaving streaks of water stains on his court clothes, looked very embarrassing.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan picked up a memorial and flipped it through slowly, waiting for the two of them to break their foreheads before saying, ¡°The Joint Defense Department and the three army guards who leave their posts without permission will be punished with one hundred sticks, and they will be demoted three grade. The Ye family¡¯s blessing is shallow, difficult to bear the Holy grace, so the Heaven felt it, and denounce it with shattering the tree. There is no need to investigate this case, just drop it.¡±


    Master Ye and General of the Household who escaped the death penalty promised again and again. Just as they were about to kowtow to resign, they heard Ye Jieyu¡®s voice begging to see from outside.


    What are you doing to join in the fun at this time? Master Ye didn¡¯t think that the emperor would give face to his daughter. On the contrary, the anger that had just been extinguished was likely to rise again, and as expected, he heard the emperor say, ¡°Let her go back, in the future, the study will not allow any concubines to approach, any trespassers will be killed without mercy!¡± Baifu complied with his promise, and went outside to pass the order.


    Glancing at the two people who were paralyzed like a soft mud, Emperor Sheng Yuan waved his hand and said coldly, ¡°Disperse. Master Ye can go to Ganquan Palace to talk to Ye Jieyu, so as to avoid the Ye family not listening to the advice and make a mistake again. That life-saving grace is not enough for you to wear down your whole life, so save it for a while.¡±


    Master Ye was already scared until his soul flying, and there was no luck anymore. He stepped out of Weiyang Palace one foot at a time, it seemed that he had just returned to the world from King of Hell Palace, almost collapsed and cried. General of the Household, who had a close personal relationship with him, said fiercely, ¡°Punished with one hundred stick, even demoted three grades. What an imperial-in-law with hand and eyes to the sky! When I leave the palace gate, I have to tell everyone the Ye family¡¯s ¡®Honored and favored¡¯ by the emperor for Master Ye!¡± When the words fell he went to the Department of Justice to receive the punishment.


    Master Ye was horrified in his heart, and repeatedly apologized, but because Baifu was around, he didn¡¯t dare to chase after him, so he could only watch him drifting away. Baifu stretched out his hand to invite him, ¡°Master Ye, please. The emperor can let you and Ye Jieyu meet each other at this time, is already beyond the law. Otherwise, if he doesn¡¯t mention a word, and your Ye family continue to do things, no matter which month or which year, if you commit a taboo, you wouldn¡¯t even know how you die. This servant warn you, the feelings of the past is indeed easy to use, but giving too much kindness can lead to resentment. Don¡¯t endlessly waste His Majesty¡¯s tolerance, you must know that the monarch¡¯s prestige is hard to fathom, the emperor is ruthless, and the time can change in a blink of an eye.¡±


    Master Ye had been repeatedly warned that at this time his internal organs were completely broken, and while wiping the cold sweat, he respectfully promised, how could he still have the high-spirited and arrogant energy from this morning. However, he didn¡¯t know that the emperor¡¯s hand was just knocking the mountain and shaking the tiger, but the Guan family¡¯s father and son were going to break all of their bones.


    It¡¯s not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years, but a gentleman¡¯s revenge must also carry a lot of weight.

 CH 42

    Chapter 42 Kindness


    Ye Zhen, who was chased away by Baifu, was still in a daze before arriving at Ganquan Palace. The sentence ¡°No trespassing in the study area, anyone who violates the order will be killed without mercy¡± had made her heart shattered, as if she was in an abyss. Back then, the Weiyang Palace, the imperial study, and even the emperor¡¯s bedroom, where she was not allowed to pass freely, and it was unknown when the emperor started to alienated or even on guard against her.


    Why? It was clear that when Zhao Luli got married, he kept telling her to stop cherishing the past and work hard for the future; he was gentle and caring to her, but his attitude changed drastically in the blink of an eye. That¡¯s right, his indifference, alienation, and precaution all started when she intervened in Zhao Luli¡¯s back house, frequently made face for the Ye family, and made trouble with the Guan family everywhere.


    Guan Family, everything was because of Guan Family, could it be she owed them something in the previous life? Ye Zhen hated the ¡°Guan Family¡± to the bone, but now there was no way to turn it back. She sadly realized that her weight in the emperor¡¯s heart was probably not as much as that of Guan Family. They were the giants of Confucianism, leaders of the literary world, the humerus of the country, and the close ministers of the emperor, and the Ye family had nothing but a life-saving grace ¨C no outstanding descendants, no honest family style, no good reputation and no noble blood. There was no foundation or support at all.


    So everything had to rely on her to fight, to rob, to go to great lengths, to do whatever it takes. All of a sudden, Ye Zhen felt very tired, and there was a sense of fear that she would keep falling and would eventually be shattered. That¡¯s why, when she stepped into the main hall and saw Liu shi and the others, she didn¡¯t want to say a word.


    Zhao Chunxi wanted to call her mom, but she didn¡¯t dare to make trouble, so she could only look at her eagerly. She had a lot of grievances she wanted to talk about, but she also knew that the top priority right now was the destruction of the coral tree. Liu shi really couldn¡¯t hold back her words, hurriedly greeted her, and opened her mouth to asked, ¡°Niangniang, what did the emperor say? Has there been decree to seal off the entire city and search for suspects?¡±


    Ye Zhen glanced at her coldly, and sat down in the main seat with a sullen face. The emperor refused to see her, and now she could only wait for the news from her father.


    Ye Fan was the best at observing words and expressions, holding Liu shi and persuading her, ¡°Auntie, Niangniang has just return, why don¡¯t you let her drink some hot tea and catch her breath. In such a big case, the emperor has his own decision, we just need to sit and wait.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi was very obedient. She picked up the teapot before Yong He and poured tea for her mother. Her face was full of joy at seeing her close relative and eagerness for mother¡¯s love. Ye Zhen gave her a fixed look, feeling very tired inside. If it wasn¡¯t for this useless thing to send in the news and ask her to help restrain Guan shi, would she put Ye Fan in the Marquis Mansion? Would she intervene in the inner houses affairs of a minister? Would she go up against Guan shi thus lifting up the Ye family and slapped the Guan family in the face?


    Without Zhao Chunxi¡¯s encouragement, she would at most snuff out Guan shi¡®s reason to enter the palace, and there would be no bad things that follows, nor would she directly confront the Guan family, so that she accidentally hurt the Holy¡¯s face and lost all her favor. The more Ye Zhen thought about it, the more she hated this daughter, she seemed to forget that Zhao Chunxi¡¯s temperament ten out of ten was like her. Even if Guan Suyi obediently got married and kept to herself, she would never leave the matter alone.


    A woman¡¯s jealousy was the sharpest weapon in the world, and also the most terrifying poison.


    Zhao Chunxi was a little chilled by her mother¡¯s strange gaze, and was about to say a few soft words to provoke her pity, when she saw her grandfather staggering in, his official hat was crooked, his hair was messed up, his clothes were half wet, and his face was like gold paper, seemed that he had turned a few laps on the Asura field, looked like a sorry figure.


    ¡°Master, what did the emperor say?¡± Liu shi immediately went up to ask, and finally said in a trembling voice, ¡°How could you end up like this, did you fell?¡±


    Master Ye waved away his wife and said solemnly to his daughter, ¡°It¡¯s inconvenient here, let¡¯s talk in private, the lots of you don¡¯t follow me, just sit outside and drink tea.¡±


    Realizing that the situation was not good, Ye Zhen hurriedly led her father into the inner hall, and dismissed the palace people to have a private discussion. Master Ye had no intention of beating around the bush, and went straight to the point, ¡°Tell me honestly, how is your relationship with the emperor?¡±


    ¡°Naturally husband and wife are deeply affectionate.¡± Ye Zhen¡¯s tone was firm, but her eyes flickered slightly. This was a topic she was most afraid to face, and also the root cause of her tossing and turning restlessly that made her couldn¡¯t sleep at night. If she was really favored as rumored, when there was problem like now, why would she feared Guan shi? Why would she feared Guan family? Why would she feared the other imperial concubines and empress dowager? However, in the end, she could only deceive herself, and endured all the pain and loss alone.


    ¡°You still refuse to tell the truth! The emperor¡¯s words and actions in the imperial study do not seem to have a deep affection for you at all¡­¡± Master Ye repeated the conversations in the imperial study one by one, and finally lowered his voice to force the question, ¡°I think the emperor has only responsibility for you, and has no personal feelings. Why don¡¯t you tell me the truth? If you said it earlier, how dare I consider myself the imperial-in-law? Do you know the meaning of the emperor¡¯s shallow blessing?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Ye Zhen¡¯s voice was trembling, it wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t think of it, but she didn¡¯t dare to think of it.


    But Master Ye wanted to pierce her dream, and said ruthlessly, ¡°It means that you sit in the position of Jieyu has already push the sky, you can¡¯t bear the greater honor and wealth! Accompanying him for so long, you can¡¯t grasp his sincerity at all. How did I teach you in the past? How did you swear to remarry? I spent so much manpower and material resources to help you achieve your wish, and you repaid me with such an embarrassing situation? Do you know that once the emperor¡¯s verdict spreads, our Ye family will become the laughing stock of Wei Kingdom, and anyone can step on us; What¡¯s worse, judging from the emperor¡¯s indifferent reaction, the coral tree was probably broken by someone he sent. If you want to lift up the Ye family to suppress the Guan family, he will simply wipe all the face of the Ye family. You idiot, if you had told me earlier that your favor was false, I would have let the Ye clan tuck our tails and behave ourselves! But it¡¯s too late to say anything now. In the emperor¡¯s heart, the Ye family is probably no different from those wild foreign relatives of the previous dynasty, and it will be destroyed one day. You, you, you idiot, If I had known today, I shouldn¡¯t have helped you with your crazy idea in the first place!¡±


    Ye Zhen¡¯s self-esteem was extremely strong and she also the one who came up with this idea. When she was poked in the heart by her father¡¯s words, she slowly stabilized her mind and became firm again, ¡°Enough, what¡¯s the use of you blaming me? If I hadn¡¯t come up with that idea, you have already died in prison. What do you mean you help me, you ask yourself what I was doing is to save who? Who was benefit in the end? Today, I am still the emperor¡¯s person, and still the highest position Jieyu niangniang, who is still in charge of the palace, I¡¯ll stand by my word. From today onwards, the Ye family will have a difficult time, but once I become pregnant and give birth to the emperor¡¯s eldest son, all estrangements will disappear, and all the mocking will turn into high praises. The useful piece is still in my hand, what are you anxious about?¡±


    When Master Ye heard this, he immediately turned his anger into joy, and urged, ¡°Then you should quickly regain your favor and give birth immediately! There are many concubines in the harem, so it may not be you who come out on top.¡±


    ¡°This Palace has its own consideration, you don¡¯t need to say more. Take those people outside, This Palace must cultivate one¡¯s own spirit, wait for the opportunity to regain the favor, and have no time to manage the mess of the Ye family. Also, in the future, tell the clansmen to behave, don¡¯t make me over here just gain the emperor¡¯s smiling face, and you stabbed the basket outside, causing me to fall again. At that time, I will not recognize my six relatives!¡± Ye Zhen¡¯s voice seemed to dipped in poison, very cruel.


    ¡°That¡¯s natural, don¡¯t worry.¡± Seeing that his daughter had regained the proud posture of Jieyu niangniang, Master Ye was finally satisfied, and then led the ignorant Liu shi out of the palace.


    At the same time, the guards who besieged the Ye Mansion were taken away by Baifu, and they were all demoted. Because too many people were implicated, and the eldest princess and a few noble ladies contributed to the flames, the emperor asserted the sentence ¡°Ye family¡¯s blessing is too shallow to bear his grace¡± had spread quickly, and it would be known to everyone within a few days.


    Not only was the Ye family unlucky, but Xu Guangzhi, who was cut off from his official path, was almost crazy, secretly hated the Guan family in his heart, and always wanted to find an opportunity to take revenge.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After asking for a long time, Zhao Chunxi still couldn¡¯t pry the inside story from his grandfather¡¯s mouth. She returned to the messy Ye Mansion, changed her whole clothes, and returned home with her father and younger brother. The three of them were nervous and uneasy, always feeling that something big was going to happen.


    ¡°How is the situation in the palace? I see that your grandfather and grandmother seem to have a very bad face. Besides, the emperor did not strictly investigate the destruction of a national treasure. Instead, withdrew the  imperial army, which is really puzzling.¡± Zhao Luli tried to get a little information from his daughter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I asked my grandmother, but she refused to tell me, and told me not to talk too much.¡± Zhao Chunxi was also puzzled. It stands to reason that such a big thing happened to the Ye family, which directly damaged the prestige of her mom¡¯s family and slapped the face of the imperial family. Why did the emperor have no reaction at all? Based on how much he loves her mom, this shouldn¡¯t be the case!


    ¡°Is your aunt looking good? Did she say something?¡± Zhao Luli endured and endured, but finally couldn¡¯t hold back.


    ¡°No, she only talked to grandfather in the inner hall. We waited outside, and we parted in a hurry. There was no conversation.¡± Zhao Chunxi was tired of her father¡¯s weakness and incompetence, and even more tired of his useless infatuation. She leaned on her brother¡¯s shoulder and pretended to be tired.


    Zhao Luli didn¡¯t ask anymore, he lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked out, his eyes full of disappointment.


    Compared with everyone else who was devastated, distraught, or resentful, Guan Suyi lived a very comfortable life. She was picking up Buddha beans in the old madam¡¯s courtyard. She moved step by step and looked carefully, every time she found a grain, there was endless fun.


    The old madam was amused by her cheerful appearance, and urged, ¡°Pick it up, pick up until the basket full, we will cook it into porridge, and give it to passers-by who pass by the Marquis Mansion, so that we can form a good karma and cultivate an afterlife.¡±


    ¡°Cultivating an afterlife? That is a great word!¡± Because of her rebirth, Guan Suyi became interested in Buddhism, and had recently studied it a lot.


    The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law spent more than two hours picking up a full basket of Buddha beans, and ordered the maids to send them to the kitchen to cook them into porridge. While waiting, the old madam sighed leisurely, ¡°Suyi, it¡¯s really hard for you to marry into the Zhao family. The husband is useless, the children are ignorant, and there is a difficult foreign relatives. I never expected the Ye family to be so rampant, not only forced lord marquis to take a concubine, but also invited Ye Jieyu to take action. One side lifting up and the other side suppressing, their double-crossing skill has been brought to perfection. When Ye Fan enters the mansion, she will definitely set off some storms and waves with Ye Jieyu¡¯s momentum. You must be steady¡­¡±


    Before the old madam could finish speaking, Guan Suyi laughed disapprovingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the Ye family is rampant for a while, but it won¡¯t last forever. Do you think Ye Jieyu¡®s actions can really lift her family to heaven? Wrong, I am afraid they will fall down halfway, not to mention smashing the body and breaking the bones, it is inevitable to suffer more serious injury.¡±


    Zhao Luli, who had just returned to the house and was about to take the children to greet his mother, was stunned for a moment, then raised his hand to stop the maid who wanted to announce their arrival. He wanted to hear what Guan Suyi would say. Her mouth was always predicting things like a god, without any mistakes.

 CH 43

    Chapter 43 Assertions


    Although the old madam was also from an official family, she only knew a few characters and did not have much knowledge. After marrying into the Zhao family, she did not enjoy a good fortune. Instead, the whole family was convicted and sent to the border. The more difficult the life, the sensitivity towards political affairs were dropped significantly. She thought that Ye Zhen was extremely favored, and she held the palace power in her hand. Sooner or later, the Ye family would crush the Marquis Mansion and even the Emperor Teacher Mansion and become another top-level clan, but she did not expect her daughter-in-law to assert that the Ye family would definitely suffer.


    Was this actually possible? If it was true, then she would set off hundreds of firecrackers to celebrate. Thinking of this, she asked the same question.


    Guan Suyi poured tea for her mother-in-law, and slowly said, ¡°The ancients have ancestral systems that cannot be overstepped, from the big thing like how to build a house, to the the small thing like the difference between the left and right lapels on the clothes, even the utensils for drinking, the offerings for sacrifice, the color of the fabrics, the patterns of the embroidery, all have their own regulations according to status, bloodline, and caste. There are no taboos for the supreme and the nobles, but the humble and the lowly needs to be careful in everything. If those lowly ones goes beyond the ancestral system, they will be severely punished. Is the Ye family noble or lowly?¡±


    Thinking of Ye Zhen, who was the sole favorite in the inner palace, the old madam hesitated, ¡°Although the Ye family come from a humble background, but Ye Jieyu, who has the emperor behind her back, is already considered half an imperial person, so naturally belongs to the nobles.¡±


    Guan Suyi shook her head and chuckled, ¡°No. Whether she is really favored or falsely favored, no one can tell except for the emperor. However, I can guess eight out of ten. The emperor destroyed the feudal vassal and built Wei Kingdom, exempt the taxes, lighten the forced labor, end the suffering and turmoil of wars for hundreds of years, allow the people to recuperate and live and work in peace and contentment, it¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that he is a wise monarch. He has no experience in governing the world, so everything needs to be explored slowly. In the former kingdoms that has perished, every monarchs who guards the gates of the country is an example for him to learn, emulate, or take as a warning. The Great Zhou was divided due to the division of the feudal vassal, and the Qin state was unified due to the reorganization of its regions and counties. So the emperor followed the county system and destroyed the feudal vassal state; The last emperor of the previous dynasty was assassinated by the eunuch in charge of treasury with a random knife and plotted to usurp the throne. Therefore, the emperor abolished the twelve supervisory system and set up internal and external attendants, and strictly prohibited palace eunuch to participate in political discussion, to put an end to court eunuch disaster; The former Han Dynasty fell apart due to the inner palace turmoil and the disaster of the foreign relatives. The country was finally taken away by the foreign relative Wang Mang and established Xin dynasty, so the emperor restrained the foreign relatives and strictly built the inner palace. Look at the daughter of the prime minister, the daughter of General Zhenguo, the daughter of Marquis Guanwai, who were elected to enter the palace this year¡­ they were all sent home for various reasons, and the beauties left behind were all from ordinary families and has little background. This shows the extent to which the emperor¡¯s defense against foreign relatives has reached. They said that the monarch are paranoid, this is not false, and he chose to hand over the palace power to a daughter of a merchant, aside from favor, is there no political consideration at all? Can his love for Ye Jieyu really reach the point of surpassing the imperial power?¡±


    The old madam listened foolishly, and the more she thought about it, the more reasonable it became.


    Guan Suyi sipped the tea to moisten her throat and continued, ¡°Merchant seek profit and are good at drilling camps. How the Ye family made their fortune, not only they themselves know, but others can also clearly see. Back then, the emperor and his brothers fought together against the enemy, Later, they turned against each other because of discord. The Ye family flattered several sides, supported left and right. Yesterday sold ten thousand army provisions to Prince Cheng, today sold thousands of war horses to Prince Jin, and tomorrow sell many knives to His Majesty, when the two prince rebelled, behind them was also the financial support of the Ye family. Their Ye family watched from the sidelines and fished in troubled waters, just to wait for a certain prince to win, wasn¡¯t it so that the fisherman will benefit? However, the emperor was not a fool, he had already seen through him, and was about to dispose the Ye family, but Ye Jieyu suddenly appeared and staked her life to earn a life-saving grace. So the Ye family solved their grave situation.¡±


    The old madam suddenly realized, ¡°The emperor want to dispose the Ye family? Yes, yes, one year there was an epidemic of horse plague at the border. Master Ye was arrested and it was said that he deliberately sold the plague horses to the military camp. He was suspected of colluding with foreign enemies, and in a while was about to be beheaded. For this, Lord marquis ran around many times, tried to mediate, later¡­ Later, Ye Jieyu saved the emperor, and the Ye family¡¯s disaster was completely eliminated.¡±


    If the daughter-in-law hadn¡¯t pointed it out, she wouldn¡¯t have noticed that those old things still contained such a complicated inner story.


    Guan Suyi nodded and said, ¡°The emperor places great importance on feeling and righteousness, and knows how to repay his benefactor, so he is willing to abandon his previous hatred and treat the Ye family well, but it doesn¡¯t mean that he can indulge his foreign relatives without a bottom line. The prime minister, General Zhenguo, Marquis Guanwai, which one was not an important minister who helped him reach the top, and which one was not very helpful to him? He even has to guard against them, not to mention the Ye family who clings halfway and has ulterior motives? Ye Jieyu¡®s reputation has been very good before, I heard that because of her weak body, she couldn¡¯t move around in the inner palace, and she didn¡¯t arrogate her power or act arbitrarily, so the emperor was very at ease with her and was willing to spoil her. But in recent days, I don¡¯t know what she thinks, she has become high-profile. The emperor is in middle of recruiting people and wants to lift up the Guan family to promote Confucianism, but she is trying to suppress it, isn¡¯t she working against the emperor? The emperor was already wary towards the foreign relatives, already more defensive, and when he saw her heart was big, how could he be lenient?¡±


    The old madam repeatedly echoed, ¡°Yes, yes, there are many beauties in the harem, each has its own merits. Which kind the emperor wants but he didn¡¯t get, how can he endanger the imperial power because of this.¡±


    Guan Suyi continued, ¡°Let¡¯s take ten thousands steps back and say that the emperor has a deep affection for Ye Jieyu, obeyed her words, and condoned her arrogance, then what the imperial concubines, imperial clan, noble family giants, and the upstart in the court will think? The rare national treasure in the treasury was taken away by a merchant¡¯s daughter. Like that was not enough, it was bestowed to a clan sister, and she was still a lowly clan sister who was about to become a concubine. Where is she lift up her maiden family to? Nevertheless she is provoking jealousy from all the honourable families in Yanjing; She is not giving away treasures, she is throwing a hot potato. Just wait, if the Ye family continues to be rampant, even if the emperor does not take action, there will be a lot of people beating the drum.¡±


    After taking a slow sip of hot tea, she sighed deeply, ¡°A merchant is a merchant. After all, their vision and knowledge are limited. They can only see the interests at hand, but cannot see the long-term layout. That¡¯s why people in the world have such a sentence ¨C The heirloom of morality is more than ten generations, the heirloom of farming and reading is second place, the heirloom of poetry and books is also second place, the heirloom of wealth and honor is only three generations. If Ye Fan wants to make waves, I want to see how long she can be proud.¡±


    The old madam kept pondering her daughter-in-law¡¯s words, and at the end she clapped her palm and praised, ¡°Good morality heirloom is more than ten generations. My Zhao family can marry Suyi as a daughter-in-law, it¡¯s our ancestor¡¯s accumulation of virtue in the previous life! Well, since the Ye family wants to be a demon, we will wait and see where they end up.¡±


    Amitabha, fortunately that Ye Zhen is gone, otherwise the marquis mansion will be scourged by her for three generations! Thinking like this, the old madam finally let go of the filth of the past.


    Inside the house, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law get off the topic, talking and laughing gently, but there was a dead silence outside. Zhao Luli, who was in deep thought, did not notice that the little maid who passed through the curtain was peeking at his new wife with a strange look. He was so upset now that he stood there for a while and then walked away with his two children while hiding his face, as if he didn¡¯t dare to see anyone.


    Why wait until the future to see the fate of the Ye family, just an hour ago, the coral tree that represented Ye family¡¯s glory had been shattered into powder, and the emperor not only did not investigate, but instead withdrew the imperial army and ignored it. Just as Guan Suyi said, if the Ye family was honest and content with their lot, he would treat them like a puppet. On the contrary, if the Ye family showed the intention of forming a party, he would use thunderous means to subdue them. He was wary of his foreign relatives, so how could he let the Ye family grow big?


    The situation where foreign relatives were rampant, eunuchs were in charge of politics, and the king and the horse share the world would never happen again, and the world could only be surnamed Huo. Even though he had been with that domineering king for nearly ten years, Zhao Luli sadly found that his understanding of him was not as thorough as Guan Suyi¡¯s in-depth analysis.


    The broken red coral is probably his means of knocking the mountain and shaking the tiger, right? The cause and effect come too quickly, and I don¡¯t know whether Zhen¡¯er will be afraid, how should she deal with herself? At this point, Zhao Luli was still thinking about his dead wife, and he didn¡¯t even care about his new wife¡¯s face and impression.


    Of course, Guan Suyi didn¡¯t care about his concern. When the porridge was ready, she would stand at the corner gate with her mother-in-law. Every time she met a passerby, she would donate a bowl, forming a good karma and accumulating a blessing.


    ¡ª-


    The stepmother had spoken so clearly, analyzed the current situation so thoroughly, and even explored a thing or two about the emperor¡¯s personality and temperament, how could Zhao Chunxi not understand? She returned to Penglai Garden in a daze, and after she dismissing the idle people, she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°You must have heard Guan shi¡®s words, right?¡±


    Hexiang was sweating like pulp, and her voice trembled, ¡°Heard, I heard.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you think I should do now? The Ye family has already suffered, the emperor has abandoned them, and even my eldest aunt may fall out of favor, who can I rely on now? Do you really want me to kowtow to Guan shi and admit my mistake, and then help her attack the third aunt, attack the Ye family? What is the difference between this and admitting the thief as the mother? I don¡¯t want to, I really don¡¯t want to, I never want a stepmother, I just want my own mother.¡± After all, she was only a half-grown child and when she encountered a thing that was completely beyond her control, even she would cry, her heart was filled with confusion and fear.


    On one hand, she longed for a mother¡¯s love, and on the other hand, she hated Ye Zhen for abandoning her husband and her children, but she secretly envied her life full of riches and honor, so she imitated the other¡¯s unscrupulous methods to chase fame and fortune. With no one to teach her, her every move, every word and deed was disorderly, even a little ridiculous, so even without without her stepmother taking action, she was pierced by the cruel reality one by one.


    He Xiang took pity on the eldest miss, but did not dare to speak indiscriminately. Facts have proven that her previous predictions about the Ye family were all jokes, which made the eldest miss take the red greeting post sent by Concubine Ye to madam to show off her power. Madam was extremely smart, how could she not hear the sarcasm and ridicule in her words? However, in her eye, the proud eldest miss was probably no different from a jumping clown, right? No wonder she didn¡¯t feel humiliated at all, and she could practice calligraphy so calmly.


    Before they had even stepped into the Ye mansion, she had already predicted the disaster of the Ye family, truly accurate judgment and incredible foresight. Thinking like this, Hexiang couldn¡¯t help but feel a little frightened, and with a trembling voice, she comforted her, ¡°A wise man submits to circumstances. Miss, the Ye family has suffer, you still have to rely on madam for the time being. Wouldn¡¯t it be better, wouldn¡¯t it be better to be humble and flatter her, serve left and right, and wait to plan again in the future.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi forgot to cry, and after a long silence, she spat, ¡°Shut up! Even if I die, I won¡¯t bow to her! If she doesn¡¯t care about me and my father, even if the third aunt is implicated by the Ye family and couldn¡¯t make a different in the back house, it still easy to add some obstacles  her. I don¡¯t believe that she can really cover the sky with one hand. If when she¡¯s seventeen or eighteen she can¡¯t give birth to a child, I want to see how proud she is! At that time, will she not rely on me and Wangshu? The river flows thirty years to the east, thirty years to the west, I will fight her!¡±

 CH 44

    Chapter 44 Refined and Vulgar


    Zhao Chunxi relied on her mother being favored in the palace before, so she always felt that she was superior to others, even if she had to pretend to bow her head to Guan Suyi because of her dowry, she privately held a sense of superiority and believed that she was the stronger party, and Guan Suyi was just a fool who was blinded, manipulated and tricked by her.


    But now, everything she relied on, and her complacent glory, have all vanished with the fragmentation of the coral tree. At this time, if she compromised with Guan Suyi, it would be like she was a captured prisoner of the war, an imprisoned convict, an oppressed slave, with broken self-esteem and a heart full of humiliation.


    Guan Suyi had already said that she would not care about her, and she was absolutely unwilling to go up, even more unwilling to kowtow and admit her mistake. However, the dowry could not be omitted, and the marriage could not be ignored. How should these two problems be solved? Just beat Guan Suyi once and for all, break her arrogance, destroy her hopes, tarnish her reputation, see what she could use to despise others, and what she could use to discipline herself?


    Thinking like this, Zhao Chunxi said to He Xiang, ¡°Take out the box that my eldest aunt gave me.¡±


    ¡°Miss, do you want to do it? There are no our snitch in the main house. It¡¯s not easy to handle!¡± He Xiang pulled out a mahogany box from under the bed. When she opened it, it was full of bottles and jars, exuding a strange and unpleasant smell.


    Speaking of this, Zhao Chunxi was secretly resentful again. As soon as Guan Suyi came, she pulled out the snitches she had placed in the main house. If her foreign relative was rich enough, it would be easy to buy a few more, wasn¡¯t there a lot of servants who were flattering and showed the intentions to cling to her yesterday? But after today, when the news spread that Ye family¡¯s coral tree was smashed by thieves and the emperor ignored it, she would become a fallen phoenix again, disliked everywhere, and constantly suppressed by the main house. Who would actually serve her?


    Shaking her head, she said fiercely, ¡°How to do it, I don¡¯t have any idea for the time being, just find a few snitches in the main house and plan slowly. It doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s done by money or threat, in short, draw a few first, and wait for the people to be in place before taking the next step. For the sake of Wangshu¡¯s future, Guan shi must never give birth to a son.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this servant will go and sift through the maids and grannies in the main house to see if there are any poor people in the family or those who are extremely greedy for money. If we can draw one that count as one. Miss, are you also going to contact one or two for Mingfang? Since ancient times, wives and concubines have always been incompatible, and this servant do not believe that she will really be loyal to Guan shi.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you can find a way to put a few snitches around her. If I knew today, I would never let my father marry Guan shi no matter what. I really opened the door and led thieves into the house.¡± Zhao Chunxi once again felt deep regret, However, she was glad that her stepmother had not been able to enter the palace to confront her mom, otherwise the Ye family would be completely defeated.


    ¡ª¨C


    In the Weiyang Palace, Emperor Sheng Yuan was studying the previous dynasty¡¯s legal code when he heard the voice of Marquis Zhenxi asking to see him outside.


    ¡°Announce him in.¡±


    Marquis Zhenxi walked in slowly holding a brocade box, silently performed a minister¡¯s courtesy towards the monarch, then sat down, placed the box on the imperial table, and pushed it forward. Emperor Sheng Yuan had long been accustomed to his silent style, and joked, ¡°Why, your sister-in-law hasn¡¯t give in? Seeing that you have become a living mute, she doesn¡¯t feel distressed?¡±


    Marquis Zhenxi wrote the word ¡°Bei¡± on the table with tea, and then the word ¡°Su¡±, drawing a sword in the middle, and finally shook his head angrily.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan wanted to laugh a little, remembering that the hardships Guan Suyi suffered were all because of him, his eyes turned dim immediately, and there was a hint of regret and jealousy that he himself didn¡¯t even notice. He sighed, ¡°The ex-wife he couldn¡¯t protect, and the second wife is squeezed again and again. Zhao Luli enjoyed the happiness of the world but didn¡¯t know how to cherish it. Sooner or later, he will regret it.¡±


    You always say that Zhao Luli will regret it, but you can¡¯t see that the gap between your eyebrows has already been filled with regret. Forget it, this subordinate won¡¯t wake you up, you can slowly realize it by yourself. Qin Lingyun rejoiced in the other¡¯s misfortune, and then tapped the brocade box, signaling His Majesty to open it by himself.


    The mahogany brocade box was carved with several lilies. The white petals were inlaid with polished shells, decorated with pearls as cores and jade as leaves. It looked fresh and elegant, yet gorgeous and noble. A colorful rope was interlaced at the four corners, forming the shape of a group of butterfly playing together, so it added a bit of wittiness. However, a gift box was packed so pleasantly, which showed how ingenious the person who gave it.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan seemed to be aware of it, and even laughed, ¡°Is this the return gift from Madam?¡±


    Don¡¯t call madam, madam, can you call her by the full name Marquis Zhenbei madam? People who don¡¯t know will think that you are calling your beloved wife. Qin Lingyun glanced at Baifu secretly, and saw that he pricked up his ears and his eyes were suspicious, probably tried to guess who the madam in His Majesty¡¯s mouth was.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s a return gift for His Majesty¡¯s unique, rare and famous master¡¯s manuscript, this minister did not dare to be careless, so sent it to the palace for presentation. If Your Majesty doesn¡¯t like these things, it would be good to give it to this minister. By the way. My sister-in-law also got a few boxes of rouge powder, which personally made by Marquis Zhenbei Madam. Your Majesty, if you have no use for it, this minister will let her take it.¡± Qin Lingyun, who had reduced the number of beads to ten a day, did not dare to waste the slightest amount, continue to write on top of the table with tea, especially when writing ¡°unique, rare, famous master¡¯s manuscript¡±, which showed envy and injustice in his heart.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan carefully pulled the colorful rope and asked, ¡°How do you know that Zhen have no use for it? If it¡¯s placed a hollow wooden box or a silk brocade bag inside, it can be used as a incense case or storage. Next time she returns the gift, you have to turn everything in.¡±


    Qin Lingyun made an admitting his guilt action, but his heart pondered: The next time she returns the gift, that means His Majesty will send another gift? Even the most precious Legalism classics were willing to give up, so it can be seen that Guan Suyi is the one he really cared about. Ye Zhen has advancing step-by-step for many years, but in the end, it is not comparable to the relationship between His Majesty and Guan Suyi. It¡¯s a pity that she still thinks she is favored, gets a dispensable decoration and made a ruckus to let everybody knows, but in the end she lose face. After so many years, the Ye family still hasn¡¯t made any progress, but they delusionally want to become the next top clan, really don¡¯t know whether to call them pathetic or hateful.


    While he was thinking like this, Emperor Sheng Yuan had opened the lid of the box, and a strong fragrance rushed to his face, making people intoxicated. Both the monarch and minister¡¯s mind were refreshed, immediately took a deep breath uncontrollably. When they took a closer look, they found that inside the box was not a spice and other things, but a bright and pure white rice paper folder, but it was completely different from the ones sold in the bookstore. Thicker, smoother, whiter, silkier to the touch, and adorned with pale yellow sweet-scented osmanthus flowers, it was such a rare quality.


    ¡°What kind of paper is this? I¡¯ve never seen it before on the market, even the Bai Xuan tribute is not as good as this!¡± Qin Lingyun was so shocked that he forgot to keep his mouth shut. His Majesty¡¯s stern gaze stopped him.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan haven¡¯t yet appreciate these paper, rather picked up the thank you post on top and looked at it slowly. Qin Lingyun glanced at it for a while, and said in awe, ¡°What a domineering brushstroke, there are the sound of swords, spears, and halberds colliding between the horizontal and curved hooks, and the rise and fall have the appearance of dragon soaring and tiger leaping. Old Master Guan is worthy of being a master of the world, and he actually taught such a granddaughter! How exactly did she practice, one day this minister will have to ask Old Master Guan for advice! There are no vain people under the famous name, the literary noble family are really amazing!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart was also filled with amazement, and the already uncontrollable admiration was now added with a bit of adoration. He originally thought that women were only suitable for hairpins flower small case, and Ye Zhen¡¯s handwriting was already considered skillful, but he didn¡¯t expect that he was so ignorant.


    Good word! He secretly praised, looked down, and then became more and more impressed. It turned out that this folder was not purchased from the bookstore, instead madam personally beat the straw pulp, dried and pressed the moisture, and the osmanthus flowers embellished on it were screened by her, embedded one by one, the process was complex and delicate. It was not an exaggeration to even praised it with the phrase ¡°ingenious workmanship¡±.


    Attaching the secret method of the rice paper¡¯s production, she went on to write ¨C The gift from Lord Marquis can be regarded as a peerless treasure. I cannot bear to refuse. Although I don¡¯t want to be greedy and cheeky, I am even more unwilling to pretend to be lofty and indifferent to return the treasure. Therefore, I presented the ¡°Fragrant Snow Sea¡± that I have studied for a long time. Although the value is not equal, the intention is full of sincerity. I also hope that lord marquis can forgive and kindly accept it, sincerely thank you.


    A few short sentences had vividly expressed her love for books, making Emperor Sheng Yuan felt warm inside, and his dragon¡¯s heart was delighted.


    Putting the post in a thick booklet for the time being to avoid wrinkling and damage it, he took out the folder to enjoy it, and muttered to himself, ¡°Madam is really good.¡±


    Qin Lingyun took out a few Buddhist beads and said, ¡°Some people regard pearls and jade as treasures, while others regard words as treasures, but it¡¯s just because of different width of visions and depth of inner qualities. However, the world is chaotic, black and white are reversed, and the vulgar are loved and praised, but the noble are disliked, and the pearls are covered in dust, which is really sad and ridiculous. Marquis Zhenbei madam is indeed good, but who can appreciate it?¡±


    Zhen appreciate it very much. These words were like a fish bone stuck in his throat and very hard to spit out for a long time. Emperor Sheng Yuan gave Marquis Zhenxi a cold look, and waved his hand ruthlessly, ¡°The return gift has been delivered, you can leave.¡±


    Qin Lingyun, who was thrown away after being used, could only salute and retire. After leaving Weiyang Palace, he stood on the side of the road and laughed for a while before walking out of palace gate.


    Dismissing the irrelevant people, Emperor Sheng Yuan took out the post and continued to read. There was a burst of joy, a burst of regret, and a vague melancholy and continuous pain in his heart.


    He was born in the army, surrounded by vulgar people, used to fight and kill, dance with knives and spears, and even women were not exempt from vulgarity. Only he loved reading and literacy, and seemed to be out of place with the others. It was the first time he become an emperor, and he naturally didn¡¯t know how to govern the country. Even if he was confused and hesitant, it must not be noticed by outsiders.


    In order to show his majesty and stabilize the court, he could only carry it alone, no matter how hard or difficult it was. Whenever he tossed in bed and couldn¡¯t sleep in the middle of the night, he extremely longed for someone to speak to, possibly guide him through the maze, or talk and laugh to relieve fatigue. Guan Suyi appeared at this time, like a spark falling into the gunpowder, colliding with his mind and even his soul, creating a dazzling flame of light. Unlike a court minister, she would not impose her own views on him, forcing him to accept them, she was just enjoy saying it, and others just enjoy listening to it, and at the end they looked at each other with a smile, which was incredibly fun.


    Such an attitude was undoubtedly the most comfortable and safest, comparable to a fine wine, really addicting to drink.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed for a while, sighed for a while, and finally put the thank you post and the folder into a secret box, lay down and fell asleep, and left Baifu to wonder in horror: Why the emperor have a relationship with the new Marquis Zhenbei madam, and he seems to be quite infatuated. Lord Zhao, you really have a bad luck of eight lifetimes!

 CH 45

    Chapter 45 Sister-In-Law


    The next day at maoshi (5-7am), in Jingzhe Tower, a servant knelt by the bed and lightly called, ¡°Eldest young master, it¡¯s getting late, you still have to go to the main house to greet Madam. Wake up, eldest young master, eldest young master?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so noisy! Get out of here!¡± Zhao Wangshu was in a daze and smashed over a pillow, scaring the boy back a few steps. After hesitating for a moment, he bravely called again, ¡°Eldest young master, Madam is waiting for you right now. If you don¡¯t get up again, we the servant will be accused of not doing our job.¡±


    ¡°Guan shi, Guan shi, everything is said by Guan shi, it¡¯s really annoying!¡± Zhao Wangshu couldn¡¯t sleep anymore, got up with messy hair, and said angrily, ¡°She said it herself that she won¡¯t care about me and my sister, so why should I go over there? Besides, my sister also said that we don¡¯t need to pay attention to her, just get close to my grandfather and eldest aunt. No matter how strong her family is, can it be more powerful than Jieyu niangniang? Can she be better than imperial-in-law? My maternal grandparents¡¯ family is the  serious emperor¡¯s relatives!¡±


    Zhao Wangshu snorted a few times with his nostrils facing up the sky, and then went down to the ground with his bare feet, gurgling a few sips of tea. He only knew how to eat, drink and play since he was a child, and his brain became more and more chaotic after not using it for a long time. Yesterday, such a big incident happened in the Ye family, but he didn¡¯t think about it at all. He just thought that if the emperor knew about it, he would naturally send someone to investigate, and it would be over after the thief was caught, and it would have no effect on the Ye family. Therefore, when Zhao Luli and Zhao Chunxi were so worried they couldn¡¯t sleep, he seemed to eat, sleep, and play as usual, and was secretly happy to get rid of Guan shi¡¯s ¡°torture¡± as if nothing had happened.


    The little servant was also uninformed, and hesitantly said, ¡°Then we won¡¯t go to the main house in the future? We don¡¯t need to pay respect to Madam? And we don¡¯t need to go to her place to do the homework?¡±


    ¡°Go fart, let her play by herself!¡± Zhao Wangshu washed up and dressed neatly under the service of the maid, and laughed, ¡°Go to the street and buy a few jars of spirits for the Master, tell him that I won¡¯t go to the clan school today, and ask him to help with everything. Without Guan shi controlling and holding me all day, I finally alive again! Go, go, go, let¡¯s go to West Street to watch people fight dogs!¡±


    Although the little servant was a little uneasy, thinking about the Ye family¡¯s glory and favor in recent days, he put his mind at ease and went to the market to buy the wine without mentioning it.


    In Penglai Garden, Zhao Chunxi had already woken up and was sitting in front of the dressing table while getting dressed. She didn¡¯t have to go to the main house and the main courtyard to pay respect, and she didn¡¯t have to follow Guan shi left and right to study common affairs. She actually felt confused, staring at the blurred face in the bronze mirror, and slowly became a little crazy.


    He Xiang and Xue Liu put on the pearl hairpins, earrings, bracelets and other items on her body one by one, and kept praising her, ¡°Miss is getting more and more beautiful, with such talent and appearance, why worry about future marriage? As long as lord marquis send out the words, afraid even the Iceman would crash the gate of our Zhao¡¯s mansion.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi twitched the corners of her mouth and instructed, ¡°You two assigned a few handymen to the street to see if there are any rumors about the Ye family spreading today. My heart is beating wildly, and it¡¯s so uncomfortable. I always feel that something big is going to happen.¡±


    Although she was the granddaughter of Ye¡¯s family, she couldn¡¯t find out much information yesterday, only that the red coral was broken, and her mom went to the emperor to complain, but she was not allowed to enter. When she left the palace, all the troops had been withdrawn. The yamen officials also scattered like birds and beasts. They originally thought it was a catastrophe that pierced the sky, but when they entered the palace, it turned into chicken feathers, and they just had to pick up the broom and cleaned it up.


    The more Zhao Chunxi thought about it, the more she felt that everyone¡¯s reaction was very unusual, especially the emperor, who didn¡¯t even care or comfort at all, which was completely inconsistent with the rumor that said he only favored her mom alone.


    ¡°How could this be? No, it shouldn¡¯t be!¡± She leaned back on the chair and chewed on Guan Suyi¡¯s assertions that the Ye family would be suppressed. She felt like she was walking on thin ice and felt cold all over her body.


    At the same time, Guan Suyi was sitting by the window, flipping through a few books sent by Marquis Zhenxi in the morning light, the corners of her mouth curved slightly, very comfortable. Minglan stood outside the courtyard and looked around, seeing that the time had passed, she said angrily, ¡°With the Ye family gaining power, those two really didn¡¯t come!¡±


    The rough maid in charge of the sweeping heard this and rolled her eyes secretly, slandering: the people of Ye Mansion is the serious emperor¡¯s relative, and Jieyu niangniang may be pregnant with a little prince in her belly, who want to get close to your Guan family? Emperor Teacher, Chief of Ceremonies, this name is really nice, but have the emperor reward you with a national treasure to play with? People in Yanjing, who is powerful and who has a false reputation, cannot be seen on ordinary days, but when there¡¯s actual confrontation, it will be clear as bell. You lift up a maid to suppress other people¡¯s pampered daughter, and the people directly dropped down a Buddha, then one finger can crush you!


    The rest of the maids and grannies also winked and made trouble in private. When Minglan looked back, they pretended to be busy, but their heart still grumbled: The Ye family is so powerful that even a national treasure can be used as a dowry, with the support of Jieyu niangniang and the emperor, won¡¯t Concubine Ye still fly to heaven? In the end, she is a relative of the emperor¡¯s relative, even if she is a concubine, she has more face than the mistress, and the main house is neither favored nor powerful, not a place to stay for a long time, let¡¯s find another way out!


    They didn¡¯t know that these kinds of ugly attitudes and dark thoughts have long been seen by Guan Suyi by the window, but she was just too lazy to take care of it.


    ¡°Minglan, don¡¯t look anymore, pack up and go to the main courtyard to greet the old madam.¡± She put the book back on the bookshelf, and inserted the hairpin while holding the side of her temple in front of the bronze mirror, and then walked out slowly.


    In her previous life, while she was teaching Zhao Wangshu, when did she ever moved the ruler? When she saw that he was stubborn, she compiled her knowledge into short stories, guided him systematically and patiently, balancing study and rest, made the learning fun, and finally made him a talent. And with Zhao Chunxi she did not neglect for a moment, thoroughly analyzed the common affairs, human relationships, sophistication, and even political opinions one by one. Her title of Huaguang Xianzhu, and her half-powerful husband, which one was not come from her painstaking efforts? At the end of the day, she ended up with a disastrous end.


    In her previous life, she could create them, and in this life, she could naturally ignore them, and see how much splash the two of them could make. After thinking about it, she arrived at the main courtyard. Guan Suyi saluted the old madam, served tea, and sat down to talk to her.


    ¡°Wang Shu didn¡¯t come?¡± The old madam looked behind her.


    ¡°I just sent someone to ask, they said he had already gone to the clan school.¡± However, no one knew the truth better than Guan Suyi. Zhao Luli was blind, and the woman he loved was a red apricot that leaning out of the wall, and the master he invited was just a trash with false reputation, and in the previous live almost taught Wangshu into a waste. She made a lot of effort to replace the man, but in the end, she fell into infamy.


    She would never do such thankless job again.  Zhao Wangshu became a dragon or a worm, what it have to do with her?


    The old madam shook her head, her tone a little disappointed, ¡°Maybe he was bewitched by some people, intending to alienate you and get closer to his maternal family. He has no one to teach him since he was a child, so it is inevitable to be a little ignorant. Let¡¯s correct it slowly and one day it will be fine .¡±


    Guan Suyi chuckled and said, ¡°After all, he and the Ye family is connected by blood, it is understandable for him to be closer to them. Don¡¯t worry, old madam, I will not shirk my duty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a good one, I know.¡± The old madam patted the back of her daughter-in-law¡¯s hand and changed the subject, ¡°Today, your sister-in-law is coming back. She¡¯s also a good one, just has some physical inconvenience, you should take more care.¡±


    Ruan shi is coming back? Guan Suyi was in a trance for a while. She didn¡¯t know much about this younger sister-in-law. Although she lived under the same roof, they hadn¡¯t even seen each more than a few times. Suddenly one day, Ruan shi had a premature birth, and she died of blood loss shortly after. She was buried in a hurry, like a wisp of green smoke, disappeared without a trace.


    Ruan shi met Zhao Luli¡¯s younger brother Zhao Jinyu when he was poor. One was the daughter of a small official at the border and the other was a son of convicted official. Because the old marquis got into some trouble, he needed Ruan¡¯s father to intervene from the inside, so the two of them made a marriage contract. A few days ago, she went up the mountain to redeem a vow for her pregnancy, and also meant to prevent the new madam from contracting her bad luck.


    During the conversation, someone came to report that the second madam had returned, and after a while, a woman with a slightly bulging belly led a five-or six-year-old boy in. The old madam waved to greet her, while looking at the expression of her eldest daughter-in-law, for fear that she would be frightened.


    Ruan shi didn¡¯t dare to look up, she just pushed the boy beside her, and said softly, ¡°Hurry up and pay respect to grandmother and adoptive mother.¡±


    The child¡¯s name was Mu Mu, and it could be seen from the surname that he had no blood relationship with the Zhao family, rather a child leave behind by Zhao Luli¡¯s comrade, due to the death of his parents and separated from his whole relatives, he was fostered in Marquis Mansion. Zhao Luli already recognized him as adopted son, but he had no intention of taking care of him, so he asked Ruan shi to take him with her.


    The boy didn¡¯t like to talk, so he knelt down and kowtowed three times, making the old madam overjoyed. Accustomed to seeing the bear-like appearance of her own grandson, she naturally cherished a well-behaved and obedient child like Mu Mu, then pulled Guan Suyi to introduce, ¡°This is your younger sister-in-law Ruan Lin, a native of western Yunnan, who is three or four years older than you this year. She has a gentle and soft temperament, the two of you will definitely get along well. This is Mu Mu, the adopted son recognized by lord marquis. He didn¡¯t like to talk since he was a child, and he is also afraid of meeting strangers, so don¡¯t blame him.¡±


    Guan Suyi naturally understood that children who have been devastated by war would always become extraordinarily silent. She waved at Mu Mu and called, ¡°Little Mu Mu, come over quickly, let mother take a look.¡±


    Mother? Mu Mu tilted his head to look at her, his eyes were round and big, with clear black and white, which made people feel soft inside. Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes were wet, inevitably thinking of Mu Mu¡¯s fate in her previous life. If the memory was not wrong, the child suddenly developed a high fever after half a month later, and died suddenly before the doctor could give him medicine, so he had to be buried in a thin coffin.


    Since she could start all over again in this life, she would let Mu Mu grow up safely; as for Ruan shi, she should do her best to keep the mother and child safe.


    Ruan shi, who was standing on the side, saw that her sister-in-law only paid attention to Mu Mu and ignored her. She had no dissatisfaction on her face, only felt at ease. She was accustomed to the fearful and contemptuous eyes of everyone, but she preferred the normal treatment of her sister-in-law. The women who came from a scholarly family were indeed more open-minded and more sympathetic. Thinking like this, she couldn¡¯t help touching the blue-black birthmark occupying most of her face, and a wry smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.


    TN: there are two new characters, to be honest how they were introduced seems a little abrupt, like here is your brother-in-law¡¯s wife and your adopted son that actually lives here but just happened to be away until now. But nevertheless they are very important to the plot development later on, so stay tune!

 CH 46

    Ruan shi and Mu Mu did not end well in the previous lives. After the two of them died, rumors spread that Guan Suyi¡¯s life was hard and tortured her six relatives, which not only bring bad luck to the Guan family, but also killed her sister-in-law, nephew, and adopted son. The old madam believed in Buddhism, and really invited a monk to come to the house to done somethings, which made her situation even more difficult.


    Since then, her prestige in the Marquis Mansion had been shattered. No matter what she said or did, there were always people talking behind her back, as if she was a big joke and shouldn¡¯t be alive at all. If she hadn¡¯t followed her grandfather to the south and the north since she was a child, and had cultivated a strong bones and an iron heart, she would have been killed by the rumors.


    As the saying goes, ¡°The public¡¯s mouth can melt gold, accumulating and destroying bones¡°, dying from rumors were ten thousand times more tragic than dying on the battlefield. Even if the people went to the Yellow Spring, the damage to their soul would never be eliminated. Of course, she wanted to save Ruan shi and Mu Mu, not because she was afraid of people¡¯s words, but because she wanted to give them a new life, and to see if humans could fight for their lives with heaven.


    Thinking like this, she waved to Minglan, ¡°Take my name card and go to the imperial hospital to ask for an imperial doctor. The second madam and the young master, one is heavily pregnant, the other is young and frail. The two are tired from the journey, and need to be conditioned.


    In the entire Marquis Mansion, only Zhao Luli and Guan Suyi had ranks, so they could hire an imperial doctor. When others were sick, they had to find a doctor on their own, or tough it out. Ruan shi had frightened the eldest young master and the eldest miss, and was often mocked by the servants as evil spirit. If there was nothing she would never dare to go out, much less cause trouble to the marquis mansion, and she would silently endure major and minor illnesses. Seeing that her sister-in-law was so attentive, she couldn¡¯t help being a little flattered, and said hurriedly, ¡°No, no, there is no need to call the imperial doctor. Mu Mu and I are just tired, we just need to go back to sleep.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pregnant with the eldest son of the second house, so it¡¯s better to be more cautious. Let the imperial doctor see if you are sick or not, and prescribe a few pills to eat.¡± Guan Suyi waved at Minglan who was hesitant to move. Minglan nodded and ran away.


    The old madam also echoed, ¡°Why should the family be so polite, your sister-in-law cares about you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, daughter-in-law knows, thank you sister-in-law.¡± Ruan shi¡®s eyes were slightly red, and seeing Guan Suyi¡¯s expression was normal, she took a seat beside her cautiously. Mu Mu seemed to sense the new Madam¡¯s kindness, and moved over in small steps, and continued to look at her with his head tilted.


    Guan Suyi also imitated his movements, tilting her head to look back, the little guy blinked, she blinked, the little guy tilted his head to the other side, and she followed suit. After going back and forth a few times, Mu Mu suddenly covered his mouth and smiled. Eyes curved into crescents, looked very cute.


    Guan Suyi felt so soft in her heart, she desperately wanted to hug the child and kiss him, but she was afraid of scaring him, so she could only tentatively reach out and touch his forehead. Mu Mu hid for a while, then stopped moving, looking at her with curiosity in his eyes.


    ¡°Does he know how to talk or just doesn¡¯t like to talk?¡± Guan Suyi asked softly.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like to talk.¡± Ruan shi whispered to her sister-in-law¡¯s ear, ¡°He was there when his parents died. Perhaps he was frightened by the sight of blood flowing like a river, so he rarely spoke since then. The more you tease him, the more he is reluctant to open his mouth, still hides in the nooks and crannies where no one can see, often after rummaging through the whole Marquis Mansion we find him tired, hungry and timid, looking so pitiful, so we couldn¡¯t do anything to him.¡±


    A mental injury was harder to heal than a physical one. Guan Suyi felt a little more pity in her heart, but she didn¡¯t dare to approach Mu Mu rashly, so she picked up a piece of cake to coax him, ¡°Rushing the journey the whole morning, are you hungry? Come, eat a piece of cake.¡±


    Mu Mu stared at the cake, clearly eager, but also showed a look of fear.


    It¡¯s just a piece of cake, how could children be so afraid of it? Guan Suyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and finally realized something. Pastries were not scary, but what about after eating them? She immediately asked Ruan shi to bring Mu Mu to the window, leaning towards the morning light she said, ¡°Mu Mu, open your mouth for mother to see.¡±


    Mu Mu looked at her with wide eyes.


    ¡°Ah, open your mouth, ah¡­¡± Guan Suyi very patiently demonstrated, because there was a small game of imitating each other before, Mu Mu quickly opened his mouth and made a hoarse sound.


    The old madam noticed something was wrong, hurried over to watch, and couldn¡¯t help but exclaimed. She saw the inside of Mu Mu¡¯s throat was swollen and inflamed, pus was flowing out, and if not receive medical treatment it could completely block the passage for eating and breathing. No wonder he didn¡¯t dare to eat pastries, no wonder he went so suddenly in his previous life, because he had been ill for a long time, but no one noticed.


    A cold sweat broke out from Guan Suyi¡¯s back, and she immediately sent someone to urge the imperial doctor. Thinking of it, she was not completely innocent in her previous life. If she was careful enough and responsible enough, if she gave Mu Mu half the care and concern she placed on Zhao Wangshu and Zhao Chunxi, he would not have died so unclearly.


    What kind of sin have you done in your past life? Guan Suyi¡¯s heart was in severe pain, but she didn¡¯t dare to hug Mu Mu rashly, so she could only comfort him, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, when the imperial doctor comes to give medicine, our Mu Mu will not be in pain.¡±


    Mu Mu seemed to understand, but also seemed to not understand, he kept opening his mouth and said ¡°Aaah¡± with a smile in his eyes.


    The imperial doctor soon arrived, gave Mu Mu some medicinal powder with a blowpipe, and prescribed a few more decoctions, saying that madam was careful and found it early, if it delayed for two or three days it would be troublesome and so on. Ruan shi¡®s fetal position was very good and her body was also strong, she didn¡¯t need to be conditioned, just let her move around more when she was free.


    The imperial doctor was sent away with great gratitude, and the old madam knelt in front of the Buddhist altar and recited something, which showed that she was really frightened. Mu Mu¡¯s throat was cool and comfortable, and his pale face became more rosy. He ran to Guan Suyi with his short legs and continued to look at her with his head tilted.


    Ruan shi said with shame, ¡°If sister-in-law hadn¡¯t found out in time, Mu Mu would have been in danger. I¡¯m so careless, I really shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Guan Suyi interrupted her softly, ¡°You are also pregnant, so it¡¯s inevitable that there will be times when you can¡¯t take care of it. You have been taking care of Mu Mu all these years. He doesn¡¯t close to anyone, but prefers to get close to you, which clearly shows that you have done enough. Children have sharp eyes, who is good to him and who is bad to him, even if he can¡¯t say it, his every move will reveal it.¡±


    ¡°It can be seen that sister-in-law is really good to Mu Mu too, otherwise, how could he like you so much when he just met you. Look, his eyes won¡¯t turn.¡± Ruan shi was greatly relief, and felt more and more that her sister-in-law treated people with generosity and had pure heart.


    Guan Suyi fell in love with Mu Mu¡¯s ignorant appearance. Seeing Minglan coming over with white porridge, she immediately waved, ¡°Give it to me, I¡¯ll feed him.¡±


    This time, Mu Mu didn¡¯t shy away. The other end just blew a mouthful of hot porridge, he already opened his mouth wide and waited, his little hands grabbed the hem of his clothes, like a baby bird waiting to be fed, causing everyone in the room to giggle. Guan Suyi laughed for a while and feed a mouthful, only felt that she had been in the Marquis Mansion for many days, and only at this moment she felt truly happy.


    At this moment, a steward woman hurried in and whispered in the old madam¡¯s ear, saying it was a whisper, but the voice was not low, and several masters who were closer could hear it. Anyway, the news had already spread, it was not a secret.


    ¡°Old Madam, it¡¯s incredible, something has happened to the Ye family! Yesterday¡¯s treasure appraising banquet was not completed at all. The good treasure was placed under everyone¡¯s eyes, but it was inexplicably shattered. Master Ye immediately ordered people to seal the mansion, detained the guests, and then went to the palace to ask the emperor for help. He thought the emperor could help him turn over the city of Yanjing. However, really did not expect the emperor to not investigate, only said that the Ye family¡¯s blessing was shallow, difficult to bear the Holy¡¯s favor so the national treasure was shattered by heaven¡¯s will, and let them just pinch their noses and recognize it; As if that¡¯s not enough, the emperor turned his face and beat the Imperial Guards who went to the Ye family to investigate the case, downgrading them, and said they left their posts without authorization. This is what happened yesterday, and today during the court, the emperor still not let the matter drop. Rebuked the Joint Defense Department and the leaders of  Imperial Armies one by one, said in the future, only the emperor could mobilize the defense of the capital with tiger tally. Such an arbitrary dispatcher like the Ye family did is guilty of conspiracy and rebellion, and the nine generations should be punished! This sentence made Master Ye terrified and pissed himself in the hall, made it smelled of urine.


    The steward fanned her nose and covered her mouth, as if she was really there.


    The old madam asked anxiously, ¡°Afterwards, what did the emperor say?¡±


    ¡°Later, the emperor thought that he was disrespectful in front of the imperial court, so he dispersed the court meeting in advance. How could Master Ye dare to go, he knelt in front of Chengde Hall to plead guilty. Lord Marquis, Lord Marquis also ran to kneel with him when he received the news.  Perhaps he is now at the Ye mansion to help with the aftermath.¡± The steward¡¯s voice became lower and lower, until it became silent.


    ¡°Unworthy son! What does the Ye family have to do with him!¡± The old madam was trembling with anger.


    Afraid that she would be hurt by her anger, the steward hurriedly reported the good news, ¡°The emperor originally wanted to seize Master Ye¡¯s official position, but Ye Jieyu suddenly relapsed and vomited a bed of blood. If she hadn¡¯t sought medical treatment in time, she almost died. She cried and shouted the emperor for mercy, and then asked herself to be demoted to atone for her father¡¯s sins. The emperor was afraid that she could not bear the stimulation, so he had no alternative but to send Master Ye out of the palace, said he should reflect behind close door. Now it¡¯s unknown whether Ye Jieyu is alive or dead, listening to what the imperial doctor said, it¡¯s very likely that she will not survive tonight. Now the news has spread all over the street, saying that the daughter of a horse dealer also dares to dream the ultimate wealth, even Heaven couldn¡¯t bear to watch and specially sent a disaster to punish her. The Ye Mansion, who was still full of arrogance and great momentum yesterday, has now become the laughing stock of the whole Yanjing, and even the storyteller in the tea-house has already sang it at this time. Old madam, this servant will let you hear one section¡­¡±


    The steward woman cleared her throat and sang, ¡°The Ye family has a daughter, her heart is higher than the sky, her life is as thin as paper, no matter how much have planned, in the end the enemy broke a coral tree, and an unpredictable disaster is coming. But begging for the monarch¡¯s favor, on the contrary entered the dark haze again, thinking that the power is monstrous and domineering, but after all, the monarch is the monarch, the subject is the subject, and the crime of arrogance cannot escape¡­¡±


    ¡°Good singing!¡± The old madam¡¯s face was like a frost and she gritted her teeth, ¡°However, Ye Zhen has nine orifices in her heart and as cunning as a fox, so she won¡¯t let herself suffer loses in vain for such trivial matters. Who knows if her old illness is true or not? It is said that a scourge will live for thousands of years. I don¡¯t think she will die this time, it¡¯s just a bitter trick, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Ye Zhen had already ¡°drowned¡± before Ruan shi passed the door, so she didn¡¯t know why her mother-in-law hated the Ye family, so it was not easy for her to speak.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s brows frowned, her face was gloomy, and she seemed to have inexplicable worries. She thought hard for a while, and muttered, ¡°Then how did the coral tree shatter in front of everyone¡¯s eyes? Minglan, you go to inquire again, be sure to ask. Be more detailed.¡± As for the fate of the Ye family and Ye Zhen, she had already expected it, so she had no interest.


    Minglan¡¯s footsteps paused slightly, and then she rushed out. The old madam and Ruan shi looked at each other and thought to themselves: The daughter-in-law¡¯s (sister-in-law) focus seems a little strange? The Ye family insulted her like that, but she did not mock or slander them at all. It can be seen that the Guan family education is indeed extraordinary!

 CH 47

    Chapter 47 Slap in The Face


    After coming out of the main courtyard, Guan Suyi bent her knees and waved at Mu Mu, ¡°Little Mu Mu, will you go back to the main house with mother?¡±


    Mu Mu immediately hid behind Ruan shi, his two small hands tightly grasped the hem of her skirt, stuck out half of his head to look timidly, and then shook his head invisibly. Guan Suyi thought that he would not let go of his defenses so quickly. For a child like him, he must have a lot of barricades, and it often took more than ten years or even more than half of his life to recover from the trauma of war.


    Mu Mu was still young, and his mind was still uncertain. He only needs to be gently soothed, and sooner or later he would recover. She was not in a hurry either, and smiled, ¡°Then mother had to go back alone.¡± She then straightened up and said sternly, ¡°Sister-in-law, did you send him to the clan school?¡±


    Ruan shi helplessly sighed, ¡°Send it, he can¡¯t stay, either hiding by himself or being bullied by his little friends in the clan school. Sister-in-law, you don¡¯t know, his adoptive brother really doesn¡¯t like him. One time he actually took off Mu Mu¡¯s robe, and poured ink all over him. Mu Mu didn¡¯t know how to resist, and when he got home, he scared me to death. He was as black as little ghost, if he didn¡¯t open his mouth, we could only see a pair of white eyes rolling around. It make me angry, funny and distressed.¡±


    Speaking of Zhao Wangshu, Ruan shi was full of complaints. On the way back, she had already inquired clearly that this new sister-in-law came from a literary giants family and was very good at dealing with naughty children. As soon as she arrived, she let lord marquis beat Zhao Wangshu and restrained him to study and read, which was quite effective. Therefore, she dared to say a few words of truth, otherwise she would have taken Mu Mu and avoided her long ago.


    ¡°After all, Zhao Wangshu and Zhao Chunxi are not my children, and now the Ye family has stuffed in another Concubine Ye. I should have strictly disciplined them, but now I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t work. If sister-in-law doesn¡¯t  dislike it, how about sending Mu Mu to the main house every day, and I will personally teach him to study and send him back after dinner. Your pregnancy is getting more and more advanced, and your energy is not enough, it¡¯s difficult to even take care of yourself, let alone Mu Mu. One of us can take care during the day while the other during the night, let him adapt slowly. After five to six months, your body will be heavy, and I will take him over completely, and you will be able to give birth in peace.¡±


    Ruan shi was overjoyed and said yes again and again. It was really a blessing for Mu Mu to be able to worship at Guan shi as a disciple, and only a fool like the eldest young master would try his best to avoid it. Alas, there are those who, though they have a good destiny, are not blessed in the midst of blessings.


    Guan Suyi got Ruan shi¡®s approval, and did not forget to ask Mu Mu¡¯s opinion, ¡°Did Little Mu Mu heard what we said just now? In the future, you will study with your adoptive mother during the day and play with your second aunt at night, okay?¡±


    Mu Mu seriously thought about it for a while and then nodded slightly.


    ¡ª


    Both sisters-in-law were satisfied and went separate ways. Guan Suyi walked to the door of the main house and saw a lot of melon seeds and shells mixed with falling flowers. Didn¡¯t know which servant who was lazy and irresponsible that discarded it. After walking two steps, there was no one in the courtyard, except for an eight or nine years old maid standing by the east window, tiptoeing while cleaning the top window lattice with a rag.


    ¡°Why are you alone? Where are the others?¡± Minglan took the little maid¡¯s rag from behind and helped her clean the window ledge.


    The little maid was taken aback and saluted tremblingly, ¡°This servant has seen Madam. This servant is responsible for cleaning, but because of her clumsy hands and feet, she has not finished the work at noon. Begging madam to please forgive. Everyone else went to the kitchen to get their meals and will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to cover for them. When I first arrived, I made a rule that there should always be people in the courtyard at all times, even if the meal has to be taken in turn, they must not be all gone carelessly, otherwise when the master has an order, won¡¯t there be no one to support? I don¡¯t think you are clumsy, but you are too diligent, taking other people¡¯s work into your own hands.¡± Guan Suyi saw the little girl¡¯s eyebrows and eyes were scrunch up, she seemed to be about to cry, and she couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Quickly take the gold beans. I have no intention of punishing you. As the saying goes, don¡¯t meddle in affairs that are not part of your position, I have only one principle in employing people, you should do what you should do well, and you shouldn¡¯t interfere in what you should not do. I won¡¯t praise you for being diligence, on the contrary I will remember you, just because you broke the rules I set. Only this time, and there will be no next time. Minglan, take her to tidy up, and in the future, I will make her a second-class maid to run errand in the house. You should teach her the rules when you have free time.¡±


    Minglan obediently promised, and took the thankful little maid to the side room to wash up.


    Guan Suyi went to the study, spread out the rice paper, and drew the layout of the Ye Mansion that Minglan had inquired, used cinnabar to circle the location of the coral tree, and traced all the servants that served as guard, the guests, and the owner on all sides, after that she racked her brain and pondered.


    It had been inspected once when it was moved to the warehouse, and once when the box was closed and locked, and there was no damage. In the meantime, twenty-four servants in their prime surrounded and monitored them motionlessly, never leaving for a moment, but when they opened the box again, the treasure was shattered, and the crowd was screaming.


    This thing couldn¡¯t be pondered, the more pondering the more strange it became. Guan Suyi beat her forehead, her internal organs felt uncomfortable as if a cat had scratching it. She had a bad shortcoming, when encountering a problem, she must solve it, otherwise she would lose sleep all night and tried her best to study it. Because of this, she couldn¡¯t specialize in her studies, and she always got side-tracked when she learned, often giving Old Master Guan a headache.


    Now after two lifetimes, this old problem did not get better, but instead became more and more serious, to the point that she was obsessed with this coral tree, hated that she couldn¡¯t take the catcher¡¯s job and go to Ye Mansion to investigate. However, she was only interested in the modus operandi. As for the perpetrator, eight out of ten was the one in Weiyang Palace.


    In addition to beating up foreign relatives and appeasing the Emperor Teacher, he also took advantage of this matter to clean up the capital city department, the joint defense department, the Three Armies of Imperial Guards, and removed the remnants of the previous dynasty and former subordinates of the Second Prince from the capital defense, to ensure the stability of his interest, and conveniently curbed the unfavorable trend of courtiers forming parties for personal gain. It could be said to kill several birds with one stone. Under this heavy pressure, he never disturbed any people, nor caused chaos in the capital, which showed that he was kind but also ruthless.


    The front rafter rots first, even if there was no Ye family, no matter which family jumped up first, the result was the same.


    Guan Suyi chuckled and shook her head, also full of curiosity about this kind and ruthless emperor, but this person was not someone she could reach. After a little thought, she threw away her hand and continued to ponder about the case. After a while, Minglan brought the little maid over and said with a smile, ¡°Miss, look, she looks like a jade doll after washing up, she¡¯s so cute.¡±


    The little maid blushed slightly and said in a salute, ¡°This servant Yinzi has seen Madam.¡±


    ¡°Your name is Yinzi? What a good name!¡± Guan Suyi smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a sister named Jinzi (Gold)? I remember your ancestral home in Liaodong, are your family still at the border?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they all followed by the second master¡¯s side to serve, but they refused to come over because of the long distance. This servant family is poor, and if can get one or two small pieces of silver is already heavenly, how dare to dream of coveting gold. This servant has five older sisters and one younger brother, they are called Da Ni¡¯er, Er Ni¡¯er, San Ni¡¯er, Si Ni¡¯er , Wu Ni¡¯er and Fugui .¡±


    The little maid counted with her fingers, which made Guan Suyi laugh again. Minglan was a little absent-minded, and when her miss closed the corner of her mouth and lowered her head to look at the drawings, she said angrily, ¡°Miss, Concubine Ye hasn¡¯t entered the door yet, and those slaves dare to snub you, this servant will call the people back and severely punish them! ¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to call. After a night of brewing and someone else pushed the waves, the news of the Ye family¡¯s rotten luck must have spread by now. There are many mouths in the kitchen, this is where the information gathered and circulated, so the news passed on so quickly. It won¡¯t be long before those people turn around. We don¡¯t need to punish them severely, but help them accomplish what they want. I¡¯d rather have no one to serve in my courtyard, than having two-faces slaves.¡±


    Yinzi quietly hid behind Minglan, only felt that the gentle and elegant madam was extremely majestic at this moment, and those lazy and slippery people would regret their intestines.


    Sure enough, within a few moments, the servants turned around one after another, with an expression of fear and guilt on their faces. Seeing Minglan standing under the porch with her hands on her hips, they immediately stepped forward to confess their guilt. But instead of being forgiven, a slave trader came in and took those young and strong servant who had signed the death contract to be sold, the children of the family were sent to other villages to serve as errands, and the old and weak servants who had signed the living deed each were allocated a few taels of silver and be returned to their hometowns to find another way out.


    In less than an hour, the huge courtyard, where there used to be more than a dozen people, only had the three master and servant left, the breeze rolled up the defeated leaf and destroyed the red, looked somewhat gloomy and desolate. The old madam let the people who complained and pleaded guilty to kneel without opening a mouth. Instead, she sent many upright and honest maids and grannies to let the madam choose personally.


    Guan Suyi only asked four questions: first, can they read or not; second, what are their specialties; third, what are their family background, where are their ancestral home; fourth, what are their plans for the future. One of them was a 12- or 13-year-old maidservant who was originally a small servant in the old madam¡¯s courtyard. She was both literate and proficient in medicine, her family died and she was an orphan, hoped when she was eighteen or nineteen, madam would be able to eliminate her slave status, set up a female household and be self-reliance.


    Guan Suyi said ¡°good¡± three times in a row, she even promoted her as a first-class maid to filled Mingfang¡¯s vacancy, and left a few capable people to look after the courtyard, and the rest were sent back to the old madam. In this way, the main house, which was originally very pompous, seemed to be quite depressed. But in fact, the disorderly were scrape out, from top to bottom completely worked as one, and the inside and outside courtyard were enclosed like iron barrels


    After another hour, the common affairs were sorted out. Guan Suyi continued to ponder the case with the drawings, and then saw Zhao Luli hurried in. His lips were dry, his face was gloomy, and the fabric on his knees was worn  out in two places, revealing a white inner clothes. Without guessing she also knew that he must accompany Master Ye to kneel in Chengde Hall and suffered a lot.


    ¡°Lord Marquis is a rare guest.¡± After several days of humiliation, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t even pretend with him, so she put down her brush to sneer.


    Zhao Luli looked ashamed, but remembering Ye Zhen, whose life and death was unknown, he quickly regained his composure, begging, ¡°Madam must already know about the Ye family, right? Now Ye Jieyu is seriously ill, father, Master Ye is currently stay behind closed doors to reflect, Ye Mansion is full of turmoil and anxiety. This matter is all because of the Guan family. Please ask madam to go back to her maiden¡¯s house and ask the Emperor Teacher and Chief Minister of Ceremonies. They have the emperor¡¯s heart, and they are very favored. If they are willing to say a few words on behalf the Ye Mansion, this catastrophe will definitely be over as soon as possible. The Guan family has always been known for their benevolence, now we are all in-laws, all is a family, we should live in harmony and get along.


    Guan Suyi stared at him for a long while, and suddenly slapped him in the face, causing a lot of dust to fall from the beams of the house.

 CH 48

    Chapter 48 Impeachment


    A crisp sound of ¡°pop¡± came from inside the house, shocking Minglan and the others. Yinzi quietly hid away, but the newly arrived maid who was named Jinzi by Madam walked to the window to take a look and said anxiously, ¡°Sister Minglan, should we go in to keep guard? In case Lord Marquis and Madam get into fight¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go in, lest miss will be embarrassed. Let¡¯s us grab a weapon and stand here, and if miss is in trouble, we can rush in to help.¡± Minglan picked up a slab of brick from under the wall and held it tightly in her hand. Yinzi and Jinzi followed suit, and they also pick up a convenient weapon.


    Minglan saw that they were not afraid of lord marquis at all, but were loyal to miss, so she was very satisfied. The three of them stood on tiptoe and looked into the room, only to see that lord marquis was stunned by the beating and couldn¡¯t recover his sense for a long time, but the madam rolled up her sleeves with a leisurely expression and slowly moved her wrist, as if the one who was angry before was not her.


    Zhao Luli had never hit a woman before, let alone hit by a woman. When he pulled away from the shock, he found that his cheeks were sore and hot, as if burned by a soldering iron, and when the tip of his tongue touched his gums, he tasted a few traces of blood. He was actually wounded.


    Jinzi and Yinzi saw a line of blood flowing from the corner of lord marquis¡¯s mouth, when they looked at him more and more, they couldn¡¯t help muttering, ¡°Madam¡¯s hands are so strong, she slap a big man until bleeding!¡±


    Minglan snorted triumphantly, ¡°That¡¯s right! Our miss can tie four or five pounds of lead around her wrist at the age of eleven or twelve. She doesn¡¯t need a knife to eat watermelon in summer, she can split it with bare hands. If lord marquis want to take advantage of miss, it will not be easy!¡±


    Jin Zi silently took these words to heart, and then continued to wait and see.


    After all, Zhao Luli was a Confucian general, and he would not easily fight with women. Even though his heart was already steaming with anger, he still reluctantly held back. Guan Suyi was not afraid of him, and while pouring tea for herself, she said slowly, ¡°I said how Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu are so stupid, turns out they follow the true tradition of your Zhao family and Ye family. Since you said that what happened to Ye family were all caused by Guan family, then I will dispute you. The Ye family wanted to stuff in their daughter to be a concubine, did my Guan family order it? Ye Jieyu gave face for that concubine, did my Guan family order it? The Ye family arranged the treasure appreciation banquet, did my Guan family planned it? The Ye family¡¯s coral tree was broken, did my Guan family break it? The emperor tried his best to suppress the Ye family, did the Guan family was behind it? You touch your conscience, do you dare to say ¡®yes¡¯?¡¯


    Zhao Luli was speechless, and the left cheek, which was not slapped, also flushed red.


    Guan Suyi sneered, ¡°It¡¯s the Ye family who has repeatedly provoked, and lord marquis is good, actually blame it all on my Guan family¡¯s head. It¡¯s really true that when someone is good, they will be taken advantage. I really don¡¯t know how you were able to make a name for yourself in the military back then, even dared to meddle in those rotten things like the Ye family. Master Ye funded the rebellion of the Second Prince, and only after the defeat did he offer tributes to the Emperor to survive the calamity. Now, although he has gained some grace, he still doesn¡¯t know how to restrain himself. On one side removed his enemies, while on the other side tried to form a party for personal gain. In a year and a half, a large number of courtiers have been won over. Minister of Justice, Minister of the Guards, Imperial Guard, Minister Coachmen, Minister of Imperial Clan, all of these ministers and captains who are related to the emperor¡¯s safety and security have become his ¡®sworn brothers¡¯, and even Ye¡¯s daughter become an imperial concubine, who controlled the inner palace. He seems to want to draw the emperor¡¯s close attendants one by one, infiltrating all aspects of his life. It doesn¡¯t look like he make friends with powerful officials, nor benefited in the slightest, but over time, his control intensified. If he want to make some small actions behind the emperor¡¯s back, it will be easy. Emperor Ping of Han, Emperor Yin of Han, and the last emperor of the previous dynasty were all killed by their close attendants, and the trouble of murdering the monarch has a long history. And the Ye family had an enormous crime before, but they arrogantly offended His Majesty, and instead of thinking how to display loyalty and retreat to consider how to make amends, they done discreditable thing in the dark, treacherous like a ghost. If his family is not unlucky, then whose family is unlucky?¡±


    Zhao Luli was in a panic, sweating like a waterfall.


    Guan Suyi drank the tea in one go and continued, ¡°To avoid being dragged with the crime of forming a party for personal gain and crime of misdeeds, everyone is walking around the Ye family, but you have to go up and drag me into the water. You say are you stupid or not? I, Guan Suyi, must have never accumulated virtue in my last life, so I would marry such a waste like you, who have no authority, no power, no brains, no heart, all day long grieving for his dead wife, and leave behind his mother, brother, sister-in-law, children, adopted son and his second wife. Even if I marry a dead person and have a ghost marriage, it¡¯s countless times better than marrying you. At least the other party can let me live quietly, instead of repeatedly humiliated, constantly pierced the heart, even the slightest bit of warmth cannot be experienced. If you went back to the front yard today without saying a word, and didn¡¯t come here to say those stupid things, I can still bear you for a few more days, but now I can¡¯t stand it even for a moment.¡±


    She threw away the teacup and said coldly, ¡°There is a saying ¡®it¡¯s not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years¡®, his Ye family has already been taken out, and my Guan family still hasn¡¯t repay yet! It¡¯s not over, you just wait!¡±


    Zhao Luli¡¯s anger disappeared completely, leaving only fear, ¡°You, what do you want to do? The matter of Ye family is me who doesn¡¯t think it through, I shouldn¡¯t make the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies take the risk of being implicated by interceding, I take back my words before and apologize to you. Can¡¯t we make amends?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another saying, split water is difficult to retrieve. Broken hearts, broken tears, broken souls, and broken lives are irreparable.¡± Guan Suyi pointed to the door and said indifferently, ¡°I said I will wait for you, but I will not wait forever. You should be glad that we were married by imperial decree, and cannot divorce, otherwise I would have packed up and return home by now. Your two children seems to think that the Ye family is rich and powerful, and even more favored, already plan to not come here again. Then in the future, the three of you, father and children, will live with Concubine Ye together.¡±


    Zhao Luli¡¯s heart, which was already full of sharp knives, was pierced through again, and he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. Guan Suyi meant to break relation with him, and the Guan family seemed to want to use some means against the Ye family. He was actually overreaching himself, how could it be? However, before he could think deeply, the three maids surrounded him with bricks and politely sent off the lord marquis.


    Zhao Luli didn¡¯t dare to make a fuss, for fear provoking the new madam to become even angrier, and then disaster would hurt Ye Zhen¡¯s head, so he could only stand at the gate of the courtyard to apologize, and turned around resentfully when his voice was dry.


    Zhao Chunxi, who received the news, was angry, anxious, and afraid, but there was nothing she could do. The situation of the Ye family was worse than she imagined. Her grandfather was told to introspect behind closed doors, her mom was terminally ill, the reputation of the Ye family was swept to the floor. Relatives and friends were avoiding like they were snakes and scorpions, and His Majesty was also charged a monstrous crimes. They seemed to fall from heaven to hell overnight, to the point of extinction. And she and her daddy had tore faces with Guan shi, and pushed the last bit of support away with their own hands. What should they do in the future?


    Hexiang was also quite frightened, and murmured, ¡°Miss, Guan shi¡®s methods are too quick, she almost emptied the main house, leaving only three maids to serve, Minglan is loyal, Yinzi¡¯s family is far away in Liaodong, she followed over from the border, so it is not easy to control. Jinzi is actually an orphan, and want to set up a female household to live independently, there is no leak that can be drilled at all! Guan shi seems to always think ahead of us, we just took one step but when we looked up, she had already walked ninety-nine steps, it¡¯s really impossible to catch!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t sweep your own might to inflate others¡¯ momentum. Guan shi is a human being, not a god, there will always times when she make mistakes. Go and ask again to see if what she said is true or false.¡± Zhao Chunxi said sternly.


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years!¡±


    ¡°Oh oh oh, this servant will immediately go.¡± Hexiang staggered away, and the panic-stricken back was like a frightened bird.


    Zhao Chunxi looked at her and slowly hid herself in the darkness.


    ¡ª-


    Revising the legal codes was a major event related to the country and should not be taken lightly, so it was necessary to pool the wisdom and work together. It was also the first time for many ministers to participate, and none of them dared to arrogate themselves. It took several days and nights of discussion to determine each memorandum. Even so, the progress was quite slow, and it seemed that something was missing, there was a feeling of having nowhere to go.


    Fortunately, the Inspectorate was established at the fastest speed. Old Master Guan was appointed as the Chief Imperial Censor, in charge of supervision affairs. On top he could advise the emperor and below he could impeach officials, it even could influence the promotion, appointment, and dismissal of officials, jointly inspected local administrations and evaluate political performance. Although the grade was not high, the power was rare. In addition, two colleagues were appointed as Deputy Chief Censors and Supervisory Censors, in order to check for omissions and fill in the gap, and to encourage public opinions.


    With an expression of envy and awe, the civil and military officials watched Old Master Guan took the official robe, crown, official seal, ribbon, jade tablet and other items handed over by the emperor himself. They thought he would definitely take it home and slowly admire it, but he actually put on the official robe, put on the crown, fastened the official seal with the ribbon, held the jade tablet, and said with full vigor, ¡°Your Majesty, this minister wants to impeach Grand Astrologer Master Ye on thirty-two charges. The first crime, when he was doing business in Liaodong, he had dealings with the forces of various feudal states. At that time, he communicated with foreign enemies, leaked military information, and caused a disastrous defeat for our army in the first battle of Gaizhou, with more than 100,000 casualties. The second crime is to secretly fund the rebellion of Prince Cheng and Prince Jin, and then later change to seek refuge with the emperor, and actually awarded the title Grand Astrologer for his support. His third crime is that in his position, he never done his own government. Except for attending morning court, he never drafted a document, promoted a grand counselor, recorded historical events, and managed sacrifices, which can be called corpse enjoys vegetarian meals. Flattering the people on top and disrespectful to the people below. His fourth crime is that in the first month of the previous year, the former emperor was seriously ill and was about to die, every time he was saw entering and leaving, he did not show any worry, sorrows or solemn look when waiting on the emperor. On the contrary talked and laughed as usual, and feasted and drank continuously. His fifth crime, in the ninth month of the previous year, the former emperor died, in less than half a month of mourning period he done sexual intercourse, causing his concubine to be pregnant, and then pretended that she was ill and have her killed. His sixth crime is bribing the monarch¡¯s close attendant, giving gifts to the court ministers top and below, used the convenience of his imperial-in-law to engage in private fraud, endangering the Holy¡¯s order and offending the Holy¡¯s face. His seventh crime, the treasures hidden in the house are more than ten thousand southern pearl and a thousand eastern pearls, which are several times more than those in the inner storehouse. There are also rhino horn cups, dragon-decorated secret porcelain, and numerous illegal objects. His eighth crime is in last year summer flood and winter cold¡­¡±


    Old Master Guan recited all the way, even the sound of needle fall could be heard in the court hall. Everyone was frighten, and even Emperor Sheng Yuan broke out in a cold sweat. He was not unaware of all the things the Ye family had committed, but because of Ye Jieyu¡®s life-saving grace, he deliberately ignored it, and even condoned it, until the Ye family quietly rolled out a big network of marriages. In fact, this was also thanks to Guan Suyi. If he hadn¡¯t worried about her being humiliated after marriage, he would not have  investigate the many clan women of the Ye family, which was really crooked.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan thought that knocking the mountain and shaking the tiger was enough, but now listening to the old man¡¯s impeachment one by one, he finally found out that the Ye family had sinned into the sky and could not be forgiven.


    The officials under the imperial seat were also sweating like pulp, and their legs were as soft as mud. Thirty-two charges were recited, and Old Master Guan had made it clear that he wanted to kill the Ye family, his thunderous methods were ten thousand times stronger than Ye Jieyu, right? Only this person wasn¡¯t playing tricks and machinations, even walking on the bright road could still make them lose their position and ruined their family!


    Today¡¯s Guan Family¡­ is really not easy to mess with!


    T/N: the maids are hilarious!!

 CH 49

    Chapter 49 Righteousness


    After the thirty-two charges were recited, Old Master Guan said in a voice as loud as a bell, ¡°Ye Quanyong committed treason, forming party, favoritism, fraud, dereliction of duty, corrupt, deceive the monarch, offending face, great disrespect, and disregard human¡¯s life. When this minister heard about everything, he was heartbroken and really hateful, therefore offering one¡¯s own limited view, and respectfully ask for Your Majesty¡¯s judgement.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan raised his hand to wipe off the cold sweat from his forehead, and was about to speak, but one court official stood up and asked, ¡°Everyone knows that the Ye family and the Guan family have been at odds recently, and Emperor Teacher impeach Master Ye as soon as he took office. Isn¡¯t there a suspicion of personal vendetta?¡±


    Old Master Guan glanced at him lightly, ¡°If half the matter of impeachment by this official is found to be false after it¡¯s verified by the emperor, it will not be too late for you to sue this official for personal vendetta. At that time, this official will strip off his clothes and remove his hat, and beg to return to his hometown.¡± Holding up the jade tablet, he continued, ¡°This minister still has another person who wants to impeach.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan waved his hand helplessly, ¡°Emperor Teacher, please take your time.¡±


    Hundreds of civil and military officials held their breaths and were afraid, because the previous impeachment against Master Ye by Old Master Guan was actually involved hundreds of officials, if the Emperor Teacher found out one by one, the fate of those people could be imagined. Old Master Guan was indeed like the phrase ¡®should one desire to sing, one would amaze the world with his first song¡¯. They hope they didn¡¯t offend him in the past.


    Only Guan Father was the most calm, just clenched the jade tablet in his hand, sweating for his father.


    Old Master Guan cleared his throat and said sternly, ¡°This minister also want to impeach the emperor for manipulating the command secretly, appoint people by favoritism, fail to cultivate the inner palace, and mishandling the importance of things. Resulting in the loss of the border positions, increased the casualties of soldiers, chaos in the court order, the foreign relatives went rampant, and all kinds of calamities that were caused by the emperor¡¯s intentional indulgence. Please implore the emperor to examine himself, to change his words and deeds, rebuild the inner palace, and return the court to a dignified and upright style.¡±


    Hey, even the emperor dares to impeach, Emperor Teacher, you are a dead man! The man who had just reprimand him for doing personal vendetta quietly backed away, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. If it was really for selfish desires, when Emperor Teacher rectified the Ye family, he then should praise the emperor nicely. They all said there¡¯s three fires when the new official took office, and the firewood for this fire was was still provided by the emperor, since he unlikely done anything to him. But he pointed at the Ye Mansion and then the Emperor, he spoke fiercely and without hesitation, truly carried out the purpose of the Inspectorate from beginning to end, and the sentence ¡°sacrificing one¡¯s life for righteousness¡± were sprinkled with vigor, without leaving any room for maneuver.


    The Guan family¡¯s uprightness, loyalty, and righteousness were awe-inspiring! Now it¡¯s up to the emperor to deal with it.


    The civil and military officials stared at the emperor with burning eyes. Among them, Old Master Guan¡¯s eyes were the brightest, there seemed to be two flames burning in them, illuminating the ugliness of people¡¯s hearts. Somehow, Emperor Sheng Yuan actually saw Guan Suyi¡¯s pair of pupils cut autumn water and clear and distant eyes.


    Inexplicably, he felt a sense of nowhere to hide, supported his forehead, and smiled lowly. Great, what a great man Empreror Teacher! First impeached the Ye family, then in order to defend himself from bending the law for personal gain, immediately impeached the monarch too, this was to force him to make a decision. Just because this Inspectorate was built by him, and it was also given powers by him, if even he didn¡¯t take Chief Imperial Censor¡¯s words seriously, the Inspectorate would be useless as soon as it was established, and it would lose its meaning.


    Therefore, Old Master Guan could be said throwing bricks to attract jade and killing chickens to warn monkeys, and he was that piece of jade and that monkey. He was indeed making a name for himself, not afraid of power, and even more, holding the pearl of wisdom in his hands, afterwards controlled the course of events. No matter how much he wanted to protect the Ye family, he had to pinch his nose and admit it.


    Who said that Old Master Guan was pedantic, stubborn, and unworldly? This man was clearly scheming and calculating, very resourceful! No wonder the Guan family¡¯s literary name was like a big wave, righteous and respectable, it was actually because the whole family were outstanding. How could Heaven treat this family so generously, men were watered with the righteousness of heaven and earth, and women were nourished with the spirit of mountains and rivers, which made people admire and revere, how could people not like it.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan shook his head, then shook his head again, and the regrets buried deep in his heart finally came up, making his mouth full of bitter and unspeakable tastes.


    The court officials only shook their heads and smiled bitterly when they saw him, but did not open their mouth, they all just broke into a cold sweat for the Emperor Teacher. Although his mouth was a bit terrifying, but his behavior of giving up his life for righteousness and thoroughly criticized, was actually something that most people want to do but dare not do. Based on this alone, he could be called the leader of the literary circle of current era and the role model for civil and military officials.


    Guan Father saw that the emperor had not spoken for a long time, and he took the initiative to stand up, wanted to advance and retreat together with his father. Although it was agreed earlier that they would go their own ways, this impeachment against the Ye family and His Majesty was exactly their hard work. When they succeeded, they would kowtow to thank the wise monarch for the Holy Grace. If they were lost, they would die without any regrets.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan finally swallowed his mouth full of bitterness, and sighed, ¡°Take copper as a mirror you can correct your clothes, take history as a mirror you can know the rise and fall, take people as a mirror you can know the gains and losses. Emperor Teacher is exactly the bright mirror hanging high in Zhen¡¯s heart, illuminating Zhen¡¯s right and wrong.¡± As he said, he walked down the imperial platform, and bowed deeply to Old Master Guan, ¡°On that day in the Bodhi Garden, Zhen selected Elder Guan as a teacher. In the past and present Zhen has always feel fortunate, with this teacher of a hundred generations, why worry the atmosphere of court hall will be unclear, and not speak in the name of common people. Zhen should listen in the ear and accept in the heart, and rule the world peacefully. May the Emperor Teacher and the hundreds officials work together with one heart, rectify the wings of the Great Wei, and encourage Zhen together.¡±


    After the words fell, he bowed three times and sincerely said, ¡°Thank you for the grace of Emperor Teacher¡¯s teaching, Zhen is deeply grateful. The case of Ye Quanyong will be immediately handed over to the Ministry of Justice for strict investigation and thorough handling. Must not shirk responsibility and overlook, bend the law for personal gain! And Zhen will write a Guilty Edict, to use as self-reflection.¡±


    This matter had not yet reached the point of issuing a Guilty Edict, but the emperor¡¯s willingness to admit his mistakes and write a self-reflection document was the greatest compromise and concession, and he also expressed enough respect for the Emperor Teacher. The first fire of the Inspectorate was thus burned violently, causing the civil and military officials reflected on themselves and were in awe.


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father thought that the emperor would  more or less try to hold his anger, but when they took a closer look, they found that he really blamed himself. There was no complaint in his eyes, instead it was full of sincere appreciation. To have a wise monarch like this, why worry the Wei Kingdom would not be prosperous? The two hurriedly knelt down and thanked the Holy Grace, their eyes flushed.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan immediately helped the people to get up and comforted with a few warm words, and the tense atmosphere was immediately replaced with the harmonious feeling between monarch and ministers. After discussing a few more government affairs, it was announced that he would retire from the court. The emperor kept the Guan¡¯s father and son to dine together, and the rest of the people would go to their office to do their jobs.


    When walking out of the Chengde Hall, not to mention the civil servants and military generals came forward to greet the old master one after another, even the imperial clan with eyes above their head also showed a respectful attitude. With the burst of ¡°Emperor Teacher walk slowly¡±, the father and son arrived at the Weiyang Palace, and they were not waiting long before being led into the inner hall. Emperor Sheng Yuan had already changed into his regular clothes and was sitting upright. The three food tables at hand were already filled with steaming dishes, and another servant was carrying water basins, handkerchiefs and other items. In case the two people want to freshen up, all preparation were extremely thorough.


    ¡°Emperor Teacher, please take a seat, Chief of Ceremonies please take a seat.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan extended his hand to invite them, showing an approachable attitude, ¡°We monarchs and ministers are harmonious, we don¡¯t need to observe all kind of etiquette, treat it as your own home, just as you wishes.¡±


    Old Master Guan and Father Guan continuously said do not dare, they bowed respectfully and then took their seats. Emperor Sheng Yuan moved the chopsticks first, and then the two of them ate elegantly, behaved neither humble nor arrogant, with calm expressions on their face. This kind of style made Emperor Sheng Yuan more and more happy.


    ¡°Zhen has just come into contact with the culture of the Central Plains, so the knowledge is limited. Every time Zhen see the memorials presented by Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies, always feel captivated by the handwriting of iron painting and silver hooks.¡± He thought for a long time before slowly leading the conversation.


    Old Master Guan was indeed very honest, he immediately said, ¡°Your Majesty is falsely praised, this minister¡¯s calligraphy is not very good, it¡¯s a line worse than my granddaughter. This minister¡¯s wrist has been injured before, and the old disease is difficult to heal, although the brushwork is harmonious, but it lost its strength. My granddaughter started to practice calligraphy at the age of three, and coupled with her brilliant understanding and talent, at a young age she already reached the wonderful realm of transcendence. Not that this minister is boasting, just pointed out to the great scholars of the world one by one, and my granddaughter is no inferior at all.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Started to practice calligraphy at the age of three? What kind of practice?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes were slightly bright, and his voice had a touch of hoarseness.


    Old Master Guan thought that he was interested in practicing calligraphy, and explained in detail how he trained his granddaughter, such as strapping sandbags around her wrists, slowly replacing them with iron blocks and lead blocks, and gradually increasing the weight; reading a hundred times every morning, write it down a thousand times; took her to travel around the world, explored the scenery and the customs of people, strengthen the body, and condense the spirit, etc.


    Talking and talking, a vivid picture emerged in Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s mind: how a delicate little girl cried and wrote silently while carrying a heavy weight, how she recited poetry while shaking her head, how she crawled and rolled in the wind and sand, and how she played and thrived under the brilliant sun. The childish facial features with sheep horns braided slowly turned into a thrilling gorgeous face, which made his heart beat heavily, followed by a severe pain.


    When he returned to his senses, his thoughts were even more difficult to calm down, and the smile on the corner of his mouth couldn¡¯t help but went down. But after all, the two people in front of him were Guan Suyi¡¯s family, and they were also his confidants. When the emperor finished speaking, he forced a smile and said, ¡°Could it be that Madam¡¯s handwriting is better than Chief of Ceremonies?¡±


    ¡°His heart is not calm, always indignant, and his words are stained with vulgar dust. He¡¯s not even as good as me, how can he compare with Yiyi.¡± Old Master Guan hated that iron could not become steel, but he couldn¡¯t help but muttered in his heart: How can the emperor call Yiyi madam this, madam that, as if he is very familiar with her?


    Guan Father laughed and bowed, not daring to speak at will, so as not to be bombarded by his own father.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed aloud, and then seamlessly brought the topic to Guan Suyi again, so he heard many interesting and embarrassing things, and the pain just now gradually faded away, turning into satisfaction and joy. After the meal, the monarch and ministers felt they haven¡¯t have enough fun yet. Very soon it was not early anymore and they had their own government affairs, so they bid farewell.


    Before leaving, Guan Father suddenly said, ¡°Dare to ask what kind of incense is burning in Your Majesty¡¯s palace hall? The smell is very unique.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan talked and laughed as usual, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s burning, I came from the army, and I don¡¯t know much about these things. Baifu¡­¡±


    Baifu hurriedly said, ¡°Enlighten the Emperor, enlighten Master Guan, it¡¯s the burning of cinnamon ointment of Yunzhou tribute. If Master likes it, this servant will make people pack a box.¡±


    Guan Father didn¡¯t refuse, he took the gift box and left with the old master. Emperor Sheng Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He took out a set of rice paper folder from the dark compartment, sniffed it close to his nose, and sighed, ¡°Although the scent of this Fragrant Snow Sea is light, it¡¯s very long-lasting. Even if it is blocked by layers of utensils, it¡¯s still futile.¡± Just like that person, the more you dare not think about it, the more it drill into your mind.

 CH 50

    Chapter 50 Choice


    Inside the Ganquan Palace, Ye Zhen¡¯s face was pale, her lips were chapped while she was lying on the bed. If it wasn¡¯t for the slight heaving of her chest, she looked like a corpse. The two palace maids knelt beside the bed to guard at all time, for fear that if they made a mistake, Jieyu niangniang would die.


    After a while, Yong He came in with a bowl of soup medicine, and whispered, ¡°Niangniang, wake up, it¡¯s time to drink the medicine.¡±


    Ye Zhen slowly woke up, her dispirited eyes unconsciously stared at the bed curtain, and it took a while to figure out when and where it was. With the help of the palace maid, she managed to sit up halfway, coughing, ¡°Has the emperor visited This Palace today?¡± She was asleep for sixteen hours a day, afraid she missed that person¡¯s arrival.


    Yong He¡¯s face darkened slightly, and she said cautiously, ¡°Reporting to Niangniang, the emperor is busy with government affairs, and he doesn¡¯t have any spare time. However, this servant have already sent the news that your condition is a little better. Presumably after this busy period over, the emperor should be here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ye Zhen smiled bitterly, ¡°He won¡¯t come when This Palace is terminally ill, and he won¡¯t come if I gets better. Yong He, you don¡¯t have to coax This Palace.¡± At this point, she waved her hand to dismiss other people, then continued, ¡°Now finally understand the weight of This Palace in his heart. For seven years, even if you cover a stone, even if it¡¯s not melting, you can still get a little bit of warmth. But he is good, saying that he will turn his face, he really turns his face. Indeed the monarch are ruthless. This Palace sacrificed her life to stay with him, but really don¡¯t know if it¡¯s right or wrong.¡±


    ¡°Niangniang, don¡¯t let your imagination runs wild, it¡¯s important to quickly raise your body !¡± Seeing that there was no one around, Yong He immediately took out a pale red pill from her cuff and stuffed it into her master¡¯s palm. Ye Zhen shook it slightly, swallowed it while coughing with her head down, and then took a small sip of the soup medicine.


    When the master took the antidote, Yong He whispered, ¡°Niangniang, you are far from the point of hopelessness. The emperor has no children. If you give birth to the eldest son first, the Ye family will be able to recover. Therefore, your top priority right now is to prepare for pregnancy, when the remaining poison in your body is exhausted, this servant will prepare a few more decoctions for nourishing the womb, let you drink it every day, and in less than two months then you can conceive a child.¡±


    After Ye Zhen drank the last sip of the soup, and said helplessly, ¡°The emperor never touches This Palace, how can This Palace get pregnant?¡±


    ¡°Niangniang, you have never sleep together?¡± Yong He was so shocked that she almost shattered the medicine bowl. She only knew that the emperor never stayed in Ganquan Palace, but he also never stayed in other palaces. During the day, he often came, and occasionally let her retreat to talk to niangniang in the inner hall alone. As short as two to three quarters of an hour, as long as most of the day, it was impossible to do nothing, right?


    Under the suspicious eyes of her confidant, Ye Zhen finally poured out the most embarrassing secret hidden in the deepest part of her heart, ¡°This Palace and the emperor has never had a skin-to-skin relationship. Remember the day when he conferred Lord Marquis the marriage, when he patted This Palace¡¯s arm? In seven years, it was the first time he touched This Palace.¡±


    Yong He didn¡¯t dare to ask any more, worried that she would not be able to hold such a huge secret. She thought that since Niangniang could successfully enter the harem and got such a high position, she should have held the emperor in the palm of her hand. But it turned out that the person had never even touched her, and the meticulous care for so many years was really because of that little life-saving grace.


    The Emperor is as affectionate as rumors said, but in some respects, he is extremely cold. If you can¡¯t get into his heart, even if you risk your life for him, all he can give is gratitude and care, not deep love. Saying that he is a benevolent and righteous man is true, saying that he has an iron heart is also true, how can you please such a person?


    The more Yong He thought about it, the more she felt that the road ahead was bleak, and her face could not help but become blight. A stunning woman that made the moon hide and the flowers ashamed like niangniang, actually spent seven years and still couldn¡¯t gain the upper hand. Who in this world can crack the emperor¡¯s hard heart? Do they really have reflect behind closed doors forever?


    In the end, it was Ye Zhen who spoke, ¡°Help This Palace to recuperate the body first, and get rid the remaining poison as soon as possible. When This Palace is ready, there will naturally be a way to make the emperor submit. In the past, in order to give him a good impression of chastity and virtuousness, it¡¯s inevitable that This Palace was a little more conservative and cautious, but it cannot be like that in the future. If we don¡¯t take extreme measures, our Ganquan Palace will become a cold palace from now on. The emperor order This Palace to reflect behind closed doors, but did not say when the ban will be lifted, even the palace affairs were slowly moved to those newly promoted concubines, this is just to step on This Palace. In the end, he is different from the past, his heart is so hard.¡±


    Glancing at Yong He, who noncommittally promised, she lowered her voice as much as possible, ¡°Take out the treasure at the bottom of the box under the bed, and use everything that should be used in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this servant took the time to check and inspect, and some of them haven¡¯t been used for a long time, afraid the effectiveness will be greatly reduced. Last time, the eldest miss took a box when she entered the palace, and this servant recorded in the account.¡± Yong He said as she went to the bottom of the bed, and suddenly heard the sound of messy footsteps outside.


    ¡°Breaking into the inner hall without permission, do you want your life?¡± Yong He hurriedly out to block, but saw that the person who came was an inner attendant, who was already sweating profusely, and his face flushed red.


    ¡°Jieyu niangniang, something bad happened!¡± The servant knelt down and said hurriedly, ¡°The emperor has set up a new official office today, called the Inspectorate, which is dedicated to giving criticisms and supervising hundreds of officials, with great authority, even the emperor¡¯s words and deeds are also within the scope of impeachment, and he cannot be convicted by words. And the Emperor Teacher, who also serve as the Chief Censor of the Inspectorate, barely put on his official robe and immediately impeached Master Ye, directly recited Master Ye¡¯s thirty-two charges, including rebellion plan, deception, bullying, great disrespect, and so on¡­¡±


    ¡°Who said the Emperor Teacher is dedicated to the public, who said the Guan family has a clean and honest style! He is blatantly declaring his personal vendetta! Did the emperor really listen to his false accusation?¡± Ye Zhen flew into a rage and stood up in anger, but because she was still weak, she fell back instantly.


    The inner attendant swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Niangniang, this servant has not finished speaking yet. After he finished impeaching Master Ye, he then impeached the emperor for nepotism and not cultivating the inner palace, causing foreign relatives to make chaos in the court, colluding with his ministers and close attendants, and endangering the Holy¡¯s life and face. Now the emperor has made a confession of guilt, he will copy the ancestral instructions a hundred times in the imperial study as a punishment¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, Ye Zhen had already paralyzed as soft as mud, full of despair. The Emperor Teacher first impeached the Ye family, making people think that he had selfish desires, and then he impeached the emperor, which immediately brought a big reversal, giving people the impression that he was not afraid of power and was actually selfless. If the emperor did not want to abolish the so-called Inspectorate on the first day, he would strictly investigate the Ye family and strictly punish her father.


    What  benevolent family, their heart is more poisonous than snakes and scorpions! This Palace just pressed Guan Suyi¡¯s face a little, but they make a killing move as soon as they strike, and they wouldn¡¯t leave anyone behind! Ye Zhen almost crushed a mouthful of silver teeth, only to feel her throat was blocked, and immediately spurted out a mouthful of black and red blood.


    Yong He and the others had already lost their soul, and they were stunned for a long time before they rushed up and shouted niangniang.


    After taking a few breaths, Ye Zhen said reluctantly, ¡°Since the emperor has already confessed his guilt, then my Ye family will not be able to escape this disaster? What are the punishments for the thirty-two charges?¡±


    The inner attendant choked and said, ¡°A single conspiracy to rebel is a capital crime of confiscating possessions and extermination of the entire clan, not to mention multiple crimes being punished at the same time. Now Master Ye and all the people involved in the case have been taken into custody and awaiting trial. The Ye Mansion is in chaos, the servants are running and scattered, in a while it will collapse and fall apart. When this servant came, Madam Ye was still kneeling at the gate of the palace, also don¡¯t know if anyone would take care of her.¡±


    ¡°Confiscating possessions and extermination of the entire clan¡­¡± Ye Zhen repeatedly chewed these few words, and another mouthful of blood spurted out, desperately shouting, ¡°Go find the emperor! Go find the emperor now! Just say it¡¯s for the life-saving grace, let him spare the Ye family one last time! The Ye family will no longer dare, and This Palace will no longer dare, this will definitely be the last time!¡±


    The inner attendant did not dare to delay, and hurried out. After receiving the news, Emperor Sheng Yuan hesitated for a moment, but he still entered the Ganquan Palace. The two of them, one was lying breathlessly inside the bed canopy, and the other was sitting outside with a cold face and solemn look, no one speak for a while.


    ¡°I heard that this is the last time?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan first asked the imperial doctor to diagnose Ye Zhen¡¯s pulse and prescribed a decoction to strengthen the heart and calm the mind. After she finished drinking, and the effect of the medicine came up, he then slowly said, ¡°Time and time again, Zhen no longer remember how many times.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, this is really the last time. I will exchange the life-saving grace for your forgiveness of the Ye family. From now on, can we consider the debt between us as clear?¡± Ye Zhen¡¯s eyes were hazy with tears, and her tone was full of grieve. She never expected that sending a tree of coral would lead herself to such a miserable situation. Guan family really has some terrifying methods!


    ¡°Back then, he funded Second Prince¡¯s rebellion, hoping to win the dragon¡¯s merits. This rebellion can be worth 7 to 8 point out 10 of the grace. In recent years, he didn¡¯t know how to restrain himself, but instead spent a lot of money to buy close attendant around Zhen, bribing key civil and military officials, and up to no good. This crime of forming a party for personal interest can be worth one or two point of the grace, and the remaining point of the grace is not enough to balance for your spying on the emperor¡¯s trail, so how can you save the entire Ye family?¡±


    Spying on the Emperor¡¯s trail? Hearing this, Ye Zhen¡¯s liver and gallbladder were about to be broken, completely terrified. It turned out that the emperor knew everything, but he didn¡¯t want to break the facade. If it wasn¡¯t for Ye Fan, she would not have suppressed Guan Suyi. If she had not suppressed Guan Suyi, the Ye family would not have provoked the Guan family. And they could maintain the illusion of a deep relationship between husband and wife.


    Even if she was just pretending for a lifetime, even if the truth was cruel and unbearable, it would be thousands of times better than the current situation! If the Ye family was slaughtered, how could she, Ye Zhen, have any chance of surviving? Not to mention the empress dowager, the grand princess, and the eldest princess who hated her to the bone, even those low-ranking concubines would united to kill her.


    If she hadn¡¯t squandered those grace, she might have lived to old age in peace, buried with the imperial consort¡¯s ceremony when she died, and enjoyed the whole nation¡¯s mourning. How noble and beautiful? But now, her life and death, the life and death of the entire Ye¡¯s clan, were all between the Emperor Teacher¡¯s mouth, and even more between the Emperor¡¯s thoughts.


    Ye Zhen had never feel so regretful, and had never been so desperate. Only then did she finally understand that not everyone could be at her mercy, not everyone let her trample on them. Her power was far from being able to cover the sky with one hand.


    Now, she couldn¡¯t do anything except stare at the emperor with mournful and hopeful eyes, and she couldn¡¯t even spit out a single word of defense.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan considered for a moment, then said word by word, ¡°I will give you one last chance. Save Ye Quanyong, everything you have will be lost. Save yourself, Ye Quanyong will surely die. What will you choose?¡± He wanted to see, what the real Ye Zhen really looked like?

 CH 51

    Chapter 51 Real Face


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s words made Ye Zhen fell into the abyss, her answer would determine whether she could land safely, or shattered to pieces. Of course, what was the difference between choosing her father or choosing herself? In the end, it was still the word ¡°death¡±.


    No, no, how can you die? If you choose to protect yourself, then you will still be Ye Jieyu, who is aloof and monopolizes the power in the palace. You can also protect the remaining members of the Ye family, and will be able to regain the emperor¡¯s favor at the right time. But if you choose your father, you will have nothing, and the death penalty will be difficult to avoided. The Ye family¡¯s business inevitably cannot be preserved, and you have no power and position, can only live a miserable life with your relatives, and won¡¯t the people you have offended before still throw some stones and attack together?


    It¡¯s worse than death! Keep the green hills and not be afraid of running out of firewood, Ye Zhen, just choose yourself to consider the big picture. Only in this way you can lead the clan to escape from the predicament, and bring the Ye family back to glory one day in the future! Your choice is right, your choice is right¡­ After repeating this sentence in her heart, Ye Zhen¡¯s face already had a faint madness.


    Her mind was in a turmoil, and countless thoughts were spinning in the gust of wind, as if they were about to explode. However, in the midst of so many distracting thoughts, she didn¡¯t dare to think about what would happen if she lost everything she had, and what would happen if she lost the favor of the emperor. She didn¡¯t even realize that this problem was most likely just a trap, or a probing.


    The poison in her body were haunting, the constant pain was like a knife cutting off the flesh, and the successive blows that followed was destroying her spirit and will. In only just a few days, Ye Zhen¡¯s whole body was almost overwhelmed.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t rush, while tapping his fingers on the table, he quietly observed the change in the other person¡¯s expression. After carefully searching his mind, he realized that he seemed to have only seen her sadness, sorrow, smile, tenderness, and other gestures that could arouse men¡¯s desire to protect her. Other than that, it was completely blank.


    On the other hand, Madam, although he only saw her face a few times, her understanding smile, hearty laugh, and a smile like¡­ all kinds of smiles, yet bright and warm; One moment enduring her anger silently, but once it reach the end of her patience, she pointed her finger with glaring eyes, slapped the table while standing up, her demeanor was chivalrous and heroic; When she was facing the fragments of destroyed books, it was clear that she was so distressed and grief-stricken, but there was only a layer of water mist in her eyes, and not a single teardrop had fallen, she really had iron-bones, proud and awe-inspiring.


    Putting the two together, although they were equally gorgeous, a beauty that could overturn a country. One seemed to exist in the darkness full of gloomy moisture, causing people to be infected with the dark. The other blooms under the clear sky, bathed in brilliant sunshine, so that people could only feel the spring and surging vitality.


    The more he recalled the person¡¯s frown and smile, the more painful and sharp his heart became. In the end Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t dare to think about it any more. He lifted his eyelids slightly to look at Ye Zhen who was going crazy.


    ¡°This concubine confessed her sin and ask the emperor to spare this concubine this time.¡± Ye Zhen was ashamed and directly save herself, only wept bitterly.


    Yong He, who was standing beside her, was already sweating profusely, she wanted to warn her but did not dare to make a move. As a bystander, she clearly knew what kind of image niangniang had in front of the emperor over the years. She was pure, kind, gentle, infatuated, and cherished the old friendship. However, with the case of spying at the emperor¡¯s trail, and coupled with the absurd choice just now, the beautiful image she painstakingly created had completely collapsed. Even if the emperor spared her this time, after seeing her ruthless real face, how could he give her a chance to regain his favor? On the other hand, if she chooses to protect her father and clan, there was a chance that the emperor would give her kindness out of her filial piety.


    Niangniang, you can¡¯t!


    It¡¯s a pity that Ye Zhen couldn¡¯t hear Yong He¡¯s cry, she was devastated physically and mentally, her mind was plunged into chaos, and she could only act by instinct.


    What an instinct to act! Emperor Sheng Yuan stopped tapping on the table and muttered, ¡°You will still be Ye Jieyu in the future, and Ye Quanyong over there, Zhen will let Department of Justice to handle in accordance with the law, and there will be no pardon for death penalty.¡±


    Ye Zhen froze in an instant, her chest heaving violently, as if she couldn¡¯t bear more bad news. Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t even look at her, he turned around and wanted to leave, but he heard her calling out, ¡°Your Majesty, wait, this concubine still has something I want to give you. Yong He, hurry up and get it.¡±


    With tears in her eyes, Yong He took down the brocade box placed on the shelf, opened it and inside there was a half foot square small table screen, fixed on a frame with a holder in the middle, which could be rotated back and forth. There was a simple black pattern on a white background of a piece of silk cloth, but it had been embroidered on both sides in fine detail, and no matter how people look, they couldn¡¯t find any flaws. There were two well-framed paintings, one of Rakshasa and the other of Smilling Buddha.


    ¡°Your Majesty, this is the table screen that you entrusted niangniang to embroidered a few days ago. She did not dare to delay, even when she was sick she still doing the embroidery, and stayed up all night, almost burning her eyes. This is a new embroidery method that niangniang has figured out by herself. The method is called double-sided embroidery, and she said she want to pass this method to the embroidery mama in the Weaving Department so that it can earn more benefits for you. Your Majesty, niangniang treats you with all of her heart, you should have some pity on her!¡± Yong He really couldn¡¯t do anything, except talking about feelings.


    Ye Zhen opened her lips and smiled bitterly, a line of blood slowly dripping from the corners of her mouth, against the pale complexion and sad eyes, she looked both pitiful and pathetic.


    The two master and servant composed and sang excellent performances, making Baifu, an old man who had long experienced the fickleness of the world, almost cry, not to mention the other people in the hall. It didn¡¯t take long for a series of sobbing to come from the surrounding corners, which literally rendered the splendid Ganquan Palace into a poor alley, which was extremely miserable.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan picked up the table screen with no expression on his face, and felt remorse in his heart. If he had known that these two drawings would be regarded as tools to gain pity and showed affection, he would not have sent them to Ganquan Palace. It was really heartbreaking that the noble was tarnished by the despicable.


    He carefully put away the drawings, threw the table screen to the inner attendant, and ordered, ¡°Send it to the weaving department, and let the embroider mama over there think about it. If the craftsmanship is not complicated, it can be promoted to benefit the people. If it is too complicated, cultivate some people to specialize in this project and open source for the national treasury.¡±


    The attendant agreed and went with the table screen. Then he stared at Ye Zhen and said bluntly, ¡°A few days ago, you were seriously ill because Zhao Luli was about to remarry, sighing for the unforgettable love. Today you are talking about infatuation with Zhen. Ye Zhen, how many hearts do you have? ¡±


    Ye Zhen and Yong He froze together, speechless for a while.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t need the other person to answer, and continued, ¡°I see that you have no heart at all. You can even abandon your own father¡¯s life, how could you be willing to give up your life to save me? The Ye family has been a travelling merchant for generations, their ability to avoid harm and gain benefit are unmatched, absolutely impossible to risk the whole family and sacrifice oneself for a stranger. Did you really not know Zhen true identity back then? Did you really just show kindness to an injured person you met by chance? Now, it doesn¡¯t seem like your character.¡±


    It¡¯s over, it¡¯s all broken! Yong He¡¯s soul flew out of the sky, almost fainting. Ye Zhen was still holding on, the chaotic mind was instantly clear, and then she tried her best to reflect ¨C the traces from back then were all erased, the emperor would not find anything, even if her father was interrogated, he should also know the importance. Admitting means he would die, if he did not admit, even though he would also die, but there was no need to add another crime of assassinating and deceiving the monarch, and he could also save the nine clans, so he must not admit it.


    As the emperor said, the Ye family¡¯s ability to avoid harm and gain benefit was unparalleled, and her father would definitely know how to choose. Thinking like this, Ye Zhen planned to defend herself a few words, but heard the emperor solemnly said, ¡°What is the truth, Zhen will send someone to investigate. Ye Zhen, you just hope that Ye family¡¯s hands and feet are clean enough.¡± He had already identified her as suspicious in his heart.


    Ye Zhen couldn¡¯t bear these heavy pressures anymore, and with a ¡°puff¡±, the old blood in her heart spurted out.


    Baifu hurriedly beckoned the imperial doctor to treat her, then turned to chase after the emperor who had already walked away. Unexpectedly, Ye Jieyu, who seemed to be gentle and submissive, had such a powerful means that she could even fabricate that life-saving grace. If there was no trace when investigated, wouldn¡¯t it mean that when the emperor was assassinate, the Ye family also pushed it hard?


    Hiss, that¡¯s killing the monarch! Thinking of this, Baifu felt flustered for Ye Jieyu, and felt the chill at the base of his neck.


    ¡ª-


    Zhao Luli offended the new madam yesterday, and almost break all ties, but today he didn¡¯t even think to try to appease and apologize, instead ran to Ye Mansion early in the morning to clean up the mess for Master Ye and Liu shi. The Ye family not only detained many powerful people on the day of the treasure banquet, but also caused the commanders to lose their official hats and suffer flogging for dispatching the Imperial Guards without authorization. It could be said they had offended most of Yanjing overnight, if no one supported the facade, afraid they would be rained down with stones and pushed to the wall by the crowd.


    Although as Marquis Zhenbei he had no real power, but he had accumulated some old friendship in the army, and he could talk to some extent. And because Zhao Wangshu and Zhao Chunxi had no real mother to discipline them, he also brought them along, which could also soothe and comfort their elders.


    Master Ye did not neglect this ex-son-in-law like he used to, but welcomed him by the gate with great enthusiasm, and asked him to speak in the main hall. The two little ones followed their cousins to visit their grandmother in the back house. Although they had just been severely beaten in the face by the emperor, Ye Jieyu was still there, and Master Ye¡¯s official position was still there. When the emperor¡¯s anger subsides, and Jieyu regained the holy favor, they would be able to turn over in the future, maybe even more glorious than now.


    Therefore, Ye Mansion was only slightly depressed, and there was no sign of defeated. However, just after chenshi (7-9am), seeing that the palace was about to disperse, there were several lines of guards holding swords and halberds surrounded the Ye Mansion. Minister of Justice personally led the team to break into the gate, without saying a word, he first tied up all the guilty people on the list, and pulled them outside the courtyard, recited the decree word by word.


    Zhao Luli knelt down behind the Ye family to protect the two children. He was shocked when he heard it carefully, and finally understood what Guan Suyi said yesterday, ¡°It is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years¡±. Not only did Old Master Guan not plead for the Ye family, but he sued his father-in-law on 32 charges, all of them were capital offenses, all of them could annihilate the nine clans.


    Now that even the emperor had made a Guilty Edict, how could he spare Ye Mansion lightly and forgive Ye Zhen? The last path to live for the Ye family was cut off by Old Master Guan¡¯s second impeachment. What a poisonous means of revenge! Zhao Luli¡¯s heart felt like it was twisted with a knife, it was useless to repent now. On the other hand, the two children were already scared foolishly.


    Before the official finished reciting the decree, the Ye family had already shouted injustice, but they unable to impress the officials. They could only watch helplessly as they tore down the pavilions, smashed down tables and chairs, carried away the wealth hidden in the cellar and storehouse box by box, and slammed down the gold plaque of Ye Mansion and smashed them to pieces.

 CH 52

    Chapter 52 Divorce


    The Ye Mansion, which was still slightly depressed just now, was about to collapse in a blink of an eye, and the danger was imminent. This change came too quickly, and people were caught off guard. The people passing by saw the officers coming and going, heard the loud cries, so they all gathered around to watch.


    ¡°Why did the Ye family even have the plaque removed? This doesn¡¯t seem like a petty fight!¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you know? The Ye family relied on Ye Jieyu¡®s favor, so they always acted wildly. Now they have stabbed the hornet¡¯s nest and make the Emperor Teacher impeach them! There are thirty-two charges, and they are all posted on the notice in front of the gate of Minister of Justice office, go and see for yourself, there are a few Confucian scholars there to recite for free.¡±


    ¡°Minister of Justice office is too far, I¡¯m too lazy to run, you can tell me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, you can tell everyone.¡± The gossipy people quickly echoed.


    The well-informed person recounted the cause and effect triumphantly, and concluded at the end, ¡°Speaking of which, it was the red coral that caused the disaster. You said that you are worried about your two grandchildren, afraid that they will be bullied by their stepmother, at once stuffed in a shu daughter as a concubine, why are you so brazen? Isn¡¯t it obvious that you tried to embarrass the Emperor Teacher Mansion? That¡¯s just great, the Emperor Teacher Mansion doesn¡¯t use a normal move, but one move will kill you!¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, the literati¡¯s methods are truly terrifying! Even doing personal vendetta to this point!¡± A Confucian scholar shook his head and sighed.


    Didn¡¯t know who spit in the back, and shouted loudly, ¡°You fucking knows fart! The Emperor Teacher not only impeached Ye Quanyong, but also impeached the emperor, saying that he indulged his foreign relatives and bring disaster for the common people, the emperor then issued a decree to strictly investigate the Ye family, otherwise it¡¯s unknown until when the Ye family will be rampant. Do you think Ye Quanyong is a good person? I tell you, the Ye family doesn¡¯t have any good thing! In the past, a large area of Gejia village in the western suburbs was forcibly occupied by the Ye family who allied with some officials, the emperor clearly issued a decree, exempting the common people of Great Wei from paying taxes for three years, the people in  ten miles and eight villages should have all benefited from this, but at Ye family¡¯s land, the rent were still collected like before, they still recruited forced labor like before, coupled with summer floods and severe cold in winter, the grains could not be harvested, to the point the villagers of Gejia starve to death and freeze to death. Walking a little closer to that place, all I saw was red earth and white bones, really a desolate place! Some villagers couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, they were going to the capital to sue to the imperial court, but they were beaten to death by the minions sent by the Ye family, and they were thrown into the mountains to feed the wolves. What kind of good thing is Ye mansion? Just a bunch of fucking beasts! If there is no Emperor Teacher, they will still rely on the emperor and Ye Jieyu¡®s power, and it¡¯s unknown how long they will run rampant, and it¡¯s unknown how many people they will harm. Emperor Teacher is eliminating evil for the people, enforce justice on behalf of Heaven!¡±


    The man cried bitterly as he spoke, showing that there were a lot of grievances in his heart.


    Someone next to him whispered, ¡°Yes, yes, eight to nine out of ten beggars in Yanjing are from the Gejia village. When they saw the plaque of the Ye family from a distance, they avoid it. They are very afraid! ¡±


    ¡°More than that! There used to be a very prosperous cloth shop in Willow Lane. The dyed cloth is colorful and does not fade for a long time. It¡¯s very popular with powerful people and nobles. Completely different patterns are embroidered on both sides of the silk, and even if people turn it over and over in their hands, they can¡¯t find any flaws. Because of the unique skills of the dyeing and embroidery, someone from the Department of Internal Affairs took a fancy to them and wanted to choose them as imperial merchants and specialize in tribute weaving, but the news was intercepted by the Ye Mansion, and the nine members of the family of the owner of cloth shop were forced to death by some dirty means, the family property and secret methods were forcibly seized, they really have no conscience!¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s¡­¡±


    In the past, because Ye Jieyu was favored, everyone did not dare to criticize ¡°Imperial-in-law Ye¡±, but now even the emperor had been charged with ¡°condoning foreign relatives to cause disaster¡±, and also wrote a Guilty Edict to reflect on himself, it could be seen that the Ye family¡¯s punishment was difficult to escape, so the bloody cases one by one were turned over and spread to everyone.


    Looking at it this way, the Ye family¡¯s raid and extermination of the clan were really not wrong at all.


    ¡°Emperor Teacher is too selfless. He only has the law and public interest in his eyes, but he has forgotten his own family! He impeached Ye Mansion, causing Ye Quanyong¡¯s family to be destroyed. He didn¡¯t think about how his granddaughter will live in Marquis Zhenbei Mansion? We know that the deceased wife of the Marquis Zhenbei is Ye Jieyu¡®s twin sister, and half the blood of the Ye family still flows in their di son and daughter. With such a bloody feud, Guan shi will have a hard time in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! In order to seek justice, Emperor Teacher has sacrificed the lifelong happiness of his granddaughter, and I don¡¯t know if he will regret it in the future.¡±


    ¡°Guan shi is pitiful, really pitiful¡­¡± The people who were still indignant just now sighed for Marquis Zhenbei Madam.


    ¡ª¡ª


    After the father-in-law and several brothers-in-law were kidnapped, Zhao Luli helped Liu shi out of the door, followed by a group of crying womenfolk. The Ye Mansion had now been sealed, and the officials were preparing to stick the seal on the door. If they couldn¡¯t find a place to settle down, they must sleep on the street.


    Up to now, Liu shi finally realized the benefits of her ex-son-in-law, pulled him to shout the injustices one by one, repeatedly begging him to bring Master Ye out. Zhao Luli promised again and again, but his heart was trembling. Where would he find a way? He could only bring the womenfolk back to the mansion for resettlement, and then slowly plan to rescue his father-in-law in the future.


    Liu shi didn¡¯t dare to put all her hopes on her son-in-law. She stroked the hem of her clothes and tidied up her hair on he temples. Then she went to the gate of the palace and knelt down to see if she could see her daughter. She just walked out a few steps when she heard a passerby talking about ¡°Guan shi this , Guan shi that¡±, and then new hatred and old hatred surged together, pinching his son-in-law¡¯s arm and said angrily, ¡°Yes! My Ye family fell into this situation, all were caused by that Guan shi! Chen Guang, you must divorce that vicious woman!¡±


    Zhao Chunxi didn¡¯t even have the slightest idea how to fight against Guan shi, and only hoped that she could stay farther away from her, so she couldn¡¯t help but fan the flames and said, ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t Guan shi threaten us before, saying that it¡¯s not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years? That saying is finally here, the Guan family¡¯s impeachment of grandfather must be under her orders. The trivial matters in the family should be discussed and be coordinated together, each takes one step back to be more open-minded and make the whole family happy, but she actually make a fuss to the point of people dying! Daddy, she is too narrow-minded. With such a person as my and Wang Shu¡¯s mother, how could we dare to provoke her in the future? If accidentally pierce her heart, will we die in her hands?¡±


    ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m afraid!¡± Zhao Wangshu had been frightened by the collapse of the Ye family and the ferocity of the officers. He could not help but trembled with fear when he heard that it was all because of his stepmother¡¯s ghost.


    Zhao Luli looked at the Ye¡¯s family, who was suffering from the bitter wind and rain, and at the children who were like startled birds. He was seething with anger for a while, then dropped a sentence, ¡°I¡¯ll go see her to settle the bill¡± and left in a fit of rage. Liu shi cursed for a moment through gritted teeth, and then she smiled coldly: My Ye family is indeed unlucky, but can you get a good outcome Guan Suyi? As a woman, living in the back house, your husband is your heaven, and your children are your land. Without your husband¡¯s favor and at odds with your children, I want to see if you¡¯re unable to rely on heaven and fall to the ground for the rest of your life, how should you live! Guan Qiguang that old bastard has harmed his own granddaughter, but he still doesn¡¯t know. Reading books too much is making you stupid! Cuih!


    With a fierce spit, Liu shi said, ¡°All go to the palace gate and kneel. You won¡¯t get up unless Jieyu niangniang has summoned!¡±


    Although Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu were full of reluctance, they did not dare to object, so they had to force themselves to go.


    ¡ª¨C


    Guan Suyi was idle today and was wandering the newly opened bookstore when she heard someone call her from above, ¡°Madam, Marquis Zhenbei Madam?¡±


    ¡°Hunnar, why are you here?¡± Guan Suyi looked up, turned out it was the big man of the Jiuli tribe, almost nine feet tall and shrunk in a cramped corner, a pair of seemingly pure black, but in fact, occasionally appeared blue eyes were staring at her.


    ¡°This bookstore was opened by Lord Marquis, and this subordinate accompany him to see it.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan barely suppressed his joy and pointed above.


    Standing behind Guan Suyi, the maid named Jinzi quickly glanced at the emperor, and then let out a sigh of relief. It took all of her mind to bring the very intelligent madam to come here without letting her see the flaws.


    Guan Suyi looked up and saw that Qin Lingyun was standing by the railing with a smile that was not a smile.


    ¡°You still have the mood to go shopping?¡± He took out a Buddhist bead, his tone was very gloating.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s heart moved, and she speculated, ¡°My grandfather took office today. Could it be that he impeached Ye Quanyong in the Jinluan Palace?¡±


    ¡°More than that.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan walked down slowly and spoke with red ears.


    Guan Suyi thought for a while, and then said, ¡°And impeached the emperor?¡±


    Qin Lingyun asked in amazement, ¡°How do you know?¡± If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the emperor sent spies to follow Marquis Zhenbei Madam all the time, making sure that after she left the mansion¡¯s gate and drove to the bookstore, she didn¡¯t meet any acquaintances on the way, nor did she stop much, Qin Lingyun really wanted to suspect that she was a clairvoyance and omniscient.


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Impeaching the Ye family can impeach the emperor by the way. In this way, the first fire of the Inspectorate is really lit.¡± Guan Suyi took out a travel journal, smiled and shook her head while reading.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s mood fluctuated slightly, and he realized, ¡°So, the target of the Emperor Teacher has never been the Ye family, but the emperor?¡±


    ¡°If you want to quickly establish the prestige of the Inspectorate, is there a more suitable target than the emperor?¡± Guan Suyi put down the book, bowed three times in the direction of the imperial city, and sighed, ¡°Fortunately, the emperor is a real wise monarch, lead by example and serves the public wholeheartedly, only then my grandfather can seek benevolence and acquire it. In my opinion, within three to five years, our Great Wei will definitely rejuvenate, and within ten years it will unified the rivers and mountains.¡±


    In front of the Emperor¡¯s lackey, she easily patted the horse¡¯s butt. Of course, the administration of officials in the Great Wei was indeed much clearer than in the previous life. In the early days of the founding of the country in the previous life, the court was very chaotic. First, Xu Guangzhi used his literary to mess with the law. Second, Jiuli aristocrats oppressed the Han people. And third was the secret struggle between foreign relatives, noble families and clan relatives. It was not until the civil unrest broke out later, and the Great Wei was almost torn apart, Emperor Sheng Yuan finally realized the pain when the pain gone and ruthlessly rectified the administration of officials, but it took three to five years to gradually stabilize the situation.


    On the other hand, this world was peaceful and smooth. Could this be the result of saving her grandfather? A small change could influence the fate of a country. Heaven¡¯s will was really unpredictable.


    When Guan Suyi sighed and lamented, Emperor Sheng Yuan felt his hot blood surged after being praised by her. Carrying the whole country¡¯s rivers and mountains on his left shoulder and the common people on his right shoulder, he had been trying his best to explore and move forward, fearing that one wrong step would turn the world upside down and the common people would be forced to leave home and become miserable. However, others could only see his high power and invincibility, how could they understand his fear and trepidation, like walking on thin ice? Even if they praised him as a wise monarch and holy master ten thousand times, it was no match for Madam¡¯s plain and firm prophecy.


    ¡°Borrowing Madam¡¯s auspicious words, I will let Madam see my Great Wei¡¯s peaceful and prosperous age as soon as possible.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s voice was hoarse, and he was about to say something else when he saw Zhao Luli running this was with a huff, and dragged her out without looking at anyone else, said angrily, ¡°The Ye family suffered such a great disaster, and you are still hanging out? If you don¡¯t let the Emperor Teacher withdraw the impeachment memorial and enter the palace to plead for the Ye family today, I will divorce you!¡±

 CH 53

    Chapter 53 Blind


    Seeing that Madam was staggering after being pulled by Zhao Luli and almost fell over, Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s anger surged up, and his hand was already on the handle of the knife ready to free her. But then he saw Madam turned her head and unobtrusively shook her head.


    ¡°Madam.¡± He shouted helplessly and hoarsely, and immediately followed.


    When Zhao Luli ran back to the Marquis Mansion, he found that Guan Suyi was not there. He asked the housekeeper only to find that she was going to the bookstore today, so he searched all the shops in Yanjing City, and found that Marquis Zhenxi was also here. He ran fast all the way while seething in anger, his red eyes and sinister face ruined his former graceful demeanor, making passersby dodge and at the same time extremely curious, so they also followed him to watch the fun, and found that the person he was blindly looking for was Marquis Zhenbei Madam, everyone suddenly realized.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just say it, this couple is really finish!¡± Some busybody whispered.


    ¡°Afraid Madam Marquis is going to be unlucky! A married daughter is like a spilled water. The Emperor Teacher did not think about how his granddaughter would live before taking action. After all, Ye Mansion was the foreign relatives of Marquis Mansion, when the pair of di son and daughter grew up, wouldn¡¯t they want to avenge their mother¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, being a stepmother is already difficult enough, let alone to have deep blood feuds in the middle. If Master Ye is beheaded, this deadlock cannot be resolved. Guan shi might as well go to her maiden home and persuade her grandfather to let him go to the palace to ease the tension with a few words, and leave Master Ye alive.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, first impeached others, it make him righteous, and then later come forward to protect them, it make him merciful. This kind of grace and power is like two-pronged approach. Even if Ye Mansion and Marquis Mansion hate Guan family to the bone, they can¡¯t say anything, and Guan shi can also live in peace and security with the great grace and righteousness. How good is that, isn¡¯t that the best of both worlds?¡±


    ¡°Brother is wise!¡± Many people raised their thumbs in agreement.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart was full of mixed feelings, bitter and astringent. If it wasn¡¯t for his oversight, Madam would have never fallen into this situation. She was a proud woman, but she had to use such a compromised method to survive, had to consider the Zhao family¡¯s face everywhere, and even more, had to be under the control of the Ye family. Even the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies couldn¡¯t protect her. A married daughter is like a spilled water, at this moment, he finally understood the cruelty of this sentence. If a woman couldn¡¯t find a good home, she was like the sewage on the ground, and she could only let it run its course and be at the mercy of others. If the husband¡¯s family loved her dearly, she would be able to live a little better, and if the husband¡¯s family hated her, she would be treated like a dirt, and she couldn¡¯t help herself.


    Maybe other women could endure this kind of treatment, and then fully adapt to the numbness. But wanted Madam with iron-bones and deep inner strength to bow down and compromise, what difference it was than directly killing her? If at that time he brought her into the palace and protected her under the feather, what would happened?


    As soon as this idea was formed, it was like a sharp thorn stabbed into Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart, and it was another heart-wrenching torture.


    Guan Suyi also listened to the commotion, and she couldn¡¯t help but laugh inside. She first loosened up her wrist, after she noticed Zhao Luli¡¯s strength was also loosened, she then quickly broke free, rubbing her red skin, and slowly said, ¡°Zhao Luli, if you want to solve Ye family¡¯s predicament, then follow me to a place.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Zhao Luli was still angry, but gradually calmed down.


    ¡°You follow.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s sleeves shook as she strode forward, Jinzi and Minglan quickly followed. Zhao Luli couldn¡¯t go grab her any more, and if a fight broke out, the scene would become even more unbearable, not only let passersby see the joke, but also lost the face of Marquis Mansion, so he could only follow silently.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and have a look.¡± The crowd also began to follow, making a lot of noise and excitement.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan made a gesture, and countless death guards who were hiding, secretly guarded Marquis Zhenbei Madam.


    Guan Suyi walked to the Xuande Gate, pointed to a rusted copper drum, and said casually, ¡°This is the road drum, now called the Dengwen Drum. After the collapse of the Great Zhou Dynasty, very little people cares about it, and it has been here for more than a thousand years. However, the emperor wanted to recast the legal code and clean up political and folk customs, the drum has been reactivated recently. It is one of the ways for people to directly complain about their grievances. If there is a major grievance, without examination by local government, without drafting a complaint, without reporting it layer by layer, as long as you go to this drum and beat it, a guard will come up to inquire within a moment, and finally take it directly to the Holy¡¯ face. However, in order to prevent the public from abusing this drum, every time you strike the drum you must be hit with a hundred heavy sticks, and if you get through it, the whole court will open their eyes for you, and will never stop until you get your justice.¡±


    ¡°Is there such a thing?¡± The passerby asked in a low voice.


    ¡°There is, there is, every time the emperor writes a decree, he will send the order to all over the place. This article on Dengwen drum was released three days ago. I still remember it.¡± A scholar nodded over and over again.


    ¡°It turns out that recasting the legal code also has such benefits! With this drum, are you still afraid that the common people will have nowhere to seek justice?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know clearly, if you¡¯re hit with a hundred sticks you can die before seeing the Holy¡¯ face!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you must not beat the drum if you haven¡¯t encountered such a difficult problem. The emperor is not so nice.¡± An old man sighed.


    ¡°In any case it¡¯s much better than to die but not even have place to speak the truth. The emperor is a good emperor!¡± As soon as someone finished speaking, he attracted countless approvals and echoes.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s mood was fluctuating. He looked at Madam in front of Dengwen Drum with both admiration and inexplicable sadness. Even at this point, she did not forget to teach people, and did not forget to publicize the benefit of amending the law. Her heart was truly exquisite, without any dirt.


    Zhao Luli gradually heard the voice and glared angrily.


    Guan Suyi did not have any fear, took down the heavy drumstick from the stand, and said slowly, ¡°I know better than you what kind of person my grandfather is. He has a clear conscience, upright, and since he presented thirty-two charges against Master Ye, then not a single one of them are false, and those are only a few, not all of them. I will put my words here today. If the emperor verifies that half of my grandfather¡¯s word is just to slander the Ye family, I will immediately write a divorce letter and cutting off my hair! My grandfather dared to speak out and sacrifice his life for righteousness, and I also dare to use a lifetime of virtuous name and ruin a lifelong reputation as a guarantee for him.¡±


    Shoving the drumstick into Zhao Luli¡¯s hands, she smiled contemptuously, ¡°Do you, Zhao Luli, dare to guarantee for the Ye family with your life? Do you dare to say that Ye Quanyong is innocent and upright? Do you dare to say that he is wholeheartedly loyal and done his best? Do you dare to say he loves the common people as his own children, and honest to pursue the public interest? If you dare to say ¡°yes¡±, I will help you beat the drum, and I will help you bear the hundred heavy sticks, I even will tear my face with my grandfather, and I will definitely help you to get justice! Do you dare? Do you dare or not?¡±


    Every time she said the word ¡°dare¡±, she slowly approached one step, her scorching eyes as bright as a mirror, reflecting the cowardice and ugliness in people¡¯s hearts.


    Zhao Luli, who was still angry just now, was already in a cold sweat and very embarrassed. He desperately wanted to raise the drumstick to strike, and desperately wanted to say ¡°yes¡± confidently, but he opened his mouth and couldn¡¯t speak for a long time. He also involved in some of the Ye family¡¯s shameful secrets, and even helped with the aftermath. If the emperor checked it out one by one, maybe even the Marquis Mansion would be implicated, so how could he have the face to complain for the Ye family? He just wanted Guan Suyi to ask the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies to say a few good words, and to obtain extrajudicial tolerance. In the end how could she forced him into such a situation?


    ¡°He dares fart! What Ye Quanyong did, Marquis Zhenbei Mansion did not intervene less! The Ye family killed a maid a few years ago, and it was the guards of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion who helped drag the body out and bury it. My cousin saw it all!¡± Someone in the crowd shouted, afraid of being discovered, he hurriedly shrank back.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan raised his eyes slightly, and a death soldier secretly brought this person for interrogation.


    Guan Suyi stared at Zhao Luli, whose face was pale, and said word by word, ¡°My grandfather punish the guilty to comfort people, eliminate violence and return peace. This is to be loyal to the country and ask for orders for the people. I am confronting you today in front of many people, this is to defend the family¡¯s reputation, to do my filial piety and observe festivals. If you want to be loyal to the country and ask for orders for the people, you should go to the Justice Department to make a statement of yourself; if you want to be righteous to your elders, you should beat the drums and clarify the facts; if you want to take care of your wife and children, and do filial piety to your mother, you should stay at home in peace and not interfere with the criminal law at will.¡±


    She raised her sleeves slightly, put her five fingers together, and counting down one by one, and said lightly, ¡°Look at yourself, you¡¯re not willing to be loyal, nor dare to keep righteousness, let alone fulfill your filial piety. You are disloyal, unfilial, and unrighteous person, if it wasn¡¯t for the imperial decree to marry before, you still dare to talk to me about being a discarded wife? Are you worthy?¡±


    ¡°Well said, really well said!¡± A heroic ¡°man¡± walked out of the crowd, holding a sword in his hand and wearing a set of First Rank Prince¡¯s court dress, he could be said to be a beautiful man, rich and domineering. He stroked his palm and said, ¡°Madam is loyal to the country, fulfill both filial piety and righteousness, she is really Yao and Shun among women, it¡¯s a pity to be matched with such filthy people! Zhao Luli, long time no see, do you still remember those soldiers who died tragically in Hancheng, Liaodong? You And Ye Zhen that little bitch¡­¡±


    ¡°Your Highness Grand Princess, have you been summoned back to the capital?¡± In order to prevent this lady from airing out the scandal of the past, Qin Lingyun had to interrupt under the cold stare of the emperor.


    Seeing the emperor hidden in the crowd, the Grand Princess twitched the corners of her lips and stopped talking. But her appearance was like the last straw, completely crushing the overwhelmed Zhao Luli. He suddenly threw away the drumstick, hugged his head and cried, not only hating himself for being weak and incompetent, but also regretting the sins he had helped and abetted over the years, and countless shame that were beyond words.


    Guan Suyi fixed a look at him, and then picked up the drumstick and placed it on the stand. Finally, she bowed to the Grand Princess, to Marquis Zhenxi and the big man of the Jiuli tribe. She bowed to the crowd, and said flatly, ¡°Let everyone laugh.¡± Finally, facing the direction of the imperial city, she bowed three times solemnly, then walked step by step and slowly left.


    The crowd automatically divided a path for her, but still watched as she walked with her back straight and her wide sleeves fluttering. In a short while she went very far, as if she was riding the wind and driving the fog, like an ethereal fairy that didn¡¯t look like a mortal. Suddenly the pot boiling, everyone started talking at once, ¡°Hey, is this Marquis Zhenbei Madam? What a talented person!¡±


    ¡°Endowed with fine spirits of the universe, and irrigated with the righteousness. Can marry such woman, Marquis Zhenbei still not satisfied, also takes a concubine and humiliate her, he deserves to be reduced to today!¡±


    ¡°Even at this point, Marquis Zhenbei Madam still unwilling to compromise and give in, she would rather tear her face with her husband and maintain loyalty and filial piety. This temperament is too strong! However, she talked frankly and unrestrained, which is indeed a noble and benevolent character, it really made people admire!¡±


    ¡°This is the family education of the literati giant, the character of great scholar, how can other mortals appreciate it? If we can marry such a frank and upright woman, I will not bear for her to suffer the slightest humiliation. You wait, in the future, Marquis Zhenbei will definitely regret it!¡±


    ¡°But now he still persist on going the wrong way, he¡¯s really blind!¡± Everyone pointed and shook their heads and sighed.


    The Grand Princess sneered while listening, pointed to Zhao Luli, and said, ¡°One has blind heart,¡± and pointed to Emperor Sheng Yuan, ¡°One has blind eyes,¡± and left without looking back, ¡°You two are the best match, why should you harm other people¡¯s good woman!¡±

 CH 54

    Chapter 54 Wife¡¯s Dominance


    The Grand Princess was the sister of Emperor Sheng Yuan. Although she was not born from the same mother, but they had fought side by side and had a bit of friendship. Back then, when the enemy attacked Hancheng in Liaodong by surprise, it was Her Highness Grand Princess who led the people to defend the city. However, Zhao Luli, a general who was stationed at the border a hundred miles away, because he lost his beloved wife, he drank heavily every day, and when he received the war report, he couldn¡¯t even get up, let alone rush to the rescue. When his subordinates risked beheading and dispatched the army without permission to rescue them, Hancheng was already broken, and hundreds of thousands of people and soldiers were all turned into blood, the tragic scene was like purgatory on earth.


    Although the Grand Princess survived by chance, she hated Zhao Luli and Emperor Sheng Yuan since then, so she guarded the border all year round and reluctant to return to the capital. If not for a letter written by Emperor Sheng Yuan a few days ago, saying that recasting of the law and reforming the tax and land system would probably violate the interests of the big aristocratic clan which would caused a violent shock in the court and ordered her to return to the capital to suppress it, or she might not step into the gate of Yanjing City in this lifetime.


    However, as soon as she entered the capital, she saw a woman with a peerless beauty scolding Zhao Luli like a dog, but there was no swear word in the whole sentence, which immediately made Grand Princess¡¯ gloomy mood brighten up. Coupled with the fact that her emperor brother was hidden in the crowd, pretending to be an honest bear, but his eyes were full of pain from unrequited feelings, which made her even more happy.


    What kind of auspicious day she run into? Some other time, she must make good friends with this Marquis Zhenbei Madam. She got on her horse, tightened the reins, bypassed the crowded streets, turned into a dark alley, and quickly disappeared without a trace.


    Zhao Luli was still standing in front of Dengwen Drum with a bewildered expression on his face. Several women who had once admired him whispered, ¡°Fortunately, when my mother asked to let me marry Marquis Zhenbei, he refused, otherwise I would be in this dire straits now. Barely got married already take concubine, the Ye family still so rampant that they brought out Ye Jieyu to suppress the madam of the main house, even had the posture of taking a concubine as wives. If Marquis Zhenbei Madam is not Guan shi, if it replaced with an ordinary woman, she would not be able to live now!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! The Guan family is upright and honest. They dared to fight against Ye Jieyu and the emperor¡¯s relatives, and finally won. Other families don¡¯t have such means, nor can they teach such a courageous woman.¡±


    ¡°Just now everyone is still worrying about Guan shi. I think she can handle it completely. She is loyal, filial, and righteous, return to the truth, and walk on the bright road (TN: doesn¡¯t use shady means). it can even be said to not have worldly desires. The Ye family those demons and monsters, and the Marquis Mansion this despicable and dirty things, simply can¡¯t hurt her at all.¡±


    ¡°This is probably like The Sage said, ¡®looking up not ashamed of the sky, looking down not ashamed of people¡¯, really has magnificent spirit, which is admirable.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± The noble ladies echoed one after another, and they scolded Zhao Luli for a while before dispersing. From then on, there was no more legend of ¡°Jade Son¡± in the capital. When mentioning Marquis Zhenbei, every womenfolk would shake their heads and spit ¡°disloyal and unfilial, heartless and unrighteous waste¡±.


    ¡°Hey, I said, are you still going to beat the Dengwen drum? If you don¡¯t beat, get out of the way, I want to use it!¡± A lame beggar hesitated for a long time, and finally stood up, followed by many frail orphans.


    ¡°I want to beat the Dengwen drum too, let me go first!¡± A tearful woman stepped out, picked up the drumstick and struck without hesitation, dong dong, dong dong, dong dong¡­ The dull thunderous sound of the drum spread from near to far, bringing the people who had walked away slowly  gathered again.


    Zhao Luli was squeezed out of the crowd, and when he looked back, he found that Marquis Zhenxi and the disguised Emperor Sheng Yuan were standing not far away, staring at him. He didn¡¯t know when the two of them came, but he also too ashamed to step forward to speak, only slightly arching his hands, intending to go first.


    ¡°Do you remember what you said when you entered the palace to ask for a marriage decree?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan stepped forward and said solemnly, ¡°It seems that Madam can assume the responsibility of a clan wife, but you are not worthy of being a Marquis.¡± And what he wanted to express more was that Madam could not only bear the responsibility of a clan wife, but also the mother of the country.


    But he was not qualified, so he could only hold back.


    Seemingly aware of the hatred and bitterness hidden in the depths of the emperor¡¯s eyes, Zhao Luli¡¯s heart beat fiercely, then immediately felt one hole opening up, like something extremely important was slowly lost and never returned. The two stood at a standstill, no one spoke, and suddenly heard the sound of uniform footsteps in the distance, and soon a line of guards surrounded the women and beggars who were beating the drums and asked, ¡°Who is beating the drums? Who is suing? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Reporting to my lord, this woman (this commoner) wants to sue Ye Quanyong for taking a life!¡± They both knelt and shouted in unison.


    The passers-by were in uproar, never expecting this to be the sins of the Ye family again, and they would rather be hit with a hundred heavy sticks. One of them was still a frail woman, which showed that she really hated the Ye family. It wasn¡¯t over yet, just as the two of them finished speaking, another eight to nine-year-old boy staggered to Dengwen Drum, stood on tiptoe to reach for the drumsticks on the stand, and shouted anxiously, ¡°I also want to sue the Ye family for killing people! I was originally the young master of Jinxiu Manor in Willow Lane. My parents, older brothers and sisters, younger siblings, grandparents, and maternal grandparents were all killed by the Ye family! He also robbed my family¡¯s cloth manor and took my mother¡¯s double-sided embroidery technique! I was shoved into a dry well by my mother and only then managed to escape, I have proof!¡±


    The guard couldn¡¯t bear it, and advised, ¡°You are still young, you will definitely not be able to withstand a hundred heavy sticks. If you have any grievances, go to the local authorities to file a complaint, or come back when you grow up.¡±


    ¡°No, when I grow up and come back, Ye Quanyong may have been executed. I would rather die with him than live. I once worshiped the Emperor Teacher in the enlighten school, I know what moral integrity is, what loyalty and filial piety are!¡±


    ¡°Well said! You have a backbone!¡± A burly man came out, picked up the drumstick and beat it twice, and said loudly, ¡°I beat the drum on behalf of this little brother, and I will bear a hundred heavy sticks for him. There is righteousness in the world, and it is not called treacherous and chaos! The Emperor Teacher dares to sacrifice his life for justice, Marquis Zhenbei Madam dares to stand upright, and the little brother dares to die for his family, we should draw a knife to help when seeing injustice on the road!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Draw a knife to help when seeing injustice on the road, that¡¯s a good one! We are all righteous people, how can I let you get all the glory? I will bear this hundred heavy stick, not only for this little brother, but also for this lady!¡± Another strong young man came out.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming too!¡±


    ¡°I come!¡±


    ¡°And I!¡±


    Infected by all the righteous people, people kept raising their hands in response, and the Xuande Gate was in a state of frenzy. There were also many old and weak women and children who covered their faces and wept, their hearts were shocked. The boy and the woman knelt on the ground and kowtowed again and again, while still refusing, ¡°We understand the good intentions of the elders and fellow countrymen, and we don¡¯t need to implicate others. We will avenge our grievances and sue our grievances ourselves.¡±


    On one hand the guards were captured by the people¡¯s righteousness, and their hearts were greatly touched, but on the other hand, they did not dare to make exception, so they had to send someone to report to their superiors.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes were slightly red, his throat was blocked, and there was a constant inexplicable emotion surging in his chest. Only then he understood what he was doing and what kind of changes he would bring to the world. If it wasn¡¯t for Madam pointed it out, it might take him five years, ten years, or even longer time to understand the strength of the people¡¯s hearts and supports, and to appreciate the vastness when the public opinions came together.


    ¡°If you want to rejuvenate the country, first settle the people. If the people¡¯s heart is good, the injustices in the world will be wiped out. If the people¡¯s heart is evil, the country will be destroyed and the people starving, relatives and friends will be ruined. Zhen open the way to speak and recast the legal code, it¡¯s actually the right thing. You look at them, can you see the war-torn hostility and despair? Can you see the numbness and disheartened of being thrown away from their home? The Emperor Teacher guides by loyalty and righteousness. Zhen willing to be a model, lead by example, and borrowing Madam¡¯s auspicious words, in less than five years the Great Wei will be restore, and within ten years will unify the rivers and mountains. Madam¡¯s words are always right.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan pointed to the positive and energetic people, and there was a sense of pride.


    Qin Lingyun nodded in agreement, but sighed in his heart: Nowadays you just say ¡°Madame says this, madam says that¡±, it has really become a specialty of Sichuan and Shu ¨C rake ears , and still quite enjoying yourself, really falling deeper and deeper.


    Looking at the excited people, Zhao Luli had another feeling, as if he fell into the surging river and was about to die. Is this the sin of the Ye family? If things get bigger and bigger, how will it end? The Ye family is over, what about Zhen¡¯er? Won¡¯t the Marquis Mansion be implicated?


    While thinking about it, a middle-aged man in an official robe hurried out of the Xuande Gate, sternly rejecting the people¡¯s proposal to be tortured on other¡¯s behalf, and only let the guards done things according to the rules, but secretly told them to use less power, the boards made crackling sound, but only hurt the outer layer of flesh. After a hundred sticks, not to mention two adults, even the boy could get up quickly and thank him. The people were indignant at first, but when they saw what happened later they came to their senses, and endlessly praising him.


    ¡°Who is this person? Not confuse the law, but secretly benevolent, thorough from top to bottom, not one drop was leak. He is truly a talent!¡± Qin Lingyun¡¯s eyes lit up as he praised.


    ¡°This person is the eldest disciple of Old Master Guan, Zhou Lekang, and the newly appointed young minister in Prime Minister office.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan gave the person a deep look and then waved his hand, ¡°Go back to the palace.¡±


    While walking, his thoughts were mixed, he never expected that even the ¡°double-sided embroidery¡± was snatched by Ye Zhen with vicious means. So what kind of inside story the life-saving grace from back then? Because of this woman, he lost a brother he treated sincerely, lost the empress who should belong to him, and perhaps missed the only soul that could enter his heart.


    His loss, his injustice, his anger, who should he sue? Emperor Sheng Yuan seemed to have a fire burning in his heart. He walked halfway, and suddenly said gloomily, ¡°Go to Heavenly Prison, I will personally interrogate Ye Quanyong.¡±


    Qin Lingyun silently turned around and shed tears of sympathy for Ye Quanyong.


    Zhao Luli didn¡¯t dare to keep up. He stood on the side of the road for a while before leaving in a daze. Suddenly, his nose felt a little cold, and when he looked up, he realized that it was raining. The rain was thin and dense, carried along the spring¡¯s chill and dreadfulness, afraid he would get sick after being poured on for a while. He cleared his mind for a moment, and hurriedly ran towards the palace gate in the north, where Liu shi and a pair of children were still kneeling and begging for life.


    On this side, Guan Suyi arrived at her maiden house before the rain, took off her cloak, changed into her regular clothes, and then went to the main hall to pay respect. Zhong shi stood anxiously under the porch and waited, with an expression of wanting to speak but hesitated. However, Old Maaster Guan and Guan Father looked as usual, and ordered their servants to prepare dishes and drinks and sit down for a light meal.


    ¡°Just now Zhao Luli looking for you to make a scene?¡± Guan Father opened his mouth under the old man¡¯s gesture.


    ¡°Just a piece of waste, it¡¯s not much of a trouble.¡± Guan Suyi poured wine for her grandfather, her brows and eyes were all calm and indifferent.


    Only then did Guan Father nodded and chuckled, ¡°Good, my child is indeed not inferior to men. Marrying a daughter into a high gate and marry a wife from a low gate, one is to promote the family wealth, and the other is to strengthen the husband¡¯s dominance. My Guan family¡¯s wealth is a pair of proud bones, a bold and loyal heart, and does not need the embellishment of other vulgar things. My Guan family¡¯s daughter have a clear conscience, no need to flatter, no need to accept compromise, no need to bear the shame and humiliation. Didn¡¯t his Marquis Zhenbei Mansion let the words out that our Guan family just climbing the marriage? Then let father completely humbled him, and see who climbs who, this is to strengthen wife¡¯s dominance.¡±


    Hearing this, Guan Suyi burst out laughing, but Zhong shi only sighed and shook her head.

 CH 55

    Chapter 55 Executed


    Zhong shi saw her father-in-law and her husband didn¡¯t take Ye Mansion¡¯s ransacking seriously, even made up this ¡°wife¡¯s dominance¡± thing, as if they were raising their daughter as a son, she couldn¡¯t help but hurriedly said, ¡°Yiyi, don¡¯t listen to your father¡¯s nonsense, what is it this wife¡¯s dominance thing, don¡¯t make people laugh. If the family¡¯s daughter loses her husband¡¯s favor, her life will be extremely difficult. He will not give you son, he will not protect you, the pair of children will view you as enemy and alienated you, and to go as far as trampling you. When you are old and weak in the future, you can neither rely on your husband nor your children, then how should you live? Besides, Zhao Wangshu is going to inherit the title. When he becomes the head of Marquis Mansion, he can deal with you unscrupulously. So you absolutely can¡¯t get to that point, let¡¯s find a way to ease the relationship!¡±


    Old Master Guan frowned, obviously dissatisfied with what his daughter-in-law said. Guan Father stopped eating and drinking, slapped the table and said angrily, ¡°Woman¡¯s foolishness, don¡¯t corrupt my child!¡±


    What is this woman¡¯s foolishness? What is this corrupting your child? Are you and father-in-law really forget Yiyi¡¯s gender? She is a daughter, not a son! Zhong shi was sullen in her heart, but it was not easy to argue with her husband in front of her daughter.


    Guan Suyi was about to appease her mother, but she heard her father sneered and said, ¡°Women can have a footing in the back house, one by relying on favor, and the other by relying on her maiden¡¯s family, in other words, power and status. Men in the world, apart from the ones that truly self-cultivated and have a noble character, which one is not quick to switch sides and halfhearted? How is one to know how long this bit of pampering today will last? Instead of pinning your life hopes on others, it¡¯s better to be self-reliant. According to you, in order for my child to have something to rely on in her old age, she has follow the Marquis Mansion and the Ye family in everything. They want to take concubines, we can¡¯t object; they want to take concubines as wives, we can only bear it; if in the future that concubine gives birth to a shu son, their heart will grow bigger. If you want to be the righteous Marquis Zhenbei Madam, according to what you said, my child should take the initiative to give in, just so that the pair of stepchildren can support her for the rest of her life?¡±


    Guan Father became more and more angry, and asked, ¡°Would you like to let my child rely on others¡¯ breath, endure humiliation and burdens, and accept compromise for a lifetime, or would you like to see her raise her head and straighten her back, be an upright person?¡±


    Raise her head and straighten her back, be an upright person. Zhong shi was dumbstruck by the questions, and could not help but look at her daughter with shame on her face. Guan Suyi smiled and shook her head, indicating it was alright.


    Old Master Guan put down his wine cup and said slowly, ¡°I¡¯m not good with words, and I don¡¯t understand the ways of the world, so I¡¯m often misunderstood, and the path will always be blocked. However, I never take a detour. If there is a stone in the front, I will move the stone away, if there is a south wall, I will break the south wall in the front, I will break the south wall, even if I die on the way, I will get what I want. This is the style of my Guan family, choose the straight path, loyalty, benevolence, righteousness, repaying kindness with kindness, repaying claws and teeth also with claws and teeth. For those who are benevolent and virtuous, we will talk to them with benevolence and virtue, and for those who cheat and manipulate power, we will also talk to them with power. The Ye family is not benevolent nor virtuous, like to usurp power, expecting us to repay them with kindness is delusional. It¡¯s better to kick it away like a stone, and break it like a wall with all your might, so that they can no longer block your way. Then when you look at them again, it¡¯s just a few random clamoring ants, it won¡¯t get in the way.¡±


    Zhong shi murmured, ¡°But Yiyi still has to live in Marquis Mansion¡­¡±


    Old Master Guan said in a light tone, ¡°There will be no Marquis Mansion anymore. Although I have not impeached Marquis Zhenbei, as long as the emperor strictly investigate and handle it, he will not escape the punishment. Hundreds of lives are no small matter, and taking away the title is considered light. However, looking at my and Yunqi¡¯s face, Yiyi¡¯s first-rank title can still be preserved, and whether the Zhao family can recover in the future depends on how Yiyi acts.¡± Speaking until here, the old man touched his granddaughter¡¯s head and instructed cautiously, ¡°If the Zhao family can wake up and treat you well, and you will treat them with all your heart. If they can¡¯t, with your rank on your side, and your father and I supporting you, why should you be afraid of anyone? The Ye and Zhou, those two families has collapse, but you have not defeated, it should be those people depend on your breath to live.¡±


    Zhong shi was completely speechless, so she could only bury her head while serving her daughter.


    Remembering the previous life of accepting a compromise and enduring the humiliation, and then looked at this extremely happy life, Guan Suyi burst into tears and was filled with emotion. In her last life, she dedicated herself to protecting her family, but in this life, they were the ones who have painstakingly protected herself. Was it really the cycle of karma, where good and evil has their own compensation?


    ¡°Grandfather, father and mother, you all have paved the way for me, if I don¡¯t live well in this life, then I failed the teachings you have taught me for more than ten years. I will take the straight path, how they treat me is how I will treat them, never let myself suffer losses, let alone discredit the Guan family. It doesn¡¯t matter if there is favor or not, it doesn¡¯t matter if there is a title, as long as I feel happy with my self.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good for my child to think like this. Don¡¯t let those bad people and bad things ruin the atmosphere of our family reunion.¡± Guan Father laughed, raised his cup and drank, and finally said casually, ¡°That¡¯s right, my child, do you still have that Fragrant Snow Sea? You also know that your grandfather is clumsy. If there is a government affairs every day, he will write and rewrite the memorial, change it again and again, and then copy it several times, so the paper was used up especially fast. If you have extra, give him a few folder.¡±


    Guan Suyi smiled and said, ¡°I gave a folder to Li shi of the Marquis Zhenxi Mansion a few days ago. I still have two folder left, and I will ask Minglan to fetch it later.¡±


    ¡°Li shi? Madam of the main house of Marquis Zhenxi Mansion?¡± Guan Father pondered, ¡°She is a person with a temperament and is worthy of friendship. You are not familiar with noble ladies in Yanjing, so it¡¯s better to walk around with her more. Since there are only two folder left, save one for yourself, and make for us more in the future.¡±


    Guan Suyi said it was not a problem, and persuaded her father and grandfather to stop drinking.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    The emperor¡¯s mansion was peaceful and happy, but the Ye family outside the north gate was miserable and wretched. It rained not long after they knelt down. At first, a few small droplets were fleeting, and soon it rolled like threads, and after it got into their clothes, it was extremely cold and chilling to the bone marrow.


    ¡°Mother, are we still kneeling?¡± The eldest daughter-in-law leaned into Liu shi¡®s ear and asked.


    ¡°Kneel, why not kneel? On a rainy day we still kneel to show our sincerity.¡± Liu shi raised her hand and shouted, ¡°This mister, can you please send a message to Ganquan Palace, saying that Ye¡¯s Liu shi is outside asking to see.¡±


    The guards had already heard about the change in Ye Mansion, and even the emperor also confessed his guilt, so it could be seen that there was no room for turning around. At this time, not only giving them some face was not good, but it might even anger the top, so they all had to be deaf and blind, and ignore it.


    Liu shi shouted and shouted, knelt and knelt, but it was all in vain, she couldn¡¯t help but lie on the ground and cried bitterly. When she cried, the rest of the family also cried, and a few other children didn¡¯t know what was going on, they looked left and right, their mouths shriveled, and suddenly they opened their throats and let out a shriek. The harsh sound broke through the rain curtain and reached the sky.


    The guard was so upset by the noise that he rushed over with his sword and scolded, ¡°What are you wailing? If you disturb the nobles that passing by, can you afford it? Even the emperor has been implicated by you, even writing down a Guilty Edict, and you still want to ask for mercy? Keep dreaming! Are your faces bigger than the emperor?¡±


    ¡°Mister, please pass on a message to Jieyu niangniang! This is for you, you take it!¡± Because the family property had been confiscated, Liu shi was penniless, so she had to take off the golden hairpin on her head to bribe.


    The guard¡¯s eyes flashed slightly, and his heart said it was just to pass on words, he didn¡¯t have to go there in person, just pick a small eunuch who had just returned to the palace, and let him run for a while. There was also the eunuch on top who could take the blame, it was nothing, so he gathered one of his sleeve, his five fingers were clenched, and ready to accept it. At this moment, a luxurious and extraordinary carriage approached not far away, and arrived at the gate of the palace in a short while.


    The guard hurriedly pushed the golden hairpin away, went forward to check, but saw a hand with sharp bones sticking out from the raised carriage curtain, holding a token between his fingers, a five-clawed golden dragon flying in the clouds, surrounded by blood jade, its majestic was really terrifying.


    ¡°This subordinate have seen Lord Marquis Zhenxi.¡± The guard promptly knelt down and saluted, and hurriedly swept his eyes onto the gap with his heart pounding. He saw that the person sitting beside Marquis Zhenxi was not someone else, but His Majesty. He was wiping his face, front of clothes, wrists, and so on with a white handkerchief, blood splatter were all over his body, and a strong fishy smell spread in the carriage.


    This is, this is just coming out from the torture chamber? The guard¡¯s scalp was numb, and he couldn¡¯t think of anyone who still had the ¡°blessing¡± to make His Majesty toiling the torture himself.


    However, he soon learned the answer, and only listened to His Majesty¡¯s solemn voice, ¡°That¡¯s the Ye family? Tell them that Ye Quanyong is dead, don¡¯t kneel in front of the palace gate to cry, it¡¯s unsightly.¡±


    The guard trembled and promised, and when he was sending the carriage away, Marquis Zhenxi smiled contemptuously, and said vaguely, ¡°Ye Quanyong, that old fucker, hides poison between his teeth, that¡¯s the death soldier¡¯s method. He not only can¡¯t get rid of the relationship with the Second Prince¡¯s hidden troops, afraid even the greed of the previous dynasty was involved. I thought he was just a businessman, didn¡¯t expect to hide it so deeply¡­¡±


    No matter how many words, it disappeared in the rain, making the guard¡¯s whole body cold. He was secretly glad that he didn¡¯t pick up the golden hairpin. He turned his head and saw that Liu shi was still staring at him, he couldn¡¯t help but get extremely angry, kicked her over and scolded, ¡°Get lost, all get lost for this old man! The above has already spoken, you are not allowed to kneel here. You go to the Heavenly Prison to inquire, the sinner Ye Quanyong has already been executed, even kneeling to death at the gate of the palace is no use!¡±


    ¡°What did you say? Master is already dead? Impossible, this is absolutely impossible! The emperor has not yet started the trial, who would dare to touch the master¡¯s hair?¡± Liu shi cried frantically.


    The guard kicked more and more fiercely, and the other colleagues also ran over to help expel them. If the person who spoke before was not the emperor, they would not dare to treat the Ye family members like this. However, Master Ye was indeed dead, and it was still the emperor himself who tortured him. Even if Ye Jieyu¡¯s honor and favor had broken the sky in the past, there would be no room for her to turn around in the future. So offending Ye Mansion could be said to have no pressure.


    In the chaos, Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu were also kicked several times, their bodies were cold, their bones were aching, and their hearts were full of shame, embarrassment and fear, only thought they never felt so low before, never felt ashamed and unable to show their faces, as if they could melt into the mud with the rain. At this moment, they didn¡¯t want to be in the company of Ye family at all. They were the son and daughter of the dignified Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, why should they suffer such humiliation?


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit, we are the young miss and young master of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, we are not the Ye family! Please stop hitting!¡± Zhao Chunxi shouted loudly while protecting her younger brother.


    The guards were stunned for a while, and just at this moment, Zhao Luli hurried over, protecting his two children in his arms, and went to pull the embarrassed Liu shi and the others. When he was about to reprimand, he heard the leader of the guards shout, ¡°What about Marquis Zhenbei? It was the emperor himself who told you to leave, so as not to hinder the view. If you don¡¯t want to leave, it¡¯s fine, and when the emperor demand an explanation, we will report it truthfully, punish you for the crime of ¡®blocking the palace gate, intended to rebel¡¯, and arrest everyone and put them in the heavenly prison.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it should be for those who refuse a toast and still drink the penalty wine.¡± Another guard sneered and echoed.


    Zhao Luli was dumbfounded, and the anger on his face turned into fear. He hurriedly pulled the quail-like Liu shi and the others, hired a few spacious carriages, and brought them back to the Marquis Mansion for resettlement.

 CH 56

    Chapter 56 Dove Occupied


    (T/N: the title doesn¡¯t make sense because it¡¯s related to the next chapter¡¯s title)


    Guan Suyi stayed at home for a whole day, embroidered with her mother, practiced calligraphy with her father and grandfather, ate dinner, loosened up a little in the garden, and when the food had been digested she went back to the Marquis Mansion neither too slow nor too fast. As soon as the carriage drove into the back alley, they saw the steward mama standing on the side of the road with an umbrella while looking over her neck, her face looked very anxious.


    ¡°Mother Wang, it¡¯s raining, what are you doing here?¡± Minglan asked as she lifted the curtain of the carriage.


    ¡°Oh, madam, you¡¯re finally back.¡± The steward mama hurriedly stepped forward to meet her, and talked like a burst of cannons, ¡°Lord Marquis brought all the womenfolk of the Ye family, and now they are gathered in the old madam¡¯s room, crying. Liu shi even went to our main house to look for you earlier, saying that she wanted to fight with you, but she was pulled by a few grannies. They made trouble for a while, and after seeing that you hasn¡¯t come back for a long time they went to the main courtyard. The old madam wanted to drive them away, so they ran to the main entrance of the Marquis Mansion, knelt down and kowtowed, shouted out grievance and beg for mercy, provoking passers-by to come to see, saying that our Marquis Mansion is not benevolent, forcing the old madam to be helpless, and asked Lord Marquis to solve it by himself. You also know what kind a person Lord Marquis is, always gave everything for the Ye Mansion, how can he drive the people away, only wish he could take in the entire Ye family, and then he also kneel down and beg the old madam for mercy, almost making the old madam faint.¡±


    The steward wiped the rain off her face and continued, ¡°The old madam really can¡¯t handle him, she is looking forward to your return! Hurry up, hurry up, go to the main courtyard, it¡¯s an emergency.¡±


    Guan Suyi frowned slightly and instructed, ¡°You go to the old madam first and send a message that I will come as soon as possible after I change my clothes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! This servant is going right now.¡± The steward sighed in relief, then ran away with the oil-paper umbrella crookedly.


    Guan Suyi got off the carriage, Minglan and Jinzi hurriedly covered her from the rain, and the three master and servant returned to the main house with muddy feet. After freshening up, she changed into a clean dress, took the account book, abacus, keys, matching cards, etc., and then slowly stepped into the rain curtain and walked towards the main courtyard.


    ¡°As long as we go back to the Marquis Mansion, there will be countless dirty things. Miss, next time you go back to your maiden¡¯s house, don¡¯t bring this servant with you, the gap is too big and this servant really can¡¯t adapt.¡± Minglan sighed.


    Jinzi laughed, thinking that this little girl¡¯s words were really interesting.


    Guan Suyi also slightly curved her lips and replied, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t follow next time, I¡¯ll send you directly to Zhao Luli, and I¡¯ll pick you up in a few hours, and you¡¯ll be able to experience climbing from hell to the Western Paradise, and you will surely cry with joy when you see me.¡±


    ¡°No no no, this servant would rather serve a pig than the Marquis.¡± Seeing that this was a bit too poisonous, Minglan glanced at her miss secretly, seeing that she didn¡¯t seem to have heard it, she winked at Jinzi.


    It turned out that Marquis Zhenbei was inferior to a pig in the hearts of these master and servant, Jinzi secretly kept this information to her heart.


    The three walked around the rippling lotus pond, walked through the rained on corridor, and went straight to the hanging flower gate full of roses in full bloom. As soon as they crossed the threshold, they saw many people standing under the eaves of the main courtyard. Most of them were womenfolk, as well as more than a dozen young men, young women, and children, all of whom were very good-looking.


    One of the middle-aged women seemed to know Guan Suyi and screamed, ¡°Mother, that bitch Guan shi is here!¡±


    Hearing the sound, Liu shi rushed out of the house, raised her hands with long fingernails, and said angrily, ¡°Little bitch, you¡¯re finally back! You¡¯ve hurt my Ye family to this point, I¡¯ll fight with you! See if I don¡¯t tear you apart today!¡±


    ¡°Hit her, beat her to death!¡± Didn¡¯t know which young man took the opportunity to stir up everyone¡¯s emotions, and several women followed closely with vicious expressions. They moved too fast, and Marquis Mansion¡¯s guards who were guarding around the courtyard had no time to react, they didn¡¯t expect the Ye family to be so arrogant when they were already dying, and they dared to make trouble in other people¡¯s territory.


    Jinzi was about to protect the master, when she heard a crisp sound of ¡°pop¡±, Liu shi was slapped by her madam and flew far away, unable to get up for a while, followed by a girl with a stick in her hand, who was also stunned, and the weapon was immediately grabbed by her, snapped it into two pieces, and threw it on the ground carelessly.


    The stick as thick as an adult¡¯s wrist was actually broken like this, and everyone in the Ye family was a little afraid. Guan Suyi then took out her name post and said solemnly, ¡°Minglan, the criminal Ye family¡¯s woman want to murder this madam, and now there are witness and evidence, you immediately go to the Department of Justice to send a word and ask them to come over and arrest her.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Minglan took the post and looked at it, it turned out that miss had already written it when she was at her parents¡¯ house, which showed that she had expected this situation.


    The Ye family was stunned for a moment, and then they were terrified, wanted to beg for mercy but unwilling to give up their face, couldn¡¯t help but look at Liu shi. With great difficulty Liu shi finally get up, and when she heard these words, she lost all her arrogance, and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Who is going to murder you? We didn¡¯t even lay a finger on you, but we were beaten to pieces by you! It¡¯s a false accusation! My face, the slap print on my face is the proof!¡±


    Guan Suyi passed over the Ye family members who glared like a tiger watching his prey, dared to be angry but did not dare to speak, and said word by word, ¡°I beat you, whether it¡¯s justified or not, you have to bear it, because you are a criminal now, and I am a first-rank title woman. Don¡¯t say that you intend to attack me, even if your eyes are a little disrespectful, I will immediately give you a round of hitting board and you will have nowhere to complain. And you,¡± she said contemptuously, turning her fingertips around, ¡°if I¡¯m unhappy, I can immediately send you to Heavenly Prison to reunited with Ye Quanyong.¡± Speaking until here she clapped her palms a little, and pretended to suddenly realize, ¡°Look at this madam¡¯s memory, it seems that the sinner Ye Quanyong has already feared the crime and already die, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    She poked at the Ye family¡¯s sore point with every word, making them embarrassed and desperate, and at the same time felt extremely terrified. The people who were still full of arrogance just now were like eggplants beaten by the frost, and they all shrank into the corner one by one, for fear that Marquis Zhenbei Madam would not like them and let the officials arrest them.


    Minglan stood at the corner for a while, and when she saw the yard was quiet, she said, ¡°Miss, do you still want to report to the officials?¡±


    ¡°You are guarding here. If anyone is disrespectful or has bad intentions, it¡¯s not too late to make a report.¡± Guan Suyi stepped into the main hall without looking back, ¡°Keep an eye on all of them for me, and send anyone who is not honest to prison. People who live relying on others¡¯ charity should have the consciousness of someone who live relying on others¡¯ charity, don¡¯t always think that everyone in the world has to revolve around your Ye Mansion.¡±


    All the family members raised their voices and answered with the promise, and very appropriately threw away the stick in their hands. Liu shi was completely stunned, clutching her rapidly swollen left face, standing in a daze under the porch, a look of resentment slowly appeared in her eyes, and then she became dazed. Guan Suyi passed through the main hall and entered the inner room, and found that Zhao Luli was clasping Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu to kowtow to the old madam, his face was full of anxiety and sorrow.


    The old madam closed her eyes tightly and twisted the Buddha beads in her hands, she was already powerless to resist. When she heard the footsteps she raised her eyes, and said in surprise, ¡°Suyi, you¡¯re back! Quick, get rid of those people outside! They are not welcome in my Marquis Mansion!¡±


    ¡°Mother! The Ye family has fallen to this point. No matter how much resentment you have, now is time to help, right? If I leave them alone, they are penniless, and they are all old and weak women and children, how can they live in Yanjing City? What¡¯s more, father-in-law has offended a lot of people, if there are people who throw stone while somebody down and deliberately finds fault, what do you think will happen to them? If it goes wrong, it will cost several lives. No matter how father-in-law violates the law, the women and the children are always innocent. You save their lives is to accumulate virtue for yourself, and there will be good rewards in the future. Mother, I beg you, mother!¡± Zhao Luli dared not go to Guan Suyi, with a slap from the day before yesterday, coupled with reprimand today, he always had a feeling that he couldn¡¯t lift his head in front of her.


    Seeing his mother turned her face away with a grim expression, he hurriedly held his son and daughter and kowtowed again.


    Guan Suyi calmly walked to the old madam¡¯s side and sat down, and looked at the father and children from head to toe. Very good, drenched in the rain, but the clothes on the body hasn¡¯t been changed, and the hair hasn¡¯t been dried, so they rushed to the main courtyard with a pale face, which clearly to make a bitter trick!


    Zhao Luli was really infatuated with his ¡°dead wife¡±, but he didn¡¯t realize that the pair of children might not be of the same mind with him, especially Zhao Chunxi, whose unwillingness almost overflowed.


    Guan Suyi shook her head and laughed, she was worthy of being Ye Zhen¡¯s daughter, her selfish nature was exactly the same. Since she liked to stick to the Ye family so much in the previous life, and always thought that the Ye family was good and perfect everywhere, then let her fulfill her wish in this life, let her eat, live and sleep with the Ye family¡¯s womenfolk, and see how long she could endure.


    While thinking about it, the old madam couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, patted the back of her daughter-in-law¡¯s hand, and whispered, ¡°Suyi, whether the Ye family is leaving or staying, you can say something.¡±


    Except for Zhao Luli, who was very nervous, everyone else stared at her with hopeful eyes, especially Zhao Chunxi. She thought that the Guan family had vendetta against the Ye family, and Guan Suyi definitely would not tolerate the womenfolk of the Ye family, so let her be the villain, and she only need to stand up at the right time and blame her stepmother for being ruthless, and then she was ¡°forced to compromise¡± after making a little fuss, in this way, she not only followed her original intention, fulfilled her filial piety, and also had a good reputation for being benevolent, it could be said to be watertight.


    However, Guan Suyi was destined to disappoint her. She gave Jinzi a slight hook, and handed over a stack of account books and a small abacus to make it convenience. It was obvious that she was well prepared, and she had no lack of plan in her mind.


    ¡°Whether the Ye family will leave or stay, it¡¯s up to Lord Marquis to decide.¡± Spreading out the account book and smoothing out the abacus, she spoke word by word.


    ¡°Suyi!¡± The old madam was extremely shocked, Zhao Chunxi¡¯s eyes flashed slightly, and her heart was disappointed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, listen to me first.¡± Guan Suyi patted the back of the old madam¡¯s hand and continued, ¡°Does Lord Marquis want to keep the Ye family forever and take full responsibility for their food, clothing, housing and transportation; Or are you going to take them for a while and then find another place to settle down when the situation calm down?¡±


    Thinking of the ¡°dead wife¡± who was seriously ill, the father-in-law who died inexplicably, and the mother-in-law who was miserable and helpless outside, Zhao Luli bit his teeth and said firmly, ¡°Naturally being a good person who will do it to the end and take care of them for the rest of their lives. The Ye family¡¯s shop was sealed, the family¡¯s property was confiscated, and even the sacrificial fields were seized, what do they have to support themselves in the future? If I ignore them, or give up halfway, they have no choice but to die. Madam, I know that I was wrong before. I apologize to you here, please forgive me a lot, also please spare the Ye family, so as to leave them a way to survive!¡± When the words finished, there were ¡°bang bang bang¡± noises as he kowtowed his head on the ground.


    Before Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu could react, their father pressed their heads down and ordered, ¡°Quickly kowtow to your mother and admit your mistake, and ask her to save your grandmother!¡±


    Zhao Wangshu cooperated ignorantly, but Zhao Chunxi seemed to have swallowed a fly, her heart was unwilling and extremely disgusted, but she had to obey because of moral relations.

 CH 57

    Chapter 57 Magpie¡¯s Nest


    Even if the father and children smashed their heads, Guan Suyi would not be touched, not to mention they were just making appearance. She tapped her fingers on the table, and said casually, ¡°It¡¯s the same sentence, whether the Ye family can stay or not, it¡¯s up to Lord Marquis to decide.¡±


    She flicked her hand at Jinzi and asked, ¡°Among those people just now, how many married women, elderly, young men and women, and young children are there?¡±


    Jinzi¡¯s heart was slightly stunned, secretly thought that Madam¡¯s test had finally come, and she couldn¡¯t help but racking her brain to recall, hesitantly said, ¡°Reporting to Madam, there are sixteen married women, they are the mistress of Ye Mansion Liu shi, sinner Ye Quanyong¡¯s nine concubines, main branch¡¯s eldest daughter-in-law Song shi, second daughter-in-law Li shi, fourth daughter-in-law Tang shi, the third branch¡¯s madam Wang shi, third branch¡¯s concubine Wu shi, third branch¡¯s eldest daughter-in-law Zheng shi. There are four elderly people, third old master, third old madam, and also two concubines of Old Master Ye. There are seventeen youngsters¡­ six boys and eleven girls, this servant hasn¡¯t been able to differentiate each one, asking madam to please forgive; there are four young children, namely Song shi¡¯s young son, Li shi¡¯s young daughter, Tang shi¡¯s young daughter, Zheng shi¡¯s young daughter.¡±


    Guan Suyi gave her a thoughtful look, nodded and said, ¡°You miss one person, there are eighteen youngsters, six boys and twelve girls, the youngsters are each branch¡¯s di and shu children. Among the twelve young girls only Ye Fu, Ye Fen, and Ye Ran are the di misses, the rest are all excellent-looking people selected from various side branches, they are assess every month, and those who fail to meet expectations will be sent home, and there will be substitutes. The longest one stayed in Ye Mansion for several years, the shortest one only one or two days, you definitely won¡¯t recognize all.¡±


    Jinzi had been specially trained to recognize many faces in a quick glance and count many people, but Madam had sharper eyes and quicker mind than her, even if the leader of the dark guard came, he would be slightly inferior. Is this the so-called ¡°gift of talent¡±? Madam is truly extraordinary!


    Jinzi was already convinced, but Zhao Luli didn¡¯t know what they were going on about, so he couldn¡¯t help saying urgently, ¡°Madam, we will count how many people in the Ye family later. Let¡¯s find a place for them to settle down first, so they won¡¯t get seriously ill by the spring cold weather. Didn¡¯t you let me decide? I agree and let all of them stay.¡±


    Zhao Wangshu smiled stupidly, thinking that he was looking forward to living with his cousins, but Zhao Chunxi turned pale and was reluctant.


    Guan Suyi lowered her eyelids and slowly fiddled with the abacus, ¡°It won¡¯t be too late to make a decision after I finish my words. The Marquis Mansion now has 216 people, eight masters and 208 servants. Lord Marquis monthly expenses ranged from 500 to 1,000 taels, and it was as high as 4,000 to 5,000 taels during the New Years. The second master is not in Yanjing, so let¡¯s not count him, but sister-in-law is pregnant, and still taking care of Mu Mu, the  medicinal materials should not be lacking. There are also four seasons clothes, pearl hairpins, head ornaments and other items, which add up to about 200 taels. The old madam has always been frugal, but as she is getting older, it¡®s indispensable to ask the doctor to check the pulse from time to time, and prescribe a few safety prescriptions. We also have to give offering to the temples, donate sesame oil, and these are 100 taels in total; Zhao Chunxi¡¯s monthly silver is 20 taels each month, plus clothes, fabric, jewelry, rouge and other items from time to time, adding up to at least 80 taels. If she want to buy any precious jewelry, it can add up to several thousand taels at a time; Zhao Wangshu is given 20 taels per month, salary of private tutor is 20 taels, and 50 taels for brush, ink, paper and inkstone per month. There are also social amusement, clothes and exquisite items cost nearly 500 taels here and there; the main house has no expenses, so it¡¯s only counted as 50 taels. In addition, every few months, there must be weddings and funerals held by close family members or superiors and subordinates, and the gifts will be paid from the public fund, which is also  a lot of money.¡±


    She fiddled with the abacus quickly, and the white fingertips lined with the bright yellow abacus beads were so beautiful that Jinzi was entranced.


    The old madam had already tasted the taste, and finally let out a slow sigh of relief.


    ¡°Among the two hundred and eight servants, the rough servants are 300 copper coin per month, the third-class servants are 500 copper coin per month, the second-class servants are one taels , the first-class servants are two taels. Each divisional steward has two or three taels, the deputy housekeeper has four taels, and the housekeeper has five taels of silver. Among them, there are sixty-eight rough servants, fifty-four third-class servants, thirty-seven second-class servants, thirty-six first-class servants, five stewards, and four deputy housekeeper, and one housekeeper, the total monthly salary is 192  taels and four coin, which is 2308 taels and eight coins in one year, plus the expenses of the masters¡­¡±


    She cracked and counted for a while, then raised her eyes and said, ¡°Lord Marquis, you can see that the annual cost of the Marquis Mansion is as high as 19,182 taels and 8 coins, and it is still calculated according to the most economical cost. If I really calculate thoroughly with you, the chewing of a few hundred servants alone are not a small amount, and if the master has to wear clothes and eat, so they don¡¯t need it? If the monthly silver not come out, who would care to serve and run errand for you? However, how much income does the Marquis Mansion earn every year, you also very clear in your heart. The shop, the fields, your and my official¡¯s salary, and the money for the public fund that the second master sends every year, can barely maintain the balance of income and expenditure. Now that you want to take in the Ye family members, you think it¡¯s just a matter of lip service, by all means just go to the accountant to get the money, but I am in charge of central feeder, I have to tell you clearly. When I come to ask you, how do you want to take care of them? Is it only to give a bite of food or to follow the example of the Marquis Mansion¡¯s masters? If we compare the master¡¯s example, the annual fee is¡­¡±


    In the room, there was another crisp sound of bead collision and the woman¡¯s tactful announcement. Gradually, Zhao Luli¡¯s forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his head was getting lower and lower.


    After a while, Guan Suyi pushed the abacus to the table and said coldly, ¡°The expenses of the sixteen married women and the four elders are all compared to the old madam, 24,000 taels per year; The six young masters compared to Zhao Wangshu is 36,000 per year; The twelve young misses compared to Zhao Chunxi, 11,520 per year; four young children compared to Mu Mu, 1,920 per year, the total is 73,440 taels, plus the monthly silver of the servants brought by the people, is about 74,000 taels. This is not even counting legal fees and the management of the Ye Mansion¡¯s men who are imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, and expanse to lighten the punishment. Dare to ask Lord Marquis where the annual expenditure of nearly 100,000 taels comes from? To steal or to rob?¡±


    The old madam was completely at ease. While twisting the Buddhist beads, she watched her son sweat like rain, embarrassed and disgraceful.


    ¡°How about just give a bite of food?¡± Zhao Luli¡¯s face was red as blood.


    Guan Suyi glanced at him contemptuously, slowly smoothed the abacus, and said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s also costs a lot of money to give a bite of food to eat, so Lord Marquis needs to be prepared. To provide so many people, food, clothing, housing, and transportation, as for food¡­¡­¡±


    Everyone stared at her fingertips that were flying up and down, blooming like a flower. In fact, when she fiddled with the small abacus it was indeed beautiful, and the results were obtained in a moment. Even if it was reduced again and again, it would take about 23,000 taels.


    ¡°Lord Marquis, please give me your word, should the Ye family leave or stay?¡± Guan Suyi pushed the mess back to him.


    Zhao Wangshu had already shown timidity at this time, and quietly hid by his grandmother¡¯s side, while Zhao Chunxi looked up at her father, desperately wanting to get the word ¡°leave¡± from his mouth.


    However, if Zhao Luli could give up Ye Zhen and her maiden clan, he would not be the infatuated bastard who could even harm his own wife and children like in the previous life. He thought for a while, then hesitated, ¡°If we let them stay, is there a more economical way?¡±


    The old madam, who thought her son would choose to compromise, almost fainted, severly broke the Buddha beads in her hand, and scolded ¡°unfilial son¡±. Zhao Chunxi stopped breathing, and then quickly buried her head so that everyone could not see her resentful expression.


    Guan Suyi was naturally unmoved, and she flipped the abacus lightly, ¡°There are two ways to be more economical, one is to expand financial resources, the other is to control the money flow . There are only so many shops and fields in the Marquis Mansion, and there are no money to buy more. If want to expand financial resources, the only way is to ask the second brother to send back more silver every year.¡±


    ¡°No! The second brother is defending against the enemy at the border, and he always puts his life on stake, it¡¯s unknown whether he can return safely in this life. The silvers he sent are his blood and sweat, and I am too ashamed to take it.¡± Zhao Luli unexpectedly refuse.


    Even you still have some conscience. Guan Suyi pursed her lips and continued, ¡°Then there is only one way, to control the money flow. If the expenses of Marquis Mansion and Ye Mansion is to be reduced by half, you can barely make do with the situation. But let me say it first, the old madam is in her old years, and her spirit is not good, her expenses must be not less.¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡± Zhao Luli nodded.


    ¡°My sister-in-law is pregnant and taking care of Mu Mu, so the cost of the second house can¡¯t be less.¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    ¡°I will be responsible for the cost of the main house in the future, and I will not take a cent from the Marquis Mansion, lest some people make irresponsible remarks behind my back.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Zhao Luli and the old madam refused in unison.


    Guan Suyi was not a living Bodhisattva, so why should she sacrifice herself for the Ye family? However, she had long planned to draw a clear line with the Marquis Mansion, so she took advantage of this pretext to completely separate the main house from the Central Feeder, which also saved a lot of entanglements in the future. Besides, she even gave up the cost of the main house, no matter how dissatisfied the Ye family was, this alone could make them speechless, and outsiders could not find the slightest mistake.


    She didn¡¯t care about her own reputation, but she had to take care the reputation of the Guan family, so it was better to act carefully.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t make a statement, the Ye family will be not be able to endure a poor life in the future, and won¡¯t the main house never be peaceful?¡±


    ¡°Mother-in-law is not that kind of person. If I explain to her carefully, she will understand my difficulties.¡± Zhao Luli said firmly.


    Hearing this, the old madam and Guan Suyi both smiled coldly, even Zhao Chunxi shook her head secretly, slandering: If my grandmother could really understand others, she would not force everyone to kowtow at the gate of the palace on rainy days, and she would not cry and shout to live in Marquis Mansion. The selfishness of the Ye family is engraved in their bones, even if I have half of the Ye family blood, I have to admit it. I don¡¯t know what my mom did in the past to make my dad value the Ye family so much. Mom, you are the most selfish person in the world!


    After all kinds of changes, Zhao Chunxi actually held a grudge against Ye Zhen, and her mood became more and more difficult to calm down.


    Guan Suyi was too lazy to argue with this idiot, and said lightly, ¡°What Lord Marquis can say whatever he want, but the decision I make cannot be changed, the main house¡¯s expanse is to be separated from the Central Feed, and there will be no interference in the future. Next we continue to how to save money. After all, Lord Marquis still wants to have dealing with others, so the cost can be reduced by half, Zhao Wangshu and Zhao Chunxi will be reduced by two-thirds, and the servants serving in the front yard, Penglai Garden, and Jingzhe Tower will also be reduced to 30%, which can distribute eight or nine thousand taels, barely able to feed the Ye family.¡±


    Zhao Wangshu still didn¡¯t realize what the concept of reducing by two-thirds was, but Zhao Chunxi complained into the bone marrow, and her eyes were red. Why should she give up the beautiful clothes, luxurious fabric, jewelry, and rouge powder for the Ye family? When the Ye family was extremely wealthy, they didn¡¯t think about her at all.


    However, Guan Suyi knocked on the table and said, ¡°Eating and clothing have been settled, but there are still housing and travel arrangements that need to be arranged. The Ye family has forty-two masters and eighty-four servants. Where this one hundred and twenty-six people live, does Lord Marquis have an idea?¡±


    Zhao Luli was questioned again, and his sweat gushed down.

 CH 58

    Chapter 58 Wake Up


    Guan Suyi had torn her face with Zhao Luli, so she didn¡¯t speak politely at this moment, and ordered Jinzi to bring the map of the Marquis Mansion and pointed out, ¡°The current Marquis Zhenbei Mansion is the former residence of the previous dynasty powerful official Long Qiu. Long Qiu last position was as Imperial Secretary, and the mansion was built with reference to the grade and ancestral system, originally it was not very spacious, and the population of the Marquis Mansion was simple. Over the years many courtyards were not used, so they were closed, nowadays they¡¯re all in despair, the eaves has declined, and it¡¯s impossible to lived in. If Lord Marquis want to accommodate this many people, you would have to spend a lot of money to repair the mansion.


    Having said that, she swung the abacus up and down, put the bead back in its place, and continued, ¡°I will do the calculation for the bill. If the wood is made of inferior elm, the stone is taken nearby, plus build the furniture and purchase the furnishings, add the bedding¡­,¡± there was a crackling sound, then she spread her hands, ¡°Total 6,680 taels, if you wipe off the fraction, it will be 6,000 taels. Lord Marquis, this year¡¯s profits from each estates and shops have not yet delivered, where do you find so much silver?¡±


    Zhao Luli felt blood dripping down from his head and thought for a while before saying, ¡°I still have a lot of antique calligraphy and paintings over there. If I take them out and sell them, I should be able to raise 10,000 taels of silver.¡±


    Guan Suyi nodded, ¡°Okay, the money to repair the house is available, but it will take time to collect the money, after all you have to find a buyer slowly, right? Besides, it will take a year and a half to complete the repair of the house, and the Ye family was about to move in, so Lord Marquis please come out with a solution. But I have to say first, the old madam has a problem with migraine, please do not disturb, her main courtyard cannot add more people.


    Seeing that Madam seemed to relent, Zhao Luli hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s natural.¡±


    ¡°My sister-in-law is pregnant and need to raise her fetus. Mu Mu is sensitive and thoughtful and can¡¯t be frightened, so cannot add people to the second house.¡± Guan Suyi glanced at him strangely, and found that he was a little low-spirited, but she didn¡¯t know whether it was just her own imagination.


    ¡°Naturally, naturally.¡± Zhao Luli continued to respond.


    ¡°I have an undeniable feud with the Ye family. To prevent someone from stabbing my back one day, I can¡¯t add anyone to the main house.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s tone was cold and fierce.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let the Ye family disturb Madam for half a minute.¡± Zhao Luli swore quickly and said with a blushing face, ¡°Then does Madam have any arrangements for the next step? I have never pay attention to the affairs of the back house, and I didn¡¯t know there are so many twist and turn in it, managing a family really is no easier than managing the country. Madam¡¯s bitter hardship, madam¡¯s comprehensiveness, madam¡¯s good intentions, I finally understand.¡±


    He paused, as if he still had a lot of feelings to be said, but because his throat was choked, he couldn¡¯t speak for a while, and when the surging shame and remorse were swallowed, he didn¡¯t know how to say it.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t expect Zhao Luli to be able to speak human words, so she looked at him for a while, then clicked on the map and said, ¡°Among the hundred or so people, the rough servants live together with the Marquis Mansion¡¯s rough servants, anyway, they are all sleep in communal beds, just add a few more beds; the first-, second-, and third-class maids, attendants, and stewards also follow this example. In other words, people who lived alone in the past will now have two, three, or even four people live together, I will hand over such trivial matters to the housekeeper to coordinate and deal with. After all the married women and the elderly are elders, so it¡¯s better to live in a more spacious place, so let them go to the main courtyard of Penglai Garden, and a dozen rooms are enough. Then set up the side courtyard and warm pavilion for the twelve misses to live with Zhao Chunxi. The young masters naturally accompany Zhao Wangshu. In this way, there are still five empty rooms in Jingzhe Tower, leaving it for a few young children and their wet nurses to live in temporarily, it can also barely squeezed them down.¡±


    Zhao Luli nodded again and again and thanked her continuously. Zhao Wangshu was also looking forward to the days of having several cousins every day. Only Zhao Chunxi, whose heart was smashed, but had to pretend to agree.


    Guan Suyi glanced at her lightly, patted the old madam who was obviously unhappy, and suddenly changed the subject, ¡°Food, clothing, and housing are all settled, Lord Marquis, don¡¯t think that everything is fine, there are still worse things to come.¡±


    Zhao Luli thought for a moment, then said sadly, ¡°Madam is worried that the Marquis Mansion will get involve with the lawsuit? Please rest assured, Madam, I already have some thoughts, and I will never implicate my wife and children.¡±


    Guan Suyi actually didn¡¯t seem to know him, she looked at him up and down, left and right for a while, until she saw that his face turned red, turned white again, and then turned green, and only then said, ¡°That is just one of the concerns. Based on Lord Marquis¡¯s care for the Ye Mansion, you must be deeply involved in those rotten things in his family, and it¡¯s not easy to clean it up.¡±


    Zhao Luli cupped his hands in despair, ¡°Madam is absolutely right. I¡¯m really stuck in the mud.¡±


    ¡°Daddy!¡± Zhao Chunxi cried out in fear, only now that she finally shed a few sincere tears and choked, ¡°Are you really going to be implicated? Will something happen to you? Will you be arrested and taken to prison? Will you be like my grandfather, like that¡­¡± She didn¡¯t dare to say the word ¡°executed¡±, and countless fears hit her heart, making her mind buzzing.


    Zhao Wangshu finally felt that something was wrong. He jumped out from behind the old madam and said repeatedly, ¡°Daddy will also be arrested and sent to prison? Really? Really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a sin! It¡¯s a sin!¡± The old madam hugged her grandson and cried bitterly, she couldn¡¯t care about the Ye family outside.


    The room was immediately shrouded in miserable gloom, but Guan Suyi remained calm, and waited for their voices to fade away before saying, ¡°Blindly crying won¡¯t solve any problem. At this time the emperor has not yet open the trial, Lord Marquis still have the opportunity to atone your sins with merit. So juts took off your official robe, put thorns on your back, and go to Chengde Hall to confess your sins.¡±


    Zhao Luli felt more and more that his wife was calm and quick-witted, and even thought the situation for him. He couldn¡¯t help softening his face and sighed, ¡°Madam is indeed virtuous and intelligent. I am very relieved to hand over this family to you. To marry you as a wife is really my¡­¡­¡±


    Guan Suyi was impatient to listen to his compliments and interrupted by tapping on the table, ¡°Let¡¯s settle the Ye family¡¯s affairs first. To settle them, you will not only have to bear financial pressure, but will also cause many far-reaching and negative effects. Can you see clearly those beautiful girls in the Ye family? They are all chess pieces that Ye Quanyong will use to win over other families. They have received special training since childhood, and only know how to compete for favors, prying information, controlling people¡¯s heart, and not understand what lady¡¯s dignity are. Letting them mix together with Zhao Chunxi may make her go down the wrong road, and it will also cause chaos in the back house. Moreover, when Ye Quanyong¡¯s crimes are fully exposed, can you be so sure that these womenfolk are innocent, and there will be no officers who will bring people to catch the fish that escaped the net? What if you accidentally hurt your children? Those who marry the Ye family¡¯s daughter will possibly divorce or discarded them, as they definitely will try to get rid the relationship with the Ye family. If those women come to take shelter with you, will you take them? At that time the Ye family¡¯s daughter will have a rotten reputation. Aren¡¯t you afraid that it will implicate Zhao Chunxi and make her unable to marry? Many of the Ye clan¡¯s young men are a dandy. How many of Zhao Wangshu¡¯s cousins are really promising? What kind of influence will they have on Zhao Wangshu, have you considered it clearly?¡±


    Guan Suyi knocked on the table and pointed out, ¡°For the reputation of your two son and daughter, for their future and marriage, and for the future peace of Marquis Mansion, I suggest you invite them out. Of course, if you buy them a house outside to settle down, I have no objection.¡±


    The daughter-in-law had already spoken to this point, and the old madam thought that her son would find his way back, but he thought hard for a long time, then gritted his teeth, ¡°Madam, you don¡¯t know, my deceased wife Ye Zhen and I got to know each other when I¡¯m poor, we intersect in the calamity, and her death is also because of me. Without her, there would not be the current Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, nor this family¡¯s rich and noble life of. My Zhao family was originally a criminal and lived in extreme poverty at the border, and we suffered a lot of humiliation. If it weren¡¯t for my father-in-law and mother-in-law gave a lot of help, our family would have starved to death long ago. I can¡¯t forget these kindnesses, and I can¡¯t fail to repay them. Madam comes from a Confucian family, and the most important thing is benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith, you should be able to understand me and also to be able to fulfill me. If we get pass this safely, we can live a good life. All the misunderstandings, hurts, and quarrels in the past were all because of me. It is me who didn¡¯t appreciate Madam, blindly demanding, blindly indulging. Instead, we and the beautiful, happy and cheerful little family were ruined into the current fragmented pieces. Madam, it¡¯s me who let you down! Borrowing the words from the people at that time,  I, Marquis Zhenbei, what kind of virtue, what kind of talent do I have to marry you, Guan Suyi, as a wife, if I don¡¯t cherish it, I should really be strikes by thunder!¡±


    Zhao Luli sincerely repented, and also sincerely felt that Guan Suyi was good. It may not be obvious in ordinary times, but in the face of such a catastrophe that endangered the whole family, her calmness, strength, and ability were fully revealed. With her here, there was a stabilizing force at home, and he felt extremely comfortable and at ease.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s heart was already cold, she lowered her eyelids and said, ¡°You are pulling a lot of mess, but you are just begging for the Ye Mansion. You still want to take them in, even if they may harm your children?¡±


    ¡°What Madam said is it not frightening words to scare people. I will warn the in-law and Madam Liu to take care of her family. If their mother¡¯s clan is killed, and my Marquis Mansion doesn¡¯t care, nor does the two children care, will the reputation be good? I believe Wangshu and Xi¡¯er won¡¯t meet with damnation nor couldn¡¯t be save. When everyone settles down properly, I will naturally find a way to eliminate all kind of hidden dangers. The most important thing is hurrying up to repair the house, and another thing is to distribute silver to free people from the prison, and the rest can be arranged slowly. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to put them outside, but the Ye Mansion¡¯s case has just broken out, and the situation is still developing. If those who hold grudges against father-in-law take action against them, they will surely die. How can I have the face to see my deceased wife in the underworld in the future? When the storm subsides in the future, I will naturally move them out.¡±


    In fact, Ye Zhen didn¡¯t die at all, so he couldn¡¯t abandon the entire Ye family.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the face to see her, but you have the face to see me.¡± Guan Suyi sneered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the face to see Madam either.¡± Zhao Luli said bitterly, ¡°I want to be loyal, I want to be faithful, I want to be filial, but I am already in such an embarrassing situation, I can¡¯t go up, I can¡¯t go down, I can¡¯t go forward, I can¡¯t go back, beside living in a muddleheaded and confused way, there is no other way to live. Among them, the twists and turns are unbearable, and I ask Madam to forgive me one last time! Madam, I beg you!¡±


    Pulling the pair of children, he choked out, ¡°Hurry up and kowtow to your mother. In the past, you were unfilial and always disobeyed Madam. I will definitely not forgive anyone who makes Madam angry in the future. Your mother is kind and will not leave your (maternal) grandmother alone.¡±


    Zhao Wangshu listened to his father¡¯s words the most, and immediately kowtowed three times. Zhao Chunxi almost crushed the roots of her teeth to keep herself from roaring. Daddy, don¡¯t just think about the Ye family and your mother-in-law, think about us too!


    Guan Suyi  saw that the crucial moment was almost here before slowly spoke, ¡°Alright, since you are bent on going your way, I¡¯ll fulfill you.¡±


    The old madam was shocked, and when she was about to object, she was interrupted by her daughter-in-law raising her hand. She took a sip of hot tea unhurriedly and continued, ¡°Look carefully at this map, the main courtyard, the main house, and the second house are on the same line, and the expanse of the three houses is also different from yours. In this case, it is better to build a wall in the middle to separate the Marquis Mansion. The three of you, father and children will live in the east with the Ye family, and I, the old madam, sister-in-law, and Mu Mu, will live in the west. The second brother has established a family, and should have opened a mansion long ago. So let¡¯s just borrow his name first to use, and divide the mansion without separating the family, and the east and west mansion are living independently, and they have nothing to do with each other. What do you think?¡±


    East and west? Such a big change, such a comprehensive plan, such a wonderful idea, afraid it was not a flash of inspiration, right? When Ye mansion was in trouble, when he brought everyone back, she might be already planning this matter, but under her deliberate guidance, he fell into the trap step by step, and food, clothing, housing and transportation have already clearly divided, even if he wanted to oppose, there was nothing to say.


    Madam had a meticulous method, very intelligent, and so decisive in her actions! If this time he couldn¡¯t get out unscathed, the Zhao family still had her, and it seemed like he had let go a hundred and twenty hearts, and there was no worries at all. Zhao Luli frowned for a while, sighed for a while, and finally bowed deeply, had no choice but to compromise, ¡°Just follow what Madam said.¡±


    The old madam thought for a while, and acquiesced to this matter, her pale face finally turned red. It¡¯s really a blessing of several lifetimes for my son to be able to marry Suyi. I hope this time he can really get back on the right path and live a good life with Suyi. This wall can be built, but it also can be demolished one day. As the saying goes, without destruction there can be no construction, after it was broken, it can stand up. As long as the husband and are the same heart, there will be a good future waiting in front of them.

 CH 59

    Chapter 59 Dividing The Mansion


    Dividing the East and West mansions was just the first step for Guan Suyi to clear the relationship with the Marquis Mansion. If she still couldn¡¯t live in peace this way, even if she couldn¡¯t get reconciliation, she could find reason to live in the village estate in the future. In this life, she was not an adulterous woman who lost her chastity and dignity, but a high-powered first-rank title Madam. Who dares to neglect her? Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to eat and drink outside, and went to travel through the landscape from time to time?


    Thinking like this, she finally looked at Zhao Luli a little more favorably, and decided, ¡°In that case, please ask Lord Marquis to invite sister-in-law, and let¡¯s settle the matter of the dividing the mansion.¡±


    The more Zhao Luli¡¯s close servants listened to it, the more they felt that the future was bleak. Why should the Ye family seize their monthly silver, house, food, and clothes? Could it be that Lord Marquis was not good enough to them in the past? People can¡¯t be such a rough to this extent! Lord Marquis was also confused, just as Madam said, why not rent a house outside for them  to live? But insisted to get them into his home, and make foul atmosphere everywhere. After a long time, they didn¡¯t want to stay in the East Mansion, how good would it be if they could find a way to move to the West Mansion?


    Not only was this old servant unhappy, but the maids and grannies who served Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu also had a gloomy face, and they were already thinking in their hearts how to transfer to the West Mansion. That¡¯s why, when Zhao Luli wanted to send people to invite the second madam, he shouted several times before a granny came forward to accept the order.


    A quarter of an hour later, a series of screams came from outside, mixed with words such as ¡°Ghost, Demon is here¡±, followed by a chaotic banging, howling groan, and chanting sound, somewhat like people were in panic, and knocked down tables and chairs, causing a mess.


    Thinking of Madam¡¯s usual attitude of showing neither pity nor disgust when she saw her sister-in-law, and then looked at the embarrassing appearance of Ye¡¯s family in panic and shouting, Zhao Luli¡¯s face flushed with shame, and he gradually began to doubt whether he made the right decision by bringing them home for resettlement. With this kind of family education and style of handling things, afraid there would be no peaceful day in the Marquis Mansion, but he had already ridden the tiger and had no choice but to go forward with it.


    After a while, Ruan shi pulled the frightened Mu Mu into the inner hall, her head hanging low, she covered her face with her hands, and murmured, ¡°Lord Marquis, just now I¡¯m sorry for scaring those delicate guests of your foreign family.¡±


    Zhao Luli felt ashamed and waved his hands quickly, ¡°It is them who are disrespectful, it should be me who apologize to sister-in-law, and I also ask sister-in-law to please forgive me.¡±


    Ruan shi reluctantly pulled the corners of her lips, and took a few steps forward to greet her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. There was no more thorn in her voice, ¡°Mother-in-law, sister-in-law, what are you looking for me for?¡± While she was talking, Mu Mu didn¡¯t feel shy with stranger at all, actually  walked up to Guan Suyi¡¯s side, put his two short hands on her knees, opened his mouth wide, and made an ¡°ah¡± sound.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s cold face couldn¡¯t be maintain anymore, she smiled lowly, and immediately looked at his throat, and said with relief, ¡°It took only two days for the swelling to subside, very good. Can you eat hard things?¡±


    Ruan shi smiled, ¡°Actually, that evening is already so much better. The next day, he dragged me to beg for food. I think he was very hungry. It¡¯s every hard for him to be sick for so long and still did no say a word, I usually feed him any food, but he only eat very little, and didn¡¯t know how painful it should be to swallow those vegetables and meat.¡±


    ¡°This is a child who can endure, and he has a promising future. However, it is not good to endure blindly, he has to know how to fight, so let him learn how to speak. Sister-in-law doesn¡¯t need to worry, I will teach him slowly.¡± Guan Suyi tentatively picked up a piece of cake and coaxed, ¡°Mu Mu, come to mother, mother will feed you cake.¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Mu Mu got into his adoptive mother¡¯s arms, but he didn¡¯t dare to bite the cake, just stared at it with his black eyes, and Guan Suyi¡¯s heart was melting, she handed it to his lips while holding his small chin so as not to let the cake residue fall into his lapels.


    When she was sincere and good to someone, the water-like tenderness could almost overflow from her gorgeous eyebrows, as if the whole person was emitting a shimmering light, which made people unable to move their eyes and deeply attracted. Mu Mu loved this fragrant, beautiful, powerful, and very kind adoptive mother, a small short hand slowly wrapped around her arm, then take a bite of the cake.


    Zhao Wangshu was stunned, suddenly turned his head away with red eyes. It turned out that the stepmother not only has a strict side, but also a gentle side, just like the mother he imagined. It¡¯s just that she wouldn¡¯t treat him like that. She didn¡¯t like him, and he could feel it from the beginning.


    Zhao Luli was also full of emotion, thinking that if he hadn¡¯t hurt madam¡¯s heart, madam would have taken care of Wangshu and Xi¡¯er like this. What kind of sins he had done to break a good family into pieces, and he hoped there would be a chance to make up for it in the future. At the end, he remembered the conversation between the two sister-in-laws, so he asked his mother what happened to Mu Mu, and was reprimanded again.


    Guan Suyi and Ruan shi listened silently and did not interrupt, waiting for the old madam to let out a bad breath before they began to talk about the business. Ruan shi had long been fed up with the Ye family, when she heard that the West Mansion would be established in the name of her husband, and she would live alone with her sister-in-law and mother-in-law, she was naturally happy. Everyone reached an agreement, the old madam would personally pay for the construction of the wall, and immediately order the steward to go to recruit craftsmen and start work immediately, she could not wait for a moment.


    Seeing his mother was so eager to get rid the Ye family, Zhao Luli could only smile bitterly. After the maid had collected the map and cleaned up the table, he poured a cup of hot tea with his own hands, knelt down and held it high, saying with guilt, ¡°Mother, over the years, you have taken a lot of responsibility for me. If you hadn¡¯t been in charge of the central feed, this family would not be what it was like. Not only did I not care about everything, but I often rebelled against you and making you angry. Your migraine problem is probably caused by anger towards me. This son is not filial, and I don¡¯t know if it will be too late to make amends. Thinking about it, I really regret it! This son will enter the palace tomorrow to plead guilty, and if unable to get through unscathed, you and madam should get along well in the West Mansion, I can rest assured that she will take good care of you. This son still has some property, which is also entrusted to you to take care of it, so that you will not have to worry about your livelihood in the future.¡±


    Is this a last word? The old madam groaned inside, her heart was broken, but she couldn¡¯t bring her face down to reconcile with her son, and snorted coldly, ¡°I¡¯m stupid and I don¡¯t have much energy, so how can I take care of it for you. Why don¡¯t you hand it over to your wife?¡±


    ¡°Give it to her, is she willing to take it?¡± Zhao Luli smiled wryly. He wasn¡¯t really blind, he just didn¡¯t dare to look at everything around him. Madam had torn apart even the expense for food and clothing with the Marquis Mansion, and unlike Ruan shi, who was readily call his mother mother-in-law, she only called her the old madam. It was obvious that she never regarded herself as a Zhao family¡¯s member. But this couldn¡¯t be blamed on her. Thinking about the things he had done, who wouldn¡¯t bear grudges? Who would be willing to suffer? She was the proud and unyielding Guan family¡¯s member, and she was not an ordinary woman, who could not be slighted, could not be overlooked, and could not be insulted.


    Guan Suyi pursed her lips and did not speak.


    The room fell into a dead silence, and the awkward atmosphere permeated for a while, before hearing the old madam coldly said, ¡°You put the account books and other items in the main courtyard for the time being, and take them back when you return home safely. If you can¡¯t get through this hurdle, I don¡¯t need you to explain, I will also hand over the property to Suyi to take care, I am rest assured that she is capable, she can hold up two of you!¡±


    Zhao Luli finally smiled briskly and agreed, ¡°Mother is right, Madam is really capable, we can rest assured handing over our family to her. This son will go settle the Ye Mansion¡¯s family member, and will not let them disturb you before dividing the mansion.¡±


    The old madam nodded indifferently, and when her son left the inner hall with the pair of son and a daughter, she sighed softly, her eyes were red and wet.


    There were vague voices from outside, and there seemed to be cheers of joy, and then she heard his son admonishing, ¡°The main courtyard, the main house, and the second house, you¡¯d better not set foot on them. In other people¡¯s house you must abide by other people¡¯s rules, and if anyone has a bad heart and anything in those three houses gone, I have the right to count on that person¡¯s head, and I will report it to the officials.¡± In other words ¨C whoever disobeys will be named as a thief and sent to prison, this attitude was very strong.


    There was a moment of silence outside, followed by a mixture of quarrels and frightened apologies, and then slowly faded away.


    The old madam held her forehead and wept, both happy and worried. The happy thing was that her son was really awakened; the worried part was that he had already fallen into another quagmire, and she didn¡¯t know if he could come all the way out. She didn¡¯t hold grudges against Guan family or her daughter-in-law. Without these heavy hammers, her son would probably be confuse for a lifetime. It would be better to start all over again as he was now.


    With great difficulty Zhao Luli settled the Ye family, and when he turned around, he found that his daughter was still following him, with a worried expression on her face. His eyes dimmed, and he took his daughter to the study to speak.


    ¡°Daddy, what will happen to you when you enter the palace tomorrow?¡± Will you go to jail? But in the end, she dared not ask.


    ¡°Daddy doesn¡¯t know what will happen, it depends on the emperor¡¯s decision.¡± Zhao Luli thoughtfully said, ¡°Xi¡¯er, while no one is here, daddy will explain a few words to you. I hope you will grow up quickly, and stop indulging in wild imagination and going astray. I have always known about your relationship with your mother. When you first met, she saved you in the bitter cold, and when you were helpless and not have anything to depend on, you thought she fit your imagination of a mother, crying and shouting for her to come to the Marquis Mansion. After I asked for the imperial decree of marriage, you found that she was outspoken and rigid, which was very unsatisfactory, so you didn¡¯t show it on the surface, but always make things difficult behind her back. Xi¡¯er, Daddy knew all these things, and I can understand how you feel. But you have to understand that not everyone in the world has to revolve around you, and not everything is to your liking. If you continue to act like you used to, your mother will not tolerate you, and daddy will not indulge you any longer. Have you seen your grandfather? He¡¯s the perfect example.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi¡¯s face was pale, and she was speechless for a long time.


    Zhao Luli sighed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t resent your mother, everything has nothing to do with her, let alone the Guan family. The Emperor Teacher¡¯s new appointment as the censor must set some prestige. The Ye family is only a springboard in his eyes, and the emperor is the real stepping stone. How much risk and pressure do you think he needs to endure to impeach the emperor? The emperor uses him for the time being, precisely because he is the Emperor Teacher, if one day he is no longer needed, every time he impeaches, every time he gets angry, every big officials he offended will become his death spell in the future. But he has to do it, and he has to do it well, just because the Holy Order is hard to violate, because the world belongs to the emperor, and all of us have to listen to him. The Guan family is very remarkable, they do not think of hardship, but take pride in it. They are willing to sacrifice their lives for righteousness, striving to the utmost, in the future they¡¯re bound to leave their names on annals of history, and be passed on for hundreds of generations. Your mother come from such a family, and her character was unsullied and untainted, benevolent and righteous. If I can¡¯t come back alive, you will take Wangshu to beg her, listen to her carefully, honor her with sincerity, with the Guan family¡¯s reputation outside, and her beauty inside, she certainly will never leave you alone.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t say it!¡± Zhao Chunxi threw herself into her father¡¯s arms and burst into tears.


    However, Zhao Luli couldn¡¯t help but explain clearly, ¡°If I don¡¯t say it how you can understand, affairs of life will always happened. Guan family is right, it¡¯s your maternal family that is wrong. I can¡¯t tell you what your grandfather did, you just need to know, he confessed his guilt and was executed, and his death was not because he wrongly accused. You don¡¯t need to hold grudges against your mother, or even hatred, because of his tragic death. You must know that family has family¡¯s rules and the country has country¡¯s laws, even the emperor has to bear the punishment for violating the law of the country, so what about other people? Under the imperial power we all are ants. You should stay away from the court and live in peace. Don¡¯t imitate the Ye family¡¯s love of vanity and clinging to the powerful. Your brother is spoiled, like to done things without thinking, neither your grandmother nor I can control him, but he listen to you the most. You said that your mother is good, he expected me to marry her; you said that your mother is not good, he immediately avoided her and turned against her. You must not mislead him in the future, and say more  kind words about your mother, teach him to get close to her. If your mother is happy and willing to cultivate him wholeheartedly, in the future his prospect will not be bad. The Guan family¡¯s method of tuning and teaching people, you as the family¡¯s daughter may not know, but you may look at the court, those who can speak now, except for the senior minister¡¯s lineage, are the Emperor Teacher and his disciples. With such a strong backer, you will definitely have no worries in your life.¡±


    When the words fell, he burst into tears, and sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t blame daddy for being incompetent, daddy used to be in the battlefield, going up and down, but the will of Heaven often mess with people¡­ You just need to know, your daddy is not really confused, nor am I really cowardly, but I just have to put on this attitude to protect our family. Daddy is gone, and you are a little confused when things happen, don¡¯t be competitive, and don¡¯t set your mind to climb up. Going to the top is not a good journey, your mom¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t speak any longer, and cried bitterly while holding his daughter.


    Zhao Chunxi was dazed and desperate for a while, but there were no tears left. What exactly did my mom do back then? Why her scenery is beautiful and infinite, but only leaving others with endless pain and bleakness?


    T/N: I will use the word reconciliation for a type of divorce where both husband and wife agree to separate, it¡¯s just to differentiate from other type of divorce where husband basically discard the wife.

 CH 60

    Chapter 60 Quarrel


    The father and daughter talked for a long time before they separated. Zhao Chunxi walked back with brain full of thoughts, and suddenly saw a lot of craftsmen on the west end, who were taking measurements with soft rulers and other objects, and used white lime to mark the flower beds, rockeries and gardens that need to be demolished one by one, it seemed that construction would start soon. A few stewards from the west end stood by the side to supervise the map drawn by Madam, and could vaguely hear words such as ¡°hurry up, don¡¯t delay, add more money¡±, which showed how urgent they were with the idea of getting rid the Ye family.


    ¡°Miss, are we really going to divide the mansion?¡± Hexiang and Xueliu stared blankly for a while, their faces filled with confusion, and their hearts felt even more terrified.


    ¡°Guan¡­ What mother said, have it ever fail to come through?¡± Zhao Chunxi stared into the distance, and her tone was deep, ¡°The action is so fast, even the map has already drawn, the craftsman only needs to build following the map, as fast as one month, as slow as two months, this wall can be built. Do you believe that she devised the plan at the last minute? Hexiang, you are right, we just took one step, and she has finished the next ninety-nine steps. My maternal grandfather, Ye family, daddy, and even the scene where Wangshu and I have to live together with others, afraid she had expected it a long time ago, and then tore it clean one step at a time, without being touch by the dust at all, but took all the good reputation. Look at me Daddy, grandmother, second aunt, who doesn¡¯t admire her and trust her? She has just come to the Marquis Mansion for more than half a month, and she has made herself the absolute ruler of this place. Whether you want it or not, you have to be lead by the nose by her, and in the end, you have to deeply grateful.¡±


    Hexiang and Xueliu lowered their heads and did not dare to talk, but they also had a deep fear for Madam in their hearts.


    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t want to accept it, you have to accept it!¡± Zhao Chunxi smiled miserably, ¡°If something happens to daddy, Wangshu and I will have to rely on her to live in the future, and there won¡¯t be any benefit at all if we work against her. In fact, I myself have forgotten why I wanted to target her in the first place, indeed one step wrong, every steps wrong.¡± Of course, it was for the sake of her mom, but looking at it now, she felt that it was not worth it.


    ¡°Miss, you¡¯re right to think so.¡± Hexiang carefully pointed out, ¡°Don¡¯t think that Madam¡¯s method is just to divide the mansion into east and west, break down the east house, and preserve the west house. In fact, there are other things in here. She took into account the people¡¯s hearts of the two mansion, follows her then chickens and dogs ascend to heaven, and do not follows means living a miserable life. Although the houses were divided, the servants of the two houses would only respect her more than the masters they served. If she wants to deal with you, she doesn¡¯t need to set foot in the East Mansion, and there are countless people who can scheme for her. Indeed the arm can¡¯t twist the thigh, you can, you can admit it for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Admit it, why don¡¯t I admit it?¡± Zhao Chunxi shook her head and sighed, ¡°You first-class maids are the most useful people around me, and your monthly silver is paid from my account, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it in the future. Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go back and have a look.¡±


    Hexiang and Xueliu let out a long sigh of relief, but they also understood that the more the eldest miss was like this, the more Madam had the upper hand. Lifting up a few maids higher would only make the people below them even more unwilling and eager to move. But they also have to live, so they didn¡¯t mention it.


    Zhao Chunxi talked big, but her heart was actually bleeding. Her life had always been extravagant, and the monthly cost of 80 taels as Guan Suyi said was still counted as the minimum limit. In fact, with only buying one jewelry, the monthly expenses were more than 1,000 taels. The monthly silver could never be saved, and she had to find Daddy subsidizes, so there was not much money left in the account.


    Supporting three to five months was already unlikely, let alone waiting for two to three years until she got married. At that time, don¡¯t talk about the people below, afraid she would not be able to keep her confidants. Human heart was really unpredictable, and human heart was even more sinister. She felt extremely tired and at a loss, and when she could easily count so many people on Guan Suyi¡¯s side she couldn¡¯t help but feel timid.


    The three master and servant returned to Penglai Garden unhappily, and heard the noise and clamoring inside. A few cousin were arguing over who lives in the spacious room, and they were about to raise their hands. The servant¡¯s monthly silver was reduced thirty percent of the original, and the daily necessities were not as good as before, naturally, they hated the Ye family who were like dove occupying the magpie¡¯s nest. They only made a show of persuasion on the surface, but did not try to stop them, and a few even hid by the side to watch the play, their face full of schadenfreude smiles.


    Zhao Chunxi¡¯s forehead jumped, and immediately ran to mediate. A certain cousin accidentally scratched her neck, leaving a bloodstain. The quarrel finally subsided for a while, only then she exhaustedly pushed open the door and saw her third aunt, Ye Fan and the three di daughters of the Ye family sitting in the room while drinking tea, with a pile of jewelry at hand, which seemed familiar at a closer look.


    ¡°Oh, why did you open the eldest miss¡¯ trousseau?¡± Hexiang shouted while holding the empty brocade box.


    ¡°We sit and have nothing to do, and borrow something from my sister to play around with. What are you shouting, let alone these shoddy things, even the nine-headed phoenix hairpin we have also seen, why would we greedy for such cheap things? Here here here, I¡¯ll give it all back to you, really shallow! My eldest aunt is still Jieyu, while she still alive for a day, my Ye family will not really collapse, you just wait!¡± The eldest cousin Ye Fu immediately raised her face, brushed a pile of jewelry off the table, pearls and emeralds were spattering around, and a few bracelets were shattered, which made Zhao Chunxi¡¯s eyes hurt even more.


    Back then, she admired the big cousin¡¯s extravagant gallantry the most. No matter how valuable things were, it never enter her eyes, even a huge eastern pearl was easily crushed and used as pearl powder. However, when this arrogance was placed on her and her things that were abused, she finally knew how hateful this person were.


    She was so angry that her chest hurt, and if she open her mouth to speak immediately, she was afraid that she would spit a mouthful of old blood. However, before she could air out her grievance, the other two older cousins were already spitting out their grievance, holding the handkerchief, wiping the corners of their eyes, and sobbing, ¡°Sister, please stop, after all, our family is different from the past, it¡¯s understandable if the younger sister is more contemptuous and vigilant, who let let us fall and still implicate her? Not to mention looking at her things, afraid we won¡¯t even be able to enter the main hall in the future. Let¡¯s go to uncle to say goodbye, it¡¯s better to stay far away, so as not to spoil the affection of the past.¡±


    Wow, use daddy to press me! Pretending to be innocent, pretending to be pitiful, and fabricate accusations, it¡¯s indeed like bringing the wolves into the house! Zhao Chunxi not only felt distressed, but her internal organs were hurting, her stomach was burning like a fire, and her whole body was about to explode. She finally understood how Guan Suyi felt when she faced her frequent tricks. Although she could easily push people to death, it still felt disgusting.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t a few sisters listen to my daddy? In other people¡¯s house you must abide by other people¡¯s rules, otherwise if any courtyard lose any belonging, you will be reported to the officials. Hexiang, count the jewelry and see if anything missing.¡± She gritted her teeth.


    Hexiang immediately agreed, but before she could pick up the things on the floor, several cousins all said goodbye and left in a hurry.


    Ye Fan stayed at the end, touched the wound on her niece¡¯s neck with a handkerchief, and said worriedly, ¡°Who hurt you? Those unrestrained wenches are still so rampant, I will ask my aunt to teach them the rules later. Xueliu, quickly bring some medicine for your master, I¡¯ll put it on for her.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi finally felt a little more comfortable, she sat opposite her third aunt, her eyes were red, but she never expected that the atmosphere had just eased, and the other person asked, ¡°Is there anything wrong with your daddy? Can my marriage with him still happen? His title¡­¡±


    She thought that she would be able to marry into the Marquis Mansion and become a concubine who had more face than the mistress, but because of a coral tree, all her dreams were shattered. This was not the end, the uncle was first ordered to reflect behind closed door, and then he was taken to the Heavenly Prison. However, barely a day, afraid of facing the crime he was then executed, and the originally beautiful and powerful Ye Mansion, was burned to ashes. All kinds of changes happened too rapidly and quickly, it didn¡¯t give Ye Fan any time to react. When she suddenly turned back, there was no way out behind her, and only darkness in front of her. She didn¡¯t know if she took a step forward would she die horribly or escape to heaven.


    If Zhao Luli could safely avoid this disaster and kept the title, that was the best, if not, she had to think carefully. After all, Ye Jieyu was still there, as long as she didn¡¯t collapse, the Ye family would not be really finished.


    How could Zhao Chunxi not guess these thoughts of hers? Already thought that her father was not worth it. She also found it ridiculous to rely on her foreign family, and even more despised the ghostly thoughts of her third aunt.


    ¡°If something happens to Daddy, what will you do?¡± She threw the question back.


    The room fell into silence, and after a while, Ye Fan said with a light smile, ¡°If anything happens to your father, naturally I will accompany him through the difficulties.¡±


    ¡°Auntie, you are so kind.¡± Zhao Chunxi firmly pressed her hand on the table, and said in meaningfully, ¡°Remember what you said today. You are a highly principled and loyal person, I will tell my daddy about it, he must be very moved when he hear it.¡±


    ¡°What is this moved thing, I have already set a wedding date with Lord Marquis, already become his person, and I should be of one heart and one mind with him.¡± Ye Fan smiled softly on her face, what¡¯s actually in her heart, it best not to mention it.


    However, Zhao Chunxi made up her mind to press her down. Since the Marquis Mansion was implicated by the Ye family, then if one have bad luck then everyone would have bad luck, and if one die everyone would die together.


    ¡ª


    Not only were the Ye and Zhao families harmonious on the surface, but also pinched each other on the inside, but the undercurrent in the courtroom was also raging, and the battle was constant. The next day, Emperor Sheng Yuan once again summoned his ministers to discuss the revision of the law. The further back, the wider the tentacles of the reform, gradually involving taxation, military power, land, etc., seriously damaging the interests of the big clan.


    As the representative of the noble clan, Prime Minister Wang¡¯s faction naturally opposed it fiercely.


    Today, seeing the emperor¡¯s proposal to change the ¡°land occupation system¡± to ¡°equal land system¡±, he said angrily, ¡°The emperor has little reading and does not understand a lot of things, so it¡¯s best not to carelessly speaking out. Since the implementation of the land occupation system, a large number of land has been reclaimed, and the taxes that peasants need to pay are also light. If it changed to equal land system, the tax is collected according to the population, now the war has just passed, the labor force has dropped sharply, and the climate is changing, and the harvest is not good, which commoner can afford it? The emperor can even granted such an important position like Grand Astrologer to an illiterate merchant, it shows that he is very unfamiliar with the management of the people¡¯s livelihood, and it¡¯s all up to us the specialize ministers to do it, you should learn it slowly, and discuss it when you have mastered it.¡± The intention of making a mere figurehead monarch was abundantly clear.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was enraged by his disrespectful attitude, and was about to slap the table, but Prime Minister Wang flung his sleeves and left first, and all the subordinate officials also took their leave. For a moment only the Emperor Teacher still sitting upright, looking solemn.


    ¡°Fuck you Langya Wang clan! One day this old man will slaughter you!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, he raised his hand and swiped over the memorials and other items on the imperial table, but unexpectedly lifted the ink stone and splashed ink spots all over the Emperor Teacher¡¯s  body.


    When he caught a glimpse of the Emperor Teacher¡¯s honest eyes, his anger disappeared, and he extended his big palm to wipe it for him, while sincerely apologizing.


    Old Master Guan said slowly, ¡°Prime Minister is right, it is indeed inappropriate that the emperor can even granted the post of Grand Astrologer to Ye Quanyong.¡±

 CH 61

    Chapter 61 Inspired


    Before ascending the throne, Emperor Sheng Yuan was known for making big moves, rough and heroic, if it could be beaten then beaten, if it could not be beaten then beaten later, and he never liked to play any conspiracies and tricks. But after having more contact with the Han people, he suddenly realized: These Central Plains people are too goddamn tricky, if you go straight with them, you may be led into a pit and buried.


    After several big losses, he gradually became interested in Central Plains culture, and the more he learned, the more he understood its strength. Of course, among the many learnings, his favorites were the military and legalism schools. Every time he got its classic, he reads it eagerly. Only then did he realize that to govern the people of Central Plains, he had to use the means of the people of Central Plains.


    At the beginning of the founding of the country, he couldn¡¯t even figure out how the imperial court mechanism work, so he had to use a large number of Han officials, barely holding up the Wei Kingdom. But new problems came one after another, such as the Wang clan of Langya, the Xie clan of Chenjun, the Yuan clan of Runan, and the Xiao clan of Lanling¡­ each had their own background, each had their own territory, raised private soldiers, and acted as powerful officials, if it weren¡¯t for them to lost most of its strength in the war, they would almost make him a mere figurehead.


    Among them, the Wang clan of Langya had the most wealth and talents. As early as the coexistence of various vassal states, they secretly controlled some of the most powerful forces. The head of the family and the descendants of the direct line were all high-ranking officials, and held the power of life and death. When the Wei Kingdom was established, they didn¡¯t want to be outdone, on one hand, they won over the courtiers and on the other hand, they consolidated their power.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was used to being domineering, and naturally impossible to be used as puppet by them, so the two sides looked harmonious, but secretly fought fiercely. In the past, the noble family always had the upper hand, but recently, the people cultivated by Emperor Sheng Yuan slowly infiltrated the court. He also established the Emperor Teacher, and recruited a group of upright Confucian scholars who were famous all over the world and loyal to the imperial power to take on important positions, so the situation improved slightly.


    It was just that the noble family was a noble family after all, the family style was clean, and the children were quite promising, unlike the Ye family, which full of shortcoming that was easily exploited by other. Therefore, it may be difficult for the Emperor Teacher to impeach the Wang family and suppress the power of the prime minister.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan remembered the arrogance and influence of the Wang family, could not help but gritted his teeth with hatred, and then looked at the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies who were always loyal to the country, his heart was finally smooth, and he was more willing to be honest about his mistake.


    ¡°What the teacher taught, Zhen has realize the mistake. In those year when entering Yanjing for the first time, and the court was re-established, the Ye family asked for a position, and Zhen pick a position that is not too low nor too high, casually gave it to him and sent him away, how did one expect that the post of Grand Astrologer to be so important.¡±


    He always thought that Grand Astrologer was just looking at the sky, counting the days, and regularly drying the classics under the sun. Anyone could do it well. How could he know that there were so many particulars? When he understood, Ye Quanyong had already taken office, and he could only pretend not to know.


    The beard on Old Master Guan¡¯s lips was trembling, showing that he was very angry with the emperor. However, he finally held back, and after pondering for a while, he said quietly, ¡°Your Majesty, you are completely wild!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s ears were getting red, and his heart was full of shame, it was just that his skin was dark that it couldn¡¯t be seen, then he said honestly, ¡°Emperor Teacher, you don¡¯t know, when Zhen was young, Zhen followed the wild beasts in the mountains and forests. When I was a little older, I joined the army to fight. I can¡¯t even recognize Jiuli characters, let alone Mandarin characters. The little ink in Zhen¡¯s stomach has also been slowly learned in recent years, and there are still many ignorant things, please ask Emperor Teacher for more advise.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty doesn¡¯t have to undervalue yourself. You have only started learning in recent years, but to be able to reach your level is already considered an extraordinary talent. No one is born an emperor, let alone know how to manage a country. They all learn from history and take people as a mirror, little by little carve and polish it. Don¡¯t worry, this minister and others will try our best to assist you, help you become the holy monarch of the whole generation, help the people of the world to live and work in peace and contentment, and support the Wei Kingdom for generations to come.¡±


    All the ministers also cupsed their hands in obeisance, and the solemn atmosphere instantly washed away the gloom in the hall.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan even said a few ¡°good¡± word, rebuilding his confidence and at the same time more respectful to the Emperor Teacher, and hurriedly asked him to go to the back of the palace to wash and change clothes. With this episode, today¡¯s proposal could only be left unsettled, all the ministers withdrew, only Guan Father sat in the hall while waiting for the old man.


    Seeing that there were no other people around, he said meaningfully, ¡°If the emperor wants to realize his ambition, the first thing is to restrain the Prime Minister. Now the power of Prime Minister and the power of the monarch are almost equal, all your decisions can be vetoed by him, then this revision of the law and reconstructing the system cannot be carried out, in the end it may shake the foundation of Wei Kingdom and cause the people to fall into trouble.¡±


    How could the Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t know this? But how to suppress the Prime Minister¡¯s power, this was a difficult problem. In fact, the conflict between the monarch and Prime Minister had existed since a long time ago, and many monarchs had also made great efforts. They divide the prime minister¡¯s power from one person¡¯s monopoly into several people working together, and successively had the left and right Prime Ministers. When they felt that it was not safe enough, they proposed the inner attendant to be the central minister. In the end, it made the court became even more chaotic.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan would never let eunuchs take on important positions, and made his surrounding become dangerous, so he shook his head and continued to think bitterly.


    Guan Father had some ideas, but it was inconvenient to propose it himself. Before he took office as Chief of Ceremonies, he was a teacher, and he was best at giving example to illustrate the point, guide patiently and systematically, let the disciples learn to think independently, make judgement and resolve the problem themselves, instead of doing everything for them. If not so, not only people would not be able to mature, but would also gradually degenerate.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, this disciple, was even more special. If you think more and do more for him, he may not be grateful to you, but may even have a gap in his heart and secretly guard against you. The best thing to do was to steer him in the right direction and make him realize how to take the helm. When the goal is achieved, he will be happy and confident, and others will be safe.


    Both of them were thinking about the countermeasure, but one was still ignorant and the other had a plan. Just at this moment, an inconspicuous-looking inner attendant walked in quietly, and presented a secret letter with both hands, saying that it was sent from the border.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan took the secret letter and said apologetically, ¡°Chief of Ceremonies please take a sit, Zhen will go for a while.¡±


    Guan Father did not dare to delay the military situation, only let the emperor handle it himself.


    Entering the side hall, Emperor Sheng Yuan opened the letter and read it carefully, he could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. Madam and Zhao Luli actually divided the mansion and lived separately? Good, she deserved to be the proud and arrogant daughter of the Guan family. When she make a decision, she was unhesitating and hits the mark. Even if Zhao Luli had regrets, it was too late, right?


    The trick of dividing the mansion was really wonderful. Based on things that Zhao Luli had done, it was not unjust to seize his title. If Madam did not divide the mansion, the gold plaque of the Zhao family would not be able to be preserved, and its end would only be the same as the Ye family, end up in ruins. However, if the east and west mansion were divided, they each re-establishing their main gates. As soon as the plaque of ¡°Marquis Zhenbei¡± was taken off, the plaque of ¡°General Zhengbei Mansion¡± could be hung immediately. Who would dare to be rash? Who dares to throw stones at them? The whole family was also saved. (T/N: General Zhengbei is Zhao Luli¡¯s brother)


    And that¡¯s not all. The West Mansion had no head, and old madam Zhao and Ruan shi respected her, she then could control the power and do whatever she want. While the East Mansion had cut the title and reduce the expense, and when people¡¯s heart were scattered, they could only rely on the West Mansion, so they also resigned themselves to her. Even if Zhao Luli was her husband and should have take the lead, but he also couldn¡¯t touch her.


    In the future at Zhao¡¯s house, she could live however she want, whoever got in the way, she wouldn¡¯t have to deal with it, just kick it away. It¡¯s really a sharp method and an open layout.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan read the secret letter over and over again, suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him and he clasped his hands while laughing. It turns out that managing a country can actually follow the same way. Since Zhen can¡¯t beat you with power play, well, then Zhen simply don¡¯t play any more. Divide the powers, divide the military force, divide the functions. When people are confused and the factions are scattered, even the prime minister cannot be the master, won¡¯t they still turn around and rely on Zhen to make decision? Madam is really a wonderful helper!


    Father Guan heard the emperor¡¯s extremely leisurely laughter, it seemed there was a good news from the border. He was secretly recalling where there had been frequent wars in recent times, when he saw the emperor walking in with a tiger¡¯s stride, before he sat down he said, ¡°In Zhen¡¯s opinion, to control the Prime Minister is by dividing and transformation.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How to divide?¡± Guan Father¡¯s eyes brightened slightly, there¡¯s was a surprise expression on his face, obviously he didn¡¯t expect the emperor to think of this step without his own advice.


    ¡°It is not the division of left, center and right, but the division of authority, just like there are specializations of academic studies. Didn¡¯t the prime minister say to let the specialize ministers and military officers handle the court affairs? Then let the specialize army, criminal, household, work, ceremonies officials, or whoever proficient in certain areas be in charge of this. Not all gold is sufficiently red, everyone has their defect, and no matter how omniscient and omnipotent prime minister is, there is always something he is not good at. And although those people under him only follow him blindly, if they are given a portion of the prime minister¡¯s power, Zhen thought no one will object. But in case the prime minister will resist, causing the court to be shaken, Zhen want to separate the military powers and re-establish Ministry of Commandant, and Zhen will be personally in charge in order to suppress the whole territory. In the past, one person ate a big cake and the rest of the people starved. Now it¡¯s a big cake shared by everyone, except the person who originally took the cake, who will refuse? Afraid no one will refuse, still fight until the head broken and blood flowing. When the voice of supporting this motion increased, Zhen wants to see if Prime Minister Wang can withstand it and whether he dare to take the risk of defying the world.¡±


    ¡°The emperor already has a massive military force. If you want to set up a separate Ministry of Commandant, it will be easy. If Prime Minister Wang loses military power, it¡¯s equivalent to cutting off the tiger¡¯s claws and teeth, there is nothing to be afraid of, and everyone flocks to divide the power. Afraid the thousand years glory of Langya Wang clan will soon come to an end.¡± Guan Father couldn¡¯t help but admire the emperor.


    ¡°Exactly. In the past there are already three divisions of left, center and right, so Zhen will follow the old example and come up with a three-divisions, each with its own special department, and the specific arrangement still need to be discussed with Emperor Teacher, Chief of Ceremonies, and all the beloved minister. After that, the two powers of military and government were divided, and each opened the office. From then on, the management of the government should not involve the army, and the army should not involve with political affairs, and they would constraint each other.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan had a prototype of a new bureaucratic system in his mind. Under this system, the power of the emperor would climb to the peak. At that time, he would reform whatever he want, and no one could stand in his way.


    Of course, his wisdom alone was extremely limited, and he still had to listen to the opinions of the ministers.


    Guan Father was amazed by the Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s comprehension. It was not easy for a non-Han emperor who came from a barbarian background to realize such a delicate way of manipulating people without anyone¡¯s guidance! The first Holy Monarch who split heaven and earth apart? He really has this potential!


    ¡°The emperor has great talent and insight, brilliant and benevolent, loves the people like his own children, which is indeed the blessing for the Wei Kingdom and the common people. The emperor¡¯s strategy is not only feasible, but it may become a model for future generations to control the officials. This minister thought about it repeatedly, how about naming this law the Two Governments and Three Divisions system? As for the specific division of powers, after returning, this minister will write a memorial and present it to the emperor and the court for discussion.¡±


    ¡°Two Government and Three Division, two mansion ?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan clasped his palms in praise, ¡°Very good!¡± At the end, his face was quietly stained with a blush. If Chief of Ceremonies knew that the idea of dividing the government was learned from Madam, it¡¯s unknown how he would react. That¡¯s it, in the future, it¡¯s better to find a way to make Madam reconcile, and then confess to the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies.


    He did not dare to take Madam¡¯s credit.

 CH 62

    Chapter 62 Surrender


    After Old Master Guan washed up, changed his robes and came out, he saw that his son and the emperor were chatting happily. He sat down and listened for a while, his eyes became brighter and brighter, and wanted to say a few words, but then heard a sharp voice from outside the hall, ¡°Reporting to the emperor, Marquis Zhenbei is now kneeling in front of Xuande Gate to plead guilty, ask the emperor for instruction?¡±


    Plead guilty? Seems like he¡¯s not hopelessly stupid. Guan Father raised his eyebrows, there was a smile yet not a smile expression on his face. The old master Guan stroked his beard, but did not express his opinion.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was talking about happy thing, where did he have the mind to take care of Zhao Luli, but his serious father-in-law and grandfather-in-law were here, it¡¯s impossible to not give face at all, so he waved his hand and said, ¡°Announce him into the palace.¡±


    Zhao Luli was quickly taken into the Weiyang Palace, wearing only a pure white single shirt, with a bundle of thorns tied behind his back, the sharp thorns pierced the skin, and a little blood oozes out, making him like a sorry figure. He obviously didn¡¯t expect Old Master Guan and Guan Father to be here, and his pale face couldn¡¯t help but turn red, he then buried his head deeply, ashamed to face the two of them.


    ¡°This sinner sees the emperor, sees the Emperor Teacher, sees the Chief of Ceremonies.¡± He was half-kneeling and saluted, his voice hoarse.


    Old Master Guan and Father Guan nodded slightly, with neither indignation nor condemnation on their faces, let alone disappointment. They were originally reluctant for this marriage, and now it was not surprising that it had fallen to this point, as long as their Yiyi did not suffer then it¡¯s alright.


    ¡°Get up.¡± While observing the expressions of Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies, Emperor Sheng Yuan tapped the table and asked, ¡°I heard that you intend to plead guilty?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This sinner knows that his sins are heavy, his evil is accumulating a lot of calamity, so he came to the palace to show his own way, and use all loyalty and righteousness to redeem himself.¡± He looked at the expressionless Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies, ans said in dumb voice, ¡°This sinner is bold, ask the emperor to speak in private.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan pondered for a while, then waved his hand and said, ¡°Come in with me. Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies please sit for a while, Zhen will be right back.¡±


    Zhao Luli also blushed and said, ¡°Chen Guang is rude.¡±


    The emperor and the courtier entered the inner hall one after another, one sat down on the chair, the other knelt on the ground with a thud, and said with difficulty, ¡°Your Majesty, all the things Ye Quanyong committed, you can ask anything you want, this sinner will surely not hide anything he knows.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t have anything he wanted to ask. He pried open the mouth that could be pried open, and grasped the secrets that could be found. The only thing was, how did the life-saving grace happened that year, Ye Quanyong would rather die than confess, directly bit through the poison sac and commit suicide. On the contrary, this showed that what happened back then was suspicious. If he could find concrete evidence, he would make Ye Zhen pay the price.


    He was one of the people blinded by the Ye family, but Zhao Luli probably knew even less, so what could he ask him? As for the fact that he helped Ye Quanyong to intercept the victims of Gejia village, the evidence had long been discover. If he had not come to plead guilty this morning, the Imperial Guard would go to Marquis Mansion to arrest people in the afternoon.


    ¡°I have nothing to say to you.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.


    Zhao Luli smiled bitterly, ¡°I never expected us to come this point. I remember the time when you and I worshiped the sky on the vast grassland, the time when we became sworn brothers, fought on the battlefield together, and entrusting each other with our lives. You once went through ten thousand armies to save me, and I have rushed through the night to save you. Sitting in front of the bonfire at night, singing ¡®Qin Feng Wu Yi¡® together. I thought that even if the heaven and earth changed, this brotherhood would never be change. But I didn¡¯t expect that to create the foundation for the world, I would fight for you in the front, you faked death in the back to deceive the enemy, and attacked Yanjing by surprise, but even my wife was attacked together.¡±


    The more he recalled the past, the worse Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s mood became. He suddenly slammed the arm of his chair and scolded, ¡°Enough, I know that you are making a bitter trick. After all, you Zhao Luli still cherish your life and don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    When his plan was discovered, Zhao Luli could only smile bitterly, ¡°Yes, this sinner is indeed making a bitter trick. Who in this world are not afraid of death? Besides, I have to take care of the family¡¯s old and young, and now there are still a person who I want to make amend to and accompany for the rest of their lives, so I can¡¯t leave them alone. Am I wrong? Back then, I fought with the Second Prince, the feudal vassal¡¯s force came from all sides, and Xue Mingrui was in the front, risking nine death to contain several troops, otherwise can you smoothly break into Yanjing, captured the little emperor, holding the Son of Heaven to command the feudal vassal? And the Ye family treated you well, they didn¡¯t hesitate to donate all their property to help your conquest. Which of your weapons, war horses, and food and grass are not supplied by them? Even just for the sake of those supplies, you can¡¯t take things too far!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan almost couldn¡¯t control the tyrannical desire to kill in his heart. Zhao Luli didn¡¯t know anything, but still dared to run to him and made these accusation? Could it be his, Huo Shengzhe, vision was so bad that even a pretentious woman like Ye Zhen could look at it? Could it be that his, Huo Shengzhe, character was so despicable that even his brother¡¯s wife could be forcibly seized?


    If it weren¡¯t for Ye Zhen had saved his life once. When he passed by the Zhao family¡¯s village for a short rest, and the next day after pulling out of the camp, he found that the Old Marquis had actually stuffed a big living person in his luggage, he would have thrown Ye Zhen away into the barren mountains and forest to fend for herself without saying a word. He really couldn¡¯t understand the thoughts of Han women, what was it that they couldn¡¯t live without chastity? He didn¡¯t even touch a single finger of her, but he became a greedy and hungry ghost who snatched woman, a shameless villain who betrayed his faith.


    And not only he couldn¡¯t ignore Ye Zhen, but he also had to offer her a shelter to repay the life-saving grace, and in order to retain the last trace of brotherhood. The results? This fucking thing is a complete scam!


    Who should he complain his grievances and injustices to? How should his anger and unwillingness be vented? What¡¯s more, Ye Zhen even joined force with Zhao Luli to intercept the empress who should belong to him! Who exactly took whose wife? Who owes whom?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan silently recalled the past, he did not feel that there was any guilt in him, but instead endless grief and pain poured out of his chest. He just missed Madam like that, just watched her suffer humiliation in a place he couldn¡¯t reach. But this couple was good, one cheated and used him for many years, the other ruined the pearl in his heart, and now if he said he want to repent, then he repent, if he said he want to make amends, then make amends, if he said he doesn¡¯t want to throw it away, he won¡¯t throw it away, who is he? What are his qualifications?


    Yes, why not? Isn¡¯t this qualification exactly what you gave him? Knowing that Ye Zhen had intervened so skillfully, he also issued the imperial edict to grant marriage, thus giving up the most precious and most beautiful treasures that should belong to him. Not only did Ye Zhen do this brilliantly, Huo Shengzhe, you also deserved to be here!


    Emperor Sheng Yuan felt a rush of anger attacked his heart, he held his forehead and laughed lowly. For a moment, the laughter was mixed with a few traces of brokenness and depression, as if he was crying. But he quickly restrained his laugh, looked at Zhao Luli with a blank face, and said in a deep voice, ¡°Since you want to mention the past, then Zhen will make it clear with you. You have indeed restrained the various armies and gained enough time for Zhen to attacked Yanjing secretly, but have you forgotten how Hancheng fell? How did the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians die? How did Zhen¡¯s imperial sister was pierced in her heart with arrows and almost died? Do you think your outstanding military exploits cancel out everything in the past? Zhen indeed has done something wrong, but Zhen has never been ashamed to the people, ashamed to the fellow soldiers, or ashamed to the heavens and earth!¡±


    Zhao Luli finally bent his back under his word by word beating, and buried his head in shame. The loss of Hancheng was the eternal pain in his heart. Originally he wasn¡¯t the kind of coward who was devastated because of the love pain, but after Hancheng was slaughtered, he knew that he would never be able to stand up in this life.


    In order to forget that monstrous sin, he could only live in confusion, and could only turn all his attention to his ¡°dead wife¡±, as if he could drill into his head that he was a victim, then he could sleep peacefully. But in fact, he never had a good sleep even for one day, and never forgot that river of blood devastation.


    So he kept indulging himself, and committed many more sins. People really shouldn¡¯t make mistakes, because one step wrong often means every next steps would be wrong, until come to an end.


    He withered, tears pouring out of his eyes silently.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan glanced at him coldly and continued, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the Ye family. If there was no protection from Zhen, could they come and go in the war with a large amount of supplies? Could they make a lot of money without being killed by various forces? All their wealth, even their family¡¯s lives, was given by Zhen, why shouldn¡¯t Zhen take it back? Don¡¯t tell Zhen that the Ye family is innocent.¡±


    The Ye family was not innocent, so Zhao Luli couldn¡¯t speak. It was obvious that talking about feelings couldn¡¯t impress the emperor in the slightest. He already tried his best, so he resigned himself to his fate.


    Thinking like this, Zhao Luli closed his eyes and kowtowed three times.


    Looking at his dark hair and thin back, Emperor Sheng Yuan seemed to hear that song again ¨C How can you say you have no clothes? You have the same robe with your son. Master Wang Yuxing, repair my spear and halberd¡­ In the end, we will share the same clothes and overcome adversity, that¡¯s all, that¡¯s all¡­


    ¡°Zhen can punish you with the death penalty, but for the sake of that year¡¯s friendship you will be forgiven once. You will go to the Department of Justice without your official hat and court clothes to state your crimes and cooperate with the case, wait until this matter is over, and then your title will be stripped off and downgrade to a commoner. Do you accept it?¡±


    ¡°This sinner accept it! Thanking the Emperor for his kindness.¡± Zhao Luli kowtowed again and again.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s anger was still in his heart. He wanted to explain the event of that year, and then reveal his doubts about Ye Zhen, but after a little thought, he didn¡¯t mention it. If Zhao Luli was completely disappointed with Ye Zhen, then he would one day see the benefits of Madam, and that would be troublesome. No, he was already aware the extraordinary thing about Madam and he regretted it.


    Although the Zhao family had been divided into east and west mansion, they were only separated by a wall. No matter what, the distance between him and Madam was closer than himself, and they were a legitimate husband and wife. As time goes by, maybe Madam would forgive him for his sincerity and good performance, and return to the East Mansion to live their lives.


    At that time, he couldn¡¯t even dreaming of her. Emperor Sheng Yuan was annoyed, and wanted to retract his words and send Zhao Luli to the Heavenly Prison for a lifetime.


    Zhao Luli felt a chill on the back of his neck. He hadn¡¯t heard the order ¡°get up¡± for a long time, so he couldn¡¯t help but look up, and found that the emperor was staring at him with murderous eyes, as if they had an irreconcilable revenge, and the words to ask Ye Jieyu¡¯s conditions were swallowed immediately, he didn¡¯t dare to open his mouth again.

 CH 63

    Chapter 63 Raid The House


    When the monarch and minister came out from the inner hall, Zhao Luli had changed into a clean robe, then walked quickly to Old Master Guan and Guan Father and knelt down.


    ¡°Son-in-law has pleaded guilty to the crime, and now will go to Department of Justice to assist in the investigation of Ye Quanyong¡¯s case, and the title has been stripped off and demoted to a commoner, it¡¯s indeed  reaping what ones has sown. However Suyi is also implicated in this great hardship with son-in-law, so the heart is uneasy and remorseful, especially ask grandfather and father-in-law for forgiveness. Son-in-law is confused, and every misconduct, oversight, and blunders has make Suyi grieved and sad. In the future son-in-law will definitely make up to her, treat her well, and if repeat the same mistake, immediately will be strike by thunder!¡±


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father looked at each other, waved their hands, and said, ¡°Get up. There is nothing better than knowing your mistakes and correct them, and I hope you will do what you say. It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t have the title, only hope you get back on the right path, forget the past, to take pity on the people in front of you.¡±


    ¡°Son-in-law understands, thank you grandfather and father-in-law for your teachings!¡± Zhao Luli kowtowed three times in a row, and then his eyes turned red.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan sat on the side and watched coldly, unable to tell what he felt in his heart. He never thought that if Zhao Luli lost his title, the Guan family would look down on him and ask for reconciliation; he never thought that even if he had the heart to repent, the Guan family would not give him a chance.


    The Guan family were tough, loyal, and seemingly decisive, but in fact they always gave people a chance to survive. This was exactly their benevolence. The Guan family loved talent but not wealth, gold and silver, pearls and jade, high post and generous salary were just optional embellishments, achieved it honestly and lose will be indifferent. Zhao Luli could marry their daughter, even if he fell to this point, in the future as long as he kept his promise and treated her sincerely, they would be able to get rid of the grudges before and lived in harmony.


    So Madam was a treasure, no matter who married her. Wasn¡¯t a stupid insect like Zhao Luli also awakened by her? No, he was not a stupid insect, he was just pretending to be confused. When he realized how precious Madam was, even if he had a deep affection for Ye Zhen, he would slowly wake up, slowly forget, and then devote himself to the present.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan has no doubt that Madam had that charm. As long as she wanted, she could conquer any man in the world.


    The more he thought about it, the more fear and anxiety in Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart, he couldn¡¯t help but look up at Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies. The two had stood up and saluted to bid farewell, without showing the slightest desire to ask for reconciliation decree, and when they were far away, Emperor Sheng Yuan cursed ¡°bastard¡± with red eyes.


    The low and hoarse voice was full of hatred and unwillingness, as well as a strong sense of self-loathing.


    Baifu was taken aback and wondered who the emperor was angry with. Did the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies offended him?


    In fact, Emperor Sheng Yuan hated both Ye Zhen and Zhao Luli, as well as himself. This ¡®bastard¡¯ word, scolding himself weight more heavily. He desperately wanted to take the initiative to let Madam reconcile, but he was the one who bestowed the marriage, and he was also the one who demanded for divorce, then in the Emperor Teacher¡¯ and Chief of Ceremonies¡¯ mind, they would probably think of him as a dimwitted monarch who was unsympathetic with his courtiers and regarded the lifelong happiness of their daughter as a child¡¯s play.


    So he couldn¡¯t mention it himself. Madam was now living a comfortable life, it didn¡¯t matter whether to mention it or not. Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies were too tolerant, so they unlikely mentioning this. And Zhao Luli, who had experienced the benefits of Madam, would not mention it. If his chaotic home didn¡¯t have Madam to take care of it, afraid it would fall apart overnight.


    It was as if the beast took the initiative to jump down to the trap, walked into the cage, and trapped himself to death. Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s mind was in a mess, and his temper was about to explode. However, he seemed to have no other way but to endure, and he had to endure it until his heart bleed.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± In desperation, he could only curse fiercely, holding back his heart.


    Baifu didn¡¯t know who the emperor was scolding, but looking at his gloomy complexion, he must have encountered something that was difficult to solve, so he didn¡¯t dare to attract his attention, and silently walked to the corner and stood still. After a while, he didn¡¯t know if it was an illusion, he seemed to hear the emperor whispering, ¡°When I want you to wake up, you are confuse, and when I want you to be confuse, you understand! Do you two husband and wife have any grudges against Zhen?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Since Zhao Luli went to the palace with the thorns on his back, the Zhao family and the Ye family¡¯s had stretched out their necks in hope for his safe return, however, after waiting for a whole morning, there was still no movement. So they all returned disappointed and were preparing to have some lunch, when suddenly heard a loud noise from the main entrance, and then there was a burst of crackling. After a while, a servant woman shouted, ¡°Killing! The officers come killing!¡±


    The officers? The Ye family, who had suffered from the disaster of imprisonment, was extremely sensitive to these words, and quickly locked the door to hide. On the contrary, the Zhao family was unprepared and injured by a group of imperial guards. The cries, shouts, scolds, and screams were incessant, interspersed with loud noise of hitting and smashing things.


    Zhao Chunxi hid in the study to protect her younger brother, and anxiously ordered, ¡°Hexiang, go and see what happened at the main entrance.¡± With such a big disturbance, she immediately remembered that it seem to be the same on the day when Ye Mansion was raided. Can¡¯t daddy come back? Could it be that Marquis Mansion will also follows suit?


    She repeatedly told herself to be calm, don¡¯t think too much, but tears flowing out uncontrollably. Zhao Wangshu was also so frightened that he clung to her arm and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Sister, I¡¯m afraid!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Daddy will come back soon, nothing will happen to our family.¡± even Zhao Chunxi didn¡¯t believe these words, let alone others.


    Hexiang panicky ran to the front yard. From a distance, she saw several guards holding long halberds hitting the plaque with the words ¡°Marquis Zhenbei Mansion¡±, breaking it in half. Another man, wearing a blood-red official robe with silver armor, which indicate the grade was not low, was grinning and stomping the cracked plaque into pieces, his eyes full of hatred.


    She took a breath of cold air and ran back to report quickly. In her panic, she heard the man screaming loudly, ¡°Arrest all the Ye family members one by one for trial, and don¡¯t let a single fish slip through the net!¡±


    Sure enough, Madam had hit the nail on the head, even the womenfolk of the Ye family were involved in Ye Quanyong¡¯s case, which attracted these devils! Out of breath, she ran to the study, truthfully stated what she saw and heard, and finally mentioned the point, ¡°Miss, with such a big matter why don¡¯t you hurry to find Madam? Now she is the only one who can handle this messy situation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, go to mother, she will definitely have a way.¡± Zhao Chunxi was completely helpless, and when she heard the word ¡°Madam¡±, it was like a beam of light descended from the darkness, making her whole body bright. She took her brother and ran to the west side, hiding from left to right, and then saw the Ye family being caught one by one, tied up and kneeling in the open space, the officers groped their whole bodies with sinister smile on their faces, tearing apart their collars, belts, and even their undergarment, and the room was also turned in a mess.


    Of course, there were also servants of the Marquis Mansion who were mistakenly arrested and humiliated as well, but no one would believe them no matter how much they explained, so they could only cry and kowtow.


    If she was caught and suffered such torture, wouldn¡¯t it be better to die than living? Zhao Chunxi¡¯s heart was beating wildly, her mouth and tongue were dry. Taking advantage of the cover of the rugged rockery and the familiarity of the terrain, she finally dangerously reached the main house. The officers seemed to have received order, and did not dare to approach this place. When she saw Jinzi and Minglan under the porch from a distance, she avoided the officers, and even her shouts were lowered a lot.


    When they turned around, Zhao Chunxi rushed out from behind the rockery, with disheveled hair, looking rather embarrassing.


    ¡°Yo, where¡¯s this little lunatic came from?¡± Jinzi raised her hand to stop her and joked.


    ¡°Sister Jinzi, I beg you to go in and report, say that the mansion has suffered a great disaster, ask mother to come help!¡± Zhao Chunxi burst into tears, her expression was terrified, she was indeed quite frightened. Seeing that Jinzi was indifferent, she added, ¡°Those officers arrested people when they saw one, beat them up when they saw one, and dragged the womenfolk for a body search, all their clothes were taken off¡­¡±


    Before she could finish speaking, the door opened in response, and Guan Suyi walked out slowly, wiping the ink on her fingertips with a handkerchief, and said solemnly, ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s take a look. Have the old madam and my younger sister over there been disturbed?¡±


    ¡°Answering Madam, they have not been disturbed. This servant have already explained to the officers that the Ye family only lives in the east end, and we don¡¯t have one in the west courtyard.¡± Jinzi bowed and replied.


    Just explain and not check? Guan Suyi glanced at her thoughtfully, continued walking towards the noisy place, and ordered a few maids to let the old madam and the Ruan shi stay still, so that they would not be frightened.


    Minglan was a little scared and persuaded in a low voice, ¡°Miss, there¡¯s a lot of chaos at the front, you better don¡¯t go, lest you be hit by someone who doesn¡¯t have long eyes. The Ye family humiliates you like that, why do you care about them?¡±


    Guan Suyi said in a low voice, ¡°This and that are different matter. The old feud between me and the Ye family will be put aside for the time being,  it¡¯s injustice for those officers to treat weak women like this. I am not here for the sake of mercy, nor for retribution, only for the dignity of those women and for keeping the innocents from being implicated.¡±


    Minglan thought for a while, then lowered her head in shame. Jinzi also bowed her head deeply, and her eyes flashed with worship, reverence, and admiration. It was only now that she finally understood why the master was so fascinated with Madam that he couldn¡¯t extricate himself. Her thoughts, vision, and mind were more open than men¡¯s. She looked so weak, but inside she was extremely strong, and she had an unsullied heart. She truly deserved the words ¡°having a clear conscience¡±.


    Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu followed behind her step by step, looking at her not tall nor strong back, somehow they felt extremely relieved. It turned out that this was the meaning of ¡°mother¡±. Someone who corrects you when you make mistakes; someone who guides you when you are confused; someone to rely on when you are helpless. Although she was no much bigger than them, she was able to carry the family by herself, and she perfectly fulfilled both benevolence and righteousness for the Marquis Mansion.


    After a while, the group entered the front yard, and they saw a fierce military general leaning on a soft couch, with his feet on the back of a kneeling Ye family¡¯s second young master, his attitude was very aggressive. By the side there was a little eunuch reciting the decree, to the effect that Ye Quanyong had helped the remnants of the former dynasty to secretly rescue a prince and send it to Xue The Thief in exchange for the imperial family¡¯s treasure of the former dynasty. Now that the treasure map was in the hands of the Ye family, as long as they hand it over, they could avoid the death penalty, and if they didn¡¯t hand it over, the nine clans would be executed. And because the Marquis Zhenbei helped bad people to commit crime and slaughter the common people, his title had been stripped off and demoted to a commoner, and was being held in the Heavenly Prison awaiting trial.


    After Zhao Chunxi listened carefully, a blackness came before her eyes and her heart was screaming madly ¨C grandfather, you are indeed killed by your own greed, and even the prince of the previous dynasty dared to touch it! You did your sins, why do you still drag my father into the water? The Ye family ending up like today, they are not wronged at all!

 CH 64

    Chapter 64 Investigation


    Guan Suyi had never understand this doing anything for money thing, knowing that it was the prince of the previous dynasty, and sending it to the Xue family¡¯s army means that it was enough for them to occupy half of the Central Plains in the name of orthodoxy, but they actually agreed to it. Did the Ye family make less money? Their greed really has no end!


    The prince was so used to being pampered, he contracted a serious illness and died on the way to Shuzhou, and Xue Mingrui¡¯s plan to rely on the Son of Heaven to command the feudal vassal failed, otherwise it¡¯s unknown who those noble family giants, who were now working for the emperor, would favor. After all, they valued bloodlines and orthodoxy the most.


    Guan Suyi knew that if she couldn¡¯t find the treasure map today, this matter would never end up well. What¡¯s more, she knew the general who led the team was Zhou Tian, a newly appointed General of the Household, whose brother died tragically in the battle in Hancheng, it could be said that the feud with Zhao Luli was as deep as the sea. The greatest wish in his life was to kill Marquis Zhenbei with his own hand, but unfortunately he could not achieve it in the previous life, and he still needs to work hard in this life.


    He was one of the most powerful lackey under Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s hands, pointed him to where to fight and there would be no perfunctory at all. But he was different from Qin Lingyun and others who still had a bottom line, his methods were extremely vicious and extremely perverse. Falling into his hands means either death or death was better than life, there was no other option.


    Today, the emperor sent him to deal with the Ye family members, it could be seen that he had endured to the extreme, and he was about to explode. When the Son of Heaven was angry, millions of corpses were laying down, and blood running like a river, these words were definitely not a joke.


    Guan Suyi was trembling in her heart, but her face didn¡¯t show the slightest fear. She stepped forward in front of Zhou Tian and cupped her hands to salute while lightly said, ¡°General Zhou, you are running your mission and it¡¯s reasonable to say that it¡¯s inappropriate for this Madam to intervene. However, if a death row prisoner sentenced to beheading can have a full meal and get a little mercy before dying, isn¡¯t against morality for you to treat these weak women like this? You can arrest people, you can search people, but please send a few female yamen to save them from humiliation.¡±


    Zhou Tian didn¡¯t take Marquis Zhenbei Mansion seriously at all, and because he had a deadly feud with Zhao Luli, he could rectify as much as he wanted, and destroy as much as he wanted. But this Madam Guan, not a single hair could be touched, only because the emperor had deliberately instructed him not to disturb Madam in the slightest, and if she was frighten even a little bit, he would be held accountable.


    Zhou Tian originally thought that under such circumstances, Madam Guan would definitely not dare to step out of the room, but did not expect that she not only came, but also intended to meddle in his business, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel hostile. He narrowed his eyes, stood up reluctantly, and said politely, ¡°Madam, you yourself said that it is inappropriate for you to interfere with the criminal law, so it is better to stay away. A hen crows at daybreak is not inline with common sense, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°A hen crows at daybreak?¡± As soon as Guan Suyi raised her hand slightly, Jinzi brought a chair for her to sit down.


    ¡°Since the general is going to argue with me, I will have a good fight with you. This is the Zhao Mansion, and I am the mistress of the Zhao family. Since you broke into my house and insulted my children and servants, am I not allow to stand up for them? If not as Zhao family¡¯s clan woman, then as a first-rank title Madam?¡± She seemed to remember something and went to look at the little eunuch, ¡°I almost forgot to ask, does the emperor say in the decree that he will take the official title from my head and also demoted me to a commoner?¡±


    The little eunuch shook his head in fear, and quickly took out another decree from his cuff, and recited aloud, to the effect that although Marquis Zhenbei was guilty of serious crimes, Madam was loyal to the country, done her utmost in the family, promoted the benevolence manner, graceful and virtuous, could be regarded as the model of the clan women, the example of the titled madam, and rank title was especially retained to show the Holy¡¯s favor.


    ¡°Thanking His Majesty for the favor.¡± Guan Suyi bowed three times in the direction of the imperial city, and asked, ¡°General Zhou, may I ask if this Madam is qualified to protect my family and servants now?¡±


    Zhou Tian snorted angrily, ¡°Let all the people in the Zhao family go!¡± Then he grinned, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t think that everything is all right. If the Ye family refuses to hand over the treasure map today, not only their nine clans will be executed, but in order to prevent the criminal woman hiding the map in your place, even if we have to dig three feet into the ground we will dig it out. These pavilions, carved beams, painted pillars, precious antiques, and the lives of your whole family, afraid that they will not be able to be saved.¡±


    Are you really planning use pubic interest for personal vendetta? Guan Suyi raised her eyebrows, knowing that Zhou Tian would not let the Zhao Mansion go easily. While letting Minglan wrap the cloaks on the womenfolk, she said slowly, ¡°Old Madam Ye, you must have heard it? Hand over the map in exchange for the lives of your Ye clan?¡±


    Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu also looked at her anxiously, with hints of urging in their eyes. They had hid behind Guan Suyi for some unknown time, and each put a hand on the back of her chair, as if this was the only way to feel a sense of safety. When Guan Suyi kept saying that she was the mistress of the Zhao family, and it was her duty to protect her children and servants, they almost burst into tears. It turned out the word ¡°mother¡± could be so heavy and so radiant that it made all fears settle down and dispelled all haze. It¡¯s nice to have a mother.


    Liu shi said anxiously, ¡°What treasure map, I really don¡¯t know! If I have it I would have handed it over a long time ago, why would I have waited until now?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry,¡± Zhou Tian stood up and ordered, ¡°Search everyone, all items, and all rooms. If you still can¡¯t find it, then kill one person every quarter of an hour until they are willing to tell the truth. Let this official think about who to start first.¡±


    He slowly paced among the terrified crowd, and suddenly pointed at a baby held by a wet nurse and said, ¡°Just this one. Whose child of Ye Mansion is this?¡±


    The fourth daughter-in-law, Tang shi, cried in fright, struggling desperately under the guard¡¯s hand, ¡°Please don¡¯t kill my daughter, she is only three months old! My lord, I beg you! Mother-in-law, quickly hand over the treasure map. Is money more important than our family¡¯s life? Mother-in-law!¡±


    Liu shi was sweating like pulp, her face was as white as paper, and she shouted while her hands gripping the hem of her clothes, ¡°I really don¡¯t have a treasure map, I haven¡¯t even heard master mention it! Really, Lord General, believe me, where is there anyone who love money to this point, I¡¯m not a fool!¡±


    Zhou Tian was indifferent, scanning the crowd with a pair of cold and ruthless eyes. Guan Suyi also didn¡¯t stand up to stop it. The more critical the situation, the more you could see the secrets buried deep in a person¡¯s heart. If one observe carefully enough, they could always catch the clue.


    Zhou Tian obviously knew this very well. After walking around, he picked up the son of the eldest daughter-in-law Song shi, who was still in swaddling clothes, and hung him above the lotus pond. He said slowly, ¡°You still refuse to hand it over?¡±


    Song shi, who was extremely flustered, finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, and shouted again and again, ¡°I will hand it over, I will hand it over, I beg the general to spare my son! He is the only seed of the main house!¡±


    Liu shi looked at the eldest daughter-in-law with disbelief, she actually didn¡¯t know such an important thing, how could her husband step over her head and hand it over to the daughter-in-law? But this was not the time for inquiry or jealousy, Song shi had already tore the hem of her skirt, took out a roll of parchment from the gap, presented it to Zhou Tian with both hands, and then looked at the child in his hand with pleading eyes.


    Zhou Tian casually discarded the child and spread out the parchment to look at it. Song shi hurriedly caught him, pressing her cheek against her son¡¯s cheek while crying in fear, then reached out to touch the inside of the swaddle to see if he was frightened, whether he was sweating, whether he might get sick from the wind, and finally took his arm out of the swaddling clothes, put it on her lips for a kiss, and then putting it back with great care. This earnest love towards a child was very touching.


    But the womenfolk of the Ye family who had suffered insults hated her to the bone. It was clear that it could be handed over earlier, so why only at this point that she agreed to confess? Could it be that other people¡¯s lives were not lives, only her son¡¯s lives were lives? The Ye family was indeed not have many male descendant, and her son was indeed the only seedling of the main house, but how could it be compared with the life and death of the entire clan? Song shi was absolutely selfish!


    Song shi clenched her son¡¯s small hand wearing a silver bracelet and moved away quietly to avoid everyone¡¯s hateful eyes. She licked her lips and murmured, ¡°General, the drawing have been handed over, can you let us go?¡±


    Guan Suyi raised her eyebrows and smiled, but her eyes were cold.


    Zhou Tianyi sneered and asked, ¡°Do you think this official is a fool? Before it¡¯s verified whether the treasure map is true or false, none of the Ye family members are allowed to leave. All of them will be arrested by this official and sent to the Heavenly Prison!¡±


    The Ye family was crying and grabbing the ground again, making a lot of noise in the Zhao Mansion. Song shi was stunned for a while, then hugged the child in her arms tightly, as if she felt it was not proper, she pushed him to the wet nurse, begging, ¡°Sir, I will go with you voluntarily, but please spare my child. He is only five months old, and his body is weak. If he enters the prison and contracted the gloomy moisture, I am afraid that he will not be able to hold on! He is only a baby, he can¡¯t talk, he can¡¯t walk, he can only be at someone¡¯s mercy, he won¡¯t get in your way, let alone involve with the case. I beg the general to be gracious and let him be fostered in the Zhao family! I kowtow to the general!¡±


    When the words fell, she kowtowed a few times, and seeing that Zhou Tian still had that cold and solemn face, she turned to kneel to Guan Suyi, and cried, ¡°Madam, you are the most benevolent and righteous, please consider the child¡¯s innocent and save his life! In the next life, I will definitely repay your kindness as a cow and a horse.¡±


    The other mothers also knelt down with their children in their arms, crying one after another.


    Guan Suyi showed a moving look, reached out to take the children, and said slowly, ¡°Well, I have taken these children, what else do you have to say?¡±


    Song shi raised her eyes to look at her son, swept across his face with affection, and finally stopped on his exposed wrist, as if afraid that he would be cold, she hurriedly stuffed it back inside, and choked, ¡°I beg Madam to raise him well. In the future let him leave Yanjing and never return. Afraid Madam doesn¡¯t know how to take care of young children, so please take his wet nurse and give her a bite to eat. She is a loyal servant of my family and will take good care of the child and save Madam from many troubles.¡±


    Guan Suyi glanced thoughtfully at the wet nurse, and nodded in agreement, ¡°You can go in peace, I will settle them.¡± Then she turned to look at Zhou Tian, ¡°General, these children will stay in Zhao Mansion temporarily, it should be fine by you, right?¡±


    ¡°If Madam doesn¡¯t mind with the troubles then carry on.¡± Zhou Tian snorted coldly, escorted the prisoner and walked away. But then he heard the sound of something thrown in the air from behind, and reflexively grabbed it. Saw on his palm was a silver bracelet worn by children, he couldn¡¯t help but looked confuse.


    When Song shi saw the thing clearly, her face suddenly turned pale.


    ¡°Take what you¡¯re looking for with you. The Ye family is really good at these ghost tricks, entrusting the child and the wet nurse with me, and taking the advantage when the treasure map in the general¡¯s hand is still not verified, they could escape from the loosely guarded Zhao Mansion and make a living for themselves. In the future, the child will take out the treasure and restore the lintel. In order to keep this single seedling, they actually will let the entire Zhao clan be buried with the Ye family. They are indeed the best foreign relatives of the Great Wei, the feeling are deep and righteous, made the Heaven very moved! I think Ye Quanyong has already arranged a back road. If the child wants to leave the capital, there will be someone to meet him, and since he has taken the treasure from the previous dynasty, it should be Xue The Thief? General Zhou, follow this clues to investigate clearly, and you will have a great opportunity to make a meritorious contribution.¡± Guan Suyi handed the child to Jinzi, and while stroking the non-existent folds on her skirt, she slowly and methodically uncover the truth.


    Everyone looked at her, for a moment they couldn¡¯t keep up with her train of thoughts.

 CH 65

    Chapter 65 Defeated


    Zhou Tian weighed the silver bracelet and noticed that the weight was wrong, so he immediately used a dagger to carefully cut the outer layer, and found that the inside was really hollow. A piece of parchment was rolled into a thin strip and stuffed inside. He took it out, then spread it, and it was also a treasure map. The two pictures were compared with each other, and the overlapping parts were as high as 8 to 9 point, only the destination was slightly changed with a huge distance difference.


    It was difficult for Zhou Tian to tell which one was real and which one was fake in a short period of time, but judging from Song shi¡®s desperate expression and common sense, the latter was obviously more credible. He only saw that Song shi was the most anxious and looked guilty, in any case he couldn¡¯t figure it out, but how this Madam Guan knew that she hid the drawing in the silver bracelet. Could she read minds?


    Thinking like this, Zhou Tian bowed with his hands clasped, ¡°Thank you for your help, Madam, but how did Madam know, I hope you can enlighten me.¡±


    Guan Suyi liked to be a teacher, but she was extremely disgusted with such a cruel and ruthless person like Zhou Tian, so she coldly replied, ¡°No comment¡±.


    Zhou Tian was so angry with her that his nose was flared out, but because of the emperor¡¯s order, he didn¡¯t dare to make trouble, his eyes turned as he calculating carefully, smiled while saying, ¡°Madam doesn¡¯t want to tell me, but this Zhao Mansion still need this general¡¯s help to offset the crime of sheltering major criminals. If Madam does not agree, this general will enter the palace and ask for a decree again.¡±


    When he said this, he was also nervous in his heart. If it a different person, the emperor would definitely not care about the host¡¯s feelings, if the other side didn¡¯t cooperate, they would be charge with the ¡®intention to rebel¡¯ crime. But this Madam Guan was not an ordinary person. She was the beloved daughter of the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies, and she had such an extraordinary appearance and talent. As a man, there was no reason for the emperor not to be fascinated, otherwise he would not call him alone to earnestly gave order and warned repeatedly, she obviously on the tip of his heart.


    On this side, Guan Suyi also knew that the matter was big, and after a little thought, she made a decision, ¡°Does the general want to put a long line to catch the big fish? Since its related to Xue The Thief, my Zhao family doesn¡¯t dare to hinder. If you want to secretly arrange your troops, I only have one request, not to hurt anyone in my house, including the servants.¡±


    The servant women who had been humiliated by the officers were wrapped in cloaks, cloth and other things, and hid behind Minglan and cried. After hearing this, they looked at Madam with fear and gratitude. Among them, many were the helper of the eldest miss, the eldest young master and liked to oppose Madam, and some of them secretly made trouble for Madam. At this moment, they all wished to turn back the time and slap themselves at back then. Madam was a good person, a very good person.


    Zhou Tian said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s not your, a married woman, turn to order this general around. These people obstructed the search, and this general didn¡¯t kill them on the spot is already giving face for Madam, still hope Madam doesn¡¯t want a foot after given an inch. Although you can still keep the first-rank title, but this Marquis Zhenbei mansion is no longer Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, if this general is unhappy, he can destroy all of you in an instant!¡±


    His eyes were red, his murderous aura was stern, and his hand was on the handle of the knife, which showed that he was already stirred up.


    The mahogany gate he kicked was closed crookedly, and a line of guards holding swords and halberds stood under the steps outside the gate, preventing idle people from approaching. The bold ones stood on tiptoe and watched, although they couldn¡¯t see anything, they discussed with great interest, ¡°Yo, another raid! I said earlier when the Ye family was raid, the Zhao family would certainly not be able to escape. You see, isn¡¯t come true?¡±


    ¡°Marquis Zhenbei was so powerful back then, and now he¡¯s going to collapse. He is also a fool, knowing that the Ye family is not clean, and he dare to take in their family¡¯s women, he deserves to be implicated.¡±


    ¡°How do you think the womenfolk of these two families should live? When the gate of the mansion is seal, they will be homeless. If anyone is involved in the case, it¡¯s not impossible for them to be dragged to the market and sold as as slaves, or even worse, reduced to be official prostitute and sent to the military camp. Look, the person leading the team is General Zhou Tian, who is known as the Devil, it¡¯s definitely impossible to escape this catastrophe.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, as soon as General Zhou made his move, blood would flow like a river! The Zhao family is really miserable this time! It¡¯s just a pity that Madam Guan, such a loyal and martyr woman, has been dragged down to this point! If I were her, at this moment I would rush back to my maiden¡¯s house, and beg them to ask for reconciliation, so as not to suffer with the Zhao family.¡±


    ¡°You soft egg, how dare you compare yourself with the iron-boned Madam Guan, you can¡¯t disgrace others!¡± It¡¯s unknown who spit out a sentence, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    Zhou Tian guessed that there must be spies sent by Xue The Thief in the crowd, so he ordered his subordinates to change into civilian clothes and sneak in to observe.


    The rumors outside the gate had spread all over, and inside the walls, all the Zhao Mansion listened to these words, and felt that they were doomed. Several young maids had been sobbing uncontrollably, for fear of being noticed by officers they had to block their mouth with their fists. But for a moment, the sky above the mansion was shrouded in miserable fogs, and the atmosphere of despair was suffocating.


    Zhou Tian glanced at Madam Guan triumphantly, then sat back on the soft couch and said coldly, ¡°Now this general has taken over this mansion. Madam would you please go back to your room and stay still, don¡¯t walk around as you please. If Madam doesn¡¯t heed the advice, don¡¯t blame this general¡¯s sword for having no eyes.¡±


    The guards drew out their sabers in response to the scene, and the metal sound of ¡°whooshing¡± pierced people¡¯s eardrums.


    If it changed to a timid woman, she might have fainted at this moment, and no matter how bold the woman was, she would definitely be captured by a strong murderous aura and become timid. However, Guan Suyi had such a tenacity to not admit defeat. If others wanted to crush her, even if she broke her legs, she must move forward on her knees, and she would never compromise.


    In the last life, if it wasn¡¯t for the future of the women in the clan, and to lessen the burden on her family, she would never cut her way to survive. If her own death could make the Guan family cleaner, to have an easier time, what was she afraid of? She was not even afraid of death, would she still afraid of these swords and halberds?


    Thinking like this, she smiled coldly, and raised her hand at Jinzi, ¡°Fetch the plaque that was just made the day before yesterday, today is a good day, we will open the mansion now.¡±


    Jinzi returned the baby in her hands to the pale-faced wet nurse, and thrown a murderous look at Zhou Tian before going down to fetch the thing.


    Guan Suyi slowly rolled up her sleeves and said indifferently, ¡°Forgot to tell the general, my Zhao family just decided to divide the mansion the day before yesterday, you can use this east side for arranging the troops, but if you set your foot on my west side, and hurt anyone without reason, don¡¯t blame this Madam for accusing you of disrespecting one¡¯s superior and abusing power.¡±


    ¡°Dividing the mansion? Divided into what mansion?¡± Zhou Tian felt bad, just as he was about to ask, he saw Jinzi move a blank plaque with a black background and blue edges, placed it on the long table, and then respectfully presented a writing brush and a bowl of gold paint.


    Guan Suyi held the brush with one hand and rolled up her sleeves with the other, dipped a thick smear of gold paint and quickly wrote the three characters ¡°General Zhengbei Mansion¡±, dried it slightly, and ordered, ¡°Come on two servants, hang this plaque on the west gate. General Zhou, I will take the people from the mansion, and hand over the East mansion to you, please feel free to do whatever you want.¡± After the words fell, she flung her sleeves, her skirts were flapping, and the person had gone far away.


    The people in the East Mansion were very aware of the opportunity, they understood that Madam was protecting them, and hurriedly followed suit. When Zhou Tian returned to his senses, all the courtyards in the East Mansion had long since been empty, and only Ye Mansion¡¯s family members and servants were still detained on the ground, full of despair.


    ¡°Fuck! I forgot about that shitty Zhao Jinyu!¡± Zhou Tian gritted his teeth with hatred, but he couldn¡¯t take Madam Guan. If this Zhao Mansion still bore the name of Marquis Zhenbei, after Zhao Luli¡¯s nobility was stripped off, logically, he could smashed this place to pieces, and others could not catch any mistakes. When Zhao Jinyu got the letter and sent people to come to rescue, a few months would have passed and it was enough for him to trample the Zhao family to death.


    However, Madam Guan¡¯s thoughts were so fast that she even already built the plaque of ¡°General Zhengbei Mansion¡± and hung it on the gate. Who would dare to touch the Zhao family? Zhao Jinyu was a major general on the Su border with outstanding achievements. Although he was implicated by his brother and had to act in a low-key manner, he was not an easy person to deal with. He had quite a bit of background in the army, and it was easy to suppress a General of the Household.


    Zhou Tian smashed the teacup and said embarrassingly, ¡°Leave these little cubs and wet nurses behind, and the rest will be sent to the Heavenly Prison!¡±


    A lieutenant raised a point in a low voice, ¡°General, if there is no one in the East Mansion, how can you put a show for those traitors? This matter still needs Madam Guan¡¯s full cooperation.¡±


    Zhou Tian stared at him with blood-red eyes, and then slowly laughed. Good,  what a good strategy, Madam Guan! She clearly knew her own plans, and also knew that this show could not be performed without her cooperation, but she went so swiftly, and took all the servants away, leaving only an empty shell for him. She didn¡¯t say anything, and she didn¡¯t hesitate at all. This was to force him to apologize!


    The person who could make the emperor put them on the tip of his heart, but couldn¡¯t ask for it, definitely extraordinary. Well, since even the emperor couldn¡¯t deal with her, then how about him? Thinking like this, Zhou Tian finally calmed down, and raised his voice to order, ¡°Whoever beat people or stripped off their clothes just now? Follow this general to kowtow to Madam and apologize. If Madam doesn¡¯t forgive you, go back by yourself and take fifty sticks !¡±


    He was extremely strict, and everyone did not dare to be disobedient, so they came forward one by one to confess their sins and then went to the West Mansion to kowtow and admit their mistakes.


    There were many people on the street outside the Mansion to watch the fun. Although the guards used the sword and halberd to push them out of the way, but they were unwilling to leave, pointing to the broken plaque and sighed, ¡°This is already the second plaque that has been trampled to pieces in Yanjing. Such a big official family collapses on the spot in an instant. The world is really impermanent.¡±


    ¡°I heard that the Ye family and the Zhao family are rich in beauties. If the womenfolk of the two mansions are also guilty and dragged to the market to be sold, I will definitely buy two and go back to make them concubines! Think about it, they were originally serving high officials and nobles. The taste must be endlessly interesting!¡± It¡¯s unknown who was laughing obscenely, and then there was a sound of applause.


    Just at this moment, the door of the West Mansion opened, and several servants carefully lifted out a plaque, set up a ladder, and slowly hung it on the gate beam. When everyone looked at it, they couldn¡¯t help being horrified. They saw three big characters written in gold paint on it ¨C General Zhengbei Mansion. The brushstrokes of iron painting silver hooks and the vast and majestic momentum were breathtaking.


    ¡°General Zhengbei? The second master of the Zhao Mansion? Mother, I almost forgot about this killing god. Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! No matter how down the Zhao family is, we can¡¯t mess with them!¡± In a flash the gate of the mansion was empty, and even the guard who was raiding and guarding showed a look of awe, and unknowingly lowered their sword and halberd and extinguished their arrogance.

 CH 66

    Chapter 66 Repent


    Guan Suyi led a large group of people back to the West Mansion.


    There was only a small section of the courtyard wall that had been built, and many bricks were piled on the ground in a mess. The craftsmen sprinkled a line with white lime to distinguish the east and west mansion. The servants of the East Mansion used to think that Madam was heartless, but only now did they realize how she planned with incredible foresight. If there were no division of the mansion, the lives of all the people in the Zhao family could not be saved today.


    General Zhou had a grudge against the Marquis. If he insisted that the Zhao and Ye families conspired to seize the treasures of the previous dynasty, who would they turn to? No matter how big the emperor¡¯s tolerance was, no matter how broad-minded he was, could he spare a group of traitors? After experiencing a life and death catastrophe, everyone was sweating on their backs, their knees were shaking, and felt both admiration and gratitude towards Madam, after crossing the white line, they all looked solemn and did not dare to make trouble.


    Zhao Wangshu followed behind his stepmother, and when he saw her walking fast, he also walked fast, and when he saw her walking slowly, he also walked slowly, then secretly tugged at Zhao Chunxi¡¯s sleeve with one hand, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Sister, just now our family was almost destroyed?¡±


    Zhao Chunxi¡¯s heart throbbed violently, she lowered her eyes to look at her brother. Seeing that although his face was full of fear, his eyes were especially bright and energetic, it didn¡¯t look like he was scared witless, so she was able to breath a sigh of relief, ¡°No, with mother here, nothing will happen to our family.¡±


    Previously, she hated the Guan family¡¯s vicious methods and how they harmed her grandfather. When she learned that her father was dragged down by the Ye family to this point, and witnessed with her own eyes how her aunt was going to bury the entire Zhao family together with her, her thoughts were overturned. It was said just as distance determines a horse¡¯s stamina, so does time reveal a person¡¯s true heart, and that true sentiment would be seen in hard times, those words were indeed true.


    How affectionate were maternal grandfather and grandmother to them on weekdays? Whenever they have good food and drink, never forget to gave them a share, every New Years festivals they also brought thick gifts, as if they value them very much, even more than their direct line grandsons and granddaughters. However, as soon as the catastrophe was approaching, they did not hesitate to give them up, which was worse than treating them like a piece of grass.


    Is this a relative or an enemy?


    On the other hand, their stepmother, although since she got married they never heard a good word from her, nor receive valuable gifts, and she seemed very cold and ruthless, but when it came to a critical moment, she was able to carry the entire Zhao Mansion and save hundreds of lives, and keep them from being bullied and trampled on.


    Only then did she understand a truth ¨C If others treat you well, they are not necessarily good people; if others treat you badly, they are not necessarily bad people. To truly see a person, you have to use your heart to understand.


    She quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and choked, ¡°Wangshu, I always told you that mother is not good, but it¡¯s actually just nonsense. Don¡¯t look at her as a strict person, but she is not bad at heart. Grandfather¡¯s affair is not her fault, it¡¯s his own sin, and daddy¡¯s matter also cannot be blamed on her, it¡¯s because he was implicated by the Ye family. You will be filial to mother in the future, listen to her obediently, and stop being naughty, you know?¡±


    Zhao Wangshu was very obedient this time. He lowered his head and thought about it, then said, ¡°Sister, I¡¯m not stupid, I just don¡¯t want to use my brain. Just now I also understand that if mother didn¡¯t find the real treasure map, then General Zhou will attack our Zhao family, right? At that time, even if we say that the wet nurse ran away with little nephew secretly, he will not believe it, and the emperor will not believe it, and our family will be the same as our grandfather¡¯s family, to be accused with the conspiracy to rebel, the whole family will be executed and all the property will be confiscated. On the contrary, the little nephew who ran away is safe alone, and when he grows up, he can rebuild the Ye family.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi listened silently, with chills in her bones, and said in astringent voice, ¡°Yes, you can see it clearly. Our family lend a hand when the Ye family was in trouble, but their family wanted to use our family as a stepping stone to send brother Hao to escape and ascend to heaven. So our family doesn¡¯t owe anything to the Ye family, not a single thing. Don¡¯t think about this in the future, and when Daddy comes back, our family of four will live a good life.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The haze in Zhao Wangshu¡¯s heart dissipated little by little. He looked at his stepmother with eager and admiring eyes, and whispered, ¡°Mother is so amazing, I will obey her in the future. I will do whatever she asks me to do, I won¡¯t be naughty anymore!¡±


    ¡°Good, Wangshu has grown up.¡± Zhao Chunxi was very relieved, thinking that she had been bewitched by her mom before, and had done a lot of outrageous things, now she was secretly regretting it.


    While they were talking, everyone arrived at the main courtyard. The old madam and Ruan shi hurriedly ran out of the room, their faces very anxious.


    ¡°Are you alright? Let me take a look.¡± The old madam looked her daughter-in-law up and down, and then dragged her grandson to check all over, for fear they were knocked over by those officials who didn¡¯t have long eyes. The person leading the team this time was Zhou Tian, and he had a great feud with the Zhao family, so how could he miss this great opportunity?


    ¡°Grandmother, I¡¯m fine.¡± Zhao Wangshu slipped into the old madam¡¯s arms, secretly looked at his stepmother with a red face, and whispered, ¡°It was mom who saved us.¡±


    Mom? Guan Suyi felt that the top of her head had been struck by lightning, and she was a little dizzy. Zhao Wangshu actually called her mom? In her last life, she treated him like that and never got such an honor. What incredible thing had she done in this life to be able to warmed up this stubborn stone?


    The old madam was not surprised. Guan shi was both capable and sincere, and had never mistreated the Zhao family. Not to mention a pair of children with no blood relation, even the grass and trees in the mansion, she could protect every inch of it and never let outsiders trample on it. Such a strong character, such a noble virtue, even if there was some friction and misunderstanding at the beginning, as time goes by, she could gradually touch people¡¯s hearts and gain the sincere admiration from the children.


    You see, first the son woke up, and then the grandson, the old madam went to see Zhao Chunxi again, and found that she was also looked remorseful, and couldn¡¯t help but feel extremely happy. Well, this is good. As the saying goes, if the family lives in harmony everything will prosper. Even if the title was no longer there, as long as everyone united, watching out for each other, naturally there would be countless good days in the future.


    Ruan shi also came forward to express sympathy, saying that she couldn¡¯t help and felt very sorry.


    ¡°Sister-in-law in here is the greatest help to us. After all, you are the mistress of the West Mansion.¡± Guan Suyi waved her hand to let everyone enter the house to talk. This group of old, young, and pregnant, if she stand aside and do nothing, maybe they would be tortured to death by Zhou Tian. Leaving aside the grievances of the previous life, now that the Guan family was a well-known family of benevolence and virtue in the Wei Kingdom, and she was still the wife of the Zhao family, she had to set an example, lest others use her as a raft to slander her grandfather and father. They were now mix in the court hall, and naturally couldn¡¯t make any mistake.


    Of course, she did not forget a group of frightened servants, and ordered the steward to take them to be resettled, and then invited a doctor to come to check the pulse and heal the wounds. As she was making arrangements, she saw Zhou Tian leading a group of guards to come in angrily, and they removed their swords, took off their official hat, and respectfully apologized.


    Everyone thought they were here to find fault, their faces were pale for a moment, and hid in the room to listened carefully, only to realize that it was Madam¡¯s skill, they had no choice but to bow their heads and compromise. Madam, this strategy was absolutely perfect!


    The old madam let out a long sigh and said, ¡°The Ye family has made thousand mistakes, but they did one thing right, that is to force your father to marry your mother. You see, although she has no official position and no power, but she used this,¡± the old madam tapped her temples and smiled brightly, ¡°to make others listen to her. With your mother in front of you, even if the sky falls, it will be fine. If you have conscience, you will respect her well in the future, do not disobey in the slightest!¡±


    Zhao Wangshu responded quickly, his small eyes were very eager. Although Zhao Chunxi received it slowly, her reflection was more profound. She envied her stepmother who stood upright and unyielding in the bright sky. She didn¡¯t need to use any conspiracy and trickery, just walked freely on the bright road, and everyone had to make way for her.


    She also wanted to be like her, magnanimous and calm. But no one taught her what to do, and she had the example of her mom in front of her, so she went further and further, and the more she went wrong, the more outrageous she became.


    Is it too late to change now? Feeling sad, she secretly turned her back and wiped the corners of her red eyes.


    No matter how arrogant Guan Suyi was, she could not hinder Zhou Tian from doing his job, so she had to quit while she¡¯s ahead, and invited him into the study to discuss the matter of ¡°luring the snake out of the hole¡±. The people did not dare to disturb, they consoled each other for a while and then dispersed, and rebuilt the dilapidated mansion.


    ¡ª¨C


    Emperor Sheng Yuan waited for a whole day for his subordinates to return to the palace, but did not ask him how the case was handled, whether the treasure map was found, only opened his mouth to ask, ¡°Have you disturbed Madam?¡±


    Zhou Tian explained everything that happened in the Zhao mansion one by one, did not dare to miss the slightest detail, let alone adding stuff up. The emperor buried some spies in various noble houses, and asking him was just formality. If he flaunts himself or conceals a little, Ye Quanyong¡¯s today was his tomorrow.


    ¡°You are so bold that you dare to cross Madam.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan glanced at him coldly, and said firmly, ¡°Zhen doesn¡¯t need to take action, she has plenty of ways to fix you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this subordinate knows his wrong, and will not dare to make the mistake again next time.¡± Zhou Tian¡¯s heart skipped a beat, secretly thinking that the emperor was really different to Madam Guan, the other words were all hard, but the word ¡°Madam¡± was particularly soft, it seemed to contain sugar, very sweet, more affectionate compare to when he called his serious wife. If it said that he had no special thought about Madam Guan, who would believe it?


    Zhao Luli, Zhao Luli, I can¡¯t kill you right now, but it¡¯s easy to kill people with someone else¡¯ knife! In an instant, he had an idea, but he didn¡¯t act immediately, but focused on the silver bracelet and asked, ¡°Your Majesty, this subordinate can boast one¡¯s own extraordinary vision and resourcefulness, who is innocent and who is guilty can be seen at a glance. But today really have lose to Madam. Don¡¯t know how she found out, and when this subordinate asked, she didn¡¯t say, it really makes people uncomfortable.¡±


    It turned out that Madam was not willing to teach just anyone. Emperor Sheng Yuan felt extremely comfortable. He carefully recalled the secret letter sent by the dark guard, and went through every detail several times, only said, ¡°A person¡¯s mouth can lie, but their body is especially honest. If you want to gain insight into people¡¯s heart, the language is only superficial, the credibility is one point; followed by facial expressions, the credibility is three point; and finally body movements, from their every moves you can capture the secrets they wants to hide, then you will be accurate. You have only learned the basics, but Madam is a master. I can only pointed you until here, if you still don¡¯t understand when you look back, you don¡¯t need to be the General of the Household.¡±


    Although he said it so easily, didn¡¯t he also not recognize Ye Zhen¡¯s true face? He could only blame himself for being too high on himself and underestimating women before; or Ye Zhen¡¯s acting skills were really excellent, and the control of subtle expressions and body movements had been engraved into the bone marrow.


    Knowing that the emperor valued his subordinate¡¯s comprehension and loyalty the most, Zhou Tian hurriedly expressed that he was taught, and finally said tactfully, ¡°Madam Guan is really extraordinary, and it¡¯s really a waste to match her with Zhao Luli that stupid goods. If Zhao Luli died, it would be good, she can justifiably remarry. It¡¯s a shame that only his title was stripped, in neither good nor bad situation, it¡¯s unknown if he would drag Madam down in the future.¡±

 CH 67

    Chapter 67 Introspection


    After hearing Zhou Tian¡¯s provocation, Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t open his mouth. He only stared at him with cold and deep eyes, until he saw that his face was pale, his lips trembled, and then said, ¡°Zhen doesn¡¯t need to step on subordinates to become a master. If you think your life is too long, you can switch with the Ye family.¡±


    Zhou Tian immediately knelt down and kowtowed, said he didn¡¯t dare over and over again. He waited for a long time in fear before he heard two words that was like the sound of heaven, ¡°Go down.¡± He thanked the emperor neither humble nor arrogant, and calmly walked out of the Weiyang Palace, until he reached a corner with no one around, and let out a mouthful of turbid air. Beads of sweat rushed out from his forehead and back, soaking his clothes in an instant.


    Meanwhile, Guan Suyi was settling down several babies and their wet nurses. Although the children were innocent, they belonged to the Ye family after all, and the crime involved conspiracy and rebellion. After the case was cleared up, the family would be raided, or the clan would be exterminated. The consequences were extremely serious, and she couldn¡¯t control it even if she wanted to. Even if she didn¡¯t think about the Zhao family, she had to consider the Guan family and her maternal grandparent¡¯s family, not to mention that the Ye family has nothing to do with her, and still had a deep grudge.


    ¡°You will live here in the future, and when the matter is over, someone will naturally arrange the way for you.¡± She pointed to a small attic and ordered her servants to carry clean bedding, pillows and other items in. The inside and outside of the building were already full of heavy troops, but on the surface it looked very quiet.


    All the wet nurses had received Zhou Tian¡¯s warning, naturally they readily agreed, especially the one holding Brother Hao, it was said that after the event was completed, she would able to save her life, and there was also a heavy reward to take, so she forced her mind to calm down. She stood at the door with a pale face, as if she didn¡¯t dare to go in, until Brother Hao was so hungry that he was crying, and then she unbuttoned her shirt and entered, and locked it.


    Guan Suyi was only responsible for sheltering them. When the wet nurse sneaked out of the house according to Ye Quanyong¡¯s previous instructions, she pretended to be anxious to find them, and then went to report to the official, then she would be free.


    This one was sorted out, and there were people in the whole mansion who need to be reorganized. She went to the main hall and ordered the housekeeper to call all the servants who were not seriously injured to come over to listen the instructions.


    ¡°You all know what the Zhao family¡¯s current situation is like. Lord Marquis is no longer possible, and now all of us supported by the second master. However, the second master stayed in the border all year round, and without imperial decree he cannot return. He has to rush to the battlefield to defend against foreign enemies, the danger is not something ordinary people can imagine. I¡¯m a straightforward person, I will give you the bottom line. This time Zhao family has suffered a huge disaster and is not as good as before, and the current wealth is like a castle in the air, hanging and hanging. Among you, there are servants who were born in the mansion, there are those who signed the death contract, the living contract, and the part-time workers. In order not to implicate everyone, I will not force any of you, leave if you want to leave, or stay if you want to stay.¡±


    She slowly took a sip of hot tea and continued, ¡°As the saying goes, a single strand can¡¯t make a thread, and a single tree can¡¯t make a forest. The more people, the easier it is to do things, and the more people are more powerful. However, I think it¡¯s also depend on when and what the situation. Nowadays, Zhao Mansion is in difficult situation, even though there are many people, but if their hearts were scattered, each has their own plan, and each has their own thoughts, it¡¯s easy to do bad things. So it will be better to work together from top to bottom, unite as one, and cross this hurdle together. Now that the Ye family¡¯s womenfolk and children are also involved in the case, afraid they will not be able to return this time, so the expenses of the East Mansion are still calculated as usual. You can think about it yourself, whether to leave or stay depends on your original intention. For those of you who signed a death contract, I don¡¯t need you to redeem your life with silver, as long as you take the deed and go to the yamen to eliminate your contract, just consider it to accumulate virtue for the Zhao family.¡±


    After a brief pause, her voice became colder, ¡°But you have to understand that now is an extraordinary period, my Zhao family is involved in a major case of rebellion, you won¡¯t be able to leave for a while after you get the deed, and even have to go to the prison for a while, wait until the case comes to light and prove that you are not Xue the Thief¡¯s spies or that you have not leaked the news, then you can go out freely. From then on, whether you are alive or dead has nothing to do with the Zhao family, and you will be on your own.¡±


    The servants even said that they did not dare, and their expressions were full of awe. After being rescued by Madam, they didn¡¯t plan to leave. Although General Zhengbei was not as famous as the Marquis Zhenbei, but Madam was still there, so the Zhao family would be not much worse. Of course, there were also a few people with treacherous thoughts who wanted to escape. When they hear the first few sentences, their eyes burst with joy, but at the end they withered to the ground, not daring to cause trouble. Although this new madam was young, she was not easy to fool.


    Guan Suyi closed her eyes and waited. After a quarter of an hour, when no one came forward to resign, she smiled slowly, ¡°Good, in time of crisis is exactly when we have to help each other, so that we can get through this life and death situation. Minglan, Jinzi, Yinzi, reward the silver to let everyone calm down.¡±


    The three maids answered in unison, and distributed the silver taels that had been prepared before, one person three taels, no more no less, completely impartial. The servants were already convinced by the madam, and they were respect her very much. When they got the silver they were shock and laughed so hard, and the auspicious words were pouring freely, the cheerful atmosphere instantly drove away the dark air that penetrate from the officers¡¯ visit, even the side room on the west side where the sun could not be seen was quite bright.


    Zhao Chunxi hid outside the door and secretly looked inside. In the past, no matter what Guan shi said or did, she felt that it was not pleasing to the eye, but now she abandoned her previous hatred, and after carefully pondering her every move, she realized that there were so much knowledge she could learn from, like the trick just now was enough for her to learn for three to five years.


    Just a few simple words, but sincere and open-minded, people unconsciously opened up their heart and felt empathy with her. Afterwards she gave reward and gained countless gratitude, so they wanted to stay even more, and those who didn¡¯t want to stay were also such ruthless and unrighteous people, there was no loss to the Zhao family. However, the Zhao family was not a charity hall, even thought she had a virtuous reputation, she would not let the slaves who betray their master had an easy time, she brought out the officers to suppress as a combination of grace and power, so that restless people completely subsided.


    If they still wanted to leave at this time, either they had a ghost in their heart or there something wrong in their brain, and she would be done with the matter after handing people over to Zhou Tian. From here, who dares to rebel against the master? Who dares to confuse the public? It¡¯s guarantee from top to bottom, inside and outside the mansion was more orderly than ever.


    Where was the image of a ruined family. It was clearly an image of destruction and then standing, from standing to beginning to thrive.


    The more Zhao Chunxi thought about it, the more complicated her feelings for Guan shi became. She originally thought that whether a woman strong or not, depend on what kind of man she married. Didn¡¯t her mom climb from a merchant¡¯s daughter to the high position of Jieyu, and even lifted up her maiden family so honorably? If she could be like her mom then her life was not in vain.


    However, looking at Guan shi arranged things in front of her, it was like the top of the mountain, which made people look up. She could live freely without relying on her husband¡¯s favor, everyone was convinced, and everyone relied on her. What is considered outstanding? That¡¯s just now what¡¯s really outstanding! If she followed her mom¡¯s example, the fate of the Ye family might be her future.


    Relying on others is useless, relying on oneself is more dependable!


    After eliminating the last trace of doubt and unwillingness in her heart, Zhao Chunxi¡¯s eyes became extraordinarily bright. She quietly backed away a few steps, walked towards the newly cleaned Penglai Garden, returned to the room, touched the makeup that had been messed up by the officers and was now in place, and sighed, ¡°Hexiang, Daddy is right. If I listen to mother obediently and get her advice, I will definitely benefit endlessly in this life. I should be like her. I can only truly stand up if I stand up by myself. Relying on your husband, relying on your children, or relying on family background is useless.¡±


    Hexiang had already swept away by madam¡¯s chivalrousness, and did not dare to oppose her any more. Seeing that her miss had figured it out, everyone was very happy, and hurriedly said a lot of words of approval. The master and servant discussed how to make amends to Madam. In the future, they would have to stick to her no matter what and learn her skills. They talked until midnight before lying down and rest.


    The next day, the old madam got up early in the morning and gathered food, bedding, medicines and other items to visit her son in prison. After all, it was a piece of meat that came out of her stomach, no matter how disappointing she couldn¡¯t not care.


    In order to display the reputation of the Guan family¡¯s benevolence, Guan Suyi had no choice to pinch her nose to help.


    Except for the pregnant Ruan shi and the young Mu Mu, all the masters of the Zhao family got into the carriage and drove toward the Heavenly Prison. Guan Father had already put things in order to make things easier, and now waiting outside the prison.


    In the prison, Zhao Luli meditated cross-legged with a calm expression. If ones ignored the bloody whip marks and the thick and pungent smell on his body, ones would assume that this place was not a prison cell, but a wilderness, very refreshing and comfortable.


    The Grand Princess was dressed in a black outfit, carried a large ring saber around her waist, with her arms folded and her back straight, she said with a contemptuous smile, ¡°Zhao Luli, you also have today too? This Palace come back in time to personally see you get your retribution. You probably don¡¯t know, the person who led the team to raid the Zhao family is Zhou Tian, and it¡¯s unknown how many people in your house have been killed.¡±


    Zhao Lu felt slight cold in his heart, but his face did not reveal anything, and after a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Your Highness Grand Princess probably doesn¡¯t know, with my wife in Zhao Mansion, no matter if it¡¯s the master or the servant, everyone will be fine. ¡±


    How could the grand princess not know? She just said it to bluff Zhao Luli, if she could see his frightened and tearful face she would be very happy. However, he seemed to have regained the calm and wisdom he once had, and did not fall for it. Of course, there was also no lack strong trust in Guan shi.


    Guan shi was indeed exceptional. Originally the grand princess was still worried that she would be bullied, so she stood guard in front of the gate of Zhao family for a while, intending to protect this strong woman. Unexpectedly, Zhou Tian walked in with his head held high, but came out in a sullen manner, after she ran to the palace to inquire about him, she found out that he was slapped twice by Guan shi, and finally kowtowed and admitted his mistake before he was able to successfully retreat.


    Such a woman was first married to that soft egg Zhao Luli, and then she was fancied by that pervert Hunnar, it was indeed a flower that was inserted in the cow dung, or a good cabbage ruined by a pig, really wasted! The grand princess snorted coldly, raised her legs and left. If Hunnar didn¡¯t kill this person, she naturally wouldn¡¯t do anything, and a dignified general of Wei Kingdom unlikely to embarrassed such a waste and a group of innocent womenfolk.


    When Zhao Luli saw her like this, his hanging heart finally landed on the ground. It seemed that Madam had safely protected the whole Zhao family, being able to marry Madam was indeed a blessing from his previous life.


    As soon as the grand princess turned to the middle gate, she saw Chief of Ceremonies leading a group of old weak women and children, then he politely gave her a fist salute.


    She returned the salute and saw Guan Suyi wearing a long dress that dragged to the ground, standing by the side like a pine and a bamboo, delicate like a flower, her body revealed both masculine¡¯s heroic spirit and feminine¡¯s gentleness, she couldn¡¯t help but love it so much, suddenly reached out and held her tender cheeks, and smiled, ¡°Madam, now Zhao Luli is no good. If he can¡¯t protect you, you will come to Grand Princess Mansion, and This Palace will protect you!¡±


    Everyone present was stunned, but Guan Suyi cupped her hands in thanks, with neither anger nor shyness on her face, her attitude was frank and natural.


    The grand princess became even happier, smiling and striding away, looking at the tall and straight back, it seemed very impressive.


    T/N: I should make a note on previous chapter but I forgot. There are two words that means ¡®mother¡¯ in this novel, muqin (ĸÓH) and niang (Äï), I think both should be translated as ¡®mother¡¯, but based on context niang feels closer so I used ¡®mom¡¯ to differentiate.

 CH 68

    Chapter 68 Broken Mirror


    It was the first time Guan Father saw a woman with such a wild and uninhibited style that even his usually calm expression couldn¡¯t be maintained, and he struggled for a long time before he looked at his daughter, wanted to say something but hesitate. The old madam was also embarrassed, lowered her head and coughed for a moment, looked up at the sky for a while, and then turned her face to stared at the manly back of the princess, until it disappeared around the corner and she let out a sigh of relief.


    There were no skylights in the corridor, only a few candles were lit on the wall, and it was full of strong smell of tung oil mixed with long-lasting blood, making people dizzy. Guan Suyi was too impatient to stay in the prison for a long time, and took the lead to walk forward, slowly saying, ¡°Her Highness Grand Princess is a person who cherishes flowers, but she doesn¡¯t have the tendency of grinding mirrors*, you can rest assured.¡±


    The old madam¡¯s cheeks flushed and she couldn¡¯t speak for a while. Guan Father nervously looked at Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu, and scolded, ¡°What are you talking about, why don¡¯t you go in and visit your husband!¡±


    ¡°Mom, what is grinding mirrors means?¡± Zhao Wangshu asked stupidly, but his sister covered his mouth and glared at him fiercely.


    Guan Suyi felt numb all over. No matter how many times she listened to it, she still couldn¡¯t stand Zhao Wangshu¡¯s incomparable intimacy and nasally ¡°mom¡±. Was it bad to call her mother or Guan shi like in her previous life? She forcefully pulled her lips and said lightly, ¡°It means polishing the bronze mirror. Okay, let¡¯s go in and see your daddy.¡± It was indeed her mistake to say such inappropriate words in front of the children, and she must pay attention next time.


    ¡°Yeah, Daddy is still waiting for us, hurry in.¡± Zhao Chunxi dragged her brother away.


    Passing through the narrow and dark corridor, there was an open underground hall at the end, with many compartments built on all four walls and surrounded by iron fences. Each compartment contains prisoners, ranging from one or two, to as many as dozens. Before seeing their dad, Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu first saw Liu shi, Song shi and others who were taken away yesterday.


    They were huddled together in a cell, all disheveled and ragged, the originally bright fabrics were now stained with blood, as if they had been tortured. Song shi¡¯s appearance was the most miserable. The outer layer of clothes had been stripped off, wearing only a single shirt soaked in blood. She laid dying in the corner, her cheeks turned to the direction of the corridor, and all the light in her eyes had dissipated, leaving only death.


    Even for someone as ignorant as Zhao Wangshu, just by looking at her, he immediately realized that this person was about to go to hell.


    ¡°Xi¡¯er, Wangshu, you are here? Hurry up and save your grandmother!¡± Seeing the two grandchildren, Liu shi rushed to the cell door and shouted, and the others also got up and kowtowed, with Ye Fan¡¯s voice vaguely mixed in, ¡°Xi¡¯er, Wangshu, I am engaged to your daddy, even if I haven¡¯t passed through the door, I¡¯m also half the Zhao family, you can¡¯t leave me alone! Old madam, mother-in-law, please save me. In the future, I will definitely serve Chen Guang and take care of two children, and I¡¯ll be a cow and a horse for you¡­¡±


    The sound of crying, begging, and cursing rang out, like a ghost wailing and wolf howling. When the devil sound pierced through the ears, it scared the siblings to death, they couldn¡¯t help but shrink into the corner and shivered. Guan Suyi walked past without even looking, and said lightly, ¡°The sins caused by oneself cannot be escaped. One pull and one step on have already cleared up the debt. From now on, the Ye and Zhao families have nothing to do with each other. Just go in and see your daddy.¡±


    The two seemed to feel reassured, and hurriedly fell behind their stepmother, imitated her appearance and looked straight ahead, walked calmly, and finally saw their father in the deepest prison.


    Zhao Luli had already heard the cries for help one after another, and knew that his family had come to visit him, so he stood by the door and looked out. He never expected that in addition to the thirty-two charges impeached by the Emperor Teacher, Master Ye had committed numerous crimes, big and small, and it also involved the prince and Xue the Thief of the previous dynasty, also secretly plotted to seize the imperial treasure. He actually had insatiable greed and extremely daring.


    He didn¡¯t know about these things until he turned himself in to the Department of Justice, and immediately broke into a cold sweat. When he heard that the general who led the team to search for the treasure map was Zhou Tian, he felt even more and more desperate. Originally, he was just doing his part for the ¡°dead wife¡± maiden¡¯s family, but he didn¡¯t want to bring disaster to his family. If there¡¯s any mistakes, even he died ten thousand times he also couldn¡¯t escape the blame. If he couldn¡¯t be a good husband, couldn¡¯t be a filial son, and couldn¡¯t be a qualified father, what was he doing alive? It¡¯s better to die in jail!


    In his panic, he thought of the new madam who had not passed the door for a long time, and thought of her arrogance and awe-inspiring righteousness, and could not help but lift his spirits. That¡¯s right, Madam had already divided the mansion, and she also said that she would open a main entrance on the other side and hung up another plaque. In this way, the fate of the Zhao family was not tied to him alone, but also involved his second brother¡¯s name. The Marquis of Zhenbei had collapsed, but second brother was still the dignified General Zhengbei, so Zhou Tian had to give him a little face no matter what.


    It turned out that dividing the mansion was not only to get rid the Ye family, but also to avoid possible disasters. Didn¡¯t she warn him at that time, saying that the Ye family¡¯s womenfolk might also be involved with the case, and asked him to send them away quickly. But he insisted on going his own way, and eventually affected his family and children.


    How could he be so confused? If there was no Madam, afraid all of his family would be killed!


    Fortunately, Guan Suyi had led a group of people to come near. He quickly wiped the corners of his red eyes and said hoarsely, ¡°Madam, you are here.¡± Seeing the old madam and Guan Father, he hurriedly bent down and bowed, ¡°Son have seen mother, son-in-law has seen father-in-law.¡±


    Guan Father glanced at him up and down, and unhappily said, ¡°The emperor only ordered to let you assist in investigating the case, not to be imprisoned, but you made a big disaster in your early years and attracted many grudges from the past. Someone deliberately imprisoned you for torture, even when I tried to put things in order, I still couldn¡¯t completely excuse it. You should count the sins you have committed yourself, and stay here in peace, and when the case is over, they will let you go. ¡±


    Zhao Luli ashamedly cupped his hands and said, ¡°Troubling father-in-law to done everything for this son-in-law, son-in-law is very thankful. In the future, he will repent his sins, renounce evil and turn to virtue. This son-in-law¡¯s sins are so deep that the Marquis Zhenbei¡¯s title should not have been obtained, nor should enjoyed the glory and wealth. And now he is imprisoned and severely punished, surely have redeem one or two. People live in the world, comes clean and go clean, but I made a lot of mistakes, and my hands are full of blood, so I have no complaints in my heart when I end up like today. But there are regret, there are shame, regret for not treating Madam well, ashamed for not taking care of the whole family. After going out of prison, I should let go of the past, cherish the present, and look forward to the future to support the Zhao family again. Hope father-in-law can be the witness for son-in-law.¡±


    Guan Father said with relief, ¡°If you can really make it right, it¡¯s not in vain for Yiyi to manage things inside out, feeling worried and frighten. I will watch how you behave in the future, if you make trouble again, I will not forgive you. Well, it¡¯s rare for your family to be reunited, so hurry up and chat for a while, I still have something to do, so I will go first. Old madam, please.¡± He politely saluted the old madam.


    The old madam hurriedly returned the salute and kept thanking him, she sent the person to the end of the corridor before walking back while wiping away her tears. When he met Ye Zhen, her son was unlucky for half his life, when he married Suyi, the extreme sorrow was turned into joy, Heaven had really opened his eyes!


    Zhao Luli wanted to grab Madam¡¯s hands very much, but when he saw his dirty fingertips he retreated timidly, spoke full of shame, ¡°Yesterday Zhou Tian raided the Zhao Mansion, Madam wasn¡¯t frighten, right? Madam¡¯s every words are gems of wisdom, it¡¯s just so hateful that I closed my ear and didn¡¯t listen, obstinately went my own way and almost killed you. I¡¯m guilty!¡±


    Before Guan Suyi could speak, Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu had both squeezed to the cell door, reached out to hug him, and cried, ¡°Daddy, it¡¯s not your fault, it¡¯s the Ye family¡¯s fault. You don¡¯t know, they are really cruel, they want to let our family fill the pit for Brother Hao¡­¡± The two of them explained everything that happened yesterday clearly.


    Zhao Luli broke out in a cold sweat, stunned for a long time before he slowly knelt down, bowed his head and kowtowed, ¡°Madam¡¯s great kindness to my Zhao family, not to mention the next life, I will smash my body and break my head in this life, and repay it with all my strength.¡± After kowtowing he ordered the two children, ¡°Why don¡¯t you thank your mother?¡±


    Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu were not reluctant at all, they knelt down and kowtowed three times, crying ¡°mom¡± with tears in their eyes. The old madam was extremely relieved, and the hatred towards Zhao Chunxi disappeared a lot, her mouth kept mumbling, ¡°Knowing mistakes can make a big difference, and the broken mirror* can also be reattached¡±, with tears streaming down her cheeks.


    For the first time Guan Suyi experienced the taste of being helpless. She would rather this family alienated her, treated her coldly, or even persecuted her like in her previous life, and could not bear their sincere repentance and earnest approach. She could differentiate sincerity and hypocrisy, so it became more and more awkward.


    She couldn¡¯t do anything to a group of innocent people, not to mention two of them were half a child. If she could really disregard morality and throw a stone at people who had fallen, what was the difference between her and the Ye family? Burying her conscience for the sake of hatred, even losing her nature and abandon herself, how could she be worthy of the Guan family¡¯s reputation? How could she lived up to the legacy of her ancestors? How could she shouldered on the four words ¡°having a clear conscience¡±?


    Alright, if they truly repented, she would do her duty and keep the house safe; if they harbored ill-conceived ideas, she would fight back and not give in an inch. Everything still depends on time.


    Thinking like this, Guan Suyi finally regained her composure, pulled Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu with mixed feelings, avoided Zhao Luli¡¯s kneeling and asked the servant to put medicine on him, bandage him, and arrange the food.


    ¡ª-


    When the grand princess came out of the prison, she planned to return to her mansion. After thinking about it, she handed over the sign to the palace to face the emperor. As soon as she stepped into the imperial study to make a salute, she saw the emperor¡¯s dark blue eyes staring straight at her, and finally stopped at her fingertips.


    She grinned and said in a bad tone, ¡°Why, This Palace¡¯s fingers is not made of gold, for the emperor this sort of rare?¡± In the end, she raised it to her nose to take a sniff, and said intoxicatedly, ¡°Delicate face, the soft jade is warm and fragrant*, a peerless beauty capable of causing the downfall of a country! Hunnar, you really have a deep brotherly love, you robbed someone else¡¯s wife and gave him a better one, when you become an emperor, you become more open-minded, This Palace admires you!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan had already received the secret report, knowing that Zhao Luli had been reconciled with his wife, and the Zhao family¡¯s old madam kept saying something like ¡°broken mirror is reattached, happy family¡± and other words, making him anxious, jealous, unbearable, and suddenly the idea of killing people and stealing a wife arose.


    Now that he was stabbed by his elder sister with a few words, the anger he had suppressed for a long time almost erupted, eager to burn himself and others to ashes. But he was an emperor after all, he understood the principle of not showing happiness and anger on his face, and he endured and endured before he could barely suppress his violent mood, and said solemnly, ¡°Whether the imperial sister believes it or not, Zhen have never robbed his wife. At that time Zhen made a surprise attack on Yanjing, and took a rest at Zhao¡¯s village on the way, then met Ye Zhen and recognized that she was the woman who saved Zhen, so said a few words. Not know how it was discovered by Old Marquis Zhao, and misunderstood by him. You also know his temperament, he is the same as Ye Quanyong. He actually bribed the soldier and stuffed Ye Zhen, who was not wearing an inch of thread, when packing the bag. The next day, the camp was attacked, and in the evening we had gone thousand of miles away, and when camped again, Zhen found that there was a woman in the tent. Imperial sister, do you think Zhen should return her or throw her away?¡±


    The life-saving grace must be repaid, and the brother¡¯s wife must not be contaminated. No one knew how annoyed Emperor Sheng Yuan was at that time, and how he was in a dilemma with no room to advance or retreat. These past events, which he had never told to anyone, now had to be mentioned.

 CH 69

    Chapter 69 Reunite


    It was the first time that the grand princess heard her younger brother the emperor took the initiative to mention the things from the past, so she could not help but get closer and asked, ¡°It¡¯s the old marquis Zhao who stuffed Ye Zhen into your bag, not because you fall for her beauty that you robbed her? At that time, our group of brothers kept asking, why didn¡¯t you speak up?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan shook his head with a wry smile, ¡°Zhen found that there was a woman without an inch of thread in the quilt, and she was also my savior, my brother¡¯s wife, you can imagine the feeling of being struck by thunder. Zhen wanted to order a few soldiers to send her back, but didn¡¯t expect she agreed on the surface, but later tried to kill herself, fortunately she was rescued in time. She knelt at Zhen¡¯s feet and kept saying that her chastity had been lost, she had no face to go back to see Zhao Luli, let alone face the pair of children, and begging Zhen to let her die. However, Zhen knew how serious Zhao Luli is to her, and knew that she had saved Zhen¡¯s life, so how can we bite the hand that feeds us? In desperation, had to take her along. Originally after capturing Yanjing, Zhen would explain the matter to Zhao Luli, as long as Zhao Luli do not dislike her and want her back, everything would be fine. But really didn¡¯t expect her to seek death again, begging Zhen not say that the old marquis had sent her, lest it hurts the relationship between the Zhao family¡¯s father and son, and also said that she is no longer clean, she has no face to return to the Zhao family, so it¡¯s better to die. Seeing her so ready to die to preserve her chastity and suffering in silence, Zhen have to give her a place to live.¡±


    The grand princess fixed her eyes on him and said after a long silence, ¡°You haven¡¯t touched her at all?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t touched her in the slightest. Zhen only responsible for taking care of her and keeping her worry-free for the rest of her life.¡±


    ¡°Just take a look at her body, and she won¡¯t leave?¡±


    ¡°How could Zhen know what the women in Central Plains were thinking?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes were red, ¡°She has been tried to kill herself three or four times. After all, Zhen is a man and have to take responsibility, so Zhen have to bear all the blame and criticism. However, Zhao Luli still knew what the Old Marquis Zhao did, he hated his parents and turned against Zhen since then.¡±


    Unconsciously, his palm pressed a dent on the incomparably hard red sandalwood imperial table, gritted his teeth and said, ¡°But do you know, imperial sister? That life-saving grace back then is most likely made up by the Ye family, and Ye Zhen definitely not as innocent as it looks on the surface. Zhen wanted admit Madam into the palace and confer her as Zhaoyi, so she incited Zhao Luli to ask Zhen for a marriage decree and intercepted Madam! People from the Central Plains are really devious and hateful! ¡±


    The grand princess was also a forthright person. Although in recent years she had many contact with people from the Central Plains and had become a lot more cunning, she still felt her brain was not enough. She raised her hand and gestured, ¡°Wait, let This Palace sort it out the situation.¡± she pondered, ¡°First of all, Ye Zhen rescued you is false, but you thought it¡¯s true, and regarded her as a savior, so back then, Ye Quanyong could have died, his family wealth confiscated, and his business taken, but you let him go?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Ye Zhen didn¡¯t recognize Zhen, she sucked out the snake venom for Zhen, put the medicine on it, and left while Zhen was still unconscious. Later, Zhen sent someone to investigate and found out that she was the daughter of the Ye family, and because she sucked that poison, it wounded her root bone, and she was seriously ill for a long time. Even after getting better, it did not heal completely and she became very weak. Although Zhen felt guilty, Zhen also had doubts. While continuing to investigate, Zhen waited for her to come to the door to ask for repayment. But she still live her life as usual, as if she didn¡¯t know anything about Zhen and didn¡¯t care about it, and all the people who participated in the assassination died without proof, so Zhen dispelled the doubts and released Ye Quanyong.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan repeatedly recalled the past, and he felt more and more that the people in the Central Plains were cunning and treacherous, hard to tell what was real or fake, used retreat to advance, it simply fooling him! Later he learned from experience, and slowly learned the Central Plains characters, read the art of war, and mastered the power of human heart, so that he would not suffer any more losses. However, people from the Central Plains were hateful, but they were also lovely, such as Madam, Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies. They were truly loyal, pure, kind, and upright, it was relaxing to interact with them, even when he was taught a lessen by the Emperor Teacher, it was also very comfortable.


    The grand princess slapped her mouth and continued, ¡°If This Palace remembers correctly, after she saved you, Ye Quanyong gave all his family property and surrendered to you?¡±


    ¡°At that time, Zhen had already wipe out the six feudal vassal, taken down the two Princes along with the army of the previous dynasty, how could he not surrender to Zhen? It was also because the Ye family produced war horses, army provisions and other things, that Zhen gave him a position as Grand Astrologer. Zhen didn¡¯t expect that Grand Astrologer has to be a great writer who is proficient in literary and calligraphy.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s ears were red, and he thought that even the Emperor Teacher couldn¡¯t stand Zhen run amok, afraid Madam was even mocking him as a boorish emperor in her heart.


    Alas, all the faces were lost!


    The grand princess was amazed and concluded, ¡°If This Palace understand correctly, first Ye Zhen saved you, then after meeting again, she had a lot of contact with you, causing the old marquis to misunderstood that the two of you were having an affair, then simply sent her away to fulfill your adultery couple. She sought death again and again, forcing you to protect her and take care of her.¡±


    The grand princess¡¯ expression was a little distorted, and her voice was very strange, ¡°As a result, in the end you found out that all of this is fake, just a play and a game. Ye Zhen is trying to cling to the powerful, want to remarry but doesn¡¯t want to bear the crime of being a fickle woman, so she used the old marquis¡¯ hand to do that unrighteous thing, and tried to die again and again to flaunt her preserving chastity, coaxing you, a ¡°responsible¡± man, to take all the dirty water, and instead she washed herself clean and pure without any dirt. Over the years, you have raised her deliciously, provided her with high authority, and protected her openly and secretly. In the end, she joined force with Zhao Luli and intercepted the person you really put you on top of your heart? You didn¡¯t touch a hair of other people¡¯s wife, but they snatched your wife away, and still with your own decree?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded stiffly, ¡°Yes, the Miao expert who used the snake flute to kill Zhen back then should have something to do with the Ye family. Imperial sister, you at once go to Guizhou Qiandong¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his words the grand princess burst into laugh, slapping the imperial table while exclaimed, ¡°Wow, this drama is so exciting! It¡¯s so funny, enough for This Palace to laugh for more than a year! Hahaha, my foolish brother. Oh, how can you be so stupid¡­¡± She stepped out of the door with her hands clapping, and go far away.


    ¡°¡­you should know more about the Miao expert. Why don¡¯t you find out for Zhen who is good at controlling snakes, worms, rats, ants, and find out the real culprit and break this deception.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan spit out the second half of the sentence to the back of the grand princess, and his complexion that turned blue and white was extremely wonderful.


    What the hell is going on? Can you let Zhen finish the sentence? Did you enter the palace just to see Zhen¡¯s jokes? It¡¯s not that Zhen is stupid, it¡¯s clearly that the people from Central Plains are too deceitful! He brushed off memorials, ink stones, books, and other items, his burning anger had nowhere to vent, but instead his eyes became red.


    When he was struggling in vain like a trapped beast, Madam had reattached the broken mirror with Zhao Luli, leaving him less and less time. How could he not be in a hurry, how could he not be impatient, God knows that he was almost instigated by Zhou Tian and ordered the death soldier to end Zhao Luli secretly. But he still held back in the end, so he wouldn¡¯t feel ashamed facing Madam and facing his heart.


    When you meet a very wonderful person, you will try to catch up, trying to make yourself more compatible with her. In the past, he wanted to be an emperor in order to survive, to satisfy his ambition to conquer the world, but now it was for the common people, for the peaceful world, and for Madam, who sincerely praised him as ¡°Wise Monarch of the whole generation¡±.


    A wise monarch would not disregard the law for selfish desires, and if he wanted to separate the two people, he had to completely separate their feelings. In recent years, Emperor Sheng Yuan had learned a lot of tricks from the people of Central Plains, and soon he smoothed out his brows and carefully plan.


    ¡ª-


    After Guan Suyi visited Zhao Luli and determined that there was no danger to his life, she returned with the family. The carriage drove into the inner lane and stopped at the west gate. It was reasonable to say that the sister and brother Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu should return to the east mansion, but they all shamelessly followed behind the stepmother into the main house.


    After all, Guan Suyi was the nominal mother of the two. Now that Zhao Luli was gone, if she opens her mouth to chase them out, it would become fodder for gossip and let the Guan family¡¯s benevolent reputation be covered with ashes. With no way out, she just pretended not to see. But in her heart she secretly sighed that becoming a virtuous person was not easy, no wonder Zengzi* compared virtuousness to ¡°like approaching the abyss, like walking on thin ice¡°, and could only be free when one died.


    The old madam saw that her daughter-in-law was not harmonious with her grandson and granddaughter, and inevitably pulled people together to mediate and persuade her daughter-in-law not to bother about the two children. Zhao Chunxi was very aware of the intention, and quickly pulled her younger brother to kowtow to her stepmother, saying that she would be obedient in the future. Ruan shi brought Mu Mu to inquire about the situation of the elder brother, and after seeing this scene, she followed up with a few words.


    The whole family was dispatched, and to put it bluntly, if Guan Suyi  refuse to forgive it would be too unreasonable. She repeatedly recited the words ¡°have a clear conscience¡±, and then she said calmly, ¡°Forget it, since you know your mistakes, you will still follow me in the future as you did in the past, I will teach you what you need to learn, and I will do my duty. I hope you do what you say and don¡¯t disobey your parent.¡±


    After pondering for a moment, she continued, ¡°Zhou Tian led the team to raid the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, even if all the courtyards were demolished and the whole mansion was forced to death, we would also have nowhere to avenge our grievances, because he was in charge, obeyed the rules, and served Emperor¡¯s order. However, I put up the plaque ¡®General Zhengbei Mansion¡¯, so this family is not your father alone, but also your second uncle¡¯s share. If he act recklessly, even disrespect his superior and arrogate his power arbitrarily, your second uncle is enough to cause big trouble for him. So this plaque is not only a plaque, but also a rule. In this world, everyone has to abide by the rules, even the emperor is not exempt. What will happen if you don¡¯t follow the rules? There are Ye family over there, presumably I don¡¯t need to say any more.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu nodded repeatedly, although they didn¡¯t understand the situation, they were very obedient to receive the teaching.


    Guan Suyi was a little unaccustomed to the change of the two, lowered her eyes and said coldly, ¡°After saying so much, I just want you to understand that when you come to my place, you have to abide by my rules, pay respect in the morning and evening, do homework in the morning and evening, serve the elders, worship the ancestors, deal with social relations, deal with common affair of central feed¡­ everything has to be learned, and everything should not be missing.¡±


    ¡°Mom, we know.¡± The two agreed in unison.


    Mu Mu also nodded solemnly, but because there were too much movement, he almost fell off the chair, Ruan shi got close and pulled him back.


    Guan Suyi was startled at first, then smiled again, under the ups and downs of her mood, she couldn¡¯t help but teach a few more words, ¡°There are three kinds of people in this world, one who follow the rules; second who make good use of the rules; third who make the rules. The former is at the mercy of others, the second can still protect themselves, but the latter can reach the peak and control the fate of themselves and others. You are the former now, and in the future you will be promoted to the second by learning more wisdom, and if you want to become the latter, you will have to redouble your efforts. The world is harsh on women, Zhao Chunxi, it¡¯s enough for you to be a second person, don¡¯t be greedy, and mislead others and misled yourself; Zhao Wangshu, the world is tolerant towards men, and the one on top is a wise monarch, who intends to build a road to heaven for poor and humble family. You are lucky to be born in this generation. Although your father made mistake and demoted, as long as you study properly and take the imperial examination in the coming year, you will be able to enter an official position and become a person who sets the rules. So you don¡¯t need to belittle yourself, and you don¡¯t need to be timid, just abide by the rules, be good at working for your own advantage, and there will be a way out in the future.¡±


    The sister and brother suddenly realized that they promised again and again. Especially Zhao Wangshu, his eyes were getting brighter and brighter, he seemed to have infinite courage and determination, as well as endless enthusiasm and momentum, clenching his fists and swore, ¡°Mom, I dare not forget a single word of what you said today. You see, I will study hard, earn my father¡¯s title back in the future, and rely on my own efforts to give you and my grandmother a title order.¡±


    ¡°Good, good, good, my precious grandson have great ambitions, grandmother is waiting for you!¡± The old madam cried with joy, and put the whole family¡¯s hands together and pressed it tightly.


    Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t take it out, so she could only endure it silently.

 CH 70

    Chapter 70 Challenge The Law


    When the Zhao family suffered a great disaster, the court was also facing a huge earthquake. Emperor Sheng Yuan ordered Chief Minister of Ceremonies to draft a memorandum, intending to suppress or even divide up the power, and the nobles of Jiuli, who were not willing to accept that their power was taken over by the Han people, gathered several princes to propose a policy for dividing the population by hierarchy.


    If it¡¯s the past, Emperor Sheng Yuan might have considered it seriously, but now, he had found a practical and effective way to suppress the power of the prime minister, and he also understood the power of the people¡¯s support and opposition, how could he went against the tide and mess up the country? He threw the memorial back in front of the civil and military court, and asked the princes only six questions: First, whether or not this place is the hinterland of Central Plains? Second, how much the Han people and how much the Jiuli people here? Third, what is the size of the Han army and the size of the Jiuli army? Fourth, the number of Han generals and the number of Jiuli generals? Fifth, how many Han court officials and how much Jiuli court officials? Sixth, with the tactic of using a few to defeat many, how many battles have you won in this life? Trying to crush hundreds of millions of people with tens of thousands of people, where do you get the confidence?


    The princes were dumbfounded by the questions, and immediately defeated, but the Han courtiers respected the emperor even more.


    After the chaos of dividing people¡¯s hierarchy subsided, Emperor Sheng Yuan proposed the ¡®Two Government and Three Divisions¡¯ system. On the surface, it was to handle the government affairs more efficiently and quickly, but in fact, the power of the prime minister was repeatedly split, and it was vehemently opposed by the prime minister¡¯s faction. However, he was not in a hurry, and only distributed the proposal drafted by Chief of Ceremonies to the civil and military officials, asking them to go back and read them, and slowly consider the pros and cons.


    Because the Prime Minister was in charge of military and political affairs, the military officials used to be just decorations in the courtroom. Now, seeing that the emperor wanted to set up a separate Privy Council to let them control the military affairs, naturally it was exactly what they wanted, so they all stood up and agreed on the same day. There were also officials from the prime minister¡¯s faction who did not express their position, after they got the proposal, they went home and read them over and over again, after thinking about it they felt this was a great opportunity to get ahead of their careers, so their heart slowly wavered.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was not in a hurry at all, and the proposal would be put forward at the daily court meeting and ordered the courtiers to discuss and vote. On the first day, only the military officials and the Emperor Teacher¡¯s faction responded enthusiastically; on the second day, a few neutral officials stood up; on the third day, there were more; on the fourth day¡­ gradually, people continued to raised their support, or took the initiative to submit memorials, and perfected the details. After more than a month, Prime Minister Wang who became a lone tree that was difficult to support, found himself utterly isolated, so he had no choice but to conform with the people¡¯s will and pass the ¡®Two Governments and Three Divisions¡¯ system.


    From then on, the prime minister could no longer monopolize the government alone and override the imperial power, and the situation in which the noble family giants ruled the world together with the emperor slowly shattered and eventually disappeared. When Emperor Sheng Yuan put forward the proposal to reform the tax law and the land system, the noise of opposition was reduced a lot, and even courtiers put forward practical plans for him to implement. The most important point was to survey the population, improve the household registration and then share the land.


    However, the noble family giants still had some foundation, and when their interests were seriously violated it was impossible not to fight back. They actually released rumors that the officials who wandered the countryside were not to survey the population, but to arrest the strong men and send them to build construction similar to the Great Wall, or to put them on the front lines to serve as cannon fodder. Emperor Sheng Yuan intend to imitate the violent Qin Dynasty, impose severe punishments and severe laws, and carry out the policy harm that the people and damage the country. He also change the household tax to the population tax, or maybe the two taxes side by side, which greatly increased the people¡¯s burden, just to rake in the people¡¯s fat and the people¡¯s cream for his own enjoyment.


    Every decree and every policy promulgated by Emperor Sheng Yuan was misinterpreted beyond recognition, and spread at the fastest speed, causing public resentment and chaos. Many townships and counties that had been exploited by harsh government rose up and stormed the province government, intending to overthrow the imperial power.


    Overnight, the flames of war ignited little by little, and if Emperor Sheng Yuan sent an army to bloody suppress it, it would fulfill those rumors even more and he would become a tyrant who killed people indiscriminately, or caused the whole territory to collapse. It was impossible to kill, and he couldn¡¯t recruit the rebels, and the fold between Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyebrows were increasing, he was at his wits¡¯ end.


    The Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies had already assigned Confucian scholars to sing about the benefit of amending the law every time they went to a township or county, but people did not believe it.


    The situation was getting worse and worse, if this thing continue, the Wei Kingdom would inevitably fall apart; if it was crushed by strong force, the people would inevitably suffer. How to solve this crisis quickly and calmly had become a heart disease for Emperor Sheng Yuan. He always wanted to find someone to talk to and come up with an idea, but when he looked around, he found that there were only cold winds and dim lights in Weiyang Palace, and no one could relieve his worries.


    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t drink, you still have morning court tomorrow, you will have a headache if you go to bed late. If you are not happy, you can go to the harem to distract yourself. Surely all the niangniang will be happy to accompany you.¡± Baifu persuaded while trembling.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan sneered, ¡°Distract myself? Apart from being jealous and scheming, what else do they know? Zhen¡¯s considerate flower is not here.¡± After he said the words his eyes lit up and said anxiously, ¡°Come and bring the four treasures of study, Zhen want to write a letter.¡±


    Baifu didn¡¯t dare to delay, and hurriedly fetched the four treasures of the study and spread them out one by one.


    ¡ª-


    Due to the civil unrest and the huge earthquake in the court, the case of Ye Quanyong had been put on hold waiting to be investigated, and Zhao Luli had also been detained indefinitely, it¡¯s unknown when he would be able to return. Except for Guan Suyi, everyone in the Zhao family was a little anxious. They wrote a letter to Zhao Jinyu for help, but they couldn¡¯t hear back for a long time, so they could only wait in a daze.


    On this day, Guan Suyi was painting in the study when she suddenly received a letter from Marquis Zhenxi Mansion, with the words ¡°Madam please open personally¡± and the word Hunnar in the lowest corner. She raised her eyebrows slightly, and her interest gradually increased. After opening it, she read it very rapidly, wrote down the answer without thinking, and ordered someone to send it back.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan thought that Madam would have to consider for a long time before she could reply the letter, and was ready to wait for a few days, or even dozens of days, but he did not expect only half an hour later an urgent footsteps hurriedly entered the palace and knelt in front of him to deliver the reply. He opened the envelope and took out the fragrant clip, but only saw six moving clouds and flowing water¡¯ characters written on it ¨C the emperor should challenge the law.


    Challenge the law? How should he challenge the law? Emperor Sheng Yuan pondered and thought hard, and finally clapped his hands and praised, ¡°Wonderful, Madam is really Zhen¡¯s considerate flower, a virtuous helper! People come, Zhen will personally go to the village to investigate the people¡¯s conditions, not in disguise, not in white dragon fish suit, it should be publicize ostentatiously, and must be known by everyone.¡±


    Baifu quickly tried to persuade against it, but even when he talked until his tongue dry he couldn¡¯t change His Majesty¡¯s mind, so had no choice but to pass the order and prepare the imperial guard and the honor guard.


    On that day, everyone in Yanjing knew that the emperor personally went to the suburban townships and counties to appease the people, but on the way he startled a horse, overturned the cart, and ruined a large area of freshly planted farmland. In order to encourage farming and ensured grain production to supply the army, Emperor Sheng Yuan issued a decree prohibiting anyone from trampling on the fields where seedlings have been planted.


    This time, he made a mistake himself. Even though the farmer who worked on the fields repeatedly said that he didn¡¯t need to compensate, but he ordered his subordinates to hit him ten sticks in the back and personally handed over fifty taels of silver. The local officials had already arranged for the people from ten miles and eight townships to kneel to greet the holy procession, so they saw this scene very clearly.


    This beating was not a fake. When the emperor turned around, there were bloodstains coming out of the cloth, dyeing the dragon robe red. However, he didn¡¯t care at all, and said earnestly, ¡°Amending the law should be based on protecting the people and loving the people, and the people are more important than the ruler. Not only the people must abide by the law, but the imperial family should set an example. At the beginning of the law revision, Zhen have said that if the prince and the common people breaks the law, the punishment are the same, so how can Zhen renege ones own word? Recently, there are all kinds of rumors, and they are not Zhen¡¯s original intentions, that is to survey the population and improve the household registration, not to arrest the strong and suddenly levy the tax, but only to share the land, encourage the opening of land, and provide for the people. Zhen want to give everyone a way to live, but some people incite civil unrest for their own desires and cause innocent people to die in vain. The household registration of the population is clear, if there is only one child in the family their taxes and servitude can be reduced, and even exempt from enlisting to go to war; if the family only have orphans and widows or the elderly, not only they don¡¯t need to pay tax, they can also get government alms; if the family is prosperous, they will have more fields to share. You only see the change from household tax to population tax, but you don¡¯t see the change from land occupation system to equal land system. In the past you could only cultivate the fields for noble family giants, and earn pitiful rations, now you can own your own land and support your family through hard work and dedication. Which one do you think is better?¡±


    Speaking until here, he sighed indignantly and said in a wistful tone, ¡°Zhen is dedicated to the people, and really don¡¯t want to sacrifice a single life or shed a drop of blood in vain, so Zhen have not sent heavy troops to crush the whole place. Zhen also hope you can open up  the fog to see the sky, break through the old, and create a peaceful and prosperous world together.¡±


    As the saying goes, it¡¯s better to be a dog in peaceful time than a person in troubled times. People living in the world, who didn¡¯t want to be safe and stable and peaceful? Who didn¡¯t want to live and work in peace and contentment? Who would risk their lives if they were not forced into desperate situation? Previously, there were also people who traveled to the countryside and visited the people to vigorously publicize the benefits of revising the law, but they were not as good as the emperor¡¯s example and sincere explanation.


    Not to mention the scholars who intensively read poetry and books were full of tears and bowed down to the ground, even those ordinary people who didn¡¯t know big characters were also deeply touched, calling Long Live The Emperor, directly praised the emperor as the lord of the world, wise monarch for the whole generation.


    The whole things today spread at the fastest speed, and the people finally calmed down and began to inquire about the laws that have been promulgated before, and what the so-called ¡°equal land¡± means. The Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies personally traveled to the countryside to clear up people¡¯s confusion, so the flames of war were extinguished little by little, and the strong men who picked up swords and spears ran home one after another, for fear that they would not be able to register their household registration, resulting the family get less a few acres of land.


    In just half a month, this disaster that could split the Wei Kingdom and subvert the imperial court was thus vanished. Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t spend a single soldier, and only suffered a little bit of physical pain, but for a general who was fierce and skilled in battle, this was nothing at all.


    At the same time, Guan Suyi received a thank you gift from Hunnar, a box of books and a land deed. She had already heard about His Majesty¡¯s challenge the law, but she didn¡¯t think it was strange, only thought that Hunnar showed her letter to Marquis Zhenxi, who in turn reported it to the emperor, and then thus the follow-up happened.


    The thank you gift was very valuable, and it was not an exaggeration to say that it was worth the price of a city, but she accepted it calmly, holding the title deed and said while smiling, ¡°Although the emperor was born in the wilderness and has a style of local tyrant, he is good at accepting others¡¯ advice, has the courage to take responsibility, and with a little more time, he will be worthy of the name the Holy Monarch.¡±


    While Jinzi agreeing, she silently kept those words in her heart.

 CH 71

    Chapter 71 Release From Prison


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father each took their disciples to travel around townships and counties, vigorously publicizing the benefits of revising the law, with the emperor personally set an example and solved the doubts, a disaster that could have burned the entire Wei Kingdom was extinguished in an instant. The people who spread rumors behind the scene were all arrested, the common people were assigned to the frontier, the officials were dismissed and investigated, and Prime Minister Wang¡¯s faction, which was already weakened, suffered another round of heavy blows.


    On this day, Old Master Guan and Guan Father returned to the capital after finishing their errands. Before they could step into the house, they were summoned by the emperor and entered the palace to make a report.


    ¡°These days, it¡¯s all thanks to the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies to appease the hearts of the people, promote the country¡¯s law, and work hard to make great contributions. Since Zhen ascending the throne, every time there was a problem, always relies on the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies to work out strategies for Zhen and the gratitude in Zhen¡¯s heart is indescribable. Hope in the future monarch and subjects will be united and create prosperous world together. These three cups of wine Zhen will drink first as a respect. Emperor Teacher, Chief of Ceremonies, please.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan drank three cups in a row, and then stopped the old man who wanted to drink with him, worried that he would hurt his body by drinking too much, then he had no face to explain to Madam. Chief of Ceremonies was good wine, a thousand cups would not drunk, so he actually have a good drink with him. Although he was unable to marry Madam, in his heart, he had already recognized her as his wife, so he naturally treated the two elders with the courtesy of Mount Tai*, and was extremely respectful in both words and deeds.


    Old Master Guan had a low alcohol tolerance, and he was tired from the journey, only had half a cup of slow drink, and he was a little overwhelmed. He was helped by two palace maids to rest in the inner hall. While pouring wine for the emperor, Guan Father secretly looked at his spirit, and the more he looked at it, the more satisfied he became. He could never have imagined that this ignorant emperor could grow to such a level in such a short period of time.


    Before this, he was also thinking about the trick of ¡°challenging the law¡±, but it was quite dangerous. First, it might cause mob of people to attack. Second, it was possible to attract the assassination from the remnants of the previous dynasty. If something goes wrong it would speed up the collapse of Wei Kingdom, then it would be self-defeating, so it had to be calculated repeatedly to ensure that it was foolproof. When he was still brewing and was about to raise a suggestion, the emperor actually realized this truth himself, and practiced it without hesitation. And the local officials who were supposed to be under great pressure, they got out of the predicament in an instant and quelled the people¡¯s grievances .


    It should be said that this person had only studied the culture of the Central Plains for two or three years, but already mastered to this point, he was indeed a natural Heavenly Emperor, really made people admire.


    Thinking like this, Guan Father sighed, ¡°Your Majesty is wise and decisive, with extremely high comprehension. This time, can calmed down the whole country without spending a single soldier, and solved the danger of the country¡¯s subjugation. Within five years, afraid there is nothing else this minister and his father can teach you. This world truly belongs to the emperor, others say a hundred sentences, also not as good as a word from the monarch. Therefore, the emperor either does not open his mouth, or when he opens his mouth, his word are powerful and resonating, with power to carry the Nine Tripod Cauldrons*, which is the honor of the emperor and cannot be broken. Although the emperor was born in the wilderness, but when this minister look at this moment, you already have a mighty dragon power and a magnificent purple energy, and in the future will be the Holy Monarch of this whole generation.¡±


    Madam also said this, and it made Emperor Sheng Yuan so embarrassed that he did not dare to look up, but his heart was full of joy and excitement. How was this his credit for quelling the chaos this time? It was clearly Madam¡¯s idea, but he didn¡¯t dare to confess to the two elders. After thinking about it, he said seriously, ¡°People in the Central Plains have a saying that learning is endless. If we¡¯re talking about learning, Zhen has not even reach Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies¡¯ skin and hair*, so how dare be proud of one¡¯s achievement? This time quelling the chaos was guide by an expert, and Zhen just did what was told.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Which expert is it? Can the emperor introduce him to this minister?¡± Guan Father¡¯s eyes lit up.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan felt bitter in his mouth, waved his hand and said, ¡°Zhen thought of her day and night, however she and Zhen do not share the same heart. Zhen will introduce her to Chief of Ceremonies in the future when Zhen take her by my side.¡± (T/N: in case you don¡¯t know she and he in mandarin are different character but they sound the same, so unless you know the context you can¡¯t differentiate just from hearing them)


    Guan Father understood it very well and comforted him, ¡°Most of the talented people in the world are arrogant and aloof. They don¡¯t care about the burden of position and wealth, and they can¡¯t give up the fun of idle clouds and wild cranes*. The emperor must not be in a hurry to seek success, but have to the other with sincerity and slowly impressed, that is the best method.¡±


    Treat the other with sincerity and slowly impressed, Emperor Sheng Yuan chewed these eight words, and couldn¡¯t help but cheer up. The monarch and the minister chatted for another half an hour, the they said goodbye after Old Master Guan sobered up. As soon as the two Mount Tai were sent away, Emperor Sheng Yuan disguised himself and went out of the palace in plain clothes, because today was the day when Zhao Luli was released from prison, and Madam would definitely go to the Heavenly Prison to meet him.


    ¡ª-


    After the civil unrest subsided, the case of Ye Quanyong was put on the agenda again, and within three days, the truth was sorted out and reported to the imperial court, each of which was to be punished. Most of the male members of the Ye family were beheaded, and the children were to be exiled for 3,000 miles. Among the womenfolk, Song shi and Liu shi were guilty of serious crimes and were sentenced to beheaded, and the rest were demoted to untouchable status* and sent to the border to become labor for the army.


    The Zhao family was stripped off their title and demoted to the commoner. To outsiders, it might be a tragic ending, but to Zhao Luli, it was equivalent to a redemption. This title, this brocade garment and jade food, glory and wealth, were all obtained by selling out his ex-wife. When it held it scald the hand, it would be more comfortable to just throw it away, so he didn¡¯t care.


    As a result, after spending more than a month in prison, he not only did not look haggard, but also became more calm.


    Staggering out of the cell door, walking through the dark corridor, and into the brightly lit front hall, his eyes suddenly wet with tears and choked with emotions. It turned out that his mother, wife, and sister-in-law had already waited under the steps with the children, holding clean clothes, fragrant food and a few wicker sticks in their hands. When they saw him, they hurriedly rushed forward to greet him, comforting him.


    ¡°Mother, you have been frightened these days.¡± He shook the old madam¡¯s thin wrist, thanked Ruan shi, and finally held Madam and the three children tightly in his arms and hugged them tightly.


    ¡°Suyi, I have let you down. Although I have no title, I won¡¯t let you suffer any grievances in the future. If I violate this oath, I will be struck by thunder on the spot.¡± He buried his cheeks in his wife¡¯s sweet and warm neck, only to feel that it had never been so peaceful, never so happy.


    Those unbearable pasts and humiliating memories seemed to be far away from him. He had such a respectable and lovely wife, sensible and obedient children, and a family who would cross the river in the same boat. He had nothing else to ask for in this life.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s body was stiff, she was stunned for a while before she pushed him away and beat him with a wicker stick, ¡°Apology don¡¯t have to be said over and over again, it won¡¯t show sincerity if it said too much, but like acting. You¡¯ve been in prison for dozens of days, and it¡¯s unknown how much bad luck you have on your body. Hurry up and stay away from the children. I¡¯ll exorcise the evil spirits for you, later step over a brazier when we got home, and take a bath with grapefruit leaves at night and this matter will be finished.¡±


    Zhao Luli hugged the children with one hand, and went to pull Madam with the other, with tenderness on the corners of his eyes and brows, ¡°Alright, everything listen to Madam¡¯s arrangement. There¡¯s bound to be good fortune after surviving great disaster, and when the bad luck is gone, the blessings will come to the door. ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t my son going to turn extreme sorrow into joy? Let¡¯s go, go home quickly, I have asked people to prepare a feast, and our family will sit down and have a good meal to celebrate the reunion.¡± The old madam stared at the couple holding hands and laughed heartily.


    There was a lot of joy here, and the whole family was happy, but they didn¡¯t know that somewhere on the street corner, someone was watching this scene intently, with heart full of hatred and sorrow that was beyond words. Marquis Zhenxi just got his sister-in-law¡¯s acceptance word and ended his closed-mouth mantra. At this time he was in very high spirits, and he couldn¡¯t help but say a few more words, ¡°Yo, isn¡¯t this reattaching the broken mirror? Look at the two of them, one tall and handsome, the other with unparalleled beauty and character, when holding each other like this, it seems like a good match. Zhao Luli that guy was the best at pleasing women, otherwise he would have not charmed Ye Zhen, who has eyes above the head, and if he sincerely repent and try to make up for his mistake, afraid Madam cannot withstand.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at him coldly, ¡°How is your investigation on the Miao expert? Have you found any clues?¡±


    ¡°Guizhou is so big, and it is also a place where Miao people live, it¡¯s extremely xenophobic. How can I get news so quickly.¡± Marquis Zhenxi waved his hand helplessly.


    ¡°Then hurry up and check it. If you don¡¯t find any clues, you don¡¯t need to come back in this life. Zhen will send someone to take care of your sister-in-law, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± Seeing Madam being carried into the carriage by Zhao Luli, his already gloomy face became even more murderous, the palm of his hand pressed on the hilt of the sword, seemed ready to move. After he restrained it with great difficulty, the carriage had already driven far away. He used light energy (qinggong) to follow, and on the way, he happened to meet the womenfolk of Ye Mansion who were tied together in shackles and being pulled out of the city gate.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The coachman slowly loosened the reins, slowed down the carriage, and whispered, ¡°Madam, the Ye family¡¯s criminal women is in front of us, should we avoid it or¡­¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s hand was held by Zhao Luli, she wanted to pulled it out but couldn¡¯t, and her whole heart in a bad mood. After hearing this, she immediately said, ¡°Stop and take a look.¡±


    ¡°Look at what, just go around!¡± The old madam was full of disgust. Ruan shi remained silent as always, but Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu achoed in whisper, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s not watching, let¡¯s go home soon.¡±


    Guan Suyi lifted the curtain and said indifferently, ¡°Master, you were the one who said you wanted to take concubines, these convicted women can be bought as slaves as long as someone is willing to pay, and now Ye Fan is here, will you still keep this marriage contract? Are you still saving people?¡±


    Zhao Luli stared at her, suddenly smiled, ¡°If I save one, what about the others? To redeem one person is twenty-two taels, my Zhao family is in great trouble, how can I afford it? Just as the so-called one liter rice raises a benefactor, a bucket of rice feeds an enemy*, if I only save Ye Fan, not only will they not be grateful, but they will hate me even more. If they kneel in front of the carriage and don¡¯t let us leave and let others watch, then they will scold me for being cruel and ruthless. It¡¯s better not to look, what remains unseen is deemed clean. Madam is right, I gave them a hand, but they stomped on me hard, the grievances have been cleared, and each take care of oneself.¡±


    ¡°Good, good, good my son finally wake up, we should cut off with their family clearly, so as not to be entangled in the future.¡± The old madam was greatly relieved and smiled.


    Guan Suyi stared at Zhao Luli for a while, and then she said lightly, ¡°Then go around, avoid it, and don¡¯t let the Ye family see it.¡± She was now living freely and comfortably, why would she bring back Ye Fan, this troublemaker, to cause chaos? It was just to test Zhao Luli.


    The coachman turned his horse¡¯s head as he complied, and ride slowly along the dark alley.


    Zhao Luli whispered in Madam¡¯s ear, ¡°My performance just now, is Suyi satisfied? From now on there will be no concubine, no ¡°dead wife¡±, only you and I will as we live together and die together, inseparable until head turn white.¡±


    Guan Suyi heard Zhao Luli spoke love words in such a gentle voice, not only was not touched, but felt extremely terrible, and wished to block his mouth and throw him off the carriage. If this fellow entangled her in the future, how could she live?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan suddenly changed his mind after following them halfway. He turned to Department of Justice, found Zhou Tian, and ordered, ¡°Go and redeem Ye Fan and send it to Zhao family with gongs and drums. In addition, You warned her that it¡¯s alright to hook up with Zhao Luli, but she can¡¯t hurt Madam, if she hurts even a strand of Madam¡¯s hair, Zhen can save her from the quagmire, and Zhen can push her into the fire and water.¡±


    No concubines? No dead wife? Live together and die together, inseparable until head turn white? It also depends on whether Zhen agree or not! What you owe Zhen will be paid back sooner or later!

 CH 72

    Chapter 72 Concubine


    The carriage drove into the inner lane and gradually approached the mansion. Zhao Luli had only been away from home for dozens of days, but it seemed that half his life had passed, he couldn¡¯t help but lift the curtain and stared in trance.


    Sensing that the coachman wanted to stop at the west gate, Guan Suyi instructed, ¡°The master of the east mansion is back, what are you doing taking him to the west gate? Go to the east gate.¡±


    Now that the wall of the two mansion have been built, because Zhao Luli was stripped off his title, many things above the regulation in the East mansion could no longer be used, the redundant pavilions and halls were banned, some noble utensils were put on the high cabinet, and the plaque of ¡°Masquis Zhenbei Mansion¡± hanging on the door beams had been replaced with ordinary word ¡°Zhao Mansion¡±. On the contrary, the West Mansion was still magnificent and majestic, and even the plaque of ¡°General Zhengbei Mansion¡± was extraordinary.


    The carriage stopped at the west gate for a while, and then slowly circled around to the east gate. Zhao Luli stared at the five powerful characters on the plaque and asked, ¡°Whose handwriting is this? It actually have a lustrous sound with killing spirit. With this sign, the momentum of the West Palace has risen a lot.¡±


    ¡°This is written by mom.¡± Zhao Wangshu glanced at his stepmother with a blushing face, and said obediently, ¡°Dad, I will never be naughty again, I will practice calligraphy, study hard, and earn back the title of our family.¡±


    ¡°Good, Wang Shu has grown up.¡± Zhao Luli was very happy, he couldn¡¯t help but grasped his wife¡¯s white fingertips and sighed, ¡°Suyi, thanks to you, our family didn¡¯t break up. I will not say any words of apology and vows,  you just see how I will perform in the future.¡±


    Guan Suyi smiled lightly, but she was very alert in her heart. When the carriage stopped, she immediately jumped out of the carriage, slapped Zhao Luli¡¯s outstretched hand, and hugged Mu Mu instead. Zhao Luli was not annoyed at all, but smiled softly and stepped forward to help his elderly mother. There were many misunderstandings and estrangements between their husband and wife, which could not be solved overnight. As the saying goes, gold and stone yield to the power of sincerity*, as long as he treated the other with sincerity, as long as Madam was not hard-hearted, sooner or later, she would forgive him.


    While thinking like this, the east gate squeaked open, and Minglan greeted her with a smile, followed by a servant with a brazier in her hand.


    ¡°Miss is back? Quickly cross the brazier to get rid of the bad luck.¡± She only greeted her master, without even looking at Zhao Luli.


    ¡°Master, you cross first.¡± Guan Suyi turned to the side, let everyone cross the brazier one by one, and only went in by herself at the end, then ordered the servants to prepare water and pick grapefruit leaves, let everyone who went to Heavenly Prison to soak for one or two quarter of an hour and ask for peace of mind.


    Everyone went back to the room to take a bath without saying a word. After a while, they all came out with water vapor and went to the main hall to eat the reunion dinner. Before the dishes were ready, they heard the sound of gongs and drums from outside, interspersed with women¡¯s cry.


    ¡°Is this a wedding or a mourning?¡± The old madam was displeased. ¡°Housekeeper, go out and see who is this demon, and let them go away!¡±


    The housekeeper took the order and left, only to came back with a bitter face after a short while, followed by the smiling Zhou Tian and the pitiful Ye Fan. Ye Fan seems to have been groomed, wearing a brand new pink dress with a set of emerald pearl hairpins on her head, her dark yellow cheeks were slightly flushed, and before she could stand still, she bowed down and choked out, ¡°This lowly concubine Ye Fan has seen husband, has seen Madam, has seen old madam.¡±


    ¡°Why are you back?¡± The old madam jumped up in shock and glared at Zhou Tian viciously.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t she come back? Didn¡¯t the Ye and Zhao families already agree that they would accept her after the first month? When the Ye family has bad luck you don¡¯t recognize her, very beautiful of you! If you don¡¯t accept her, this official will let people from all over Yanjing come to judge and see what a treacherous thing you, Zhao Luli, are!¡± Zhou Tian sneered.


    Zhao Luli had just returned home, he didn¡¯t want to cause more trouble, and the excitement just now must have attracted many spectators. If Ye Fan was kicked out on the spot, his reputation would be bad, so he couldn¡¯t help but look at Madam. Ye Fan knew that the current Zhao family was relying on Guan Suyi as the master, and even Zhao Luli couldn¡¯t speak up, so she walked over on her knees, hugged the other person¡¯s legs and cried, and when she saw her indifferent, she kowtowed vigorously until there was a line of blood on her forehead, looking like a sorry figure.


    Guan Suyi stared at her for a while, then said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t kowtow, get up. Jinzi, Yinzi take her down to wash up and put her in Nanyuan. General Zhou, your goal has been achieved, please go back.¡± Once the words fell, she slightly tossed her wide sleeves, ordering someone to see guests off.


    Zhou Tian didn¡¯t expect her to give in so easily, so he couldn¡¯t help sneering, ¡°Madam has agree? This general thought you were too difficult to deal with, but I can¡¯t see it today.¡±


    Before Zhao Luli could speak, Zhao Chunxi cried out, ¡°Mom, you must not be soft-hearted on this kind of thing. My third aunt is not a fuel-efficient lamp, and she will disturb the whole family, it¡¯s like luring the wolf into the house. It¡¯s better to spend some silver to send her away.¡±


    The old madam glanced at her admiringly, and agreed, ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s just a cheap concubine, just order someone to sell it.¡±


    Guan Suyi tapped her finger on the table and said indifferently, ¡°Since General Zhou sent the person here, in any case he must want her to stay, no matter how we take the person out or whether we sell her far away, I¡¯m afraid General Zhou will not be tire bringing her back and throwing her into the mansion. Rather than tossing and turning back and forth, it¡¯s better to just accept it, so as not making people see the joke over and over again. Besides, Ye Fan has no other place to go except the Zhao family, and in order to stay, she will do whatever it take. This cry is the first step, the second is to make nuisance, then the third is to tie a rope on the door beam of our house to attempt suicide, and let passers-by to see. How many years will it take for our house to clean up this pot of sewage?¡±


    Speaking until here, she smiled coldly, ¡°You came prepared, one big drama after another must have been arranged, just to counter my every moves. How stupid will I be if I¡¯m still messing around with you? Wouldn¡¯t it be more efficient to simply accept and keep the person under the nose, so you can¡¯t use her as a raft and keep making waves.¡±


    Zhou Tian was dumbfounded for a moment, then gave a clasp-hand salute and said, ¡°It¡¯s good if Madam knows, this general is leaving.¡±


    Guan Suyi patted the angry old madam, while sneering, ¡°General Zhou is an important member of the court, but his eyes only focused on the inner house of other people, don¡¯t you feel ashamed to play with these women¡¯s tricks? Besides, you are here to give a gift, but you only give the wooden basket, not the actual goods, which seems really petty.¡±


    Zhou Tian stumbled and almost tripped over the threshold. He turned back and glared at Madam fiercely, then took out a life contract from the front of his clothes and threw it away before flung his sleeves. If it wasn¡¯t for His Majesty¡¯s order, how could he use such an insufferable trick? He would just  slashed Zhao Luli with a knife long time ago! He only hated that His Majesty had been poisoned too deeply by the Emperor Teacher, and he had to be some kind of wise monarch. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to kill anyone who wasn¡¯t pleasing to the eye like in the past?


    If His Majesty¡¯s wishes come true one day, and brought Madam Guan into the palace, wouldn¡¯t she become more annoying? Benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, and faith are indeed some misguided things!


    After the door closed with a bang, isolating the crowd watching the liveliness outside and the gong and drum troupe were drifting away, only then did Zhao Luli speak bitterly, ¡°It¡¯s all because husband was not thoughtful, misused sympathy, and brought disaster to the family. And now one thing after another came to the door, and still have to rely on Suyi to deal with the aftermath, which is really shameful.¡±


    ¡°You are indeed confused and have made Suyi miserable!¡± The old madam planned to teach her son a good lesson, but she heard the housekeeper shout from outside, ¡°Madam is not good, your maid is here too, and is waiting outside the door now.¡±


    ¡°Maid, Mingfang?¡± Guan Suyi laughed, raised the cup and shook it gently, ¡°Zhao Luli, you are on the first day of the month and I will be on the fifteenth, you take one and I also take one. Now that the great catastrophe have just passed, they come one by one, and no one can hide. Forget it, what¡¯s the different between accepting one than accepting two, let her in. ¡±


    Zhao Luli¡¯s cheeks flushed with shame. The old madam quickly soothed, ¡°This cannot be blamed on you. It was Chen Guang who made mistake first, so you just put a little pressure, otherwise, wouldn¡¯t you let a lowly concubine bully the head of the main room? Come, come, give her a bite of food to eat, although our Zhao family is down, but not lack this much of money, you don¡¯t need to blame yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sister-in-law, don¡¯t think too much. When the wind blows over, send those two to village estate far away and it will be over.¡± Ruan shi comforted her gently. Several children also looked at their mother eagerly, for fear that she would be angry.


    Zhao Luli, who was sitting in the main seat, became a lonely man and was squeezed out by everyone. All the faults were caused by him. Madam was good everywhere, she was perfect, even if the servants encounter major events, they only knew that Madam was in charge of the mansion, and the master was not counted.


    The situation seemed to be very bad, afraid the husband¡¯s dominance couldn¡¯t be established, but Zhao Luli was not dissatisfied, instead very impressed. Madam¡¯s words were all gems of wisdom. Listening to her words could never be wrong. No wonder everyone said virtuous wife make husband have few misfortunes, filial children make father reassure, which had been passed down for hundred years and it still a profound philosophy.


    While thinking like this, Mingfang came in with a small package, and was about to show her loyalty, but Guan Suyi waved her hand to interrupt, ¡°Let¡¯s save the beautiful scene, I know all the bad things in your family. Since your father has lose all the dowry I gave you, you should write a deed and sell yourself as a lowly concubine.¡±


    Mingfang was horrified and cried, ¡°But Miss, you clearly said that you wanted me to be a noble concubine, how can you go back on your word?¡±


    ¡°A noble concubine not only needs to be a good citizen, but also has a dowry, can you afford it?¡± Guan Suyi said coldly, ¡°Your father have gambling addiction, and he already wasted everything. When he saw the Zhao family was about to die, he thought he could promise you to others and cheat a betrothal gift, but because he couldn¡¯t find a higher rank than the Zhao family, he had no other choice but abandon this idea. When the Zhao family was in trouble, I didn¡¯t see you back. Now that the catastrophe has just passed, you hurriedly stick yourself here, how can there be such a cheap thing in the world? I said that I wanted to accept you, but I didn¡¯t leave any evidence, and now I refuse, what can you do to me? It¡¯s you who betray first, and now still dare to question me? If you don¡¯t want to be a lowly concubine, you can go out of this door, just find a farmer to marry, and be the main wife.¡±


    If Mingfang really had the guts to marry a poor farmer, she would not be the Mingfang who framed her master in order to get rich in her previous life. Although the Zhao family had lost the title of Marquis Zhenbei, they still hung up the name of General Zhengbei. After she left this gate, where would she find a wealthier family? Besides, her appearance could only be regarded as ordinary, and it would be disgusting to marry a merchant, so she gritted her teeth and wrote a body deed to became a lowly concubine.


    After going around in a circle, the old enemies of the previous life were alive again. Guan Suyi had thousands of ways to get the people gone, but she had to change her mind when she thought of Zhao Luli¡¯s intimacy. You don¡¯t cherish the people¡¯s heart when it¡¯s still alive, and want to take it back when it¡¯s already dead, how can it be so easy? She threw these two into the East Mansion to play with him, forgive her for not accompanying in this life.

 CH 73

    Chapter 73 Beloved Wife


    After everyone finished their meal, they walked to the side hall to chat about the current situation at home.


    Guan Suyi took out a letter from her sleeve pocket and handed it to Zhao Luli, ¡°This is Mr. Lu¡¯s leave letter, saying that the elders in the clan are sick and need to go back to Langshan to take care of them, and the return date is uncertain. Except for him, there is no one in the house that resign for the time being. Your study was smashed by Zhou Tian¡¯s subordinates a while ago, and many antique ornaments were damaged. I have ordered stewards in the front yard to register them one by one. You can take a look later and check it out to avoid any mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Of course I feel reassured with Madam¡¯s work.¡± Zhao Luli seemed to inadvertently pat the back of his wife¡¯s hand.


    Guan Suyi felt uncomfortable with his gentle voice and intimate attitude, so she couldn¡¯t help but move away, and continued, ¡°No matter how reassured, you should go and have a look, you know the numbers of items in you heart. Although I tried my best to stop the raid, but many building and utensils were still ruined, and a lot of gold and silver jewelry were lost, it can be said to be a serious damage. I have sent someone to deliver a letter to the second brother, but due to the tense war at the border, he has not been able to reply for a long time. It¡¯s probably will take a few months for him to learn the accident at home. But now it doesn¡¯t matter, all the disasters have subsided, and he didn¡¯t intervene, but left a righteous impression on others.¡±


    After finished speaking, she took a small box from Minglan, placed it on the low table, and sighed, ¡°The property you left with the old madam, the old madam passed it on to me. Because all the shop hung the name of Marquis Zhenbei at the front, when you were stripped off your title and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, a lot of people wanted to take advantage of someone¡¯s misfortune and take it by force. Fortunately, I put on the signboard of General Zhengbei in time, only then able to save them, but it still lost 30% to 40% of its income. I have already sorted out the account books, you can take it back to check, and if you have any questions, just send someone to ask.¡±


    Zhao Luli pushed the box back and said with a wry smile, ¡°Why Madam is so distant? What¡¯s mine is yours, what¡¯s yours is still yours. I am very reassured to handed over these properties to you.¡±


    Guan Suyi looked directly at him, and said firmly, ¡°You better take your things back. Internally, I have take charge of the central feed, serve the elders, take care of sister-in-law and the children, and externally, I have to help you take care of the property and dispatch expenses. Do you think I have three heads and six arms? They all say that men are the master outside and women are the master inside, but you are good, want me to be the master inside and outside, and you as the family head is going to relax and doesn¡¯t have to worry about anything. If so, it¡¯s better if I exchange with you, anyway, you are very idle now.¡±


    Zhao Luli really wanted to do something for his family, and even more wanted to make up for his wife, so he said that he would give her full authority over the property, he intend to pat the horse¡¯s butt but didn¡¯t expect to pat the horse¡¯s leg, his heart was full of remorse, and he bow down to sincerely apologize. Seeing Madam turned her head away with a cold snort, revealing half a delicate profile, although her eyes, ears, mouth and nose were already vibrant, they still carried a little bit of childishness. Only then did he realize that she, when all said and done, was only eighteen years. Having encountered such a terrifying change, if she hadn¡¯t been strong enough and kind enough, she would have left everyone in the Zhao mansion and ran back to her parents¡¯ home to escape the disaster.


    What¡¯s even more hateful was that he had never given her a hint of warmth and tenderness before, but instead repeatedly humiliated and placed blame. No wonder now, no matter what he said or done, he couldn¡¯t warm up Madam¡¯s heart. If the two people changed places, Zhao Luli knew that he could never do better than her.


    The more he thought about it, the more guilt he felt in his heart. When he looked at the cold-faced of his little wife again, he felt that she was extremely respectable and also very lovely, and he couldn¡¯t help but think of an old saying ¨C having a wife like this, what else can a husband ask for?


    He smiled tenderly, and was about to hold his wife¡¯s boneless wrist, thoroughly admitting his sin and comfort her, but then heard his mother scolded, ¡°I thought you have really change this time, turns out still as out-of-tune as before! Suyi manages from top to bottom, maintain inside and out, and is already very tired. Didn¡¯t you say you will support this family, but then push everything to her, do you still have a conscience?¡±


    Ruan shi patted the sleepy Mu Mu, and whispered in agreement, ¡°Yes, eldest brother, since you have nothing to do, you can share one or two burden for sister-in-law. How much trouble have you brought to sister-in-law? Leaving aside the Ye family¡¯s matter, just saying that scholar Mr. Lu you hired before is really an ungrateful and arrogant person. On ordinary days, our family has never given him less tutoring salary. Wangshu alone is twenty taels of silver a month, then to have clan¡¯s parent sent over cloth, food, brush, ink, paper, inkstone and other items, enough for ordinary people to spend a few years. Treating him so kindly, but not only he¡¯s not grateful, as soon as he heard that you have been stripped off the title, he threw away the children of the clan, and came to ask sister-in-law for resignation, which made the already panic-stricken clan even more uneasy. I don¡¯t think any elders in his family were sick, he just made an excuse to get away. Even the elders dared to curse, his inferior character is evident. Just wait, once the news that our family is safe and sound has spread, he will definitely return within half a month. Your eyesight is also too poor!¡±


    Since long ago Ruan shi had a lot of complaints towards her brother-in-law. In the past, she didn¡¯t dare to say it, but now she had to, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t know how to repent, then wouldn¡¯t be sister-in-law who suffered?


    Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu didn¡¯t make a comment, but they were also very dissatisfied with their father. If he hadn¡¯t insisted on bringing the Ye family back, the following things would not happened. Fortunately, Zhao Chunxi was clever and escaped the arresting guards, fortunately Guan Suyi had a life title and could suppress Zhou Tian, otherwise the two would be like those servants, stripped off their clothes and humiliated, and then death would be better than life.


    Seeing his family members glaring at him, Zhao Luli felt very uncomfortable. He didn¡¯t even have the face to mention the words of apology again, could only smiled bitterly. A few words of ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± couldn¡¯t erase all the past disasters. Forget it, don¡¯t say anything, just concentrate to treat his family wholeheartedly in the future.


    He took the account book and bowed deeply. He wanted Madam to stay in the East Mansion, but he couldn¡¯t say anything. How could he be worthy of such a good Madam now, even touching her jade-white fingertips felt like he desecrate a sacred object.


    Watching Madam helped his mother back to the West Mansion, closed the courtyard door and dropped the copper lock, Zhao Luli rubbed his eyebrows, feeling quite sad.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look Daddy, there is me and my brother with you.¡± Zhao Chunxi gently tugged at his sleeve and comforted him, ¡°Mom have a sharp tongue but a soft heart, she looks very strict on the surface, but when encountering difficulties she will definitely stand up and bear the burden for the whole family. Besides, she is prideful and ordinary people cannot enter her eyes. If you treated her wrongly in the past, don¡¯t blame her for treating you coldly. Only sincerity can be exchange with sincerity. Let¡¯s slowly let her see our true heart, one day the old suspicions will be cleared up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Although mom is annoyed with us, she still let us to go to the West Mansion to read and write characters every day, without any perfunctory. Mom is soft-hearted.¡± Zhao Wangshu added.


    Zhao Luli took the two children and said with relief, ¡°You can now distinguish who is good and who is bad, which is better than daddy. Before this, daddy was confused and almost made a big mistake and hurt the whole family. In the future you can ignore your daddy¡¯s words, but you cannot ignore your mom¡¯s, okay?¡±


    The two children nodded again and again, obediently agreeing. Without experiencing life and death catastrophe, they might never be able to see through people¡¯s hearts, let alone distinguish right from wrong. This time it was a blessing in disguise.


    The three walked along the dark path and walked to the waterside pavilion where the gauze lamps were hung, then saw a woman wearing a misty-green floor-length dress standing under the dim yellow light. Her black hair only used wooden hairpin to bind the hair behind the head, which looked extremely indolent. Her face didn¡¯t have any makeup, looking very pure, but she used color ink mixed with gold powder to depict a camellia on the forehead. The whole body had only this little bright color, but it seemed to be a finishing touch that gave birth to spirituality.


    Zhao Luli shook his head, his eyes blurred, and he was stunned for a while.


    Zhao Wangshu was still ignorant, but he saw his sister walking over, pushed the person down, rubbed her forehead with a handkerchief, until she wiped the camellia completely before scolding sharply, ¡°What are you calculating?¡± Dare to learn from my mom?


    She had already remembered stuffs when her mom left, no matter how her daddy deceived and induced her, she couldn¡¯t forget the hazy shadow in her heart. Therefore, how could she not know who Ye Fan was imitating now? This person first prepared to find another way out, and seeing that the Ye family had no room to turn around, she resorted to some despicable scheme and performed such ghostly tricks. If Daddy was really bewitched by her, wouldn¡¯t this family that was finally saved from disaster be ruined again? Even if the broken mirror was reattached, it would inevitably leave a gap, and it would be torn apart with only a slight bump.


    She must not tolerate anyone who disturb their peace and spoil their happiness.


    ¡°You roll back to Nanyuan for me! Mother is kind-hearted, generous and tolerant, but I am a small-minded master. If you continue to play these dirty tricks, believe it or not I will let people ruin your beautiful face and sell you to the border as an army labor? By the way, the Ye family is all there now, you just went to reunite with them.¡± She whispered in Ye Fan¡¯s ear, her voice was soft, but it contained a trace of cruelty.


    For the first time, Ye Fan saw the savage side of her niece. In a trance, she remembered the long-dead aunt Liu shi, and couldn¡¯t help but shudder. She hurriedly pulled up the hem of her skirt, stroked her red forehead, and ran away quickly.


    Zhao Luli woke up from the trance and said, ¡°Xi¡¯er, do you still remember your mother?¡±


    ¡°I was over six years old and almost seven, how can I not remember?¡± Zhao Chunxi squeezed her father¡¯s wrist and said word by word, ¡°Father, mom is already ¡®dead¡¯, forget her!¡±


    How could Zhao Luli not understand the meaning of his daughter¡¯s deliberate accentuating the word ¡°dead¡±? He was stunned for a while, and finally smiled bitterly, ¡°Alright, daddy will forget her, don¡¯t think about it any more, it¡¯s not something you should worry about. Let¡¯s go, go back to rest, and go to the West Mansion tomorrow morning to greet your grandmother.¡±


    The three gradually drifted apart, and the silhouettes under the illumination of the candlelight get longer and slowly blended together.


    On the other side, Ye Fan, who had fled back to Nanyuan in embarrassment, happened to bump into Mingfang, and her face couldn¡¯t help turning white. Mingfang naturally saw that she had carefully dressed up, and sneered, ¡°Yo, the Ye family really has some family learning, and can¡¯t wait to hook up with the master when you barely came?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Go there if you have the ability, and shut your dog¡¯s mouth if you don¡¯t!¡± Ye Fan straightened her back and choked back, so angry that when Mingfang came up she wanted to tear her up.


    The servant who was in charge of taking care of Nanyuan couldn¡¯t stand it any longer, and roared, ¡°Can you two stopped for a while? Both of you have been reduced from noble concubines to lowly concubines, and you still can¡¯t see who is in charge of the mansion? If you have the skill to hook up with the master, why don¡¯t you go to the main house to serve Madam. Bah, what a two stupid trash!¡±

 CH 74

    Chapter 74 Asura


    Since Zhao Luli met Ye Fan who looked like his ex-wife that night, subconsciously he had been avoiding her. He went to the West Mansion every day to greet his mother, accompanied Madam and the children for breakfast, and then went out to handle the business. He was good at planning, although he had never learned to do business, he quickly mastered it. With the name of his younger brother behind him, he had recovered a lot of losses. Even if he missed his official career in this life, being a rich man was more than enough.


    Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu were repentant and sincere, and Guan Suyi, as a ¡°virtuous wife and mother¡±, could only pinch her nose and admit it, and taught them the things that should be taught one by one.


    On this day, Zhao Wangshu came to the main house on time for the morning class, and saw that his stepmother holding Mu Mu in her arms, reciting the stories in the ¡°Classic of Mountain and Sea¡±, and his sister came earlier than him, holding an embroidered frame in her hand, seriously thread the needles, ready to make a purse.


    ¡°Mom, son is late.¡± He wiped the oil stains from the corners of his mouth and said in shame.


    Guan Suyi was not a person who would deliberately makes things difficult for others, especially if the other person was a child who hasn¡¯t done anything. She glanced at the sky and said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s not too late, there is still a quarter of an hour until chenshi (7-9am), sit down first and memorize the book. After memorizing, recite the chapters that will be learned today one hundred and twenty times, and I¡¯ll come back to explain the essence later.¡±


    ¡°Son understand.¡± Zhao Wangshu quickly put down the book case, walked to the window, shook his head at the morning light to wake up his brain. Zhao Chunxi glanced at him, and then looked at her stepmother who was holding her adopted brother. She only felt that the years were quiet and the world was stable. This was the day she dreamed of, and this was the scene that a happy family should have.


    Mu Mu was getting along very well with his brother and sister now, and gradually he talked more and more. He tugged at the sleeve of his adoptive mother and whispered, ¡°Mom, can Luo fish* really fly? What does it look like? Son cannot picture it.¡±


    ¡°You want me to draw it for you?¡± Guan Suyi pinched the tip of Mu Mu¡¯s nose, and then picked up the brush to draw it carefully. Her vision was extremely wide, and the strange things that others couldn¡¯t think of were already vivid in her mind with only a little thought, coupled with her superb drawing skills, with only a few strokes an exquisite and vivid painting was already finished.


    Mu Mu was stunned, poking here and there with his fat and short fingers, secretly thinking that the Luo fish was actually alive. Zhao Wangshu also forgot to memorize the book, secretly glanced at his stepmother, and complained in a low voice, ¡°Mom, why do you only tell stories and draw pictures for Mu Mu, but you always punish me with a ruler?¡± His face turned slightly pale after he said that, and hurriedly added, ¡°I, I don¡¯t mean to blame you, I also want to listen to your stories and watch you draw.¡±


    Did I tell you less story in the previous life? I have painstakingly compiled the philosophy of life and the essence of Confucianism into the story, to guide you from hate learning to eager to study, then to be able to study by yourself. How do you repay me? The story has already been told in the previous life, so in this life, you can recite it by yourself.


    Of course, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t say these words outright, she tapped on the table and said, ¡°How to teach and educate people is also a kind of knowledge and has its basic principles. My Guan family is a Confucian family and an educator family, since the ancient times it has passed down a legacy, one is to teach without distinction, and the other is to teach according to aptitude. Teach without distinction means anyone can be taught, there is no distinction between noble or lowly, old or young. Teach according to aptitude means the treatment of the people shall use their compatible methods, not everyone follows the same mold or shaped into the same shape. You are the eldest son of the Zhao family, and in the future you will inherit the family business and revive the lintel. The burden on your shoulders is heavier than anyone else, and you must never slack off, so I discipline you in a strict way and polish your will. However, Mu Mu is young, sensitive and introvert. In the future, he may enter an official position, or maybe wander around, or maybe study some specialty, or even become a merchant, and learn ingenuity craftsmanship. It¡¯s up to him to decide, so I discipline him loosely and let it develop freely.¡±


    Guan Suyi looked directly at him and said cautiously, ¡°You two have different backgrounds, different fates, and different responsibilities on your shoulders. If your words to win honor for your father are just casual words, then I will tell you stories every day.¡±


    Zhao Wangshu blushed with shame, and waved his hands quickly, ¡°No, no, no, son will no longer listen to the story, son must study hard, take the exam in the future, become a high-ranking official, be a superior person, protect mom, grandmother, second aunt, and sister. ¡±


    Zhao Chunxi originally thought that her stepmother doted on Mu Mu and treated her brother coldly, favored one over the other. After hearing this, she realized that she had her own reason for doing so. In the future, her brother would bring honor to the family, how could he still playing around? The stepmother treated him not only without fault, but also with great dedication.


    It was said that the Guan family is honest and upright, this statement was not false. If there was some misunderstanding towards their stepmother, it must be pointed out in person, do not keep the resentment in the heart, which would eventually ruin the mother-child relationship. This kind of reciprocal, frank, and without reservation way of getting along made Zhao Chunxi felt very fresh and touched. She thought, looking at the whole of Wei Kingdom,  afraid she would never find a stepmother better than her stepmother.


    While she sighed, Jinzi walked in with a gold-rimmed post, and whispered, ¡°Madam, this is a post from the Department of Internal Affairs, inviting you to attend the palace banquet tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Palace banquet? It¡¯s not a festival now, why the palace held a banquet?¡± Guan Suyi slowly scraped off the red clay seal.


    ¡°I heard that some of the sacred orchid trees planted by the Empress Dowager has bloomed. The fragrance can drift for hundreds of miles, the color is colorful, and it changes when it meets the light, she has always been generous and magnanimous¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s the case. Empress Dowager niangniang personally invited me, so how can I, a subject woman, not go?¡± Guan Suyi closed the post and asked tentatively, ¡°Will you enter the palace with me tomorrow?¡±


    Zhao Chunxi was moved at first, but then firmly refused, ¡°No, mom can go by yourself. You are still a first-rank madam, and you are also the descendant of Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies, the true proud daughter of heaven, but what am I now? There¡¯s no noble blood, no prominent family background, just like a chicken trying to drill into a group of cranes, in addition to self-humiliation, can I still get touched by immortal spirit? Mom, you are right, people needs some self-knowledge. It¡¯s enough to be an ordinary rich girl and marry an honest man of the right family. The high place are not necessarily beautiful, and it may also be cold to the bone.¡±


    Guan Suyi looked at her in astonishment, she never expected that these modest and open-minded words came from Zhao Chunxi¡¯s mouth. Shouldn¡¯t she focus on climbing high? How in this life she was like a completely different person? However, looking closely at her face, she couldn¡¯t find any trace of reluctance, that was her sincere thought.


    But this was  not surprising. In the previous life, she had never experienced life and death disasters, and she had never been framed by her grandfather to the brink of family destruction, so she could not understand the true meaning of ordinary life. Her ideals were completely destroyed, and she slowly repaired herself, and in the process, she inevitably absorbed the strengths of those close to her and assimilated.


    Guan Suyi was this person, so she tried to get closer to her, tried to imitate her actions, and carefully figured out her methods, so it was only natural to became like this.


    The world was indeed impermanent, a small change could determine success or failure, shape good and evil, destroy a person or save them. Guan Suyi thought a lot of thing, but in fact it was only for a moment, she patted the back of her stepdaughter¡¯s hand, and sighed, ¡°You are more sensible and smarter than I thought.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi smiled lightly, and seemed to be calm, but in fact she was both excited and a little proud. Getting a compliment from her stepmother was not easy.


    ¡ª


    The next day, Emperor Sheng Yuan walked in the imperial garden in civilian clothing, followed by the grand princess with a saber in her hand.


    ¡°Why do you even carry a saber to enjoy the flowers? When entering the palace to face the saint, people must remove their weapon. You know this is knowing the law and break it.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan frowned.


    ¡°Habit. Even if it¡¯s not removed, what can you do to me?¡± The grand princess was tall and straight, and her face was like a crown jade*. At first glance, she had the appearance of Pan An. Several passing palace maids were fascinated by her, and knelt down to greet her with flushed cheeks.


    ¡°Forget it, Zhen allows this outlaw thing and let you go this time. Last time Zhen asked you to check the Miao expert, have you done it? Didn¡¯t you say that you sent someone to pick up Madam? When will she enter the palace?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was quite anxious.


    ¡°Guizhou is a long way, how can you get the news so quickly? Just wait patiently for a few months. Madam over there, This Palace has sent an imperial carriage to pick her up, and it will arrive in less than a quarter of an hour.¡±


    The two walked out from behind the rockery and saw several children standing in front of them, ranging from three or four to eleven or twelve years old, all dressed in rich and noble clothes, surrounded by palace maids, laughing and joking. One of them seemed to have a particularly distinguished status, there were always inner attendants around him, shouting without a word, ¡°Little Highness, slow down, be careful of falling!¡±


    The young boy didn¡¯t listen to the advice, instead became more violent, suddenly he looked at Emperor Sheng Yuan, and exclaimed, ¡°Asura* is here! The man-eating Asura is here, everyone, run!¡±


    The joking expression on the grand princess¡¯ face faded in an instant, she watched helplessly as these princes ran away as if they had encountered a man-eating monster, and fled in all directions. A tall, luxuriously dressed woman ran over while lifting up the hem of her skirt, without paying attention to her manners, she immediately bent down and picked up the leading young child, patted his back to comfort him, ¡°Imperial son, don¡¯t be afraid, mother concubine is here, imperial grandmother is also here. Asura won¡¯t dare to eat people!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid, mother concubine, let¡¯s go back quickly!¡± The young child choked.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back. There are gods enshrined in the imperial grandmother¡¯s palace, and the gods will protect us from being murdered by Asura.¡± The woman lowered her eyes and did not dare to look at Emperor Sheng Yuan, but her words contained poisonous thorns, which was unbearable.


    The grand princess pulled out her saber halfway through, and the murderous golden roar was enough to make her shut up, and then she quickly walked away with a group of children and palace servants. When they disappeared at the end of the path, the eldest princess said quietly, ¡°Hunnar, it¡¯s time for you to have children, or sooner or later your throne will fall into the others¡¯ hand. Although the eldest, third, and sixth are dead, but their children are all raised by the Empress Dowager¡¯s side, and they are also serious dragon sons and grandsons. When they grow up, if you are still alone, I am afraid that your head will fall from your body, and you will not end well.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s jaw tightened and his tone was cold, ¡°Children, can an Asura like me have children? I won¡¯t give anyone a chance to conceive a child. Imperial sister, you don¡¯t need to say anything more.¡±


    The grand princess fixed a look at him and asked, ¡°What if that person is Madam? Can she come and give birth to you?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was shocked, but quickly dismissed this delusion, and said bleakly, ¡°She is even more impossible, imperial sister, don¡¯t hurt her!¡± When the words fell, he flung his sleeves and left, looking like a sorry figure.

 CH 75

    Chapter 75 Palace Banquet


    Because Zhao Luli was stripped off his title, many objects that exceeded the regulations could not be used, even the carriage was smashed, so he could only go out on horseback or on foot. And the West Mansion had just been set up, and things have not been neatly arranged, so it was difficult for Guan Suyi to enter the palace. Fortunately, the grand princess sent someone to pick her up early in the morning, and just after turning out of the inner lane, she met Li shi who was kind enough to visit, and the two went on the road together.


    They handed over the sign, entered the palace gate, and walked around the imperial garden under the guide of the inner attendant, and listened to the beautiful singing inside. While the strings were bustling, there were women¡¯s tender voice intertwined with the men¡¯s eloquent talk, it was really lively.


    Li shi frowned and sighed, ¡°I¡¯m a village woman from a mud-legged background, if I haven¡¯t receive my brother-in-law¡¯s light, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t be eligible to participate in any palace banquets for the rest of my life. To be honest, I and the group of people inside originally are not of the same kind. When entering the palace it doesn¡¯t feel the glorious, but instead I feel bad. You have to pay attention to your manners when you eat, and you have to choose your words carefully. If you take a wrong step, you will become a beam-jumping clown, and you will be ridiculed wherever yo go. If I want to get out of the palace safely this time, I¡¯m afraid I will have to exchange five years of my life.¡±


    Guan Suyi smiled gracefully, ¡°Sister-in-law doesn¡¯t need to worry, let¡¯s enjoy our flowers, and when the time comes, we will go to the main hall for the banquet, and let¡¯s not say a word during the banquet, who can still rush to find trouble with us? I am also from a poor scholar, it is difficult to integrate into such a materialistic flashy world. However, when people live in the world, there will always be instance when we forced by circumstances, since we are already in the noble circle, then we have to abide by the rules of the noble circle. Aren¡¯t they the best at ranking hierarchy based on status and power? When sister-in-law take out your identity as Marquis Zhenxi Mansion¡¯s main house madam, just this bunch of womenfolk, the only ones who can overwhelm you in terms of power are the imperial family.¡±


    Li shi¡®s brows smoothed out, then she laughed, ¡°What my sister means is that there are only a few people who can compare to us when it comes to identity, then I don¡¯t have to be afraid of anyone.¡± After thinking for a while, she shook her head and said, ¡°But it¡¯s best not to deal with this group of people, it¡¯s uncomfortable to deal with them, my chest feel unbearable. Sister, how about finding a quiet corner to enjoy the flowers, and then go back when the palace banquet begin? At that time just bury our head and eat hard, and save all the socializing.¡±


    Guan Suyi was pleased, and agreed. The two avoided the crowd and walked into the deep and winding path. In the distance, they saw a green lake and a magnificent palace, which complemented each other under the brilliant spring light.


    ¡°Unlucky! How did we come here?¡± Li shi spat.


    ¡°This is¡­ Ganquan Palace?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s eyesight was extraordinary, even though there was a dazzling spring light across the lake, she could still clearly see the plaque hanging on the door beam.


    Li shi replied in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s indeed Ganquan Palace. Because Ye Jieyu had damaged her root bones when she treated His Majesty in the past, in order to prevent her illness from getting worse, His Majesty deliberately chose Ganquan Palace with excellent lighting, pleasant scenery, and warm in spring and cool in summer for her to live in, it made all the concubines red with anger.¡±


    While speaking, a line of guards with swords and halberds came out from the back wall. When they saw that some palace ladies wanted to approach, they immediately chased them away with a fierce attitude.


    Seeing this, Li shi said cheerfully, ¡°But that was all in the past, and now this Ganquan Palace has become a cold palace, and no one can enter without the Holy¡¯s will. Look at it, she must have heard that today the Imperial Garden held a palace banquet, and she actually came out while dressed up. I¡¯m afraid she still want to see His Majesty from afar, and gain some sympathy. This bitch is still as pretentious as before!¡±


    Guan Suyi was very curious about what this legendary Ye Jieyu looked like, and immediately followed the direction Li shi pointed out, only to see a woman wearing a pale pink gauze skirt swaying out. After reaching the first step, before approaching the palace gate, two guards crossed their spears to block the way.


    She didn¡¯t put on powder on her face, only a vivid camellia was drawn between her eyebrows, and the flower buds seemed to be dotted with gold powder, shining with brilliant light. Even though her face was as white as paper and her expression was haggard, with this forehead decoration she looked even more like a flying immortal, not stained with vulgar dust. She looked at the guards with tears in her eyes, walking back and forth at the palace gate, hesitating, her reddish eyes were dripping with tears, which looked soft and weak, made one feel pity.


    Guan Suyi watched silently for a while, then suddenly laughed. No wonder Zhao Luli looked down on her so much in her previous life. It turned out that Ye Zhen was like this, like a very weak little flower that collapsed when the wind blew, making people want to hold it in the palm of their hand and rub it into their heart to take a good care of her. On the other hand, looking at herself, she was frank and arrogant, where¡¯s the slightest bit of pitiful cuteness?


    However, as a woman, was it true that only by showing weakness one could win the favor of her husband? Could it be that someone too strong only have to endure humiliation and be crushed again and again in order to reflect their value? In this world, were there only two ways out for women? Either wagging their tails and begging for pity, or became breakable, with sad ending.


    She couldn¡¯t accept it, being reborn again, she couldn¡¯t accept it no matter what!


    It seemed like she watched for a long time, but it was only a short while before she said hoarsely, ¡°So this is Ye Jieyu. When truly meet it¡¯s not as good as they said. Sister, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, this old woman will be annoy every time seeing Ye Zhen¡¯s face!¡± Li shi and Ye Zhen were always at odds, and she hurriedly took people elsewhere. As soon as they turned around, they heard a stern rebuke from across the lake, turned out Ye Zhen wanted to step out of Ganquan Palace, but was savagely pushed back by several guards, her grand palace maid knelt on the ground and kowtowed her head, looking very miserable. Ye Jieyu, who used to be high above, was now just a prisoner, and it¡¯s unknown when she would see the light of day again, or maybe this life was already hopeless.


    After walking along the flowery path for a while, Li shi left in a hurry on the pretext of going to the restroom. Guan Suyi had just seen her old enemy from her previous life and was a little absent-minded, so she casually found a secluded corner to sit and rest.


    The spring breeze was soaked with the strong fragrance, and carried the warmth of the bright sun, when it reached the face and covered it, it made people feel comfortable. Guan Suyi narrowed her starry eyes, leaned on the stone table, and soon fell asleep.


    ¡°Madam, have you lost?¡± A deep voice broke the silence.


    Guan Suyi opened her sparkling eyes, when she saw that the person was Hunnar, she couldn¡¯t help but smile slightly, ¡°Look at the quinoa, the flowers are flying everywhere* . If you are fortunate enough to travel in this fairyland on earth, how can you not be enchanted by the beautiful scenery?¡±


    Hunnar was captured by her bright smile and starry eyes, suddenly felt his mouth was dry and he couldn¡¯t speak. When he opened his mouth, he could only lowly and timidly called ¡°Madam.¡± This is his madam, not Zhao Luli¡¯s madam, he believe so.


    Jinzi stood behind Madam, glanced at His Majesty quickly with surprised eyes, then buried her head deeply and did not dare to look again. It turned out that His Majesty actually behaved like this in front of Madam, his face was flushed, his ears were red, and his mouth was clumsy, almost impossible to imagine the majesty of roaring on the battlefield and sweeping through thousands of enemies.


    No, still very majestic, but like a coward bear.


    Guan Suyi saw that he was standing in the same place and did not dare to approach, and was still at a loss, unable to speak, so she could not help but smile, ¡°Look at me, I¡¯m just talking nonsense. I am tired from walking, and too lazy to socialize, so I found a deserted place to take a rest, and avoid any disturbance to be idle. Why you didn¡¯t accompany your Lord Marquis?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan gathered his courage to walk over, and said in a low voice, ¡°Lord Marquis saw Li shi and had something to say to her in private, so he sent me away.¡±


    Probably those words of remarriage again. Guan Suyi thought for a while, then beckoned, ¡°Since you have nothing to do, come over and sit down, and we¡¯ll look for them together after they finish talking.¡±


    ¡°Follow Madam¡¯s orders.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan respectfully made a clasp-hand salute, and then sat down cautiously, but he didn¡¯t dare to sit firmly, only leaned on the stool with his legs open for support, as if he was squatting on a horse, everyone that looked at him felt tired and unbearable for him. When love was heavy the fear was born, he did not dare to be slacking and disrespectful towards Madam.


    Jinzi glanced at him over and over again, the fierce and domineering image was finally broken by this bear-headed person in front of her, and her heart was bleeding.


    Guan Suyi had never seen what Hunnar looked like on the battlefield, still thought that it was his nature to be honest and upright, so she couldn¡¯t help chuckling, ¡°You sit properly, we have equal relationship regardless of identity, just do whatever we want.¡±


    ¡°Follow Madam¡¯s orders.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan clasp-hand salute again, then moved and relaxed his long legs, no longer bulging out his strong muscles, and dropped the fabric of his trousers.


    Guan Suyi glanced at him up and down, and sighed, ¡°Juliu people are generally tall and strong, eight-foot tall men can be found anywhere, even a woman like the grand princess is around seven feet. However, when I look at it, I realize that you are the best of them. Your height is probably nine feet tall, right?¡±


    ¡°Answering Madam, no more, no less, just nine feet.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan stretched his long legs, so that Madam could see his strong physique.


    Jinzi silently covered her face, unable to bear to look directly.


    Guan Suyi, however, liked his straightforward and boldness, and asked with a smile, ¡°What did you eat growing up? I have a young child in my family, just at the growing period, after I return I will prepare food for him according to your method. Let him grow into a heroic and extraordinary figure like you.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s ears were red, mumbling without speaking. He was both happy for Madam¡¯s praise and awkward by her question. He wanted to dig his heart out for madam, but didn¡¯t dare to bear the consequences, lest what he waited for would not be love and friendship, but fear and hatred.


    After hesitating for a moment, he said hoarsely, ¡°I have no mother since I was a child, and I was rejected by my father and my clansmen. I was thrown into the barren mountains and ridges to fend for myself. I have never eaten normal people¡¯s food, only devour raw meat and fowl. How can I grow so tall and even survive safely, even I can¡¯t figure it out, maybe I was hated by people and ghosts, even the underworld is lazy to ask for my soul?¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes widened, she was speechless for a while, and after taking a few breaths she said hoarsely, ¡°You are an innocent child, why are they so cruel?¡±


    ¡°Innocent child?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan shook his head with a wry smile, ¡°Not every newborn is innocent, there are also Asura evil ghosts that born with sin.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Guan Suyi interrupted angrily, ¡°Every child is¡­¡± What is it? Innocent?  She couldn¡¯t say the second half of the sentence, because she thought of the child she lost in her previous life. He was an undesirable life and a sin that needed to be erased, his arrival, was Hunnar was also like this?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan held his breath and waited, but for a long time he didn¡¯t hear Madam¡¯s rebuttal, and the eyes that were bright like stars were finally extinguished. Even Madam believed in the reincarnation of evil spirits, what else could he hope for? The so-called redemption and transcendence were just lies made up by monks to attract believers.


    T/N: His background story is actually up there on the tragic scale.

 CH 76

    Chapter 76 Joy


    Deathly stillness atmosphere filled the air, making the corners of this place seemed to be divided into two halves, one half was in full bloom of spring and full of sunshine; the other half was in depth of winter, the cold wind was blowing, and Hunnar curled up in the ice and snow cellar, like a wounded beast, alone, with no way out.


    He was a soldier, walking, sitting, and lying with an air of valiant and uncommon spirit, but now he hang his head low, his shoulders slumped, and his back hunched, looking tired and pitiful. Looking at his appearance, Guan Suyi felt a dull pain in her heart for some reason, and she felt uneasy. The maternal love that could only be stimulated by facing Mu Mu came like a surging flood.


    She wanted to open her mouth to comfort him, but the topic just now was also a taboo in her heart. The pain she thought had long forgotten was actually buried deep in her heart, just it had never been provoked. A wave of resentment collided, stirred, and boiled in her chest, but she couldn¡¯t do anything to her former enemy, because now she not only had to take care of her own reputation, but also had to maintain the official reputation of her grandfather and father. How difficult it was for them to get to today, only she who had experienced the previous life could understand.


    Have a clear conscience! These four words were so easy to says, but they were made with tears and blood! She put her hand on her forehead, her face full of forbearance and blankness, she could neither comfort herself nor others, but she couldn¡¯t bear to leave this lone wolf here, after a moment of thought, she changed the subject and said, ¡°Last time you wrote to ask for advice, I have given the answer, but this time I¡¯m the one that have a question.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was always willing to answer Madam¡¯s question, and immediately broke free from the unbearable past, and said solemnly, ¡°Madam, please tell me, naturally I will tell you anything I know.¡±


    Guan Suyi thought for a while and said, ¡°How did the red coral tree of the Ye family shattered? I have inquired about this repeatedly before, and I also asked my grandfather and father to ask the official in the Commandant of Justice, and asked a certain madam who was present at the scene to draw map and described the process in detail, but still could not find any flaws. More than 20 servants in their prime to keep guard, more than 40 pairs of eyes, stared without any gap, no one approached, and no one opened the box. And it¡¯s huge and hard, but it was silently smashed into powder, which is so mysterious even ghosts cannot guess. I thought about it for many days, but  still have no solution.


    She swiped back and forth on the stone table with her pinkish crystal fingertip, sketching out a map of the crime scene with just a few strokes, and sighed, ¡°If I can¡¯t get an answer, every time I think about it, I will toss and turn and have sleepless nights, and ask Hunnar to please save me.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan stared at Madam¡¯s furrowed eyebrows and confused face, only then found out that there were also problems in the world that she couldn¡¯t figure out. However, instead of detracting from her charm, it added a bit of cuteness. On second thought, she was only eighteen years old this year, just like that tender peach and plum¡¯s branches that was flourishing in the spring, in one¡¯s prime time. Originally she should have many insignificant worries, naughtily throwing tantrum and speak angrily, and not the kind of restraint and cautious attitude like she shown all the time.


    She was the jewel in the palm of Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies. Although her family education was strict, she should never depressed to this point. Her changes were all honed by the Zhao and Ye families bit by bit, forced by her husband and stepchildren again and again. She should have left unsolved puzzles to others as she did now, and then wait in peace¡­


    Emperor Sheng Yuan suddenly didn¡¯t dare to look at her clear eyes, lest the mistakes and stupidity he had committed would be seen by her, he slowly took off the blood jade thumb ring he had worn all year round, and said in a warm voice, ¡°It¡¯s a coincidence, if Madam asks others, it will certainly incomprehensible, but if it asked to me it was the right question. Please ask Madam to find a box, regardless of the material.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to show me?¡± Guan Suyi waved at Jinzi, ¡°Go find a box.¡±


    Jinzi glanced at blood jade thumb ring, feeling her heart throbbing. It was the spoils of war that His Majesty took off from the Emperor of Persia¡¯s finger after he killed him with his own hand. It was once a very precious treasure, when encountering difficult things, he always like to rub it to seek peace. How could he be willing to destroy it this time? His Majesty is too obsess!


    Aware of the extraordinary nature of the blood jade thumb ring, Guan Suyi hurriedly stopped him, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, later it will shatter into powder like the red coral? Such a bright and pure blood jade is bound to be priceless, you are willing, but I am not, so find something else to replace it.¡± Then she took off a jade pendant from her waist and handed it over, ¡°Use this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m even more reluctant to use Madam¡¯s things.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan pushed the jade pendant to the table, thought about it, and then picked up a stone, ¡°Then use it. I thought this blood jade was the closest in color to red coral, and the texture was the same, so that the madam can see it more clearly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same with anything, I just want to know the process.¡± Because of Hunnar¡¯s frankness, Guan Suyi finally smiled.


    The haze in Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart also dissipated a lot, and there was a hint of tenderness in the black and blue eyes.


    While talking, Jinzi came over with a food box and said politely, ¡°Madam, this servant asked for some refreshments and conveniently got a food box. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, bring it here.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan took the food box and threw the stone into it.


    ¡°Wait, I have to check it.¡± Guan Suyi smiled slyly, picked up the stone and looked at it, tried to break it, and knocked it lightly on the edge of the table, listening to the crisp sound of the hard object, she nodded with satisfaction, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really a stone, not a fake made from dough.¡±


    It was the first time that Emperor Sheng Yuan was questioned to his face. Not only did he not feel angry, instead he was delighted like his heart had been tickled. Madam was also has some naughty moment, this kind of her, afraid even Zhao Luli have not seen it, right?


    ¡°Do you want to check the food box too, Madam?¡± His voice was full of smiles.


    ¡°Of course I will.¡± Guan Suyi had already pulled the food box in front of her, and kept tapping with her fingers to see if there was an inner-layer to cheat people, and explained kindly, ¡°Have you ever seen a wandering entertainer¡¯s magic trick? The first time I saw them when I was eight, I was really amazed that I spent several months researching their mechanisms, and finally cracked them one by one. If you are trying to fool me, there must be an inner layer in this food box, and the trigger is on the handle, turning it left and right to display different layers, one layer fill with the stone, the other layer is with crushed stones. You can let me see which layer you want to show, so you can crush the stone and restore it, which is an amazing ghostly trick. The red coral of the Ye family, I guess it should not be broken, but was replaced by someone, am I right?¡±


    As she spoke, she checked, and after a while said in amazement, ¡°How can there be no inner layer mechanism?¡±


    Seeing Madam¡¯s frustrated expression, Emperor Sheng Yuan was finally completely happy, laughing loudly while pulling the box, ¡°Turns out Madam can also guessed wrong, this situation is really rare.¡±


    Guan Suyi still didn¡¯t give up. After checking the box, she bent down to check the stone table, pounding it up and down, left and right. Her bright white cheeks were flushed, and there were even beads of sweat on the tip of her nose, which shone brightly under the sunlight, showing a little bit of childishness and loveliness. Looking like this, she finally revealed her peach and plum¡¯s age, truly adorable.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes lingered for a long time, and when sat down and frowned, with great difficulty he moved his gaze, and properly collected the desire and admiration in his eyes.


    ¡°Is there really no mechanism? You didn¡¯t dig a secret passage in the ground where the coral was placed?¡± Guan Suyi was puzzled, and even more curious about the truth.


    Facing her bright star-like eyes, Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s ears slowly turned red, and said softly, ¡°There is no mechanism, there is no smokescreen, and there is no secret passage. Madam, if you want to know the truth, just watch what I do.¡± He threw the stone into the box, closed the lid, pressed down slightly with his palm, then in a flash he said, ¡°Alright, Madam, open the box and take a look.¡±


    Guan Suyi hurriedly opened the box, only to see that the rock, which was still extremely hard just now, had turned into a pile of powder, and what the mystery hidden inside, even if she watched a thousand times it would be useless, she couldn¡¯t help but stunned.


    ¡°How could it be? How did you do it?¡± Not caring about the difference between men and women, she pulled over Hunnar¡¯s palm to check it over and over again.


    Madam¡¯s fingertips were thin and white, her nails were round and beautiful, and the inside was crystal clear, although she had developed a few thin calluses due to practicing calligraphy, it could cause bursts of itching when scratching the skin, which made people feel even more unbearable. Not only did Emperor Sheng Yuan have hot ears, but even his bronze-colored face was a little flushed, his black and blue eyes stared at the top of Madam¡¯s hair without blinking, as if he had become stupid. Only need a slight grip and a gentle pull, he could hug this person in his arms and hold her firmly, but he couldn¡¯t take a step beyond the thunder pool*, because he knew what kind of person could be despised, and what kind of person even the slightest grievance could not bear to give.


    Madam was the latter. He couldn¡¯t stand letting her suffer a little grievance, and he couldn¡¯t stand her frowned brows. But he couldn¡¯t stand it, but others showed no pity, not only she suffer humiliation, but she also frowned all day long. How painful and distressed he was now, how remorseful and self-blame, but all to no avail¡­


    Seeing Madam raised her head, he immediately covered his gloomy expression and forced a smile.


    Guan Suyi was eager to know the answer, so did not notice his abnormality, and asked, ¡°How did you do it? Tell me now!¡±


    ¡°Madam only studies learning and doesn¡¯t know anything about the methods of warriors. Otherwise, you would have solved the riddle by yourself. There is a martial art in the world called Yinzhang (seal palm), it¡¯s interpreted as fighting cattle across the mountain*, just with deep internal strength one can make the outer layer undamaged but injured the internal organs, or skip over the former to injured the latter, to catch enemy off guard with surprise attack. The red coral was shattered with this trick. When it revealed like this it¡¯s really not worth mentioning.


    Guan Suyi suddenly realized, stood up and walked around Hunnar, sighing, ¡°How can you say it¡¯s not worth mentioning? I¡¯ve never heard of such method, it¡¯s really eye-opening today! According to you, you are also a master of this inner martial art? How do you compare to the one who broke the red coral?¡±


    Jinzi proudly raised her chest and said in her heart: Although the red coral was broken by leader, but leader¡¯s martial arts are still far worse than His Majesty!


    On the other side, Emperor Sheng Yuan also raised his chest and said proudly, ¡°Compared with me, his skills are far behind. If Madam has an errand  in the future, just order, I will try my best to do it for you. Although I¡¯m a rough person, hasn¡¯t drink a lot ink, but when it come to force, I can sweep the world. As long as Madam open your mouth, there is absolutely nothing that I can¡¯t do.¡±


    Guan Suyi pressed her index finger to her lips, and smiled, ¡°There is nothing in the world that you can¡¯t do, so where do you put this place here? Shh, just say this to me, don¡¯t let outsiders hear it. I know that you are unruly and bold, but when you¡¯re on errands around the powerful, you should be careful.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart felt warm, and after he had received the earnest advice from madam, and shared this little secret with her, those unbearable memories finally stopped looming, but were replaced by infinite joy.

 CH 77

    Chapter 77 Confession


    Guan Suyi took out the stones and examined them. Feeling that it was novel, she picked up a few more and put them in the food box, and let Hunnar smash them one by one.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing!¡± Every time she generously complimented, clapping her hands in praise.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan played with her tirelessly, and as long as Madam showed a cheerful expression, he was also satisfied. After playing for about a quarter of an hour, Guan Suyi finally realized that she was a little rude, and said apologetically, ¡°Your cultivation of inner strength must not be inexhaustible, right? Stop playing, lest you exhausted your inner strength and affect your job.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was about to wave his hand to say it was no problem, but he heard Madam laugh lowly, ¡°It¡¯s rude not to reciprocate. Since you have performed a stunt, then I will show my skill too.¡± while speaking she rolled up her wide sleeves, looked very domineering.


    ¡°Madam also practice martial arts?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a small trick compared to your Yinzhang. Jinzi, get me some rice.¡±


    Jinzi accepted the order and go, and Minglan, who was always left to the side, pouted, as if dissatisfied. Guan Suyi glanced at her and said indifferently, ¡°Are you still complaining? In this inner garden of the forbidden palace, if I send you to find food boxes and rice, will you be able to find them successfully? Do you dare to deal with those palace maid whose eyes above their head?¡±


    Minglan thought for a while, and couldn¡¯t help but turn pale and murmured, ¡°This servant doesn¡¯t dare, this servant knows its¡¯ wrong, and will never be angry with Sister Jinzi in the future.¡±


    ¡°As long as you figure it out. Jinzi is not a simple character. You should learn more from her. The rules are strict in the palace, don¡¯t write all your thoughts on your face, and leave people with the handle.¡± After Guan Suyi finished speaking she cupped her hands in salute, ¡°The little girl is ignorant, let you laugh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem, as a subordinate, who doesn¡¯t want to get face in front of the master, I can understand.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan also climbed up step by step from the bottom, and naturally understood Minglan¡¯s mood, and carefully pondered Madam¡¯s words just now. Knowing that she had doubts about Jinzi¡¯s origin, she did not deal with it, but used her to the fullest extent and waited to see what happened.


    However, she could never imagined that the master behind Jinzi was sitting in front of her, the ¡°little bodyguard¡± of Marquis Zhenxi Mansion, so she said those words without any precaution. Madam trusts him very much, but he¡­ Thinking like this, Emperor Sheng Yuan felt even more guilty, but it was absolutely impossible for him to withdraw the manpower. First of all, he wouldn¡¯t feel reassure with Madam¡¯s safety, and second, he didn¡¯t like Zhao Luli to get close, someone had to separate them.


    While thinking about it, Jinzi hurriedly came back, holding a small cloth bag in her hand, ¡°Madam, this servant went to the imperial kitchen to ask for a small bag of rice, do you think this is enough?¡± Then she opened the bag and showed it to the two masters.


    ¡°It¡¯s enough.¡± Guan Suyi pushed the bag to Hunnar and smiled, ¡°You can grab a handful of rice and slowly pour it into the food box, and when you¡¯re done pouring it, I will tell you how much grains of rice you have just grabbed.¡±


    ¡°You can count the number of rice grains while it poured? This is absolutely impossible!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly, and his interest grew stronger, he took a lot of rice grains and slowly poured them into the food box. There was a loud crackling sound, but within a short time, the rice grains had been spread into a thin layer, and it looked densely packed from a naked eye. Not to mention pointing out the number of grains in an instant, even if the grains sweep away one by one afraid it would take half an hour.


    ¡°A total of six thousand, two hundred and fifty-seven grains of rice, give or take twenty grains. Would you like to check?¡± Guan Suyi didn¡¯t need to look at it at all, she reported the number with her eyes closed.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t believe it, and even Minglan and Jinzi were greatly surprised. Each of them gathered some rice and counted them one by one with small pieces of wood. They got busy for half an hour and then added it up. After making sure that the number was correct, he exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s really six thousand, two hundred and fifty-seven grains of rice, Madam, how did you do that? It¡¯s simply divine!¡±


    Guan Suyi pointed to her ears, pointed to her eyes, and said with a smile, ¡°Without it, sight become sharp, ears become nimble.¡± Then she pointed to the center of her eyebrows, ¡°It¡¯s just a powerful computing power. I usually like to play with the abacus, but it¡¯s just a decoration and to move the hands around, the answer has long come to mind. But wisdom will hurt*, and wisdom will be close to demons, all is too meddlesome, so I usually covered it up in the past.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan suddenly realized, he couldn¡¯t help but love Madam a little more, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam, I will never tell others about this.¡±


    ¡°So what, who will believe you?¡± Guan Suyi smiled slyly and brightly, making Emperor Sheng Yuan go crazy. In order to restrain the surging love in his chest, he plucked off a slender orchid leaf and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Madam¡¯s talent is a godsend, and it¡¯s beyond the reach of mortals like me, so Hunnar will perform another stunt in return.¡±


    Guan Suyi looked intently, and saw that the soft and slumped leaf was hard for some reason, the edge was flickering with cold green light, as if it had turned from vegetation to metal, looking very sharp. Before she had time to marvel, she saw Hunnar¡¯s fingertips move slightly, shoot the leaf, and nail it to the rockery not far away with a thud, smashing the stone into many part. The leaf that lost the support of internal force turned from hard to soft, and the tail swayed left and right when the wind blew, it was indeed a very ordinary leaf.


    Guan Suyi immediately ran to check, tried to pull out the leaf, but accidentally snap it off, she couldn¡¯t help but be amazed, ¡°Hunnar, you said that you can sweep through thousands of armies, I finally believe it now. Flying flowers and picking leaves can hurt people, you are not human¡­¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s expression was stunned, but he heard Madam paused and continued, ¡°But a walking weapon.¡± After the words fell she raised her eyebrows and smiled, her eyes were full of evil after teasing.


    Such Madam was really cute, making Emperor Sheng Yuan felt funny and his heart was itchy. He was about to show some other martial arts, but saw her slowly rolled up her sleeves and said with interest, ¡°Alright, since you have used your unique skills, then I can¡¯t hide mine. Let the force of full power come out, and make you broaden your horizon! Jinzi, bring a watermelon.¡±


    The omnipotent Jinzi had to make another trip to the imperial kitchen to bring a two-pound watermelon. Although it was spring, the imperial hot spring manor could produce fruit from all season, and watermelon was not a rare thing.


    Guan Suyi gathered her fingers together like a blade, put it in the middle of the watermelon, suddenly raised her wrist and slashed fiercely. There was a crisp ¡°pop¡± sound, the skin of the melon cracked, revealing the bright red flesh, and the juice splashed everywhere. Not to mention, Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned, and even Jinzi couldn¡¯t return to her senses. Although he had long heard of such stunt by Madam, but seeing it with his own eyes, the impact was still very huge.


    In any case, they could not imagine the appearance of an elegant and graceful Madam with her sleeves rolled up high and splitting melons with her bare hands. However, when they actually saw it, it didn¡¯t feel vulgar at all, but instead realized the endless heroism and wantonness from her open-minded attitude and dazzling smile.


    She could be arrogant and upright, could be virtuous and dignified, and even more could be chivalrous and heroic. Every part of her was so wise, how could Emperor Sheng Yuan not love? Missing Madam must be the biggest regret and the deepest pain in his life. He stared blankly, it didn¡¯t look obvious on his face, but his heart was already filled with sourness and reluctance.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t notice, she picked up a piece of melon and put it in her mouth, handed it to Hunnar, and urged, ¡°What are you doing, hurry up and eat, the palace banquet will start soon, we will eat, but you can only watch. Jinzi, Minglan, you also come to pad your stomach, so you don¡¯t feel uncomfortable later.¡±


    ¡°Thanking Madam!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan took the melon and ate it slowly, his eyes flickering and his heart troubled.


    Minglan and Jinzi happily took the melon and hid in the corner to eat it. A few people were eating and chatting, and unknowingly, more than half an hour had passed. Seeing that the palace banquet was approaching, Guan Suyi went to the lake to wash her hands, and sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s go, after hiding to find peace, it¡¯s time to go to the flashy world to crawl and fight.¡±


    Crawl and fight? Madam¡¯s words were really funny. Emperor Sheng Yuan was amused in his heart. He then followed her step by step to send her to an intersection of the road. He planned to watch her leave silently, but the love in his chest was unbearable, and he somehow revealed his heart, ¡°Madam, wait a moment, I have something to say.¡±


    Guan Suyi turned her head to look back, her eyes gentle.


    ¡°Madam, I always love you.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the nine-foot-tall man lowered his head in panic, his ears were red.


    It took several breaths before Guan Suyi understand this sentence. A stunned expression appeared on her face, then it turned cold, and she said word by word, ¡°Then Hunnar must also know that I am married? For my sake, for the reputation of Guan family, as well as your career, you have never said those words, and I have never heard them. In the future, do not meet in private, let alone pass letters, so as not to sink into the mud, and eventually unable to pull out.¡±


    The bright light in Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eye went out bit by bit, and the longing expression was replaced by regret and despair. When Madam turned her head without hesitation and walked away quickly, he wanted to chase but afraid of ruining her, and then ruining the Guan family that she cherished the most, so he had to restrain his legs and stood in the same place like a trapped beast.


    His heart was full of anger, unwillingness and pain, he wanted to scream and smash everything in front of him, but he knew that it was just a futile struggle. He could have Madam, but because of his stupidity and stubbornness, he forcibly missed her. He hated himself immensely, and even more hated Ye Zhen and Zhao Luli. Unconsciously his eyes turned red, and there was a strong murderous aura rolling and surging.


    Suddenly, Madam who walked quickly stopped, seemed to hesitate for a moment, and finally turned around slowly. She stood on a path covered with colored stones, surrounded by flowers and greenery, the spring sun shining above her head, the light and shadow were scattered, her ethereal beauty and refreshing air made her like an immortal.


    Her icy face suddenly burst into a very gentle smile, cupped her hand, bent down cautiously, gave a big salute, and sighed, ¡°The things today are not impropriety or frivolous teasing, but a piece of sincerity and a little bit of true feeling, I should engrave it in my heart and cherish it properly. However, the flowers have fallen far away from people¡¯s heart, and the mountains and rivers will not meet*. From now on, hope that each will be well, each take care of oneself.¡±


    After two lifetimes, Hunnar was the first man who waited for her, worried for her, answered her questions, and cared for her wholeheartedly. From his helpless actions, his longing and admiring eyes, to his deep pain after being rejected, she could see his sincerity and love.


    How precious was this deep friendship to her lonely self? However, there was a saying: Seeing each other is like not seeing, to be in love is like being ruthless*. Met the wrong person at the wrong time, and their ending was nothing more than forgetting each other.

 CH 78

    Chapter 78 Fall Into A Trap


    When Madam rejected His Majesty sternly, and then turned to leave, Jinzi couldn¡¯t help but look back, only to saw His Majesty standing with his hands behind his back, the bright spring light was above his head, but it couldn¡¯t shine into his deep eyes, he stared blankly for a while. Then he took a step forward uncontrollably, as if he wanted to chase, but had to restrain himself, and then retreated sharply, as if struggling in pain.


    He couldn¡¯t retreat too far, lest he lose sight of Madam¡¯s figure, he finally stood still, clearly without any expression, but it made people feel a kind of deep sadness for no reason. The surrounding flowers, fragrance, and birdsong seemed to have gradually moved away from him. His fists were clenched, his eyes were red, and he was obviously on the verge of collapse.


    Jinzi suddenly felt uncomfortable, uncomfortable like she never felt before, she had never seen His Majesty like this before. She always thought that he was indestructible, even if he was abandoned by his father; thrown into the beast by his clan; or several brothers joined hands to kill him; even worse, he was trapped inside ten thousands of enemies and could not escape¡­ He could kill his way out with his own hands.


    He had never let anyone enter his heart, even if people saved his life, they would never get more than his gratitude and corresponding rewards. Until this time, Jinzi finally realized that she was wrong. His Majesty was not a stone, how could he not be hurt; he was not a plant, how could he be heartless? On the contrary, once he uses his heart and soul, he would fall deeper and more vulnerable than anyone. He was an emperor, but he was also flesh and blood.


    Seeing the brilliance in His Majesty¡¯s eyes was extinguished little by little, Jinzi did not dare to look any further, trying to restrain the sorrow in her heart so as not to be noticed by Madam. Before, she admired Madam very much, a strong and intelligent woman like her was very rare in the world, but now, she suddenly became resentful.


    If it was another ordinary woman today, the subconscious reaction would be to flee shyly, rather than to say such heartless words calmly and rationally. If you run away, His Majesty will not have to suffer this piercing pain; if you run away, His Majesty will be able to keep a little thoughts. Unlike now, the front and back roads have been cut off, actually so close yet world apart, like a thing from previous lifetime.


    Then what should I do next? Do I still need to stay in Zhao Mansion, guarding Madam?


    While Jinzi was still confuse, she saw Madam stopped and hesitated. After a while, she finally turned around and gave a big salute in the most sincere manner, with a gentle tone and a smile in her eyes, but it seemed that tears would fall any moment. It turned out that she was not indifferent, it turned out that she could also feel His Majesty¡¯s true feelings, it was just that they had no fate and could not meet when they were both unmarried.


    It was not her fault, it was fate, even more so His Majesty, who¡¯s now couldn¡¯t get what ones asked for*, was the culprit that led her to fall into misfortune. Their ending was written by His Majesty, so who should be blamed?


    Jinzi felt a pain in her heart. She felt sorry for His Majesty and sad for Madam, but in the end, she still favored Madam. She looked so strong, but this was by no means a reason for others to wantonly hurt her. His Majesty already knew what kind of person Zhao Luli was, so he shouldn¡¯t have easily pushed a woman into the fire pit.


    At that time, he probably never expected that the fire would not only burn Madam, but also burn himself to ashes, right?


    Even the words ¡°The flowers have fallen far away from people¡¯s heart, and the mountains and rivers will not meet¡± had also been said, His Majesty should give up this time. Jinzi raised her head slightly to look at His Majesty¡¯s expression, but saw his lethargy eyes had ignited some sparks again, his gray face quickly lit up, and immediately melted into the warm spring light, becoming joyful and excited.


    Wait, what is this? Jinzi was greatly surprised, and when she was about to examined it further Madam had already turn around and left, so she could only follow in a hurry. After leaving far away, she suddenly held her forehead, finally understood the problem. Thinking that His Majesty had give up his mind, and he was able to comfort himself, but actually he only listened to the first half of Madam¡¯s speech, and automatically ignored the second half.


    What did Madam say before? ¡°The things today are not impropriety or frivolous teasing, but a piece of sincerity and a little bit of true feeling, I should engrave it in my heart and cherish it properly.¡± Looking at this cherishing attitude and gently comforting, afraid that in an instant, His Majesty who was deep in hell, was pulled back into heaven.


    One word could determine life and death, has Madam¡¯s influence on him already been so great? No, he had bowed down to madam a long time ago, and it was not surprising that every joy and sorrow were now controlled by Madam. So, can I still work as a errand by Madam¡¯s side in the future? How should His Majesty handle this messy relationship?


    When everyone was chatting and laughing, drinking and having fun, Jinzi stood silently behind Madam and struggled, not only for her own future, but also for Madam¡¯s future. Looking at His Majesty¡¯s deep-rooted feeling, he was rejected this time, afraid there would be a next time, maybe he would end up robbing someone else¡¯s wife.


    While thinking like this, the palace banquet quickly ended, and many noble ladies who were looking forward to the emperor¡¯s arrival somewhat felt regretful, but it was a worthwhile trip to be able to enjoy the spring in the palace. Before getting into the carriage, Jinzi finally got an order from above to let her continue to guard Madam and never let Zhao Luli touch her.


    The mission object seemed to be changed, Jinzi was bound to have a headache, how could one prevent a proper husband and wife to not sleep together? But Madam was very different. Since she already felt cold towards Zhao Luli, she would never give in at all. Seeing her long-term staying in the West Mansion and her drawing a clear line¡¯s attitude, afraid she intend to be a nominal husband and wife with Zhao Luli.


    Yes, it was indeed didn¡¯t know happiness in the midst of happiness, so how he could know that someone¡¯s eyes were red with jealousy! Jinzi mourned for Zhao Luli and His Majesty silently for a while, and then carefully helped Madam into the carriage.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move yet, wait for my grandfather and father.¡± Thinking of the child who had no chance to come into the world, Guan Suyi was in depress mood, and did not want to go back to the Zhao Mansion to face those familiar and unfamiliar faces.


    The coachman respectfully complied, then stretched his neck to look inside the palace gate. Because the ministers and womenfolk were having a separate feast, each go back separately. They waited for about a quarter of an hour before they saw the Guan family¡¯s carriage driving out unhurriedly.


    ¡°Yiyi, your grandfather said that you will be waiting at the gate of the palace, so your father came out early.¡± Guan Father lifted the curtain of the carriage and laughed, and Old Master Guan snorted coldly, ¡°I told you to drink less, lest making Yiyi wait, you still don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all son¡¯s fault, son is greedy for cups.¡± Guan Father had no choice but cupped his hand in obeisance, and finally winked at his daughter and asked her to help smooth things out.


    The depression in Guan Suyi¡¯s heart was all dissipated, lying on the window of the carriage and making a few jokes, causing the old man to stroke his beard and laugh, and the clouds turned sunny. The family drove the carriages back to the Emperor Teacher Mansion, entered the corner gate, and chatted as they walked.


    ¡°His Majesty was a little unusual today, suddenly raised his eyebrows and sighed, like there¡¯s great bitterness and hatred; suddenly pursed his lips and snickered, as if he was overjoyed, and invited me to the front to set up a food table, and insisted that I accompany him to drink, and then invited your grandfather you to say something vague.¡± Guan Father frowned.


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Guan Suyi asked curiously.


    ¡°Said that he shouldn¡¯t grant you a marriage. To actually matched you, a  grand first-rank madam, with a commoner with sinner body, he was ashamed of me and your grandfather, and even more ashamed of you. He drank too much, even ask me if I want to request a reconciliation decree.¡±


    Guan Suyi said with amazement, ¡°It was his idea to grant marriage, and it was also his idea to reconcile. This emperor is really,¡± after thinking for a while, she shook her head and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s really an earthy emperor*, as his wishes¡¯ temperament.¡±


    Old Master Guan had to say a few words for his student, ¡°He is indeed an earthy emperor, and he doesn¡¯t understand everything, but he has three biggest advantages, that is, he accept advice like a stream, use people without doubt, and recognize his mistakes and corrected them. He listened the advice of the courtiers and even the common people; also can make use of poor and  and weak scholars; moreover he can also reflect on himself and change his way. Although he has made some mistakes since he ascended the throne, he has made up for them in time. As long as he perseveres and doesn¡¯t forget his original intention, he will become a wise monarch of the whole generation. If you say he is earthy, then his strength is exactly lie in this ¡®earthy¡¯ word.¡±


    ¡°Father is right.¡± Guan Father also felt the same way, ¡°The emperor does have many shortcomings, but these three points alone are enough to overshadow any monarch in the previous dynasty. As long as your words are reasonable and sincere for the common people, he will accept it, which is completely different from those nobles who are high above and have their nose up to the sky. He let our family reconcile, only because he¡¯s afraid of delaying you and damaging the honor of the Emperor Teacher Mansion.¡± (TN: no he¡¯s not!)


    Guan Suyi blinked, never expecting that Emperor Sheng Yuan could win such excellent recognition in the hearts of her grandfather and father. She still remember in her previous life, when he first ascended the throne, his methods were so inexperienced that he couldn¡¯t suppress noble families and clan relatives at all, causing a lot of troubles, both big and small. Later, when riots broke out, he commanded a heavy army to crush the whole territory, killed many people, resulting in river of blood and white bones, and finally managed to control the government inside and outside.


    In this life, he did not spend a single soldier to divide the prime minister¡¯s power, suppressing the noble families and clan relatives, and made the imperial power climb to the top. These changes were not because he had changed his nature, but because he had a better counselor and a more open-minded minister. Grandfather and father were indeed indispensable, but the person who makes the decision was ultimately him, so everything that was well right now also depended on him.


    Guan Suyi suddenly eliminated the prejudice against Emperor Sheng Yuan from her previous life, and chuckled, ¡°His Majesty is quite down-to-earth.¡±


    ¡°At first I looked at him like a grumpy warrior, but after getting along for a long time, I realized that he is actually very easy-going. Your grandfather and I have already rejected his proposal in person. Our Guan family are not like those who change after seeing something different, fickle and ruthless Since Zhao Luli has already admits his mistakes, we must give him a chance to correct it. Does Yiyi think so?¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡± Guan Suyi didn¡¯t want to mention the Zhao family, hastily agreed.


    Guan Father noticed that she had a strange look on her face, but it was difficult to ask about her daughter¡¯s back house, so he could only hide it. While they were talking, the three of them had already walked to the study, and Guan Father suddenly clapped his hands and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t come today, I almost forget a happy thing. Come in, I just got a wonderful article and I¡¯m waiting to share it with you.¡±


    Old Master Guan also said enthusiastically, ¡°Do you still remember Shang Chongwen?¡±


    Guan Suyi had a strong memory and blurted out, ¡°Twenty-fourth senior brother Shang Chongwen, like grandfather, is a clumsy person. Usually he only knows how to read books and rarely talks. His personality seems to be a little gloomy.¡±


    ¡°He is not so gloomy, rather simple on the outside and clear on the inside. A few days ago, he wrote a policy theory and sent it to me for guidance. I was shocked when I looked at it, and I hurriedly called him to discuss it. The questions and answers are well organized, has a clear logic, far-sighted and open-minded. It¡¯s an outstanding writing that is rarely seen in a century. I revised and discussed it with him again and again, and then presented it to the emperor for a reading, and recommended him to take up an important position in the three divisions, in a few days the decree will come down. Come and have a look, or you can follow suit.¡±


    Guan Suyi was highly interested, took over the article and read it eagerly, then her heart sank abruptly. How come this choice of words and sentences, and the habit of writing, become more and more like Xu Guangzhi¡¯s handwriting? Not good, grandfather and father afraid has fallen into a trap!

 CH 79

    Chapter 79 Unravel


    In the previous life, Xu Guangzhi was known for his good policy theory, and every splendid article would be spread and highly sought after by his disciples. When Guan Suyi was bored she often read it, and when she was sent to the estate village, desperate for life, she studied it word by word like a demon, to compare where he won over her grandfather and father.


    To tell the truth, he was indeed a prolific writer, and his literary talent was outstanding. If there was rank of seniority in terms of writing, he should be the top of the list. From presenting arguments to step-by-step verification, and then to throwing conclusions, it could be called seamless and brilliant. And his writing technique was very distinctive, so after only reading the opening, Guan Suyi was so sure that this must be his article!


    ¡°Father, have you really discussed this article with Shang Chongwen, is he very familiar with the essence of it, was he answered fluently?¡± Guan Suyi confirmed again and again.


    ¡°Naturally, after each discussion, he can come up with more subtle points, and then revise them together with me.¡± Guan Father noticed something was wrong and frowned, ¡°Why Yiyi ask such a question? Could it be that there is something wrong with this article?¡±


    ¡°Father, this article is no way written by Shang Chongwen, but by Xu Guangzhi. You must have watch the Ten Days Word Battle. You can carefully recall every sentence of his, from the concise and sharp beginning to the middle of the argument, and then to the thought-provoking ending, this kind of link-style prose is his unique technique. Father, you quickly send someone to investigate, I suspect that Shang Chongwen has joined hands with him, intending to drag you and grandfather down.¡±


    Old Master Guan¡¯s eyes glazed over, and said solemnly, ¡°Bring the article here and let me look again.¡±


    While Guan Father secretly sent people to investigate Shang Chongwen¡¯s recent whereabouts, he and the old man read the article carefully, and really found many traces. They were naturally familiar with Shang Chongwen¡¯s writing style, but they were very unfamiliar with Xu Guangzhi¡¯s prose, but those who listened to his ten-days debate would be impressed by his profound knowledge, so it was not without evidence.


    At the beginning, this article did seem to have the style of Shang Chongwen, but after studied in depth, the essence of its skeleton was Xu Guangzhi¡¯s handwriting, and the understanding of ¡°Inquiry into knowledge*¡± is completely in line with Xu Guangzhi¡¯s point of view in the ten-days debate. But because it only involved one or two sentences, it had not attracted other¡¯s attention.


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father were the literary giants of current age, and they were best at viewing people with literature, how could they miss all kinds of doubtful point? They didn¡¯t notice it before because they had great trust in their students, and didn¡¯t think about conspiracies and tricks at all. Now that Guan Suyi had exposed it, they naturally understood the key to it.


    ¡°Shang Chongwen is good, every time he was able to reply fluently, it seems that he has discussed and negotiated with the real author, and then sent it to me. Now I have recommended him to serve as an official, if there is a rumor of stealing article and stealing names in the future, not only I and your grandfather will incur the crime of nepotism and deceiving the monarch, but will end up with losing our literary reputation. The thousand-year-old reputation of the Guan family will be destroyed by our hands!¡± Guan Father was heartbroken and furious.


    Old Master Guan was as steady as Mount Tai, and said solemnly, ¡°What¡¯s the hurry, let¡¯s wait for the people below to get concrete evidence. For scholars, the crime of stealing a literary name is comparable to beheading, which can make one unable to turn around forever. Once the scandal breaks out, our Guan family would be unlucky, and Shang Chongwen would definitely be doomed. Why do you think he is willing to lose his future and reputation? Xu Guangzhi must have held a deadly handle on him. Dig deeper into his background and you will be able to find clues.¡±


    Guan Father quickly calmed down and cupped his hands in obeisance, ¡°Son will follow what father said and send some more people to investigate. The emperor has not issued a decree to recruit Shang Chongwen to become official. If Xu Guangzhi wants to retaliate, this is not the best time. We still have time to turn the tide.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good if you know, go check it out.¡± Old Master Guan looked at his granddaughter and said with relief, ¡°Thanks to Yiyi today. Your senior brothers, including your father, can¡¯t do anything for you, so I have to teach you personally to become a worthy person!¡±


    ¡°Grandfather, are you complimenting me or complimenting yourself?¡± Guan Suyi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, and asked again, ¡°If we can¡¯t find any concrete evidence, what will our family do?¡± Xu Guangzhi was extremely cunning, and since he already push Shang Chongwen as a scapegoat, he would certainly not leave any evidence involving him. It was very difficult to confront him. Ye Zhen, Zhao Luli, and even Qin Lingyun have not been able to hurt his fur in the previous life, his treacherous means were very evident.


    Old Master Guan was not at all frightened, and said indifferently, ¡°If we can¡¯t catch his tail this time, then we will see the real chapter in the next round. But Shang Chongwen will definitely leave a lot of clues, after all, Xu Guangzhi will have to expose his plagiarism crime later, the evidence must be sufficient, so we take it directly from him.¡±


    ¡°What about after you take it?¡± Guan Suyi was still worried.


    ¡°After I take it, I will report it to the imperial court for your father¡¯s crime of negligence.¡± Old Master Guan said word by word.


    The crime of negligence? This was much less than the three crimes of nepotism, deceiving the monarch, and stealing literary names. If the father impeaches the son, and the son stand up to repent, the Guan family¡¯s reputation would not only undamaged, but would also go to a higher level. From then on, the Guan family would become a model of selflessness, loyalty and patriotism, and the emperor would not severely punish him for her grandfather¡¯s face, at most he would be told to reflect behind close door and his salary would be reduced.


    Guan Suyi thought about it for a while, and finally calmed down. She smiled at the old man and sighed, ¡°Grandfather, they all said that ginger get spicier as it gets older, I finally have a deep understanding of this today.¡±


    Guan Father also bowed his hands in shame and apologized again and again.


    Old Master Guan was still in the same state as before, waved his hands and said lightly, ¡°The officialdom is like a battlefield. It can be said that the situation is ever-changing, and every step is unstable. If we are not careful, we may lose our life. However, I still stand by this sentence, just follow the path of loyalty and uprightness, be worthy of the monarch above, be worthy of the people below, and to die without regrets.¡±


    ¡°Father¡¯s teaching, son will keep in mind.¡± Guan Father bowed deeply, and Guan Suyi also quickly bowed.


    Old Master Guan thought for a while, then added, ¡°Although you almost fell into the villain¡¯s trap, but in the future, when recommending talented people you should keep your eyes open and at the same time not be too shy. Even if it is your disciples and followers, those who have real talents and practical skills must be recommended, you must not stop eating for fear of choking*. If Yiyi is not a daughter, I would have written a letter of guarantee to recommend her as Commander-in-Chief*.¡±


    Guan Father was waiting to answer with compliance, when he heard the last sentence, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh. The old man really treasured his granddaughter. He always thought that his granddaughter was number one in the whole world, even him as her father has to retreat.


    Guan Suyi also laughed ¡°Pftt¡±, holding her grandfather¡¯s arm for a good laugh.


    ¡ª-


    As Guan Suyi expected, the matter of Shang Chongwen stealing the article really left a lot of evidence, but Xu Guangzhi was not implicated in the slightest.


    Xu Guangzhi first went to Jueyin Temple to worship the Buddha, and then ¡°improvised¡± an article to share with the senior monk Xuan Guang, still pretended to be modest, let him not making it public. The monks didn¡¯t like to talk nonsense, so Xuan Guang silently accepted the manuscript and did not pass it on. A few days later, Shang Chongwen also went to Jueyin Temple to enjoy the scenery. He saw the article by ¡°coincidence¡± and was astounded, so he secretly made a copy, hid it in his arms and took it away. After returning home he studied it repeatedly and imitated it. Soon after he found the original owner, used the identity as Chief of Ceremonies¡¯s disciple to ¡°coerce and induce¡± him, and ordered him to not say anything, then he submitted it and took the opportunity to enter the officialdom.


    Now the original manuscript was in Jueyin Temple, and the copy and imitation manuscripts were in Shang Chongwen¡¯s place. The three manuscripts and Xuan Guang¡¯s testimony were ironclad evidence. When Shang Chongwen won an official position and this matter revealed, Guan Father¡¯s crime of deceiving the monarch and deceiving the world to usurp a good name would be carried out, even if he jump into the Yellow River, he could not wash it away.


    Without waiting for Xu Guangzhi¡¯s action, Old Master Guan got the manuscripts one by one, asked Xuan Guang to write his testimony, and forced Shang Chongwen to confess his guilt, and then went to the court meeting with all kinds of evidence.


    The various incidents that happened in the Guan family had long been reported to Emperor Sheng Yuan by the spies. The two Mount Tai were in trouble, how could he sit back and ignore it. He originally planned to take care Xu Guangzhi and Shang Chongwen himself, but when he saw that the old man had formulated a solution swiftly and decisively, he felt deep admiration in his heart, so he went with flow.


    In today¡¯s court meeting, the one standing at the forefront was no longer Prime Minister Wang. After the division of the two governments and three divisions, all power was spread out, everyone seemed to have benefited, but no one could monopolize, and in the end they have to listen to the emperor¡¯s decision. However, even so, it was better than the past when they were suppressed by Prime Minister Wang and unable to lift their head, so the capital was calm and tranquil, content with the status quo.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan stepped onto the throne and raised his voice, ¡°Does beloved ministers have any important thing to announce?¡±


    Immediately, several people stood up to report, but the old man never moved. Emperor Sheng Yuan thought for a while, suddenly realize: This is to wait for him to take the initiative to mention Shang Chongwen¡¯s entry to the officialdom! All right, Zhen will issue the imperial edict to help you build a ladder.


    After listening to the government affairs patiently, he approved a few more memorials, and then took out a volume of imperial edicts and said slowly, ¡°Chief Minister of Ceremonies recommended Shang Chongwen to join the Third Division, and Zhen have seen his article which indeed very unique, really talented, so then¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, this minister has something to report!¡± Old Master Guan interrupted loudly.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan pretended to be surprised, ¡°If Emperor Teacher has something to say, it¡¯s the same to say it later, why interrupt the Holy¡¯s word?¡±


    Old Master Guan took a step forward and knelt down to make a report, ¡°This minister want to impeach one person, and it is related to Shang Chongwen¡¯s entry to become official, so has no choice but to be disrespectful in front of the emperor.¡±


    Impeachment again? Who is it this time? The courtiers immediately changed their faces, some were apprehensive, some secretly speculated, and some were looking forward to it. The Emperor Teacher unfolded the memorial, then he recited in full-spirited manner. Oh man, last time he impeached Ye Quanyong and the emperor, this time even his own son was not spared, the Emperor Teacher is really cruel!


    At the end, the courtiers who were either horrified or gloating over someone¡¯s else misfortune all bowed their heads, showed the appearance of deep contemplation and reflection. It turned out that Chief of Ceremonies did not make any big mistakes, but he was negligence for a while and was deceived by his disciple. But the Emperor Teacher was not lenient at all, and he did not dare to cover up the slightest bit, even directly disclosed it to the emperor here. In the heart of the Emperor Teacher, afraid there were only the sentence ¡°loyal to the monarch and loves one¡¯s country¡±, without any selfishness and distracting thoughts. His iron bones and vast righteousness were unparalleled in the whole country!


    Before they could finish their sighs, they saw Chief of Ceremonies removed his official hat and robe, knelt down and repented, and bluntly said that he was negligent in his duties, and his eyes were so confused that his tolerance raised a villain and mistreated talents. He was not worthy of the post of Chief Minister of Ceremonies, and implored the Emperor to dismiss him.


    The courtiers were gasping with shock. They never expected that Chief of Ceremonies would have such a destructive momentum. If it were them, they would just kneel down, confess their guilt then beg for mercy. How could he destroy his future for a student? Guan Family is so daring, truly strong-willed!


    Not only did the civil servants kneel down in unison to plead for mercy, but even the military generals also came out one after another to vouch for Chief of Ceremonies.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan looked down at the clear and righteous court, and couldn¡¯t help laughing. Good! What he wanted was such a wide-ranging situation, and what he longed for was this extraordinary atmosphere. Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies were really the trusted aides that would bring peace and stability to the country!

 CH 80

    Chapter 80 Reward


    After this incident, Emperor Sheng Yuan respected Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies even more. These two people have loyalty, have talent, one was flexible on the outside but firm inside, the other was upright and selfless. Standing up in the court seemed to able to hold the sky with one hand, enough to help him support the Wei Kingdom. With these two people around, he felt safe everywhere, and no longer felt like walking on thin ice and trembling with fear.


    ¡°Emperor Teacher please get up, Chief of Ceremonies please get up!¡± He personally walked off the imperial platform to support the two Mount Tai, with sincere words and a respectful attitude said, ¡°This matter, Chief of Ceremonies is also deceived by others, so there is no need to blame yourself, this official hat, this official robe, still ask you to wear it again, if there are two less people in the court, Zhen will feel like Zhen have lost the backbone, the heart is truly restless.¡±


    Guan Father still wanted to refuse, but the emperor resolutely put on his official hat, put on his official robe, and comforted him, ¡°The matter of Shang Chongwen stealing the article, Zhen will send someone to investigate. for the time being Chief of Ceremonies will go home and wait for the news, and don¡¯t say anything more about resignation. Emperor Teacher, don¡¯t get angry when you are the elder, Chief of Ceremonies was deceived by villain to make mistakes, it¡¯s really an unintentional mistake. Not only the beloved ministers help intercede for him, but also have Zhen to defend him, and you as the elder will give him a chance to rectify. You always say that knowing mistakes can make a big difference. You are so tolerant to outsiders, why are you so harsh on your family? You are strict with yourself and lenient with others, Zhen is deeply admire in the heart, then on behalf of Chief of Ceremonies Zhen ask for forgiveness.¡±


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father knelt down again to plead guilty and thanking the emperor¡¯s favor, and their eyes were red when they got up. The emperor was indeed lenient, and his reaction was as expected by the two, but they didn¡¯t feel proud, instead felt very guilty. If they were more careful and  perceptive of the finest detail, how could they make such a mess? In the future they need to be more cautious.


    The emperor was indeed a good emperor, and the Wei Kingdom would make great achievement under his rule.


    After the end of the court meeting, a line of guards was ordered to arrest Shang Chongwen. Old Master Guan and Guan Father left the Jinluan Palace unscathed, then were called by the emperor to Weiyang Palace to talk. They were consoled and rewarded many treasures, then bid farewell after lunch.


    Guan Suyi hadn¡¯t slept well all night, and the next day she went to the Emperor Teacher Mansion with dark circles under her eyes to wait. Seeing that noon had passed and her grandfather and father had not yet come back, she felt anxious and walked to the second gate. Suddenly heard the sound of a carriage driving outside the wall, she hurriedly asked the servant to go check.


    ¡°It¡¯s the old master and the master who are back.¡± The little servant shouted happily.


    ¡°Grandfather, father, are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Old Master, master, has the emperor make things difficult for you? Yiyi and I waited all morning, and when we saw that you haven¡¯t return after noon, we were very anxious. I also heard that there was a line of armored guards running outside, and my heart almost pops out of my throat!¡± Zhong shi went up to meet them with a pale face, handed the official hat that the old man took off to her daughter, then take a look at her husband¡¯s hat.


    ¡°That line of guards should be sent by the emperor to arrest Shang Chongwen. We have not been able to obtain evidence of his collusion with Xu Guangzhi. I hope the emperor can have a result, and also to help prevent this person from playing dirty tricks behind our back in the future.¡± While speaking, Guan Father helped the old man to cross the threshold, and when he opened his mouth, a strong smell of alcohol spewed out.


    ¡°Why are you still drinking?¡± Guan Suyi frowned and she said firmly, ¡°Could it be that instead of punishing you, the emperor was rewarding you, so he kept you for lunch, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The emperor is lenient and generous, easily forgive father, and tomorrow I will take up the job as usual. There is no need to reflect behind closed doors, there are no reduction of salary and still received a lot of treasures, which are now stacked in the front yard. You go open the box and check it, then register it and put it in the warehouse.¡± Guan Father poured a cup of hot tea for the old man, and said warmly, ¡°The old man is so happy today, and drank two more cups with the emperor. When he came back, he kept shouting that he wanted to drink the sober soup that Yiyi boiled, and it just so happened that Yiyi is here. Go and make soup for your grandfather.¡±


    Guan Suyi happily complied, boiled the soup and brought it to the main house in person, waited for her grandfather and father to drink it slowly, and took a rest before went to help her mother sorting out the imperial gifts.


    Zhong shi held a booklet and written on it, the tip of the brush continuously  moving, but her eyes were full of doubts. When she saw her daughter coming, she hurriedly said, ¡°I was confuse about something and then you came. Come and help mother to see if the emperor accidentally put the things for the palace concubine into the box for the courtiers? Look at these cloths, jewelry, head ornament, rouge, spices, all of them are women¡¯s utensils, and they are very valuable, where can your grandfather and father use them!¡±


    Guan Suyi took a closer look and saw that there were six large boxes in total. One box contained cloth, all of which were very luxurious satin such as Ruan Yan Luo, Qing Chan Yi, Fenghuang Huo, and Yunwu Silk (TN: not gonna bother translating that); One box contained jewelry, east pearl and south pearl piled up at the bottom, full of sparkles, with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue, purple and other colored gemstones sprinkled on it, facing the sun, it could really blind ones eyes; A box of head ornament that were all handmade by great expert, the workmanship was extremely exquisite, not to mention the whole set of head and face jewelries, even the nine-tailed phoenix hairpin, which could only be worn by the imperial concubine, was among them; The remaining two boxes, one box contained all kind of rouge and spices that were tributes from various regions, only others haven¡¯t heard of it, looking all over the palace there wouldn¡¯t be any. The last box was full of big silver ingots, neatly stacked inside.


    Today, the sun was already full, so Guan Suyi felt her eyes were sore after counting for a while, and hurriedly turned her face away and rubbed the corners of her eyes. Minglan¡¯s eyes were also lit up, her cheeks flushed, and she was obviously fascinated by these things. It¡¯s no wonder, as long as it¡¯s a woman, where was there reason not to like treasures? If it changed to someone with less willpower, they would have thrown themselves into the box and rolled around on it by now.


    Jinzi bowed her head silently, thinking that His Majesty had really changed. Many of the things stacked in the box were the spoils of war that he had earned with his life. Usually he wouldn¡¯t even let people touch it, but today he picked the most valuable ones, then transported it all to the Emperor Teacher Mansion, and it was also considered an indirect gift for Madam


    Because he suffered too much when he was a child, His Majesty paid special attention to his own things, especially food and money, to the point of obsession. He fought in all directions, destroyed the Turks, Sogdians, Tubos, Dangxiang, and Persia successively, looted their imperial courts, and secretly hid them in private treasury. No one knew how much net worth he had accumulated over the years, but if really want to compare wealth, the legendary Ye family who were rich and invincible or the treasures left by the previous dynasty, they were just so-so.


    No one knew where his private treasury was located. Jinzi followed him from birth until now, and she only went there once while being blindfolded, and was kicked out in less than a quarter of an hour. If it weren¡¯t for her sharp eyesight and excellent memory, she really wouldn¡¯t know where these things came from.


    What was the red coral given to Ye Jieyu previously? Should really let those people outside to see the treasures in these six boxes. Pampering or not, loving or not, could sometimes be seen from these external things. Jinzi sighed again and again, and was finally dizzy by the dazzling treasure light, and hurriedly covered her face with her palms.


    Guan Suyi waited until her eyes were not so sore before calling the eunuch who was carrying the box, ¡°This gonggong (eunuch), you have a gift list there, can you show it to me? I suspect that the things were sent to the wrong place, perhaps it¡¯s the gift for one of the niangniang, but you sent it to the Emperor Teacher Mansion.¡±


    The eunuch had also counted it once earlier, and got the death order from Baifu, saying that it must be sent to the Emperor Teacher Mansion and could not be transported back, therefore Emperor Teacher Guan and Chief of Ceremonies cannot refuse, so he bent down and pretended to check the seal outside the box, said firmly, ¡°Reporting to Madam, the box is not wrong, you can accept it. Then this servant will return to make completion report.¡±


    Guan Suyi wanted to interrogate him in more detail, but saw him kneel and kowtow, then hurriedly slipped away, stepped out of the door and got on his horse, running fast.


    Zhong shi said in surprise, ¡°How could he run so fast? We haven¡¯t finished asking yet!¡±


    Guan Suyi thought for a moment, then shook her head and smiled, ¡°Even if it was sent by mistake, how dare he bear the responsibility? In order to survive, he can only make the mistake and leave quickly. I don¡¯t know how the palace concubine who received the reward for grandfather will react, and I¡¯m afraid she wouldn¡¯t dare to doubt the emperor and just accept it silently. Mother, don¡¯t worry about it, put the things in the warehouse first, and if no one from the palace come to asks, then you¡¯re picking up a big bargain.¡±


    ¡°Can someone still make this kind of mistake ? It¡¯s amazing! These things are too precious, and most of them are suitable for women in their prime. It¡¯s useless for me to take them. Or you can take them back to the Zhao Mansion, consider it¡¯s mother making up for your dowry. I guess the one in the palace would definitely not dare to ask the emperor, because she would appear to be vain and small-minded, if it¡¯s wrong, then so be it.¡± Zhong shi sighed and snickered for a while.


    Where Guan Suyi was willing to take these hot things, quickly bid farewell to her mother and returned to the General Zhengbei Mansion. As soon as she entered the corner of the gate, she heard that Shang Chongwen committed suicide to escape punishment, and also set fire to his thatched hut, which showed that dead men tell no tales.


    ¡°It¡¯s such a ruthless method with no way to survive.¡± She stood on the corridor and pondered for a long time, and then returned to the main house while sighing.


    On the other side, Xu Guangzhi wished he could eat the father and son of the Guan family alive, but there was nothing he could do about them, so he had no choice but throw the pawn to save the rook, hastily interrupt the plan. He couldn¡¯t figure out how the Emperor Teacher saw through his deception, but he also knew that it was not appropriate to investigate at this time, and he had to seize the opportunity to improve his reputation in order to become an official, so he contacted County Prince Jing privately and naturally did not mention these arrangement.


    After Shang Chongwen committed suicide to escape punishment, his plagiarized policy spread wildly in the elegant scholar circles, and those who were fortunate enough to see it all praised it and quoted it as an outstanding article. Xu Guangzhi, whose reputation was damaged by burning books and abolishing the legalism, quickly took the stage and became a hot figure in the upper circle. There was also great scholar who specially wrote a preface for his policy theory, calling him the successor of Confucianism, and perhaps in the future would open his own school, and become the great expert for the whole generation.


    Therefore, in just a few days, his prestige had been close to that of Guan Father, and the civil servants repeatedly recommended him to become official, and the important positions on the Two Government and Three Division have been mentioned again, as if he was a rare all-rounder. However, in Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart, this person was a scheming, ruthless and wicked man who cannot be used. Every time there was such a memorial, he didn¡¯t publish it, but he would send additional personnel to investigate his life behind the scenes, trying to find one or two incriminating evidence to get rid of him.


    When Guan Suyi heard the news of Xu Guangzhi¡¯s comeback, she felt depress in her heart, which was difficult to dispel no matter what, so she ordered someone to find the original manuscript of his policy, read it carefully, and then write a refutation against its loopholes.


    In this life, she would never give Xu Guangzhi the slightest chance. If he want to be promoted then so be it, what¡¯s the matter with taking grandfather and father as his stepping stones? Could it be that the Guan family had a grudge against him in his previous life? That being the case, she would knocked this person down with her own hands.

 CH 81

    Xu Guangzhi was best at expressing policy theory on current politics, and because of his strong writing skills, he often had deafening arguments. It was not easy to refute him, but fortunately, Guan Suyi had nothing to do after being thrown away to the village estate in her previous life, so she was studying and learning day and night.


    Shang Chongwen¡¯s imitation of the policy was titled ¡°Confucianism Law¡±. After repeated revisions by Guan Father, many points that conflict with the new law had been deleted. And Xu Guangzhi¡¯s popular policy that swept the entire upper class circles was titled ¡°Confucianism and Law¡±, which had not been edited out at all, and its main idea was that law was a moral auxiliary. When a country formulated its law, it should be based on Confucian ethics and morality, and then the law was applied to compliment it. The benchmark for officials to try cases and sentencing was morality and etiquette first, and then national law. If the two were in conflict with each other, then morality and etiquette would take precedence over national law, which was the so-called: ¡°If the rites and music cannot flourish, the punishment will not be properly executed*¡°.


    Then in the article he went deeper step by step, and successively put forward the arguments of concealment of relatives*, the eight discussions*, the official allowance*, the upper invite*, the quasi-five-clothes to control the crime*, and the ten evils*. Leaving aside the concealment of relatives, the eight discussions, the official allowance, and the upper invite have indeed provided an excellent tool for the privileged to evade legal sanctions, it could be said to completely overturned the argument ¡°the prince and the common people breaks the law, the punishment are the same¡±. The theory of quasi-five clothing to control crimes was based on the closeness of blood kinship, the husband was the guide for the wife and the father was the guide for the son, and it greatly consolidated the patriarchal authority, but the women had become the most humble being, they could not disobey her father, husband, or even son, when receive harm, except enduring it, they could not resist.


    A wife suing her husband was a capital crime, and a child suing her parents was also the same. All families were oppressed by the patriarchal power. From the previous ¡°severe punishments and strict laws¡± to ¡°completing the defense of rituals and teachings¡±, the influence of Confucianism on the people and the township, and even the country were extended to the limit.


    It was conceivable how the patriarchs and the privileged classes, who got the most benefit from it, would cheered and supported it wholeheartedly. This article was their mouthpiece and sharp blade, it was the best voice for the clan to resist the country, the etiquette to resist the law, and the privileged class to oppress the people. It¡¯s not an exaggeration to call it ¡°Outstanding Article¡±.


    Guan Suyi read it over and over again, her eyes were already cold, dipped the brush in thick ink, and slowly wrote, ¡°Moral as private moral and law as public law. When governing a country, should private or public be considered first? The common people are the public, and the individual is the private, every person in the world know which one is more important. Moral as the master of the law can also be interpreted as private above the public, which is like putting the cart before the horse, and a perverse act. The sentence bending the law for personal gain must first harbor selfish desires, and then disregard the laws and regulations; if the law is disordered, the people will be ruined; if the people are ruined, the country will perish¡­


    After reading and re-reading the opening, and changing it again and again, she wrote more and more smoothly, then gradually lost in it. Later she became deaf and blind towards her surrounding, completely indulge in her writing.


    Jinzi and Minglan guarded her silently, and seeing that it was time for dinner, they stepped forward to remind, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s time to take a break¡­¡±


    Before they could finish the sentence, she interrupted impatiently, ¡°Stop talking, go out, close the door!¡±


    Jinzi wanted to persuade her again, but was dragged out by Minglan, and pointed out, ¡°Miss is fascinated by writing article, let¡¯s guard outside, and no one should go in to disturb her. If you cut her train of thoughts,¡± after the words fell she slash her own neck, and sinisterly added, ¡°You can¡¯t make up your sins with your death, she can remember and hate you for years!¡±


    It turned out that Madam also had the bad temper of a literati. Jinzi was greatly surprised, but also a little funny. She quickly covered her mouth and blocked the door, saying that she would never let anyone in, and sent Yinzi to the front hall to deliver a message, asking the old madam and the second madam to stop waiting and eat first.


    Zhao Luli brought his two children under the pretext of paying respect to his mother in the morning and evening. When he came to the West Mansion, he couldn¡¯t see Madam at the dining table, and felt a little upset. He asked several servants only to find out that Madam had locked herself in the study for more than half an hour, during which time she hasn¡¯t eat a grain of rice, drink a glass of water, and it¡¯s unknown what she was doing.


    ¡°Daddy, take this food box to see mom.¡± Zhao Chunxi handed over a heavy food box, winked with a strange expression.


    Zhao Luli smiled, patted his daughter¡¯s head, and told her to take good care of her brother. He then went to the study, but was stopped by Jinzi and Minglan, and after he tried his best to persuade them, they let him enter very quietly to take a look. Madam had changed into plain-colored casual clothes, and had taken off the beaded hairpins on her head. She only gathered the thick silky blue-black hair into a bundle and tied it with a hair band, looking very simple and elegant. She was writing very quickly, her brows shrouded in indomitable spirit and as he approached he could smell the strong fragrance of ink.


    She was so absorbed that she didn¡¯t even notice how Zhao Luli pushed the door, how he approached, and how he bent over to read the manuscript.


    Zhao Luli just wanted to take a few glances to make sure that she was okay and go back, but he didn¡¯t expect after reading two paragraphs silently he couldn¡¯t move any more. Of course, he also read Xu Guangzhi¡¯s policy theory, and he thought that the words and writing were extremely powerful, but at this time he suddenly thought ¨C compared to Madam, he is just so-so!


    Was the prestige close to that of Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies? With its own style, in the end became a great expert? Nevertheless, the fame would be actually difficult to match! Zhao Luli shook his head again and again, and then went to Look at Madam, who was continuously writing, and thought she was extremely venerable. He didn¡¯t dare to disturb her, let alone asking her to stop to eat, he just picked up the manuscripts scattered on the table one by one and placed them in order.


    It took a whole night to write this. After the sky started to brighten and the first rays of morning sun sprinkled in, Guan Suyi finished the last stroke and let out a long sigh.


    ¡°The Innkeeper (Nilu Sheren)? Is this your pen name?¡± A hoarse male voice suddenly sounded, startling her.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s voice was equally hoarse.


    When Jinzi and Minglan heard the movement, they hurriedly made hot water, brought in hot porridge, and served the master to wash and dine.


    ¡°I watched you all night. I have read your article, if you publish it, it will definitely shake the existing legal system, and it will also affect the future pattern of criminal law. Suyi, I never knew your talent to be so high!¡± Zhao Luli sighed with regret, as if mourning for the wasted past, but also rejoicing for a better future.


    He always thought that when it comes to talent, Ye Zhen was considered a first-class existence among women. However, in retrospect, the poems she wrote and the words she recited, except for the wind, flowers, snow and moon*, hurting for spring and sad for autumn, it had no meaning at all. As for Suyi¡¯s thought, if ones didn¡¯t have profound knowledge and wide-ranging horizons, afraid that they would not be able to read it, let alone understand and comprehend it. If he compared Ye Zhen to a book, he could read it page by page; Then she was a sea, and only by diving into the bottom of the water could he glimpse a glimmer of the wonders.


    But Guan Suyi¡¯s heart had been completely closed for him, and she said without emotion, ¡°Then you go back and rest, I still have things to do.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to spread the word about this article, suppress Xu Guangzhi, and rectify father-in-law¡¯s name?¡± Zhao Luli removed the bitterness in his eyes and said warmly, ¡°If you trust me you can leave this to me, you hurriedly go back to your room to sleep and nourish your spirits.¡±


    Guan Suyi stared at him for a while, finally handed over the thick stack of manuscripts, and said tiredly, ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°You and I are husband and wife, why are you so polite? Isn¡¯t it right for the husband to serve his wife?¡± Zhao Luli was happy and excited, he quickly stroked his wife¡¯s haggard cheek, and then strode away.


    At noon, a piece of policy theory with tens of thousands of words was posted on the eight-character (°Ë) wall of each public security office in the capital. At first, only a few passersby read it. Later, some people clapped their hands in admiration, copied it on the spot, and shared it with their colleagues,. Gradually more people saw it, among them legalists were the most popular.


    Xu Guangzhi advocated the law as the moral auxiliary, and this policy theory in turn supported the law as the primary and moral as the assistance, refuted the theory of etiquette with the theory of public and private, and crushed personal euphemism with the righteousness of the country. Among them, there were many examples to illustrate the harm of concealment of relatives, eight discussions, and official allowance, all of which were well-known tragedies. For example, the villagers of Taohua Village covered up their sons and nephews, done harm in four directions, and eventually the entire village slaughtered by the imperial court; For example, the case of avenging their father to the point of hacking and killing each other, resulting in the death of both clans; For example, the case of former dynasty¡¯s officials protecting each other, deceiving the monarch, and finally leading to the destruction of the country¡­


    Every word was bloody, and every sentence was full of bitter tears. The powerful officials in the court were still unmoved, but the common people all fell to their knees and cried bitterly after listening to the chanting of the Legalist scholars, cursing the officials for oppressing the people and bending the law for personal gain! What eight discussions, official allowance, and upper invite, the whole damn thing was to make excuses for breaking the law, even the emperor would be punished for breaking the law, but they could use money and titles to offset them, and the killing of ordinary people only need to pay enough silver to get rid of everything, have they ever put the common people in their eyes? Can they treat them as human beings?


    Wow, this policy theory was a good statement, the purpose of establishing the law was to love and protect people, to showed fairness and maintain justice. The national law was a public instrument, and human life was far greater than the sky, and it should not be controlled by the selfish desires of some people. Whether it was a prince, a general, a husband or a wife, all must abide by the law and be content with their duties. Only in this way they could create a prosperous world and achieve great achievements together.


    ¡°Well said!¡± The scholars were silent, but the common people applauded enthusiastically. What is outstanding article? Only those who truly conformed to the people¡¯s heart, conformed to the way of heaven, and uphold justice for the suffering people were qualified to be called outstanding article, and the rest were just the propaganda for the powerful official, running dogs for the rich.


    After the sharp and to-the-point refutation, this article also discussed ¡°how to establish the law and revising the law¡±. Various legal forms that existed, namely punishment, law, regulations, order, code, style, rules, imperial order, grant, sections, ratios, cases, etc. Were detailed one by one, indicating that establishing the law should first establish the skeleton, then shaping it, and then add flesh and blood.


    The skeleton should be divided into different categories, and it should not be done overnight. The people have civil law, officials have official law, taxation has tax law, land has land law, etc.; Shaping should be based on the current national strength, completely fitted to the current political situation and people¡¯s sentiments; Flesh and blood were the large and small cases from ancient times to the present, and when recorded in the book, they could be use as a guide for sentencing by future generations, without subjective assumptions.


    All in all, the terms and conditions were detailed and appropriate, and the wording was precise. The people who didn¡¯t understand this passage, still felt that it was very powerful, and they couldn¡¯t help but applaud. Those Legalist scholars were already enthusiastic and excited, and they bought brush and paper in the bookstores on the street to transcribe them.


    An official in charge of revising the law clapped and said, ¡°Good, good, good, this old man finally knew why when the emperor ordered us to revise the law, we feel that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, turns out it¡¯s because the skeleton hasn¡¯t stand up but rushing to add flesh and blood, so how could it not collapse? This Innkeeper is really a nationalist. The emperor should welcome him into the court with the great honor of a respected teacher!¡±


    Not long after this article appeared, no one discussed how Xu Guangzhi was, and the literary name he had accumulated before was trickle down.

 CH 82

    Chapter 82 Famous


    Zhao Luli ordered a few servants to make several copies of Madam¡¯s articles, and posted them on the eight-character wall when the officers of public security changed positions at noon. Recently, the emperor encouraged free airing of views, and scholars of all factions and schools were very active. Occasionally, when they have wonderful ideas, they would send them to Emperor Teacher for corrections, or share recitations with their classmates, and those who have the courage would directly post them on the public list in hope to make a name for themselves.


    He asked a little servant to guard the wall to prevent other articles from covering it, and then stood not far away to watch. As he had expected, this article quickly attracted the attention of passers-by, especially scholars who studied Legalism, they even foolishly stood under the wall and couldn¡¯t move.


    After a while, several scholars began to recite word by word, attracting more passers-by to watch.


    Had to admit that in terms of choosing words and sentences, Xu Guangzhi¡¯s citations was very impressive, but compared with Madam, he was really inferior. His articles were written for scholar officials, and it was the privileged class he wanted to please, so there were many esoteric and incomprehensible allusions. Madam¡¯s article was written not only for literati, but also for common people, explaining the truth in simple language, and citing examples that were easy to understand. She also analyzed ¡°Confucianism and Law¡± in more straightforward words, pointing out its shortcomings straight to the point, so that anyone who listened to it, even children of eight or nine years old, could understand it.


    Therefore, as soon as the scholar read a few paragraphs, more and more ordinary people came around, squeezing the neatly dressed scholars until they had nowhere to stand. When it recited that the foundation of establishing the law was to love the people and protect the people, and to show fairness and justice, before the scholar opened their mouths the ordinary people had already roared and applauded. For those who have been oppressed or have been wronged, tears streaming down their faces, they were weeping bitterly, and bluntly said that the Innkeeper¡¯s every word and sentence had spoken out what¡¯s inside their hearts, and just like the Emperor Teacher, truly plead for the life of ordinary people! Even when the most esoteric passages about establishing and revising the law was recited, they were reluctant to leave. Although their faces were full of ignorance, they shouted ¡®good¡¯ word from time to time, clapped their hands, and vowed to cheer to the end.


    ¡°Who is this Innkeeper? Is it really a little shopkeeper who runs an inn? This literary talent is simply outstanding, and it can be compared with the Emperor Teacher!¡±


    ¡°Xu Guangzhi¡¯s previous policy theory was praised by the above as an outstanding article, and I still wonder why it¡¯s outstanding, but it turns out it¡¯s the voice for the powerful, to boost the arrogance of the noble family, and to provide a justifiable reason for the upper class to oppress the people. This man¡¯s temperament is really difficult to change, still cannot eliminate his viciousness, but it has added some servility, and changed to praise the stinky feet of scholar-officials!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Comparing his character with the Innkeeper, really one is a high-spirited breeze*, and the other is extremely filthy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about characters, just this single article alone, he is also poles apart, cannot be talk about together!¡±


    ¡°The Innkeeper is really the bell and drum of the people, and the sound is really deafening! Which official can say what he said? Which commoner dares to say it? I listened to it from the beginning to the end, even if I don¡¯t understand the last part, I feel extremely carefree!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s really refreshing! This is the real outstanding article, Xu Guangzhi is a fart compared to the Innkeeper.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not right! He doesn¡¯t even count as fart!¡± As soon as the man¡¯s voice fell, there was a lot of laughter next to him.


    Zhao Luli slowly integrated into the crowd, read the article over and over again, and when he listened to their high praise for his wife, his heart was full of pride and regret. This was the madam he given up his self-esteem and went to the palace to beg for; it was also the madam he blindly suppressed and wantonly humiliated; and the madam who was cold to him and almost gave up righteousness in front of the Dengwen drum. If he had seen her goodness earlier and learned to understand, cherish, and love her, they would not have so much estrangement and indifference like right now.


    Now, he didn¡¯t even dare to say to others ¡°Guan Suyi is my wife¡±, lest he would provoke ridicule of ¡°not knowing happiness in the midst of happiness¡±. He found that Guan Father and Old Master Guan were walking towards this side after they left their post. His cheeks were burning red and he had no face to see them, so he hurriedly sneaked away with his head down. On the way , he was bumped by someone and almost fell, he then got into the carriage only to find that the manuscript in his arms was gone, he couldn¡¯t help but cry blood.


    Guan Father and Old Master Guan were not familiar with Xu Guangzhi¡¯s writing style, but how they couldn¡¯t tell the handwriting of the pearl in their palm? At first they were stunned, and then read it again and again.


    After about half an hour, the two of them had already read the article thoroughly, and their hearts were full of stormy waves.


    ¡°Hmm, I taught her Confucianism since young, but you secretly taught her the hundred schools of thought behind my back! This article combines the benevolence, virtue and fraternity of Confucianism; justice and punishment of Legalism; tranquility and inaction of Taoism. It sums the three without being abrupt. How much effort did you spend behind my back?¡± The old man seemed to be furious, but his eyes were full of proud smiles.


    Guan Father was also very puzzled, and said modestly, ¡°Son didn¡¯t teach her much, just stuffed a few miscellaneous books, and didn¡¯t even take regular examinations, just let her do whatever she wanted. Yiyi is exceptionally gifted, what can I do?¡± When the words fell he spread his hands out, as if helpless.


    The father and son looked at each other, then laughed dumbly. But they could never have imagined that if there had been no house arrest in village estate in the previous life, there would be no Guan Suyi with great talent, who was now a standing bookcase*. Everything she had was bought with endless suffering, not at all worthy of pride and admiration.


    At the same time, Xu Guangzhi tore the manuscript in his hand into pieces, and then brushed off the things on the desk, looking exasperated. County Prince Jing sat on the top and snorted coldly, ¡°It¡¯s useless to be angry at this time, why don¡¯t you write another article to argue? Aren¡¯t you the best at eloquence, so you can¡¯t step on this Innkeeper?¡±


    Xu Guangzhi was deeply scheming and his thought was also far, and said sullenly, ¡°Your Highness doesn¡¯t know, now it¡¯s not whether I can refute him, but whether others are willing to listen. Do you know why his article spread so quickly, in just an hour, it has been heard in the streets, and everyone knows it? My article was written from the standpoint of the powerful and was written for scholar-officials, but his article was from the standpoint of the common people, and written for hundreds of millions of people in the Wei Kingdom. My article is a voice for the privileged, and his article is to plead for the life of ordinary people. Your highness, how many powerful people are there in Wei Kingdom? How many are the common people? If the common people had been bewitched by him and believed that I was a running dog for the powerful, they would never listen to me from now on! Even if I wrote hundreds or thousands of articles, it would be in vain. Do you remember the last time Prime Minister Wang incited civil unrest? The power of the people can overthrow even the imperial power, and even the monarch must be in awe, so how can the voice of the people be ignored or even blocked at will? To go against the people¡¯s mouth is like going against the river, and if I write an article against him, it¡¯s like standing on this gushing river, and destined to be drowned! I only hope that the emperor understands my painstaking efforts, and pays more attention to my strategies, can supports and reuse them. So now we can¡¯t do anything but wait. ¡±


    County Prince Jing recalled the man-made disaster that nearly split the Wei kingdom last time, and his heart was already timid. He was not Emperor Sheng Yuan, and he had absolutely no prestige to quell the civil unrest. If Xu Guangzhi and that Innkeeper person start a writing battle but fail miserably, not only would his literary name be destroyed, but himself could invite trouble.


    The two sat silently, and after a while, they could only admit defeat with hatred, and wait for the next time to make arrangements slowly and regain their strength.


    ¡ª-


    In the Weiyang Palace, after Emperor Sheng Yuan dispatched a secret guard to steal the original manuscript from Zhao Luli¡¯s arms, he then infatuatedly read it, sometimes slap the table and shout with praise, sometimes suddenly realized, and reluctant to let go even for a moment.


    ¡°People come! Summoned Emperor Teacher, Chief of Ceremonies, Minister of War, Minister of Education, Minister of Works, and the others, and said that Zhen have an outstanding article that Zhen want to share with them!¡±


    Half an hour later, the ministers were summoned, and when they saw the manuscript in the emperor¡¯s hand, their heart were uncertain. As scholar-officials, they were naturally more satisfied with Xu Guangzhi¡¯s policy theory, but the emperor was born in the rough and a non-Han people, so it was difficult for him to understand their obsession with patriarchal power and clan etiquette, but the court gradually started using poor official, and the pursuit of fairness and justice were unprecedentedly strong.


    The publication of this article could be said to be in line with the mandate of heaven and in line with the people¡¯s hearts. Although it hurt the vital points of the powerful, it also scratched the itch of the common people and even the poor officials, so it had an extremely large mass base. Now that the noble family was declining and the poor family was rising, on one side it affirmed the importance of the Confucian doctrine of benevolence and won over the common people¡¯s recognition; On the other hand, it directly pointed out the limitations and disadvantages of dividing people by social classes, and won the backing and support of the common people all over the world. Immediately after that, the style was changed again, from simple and easy-to-understand white prose to a profound and refined legislative outline, which captured the hearts of literati.


    If this Innkeeper was willing to become an official, he would be on the same level as Emperor Teacher!


    Everyone¡¯s thoughts were different. They walked slowly to the front of the hall to salute. Before kneeling down, they were summoned by the emperor, he happily said, ¡°This article called ¡°The Law of the People¡±, presumably all the beloved ministers must have read it? Come and tell me what you think.¡±


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father took a closer look and found that this manuscript paper was actually their family¡¯s beloved daughter¡¯s handwriting, and they couldn¡¯t help breaking out in a cold sweat.


    Among the chief ministers of the three divisions, two came from official noble family, naturally they didn¡¯t like the article very much, so they would hang their heads and drink tea after a few perfunctory sentences. But the Minister of Works, who came from a poor family, praised and highly admired them, and the mood of Guan family¡¯s father and son who were originally fell to the bottom, slowly lifted up.


    The emperor had never seen Yiyi¡¯s handwriting, so it shouldn¡¯t matter. Thinking like this, the two of them changed their faces to their usual looks, took a few sips of hot tea, and waited to enjoy Minister of Works¡¯ praise before talking.


    ¡°Emperor Teacher, you are the best at writing article, please help Zhen to appraise this ¡°Law of The People¡±?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan asked with a wicked delight.


    Old Master Guan reluctantly suppressed his pride and affirmed, ¡°This article can be regarded as the introduction to establishing the law, and all officials should be ordered to study and understand it carefully. Xu Guangzhi¡¯s policy theory has also been read by this minister, and its purpose is to ¡®establish the national laws on the basis of etiquette and patriarchal law¡¯, which seems to show benevolence and righteousness, benefiting all classes, but in fact it strengthens patriarchal power and weakens monarchical power; it strengthens the cohesion of clans and weakens the rule of the country. Within three to five years, the society can be stabilized, and within ten years, it can make people obedient, but twenty or thirty years later, noble families can flourish and the clan prosperous¡­¡±


    As for the consequences of revitalizing the noble family and clan, presumably without him saying anything the emperor had already understand. They would try to eliminate each other, you advance I retreat.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes became sharper, and he turned to look at the two courtier, Minister of War and Minister of Education, and said with a fake smile, ¡°No wonder Xu Guangzhi is so sought after by scholar-officials, it turns out that this is the reason. Concealment of relatives, officials shielding one another, if you violate the national law you can still go to court or become an official. It¡¯s really easy, huh! You have obtained privileges to hold into a group, if you want to do anything, you have relatives or colleagues to help cover up, then where do you put Zhen? Xu Guangzhi is good, good mouthpiece for the noble families, running dog for the powerful!¡±


    Minister of War and Minister of Education were trembling with fear, and hurriedly knelt down to plead guilty, and never dared to recommend Xu Guangzhi to become official. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that his policy theory was poking at the the emperor¡¯s heart and lungs, which really disgusted him to the extreme!


    T/N: I will break down GSY¡¯s pen name here because, spoiler alert, it will be asked later. It¡¯s ÄæÂÃÉáÈË(n¨¬ l¨· sh¨¨ r¨¦n) as a whole it means Innkeeper, and I¡¯m translating it as such because I think it meant to be a simple word like this but if it looked deeper it will have different meaning. The word ¡®Nilu¡¯ means inn or guest house but the literal translation of its character is ¡®reverse travel¡¯, ¡®Sheren¡¯ can means owner or the general term for relatives and guests of noble family¡¯s house, but the literal translation of sh¨¨ can means residence or give up (sh¨§) and r¨¦n is people. So if we really see the literal meaning of each character, Innkeeper = reverse travel give up people. Please forgive the confusing explanation, I¡¯m also confuse because I don¡¯t understand Mandarin!!

 CH 83

    Chapter 83 Confidant


    Emperor Shen Yuan wanted to use Confucianism to govern the country. First, he saw its benevolence ideology as a way to make people obey and control them; Second, he saw that its Three Principles and Five constants* would make his subjects loyal to the monarch and avoid committing rebellion. However, when it compiled and summarized by Xu Guangzhi, the clan etiquette was placed above the national law, that means, the monarch and ministers guidance were placed after the father and son, and the husband and wife.


    It was the same three principles, only the order was slightly changed, but the meaning was very different. As the Emperor Teacher said, his policy theory advocated and consolidated patriarchal power, not monarchical power; it strengthened the concept of clan, not the idea of loyalty to the country. In a short period of time, the people¡¯s clan concept would have been strengthened, and they would naturally follow the rules and work diligently. However, as time goes by, they would only know that they have a family, but didn¡¯t know that they have a country, they would only know how to protect their families, but didn¡¯t know how to repay the country. If faced with family troubles and national disasters, it was natural to protect the small family and abandon the big country.


    In the end, it didn¡¯t matter to them who was the emperor, they could still live their lives. Just like a soldier who defected and returned home to serve his parents, Confucius praised his filial piety, instead of punishing him, he tried give him honor.


    Several great families in the past stirred up storms in the Central Plains, led wars against the feudal vassals, and planned riots. As long as the family existed, the power continued to expand, they didn¡¯t care who the person on the throne was, and even the slightest disagreement could turn the world upside down.


    What was the suffering of the people? What if the common people were in trouble? They only have the word ¡°clan¡± in their hearts, how could they lower their heads to see the commoners crawling at their feet? No, maybe they once lowered their eyes and looked at it carefully, otherwise how could they have created words such as ¡°ants¡±?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, who used to be one of those ants, hated the rotten and apathetic noble family, so how could he allow them to revive? He picked up Xu Guangzhi¡¯s article and glanced at it for a second, before throwing it into the brazier expressionlessly and burning it to ashes.


    Several ministers lowered their eyes and did not dare to look more, lest the fire would accidentally burn them.


    The era of the noble family had passed, apart from gradually declining and falling apart, afraid it would be difficult to regain its former scenery and glory. Xu Guangzhi was clearly a smart man, but he chose to attach himself to the noble families and tried to enter an official position. Didn¡¯t he see that the emperor¡¯s recent promotions were all underprivileged students, and the people he suppressed were the children of noble families?


    Everyone was confused and secretly fearful, but Old Master Guan and Guan Father were calm and unperturbed. Although they also came from a noble family, they were not from an official noble family. They had expectations for fame and fortune, but they attached more importance on personal cultivation and ideas in their hearts. As long as the children in the family read well and studied well, there was nothing to worry about.


    No, study too well was more worrying! Thinking like this, the two secretly glanced at the manuscript placed by the emperor¡¯s side, wondering how to deal with it. Yiyi¡¯s pen name was Lingyun Layman, but she abandoned it and took this ¡°Innkeeper¡±. It could be seen that she didn¡¯t want to reveal her identity, so they must cover up for her.


    The father and son looked at each other and understood.


    How could Emperor Shen Yuan not find the exchange looks between the two Mount Tai, he laughed secretly in his heart, and then picked up the manuscript and said slowly, ¡°Emperor Teacher, how does the handwriting of this Innkeeper compare to yours? Although Zhen¡¯s eyes is dull, but can hear the sound of cracking silk and gold in it, and perceive the unstoppable momentum, there is even a strong arrogance on the paper, which is good characters that is rarely seen in the world, right?¡±


    Guan Father hurriedly lowered his head to hide the smile at the corner of his mouth, Old Master Guan then highly praised him, ¡°Where is the emperor¡¯s eyes dull? It¡¯s actually has unique vision and discerning sight! This Innkeeper¡¯s iron painting silver hook characters is like a frightening dragon, not only the framework is upright, but also has the spiritual charm, truly a masterpiece that this minister has only seen now in his life! This minister¡¯s handwriting can be compared with others, but never dares to show ugliness in front of this Innkeeper.¡±


    Never expected the usually humble and polite Emperor Teacher would praise his granddaughter without any reservation like this. Emperor Shen Yuan coughed repeatedly and laughed secretly. He remembered the scene of Madam chopping watermelon with her bare hands, and then looking at the two Mount Tai, he felt that everyone in this family were really cute and he felt more respect.


    After the old man finished his round of praise and stopped to drink tea, Emperor Shen Yuan continued to ask, ¡°Zhen once heard Emperor Teacher say that your precious granddaughter is also a master of calligraphy. How does it compare with this Innkeeper?¡±


    Old Master Guan¡¯s beard trembled for a while as if he was a little awkward. After a while, he said, ¡°Back to the emperor, the two should be almost on par.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Emperor Shen Yuan laughed, ¡°Then Zhen will request for Madam¡¯s masterpiece someday, and ask Emperor Teacher to help Zhen send the word.¡±


    The old man¡¯s cheeks were flushed, and he seemed unable to speak. Guan Father looked at his nose and his nose pointing to his heart, pretending to be an outsider.


    After teasing the serious and rigid Emperor Teacher, Emperor Shen Yuan felt very happy, shook the manuscript, and continued, ¡°After the appreciation of calligraphy, let¡¯s appreciate the article again. Zhen guess this Innkeeper should be a scholar of miscellaneous school, although she* mentioned national law everywhere between the lines, and seems to be a Legalist; she understand the essentials of Confucianism in great detail, and can easily cite the sentences and allusions that cannot be obtained by scholars who have not been immersed in Confucianism for decades, and seems to be a Confucian; Her study of historical classics can be called to be penetrating, and it sums up the trajectory of historical development, and seems to like a historian. Counting carefully, it¡¯s really a rare all-rounder!¡±


    After the embarrassment dissipated, the old man nodded again and again, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, as if he was enjoying it. Guan Father and several ministers occasionally echoed, but did not show any abnormality.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan fondly touched the manuscript and sighed, ¡°Zhen want to invite this Innkeeper to the palace for a meeting, if Zhen can persuade her to serve as an official, or stay by Zhen¡¯s side to come up with strategy for Zhen, it will be a great blessing in life!¡± Glancing at the old master¡¯s instantly stiff face, he smiled and reassured, ¡°Of course, Zhen will never treat Emperor Teacher coldly for her. There is a saying in Central Plains that ¡®a teacher for one day, a father for a lifetime¡®. The teaching of Emperor Teacher for Zhen is comparable to that of a father.¡± In fact, his father had never looked after him, how could he raise and teach him? Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies had done far more for him than his father, and he would never forget it in this life.


    Old Master Guan didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, his old face was wrinkled like dried orange peel.


    Emperor Shen Yuan let it slide at this point, pretending to wave his hand regretfully, ¡°Unfortunately, Zhen have sent many people to inquire, but they have not found any clues. It can be seen that this Innkeeper has no intention of becoming an official. Then let her be free and live like free cloud and wild crane. Emperor Teacher, Zhen have one last question, what this ¡¯Innkeeper¡¯ (literal translation: reverse travel, give up people) word means?¡± (TN: the break down of the word is at the end of chapter 82)


    Old Master Guan breathed a sigh of relief and explained, ¡°The inn means a guest house or a hotel. This is a word from ¡°Zuo Zhuan ¨C The second year of Duke Xi¡±: ¡®Today Guo is not in the right way, and protects against the guest house (TN: that became a fortress for the enemy)¡¯. Keeper has two meanings, one is for the owner of the inn and second is a guest of a noble family. Since she already choose the word Inn, it can be seen that word keeper means the former, modestly calls herself just a small shopkeeper who runs a guest house, a commoner.¡±


    Emperor Shen Yuan pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, ¡°The little shopkeeper of a guest house? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right. The word ¡®inn¡¯ (reverse travel) should be interpreted from a superficial level in my opinion, meaning that it¡¯s a traveler who travels in the opposite direction.¡±


    The words paused for a while, and his tone was firm and admiring, ¡°Laozi has a proverb: ¡®I have three treasures, which are worth keeping and protecting. One is kindness, the second is frugality, and the third is that I dare not be the first in the world¡®. Every time Zhen think about it, Zhen scoff at it. If no one takes the lead, how can Zhen become the emperor? How can the world be at peace? If we do it in the opposite way, give up kindness to be courageous; give up frugality to be extensive; give up behind to be the first, then the hero will be established, the generals will come out, and the people will survive, thus the prosperous world can be expected. Therefore, the meaning of ¡®give up people¡¯ is fully revealed, not the owner who give up for the guest, but to sacrifice one¡¯s life for righteousness, and dare to be the first!¡±


    He fixedly looked at Old Master Guan, and sighed, ¡°The mind and courage of this Innkeeper is truly admirable!¡±


    Can the four words ¡°Innkeeper¡± be explained in this way? Old Master Guan knew his granddaughter very well, and thought that this was just a pen name she chose at will, without any special meaning, but unexpectedly the emperor beautify it and pull out such out of this world reasoning, which made him laugh.


    But he didn¡¯t refute, just nodded silently. The other ministers laughed and praised the emperor¡¯s wisdom and knowledge, gradually eliminating his dissatisfaction with Xu Guangzhi and the noble family, and then took the opportunity to leave.


    ¡ª-


    Guan Suyi laid down for half an hour, dreaming of a little baby clinging to her and called her mother, she woke up with tears in her eyes and couldn¡¯t sleep again. It was really uncomfortable to stay in the Zhao Mansion, and seeing Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu she felt even more heartbroken, she hurriedly washed and went directly back to her parents¡¯ house.


    After stepping into the Emperor Teacher Mansion and talking with her mother for a while, she finally calmed down and shut herself in the study to practice calligraphy. In the evening, when it was almost time for dinner, and she was about to untie the lead block from her wrist, she heard a frantic voice from the old man outside, ¡°Well, you little fox, secretly learn the Hundred School of Thoughts behind my back! It¡¯s not only your father teaching, but also your maternal grandfather and grandmother, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Guan Suyi pushed open the window and looked at the old man with a smile, ¡°Grandfather, aren¡¯t you happy that your granddaughter done a good job in learning?¡±


    ¡°Happy, so happy!¡± Old Master Guan¡¯s feigned anger expression  suddenly disappeared, he stroked his beard and laughed, ¡°You don¡¯t know, the emperor asked me several times if I knew this Innkeeper, and I almost couldn¡¯t hold back and said it was my granddaughter! Thinking that you want to conceal your identity, and afraid that you will be disturbed by the common people, so I held back. You learn what you learn, and you actually kept it from me? Do you think that I¡¯m also the same class with Xu Guangzhi, who only recognizes Confucianism, and must be strangle the Hundred School of Thoughts? That¡¯s not a scholar, that¡¯s a bandit!¡±


    Guan Suyi repeatedly agreed, and her mood instantly became happy.


    Old Master Guan continued, ¡°His Majesty is really interesting. He likes to play around in front of others after drinking a little bit of literature. How do you think he break down the ¡®Innkeeper¡¯ word, truly wish flowers came out from the speech¡­¡± He slowly recounted the conversation in Weiyang palace to his granddaughter, and then he walked into the study and looked at the table, only to see a line of handwriting like a dragon jumping out of the snow-white paper: give up kindness to be courageous; give up frugality to be extensive; give up behind to be the first; to die? No regrets!


    ¡°Was the emperor really hit the nail on the head?¡± He was dumbfounded for a moment, and then he looked at his granddaughter in shock.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s inner shock and emotion were no less than her grandfather¡¯s. She could never have imagined that the person in the world who could truly understand her and see through her was this emperor who had once made her look down on him in every possible way. Yes, looking back in time, the vicissitudes of life, she can change, how do you know that others can¡¯t?


    This emperor was not muddle-headed, on the contrary, he was also very courageous, knowledgeable, and wise. The previous life was gone, it¡¯s time to abandon the past and look at the present.


    The depression between her brows completely dissipated, and she said word by word, ¡°If fortunate enough to meet His Majesty, Yiyi should take him as confidant and have a chat over the wine.¡±

 CH 84

    Chapter 84 Love Letter


    Old Master Guan looked at his granddaughter with new eyes. The child had been growing up by his side, and no one knew better than him what her temperament was like. She was indeed proud, unyielding, and stubborn, but she had no such spirit.


    Give up kindness to be courageous; give up frugality to be extensive; give up behind to be the first; to die? No regrets! This sentence seemed simple, but it hid a willingness to die. She was a pampered little girl, and her biggest worry was probably the chaos and jealousy in the back house. How could she be so reckless and brave? After marrying into the Zhao mansion, did she still experience unknown hardships?


    The old man¡¯s face changed suddenly, and asked, ¡°Yiyi, tell me honestly, how does the Zhao family treat you?¡±


    Guan Father also walked in with dark eyes. He picked up his daughter¡¯s calligraphy to take a look, while holding back his heart palpitations, ¡°Did Zhao Luli bully you?¡±


    The family had been worrying about her all their lives. In this life, Guan Suyi only wish them peace and security, so how could she complain? She quickly took her grandfather¡¯s arm and smiled, ¡°Even when he was still Marquis Zhenbei, he couldn¡¯t get a bargain from me, and now he¡¯s a commoner, what can he do with me? Grandfather, father, don¡¯t worry, I have a good life in the Zhao family, the servants fear me, the children respect me, the mother-in-law and sister-in-law protect me, the two concubines are locked in the East Mansion, and I don¡¯t need to see them at all. There is no mistress in Wei Kingdom who lived more comfortably than me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Old Master Guan gave his granddaughter a deep look, and he when he was sure she was not lying he felt relief.


    But Guan Father didn¡¯t quite believe it. He was about to question her carefully when a servant girl suddenly came out and said out of breath, ¡°Old Master, someone from the palace has brought something. You should go to the front yard to greet him.¡±


    When the three walked to the front yard, they saw a eunuch, who had brought things to the house last time, saluting with a smile on his face, ¡°Greeting the two masters, greeting Madam, this servant has been ordered to send a reward.¡± After the words finished he gathered his sleeves to let them look behind.


    This time, it was six big box, with a red seal attached. Zhong shi said clearly, ¡°Did you send it by mistake last time, and the emperor asked you to change it?¡±


    ¡°Answering Madam, there¡¯s no mistake last time, rather missed a few boxes. This servant has a gift list here. Can you please check it?¡±


    The reward this time was really delivered to the heart, a box of extremely precious stones such as Shoushan stone, Qingtian stone, Changshi stone, Balin stone, etc., the quality and color were more extraordinary than the other, and for the old man who loved to carve seals, this was a precious treasure; A box of antique calligraphy and paintings, all genuine works of famous masters, any of them was enough to make those elegant scholars outside to fight until they break their heads. Guan Father was breathing heavily, his heart was beating wildly, and he had already rushed to the box; The remaining four boxes were all rare and unique books in the world, with a wide variety of subjects.


    No matter how hard it was for Guan Suyi to maintain an elegant and indifferent demeanor, she took a deep breath before walking over, and said with a shameless face, ¡°Mother, did your word of making up for my a dowry last time still count?¡±


    Zhong shi, ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ª-


    After dinner and dragging four large boxes back to the Zhao Mansion, Guan Suyi sighed contentedly, ¡°I finally understand why my grandfather and father love the emperor so much, his benefit really lies in the word ¡®local tyrant¡¯. I have been to so many places, and I have seen all kinds of people, but I have never seen anyone more generous than the emperor. I am afraid there are thousands of books, enough for me to build a bed, and then lie down and read it for eight to ten years. If his rewards are all like this in the future, then I have to go back to get bask in the light.¡±


    Seeing Madam¡¯s hilarious expression, Jinzi secretly said: Madam, you are wrong, it was the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies who got to bask in your light. These objects are all given to you by His Majesty, he bears, and dare not, so he can only act in a roundabout way.


    The master and servant were happily counting the books, then there was a crisp knock on the door outside, when they looked back, it was Zhao Luli. With a gentle smile on his face, he asked, ¡°I heard that you went back to the Emperor Teacher Mansion today? Are the two Mount Tai still healthy?¡±


    Guan Suyi led him into the inner room and said lukewarmly, ¡°It¡¯s still as healthy as before, thank you for your concern. Did you come from the old madam¡¯s? You should you have dinner, right? I brought a few boxes of stuff back, so the house is messy, it¡¯s really rude.¡±


    Zhao Luli could clearly hear that she tried to chase him out, but his feet seemed to take root, and he refused to move half a step. He pressed his chest full of tart feeling and sighed, ¡°Suyi, I¡¯m really sorry, I accidentally lost your original manuscript today.¡± Seeing her waving her hand, as if to say it didn¡¯t matter, he hurriedly continued, ¡°I tried to make up for it, but I found that I always made mistakes. Today I was hidden in the crowd, watching them praise you, commend you, support you, my heart is sweet and bitter. Sweet because such an excellent woman is my wife, bitter because I didn¡¯t know how to cherish it, and I almost lost you. Suyi, after dividing the mansion, do you plan to live like this with me forever? Don¡¯t you want to round the house* with me, be a real couple, and then raise a child together? If he can inherit your intelligence, he will be very promising in the future, he¡­¡±


    For Zhao Luli, these were his desires for a better life; for Guan Suyi, it was nothing more that a soul-crushing nightmare, which made her to be in so much pain that she wanted to die. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and she was trying to tell him to shut up quickly, but Jinzi came in with a tea tray, and it¡¯s unknown what tripped her feet that it all fell on his head.


    She kept apologizing and wiped away with sincerity, her eyes were full of tears, as if she was about to cry. Zhao Luli couldn¡¯t care to argue with his wife¡¯s close maid, so he had to reluctantly return to East Mansion for a change.


    ¡°Lock the door between the two mansion, and no one is allowed to open even if they knock.¡± Guan Suyi let out a sigh of relief, and then took out a gold bead the size of a broad bean from her purse and threw it at Jinzi, ¡°Well done, take this to play with.¡±


    Jinzi was flattered and hurriedly knelt down to thank her. Suddenly, she saw a pigeon flying diagonally outside the window. It first landed on the window sill, and then jumped into the study without fear. It stood on the brush holder, tilted its head to look at Guan Suyi, and grunted as if it had something to say.


    Guan Suyi thought it was very smart and cute, so she didn¡¯t chase it away. After the gloomy mood subsided, she took a serious look, and then saw that it was a pigeon with a thin bamboo tube tied to its ankle. She already had a guess in her mind, and she took out the note from the bamboo tube and slowly unfolded it, first sighing, and then secretly said ¡®sure enough¡¯.


    Guan Guan Jujiu, in the river continent. A fair lady, a gentleman is good. The staggered water chestnuts flow from left to right. A fair lady, I have longed for it*¡­ The handwriting that was slightly jerky but still penetrated the back of the paper slowly wrote the world¡¯s first love poem.


    The man¡¯s sad expression, eyes full of struggling, and the figure who wanted to chase but couldn¡¯t, seemed to be close at hand, making Guan Suyi even more upset. She originally planned not to reply a word, but after thinking and thinking, she finally picked up the brush and wrote ¨C A tall bird can choose a tree, and a free sheep can collide the fence. Things have been seen now, and I would like to forget about them from now on*.


    Watching the bird flutter and fly away, and suddenly drop a few snow-white feathers, she suppressed the loneliness and desolateness in her eyes, and slowly hid herself in the shadow of the blood-red sunset.


    ¡ª¨C


    Emperor Sheng Yuan raised his arm to catch the carrier pigeon and fed it a few grains of corn. Then he took off the bamboo tube and carefully pulled out the paper roll.


    ¡°A tall bird can choose a tree, and a sheep can collide the fence.¡­¡± He chewed word by word, felt a stab in his heart, and said with a wry smile, ¡°Madam is so cruel, is she actually trying to persuade Zhen to forget and change the feeling? She doesn¡¯t moved by Zhen at all?¡± Just as he felt an unbearable pain, another carrier pigeon flew in from the window and jumped onto the imperial table.


    Seeing that the emperor had not responded for a long time, Baifu stepped forward to get the letter, recognized the mark on the bamboo pipe, and said in a low voice, ¡°Your Majesty, it was sent by Lord Shen.¡±


    Lord Shen was Jinzi, the number two figure in the Dark Guard. Emperor Sheng Yuan was busy reading, and the painful expression was slowly replaced by joy. After a while, his cheeks were red and his heart throbbing. It turned out that his understanding was correct, the Innkeeper really meant that.


    Ever since he met Madam, when encountering difficulties, he could not help but imagine¡ªwhat would Madam do if she was here? Gradually, his thinking became more and more like Madam, and his love became stronger and stronger, until this point where his heart have tacit understanding, and he could see through her. He seldom read Taoist classics, and he was not familiar with Laozi¡¯s views, but suddenly he was blessed with this thought and blurted it out. Madam wanted to take him as a confidant, but she didn¡¯t know that she was already his confidant.


    After bursts of uncontrollable joy, his face turned from red to black, and he sneered, ¡°Already hurt Madam¡¯s heart, now will make up for it with a child, Zhao Luli thinks so beautifully!¡± Remembering his filthy origins, his originally pitiful sense of superiority disappeared.


    How could Zhao Luli be disgraceful, at least he could give Madam a child, but what about him? What could he give Madam. But if he was asked to give up, his heart would feel as painful as being cut by a knife, just like a traveler who fell off a cliff, even if his two arms dig into the rock, there would be death after the exhaustion.


    He covered his face, his facial features were severely twisted, he wanted to cry but there were no tears, he wanted to roar but couldn¡¯t, there was no way out except to suffer in secret. After being silent for nearly a quarter of an hour, he said hoarsely, ¡°Serve the brush and ink.¡±


    Baifu didn¡¯t dare to breathe, lightly spread the rice paper, polished the thick ink, and handed over the imperial brush.


    ¡°Madam compares me to a tall bird and a sheep, and compares herself to a common tree and a fence, which is really humble and self-deprecating, which cause one to grieved. Although I am not talented, I am proud of my deep feelings, and willing to be a phoenix that does not drink unless it¡¯s morning dew, does not eat unless it¡¯s tender bamboo, and does not live unless it¡¯s on a thousand years sycamore tree, that¡¯s why in this life does not marry unless with Madam. Madam can blame me, hate me, but please don¡¯t keep me far away. Sincerely Hunnar. Warm regards.¡±


    After Emperor Sheng Yuan finished writing, he hid it in the bamboo tube, and then released the carrier pigeon. He stood by the window for most of the night, after he was that Madam had not replied to the letter, he lay down gloomily.


    On the other side, Guan Suyi looked at the love letter that stated ¡®won¡¯t marry unless with you¡¯. She was angry and funny, but also moved for no reason. She planned to burn it quickly, so as not to get caught, but somehow she couldn¡¯t do it, so she had to find a safe place to hide it. After thinking about it for a while, she didn¡¯t write a reply, but it was rare to have a good night¡¯s sleep.

 CH 85

    Chapter 85 Dystocia


    Since the first carrier pigeon came, Guan Suyi had been receiving Hunnar¡¯s letter almost every day, sometimes even a few times a day, either love poems or confessions, and some trivial fragments of life. She rarely replied, and only wrote a sentence or two when she was entangled, and it was all clear refusal, but that person seemed to be unable to understand, slightly depressed for a day, and the next day the same as usual.


    ¡°Qingqing Zijin, leisurely my heart. Even if I don¡¯t go, Zining doesn¡¯t follow the sound¡­ looking back and forth, on this high tower. One day have not to see, it seems three months*¡­ On this day, the courier pigeon sent another love letter, Guan Suyi recited it word by word, and sneered, ¡°One day have not to see, it seems three months. It¡¯s obvious that when Sister Li invited me out just now, you hid in the corner and watched for more than half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Madam, you found out?¡± Jinzi felt embarrassed for His Majesty. That thief-like action actually discovered by Madam, and when Madam found out his real identity, wouldn¡¯t his reputation be swept to the floor?


    ¡°A nine-foot-tall man is peeking, unless it¡¯s a blind person, how come you not see.¡± Guan Suyi shook the letter and sighed, ¡°Forget it, as long as he doesn¡¯t make thing difficult for me, just let him go. Look at his words, he actually made a great progress.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the writing is more and more like Madam¡¯s handwriting. Master Hunnar is quite studious.¡± Jinzi nodded with a smile, stretched out her hand to receive the love letter, and hid it in the secret box. Unconsciously, a few months had passed, and the secret box had already been filled with notes of various sizes, afraid it would need to be replaced by a bigger box soon.


    Minglan worriedly said, ¡°Miss, you should burn these things, what if people find out, say you, say you¡­¡± She blushed and bowed her head, as if ashamed to say it.


    Guan Suyi had experienced being framed in her past life, she naturally understood how powerful it was, but as long as she thought of Hunnar¡¯s eyes that was full of deep love, and the sentence ¡°In this life I will not marry unless with you¡±, she could not harden her heart no matter what. After living for two lifetimes, this was the first confession she got, the first reluctance to let go, and the first time to guard. If possible, she really wanted to treasure it carefully and properly, rather than burn it to ashes.


    No matter how strong she was, she was still a person made of flesh and blood, was she not allowed to have a soft and warm place in her heart? Was she not allowed to have a beautiful memory that would bring smile to her face when she was tired?


    The previous life was too bitter, in this life she wanted to taste a little sweetness, that¡¯s all.


    Seeing that her miss suddenly seemed to be at loss, and there were tears flashing in the corners of her eyes, Minglan immediately panicked and waved her hands, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s this servant who talks too much, the secret box is well hidden, where will people find out. Sister Jinzi don¡¯t be in daze, put it away quickly, we must take good care of this study in the future, and don¡¯t let other people come in at will.¡±


    Jinzi hurriedly put away the box. Seeing that Madam was still in a bad mood, she changed the subject and said, ¡°Madam, have you heard? Except for Ye Fan and Ye Cainu* in the palace, the rest of the Ye family are dead!¡± Ye Zhen, who was once high and invincible, had been demoted again and again, and had become the lowest cainu, not even had a little face with palace maid and eunuch.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Guan Suyi really recovered, and asked with furrowed brow.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who this family offended before, but they let poisonous snakes kill all the survivors!¡±


    ¡°They were all bitten to death by poisonous snakes? As far as I know, although the rest of the Ye family were sentenced to exile, they were not in one place. They were all over the border, three or two here, three or two there. It¡¯s not easy to find all the people and kill them one by one.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so it took almost five to six months. When the first Ye family was bitten to death, the local yamen thought it was an accident and just wrapped it in straw mats and buried it, then the second, the third, the fourth, it was not until all of them were dead that the officials realized that something was wrong and sent someone to investigate, and now it have been reported to the court, afraid that they will be vigorously searched and investigated.¡±


    ¡°Five to six months are all spent on finding people and killing them, this cycle goes on and on. If there is no deep hatred, who would be willing to spend so much effort? How the Ye family offended this person is not a simple matter!¡± Guan Suyi pondered.


    Exactly! Judging from the method, it was the man who chased and assassinated His Majesty back then! Jinzi¡¯s eyes flickered, and she gritted her teeth secretly.


    While thinking about it, there was a heart-wrenching cry from outside, followed by a burst of commotion. Minglan went outside to inquire, and came back after a while, and said disdainfully, ¡°It was Concubine Ye who was distraught when she heard the news of her family¡¯s death, she said she have to go to the border to pay homage no matter what, and now she is kneeling in the main courtyard to beg the old madam to be gracious and let her go.¡±


    Jinzi said with a sneer, ¡°When the Ye family was exiled from the capital, why didn¡¯t see her distraught, and now she¡¯s howling, probably want the master to go with her, or if can¡¯t make him go, at least she has to let the master see her filial piety and comfort her.¡±


    ¡°Comforting just comforting, you can roll to one place.¡± Speaking of others, Minglan didn¡¯t feel ashamed at all, she raised two thumbs and touched each it together and smiled obscenely.


    Guan Suyi pinched her cheek and sighed, ¡°My sister-in-law has been more than seven months, and her body is getting heavier and heavier. It¡¯s not good for her to be noisy like this. Go and have a look.¡±


    Before the group reached the main courtyard, the crying ceased. Guan Suyi entered the inner hall, only to see Zhao Chunxi and Mu Mu accompanying Ruan shi. The old lady had a headache and had already returned to her room to rest.


    Ruan shi seemed very happy and waved her hand, ¡°Xi¡¯er has become more and more capable, she drove away concubine Ye in just a few words, giving me and mother-in-law some peace. She also brought me Fu Ji¡¯s sour jujube cake, sister-in-law come and try it.¡±


    Ruan shi previous morning sickness was so terrible that she couldn¡¯t eat anything, just Fu Ji¡¯s sour jujube cake, so how could Guan Suyi share this bite with her? She hurriedly smiled and pushed it away, then picked up Mu Mu and pinched the tip of his nose. A few people sat down and chatted slowly. About a quarter of an hour later, Ruan shi suddenly groaned while hugging her stomach, and her dress quickly got wet, but it was not stained with amniotic fluid, but blood.


    ¡°Go and call the midwife and imperial physician! If the imperial physician arrives slowly, go to the street to find a few doctors. Hurry, hurry, hurry!¡± The others were still in shock, Guan Suyi quickly recovered, assigning her servants to work everywhere, while asking Zhao Chunxi to take Mu Mu out, then turned to order, ¡°Jinzi, you are proficient in medicine, take a look at sister-in-law first.¡±


    Jinzi didn¡¯t dare to delay, she picked up the pregnant woman who weighed 100 pounds, and stably sent her into the inner room. In just a short while, the whole house was moved by the wind, and it was not chaotic at all. Soon the midwife and the doctor came one after another, and the imperial physician really had something to do, so he was a step slower, in the end they tossed from morning to midnight, but still could not do anything.


    In the delivery room, Ruan shi¡¯s screams and cries slowly subsided, and the imperial physician asked through the window, ¡°It¡¯s dying, keep the old or the young?¡±


    Before waiting for Zhao Luli and the old madam to react, Guan Suyi said firmly, ¡°Keep the old!¡± No one could see that her nails had been digging into her palms, gushing blood.


    Ruan shi, whose life was on the line, suddenly burst into tears. As the person involved, her perception was clearer than the imperial physician, and keeping the old was already impossible, so it¡¯s better to exchange her life for the child¡¯s life. She took her last breath and shouted loudly, ¡°Sister-in-law, to have you say ¡®keep the old¡¯ today, even if I enter the underworld and be reincarnated, I will never forget your kindness. But I know my own body, the amniotic fluid has not broken, the blood has been drained, and it¡¯s absolutely impossible to save it! I beg you one last time, save my child, you must save my child! In the next life, I am willing to be a cow and a horse for you!¡±


    Guan Suyi burst into tears, her voice was fierce, ¡°Don¡¯t say such nonsense! Save yourself, how many children do you want to have in the future? Imperial physician, don¡¯t listen to her, hurry up and save people!¡±


    ¡°Oh oh oh, this official is going to give the needle!¡± The imperial physician quickly recovered, and drew out the silver needle and make Jinzi pierce the acupuncture point.


    Ruan shi still didn¡¯t give up, and shouted in a hoarse voice, ¡°I really can¡¯t do it, sister-in-law, please promise me! As long as you promise, there is absolutely nothing that cannot be done. Sister-in-law, I don¡¯t believe anyone now, not even myself, I only believe in you¡­¡±


    However, before the words were finished, a gust of blood gushed out, finally exhausting the last shred of her life. Her eyes were bulging, and her expression was unwilling, as if she still couldn¡¯t let go.


    Sensing that suddenly there were no movement in the room, Guan Suyi felt cold and full of trepidation. Is fate really irresistible? She tried her best to protect Ruan shi, but she still couldn¡¯t save her?


    The door of the room opened silently, and Jinzi who was covered with blood, the imperial physician, and the midwife came out, and said sadly, ¡°The second madam is gone, the child, the child cannot be saved.¡±


    The old madam fell down instantly, Zhao Luli quickly helped her, tears rolled down her cheeks. Several children were confined in the main house, they did not get news, so they did not know how to be afraid and anxious. Guan Suyi was just stunned, and then stepped into the delivery room without hesitation.


    The strong smell of blood almost stunned people, and Ruan shi was lying on the blood-soaked mattress, her eyes fixed on the door.


    ¡°Save my child, you must save my child!¡± The last cry of her death constantly rang in Guan Suyi¡¯s ear, which made her heart felt like it was stabbed with a knife, the pain was excruciating. She knelt beside the bed and wanted to close Ruan shi¡¯s eyelids with trembling hands, but she failed three times in a row, so she had no choice but sort out the remains and scrub the body first, so that Ruan shi could go cleanly and decently.


    ¡°Madam, leave these tasks to this servant. There is too much blood in here, I¡¯m afraid it will provoke you. Please go back to wash, take a rest, wait until it¡¯s all done here, and this servant will call you. There is a funeral to be done, you must replenish your energy so as not to be unable to sustain it.¡± Although she knew that Madam was very courageous, attached great importance on righteousness, and would never care about the blood and death in the delivery room, Jinzi still had to persuade her.


    If Madam fell ill because of this, His Majesty would suffer more than she herself.


    Guan Suyi put her palm on Ruan shi¡¯s swollen belly, and felt something underneath kicked her. Her expression was first surprise, then thoughtful, and finally turned into determination. She looked straight at Jinzi, her eyes were like two fires burning, which could burn people.


    ¡°You know martial arts and are good at medicine, right?¡± Hidden in her hoarse voice was a wave higher than a raging storm.


    ¡°Yes, madam, what do you want to do?¡± Jinzi¡¯s heart beat wildly for a moment.


    ¡°Find a knife, I¡¯m going to cut open the abdomen and take the child out!¡± She said slowly, word by word, her eyes that were as bright as cold stars told others that she was not crazy, but more sober like never before.

 CH 86

    Chapter 86 Demon


    Minglan, who just came in with a pot of hot water and was about to help scrub the blood stains, was so scared that her legs went weak. She barely able to stabilized her body, and said to several maids who were not far behind her, ¡°Madam wants to sort out the remains of the second madam in person, you all go down. By the way, call the embroidery lady and let her rush to make burial clothes overnight, the second madam is still waiting to wear it.¡±


    The few servants were afraid of getting bad luck, so they agreed without second thought. Zhao Luli had already helped the old madam back to the main courtyard, and had left the imperial physician to diagnose her pulse, afraid she could not bear the stimulation.


    After Minglan made sure that there were no outsiders in the courtyard, she lowered her voice and persuaded, ¡°Miss, do you know what you are talking about? People died is a big matter, you should let the second madam sleep peacefully. If this matter spreads, others will not understand that you are trying to save the child, but you will be blamed for offending ghosts and gods. What¡¯s more, they will take this opportunity to impeach the old master and master, and ruin the thousands of years reputation of the Guan family. People are already dead, and they must go to the ground as soon as possible, at this time, you must not be confused. Fortunately you are a noble daughter of the official family, if such behavior that offend the gods are placed on commoner women, she would be burned to death!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m being confused?¡± Guan Suyi stared at her, ¡°Everything that I, Guan Suyi, have done in this life is very clear in my heart! It¡¯s true that people¡¯s death is a big matter. However, there is another saying, human life is beyond value. Today, I cut open my sister-in-law, and although I desecrate a remain, I conform to the way of heaven and my conscience, and I have a clear conscience! Not only will my grandfather and father not blame me, but they will support me.¡±


    She had also been a mother, and although it only for a few months, and she had not been able to give birth to the child as she wished, but she knew all the things she should know. She put her palm on Ruan shi¡®s belly, feeling the pulses underneath, and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°The amniotic fluid is not broken, the child is still alive, if I bury him and Ruan shi together, it will be a murder. Jinzi, what are you doing, hurry take the knife!¡±


    Only then did Jinzi recover from the shock, hurriedly ran to her room and took a saber that could broke a hair if it blew to it. She didn¡¯t dare to ask why Madam knew that she knew martial arts, but then she thought that madam was so smart, how could she hide it, then quickly let go.


    ¡°Madam, do you, do you really want to do it?¡± For the first time in her life, she picked up a knife not to kill, but to save people, Jinzi was so nervous that she unconsciously trembled.


    Guan Suyi grabbed her wrist tightly, her voice full of warnings, ¡°Hold on tight, don¡¯t wiggle around, you can¡¯t see the fetus if you cut it too shallow, and you will hurt him if you cut it too deeply, you have to measure it carefully. You have killed people before, haven¡¯t you? Do you understand the structure of the human body?¡±


    Jinzi had no choice but to nod when she met Madam¡¯s piercing eyes, and her dry throat could not swallow even a bit of saliva. Minglan let out a low ¡°ah¡±, then she showed timidity.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s expressionless face finally burst into a smile, and only then did she let go of her wrist and comforted her softly, ¡°Very good, it¡¯s easy to deal with if you have kill someone. Cut it open, rely on your past experience and cut it down, don¡¯t hesitate, the child can¡¯t wait.¡±


    Jinzi was about to cry, and her heart scolded His Majesty a hundred and eighty times, he said that the task of protecting Madam and blocking Marquis Zhao was very simple. Where is it simple? She couldn¡¯t even figure out when she was seen through by Madam. Relying on the experience of killing people to save people, she really didn¡¯t know how to save them. With such a thin layer of belly skin, a knife might cut the child in half, or cut off his hands and feet. It would be better to let him follow his mother to be buried together!


    Her brain had become a pot of porridge, she could only draw little by little according to the touch of the blade, and after a few quarters of work, she finally cut the child out safely, wiped off the mucus from his body quickly with a cotton cloth, and patted his butt lightly.


    Loud cries resounded across the sky, and Jinzi busily wrapped him in a swaddling clothes, held him helplessly, full of ecstasy after fear and anxiety. Heaven, she rescued him, she rescued him from his mother¡¯s womb with her own hands! This is better than winning ten battles and killing tens of thousands of enemy troops!


    Minglan also forgot her fear and walked over to watch.


    ¡°Madam, you hug him, he¡¯s a boy, he¡¯s very healthy, he¡¯s full of energy, he¡¯ll be a fierce general in the future!¡± Jinzi said excitedly.


    Guan Suyi was already in daze when she heard the first cry. In a trance she took the child, and slowly adjusted her posture like she had practiced thousands of times in the previous life, so that he could lie down more comfortably. His little mouth opened and closed, still making a crying sound, and as soon as his little hand touched the front of her dress, he held it firmly, as if he had sensed it.


    At this moment, her tears finally burst out of the embankment and rolled down. It turns out that the child is not a sin. For a mother, whether they were expected by the father or not, they were the most precious gift and the most generous favor from Heaven. She couldn¡¯t keep him in her last life, so she made up such remarks to deceive herself, but it turned out that deep down in her heart, she had always longed, repented, and hoped to go back in time and hold him firmly.


    ¡°Child, you are not a sin, you are a hope, a gift, and a continuation of your mother¡¯s life. You must grow up safely.¡± She buried her face on the side of the child¡¯s neck, and finally cried out her pain.


    Jinzi and Minglan had never seen their master losing control like this, and they were a bit at a loss for a while, then their eyes slowly reddened and sobbed.


    In order not to frighten the child, Guan Suyi didn¡¯t dare to cry for too long, so she quickly calmed down and carried him to the bedside, facing Ruan shi¡¯s face, and said hoarsely, ¡°Sister-in-law, this is your child, look at him.¡± He stroked the baby¡¯s fetal hair again, ¡°Child, this is your mother, she tried her best to give birth to you, so you should give her one last look.¡±


    Miraculously, Ruan shi¡¯s grim and unwilling face gradually turned calm, and the eyelids were closed without being covered by hands. Her spirit was in heaven, and she finally got her wish.


    Guan Suyi cried silently again, afraid that the child would get sick with too much death energy, so she took him away and placed him in the cradle, guarded by Minglan. Jinzi had never cried before, until today she understood that tears were salty, bitter, and astringent. But she didn¡¯t regret it at all, and she wasn¡¯t ashamed at all, instead there were surging waves in her heart. To be valued by His Majesty, to be dispatched to Madam¡¯s side, and to appreciate so much of magnificent righteousness and true feelings of the world, she truly had the blessing of three lifetimes!


    If the mission end in the future, she didn¡¯t want to go back to Dark Guard division, and would follow Madam in this life.


    Seeing Madam pick up the handkerchief to wipe off the blood on her body, she came to her sense and said earnestly, ¡°Madam, go back and rest, leave it to me here.¡±


    ¡°You cut open the stomach, and I will sew it up, so that sister-in-law can go with dignity.¡± She took a box of needles and thread from the Bogu shelf, and slowly twisted the end of the thread, fearing that one thread was not strong enough, she added another thread and quickly rolled it into one.


    ¡°You, you¡¯re going to sew?¡± Jinzi suspected that she was hallucinating.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll sew. Sister-in-law would definitely like me to personally sort out her remain and dress her. I couldn¡¯t protect her, I can only do this trivial thing.¡± Her desolate tone suddenly turned cold, ¡°Go to the main courtyard and check the box of sour jujube cake she ate before. I just asked the imperial physician to diagnose her pulse yesterday, he said that the fetal position is very correct, the fetal appearance is good, and sister-in-law is healthy and fit, so she should not bleed heavily the next day. Check, be sure to check till the end!¡±


    Jinzi looked stern, and immediately rushed to the main courtyard, but happened to meet the old madam who hurried over. It turned out that there was a granny passing by outside the wall, and when she heard the baby crying, she felt something was wrong and reported it and asked the old madam to come see. They slammed the door open and found that the child had been taken out, alive, it was a big fat boy, and they were ecstatic. They also saw that Ruan shi¡¯s belly had been cut open, and Guan Suyi was slowly sewing it with a needle and thread. She staggered and almost fainted.


    The old madam retreated while reciting Amitabha Buddha, but Zhao Luli didn¡¯t move for a long time, as if he become stupid.


    ¡°Don¡¯t disturb sister-in-law¡¯s peace, go out quickly.¡± While speaking Guan Suyi didn¡¯t even turn around.


    Zhao Luli returned to his sense, and immediately retreated, shut the door tightly, and turned around to find that Mingfang and Ye Fan had also followed. Mingfang wanted to curry favor with the eldest miss, the second madam and the old madam. Naturally, she had to come to the delivery room to take guard. Ye Fan didn¡¯t want her monopolize the limelight, so she came too.. When the person died, the old madam was stimulated, so they competed to serve her, refusing to leave, dragging and dragging, and they saw the scene in the room vividly.


    ¡°Ah! The stomach, the stomach is cut open! Madam is sewing!¡± Mingfang screamed. Ye Fan was so frightened that she lost her mind, dumb like a wooden chicken.


    Zhao Luli strode over and slapped her fiercely, his eyes full of killing intent, ¡°If today¡¯s incident spreads outside, I will rip your skin off! Second madam gave her life to give birth to second young master, remember?¡±


    Mingfang covered her cheek and nodded, Ye Fan hid behind her and wept. Both of them regretted coming here.


    Zhao Luli looked at them gloomily for a while, then walked to the window, his tone became gentle, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, madam, your husband will take care of the aftermath. You saved the second brother¡¯s child and left a bloodline for him. I¡¯m here to thank you on his behalf!¡± After he finished the words he bowed deeply, with uncontrollable gratitude and admiration surging in his chest.


    The old madam also came out, holding the child in her arms, also burst into tears and bowed deeply.


    On the other end, Jinzi rushed to check the sour jujube cake, and it was indeed poisonous. She also found many poisonous snakes in the flowerbeds everywhere, but it was too late to deal with it, and she smelled a strange smell in the dining room, and only after a taste did she realize that the food in the East and West Mansion had been poisoned! If it weren¡¯t for the hectic events today, neither the master nor the servants had the heart to eat, then many people would have died.


    The murderer really rushed from the border to Yanjing to take revenge, and he hated the Zhao family very much. Instead of finding and killing each one with the surname Ye, he would rather kill a thousand by mistake than let one go. Who the hell is this person, how did he get in here, even Madam almost got killed, really hateful!


    Due to the seriousness of the situation, Jinzi did not dare to be arrogate herself, and quickly asked Madam for instructions. After discussing with the master and the old madam, she decided to report to the official. While dealing with the officials who came to investigate the case, she also carried out the funeral for Ruan shi, and also wrote a letter to send to the border pass, asking Zhao Jinyu to rush back to observe the filial piety and take a look at the child.


    Ruan shi¡®s family arrived in the capital three days later, but did not come to the mourning hall to serve the funeral, but rented a courtyard outside to live in temporarily, and then spread rumors that the Madam of the Zhao family had cut open their daughter¡¯s belly, desecrated the body, and angered the gods. She practiced the way of demons, and it¡¯s necessary to dragged her to the market and burned her to death, as a warning for others.

 CH 87

    Chapter 87 Resign


    When such a big thing happened in the Zhao Mansion, Jinzi naturally did not dare to hide it. Worried that His Majesty would misunderstand Madam¡¯s viciousness, she wrote all the details in the secret letter, how she came up with the idea, how she made decision, how she rescued the child, how she hugged him and cried bitterly, and how she put him next to Ruan shi and let the mother and son see the last scene one by one, which made people immersed.


    After receiving the secret letter, Emperor Sheng Yuan read it over and over again. Although his expression was always calm, there were occasional lightning flashes in his blue-black eyes. He squeezed the letter tightly, and his hands gradually began to tremble, as if he was enduring great pain. He hesitated for a while, then finally opened the secret chamber hidden inside the palace hall, intending to enter.


    ¡°Your Majesty, why are you doing this?¡± Baifu had no way of knowing what was written in the secret letter, but he knew that if His Majesty walked into this door, he would go crazy for no reason and severely hurt himself.


    The leader of the dark guard couldn¡¯t help but show his figure, and knelt down to block him, ¡°Your Majesty, let the past things pass, don¡¯t think about it anymore. The things in this room should have been burnt down long ago.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan bypassed him without saying a word and strode inside. The secret room was not spacious, with many luminous pearls inlaid on the four walls, and there was a painting on the wall facing the door. It was said that the Empress Dowager specially found a Dongyang (Japanese) painter to describe the real scene, called Ukiyo-e*. It was very colorful, and the pigments used were specially treated, which could be preserved for thousands of years without rotting.


    As soon as the room came into view, there were large patches of red, and the ground was covered with blood. If it in the past, Emperor Sheng Yuan would have been stimulated into madness, and then recklessly smashed and slashed, he would be unwilling to lie down until he was seriously injured or physically weak.


    The leader of the dark guard and Baifu were already ready to deal with a man-eating beast, but today¡¯s situation was very different. His Majesty stood quietly in front of the painting, and there was no other abnormality except for his clenched hands. He looked at the painting over and over again very calmly, and suddenly laughed in a low voice. There was bitterness and sorrow in his laughter, but more than that, relief.


    When he turned his head, his face was filled with tears, and he picked up the secret letter that¡¯s unknown what was written on it, and read it with a very gentle expression.


    In their anxiety, the leader of the dark guard and Baifu vaguely heard him choking and whispering, ¡°It turns out that Zhen is not a sin, but a hope, a gift, and even more a continuation of mother¡¯s life. Zhen is not a monster, a hell Rakshasa (!!!), Zhen is mother¡¯s child protected with her life!¡± He laughed and laughed then turned to cry, and after crying for a while, he smiled again, it seemed that he was still sane, but it was more frightening than when he was manic.


    The leader of the dark guard and Baifu had never seen him lose his temper like this, they thought he was possessed, and were thinking about whether to invite a wizard to exorcise His Majesty, when they saw him suddenly put away all his expressions and walked out the secret room while wiping his tears with a handkerchief, and said with a deep love in his tone, ¡°Madam has saved Zhen once again, she is worthy of being Zhen¡¯s Madam.¡±


    What exactly was written on the secret letter? It actually cured His Majesty¡¯s madness? The leader of the dark guard and Baifu scratched their hearts and lungs curiously.


    Three days later, their questions were finally answered. It turned out that Madam Guan had cut open the belly of her sister-in-law that died in childbirth, took out the child, and then sewed it up again. This is too formidable, isn¡¯t it?


    Even the murderous dark guards couldn¡¯t bear it, let alone an ordinary people? Therefore, when the Ruan family were shouting everywhere, Madam Guan was scolded as a ¡°witch¡±, and her actions had the effect of stopping children from crying at night. If there was a disobedient child who made a fuss, the elder would said with a tiger face, ¡°If you make trouble again, let the big madam of the Zhao family come to cut you and sew you up again!¡± It without fail kept the child as good as a quail.


    Within three days, the reputation of the Guan family¡¯s benevolence was completely ruined. When people saw the plaque of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, the timid ones would avoid it, and the daring ones would smash it with stones or rotten eggs, and there were also women who believed in Buddhism who sneakily burned paper money at the base of the wall to beat up villains, and drove away evil spirits, which made the Guan house billowing with smoke.


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father didn¡¯t blame their beloved daughter at all, they went out like usual and deal with the situation calmly. They knew that if no one contributed to this matter, it would not have caused such a big fuss. On the surface, it seemed to be aimed at Yiyi, but in fact it was pointing at the Emperor Teacher Mansion. However, they had a clear conscience, and they were not afraid of danger. After waiting for three days, they finally waited until someone attacked from the front.


    Just after being transferred to the imperial secretariat platform, although he was only in his early twenties, Master Song Xuan, who was in charge of the judicial secretariat of Judicial Affairs Department, held the jade tablet and stepped forward. ¡°Report to the emperor, this minister have two person he want to impeach.¡±


    ¡°Present the memorial.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan glanced at him darkly.


    ¡°This minister want to impeach the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies for not educating their children properly, loss personal virtue, and instigated Guan shi to desecrate a body, anger ghosts and gods, and do demonic things. Dissection of a corpse and torture of the dead¡¯ souls are indeed a rare crime in the world, and it also a great evil devoid of all humanity. Still ask the emperor to deal with it fairly, to clear the soul of the deceased, and let the dead sleep in peace.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, a few more people stood up to agree, all of whom were from noble families with powerful foundations.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was about to get angry, but Old Master Guan and Guan Father slowly took off their official hats, removed their official robes, and strode forward to kowtow. Guan Father cupped his hands in salute and said in a dignified tone, ¡°Report to the emperor, the little girl cut open the abdomen, not to desecrate the body or offend the ghosts and gods, but to save the unborn child in the womb. There is a Buddhist saying: ¡®Heaven has the virtue of good life*, saving a life is better than building a seven-level pagoda¡¯, and there¡¯s also a saying : ¡®human life is beyond value, and should not be neglected¡¯. The little girl did not kill a single person, but saved one person. This minister really couldn¡¯t understand where she was wrong. But since everyone said that her saving is wrong, then it¡¯s wrong. This minister and his father exchanged these two black gauze hats for a life. We never feel that we have lost even a little bit, but instead feel very fortunate! This then resign and return home. ¡±


    The old man also cupped his hands in salute and said indignantly, ¡°Justice is not in the hearts of the people, good and evil have their own destiny. Whether the granddaughter of this old man is a witch, the gods are watching, the deceased are watching, and the child who survived is also watching. This old man not only did not feel that she had loss her personal virtues, but also praised her for her immeasurable merits, bronze heart and iron courage, dare to do what others did not do, dare to bear what others could not bear, and is the best woman I have raised in my Guan family. Resigning from office today, this old man do not feel it¡¯s a pity, only feel happy. My Guan family¡¯s thousand-year-old family precepts is just one sentence ¨C Look up worthy of the sky and look down not to be ashamed of people. She has a clear conscience, and I have no complaints or regrets! Your Majesty, this old man take his leave.¡±


    After the words finished, without waiting for the emperor¡¯s response, he led his son to stride away, in honest and upright manner.


    After listening to his impassioned and righteous words, seeing that he did not care about the power at all, saying he left then he left, the civil servants with a little bit strength of character were deeply impressed by him, and the military generals had long been convinced by the old man, they loudly plead for him, some of them had drawn their swords and wanted to hack Song Xuan on the spot.


    People like Guan family¡¯s father and son were really a clear stream in the court, not seeing the family status, no partisanship, no disputes between civil servants and military generals. If you have a reason they will defend you, if you break the law they will impeach you, always consider the matter, not the people. The villain fear them, the gentleman respected them, and the warriors who have always been inflexible were very close to them, always full of adulation.


    If the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies left the court, afraid the civil servants and military generals would fight against each other.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t expect the two Mount-Tai to be so decisive, and left as soon as they said they wanted to leave. When he came back to his senses, he could only smile bitterly. After smiling, he thought of Madam who was criticized badly, and felt another burst of heartache.


    He looked at Song Xuan coldly, and said word by word, ¡°If Zhen remember correctly, Master Song has just entered the Imperial Secretariat platform, and has taken up the position as judicial secretary of Judicial Affairs Department. The duties are judicial participation in the military, managing the prison law, supervise thieves, have knowledge of the stolen goods and bribes that have been confiscated, and review important cases in various places, is it not?¡±


    Song Xuan didn¡¯t understand, so he only agreed, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan said again, ¡°The law of civil punishment has been revised a few days ago, what is the benchmark?¡±


    ¡°People-oriented, human life is beyond value.¡± Song Xuan began to sweat after saying this. He only knew that Guan shi had dissected a body, and her behavior was shocking and inhumane, but he forgot that her original intention was to conform to the way of heaven. Saving a life is better than building a seven-level pagoda, the Buddha would not blame her, and where would it be the turn for mortals to raise an issue.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard for you to remember.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan seemed very pleased, but he quickly asked with a low face, ¡°What is the content of Article 6, Paragraph 7?¡±


    Song Xuan froze for a moment, and when he spoke again his voice was hoarse, ¡°Article 6, Paragraph 7, if a lawsuit involving human life occurs in various places, and the matter involves a capital crime, the local government shall not arbitrarily take action, it must be reported and examined and approved at every level. Death row prisoners can only be executed after the review, and if there are any grievances before the autumn and winter, they can submit a petition and do their best to express their situation, and every time there is a complaint paper, the authorities must check it, cannot shrink one¡¯s duty.¡±


    ¡°So you still remember all.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan looked around the silent court and said slowly, ¡°For death row prisoners, the court still leaves them with a glimmer of life, can an innocent baby be ignored just because he is weak, unable to speak, and unable to move his legs? Do you think Madam Guan was wrong in saving him, and knowing that the fetus in the womb is moving, is it right to buried the child with the mother¡¯s body? Zhen really doesn¡¯t understand your concept of right and wrong, your view of good and evil.¡±


    He stared at Song Xuan with a cold tone, ¡°Knowing that human life can be saved but not saving it, and in turn blaming others for saving it, this kind of confuse remark came from the mouth of judicial secretary, Zhen is deeply shocked and disappointed. If someone were to report a murder case to you for review in the future, would you be as black and white as you are today, with no distinction between good and evil?¡±


    He picked up the brush, and wrote down the dismissal document while speaking slowly, ¡°The law is the foundation of a stable society and it should not be taken lightly. Zhen definitely dare not hand the national law to a person who cannot distinguish right from wrong, who cannot distinguish good from evil. Knowing that there is a small life inside, but he doesn¡¯t even dare to cut open a layer of belly, Master Song has neither courage, nor benevolence, nor loyalty, there is really no positive point. You should not sit in this judicial secretariat position, let it be given others.¡± After the words finished and he looked at the people who supported Song Xuan, shook his heads and sneered, and pointed to a prison officer who spoke for the two Mount Tai, and said, ¡°The new law judicial secretary, report your name.¡±


    The man never expected a huge pie to fall from the sky, which made his head dizzy. He reported his name in a trance, and saw the emperor drop the imperial brush and seal the appointment document, and then flung his sleeves as he left.


    Song Xuan, who was still smug just now, was so pale and slumped to the ground. He was dragged out by two internal attendants and thrown down the steps. His supporters all beat their chests and stomp their feet, and felt great remorse.

 CH 88

    Chapter 88 Make Trouble


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father resigned from their official positions and immediately left the palace to prepare to move. Their current residence was given by the emperor, which was originally the home of a certain prince from the previous dynasty. The regulations were very high, and it was natural that civilians could not live there. Zhong shi didn¡¯t have a single complaint, and immediately ordered the servants to pack the luggage. She also said that the Ruan family was very noisy today. On the way back to their old house, they could drop by to see their daughter, comfort her, and then give Ruan shi a stick of incense.


    Everyone complied, and they got busy quickly.


    As soon as the father and son took off their official hats and walked out of the Forbidden Palace, the Ruan family got the letter and knew that the matter had been done, they could beat the door to humiliate Guan shi and take off a layer of her skin. Even if she was a first-rank madam, without her maiden family to rely on, and her husband was a commoner, was she still not allowed to be trampled on?


    The more violent the riot, the more notorious the Guan family¡¯s reputation would be, and it is impossible to mend it again in the future. Who told them to be ignorant and stand in others¡¯ way?


    Carrying tens of thousands of taels of silver tickets he had just obtained, Ruan Father and Ruan Mother wore mourning clothes, wiped away their tears, led the whole family to block the door of General Zhengbei Mansion, and insisted that the Zhao family should give them an explanation.


    ¡°My good daughter was handed over to your general, but she ended up like this after a few years. Not only did she die an unknown death, but her body was also cut open by a knife. If the soul of our daughter can¡¯t enter the underworld and can¡¯t be reborn, won¡¯t she become a wandering lone ghost, unable to cultivate in the afterlife? Back then, her father-in-law got into a lawsuit and was arrested and imprisoned, but it was my master who supported him left and right to get him out. When she was engaged, you kept saying that you would treat her well to repay this kindness, is this your way of repaying? Call your old madam out, I will confront her face to face!¡±


    Seeing that there were more and more people watching the scene, and they already surrounded three layers outside and three layers inside of both the East and West Mansion, the housekeeper was sweating profusely and even said, ¡°Oh, old madam, who did you listen to say such nonsense? The second young master was born after the second madam put her life at stake, how can there be cutting her open to take him out! If there is any misunderstandings, let¡¯s go in and explain, don¡¯t let outsiders see the joke.¡±


    ¡°Is it a misunderstanding? You take out the body and let me see her belly to know. I heard it for real, your eldest madam is very powerful. She cut open her belly and sewed it up with needles and thread. What do you think of my daughter? A sackcloth bag? If you are so disrespectful to the dead, you will go to hell in the future!¡± Ruan Mother spat fiercely on the ground, her expression extremely ferocious.


    Some busybody got excited and shouted, ¡°This sister-in-law is right, is it misunderstanding or not, just carry the body out so we can take a look, what¡¯s the point of talking nonsense?¡±


    ¡°Bring it out, bring it out, bring it out quickly!¡± The people shouting, some with green eyes, waiting to see the corpse.


    This curiosity-hunting psychology was very infectious. Once the public sentiment leaked out, it would be like a flood, then it could not be controlled. In a short while, the originally timid person who was like a mouse also shouted, wishing to directly jump over the wall and break into the mourning hall.


    At this moment, the door opened in response to the sound. Guan Suyi led the Zhao family out slowly, and said lightly, ¡°Madam Ruan, I¡¯m here to confront you. You said that I desecrated the body and made the soul uneasy, but you are so noisy and want to examine her body in public, isn¡¯t it blasphemy? She is still your own flesh and blood, and you won¡¯t leave her the last shred of dignity?¡±


    Then she looked at the crowd, her voice was high, ¡°The soul of the deceased will stay in this world for seven days, and ghosts and gods are also stays three feet above our head. Everyone looks up to the sky, and then lowers your heads to touch their conscience. Making such a noise at other people¡¯s funerals, even intending to trespass into the mourning hall, open the coffin, and carry out the body, who is losing their conscience? Who is offending the gods?¡±


    The crowd, who were still agitated, suddenly felt their scalps numb and their backs shivered, so they closed their mouths and lowered their heads. With just one sentence, the scene was so quiet that one could hear a needle dropped.


    Seeing that she was able to calm the scene so well, Ruan Father couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious, and said angrily, ¡°You cut up my daughter, do you have any reason?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have a reason, what do you want? My sister-in-law¡¯s funeral is still going on. I don¡¯t have time to messing around with you. You can directly explain your intention.¡±


    ¡°I want you to kneel in front of my daughter¡¯s spirit and kowtow to her for a complete seven seven forty-nine day*, and then perform a water and land ritual* for seven seven forty-nine day for her, write a mourning letter to admit your guilt, and then burn it as the sacrifice to the sky to help her reincarnated. Although my Ruan family is neither an official family nor a wealthy family, we will not covet your compensation, but only ask for a restful sleep for my daughter, can you do it?¡± Ruan Father¡¯s ¡°devotion to righteousness¡± seemed authentic.


    Somebody in the crowd shouted good, as if in admiration, and was stunned by the Zhao family¡¯s little maid¡¯ glare and then shrank back.


    Guan Suyi nodded calmly, ¡°Since you are so highly principled, I will give you an accurate word. I did cut open my sister-in-law¡¯s stomach, so I should kowtow to her, I should help her transcend, and I should apologize to her. I accept all the conditions proposed by your family.¡±


    Is she admit it? Accepted? Didn¡¯t they say that Guan shi was difficult to deal with? Why she not argue a few words, then tear it apart and make the situation worse? Ruan Father and Ruan Mother were feeling uneasy, and saw her turn around again, took the little baby in the old madam¡¯s arms, her face facing the direction of everyone, and slowly said, ¡°You have arrived in Yanjing for three days, and also making trouble at the door for half a day, during these three to four days, you have not come to worship before the spirit, and you have never mentioned this grandson. It seems that you don¡¯t want to recognize him. When my sister-in-law was dying, she desperately took her last breath to ask me to save this child. So even if I knew I shouldn¡¯t done it, and knew that the gods and ghosts should not be offended, I still cut her to take him out. You let me kowtow, I can; let me perform rituals to help her ascend, I can; let me admit that I did something wrong, that I cannot. Saving this child is the best thing I have done in my life, and I have no regrets.¡±


    The child¡¯s immature face was seen by everyone, and their hostility slowly dissipated, causing them to regain their senses one after another. They were vaguely wondering if they were going too far, and then heard Madam Guan said word by word, ¡°Since you think I shouldn¡¯t have cut the abdomen and rescued him, then that¡¯s fine. After we buried my sister-in-law, you should go back, never come to the door again, and don¡¯t recognize him, just treat him as¡­ in his mother¡¯s womb.¡±


    In any case, she couldn¡¯t say the word ¡°dead¡±, she swallowed it, and gently stroked the baby¡¯s hair, ¡°Anyway, in your hearts, he should not exist, but since he survived, I also can¡¯t stuff him back, can only take good care of him. You are making this scene today, and keep saying that I shouldn¡¯t have save him, how sad he will be after he know when he grows up? Rather than that happened, it¡¯s better to hide it forever and sever the relationship. There is no need for you to threaten, I have already discussed with Master Xuan Guang that tomorrow I will transfer the coffin to Jueyin Temple to hold a ritual ceremony. You didn¡¯t come to worship for the first three days, I hope that in the next few days you will send my sister-in-law away peacefully, just regard it  as a little family affection.¡±


    Ruan Father and Ruan Mother were very anxious when they heard this. They came to make trouble, how could they think of their grandson¡¯s situation? To say that Guan shi made a mistake, doesn¡¯t it mean to deny the existence of their grandson? In the coming year, he would grow up and understand things, and Guan shi would talk about today¡¯s situation, how could he not resent the Ruan family! Seeing that the main house of Zhao Mansion has collapsed, the second house was at its peak, and they could live a good life in their hometown, all relying on the illustrious name of their son-in-law. Now that their daughter had died and the grandson severed ties with them, when Zhao Jinyu married a new wife, who would remember who the Ruan family was? Relatives of which tablet?


    The nobleman¡¯s mission has been completed, but he missed the big matter for his family, it was like picking up sesame seeds and lost the watermelon*. If the second house¡¯s son did not recognize them, no matter how much wealth they have, they would not be able to keep them, and even worse, they would fall very quickly!


    Ruan Father was sweating profusely and his hands and feet were cold. He was just about to think of an excuse to ease the relationship between the two families, and then heard Zhao Luli indifferently said, ¡°Madam cut open the abdomen to take the child is not for anything else, just to save the bloodline of the second house. It is said that the general die in a hundred battles, and the strong man return in ten years*. My younger brother is wholeheartedly loyal, his braveness is unmatched. Every time he went to battle, he will charge forward, not afraid of death. My Zhao family is well aware, whether he can come back alive in this life is unknown. With this bloodline, the second house has retained its roots. My Zhao family not only did not feel that Madam was wrong, but also kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times to thank her for her kindness. When my little nephew grows up and understand things, he will also perform this big rite, never dare to forget!¡± Then he pulled up his robe and knelt down heavily.


    The old madam also said with tears in her eyes, ¡°Since Ruan shi married into our family, she has never made any omissions. She was filial to her elders, she was kind to the juniors, she was also considerate to her husband, virtuous and warm. Seeing her suffered such a calamity, I¡¯m also heartbroken, with her last breath she desperately asked us to save the child, how could we turn a deaf ear and let her die with unresolved grievance? I told Suyi to cut her belly open, if you have any dissatisfaction, you will come to me!¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Chunxi cried out, ¡°Grandmother, where you done wrong? Mom, where you done wrong? Granddaughter dreamed of second aunt last night, she asked me to thank mom on her behalf, saying that in the next life she will become an ox and a horse for her to repay her kindness of saving the second brother. Mom, daughter will kowtow on her behalf.¡± Immediately afterwards, she knelt down with his father and kowtowed sincerely.


    Zhao Wangshu hurriedly knelt down and there were big tears in the corners of his eyes.


    Passersby thought of General Zhengbei, who was still defending against foreign aggression at the border, and looked at the Zhao family who were kneeling on the ground. Only then did they realize that Madam Guan¡¯s move was not only to desecrated the body, but also saved the seedling of the second house and continued the family bloodline, for a mother, where she done wrong?


    One of the mothers in the crowd finally burst into tears, shouting loudly, ¡°Piss off, you men can¡¯t distinguish right and wrong! If anyone saves my child, don¡¯t talk about the next life, to be an ox and a horse for her in this life, I¡¯m also willing! Madam Guan is benevolent and righteous, and she is really a role model for my female generation! What are you arguing about, go home and take the children, do you still count on this people that neither know how to give birth nor know how to raise them?¡±


    ¡°How can I count on them? The most bitter thing in the world is still a woman. Just walk and go home to nurse the child.¡± The woman who was also a mother bowed to Madam Guan from afar, wiped her tears and left. It was difficult for those who had never been a mother to understand their feelings, but they gradually understood and follow suit. Only some idle men were still standing at the door to watch the fun.


    At this moment, Old Master Guan and Guan Father, who had been watching on the roadside for a long time slowly walked up the steps and bowed their heads in all directions.


    ¡°I want everyone to know that our father and son were impeached for offending ghosts and gods, and now have resigned from official positions, and returned home. Everyone said that my granddaughter has done something wrong, but my answer is the same as hers, where is it wrong? I¡¯d be more than happy to exchange two official hats for this little guy¡¯s life!¡±


    Guan Father also said slowly, ¡°Heaven has the virtue of good life, and human life is even greater than heaven, and we as mortals dare not stand idly by.¡±


    Guan Suyi looked at the family around her, and at the child who slept soundly with a small mouth in her arms. Tears slowly filled her eyes. She was about to return to the house and close the door when she heard a sharp voice coming from behind the crowd, ¡°The emperor has arrived!¡±


    It was actually Emperor Sheng Yuan who personally chased after the Emperor Teacher to invite him to return to the court.

 CH 89

    Chapter 89 Visit


    Suddenly, many armored and heavily armed guards came from the other end of the street. They used their halberds to break up the crowd and shouted in unison, ¡°Welcoming the Emperor!¡± Then there were several lines of imperial guards riding tall horses escorting a jade chariot, all steadily came to the front of Zhao Mansion.


    Looking at this pomp and momentum, the emperor is actually here!


    The crowd immediately dropped down, shouting Long Live Your Majesty. Guan Suyi hurriedly hugged the child, followed her grandfather and father to welcome the Emperor, and then saw a dark figure coming down from the jade chariot from a distance. He was very tall and strong, with handsome facial features, and a deep silhouette, completely different from the gentle and jade-like man of the Central Plains. Instead he carried a sharpness and ruthlessness of frozen snowfield, even more, had a majestic and extraordinary feeling of arduous mountains and rivers.


    If it added a beard, who wouldn¡¯t think it¡¯s Hunnar? Hunnar, Huo Shengzhe? Yes, ¡°Huo¡± was the Central Plains surname for ¡°Hu¡±, ¡°Shengzhe¡± was said to be the Central Plains¡¯ name that Emperor Sheng Yuan was given to himself, and the source was ¡°Li Sao¡±, f¨± w¨¦i sh¨¨ng zh¨¦ y¨« m¨¤o x¨ªng x¨©*, it means a perfect person with extraordinary intelligence and morality.


    He is the emperor, doesn¡¯t it means he¡¯s a ¡°perfect person¡±? What a bastard, he even dares plotting to rob other people¡¯s wife, one after another at that, could it be he have a special hobby, and that he likes women who already married? Guan Suyi felt that she was about to explode with anger. If a little spark was splashed on her body, she would burn up in an instant.


    She resisted her anger and walked up close to kneel, but she didn¡¯t expect this person to be so daring. He didn¡¯t consider helping her grandfather and father to get up, and obviously he saw she had stand up, but he still pretended to help her, and then gently squeezed her slender arms.


    Lecher! She raised her eyes and glared at him fiercely, and quickly suppressed the unnecessary emotions.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan no longer cared what Madam would think. He couldn¡¯t wait for a moment to see her.


    ¡°This is the child that Madam worked so hard to save?¡± He pretended not to notice Madam¡¯s anger, bent down, bowed his head, and looked at the child in her arms, his face was inevitably close to her, and even their breath were mix together, producing a scorching temperature and a rich aroma. She was cinnamon, he was ambergris, and for a moment it was very intoxicating.


    Guan Suyi desperately wanted to avoid him, but because the other party was so tall and his aura was too majestic and powerful, he brought her whole body under his control, there was no way to hide, only obedience.


    ¡°Back to the emperor, this child is the virtuous nephew.¡± Zhao Luli stepped forward to answer, and seamlessly pulled his wife to his side. Seeing the emperor stood together with Madam holding the child, in an intimate posture like they were one family, he felt his eyes sting and his heart trembled, as if something important was about to lose.


    ¡°It¡¯s inconvenient here, please ask the emperor to move inside.¡± He pointed to the front door.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded slightly, but he did not take the lead in entering, but respectfully went to support the old master, and said warmly, ¡°Emperor Teacher, you leave as soon as you said leave, it really makes Zhen helpless. After the court finished Zhen rushed to the Emperor Teacher Mansion to apologize, only to learn that you actually going to move to the old house, so chased all the way here. You taught Zhen many things, and Chief of Ceremonies is also Zhen¡¯s trusted aide, Zhen cannot lose any of you. Zhen is here to ask you to return to the court and continue to assist Zhen. Saving a person¡¯s life is better than building a seven-level pagoda, even the Buddha said that, Zhen really don¡¯t understand why when Madam saved a life, she became a monster?¡±


    He turned to look at the Ruan family, who were kneeling at the door, and said with a cold tone, ¡°Your family has come to Yanjing for three days, but neither come to worship the deceased¡¯s soul nor visit the orphan. But instead accepted bribes, spread rumors everywhere, and ruined the reputation of the Emperor Teacher Mansion. You keep saying that you want justice for your daughter, and bluntly said that Madam should not cut open the abdomen to take the child out, very good, you don¡¯t have to recognize this child. Take the fifty thousands taels of silver that Wang Youpeng gave you and go home. In your hearts, blood kinship is probably not as precious as gold and silver.¡±


    Wang Youpeng? The son of Prime Minister Wang? It turned out that he ordered it. Old Master Guan and Guan Father looked at each other, each with their own thought.


    The Ruan family slumped to the ground, despairing in their hearts. The emperor personally spoke to them and ordered them to cut off their relationship with the child, then the Ruan family would really have nothing to do with the General Zhengbei Mansion from now on! The family property earned by relying on the prestige of his son-in-law over the years would be divided in an instant. However, this was nothing, there¡¯s a more terrible catastrophe waiting for them.


    Most of the onlookers who refused to disperse were street thugs or mercenaries, who were armed with martial arts to commit crimes. In order to pick up a few coins to buy wine, they even dare to pick up the graves of the dead, what else they couldn¡¯t do? They were the ones who were clamoring to open the coffin for an autopsy today, and they felt very powerful just now, but at this moment they felt a blade hanging on their necks, at death¡¯s door.


    The emperor said that they were carrying huge wealth. If they left the Zhao Mansion today, they would be corpses on the streets tomorrow, and their families would be destroyed! Fifty thousands taels of silver was not a small amount. For the common people who have no support, it was tantamount to a child who was swaggering through the market with golden bricks in his arms, just courting death.


    Ruan Father and Ruan Mother were drenched in cold sweat, as if they were mourning their dead mother, and the rest of the juniors also looked left and right, too frighten to speak, always feeling that everyone looked at them with murderous and fierce light in their eyes.


    Hearing the sound of the Zhao Mansion¡¯s door being slammed shut, these people woke up from their stupor and rushed up the steps to beat desperately, ¡°In-law, open the door! Madam, open the door! Let us in to give our daughter a stick of incense! You have been merciful and righteous, you have saved our poor grandson, our hearts must be covered with lard to slander you everywhere. We are not human, we are beasts, we will kowtow and admit our mistakes, only please open the door and let us go in to guard our daughter.¡±


    If they could not enter the Zhao house and have the protection of the General Zhengbei Mansion, the Ruan family, who had a huge fortune of fifty thousand taels, would have no other way but to die. Even after the funeral was completed, if they want to go back to their hometown, they have to depend on the General Zhengbei Mansion to send hundreds of soldiers to escort them.


    However, now they had released rumors, directly scolding Madam Guan for destroying human remains and practicing demonic ways, which also equivalent to saying that their grandson should not survive and a filthy thing. Their words and deeds had long cut off their ways to survive, it¡¯s too late to regret it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t knock, they won¡¯t open the door for you. Didn¡¯t you listen to the old madam just now? She asked Madam Guan to cut the stomach in order to keep the bloodline for the second house. That General Zhao don¡¯t have it easy, maybe this is the only seedling in this life, you still insisted to let people stuff it back, and made a ruckus so all over Yanjing know that you not only called Madam Guan a witch, but also called your grandson a goblin, this reputation is much worse than a coffin child*. I also don¡¯t know what you were thinking, it¡¯s not easy for the grandson to survive, and you have to give him this reputation, then how he live with himself when he grows up? Not to mention that the Zhao family can¡¯t tolerate you, that is, when the child understand thing in the future, carrying a reputation of evil monster, he will definitely hate you to the bone!¡± A discerning man shook his head and sighed.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it! If my family were in this situation like the Zhao family, let alone the child in the mother¡¯s belly,  even if it¡¯s in the cow¡¯s belly, the horse¡¯s belly, or even in the cracks on the ground, I would have to try my best to get him out. To have only this one drop of blood and bone in one lifetime, even if it kills me, I¡¯m willing!¡±


    ¡°Exactly, the heir is the most important thing. In the end, Madam Guan is still very courageous.¡± The onlookers slowly dispersed while discussing and sighing, but a few were hiding in the dark, staring at the Ruan family.


    The Ruan family was ashamed and embarrassed, and wished they could run away. They only saw the immediate benefits, how could they think that if Guan shi¡¯s reputation was bad means the grandson¡¯s reputation was also bad? Ruan Mother grabbed Ruan Father¡¯s ear and scolded him for being greedy for money. Ruan Father pushed her away, blaming her for her shallow eyelids. After accusing each other, they continued to kowtow, hoping that the Zhao family would accommodate them.


    After knocking for about a quarter of an hour, the corner door opened, and the housekeeper of the Zhao Mansion leaned out half of his body and said impatiently, ¡°Don¡¯t put on an act, who still doesn¡¯t know who? You won¡¯t come to worship after arriving for three days, but now you are in a hurry. The eldest Madam asked me to tell you that the official memorial ceremony will only start tomorrow, and you should go to Jueyin Temple at yinshi (3-5am).¡± Then he slammed the door, almost knocking Ruan Father¡¯s nose.


    Tomorrow at yinshi , then how they spend the night? Everyone was terrified. They knelt down for a long time before left in fear. However, they were met by several waves of bandits that night, and their money was looted. Fortunately, the emperor rectified the social atmosphere, strengthened defense, and cracked down on crimes, so that no one was killed. But once again, when it rains it pours, the news that the Ruan family had cut off relations with the General Zhengbei Mansion was send back to their hometown. Thousands of hectares of fertile land were carved up by the local nobles, leaving only a dilapidated house to live in.


    A good and wealthy family, in a blink of an eye, ended in a tragic end. It was difficult to make a living after the great changes, so they had to often run to Zhao Mansion to plead guilty and wanted to recognize their grandson, but they couldn¡¯t even get through the door. But this is a story for later, let¡¯s not mention it for now.


    Inside the courtyard wall, Emperor Sheng Yuan helped Old Master Guan to the front of the mourning hall, and personally lit a stick of incense for him, waited for him to worship and inserted it into the incense burner, only then he himself lit a stick, made sufficient respectful appearance, and appropriate etiquette, giving the Zhao Mansion a big face.


    The second daughter-in-law died violently, and the eldest daughter-in-law was discredited by the Ruan family, so few people came to attend the funeral. Seeing the deserted mourning hall and the incense burning, the old madam used to feel desolate, but now she regain her spirit again. It didn¡¯t matter if others come or not, the Emperor Teacher came, Chief of Ceremonies came, and even the emperor also came, just those three were worth the honor of the whole Yanjing.


    The second daughter-in-law had her spirit in heaven, and she had no regrets when she died.


    ¡°The mourning hall is gusting with wind, and the rain is miserable, afraid of hurting the dragon¡¯s body, still ask the emperor to move to the main hall to rest for a while and use some food.¡± After everyone finished inserting the incense stick and burn paper money, Guan Suyi opened her mouth to invite.


    ¡°Alright. Zhen is here to persuade Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies to return to the court. It¡¯s inconvenient to talk here, so let¡¯s go to the main hall. Emperor Teacher please, Chief of Ceremonies please, Madam please.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan seemed to be polite and easy-going, but he deliberately added ¡°Madam please¡±, telling Guan Suyi to follow even if she didn¡¯t want to.


    The rest of the people were just commoner, so it was inconvenient to accompany them, only knelt down to salute and avoided them. Zhao Chunxi kept looking back at the tall, strong and majestic man, and sighed in her heart: It turns out that this is the man whose mother chose to abandoned her husband and abandoned her children to cling to, sure enough he is mighty and powerful, with phoenix exterior and dragon looks*. However, it¡¯s lonely at the top, what did she get after she exhausted all her scheme? After being demoted from Ye Jieyu to Ye Cainu, this life is probably already hopeless.


    She was sympathetic for a while, helpless for a while, and finally abandoned her distracting thoughts and slowly walked away.

 CH 90

    Chapter 90 Lingering Scent


    In the open and bright hall, Emperor Shen Yuan did not put up any imperial airs. Seeing that there was a small round table for four people to sit around in the center, he immediately walked over and invited the Emperor Teacher to take a seat. Old Master Guan was ashamed and dared not accept it and refused several times, but he forcibly pressed him down. He also asked Chief of Ceremonies to sit on the left and himself on the right, so Guan Suyi was sandwiched between the two, facing her grandfather.


    The group exchanged some pleasantries, and then a servant girl brought snacks and tea trays. Minglan carried the child to the main house, leaving Jinzi and Baifu to serve in the hall.


    When Emperor Shen Yuan saw Madam lowered her head and eyes, only staring at the steaming teacup, without even looking at himself, he couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious, secretly touched her with his toes, tried to appeal: Madam, just look at Zhen, and let Zhen be at ease.


    It¡¯s a pity that Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t hear him at all, and she scolded him a hundred or eighty times in her head, but because of her grandfather and father, she had to hold back.


    Emperor Shen Yuan saw that she was unresponsive, like a wooden person without saying a word, so he guessed that she must be angry. However, now he couldn¡¯t care whether she was angry or annoyed, whether she would distanced herself from him. The last shackles around his neck had been lifted, and now he was going to show Madam who the person who wooed her was and what kind of identity he had.


    He had a lifetime to appease her anger and incite her love. What Zhao Luli could give her, he could give; what Zhao Luli couldn¡¯t give, he could also give, and he would give the best in the world!


    Full of affection but could not express his feelings, gave hint but Madam pretended not to know, Emperor Shen Yuan couldn¡¯t help but use the cover of the gorgeous tablecloth to hold her slender wrist.


    Guan Suyi felt her wrist suddenly tighten, and her palm was pulled over by someone and firmly held, she couldn¡¯t break free no matter what, couldn¡¯t help but secretly scolded: The earthy Emperor (local tyrant) really made his fortune by burning, killing, looting, and acting like a bandit. After robbing other people¡¯s original partner, then come to rob their second wife, could it be he¡¯s addicted to it? If it¡¯s an addiction, then go to the imperial physician to cure the disease, drink some medicine!


    Taking advantage of the gap between her grandfather and father drinking tea, she glared fiercely, only to see a cold and serious face, and she couldn¡¯t help but get angry.


    Feeling the softness and warmth in his palm, as well as the occasional twitching movement, Emperor Shen Yuan smiled satisfactorily and said, ¡°Emperor Teacher, Chief of Ceremonies, you two will go to the public security office in a while. Zhen have already brought the official hat and official robe. Without you in the court, Zhen¡¯s heart feel very empty, and cannot do anything steadily.¡±


    ¡°Still ask the emperor to please forgive, this humble one is old and in low spirits, wants to stay at home to nurture one¡¯s years and enjoy some leisure life, and do not want to go the court to work hard. I¡¯m old, I really cannot accept it.¡± Old Master Guan resolutely refused, Guan Father also echoed softly.


    ¡°Why are you in low spirits? You are clearly very strong! Zhen will call the imperial physician to examine you. For the sake of one child, Zhen have lost two good teachers, Zhen is very heartbroken!¡± Emperor Shen Yuan¡¯s tone was sincere, his expression was sorrowful, and it was actually quite inspiring. That if one ignored that he forcibly clasped Madam¡¯s ten fingers with his left hand. (TN: I think it supposed to be his right hand because she sit to his right)


    Guan Suyi really wanted to get angry but also found it laughable. In her two lifetimes she had never seen anyone more shameless than Huo Shengzhe. In front of her grandfather and father, he dare to done such frivolous things, no wonder he could abduct Ye Zhen away.


    She struggled but couldn¡¯t get away, she dodged but couldn¡¯t tear it away, so she had to relax her strength, and when the person also loosened his strength, she pulled her hand back. Unexpectedly, he was so cunning, he quickly inserted his five fingers between hers, firmly clasped her palms, and pressed it against his strong thigh.


    Through the fabric, she could feel the tightness of his leg¡¯s muscles, and the place where the palms were touching was even more steaming, beads of sweat were frequent, and soon it was damp. But he didn¡¯t find it sticky at all, and he didn¡¯t dislike being dirty at all, his palm were rubbing around without stopping. If it wasn¡¯t for the sound of chanting sutras outside, that damp patch sound would have been heard by her grandfather and father long ago.


    Guan Suyi was so embarrassed that her ears turned red, she secretly squirmed several times, but the person found it even more interesting, and actually pulled her hand to his crotch. So shocked, she almost jumped up, and had to honestly buckle him. But looking at his expression again, it was still so sincere and mournful, indeed a beast in human clothes.


    Embarrassed and angry, she did not wait for her grandfather to speak before she rebuked, ¡°Your Majesty is wrong. What do you mean for the sake of one child? You must know that children is the most precious wealth of a family and therefore a country. If there are no thousands upon thousands of successor, how can Wei Kingdom will have centuries of great achievements and prosperous world? The future of the child is the future of the family and the future of the country. From the day he was conceived in his mother¡¯s womb, she would have devoted all her efforts for him. Your Majesty is not from the Central Plains, you may not understand our attachment to our children and bloodline continuation. Take the most simple example, Ye Hao, the eldest grandson of the Ye family. The baby was wearing a treasure map, and Ye Quanyong, who had no regard for others his whole life, in order to protect him willing to bury the nine clans of the Ye family alongside the Zhao family. This is the power of bloodline, and it¡¯s also the power of children. As long as the breath is alive, the spark can start a prairie fire. Therefore, there is a saying in the Central Plains called ¡®Don¡¯t deceive the young and the poor¡®, because they have infinite possibilities and futures.¡±


    She struggled again, but the grip tightened, so she had grit her teeth and continue, ¡°The Ruan family poured dirty water on my head is equivalent to throwing dirty water on the child¡¯s head. If I were a witch, what would the child be? A demon? This kind of reputation, how will he live with himself in the future? My Guan family have been teaching and educating people for many generations, we can do without brocade clothing and fame and fortune, but we can¡¯t destroy any child or miss any piece of good talent. Today my grandfather and father justified his name in the court, I refuse to admit my mistake in front of the mansion, and when he understand things, I can tell him that he is a child who is loved and looked forward to, not some kind of demon.¡±


    She looked at her grandfather and father with tears in her eyes, ¡°Although the two elders have been implicated, I know they are willing in their hearts. Our Guan Family uphold a principle in everything we do, not against our hearts, to have clear conscience and to have no regrets.¡± she turned to look at Emperor Shen Yuan again, and said bluntly, ¡°Your Majesty, if you want to blame, then blame me for acting carelessly, not being able to control the family, and let the wind leak out. Don¡¯t blame the child even the slightest bit. He had just been born, pure white like a piece of paper, isn¡¯t he innocent?¡±


    To sum it up, she still refused to admit that she was wrong, her temper was indeed stubborn, but Emperor Shen Yuan was even more reluctant to let her go. Every word that Madam spit out struck a chord in his heart and fell to the bottom of his heart. If there was such a person who protected him everywhere and justified his name back then, why did he have to struggle in hell? Why fight within the glint and flash of cold steel, and walked alone in the blood and rain? If he could marry Madam, and obtained a little bit of her love, he would die without regrets.


    Thinking like this, he was already overwhelmed with emotions, and difficult to control himself.


    Seeing the solemn expression on the emperor¡¯s face, Old Master Guan didn¡¯t speak for a long time, thinking that he was annoyed at his granddaughter. Cutting open the stomach was already shocking enough, she still dislike that her tail has not been swept clean. This was her one shortcoming, always said whatever she thought, without any disguise.


    This child is just too upright, loves to speak the truth, really resemble himself. Sighing in his heart, Old Master Guan had no alternative but to help out, ¡°What Yiyi means is that the emperor should not take his anger on this child. Everyone in the world says it is good to be an official, but I think it¡¯s best to educate people. Being an official can rule a dynasty, but educating people can make all generations prosper. Creating this enlighten achievement, I dare to undertake this responsibility.¡±


    Guan Father also smiled and agreed, feeling like a clear and fresh scene after the rain.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan secretly kneaded Madam¡¯s pale and slender fingertips and pleaded, ¡°Just now is Zhen who made a slip of the tongue, please everyone do not blame. Emperor Teacher, no one knows Zhen¡¯s situation better than you. At that time when Zhen first pay respect under you, although Zhen can read and understand books, but can¡¯t even write Han characters completely. Now that Zhen finally drink some ink, but you said you want to resign from your post, then how can Zhen deal with those people in the court? The imperial family wants to control Zhen, the noble and aristocrat family wants to overstep Zhen, the poor official cannot help, the generals are too vulgar and only know how to hack and kill. If there are no you two to make strategy, advise, and admonish, Zhen really don¡¯t know how many stupid things will Zhen do. Even if you don¡¯t look at Zhen¡¯s face, please look at the face of the common people and return to the court to continue assisting Zhen.¡±


    He let out a long sigh and said in a sad tone, ¡°Really cannot blame the people for saying that it¡¯s lonely at the top, being an emperor is destined to be lonely and widowed*. Isn¡¯t that what happened to Zhen now? It¡¯s hard to get two good teachers and friends, and they have to leave Zhen too.¡± As he said this, his eyes were already red, and the bluffed Old Master Guan and Guan Father hurriedly consoled him, their hearts were wavering.


    Guan Suyi admired Huo Shengzhe so much that she almost bow down to him, his one sentence actually almost made people to shed tears, and anyone who didn¡¯t know were still thought he was affectionate and sincere. In fact, he secretly played with her five fingers under the table and almost rub off a layer of her skin.


    When she couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and wanted to flip the table and gave him a few slaps, the housekeeper walked to the door tremblingly, knelt down and said, ¡°This servant has seen Your Majesty, Emperor Teacher, Chief of Ceremonies. Madam, today there are a lot of distinguished guests, the old madam asked you to go to the dining room to see what dishes should be served, the cook doesn¡¯t know the tastes of several nobles, so he doesn¡¯t dare to take it on himself, and is waiting for your instruction.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go right now.¡± Guan Suyi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the emperor should have given up now, but she didn¡¯t expect him to continue to hold her like he didn¡¯t hear anything.


    ¡°Your Majesty, what do you want to eat, this subject woman will prepare it?¡± she asked suggestively.


    Only then did Emperor Sheng Yuan, who was talking ¡°seriously¡± with the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies, looked at her and said in a deep voice, ¡°Every time Zhen dined with Emperor Teacher, he always says that the imperial chefs in the palace are not as skilled as his granddaughter. Zhen finally got to see Madam, is it possible to be fortunate enough to taste Madam¡¯s craftsmanship? It doesn¡¯t matter which dishes, just pick what you are best at.¡±


    As soon as he comes, let her wash hands and make soup* for him, can his face be thicker? Guan Suyi was furious, but had to nod in agreement, and after struggling to get free again, she escaped and quickly led Jinzi out of the hall and walked fast.


    Only then did Emperor Shen Yuan raise his sweaty left hand, pretending to touch the tip of his nose, but in fact smelling the strong fragrance left on it, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of intoxication appeared. After today, he would no longer take a roundabout way to court Madam. Without damaging her reputation, he wanted to let her reconcile as soon as possible, and marry into the imperial family in a grand way and become his empress.


    Mother of the country, these four words can only be afforded by Madam.

 CH 91

    Chapter 91 Dead Refusal


    Guan Suyi cooked a few dishes that her grandfather and father loved the most, fetch a few pots of wine she brewed, picked out a little and fed them to the rabbits, chickens and ducks, and made sure they were not poisoned before letting Baifu personally deliver them.


    ¡°Madam, won¡¯t you go and accompany His Majesty to have dinner?¡± Jinzi asked bravely. No one knew better than her why His Majesty was here. Once he lost control of his emotions, it¡¯s unknown what would happen. Although recently he became a bear (tn: meaning timid), bears can eat people too!


    ¡°I have guessed before that you were sent from the palace, eight out of ten is the emperor¡¯s person. But I never thought that the emperor was Hunnar.¡± Guan Suyi washed her hands expressionlessly and scraped her nail seams clean.


    It was precisely because she had a plan in her mind that she did not avoid Jinzi in everything she done. No one is perfect. Grandfather and father were very loyal, capable, and their reputation was increasing. There were hardly any slander for them on the street, they were all praises. This was not a good thing in the eyes of the superior. It was often said that ¡°those whose accomplishments overshadow the master is always in danger, and those who are brave to shake the master will die.¡± Defeating oneself at the right moment was an effective way to avoid it.


    She was actually reluctant letting her grandfather and father pour dirty water on themselves, ruining their clean names and nobleness. Even when she leave Jinzi behind, she did not expect that there were even more dirty conspiracy hidden behind it.


    Jinzi¡¯s tears came out, and she quickly knelt down and pleaded guilty, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t think too much, this servant is ordered to protect you and have no intention to spy on you. Since this servant came to you, have never done anything to let you down, please don¡¯t drive this servant away. Madam please!¡±


    ¡°You are a good girl, very capable, and loyal to the master.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s tone was flat, ¡°Get up, I won¡¯t drive you away. If I drive you away, I don¡¯t know who else he will send to take over, it¡¯s better for everyone to save all of these back and forth things.¡±


    Jinzi felt ashamed and guilty, and repeatedly kowtowed. Seeing that Madam left the dining room and walked toward the mourning hall, she hurriedly followed suit, never dare to ask her to go back to serve His Majesty again.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan waited bitterly for Madam who didn¡¯t return, but he was accompanied by Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies so it was inconvenient to inquire, let alone chase after her, he had no choice but to eat without tasting the food.


    At the same time, the news of the emperor¡¯s visit to the Zhao Mansion had already spread to everyone, and some judicial officials had received signal from the top, and spread the word of how the Emperor Teacher, Chief of Ceremonies and Song Xuan presented the memorials in the court, justifying Guan family¡¯s name, Madam¡¯s name, and the child¡¯s name; and sent dozens of Confucian scholars to explain the regulations of the new law in detail for the common people.


    What happened in the Zhao family was nothing but anecdotes, after it was passed along on the street, it would not be long before people forget them. But the laws of the country were closely related to their livelihood and even their life, how could they not care? In the past, there were also small officials who distributed the pamphlets of ¡°The Law of Civil Punishment¡± from house to house, telling them to study the law of the country well, which could come in handy at critical moments. They also said that The Law of Civil Punishment was a law specially formulated by the emperor for the common people, and its purpose was to maintain the people¡¯s interests.


    Those officials, what pleasant thing can they says? What nasty thing that can¡¯t be done? Just listen to it, don¡¯t take it seriously. This was the thinking of most people, but it was completely subverted at this moment. For a newborn baby, in order to wash away his demon¡¯s stigma, Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies both resigned from their official positions and returned to their old home!


    That was the Emperor Teacher, a big man more honorable than the prime minister! Chief of Ceremonies also the head of Nine Ministers, too high to reach! But just like that, the two Mount Tai and North Star*  took off their official robes and leave just because the words ¡°wrongly save¡±, which showed that The Law of Civil Punishment was by no means a joke. After the emperor¡¯s reprimand and Song Xuan¡¯s answer, he explained the content of civil law vividly and in detail. Let¡¯s not mention the other things for now, just one sentence ¡°the government should not be careless about people¡¯s lives¡± could make the people feel grateful and then ran to tell each other.


    They said tyrannical government is fiercer than a tiger, this statement was not exaggerated at all. Before the establishment of Wei Kingdom, the common people never knew that their own people were also person, and their own lives were also life. Used to be, the grain grown with their blood and sweat was plundered by the tyrant noble families in a blink of an eye, and if they wanted to survive, they could only pick up the bark, dig grass roots, and even eat the soil; When the border was fighting war, the noble families hid behind, and instead pushed the common people to the front of the line to block the knifes and spears; Even if they stayed honestly at home, disaster would fall from the sky, suddenly a group of officers or robbers broke in, burning, killing, looting, and commit any imaginable crimes.


    This was the life they lived in the past, with starvation and cold, and precariousness. Compared with the present, one was hell and the other was heaven.


    At this time, who cares about what happened to Ruan shi, what happened to Madam Guan, and what happened to the child? Quickly understanding the specific content of the ¡°The Law of Civil Punishment¡± was the top priority. After hearing about the civil law, there were also national law, tax law, commercial law, land law¡­ everything was all-inclusive. Every code was based on the people, loves the people and protects the people. It might sound very unbelievable, but to have the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies who resigned their official positions angrily for an infant at the front, and there was the emperor who dismissed judicial secretary Song Xuan at the back, the concept of ¡°human life is beyond value¡± had been heavily engraved into the people¡¯s mind.


    ¡°His Majesty said it very well. An official should be like Madam Guan, for the sake of human life willing to defy world¡¯s opinion. If you know that there are injustice hidden in the case, but you give up because you encounter resistance, what kind of parent official will you be?¡± An old man sighed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The process of finding out the truth is like cutting open the belly. If you don¡¯t even have the courage to hold a knife, how can we expect them to stand for the people and not be afraid of the powerful? That judicial secretary Song Xuan is that Prime Minister Wang¡¯s party. Just the noble family¡¯s running dog.¡±


    ¡°What kind of prime minister, don¡¯t put gold on his face*. Because of inciting civil unrest and shaking the country, the emperor has already dismissed him as an official. In order to save his face and family reputation, he had to beg for bones* and return to his hometown, otherwise he would be in prison by now, there are no comparisons between them. Both are officials and both are resign from their positions, but some people are comparable to wolves, tigers and leopards, have black hearts and ruthless; and some people have noble character and unquestionable integrity, benevolent and righteous. Some people are for personal gain, and some people are for the sake of justice. If there are more good officials like Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies, the people will be saved.¡±


    ¡°Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies are good officials, and the emperor is also a good emperor. He is wise and heroic, govern the country with benevolence. Our good days are still to come.¡± As soon as the man finished speaking, he was greeted with many happy laughter.


    The matter of taking a child by cutting open the stomach was gradually forgotten, and although some pedantic old Confucian were still holding on to it, it was not a hindrance.


    ¡ª-


    Due to the emperor¡¯s personal visit, more and more people came to the Zhao Mansion to offer condolences. Even unrelated passers-by came to the door with gifts, not to mention the honorable people in the capital. Old Master Guan and Guan Father accompany the emperor to finish the meal and get ready to send him back to the palace, but unexpectedly the person had already reached the door when he suddenly changed his mind, ¡°How about Zhen take a look at the child before leaving? Where is Madam, let her show the way. The two of you can just go to the front hall to help entertain guests, don¡¯t worry about Zhen, Zhen is too lazy to deal with unrelated people.¡±


    Seeing that the son-in-law have his hands full, and he also had no official position, it was inconvenient to deal with all these honorable people, so Old Master Guan and Guan Father hurriedly agreed, and then sent someone to call Yiyi.


    Hearing that the emperor wanted to take a look at the child, the old madam and Zhong shi were worried of snubbing him, hurriedly urged Guan Suyi to go. The two walked to the main house one after the other, pushed open the door, saw two nurses dozing off on the table, while Minglan held the child and rocked gently, humming an unknown nursery rhyme.


    ¡°This servant, this servant have seen the emperor.¡± Seeing the tall figure standing at the door, she shivered with fright, but did not recognize that this person was the guard who wanted to eat the swan meat.


    The drowsiness of the two nurses disappeared, and they knelt down in fear.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan indifferently called ¡°Get up¡±, and walked straight to hold the child. His movements were very wild, as if he was carrying an object. Guan Suyi, who didn¡¯t want to pay attention to him, finally couldn¡¯t hold back, and immediately stopped him, ¡°The baby¡¯s bones are soft and vulnerable, so the emperor should leave him to this subject woman.¡± As she spoke, she skillfully took the child, gently held the back of his head, wrapped the other arm around his body.


    ¡°Madam will be a good mother in the future.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan stared at her with a burning gaze, and his tone was gentle, ¡°If the child can inherit Zhen¡¯s tall and strong physique, and inherit Madam¡¯s intelligence and wisdom, he will be the best crown prince of Wei Kingdom in the future. Of course, if you give birth to a princess who is completely like Madam, it will be even better. Zhen will definitely dote on her like a pearl in Zhen¡¯s palm.¡±


    Seeing the horrified expressions of Minglan and the two wet nurses, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, and scolded sharply, ¡°Still ask the emperor to speak carefully!¡±


    ¡°These words have been brewing for many months, and the scene of those children circling around Zhen¡¯s knees has also imagined for many months, why still have to be careful?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan looked back innocently with a sincere expression.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s cheeks were flushed, and she didn¡¯t know if she was ashamed or angry, she raised her chin at Jinzi and ordered, ¡°Take these two out and teach them the rules, what to say and what not to say, they should have a bottom line in their hearts.¡± Then continued with a slightly slower tone while handing the child to Minglan, ¡°Take the second young master to the crib, some words are not suitable for him to hear, let¡¯s not stain his ears.¡±


    Her hidden words of pointing the mulberry tree and curse the locust tree did not cause Emperor Sheng Yuan to feel ashamed at all, but instead made him chuckle, as if it were very funny.


    Guan Suyi was also angrily laughed, raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°Who is the person standing in front of me today, the guard of Marquis Zhenxi Mansion, Hunnar or the Golden Palace¡¯s Emperor Huo Shengzhe?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan did not dare to answer at will, and tentatively said, ¡°What if it¡¯s Hunnar, and what if it¡¯s Huo Shengzhe?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s Hunnar, I¡¯ll slap you hard and tell you to get out of here! If it¡¯s Huo Shengzhe, I¡¯ll use death admonishment* to prevent you from destroying the law and disturb the discipline, and breaking the ethical code!¡±


    Facing her eyes that were as bright as cold stars, Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s breathing slightly stopped, and after thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°Zhen is both Hunnar and Huo Shengzhe, then what you¡¯re going to do?¡±


    ¡°Very well, then I¡¯ll slap you a few times, and then ram my head on the door beam to death! Do you dare to test it?¡± Thinking of Ye Zhen who was still in the palace, Guan Suyi felt her stomach churning, feeling nauseated and wanted to vomit, she said sharply, ¡°Your Majesty, after listening to my grandfather and father¡¯s remarks, I thought you were a wise man, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be so muddle-headed to this point. Is it your hobby to rob other people¡¯s wife? It¡¯s not enough to rob Ye Zhen, do you still want to lure me too? What do you think of me? Where do you put the Guan family? Do you think I will cry like Ye Zhen, half pushing half approaching? Then you¡¯re thinking too beautifully! The Guan family is no Ye family, we have moral character, have courage, and don¡¯t fear power. Today I deadly refuse, and tomorrow my grandfather and father will be ready to give death admonishment, even if my Guan family is torn to pieces, we will not yield!¡± As she spoke she took off the silver hairpin, and aimed the sharp end at her throat.

 CH 92

    Chapter 92 Pamper


    What a strong person Madam was, Emperor Sheng Yuan knew very well, and had already anticipated many kind of consequences from his confession. Anger, refusal, and even destroying her family from death admonishment were all within the controllable range, but the matter of Ye Zhen shocked him a little.


    A single slip may cause everlasting sorrow, it was only at this time that he deeply understood the meaning of this sentence. People really couldn¡¯t make mistakes easily. Take a wrong step, and in the future you will have to pay a hundred times, even a thousand times the price, and now this price was definitely not something he could bear ¨C Madam loathed him, hated him, never mind, she actually disgusted with him! She looked at him like she was staring at a mass of filth, and even approach a little closer would stain her territory.


    Everyone said that he indulged in beauty and robbed other people¡¯s wife, how could they know that he was the most innocent one! How much infamy did he bear for that husband and wife? How much glory was given to them? They even used that unwarranted sense of guilt to make him miss out the one he loved, putting him in such a dilemma. Who could understand his suffering? Who could justify his name?


    In front of Madam who was full of cold air but at the same time seemed to be about to burst into flames, Emperor Sheng Yuan felt very powerless, but he couldn¡¯t help but love her more deeply. Her words and deeds were just as he thought before, she refused so directly, her hand holding the silver hairpin exposed some blue veins, and she didn¡¯t even tremble.


    She stood on the opposite side with furious brows, clearly in a weak position, and even more in the abyss of despair, but her jaw was raised so high, her back was so straight, like a pine rooted on a cliff, high and steep. She also wanted to slap him a few times and tell him to beat it!


    In the land under heaven only Madam dared to do this. She could be insulted, but she would never be crushed; she could be destroyed, but she would never bow her head and admit defeat.


    Somehow, Emperor Sheng Yuan remembered the night Ye Zhen was sent to him. She knelt at his feet, weepingly begged him to let her die, and pretended to commit suicide, leaving him in a dilemma, with no room to advance or retreat. If he directly threw her a dagger at that time, how could there be so many messy things now?


    Both were refusal, one was straightforward, with deep inner strength; the other was sticky, oily, and pretentious. It¡¯s a pity that he didn¡¯t read more books and had more insight back then, to actually fooled by a woman to this point, and Madam somehow also learned about those scandals!


    The more Emperor Sheng Yuan thought about it, the more embarrassed he became, and the more he thought about it, the more awkward he became. If there was a crack in the ground, he would to immediately drill to get in. But Madam still held the silver hairpin to her throat, how could he not care, he had to endure his shame and persuade, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be impulsive, Zhen will never hurt you, you put down the hairpin first, then we¡¯ll talk about it calmly, okay?¡±


    ¡°Talk what? How do you lust for beauty and steal other people¡¯s wife? You study Confucianism all day, but have you ever known the word ¡®shame¡¯?¡± Guan Suyi gritted her teeth.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan wiped his face and said helplessly, ¡°Zhen naturally know the word ¡®shame¡¯, but it doesn¡¯t know Zhen, so bound to disappoint Madam.¡±


    ¡°You, you are so shameless!¡± Guan Suyi was shocked by the shamelessness of this man, she stretched out her index finger tremblingly, but because of this short inattentiveness, it let the other person to seize this opportunity to approach quickly, snatched the silver hairpin, and hold her tightly from behind.


    ¡°If can get Madam, why Zhen need any shame?¡± He tried his best to soften his voice and soothe her in a low voice, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be angry, Zhen is more uncomfortable than you when you¡¯re angry. How did you know about Ye Zhen? Who told you?¡±


    Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t help but sneer, ¡°Even Zhao Chunxi knows it, how can others not? Do you still think you handled everything carefully?¡± The best answer was to avoid answering and let the other person guess it for himself.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t think too deeply about it, and said bitterly, ¡°That¡¯s right, Madam is so smart, how could she be deceived by those little tricks. However, Madam doesn¡¯t know, Ye Zhen and I don¡¯t have the kind of relationship you think of. After all these years, I have never touch a single hair of her, and only responsible for providing her with a place to live. The only one Zhen have ever loved, and loving, is Madam.¡±


    How could Guan Suyi believe those nonsense, she twisted and stomped her feet, panting heavily.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was really distressed, and even more his lower abdomen was tightened by her rubbing, so he had to cover her eyelids with his big hands, and whispered softly, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t move, listen to Zhen. Madam is a clear-sighted person, who is sincere and who is fake will not escape your eyes. Don¡¯t think that Zhen as the emperor, and don¡¯t think that Zhen deliberately conceal identity to approach you, you only need to recall every meeting and every conversation you had with Hunnar, did you ever feel half deceived and any perfunctory? Hunnar can¡¯t wait to dig his heart out and give it to you.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s sight were pitch black, and her movements were restrained. Only the heat and the voice that implicit appeal in her ears were prying on her senses. She slowly regained her composure, and said with a sarcastic smile, ¡°¡¯In this life, I will never marry if it¡¯s not with you¡¯, but it turns out that there are already three thousand beauties in the harem. Your Majesty, isn¡¯t this called perfunctory, isn¡¯t this called deceived? People actually can be shameless to this degree, I finally see it today.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan hugged her tighter and said cautiously, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s inconvenient here, Zhen can¡¯t explain more to you, but Zhen will definitely  answer your questions one by one in the future. You just need to know, don¡¯t use hurting yourself as a way to reject Zhen. There is a saying in Central Plains ¨C Porcelain does not touch rubble. You are precious a porcelain, Zhen is a rough rubble, why bother to break yourself for a piece of rubble? Zhen will never hurt you, let alone hurt the two Mount Tai, you can rest assured.¡± The words fell on her jade white ear and he kissed it gently.


    His cheeks were full of stubble, so the kiss was not only a little hot and wet, but also prickly and numbing, making Guan Suyi red from the roots of her ears to her neck.


    ¡°You bastard, you shameless!¡± She was so angry that she stepped on the back of the man¡¯s instep and crushed it a few times. However, just as he said before, he was really a piece of rough rubble, and didn¡¯t feel any pain at all, but instead laughed lowly, his voice full of joy.


    ¡°Madam, your blushing look is so beautiful, just as Zhen thought. You are kicking and making trouble in Zhen¡¯s arms, so cute, Zhao Luli must have never seen such a vivid side of you, right? Madam, you yourself may have not noticed that you are not afraid of Zhen, you are absolutely unrestrained and willful in front of Zhen, because you know in your heart that Zhen love you, love to the extreme, so reluctant to hurt you even a tiny bit. These days, every time Zhen confide in you, you¡¯re also not completely without feelings.¡±


    All Guan Suyi¡¯s struggles and scoldings were stopped dead by his last sentence.


    With great difficulty she could live again, even if not for herself, she should also consider for her family. It¡¯s not easy for her grandfather and father to have today. She was indeed strong, but she also understood the truth that ¡°the strong will be easily humiliated, and the strong will be easily broken¡±. When facing Emperor Sheng Yuan, even if she didn¡¯t obey him, she shouldn¡¯t offend him too much.


    But she really didn¡¯t have the slightest scruples. As soon as she met this man¡¯s blue-black eyes that seemed to contain everything, all the anger and grievances came out one after another, and she couldn¡¯t suppress it. It turned out that she had been certain that this person would never hurt her, so she had no fear?


    When she fell into a trance, Emperor Sheng Yuan quickly kissed her delicate cheek and exhorted, ¡°Madam has misunderstood Zhen. Someday Zhen will explain everything in detail. Zhen never have anything to do with Ye Zhen, and it¡¯s not as bad as you think in your mind. There are people outside, Zhen has to leave.¡±


    He was about to let go, but felt uneasy, so he added, ¡°Madam, Zhen beg you not to hurt yourself again, Zhen will never ruin you, let alone the Guan family. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything, just wait for the opportunity to finally reconcile with Zhao Luli.¡± The words landed on her cheek and he kissed her, slightly loosened his arm and kissed again, and after four or five kisses, he let go completely under Madam¡¯s fiery eyes, then turned around and left.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s left face was stabbed red by the stubble, she slammed the door with force, scolded ¡°bastard¡±, lose her mind for a while and then cursed bastard again, angrily said, ¡°Two Mount Tai? You really dare to put gold on your face (self-praise)!¡± As for the rotten affairs between the other party and Ye Zhen, as well as her true feeling, she didn¡¯t want to think about it, she sorted out her appearance and asked Minglan to carry the child in.


    ¡°Miss, when you with the emperor, with the emperor¡­¡± Minglan wanted to speak but hesitated, her expression horrified.


    Jinzi was very calm, and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t ask what you shouldn¡¯t ask, you will understand when the time comes. Madam, this servant have already dealt with the two wet nurses, and there is no fatality, so you can rest assured. The one who sold you to outsiders about the matter of cutting up the stomach is Mingfang, do you want to let this servant kill her?¡± She put her five fingers together and made a throat-slashing motion.


    ¡°What you did in the past was burning, killing and looting?¡± Guan Suyi asked nonchalantly.


    ¡°Yes. This servant come from dead soldier¡¯s background. Since childhood, has already been thrown into the wilderness to fight with wild beasts, only knew how to kill people, but never saving people. This servant is very happy and honored to be able to stay by Madam¡¯s side and experience the joy and true feelings of the world. I beg Madam to be merciful and let this servant continue to follow you.¡± Jinzi¡¯s tears were about to flow out. She finally understood why His Majesty was so infatuated with Madam, because Madam deserves everyone¡¯s sincere treatment.


    Guan Suyi looked at her with amazement, and saw that although there was vicious currents between her eyebrows, her eyes were full of admiration, and she finally said softly, ¡°Forget it, just follow if you like. Staying by my side is a hundred times better than sending you back and continuing to let you live the days of licking blood from the knife¡¯s edge.¡±


    ¡°This servant is not afraid of licking blood from the knife¡¯s edge, but this servant are reluctant to part with Madam.¡± Jinzi quickly confessed, but a dark box was stuffed in her arms, and she got a dilemmatic assignment.


    ¡°In order to prove that what you said is true, burn your master¡¯s things with your own hands.¡± Guan Suyi urged, ¡°Hurry up, there are people at the front.¡±


    Jinzi unable to refuse, hurriedly took the things and ran to the base of the wall, and burn it down. Fortunately, paper money was burned everywhere in the mansion, so it did not attract the others¡¯ attention. As soon as she left, the old madam and Zhong shi arrived. They said that the grand princess came to express condolences and asked her to rush over to accompany her. In addition, many dignitaries also came. They poured incense one after another, bowed to worship, and turned the originally deserted mourning hall into a lively scene.


    At this time, no one dared to mention the matter of cutting the stomach to take the child, and even less dared to put the names ¡°witch¡± and ¡°demon¡± on Madam Guan¡¯s and the child¡¯s head.

 CH 93

    Even if the Ruan family didn¡¯t come to make a noise, Guan Suyi planned to hold a large transcending ritual for her sister-in-law. Because the emperor personally visited the Zhao Mansion yesterday to worship, many relatives and important people came to Jueyin Temple to participate in the ceremony, and there were also Zhao Jinyu¡¯s comrades in arms that come to help, the scene was grand. And he himself was still fighting on the battlefield, and it¡¯s unknown when he would be able to return.


    The Ruan family didn¡¯t arrive until after noon, all of them with bruised noses and swollen faces, as if they had suffered a great disaster. Without saying a word, they rushed to the old madam¡¯s feet and shouted for help, bluntly saying that all the money was looted by the bandits, and now they didn¡¯t even have the money to return home, begging the Zhao Mansion to be kind enough to take them in.


    After all, it was the Ruan shi¡¯s family, and at her funeral, even if the old madam hated them, she had to pinch her nose to prepare a few rooms and settle them in the Jueyin Temple.


    At the same time, Guan Suyi was locking herself in her room to write a sacrificial eulogy for Ruan shi, and later would recite and burn it on the altar to comfort her spirit in heaven. As she said before, she would never admit her mistake for taking out the child by cutting up the stomach, not for her own reputation, but for the child¡¯s future. So what should she write?


    She abandoned her distracting thoughts and carefully recalled every bits and pieces of her time with Ruan shi. Not only felt distressed that she was burdened by her appearance and was trapped in poverty, but also admired her for her filial piety to her mother-in-law and kindness to the juniors, and maintaining a harmonious relationship with herself, supported and considerate to each other. Eventually teardrops were dripping down, wetting her lapel.


    After a while, she finally picked up the brush and slowly wrote, ¡°In September of the fourth year of Sheng Yuan, at the Jueyin Temple I mourned my sister-in-law Ruan, first met at the beginning of the year¡­¡± After writing for a full hour, she cried and wrote, cried and wrote until her eyes turned red before slowly finished the last stroke and sat in a chair in a daze.


    At this moment, her mind was filled with Ruan shi¡®s voice, face, smile, and dying cries, and completely forgot that Hunnar and Huo Shengzhe person. What continuous love between men and women, what pursuing glory and wealth? Being able to live well and raising a few children is the sweetest thing in the world.


    Remembering the heartbroken Mu Mu and the little baby who was waiting to be fed, whom she had named Zhao Huai¡¯en, she finally wiped away the last tear and went to the mourning hall with the sacrificial eulogy.


    ¡°Benefactor Guan, has the sacrificial eulogy been written?¡± Master Xuan Guang asked in a warm voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s written, do you want to see it, Master?¡± Guan Suyi cupped her hands and saluted respectfully.


    ¡°No, let the deceased see it first.¡± Master Xuan Guang stretched out his hand and motioned her to walk up to the altar. When she sat down and struck the wooden fish, he ordered the monks sitting around the altar to start chanting. Damaging a deceased¡¯ body was a major taboo, and it required sincere repentance and recitation of the rebirth scriptures for seven, seven and forty-nine days to make up for it.


    The Sanskrit sound and the hazy smoke lingered in the air, a strong sandalwood fragrance invading the left and the right sides, which made people feel solemn and at the same time extraordinarily calm and peaceful. The relatives and dignitaries who came to worship knelt down one after another on the praying mats, put their hands together, and chanted the scriptures.


    They looked up to Madam Guan on the viewing altar, wanting to hear how she consoled the dead.


    Guan Suyi knelt in front of the coffin with her back to the crowd, and recited a passage of rebirth scriptures sincerely, and then picked up the manuscript paper to recite the sacrificial eulogy. At this period of time, most of the sacrificial eulogy imitated the four-character rhyme of the ¡°Book of Songs¡± elegant ode, or used parallel prose, aiming to be solemn and serious; but she recalled the sadness of the past, and did not want to limit the expression with four or five characters or six or seven sentences that blocked the grief-stricken thoughts. So she broke the convention and format, and wrote an essay.


    The first few paragraphs recall how the two people had familiarity at first sight, loved each other like sisters, and how Ruan shi was filial to her mother-in-law and caring for the juniors. Next, she briefly described several major changes that occurred in the Zhao Mansion, and how the family stayed calm when facing death, supported each other, and took care of each other. The process of overcoming difficulties together was written so expressively that it seemed to be in front of the eyes. There were many sufferings and fears, but there were more warmth and peace, which vividly rendered Ruan shi¡®s idyllic, gentle and suppleness image.


    The next few paragraphs turned sharply, and she began to detail her poisoning and dystocia until she died of blood loss. In order to save the child, how she struggled desperately and tried to survive; knowing that both the mother and the fetus were in danger, how she resolutely abandoned herself and asked to keep the child alive. With layers of peeling brushwork, it showed how she was soft on the outside and firm on the inside, and her most affectionate side were completely revealed.


    The voices and shouts before her death, accompanied by Guan Suyi¡¯s choked recitation, seemed to ring on the altar and touched people¡¯s ears, causing the relatives, friends and nobles in the audiences to burst into tears, feeling grief-stricken. Even the monks who had never been sad or happy, and who had attained great enlightenment, also cut off the scriptures and stopped knocking the wooden fish to wipe their tears. They had never heard such a mournful sacrificial eulogy, which made people feel like they were at the scene, felt it had happened to themselves and wished they could lift the coffin and shake the dead with all their might, crying and begging her to come back to life.


    The chanting ceased, and the reciting continued. Everyone listened carefully with tears in their eyes.


    The last few paragraphs finally emerged from the tragic scene and began to describe the arrival of the newborn. He spit out a mouthful of amniotic fluid, and then cried out loudly; when he was hugged into the arms, he automatically grabbed his aunt¡¯s clothes, his small hands were soft but so strong; he laid down beside his mother to say goodbye to her, a little child who was still ignorant, but he used his surging vitality to dispel the breath of death, the mother¡¯s wide-open eyes slowly closed, and she left with satisfaction.


    Three turns in a row, rising and falling, laughing after crying, but wanting to cry even more after laughing, a sacrificial eulogy less than a thousand words, but the entire Jueyin Temple fell into silence, only the sound of choking with emotions and the cry of pain reverberated in the air. Not to mention the relatives who come and go frequently, even those who had never know Ruan shi, all cried until their eyes red for this gentle and strong mother, and felt pain like their liver and intestines were broken.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s throat was completely hoarse, and when she was about to throw the sacrificial eulogy into the brazier, her hand was firmly grasped by someone, and when she looked to the side, it was Master Xuan Guang.


    His eyes were red, his lapel were soaked, it was obvious that he had just cry. After doing so many rituals and helped transcend so many departed spirits, this was the first time he had interrupted his chanting because of a sacrificial eulogy. But he loved literature so much, and he must not let this outstanding article that mourns the heaven and the earth to be burned.


    ¡°Benefactor Guan¡¯s writing ability is superb, it can moved emotions, breaks the limit of rhythm, and creates the peak of a eulogy. This sacrificial eulogy, written with the beads of tears and the blood in the heart, is enough to make the dead sleep peacefully and the living to be relieved, so why do we need to recite the scriptures? Benefactor Guan, please sacrifice this article in front of the spirit and do not burn it, otherwise this poor monk will worry every day and feel uneasy.¡± He carefully took the manuscript, packed it in a sandalwood box, and placed it on the altar table, and then put his hands together and bowed three times.


    He had already heard about the fame of the Guan family¡¯s literary name, and he had also read a lot of works by Old Master Guan and Guan Father, but he was still shocked when he listened to this sacrificial eulogy.


    Madam Guan broke the parallel prose into pieces, not imitating the ancients or imitating the present, not sticking to the form, not trapped in the routine, and the writing followed the heart, provoking the emotions and thoughts. The entire writing forged with tears and painted with blood, making the grief pierce the bones and the sorrow pierced the heart, so how could everyone bear it?


    Master Xuan Guang reminisced over the words and phrases again and again, his eyes were red again and again, until his tears fell, and in his heart he had already enshrined this sacrificial eulogy as the poetic masterpiece of this era and the highest attainment of literary world. When it came to the power of writing, describing the scene and generating emotions, Madam Guan stood at the forefront, not to mention Xu Guangzhi, even her grandfather and father had to take a step back.


    Most of the people who came to worship today were powerful people, and there were also relatives and friends of the two great literary families of Guan and Zhong, who were proficient in literary and calligraphy. Moreover they were from the secular world, their feeling were abundant, so they felt more touched than Master Xuan Guang.


    ¡°This article is the pinnacle of sacrificial eulogy, and such a sorrowful reciting!¡± A great scholar praised with tears in his eyes, and the rest choked up and agreed, it was actually hard to say a word.


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father hurriedly waved their hands in humble manner, but in their heart they were proud of their beloved daughter. They knew that Yiyi did not write this article for fame, but to rectify the name. The scene of taking a child by cutting open the stomach must be bloody and terrifying for ordinary people to think about. Although the emperor had his eyes open, but it couldn¡¯t stop others from feeling disgusted. But she described this passage from Ruan shi¡®s perspective, all the blood had turned into a mother¡¯s love that gave up her life and a grief that was too thick to be dissolved; all the horror had turned into the ultimate joy of the newborn¡¯s birth and hope for the future life.


    By the time this poignant and unusual, sincere and moving sacrificial eulogy were spread, no one would scold witches and demons again, but they would only remember Ruan shi¡®s chastity and bravery. That¡¯s the power of words.


    When the crowd around the altar was weeping sadly, Emperor Sheng Yuan in the white dragon fish suit stood in an inconspicuous corner, silently listening and staring.


    ¡°This is the first time I shed tears for unrelated people.¡± He turned back to look at Baifu, tears welling up in his eyes.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Madam¡¯s writing is so good and touching. Let this servant, let this servant cry for a while. That wretched Miao people, he poisoned the Zhao Mansion, causing Ruan shi and her own child to separate forever and never see each other again. Woohoo¡­¡± Baifu burst into tears and was out of breath from crying.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t blame him, and after he had cried enough, he order in a low voice, ¡°Go and invite Madam to the backyard room, I want to talk to her.¡±


    Baifu didn¡¯t dare to delay, blew out his snot, wiped it with a handkerchief, and then sneaked away.


    After the first day¡¯s ritual completed, Guan Suyi was exhausted. Hearing that Master Xuan Guang had invited her, she thought he was going to discuss the next day¡¯s ritual with her. Before she even had time to drink tea she hurried to the backyard, and as soon as she opened the door, she was pulled into a broad and warm chest, firmly hugged, and tightly clasped.


    ¡°You bastard, you¡¯re here again!¡± She was so angry that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were spitting fire. She clenched her hands into fists and kept pounding the man¡¯s back, but it felt like she hit the iron wall, instead her joints hurt badly.


    ¡°Stop hitting, be careful of hurting your hands.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan held her wrist and gently pulled it down to his side.


    ¡°Madam, can you let Zhen hug you for a while? Zhen is very sad.¡± He buried his cheeks in Madam sweet neck curve and pleaded in a muffled voice.


    Guan Suyi noticed that her shoulder was wet, it seemed that tears soaked through the fabric and touched her skin, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little dazed. This man was crying, the majestic emperor was actually crying beside her ear, why? Or ¨C for whom?


    She stopped struggling, waited quietly, and then said solemnly when the person¡¯s mood eased a little, ¡°Your Majesty, please look up to see where this is, and what am I wearing? Doing such frivolous things at my sister-in-law¡¯s sacrificial ceremony, aren¡¯t you ashamed?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan slowly raised his head and said as if it was matter of course, ¡°Just holding one¡¯s own madam and crying for a moment, how can it be considered frivolous? What Zhen did is completely in line with the solemnity and sadness of the sacrificial ceremony.¡±

 CH 94

    Guan Suyi was speechless by the Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s shamelessness, and was silent for a long time before she said, ¡°Your Majesty, this subject woman finally understand why you can become the emperor.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you are invincible.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Madam praised me so much. Indeed, Zhen swept thousands of troops back then¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Guan Suyi interrupted him, ¡°there are two kinds of sayings in Central Plains. One is that the benevolent is invincible; the other is that the despicable is invincible. Your Majesty, you are already invincible in the world!¡±


    The smugness on Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s face was replaced by astonishment. After a while he hugged Madam and laughed softly, his eyes flashed with a happy brilliance, ¡°Madam, Madam, you can dominate the Central Plains with this mouth alone, even Zhen has to bow down to you. There are two kinds of sayings in one sentence, how should Zhen choose? Of course, you can¡¯t put ¡®invincible¡¯ on the despicable, you can only eat your dumb loss. Madam, no matter how unhappy, it¡¯s alright to scold, but by any means don¡¯t hit Zhen again. Zhen is not afraid of pain, just afraid you hurts your hand.¡±


    Guan Suyi was ashamed and angry but couldn¡¯t struggle free, so she could only persuade softly, ¡°Your Majesty, let go of this subject woman first, shall we sit down and talk slowly? This subject woman often hears grandfather and father compliment you for your generous heart, benevolence and calling you a rare wise ruler. When walking in the street market, the people also praise you and love you very much. With great difficulty you built the country, accumulate all the prestige, could it be you are willing to ruin it for the sake of an insignificant woman? Have you ever wondered how this history will be written by the future generations? How can you add a stain on your glorious achievement that will never be washed away? You say that this subject woman is porcelain and you are rubble, but you are so wrong! This subject women may be porcelain, or it may be a little exquisite and precious, which makes people want to collect, but the world is equally exquisite, equally precious, so much so that an exquisite and precious porcelain is nothing. You are richest in the world, you can get everything that you want, not only it¡¯s justified but also very easy.¡±


    She continued in a sincere tone, ¡°Your Majesty, you are not rubble, you are a national weapon, you are the Eastern Emperor Bell* that guards the mountains and rivers, and the Nine Dragon Cauldron that supports the fate of the country. Your reputation and prestige cannot be tarnished. Still ask the Emperor to preserve some dignity for yourself and for this subject woman.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan tapped his chin on her shoulder, looked sideways at her flickering eyes, her open and close lips, and his heart was full of longing and tenderness.


    ¡°Preserve some dignity for you? Zhen thought you would cry and shout for Zhen to keep your chastity. Don¡¯t you all Central Plains women value chastity? You have been hugged and kissed by Zhen, so your chastity has been lost, then you can be considered as Zhen¡¯s person, right? Besides, Madam is also very wrong. There is no woman in the world who can compare with Madam. In my heart, Madam is a unique treasure.¡±


    Guan Suyi furrowed her brows, and said with some restraint, ¡°Chastity is for others, but dignity is for yourself. I don¡¯t know what other women think, if I lose my dignity, it is no different from killing me. Your Majesty, you are high and powerful, so you never put us ants in your eyes. But you must know that ants also have the right to live and have the determination to fight everything. If they were played too much, they would rather turn into mud than compromise. Don¡¯t think that you are the monarch and can arbitrarily manipulate my life. You have already ruined my expectations for marriage. Would you please let me live the rest of my life in peace? I can¡¯t afford to play your game!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan felt her violently heaving chest and her more and more rapid breathing, finally slowly let her go, sighing, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be angry, Zhen will feel distressed if you are angry. You sit tight and listen to Zhen.¡± At the end of the sentence he tapped her shoulder blade.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s shoulders went numb, and she couldn¡¯t move her legs, she couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Did he really want to destroy her chastity and force her to submit?


    However, she was wrong. Emperor Sheng Yuan just carried her to the soft couch on the other side, and made her recline on the pillow. Afraid that she would be cold, he covered a thin blanket, then stuffed a hand stove, and carefully tucked the messy hair on her forehead behind the ear, all the movements were thoughtful.


    It was almost late autumn, and the north wind was blowing outside, making the withered and yellow leaves rustled. A gust of cold wind came in through the damaged window paper and circled around the incense burner on the table, causing the vertical upward smoke to disperse in all directions.


    The quiet atmosphere infected Guan Suyi, and Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s gentle attitude also made her vaguely aware that he had no intention to hurt her.


    She eased her tone and asked again, ¡°What on earth are you trying to do? You tapped my acupuncture point?¡± Since she saw the magic of martial arts, she spent a lot of time researching it, so she was able to distinguish one or two tricks.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t hold you and restrain you, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll try your best to run away. Zhen said that Zhen will not hurt you, just want you to sit down and listen to what Zhen have to say.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan took out a few pieces of rice paper full of words from his arms and laughed at himself, ¡°There are many things Zhen want to say to Madam, but didn¡¯t know where to start, so Zhen imitated the Emperor Teacher and wrote many drafts before coming here, but after listening to Madam¡¯s sacrificial eulogy, Zhen suddenly realized that even the most beautiful words are nothing if they don¡¯t have deep emotional support.¡±


    He threw the draft paper into the brazier and watched it slowly turn into ashes, his face indistinguishable from joy and sorrow. When the smoke dissipated, he walked to the couch and sat next to Madam, took off her small and delicate embroidered shoes, put her feet covered with a thin blanket on his knees, and gently patted, ¡°Actually, the first time Zhen saw Madam was at Jueyin Temple. At that time your tongue was like a knife, refuting a group of Legalist scholars until they were speechless.¡±


    Guan Suyi glared at him sternly and ignored him.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan wrapped her slightly cold jade feet with his big palms, and smiled bitterly, ¡°Zhen really had no eyes at that time, thought that this little girl¡¯s mouth was full of hypocrisy, very sour, and the temperament was still so strong and impetuous, don¡¯t know which unlucky egg will be able to endure it in the future. So when Zhao Luli came to ask for a marriage decree, although Zhen already had the intention of admitting you into the palace to lift up the Guan family, Zhen still gave you to him.¡±


    Guan Suyi sneered and said, ¡°Thanking the emperor for the marriage. Although it was a bit difficult at first, but now my husband loves me, my mother-in-law protects me, my children are filial to me, and my servants respect me, there is nothing unsatisfactory. If my brain got crushed by the door, only then I will reconcile with Zhao Luli and become one of your three thousand beauties, waiting for your occasional visit.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan pulled her white fingertips over, and said with astringent voice, ¡°Madam doesn¡¯t need to stab Zhen, Zhen have already regretted it. What three thousand beauties, Jieyu is the favored concubine, that just rumors. Madam, also doesn¡¯t need to beautify the Zhao family, whether you regard yourself as the Zhao family¡¯s daughter-in-law or not, you know very well, Zhen also know very well.¡±


    ¡°However, as long as I want, I can become the well-deserved Madam Zhao at all time.¡± Guan Suyi stared at him.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes darkened, and his tone became very dangerous, ¡°If Madam is willing to surrender to Zhao Luli, why would you wait until now? What is the point of saying these words other than disgusting yourself and making Zhen uncomfortable?¡±


    He gently stroked her cheeks, which were particularly rosy because of anger, and recalled, ¡°However, when meeting Madam again and have deep conversation with you, Zhen realized what Zhen had missed. Because of this regretful mistake, Zhen learned how to judge a person and measure a thing, from then on, be more cautious and dare not make a rash decision; Because Madam is proficient in literary and calligraphy, so Zhen have the patience to read through the Confucian classics that Zhen once scorned, and listen carefully to every sentence of the Emperor Teacher¡¯s teaching, so as to improve day by day; Because Madam sees the suffering of the people in her eyes and feel pains in her heart, so Zhen learned to love the people like one¡¯s own children, and govern with benevolent; Because Madam wrote the article to fight false flattery and guide public opinion, Zhen understand the importance of people¡¯s hearts and opinions. It is because of Madam that Zhen become this way. Zhen can study all night without sleep; Zhen can sit in the court hall and plan strategies; Zhen can hold back the anger and accept admonishment like a stream. Zhen have changed from a reckless man who only knows how to kill, a violent Rakshasa, into an outstanding master in the mouth of the courtiers, and the wise monarch in the hearts of the people.¡±


    Countless dots of light flashed in his eyes, and he sighed, ¡°In order to match such a beautiful Madam, Zhen willing to become a better version of oneself. In order to get Madam¡¯s affirmation, Zhen willing to create a peaceful and prosperous world.¡± He leaned closer and looked straight at Madam¡¯s stunned pupils, ¡°Madam, do you still think Zhen¡¯s feelings are ridiculous? Do you still think it¡¯s just a tease, a game?¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s throat was dry and it was difficult to speak for a long time. She was stunned by this man¡¯s words, and she never imagined that behind his various benevolent actions, there were her own shadows everywhere. No wonder he denounced Xu Guangzhi several times and resolutely prevented him to become official; no wonder he revised the legal code, cleaned up the court, and encourage free airing of views for the people; no wonder he refused to accept the ¡°four-class system¡± and avoid the division of the country.


    Although it seemed like she thought too highly of herself, the reality was really in front of her. In order to cater to her and gain her approval, this person had done a lot in silence, so much so that it changed the fate of the Guan family, changed the fate of the dynasty, and even changed the pattern of the world.


    Guan Suyi found that she couldn¡¯t spit out a word, but it was no longer because of anger, but because of emotions that were too complicated to describe. In a trance, she had a strange thought¡ªperhaps the deepest feeling is not to give everything to a person, but to use all your capability to change everything for her, change yourself and change the world at the same time.


    Of course, in this world, not everyone could do this, because only emperors have the power to change the pattern of the world.


    It turned out that this was the love of the emperor that everyone scrambled for, and it was indeed had a lot of weight and power. Guan Suyi avoided his affectionate eyes, looked into the boundless distance, and thought to herself: Unfortunately she can¡¯t afford this love, let alone want it. Reconciling, remarrying, and then locked in a deep palace to compete with a group of women for favor, that is not the life she wants, and the ensuing criticism will cut off her grandfather and father¡¯s careers, and then ruin the Guan family¡¯s thousand years reputation.


    The love of the emperor is indeed rare, but how long can it last? She had already lost once and would never gamble on a second rebirth.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan knew what she was worried about, and his heart was anxious, but he was very helpless. Now, no matter how sincere and careful the word, it would sounded empty to her. As the saying, ¡®Just as distances determines the stamina of a horse, so does time reveal a person¡¯s true heart¡¯, everything would be proven by time.


    He slowly untied his jacket, took off his robe, and said bluntly, ¡°Madam said just now that Zhen is high and powerful, but yourself is an ant, at my mercy. Madam, you are wrong, there are also times when Zhen is humbled into the dust and live like ant. At that time, if you know more about Zhen, you would understand that Zhen never play games, let alone play tricks on people¡¯s hearts. What is human heart and what is emotion, Zhen have no way of knowing in the past twenty years, because since childhood Zhen was always in the company of wild beasts, illiterate, did not speak, only knew how to hunt.¡±


    Guan Suyi saw that he had even took off his inner clothes, revealing his strong body, immediately turned her head and reprimanded, ¡°What do you want to do? Quickly put on your clothes!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan squeezed her chin lightly, turned her face around, and sighed, ¡°Zhen want Madam to see, under the cover of gorgeous robes and monstrous power, what the real Hunnar, or Huo Shengzhe, really looked like.¡±


    TN: Don¡¯t worry he won¡¯t beep her¡­

 CH 95

    Guan Suyi was stunned after just a quick glance. If this person didn¡¯t take off his clothes, she would have never imagine what kind of trauma this body had suffered underneath the gorgeous robe.


    He was indeed tall and majestic, and every bulging muscle contained terrifying power, but in addition to this, there were also scars intertwined over it, one by one, one after another, healed and injured, injured again then healed again. The so-called ¡°cuts and bruises all over the body¡± was exactly this.


    He had the deepest and deadliest scar on his left chest, which could be distinguished with the naked eye alone. At the beginning of the injury, it must have reached the heart and he almost died.


    ¡°You, aren¡¯t you the young patriarch of the Jiuli clan?¡± Guan Suyi felt that she could hardly breathe, and she perfectly aware that she shouldn¡¯t see things that don¡¯t conform to etiquette, but she couldn¡¯t look away no matter what.


    ¡°Young patriarch? How is that possible! That¡¯s just the gold that was put on Zhen¡¯s face by the courtiers after Zhen ascended the throne. You people from Central Plains likes a good face, whoever becomes the emperor has to make up an extraordinary origin and reputation.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes were dark and his expression was in a trance, as if he was remembering something.


    ¡°Madam, look at this,¡± he pointed to the scars on his left shoulder, ¡°this is the scar left over from fighting with a lone wolf for food when Zhen was five years old. Due to the summer heat and mosquito bites, it festered for a month or two before gradually healed. And here, this is from the first time Zhen have been on the battlefield, and was slashed open by the enemy¡­¡±


    He ran through them down one by one, each one was a piece of unforgettable pain, and each one was an unimaginable life and death situation. Guan Suyi thought it was a miracle that he could stand here calmly and recalled the past with her.


    ¡°How about this scar? Is it the most dangerous one?¡± Guan Suyi clearly didn¡¯t want to respond, but it was difficult to restrain the pain and concern in her heart.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was silent for a long time before he said in dumb voice, ¡°This is when Zhen stabbed oneself.¡±


    Guan Suyi looked at him in horror, it was hard to imagine that a tyrant with heart as strong as iron and incomparable valiant like him would have the idea to kill himself. Why? What kind of tragic thing happened that made him so desperate that he didn¡¯t even have the courage to live?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan gently stroked the corners of her reddish eyes, and laughed in a deep voice, ¡°Madam, it was you who saved Zhen. If it wasn¡¯t for you, this stab would be nothing, maybe in the future Zhen would still stab a second, third, or multiple times until Zhen kill oneself.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s face was pale, she wanted to ask but didn¡¯t dare to. Her intuition told her that behind this fatal scar, there must be a deadly secret buried in it, and she was definitely not qualified to know. However, even if she didn¡¯t ask, Emperor Sheng Yuan had already made up his mind to tell her everything.


    ¡°Speaking of which, Zhen¡¯s life experience is not a secret. The entire Jiuli clan knows it. If the Han courtiers want to inquire, they should also know a thing or two.¡± He walked around the room without his shirt. As if remembering something, he handed over a piece of wood covered in silk cloth, and commanded softly, ¡°Madam, open it and take a look.¡±


    ¡°This is a picture of hell?¡± Guan Suyi looked puzzled.


    On the wooden board was a painting with extremely strong colors. In the center of the painting lies a woman with loose hair and a machete in her hand. A Rakshasa demon with green face and fangs cut through her towering belly and crawled out with a few pieces of intestines to suck the blood from her wrist. Blood, there was blood everywhere, and a large area of red was like flames burning the eyes of the onlookers, making people felt extremely uncomfortable and felt creepy at the same time.


    The tragic death of the woman and the greedy and ferocious expression of the demon were vividly rendered by the superb painting skills, as if this was not a scene of hell, but a real occurrence.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s answer confirmed this guess, ¡°This is not a picture of hell, it¡¯s the scene when Zhen was born.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but she was not frightened, rather had a strong suspicion. Even if she didn¡¯t want to see Emperor Sheng Yuan anymore, she had to admit that he was a benevolent ruler in this life. Even in the previous life, his idea of governing the country was correct, and his original intention was to benefit the people, but he had no way of doing it and took many detours.


    If such person was a demon, then what about the last emperor of the previous dynasty?


    ¡°No, you are definitely not a Rakshasa demon. This painting is fictional.¡± She shook her head in denial.


    The haze between Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s brows completely dissipated, ¡°It¡¯s true that Zhen is not a Rakshasa demon, but this painting is not fictional. The woman in the painting is Zhen¡¯s biological mother, Husu Liya, the first side wife of Zhen¡¯s late father. You also know that our Jiuli people have three wives and four concubines system, one main wife and two side wives. If the side wife is strong, it can be on an equal footing with the main wife. Zhen¡¯s mother was the most favored side wife of late father, and she was also the most capable, which means she had a tendency to replace the main wife, that is, the current Empress Dowager. Especially after she became pregnant, the contradiction between the two was almost irreconcilable, and it was on the verge of erupting. ¡±


    He took the painting, his eyes were empty, ¡°Do not know who did it, the Empress Dowager or other wives and concubines, in short, when Zhen was about to be born, she was chased down and fled into the valley for refuge. There, she gave birth to me, her belly was torn, her wrist was cut, and blood flowing all over the ground. The scene was very tragic, and there were wolves constantly wandering around, but because of the poisonous powder she cast, they never dared to approach. It was the Empress Dowager who first found her body, and Zhen was lying in a pool of blood at that time, sucking her wrist, feeding on blood, not dying of thirst and starvation, nor being eaten by wild animals, Zhen lived for three whole days before finally rescued.¡±


    ¡°After going back, the Empress Dowager found the most skilled Dongyang painter, described the real scene according to the narration of everyone present, and presented it to the late father.¡± He nodded at the painting and sighed, ¡°So that¡¯s how this painting of Rakshasa descending to earth was made.¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t show it on her face, but a storm had already set off in her heart. If this painting was sent to the late emperor, the result could be imagined. If he could pierce his mother¡¯s belly, emerge from her body, and eat her blood to tenaciously survive, how could one know that he would not kill his own father and harm the clan in the future? How much the late emperor loved the side wife, that¡¯s how much he hated this demon baby, how could he allow him to survive?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled and stroked her pale cheeks, comforting, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be afraid, late father is not such a heartless person, he didn¡¯t kill Zhen personally, he just threw Zhen into the deep mountain to feed the wolves.¡±


    Isn¡¯t that called heartless? What horrific things have he experienced to think that it was good that his father did not personally kill him? Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes turned red, and a layer of water mist slowly emerged from her dark eyes.


    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t cry, everything is over. You feel sorry for Zhen, Zhen know.¡± Speaking of the most unbearable past, at this moment Emperor Sheng Yuan  did not feel the slightest pain, and he would not pick up the sword and desperately harm himself. He just wanted to hug Madam who was crying for him, looked at her quietly for a while, kissed her for a while, listened to her choked sobbing and even exasperated scolding, then all the pain would be smoothed out.


    ¡°Who cares about you? Shameless bastard!¡± Guan Suyi barely suppressed her tears, but her voice was trembling.


    ¡°Okay, Zhen is a bastard, Zhen is shameless.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan held Madam¡¯s soft and boneless hand and slapped it twice on his face, and said while sighing, ¡°Unexpectedly late father didn¡¯t want Zhen, but the wolves took and carefully raised Zhen. Before the age of three, Zhen followed them to learn to hunt, eating raw meat and drank animal blood, couldn¡¯t speak and only roared. One day, accidentally the imperial sister was lost in the mountain and ran into Zhen, and gave Zhen a roasted chicken leg. That taste, Zhen can never forget until now.¡± As he spoke, he laughed, as if it was such a beautiful memory.


    ¡°The imperial sister is the grand princess?¡± Guan Suyi asked in a hoarse voice.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her. Since then she often came to see Zhen, taught Zhen to talk, make a fire, eat cooked food, drink boiled water, and tell Zhen that Zhen is not a beast, but a human being, a person with flesh and blood and thoughts. So no matter what the imperial sister did, Zhen can always forgive her, because without her, there would not be Zhen right now. After a few years, the clan threw a group of children into the mountains, to let them fight for their lives with wild beasts, tried to cultivate a group of dead soldiers, and then Zhen got mixed in. Zhen¡¯s martial arts were all learned from beasts, the dexterity of apes, the ferocity of tigers, the ruthlessness of wolves, which definitely much stronger than those children, so Zhen naturally became the leader and led them to stumble and survive. One group of children left, another batch of children came, and unknowingly Zhen took control of the dead soldiers of the Jiuli tribe.¡±


    ¡°You are really blessed!¡± Guan Suyi was shocked, and said in her heart: this person is really the true dragon emperor, right? Otherwise, how could he come back from death¡¯s door over and over again?


    ¡°Zhen did have a little bit of luck. After cultivating a large number of dead soldiers, the Jiuli tribe gradually annexed the surrounding small tribes and began to expand outward little by little, so Zhen mixed into the army again, defeated the enemy one after another, and made great achievements. When late father discovered Zhen¡¯s identity, Zhen was already holding a heavy army and become unstoppable, so he had to pinch his nose and recognize Zhen. However, Zhen was never his son, just a sharp weapon, and had no existential value except to expand territory for him. Waiting for this sharp weapon to break, then it¡¯s time to throw it away. While he directed Zhen to fight in the front, he let a few of Zhen¡¯s brothers to devour Zhen¡¯s forces, and coldly watched them unite to strangle Zhen.¡±


    Having said this, he sneered, ¡°But waste is waste, let alone joining forces, even if they were given another hundred of lives, they were no match for Zhen. Later, Zhen went straight to Yanjing and became the emperor, and later, the Empress Dowager gave this painting to Zhen as a gift for ascending the throne, making Zhen felt death was better than living.¡± His eyes began to turn red, ¡°Zhen has always been thinking since Zhen was a child, why do others have fathers and mothers, but Zhen have no one; why can others growing up at home, and Zhen was the only one who was abandoned in the wilderness. Who is Zhen¡¯s mother, and why Zhen is regarded as a demon by the clansman? In the passage of time, in the torment of suffering, this question gradually became Zhen¡¯s inner demon, and the Empress Dowager completely released this inner demon, intending to kill Zhen without a fight, and she almost succeeded.¡±


    Guan Suyi was shock speechless for a while, and slowly straightened her train of thoughts. She looked at the painting in her hand again, and said with certainty, ¡°Your Majesty, she lied to you. This painting is not a Rakshasa descending to earth, but a goddess protecting her child! ¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan suddenly laughed, gently wrapped his arms around Madam¡¯s thin shoulders, and murmured, ¡°Madam¡¯s eyes are still the brightest and can penetrate deeply. Without Madam, Zhen might be haunted by this inner demon for the rest of Zhen¡¯s life, mad to the point of death. Madam, it¡¯s you who saved Zhen.¡±

 CH 96

    Emperor Sheng Yuan picked up the painting and said calmly, ¡°If Zhen hadn¡¯t met Madam, Zhen would have never imagined that Zhen could still appreciate it so closely, without the slightest fear and despair. At the time when Zhen was the most high-spirited, the day when Zhen stomped on the entire Central Plains under one¡¯s feet, the Empress Dowager held this painting and gave a detailed account of the scene when Zhen was born.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s temples began to swell, and she could almost feel the feeling of destroying the world. For a child who had been abandoned since childhood, nothing was more important than tracing one¡¯s roots. It would be fine if he didn¡¯t know it for a lifetime, but on the day that should have been the most glorious day, the bloody truth was suddenly revealed. The impact was no less than falling from a cloud into the abyss, and a destructive power of a tsunami and landslide.


    Everything he hoped, pursued, and even believed in would be destroyed in an instant. If the will was not strong enough, afraid he would go crazy on the spot. Guan Suyi didn¡¯t know how he survived at that time, but she could imagine what kind of torment he was going through for more than 1,400 days and nights.


    However, even in such pain and despair, he was reluctant to burn the painting, which showed how much guilt and longing he had for the mother he had never met. Did he think that if he kept this painting and used it to torture himself forever, he would be able to wash away the sin of killing his mother?


    It turned out that the man who looked so powerful was hiding such a rotten and festering wound in his heart, but he never wanted to treat it, instead he dug it deeper and deeper with the knife. The human spirit was not infinitely powerful, on the contrary, it would become weaker and weaker with age. If all the strength was exhausted, there would be a time when that knife pierce the heart.


    Guan Suyi closed her eyes and suppressed the surging tears, she was not qualified to cry for this man, even he himself was not, because all of this was fake! It¡¯s a big lie! The truth was indeed bloody, but it was not cruel at all. On the contrary, it¡¯s saturated with deep love and expectation.


    She said while barely maintained a calm voice, ¡°Your Majesty should have guessed it right? The reason why your mother held a knife in her hand was not to resist, nor to kill you. She had a difficult childbirth and no one was by her side, in order to save your life, she can only open her own stomach and take you out; she was afraid that the clan would not find you in time, so she cut her wrist and fed you with her own blood.¡±


    She fixed her gaze at the emperor who was showing a fragile posture in front of her, and said word by word, ¡°So you have never been a Rakshasa, let alone killing your mother, but a treasure she exchanged with her life. Not only you are not a child that no one want, on the contrary, your birth carry more maternal love and hope than anyone else. Because she has a spirit in heaven and has always been guarding by your side, so you can survive such a difficult environment, and you can overcome the danger again and again until you reach the top. Your Majesty, for her sake, don¡¯t hurt yourself in the future, you are now the monarch of Great Wei, the ruler of the world, and your life is no longer yours alone!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was so warmed by her words that his whole body was burning, and his heavy heart was still hard, but he opened a gap for her alone, and carefully brought her in, put it on the tip of his heart, or maybe hide it at the bottom of his heart, except for himself, no one was allowed to touch it.


    He intertwined his fingers with her and said eagerly, ¡°That¡¯s right, Zhen¡¯s life is no longer mine alone, but Madam¡¯s. Without Madam, Zhen would never have discovered the truth.¡± On the day he received the secret report, he repeatedly chewed these four words. The truth was like a thunderbolt, which exploded in his mind, and then everything suddenly became clear.


    When he went to see the paintings that the Empress Dowager worked so hard to draw, he didn¡¯t feel any guilt or fear or despair, he just wanted to cry for his mother. She must be the bravest and greatest mother in the world; just as Madam was the strongest and wisest lady in the world.


    He finally let go, and was proud of it. He no longer hesitated whether to approach Madam, but immediately rushed to her side to show his identity. He was the son of Husu Liya, Hunnar, and Huo Shengzhe, the monarch of the Great Wei Dynasty. He was not a demon, so why should he hide it?


    However, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t understand his surging emotions, and turned her face away and said urgently, ¡°Please don¡¯t say these words, Your Majesty. This subject woman can¡¯t afford it, let alone dare to ask for it. Since you have let go of the past, would you please hurry up and put on your clothes?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan saw that she seemed to be embarrassed. Although he thought it was cute, he couldn¡¯t bear to tease her too much. While putting on his robe, he confessed, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t underestimate yourself. For Zhen, you are a unique treasure in the world. The reason why Zhen competed for the world was just to survive. Later, Zhen was stabbed in the heart by the Empress Dowager, and thought about how to sit on the throne more firmly, even if you die, you shouldn¡¯t be taken advantage by others. It wasn¡¯t until Zhen met Madam that Zhen realized that this world is not only belong to Zhen, but also belongs to the common people. Providing one side water and soil is far more satisfying than destroying a city. Now, Zhen want to be a good emperor, and Zhen want to hold your hand and together we build a peaceful world, Yellow River is clear and the sea has no waves.¡±


    Guan Suyi turned her face away, the blush slowly climbed from the base of her ears to her cheeks, and then extended to her neck. She didn¡¯t need to look at this man¡¯s warm expression, just his loving voice alone could make her heart flutter and her thoughts chaotic. She couldn¡¯t respond to him, she could only keep silent.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t need any response, and continued to speak, ¡°Because had not yet guessed one¡¯s own background, Zhen was hesitant at first whether to fight for you. Every time Zhen saw an innocent child or a woman with a bulging belly, Zhen will think uncontrollably, Zhen is a Rakshasa evil spirit, will Zhen¡¯s children be like Zhen, breaking out of the body in such a bloody way? If end up hurting Madam, what will Zhen do to atone this sin?¡±


    Guan Suyi became annoyed, turned her face and sarcastically said, ¡°Your Majesty, we don¡¯t have any relationship, you think too much!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that Zhen was really think too much, so Zhen immediately came to the Zhao Mansion to find you and confess Zhen¡¯s identity to you.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan hesitated for a moment, then said with difficulty, ¡°Because of the fear of giving birth to another Rakshasa and letting him bear the suffering that Zhen once endured, Zhen have been keeping oneself clean all these years, and dare not get close to any woman. Zhen and Ye Zhen are not what you guessed¡­¡±


    With a blushing face, he explained the stupidest thing he had done in his life to Madam in detail, he sighed, ¡°The aide from those time that was bribed by Ye Zhen to give suggestion to the old Marquis over and over again to offer his daughter-in-law to Zhen in exchange for rich and honor has been found. The Miao expert who were instructed by Ye Quanyong to hunt and kill Zhen, who then in turn were killed by the Ye family only to survived by chance have also been found. Now they are all in prison. If Madam doesn¡¯t believe it, Zhen can bring them in front of you to retell the story again.¡±


    Guan Suyi calmed down and asked, ¡°The murderer who killed the entire Ye family and poisoned the Zhao Mansion was this Miao man? Was Ye Zhen involve in sister-in-law¡¯s death?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°What a number one beautiful woman in the Central Plains, what a very favored in the Six Palaces Ye Jieyu, her method is really exceptional!¡± Guan Suyi had never hated a person so much. It turned out that everything, including why she would marry Zhao Luli again, was her who played tricks behind the scene. How can a person be so shameless?


    She wanted to climb another high branch, so the father-in-law became the villain who offer tributes to the powerful, and eventually became enemies with his son; she wanted to abandon her husband and her children, so Zhao Luli became a coward who needed his wife to sell her body in order to be granted a title, and since then he felt guilty and couldn¡¯t raise his head; she wanted to be a phoenix who fly to the Ninth Heaven, so Emperor Sheng Yuan became the target that being hunted down and fooled, and finally took all the infamy for her and gave her supreme glory.


    Was there any woman in the world who was more ¡°pure and kind, weak but virtuous¡± than her? Afraid in the last few hundred years and the next few hundred years, there would be no one like her.


    ¡°High, it¡¯s really high! The last time this subject woman met Ye Jieyu, said she¡¯s not as good as the rumors said, but it turns out it¡¯s this subject woman who has eyes but fail to recognize Mount Tai*! Your Majesty, you two husband and wife, one is deceitful, and the other is utterly stupid, you should make a great pair, why do you want to harm me? In the Zhao family, I have a husband who dotes on me, a mother-in-law who protect me, although the children are not my own, they are all respectful and filial to me. Why should I leave them and be together with you, this accomplish? You are stupid, but I am not stupid; Ye Zhen is cheap, but I am not cheap!¡±


    She suddenly lifted the thin blanket and stood up, without even bothering to put on her shoes, she ran out quickly, leaving only a sarcastic remark, ¡°Your Majesty, after drinking so much ink, you really have made a great progress, this bitter trick almost deceived me! Let¡¯s not meet again in the future, just pretend we never knew each other!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan deceived her, teased her, and even tried to rob her, but it couldn¡¯t make her really angry, because she had suffered more sinister and uglier injuries than this. However, there was only one thing she couldn¡¯t forgive ¨C knowing the circumstances, he shouldn¡¯t have helped Ye Zhen push her into the fire pit.


    Why when he looked down on her he can willfully trample on her, and when he fall in love he want to easily redeem her? Because he is the emperor? Because he has tragic life experience? In this day and age, who doesn¡¯t have a few heart-wrenching memories? How pitiful do you really think you are?


    Guan Suyi walked quickly, and when she returned to the side room, she found that the soles of her feet had been scraped with stones and had many wounds, which was very painful. Jinzi hurriedly took out the ointment and wiped it for her, while wondering, ¡°Madam, do you know how to break acupuncture points?¡±


    ¡°What breaking acupuncture points? The acupoint he tapped is connected to the Tianzong acupoint. I only need to keep leaning on the back of the chair and secretly press the Tianzong acupoint, then I can use the blood to break through the blockage. You should read more books in the future, don¡¯t be like your family master, hopelessly stupid!¡± Guan Suyi said while gritting her teeth.


    Jinzi smiled wryly, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t put your anger on my head, this servant has only you as a master, and there is no other master! This servant¡¯s number has been revoked by the Dark Guards, and apart from military households, will never be able to return.¡±


    Guan Suyi was stunned for a while, and then she poked Jinzi¡¯s forehead with her fingertips, ¡°Sly girl, you know how to use words to block me. Fortunately, you were sent to monitor me, so you more and less learned something, otherwise sooner or later you will be like Huo Shengzhe, stupid to death by himself.¡±


    Jinzi did not dare to refute, and secretly mourned for His Majesty in her heart. It turns out what Madam can¡¯t tolerate the most is not deception, but stupidity? That is so miserable, afraid there is no hope for His Majesty in this life.

 CH 97

    Emperor Sheng Yuan sat cross-legged in the room, feeling depressed. Seeing that Madam had softened her heart, she not only explained the truth of the painting for him, she also cried for him. He only needed to explain what happened to Ye Zhen, highlight how he kept himself clean, and then they could fall in love with each other. But how she end up getting angry?


    He took apart every sentence and even every word he had said before, and thought about it carefully, trying to figure it out. Today¡¯s meeting was indeed a bit of a bitter trick. What kind of person Madam was, as someone who silently guarding her for half a year, even if it asked what she ate and drank, Emperor Sheng Yuan knew very well.


    She was a typical knife-mouthed tofu-hearted person. She looked strong and incomparable, but she was actually the most kind, and especially liked children. Just talked about children and there wouldn¡¯t be unwillingness to compromise. That¡¯s why he slowly turned the topic to his childhood, and shared with her all the most difficult years and the most painful secrets.


    However, in the process, he was slowly comforted and finally completely cured. He originally thought that the more rotten and deeper the wound, the more painful it would be when it dug up. But with only a few words from Madam, the rotten flesh disappeared and it was instantly smoothed out. She said that he was his mother¡¯s treasure, and that he should not hurt himself, how happy and moved he was.


    Everything was fine, but why you become so angry? Emperor Sheng Yuan was puzzled and scolded ¡°Ye Zhen really harmed Zhen¡± through gritted teeth. Without a doubt the person he hated the most was Ye Zhen, the Empress Dowager, the first prince¡¯s consort, the eldest princess and others have to step back.


    Baifu was surprised by Madam Guan¡¯s skills, and couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, ¡°Your Majesty, didn¡¯t you immobilize Madam¡¯s legs? How could she run away?¡± If they hadn¡¯t taken for granted that Madam couldn¡¯t move, they wouldn¡¯t let their guard down easily.


    ¡°Is it the time to explore this? Why don¡¯t you go to Jinzi and ask her why Madam is angry?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan waved his hand impatiently, picked up the embroidered shoes on the ground, carefully patted off the dust, and hid it in his sleeve pocket.


    Baifu hurriedly went to inquire, and returned with a stiff face after a while, and whispered, ¡°Your Majesty, Lady Jinzi asked you not to look for her in the future, she will not tell you anything about Madam. She said that she will only be the madam¡¯s girl in the future, no longer your dark guard, and her master will only be Madam.¡± After the words finished he felt frighten and waited for His Majesty to get angry.


    Although Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s face showed surprise, but there was no anger at all, after a while he laughed a little, and praised ¡°good girl¡± while clapping his hands.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Lady Jinzi still has something to let this servant help convey.¡± The first disaster was avoided, but more cold sweat broke out on Baifu¡¯s forehead, and he hesitated, ¡°She said, she said that Madam thought you are stupid and asked you to read more books in the future.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± The smile on Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s face twisted for a moment.


    ¡°Your Majesty is insightful, this is not what this servant said, it was conveyed on behalf of Lady Jinzi!¡± Baifu knelt down with a plop, and secretly cried bitterly in his heart.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned for a long time, and his tall and straight posture finally stooped down little by little. After sitting in the room for a long time, he left in a very dejected manner. When he walked to a pavilion, he saw that there were many scholars gathered inside, bent over on the desk to write rapidly.


    ¡°What are they doing? Go and see.¡±


    Baifu was ordered to investigate, and when he came back, he whispered, ¡°They are copying Madam¡¯s ¡°Book of Sacrifice for Sister-in-law¡±. Because there are many people attending the ceremony today, and the literary giants of the Guan clan and the Zhong clan all participate, therefore the scholars within the capital are all flocking here and the powerful nobles are also gathering here, after they read the sacrificial eulogy, it has already swept half of the capital, perhaps soon everyone will have a copy.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan paused and ordered, ¡°Send someone to spread this sacrificial eulogy to build momentum for Madam.¡± He smiled softly again, ¡°Actually, there is no need for Zhen to help Madam make a name for herself, this article is so gripping and mournful, sooner or later it will become a masterpiece for all eternity.¡±


    Baifu didn¡¯t dare to delay, and hurried to do it. The efficiency of the dark guards was naturally first-class. When the imperial carriage reached the foot of the mountain and entered the city gate, Madam Guan¡¯s ¡°Book of Sacrifice for Sister-in-law¡± was already in the hands of everyone in Yanjing City. Every time they moved a certain distance, they would met a few literati with red eyes reciting the manuscript paper in their hands, and women followed behind them to listen carefully, and then hugged their children and cried heartily.


    The greatness and selflessness of a mother¡¯s love were rendered to the extreme by this article. Now when they talk about the Zhao Mansion and Ruan shi, people would only praise her for her bravery, and never mention any witches or devils. Even those old Confucian scholars who were sour and decay in their thinking, repented after reading the sacrificial eulogy, and burned incense candles to show their condolences.


    People¡¯s words were fearful thing, and people¡¯s words were also venerable. As long as they were properly guided, they could exert unparalleled power. No wonder the people of the Central Plains have such a saying ¨C defending people¡¯s mouth is better than defending the river*¡­ Therefore, those who manage the river should dredge them to make it smooth; those who govern the people could only enlighten them and let them speak. To encourage the free airing of view was indeed right.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan ordered the carriage to slow down and look all the way. The streets that used to be full of mercenaries have now been cleaned up, and prosperity was beginning to emerge. The faces of the people that come and go were full of smiles, although the clothes were simple but it were clean; there were children playing on the roadside, giggling and laughing, looking so carefree and innocent.


    This scene made Emperor Sheng Yuan feel a lot of emotions, but also extremely satisfied, until he entered the palace gate, only then he felt that something was still missing.


    ¡°If Madam can accompany Zhen to enjoy the scenery and explore people¡¯s sentiments, how good will that be? Seeing such a prosperous scene, Madam will definitely be very happy, and she will not despise Zhen for being stupid.¡± He walked into the Weiyang Palace and sighed with regret as he changed into his dragon robe.


    Baifu didn¡¯t dare to interject at will, he could only laugh dryly, and then followed His Majesty to Changle Palace. It was the residence of the Empress Dowager. Ever since he ascended to the throne, the Emperor had never set foot here again. Although the mother and son still maintain an illusion of peace due to Confucianism¡¯s emphasis on filial piety, but who in the deep palace didn¡¯t know that the Empress Dowager hated the Emperor to the bone, and so was the emperor towards the empress dowager, and even more than that.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± The Empress Dowager was surrounded by many young children, all of whom were the orphans of the eldest prince, third prince, and sixth prince, as for how the third prince died, one had to ask the saber on Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s waist. They were all the blood of the Empress Dowager, who originally had the most hope of ascending to the throne, but as a result, a Rakshasa evil spirit slashed with a sword, so the deep resentment in her heart could be imagined.


    She took the youngest son of the old sixth into her arms and patted him gently, then scolded, ¡°Before you come, let someone make a report, don¡¯t scare the child. What are you, don¡¯t you know?¡±


    ¡°Make a report? The world of Wei Kingdom was conquered by Zhen, the palace was occupied by Zhen, the dragon chair was seated by Zhen, you are all Zhen¡¯s vassals, and you can only survive by Zhen¡¯s charity, Zhen come and go, why should let people make a report? If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Zhen chose Confucianism to govern the country, and has to abide by the so-called ¡®filial piety¡¯ of the Han people, you as Zhen¡¯s nominal mother, do you think you can still live to this day? Before asking others what they are, bow your head first to look at yourself!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan stepped into the inner hall without hesitation.


    The Empress Dowager faintly felt restless under her anger. When the news of Guan shi¡®s cutting open the abdomen to take the child out reached the palace, she began to lose sleep and couldn¡¯t eat, for fear that Emperor Sheng Yuan discover something. That painting was her only weapon to control the other person, and even kill him. If it was exposed and seen through, her situation would become very difficult and dangerous, and the imperial grandsons would have no possibility to survive.


    Filial and unfilial were all said by others. As the emperor, and firmly controlling the entire forbidden palace, it was not difficult for him to do some beautiful efforts on the surface; correspondingly, it was easy to get rid of her secretly. If she was dead, what about the imperial grandsons? How could they not be abused? Especially Hunnar was that kind of vengeful character.


    The Empress Dowager thought a lot, and her face became more and more pale. Several grandsons were spoiled by her too much, and their temperaments were erratic. They pointed at Emperor Sheng Yuan and scolded, ¡°Go away, demon, don¡¯t dirty imperial grandmother¡¯s place. People come, drive him away, he is a demon, his body is full of bad luck, whoever infected will get moldy!¡±


    Of course, there were also timid and cowardly children who have thrown themselves into the empress dowager¡¯s arms and cried, and they were also incessantly screaming demon and Rakshasa. It could be seen that ordinarily, the Empress Dowager often told them about the ¡°legendary life¡± of this uncle.


    In the past, if Emperor Sheng Yuan encountered such a scene, he would spontaneously avoid it, but today he sat quietly at the top, his expression indistinguishable between joy and anger. The reason why he tolerated these people before was because he was worried that he would have no children, and wanted to find a less annoying child to adopt under his knees; the second reason was to keep them torturing himself so as to atone for his sins.


    But now, they were dead or alive, said what and done what, what it have to do with him? Just go to hell!


    Thinking like this, he didn¡¯t bother to talk nonsense with the Empress Dowager, pointed to the things in Baifu¡¯s hand, and said slowly, ¡°Thank you Empress Dowager for giving Zhen this picture of a goddess protecting her child, so that Zhen can understand how brave and strong Zhen¡¯s mother was, and how she loved her son dearly. When the time is suitable, Zhen will announce her existence to the world, and do nine, nine, eighty-one days rituals* for her. Over the years, she has always accompanied Zhen, protecting Zhen everywhere, let Zhen turn misfortune into blessing, Now that Zhen have ruled the world, she should be perfectly content to reincarnate. Empress Dowager, some people gave birth to a few children, and the children still die, they can¡¯t protect them even if they want to; But some people only gave birth to one, and even when he was exploited in a thousand ways, bullied in every ways, but he still able to grow up peacefully. Why do you think is that? Because those who do good have their own blessings, and those who do evil have their own retributions.¡±


    He took the painting, touched it with great preciousness, and sighed, ¡°Zhen will posthumously confer mother as the Empress Dowager, and order the court ministers to draw up a glorious posthumous title, so as not to let her dignity and splendor be taken away by others. Empress dowager, you must take care of your health, Zhen is busy with government affairs, afraid Zhen don¡¯t have time to manage your funeral.¡± Without waiting for the Empress Dowager¡¯s reaction, he flung his sleeves and left.


    Several of the little imperial grandsons followed him and insulted him, and even picked up small bows and arrows to try to attack, but they were hurriedly thrown down and stopped by the palace maid. The emperor¡¯s words were clear enough, he wanted to recognize his mother, to justify her name, and the honor of the Empress Dowager would be taken away. After her death, not to mention adding a posthumous title and ceremonious burial, whether or not she could enter the imperial tomb was hard to say.


    Apart from this cage-like Changle Palace, the Empress Dowager was afraid that there was nothing left, how could she protect a few little imperial grandsons? From then on, everyone in the palace had to learn to tuck their tails between their legs!


    Back in the imperial study, Emperor Sheng Yuan let out a sigh of relief and waved his hand, ¡°Send Ye Zhen back. Zhao Luli has been waiting for so many years. He should get what he wish for.¡±

 CH 98

    Having sternly rejected Emperor Sheng Yuan, Guan Suyi temporarily put the matter away and concentrated on organizing Ruan shi¡®s funeral. She never planned to tell her family from the beginning to end, lest her grandfather and father be worried, and if she really made a fuss to the point where the monarch and ministers turned against each other and blood splattered in the court, what¡¯s the point of her reborn? Becoming another scourge for the family? If the day come when it was impossible to refuse, when they have to obey, and if grandfather and father felt they were disgraced, they could resign and return to their hometown and continue to open academies. It would be better than the whole family dying.


    In this life, her biggest wish was to protect her family, not her family being implicated by her again, and have a bleak ending. Strong will be humiliated, and wisdom will be hurt, she understood that better than anyone else. Therefore, when necessary, she must learn to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, and be able to bend and stretch.


    After putting aside her distracting thoughts, she had no dream all night, and the next day before dawn, she was busy making breakfast for the children. Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu were indeed very sensible, they took Mu Mu with them everywhere they go, when they had leisure time they would visit little Huai¡¯en, there were perseverance looks between their eyebrows.


    Although Mu Mu was young, he could understand everything. He had been reluctant to talk these days, but every time he opened his mouth, there must be a crying ¡°I want second aunt¡±. He knew that the second aunt would never come back, and he was sad in his heart, but he couldn¡¯t express it in appropriate words.


    Guan Suyi was very distressed, she took him into her arms and patted him for a while, and then put him on her lap to feed him personally, finally coax him to eat two more bites. After a while, Jinzi walked in with the crying little Huai¡¯en in her arms and said anxiously, ¡°Madam, the second young master is so noisy when he¡¯s sleepy, and you have to constantly rock him. We have already changed people, and after shaking for a quarter of an hour, he is still crying, The little face is red from crying! Look at this pitiful look!¡±


    Because Zhao Huai¡¯en¡¯s mother died before he was born, Guan Suyi inevitably felt more pity. When she was free, she would hug and pat and rock him, which made him suffer from a bad problem. When he fell asleep, his aunt must hold him and rock him, otherwise he would never close his eyes. He also gave birth to a dog nose, not the embrace of his aunt¡¯s cinnamon scent, then he wouldn¡¯t buy it.


    Jinzi put him out with her own hands, and she loved him like a darling. Abandoning the military household and quitting the dark guard, one was for Madam, and the other was for this child. Although she knew that Madam was very busy recently, but she couldn¡¯t bear that little Huai¡¯en would not sleep, so she had to bite the bullet to ask for help.


    Guan Suyi was not too tired, so she handed the spoon to Mu Mu, and said softly, ¡°You eat by yourself, mother has to spare one hand to hold your younger brother. Younger brother has just eaten and is looking at you, you can¡¯t lose to him, you have to eat two more bowls to show him. Second aunt is not here, younger brother will depend on you to take care of him in the future.¡±


    Mu Mu, who was still a little depressed, immediately picked up the bowl and said in a milky voice, ¡°Mother, hold younger brother, I will eat. Second aunt take care of me, and I take care of younger brother.¡±


    ¡°Good boy.¡± Guan Suyi suppressed the tears in her eyes and reached out to hug Little Huai¡¯en.


    When Zhao Luli helped his mother enter the door, he saw that his wife was holding Mu Mu in one hand and his nephew in the other, with his daughter sitting on the left and his son on the right. She just turned nineteen in August, but she had to take care of so many children, manage the inside and outside the house, honor her mother-in-law, and when there were female guest in the front hall still needed her to handle them. Even if she was as strong as iron, she should not be able to stand it any longer, but her back was straight, her eyes were shining, her face looked determine, and didn¡¯t show any depression, which made others feel encouraged and boosted their spirits.


    The dark cloud in Zhao Luli¡¯s heart dissipated immediately, and after helping his mother to sit down, he went to pick up his nephew, and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll take him, you eat first, then we will exchange when you¡¯re finished.¡±


    Guan Suyi shook her head gently, ¡°Just fell asleep, it will be troublesome to wake him up when he changed hands. When he is asleep, I will put him back in the cradle, you and old madam can eat first, don¡¯t worry about me. ¡±


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll feed you.¡± Zhao Chunxi took a steamed vegetables dumpling and brought it to her stepmother¡¯s mouth. Her expression was not flattering or calculating, but full of admiration. The feelings between people could be developed, Guan Suyi taught her sincerely, and she was naturally filial, after getting along for more than half a year, although there was no blood relation, the feelings had been very harmonious.


    ¡°I also feed mom. Mom likes to eat thousand-layer cakes.¡± After Guan Suyi finished eating the steamed dumpling, Zhao Wangshu also broke off a small piece of cake and handed it over.


    ¡°Mother likes to eat steamed bun the most.¡± Mu Mu took a huge steamed bun and stuffed it into his adoptive mother¡¯s mouth.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t want to spoil the children¡¯s kindness, she quickly finished chewing what was in her mouth and grabbed the steamed bun.


    When the old madam saw such a warm and touching scene, the sadness on her face faded a lot. While praising the children for growing up and being sensible, she reached out and took the steamed bun from her daughter-in-law¡¯s mouth to save her from choking. Zhao Luli poured a cup of hot tea and slowly fed it into his wife¡¯s mouth, with a gentle smile on the corners of his eyes.


    When the children were full, they went back to change into their mourning clothes. Guan Suyi handed the sleeping little Huai¡¯en to Jinzi, and then picked up the bowls and chopsticks to eat.


    Zhao Luli asked people to reheat the few dishes and sat by the side to accompany her. He seemed calm, but in fact he was uneasy, then tentatively said, ¡°When I see Little Huai¡¯en, I can¡¯t help thinking, if Madam gives birth to a child for me too, how cute will it be? It doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s a boy or a girl, as long as they pick up half of Madam, they will be extraordinary in the future.¡±


    Guan Suyi said without blinking, ¡°It¡¯s enough to have so many children at home, I can¡¯t bear a few more.¡±


    ¡°How could that be? It¡¯s said that the more children, the more blessings. Madam is still so young, and it¡¯s not too much to give me seventeen or eighteen more children.¡±


    Guan Suyi suppressed her discomfort and said perfunctorily, ¡°Don¡¯t say these words at your sister-in-law¡¯s funeral, it¡¯s disrespectful to the dead.¡±


    ¡°I was confuse, Madam please forgive. After the filial piety period is over, let¡¯s discuss the matter of extending the family.¡± Zhao Luli felt a little regretful, but he was not in a hurry. He has a lifetime to get Madam¡¯s forgiveness. In one lifetime, forty or fifty years, even a stone could be warmed up, not to mention Madam¡¯s heart was not a stone, but a flame wrapped in solid ice.


    This solid ice was originally frozen by him layer by layer, and it should also be broken by him layer by layer. If you do something wrong, you will always be punished accordingly.


    However, he imagined it well, but the world always turned against him. When the mourning period came, in front of the full house of guests, a servant woman rushed in like her butt was on fire and shouted, ¡°Master, ma, madam is back! You go and have a look, madam is back!¡±


    After Ye Zhen left, all the servants of the Zhao family had been changed, but they also left a few useful servants, and this woman was one of them. She didn¡¯t expect the madam who climbed the high branch would come back. When she saw the visitor lift the veil hat, revealing a familiar yet unfamiliar face, she was almost scared out of her wits.


    As soon as she finished shouting, Ye Zhen had already followed. Jueyin Temple was a public place, and no one blocked the door, so she walked to the mourning hall unhindered, showing her true face in front of everyone.


    ¡°Ye Cainu?¡± Someone recognized her.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not Ye Cainu, it¡¯s her twin sister Ye Zhen. Don¡¯t you see a mole in the corner of her eye? Ye Cainu doesn¡¯t have one.¡± Someone explained.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Ye Cainu¡®s sister drown a long time ago?¡±


    ¡°It never said that she was drowning, just fell into the Yellow River and washed away. Maybe at that time she had a great luck and was rescued by some kindhearted person, then she lived outside for all these years, and only been found today.¡± The person kept explaining, as if deliberately guide the conversation.


    The people around really believed it. They looked at the relatively silent couple for a while, then at Madam Guan who looked surprised, and then shook their head, thought in their hearts: the ex-wife is not dead and married a second wife, and now both are present, it¡¯s a difficult problem to choose which one to pick up which one to give up; to take both, who is high who is low is another problem.


    In theory, the one who came in first should be the main wife; in terms of interest, the one with a prominent family background should also occupy the exclusive position; in terms of feeling, this must be a sure win for the ex-wife! Who in Yanjing didn¡¯t know that Zhao Luli was willing to give everything for Ye Zhen, and he fell to such a point like today was also because his feeling was too heavy thus implicated by the Ye family. What¡¯s more, he and Ye Zhen raised two children together, which were the most important bargaining chip.


    A woman as amazing and brilliant as Madam Guan was helpless in the face of such situation. She could neither monopolize the position nor the husband, and a single sentence ¡°first come, first served¡± could crush her to death. No matter how people say it, the original first wife who officially wed was the di wife, and even the dowry and children were kept in the house!


    This time there is a big trouble, two women are fighting for one husband, let¡¯s see who wins and who loses! Everyone¡¯s mind was lively, but their faces were extremely serious.


    Ye Zhen was inexplicably sent out of the palace, and when she was penniless, she had to come to her ex-husband. In the past six months, although she was demoted to Cainu, Emperor Sheng Yuan did not let the palace people to treat her harshly, but continued to serve delicious food like before, so that her face was delicate and her figure was graceful, her appearance was the same as when she left.


    When she thought that this was a sign that the emperor had long been in love with her and would choose to forgive her one day, she was dragged out of Ganquan Palace by several men in black and thrown on the street at will. She finally walked to the Zhao Mansion, but found that there was no one inside. She asked the neighbors to find out that the Ruan shi had died violently, and the whole family went to Jueyin Temple.


    ¡°A¡¯li, I¡¯m back! I finally found you!¡± Seeing that Zhao Luli was just staring at her with complicated eyes, but did not rush up to acknowledge her, she had no choice but to called out tearfully. She couldn¡¯t go back to the palace, and Ye family was ruined, she couldn¡¯t find any support except her ex-husband. How high she flew back then, how much she fell right now. Looking back, the only person who could catch her was the person who was in love with her in the first place.


    ¡°You, why are you back? You¡¯re not¡­¡± Zhao Luli was in a trance, as if in a dream.


    ¡°Come in and discuss it inside!¡± The old madam resisted her anger and interrupted.


    ¡°The sacrificial ceremony of sister-in-law is about to begin. You family get inside to talk, and I take care of the outside.¡± Guan Suyi waved to her mother secretly, saying that she was fine. At first, she was indeed a little surprised, but after thinking about it, she realized that this must be Hunnar¡¯s handwriting. He thought that she was too comfortable in the Zhao family, so he put Ye Zhen back, anyway, Ye Zhen¡¯s ruse had been exposed, and there was only death left in the palace, it¡¯s better to make the best use of things.


    She had to admit that this was a smart move. She never liked to play those inner house tricks, and she was not good at fighting openly and maneuver covertly. If Ye Zhen wanted to be a demon, she would be too lazy to deal with her, so she could only reconcile. Maybe exposing Ye Zhen¡¯s true face in front of Zhao Luli was also a way out, but why bother? That person loved Ye Zhen for two lifetimes, might as well let him realize this dream. Whether it¡¯s bitter or sweet, you have to eat the karma you sow.


    Afraid she couldn¡¯t stay in the Zhao Mansion any longer, but what should Mu Mu do? What should Little Huai¡¯en do? These issues that she should not have to consider had now become her biggest worry.

 CH 99

    Zhao Luli took Ye Zhen to the inner courtyard to have a deep conversation, and the old madam also went in with them. Zhao Wangshu who was very eager for his biological mother, followed step by step, but Zhao Chunxi was very reluctant, fell at the end of the line with ashen face.


    Perhaps because she thought that she would never go back to the Zhao family, Ye Zhen didn¡¯t hide much in front of her daughter, she always told her what to do, and often instilled some climbing skills and tricks in her ears. Therefore, besides the old madam, Zhao Chunxi was probably the person who knew her true face best.


    She had no sincerity towards others, even close relatives were only divided into two categories in her eyes ¨C those who can be used or those who can¡¯t be used.


    Before, the Zhao family was obviously unusable, so the whole family was abandoned by her like a pair of old shoes; now she had no support, so she had to pick up that pair of shoes again. It¡¯s really hard for her to endure humiliation and condescended to those of low status, is she not afraid wearing those shoes would give her rotten feet?


    Zhao Chunxi was upset, but she couldn¡¯t say anything to expel people. Ye Zhen was still her mother no matter how unbearable it was, and she had no reason to watch her mother live on the streets. Just take more precautions in the future, don¡¯t let her harm the stepmother.


    ¡ª-


    While Ye Zhen made up her story in the inner courtyard, Guan Suyi presided over the sacrificial ceremony in the mourning hall.


    She was wearing linen mourning clothes with a white flower on her head, and every time she finished reading a passage of scriptures, she kowtowed reverently. She already agreed to kowtow for seven, seven, forty-nine days, then she wouldn¡¯t be careless about it. Mu Mu didn¡¯t like to meet strangers, so he didn¡¯t want to see Ye Zhen, and his little hand kept tugging at the corner of his adoptive mother¡¯s clothes, following wherever she went.


    At a young age, he had already recited the scriptures well. When kowtowing, he tried to imitate his adoptive mother. He bowed down slowly and solemnly. After touching his forehead on the ground, he paused for a while, then stood up again, his back was straight, and his every move had begun to show an elegant style.


    The relatives and friends who were sitting around the altar were paying attention to the mother and son both overtly and secretly, and they were all in awe. What was the situation of the Zhao family at the beginning, they all saw it, Zhao Luli was confused; the old madam was mentally weak; Zhao Chunxi looked smart but was superficial and restless; Zhao Wangshu was simply a demon king; and this little Mu Mu could not even speak, but now he could serve tea and water to the guests, sensible and well-mannered.


    Although the main house of the Zhao family had lost the title, everyone with discerning eyes knew that with the support of a good wife and loving mother like Madam their family would rise up sooner or later. Haven¡¯t people seen that only after a few months Zhao Wangshu already has some literary reputation? There were so many literary giants standing behind the stepmother, and she was also an amazing talent. Not to mention a decaying wood, she could even extract water from a stone to irrigate the flower.


    It¡¯s a pity such a good scenery got disturb with Ye Zhen mixing in. Her face looked exactly the same as Ye Cainu, and it¡¯s hard to find any excuse to deny it.


    If it changed to ordinary person, they would be like an ant on a hot pot at this time, rushing around anxiously, but Madam Guan was really steady. Looking at her calm like water eyebrows, with pupils that was like ancient well with no waves*, and a good chanting sound and graceful demeanor, it created a good atmosphere for everyone!


    Under her influence, the guests who were still a little distracted gradually calmed down and began to pray sincerely for Ruan shi.


    There were several huge braziers placed around the hall, and servants kept throwing incense candle, paper money and other objects into it to burn, and the smoke kept billowing, running towards the sky. After a while, a lot of blue smoke also appeared outside the temple, and the more it gathered, the thicker it became, as if there was a fire somewhere.


    Guan Suyi heard the commotion of the guests, and when she looked back, she found that something was wrong, so she hurriedly instructed Minglan to inquire. After a while, Minglan came back with tears in her eyes, she said while choking up, ¡°Miss, your sacrificial eulogy has been spread all over the capital, and there are well-meaning people who admire the second madam for sacrificing her life to protect her son, and come here to offer incense to her. Because there are many nobles in the altar, they didn¡¯t dare to disturb, so they burned paper outside the temple to pay tribute, and after they worship, they left. Now there are people coming and going outside, it¡¯s an endless stream, so Master Xuan Guang ordered the monks to set up a few bronze pots for them to burn incense.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that nothing catch on fire.¡± Guan Suyi pondered, ¡°They are willing to pray for sister-in-law, this intention is really precious. You ask the housekeeper to open the warehouse and carry the family¡¯s surplus grain up the mountain, so in the future when there are good-hearted people who come to worship, each one will be given a handful of grain, although it¡¯s not much, but it¡®s enough to eat for a day, which is considered to be accumulating virtue for sister-in-law in the next life.¡±


    Minglan complied again and again, and went down the mountain with the pair of cards.


    When the guests saw her arranged everything, they were more and more in awe. A woman with such an outstanding temperament and virtuousness, it was a blessing to whoever family that married her. That Ye Zhen had been living outside for many years, and as soon as she came back, she wanted to occupy the position of the main wife, did she think too highly of herself? Really want to compare with Madam Guan one by one, apart from giving birth to a pair of children, she couldn¡¯t do anything.


    While thinking about it, the morning sacrificial ceremony came to an end unknowingly, Master Xuan Guang chanted a Buddha verse, and asked everyone to go down to eat vegetarian meal.


    Zhong shi hurriedly dragged her daughter to the side room to talk, while Old Master Guan and Guan Father sent someone to inquire about Ye Zhen¡¯s whereabouts over the years, and they followed up worriedly.


    Reconciliation was certain, but Guan Suyi would not give in easily. Ye Zhen wants the Zhao family? Want to be the main wife? Want to pick up the affection that were once lost? If so, you can get for it yourself, just hope that you don¡¯t end up with nothing or end up with ruined reputation. She was indeed not good with back house¡¯s fighting and intrigues, but she was very good at digging holes and burying people. If Ye Zhen was honest, it would be fine, but if Ye Zhen insisted to make her jump into the pit, then she would push her hard instead.


    She already made calculations in her heart, but Guan Suyi didn¡¯t plan to ask her family for help. She only told Zhong shi to take it one step at a time and let nature take its course.


    Ye Zhen had just returned home, nothing happened yet, and it would be futile to say more, so they could only take one step at a time. Zhong shi couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Old Master Guan thought for a long time, and then made a final decision, ¡°If you cannot stand it, then let¡¯s reconcile. Fate has dictates, the emperor will not blame.¡±


    Guan Father also nodded, ¡°If it¡¯s not a last resort, I don¡¯t agree with reconciliation. However, now that it has come to this point, not reconcile afraid is impossible. The pearl in my, Guan Yunqi, palm will never be a concubine, let alone be an equal wife, under the control of anyone.¡±


    Guan Suyi repeatedly promised that she would not wronged herself, and if she really couldn¡¯t stand it, she would pack up and go home, so she consoled Zhong shi and others to leave first. As soon as they were out from the courtyard door, the next moment Jinzi came back and whispered, ¡°Madam, this servant just went to the East Wing to inquire, guess what? Ye Zhen was so shameless, she said that she couldn¡¯t forget her old feelings, she begged His Majesty for a few months, and threaten to die to force him, only then His Majesty release her. Now Zhao Luli is holding her while she¡¯s crying bitterly. Old madam, Zhao Chunxi, Zhao Wangshu, and the others were all confused outside. Zhao Luli also said that he will help Ye Zhen arrange a proper story, and he will not make his family and outsiders look down on her. You see, what is this? This is the legendary love as deep as the sea!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a blabbermouth, isn¡¯t this drama arranged by your master?¡± Guan Suyi sneered, ¡°Saying he was stupid, he immediately became shrewd and released Ye Zhen from the palace, but he never mentioned the dirty things from those year, it¡¯s clear that he wants Zhao Luli to continue the relationship with her. And now I¡¯ve become redundant, and I have to leave even if I don¡¯t want to.¡± What¡¯s more, she wanted to leave for a long time, but she couldn¡¯t bear to part with Mu Mu and Xiao Huai¡¯en.


    All kinds of worries climbed the wall of her heart, which made her frown and depressed.


    Jinzi scolded His Majesty secretly and persuaded her softly, ¡°Madam, this servant is telling the truth, don¡¯t think that this servant is helping the former master to swindle you. You shouldn¡¯t stay with this Zhao family for too long. You like children so much, but that Zhao Luli is disgusting, so why don¡¯t you hurriedly remarry while you¡¯re still young and have one yourself? After all, other people¡¯s offspring are other people¡¯s, perhaps they can be casually provoked with a few words, or some disagreement occurs, or if there is a conflict of interest, they can be separated from you in an instant. Didn¡¯t you see that Zhao Wangshu just sticks to his own mother?¡±


    Then she poured a cup of hot tea and handed it over, ¡°You are still young, you have a lot of time to waste, but how short is a woman¡¯s youth? When you come back to your senses and want to change your way, I¡¯m afraid there will be no road. To have children when you¡¯re old, you should understand the dangers.¡±


    Guan Suyi said calmly, ¡°I have my own measure in my heart, you don¡¯t have to worry for your master.¡±


    ¡°Where are this servant worrying for His Majesty? It¡¯s clearly worrying for you. Besides, this servant have nothing to do with the dark guard now. His Majesty didn¡¯t assign any errands to this servant, but instead added more people to protect you, so as not to let Ye Zhen try to harm you. Don¡¯t you know that she bought a lot of poisons from the Miao people. Although they were all destroyed after the Ye family¡¯s accident, she gave a lot to Zhao Chunxi earlier. So you should leave the Zhao family quickly, it¡¯s dangerous here. ¡±


    ¡°Your poison skills are no worse than the Miao people, I feel reassured.¡± Guan Suyi unperturbedly drinking tea, and waited until Jinzi ran her mouth dry before going out to eat.


    When the mourning ceremony was held in the afternoon, Ye Zhen was already standing beside Zhao Luli in a mourning clothes, holding Zhao Wangshu in one hand and Zhao Chunxi in the other, acting as the main wife. The old madam was furious in her heart, but she didn¡¯t want to show the skeleton in the closet, she could only stand with her daughter-in-law and Mu Mu. On the left was a family of four, and on the right was a family of three.


    It¡¯s not good for the guests to get involved in other family¡¯s business, so they could only shake their heads secretly, pretending not to know, and were about to sit back on the praying mat to recite the scriptures, when they heard a commotion outside. After a while, Baifu walked in with a scroll of imperial edicts in both hands, followed by many guards, carrying several heavy boxes.


    When everyone knelt down one after another, he began to recite the imperial decree. It was the emperor who admired Madam Ruan for giving up her life for her son, to have kindness as heavy as mountain and affection as deep as the sea, and possessing great love and selflessness. He conferred her a posthumous title in second-rank order, bestowed her posthumous name of Madam Zhenlie*, and enjoyed sacrificial ceremony of the first-rank. He also said that Madam Guan¡¯s heroic act had touch the heavens and earth, and gave the following treasures¡­ as a reward.


    Guan Suyi accepted the imperial decree calmly, but the guests murmured: ¡°Posthumously conferred as second-rank order, enjoy the memorial ceremony of the first-rank, and even given a posthumous name, what kind of honor is this?¡± During her lifetime, Ruan shi didn¡¯t dare to meet people because of her ugly appearance, and she didn¡¯t dare to ask for an official order, but after her death, she bathed in such a mighty grace and found the strongest protection for her son. Even if she died a hundred times, she would have no regrets! Just didn¡¯t know why the emperor paid so much attention to a woman, and the second-rank grant order actually got double-character posthumous name, which was really rare throughout the dynasties! Was it to elevate the second house of the Zhao family and appease General Zhao at the border?


    Everyone had a lot of speculation, but Guan Suyi had already understood Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s intentions. What he¡¯s doing now was just building momentum for his mother. First lift her sister-in-law as Madam Zhenlie, publicize her righteous deeds of sacrificing her life for her son, and made the people admire and respect her, and then reveal a little bit about his life experience, and in an instant it would become a story that captures one¡¯s imagination throughout all eternity and become a legend of the world.


    After conferring Ruan shi, naturally it was also necessary to posthumously conferred the Empress Dowager, and afraid the wind and clouds in the palace would suddenly change.

 CH 100

    What happened in the palace and the Empress Dowager had nothing to do with Guan Suyi. She held the imperial decree in front of the coffin to pay homage, and then led Baifu and the guards to the Bodhi Garden, and let them tie the filial cloth and then offer incense.


    Most of these guards were from the Jiuli tribe. They have deep facial features and tall and strong physique. Standing in the room, they seemed like poking iron towers, making the originally spacious space extremely narrow, and Baifu was sandwiched in it like a chicken that fell into a group of cranes, becoming more and more shriveled and thin.


    Jinzi distributed the filial piety cloth, the length that ordinary people could wrap around their waists, they could only tie it around their arms. When it reached the last person, she heard her master ask in a deep voice, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Didn¡¯t Madam ask this servant to come?¡± Jinzi was puzzled, but found that Baifu and the others had left the room and stood outside the courtyard, pressing their palms on the hilt of their knife, and the fierce air suddenly filled the air. Looking at the only remaining guard, she saw his eyes shining, the corners of his mouth slightly curved, sending out His Majesty¡¯s unique deep voice, ¡°Madam really has good eyesight, Zhen walked all the way here, but only Madam that saw the clue and flatly expose Zhen¡¯s identity.¡±


    Guan Suyi turned her face away and said coldly, ¡°Expose your identity? Who are you? Does this madam know you?¡±


    The tall guard took off the skin mask on his face and said with a smile, ¡°One moment asked who Zhen was, the next moment didn¡¯t want to admit it, Madam is so willful. Madam is so gentle and kind to others, only at Zhen you furrowed your brows and send angry look, not conceal anything, just because Zhen like you.¡±


    Guan Suyi turned to look at him, and said bluntly, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m like this because you like me. If you feel offended, can you not like me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan walked over, wanting to hug his sweetheart but afraid of blaspheming her, so he had to circle around her twice, with a thick smile on the corners of his eyes and brows, ¡°Zhen like the way Madam speaks bluntly, no matter what you do to Zhen, whether scolding or beating, Zhen will accept them all. There is an old saying ¨C the deeper the love, the greater the hatred. The more Madam hate Zhen, detest Zhen, the more it showed that you already have feelings for Zhen, otherwise how can you be so calm when facing Zhao Luli? You have never bothered with him for the shitty things he did, and you never got really angry, because you didn¡¯t take him seriously. But you treat Zhen differently¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough, can you not put gold on your face?¡± Guan Suyi spit fire in her eyes, she really didn¡¯t know what to do with this person. She had never seen someone more shameless than him, how could she have thought that he was simple and honest before? She was really blind!


    ¡°Look, you¡¯re angry again. If you didn¡¯t take Zhen to heart, why should you bother with Zhen?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan pressed the person on the praying mat. When he saw her angry fists smashed over, the hands that had planned to let go quickly and firmly glued to her shoulders again, and he took a few hits contentedly.


    ¡°There seems to be a slang in Central Plains, what is it about beating and   scolding,¡± He loved Madam¡¯s shy and angry looks, those burning eyes could make his whole heart boiled, could make his whole body flared up. Like a drug addict, he couldn¡¯t stop teasing, ¡°Let Zhen think about it. Ah yes, it¡¯s called ¡®beating is kissing, scolding is love¡®, madam, beat two more times, scold a few more words, and let Zhen know how deep your love really is.¡±


    Guan Suyi stopped instantly, neither beating nor scolding, she could only hold her forehead and sigh. Indeed, only in front of this person, all her irritable little emotions would emerge from the bottom of her heart, and all her willful little thoughts would be put into action, she was indeed fearless, could this be called love? No, but it also showed that she treated him differently.


    She didn¡¯t dare to think about it, and when she saw the skin mask being thrown aside, she couldn¡¯t help reaching for it, ¡°What is this? It seems to be more powerful than disguising technique.¡±


    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t touch it, this thing is dirty. Zhen will talk to you after washing face.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan quickly held her slender fingertips with a hint of worry in his eyes, and ordered Jinzi to quickly bring a basin of warm water to wash Madam¡¯s hands.


    After a while, both of them freshen up and sat cross-legged. Guan Suyi wanted to move farther, but the praying mat was always grabbed by Emperor Sheng Yuan and was easily dragged back. Seeing that the distance was getting closer and closer, and she was almost taken into his arms, she had to stop.


    She found that Hunnar, who removed the simple and honest disguise and untied his inner demon¡¯s shackles, was really difficult to deal with. If you use reason with him, he will talk about feelings with you; if you use feeling with him, he will simply plays a rogue, one move is more shameless than the other. Anyone with a thinner face would definitely lose in front of him.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Her curiosity had already been aroused by the skin mask, so she had to ask clearly.


    ¡°This is a mask found on that Miao person, it made of a human skin. How do you think Zhen captured him? It turns out that he was unable to make another plan, and wanted to sneak into the Zhao Mansion and continue to cast poison, so he tracked down a servant in the mansion who has similar body type with him, and wanted to kill him and peel his skin, but the dark guard Zhen sent happened to catch him. It¡¯s also because Madam¡¯s correct housekeeping method, lenient but also strict, so it was really difficult for outsiders to infiltrate the mansion. On that day, he was almost found, and had to hang on the roof for half a day, and when Ruan shi died violently in the middle of the night, and chaos broke out in the house, he found a gap to poison the dining room. Otherwise, if he succeeded an hour or two earlier, there would be countless casualties in the Zhao Mansion.¡±


    Hearing that it was a human skin, Guan Suyi had no interest at all and asked with a frown, ¡°I almost got sidetracked by you, Ye Zhen was put back by you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t want to mention Ye Zhen, but he had no choice but to mention it, soothed softly, ¡°Madam, please don¡¯t blame. Zhen just want you to see clearly, no matter how good Zhao Luli is to you now, the person in his heart will always be Ye Zhen. It was indeed Zhen who put Ye Zhen back in the Zhao Mansion. She has a vicious mind and a cunning method, you try to stay away from her, but you don¡¯t need to be afraid of her, Zhen has arranged many manpower by your side, including those who specialize in poison, those who specialize in hidden weapons, and those who specialize in investigation. All of them are experts of the dark guards, and it¡¯s more than enough to guard against that woman. If Ye Zhen touch even a strand of your hair, Zhen will chop her hands off, let her feel death is better than life from now on.¡±


    He paused for a while, then patiently persuaded, ¡°But why do you have to fight with her? It still that old saying, porcelain doesn¡¯t touch rubble, you are a treasure of heaven, she is a filth on the road, the difference between the two is like cloud and mud, it shouldn¡¯t be gathered in one place. If you feel disgusted, simply let the Emperor Teacher ask for reconciliation decree, Zhen even already written the approval.¡± At the end, he took out a scroll of document from his sleeve pocket and handed it over eagerly.


    Guan Suyi stared at his pure black pupils full of eager desire, and suddenly asked, ¡°How did you cover up the color of your eyes?¡±


    ¡°Madam, can Zhen talk a serious matter properly with you?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan felt that all his strength had been drained by Madam.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to sleep tonight if I don¡¯t understand how you change the color of your eyes, isn¡¯t this a serious matter?¡± Guan Suyi raised an eyebrow and asked.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan really felt distressed, explained in detail the method of concealing the color of his pupils, and carefully wrote down the prescription, just as he was about to offer it with both hands, he saw Madam had already stood up and left the room, only a plain white skirt could be seen disappeared around the corner. Jinzi immediately went up to him and smiled, ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s okay to hand over the prescription to this servant. The sacrificial ceremony is about to begin. You and Chief Baifu hurriedly stick the incense and go back to the palace as soon as possible.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Good girl, you are so loyal.¡± But he had no choice but to hand over the prescription, put on the mask, and strode after her.


    The altar was full of relatives and friends, and in full view of everyone he couldn¡¯t show any abnormality, so he had to put on the incense stick sincerely and surreptitiously looked at Madam for a while before returning to the palace unwillingly.


    As soon as the group left, Ye Zhen walked straight to Guan Suyi, who was sitting in front of the coffin, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Younger sister, you should know me, right? Thank you so much for taking care of A¡¯Li, mother-in-law, and my pair of children these days. Now that I am back, it coincides with the passing of sister-in-law. You¡¯re in charge of everything inside and outside, it must be very exhausting. If you need any help, just tell me, don¡¯t be polite. We are all one family, we should support each other and cross the river in the same boat.¡±


    As soon as the old madam heard this, she wanted to jump and hit her with a cane, what was this support each other and cross the river in the same boat? Where was she when her son was in his most difficult time? Where was she when the Zhao family were at the most critical moment? Wasn¡¯t she the one that brought all the hardships and disasters to the Zhao family? How dare she said such a thing in front of everyone, really not afraid being struck by thunder!


    The ex-wife confronted the second wife, how could others miss such a good show? At this time, all of them looked over without blinking, so the old madam could only suppress her anger.


    Ye Zhen was sure that Guan Suyi could not turn her face against herself, let alone shut herself out. She was a Guan family member and should know what it means to ¡°Restrain oneself and return to propriety, be kind and generous¡±. That¡¯s why it was difficult for a noble man to do anything, even if someone knocked out their teeth, they had to pick it up and swallow the blood.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t argue with her, simply responded, ¡°It¡¯s good that Madam Ye has return. The three  father and children have been thinking about you. I do have one thing I need your help with.¡± She pointed to the brocade box placed in front of the coffin, slowly recounted, ¡°My sister-in-law is warm and virtuous, diligent and supple, and a rare good woman in the world, but because of her appearance, she has never enjoyed half of the glory. Now the emperor is grateful to her for protecting her son, and he specially posthumously conferred her a second-rank grant order. Then let¡¯s help her put on these second-rank court dress, and let her walk in a beautiful scenery.¡±


    Ye Zhen¡¯s gentle expression instantly distorted, but quickly converged, as if worriedly dissuaded, ¡°I can understand the deep feeling between younger sister and sister-in-law, but life and death are different. Since you have to wait on the guests and take care of children, if you change the court dress by yourself, then catching on the death air and pass it on to others, will it be beautiful?¡±


    Relatives and friends sitting around nodded in agreement. Changing the clothes of the dead was done by servants, and all kinds of obscurity needed to be removed afterwards. How could the mistress do it herself? This is too careless.


    Guan Suyi looked at her and said bluntly, ¡°You just came back, so maybe you don¡¯t know. I wiped the blood on sister-in-law¡¯s body with my own hands, I sewed her stomach myself, put on the clothes, shoes and socks neatly one by one. If I catch any obscurity, it would have been happened long time ago, how can still have the fortune to be posthumously conferred a grant order? Sister-in-law couldn¡¯t even close her eyes, I stroked it three times, but it opened three times, after finally rescued Huai¡¯en and held him in front of the bed, she slowly closed her eyes and smiled. Sister-in-law have spirit in the sky, she will never harm us, but only bless us. As the saying goes, ¡®If the love is true, the heart is sincere, there are no taboos; if there are no taboos, all evils will retreat¡®. We are a family, you don¡¯t have to be afraid at all, just go in to see sister-in-law for the last time, and tell your farewell.¡±


    After hearing these words, all relatives and friends were touched by her deep friendship, and felt that she was truly benevolent, righteous, brave and unparalleled, really complied with the Grand Princess¡¯ praise, that she was the female Yao and Shun. On the other hand, with Ye Zhen whose face was pale and clearly unwilling, and still tried to find all kinds of excuses to escape, who¡¯s superior and inferior could be easily judged.


    The old madam stood up and said with a sneer, ¡°What kind of sincerity do you talk about with her? How many years has she been gone, how much feelings does she have with the Zhao family? Don¡¯t force other to do something, let us mother-in-law and daughter-in-law change the clothes by ourselves.¡± She raised her legs and walked away, making Ye Zhen who hard to get off once riding a tiger, dripping with cold sweat.

 CH 101

    On the surface Ye Zhen was gentle and agreeable, too weak to stand up to the wind*, but in fact, she was the most competitive. In the early years, relying on her extraordinary looks, she was able to entice a few noble children, later when she entered the palace, her heart became higher and higher. Even when she fell to the current situation, she would never admit defeat easily. What should belong to her, she would take it back by any means; What she rejected, even if it was destroyed, it couldn¡¯t be taken away by others.


    She was already very jealous of Guan Suyi, and now when she had choice but to return to the Zhao family, she naturally aimed at the main wife¡¯s position. The Guan family paid great attention to honor, righteousness, benevolence, and forgiveness, never doing things to the extreme. Fighting with Guan family¡¯s daughter, only need a few round to determine who¡¯s the winner and who¡¯s the loser. At that time, she would not only take back the main wife¡¯s position, but also let the other person¡¯s reputation be destroyed and her rank be abolished, so she could completely suppressed her.


    So at the beginning of the ceremony, she grabbed Zhao Luli and the two children to show her former status, and then went to talk to Guan Suyi, on the surface expressing her kindness but secretly provocative. She predicted the other person was someone who cared more about the overall situation and would never compete with her. Today she could take the initiative to let her entertain the guests, tomorrow let her preside over sacrificial ceremony, the day after tomorrow dispatched the servants, and manage the account books the day after that¡­ As long as she took a step down, in the future, she would have to retreat step by step, and sooner or later hand over the authority of central-feed.


    Inching forward had always been Ye Zhen¡¯s forte. After seeing Guan Suyi, she had anticipated very well what she should say and do. But she never thought that Guan Suyi wouldn¡¯t play by the rules. Shouldn¡¯t she decline with a few words, and then because of her reputation let herself entertain the guests? Seven, seven, forty-nine days, as long as she show her face and make enough gesture, and then find someone to publicize her identity as the main di wife, shouldn¡¯t the Guan family take the initiative to give in because of morality and ethics?


    With Zhao Luli protecting her and her two children helping her, she was ninety percent sure that she would get the equal wife position after the sacrificial ceremony, and one hundred percent sure that within two years Guan Suyi would be ruined and leave the Zhao Mansion. But she didn¡¯t think that the first thing Guan Suyi told her to do was not to entertain guests, but to change the clothes of the dead.


    Had she ever experienced a little bit of suffering since she was a child? Everyone who met her, who didn¡¯t hold her in the palm of their hand and took care of her? How dare she?


    Ye Zhen was so angry that she wanted to vomit blood, but she couldn¡¯t take back her words, so she had no choice but look at Zhao Luli.


    ¡°Forget it, Zhen¡¯er has a weak temperament, timid as a bean, and has never met sister-in-law, it¡¯s inevitable for her to be afraid. Madam, don¡¯t be hard on her.¡± As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Luli was stunned in his heart.


    He suddenly realized that he had said something wrong, what was ¡°Madam don¡¯t be hard on her¡±? It was as if Madam bullied Ye Zhen on purpose. However, Madam was always quick to talk, when she had something to say then say it. Ye Zhen ran to ask just as she was about to change sister-in-law¡¯s clothes, so she spoke directly. She had a strong personality and very brave, how could she think of how terrifying this kind of thing for ordinary women?


    What would she do if she decided that he was deliberately partial to Ye Zhen and choose her between the two of them? Thinking of this, Zhao Luli was already in cold sweat, felt really confuse.


    After more than half a year of getting along, he knew enough about Madam¡¯s temperament. When faced with this kind of thing, ordinary people might argue with reason; or they would compromise; or they would pretend to be generous and then slowly figure it out. But Madam always looked down on the frost and fight against the white snow*, and do not take big festivals*, and would never entangle herself for a status; not to mention the two Mount Tai were both lofty and unyielding characters, not only would not dissuaded her, but would immediately ask for reconciliation decree.


    In the past, he humiliated her several times, Madam would not leave; The Zhao family was in great catastrophe, Madam wife would not leave; He was was thrown into prison, Madam would not leave; As soon as Ye Zhen return, she left. Others would not scold her for being ruthless, but would praise her for her generosity and adult beauty* .


    In short, if she choose to stay, she would definitely suffer grievances; if she choose to leave, she would have a more splendid future. With the power and prestige of the Guan family, and with her own talent and conduct, she was enough to match the best men in the Wei Kingdom.


    Zhao Luli¡¯s face gradually turned pale, and the joy of reuniting with his ex-wife now turned into confusion and fear. Only then he vaguely discovered that he could no longer be separated from Madam, and when he briefly imagined the situation without Madam, he felt like a knife has cut his heart, and the pain even reach the bone marrow.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡± He said anxiously at Madam¡¯s mocking eyes, ¡°I¡¯m not blaming Madam¡­¡±


    ¡°Dad,¡± Zhao Chunxi interrupted his increasingly worse explanation, and said solemnly, ¡°I will accompany mom inside to change the clothes for second aunt. Since mother is timid as a bean, then let her kneel outside and recite the scriptures, don¡¯t care about anything. What was our family¡¯s situation when she fell into the water, and what is it like now? Not to mention the guests, I¡¯m afraid she doesn¡¯t even recognize her relatives and friends, so how can she help?¡±


    When the words fell, she pressed down Ye Zhen¡¯s shoulders, which seemed gentle, but in fact implied a warning, ¡°Mother, you haven¡¯t returned for many years, and there have been many changes in the family. If you want to help, don¡¯t be in a hurry, just clarify the situation first. I¡¯ll go in and come out to accompany you later, don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Ye Zhen originally thought she was being helped out, but turned out she was pushed into the pit by her daughter. When she as an older sister-in-law dare not help dressed her younger sister-in-law¡¯s body; when she as a mother wanted her daughter to just rush forward, it showed how lowly and cowardly she was, really couldn¡¯t be put on the stage! Where was this helping her, it clearly hurting her!


    After the funeral, how many people would compare her to Guan Suyi, who was both loyal and brave? How many people would look down on her, and then say the difference was like clouds and mud? Ye Zhen had already lost once, and the ending was tragic, and she would never tolerate a second time.


    She gritted her teeth and forced a smile, ¡°You¡¯re young and your eight character is weak, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to suppress the obscurity, so don¡¯t be arrogant. When my accident happened, sister-in-law hadn¡¯t even been through the door, and now with great difficulty finally met but then forever separate. I¡¯ll just take this opportunity to say goodbye and send her on her last journey. You stay and entertain the guests, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi cheated her mother one round, she should quit while she¡¯s ahead, squinted her eyes, and watched her enter the mourning hall with no expression on her face. Where was she still the ignorant, superficial and restless little girl she used to be? The Zhao family had experienced several ups and downs, she had also experienced trials and hardship, and after following her stepmother to learn the six arts of the nobleman and the common affairs of central-feed, her heart has long been cleaned up.


    She was more and more greedy for the quiet and comfortable time, and disliked the treacherous inner house fights. Before she knew it, her temperament had gradually moved closer to her stepmother. Anyone could say the words ¡°cross the river in the same boat¡±, but her mother couldn¡¯t! Because she was the main cause of the disaster!


    Thinking of Ye Zhen¡¯s selfish and greedy nature and vicious methods, she was full of worries, staring at her father¡¯s eyes and asked bluntly, ¡°Mother is back, how do you plan to accommodate her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s always be the mistress of the Zhao Mansion, so why talk about how to accommodate?¡± Zhao Luli¡¯s voice was hoarse, ¡°Your mom is as fierce as fire. If I propose to make her an equal wife, she will immediately¡­¡±


    Because he was full of fear of that conclusion, he didn¡¯t dare to speak further, and paused for a while before continued, ¡°If I let Zhen¡¯er be a concubine, you two will become shu daughter and son, so it¡¯s absolutely impossible. I¡¯m not afraid for you to see the joke, I don¡¯t have any thought right now. If¡­¡± If Ye Zhen didn¡¯t come back, he wouldn¡¯t have to face such a dilemma.


    He couldn¡¯t bear to let go of Madam; he couldn¡¯t bear to treat his ex-wife harshly. Besides, demoting his ex-wife was equivalent to ruining the pair of children. No matter what he done, it was wrong.


    ¡°Let me think about it, let¡¯s finish the funeral first.¡± He had no choice but to delay.


    Zhao Chunxi¡¯s face turned pale for a moment, and she murmured, ¡°Dad, we should brace ourselves. Afraid the Zhao family won¡¯t be able to keep mom. How broad-minded she is, how and arrogant and free-spirited, how can she be your equal wife?¡±


    At this moment, Zhao Luli almost burst into tears, and finally understood what his two wives meant to him. Ye Zhen was a regret, an obsession, which could be cherished and forgotten, but Guan Suyi was his present and future, and the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.


    As time went by, he went from being defensive to hating her, from hating to understanding, because of that understanding he paid more attention to her, and because he paid more attention he then admired her. He admired her, looked up to her, trusted her, relied on her. He and she experienced the rise and fall of the family, experienced the death of their relatives, and finally from opposing each other to relying on each other.


    Originally they could have lived their whole lives in harmony and happiness, rather than suddenly separated and divided. She was still so young, and it wouldn¡¯t take long for her to remarry, and the other person would be like him, increasingly attracted to her, from unfamiliar to understanding to love deeply. They would be in perfect harmony, raised children together, and eventually grow old together and merge into one cave.


    Zhao Luli¡¯s pale complexion slowly turned to ashen, and his clenched fists made a crackling bones sound, obviously suffering from an incomparable pain.


    Seeing him like this, Zhao Chunxi felt sad and helpless in her heart, soothed in a hoarse voice, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t think about it, let nature take its course. If mom bent on leaving, how can you keep her?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I keep her? If she¡¯s pregnant with the Zhao family¡¯s heir, can she leave?¡± Zhao Luli suddenly let go of his hands and laughed quietly, ¡°I was wrong, as soon as Suyi entered the house, I should treat her well and let her bear a child for me. Doing the math, if it conceived on the night of the wedding, it would be six or seven months now, she would have a big belly, where can she go? Even if she become the equal wife, she has first-rank grant order, far more noble than Zhen¡¯er, and she can be endure it for the sake of the child. I will do everything I can to make up for it, take care of her in every possible way, and will not make her suffer any grievances.¡±


    Speaking until here, a decisive look loomed between his brows. The mourning period was three months. In any case, he had to drag it for four months, and then find a way to consummate the marriage with Madam. Even if she was not pregnant with a child and only lost her virginity, the chances of her reconcile and remarry would be greatly reduced.


    It was really despicable to do so, but he couldn¡¯t care less. In order to keep Madam, he could do anything.


    Realizing the solution, the depression on his face dissipated a lot, and he ordered his son and daughter to take good care of Mu Mu, while he himself walked to the front of the mourning hall and listened to the movement inside through a thick curtain. By coincidence or misfortune, a high-pitched scream suddenly came from the inner hall, which made him almost rush in, while the guests sitting around the sacrificial table had already got up one after another and looked around.


    He was about to send a few servants to investigate, but was bumped by someone, he lowered his head and saw that it was Ye Zhen, and quickly pushed her away, then raised his hands to show his innocence.

 CH 102

    Ye Zhen had never seen a dead person before, so she never expected the real scene to be a hundred times more terrifying than she imagined. In order to preserve the body, Ruan shi was placed in a huge ice coffin, her skin glowing blue, her cheeks sunken, and although the corner of her mouth was smiling, it only made it more and more eerie.


    Her muscles were frozen, so her her hands and feet couldn¡¯t be bent at all. To change her clothes, she had to be picked up and slowly moved back and forth. It¡¯s unknown where Guan Suyi had so much strength, she picked up Ruan shi by herself, and then quickly take off the burial clothes and put on the court dress.


    During this action, the cut in Ruan shi¡¯s belly that was sewed with needles and thread was inevitably revealed, making Ye Zhen¡¯s hands and feet weak, if she hadn¡¯t covered her mouth in time, she would have collapsed and screamed on the spot. Guan Suyi also asked her to put the shoes on the corpse, how dare she? Without even touching the tip of her toes, she was frightened by the flickering candle flame, and ran out while shouting.


    ¡°There is a ghost, there really is a ghost! There¡¯s a shadow swaying on the wall!¡± She threw herself into Zhao Luli¡¯s arms, trying to get comfort, but found him quickly pushed her away, then raised his hands and took two steps back. As if feeling it was not right, he put his hands behind his back, and said solemnly, ¡°There are guests outside, don¡¯t talk nonsense about ghosts, adding some confusion.¡±


    ¡°But I really saw it.¡± Ye Zhen threw herself at him with tears in her eyes, but was avoided again, only then did she realize that the momentary alienation was not an illusion. What is this? Emperor Sheng Yuan accepted her but didn¡¯t touch her, now even Zhao Luli wants to draw a line with her. What is this?


    Before she could understand, Guan Suyi lifted the curtain and said lightly, ¡°The court dress have been changed, but sister-in-law doesn¡¯t look well. I will sort out her remains for her again, and I would like to ask the guests to wait for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, naturally.¡± The guests who were a little flustered just now were infected by her and slowly regained their composure.


    She then glanced at Ye Zhen and explained, ¡°The candle flame was shaken by the wind, so the light and shadow were chaotic. It just so happened that I asked her to change the shoes for sister-in-law, maybe she was too afraid and scared herself. If so, then stay in the outer hall and recite the scriptures, so as not to scare till you sick.¡±


    Compared with her calm and graceful attitude, Ye Zhen, who was tearful and shouting, was like a clown jumping on the beam, which made people look down a few points.


    Ye Zhen also recalled the taste, looked at Zhao Luli, and looked at the guests who were secretly disdainful, her pale cheeks flushed red. Although she had lived in the palace for a long time and had real power, she really didn¡¯t need to take care of anything. The internal affairs were basically handled by Baifu, except to inquire about the expenses of the concubines in the palace, there was almost nothing else she need to do, and in order to maintain her ¡°gentle and kind¡± beautiful image, showing weakness everywhere, and playing tricks behind the scenes, she developed a temperament that couldn¡¯t be put on stage.


    No one in the palace could compete with her, so she didn¡¯t notice, and now when she was facing Guan Suyi, she finally understood what different like clouds and mud was. She herself felt it so strongly, then how about others? Before the so-called ¡°competition¡± begin, she already lost her momentum.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sister, it¡¯s me who make a fuss about nothing.¡± She had no choice but to hang in there, ¡°Wait for me to go in and apologize to sister-in-law, I hope her spirit in heaven won¡¯t bother with me.¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t even look at her, she turned around and entered, and after a while, the word ¡°come in¡± came out.


    Ye Zhen inhaled again and again, but all she could smell was the musty smell emitted by the corpse and the pungent smoke of the candle, and she almost choked up.


    Zhao Luli took a deep look at her, and suddenly said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to compare yourself with Madam, don¡¯t drill into a bull¡¯s horns*. You are afraid of these, I know; you are not good at common affairs, I know that too. Since you are back, then just do like before, stayed at the courtyard looking at the scenery, write poems, and don¡¯t worry about anything.¡±


    Perhaps because the person who was gone had returned and stood by his side, the memories that had been blurred and then beautified in the past became real and clear. Ye Zhen might understood the melody of wind, flowers snow, and moon*, hurting for the spring and sad for autumn, but when it come to managing the house, she was a mess. At that time, his mother was still in a good health, so she handled all the household affairs, both inside and outside, by herself. The two children were either left to the wet nurse and maid, or sent to the main courtyard to be taken care of by her in-laws. Ye Zhen only needed to dress up brightly, then burn a pot of incense, or sit by the lake to play the zither; or stand in front of the window to recite poetry; or improvise poems to pass on to others for appreciation.


    The woman who he thought was so talented and had unparalleled charm at that time was now just a vulgar person who was beautiful on the outside and empty on the inside. If she was bent on comparing herself with Madam, she would only become more and more inferior and making a fool of herself. Thinking like this, Zhao Luli warned again, ¡°You stay at the Zhao family with peace of mind, I will not treat you badly, but I will not hurt Madam in the slightest for you. Don¡¯t carelessly call her sister, I can see that she doesn¡¯t like it.¡±


    Ye Zhen couldn¡¯t believe her ears. Were these unkind words really said by Zhao Luli, who dead set on her back then? What kind of drugs did Guan Suyi gave him?


    But at this time, she obviously couldn¡¯t get to the bottom of it. She stared at the person with tears-soaked eyes, and when he took the initiative to dodge and evade, she entered the mourning hall, and then was frightened by Guan Suyi again. She, she was actually putting makeup on the corpse, gently smearing Ruan shi¡®s blue face with her fingertips. Is she still human?


    After applying it, she actually said to the dead Ruan shi, ¡°Sister-in-law, this facial cream is specially developed by Jinzi for you, it can completely cover the birthmarks on your face, and it blends very well with your skin color. Because it contains a lot of lead powder, I was afraid it would be harmful for the fetus, so I temporarily withheld it, then I would give it to you when you have a smooth delivery, let you go out beautifully and have a feast with your guests confidently. Next year, let General Zhao ask for grant order for you so you can raise your head. However, things are unpredictable, I haven¡¯t send this gift yet, but you actually, you actually¡­¡±


    She shed two lines of tears, but her expression became more determined. She picked up the brush to slowly drew her eyebrows, and sighed, ¡°Now I can only let you walk beautifully, and went grandly. You have a second-rank grant order, with a posthumous title Zhenlie, even if General Zhao marry a new wife in the future, she will not be able to suppress you, let alone suppress your child. Your spirit in heaven doesn¡¯t need to worry. By the way, I named the child Huai¡¯en (to harbor favor), so that he will always remember his mother who sacrificed her life for him. He is very healthy, full of energy when he cries, and doesn¡¯t look like a premature baby at all. If it is possible, I really want to hold him over and let you take a look again, but the cold air in the mourning hall is overwhelming, and there are smoke everywhere, I¡¯m afraid of hurting his body, so I had to give up¡­¡±


    As she spoke softly, Ruan shi¡®s lifeless face gradually restored to its original state. With the birthmarks covered, the willow eyebrows drawn, and the rouge painted on, the facial features were actually very graceful and beautiful. If Zhao Jinyu came back and saw it, how amazing would it be?


    The old madam finally cried uncontrollably, shouting ¡°second daughter-in-law¡± and then ¡°son¡±, howling so loudly that she almost fainted. Guan Suyi hurriedly went to help her, trying to persuade her, but Ye Zhen was already scared silly and hid in the corner while hugging her shoulders.


    The relatives and friends outside heard the noise and ran in, and when they saw the radiant Ruan shi, they exclaimed in amazement, then in front of her body they were reminded of their humility and cowardice, tears ran down their lapels, sobbing without sound. If there was no Madam, how bitter her ending was? Wouldn¡¯t she die with unresolved grievance?


    If the child was not born, it would be one corpse with two lives. There would be no grant order and no posthumous title, and a thin coffin would be buried hastily after three days. Compared with the present, how could it not make people feel a lot of emotion and sadness from it?


    ¡°Second daughter-in-law, you can go in peace. With your sister-in-law here, Huai¡¯en will not be lacking anything. Second daughter-in-law, your life is bitter, but your life is also good. Having met your sister-in-law, she personally dressed you in burial clothes, personally put makeup on you, personally send you to reincarnate. You must be die in peace, right? But I am afraid! I am afraid in the future I will not die in peace! If the Zhao family can¡¯t keep your sister-in-law, I will not dare die! In this family, only your sister-in-law understands person, without her looking after my old age, without her to manage my funeral, I dare not die, I can¡¯t close my eyes ah¡­¡±


    The old madam was reluctant to part with her second daughter-in-law, and just so happened Ye Zhen came back. Seeing that the Zhao family was about to fall apart again, the bitterness and grief in her heart were all gushed out. She hoped that these words would make her eldest daughter-in-law¡¯s heart soften, but she also knew that there was little hope, so she cried even more sadly.


    Damned that Ye Zhen, why didn¡¯t she die in the palace? For the sake of the two children, the Zhao family could neither drive her away nor demote her. What should they do in the future?


    The old madam was almost faint, and Guan Suyi had no alternative but to hug her, and kept patting and comforting her; Zhao Luli quickly knelt down and hugged the two of them and shook them gently; Zhao Wangshu, Zhao Chunxi, and Mu Mu also swarmed over, hugged into a ball and cried. The appearance of a family of six licking each other¡¯s wounds was heart-wrenching and even more very moving.


    And Ye Zhen had already been squeezed out of the crowd, looking at all of this with resentful eyes. She finally understood that a few years seemed to wear off Zhao Luli¡¯s love for her, and instead gave Guan Suyi a heavier feeling. The old madam and the children were also completely subdued by her, putting her first in everything.


    The entire Zhao family was circling around Guan Suyi, and she was just an unnecessary burden. Thinking like this, Ye Zhen, who was already quite frightened, was even more shocked, she lost her energy and slumped on the praying mat. Her hair in a bun was sweating, her face was gray, and she looked like a sorry figure. However, before she could recover, Guan Suyi had already comforted the old madam and the children, wiped away her tears and prepared to preside over the ceremony.


    She had use all her willpower to hold up her weary legs and walked to Zhao Luli¡¯s left side to sit down. No matter what, she was also the original wife, and qualified to be on an equal footing with Guan Suyi. But she underestimated the hard work of a sacrificial ceremony. It turned out that in addition to sitting and reciting the scriptures, she also had to stand up and bow down from time to time, kneeling down on her forehead; read another scripture, stand up and bow, kneel and kowtow, and so on.


    Ye Zhen lived in the palace for a long time, pretending to be weak. But overtime she became genuinely weak, and had a hard time breathing after walking a few more steps, so how could she face the two hours of tossing? Her heart was not good, but she could only stiffly carry on. Unexpectedly, just after reading two scriptures and bowing twice, she fell down on the praying mat and couldn¡¯t get up for a long time.


    The sacrificial ceremony was the most solemn ceremony, and there shouldn¡¯t be any mistakes, but today, because of the inexplicable return of the original wife, there have been many troubles. Was she doing it on purpose? This is too vicious! If it¡¯s not intentional, then it¡¯s even more difficult to be put on stage. It¡¯s better to lock her in the side room quickly, and don¡¯t come out to shamed people!


    Resentment loomed in every guests¡¯ eyes, and Zhao Luli was also helpless and exhausted. He knew that Ye Zhen was weak, but he didn¡¯t know that she was so weak that she couldn¡¯t even hold on to the sacrificial ceremony, then what else could she do? Why he liked this kind of woman back then, now that he thought about it, he found it very unbelievable.

 CH 103

    To test whether a clan wife was qualified, not only depended on whether she could take charge of the central-feed, handled family affairs, served her in-laws well, assisted her husband and educated her children, but also whether she could hold up the big scene. The so-called big scenes were none other than sacrificial offerings, including family sacrifices, clan sacrifices, big sacrifices, small sacrifices, annual sacrifices, and festival sacrifices, for the mistress of high gate big clan, she even had to participate in the county sacrifices.


    A funeral sacrifice such as the present was the most common but also most important ceremony, not to mention that the hostess¡¯ family could not make the slightest mistake, even the insignificant servants or guests must follow the rules from the beginning to the end.


    If Ye Zhen couldn¡¯t support it because of her serious illness, that was still fine, but she was raised too well by Emperor Sheng Yuan. After a few months imprisoned in the palace, not only did she not look haggard, but she became quite plump, her skin was shiny and lustrous, and her posture was graceful. Just kneeling on the praying mat was already panting, dripping with sweat, her cheeks became more rosy due to anxiety, her eyes were misty due to grievance, and her red lips that opened and closed seemed to be groaning and moaning, showing a bit of coquetry for no reason.


    Anyone with discerning eyes wondered, where she was sick? It¡¯s clearly because the body was too delicate to bear any tiredness! The Ye family was a family that used to offer ¡°tribute¡±, and the rumors that the women in that clan cultivating the art of seduction since childhood to be favored by the nobles resurfaced in everyone¡¯s minds, making them both disgusted and contemptuous.


    Every time Ye Zhen gasped, the old madam¡¯s forehead jumped violently, and finally she couldn¡¯t hold back and scolded, ¡°Enough! If you can¡¯t hold it, then hurry down, what are you doing lying around here? Old first (tn: referring to ZLL), send her down. Don¡¯t come back for the sacrificial offerings in the future!¡±


    Zhao Luli felt uncomfortable by his mother¡¯s sharp knife-like gaze, then turned his face to look at Madam, only to see that she had turn a deaf ear and a blind eye, just continued to recite the scriptures, stood up, bowed, and knelt down to worship. She stood at the front of the mourning hall, and everyone stared at her and followed her. When she recited the sutra, everyone recited it; when she got up, everyone got up; when she knelt down, everyone knelt down in an instant. Her every move was natural and smooth, steady as a mountain, and quickly suppressed the chaos caused by Ye Zhen.


    Gradually, no one paid any attention to Ye Zhen¡¯s blunder, and no one talked about the Ye family¡¯s scandal, the Sanskrit sound were loud in the mourning hall, the mournful thought were like waves, and the previous solemnity was restored.


    Zhao Luli didn¡¯t dare to delay, he quickly lifted Ye Zhen and hurriedly stepped outside. Feeling the delicate and weak body under his hands, smelling her rich and extravagant fragrance, listening to her extremely coquettish breathing, the flames in his chest became more and more intense, but not from desire, but from uncontrollable anger.


    ¡°Enough, this is sister-in-law¡¯s funeral, can you be more solemn?¡± he asked in a low voice.


    In order to attract Emperor Sheng Yuan, Ye Zhen often pretended to be sick like this. After five or six years, it became a habit that had been carved into the bone marrow. How could she change it at will? What¡¯s more, the rumors outside were correct, the daughter of the Ye family had indeed practiced seduction techniques since they were a child. Let her hook up a man she could, let her be pretentious she could, but let her stand on the bright altar, burn incense to pray, correcting oneself and setting an example, she was completely helpless, because she never knew that women could also have courage and iron bones.


    ¡°Li Lang*, I¡¯m really uncomfortable.¡± She touched her ex-husband¡¯s cheek with trembling fingertips, but was quickly avoided.


    Zhao Luli stared at her tear-filled eyes, but in the end there was no more flare up, only his footsteps were much faster. When he arrived at the east wing, he put the person on the soft couch and said in a deep voice, ¡°Sit down for a while, I¡¯ll get some hot water, and after you wash up, lie down and rest. You don¡¯t have to go to keep watch tonight.¡±


    Ye Zhen knew that she had lost all her face, and did not dare to entangle too much, so she agreed in a low voice. When the tall man¡¯s figure disappeared into the corner, she picked up a bronze mirror and looked at it carefully. Although the woman in the mirror was in her early thirties, she looked like a young girl. For some reason, there was a tear mole under her right eye, and she couldn¡¯t wash it off.


    She rubbed and rubbed, rubbed and rubbed, and saw that her skin was slightly red and swollen before she reluctantly gave up. There was no doubt that this must be the handwriting of Emperor Sheng Yuan. Back then she changed one character from Ye Zhen to Ye Zh¨¥n; now she had added a mole and changed from Ye Zh¨¥n back to Ye Zhen, after going around she still get nothing, leaving only resentment and humiliation.


    There was no way to go back to the palace, and the Zhao family seemed to have no place to stand, she suddenly felt a little confuse and helpless. But if she admits defeat easily, she would not be Ye Zhen who had a heart higher than the sky, so when Zhao Luli asked the monk to boil hot water, make a vegetarian meal, and ordered the servant girl to bring it back, he found that she had returned to normal, sitting by the table slowly writing something.


    ¡°Come and wash your face then eat.¡± In order to avoid suspicion, he stood at the door and never entered.


    ¡°Back then I was infected with snake venom to save someone, since then my physical strength has always been poor. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to attend the next ceremony. But I can¡¯t do nothing. After thinking about it, I only have literary talent on my hand, then I¡¯ll write a sacrificial eulogy to comfort sister-in-law¡¯s spirit in heaven. Li Lang, come and help me take a look.¡±


    Ye Zhen was imprison in Ganquan Palace for several months, how did she know about the outside world? She prided herself on being talented, but she never thought that Guan Suyi¡¯s talent was much higher than her. Even a crafty talent like Xu Guangzhi didn¡¯t dare to steal her edge, then who was this Ye Zhen? What virtue, what ability did she have?


    Not to mention Zhao Luli¡¯s face was strange, even the maid who brought the water gave this ¡°first madam¡± a deep look, and cursed in her heart, ¡°Playing an axe in front of Luban¡¯s gate* ¡°.


    ¡°You have a heart. After you write it, burn it for sister-in-law.¡± Zhao Luli stood by the door with his hands behind his back, resolutely refusing to enter.


    Ye Zhen¡¯s hand that was preparing to wipe away her tears froze slightly, she never expected that he would not even look at it, let alone take it in front of the coffin to recite, and actually let her burn it on the spot. Did he thought that the article she wrote with painstaking effort was paper money and incense candles?


    ¡°I remembered that brother-in-law was still fighting at the border, but his wife and child encounter great catastrophe, Heaven and people were separated forever. For a while, sadness came, thoughts gushed out, and wrote this sacrificial eulogy hastily. Help me take a look, if you think it¡¯s acceptable then take it to the front of the spirit and read it. Younger sister came from literary family, and should have also written a sacrificial eulogy. Although I can¡¯t compare to her, thinking about sister-in-law who are still wandering on the Naihe Bridge*, I had to reluctantly pick up the brush and try my best.¡± Ye Zhen¡¯s mouth was humble, but her heart was full of pride.


    Zhao Luli was repeatedly asked by her, in the end he could not resist, so he had to come in and read the manuscript, and finally sighed in his heart. This was indeed a good article with beautiful rhetoric. Ye Zhen¡¯s poetic essay had always been good, combining the most gorgeous words and sentences with the most harmonious rhythm, making people who read it felt it was an eloquence writing. But that was it, except for beauty, the words on the paper were actually empty, and the most important thing that should not be missing in the sacrificial eulogy were actually an inner mourning and pain.


    ¡°This is the sacrificial eulogy made by Madam. After you read it, you can decide whether to take this article out and recite it.¡± without much dissuasion, he took out a neatly folded manuscript from the sachet he carried with him, and laid it flat on the table.


    Ye Zhen was still a little indifferent at first, but after reading two paragraphs, her eyes were flushed, and at the end, she shed two lines of tears silently. The thrill of that day was intertwined with life and death, it was suspended in her mind, making her immersed in the situation, and the pain penetrated into the bone marrow. Although the writing in this article was simple and not put emphasis on rhythm, it had the power to directly hit the soul, which was by no means comparable to ordinary words.


    Zhao Luli put away the manuscript like it was a great treasure and sighed, ¡°This sacrificial eulogy has been selected to be put on the ¡°Xuan Guang Anthology¡±, and in the first place. It has overwhelmed all the literary giants, won the reputation of the best in the present literary world, and has spread throughout the Wei Kingdom, enter deeply into the people¡¯s heart. This ceremony, because both the Guan and Zhong families were present, it attracted countless literati to come to offer condolences, they should make sacrificial eulogy to comfort the dead, but because of this beautifully written article at the front, they didn¡¯t dare the risk of showing their crudeness, so everyone put their brush back into their sleeves and concentrated on praying.¡±


    He fixedly looked at his ex-wife and said bluntly, ¡°I know that you are unwilling to lose the position of the main wife, so you want to compete with Madam again and again. However, you should understand your own situation. It is still the old saying, you are neither good at common affairs nor good at running the house, let alone have the graceful bearing of the mistress and a clan wife. Instead of making too much talk, too much mistake, and losing face at every step, it¡¯s better to keep silent and know your own place. Don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Ye Zhen was first shaken by Guan Suyi¡¯s talent, and then hearing her ex-husband belittle her, her resentment burst out. She even forgot that she was a weak woman who was ¡°indifferent to the world¡± and scolded, ¡°Zhao Luli, you ruthless heartless man! How did you get your title, how were you able to preserve your life, have you forgotten? I gave everything to you, and in the end you treated me like this, wanting to trap me in the back house and humiliate me for the rest of my life, you are so cruel!¡±


    Zhao Luli also lost his calm and roared with red eyes, ¡°Ye Zhen, you shut up! Your so-called life-saving grace and support are not what I want! If I could, I would rather die under the military punishment than live this drifting life; If I could, I would rather be stationed at the border and never return, rather than staying in Yanjing and become Marquis Zhenbei. In the end, none of this is what I deserve, I don¡¯t feel sorry for losing them, I just feel happy! You always say how much you have sacrificed for me, why don¡¯t you ask me if I need your sacrifice? To be a coward, a bad guy, living in humiliation forever and ever, this is what you gave me!¡±


    He suddenly calmed down, and his tone was softer than ever before, ¡°And Madam never give me anything on her own initiative. If I do something wrong, she will blame me, complain to me, and even scold me, but she will not cover it up for me, let me resign to my fate and lost my dignity. She made me wake up from my drunken stupor; she ordered me to bear thorns and wash away my sins; she asked me to raise my head and be an upright man. I have neither power nor title now, but I live a good life, I take in the orphans of my soldiers to cultivate the fields, I recruit the disable soldiers to set up caravans, I gave them a way to live and gave myself a new life. I am not Marquis Zhenbei now, but Zhao Luli, a commoner, but I am happy!¡±


    He looked straight into his ex-wife¡¯s eyes and said word by word, ¡°I¡¯ve never been so happy before or after you left. I know how a real couple should get along, it¡¯s not that one person works hard and the other is forced to bear; one person¡¯s mind is fully restrained, and the other is wildly speculating. Real couple can quarrel and even fight when they make mistakes, but they quickly unite and help each other when they encounter disasters. They have no reservation and treat each other frankly, so they can grow old together and love each other for a lifetime. Do you know? Before you come back, I thought Madam and I could love each other for a lifetime, but now¡­¡±


    He slumped in his chair, finally choked up with sob.


    Looking at her ex-husband who was heartbroken, Ye Zhen¡¯s last remaining chance was also shattered. Only then did she understood what it means to ¡°have nothing and come to a dead end¡±.


    TN: About the ¡°twin¡± Ye Zhen¡¯s name, the Zhen in those two names are different character, one is Ò¶Ýè, the other is Ò¶Õä, but they sound the same and the pinyin is the same (y¨¨ zh¨¥n), so I thought I don¡¯t need to differentiate and just write both Ye Zhen, but turns out it¡¯s kinda important distinction. So to differentiate Ye Zhen = Zhao Luli¡¯s wife  and Ye Zh¨¥n = palace concubine

 CH 104

    (Trigger warning: Contain act of self-harm)


    Ye Zhen fully believe that Zhao Luli, who lost and found her, would definitely treat her as a fragile treasure, but she didn¡¯t expect that providing was just providing, like Emperor Sheng Yuan, he only gave her a house, a vague identity, and then just let her spend the rest of her life like that.


    Back then she asked Zhao Luli to marry Guan Suyi in order to prevent the other person from entering the palace, thereby taking away her favor and power. In the end, Guan Suyi did not enter the palace, but she returned to the Zhao family and still had to live under the other person¡¯s hands. Was this the cycle of fate that she could not escape?


    Ye Zhen felt a chill all over her body, and she felt both unwilling and resentful, but also fearful and hesitant. Looking at Zhao Luli, who was still immersed in his pain, she finally gritted her teeth and took the silver hairpin on her hair, then stabbed her wrist hard with it. The blood splattered instantly and fell on the other person¡¯s face. The warm liquid carried a strong fishy smell, causing him to suddenly wake up.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± He took away the silver hairpin, clenched the upper end of the wound tightly, while untangling the filial cloth around his waist to stop the bleeding.


    ¡°What am I doing? Of course to die! At that time when I was sent out like a cargo by father-in-law, I should have died. I tried to kill myself several times but rescued every times. The last time I was on the Naihe Bridge, I thought of you and the children in a trance, and thinking about how you would live without me, I struggled to climb up again. I was tormented in that shameful place, suffered bullying, suffered humiliation, and only able to survive by thinking about you and the children every night, and I had to cover my mouth when I dreamed, for fear that I accidentally called your name and caused others to hear it, incite a great disaster. With great difficulty waited until that man get tired of me and let me go, but you told me that everything I¡¯ve done is wrong. Then I, Ye Zhen, am what? What is everything that I gave you? A joke?¡±


    Through the misty tears, she tried to distinguish the expression of her ex-husband, and made sure that he really regretted and felt guilty, and then she felt relieved. Fortunately, Emperor Sheng Yuan still remembered some old feelings, and when he sent her back to the Zhao Mansion, he concealed the scandal of that year, otherwise she would really have nowhere to go.


    ¡°What are you stopping me for? If I die, wouldn¡¯t it be as you wished? Wouldn¡¯t everything be resolved? In this life, you can still grow old with Guan Suyi, love each other for a lifetime. I can fulfill you once, twice, naturally I can fulfill you three or four times, I can even give you my life!¡± Based on her understanding of her ex-husband, she naturally knew where to stab the knife in his heart, so every word was like a sharp blade that had been dipped in poison.


    Zhao Luli was the most reluctant to recall the past, and even more hated others for mentioning it, but this person was Ye Zhen. Ye Zhen who almost gave her all up for him, there was no other way but to recognize it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk anymore, it¡¯s my fault. It¡¯s all my fault. You should live well.¡± He wrapped her wrist tightly, and when the blood finally stopped, he sat down dejectedly, his heart turned to ashes.


    Ye Zhen was always so fragile, occasionally she would stand in front of the window and cry silently when the flowers withered and the leaves flew off. At that time, he felt that she was so pitiful and lovely, and he just wanted to hold her in his hands and protect her, so she would not be hurt in the slightest. But now, when he himself had become a man covered in bruises; when he himself was exhausted and had nowhere to go, taking care of Ye Zhen was like carrying a boulder on his back, the more he walked, the heavier he felt.


    He already expected that one day he would be crushed, even crushed to the bones, but he couldn¡¯t throw her away halfway. If Guan Suyi was his salvation, then Ye Zhen was his sin. Since this sin could no longer be rid of, what kind of delusion to get salvation?


    His heart was full of despair, but it quickly replaced by perseverance. He wiped off the discomposure expression on his face, stood up and walked out without looking back, ¡°The wound is a bit deep, I will let the doctor handle it. You have a good rest. Since you persevere until now for me and the two children, for the sake of Xi¡¯er and Wangshu, don¡¯t seek death so easily. They waited for a long time for you to come back. If you leave them again, let alone in this life, even in the next life, they will not forgive you.¡±


    Ye Zhen hurriedly nodded and agreed, with a little sadness in her eyes. However, in fact, she had no feelings for the two children at all, so how could she care whether they forgive her or not? But this reminded her that without her husband¡¯s favor, she still gave birth to a pair of children for the Zhao family, this was her foundation! Zhao Chunxi had already been captured by Guan Suyi, and it was not easy to fool her; however, Zhao Wangshu was very close to her and also the heir of the Zhao family.


    Just thinking of this, Zhao Wangshu¡¯s worried voice came from outside the door, ¡°Mother, are you feeling better? I sneaked out pretending to go to the restroom to see you, and brought you the famous dish of Jueyin Temple, Susanxian. It¡¯s really delicious.¡± He ran in with a steaming food container, his face full of admiration.


    Ye Zhen pretended to be panic and hid the wound, a sincere smile slowly bloomed on her face. What is the meaning of ¡®Heaven never bars people¡¯s way¡¯? This exactly it.


    ¡ª-


    The morning ceremony finally ended. Guan Suyi was about to stand up when someone grabbed her arm firmly. When she looked up, it was Zhao Luli. As he pulled her up, he bent down and patted her slightly dusty skirt, and said with concern, ¡°I see that you are staggering, your legs and feet should feel numb after kneeling for a long time. You get up slowly, walk slowly, and don¡¯t use too much force, otherwise the skin will be as painful as a pincushion. Your husband will help you go back to soak your feet, and then rub your muscles vigorously with medicinal wine, then you will be much better in the afternoon.¡±


    The soles of Guan Suyi¡¯s feet really felt like stepping on needle felt, tingling so badly that she couldn¡¯t struggle for a while, actually half hugged by him and carried to the west wing.


    Jinzi and Minglan hurriedly stepped forward to grab people, but were stopped by the old madam, ¡°You people have no eyesight, the master and the madam have a good relationship, what are you mixing in? Still not send me back yet?¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Zhao Wangshu rushing in, and in front of relatives and friends who had not left, he knelt down in front of his stepmother with a thud and begged, ¡°Mom, please allow my mother to return home! In order not to make things difficult for you, she almost cut her wrists to commit suicide just now. Mom, you are always generous and benevolent, can you bear to watch us mother and child to live but not see, live far away from each other? Mom, count me as begging you! I will kowtow to you!¡±


    Guan Suyi held her forehead with her palm and said calmly, ¡°Since you know that I am benevolent, you should know that I will never separate you mother and child. Isn¡¯t she already staying? You go back and take good care of your mother and tell her not to think too much. When your second aunt¡¯s funeral is over, she will be able to go home with you.¡± She firmly and slowly brushed Zhao Luli away, asked, ¡°Have you hired a doctor for her? Is the wound deep? Never mind, I¡¯ll go and see it for myself.¡± As she said that, she naturally grabbed Jinzi and Minglan, and stumbled to the east wing.


    Zhao Wangshu was overjoyed, hurriedly followed her, but did not notice that the faces of his father, sister, and grandmother had turned pale.


    When Guan Suyi personally admitted Ye Zhen, it was equivalent for her to choose to leave; the calmer she was, the firmer her heart became. She was not a difficult person to understand, that¡¯s why she had the charm to make people trust and attach to her. Zhao Luli seemed to have been knocked on with a rod, and the pain was so painful that he almost lost consciousness; the old madam was already dizzy and shaky, and only with Zhao Chunxi¡¯s support she did not fall on the spot.


    The relatives and friends didn¡¯t know what to do, they just sighed at Madam Guan¡¯s generosity, again sighed at her complacency, and then slowly dispersed.


    One cry, two make a fuss, three hang herself was Ye Zhen¡¯s best trick, how could Guan Suyi take it seriously? After confirming from the doctor¡¯s mouth that her wound was not serious, she left without staying too long.


    In the afternoon, many condolence guests poured in to the Jueyin Temple. It was the emperor who suddenly conferred Ruan shi a second-rank grant order and specially given her a posthumous title. Previously, only gifts were given, but at this time the people who have not been there in person have to get off their high horse and send the mistress, or their di sons and grandsons with some faces to come to worship.


    They didn¡¯t come in the first few days, but only came now, obviously not willingly, but because of the rules or the power. Guan Suyi would rather they don¡¯t come, but she had no choice but to force a smile, build up her spirits, and deal with them one by one. Among them, there were several declining noble families who were very disrespectful to the Guan family due to their political differences, the womenfolk who were sent had unpleasant faces, arrogant and rude, making Guan Suyi almost had a seizure on the spot.


    She recited the scriptures again and again and tried to endure, but found out that they had prepared a generous gift to visit Ye Zhen in the East Wing, as if they want to slap her face hard. After a while, Ye Zhen came slowly, surrounded by many womenfolk, with bloody gauze wrapped around her wrist, her face was as pale as paper, looking a bit pitiful.


    Before the ceremony started, they sat down on one side of the mourning hall and spoke softly, just at the volume that the surrounding guests could hear them.


    ¡°Everyone talked about righteousness and courage, all I see it¡¯s a ruthless heart and black hand, even the belly of her own sister-in-law can be cut open, is there anything she can¡¯t do? Sister, you are also pitiful, not able to come back earlier, but after she married into the Zhao family. You should be more careful, people who can cut open other people¡¯s stomach, what other ruthless things she cannot do.¡±


    ¡°Saving life then saving life, cutting open the stomach then cutting open the stomach. It¡¯s true that she save the di son of the second house, but it¡¯s also true that her hands are black. If I live under the same roof with such a person, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to sleep at night.¡±


    ¡°Where in the world can a woman do such a thing? The grand princess also praised her as the Yao and Shun among women, it¡¯s like comparing her to a tall and burly man, it reminded me of another sentence ¨C no poison, no great man*. If you think about it, she has the ability to suppress many men. If you don¡¯t believe me, go to the street market and ask, see which man dares to make such a decision. She¡¯s said to be righteous, but how ones to know that at the back her hands were black. Those of us who are soft-hearted should try to stay away from her as much as possible, to avoid one day she cut us open in the name of righteousness.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. When I saw her hands, my heart sank. They had sewed the belly of a dead person. I don¡¯t know what the emperor thought, but he praised her so much and then posthumously conferred Ruan shi. In my opinion he should denounce her and then send her to a village, as a warning for others, lest there are women in the capital who are about to give birth, and then cutting their stomach one by one in order to earn a title. Throughout the ages, the number of women who died from childbirth is countless, so why is only Ruan shi that stand out? The emperor posthumously conferred this one, and in the future, whether you have difficult birth or not, whether you live or die, everyone will cut your stomach with a knife. Then how can us women live? The so-called top moves, under follows* effect is just like this, the emperor did a really bad job this time!¡± A young woman hugged her shoulders with her trembling hands, her face full of worry.


    Gradually, the surrounding guests began to look at Guan Suyi with strange eyes. Saving people was not false, and having black hands was also not false, which was enough to glimpse at this person¡¯s cold heart and firm idea. People need to be careful everywhere when dealing with her. If it¡¯s a friend, that¡¯s fine. If it¡¯s an enemy, the end was doomed to be miserable. And although she saved people, the honor she received was too much. If it mislead some people with wrong minds, in the future, when women had difficult childbirth they could also be cut open, so where they can cry out their grievance?


    Thinking like this, Madam Guan doesn¡¯t seem to be the type one can have deep friendships with, indeed needs to stay far away.


    Only after a while, there was no one around Guan Suyi. She looked left and right, feeling quite absurd, and walked to Ye Zhen and whispered, ¡°Please everyone keep your voice down, and don¡¯t cause trouble for my Zhao family. His Majesty is high above, but he¡¯s making a great fanfare and stir up the crowd for an ordinary woman, then since you already noticed something is not right, could it be you cannot think deeply? You can go outside without anything, but you can¡¯t be without brain, even more can¡¯t be without controlling your mouth.¡±


    She put her two fingers together, then tapped her forehead, then pressed her lips, and walked away.

 CH 105

    When Ye Zhen came out to meet the guest, Zhao Luli was like an enraged beast with all the hair on his body standing up. The good memories he shared with Ye Zhen had long been replaced with Madam¡¯s frowns, smiles, joy and anger, so he could maintain a clear head and glimpse the truth through the illusory light and shadow.


    After Ye Zhen¡¯s return, it seemed that ¡°anxious¡± was not enough to describe her various behavior, and it¡¯s more appropriate to replace it with ¡°aggressive¡±. She was forcing Madam to recognize her original di wife status, and then let her retreat to the position of equal wife. Wasn¡¯t she always kind, weak, and indifferent to the world? Could it be that the Imperial Palace was really a shameful place that could make her change so much?


    Seeing that she was surrounded by noble family¡¯s womenfolk and criticized Madam in a playful tone, Zhao Luli wanted to walk over and drive them all away. However, Madam was always steadfast and her face was as usual. She put her two fingers together and tapped on her full and smooth forehead, and then pressed it on her rosy and shiny lips, spitting out words as sharp as a knife, making everyone stunned and afraid to speak.


    It looked so beautiful, Zhao Luli stared at her closely, his heart pounding.


    Zhao Chunxi had long been able to resist the invasion of her stepmother¡¯s beauty, and it only take a few moment before she recovered from her daze and walked quickly. She knew that her stepmother was by no means a kind of person who shoot without aim*. She said that the emperor had other motive to posthumously confer the second aunt, so this matter must be true.


    ¡°Mom, have you guess something? Does it have anything to do with our family? Is it important?¡± She asked in whisper.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with the Zhao family, don¡¯t worry. Take good care of your mother, don¡¯t let her be used as a gunman by other people.¡± Guan Suyi looked at the mature and prudent Zhao Chunxi, and felt a lot of emotion in her heart. The person who used to be the most jealous was now the closest to her. Even when her biological mother return, she could look at the problem rationally and kept her inner beliefs; unlike Zhao Wangshu, no matter how good you were to him before, as long as others instigate him slightly, he could immediately change his original intention, and would not return.


    In the final analysis, it was all due to character, regardless of whether the nature was good or bad. Therefore, Guan Suyi did not hold any resentment, nor was she angry, and she instructed lightly, ¡°Go back and kneel, the ceremony is about to begin. You don¡¯t need to ask more about these things, you will know sooner or later.¡±


    Zhao Chunxi nodded obediently, walked to Ye Zhen and whispered, ¡°Mother, are you okay? The ceremony is about to start. If you can¡¯t hold on, your daughter will send you back to your room to rest.¡±


    Ye Zhen naturally didn¡¯t want to kneel and worship for two hours, and quickly held her forehead to pretend to be weak, but she didn¡¯t expect that as soon as she walked into the backyard with her daughter, she was pushed into the rockery hole and warned in a low voice, ¡°Only daddy would believe the lie that you asked to leave the palace yourself. How could I not understand your temperament? You are the kind of person who don¡¯t shed tears until you see the coffin*. If you don¡¯t already lose all hope of getting back the favor and worry about your life, how can you be willing to give up the glory and wealth in the palace? Now that you have nothing, you think of us. Do you treat us father and children as objects without flesh and feeling? I know about a lot of things you did in the palace, saying that you sacrificed everything for daddy, but I saw that you hooked up with the emperor very happily! Do you remember the poison you gave me? If you annoyed me, I will bring it to daddy to expose your true face!¡±


    Seeing Ye Zhen¡¯s shocked and angry expression, she said word by word, ¡°I was looking forward to your coming back, but then I gradually realized that your heart is higher than the sky and you will never come back, so I thought that I would also fly to you. At the same height, I can see you all the time and be close to you. But I now understand that tearing off other people¡¯s skin to harden a pair of wings for yourself, without the support of bone wings, it will fall off sooner or later. Look at yourself, how embarrassed, how defeated, but you still don¡¯t know how to repent and still do all the shameful things! You still want to compete with stepmother and try your best to push her down! Take out your appearance, talent, temperament, and moral character one by one, which one can you compare with her? Where were you when daddy was poisoned with alcohol and dying? Where were you when the Zhao family were stripped off its title and the mansion was raided? Where were you when I was almost insulted by the officers? Where were you when the Ye family wanted to dragged the Zhao family to the grave with them? You were not in every single one of them. After abandoning your husband and children, what qualifications do you have to be the mistress of the Zhao family? What qualifications do you have to be daddy¡¯s wife? What qualifications do you have to let me and my brother call you mother?¡±


    Zhao Chunxi burst into tears as she spoke, and choked up, ¡°However, you are our mother after all, we can¡¯t deny that. So when you come back, we accept it. We just hope that you will be honest, peacefully know your place, don¡¯t make chaos for our family again, let alone use my brother to hurt stepmother! If you don¡¯t listen to me, yes, I¡¯ll let daddy know who you really are. You better behave!¡± After the words fell she resolutely pushed Ye Zhen away, and flung her sleeves as she leave.


    After a long time, Ye Zhen walked out of the rockery, her face was expressionless, but there were many bloodstains on her palm.


    At the same time, the Sanskrit sound and the sound of wooden fish resounding inside the mourning hall. Except for the Zhao family who were kneeling at the front, the rest of them were absent-minded, and their thoughts were not in the right place. They repeatedly pondered Madam Guan¡¯s words. Naturally, His Majesty wouldn¡¯t make a big fuss and stir up the crowd for ordinary women, in other words, there must be another deep meaning behind his actions. But what exactly is it? General Zhao won a big victory in the border, so he need to be appeased?


    No way. There has been no good news at all recently, and there are too many generals stationed at the border, generals who have a higher rank than General Zhao were not a few, why he needed to be appeased? There must be another meaning behind it, but no one had grasped it.


    Everyone wanted to ask Madam Guan, but they were worried that they would be make mistakes if they said too much, so they had to hide it. The women who were intimidated by her didn¡¯t take it to heart at all. Before the ceremony was over, they all made excuses to leave, slapping the Zhao family¡¯s face again, and returned to the their mansion to learn a shocking news ¨C The affairs of the world was so coincidental, the emperor¡¯s biological mother also had a difficult childbirth, in order to save the emperor, she cut open her stomach with a knife and cut her wrist to feed him with blood, which allowed him to survive. Because the Jiuli people were ignorant and uneducated, they felt this was very ominous and concealed the existence of his biological mother from the emperor. It was not until the news of Madam Guan cutting open the stomach to take out the child spread in Yanjing, which aroused great admiration from the public that those who knew about this matter told the truth.


    The emperor felt sad in his heart, and he also deeply felt that the Han people were obedient to Heaven¡¯s will, sensible, understood good and evil, could distinguish honest and dishonest, had a broad mind to tolerate something that other tribes could not, accept common sense that other tribes could not, and had the courage to lift the ground and break the sky, destroy the old and establish the new. So with one sweep of the imperial brush, Ruan shi was posthumously conferred, and now even wanted to posthumously conferred his biological mother as the Empress Dowager.


    Filial piety was the foundation of human relations and the first of the eight virtues. Not only people in the world, but even animals know filial piety, so the sheep have the grace to kneel to suck for milk, and crows have the feeling to feed back its parent. Abiding by filial piety and supporting one¡¯s parents was a heaven¡¯s law and earth principle* and righteousness, so how could people argue? Therefore, as soon as the emperor showed his wishes in the court, he immediately received the support of whole civil and military officials.


    If there was no Madam Guan¡¯s taking out the child by cutting open the stomach as the foundation, the emperor would probably hide it for the rest of his life. Recalling his biological mother, he actually burst into tears in the court hall, blaming himself again and again, it could be seen that he had been suffering for a long time, and the grief had cut to the bone. Now that he had fulfilled his long-cherished wish by posthumously conferred Ruan shi, naturally felt extremely grateful to Madam Guan, and even more he could control the trend of opinion on this matter.


    Praising Ruan shi as Zhenlie  and Madam Guan as courageous, was equivalent to praising the late Empress Dowager as Zhenlie and courageous; insulting Madam Guan as having ruthless heart and black hands, wouldn¡¯t it mean to also scold the late Empress Dowager? Madam Guan cut open other people¡¯s stomachs, but the late Empress Dowager cut open her own belly, her courage and boldness was even higher!


    If it weren¡¯t for her bravery and ¡°ruthless heart¡±, there would be no current Emperor Sheng Yuan. All unreasonable things were reasonable when it reach the emperor; all inhuman things were the way of heaven when it reach the emperor. Those who obey can exist those who disobey can perish*, it¡¯s the method of the tyrant!


    Those womenfolk were so frightened, remembering the words they said in the mourning hall that many people listened to, and Madam Guan¡¯s grandfather was still the dignified Emperor Teacher and also served as the imperial censor. If he impeached a few words at the court, their husband¡¯s official positions would come to an end! No wonder Madam Guan hinted that there was another mystery behind it , which turned out to be the case!


    A few people did not dare to hide it, and hurriedly went to their husband to discuss it, but they were all severely reprimanded, and they were punished with the family law, almost unable to keep their current position. Soon after, everyone cleaned up their clothes and hat, put on thorns on their backs, and entered the palace to plead guilty. It must be known that the emperor was preparing for the posthumous conferring ceremony, and said that the late Empress Dowager had blessed him for many years, and it was necessary to hold a ritual to send her to the afterlife. He had invited all the important officials in the court to discuss. At this time, if anyone babbling nonsense to block him, the end will be miserable.


    Sure enough, the emperor was very angry. He took off two official hats on the spot, and ordered the rest of the people to resign their powers and reflect behind close door. Bluntly said that they don¡¯t understand great benevolence and righteousness, filial piety towards close relatives, and ordered them to go home and read more books, after they understand then come again.


    Not to mention how embarrassed those people were, when the news reached Jueyin Temple, everyone was greatly surprised and even more convinced by Madam Guan. This calmness and wittiness, prophesy with supernatural accuracy, were absolutely incomparable. What¡¯s even more incredible was that her heroic act untied the knot in the emperor¡¯s heart and helped him fulfill his long-cherished wish, which must leave a deep impression on the emperor, moreover very similar to the late Empress Dowager.


    What kind of honor was this? What kind of good karma? If it used well, the Zhao family, who had been knocked down to the bottom of the mud, would be able to rise to the sky in an instant. Even if Zhao Luli couldn¡¯t get the title back, as long as Madam Guan was willing to take care of the Zhao family, it would be easy to give Zhao Wangshu a good future, and there wouldn¡¯t be a problem with Zhao Chunxi¡¯s marriage.


    But would she? If it were before, the answer would naturally be yes, but now it¡¯s hard to say!


    Thinking of this, the guests couldn¡¯t help but look towards the east wing, and thought to themselves: Don¡¯t know which plague god the Zhao family has offended before, when it seems that luck is on the line, the ex-wife actually came back from the dead and after returning try to fight Madam Guan for the main position. The kind of proud woman like Madam Guan wouldn¡¯t make so much noise, just ask for reconciliation decree. She can slap her husband in front of the Dengwen Drum, defend her family with her life, and willing to defy the world by cutting open the stomach to take the child, how could she tolerate others sitting on an equal footing with her? Reconciliation or surrender, no matter how you look at it, the possibility of her choosing reconciliation is far greater than surrender.


    How could Zhao Luli not know something that others could guess? His five internal organs were burning* now, out of his wits. To have this one thread of relationship, as long as Madam says the word ¡°reconciliation¡±, without explaining the reason, Huo Shengzhe would not hesitate to give the approval.


    It would be great if Ye Zhen didn¡¯t come back, if she didn¡¯t come back, I wouldn¡¯t have to lose Madam¡­ He knew he shouldn¡¯t think like this, but he couldn¡¯t control the frantic thoughts in his heart.

 CH 106

    Because Emperor Sheng Yuan was different from any emperor in the previous dynasty, he started his career with military merit and led millions of troops, and after reorganization of the imperial court and re-establishment of public security offices, he was even more powerful, with fame and power that could shake the world. Not to mention this posthumously conferring his biological mother was really in-line with filial piety and virtue passed down through the ages, even if he occasionally muddle-headed, he would be able to forcibly fulfill his wish.


    The next day, the imperial decree to posthumously conferred the late empress dowager was announced to the world. With the brave and courageous late Empress Dowager at the front, who would dare to criticize Madam Guan? Do you wanna get kill? The people who launched a crusade on this matter hurried home, locked the door to the room, and then collapsed to the ground, sweating profusely.


    Fortunately, Madam Guan wrote an emotional and mournful eulogy, which greatly reversed people¡¯s prejudice and minimized the negative comments about taking the child by cutting open the stomach, otherwise it would have angered the emperor¡¯s dragon face. In his ear, scolding Madam Guan for practicing the demon way, and scolding Zhao Huai¡¯en for being the reincarnation of an evil ghost, wouldn¡¯t it mean scolding the late Empress Dowager and himself as demon and ghost?


    Who would have thought that there was such a shocking inside story hidden here? Madam Guan¡¯s luck was simply against the sky, but it was also because she and the late Empress Dowager had the courage and boldness that was far beyond the ordinary people. If people want to enter the eyes of the person above, they really have to rely on real skills!


    In just half a day, Madam Guan¡¯s reputation rose to the level of her father¡¯s, and those who scolded her for having a ruthless heart and black hands had no choice but to try to curry favor with her, there was no other way out. In the second half of the day, the emperor issued several imperial decrees in succession, one was to give amnesty to the world; the second was to reduce the tax and corv¨¦e service; the third was to open an imperial examination. The imperial examination which was originally held three years later, would be set up in various provinces and prefectures in the spring of next year. Whether it was the children of high gate family or poor family, all could become officials with real talents and practical learning.


    The first two decrees made the common people mad with joy and ran to tell each other; the latter decree provided a way for aspirants to realize their ambitions, and it also highly praised. All kind of benevolent and benefiting policy had been raised in rapid succession, graces even reach the dead, which made the matter of posthumously conferring the late Empress Dowager grand and warmly received.


    On the streets, in the poor alleys and dark rooms, the sound of praying for the late Empress Dowagers could be heard everywhere, and the praise for the Emperor¡¯s benevolence and filial piety spread throughout the Wei Kingdom. Since Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s ascension to the throne, his prestige had risen again, and it had already begun to rise like a cloud and rise like a dragon*, dominating the whole Nine Province*.


    The courtiers were all terrified and amazed, and when they heard that he was going to hold a transcending ritual for the Empress Dowager, they all made suggestions and worked hard on it. Soon, the Grand Astrologer calculated the auspicious time, and scheduled the nine, nine, eighty-one day ritual in Jueyin Temple three days later. Due to the heavy government affairs, the emperor would personally presided over the ceremony for the first forty-nine days, and the rest of the ceremonies would be lead by the Empress Dowager.


    The matter was already decided, Master Xuan Guang, as the host of Jueyin Temple, received an imperial edict, which deliberately mentioned Ruan shi, saying that the monks should not neglect her sacrificial ceremony, let alone interrupt it at will. She also sacrificed herself to protect her child. She had a lot of fate with the late Empress Dowager, and to transcend reincarnation together was also a beautiful anecdote.


    Master Xuan Guang recited a sentence of Buddha, and he more and more admired the emperor¡¯s deep benevolence, but he had no choice but to ask the Zhao family to move the mourning hall out of the main hall, as a place to put the coffin of the late Empress Dowager. The Zhao family did not dare to compete with the late Empress Dowager, so they vacated the main hall in a short time and moved it to the monastery.


    ¡°The emperor is coming? Are you serious?¡± Hearing the news, Ye Zhen¡¯s heart beat wildly. Although she was sent out of the palace, she still had some illusions about Emperor Sheng Yuan, thinking that since he had guessed that the life-saving grace of the year was just a game, why didn¡¯t he kill her or let the palace servants treat her harshly, but instead continued to provide for her in a splendid manner, and then sent her home in a good condition? He was clearly reluctant to hurt her, and there might still some camaraderie in his heart. If she could wake up these camaraderie, she might be able to go back.


    Feelings could came out of it. After all, she had stayed by his side for many years, so she was different from others.


    Thinking like this, Ye Zhen¡¯s heart, which had been shattered by repeated setbacks, actually filled with wild hope. She stared at her son with burning eyes and explained in a low voice, ¡°Go and find out when the emperor will come and where is his residence.¡±


    No matter how ignorant Zhao Wangshu was, he understood that spying on the Emperor¡¯s trace was a capital offense, said in shock, ¡°Mother, why are you asking about this? If son accidentally reveals one¡¯s tracks, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to come back!¡± He frowned, felt extremely uncomfortable.


    Seeing that he seemed very unhappy, Ye Zhen immediately coaxed, ¡°Have you forgotten that your eldest aunt is still suffering in the palace? I and she was born from the same mother, am I not allow to want to see her? She is now wearing the body of sin, and is not allowed to be free. I don¡¯t have a rank, what lowly people think counts for little, your stepmother really doesn¡¯t like seeing me, where is she willing to take care of this? Can¡¯t I figure out by myself? Who else can I rely on besides you now? Your father and sister are circling around your stepmother all day, and your grandmother has always hated me, perhaps she would like me to die outside! If I had known this, I should not have left my adoptive mother to come to the capital to find you after I regained my memory.¡± While speaking, she covered her face and cried bitterly, her voice was mournful.


    Zhao Luli had arranged a life experience for her. Now people outside knew that she was rescued by a kind-hearted old woman after falling into the Yellow River. Because she had lost her children, and her husband died early, she recognize Ye Zhen who broke her head and lost her memory as her own daughter and kept her under her knees. Somehow, Ye Zhen actually regained her memory, and only then did she return to Yanjing to find her relatives.


    Zhao Chunxi scoffed at this statement, but Zhao Wangshu believed it to be true. Seeing his mother¡¯s sadness, he almost burst into tears, so he quickly comforted, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t cry, it¡¯s son who has the heart of wolf and lungs of dog*, actually forgot about the eldest aunt in the palace. Son will immediately inquire about some news. But son used to act absurdly, and only now started to study hard, and not very promising, afraid will not be able to inquire about the situation in the palace. Mother, why don¡¯t you let daddy go to inquire? Although he doesn¡¯t have a title now, he has helped many old, disable soldiers and orphans, and he¡¯s quite famous in the army, if you tell him, there¡¯s nothing that cannot be done.¡±


    ¡°How can I tell him? He is like your grandmother, wishing that I never came back! Son, mother is only have you now, please help mother. Also, don¡¯t let your daddy know about this, he already hates the Ye family so much, afraid he will blame me for being a demon, and maybe he will send me back to Hedao County if he is unhappy.¡± Ye Zhen tightly grabbed the corner of Zhao Wangshu¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mother, I will never let daddy send you away. Although my stepmother is good, you are my biological mother after all, and no one can replace you.¡± Zhao Wangshu gritted his teeth, ¡°You wait here, I¡¯ll look for my former playmate to ask for the news.¡± Once the words fell he hurriedly went out of the room.


    However, there was no need to inquire, the emperor¡¯s procession arrived at the Jueyin Temple three days later. The courtiers and titled women of the fourth rank and above in the capital all wore sacrificial clothes and gathered in the Main Hall, ready to recite the scriptures for the late Empress Dowager. The Grand Astrologer presented a memorial, in which he wrote a posthumous title jointly formulated by the ministers for the late Empress Dowager, which was originally ¡°Xiao Sheng Ci Xuan Kang Hui Cheng Hui Ren Mu Jing Sheng Xian Taihou¡°. Emperor Sheng Yuan thought it was not right, then added a few more characters and changed it into ¡°Xiao Ci Xuan Kang Hui Yong Lie Ji Cheng Hui Ren Mu Jing Sheng Tian Guang Zhen He Xian Taihou¡± with twenty characters, it could be called as the longest posthumous title in history, and it vividly expressed his remembrance and love for his mother. (TN: not even gonna attempt to translate it. Posthumous title for imperial family are usually like this)


    The courtiers did not dare to object, and quickly set the posthumous title. Then someone else came in and said: Why only conferred her as the Empress Dowager and not the Empress? The late Empress dowager was only the emperor¡¯s biological mother, but it did not mean that she was the main wife of the previous emperor, her status was still a little bit worse.


    After his mother¡¯s death, the bones were thrown into the deep mountain by his father to feed the wolves, so that now even the body could not be found, and he could only build a cenotaph. If his mother had her spirit in heaven, how could she want to be his father¡¯s main wife and be buried with him in the same tomb? A woman who could cut open her own belly was someone with immense bravery, and could not be bent at all. Something that was considered a supreme honor in other people¡¯s eyes, was probably worthless in her eyes.


    Based on this consideration, Emperor Sheng Yuan rejected the proposal to enshrine his mother as the Empress, but was misunderstood by the courtiers as respecting the Empress Dowager and did not want to hurt her face, and praised him more and more for his loyalty and filial piety.


    ¡ª-


    Perhaps even the Heavens felt moved by the late Empress Dowager¡¯s bravery and Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s filial piety and sincerity, when the mourning came, it rained. At this time, autumn was coming to an end, and early winter was quietly approaching. Although the rain was as fine as fog, it was wrapped in a cold air.


    It stands to reason that women should be arranged in order of rank. The more noble their status, the more inward their seat. They could kneel and recite the scriptures in a dry place in the hall, with braziers scattered around to increase the temperature, and they would not feel uncomfortable at the end of the day. Those with lower rank were out of luck, the more they stand outside, the colder they get. Although there were more braziers, there were no roof to cover the rain, afraid they would be completely soaked through.


    However, on such a grand occasion, no one dared to show any resentment, and could only find their own praying mat to kneel down. If they perform well, they might be able to get into the eyes of the higher up, which was also a credit.


    But Guan Suyi stood below the porch with a straight waist and did not move for a long time. The female official who was in charge of the sacrifice, guests, and funeral order came over, seemingly polite, but in fact asked aggressively, ¡°Madam Guan, everyone has already taken their places, why didn¡¯t you take your seat? Can you afford disturbing the sacrifice ceremony for the late Empress Dowager?¡±


    Guan Suyi looked at the sky and said indifferently, ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. There is still an hour before the ceremony begin, and you still have time to rearrange the seats.¡±


    ¡°Why should I rearrange it?¡± the woman asked angrily.


    ¡°I am a first-rank grand order woman, I should be kneeling in the hall, why did you line up me with with third-rank madam?¡± Guan Suyi didn¡¯t want to care about this, but her seat was obviously deliberately arranged by someone, and it just happened to be outside the roof, where the rain were pouring. As that wasn¡¯t enough, the rainwater from the roof converged along the tile grooves and would be pouring down on her head. In less than a quarter of an hour, she would definitely be soaked all over. The ground under the praying mat was also a damaged green bricks, and there were jagged stones exposed. Kneeling on it was like kneeling on needle felt, and within half a day, her knees would be crippled.


    She really couldn¡¯t think of anyone she had a life-and-death feud with in the palace, to the point they wanted to deal with her like this. Emperor Sheng Yuan wanted to rob other people¡¯s wife, but he would never make it public, and when she thought about it, it could only be the Empress Dowager. Because she awaken Emperor Sheng Yuan by cut open the stomach to take the child, and ruined her entire plan, so how could she not hate her to the core?


    This woman was probably sent by the Empress Dowager, and she had carefully selected the seat for her. If they tried their best to delay and refused to give in an inch, she also could not to make a big noise in the emperor¡¯s presence and disrupt the sacrificial ceremony, afraid she could only give in. Thinking like this, Guan Suyi was full of anger, but she was helpless.


    She had always known the dreadfulness and filth of power, and how it killed people without blood, even if one had iron bones, it could also be broken by its roots. The strong would be easily humiliated, the rigid would be easily snapped, unexpectedly it was right.

 CH 107

    If it asked who was the most popular person in Yanjing or even Wei Kingdom in recent days? The answer was none other than Madam Guan. She first cut open the belly of her sister-in-law, which caused a crusade, and then successfully reversed the argument with the help of her sacrificial eulogy. Today, this article had been collected by Master Xuan Guang in the annual ¡°Xuan Guang Anthology¡±, and had been praised by many literary giants as the perfect tune of sacrificial eulogy and a magnificent piece of mourning, which directly praised her talent to the sky.


    But at this moment, she as a dignified first-rank titled madam, was actually placed among the third-rank madam, and occupied the worst position, not to mention kneeling for nine-nine-eighty-one days, afraid her legs and feet would be crippled in just one day. The low-ranking women who were still quite resentful just now were finally found a psychological balance, because someone was more unlucky than them. The first- and second-rank madams inside the hall also came out to watch the fun, and their faces were full of ridicule and hatred.


    Zhong shi was still thinking where her daughter was seated, and when she heard the commotion, she hurried over to check, and was furious on the spot, ¡°This female official, did you make a mistake? My daughter is first-rank titled madam, and she should kneel with me.¡±


    Guan Suyi was not relieved when she saw her mother coming, but her heart became heavier, for fear that she would be implicated.


    ¡°Make a mistake? can you know better than me? As the saying goes, the husband is honored and the wife is noble, and the ¡®Madam¡¯ is ranked based on the husband. This position is originally arranged according to the grade of your husband and master. Although Madam Guan is a first-rank, the eldest master of the Zhao family is a commoner, can her grant order be the same as other grant order? Putting her here and not by the lake where the four-ranked madams are sitting on their knees, you should thank me for being so generous.¡± The female official¡¯s face was beautiful and calm, however, there was a hidden hostility between the eyebrows, which showed that today¡¯s vow to crippled people must be done.


    The Madam was ranked based on the husband, this was true, Zhong shi was a little discouraged, but still plead, ¡°But she still cannot kneel directly under the roof trough, others are drenched in light rain, but my daughter is in heavy rain, and the ground is damaged to this point, she will fall ill within two hours. Can you please move her to the side?¡±


    Sensing that her daughter was about to speak, Zhong shi quickly held her wrist firmly and shook her head quietly, implying that she should not clash with the female official. Today was the sacrificial ceremony of the late Empress Dowager, and no one could make trouble.


    This female official smiled contemptuously, ¡°You said it so lightly, just open your mouth and let me move the position. You must know that if one is moved over here, all the madams below have to move as well, creating more work for hundreds of people. Where did you come with such a big face? Or shall I take you two to see the Empress Dowager and let you talk to her in person?¡±


    Hearing that she was going to see the Empress Dowager only to change seats, Zhong shi couldn¡¯t help but hesitate, but Guan Suyi understood that it would be more difficult to dealt with if she were to go. If the Empress Dowager causally accused her of ¡°great disrespect¡±, she could immediately dispose their mother and daughter.


    Power¡­ It was only now that she understood why Ye Zhen wanted to climb up using any unscrupulous means, because power was really a good thing, with it, if you want to kill someone, you just need to open your mouth.


    When she was tormented by humiliation, someone next to her said sarcastic words, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just kneeling? Which big family is not like this? Why is your daughter so delicate? Look at those four-grade madams, some kneeling by the lake and being blow by the cold wind, just shift a little at once fall into the water. When your daughter cut open¡­¡± the stomach she was very brave! The rest of the words, this first-rank madam did not dare to say any further. Now the words ¡°cutting the stomach to take the child¡± had become a taboo, and whoever kept mentioning it was just resenting their long live.


    ¡°Yeah, there are so many people kneeling and sitting in the rain, don¡¯t they all suffer?¡± More and more people opened their mouths to persuade, but their eyes were shining with joy for other¡¯s misfortune.


    Seeing that the mother and daughter of the Guan family were speechless, the female official said arrogantly, ¡°Do you still want to see the Empress Dowager? Just kneel down if you won¡¯t see!¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s waist was so straight that she couldn¡¯t bend her knees no matter what, when she faintly thought that she would pay the price by breaking her leg bones today, a familiar voice came from behind her, ¡°How about Zhen speak to you on Madam¡¯s behalf?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± There were a series of gasping sound all around, followed by throwing body to the ground, calling Long Live Your Majesty. The female official was so frightened that she was sweating like a waterfall, and immediately knelt down and kowtowed. She never expected that His Majesty, who was supposed to burn incense and bathe in the back of the hall, would suddenly appear here. However, since he was here, he would definitely stretch his hand for Madam Guan.


    It just need one day, after Madam Guan faint, she would send someone to take her to the imperial hospital, and then report it to the Empress Dowager. On the grounds of ¡°extreme filial piety and sincerity¡±, Madam Guan would be credited for her great deeds and awarded some jewelry and sent home, it could also be considered hit with a stick and give a sweet date, presumably the person herself would not be able to say anything. In one day¡¯s effort destroy her legs and feet, and since she won the praised for her filial piety and sincerity, where would she dare to argue and ruin her reputation?


    The front and back were all arranged properly, but they could not guard against the elusive emperor. How could he suddenly come to the side hall where the titled women gathered? Could it be that someone send a word? This female official was still thinking wildly, but then she heard the emperor say lightly, ¡°Pull down and kill!¡± He didn¡¯t even want to say a word of nonsense to her.


    Immediately, two guards came up to arrest her. The titled women inside and outside the hall had long been frightened, and although a few timid and fearful ones did not cry outright, they were still sniveling, could be describe as sorry figures, and no longer as bright and beautiful as before.


    Only Guan Suyi took a step forward calmly and saluted, ¡°Your Majesty, today is the sacrificial ceremony for the late Empress Dowager, it¡¯s not appropriate to see blood.¡±


    Madam Guan is indeed benevolent, at this time, she did not forget to intercede for the female official! Some people praised her in their hearts, and some secretly laughed at her stupidity. Zhong shi gently pulled the hem of her daughter¡¯s clothes, suggesting that she should not be too soft-hearted and repay grievances with virtue.


    Unexpectedly, Guan Suyi¡¯s voice paused for a while, and then continued, ¡°Why don¡¯t you lock her up for now and deal with her after the ceremony is over?¡±


    Still would be killed, but the time was moved to eighty-one days later. The long process of waiting for death was hundreds of times more ruthless than dealing with them on the spot! The female official, who was still smiling just now was paralyzed like mud, collapsing  and crying.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan took a deep look at Madam, his eyes were full of amazement. He knew that Madam was kind, arrogant, and lofty, but today he could see a dash of sharpness under her seemingly peaceful charm. No, it might be more appropriate to describe it as savage. This savagery was not too much, not too little, just right, it would neither make her weak and gullible, nor would it make her frivolous and impetuous. The so-called both good and evil was like this, right?


    The more he looked at it, the more he liked it, and he had to force his eyes to turn away, turned towards the female official, and waved his hand, ¡°Didn¡¯t you listen to the Madam¡¯s words? Take her down and lock her up, and when the sacrificial ceremony is over, execute her immediately.¡±


    The guard complied and dragged away the female official who kept begging for mercy. The hall became quiet in an instant, Emperor Sheng Yuan walked around Madam twice, looked at the praying mat arranged for her, and couldn¡¯t help but sneer, he lifted his leg to throw it away.


    Guan Suyi caught a glimpse of the third- and fourth-rank titled women kneeling in the rain, and continued to speak boldly, ¡°Your Majesty, praying for the blessing of the late Empress Dowager is originally a good deed, but didn¡¯t expect to encounter the autumn rain, which is cold to the bone, and kneeling for two hours is already terrible, by the end of the day, it may hurt the noble madams¡¯ body, and it will not be good. Do you think it¡¯s possible to let the craftsmen immediately build a shed on the open space and light a brazier for them to shelter from the rain and cold, which can also be regard as amassing blessing for the late Empress Dowager?¡±


    As soon as these words fell, titled woman who couldn¡¯t stand the cold looked eagerly at His Majesty. They could only think about it in their hearts, how dare they say it in person? His Majesty¡¯s dragon evil spirit, which was cultivated in the mountain of corpse and sea of blood, was absolutely unbearable for ordinary people, and only Madam Guan, who sewed the belly of a dead person with her own hands, could take it calmly, and then discuss a few words with him.


    Previously, she interceded for the female official, and some people still laughed at her stupidity. Now it was about their own interests, even their life, and no one would slander her again. After all, it was that female official who deliberately made things difficult, who couldn¡¯t see it? If the rankings were really based on their family background, Madam Guan, who was held in the palm of Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies, should be the most honorable person in Yanjing.


    Words and hearts were so easy to control, only a little grace could turn them upside down. Seeing all the titled women being wooed by Madam with just a few words, why should Emperor Sheng Yuan be against it? Immediately he waved his hand and said, ¡°It Zhen who is inconsiderate, let the all the madams down.¡± He nodded slightly and ordered in a warm voice, ¡°Baifu, immediately ask the Department of Internal Affairs to gather some craftsmen to build a shack, the brazier cannot be broken, and the ginger soup cannot be less. If any madam cannot bear it, she will go down and rest for a while. Don¡¯t hurt the body because of the worship, and if imperial mother in the ground know it, she will not feel at ease. The sacrificial ceremony is in the sincerity, not in the form. Everything is simple, everything is lenient.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, there were voices of gratitude inside and outside the hall. It was said that the emperor was benevolent, they did not feel much before, but now they finally experience it firsthand. With such a monarch, it was really fortunate to live in Wei Kingdom!


    Emperor Sheng Yuan glanced at Madam and said with a smile, ¡°No need to thank Zhen, thank Madam Guan.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Madam Guan!¡± There was another round of thank you at the scene, and even the old noblewomen, who was more senior than her, also bowed down, so Guan Suyi who had nowhere to avoid had no choice but to stand behind Emperor Sheng Yuan.


    Zhong shi looked at the two people next to each other, her heart felt very uncomfortable, but she couldn¡¯t understand why. However, no matter what, this hurdle was finally over, just didn¡¯t know who tried to rectify the Guan family behind the scene. Seeing her daughter¡¯s determined appearance, it seems she has figure it out, right?


    Before she could pull her daughter aside to ask, Emperor Sheng Yuan clasped his hands and bowed deeply, ¡°Madam, Zhen want to personally write the sacrificial eulogy for the late imperial mother, but due to limited knowledge, haven¡¯t dared to write it. Madam is talented and outstanding, you are especially good at expressing emotions of the scenery, and conveying the sense of things, please ask Madam to teach Zhen!¡±


    So he came here to ask for advise! The emperor is really filial, sincere and also modest and open-minded! All the madams suddenly realized and praised in their hearts, even Zhong shi was touched by him, and could not wait to agree.


    Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Guan Suyi could not refuse, and after saluted modestly, she followed him to the main hall.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan slowed down and looked sideways, ¡°Madam, if there is no Zhen today, your two knees cannot be saved. The so-called strong will be easily humiliated is a complete fallacy. The reason why you are humiliated is not because you are too strong, but because you are not strong enough. If you stand in the Main Hall today as the mother of the country, looking all over the Central Plains, the Wei Kingdom, and even the Nine Provinces, who would dare to humiliate you?¡±


    Guan Suyi was unmoved, her eyes narrowed as she muttered, ¡°What do you mean by this sentence is that ¨C looking all over the Wei Kingdom, only you can humiliate me?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, ¡°¡­¡±

 CH 108

    All of a sudden choked by Madam, Emperor Sheng Yuan was speechless for a long time, and it was hard to think of coaxing words. When he was about to continue speaking, they arrived at the Main Hall. This was the place where the important officials of the court and the imperial family kowtowed. They were all powerful figures in Yanjing. Old Master Guan and Guan Father were sitting in the first row, holding manuscripts in their hands, talking with Master Xuan Guang about something.


    ¡°This minister has seen the emperor.¡± Seeing that the Son of Heaven was coming, everyone hurriedly stood up and saluted, and when they caught sight of Madam Guan, who had retreated to the side, they couldn¡¯t help but showed a surprised expression.


    ¡°Your Majesty, this is?¡± Old Master Guan hurriedly asked.


    ¡°Zhen want to personally write a sacrificial eulogy for the late imperial mother, but because of limited knowledge, Zhen didn¡¯t dare to write, especially asked Madam Guan to teach Zhen. Madam¡¯s sacrificial eulogy breaks the law of parallel rhythm, and it appears loose and yet condensed, it seems to be easiest to grasp for amateur like Zhen who have never learned  the rhythmic format..¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan explained in earnest.


    Old Master Guan suddenly realized and agreed, ¡°If letting Your Majesty write a parallel poem, it will be really difficult for you. This minister just discussed with Master Xuan Guang that the sacrificial eulogy was originally written in remembrance of the deceased. The sincere feelings should come first, and the graceful rhyme is not as important, there is no need to pay too much attention to, just need to express all the emotions. This minister and others are best at policy theory, but if want to express emotions of the scenery, we are a little inferior, and do not dare randomly give advice.¡± After the words fell he looked at his granddaughter, and whispered, ¡°Yiyi, properly teach His Majesty, don¡¯t hide your secret.¡±


    ¡°How can granddaughter dare?¡± Guan Suyi hurriedly clasped her hands in salute, and at the end she bowed down to all the ministers, with a graceful attitude, neither humble nor arrogant.


    ¡°Madam Guan is a great talent!¡± The ministers said in unison, praised again and again, and then watched the emperor walk away before gathered together to speak again, without any other thought. On the contrary, Guan Father chased down the corridor and looked at them for a long time, saw the emperor deliberately slowed down, turned to let his daughter walked side by side with him, a light quickly flashed across his eyes.


    When the two came to the back hall, several palace servants were carrying a huge bathtub, and another servant was adding spices to the copper stove, and wisps of green smoke swirled up, exuding a delicate and pleasant fragrance.


    ¡°Zhen was bathing and burning incense just now, and immediately rushed over when Zhen received the news that the Empress Dowager intended to embarrass you.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan raised his hand, as if he wanted to draw Madam, but in the end he didn¡¯t dare to make trouble, so he had to take her to the inner room, and invite her to the guest seat.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty, for rescuing this subject woman. This subject woman is grateful.¡± Guan Suyi had a clear distinction between gratitude and grudges, immediately thanked him.


    The two sat cross-legged on praying mats covered with thick blanket, and in front of them was a table with two sets of four treasures of the study. Perhaps because it was the sacrificial ceremony of the late Empress Dowager, Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s attitude was very solemn, they had been alone for a long time, but he never done anything outside the boundaries, so Guan Suyi slowly let go her hanging heart.


    ¡°Look, Madam, this is the result of Zhen¡¯s writing for half an hour.¡± He pointed to a piece of rice paper on the table. There were only two lines of words on it, and one line was scribbled out, which looked very messy.


    ¡°Zhen sat for a long time, but still don¡¯t know what to write. Zhen don¡¯t even know what the late imperial mother looks like, so how can Zhen write a memorial?¡± His resolute face showed a hint of fragility, and he sincerely cupped his hands in obeisance, ¡°Please, Madam, teach Zhen.¡±


    Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t guard against an orphan who was heartbroken and missed his mother, let alone a student who humbly asked for advice. She took the manuscript and glanced at it, pointed out, ¡°Although Your Majesty has never spent time with the late Empress Dowager, cannot write the sacrificial eulogy from her point of view, and let the world appreciate her through words, then how about changing the angle and start from yourself? Every moment you miss her, she also misses you in heaven; every achievement you achieve is her achievement; your greatness is her greatness; your nobleness is her nobleness, because you are the continuation of her life. So when writing about her, start from writing about you, and slowly bring in your thoughts about her, without considering whether the sentences is smooth or not, let alone whether the writing is beautiful or not, write down everything you can think of. When it finish, this subject woman will only polish it a little for Your Majesty, and that¡¯s it. If the late Empress Dowager is still alive, what she wants to listen to is what you really want to tell her.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan thought for a moment, and suddenly realized, ¡°What Madam said is true! The late imperial mother passed away when Zhen was just born. Zhen has never been with her for more than half a day, and Zhen has never seen her appearance and smiling face, but Zhen know that her love for Zhen is no less than any mother, no, maybe even heavier. Without her, there would be no Zhen. When Zhen was young, Zhen saw the mother wolf feeding the little wolf and the mother monkey hugging the little monkey, Zhen¡¯s heart always felt stuffy and painful, but didn¡¯t know why. It wasn¡¯t until Zhen met imperial sister and learned that Zhen is a human, not a beast, only then finally realized that the feeling is called loss, pain, and yearning. Since that day, Zhen thought that in the future Zhen would go out of the mountain to find Zhen¡¯s mother. What kind of character is she, what does she look like and why did she abandon Zhen? These obsessions troubled Zhen, and they also inspire Zhen. Zhen go on expeditions everywhere, isn¡¯t it to find her?¡±


    His eyes were slightly red, and tears were twinkling in his eyes, but it never fell. He crushed the rice paper with one hand, clenched the other hand into a fist, and pressed it on the table with extreme restraint, making the wood emitted a creaking squeak from heavy burden.


    Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t bear it, and quickly changed the subject, ¡°Your Majesty, write, what you just said is very good. Instead of writing sacrificial eulogy, we will write a letter, record everything you want to say to the late Empress Dowager, and burn it for her. Over the years, the only person she has been worried about is you, and she must be very happy to hear from you. No matter how many scriptures you recite or how much sesame oil money you give, it will not be able to match your heart.¡± She then pour in some water on the ink stone, and slowly grind the ink.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan turned to look at her, his clenched fists suddenly loosened, his grief-stricken expression softened slightly, and he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Madam is really smart and thoughtful. After racking the brain and sitting dry for half a day, Zhen still couldn¡¯t even write two sentences. Zhen will write a letter for late imperial mother, after finishing the draft, Zhen will ask Madam to revise it for Zhen.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty is overpraised, this subject woman will do her best.¡± Guan Suyi polished the ink, picked a sheep hair brush of moderate thickness, and handed it over with both hands.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan took the brush and looked at her deeply before he began to write. At first, the writing was a little blocked, but it gradually became smoother. The more he wrote, the more his brush flew. His tide of thought was bubble up, once it gets started there¡¯s no stopping it. Tears rolled down with the deep emotions, smudging the handwriting; In grief and anger, he gnashed teeth, the strength penetrated the back of the paper; In sorrow and despair, he had no more words and could only abandon the brush, he then cover his face with his hands, and stay still for a long time.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t know if he was crying, but she knew that he was definitely not calm at this moment, but she didn¡¯t urge or comfort him in the slightest, just sat quietly and waited.


    Baifu couldn¡¯t stand it any longer, and went forward with red eyes, intending to comfort, but Madam Guan gave him a stern look, so he had to retreat.


    After half a quarter of an hour, Emperor Sheng Yuan finally put down his hand, his face was expressionless, actually couldn¡¯t tell whether it was sadness and joy. Guan Suyi then picked up the brush, dipped the ink again, and said softly, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t say a word, but he took the brush obediently and continue to write. He abandoned the brush a few times after that, seemed to be difficult to restraint his sadness. But every time it was picked up by Madam, and put it back into his hand, repeatedly, After half an hour, the sacrificial eulogy was finally written.


    ¡°Madam, Zhen¡¯s heart is so painful.¡± He clutched his chest and hissed.


    Guan Suyi took out an embroidered handkerchief, stuffed it into his hand, and sighed, ¡°Your Majesty, wipe your tears. This subject woman understands how you feel, and only by surviving this experience can you completely let go.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan clenched the cinnamon-rich handkerchief tightly, but was reluctant to wipe his tears. For some reason, he felt much more relaxed, and he no longer felt overwhelmed by painful memories.


    Guan Suyi took over the manuscript and read it slowly. Although she had already learned of his tragic experience, she was horrified after getting a deeper understanding. There were purgatory on earth, dragon blood is black yellow*; There were also fathers and sons fighting against each other, betrayed and deserted; Even more there were tears of grief, foretell how he wanted to take his own life. If she hadn¡¯t seen this manuscript, just from the appearance, she would always think that Hunnar was indestructible.


    But how could there be indestructible person in this world? Step by step from the dust to the top, the suffering and harm that he had endured were often unimaginable to ordinary people.


    Through the manuscript, her perception of Hunnar was once again subverted. She pitied his painful experience, and admired his bravery and unyielding character. It was not by luck that he could have today. By the end, her cheeks were wet with tears, and she was unable to calm down for a long time.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan hid the handkerchief that Madam gave him in his arms, and then took out his own handkerchief from his sleeve pocket and handed it over, comfortingly said, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t cry, everything is over. Zhen has already let go, can¡¯t you let go too?¡±


    Guan Suyi hurriedly accepted the handkerchief to wipe her face, and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Your writing is very good, very good, far better than mine.¡± She then stood up, walked to the opposite side of the table, and knelt down cautiously, ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s sacrificial eulogy is unparalleled in the world. If you asked this subject woman, there is no need to change a word or a sentence. However, you are the emperor, and this sacrificial eulogy is not only a sacrificial eulogy, but also an edict, so many places cannot be stated, and many places need to be embellished, even many words must be hidden.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan seemed to have anticipated it, and immediately went around the table to support Madam, and said softly, ¡°You can change whatever you want. Zhen¡¯s words are not only about oneself, but also about the country system, Zhen understand.¡±


    Guan Suyi breathed a sigh of relief and comforted, ¡°Then consider this manuscript Your Majesty, as a son, writing to his mother, and not as the emperor writing to the late Empress Dowager. After this subject woman copied it, you can burn it for the late Empress Dowager, and the words she wanted to hear have already been heard.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan finally showed his first smile today, stretched out his hand to help Madam up, invite her back to sit behind the table, with a respectful attitude, ¡°Then troubling Madam to copy it again, and then modify and polish it.¡±


    Guan Suyi nodded in agreement, spread out the rice paper and carefully copied it, her eyes began to turn red as she wrote, and star-dotted teardrops were hanging on her eyelashes, looking very pitiful and cute. Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s painful heart had long since recovered, placing one hand on the table and the other on his forehead, staring intently at Madam through the gap between his fingers. He thought that recalling the past was the most painful moment, but because Madam was by his side, he tasted a lot of sweetness after the pain.


    If can have Madam to accompany in this life, how happy will it be? Mother¡¯s spirit in heaven will also be happy about it, right? She was so strong and brave, if she¡¯s still alive, she would definitely like a daughter-in-law like Madam.

 CH 109

    Every time he reminisce about the past, it felt like the pit of his stomach was pried open with a knife, the taste was definitely not wonderful. However, this time, Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t feel pain at all, but rather nostalgic. Madam was by his side, sharing his memories, feeling his joys and sorrows, and learning about the real Hunnar through these words. This was exactly what he wanted to talk to Madam the most, but he didn¡¯t know how to express it.


    If others dared to pry into his heart, he would definitely tear them apart, but for Madam, he would open the door himself and ask her to go inside, keep walking, keep walking¡­ to the deepest part of his heart.


    And his goal was finally achieved. Guan Suyi, while copying the manuscript, carefully commented on his growth, from an ignorant child to a nine-footed tall man, from a lowly military slave to the powerful monarch of this age, the process was extremely arduous and heart-wrenching. She read it again and again and couldn¡¯t bear to stop.


    ¡°After reading Your Majesty¡¯s sacrificial eulogy, this subject woman deeply understood what Mencius wrote ¨C therefore, when the heaven entrusted a great responsibility to a person, he must first suffer his will and work his muscles¡­ and once benefited from what he could not. Every suffering you have experience has become the foundation of your greater strength, so there is today¡¯s Wei Kingdom, and today¡¯s Emperor Sheng Yuan. Your Majesty, look at your enemies, and look at you now, no matter how much hostility you have in your heart, it should be pacify.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°Madam is right. Zhen¡¯s enemies have long since become dead bones, but Zhen has ascended to the throne and dominate the world, so there is nothing to be paranoid about.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s mood suddenly became light.


    Seeing him happy, Guan Suyi continued, ¡°Then, this subject woman will revise your manuscript. First, your description of the late emperor must be deleted and rewritten. Not only Confucianism advocates filial piety, but all orthodox philosophies practices the word filial piety, because it¡¯s the first of the hundred virtues and the foundation of human morality. How can a person be kind to others if he can¡¯t even be kind to his parents? So even if you deeply hate the late emperor, you cannot show it. Not only you cannot show it, but you have to pretend to revere him. In this sacrificial eulogy, you directly scolded him for throwing you into the mountain to feed the wolves, and throwing away the bones of the late empress dowager, although it¡¯s true, it will damage the reputation of the late emperor and your image of filial piety. So this subject woman will be bold to crossed out this paragraph and rewrite it.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t refuse, and nodded generously, ¡°Madam, please change.¡±


    Guan Suyi fixed a look at him, and said with satisfaction, ¡°This subject woman changed this paragraph to the late emperor sent people to look for you and the late Empress Dowager, but there was no result, so he had to give up. From then on he missed you every day and couldn¡¯t sleep at night. And you were taken away by the pack of wolves in the mountain and raised by them carefully. What do you think?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan leaned over and looked at the words she added with red vermilion, seemed a little reluctant, but in the end he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Guan Suyi patiently explained, ¡°The reason why this subject woman changed this way is also of great significance. Since ancient times, the Son of Heaven must have extraordinary image, maybe there¡¯s dragons and snakes dancing, maybe red clouds fill the sky, maybe Brahma bells vibrating, or strong fragrances overflowed the room. However, to tell you the truth, few of them are genuine people or real events, most of them are just rumors or the emperor promoting themselves, just to pursue four words ¨C Received Mandate of Heaven. Even the heaven recognizes you, who would dare to overthrow you? This is also a way to consolidate the imperial power. Your experience of being raised by a pack of wolves is real and legendary. If it publicized properly, you will surely win the reputation of ¡®True dragon Son of Heaven and the divine right of kings¡®. In the future, when you issue government decrees, no courtiers dare to disobey, and no common people dare to disobey.¡±


    She paused slightly and asked again, ¡°Your Majesty, what do you think of this change?¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s change it like this! Even the wolves dare not eat Zhen, but instead raised Zhen, doesn¡¯t it show that Zhen is blessed by Heaven?¡± For the first time, Emperor Sheng Yuan felt that being raised by wild beasts was not a shame, but a kind of honor. He looked at Madam who was smiling and nodding, sighed, ¡°Madam is really a good wife!¡±


    The tip of Guan Suyi¡¯s brush fell heavily on the paper, leaving a ball of ink behind, and she couldn¡¯t help but glared at the other person.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed, but there was a slight pride in his heart. Isn¡¯t means Madam his good wife now? These things, he supposed she only did it for him.


    After changing the first paragraph, Guan Suyi looked to the middle paragraph and pointed out, ¡°This has to be rewritten too. The late emperor had no choice but to recognize you as his son because of your outstanding military achievements, let¡¯s change into he accidentally discovered your identity and recognized you with ecstasy. You two are benevolent father and filial son, very harmonious, not secretly calculating and killing each other. Politics is like this, covering up the truth and beautifying the ugly.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan loved that she was a good teacher, and with her earnest teaching appearance, he smiled and nodded, his attitude could be said to be obedient.


    Her anger from his frivolous words was greatly reduced, Guan Suyi softened her expression and continued to revise, ¡°After the paragraph about the late emperor has been revised, you must also hide your deeds of killing your brothers, so as not to leave the impression that you are not recognizing your family on people.¡± Speaking of this, she had no choice but to sigh that Emperor Sheng Yuan was really a model of repaying virtue with virtue and repaying grievances with grievances. The eldest prince deliberately delayed the reinforcements, causing him to be surrounded and attacked by the army of the previous dynasty, then he did the same and returned the order that make the eldest prince die in the siege. The third prince and the sixth prince sent elites to set up an ambush, and after he escaped danger, he also ambush the two of them, causing them to die with ten thousand arrows through their hearts.


    Perhaps because he had never been loved since he was a child and raised by wild beasts, his way of thinking was very direct. If others treated him well, he would remember it for a lifetime; if others were malicious towards him, he would tear them apart and wouldn¡¯t stop until they died. He seemed to be a dangerous person, but as long as people grasped his good scale, he was actually very easy to get along with.


    No wonder Ye Zhen rescued him once, then he treated her like a Bodhisattva in the palace. It was only at this point that Guan Suyi finally understood his character, and without realizing it her resentment diminished a lot.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t mention the Empress Dowager from the beginning to the end, this subject woman will add a paragraph for you to briefly describe your benevolent mother¡¯ and filial son¡¯s relationship, so as to set an example for the world. It¡¯s the same sentence, even if you hate her, you have to cover up this feeling.¡± She quickly deleted and revised with a vermilion brush, painting a picture of filial piety between a benevolent mother and a filial son in just a few sentences, then added some polishing touches to some words, sighing, ¡°Well, Your Majesty, what do you think?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan took the manuscript full of red and black handwriting, read it carefully, and praised after a while, ¡°Madam, you are very talented! Zhen is very satisfied with this manuscript, the paranoia is gone and the remembrance is there; the anger dissipates and the sorrow cut deep. It can move the world and win a good name, enough to take it to the world!¡±


    Guan Suyi was about to wave her hand to humble herself, but she heard him sigh with satisfaction, ¡°With a wife like this, what else a husband want? Madam is indeed virtuous!¡±


    ¡°This is the sacrificial ceremony for the late empress dowager, please Your Majesty have some decorum!¡± Her anger rose, her eyes were burning, and she was about to leave after throwing away the brush, but was blocked by Emperor Sheng Yuan as he sincerely apologized, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be angry, it¡¯s Zhen¡¯s habit to talk those frivolous words on weekdays, actually blurted it out unknowingly. Zhen is sorry, Zhen apologize to madam.¡±


    It¡¯s okay not to explain, but when it explained, she got even angrier. Guan Suyi could not wait to pick up the ink stone and splash the ink on his face.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan blocked her from left to right, and had no choice but to change the subject, ¡°Madam can leave, but can you answer Zhen first? Last time Zhen wore a human skin mask, how did you recognize Zhen?¡±


    Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t get around him, so she could only sneer, ¡°A stupid air blew to my face, and it¡¯s actually the number one in the Wei Kingdom, how could I not recognize it?¡±


    Instead of being angry, Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed lowly, spread out out his arms to block the hall¡¯s door, and said seriously, ¡°Madam knows that Zhen is not stupid, so you said this, are you flirting with Zhen? When Zhen was young Zhen was raised by wild beasts, started to learn to speak at the age of three, and able to understand things in a month; The Han learning is extensive and profound, and Zhen began to come in contact with it at the age of twelve or thirteen, but after only a few years, already mastered the essence. When Zhen went to war in the past, often fight with one¡¯s life, never understood the art and tricks of war, but now can use soldiers like a god. Madam dislikes Zhen for being stupid, so Madam ask yourself, if Zhen is stupid, how many smart people are there in Wei Kingdom?¡±


    He took a few steps closer and said cautiously, ¡°Madam, Zhen may not born noble enough or the knowledge is not profound enough, but Zhen has always been changing for you. Zhen has exhaust all the effort to please you, can you feel it? At first Zhen did not dare to reveal Zhen¡¯s dentity, can only rely on flying pigeon to pass the letter to talk about love-sickness¡­¡±


    Guan Suyi interrupted, ¡°It¡¯s not flying pigeon to pass the letter, but attempted to fool around and commit adultery.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, ¡°¡­¡±


    After swallowing a breath, he continued, ¡°Later, Zhen couldn¡¯t hold back and finally revealed Zhen¡¯s identity. Zhen originally thought that women in the Central Plains valued chastity, so then used some desperate measure¡­¡±


    ¡°Fooling around is fruitless, so then take it by force.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s tone was indifferent.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan said, ¡°¡­ the desperate measures instead angered Madam even more. So Zhen completely repent, and will never dare to disrespect you. Now as long as can look at you from a distance, Zhen is satisfied. Being alone like today is really because Zhen really need Madam¡¯s advise, and in the future, Zhen will obey Madam¡¯s wishes.¡±


    ¡°Taking by force was unsuccessful, so change it to play hard to catch. Your Majesty really has a bright idea.¡± Guan Suyi cupped her hands with a mocking expression.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan closed his eyes, seemed very helpless, ¡°Madam, can we talk properly? Yes, Zhen indeed racking the brain to please you. Look at your hand, then look at Zhen¡¯s hand, one is rich in ink fragrance, one is covered in blood, one is white and flawless, one is rough and ugly. These two hands should not be holding together because they are too incompatible. But Zhen can¡¯t hold back the longing and anxiety in the heart, because Zhen know that you are the most beautiful treasure that Zhen can get in this life, if Zhen let you slip away, Zhen will regret it for the rest of Zhen¡¯s life! So no matter what, Zhen will not let go.¡±


    He stretched out his big palm and clenched it into a fist, with a domineering look in his eyes.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t show any timidity at all, and took two steps back and said slowly, ¡°Your Majesty, the last time you tried to prevent this subject woman from escaping, you not only tapped this subject woman¡¯s acupuncture point, but also took off this subject woman¡¯s embroidered shoes, do you remember?¡±


    ¡°Remember.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was confuse.


    ¡°This subject woman in the end was able to escape, but because of losing those shoes, the feet were injured.¡± She pointed to a path outside the hall and said calmly, ¡°You pointed this subject woman to Zhao Luli, and the difficult and dangerous part of thorny road, this subject woman had already passed it safely. Seeing that there is only a smooth road ahead, you actually interfered and sent Ye Zhen back. What you did was the same as that day. In fact, you removed my shoes, removed my armor, and left me running barefoot in the wilderness, while you chased me with great pleasure, how could you know that I was already scarred and have blood flowing in unknown places. You are the emperor, no one dares to criticize you, I am someone¡¯s wife, and I will be pointed by thousands of people. Your Majesty, if you regard me as a treasure, you should put me on the shelf and store it safely.¡± After the words finished, she bowed down deeply.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was speechless for a long time, his heart ached. When he returned to his senses, Madam had already stepped on the path and intent to leave by herself. However, due to the increasing rain, the depression on the ground was flooded, and the road was blocked by the long puddle, she could only linger at the same place.


    ¡°If Madam afraid of encountering thorns on the road and hurt your feet, Zhen would like to use the imperial power to pave the way for you.¡± As he spoke, he took off his dragon robe and without hesitation, he put it on top of the puddle.


    Baifu was stunned and thought in disbelief: That, that¡¯s a dragon robe! A real dragon robe! Your Majesty, how can you¡­

 CH 110

    If it usual, it¡¯s just a little puddle, just stride over it and go back to her room to change into clean clothes. But today was different. Guan Suyi spent nearly an hour revising the manuscript. Seeing that the sacrificial ceremony was about to begin, if she waded through the water and after reaching the side hall, she would not even have time to change a set of sacrificial dress.


    Wearing a sacrificial dress with a drenched skirt and splattered mud spots to participate in the ceremony, the above could immediately punish her for a ¡°great disrespect¡± crime.


    At this moment, the gorgeous and extraordinary dragon robe had absorbed water, becoming thicker and swollen, if one step on it to cross over, at most would wet the edge of the shoe and wouldn¡¯t be splashed on any mud spots. But it was a symbol of imperial power! Who would dare to step on a few shoe prints on it? Do you want to die?


    Only a barbarian like Hunnar would take it off without hesitation and use it to cover the water puddle. Perhaps his understanding of imperial power was not deep enough. When he think of this in the future, what would he think? If he want to settle the account afterwards, let alone her, afraid even ten Guan Family would not be enough for him to kill! Guan Suyi gritted her teeth in anger, not daring to step on it, but also unwilling to turn around. Hunnar was waiting for her with open arms. If she walked back and asked him to send some palace servants to cover the puddle with wooden boards, it would be the same as trying to compromise with him, what was the difference with surrendering to the imperial power?


    Really unwilling! Thinking like this, Guan Suyi was about to cross the fence on the side of the path and walk into the flowerbed.


    ¡°Madam, afraid you don¡¯t know, the shallow grass is withered and soaked with rain, if you walk over it, the water stains and mud spots will only be more than the puddle.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan reminded worriedly.


    Guan Suyi often traveled through mountains and rivers when she was young, how could she not know this? As soon as her hand reached the fence she hesitated, didn¡¯t move for a long time. What¡¯s more, in addition to shallow grass, there were all kinds of vegetation in it, and there were not a few with thorns. If the clothes were torn or the hair was messed up, it would only make her more embarrass. It seemed that she had nowhere to go except stepping on the dragon robe.


    ¡°What do you think of imperial power?¡± she asked back.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan took two steps forward and said in a gentle tone, ¡°Before, Zhen only regarded it as a tool to survive. Because if Zhen is not the emperor, the other option is to die. Later, through Madam¡¯s advice, Zhen slowly came to understand that imperial power is not only Zhen¡¯s personal right, it¡¯s also the right of the common people in the world, and the common people in the world are even more important. The journey to the Great Way, the world is for the public*, Zhen can accomplish it, and it is slowly being realized. So Zhen thought the imperial power is very heavy, but it¡¯s also very light. It¡¯s heavy enough to help the common people of the world, light enough to give up a dragon robe, just to make Zhen¡¯s woman walk more smoothly. After all, Zhen is a human being, and Zhen also have feelings and selfish desires. Madam, you just go forward, Zhen cushioned you under your feet, support you by your side, follow you at the back, and waiting for you at the front. No matter where you want to go, Zhen will accompany you.¡±


    He bowed deeply and cautiously.


    Guan Suyi was indeed a little moved, but only a little. Power might seem tempting, but it would destroy her peaceful life. This person was so sincere now, but how could she be sure that he wouldn¡¯t turn his face in the future? The imperial family was ruthless, he now still not understand that his power and majesty would grow stronger in the future, and this would gradually be eroded. As Han Feizi said in the ¡°Bei Nei¡± ¨C the trouble of the master lies in believing in people, and believing in people, then controlled by people*.


    Therefore, no emperor could ever forget his original intention, and no emperor could be too suspicious. The more he indulged himself now, the more terrifying he would be when he was suspicious in the future.


    Guan Suyi wouldn¡¯t gamble with her family¡¯s life, so she should take advantage while they still had some friendship to persuade him stop his feelings early. Thinking like this, she looked up, then slowly backed away.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan blocked the path and said, ¡°Madam, you¡¯re not thinking of jumping over it, right? This puddle is ten feet long, and it¡¯s difficult for even a healthy man to cross, let alone a woman? And the road ahead is muddy and slippery, if you¡¯re not land steady enough, you may fall into the puddle, and the end will only be more embarrassing. Madam, please don¡¯t be willful.¡±


    Guan Suyi ignored him, backed away a certain distance, and then accelerated.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan hurriedly followed, raising his arms high, ready to catch her, but saw that she was not jumping far, but high, then grabbed a tree trunk that was sloping above her head and swung past easily. She landed like a butterfly, silently, her plain skirt suddenly bloomed and suddenly gathered again. The beads of water she shook were crashing down, splashing some small water, the scene was very beautiful.


    While slapping the dust-free hem, she chuckled, ¡°Your Majesty, this subject woman also want to understand. When you think there is only one road ahead, or even no road, it only shows that your vision is not broad enough. You can try to look left, right, up, and down, just don¡¯t look back. Your Majesty, the marriage has been given, and this subject woman have stepped on the thorns and waded through the puddle, so you should also go all the way forward.¡± She strode away, passed a servant, snatched his oil-paper umbrella, and disappeared into the pattering rain.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at Madam¡¯s hazy and unrestrained back, and then looked at the wet dragon robe on the ground, and suddenly laughed, ¡°Madam, you walk ahead, Zhen will catch up to you soon. You are right, people have to move forward and never give up.¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t even stop her footsteps, and went far away. Emperor Sheng Yuan stared at her in a daze, and when the white shadow completely disappeared, he looked at Baifu, who was busy picking up the dragon robe, ¡°Madam neither admires power, nor loves brocade clothes and jade food, wealth and honor, her only hobby is to collect books. How do you think Zhen can win her heart?¡±


    Baifu hesitated for a moment, then said bravely, ¡°Your Majesty, you should wait until she reconcile. Although you call her Madam this, Madam that, she is still the eldest master Zhao¡¯s madam. Besides, you already know she love to collect books, you should also read more books on weekdays.¡± (ROFL)


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s face darkened. He planned to turn back to the inner hall and change into a sacrificial robe, but somehow he stopped again. The saber on his waist suddenly came out of its sheath, flashing a cold light, then in a flesh restrained its evil spirit. And the tree trunk that had been held by Madam above her head had now fallen into the puddle, smashing a cloud of mud.


    ¡°Go back.¡± He stood silently for a while before walking away.


    A quarter of an hour later, a little eunuch came running across the puddle, and said in a low voice, ¡°Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°If want to see Zhen, then come here by yourself, if don¡¯t come, then just stay in the room honestly.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan put the sacrificial eulogy into the brazier, half of his resolute and stern face reflected the light, and the other half was hidden in the shadows.


    After a while, the Empress Dowager hurried over and saw the puddle in the middle of the road. She had to stop and shouted, ¡°People come, don¡¯t you see that this path is blocked? Hurry up and fill it with sand or a plank! ¡±


    Baifu walked to the corridor to salute and replied respectfully, ¡°Reporting to Empress Dowager, people have been sent to look for the sand and wood, please wait a moment.¡±


    How could the Empress Dowager wait? After going around twice, she finally waded through the water helplessly, and hurriedly said, ¡°Where did you catch Little Sixteenth and the others? Give it back to Aijia*!¡± (tn: little sixteenth refers to her grandson)


    ¡°Zhen told you to be honest, don¡¯t make trouble, but you didn¡¯t listen.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan sneered, ¡°Zhen can posthumously confer father, grandfather, and great-grandfather as emperor, can posthumously confer mother as Empress Dowager, also can posthumously confer dead brother as first rank Prince. With the title of first rank prince, those little cubs you raise can earn the title of county prince no matter what, and they will live comfortably in the future. Zhen have already spared you once regarding the painting, but you don¡¯t know how to repent, and attack Madam Guan. There¡¯s no other choice, Zhen have to make you understand that in this palace, whoever Zhen want to live will live; whoever Zhen want to die will die. Whoever Zhen want to crush is a grasshopper; whoever Zhen want to hold is superior person. You see, this is what the Central Plains people call ¡®those who obey me prosper and those who oppose me perish¡®. Whether those little cubs can survive or not depends on whether the Empress Dowager knows what to do.¡±


    The Empress Dowager felt cold all over her body, trembling like a sieve, and said in a shaking voice, ¡°Your Majesty, it was Aijia who made a mistake. You killed Aijia¡¯s three sons, how about we write off the debt? Aijia will do one¡¯s best to perform the sacrificial ceremony for late Empress Dowager, and no longer playing tricks, just please let Little Sixteenth and the others go. Regard this as Aijia begging you!¡±


    As she spoke, she was already in tears, her eyes were red, she obviously had been force to a dead end.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan stared at the ashes of the manuscript, and said lightly, ¡°If there are any other mistakes in the ceremony, Zhen will use the blood of those cubs to sacrifice for the late mother. You should understand the character of Zhen mother¡¯s. Saying that the sacrificial ceremony cannot see blood, but afraid she likes it very much.¡±


    The Empress Dowager remembered the dead Husu Liya, recalling her heroic appearance on the battlefield and wielding the enemy, she finally bowed her head slowly and complied in humiliation.


    Baifu secretly sighed for the Empress Dowager: This is discarded after being used by His Majesty. When she planned the plot, His Majesty didn¡¯t burst her plan, instead waited for that female official and Madam Guan to come into conflict, before ran to become a hero that save the beauty, but it was a pity that Madam Guan didn¡¯t seem to buy this.


    ¡ª¨C


    Guan Suyi left the master hall, avoided the ministers and the imperial family, and quietly returned to the side hall. Because the Jiuli people marched and fought a lot, they were very experienced in setting up tents, and in just half an hour, many tents were set up in the open space. There was a big brazier inside, and there even imperial physicians and palace attendants stood nearby, when they saw anyone with different color¡¯s face, they would come forward to treat them, so to prevent those nobles from suffering the cold and falling ill.


    Compared with the full of complains a while back, the side hall was now a harmonious group. Seeing Madam Guan who was walking, everyone rushed forward to greet her, with expressions of gratitude on their faces. Guan Suyi nodded her head one by one, came to the inner hall, walked around twice, but still could not find a spare praying mat.


    ¡°Mother, where is my seat?¡± She walked over to Zhong shi and asked in a low voice.


    ¡°I also don¡¯t know ah! A few internal attendants just came and took your praying mat, but they didn¡¯t put it in the inner hall. Maybe they forgot. If the emperor can invite you to the main hall to seek writing advice, he will never treat you badly. You wait, mother will help you ask.¡± Zhong shi was about to get up when she saw Supervisor Baifu walked in quickly and saluted respectfully, ¡°Madam, this servant has been ordered by His Majesty to call you to the main hall to attend the sacrificial ceremony. The ancient said one who can correct a misread thus be your teacher, you taught His Majesty to write a sacrificial eulogy, and you are worthy as a revered master. Please.¡±


    The emperor was kindly invited, who would dare to refuse? Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t, she went to the main hall with the envious eyes of the ladies, walked along the wall to the crowded inner room, and finally found her place beside the grand princess. The grand princess sat on her knees with a straight waist and a machete on her knees, her whole body was full of dangerous air. When she saw her coming, she smiled and nodded, and said with a grin, ¡°Look, even His Majesty is here, but the Empress Dowager hasn¡¯t arrived yet, really too arrogant. Probably dissatisfied with His Majesty for posthumously conferred his birth mother.¡±


    Can this be said openly? Guan Suyi looked at the different faces of the court courtiers, and observed a moment of silence for the Empress Dowager¡¯s reputation.

 CH 111

    Her lifeblood were pinched between the Emperor¡¯s fingers, and now their life and death had not yet known, how could the Empress Dowager dare to show any dissatisfaction? The reason for being late was because the skirt was soiled when wading through the water, and she had to change to a new set of sacrificial clothes. The sacrificial clothes were the most luxurious dress, which need to be put on layer by layer, and more than a dozen palace maids have to work for a while at the same time.


    That¡¯s why everyone in the hall waited for a quarter of an hour before they saw the Empress Dowager hurried in, and knelt down on the emperor¡¯s left side. It was unknown how the court courtiers and the imperial clans thought, but the perception must not be good. Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s expression was the same as usual, he raised his hand to signal the start of the sacrificial ceremony. The silent and empty hall immediately sounded a mournful music, with sublime rhythm, fast-pace gongs and drums, the Sanskrit sound resounding to the sky, creating a solemn atmosphere.


    As the funeral music gradually subsided, the chanting of monks and guests slowly merged into it, reverberating in the hall and touching the eardrums. It was the first time Guan Suyi participated in such a grand and solemn scene.


    After reciting a passage of scriptures, Emperor Sheng Yuan stepped onto the high platform, knelt in front of the coffin, and then recited the sacrificial eulogy word by word, attracting everyone to listen. The court courtiers thought that with His Majesty¡¯s literary talent, it would be good enough to be able to write the sentences smoothly, but they did not expect this manuscript to be so heartwarming and tear-jerking, and it was written in the form of a letter, which made it more profound.


    If it wasn¡¯t for this sacrificial eulogy, they would never have imagined that His Majesty was raised by a pack of wolves, nor would they have imagined how he swept thousands of armies on the battlefield, going through life and death situation countless of times. For a person to become powerful and then worthy of the greatest admiration really need an extraordinary blessing, and even more need unbreakable perseverance. It was not easy for His Majesty to walk all the way here, and it was with Heaven¡¯s will for him to be able to ascend the throne!


    The originally oppressed court courtiers, were now in awe of His Majesty, and no longer had any objection. After writing the dragon blood black and yellow*, the writing of the sacrificial eulogy took a sharp turn, recounted the mourning and farewell feelings. The most violent writing was mixed with a few soft lines, but it was not abrupt at all, instead extremely harmonious, it also slowly pulled down the high tone and sank into mourning.


    The discerning people immediately realized that these few paragraphs that set the tone so delicately must be done by Madam Guan. It was precisely because she lifted her hand to press it, so that this sacrifice was not covered with the smell of blood and slaughter, but made it even more majestic and terrifying.


    Good article! The most affectionate, the most tender, the most sincere and the most filial! It¡¯s another masterpiece! If this article was announced to the world, the emperor¡¯s prestige would be more flourishing, the imperial power would be more stable, and the rumor of the real dragon emperor would surely spread throughout the whole Nine Provinces! While applauding secretly, the court courtiers had to admit that only Madam Guan could set such a strong and soft tone for this article. If it were replaced by any Confucian scholar, they would not be able to write such a touching effect. Not to mention that men were naturally rougher than women, and they were not good at expressing delicate emotions. Even if they could express them, how could they say it in front of His Majesty, ¡°How do you remember the late Empress Dowager?¡± Embarrassment was a small matter, if it considered making a joke, they could be charged with the crime of ¡°great disrespect¡±.


    ¡°Good article!¡± The court courtiers who were immersed in their thoughts were awakened by Master Xuan Guang¡¯s admiration, only to realize that their cheeks were already covered with tears, and His Majesty on the high platform closed his eyes tightly, choked up without saying a word, and seemed to be in extreme pain.


    Even though she had cried once in the back hall before, Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes were still red, seeing the handkerchief handed by the grand princess, she quickly took it and wiped her face.


    ¡°This kid has made great progress in his literary skills! Sure enough, only Madam Guan can properly teach him. To think back then this old woman  taught him to speak, and my face almost got scratched by him, but in the end he couldn¡¯t. So I had no choice but to beat him, every day beat him, repeatedly beat for a month before taming him. The first word he learned was Amu (mother), and the first thing he said to me was ¡®Where is Amu?¡¯. At that time I didn¡¯t dare to answer him because I also thought he was the reincarnation of a demon, and the reason why I approached him and taught him was just for fun.¡± The grand princess recalled the past with emotion.


    Guan Suyi listened silently, feeling very uncomfortable. She still resented Hunnar¡¯s shameless action, but her resentment was much lessened. The reason why he had a tyrannical and domineering personality was due to the living environment. How could beasts reason with people? It was their instinct to rush to bite when they encounter prey. He was able to restrain this instinct and not do irreparable things in front of her could already be considered extremely attentive.


    ¡ª-


    At the end, the sacrificial eulogy was not burned, and it continued to be offered in front of the coffin to infuse the power of vows, and it would be buried on the day when the coffin of the late Empress Dowager was buried.


    When Master Xuan Guang announced that this morning¡¯s ritual was over, the courtiers couldn¡¯t come back to their senses. They were ready to chant for day and night. It must be known that when the last emperor of the previous dynasty held a ritual for his deceased mother, he detained the monks and civil and military ministers for more than three months. How many people coughed up blood, and how many died of exhaustion, nowadays it¡¯s impossible to know the truth, but the tragic memory was still fresh.


    They thought that the emperor attached so much importance to the sacrificial ceremony of the late Empress Dowager, so he had to follow that example, but they never expect him to be so lenient. Four hours in the morning, four hours in the afternoon, and they dispersed at night. If feeling that it was inconvenient to went back and forth, they could stay at Jueyin Temple, indeed very amiable and benevolent!


    The ministers sent off His Majesty with gratitude, but unexpectedly he summoned everyone to the dining room to eat vegetarian food, without any imperial arrogance at all. Everyone was flattered and followed suit. Guan Suyi was held back by the grand princess and had to fall behind.


    The two sat down at the table for the palace womenfolk, and when they saw the solemn expression and clear eye of Emperor Sheng Yuan, the two sneered in their hearts.


    ¡°This brat is getting better and better! In the past, everything was written on his face, and his brain is just a muscle. Now that he¡¯s an emperor, he can actually cover up some dirty thoughts.¡± The grand princess clearly did not believe in the so-called don¡¯t talk when you eat, don¡¯t talk when you sleep rule, sneering in a low voice while taking a big mouthful of rice, her eyes slowly moved away, and landed on the women opposite.


    Guan Suyi followed her line of sight, raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°Several imperial son¡¯s consorts are very sincere, their eyes red from crying, and now they can¡¯t even eat.¡±


    Sitting opposite were the three daughters-in-law of the Empress Dowager. Since their husband had never been posthumously conferred, they could only be regarded as the imperial son¡¯s consort, and it felt like two generations lower than Hunnar. The last time they met at the flower banquet, these people were surrounded by many young children, with heavy makeup and full of arrogance, rather had the air of looking down of people, which was very different from current distraught and terrified appearance. Especially the eldest imperial son¡¯s consort, her fingers kept shaking, to the point that she couldn¡¯t even hold the bowls and chopsticks.


    The grand princess snorted coldly, ¡°What sincerity? The lifeblood is held by someone, so they have to give in. The sky in the palace has changed. Look at the Juilu¡¯ concubines, who didn¡¯t even dare to touch the side of Hunnar before, now they¡¯re all looking at him with spring in their eyes, and started getting restless. Not to mention those Han concubines, they¡¯re probably thinking how to hook him and sleep with him. People¡¯s hearts are so fickle!¡±


    Lifeblood? Is that the imperial grandsons? Guan Suyi pondered in her heart, seeing that the Empress Dowager had not been seat at the table for a long time, she couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? She took the initiative to recite the scriptures for nine, nine and eighty-one days for the late Empress Dowager. She probably still knocking the wooden fish in front of the coffin.¡± The grand princess grinned, ¡°The sisterly feeling between the Empress Dowager and the late Empress Dowager are so deep, it¡¯s really touching, a role model for our generation!¡±


    If people really recite the scriptures for nine, nine, eighty-one days, they could vomit blood and die, right? The little imperial grandsons were really taken by Hunnar. Guan Suyi picked up the teacup and drank slowly, without the slightest pity or intolerance in her heart. This was an inner palace battle, and had nothing to do with her. It was enough for her to keep herself and her family safe. As she lowered her eyes, there seemed to be a scorching gaze piercing over her, and when she raised her eyes, all she saw was Hunnar¡¯s serious face. She felt helpless in her heart, but also a little funny.


    Just at this moment, a palace maid hurried over and whispered in her ear, ¡°Madam Guan, the guards patrolling the outer hall caught a suspicious boy who claimed to be your stepson, please go over and identify him. So as not to hurt innocent people by mistake.¡±


    How could Zhao Wangshu run into the imperial place of worship? Did he want to die? Guan Suyi was shocked, put down the bowls and chopsticks and apologized to everyone in the room one by one, quietly went out and came to the open space in front of the hall, only to see that Zhao Wangshu was tied up and detained on the ground. She hurriedly stepped forward to intercede, and when the guard left, she dragged him to a secluded corner and asked him why he come.


    Zhao Wangshu didn¡¯t say anything at first. After being threatened, he cried and said that Ye Zhen missed her sister and wanted to meet Ye Cainu. He couldn¡¯t bear to disappoint her, so he came to inquire.


    ¡°Mom, please don¡¯t tell daddy about my arrest, otherwise he will hate my mother even more. Mother has nothing left, just me and my aunt. You are so high above and everything goes well for you, please be charitable and help her out, alright? Count it as son begging you! Today, it¡¯s all son¡¯s own initiative, and has nothing to do with mother. If something goes wrong, son will take the responsibility!¡±


    Looking at the crying Zhao Wangshu, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t help but think of him in her previous life. He was also used by others, and he was also deep in a deathtrap. One was by his aunt and the other was by his own mother. How could he still not learn? In his heart, blood was the most important thing, right? No matter how nice others treated him, he couldn¡¯t resist a lie from a loved one.


    She suddenly felt very tired and said helplessly, ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll find someone to ask about Ye Cainu¡®s whereabouts for you.¡± In the end, she couldn¡¯t help but warn, ¡°No matter who order you to come today, she shouldn¡¯t be unaware that trespassing in the imperial forbidden area is a capital offense. Think clearly before you act in the future, and don¡¯t take risks lightly.¡±


    Zhao Wangshu wanted to refute, but then remember the agreement with his mother, he gritted his teeth, ¡°No one instructed this son, it is son who wants to come.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t easily said this son, I¡¯m not your mom.¡± Guan Suyi left without looking back, and finally found a palace maid and asked about Ye Cainu¡®s situation. She really thought that she would hear the news that the other person had died violently, but this woman respectfully said, ¡°Madam wants to see Ye Cainu? She lives in the monastery, this servant will help arrange for you to meet.¡±


    Guan Suyi immediately realized that this was another good thing arranged by Hunar, he actually made a Ye Zh¨¥n! What would happen if Ye Zhen and Ye Zh¨¥n met? Afraid Ye Zhen¡¯s dream of returning to the palace would be completely shattered, right?


    Her eyes dimmed slightly, and she followed the palace maid¡¯s words and said, ¡°Then troubling female official to help arrange it. I want to bring a few people over, can I?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Madam, please go. This servant will wait here until you make the arrangements.¡± The palace maid really agreed.

 CH 112

    Ye Zhen never thought that Zhao Wangshu would actually find the news about Ye Zh¨¥n. How is it possible? She followed him to the monastery like a wandering ghost, and when she saw the woman half-lying on the bed, her heart jumped. Although she was a lot older and haggard, her facial features were indeed correct.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she whispered in disbelief.


    ¡°You talk, I¡¯ll be waiting outside.¡± Guan Suyi was not interested to watch this good show. How would Ye Zhen feel when she saw herself terminally ill and on the verge of death? Ye Zh¨¥n was the identity she really wanted, but this identity was inexplicably occupied by a woman who looked exactly like her, she should be very scared, right? Fear would be followed by deep despair, because this means that she had lost the chance to return to the palace forever.


    After going around in circles, in the end, she could only be Zhao Luli¡¯s wife, and now Zhao Luli had no title. From Jieyu to a commoner¡¯s wife, this gap was no different than falling from heaven to hell. The thing she longed for the most was destroyed today¡­


    Just when she thought like this, there was a scream from inside the room, the door slammed open, and Ye Zhen ran out while covering her face, she collapsed while shouting, ¡°Who am I? Who the hell am I? I¡¯m Ye Zh¨¥n, I¡¯m clearly Ye Zh¨¥n¡­¡±


    Zhao Wangshu followed closely and shouted anxiously, ¡°Mother, please slow down, this is the imperial place of worship, you can¡¯t just run around!¡± He still couldn¡¯t figure out which ¡°Zh¨¥n¡± word in Ye Zhen¡¯s mouth.


    Guan Suyi looked into the room, and saw that Ye Cainu wiped the blood from the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, and said ¡°miserably¡±, ¡°Making Madam Guan laugh. I¡¯m sick to the bone marrow, and there¡¯s not much time left. I vomited a mouthful of blood earlier, which frightened my sister. Please ask Madam to send her back, and don¡¯t let her offend the noble people.¡± As she spoke, she coughed piercingly, as if she was on the verge of death.


    Guan Suyi walked in, closed the door, looked carefully at her hairline and cheeks, pinched her chin, and finally removed the thin layer of human skin mask and put it in her sleeve pocket, then left silently. Ye Cainu, who was originally still on the verge of death, immediately locked the door rigidly and murmured, ¡°His Majesty really has incredible foresight, Madam really took my human skin mask. What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±


    Once getting the hang of it, she didn¡¯t find it hard to chant the scriptures every day. It seemed that in the blink of an eye, nine, nine, eighty-one days had passed. The coffin of the late empress dowager was sent to the imperial tomb, and all the womenfolk packed up their belongings and prepared to return home.


    On the swaying carriage, Guan Suyi asked in a low voice, ¡°Mother, how is the Empress Dowager?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not as good as before. After all, this time she hurts the root. If it were not for the emperor¡¯s effort to stop her, I¡¯m afraid she would die in front of the coffin.¡±


    ¡°The emperor is really filial.¡± Guan Suyi covered her cheeks, feeling her teeth a little sore.


    ¡°Exactly! The emperor¡¯s sacrificial eulogy has long been known all over the world. Others say that he is the True Dragon Emperor, with dragon energy on his body, which make all the beasts surrender to him. Speaking of which, his experience is really legendary, if your maternal grandmother hear it, she would rush to Yanjing and ask to write a biography of him. Do you miss your maternal grandmother?¡± Zhong shi smiled and stroked her daughter¡¯s hair.


    Before Guan Suyi could answer, a hearty voice came from outside the carriage window, ¡°Sister, give your older sister a definite word, when will you reconcile? Now there is a betting table in the market, I¡¯m just waiting for you to go back and make a big fuss with the Zhao family! ¡±


    Li shi¡®s playful expression froze into ice when she lifted the curtain of the carriage and saw the stern face of Zhong shi, then she turned her horse¡¯s head and ran away.


    ¡°That¡¯s the sister-in-law of Marquis Zhenxi, Li shi? Sure enough, a rude one. What is this betting table? What is this waiting for you to go back and make a big fuss with the Zhao family? Could it be that you really want to reconcile? Your grandfather and father are men after all, they don¡¯t understand women¡¯s suffering, how can we talk reconciliation so lightly? Gossip aside¡­¡±


    After three months of letting it settle, Guan Suyi had already figured it out. People must look ahead, even if this step was not what she wanted to take, but since she had stepped down, she could not retreat. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing the cinnabar mole on the inside of her elbow, and interrupted Zhong shi¡®s words, ¡°Mother, Zhao Luli and I have been married for nearly a year, and he has never touch me. He couldn¡¯t forget Ye Zhen, and wanted to keep himself clean for her. When Ye Zhen was away, there was no place for me in the Zhao family. Since she has come back, do you still want me to compromise and live alone for the rest of my life? Daughter asked myself if I made any big mistakes, why should I suffer this kind of punishment?¡±


    Zhong shi stared at the cinnabar mole, her expression changed several times, and after a while, she said hoarsely, ¡°Why you didn¡¯t tell mother? My poor daughter, how have you been living this past year? I thought that Zhao Luli had changed, and he would definitely treat you wholeheartedly! Old Yao, change they route, don¡¯t go to the Zhao Mansion, go to Emperor Teacher Mansion!¡±


    She hugged her daughter and whispered through gritted teeth, ¡°Mother will immediately let your grandfather go to the palace to ask for reconciliation! Since Zhao Luli likes Ye Zhen, then let them live together!¡±


    Unexpectedly when the carriage barely arrive at the foot of the mountain, they met Zhao Luli who came to pick her up. His joyful expression was a little sluggish after seeing his angry mother-in-law, and when he was about to go forward to greet them, he only got scolded ¡°bastard¡±.


    Two carriages arrived at the Emperor Teacher Mansion one after another. One of them hurried out again after entering the mansion and went into the palace; the other was not willing to leave until evening.


    Zhao Luli felt that his heart had been crushed, which then turned into pus and blood, and could never be restored again. He vaguely knew what the two Mount Tai wanted to do when they entered the palace, but he was powerless to stop them. The only thing he could do was stare at the red lacquer gate in front of him, hoping that the person he had been looking forward to for a season and have thought about for a season could slowly come out and give him a lively smile.


    His eyes were already red, and an indescribable sense of fear choked his throat, preventing him from making a sound.


    Suyi, come out and look at me! Suyi, tell me you don¡¯t want to leave me! Suyi, I haven¡¯t even dared to go home for the past three months, I¡¯ve been living at the foot of the mountain waiting for you! Suyi, the one I love is you! I finally understand that the person I love is you!


    He confessed over and over again in his heart, and shouted over and over again in his heart, but he never had the courage to knock on the door, because he had a premonition that when the door opened, his dream would be broken. Thinking about how unwilling he was when he married Suyi, and how he squandered her thoughtfulness and tenderness. She smiled so shyly and sweetly under the dragon and phoenix red candle, and now when he recalled it, it still vivid in his mind, his heart was relaxed.


    With just one glance, she was engraved in his heart, but because of the dust in his heart, he refused to repent¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    In the Weiyang Palace, Emperor Sheng Yuan was holding a grain of corn to feed a mynah bird, and when he heard the news that Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies were asking to see him, he almost knocked over the table beside him.


    ¡°Quick, quickly announce the two Mount Tai into the palace!¡± He waved his sleeves while correcting the table.


    Even shouting ¡°Mount Tai¡±, Your Majesty, aren¡¯t you too impatient? Baifu felt helpless, he walked to the door of the hall and then turned back, reminding in a low voice, ¡°Your Majesty, please seal the bird¡¯s beak first, so as not to arouse the suspicion of the two Master.¡±


    ¡°Yes, keep your mouth shut.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan immediately pinched Myna¡¯s sharp beak and asked the servant to tie it with satin.


    When Old Master Guan and Guan Father walked into the inner hall, they saw the emperor sitting behind the table, holding The Analects of Confucius in his hands. His slight frown and occasional flashes of realization showed that he was working hard and rather gained a lot.


    ¡°This minister has seen the emperor¡­¡± Before the two of them could bow down, they were lifted up by him, and they were brought in to sit down.


    ¡°The emperor is considering this year¡¯s exam questions?¡± Old Master Guan thought that he couldn¡¯t bring up the topic immediately, and made the emperor feel disgust, so he talked about other things first, and then slowly bring up the topic.


    This was very painful for Emperor Sheng Yuan, clearly his heart was already anxious, he even already wrote the approval, but he couldn¡¯t take it out.


    After talking about the imperial examinations, they talked about the people¡¯s livelihood, after talking about the people¡¯s livelihood they talked about water conservancy, and after talking about water conservancy, they talked about the war. He rub and rub his violently beating heart, tap and tap his restless feet, until he almost turned blue, only then Old Master Guan quietly said, ¡°There is one matter but don¡¯t know if it should be mentioned or not¡­¡±


    Mention, you just have to mention it with confidence! Zhen is ready to pick up Madam! Emperor Sheng Yuan shouted anxiously in his heart, but he pretended to be puzzled, ¡°Oh? What is the thing that troubling Emperor Teacher? Just say it, Zhen will help you solve it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for my useless granddaughter¡­¡± Old Master Guan let out a long sigh and then explained in detail, then finally bowed down and said, ¡°Begging the emperor, for the sake of the only seedling of the Guan family, allow her to reconcile and return home! She really can¡¯t stay in the Zhao family, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have given up this old face to beg you.¡±


    ¡°Please help, Your Majesty.¡± Guan Father also bowed down deeply.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan deeply felt that his sins were monstrous. If the two Mount Tai knew that the culprit who let Ye Zhen went back was him, he didn¡¯t know how angry they would be. Fortunately, he got the human skin mask from the Miao people, and covered up the bad things of that year. Now even the Empress Dowager suspected that her memory was wrong. If there were really two Ye Zhen in the world, how could others investigate it deeply?


    The only question now was how to appease Madam. She seemed to be getting more angry. Thinking of this, Emperor Sheng Yuan felt helpless in his heart, but a sweet smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Originally it was Zhen¡¯s oversight, causing harm for Madam. Today, it should also Zhen who untie this knot. The two master must not be worried. In the future, Zhen will definitely show Madam the best marriage in the world.¡± He helped the two Mount Tai up and put on a show, ¡°You two go back first. Baifu will go to the Zhao Mansion with the imperial edict later, so that others will not humiliate Madam even a little bit.¡±


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father thanked him profusely, and kowtowed again and again. As soon as they stepped out of the palace hall door, a mynah bird flew towards the Emperor Teacher Mansion.


    Zhong shi waited anxiously in the front hall, but Guan Suyi was already confident. She went back to her room to take a nap. When she woke up, she saw a mynah bird with bright eyes flying down the window sill, jumping and shouting, ¡°When will Madam reconcile? When will Madam reconcile?¡±


    ¡°Why this little thing is here again? All day long it¡¯s like calling the ghost, urging you to reconcile. Wait for this servant to take rice and gag its mouth.¡± Jinzi smiled and went to take out her purse. When she was chanting scriptures at Jueyin Temple, it was thanks to this bird that she was not suffocated to death. It flew back and forth five or six times a day, and then kept shouting reconcile, the small appearance was really stupid.


    ¡°Give it to me.¡± Guan Suyi took the purse, twirled a piece of rice and handed it to the mynah¡¯s mouth, softly coaxing, ¡°Be obedient, learn from me, Hunnar bastard.¡±


    The mynah bird had learned this sentence for a while, and the pronunciation had become very accurate. After repeating it once, he would ask for a bite, wait for the bag of rice was fully pecked only then it would reluctantly fly away. From a distance it could still be heard scolding ¡°bastard, bastard¡±.


    Guan Suyi stood by the window and looked out, seeing the little black dot disappearing into the sky before she slowly sighed, ¡°It¡¯s really a child who can be taught.¡±


    TN: It seems that some reader are sympathizing with ZLL and want GSY to be with him instead, but let me remind you why that will never happen. Remember that GSY was pregnant in the previous life? How do you think she got pregnant? ZLL forced himself onto her, while he was drunk, and calling his ¡°dead¡± wife, but that¡¯s not why she hate him. She hate him because he has something to do with her miscarriage. So even though this thing never happened in this life, which is why she can tolerate him, even forgive him to some extent, she will never ever have a proper relationship with him. Even if there¡¯s no Hunnar, she will still find a way to stay away from ZLL.

 CH 113

    Having her grandfather and father¡¯s permission, Guan Suyi was instead feeling nervous, and tentatively said, ¡°Grandfather, father, I want to bring Mu Mu back, is that okay?¡±


    Old Master Guan pondered, ¡°It¡¯s just an extra pair of bowl and chopstick, you can bring him back if you want. I¡¯ve seen that kid before, he¡¯s very well-behaved and sensible, but he¡¯s Zhao Luli¡¯s adopted son after all, afraid the Zhao family¡¯s side will not agree.¡±


    Guan Suyi said firmly, ¡°If a wife that reconcile wants to take away the children of her husband¡¯s family, it will be extremely difficult, but Mu Mu is not a member of the Zhao family and has no blood relationship with Zhao Luli. Although he took him in, he never took care of him even for half a day, he didn¡¯t even put him the household registration. From a legal point of view, Mu Mu just stayed in the Zhao Mansion and can leave at any time.¡±


    Guan Father frowned and said, ¡°Zhao Luli didn¡¯t even put the child in the household registration?¡±


    ¡°When Mu Mu came, he was in the throes of losing his wife, where did he have the heart to take care of others, at most he just gave him a bite to eat. It was because sister-in-law couldn¡¯t stand it, so she took the child to the second house to take care of, which made him grow up safely. Now that sister-in-law is gone, Ye Zhen is also the kind of gentle on surface and poisonous on the inside character, she doesn¡¯t even care about her own children, then how about Mu Mu? If I don¡¯t bring him back, I will be restless day and night.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then bring him back.¡± Old Master Guan made a decision.


    Guan Suyi was overjoyed, and then packed up and prepared to go back to the Zhao Mansion. As soon as she left the house, she saw Zhao Luli standing under the steps, his back was hidden in the twilight, looking very lonely. Hearing the movement, he suddenly turned around and said in surprise, ¡°Suyi, are you willing to go home with me?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Guan Suyi didn¡¯t say much. After saying goodbye to her family, she boarded the carriage and urged, ¡°Still not leaving? Why are you standing there foolishly?¡±


    Zhao Luli seemed to wake up from his trance, bid farewell to his father-in-law and mother-in-law, and finally jumped into the carriage and galloped away. He thought that Madam would never come out again after entering the Emperor Teacher Mansion. Fortunately, fortunately¡­


    The two didn¡¯t say anything, one had nothing to say, the other was worried and fearful, and it seemed a long time before they felt the carriage slowly stop.


    ¡°Master, Madam, you¡¯re finally back!¡± The housekeeper hurriedly greeted them with an expression of relief. He had been suffering for more than three months! He thought that Madam¡¯s housekeeping method was strict, and it was not easy to be a servant under her hands, but it was only now that he realized that strictness was thousands of times better than chaos!


    ¡°Master, madam, you don¡¯t know, wah! Late madam, no, no, it¡¯s Madam Ye. She brought back all the servants that Madam drove away before. Nowadays the mansion inner spending has increase a lot, and the monthly payment of a single servant has doubled. Not to mention, isn¡¯t the reason why those people were kicked out because of cheating and refuse to work? Now with Madam Ye¡¯s support, they¡¯re even more treacherous than before, eat from the mansion, take thing from the mansion, but refuse to work. The work is still done by we old people, but the monthly money has been divided by them. Now the mansion is full of grievances and people¡¯s hearts are scattered! This old servant said a few words to Madam Ye, but she actually cried, said that this old servant helped Madam to squeeze her out, and why our family only expelled her dowry servants, and no one else moved. This old servant is really wronged. If her dowry servants were willing to be honest, where would they be sent away! ¡±


    Guan Suyi had already expected Ye Zhen to be a demon, so she was not surprised, but Zhao Luli was shocked and angry, and hurried to the backyard.


    After Ye Zhen remarried, all the servants of the Zhao family were replaced, and her original dowry servants was taken back by Ye Quanyong, and new people were assigned to come over, in order to seal their mouth. She had lived in the palace for a long time, and had not seen the faces of these people for a long time, so why talked about the relationship between master and servant? She took so much trouble to get people back, just to add help to herself.


    After Ruan shi was buried grandly, in order to avoid meeting Ye Zhen, Zhao Luli went to another part of the country to discuss business. When he returned to the capital, no one knew about it. He lived alone at the foot of the mountain, so he didn¡¯t know that such a change happened in his home. In his memory, Ye Zhen was weak, kind, and indifferent to the world. Although she had changed a little after she came out of the palace, she was definitely not a cunning and treacherous person. He thought in these few month she would stay quiet, and kept to her role.


    But he was clearly wrong, and still very wrong. When he left, the mansion was clean and orderly, but when he came back, it was as if time had turned back and changed into the situation before he married Madam. The servant who was once driven away by Madam was now swaying in front of his eyes again, many empty houses were abandoned, and people come and go, which made a ¡°bustling¡± atmosphere.


    Seeing him walking in big strides, everyone greeted him shamelessly, shouting master one after another, but when they saw Guan Suyi, they were all frowning and pouting, turning a blind eye.


    Zhao Luli¡¯s anger grew stronger and stronger, he couldn¡¯t believe that this was something Ye Zhen had done. Does she want to completely erase the traces of Madam¡¯s life in the Zhao family? Why did she become so aggressive? What will Madam think when she sees these scenes? Afraid the heart that didn¡¯t consider reconciliation before would also instigated by her.


    He frequently glanced at Madam¡¯s expression, but he couldn¡¯t find a trace of strangeness in her calm and beautiful face. The calmer she was on the surface, the more she suppressed the terrifying waves inside. Once it broke out, it would definitely shattered the Zhao family into pieces.


    While thinking about it, Zhao Luli¡¯s heart was already cracking, and the rapid pace slowly slowed down, he didn¡¯t dare to go inside. Because of Ye Zhen¡¯s return, the house seemed to be a tomb, just waiting for him to be buried.


    However, after a while, Mr. Lu, who had already been dismissed before, brought Zhao Wangshu out to welcome him, and finally made Guan Suyi, who had been silent, opened her mouth to ask, ¡°Master Lu, are you also invited back?¡±


    Mr. Lu sneered, ¡°Thanking Madam Ye for the great blessing, so this old man can come back. After all, a mother is a mother and will never delay the son¡¯s future.¡±


    Hearing that the Zhao family was not implicated by the Ye family, he immediately returned to Yanjing to take his old job, but was turned away by Madam Guan. Without the accommodation and food provided by the Zhao Mansion, and he also spent a lot of money on wine every month, his life was simply miserable! Fortunately, Madam Ye hired him back again, which made him breaking through the darkness and see the light, and survived a desperate situation. Now seeing Madam Guan, he was full of resentment.


    Guan Suyi ignored him and looked directly at Zhao Wangshu, ¡°You also think I¡¯m delaying your future?¡±


    Zhao Wangshu lowered his head, not daring to speak. Standing behind him, the sly book boy who had been kicked away rebuked, ¡°Whether or not you delay the eldest young master¡¯s future, Madam, don¡¯t you know yourself? Madam Ye went to the village school where the eldest young master was studying, and the place was old and broken, the house is full of children from poor families, and only a piece of dry food is provided for lunch, which can scratch the throat when swallowed. When writing, the cold wind comes in through the broken window, freezing people to the bone. Under the pressure of hunger and cold, how can you expect the eldest young master to make progress? Do you dare to touch your conscience and swear to heaven that you really doing it for the good of eldest young master?¡±


    The book boy glanced at Zhao Luli and choked, ¡°Madam Ye went to the village school to watch a few times in person, and she cried so hard every time. It¡¯s inevitable the future of the eldest young master would be delayed, so she invited Mr. Lu back.¡±


    Zhao Wangshu¡¯s eyes were red, and his eyes were full of resentment. He clearly was already won over by Ye Zhen and left his stepmother.


    Zhao Luli was about to flare out, but was gently stopped by Guan Suyi, and she sighed, ¡°That village school is indeed shabby, it can¡¯t compare to the Zhao family¡¯s study, but the master who teaches there is my senior brother, who can be called a great talent, and has profound knowledge. I handed you over to him, and there is no reason to worry. So what if boys suffers a little? It¡¯s to sharpen the mind and strengthen the muscles and bones. These past few months whether you benefited or not, you know in your own heart. Since you feel that Ye Zhen is your mother, I am the stepmother, she is for your own good, I am for harming you, that¡¯s alright, I can¡¯t control this family anyway.¡±


    In her previous life, she invited this senior brother to teach Zhao Wangshu in the house, so that he could make a name for himself before the age of crown (twenty). As a result, he changed his tone and slandered her for having an affair with her senior brother. In this life, she didn¡¯t want to implicate her senior brother, so she didn¡¯t invite him back. But Ye Zhen still poured a pot of dirty water by accusing her of ¡°treating her stepson harshly¡±. It was a sin that could not be escaped for two lifetimes.


    ¡°Madam, what nonsense are you talking about?¡± Zhao Luli glanced at her in a panic, and finally went to grab his son, ¡°Still not apologize to your mother yet! Say that you will continue to go to the village school in the future, and you will no longer make trouble in your home studies!¡±


    ¡°Master Zhao, are you looking down on this old man? Alright¡­¡± Mr. Lu was so angry that his beard was shaking and he was about to come forward to argue when Ye Zhen came slowly with little Huai¡¯en in her arms, smiling slyly, ¡°Why are you all standing here? Come into the house if you have something to say.¡±


    ¡°Madam Ye, please.¡± Guan Suyi was too lazy to argue with everyone, so she entered first.


    Zhao Chunxi was already sitting in the hall, with many account books stacked by her side, and seven or eight servants kneeling on the bottom of her feet. Seeing her coming in, a different look appeared on her face. Guan Suyi suddenly said, ¡°This is to settle accounts after the autumn*? You gave your dowry to your mother?¡±


    Zhao Chunxi felt bitter in her heart, and said astringently, ¡°This is the property of the Ye family. Now that my mother is not dead, how can I not give it back?¡± Right now, the benevolence and filial piety customs in the Wei Kingdom was prevalent, and Ye Zhen only needed to cry a few times to make her completely defeated, where she dare to not pay back the dowry?


    ¡°The dowry servants who was kicked out has also come back? Well, that¡¯s good, everything is back to the original state.¡± She turned to look at Ye Zhen, and said in a low voice, ¡°Tell me, these people are kneeling here, what are they going to sue me?¡±


    Ye Zhen opened the account book and said bluntly, ¡°Younger sister, it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t trust you. Look, since you took over my dowry, the shopkeeper of the shop and the head of the farm have been replaced by you, and the cost of goods purchased in the shop has been several times higher. Are you planning to occupy the magpie¡¯s nest? It is true that you have taken good care of my property, but it seems that they are no longer surnamed Ye, and have changed their surname to Guan? If I don¡¯t come back, how much will my daughter get when she gets married in the future?¡±


    Guan Suyi smiled, ¡°How much Zhao Chunxi can get, don¡¯t you know if you ask her? If I hold on to these things, do you think the account book can be easily get into your hands? The stewards I replaced, in the final analysis, are still surnamed Ye, and they are members of your Ye family. Ask this group of rammed goods kneeling at the bottom, why they were replaced? Why is the cost several times higher? On one hand they buy inferior and fake goods at low prices, and on the other hand they sell it at high prices, and earn the difference. And most of your Ye family operates medicine shops and grain shops. If people buy fake drugs and moldy rice, afraid they will die. I controlled everything strictly and ask myself not to make mistake, if you want to use this excuse to ruin my reputation, just save your breath, I came back today not to fight with you, but to discuss the reconciliation.¡±


    The shocking news made Zhao Luli lose his soul, and Ye Zhen couldn¡¯t recover for a long time. She was just about to make a move, but the other person already waved her sleeves and left, it was like she exerted her whole strength only to punch a cotton, and she was very aggrieved.


    No, today she have to tear off a layer of Guan Suyi¡¯s face no matter what, Ye Zhen rolled her eyes and was about to make a fuss, but then heard the gatekeeper made a report outside, saying there was Chief Bai who came to deliver the reconciliation letter.


    In this way, all the tricks she had been brewing for more than three months were ruined by this sentence. And all of Zhao Luli¡¯s plans and hopes were in vain.

 CH 114

    Ye Zhen¡¯s hope of returning to the palace was completely shattered, so she changed her ¡°kind and weak¡± persona and became stronger. She knew that if she couldn¡¯t get a footing in the Zhao family, there would be no place for her anymore. The Ye family was dead, and only she and Ye Fan were left. Originally, it would have been a great help if she could won over the other person, but she did not expect that Zhao Luli had expelled her and Mingfang for blabbing their mouth and ruined Guan Suyi¡¯s reputation, and both of them had already been sent to Cangzhou.


    Ye Zhen thought left and right, in the end had to give up. While Guan Suyi and Zhao Luli were not at home, she gave the old madam some medicine, made her sick in bed and unable to manage the house, and while she suppressed her daughter and took advantage of her son, she quickly took control of the Zhao mansion from top to bottom, rehired her dowry servant.


    She took back Mr. Lu who were dismissed by Guan Suyi, publicized the fact that her stepson was sent to a dilapidated village school, and then signaled the few dowry servants who had been driven away to lurking outside the door, waited for Guan Suyi to return home today, pounced on her, stopped her from making noise, and publicized the fact that she occupied the dowry of the first wife. With the two-pronged approach, Guan Suyi would definitely be beaten, and it would be much easier to negotiate with her about being equal wife again. In the future, if she was given sterilization medicine or something, this Zhao Mansion would still be her territory after all. She had a son and a daughter, so what if she didn¡¯t have her husband¡¯s favor?


    But her idea was just an idea after all, and it was doomed to fail. Several dowry servants waited for a whole day without seeing Guan Suyi, but they were caught by Zhao Chunxi who was strolling, and they were immediately pulled into the house for interrogation, which what happened at this moment. Zhao Chunxi was trembling with anger, and felt even more ashamed after looking at her stepmother.


    However, all explanations were blocked by this sentence from the gatekeeper. Reconciliation, in the end it came to this step.


    Baifu walked in with Old Master Guan and the others, holding a scroll of imperial decree and several documents in his hand. It was rather a long night, he carefully obeyed His Majesty¡¯s order and went to the government office to change the household registration first, now Madam Guan had become Miss Guan again. He came to the Zhao family this time only to inform Zhao Luli, and brought back Miss Guan¡¯s dowry in passing.


    Because reconciliation was not a good thing, the Guan family did not want to make a big fuss, so they came quietly and waited outside. Master Lu, who planned to have a good argument with Madam Guan, was very frightened and hurriedly covered his face and ran away.


    ¡°Madam, you are so cruel!¡± Zhao Luli took the letter and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Even if you want to reconcile, you should tell me in advance.¡±


    ¡°I thought you should have guessed it long ago.¡± Guan Suyi reached out to Ye Zhen, ¡°I¡¯m leaving, it¡¯s not too much letting me hug little Huai¡¯en, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Ye Zhen handed the child over to her, but she didn¡¯t expect that he would burst into tears when he was just hugged into her arms, no matter how she rocked and tempted, the cry wouldn¡¯t stop, it was as if he had run into a ghost.


    Seeing the child¡¯s red nose, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t bear it, so she had to retreat reluctantly and said sarcastically, ¡°It¡¯s really hard on you, even racking the brain to win over a child and make him get used to the smell of your body. Alas, Huai¡¯en is the di son of second house, you will not dare to treat him harshly. Then I can leave with ease.¡±


    When the child reached Ye Zhen¡¯s arms, sure enough, after a few sniffs he stopped crying and slowly fell asleep. In just three months, the Zhao family had changed beyond recognition, the people had changed, and their hearts had also changed. Guan Suyi could let go of Zhao Huai¡¯en, but not Mu Mu. Zhao Huai¡¯en was useful to Ye Zhen, but Mu Mu was useless to her, she was afraid that he would be abandoned in a corner unattended like before. She could not want anything today, but she could not do without Mu Mu.


    Just thinking of this, she saw Mu Mu running in from the door with his short legs, bypassing Ye Zhen, who looked ugly, and threw himself into the arms of his adoptive mother. The little face was buried in the hem of her skirt, rubbing left and right, then said with milky voice, ¡°Mom, everyone said you want to leave, take me with you, okay? I only want mom and second aunt, not Madam Ye.¡±


    ¡°Alright, mom is here to pick you up today!¡± Guan Suyi picked up Mu Mu and pressed him tightly in her arms. Mu Mu was also a child she saved with her own hands, a responsibility she could not shirk and could not bear to shirk.


    ¡°Zhao Luli, let¡¯s talk! Mother, you go and help me pack my things, sort out my dowry, and stop by to see the old madam. I just heard from the housekeeper that she is ill. If the situation is serious, you can use my post to invite an imperial physician, don¡¯t delay. Grandfather, father, wait for me here, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    She handed Mu Mu to Jinzi and Minglan, and left to have a private conversation with Zhao Luli in the study.


    ¡°If you want Mu Mu, you can, but only if you stay. Reconciliation still can remarry, only need to hold one more ceremony.¡± Zhao Luli had completely calmed down and showed a hint of determination.


    Guan Suyi knew that he had grasped her weakness and would not let go easily at this time. However, when she learned about the painting that were given by the Empress Dowager, she seemed to have realized one thing ¨C no matter how strong a person is, they will still have the most vulnerable heartstrings, just pinch it and exert force on it, then people can easily control them, easily intimidate them, or even destroy them.


    ¡°Zhao Luli, who is Mu Mu to you? Do you still care about his life and death?¡± She slowly pinched this heartstrings.


    ¡°Mu Mu is the son of my comrade, and also my adopted son. I regard him as my own, and of course I care about his life and death.¡±


    ¡°Since you care about his life and death, you should hand him over to me, and don¡¯t add another sin to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Did I leave him alone without caring for his life and death? Suyi, what do you think of the Zhao family? Dragon pool and tiger¡¯s den?¡± Zhao Luli refused to give in an inch.


    ¡°You said that you care about Mu Mu, but did you ever take care of him? Did you ever discipline him? Have you ever put him in the household registration? All you did was throw him in the house and give him a bite to eat. What qualifications do you have to compete with me for the right to raise him? The Zhao family may have been calm in the past, but Ye Zhen has return. For Mu Mu, it was the Dragon Pool and Tiger¡¯s Den. Do you know what Ye Zhen did? She instructed Zhao Wangshu to go spying on the imperial place of worship, he was caught by the imperial guards and almost killed on the spot! In any case she is also from a big family, so she should know that is a crime to spy on the emperor¡¯s trail. If she wants to see her twin sister, she can find you, she can find me, she can even bribe a few eunuchs or palace maids, why did she order Zhao Wangshu to go? She doesn¡¯t even care about her own son, how can I expect her to take good care of Mu Mu?¡±


    Seeing Zhao Luli¡¯s shocked expression, she continued, ¡°Only Zhao Wangshu is not stupid enough, he knew how to give my name, so he can save his life. He cried and begged me to let Ye Zhen see Ye Cainu, so I had to help him arrange it. Guess what, after the two met, she actually went crazy, saying that she was Ye Cainu, she should be a noble person in the palace, and then she ran crazily to the Main Hall to see the emperor. If it were not for Zhao Wangshu throwing her down and dragging her back, a crime of ¡®offending the Saint¡¯s face, with bad intentions¡® could make everyone in the Zhao family be buried together. How can I hand over Mu Mu to a lunatic? Mu Mu has never been registered in the Zhao family¡¯s household register. I take him away today, whatever you say I¡¯m not afraid of breaking the sky, at most we will go face to face in the court!¡±


    After speaking, she flung her sleeves and left, hurriedly went outside, and whispered, ¡°Jinzi, quickly send Mu Mu back to the Emperor Teacher mansion, I will come back after sorting out the dowry.¡± At this moment, Zhao Luli had lost his soul, afraid it would take half a day to recover.


    He thought that Ye Zhen was powerlessly forced to enter the palace, and thought that she would definitely care about the Zhao family and the children, but through what was said just now, it¡¯s impossible for him not able to guess the truth. Ye Zhen definitely didn¡¯t leave the palace voluntarily, in order to go back, she couldn¡¯t care less about Zhao Wangshu¡¯s life and death, then she wouldn¡¯t care about the Zhao family. After seeing another Ye Zhen, she suddenly went crazy, crying and calling for the emperor, what this meant was self-evident.


    How many of those so-called sacrifices and giving up were true, how many were false, or all of them were false, the answer had vaguely emerged in Zhao Luli¡¯s mind. He was desperate because of this, and then he was immersed in the emotion of losing his love until he couldn¡¯t extricate himself; he wasted years in remembrance of the past, and finally lost his present and future.


    The facts only revealed the tip of the iceberg, but it was enough to destroy his beliefs. If he could regain his senses immediately, he would not be the overly susceptible to overthink Zhao Luli. Those few words were enough to trouble him all day and night, when would he go if he didn¡¯t leave now?


    Guan Suyi went to see the old madam, invited an imperial physician for her, and returned the key of the warehouse and the matching card to Ye Zhen, who had been waiting for a long time, and said slowly, ¡°You can¡¯t check the warehouse without the key. Judge other by one own¡¯s measure, you must think that I have taken away the silver from your account and coveted your dowry, right? Zhao Chunxi and the old madam have the dowry list, you should also keep a copy yourself, feel free to open the warehouse to count it, if there is even one piece missing, you don¡¯t need to come to Guan¡¯s house to ask for me, you can directly report it to the government. However, if you slander, I will send you to prison.¡±


    She looked at Zhao Wangshu with a magnanimous smile, ¡°I¡¯ve always known that you are gullible and easy to be used by others. In the future, you will open your eyes to see who is good and who is bad, and time will prove everything. I just hope that you don¡¯t have to pay a painful price by then.¡± At the end, she patted Zhao Chunxi on her shoulder and sighed, ¡°Look after your brother, let¡¯s say goodbye and cherish each other.¡±


    The dowry has been taken care of, and the group of people left the Zhao Mansion in a mighty way. Originally, only Zhao Chunxi was sending them off, but the old madam woke up from her coma and used a cane to chase out the door, with tears running down while bawling without end, shouting ¡°Daughter-in-law, come back¡±, making people¡¯s heart felt sore.


    Guan Suyi wiped the corners of her eyes, looked back to take a glace, and then boarded the carriage and galloped away.


    Passers-by had already guessed that Madam Guan would reconcile, and after watching for a while, they slowly dispersed. But a girl wearing a veil hat stood in front of the Zhao Mansion and did not move for a long time. Her maid reminded in a low voice, ¡°Miss, it¡¯s getting late, it¡¯s time to go home. Isn¡¯t it just reconciliation? Madam Guan has a prominent family background, but Mr. Zhao is only a commoner, the two should have reconciled long ago. Speaking of which, Madam Guan is really an amazing talent. The last time she took the child by cutting open the stomach, I thought she would be drowned by everyone¡¯s spits. But unexpectedly she would turn it over with just one sacrifice eulogy. Now her fame is so high, even almost reaching her father¡¯s fame. After reconcile this time, perhaps she will able to get a good match and marry into a powerful family.¡±


    The voice of the girl wearing the veil hat was mellow and clear, but it contained a lot of disdain, ¡°Amazing talent? Do you really think she turned it over by talent? It¡¯s just a stroke of luck, just a coincidence. How can such a shocking act be wiped out overnight, leaving only praise? If there was no force from the palace behind this, Guan Suyi would lose a layer of skin at the very least. In the blink of an eye, her article spread all over Yanjing, and everywhere there were Confucian students reciting the article, and some women followed behind while weeping, setting off the atmosphere to the extreme. Most  people are ignorant and easily deceived. The scholars all said yes, and they naturally said yes, where would they have their own ideas, so they even laid a good reputation for Guan Suyi. How many scholars do you think there are in Yanjing City? Who has the capability to make them willing to run a campaign for a woman?¡±


    ¡°Miss, are you saying that Madam Guan¡¯s reputation was built with the help of the emperor? What kind of virtue is that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said that she is lucky. The act of cutting open the stomach to take the child was like the late Empress Dowager, thus helping the emperor to justify her name. To build momentum for her is to build momentum for the late Empress Dowager, the emperor only doing it in passing. Although the article is good, but it praised too much, it¡¯s really stealing a name by deceiving the world.¡± The girl shook her head and sighed, her tone contemptuous.


    ¡°Yeah, this servant has read her sacrificial eulogy, it¡¯s not on par with miss¡¯ article.¡± The maid flattered.


    The girl smiled and turned to leave, ¡°Not on par? You this girl doesn¡¯t seems like flattering. She is as talented as me, exactly on par. She can do that kind of sacrificial eulogy, and I can do it too. However, if I face the pain of life and death, I would rather never use it for an article.¡±


    ¡°Miss is simply benevolent and filial!¡± The flattering voice of the maid gradually disappeared on the street corner.


    As soon as that master and servant left, a group of people arrived at the gate of the mansion. The leader handed a name post, demanding to see eldest master Zhao, and the gatekeeper took it to take a look, on it written the word ¡°Hunnar¡±.

 CH 115

    When the gatekeeper handed the post to Zhao Luli, he was still immersed in thousands of thought and could not extricate himself. Although he vaguely grasped the hint, he dared not to pull the truth out, and his heart was full of confusion. Seeing the name post, he was stunned for a while before realizing that it was the name of Emperor Sheng Yuan, and his anger immediately surged up.


    ¡°Having the honor of Your Majesty¡¯s presence, to what do I owe this pleasure?¡± He personally welcomed the person into the door and brought him to the study. He seemed to ask respectfully.


    ¡°Sit down.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan took the lead sitting in the main seat, and then pointed to the seat next to him, ¡°Zhen want to talk to you about the past.¡±


    Zhao Luli¡¯s heart tighten, and for some reason, he had the urge to grab the door and run away, but out of his will he had to sit down and said hoarsely, ¡°Back then you promised to take good care of Ye Zhen, but I didn¡¯t expect that it was only a few years, and you abandoned her like a shoe. The Ye family was controlled by Ye Quanyong, what do those sins have to do with her? You have already seized the Ye family, why are you still not letting her off? Her temperament is weak, her body was infected with snake venom, she earn her life. Considering how much she sacrificed for you, you should also give her a good home, why did you throw her out of the palace and leave her with no way out?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan tapped on the table, and immediately a guard served a jar of spirits and two wine cups. He swatted open the clay stopper and poured the wine slowly, his resolute and handsome face gradually turned cold, as if he was considering how to answer, also seemed to be reminiscing about the past.


    Where Zhao Luli had the mood to drink, he said coldly, ¡°Have you made a good excuse for your ingratitude? Because of you I lost my first wife, and because of you I lost my second-wife. Perhaps I owe you in my last life, otherwise, why can¡¯t I escape you?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan pushed the wine cup in front of him, said with a light tone, ¡°Drink a cup first, and let the blood heat up. After we finish what we¡¯re going to talk about, Zhen worried your heart will be so cold that you won¡¯t be able to bear it.¡±


    Zhao Luli¡¯s eyes flickered, he repeatedly clenched his fists and repeatedly released them, and finally took the wine cup and drank it all. Sure enough, it was a rare spirit, it went down the throat like a knife, scraping uncomfortably, and felt like a fire when entered the stomach, making his five internal organs churning, actually burned his heart full of confusion and doubt.


    ¡°What do you want to say?¡± When he spoke again, he was as steady as a mountain, and his expression was calm.


    ¡°First of all, Zhen has to clarify one point. The reason why Zhen promise to take care of Ye Zhen is for the sake of life-saving grace back then. If this life-saving grace becomes a plot of assassination, why should Zhen take care of Zhen¡¯s enemy? Zhen only released her from the palace and did not skin her alive, is already considered a mercy.¡±


    ¡°What assassination¡¯s plot?¡± Zhao Luli¡¯s voice began to tremble, the hand holding the wine cup exerted its strength fiercely, and his knuckles turned white.


    ¡°Remember when Xue The Thief set up an ambush at Panyun Pass to kill Zhen, among them, there were 200 elites and dozens of experts. Zhen fought hard to break out of the encirclement, but was bitten by the poisonous snake released by the expert and rolled down the mountain stream. it was at that time that Ye Zhen, who happened to go Panyun Pass to visit you, accidentally met Zhen, then she sucked out the snake venom and placed Zhen outside the pass, thus saving Zhen¡¯s life. The expert who assassinated Zhen is now in Zhen¡¯s hands, and he also the murderer who poisoned the Zhao family and Ruan shi. Guess what? Back then, he not only took Xue The Thief¡¯s silver to buy murder, but also Ye Quanyong¡¯s silver to buy life. Xue The Thief wanted Zhen to be dead, but Ye Quanyong wanted Zhen to be half-dead, so the half-dead Zhen ran into Ye Zhen, who was greatly merciful and compassionate.¡±


    Zhao Luli stared at the man in front of him, speechless for a long time.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan continued, ¡°When Zhen returned to the army alive, Ye Quanyong that bastard even gave all his family wealth very obediently. He was in control of food, forage, medicinal materials and other necessary supplies during the war, and Zhen was so poor at the time, so where could have the reason to refuse? And because of Ye Zhen¡¯s life-saving grace, Zhen supported his caravan. However, in a few years, what he gave away was earned back, and doubled several times, this business is really a small capital but huge profit! ¡±


    He took a sip of from his wine cup, his eyes were a little empty, ¡°Zhen arrested Ye Quanyong, but his daughter rescued Zhen, so Zhen let him go, and still protected the Ye family caravan everywhere, paid back this kindness while making profits for the soldiers. Unexpectedly after two years, Zhen actually met her again on the way to make a surprise attack in Yanjing. She just said a few more words to Zhen, and your father¡¯s advisor slandered and said with certainty that Zhen must have fallen in love with her, and asked your father to offer beauty to gain wealth. Since then you hate Zhen, and hate your father and mother, but look who that person is?¡±


    Zhao Luli followed his fingertip to see that advisor he wanted to find and kill, but inexplicably disappeared. Standing beside him was an expert in a Miao clothing. The two of them were tied and full of scars, but because they were wearing a cloak, they had not been noticed by others.


    Without waiting for Zhao Luli¡¯s interrogation, the advisor who had already suffered enough torture fell to his knees and begged for mercy, come clean with the whole story of that year, ¡°General Zhao, please spare this one life! This little one was instructed by Ye Zhen to do that. She learned from you about His Majesty¡¯s route for the surprise attack on Yanjing, and she waited since early morning in the middle of the road, trying to use the hand of old Marquis Zhao to climb the high branch. She deliberately pretended to have an affair with the emperor, let this little one lead the old marquis to see it, and the old marquis really believed it. He hated her for being unfaithful to you, but he couldn¡¯t afford to provoke the emperor, so he sent her away!¡±


    ¡°Enough! Shut up!¡± Zhao Luli smashed the wine cup in his hand, and immediately made the man¡¯s head bleed, he then kept quite out of fear.


    However, Emperor Sheng Yuan was still drinking leisurely, and when his heavy breathing calmed down a little, he said, ¡°Since Zhen sent Ye Zhen back, how many times has she try to die? This is her old trick. Back then in Zhen¡¯s tent, she only tried to hang herself three times, saying that her chastity had been lost, and she had no face to see you. However, in fact, Zhen has never touched even a finger of her. She only had to get dressed and get on the horse, and naturally there would be soldiers who would risk their lives to send her back. But she didn¡¯t want to, no matter what Zhen said she still didn¡¯t want to.¡±


    He stared at Zhao Luli and said word by word, ¡°Back then, as long as you come to look for Zhen and said that you want to take your wife back, Zhen would certainly granted what you wished. However, you didn¡¯t come, not only did you not come, but you also missed the war because you got drunk, causing the loss of two cities, causing rivers of blood. From then on, Zhen didn¡¯t want to explain anything to you, conveniently left Ye Zhen behind, and took the infamy of taking courtier¡¯s wife by force.¡±


    Zhao Luli pressed his hands firmly on the table, as if there was a ten thousand pounds burden on his shoulders, which would shatter his body.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan poured another cup of wine, drank slowly and said slowly, ¡°Look at how well she calculated? Everyone was sorry for her and indebted to her, so they have to give everything for her. However, Zhen don¡¯t want to be a fool anymore and sent her to you, consider it as fulfilling your wishes.¡±


    The scenes of the past were replayed in his mind, and all the unclear doubts and details were now all solved. Zhao Luli¡¯s eyes changed a few times, and he finally realized, ¡°Your Majesty, since you already caught these two people and learned the truth long ago, you can tell me when you send her back, so that I will not be deceived, and will not be separated from Madam, but you didn¡¯t. It was only today when Madam and I were separated that you came to the door and said these words. What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°What Zhen trying to do, didn¡¯t you already guess it?¡±


    Zhao Luli laughed lowly, ¡°What a good comrade! I couldn¡¯t blame you for that incident back then, but today¡¯s matter, it must be you who was pushing behind the scene. Did you fall in love with my wife? Since when? Why do you always like to take things by force? Why are you always make things difficult for me? Although I have committed a lot of sins, but you can ascend to the throne, I also made great contributions.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan sneered, ¡°Take things by force? If Zhen is still Hunnar from back then, and not Huo Shengzhe today, Madam would have been taken back to the palace long ago, how can still have a chat with you here? Zhen has never forced Madam, she¡¯s not reconcile with you in order to cling to the imperial power. You should know exactly how she is, if you didn¡¯t make her heart die, if you didn¡¯t hurt her deeply, even if ten Ye Zhen came, she would not retreat. The reason why you lost her is not because Zhen was pushing behind the scene, it¡¯s because of your own sin!¡±


    He got more angry as he spoke, and scolded, ¡°The reason why Madam married you is because Ye Zhen instructed Zhao Chunxi and Liu shi to encourage you. If you hadn¡¯t intervened in the middle, she would have become a Zhaoyi, and now may have become the empress, the mother of the country. Where would she stay in the Zhao Mansion and be humiliated by you? Ye Zhen was supposed to be your wife, and Madam was supposed to be Zhen¡¯s empress, now just returned everybody to their position, that¡¯s all.¡±


    He stood up, pushed open the door and went out, saying as he walked, ¡°For the sake of comradeship of that year, Zhen will give you another wake up call, Ye Zhen is not a fuel-efficient lamp. The reason why your mother seriously ill is not because of excessive worry, it¡¯s actually poisoning. The antidote is hidden in Ye Zhen¡¯s house, you can send someone to search it. Your wife, Zhen has already returned it to you, and these two accomplices are also left at your disposal. These words have been held in Zhen¡¯s heart for many years, and today finally spit them out. You can hate Ye Zhen, you can hate Zhen, but you can¡¯t hate Madam, she doesn¡¯t have the slightest thing to apologize to you. Even if Zhen never get her, still won¡¯t allow anyone to misunderstand her!¡±


    Zhao Luli chased down the corridor and watched the tall figure of the man melt into the light gray twilight. He finally gritted the root of his teeth and shed a trace of blood. Gone, everything is gone! The beautiful memories he carefully cherished turned into malicious deception and extreme exploitation. After finally realizing the truth, without thinking of how to make up for it and try remedy it, he went straight to feeling all hope were in vain.


    He thought that losing Ye Zhen was equivalent to losing everything, but he couldn¡¯t see that the most precious treasure was actually in his hands, but he smashed it again due to a moment of hesitation. Why heaven always make a fool of people? No, the only one who make a fool of people were themselves. He couldn¡¯t blame anyone for exchanging treasure for filth, he could only blame himself for his blindness.


    Thinking of his mother, he did not dare to regret any longer, and immediately asked his subordinates to escort the Miao expert to Ye Zhen¡¯s room to find the antidote. The Ye family valued profit over righteousness, and Ye Zhen who had nothing else naturally was very possessive over the dowry left in the mansion. At this time, she was holding the account book to count everything carefully, and afraid she would not return until the middle of the night.


    Zhao Luli who was not alarmed anyone, pushed open the door and looked around. Sure enough, he found a wooden box from the hidden compartment of the wardrobe and asked the Miao person to identify it. All kinds of tortures have been endured, and that Miao person dared not hide it. After consulting the old madam¡¯s condition, they immediately found the antidote and handed it over to the doctor who came in a hurry to check.


    The doctor confirmed that the antidote was non-toxic, then let the old madam swallow it with water, and she recovered after only half an hour. She then opened her mouth and said, ¡°I want my daughter-in-law! Quickly get my daughter-in-law back! If there is no Suyi looking after my old age, I will not be able to close my eyes when I die! You unfilial son, when Ye Zhen came back, I asked you to send her away as soon as possible, but you didn¡¯t listen, you just didn¡¯t listen! This is good, this is really good, I can immediately die here, and go down to find your father to sue your sin¡­¡±


    The howl of sorrow shattered Zhao Luli¡¯s heart, and also shattered his last trace of feeling for Ye Zhen.

 CH 116

    After all, it was a chronic poison that hurt her body, the old madam cried for a while and then fell asleep. Her already old face became even more haggard, and her gray hair had turned completely into silver threads in just three months, rather look like she was about to die. Zhao Luli sat quietly beside the bed to guard her, his heart felt like it was stab with a knife, and he felt unbearable remorse.


    After staying for half an hour, he remembered Ye Zhen who was still busy in the warehouse, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.


    At this time, the sky was completely dark, and the lanterns on the eaves had been lit. The dowry servants who was recalled by Ye Zhen also had a kerosene lamp in their hands to illuminate the place brightly, in case Ye Zhen, who was seriously checking the account, saw something wrong and suffered a big lost. Zhao Wangshu held a stack of account books in his hand and circled around her, his eyes full of admiration. Zhao Chunxi leaned against the door frame with a sneer.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Guan Suyi will never be covet any of your thing. How can she like these vulgar things? Use yourself to measure other, if it were you, this warehouse would have been emptied long ago, right? No wonder you¡¯re so nervous.¡±


    ¡°Sister, how can you say that about mother? The property has been passed through other people¡¯s hands, shouldn¡¯t we check it? These are all mother¡¯s things, it¡¯s only natural for her to take it back.¡± Zhao Wangshu immediately retorted.


    ¡°You stupid! You think because she¡¯s your blood mother, she will really treat you well¡­¡± Zhao Chunxi trembled with anger. In the past three months, she was forced to hand over her stewardship rights in every way by Ye Zhen, and she became more and more aware of her true face. For her own selfish interests, she could betray everything and disregard everything, she had no heart at all!


    ¡°Sister, you must have been deceived by Guan shi. Look at how she treated me, she actually made me, the dignified young master of the Zhao family, go to a village school to study, and let me hang out with a bunch of poor kids. What big things can I do in the future? Daddy clearly paid a lot of money to hire a great scholar Mr. Lu for me, but he was almost leave angrily because of her. She deliberately raised me on purpose to be a stepping stone for her own son. She¡¯s gone, and our family of five can have a peaceful life. You call me stupid, but you¡¯re the stupid one, you can¡¯t even differentiate between good and bad people, outsiders and family.¡±


    Three months of brainwashing was enough to make Zhao Wangshu wary of his stepmother to the bones, instead followed his mother¡¯s words everywhere.


    Zhao Chunxi was already speechless, and was about to flung her sleeves and leave, but saw her father standing in a dark corner, his eyes seemed to have countless hazes, but they were surprisingly bright. He walked in slowly and asked in a gentle voice, ¡°Have you checked it? Did you lose anything?¡±


    Ye Zhen said reluctantly, ¡°I haven¡¯t lost anything for the time being.¡± If there was even one thing missing, she would immediately sue the Guan family and tear off Guan Suyi¡¯s face. For some reason, she just hated her, hated her to the core!


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late. Just check it again tomorrow. Follow me to the main hall, I have something to say.¡± He left first, giving no room for the person to refuse. Ye Zhen winked at her dowry servants, and then followed him. If there was nothing missing, she just need to destroy a few pieces, and finally went to Guan Suyi to demand it and see how she explained it.


    Many candles were lit in the main hall, and the two men were kneeling on the ground. When they heard the footsteps, they couldn¡¯t help but look back in horror, and they happened to come face to face with Ye Zhen. Her breathing suddenly stopped, in an instant she was sweating like a waterfall, soaking through her back. She had never seen the Miao person, but she could not be more familiar with the advisor. If he hadn¡¯t run fast back then, he would have turned into a dead bone now. But Zhao Luli tied him up, did he know something?


    Ye Zhen held the door frame and did not dare to enter for a long time. Seeing that her face was not right, Zhao Wangshu quickly stepped forward to help her, and half dragged and half pulled her in.


    Zhao Luli lifted the half-empty wine jar and took a big mouthful. Huo Shengzhe was right, he really needed this thing right now. His limbs were cold, his blood was cold, but his heart was not cold, because his heart had long been trampled into powder by Ye Zhen.


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it for a long time, should I let you know what kind of person your mother is. I want to send her away in secret and let her die silently outside, but I¡¯m afraid that you will keep chasing me to ask for her whereabouts, for a lifetime try to look for her, miss her, and will never let go. I¡¯ve had enough of this kind of suffering, and I cannot let you repeat the same mistakes.¡± The strong smell of alcohol spread across the room as his lips opened and closed.


    ¡°Daddy, what are you talking about?¡± Zhao Wangshu was puzzled.


    Zhao Chunxi buried her head deeply.


    ¡°What I¡¯m talking about, your sister must know very well.¡± Zhao Luli left to lock the door, closed the window tightly, and said word by word, ¡°This matter has to start from the beginning, you all listen quietly and don¡¯t interrupt. I also don¡¯t want you to carry those unbearable pasts, but I even more don¡¯t want you to be used by your own mother, and eventually die an unknown death. If you think that she is weak and pitiful and needs protection, then you are very wrong. When it comes to vicious heart and evil methods, in the whole Wei Kingdom afraid no one will be able to surpass her¡­¡±


    As the candle swayed, the light and shadow changed, he brought up all kinds of things from the past, including how the old madam was poisoned until she fell into coma. Zhao Chunxi¡¯s face was already numb, but Zhao Wangshu felt like he had been strike with thunder, shaking his soul.


    ¡°Impossible! Daddy, you must have been deceived by Guan shi!¡± He turned to Ye Zhen and urged, ¡°Mother, I believe you. I saw eldest aunt that day, she is alive and well, how could mother be her!¡±


    Ye Zhen shook her head and wept while hugging her son, as if she could not bear such slander, but she was very clear in her heart. With the witnesses and physical evidence laid over here, afraid Zhao Luli would no longer tolerate her. Her painstakingly fabricated lies could only deceive Zhao Wangshu.


    ¡°What do you want to do with me?¡± Her voice was rough like a gravel. ¡°If you don¡¯t send me away, you want me to die from a sudden illness? Are you not afraid that your son will hate you?¡±


    ¡°Die from a sudden illness? How could it be?¡± Zhao Luli suddenly laughed, ¡°You may not know, Suyi has already got what you want the most. I want you to see the scene that day with your own eyes, and I want to see what kind of expression you will show. What kind of illness my mother had before, that¡¯s the kind of illness you will get. Just lie down on the bed, the Zhao family does not lack this much of food.¡±


    He took a sip of wine and turned to look at Zhao Wangshu and said with a cold tone, ¡°I know you have a temperament like mine, blind in your eyes and blind in your heart, and you¡¯re the typical don¡¯t shed tears until you see the coffin. Since you think that what Ye Zhen has done is for your own good, then I won¡¯t dismiss Mr. Lu that she invited back, and I won¡¯t sell the book boy she brought back. Just follow the path she arranged for you, and you¡¯ll see for yourself whether it¡¯s a dragon or a worm. If you don¡¯t repent for a day, I will not care about you for a day, lest you say that I slander Ye Zhen and harm you even more.¡±


    Half-drunk, he looked at his daughter and smiled, ¡°Back then, you were like Ye Zhen the most, helping her deceive me and let me end up where I am today. Now you are becoming more and more like Suyi, strong and resolute, can distinguish right from wrong. Good, very good. My Zhao family is not completely destroyed by Ye Zhen after all! Just go, everyone go, let me stay in peace for a while.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, two lame servants pushed open the door and walked in, dragging the terrified Ye Zhen down. Zhao Wangshu was stunned for a while, but in the end he chased out, shouting his mother urgently.


    Zhao Chunxi was now very remorseful and choked up, ¡°Daddy, back then you went drunk and made a big mistake, are you going to repeat the same disastrous mistake now? Don¡¯t let Guan Suyi look down on you!¡±


    This sentence knocked Zhao Luli up like a heavy hammer, like a person who fell off a cliff grabbing a vine, instantly stopping the momentum of the fall and avoided the ending of shattering his body. He threw away the wine jar and murmured, ¡°Yes, you are right. I can¡¯t make Suyi look down on me. I have to wash up, get a good night sleep, and go to Liuzhou tomorrow to discuss a business. I want lift the Zhao family again. Those old and weak soldiers in the mansion, those orphans of the soldiers in the estate village are all waiting for me to support them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, daughter will help you go back. You have a good night sleep, and everything will be fine when you wake up tomorrow.¡± Zhao Chunxi¡¯s hanging heart finally landed on the ground, and her tears burst out. It turns out what kind of person you fall in love with will get you the corresponding outcome, love the wrong person will only get despair, love the right person, even if you experience loss, you will still have endless courage.


    ¡ª


    Guan house.


    Guan Suyi had a meal happily, walked around the garden with Mu Mu and her grandfather to digest the food, and then went to her father¡¯s study to practice calligraphy.


    ¡°What are you going to do in the future?¡± Guan Father spread out a sheet of snow white paper and asked casually.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t figured it out yet, but I definitely won¡¯t get married.¡±


    ¡°Then go back to Jiaozhou to accompany your maternal grandparent. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that you have a good fate with the late Empress Dowager and entered the emperor¡¯s eyes, there would have been many rumors all over the capital. If there¡¯s people who want to deal with us, they can criticize you for looking down on the Zhao family, and dislike Zhao Luli¡¯s commoner status, so then rush to reconcile. You go to Jiaozhou to live for a while, and then come back after the wind has passed. ¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s heart was filled with resentment, ¡°So what if people say that I reconcile because of this, even dislike the lowly status of the Zhao family? It¡¯s easy to talk about others, but it¡¯s difficult to examine yourself. Just ask any noble lady in the capital to change with me and see if they can bear it! They can say whatever they want, I¡¯ll live my life as usual, what am I afraid of?¡±


    Guan Father frowned, ¡°You¡¯re not going to Jiaozhou? Mr. Lu sent out an article a few days ago to attack you, he publicize how you treat your stepson harshly, how you disrespect the teacher, how you dismissed him, and how you threw Zhao Wangshu into a village school. Because your reputation is connected with the late Empress Dowager, others dare not criticize openly, but you should know what they think in their heart. Your senior brother is implicated by you, there are no more disciples in the village school, and now can only drink the northwest wind*. How many people have you offended and how many criticisms have you provoked with your upright temper? If it wasn¡¯t for your luck and if the emperor hasn¡¯t taken a hand to protect you, how could you stand here and practice calligraphy? You would have been sent to the temple a long time ago!¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s grievance disappeared, and she quickly grabbed Guan Father and explained, ¡°Father, can I not go to Jiaozhou? That Mr. Lu is addicted to alcohol and drunk all day, where can he give pointers to his disciples? Daughter feel oneself is right, but it¡¯s true that it hurts senior brother, so I will go to see him tomorrow to make amends!¡±


    ¡°Forget it, you¡¯re very similar with your grandfather, always say whatever you think in your heart. I don¡¯t expect you to change at all. I will be lucky if you don¡¯t cause me anymore trouble. The emperor protected you this time, but how can he protect you for a lifetime?¡± Guan Father¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, he muttered, ¡°I have written a letter to your maternal grandfather, and arrange for you to leave in the next few days.¡±


    Guan Suyi reluctantly agreed, practiced her calligraphy absentmindedly for a while, and then went back to her room to sleep, but just as she opened the door, she was pulled by a large hand and gently dragged over.

 CH 117

    Suddenly falling into a warm and wide embrace, Guan Suyi was taken aback and was about to call for help, but a big hand covered her mouth and comforted, ¡°Don¡¯t shout, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Hunnar? You bastard!¡± Guan Suyi struggled while crushing the other person¡¯s toes with her heels.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan immediately let her go. But because it was dark and she couldn¡¯t see, in order to prevent her from bumping into the desk and chair and hurting herself, he pressed her into the soft couch and laughed in a low voice, ¡°The sound of Madam¡¯s ¡®Hunnar bastard¡¯ is much better than the Mynah. Zhen keep it in the inner hall now, and when missing Madam, Zhen feed it a grain of rice, listening to it repeat that few words, then the appearance of Madam flirting with Zhen vividly came to mind, healing Zhen¡¯s love-sickness. But now, when Zhen really heard Madam scolding, it was like drinking a miracle medicine, the fatigue of the whole day completely disappeared, leaving only joy.¡±


    ¡°You really deserve to be scolded.¡± Guan Suyi sneered.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan had long been accustomed to Madam¡¯s verbal swords, and while waving away Jinzi and Minglan who hurried in to check the situation, he pointed to the lantern on the table and whispered, ¡°Madam, look carefully, Zhen will perform a trick for you. ¡±


    Guan Suyi was immediately distracted, staring at the lantern without blinking. She saw him gently stroke its top with his fingers, then the charred wick ignited a bean flame for no reason, first swaying with the wind, then slowly jumping up, illuminating the surroundings.


    ¡°Is this also martial arts?¡± Guan Suyi was so amazed that she wished she could hold his fingers to check, but she was too annoyed at him for going into the women¡¯s boudoir at night and refused to approach.


    ¡°Everything in the world has its own category. Maybe it¡¯s divided into yin and yang like people, or it¡¯s divided into five elements like things. Internal power is no exception. Zhen¡¯s internal power is yang flame, which is extremely strong and rigid, and can burn things when condensed on the fingertips.¡± He held the wick as he spoke, completely undaunted by burns, crushed it easily, and then lit it again.


    After repeating the demonstration three times, Madam was driven by curiosity, slowly walked to sit down across from him, then opened her mouth to asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t someone say that just looking at me from a distance is enough? But now you break into a boudoir at night, and still grabbing and intimidating, isn¡¯t this slapping yourself in the mouth?¡±


    ¡°Zhen just grabbed you because Zhen worried that you would be frightened and shout, making people come. When you regain your calm, didn¡¯t Zhen let you go immediately?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan spread his hands with a helpless expression, ¡°Zhen did say that it was enough to look at you from a distance. However there is a sentence, but don¡¯t know if Madam has heard of it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Guan Suyi squinted at him.


    ¡°So close yet worlds apart. Even if the Madam is close to Zhen, as long as Zhen hasn¡¯t possess you for a day, it seems like we¡¯re worlds apart. You can see that this round table between us is only two feet apart if measured, but in Zhen¡¯s heart it¡¯s the same as a thousands peaks and ten thousand valleys, really out of reach.¡± He sighed with lonely expression.


    Guan Suyi, however, did not buy it, took off a sword from the wall, pulled it out from its sheath, put the back of the sword on the table, the tip of the sword facing the man¡¯s chest, and said in a long voice, ¡°How can a thousand peaks and ten thousand valleys be without the blade tree and sword mountain*? I will add an unusual adventure for you, and the scenery should be more magnificent and majestic. I went to the Grand Princess Mansion specially to ask for this thing for you, you can enjoy it as much as you want. They all say beat the old master to death by random fists*, I¡¯ll throw the sword randomly a few times, and let¡¯s see if it will hack people to death, why don¡¯t we try?¡±


    Madam¡¯s stubborn resistance was very vivid and very cute, which made Emperor Sheng Yuan almost laugh out loud, but he was afraid that she would be thin-skinned and fly into rage, so he had to hold back, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t mess around. This sword is very sharp and if you throw it randomly, you may hurt yourself. Let¡¯s sit and talk for a while, and then Zhen will leave.¡±


    Guan Suyi tore off one of her hair and blew it on the blade. Seeing that it suddenly broke into two pieces, she said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s good to know that the blade has been sharpened. What do you want to say? Hurry up and leave after that.¡±


    ¡°Zhen just went to the Zhao¡¯s house and made Zhao Luli wake up. After all, he was once a comrade, cannot bear to see him being blinded by Ye Zhen for a lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be a good person now, if you want to wake him up why dragged it until now? He must have guessed your intentions, right? Is it a glorious thing to plot to rob other people¡¯s wife? It is worth proclaiming everywhere?¡± She stretched out her hand to hold the handle of the sword, wishing she could slash to death this seemingly remorseful, but actually triumphant person in front of her.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s feigned sorrowful expression immediately faded, the corners of his mouth could not help but rise, but he quickly it pressed down, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry, before you nod your head and promise to marry Zhen, Zhen will never let anyone ruin your reputation. Zhao Luli knows what kind of person you are, and will never confuse you with Ye Zhen. Zhen and he have suffered such a big loss, how can we swallow this breath? Letting Ye Zhen go home is not for her to enjoy a good fortune.¡±


    ¡°If you come here to discuss the Zhao Mansion or Ye Zhen with me, then please return, I¡¯m not interested in knowing any of it.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s face was full of impatience.


    Seeing that she really had no nostalgia for the Zhao family, Emperor Sheng Yuan was relieved, took out a document from his arms, and said with a smile, ¡°Then Zhen won¡¯t say anymore, and let the past go. Just now halfway through the road, Zhen suddenly remembered something. Zhen asked Baifu to handle the separation of households for you, but forgot to register Mu Mu into the Guan family¡¯s record. If Zhao Luli know about it and went to the government office to register first, he can fight you for the custody in the court. In order to prevent you from being hindered by him, Zhen just went to find a household official and ordered him to prepare all the documents and seal them. Madam, you carefully keep them.¡±


    Guan Suyi was not someone who unable to recognize other¡¯s good intentions, so she quickly took the document and thanked him sincerely.


    Only then did Emperor Sheng Yuan stand up and reluctantly said, ¡°The documents have been delivered, Zhen will leave now. Madam, even if it¡¯s the second married for you, even if you still bring a young son, Zhen will not give up. As long as you nod your head now, in a few days Zhen will welcome you to the palace extravagantly, and recognize Mu Mu as adopted son and raise him with care. Even if you and Zhen have other children in the future, Zhen will also treat him as if he is Zhen¡¯s.¡±


    His black and blue eyes stared at Madam, filled with tenderness and sincere longing.


    Guan Suyi were looking at him, but as if being burned, she hurriedly turned her face away. She was always touched by his sweet words, and had to quickly build up her heart again and again. If she stay in Yanjing and often meet each other, it would be really hard to resist. Sure enough, she had to go back to Jiaozhou.


    Thinking like this, she said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s getting late, you should go. I¡¯ll never get married again in my life, so you should kill that feeling as soon as possible.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes dimmed, he walked to the door then stopped, said firmly, ¡°Madam, Zhen can make you reconcile, Zhen can also move your heart, and make you remarry. You will be Zhen¡¯s empress sooner or later.¡±


    Remembering the days when she was disgusted by Ye Zhen, Guan Suyi¡¯s heart suddenly burst into anger, and sarcastically said, ¡°First, you raised Zhao Luli¡¯s ex-wife for six to seven years, and now want to raise his second wife and adopted son for him. You either have a hobby for being a fool; or you love him so much that you can¡¯t see any woman by his side. I dare to make a suggestion, you two should just get together and be a couple, you really are a perfect match! ¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan already had one foot outside the threshold, and one foot was still inside the door. Hearing this, he lost his pace and almost fell. He took two deep breaths and said with love and hate, ¡°Madam, if one day you are willing to talk nicely to Zhen, Zhen will definitely go to Jueyin Temple to burn three sticks of best incense for the Bodhisattva.¡±


    ¡°What are you still pretending in front of me for?¡± Guan Suyi sneered, ¡°That Mynah bird is still well raised in the palace, which shows how you take pleasure in it.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s slightly annoyed look instantly faded, and he chuckled happily, ¡°In this world, everyone wants to please Zhen, only Madam is very straightforward, talking with frigid irony and scorching satire, Zhen still like this tone more. Before it was Zhen who speak wrongly, Madam you don¡¯t have to talk nicely to Zhen. The more you are like this, the more Zhen love you. It¡¯s getting late, Zhen is leaving.¡±


    Guan Suyi knew that this was his provocative method*, but people tended to be controlled by their doubt. What if he really likes people who contradict him? Why don¡¯t you talk nicely to him next time? Hey, what are you thinking about? There will be no next time, she will go to Jiaozhou in a few days, and will have no chance to meet again in this life.


    Thinking like this, she let out a long sigh of relief, but felt a little lonely in her heart.


    But Emperor Sheng Yuan, who stepped out of the door, did not leave immediately. He stood in the corridor for a while, after seeing that the candles in the room were blown out, and Madam¡¯s breathing became smooth and even, only then he disappeared into the night and swept toward the imperial city. Let Madam leave Yanjing and move to Jiaozhou? Impossible!


    ¡ª


    The Emperor Teacher Mansion was more luxurious than the General Zhengbei Mansion, but the population was extremely simple. There were only a few servants serving, so the work to be shared was naturally a lot. The things that the masters could do, such as dressing and washing, were all done by themselves, and generally no need for anyone to serve in the house. Jinzi and Minglan got up early in the morning to clean the yard and wipe the windowsill. Although they were doing the work of second- and third-class mads, they felt very relax.


    Guan Suyi got up with her hair disheveled and stared for a while before realizing that she had returned home and was no longer the mistress of the Zhao Mansion.


    ¡°It¡¯s so nice.¡± She let out a long sigh while wrapping herself with the thick quilt. Only people who have been married knew that it was best to be a young lady in their maiden family. They didn¡¯t have to worry about anything, just eat, sleep, and play.


    ¡°Mom, grandmother asked me to wake you up. She said that the sun is burning your butt (tn: LOL, it means noon), and if you go to sleep again, she will come over in person and whip you with a feather duster.¡± Mu Mu ran in with a bamboo dragonfly in his hand, and his two cheeks were red and plump, looking very cute.


    He liked the Emperor Teacher Mansion very much. The people here have sincere smiles on their faces and a clear light in their eyes, which made him very comfortable when they look at him. He threw himself to the edge of the bed and clumsily climbed up.


    Guan Suyi hurriedly hugged him, rubbed him in her arms for a while, and kissed him happily. Back at her maiden house, not only Mu Mu felt at ease, but even she felt like she could keep the clouds open and see the moon*. This was the real rebirth, the Zhao family and Ye Zhen, they could go to hell.


    She held Mu Mu in her arms, picked up the wet handkerchief to wipe his face and washed his hands, and then began to take care of herself. In the bronze mirror was a young and attractive face, with clear bright eyes and a bright temperament, completely different from the decadence and numbness of her previous life. Even if she resented Hunnar¡¯s insolence behavior, she had to thank him. If it wasn¡¯t for his forcing and pushing, she would not have taken this step. She carried too many burdens on her shoulders and accumulated too many scruples in her heart. It was Hunnar who helped her remove them one by one, and wiped them off for her as well.


    She didn¡¯t set foot on the muddy path covered with dragon robe, but she did get the light of imperial power, there¡¯s no denying that.

 CH 118

    The married woman¡¯s hair bun was changed into a hanging bun, the gold and silver bead hairpins were removed, and only inserted a pink rose that was freshly cut on the temple. Guan Suyi led Mu Mu to the main house to greet her mother.


    Seeing her daughter dressed in an unmarried girl¡¯s style, Zhong shi was stunned for a while, until Mu Mu stepped forward and shouted ¡°grandmother¡± in a milky voice.


    ¡°Good boy, come over and let your grandmother take a look.¡± There were not many children in the family, so Zhong shi naturally loved Mu Mu very much. Since the first day, she regard him as her precious darling, throwing her daughter behind. Guan Suyi smiled at the two of them and slowly made tea.


    ¡°Mom is also very good. As soon as I said that grandmother was going to whip her, she immediately got up.¡± Mu Mu did not forget to help out his adoptive mother.


    ¡°I know what kind of virtue she is. When she is diligent, she sleeps later than the dog and wakes up earlier than the chicken; when she is lazy, she can lie down all day, even eat, drink, poop and pee all on the bed. This time returning home after reconcile, she is so free, grandmother expected that she would sleep until the sun hit three pole before she woke up.¡± Zhong shi pointed out the window, ¡°Look, if Mu Mu hadn¡¯t called you up in time, the old man and your father would have already return from to court, and when they saw that you¡¯re still asleep, they will give you a round of thrashing.¡±


    Guan Suyi quickly clenched her palms and said bashfully, ¡°Mother, how can you expose my unsavory past in front of my son? How can I teach him in the future?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to know that you can¡¯t teach, but you should lead by example.¡± Zhong shi poked her daughter¡¯s forehead with eyes full of smile.


    Seeing this scene, Minglan was used to it, but Jinzi couldn¡¯t recover for a long time. It turned out that the mature and prudent, shrewd and resolute Madam behave like this when she return to her parents¡¯ home. She would also be lazy, stay in bed, act like a spoiled child, and pretend to feel wronged. After all, she was just an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl, with beautiful youth and a prime years waiting for her.


    Like a flower that had withered before it bloomed and returned to the soil where it took root, it quickly became vivid and bright. Jinzi sighed at Madam¡¯s transformation, why wouldn¡¯t Zhong shi not be happy? Holding Mu Mu in one hand and holding her daughter in the other, she was reluctant to let go.


    After chatting for about a quarter of an hour, a report came from outside, saying that the old master and the master were back, then Zhong shi asked someone to deliver the lunch, not forgetting to tease, ¡°Sleep until lunch time, among all women in Yanjing, afraid you¡¯re the only one left. Mu Mu, don¡¯t learn from your mom!¡±


    ¡°Mom is too tired recently. She has to recite the scriptures for the late Empress Dowager for nine, nine, eighty-one days. Only sleep for one day is not enough, still need to sleep for a few more days.¡± Mu Mu explained seriously, provoking Zhong shi¡¯s great love, she put her arms around him and called him her baby.


    Guan Suyi grabbed his chubby hand and kissed him hard, and laughed, ¡°Mom didn¡¯t love you in vain. In the future, our Mu Mu will be the most filial and outstanding child in Yanjing.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± The old man walked in with a laugh, and while taking off his official hat, he rolled his sleeves and said, ¡°This time I will teach him personally, no one is allowed to interfere! In this lifetime, I must cultivate a great Confucian scholar of the whole generation, and fulfill the mantle of my Confucianism.¡±


    Guan Father followed closely with a helpless expression. Didn¡¯t the old man¡¯s words imply that he taught Yiyi badly? What¡¯s the big deal? Did he have talk about it all the time?


    The family chatted happily for a while, and then sat down to eat when the food was ready. Adhering to the rule of eating without talking, sleeping without talking, the hall was extremely quiet, and after eating the servants immediately cleaned up the leftovers. When the old man and the others dispersed, Guan Father seemed to inadvertently inquire, ¡°The last time you were harassed by the female official, was it the emperor who helped you out?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Guan Suyi brought it up in one breath.


    ¡°Today I¡¯m going to put Mu Mu in the household register, but the household official said that Chief Bai had already done it yesterday, and even handed over the documents to you. Is there such thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The emperor also smoothed out the matter of cutting open the stomach for you, you actually basked in the light of imperial power.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s expression was calm, ¡°Power is really a good thing, it can build momentum, it can suppress people, and it can also save lives. If it weren¡¯t for you and grandfather in high positions and have real power, afraid it will not be so easy to reconcile this time. Just imagine, if our family was still in the same situation as the first time we enter Yanjing, no matter how badly I was wronged in the Zhao family, I could only swallow my anger and accept compromise. Because by offending his family, it would implicate you. Even if you are full of pride, it will be destroyed.¡±


    Noticing that her words were full of resentment, as if her pride had really been destroyed, Guan Father couldn¡¯t help but point out, ¡°Why bother thinking about things that never happened, even more, unlikely to happen? A nobleman loves money and takes it from the Tao, then how about when nobleman takes power?¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t even think about being authentic, ¡°Zi Lu* said: ¡®The Monarch of the State of Wei wants you to govern the country. What do you plan to do first?¡® Confucius said: ¡®First of all, you must rectify your name¡¯, A nobleman always takes a skeptical attitude towards things he doesn¡¯t know. If his name is not right, his speech is not fair and reasonable, if his speech is not fair and reasonable, things will not be done¡­ Therefore, how the nobleman involve in politic and takes power, he should rectify his name.¡± <Note>


    Guan Father nodded in relief, ¡°Very good. This is a warning to the world, and it is also the way to live in the world. ¡®Name¡¯ is the law of ethics*, and ¡®rectify the name¡¯ is consider conforming to the law, not against ethics. Monarchs, ministers, fathers, sons, each has its own position, performs its own duties, and must not overstep it. If the name is not correct, the words will not go well, even if you climb up the ranks step by step, reach great power and high prestige, you will eventually be eaten back by it, and you will not end well.¡± After the words fell he looked at her daughter with sharp eyes.


    Guan Suyi lowered her eyes and smiled, ¡°Father doesn¡¯t have to discuss the words of the Sage with me, daughter will soon return to Jiaozhou to accompany maternal grandfather to farm the fields. If you see me in the future, perhaps I no longer a scholar holding a brush, but a peasant girl carrying a hoe.¡±


    Guan Father stared at her for a long time, then he stroked his beard and smiled. Guan Suyi breathed a sigh of relief and immediately took her leave, saying that she was going to visit the senior brother in the eastern suburbs. Mu Mu was taken to the study by the old man, and he was practicing calligraphy at the moment. There was a drop of ink on his nose, and he looked very cute. She stood by the window and watched for a long time, unable to bear to disturb the grandparent and the grandchild pair, so she had no choice but to go by herself.


    Minglan had just returned and was busy contacting her little sisters everywhere, only Jinzi was following her master. The two arrived at the village school in a carriage, and before they could enter, they heard a woman¡¯s scolding voice, ¡°You bastard! I asked you to go to the Emperor Teacher Mansion so they can recommend you to become an official, but you don¡¯t want to go, saying you want to participate in some imperial examination. What¡¯s the use of reading these books all day long? Can you earn a few taels more with that? Your good junior sister has made all your students run away. Without the tutor¡¯s salary, what should we eat and drink? Hurry up and get dressed, go to the Emperor Teacher Mansion and borrow some money. No matter what, it¡¯s their family who harmed you, can¡¯t you get any compensation at all?¡±


    Sister-in-law Song, it¡¯s been a long time! In an instant, Guan Suyi¡¯s thoughts went back from the present to the past. In her previous life, she could have cleared up those slanders, but she didn¡¯t expect this good sister-in-law to suddenly retort, saying with certainty that she had seen her hanging out with her senior brother with her own eyes. After she was sent to Cangzhou, she learned through Zhao Wangshu¡¯s confession that the other person had sold the senior brother for only a thousand taels of silver, because senior brother had been stripped off his scholarly honor because of his personal moral loss, and she was afraid to continue to suffer with him.


    In this world, not only women afraid of marrying the wrong man, but the man was afraid of marrying the wrong woman, because the price would be very tragic.


    Guan Suyi pushed open the door and went in, cupped her hand in salute while saying, ¡°Senior brother, for causing you the trouble you a few days ago, junior sister feel really uncomfortable, so came here to apologize to you. You don¡¯t have to worry about that Mr. Lu¡¯s matter. Within two months, we will see who is right and who is wrong.¡±


    The scholarly man in winter clothes and holding a scroll in his hand hurriedly returned the salute, ¡°Junior sister is very polite. It¡¯s noisy here, let¡¯s go in and talk.¡± He didn¡¯t even look at his wife Song shi, and led his junior sister into the house.


    Although Song shi was arrogant at home, she was a master at bullying the soft and fearing the hard. In front of the Miss of the Guan family, who was wearing a magnificent dress and had a graceful demeanor, she couldn¡¯t raise her head at all. How could she dare to say half a word? She hurriedly ran to the kitchen to boil water to make tea, hoping that the other person could give them some silver.


    Guan Suyi put a box of books in her hand on the table and smiled, ¡°Seeing that the imperial examination is imminent, I put together a collection of classics and histories and sent it to senior brother. Hope senior brother can pass brilliantly this time, and show off your talents. How many people slander you now is how many people will envy you in the future.¡±


    ¡°Borrowing junior sister¡¯s auspicious words. You don¡¯t need to pay attention to Song shi, just take her words as autumn wind passing the ear*, don¡¯t listen to her. I have no disciples here, so it¡¯s quiet and peaceful to study and prepare for the imperial examination. Junior sister¡¯s book happened to be delivered to my heart, just like sending charcoal in the snow, it relieve people in distress, and refusing would be impolite.¡±


    ¡°Senior brother is too polite. If you need anything in the future, feel free to go to the Emperor Teacher Mansion to find me or father¡­¡± Guan Suyi had a long talk with him for more than half an hour, and the topics revolved around this imperial examination. Although she remembered the imperial examination questions of this year, she would never tell anyone. Whether or not people could pass the exam, it was up to their ability. In the previous life, the senior brother could pass brilliantly as the top of the list, and this life would not be too bad. And now that the political situation had changed drastically, the test questions might also change, who can say for sure?


    After leaving the village school, she vaguely heard Song shi¡¯s frantic voice coming from across the fence, ¡°Did she give some money? Ah, why only giving away a few books? That miss of Guan family is so stingy! Bah!¡±


    Jinzi said indignantly, ¡°In order to take care of your senior brother¡¯s face, we deliberately stuffed the silver under the box, why did we get scolded? Compared with your open-minded senior brother, Song shi is really unbearable!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why in this world, there are mostly clever wife with dull husband or good husband with vicious wife. It¡¯s hard to have the best of both worlds.¡± Guan Suyi had already been indifferent to it since long ago.


    Jinzi thought she was insinuating His Majesty, so she didn¡¯t dare to say more, and held back for a long time before saying, ¡°If Madam¡¯s senior brother could not passed the imperial examination, will he be able to continue open the village school in the future? With that Mr. Lu¡¯s article at the front, afraid he can¡¯t recruit disciples anymore, and it will be very difficult to live in the future.¡±


    Guan Suyi sneered, ¡°What kind of this generation¡¯s great scholar, with brilliant reputation? It¡¯s just to deceive the world. He¡¯s an alcoholic, and the alcohol poison had long been soaked into his liver and guts. In a while, he may have to worry about his life. Why should we care about a dying person?¡±


    ¡°As soon as you said it, Madam, this servant remember that his complexion was red and black, his eyes were yellow and solidified. It¡¯s a sign that the liver and guts were failing. I didn¡¯t expect Madam to be proficient in medicine.¡± Jinzi was greatly admired.


    Guan Suyi was indeed proficient in medical theory, but it was not because of the symptoms that she predicted that Mr. Lu will die, but through the memory of her previous life. In the last life, she dismissed Mr. Lu, who became more and more indulgent, and even wrote many articles to slander her. In the end, he died drunk on the side of the road, but was misinterpreted by the people that he died from excessive anger at her, adding another bad debt to her already black reputation.


    In this life, whether he would die or not, it¡¯s all up to Heaven¡¯s will.


    Thinking like this, Guan Suyi suddenly reprimanded, ¡°You call me Madam this, Madam that, do you still think I¡¯ll marry your former master? Change the name to Miss in the future, or your salary will be deducted for three years.¡±


    Jinzi choked, and had to change her way of addressing.

 CH 119

    When the master and servant returned from the eastern suburbs, they saw that the city of Yanjing was already a bustling scene, they couldn¡¯t help but want to wandering. The streets were crowded with people, with shops on both sides, banners fluttering in the wind, and hawking sounds repeating continuously, which was very different from the depression in the early days of the founding of the country.


    ¡°In just a few years, Yanjing has returned to the hustle bustle of the previous capital. If it continues like this, the Wei Kingdom will definitely be rich and powerful and eventually dominate the Nine Provinces.¡± Guan Suyi said with emotion.


    Jinzi, who used to work in the military department, could not help shaking her head and sigh, ¡°It¡¯s possible to be rich and powerful, but it¡¯s difficult to dominate the Nine Provinces. Xue The Thief occupied Shuzhou and other places, wantonly hoarded troops, occupied fields, gathered refugees, and expanded his power. There will be a war in Wei Kingdom. The current peace and happiness may be just a flash in the pan (short-lived).¡±


    When Guan Suyi died in the previous life, Emperor Sheng Yuan and Xue Mingrui did have large and small battles every year. They both wanted to annex each other, but they couldn¡¯t do anything to each other. Later, when civil unrest broke out in Wei Kingdom, Xue Mingrui took advantage of the situation to raise troops and almost went straight into the heart of the Central Plains, but was finally blocked at the border of the country by Emperor Sheng Yuan, who personally lead the expedition.


    After this battle, both of them were severely damaged, and it might take many years to heal. In the end, Guan Suyi had no way of knowing who destroyed whom, who ruled whom, but she could guess that the smoke and the massacre, the death and the destruction, had never left that land.


    In this life, however, the situations were different. The current Wei Kingdom was more stable, prosperous, and more united. Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s prestige among the people was like sun in the sky, and the people¡¯s sense of belonging to the country was also particularly strong. If Wei Kingdom had a few more years to recuperate, the odds of winning would be even greater.


    Thinking like this, the haze in Guan Suyi¡¯s heart finally slowly dissipated, and she pointed to the most lively West Market and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go there and see.¡±


    The two master and servant walked through a few streets, their faces were still full of interest, but their eyes were slightly distance.


    ¡°I feel like there¡¯s a thorn on my back, do you?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s lips didn¡¯t move, but her voice clearly penetrated Jinzi¡¯s eardrums.


    ¡°This servant feel it too. We may be followed, but this servant cannot find out who they are, let alone where they are hiding. I am afraid in Wei Kingdom only His Majesty can escape the eyes and ears of the dark guard.¡±


    ¡°I also think it¡¯s that bastard. There¡¯s a cloth shop at the front. I¡¯ll go in and buy a set of clothes, disguise myself and leave. You wait outside and if you don¡¯t see me come out after a quarter of an hour, go back by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡­¡± Jinzi was glared at, so she had to change her words, ¡°Miss, is it really okay for you to go back alone? Why don¡¯t we agree on a place where we can meet again after throwing off His Majesty?¡±


    Guan Suyi had never visited the city center area alone, so she couldn¡¯t help but want to have fun and categorically rejected Jinzi¡¯s proposal. The two walked into the cloth shop, one went inside to change clothes, and the other sat outside to attract the attention of the stalker. About a quarter of an hour later, Jinzi leisurely stepped out of the threshold with her hands behind her back, and was suddenly dragged away just after walking through a dark alley.


    ¡°Where is Madam?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s face, who had changed the color of his pupil color, was very ugly.


    ¡°This servant has seen Your Majesty.¡± Jinzi lowered her voice, her expression a little smug, ¡°Madam told this servant to wait a quarter of an hour and then go back by myself. Where she goes now, this servant doesn¡¯t know. Your Majesty, you are very powerful, just go check it out.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan glared at her, turned and walked out of the dark alley. He stood in the street for a while, carefully identifying every pedestrian passing by. Madam got a human skin mask, which was mold according to Ye Zhen¡¯s facial features. She would probably dress up as her and escape along the back door of the cloth shop.


    According to her temperament, what will she do at this time? In case he discover her, she probably would immediately return to the Emperor Teacher Mansion. Thinking like this, Emperor Sheng Yuan started to move his feet, but suddenly stopped. No, if Madam wore that human skin mask, the dark guard lurking around would not fail to recognize that face.


    She couldn¡¯t escape by flying, if she want to leave from the cloth shop, she could only disguise herself and tried to fool people. She obtained that human skin mask at the end of autumn, and now it¡¯s almost spring, more than three months was enough time for her to tear apart and mend the mask, mend and tear apart again, and study it thoroughly. With her ingenuity, even if she didn¡¯t kill people and skin them, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult to make a brand new human skin mask. Therefore she didn¡¯t pretend to be Ye Zhen at all, but had a different face.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was dazed for a moment, then laughed lowly, and murmured, ¡°Madam is really a headache.¡±


    Jinzi followed him unhurriedly, and said with a smile, ¡°Boss, what do you think miss looks like now? Is it male or female? If you turn Yanjing City upside down, can you find her? I think you¡¯d better not bother with that, and go home quickly.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan glanced at her and said firmly, ¡°Although I can¡¯t guess what Madam looks like now, I can guess what she¡¯s thinking. She seems to be mature and prudent, but that¡¯s just on the surface. Were it not for the Zhao family forcing her to that spiritless point, her naughty temperament is no less than that of a child. She throw you away and change clothes, so that she can have fun, otherwise, it¡¯s unlikely she doesn¡¯t understand that I follow her just to see her from afar, and will not cause the slightest harm, there¡¯s no need to take a lot of trouble to get away. She seemed to avoid me, but she was actually making an excuse to go to the market to play alone.¡±


    After returning to the Emperor Teacher Mansion, Jinzi realized that in addition to being graceful, shrewd and courageous, Madam also had a lively and agile side. If she had heard these words before, she would have sneered, but now it made her wonder. She was by Madam¡¯s side almost day and night, and she thought she knew her very well, but compared to His Majesty, she was actually still inferior.


    His Majesty was not a person with a delicate mind, and he didn¡¯t know how to figure out other people¡¯s characters, especially women, otherwise Ye Zhen had been by his side for so many years, but he had not discovered her filthy thoughts until now. But facing Madam, he was able to suppress his predatory instinct, test her bottom line step by step, and then stood at a relatively comfortable distance to pay attention to her and protect her.


    It was precisely because of thinking what she think and wanting what she want that he could figure out her every move so accurately. His Majesty really showed his sincerity to Madam, which was very difficult for him, who had a beast nature flowing in his blood.


    Jinzi just finished sighing, and then listened to him slowly analyzing, ¡°In addition to love having fun, Madam is very eager to be the winner, especially doesn¡¯t like being suppressed by me. She always resists stubbornly, and will not be satisfied until she sees me defeated. This time can break away from me so smoothly, she will never leave easily, she will hide in the dark and observe my actions to see if I will look dejected and frustrated. If I do as she wishes, she will be happy all day.¡±


    Jinzi was speechless, and sighed, ¡°Boss, if revenge breeds revenge, will there ever be an end to it? Is it worth the trouble?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, this is mine and Madam¡¯s interest.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan looked around, his face seemed panic, but his tone was full of laughter, ¡°This is the loveliest thing about Madam, knowing that the road ahead is uncertain, knowing that the imperial power cannot be disobey, she still struggles hard but effortlessly. She neither hurts others nor herself. If she can advance, she will advance, and if she can¡¯t, then just let it go. She is strong, but also very soft. She knows how to protect herself and she knows how to protect her family.¡±


    Jinzi said indifferently, ¡°Your Majesty, although you spend very little time with Madam, you know her better than me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just a matter of heart.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was wandering on the street, a pair of eyes staring closely at every passersby who passed, and then continued, ¡°I will tell her with my actions now that I already know that she has changed her face, and with her competitive personality, she will not leave now, but walk out of the corner, take the initiative to approach me, and test me. So I don¡¯t have time to talk to you, go back to the Emperor Teacher Mansion by yourself.¡±


    Jinzi also looked at the passersby with wide eyes and pleaded, ¡°Boss, just let me follow. I really want to know who will catch whom today.¡±


    The answer to her was Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s cold knife eyes. Jinzi took that as a no, had no choice but to leave angrily, even after walking two streets she kept looking back.


    The passersby seem to be very ordinary, they approached very naturally, and passed by very naturally, making Emperor Sheng Yuan dazzled. If Madam was hidden among these people, he had to admit that her disguise technique had far surpassed that Miao expert.


    Suddenly, a faint scent of cinnamon entered his nostrils, making his eyes to tremble slightly. It was Madam. She was indeed nearby, hid her appearance but failed to cover up her smell. If it were a different person, they might have already concede defeat to her brilliant skill, but he was raised by a pack of wolves and relied on his sense of smell to hunt since he was a child. How could he be easily deceived?


    His heart was filled with infinite joy, but his expression was even more somber. Look thoroughly and see through everyone who passed by, his sharp eyes made people feel terrified. Some people dodged while calling ¡°Ah¡±; some people were angry, turned back and spat; there were also some girls who had not left the boudoir that scolded him for being rude.


    He remained unmoved, continued to walk forward, and continued to examine the flow of people around him with stern eyes. He knew that the more focused he was, the more reluctant Madam to admit defeat, and would definitely change from following from afar to wandering nearby, and would even deliberately walked past him to be slightly provocative.


    Guan Suyi disguised as a sallow-skinned, ordinary-looking young man. When she swaggered out from the back door of the cloth shop, the dark guard lurking there really didn¡¯t report the news and very smoothly told her to walk away. She originally planned to go to the West Market, but she turned back halfway, climbed up to the tea house across the street, sat down by the window, and watched the play while drinking tea.


    She wanted to see how Hunnar reacted, if he found her disappear inexplicably, would he be dejected, would he be frustrated? As soon as she thought of his shocked expression, she was overjoyed, and hurriedly picked up the large bowl of tea to hide the raised corners of her mouth.


    Hunnar really came out of the shadows, grabbed Jinzi and kept asking. He was confused at first, but he reacted quickly and began to observe the passerby. Yes, the human skin mask was obtained from him, and he would definitely be able to see through her tricks. In other words, he knew she was nearby.


    It¡¯s fun, it¡¯s so much fun! Since marrying into the Zhao Mansion, Guan Suyi almost forgot the taste of playing around, and immediately put down the teacup and walked to the street excitedly.

 CH 120

    Emperor Sheng Yuan knew that Madam was following him, the fragrance on her body was intermittent, coming from far then near. Pretending to find a few suspicious people, he stared at them as they walked pass him, then turned around and looked back for a long time, and out of the corner of his eyes accurately captured Madam¡¯s figure.


    It was a 16 or 17-year-old young man. Didn¡¯t know how she done it, she became much taller than her actual height. Wearing an ordinary blue shirt, a black cloth tied on her head, with a sallow complexion and bland facial features, even if people look at her countless times they still wouldn¡¯t be able to remember what she look like. Throw herself in the crowd, she could hide immediately.


    Well, this mask is really beautifully done! Emperor Sheng Yuan secretly praised her, and his eyes seemed to pass over her intentionally or unintentionally. He knew that Madam would not be deterred by this occasional attention. On the contrary, she would become more competitive, she would run up to him to test or even provoke him.


    Sure enough, realizing that she was seen, Madam who pretended to be squatting on the side of the road to buy fruit threw down a copper coin, picked the largest and freshest one, and swayed closer while eating. If he hadn¡¯t judged her identity from the smell, Emperor Sheng Yuan would have doubted whether the sloppy young man in front of him was the dignified and virtuous Madam.


    He didn¡¯t expect her to have such a frivolous side. What to do? The more he got to know her, the more fascinated he became. He really wanted to pull the person into his arms and hug her firmly when she gets close! He couldn¡¯t suppress the joy in his heart, every pore was relaxing and cheering for her¡­


    What exactly should I do?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan tried his best to restrain his inner turmoil, and his deep eyes stared straight into the young man¡¯s eyes. The young man didn¡¯t dodge, instead he raised his eyebrows and glared back, cursing in a rough voice that was not fully developed, ¡°What are you looking at, asshole? Are you asking for a beating?¡± At the end he raised his fist, even the skin on his hands was sallow, without a single flaw.


    Hearing her sudden change of voice, Emperor Sheng Yuan was amazed in his heart, but his face showed a doubtful expression, then he indifferently turned his head and looked at other people. He noticed that Madam quickly raised the corners of her lips, she seemed very proud, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel happy. She likes to play, so just play with her.


    He walked from the West Market to the East Market, went back and forth, and finally got a little tired. He stopped paying attention to the people around him, and turned to look at the street vendors.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Guan Suyi followed Emperor Sheng Yuan all the way, thinking that he should have given up by now, so she relaxed her vigilance and began to wander slowly. But she did not go far, instead fell not far behind the man, wanting to see how the emperor spent his spare time.


    He seemed to rarely strolled down the street. It was also true that before the founding of the country, he fought on the battlefield, and after the founding of the country, he lived deep in the palace to handle government affairs. This kind of people¡¯s livelihood, local condition and customs were common to others, but it should be extremely new to him.


    He didn¡¯t seem to know a lot of the things being sold on the side of the road, and often squatted down to watch for a long time. The tall figure blocked the rest of the customers, making the stall owner very unhappy, and viciously scold him several times. He wouldn¡¯t bother with ordinary people, but his expression was a little embarrassed, he grabbed the back of his head with his big hands, looking very simple and honest.


    It turned out that Hunnar she had first met was not a disguise, but a part of his true heart. Guan Suyi hid in the corner and snickered. For some reason, her heart became extraordinarily soft. What winning or losing, you suppress me and I resist you, it had became less important.


    She continued to follow him and saw him squatting at a booth selling sugar paintings. Even a three-year-old knew this thing, so naturally he would not be ignorant to that level. He said warmly, ¡°Stall owner, draw me a horse. Put more sugar, put more sugar.¡±


    ¡°Okay, wait a minute, big brother!¡± The stall owner scooped a spoonful of syrup and poured it on the smooth stone slab, quickly shaping a golden horse.


    ¡°Add a little more sugar, a little more!¡± He seemed extremely addicted to sweetness, and was dissatisfied with the stingy ingredients used by the stall owner, then his big hands poured a spoonful of syrup onto the horse¡¯s belly. The stall owner cried out, ¡°aiya, aiya,¡± and looked very distressed. But seeing him took out a dime of silver from his purse, he smiled again, and quickly pressed the bamboo sticks in the syrup.


    What does it look like when a nine-foot tall strong man walks through the streets with a huge sugar painting? Before today, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t imagine this at all, but now she couldn¡¯t help laughing. She covered her mouth with her fist and followed quietly, the more she watched, the more interesting it became.


    Fortunately, Hunnar noticed the strange gaze of the passersby in time, and his ears slowly turned red. When he saw a drooling child standing on the street, he handed over the candy painting and said gruffly, ¡°Here, go ahead eat it.¡±


    ¡°Is it, is it for me?¡± The child looked at him eagerly, wanting to take it but not dare to take it.


    ¡°Give it to you, take it and share with them.¡± He pointed to a group of radish heads huddled behind the child.


    The child agreed again and again, and finally took the sugar painting, turned around and ran away quickly, calling his friends and companions, asking everyone to enjoy it together. Seeing the joy of the children, he shook his head with a smile and walked away. The children¡¯s parents that were nearby, either smiling or bowing at him, and he returned the salute one by one, without any superiority.


    Is this the real Hunnar? On the contrary, the virtuous and unpredictable Emperor Sheng Yuan in the palace was the one who disguised himself. Before she knew it, Guan Suyi¡¯s resistance decreased a lot, because she found that the distance between her and the other person did not seem to be as far away as heaven and earth.


    The two walked to the Huaniao Street one after the other, and just so happened to see someone juggling, holding a little monkey in a red jacket in his hand and ordering it to perform somersaults, jumping in fire rings and other actions. But if the little monkey hesitate, it will be whipped and squeaked in pain.


    The passersby were very happy, clapping and applauding, bustling with excitement, but there were not many people who gave coins, which made the performer even more anxious, brandishing the whip until it made a crackling sound. Seeing the little monkey hugging its head and hiding its tears, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t bear it, and was hesitating whether to reveal her identity, when she saw Hunnar grab the whip and said loudly, ¡°Stop hitting, I¡¯ll buy this monkey from you.¡± While speaking, he took out his purse, and found that the broken silver had been used up, so he had to take out a gold bead.


    The passersby were in an uproar, saying that this man was rich and strong, so he must be a military master. The performer did not dare to offend him, and was even more afraid that he would regret it, threw the whip and snatched the gold beads and quickly slipped away.


    He hooked his fingers at the little monkey holding its head, and said in a low voice, ¡°What are you doing squatting there? Come with me.¡±


    The little monkey actually understood, and immediately climbed along his long legs to his shoulders, sat firmly, and carefully held the braid on the back of his head with one hand so as not to fall. The passersby were in an uproar again, saying that this monkey was a deity. It couldn¡¯t move in any way before, but now he could understand people¡¯s words, if it buy back and and teach it well, definitely would not lose any money.


    Guan Suyi was stunned when she saw it, and after a while, she laughed lowly, and after laughing her heart ached. She understood Hunnar completely, and without noticing, she had already been pulled into the gate of his open heart, and could not help interpreting everything about him.


    He thought that he was the reincarnation of a demon, not only able to kill his mother, but could also kill his wife and children. Once his wife gave birth, his tragedy would repeat itself on them. So he alienated all women and children. But he yearned in his heart. He yearned for family affection and love, just because he thought he could never get it.


    And when he faced that animal, his eyes were like watching his own kind. After so many years, even after he leave the forest, his sense of belonging to the animal was far greater than to humans. It was difficult for him to integrate into the crowd, but he has to integrate. To be able to restrain the beast nature in his heart up until now, it was very difficult for him, and even more so, outstanding.


    Guan Suyi suddenly wanted to end the game, generously walked over to greet him, but saw he turn around and enter a bookstore.


    Since the imperial examination was imminent, the bookstore prepare many long narrow table, and the poor disciples who could not afford the books could copy the books for the store while reviewing their homework, and finally could still earn some money. The outer hall was very quiet, and whoever walked in would take the initiative to slow down and lower their volume so as not to disturb others.


    Guan Suyi, who had planned to reveal her identity, had to hold back, and secretly observed Hunnar¡¯s every move through a bookshelf. He was taking off the ink stick on the Bogu shelf, put it on his nose and smelled it, and said in surprise, ¡°It stinks! How can it stick so badly?¡±


    The shopkeeper took the ink stick and put them back in the brocade box, and rebuked, ¡°What do you barbarian know? All the ink sticks smell like this. If you don¡¯t buy them, don¡¯t touch them! Hey, why do you bring the monkey in too? If it run around in my store and break something, can you afford it? Go go go, get out!¡±


    Guan Suyi was about to step forward to clear the situation, when a woman wearing an emerald green dress with the same color tulle on her face intervened and said softly, ¡°Shopkeeper, you have to welcome customers when you open the door for business, how can you unreasonably divided people by class? So what if he¡¯s a barbarian? Barbarian can¡¯t read and write? What if I say that the emperor only started to study Confucianism in his twenties, but now he is very talented and full of knowledge. Learning has no distinction between noble and lowly, it¡¯s just in the foolish eyes of the unrefined people.¡±


    When the shopkeeper saw her carried out the emperor¡¯s name, and this man was from the Jiuli tribe, and he looked like a military man, quickly said with a smile, ¡°What Second Miss Xu said was that this little one is petty, and has slight this uncle. You¡¯re welcome to whatever you want to see.¡±


    The woman pointed to the little monkey and said, ¡°It looks cute, but it can¡¯t be control when it gets crazy. Next time, it¡¯s better to keep it at home.¡± Then she walked to the counter, took out a few volumes of books, her voice was very graceful, ¡°Storekeeper, the book you want has been copied. You can check it. If there is something wrong, I will take it home and copy it again, so as not to make things difficult for you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Second Miss Xu saying! Who doesn¡¯t know that the books you copied with your own hands have never been wrong, and your hairpin flower small script are unparalleled in the world. How many people spend a lot of money to order your manuscripts, this little one picking fault at you is the same as picking bones in the egg*!¡± The shopkeeper took the books, his eyes glowing.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, who was going to leave, immediately leaned over when he heard this and looked into the open page. He wanted to see what the so-called unparalleled in the world scrip was like. Guan Suyi also strolled over, looking at the woman from the corner of her eye. Second Miss Xu? Wouldn¡¯t she be Hunnar¡¯s empress in the previous life, the second daughter of Xu Guangzhi?

 CH 121

    Speaking of which, this Second Miss Xu was also a legend. In her last life, Guan Suyi had never met her, but she heard rumors about her from time to time, and it was all praise and no slander. One day she compiled her grandmother¡¯s manuscript, inside it showed how her grandmother resolutely refuse to remarry after she lost her husband, went through countless hardship to cultivate her father.


    The article was gorgeous in words and sincere in emotion, which greatly exaggerates the loyalty of her grandmother, and soon spread in Yanjing city. At that time, Xu Guangzhi was already a high ranking minister, with real power in his hands, and with him secretly pushed the waves, Second Miss Xu became even more famous.


    Later, she wrote an article teaching the concubines in the palace how to emulate ¡°the ancient sages¡±, and her words and deeds were gradually cited by the noblewomen as a model. After ascending into the empress position, many of her remarks were compiled into books and circulated everywhere, so it was named ¡°Lesson for Women¡±, which means the precepts of women¡¯s words and deeds. Although they were quite contradicted among the lower classes, but they were highly respected among the upper nobles. In particular, the old-fashioned Confucian scholars who had conservative thinking simply regard it as a guideline, and told the women in the clan to practice it diligently.


    It¡¯s unknown how many innocent women were killed since the ¡°Lesson for Women¡± came out, and Guan Suyi was one of them, so how could she have a good impression of this Second Miss Xu? She strolled over and looked in the book she had copied.


    Second Miss Xu¡¯s hairpin flower small script was indeed beautifully written, and because of her carefulness, there was not a single typo. At the end, she would smoke the pages with incense, so after opening it, it was not only pleasing to the eye, but could also refresh the mind. She called herself Caiwei Sanren, and every time she copied a book, she would place a paragraph on the last page, gradually gaining some reputation. Many children from high gate family in the capital wanted to order a manuscript of ¡°Caiwei Sanren¡±, and she wrote two volumes a month and sold them in bookstores.


    Unexpectedly, Second Miss Xu, who was the mother of the country in her previous life, had been reduced to the point of copying books for living in this life. It really showed a reversal of fate, and the impermanent of the world. Guan Suyi sighed and carefully observed her form and characters, there was indeed something outstanding about it, and it was not a false reputation.


    On the other side, Emperor Sheng Yuan finished reading the book and shook his head indistinctly.


    Most talented people were mostly arrogant and aloof, and talented women were no exception. Discovering that this Jiuli man, who did not understand literature, actually showed disdain for her manuscript, Xu Yayan, also known as Second Miss Xu, chuckled, ¡°What advice does this benevolent brother have on this little girl¡¯s handwriting?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s temperament was even more honest than Madam, immediately said, ¡°Your handwriting only has form, not the spirit, and it lack a bit of character. It looks beautiful and smells good, but when you think look at it again it¡¯s empty. Very boring.¡±


    ¡°What did you fool say?¡± Xu Yayan¡¯s maid was just shopping outside, and as soon as she stepped into the store she heard someone slander her master, she immediately stepped forward and scolded, ¡°Do you know how many children of noble families in the capital are willing to spend a lot of money to order my Miss¡¯s manuscript? If you don¡¯t know anything, don¡¯t come out and disgrace yourself!¡±


    ¡°Someone also spent a lot of money to order this thing?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan raised his eyebrows and looked very surprised. At the end, he glanced at Second Miss Xu, and suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid the drunkard¡¯s intention is not in the drink*.¡±


    The last sentence not only made the maid angry, but also made Second Miss Xu furious, her fingertips trembling slightly. She tried to compose herself and sighed, ¡°I helped you out, but you insulted me later. May I ask this benevolent brother, have I ever offended you?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan scratched his head and wondered, ¡°Saying a few words of truth is insulting you? Then forget it, I won¡¯t say it.¡±


    Guan Suyi let out a snort, seeing Second Miss Xu¡¯s maid glaring at her, she hurriedly walked around to stand behind Hunnar. She could see that this man was really honest and straightforward, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have torment these two master and servant, and still didn¡¯t realize it. No wonder Ye Zhen couldn¡¯t make progress after staying by his side for so many years. He really didn¡¯t know how to read other people¡¯s minds, let alone take care of other people¡¯s feelings.


    However, on second thought, it was really not easy for him to do what he did to her until now.


    Finding Madam was hiding behind him, Emperor Sheng Yuan habitually spread his feet and assumed a protective posture. Xu Yayan, who was facing him head-on, felt the towering aura that he suddenly exuded, and her face couldn¡¯t help but change. She vaguely realized that this person might not be an ordinary soldier.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, my handwriting is indeed lacking a bit of character, but a woman¡¯s wrist strength is limited, so there¡¯s nothing to be done about it.¡± She gave up the idea of arguing with him and waved to the shopkeeper, ¡°Shopkeeper, please check it out quickly.¡±


    The shopkeeper had been running the bookstore for many years, and knew the way of the world. In good conscience, Second Miss Xu¡¯s handwriting was indeed not as good as the well-known great expert, but she was considered outstanding among women, and buying it to collect at home was not a loss. Shouldn¡¯t this reckless man be like those scholars who were wandering around, hoping to attract Second Miss Xu¡¯s attention? Beauty is indeed easy to cause trouble!


    As soon as he thought about this, he heard the other person insist, ¡°It¡¯s not that women¡¯s wrist strength is limited, it¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t practice it at home. I know one person who is ten thousand times better than you.¡±


    Xu Yayan¡¯s competitive spirit that had just calm down was stimulated again, she frowned and asked, ¡°Oh? Who exactly is this talented person?¡±


    ¡°The young lady of Guan family.¡± My Madam. Emperor Sheng Yuan silently added a sentence in his heart.


    Xu Yayan¡¯s inquiring expression instantly faded, and she said with a half-smile, ¡°Is it her? Have you seen her handwriting with your own eyes?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan did not forget that now he was only an ordinary soldier, how could he be qualified to see Madam¡¯s real work with his own eyes? If he admit it in public, wouldn¡¯t it be ruin her reputation? He could only shake his head reluctantly.


    Xu Yayan laughed more and more contemptuously, ¡°Since you haven¡¯t seen it, how can you say that it¡¯s a thousand times better than me? Sure enough, it¡¯s really stealing fame by deceiving the world, and there are people everywhere to help build momentum.¡± She shook her head without interest, and didn¡¯t paid more attention to the other person.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan did not care about other people¡¯s feelings, but he attached great importance to everything about Madam. Seeing that she seemed to look down on Madam, he raised his thick eyebrows. He was about to argue, but saw Madam, who dressed as a young man, got out of his armpit and leaned down on the counter, her whole body seemed to have no bones, and her face looked like a ruffian.


    ¡°Then have you seen Miss Guan¡¯s handwriting?¡± She spoke provocatively.


    Xu Yayan responded very quickly and said slowly, ¡°Handwriting is based on the person, and the strength of character is all in the brushstrokes, flowing out of the ink. The arrogant person¡¯s handwriting is also proud, and the indifferent person¡¯s handwriting is also weak. That Miss Guan can drive out Master Lu for no reason, making him almost live on the streets with nowhere to go, which is really disgracing her family principles, and ruining her family¡¯s reputation, which shows that she is a frivolous and arrogant person. I don¡¯t care what her handwriting looks like.¡±


    ¡°Then do you know why she drive out Master Lu? How do you know that it wasn¡¯t Master Lu who made the mistake first and disgracing himself? Could it be that because Master Lu¡¯s literary name is more well-known, so he¡¯s the one that always right?¡± Guan Suyi asked aggressively.


    ¡°Then how do you know it must be Master Lu¡¯s fault?¡± Xu Yayan asked rhetorically.


    ¡°I just know it.¡±


    ¡°How do you know? What evidence?¡±


    ¡°Since I said I know, then I know. I damn sure know, what you gonna do about it?¡± Guan Suyi put one hand on her hip and pressed the other hand on the counter, her legs occasionally shook, acting like a sly rogue in the market very vividly.


    This was really ¡°a scholar meets a soldier, and the reason is not clear.¡± Xu Yayan was so angry that she leaned back and was speechless for a long time. Her maid rushed forward and was about to scold, but when she saw this rouge raised his fist and waving it, looking like he was about to fight, she had to shut up angrily. They were all women, how could they fight with a man on the street, and if it spread outside it would embarrassed them to death!


    In the end, the shopkeeper couldn¡¯t stand it, picked up the feather duster and scolded, ¡°Where is this scoundrel coming from, running to the store to harass my customers. Get out, get out of here!¡±


    Guan Suyi bared her teeth at Second Miss Xu, and then dragged Hunnar to run out quickly, with a bright smile on her face, her heart was full of sunshine and rain and dew, only felt comfortable and refreshed. It turned out that doing unruly things in front of other people¡¯s face was so delightful! No wonder there is a saying, ¡°Doing good is like a hard climb, doing evil is like an easy fall¡±, insisting on doing good was extremely difficult, but learning bad could be done anytime.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan stared sideways at her high-spirited face, and smiled as well. In Xu Yayan¡¯s view, this young man was definitely a loathsome face; but to him, there was no one in the world who was more lovely than Madam. Whether she was dignified or cunning, even her rogue appearance could deeply move his heart and fascinate him.


    The two laughed and ran away, finally stopped in front of a wonton stand.


    ¡°Hungry, go get something to eat?¡± Guan Suyi gestured with her thumb.


    ¡°Go.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan patted her shoulder.


    The two of them swaggered over and sat on the low stool with their legs crossed, and said in unison, ¡°Boss, two bowls of wonton.¡±


    ¡°Okay, please honorable guest to wait a moment, this little one will serve you right away.¡± The boss agreed with a smile, and after a while, he brought two bowls of steaming wonton with chopped green onions.


    Guan Su picked up a wonton and blew it, then stuffed it into her mouth and chewed it with a savoring expression on her face. She was so happy today, and it¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that it was the happiest day in her two lifetimes. She did a lot of things she once wanted to do but couldn¡¯t do. She cursed in a foul language, and if her grandfather heard it, he would be furious and then use the family law, but she did not regret it at all, on the contrary she was still feel unfulfilled.


    After changing her face and throwing away the so-called ¡°benevolence and morality¡±, it turned out that she could also live so recklessly. She felt as if she had pushed open an extremely dangerous door, or slipped into some bottomless abyss, and if she indulge in it, the mirror in the heart is covered with dust*.


    No! It was enough to play only this time. People should not indulge themselves without limit, otherwise they would surely fall. She secretly reminded herself, and the joy in her heart dissipated in an instant. But seeing Hunnar, who was drinking soup from a big bowl and gorging on wonton, she became happy again. This person probably doesn¡¯t know who he ran all the way with, and who the person he ate that the roadside stall with, right? When she told him face to face in the future, he would definitely showed a disbelief and frustration expression.


    Thinking like this, she pressed her fist to her lips and snickered, but then she heard the person beside her casually said, ¡°Madam, did you have a good time today?¡±

 CH 122

    Guan Suyi was not a fool, immediately wanted to understand the key point, slapped her chopsticks on the table, and asked, ¡°When did you find out?¡±


    ¡°I recognized Madam within half an hour after leaving the cloth shop.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan turned to look at her with a big smile.


    He recognized her so quickly, but he pretended not to know, and because she ran up to him to provoke him, she became a beam-jumping clown without she realize! Guan Suyi didn¡¯t show it her face, but there was lightning and thunder in his heart, and the waves of anger were raging. What wins or loses doesn¡¯t matter? After made into a fool by Hunnar, she found that it was very important, extremely important!


    ¡°How did you recognize me? I changed my face, height, voice, skin color, and I¡¯m sure that even if my parents were here, they wouldn¡¯t be able to point me out.¡± She must find the flaws and make up for it, otherwise she would not be able to sleep for days and nights. This person was really hateful, he actually played her the whole journey!


    Emperor Sheng Yuan knew that she had a terrible shortcoming of taking things too seriously, so he didn¡¯t try to setting up suspense, pointed to the tip of his nose and said frankly, ¡°If it were someone else, they would definitely be fooled by you today. But don¡¯t forget, I was raised by a pack of wolves. Not to mention that my eyes and ears are far beyond ordinary people, my sense of smell is extremely sharp. The smell on your body has been deeply engraved in my mind, and I will know it by smelling it.¡±


    He sniffed, his expression a little intoxicated.


    Guan Suyi was provoked by his frivolous and proud look, but her face did not show anything. She blew the hot soup in the bowl and said slowly, ¡°So that¡¯s why. If want to get pass you, it¡¯s not enough to change the face, I have to change the smell too. Is this the only flaw? Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, Madam¡¯s disguise technique is more powerful than that Miao people, and you even disguised your voice.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan sincerely praised.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Before, when my grandfather and I were traveling around, I once met a Taoist woman who cheated people by ventriloquism. She did not open her mouth, but at the same time she made five or six different voices, male and female, old and young. There is no doubt that the people who invited her to do the trick were deceived by her and went bankrupt. My grandfather exposed her, but he was surrounded and beaten by the locals. I was really angry. After I went back, I ponder how to do it for several months and finally learned the technique of changing voice and ventriloquism. I was going to challenge that Taoist woman, to see who would win or lose, but I didn¡¯t expect that she was robbed and killed by bandits because she collected too much money.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes were vacant, reminiscing about the past. She had traveled many roads and met many people. She thought that she was talented and had a bright future, but in the end she couldn¡¯t fight the people¡¯s will or win against power. In this life she was still unwilling to compromise, but she understood the principle of being able to bend and stretch.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at her, and it was not difficult to imagine how Madam was angry and annoyed but resolutely refused to admit defeat. In this way, she made him feel very distressed, and loved her even more deeply.


    ¡°Speaking of which, there are only two ways for the Miao people to make masks. One is to directly peel off other people¡¯s faces; the other is to cut off a piece of skin on someone¡¯s abdomen, dissolve the flesh and blood with lime water and put it on the face of a living person, and mold their facial features. The mask that Madam took away last time was molded according to Ye Zhen¡¯s face, but whose facial features were taken for this one? I took a closer look and it doesn¡¯t seem to be human skin either?¡± The past was not so wonderful, so he deliberately change the subject.


    This piece naturally was not a human skin, but a blend of boiled pigskin glue and resin. Its facial feature was a mold she casually sculpted, pour inside then cool it down, next peel it off and it¡¯s finish. Whenever she want to disguise herself in the future, she only needed to re-carve the mold, didn¡¯t need to kill anyone, let alone skin them.


    And even better, this mixture of glue and resin was easy to soften after soaking it in hot water, and a casual pinch on the face could instantly create a new face. However it wouldn¡¯t last for a long time, it would wrinkle in two hours, which would be very eye-catching.


    These knowledge, Guan Suyi would never tell Hunnar, and he had no problem sleeping if he didn¡¯t get the answer. Thinking like this, she ate the last wonton, and suddenly got very close, looking straight into the other person¡¯s eyes.


    The magnified face of Madam was so close. Although the facial features were ordinary, the skin was rough and sallow, and it looked like there was no redeeming quality, but the smell was very alluring. As a half-beast, Emperor Sheng Yuan relied more on smell than vision to identify his beloved, so his heartbeat accelerated, his breathing stagnated, and a wave of heat rushed throughout his body, and then rushed towards the lower abdomen.


    ¡°Want to know what kind of skin is this?¡± He heard Madam ask word by word, her voice was no longer a rough young man voice, but her own, with a sweet and coquettish tone.


    ¡°Want¡­ want to know.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s throat was dry, and there was a fire burning his heart, to the point that even though winter still had yet to pass, there was a layer of fine sweat on his forehead.


    The mask had not been torn off, and now Guan Suyi was still that sly scoundrel. She grinned, her eyes full of shining malice, ¡°Want to know? But I won¡¯t tell you!¡± She then kicked the low stool and ran away, waving her hands without looking back, ¡°Today¡¯s wonton is your treat!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan wanted to chase immediately, but was stopped by the stall owner that said anxiously, ¡°Hey, hey, where is this guest going? You haven¡¯t given the money yet!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you!¡± He reached out to touch his waist, and then looked embarrassed¡ªthe purse with the silver in it was gone! When was it lost? With his martial arts, it was impossible to find anything missing from his body!


    The stall owner had already realized what happened, he tightened his grip more and more and refused to let go. His mouth kept shouting, ¡°Want to eat without paying. I¡¯ll have you arrest and see the officials¡± and other words, attracting the passers-by to gather around to watch the fun and made him lose face. In the end, the dark guard who was lurking around came out and handed over four copper coins for his battered master, ending the dispute.


    After sweeping away the embarrassment, the two walked to a secluded corner to talk.


    ¡°Master, Madam suddenly approached you to talk, and you were confused, that¡¯s when she took your purse from your waist and ran away. We didn¡¯t dare to offend her, so we had to let her go.¡± The dark guard dressed as a civilian, his face was also ordinary, people who saw would easily forget him. This kind of appearance was the most suitable for hiding, so that was why Emperor Sheng Yuan would say that Madam¡¯s mask was beautifully made.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the case, Madam really gives Zhen a headache!¡± He pretended to rub his eyebrows, as if very distressed, but the corners of his mouth were raising up, his eyes were full of smiles. Even a fool could feel his pride and joy.


    Another dark guard quickly circled into the alley, holding a purse in both hands, ¡°Report to Your Majesty, Madam hired a carriage to go back to the Emperor Teacher Mansion, and hung the purse at the back of the carriage. This subordinate was afraid that others would steal it, so had to take the opportunity to get it back.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan frowned, seemed unhappy. He opened the purse and looked inside, then his face was clearing up again. He saw a note inside, with a line of small characters on it ¨C after all, it¡¯s me who win today.


    That¡¯s right, you win! You won the moment I fell in love with you. He carefully folded the note, put it inside his purse, first hung it around his waist, but feeling that it was not right, he then put it in his sleeve pocket. Still feeling that it was not safe enough, he simply carried it in his arms.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, go back to the palace.¡± One sentence made all the dark guards hide. He walked out of the alley alone, humming a little tune he heard from somewhere, and went back contentedly.


    ¡ª


    Guan Suyi took off her mask in the carriage, and when she opened the curtain, the coachman was stunned, but he didn¡¯t dare to ask any questions, only thought he remembered it wrong.


    Jinzi, who had been waiting at the gate, hurriedly stepped forward to greet her, ¡°Miss, you are finally back, hurry in, so as not to bumped into Zhao Wangshu. He has been waiting for you here all day, and insisted on seeing you. Fortunately, he was hungry just now and ran to find something to eat, or you will get entangled by him.¡±


    ¡°What did he come to find me for?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s bright mood was clouded with a layer of gloom.


    ¡°He asked you to go back and testify for Ye Zhen, saying that it was indeed you who arranged for her to meet Ye Cainu that day. This servant asked him why, but he didn¡¯t want to say more, his mouth was really tight.¡±


    ¡°For the sake of his mother¡¯s reputation, can his mouth not be tight? Although he is gullible, impulsive, reckless, feeling and thinking too much, but he has one positive point, filial piety, and a foolish filial piety at that. If he¡¯s not forced to a desperate situation, he will not doubt his relatives. For him, no matter how much effort and affection people gave him, it cannot compare to the fetters of blood. Blood is his criterion for distinguishing good and bad. If there is no blood relationship with him, the relationship will be shallower. ¡±


    ¡°Then you are kind to him, didn¡¯t it the same as feeding a dog?¡± Jinzi¡¯s eyebrows stood upright, filled with righteous indignation.


    ¡°Just do what you want.¡± Guan Suyi didn¡¯t take Zhao Wangshu to heart at all, so she didn¡¯t feel lost or angry. As long as she had enough food in her hand, even if it¡¯s a wild dog that walked past, she would throw a few bones, let alone people? But it¡¯s just throwing a bone, nothing more.


    One moment the two entered the Emperor Teacher Mansion, the next moment Zhao Wangshu arrived there, wiping the oil stains on the corners of his mouth while walking, looking very hasty. However, a miss was a miss after all, and even when the sun sets over the western hill he still couldn¡¯t meet the person and the gatekeeper refused to announce him. He could only turn around in dejection.


    ¡°Going to find Suyi? Is she willing to see you?¡± The old madam laid on the couch, dozing.


    ¡°Not willing. But I really saw my eldest aunt. She¡¯s in the palace, how could my mother be her! Both you and daddy are confused!¡± Zhao Wangshu¡¯s tone contained a hint of resentment.


    The old madam sneered, ¡°Your daddy said to leave you alone, I still blame him for not taking matters seriously, but now I finally understand that it¡¯s useless no matter what we do to you. You¡¯re a thickhead, unable to understand anything. That¡¯s it, since you think Ye Zhen is innocent, you can go with her. Come on, send the eldest young master back to the East Mansion!¡±


    Zhao Wangshu was full of remorse and wanted to stay and explain, but he was pushed by the servants to the East Mansion and they immediately closed the door. He wandered for a while, and finally went to Penglai Garden to visit his mother. Seeing that she was paralyzed in bed, dying, he immediately burst into tears, ¡°Daddy has been given bewitching medicine by Guan Suyi, and can¡¯t distinguish between good and evil! Sister is also don¡¯t want to pay attention to me either, and only stay in the west mansion. Mother, the east mansion has only us two, what should I do in the future? Son wants to find the antidote for you, but daddy said that he threw it all away. He is so cruel!¡±


    Ye Zhen¡¯s eyes flickered with two clusters of nether fire, and scolded sharply, ¡°What are you crying for! As long as you have a future and become a superior person, why do you need to ask them for the antidote? If you want to save me, you have to study hard, get scholarly honor, and become a very noble official! I brought you back from that peasant village school, and re-employ Master Lu, isn¡¯t it for your future? The first imperial examination of Wei Kingdom will be held in the spring, you must not slack off, mother will depend on you in the future. If you can stand up, mother will be able to live; if you can¡¯t stand up, mother can only die!¡±


    Zhao Wangshu wiped away his tears, nodded again and again.

 CH 123

    Outside the Weiyang Palace, a tall and slender woman stood with her hands behind her back, looking into the distance. She was wearing the Jiuli tribe dress, and her hip-length black hair was woven into many small braids, interspersed with five-colored jewels, which looked dazzling under the orange sunset. Hearing the sound of wings flapping behind her, she turned her head to look back, revealing an unusually gorgeous and heroic face, the light in her eyes twirling, overflowing with seductive charm.


    ¡°Mynah bird?¡± She raised her eyebrows and chuckled, ¡°Hunnar is still the same as before, always like to keep small animals around.¡±


    Baifu ran out after the Mynah, and when he saw the woman, he hurriedly saluted, ¡°This servant has seen Pan Jieyu. It¡¯s getting late, Jieyu niangniang should go back first. His Majesty is still reviewing the memorials, afraid he will be busy until the end of the month and will not have some free time.¡±


    Pan Jieyu¡®s name was Pan Duolan, it was one of the top ten noble surnames of the Jiuli people, so she had a very prominent family background. In the past she followed the grand princess to fight on all sides and made countless military achievements. After the founding of the country, Emperor Sheng Yuan wanted to make her a female general and ordered her to guard a region, but she resolutely refused and instead asked to enter the palace as a concubine. Because of the face of the grand princess and the Pan family, Emperor Sheng Yuan did not refuse, and established her as a Nusheng. Later, Ye Zhen lost her position, so she was promoted to Jieyu, and now she was in charge of the Six Palaces.


    Said to be in charge, but the power was still in Baifu¡¯s hands. She was only responsible for controlling the harem¡¯s concubines and telling them to keep to themselves. Fortunately, she came from military background and too impatient to take care of those common affairs. Instead, she had a lot of experience in disciplining and training idle people, and quickly established a clear prestige in the harem. Now even the Empress Dowager¡¯s Changle Palace had to be governed by her, so she became a hard-line figure who could not be offended.


    Of course, this was only for people outside the Weiyang Palace. People such as Baifu in front of her, his attitude towards her was not very friendly, but rather perfunctory.


    She seemed to have noticed it, and couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly, ¡°Why should Chief Bai lie to This Palace? Although This Palace is a subordinate of grand princess, but also helped the emperor in a few bitter battles, also fellow comrades for many years, and understand him not less than you. Whether he¡¯s in Weiyang Palace at this time, you know, I know, heaven knows , and this Mynah bird also knows.¡±


    She spread out her palm, and there were actually a few grains of rice lying on it, which attracted the Mynah to immediately fly over to peck, and she gently covered its wings.


    ¡°Huh? Why you tie its beak?¡± She saw the Mynah bird was just pecking lightly, and not a single grain of rice was eaten, Pan Duolan took a closer look and realized that the Mynah had a black rope wrapped around its mouth. Without much thought, she untied it and let it peck at happily, which caused Baifu to break out in cold sweats and feeling agitated, he was eager to pounce and snatch the Mynah bird back.


    ¡°Madam marry Zhen, madam marry Zhen, madam marry¡­¡± The next few words were all blocked by the golden grains scattered to the ground by Baifu. Peck, peck, peck, the only sound outside the hall was the sound of the Mynah pecking seriously.


    ¡°Madam? Which madam? Is the emperor really going to set up an empress?¡± Pan Duolan¡¯s face was no different, but her heart was stirring up terrifying waves. She was not a fool, how could she not guess the meaning of those words. Seemed the emperor had a sweetheart, and his desire to marry was very strong, otherwise he would not keep talking to the Mynah, and letting it accidentally learned this sentence. But this was not right. How could an unmarried woman be called Madam?


    As she thought more and more deeply, a tall man slowly walked out of the inner hall, did not look at her, only waved at the Mynah bird. The Mynah immediately abandoned the rice, flew to his shoulders and stood still, pecking the hair around his ear with its sharp beak.


    ¡°This concubine has seen Your Majesty.¡± Pan Duolan didn¡¯t have time to think about it, she immediately bowed, and before she got up, she saw the man walking back to the inner hall, he didn¡¯t bother to say a word to her. Turns out, he¡¯s different. To think in the past, they used to wander aimlessly on a horse and watched the sunset together; they fought and went through fire and water side by side. If it wasn¡¯t for the Empress Dowager who told her about His Majesty¡¯s life experience in order to break up the relationship between the Pan family and His Majesty, she would not have avoided him like a snake, nor would she have made trouble to this irreversible point like now.


    His Majesty had obviously cold towards her, especially after learning the truth of that year, afraid he would not forgive her for her ignorance and contempt. How could she be so stupid? How could she believe it without checking it? Now his life experience was no longer a sin, but had become a legend praised by people all over the world.


    Where is he a monster? He¡¯s clearly the real Dragon Emperor, blessed by Heaven! The Jiuli noble clan, who once thought that he would not leave any heirs and could not sit firmly on the throne, were finally in a hurry.


    Pan Duolan, who originally had unfulfilled feelings for His Majesty, after being instructed by the clan, actively took action to try to repair the relationship between them. But the situation seemed to be far worse than she expected. His Majesty already had someone in his heart. Who is the other person? While thinking about it, she lingered in front of the hall, and after not hearing His Majesty¡¯s summons for a long time, she left unwillingly.


    Inside the palace hall, Emperor Sheng Yuan was cleaning the wounds of the little monkey. The little guy who was originally rebellious was now obediently squatting on the table, even if the pain was so painful, he did not dare to move randomly. The Mynah tilted its head to look at it, pecking at its small hands, feet, and long tail from time to time, its black bean-like eyes were full of curiosity.


    While Baifu blended the powder medicine, he reported in a low voice, ¡°Your Majesty, just after you left the palace, Pan Jieyu came. She waited for you for most of the day, and refused to leave no matter how much this servant persuaded her.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan originally had a good impression of Pan Duolan. She said that she wanted to enter the palace, which meant that she wanted to be his woman. He was also already old enough at the time, and in any case had to be served by someone, so he agreed. Unexpectedly, on the day of entering the palace, the Empress Dowager invited her to a banquet, and afterwards she always avoided him, and every time she saw him, she would show a painful and fearful expression.


    After that, he no longer thought about these women in the palace. They could do whatever they like, and it was their own choice how they want to spend the rest of their live, what it got to do with him? However, now, after the reversal of his life experiences, they actually threw themselves on him one after another, fighting for power and profits, each tried to outwit the other.


    ¡°Let her wait if she likes to wait, not just her, from now on anyone who comes will be the same, they are not allowed to step into the Weiyang Palace for half a step.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan slowly sprinkled the medicine powder on the little monkey¡¯s wound, and when he saw that it was just squeaking but didn¡¯t dare to move, he praised, ¡°Your temperament is quite strong, not bad. This is your brother, called Little Brother, and you will be called Big Brother in the future, understand?¡±


    Hearing his master called his name, the Mynah jumped to his shoulder and pecked his ear.


    The little monkey seemed to understand, and grinned at Emperor Sheng Yuan.


    Baifu smiled, and finally said worriedly, ¡°Your Majesty, just now Pan Jieyu heard what Little Brother said, you see¡­¡±


    ¡°No problem, Madam will soon marry Zhen, so what if she heard?¡± He picked up a grain of rice and coaxed, ¡°This sentence must be studied properly, if you learn well you will be rewarded with fruit to eat. Madam marry Zhen, Madam marry Zhen¡­¡±


    The Mynah jumped from his left shoulder to his right shoulder, saying this sentence very smoothly.


    ¡ª-


    Xu Yayan came home with a small cloth bag in her arms, and saw her mother cleaning the dead branches and leaves under the eaves. Because of the thin clothes, her fingers were red from the cold, and the pustules that grew on the joints, showing faint signs of festering. The only two old servants in the family were cooking in the back kitchen. Just by the smell, one could tell that today¡¯s dishes was very simple, afraid it was just porridge and pickles.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er, did you got any money?¡± Xu Guangzhi¡¯s wife Lin shi hurried up to meet her, her eyes full of hope.


    Xu Yayan felt a pain in her heart, and hurriedly took out two ingots of silver from the cloth bag and handed them over, ¡°I got it, there are twenty taels in total. I spent five taels to buy the four treasures of the study for father. Recently he is writing a book, and these things are quickly consumed. I will copy two more books this month, and next month I can buy a few new sets of clothes for father and big brother, so they won¡¯t lose face when they go out to socialize.¡±


    ¡°Two copies in a month is already hard enough, don¡¯t copy it again, so as not to burn your eyes. You are eighteen this year, and you should have already married, but the situation in our family is really¡­¡± Lin shi locked the silver taels in the money box and sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know what your father thinks. Originally, he was able to rely on County Prince Jing to find a good job, but in the end he resigned and returned home to concentrate on writing the book. Now we are almost have no money for the foods, all rely on you alone to support. Your sister married far away in Taiyuan, and I heard that things were not good over there. She was often rejected by her husband¡¯s family because our humble family status, which become a drag. You are already this old, you can¡¯t afford to be delayed. I feel sorrowful in my heart, these days are really hard to live.¡±


    Lin shi held the corner of the handkerchief and gently wiped her tears. Within a year, she had a lot of gray hair on her temples.


    Xu Yayan on the contrary didn¡¯t take it to heart, she comforted, ¡°Mother, you don¡¯t have to worry about your daughter, as long as father¡¯s big work is successful and spreads widely, he will surely become famous in Wei Kingdom and able to rebuild his prestige. When daughter talks about marriage again, it will be a thousand times more impressive than it is now.¡±


    Lin shi said nervously, ¡°Tell your mother the truth, your father can really turn things around this time? Just with a book?¡±


    ¡°Father not just write some ordinary articles, but summarized, annotated, and analyzed Confucian classics one by one. Now that the imperial examination is imminent, how many people can afford to hire great scholar as their teacher? How many people can afford to spend a few taels of silver a month for a private tutor? The vast majority of students got the Four Books and Five Classics but no one helped them to solve their doubts. It all depends on personal understanding. How can they not be afraid when they go to the exam room? Once father¡¯s set of book comes out, it will be regarded as a treasure book by the students of the world, and it will be quickly spread out. Soon he will become popular in Wei Kingdom, and won the reputation of ¡®Master of the world¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Master of the world? So powerful?¡± Lin shi¡®s eyes widened, and her mood was surging up.


    ¡°Naturally. What is Emperor Teacher? Only Master of the world is worthy of father¡¯s talent.¡± Xu Yayan¡¯s eyes were full of pride.


    ¡°Hahaha, no one understand father better than Yan¡¯er!¡± Xu Guangzhi walked into the inner hall with a set of books, followed by his eldest son, also holding a thick stack of manuscripts. He sat down in the main seat, patted the table and said, ¡°Bring a jar of good wine, I will definitely drink it today.¡±


    ¡°It seems that father¡¯s manuscript has been successfully finished?¡± Xu Yayan was overjoyed.


    ¡°Rushing and rushing, finally completed it before the imperial examination. Just need to transcribe a few copies and distribute them, then can quickly accumulate fame. I don¡¯t believe with my, Xu Guangzhi, great talent, I can¡¯t have a place among the powerful people of Yanjing. Before, it was me who thought wrongly, the emperor believes in hegemony and arbitrarily decide the regulations of the court. If people wants to stand out under his command, they cannot rely on any force, and can only be a pure minister. Then I will concentrate on cultivating books and use my true talents and practical learning to open up a path to heaven. Yan¡¯er¡¯s marriage is not urgent, there will be better choices in the future.¡±


    Lin shi could only agreed. Xu Yayan said excitedly, ¡°Father, just hand over the manuscript to me, I will transcribe it for you even if I don¡¯t sleep! I¡¯m very familiar with the shopkeepers of several bookstores, I will ask them to help spread the word, the speed will certainly be very fast.¡±

 CH 124

    Guan Suyi stayed at home for half a month and was finally ready to leave for Jiaozhou today. She got up early, didn¡¯t wash or dress, just sat in front of the mirror in a daze. At the beginning of her rebirth, she wanted to turn around and return to Jiaozhou, never entering the capital. But now that her wish had finally come true, her heart was full with inexplicable melancholy.


    Jinzi and Minglan had already packed their belongings in large and small bags, and even took down the curtains on the windows and planned to take them.


    Suddenly, the Mynah bird came in through the crack of an open window, flew down onto the bronze mirror, tilted its head and looked at her, ¡°Madam don¡¯t go, Madam marry Zhen!¡± It jumped left, jumped right, and kept repeating these two sentence.


    Minglan took a deep breath, hurriedly closed the window, and ran outside to check. Seeing that there were no other people around, she slapped her chest and slumped against the door frame. This little thing ran out suddenly and said these things that could not be heard by outsiders. If this thing kept making troubles, afraid that she would lose her soul. Sure enough, they had to leave Yanjing as soon as possible.


    ¡°You shout ¡®Zhen¡¯ again and again, aren¡¯t you afraid that others will take you as ¡®rough traitors¡¯ and cook you?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s dull mood was slightly cheered, she pinched the Mynah¡¯s sharp beak to make fun of it. The Mynah flapped his wings and wanted to scratch with his claws, but hesitantly put it down. Obviously, he had received strict training and would not hurt her in the slightest.


    ¡°Forget it, no one will listen to these words in the future. Let your master entertain himself.¡± Guan Suyi took out a few grains of rice from her purse and summoned, ¡°Come and eat. I¡¯ll teach you the last sentence. Take care, take care¡­¡±


    The Mynah was very smart, and he could repeat it after listening to it a few times. Then Guan Suyi held it out of the window and let it fly, watching it disappear in the direction of the imperial city with sluggish eyes. When she was about to leave, she realized that the time she stayed in the capital were not all depression and pain, but also sunshine and spring breeze; even more there were freedom and willfulness, wandering uninhibitedly, and such memories were all related to Hunnar.


    So if you feel reluctant to part, it¡¯s human nature, right?


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t dare to think deeply, she quickly get ready, and went to the front hall to say goodbye to her family. After breakfast, the gate of the mansion was opened, and dozens of guards escorted seven carriages, ready to go to Jiaozhou. The passers-by pointed and talked about it, saying that the noble women of the high gate family was really full of style, and she had so much luggage when she went out, the valuable things inside probably was not a few.


    However, who knows, there were only a few bags of valuable things in the carriage, the rest were loaded with books. To ordinary people, they were worthless, but in the eyes of Guan family, they were comparable to precious treasure.


    Old Master Guan clutched his chest and muttered, ¡°Yiyi, your maternal grandfather¡¯s family has a huge collection of books, why do you still want to take our family¡¯s books away? How troublesome is this going back and forth?¡±


    ¡°No trouble, I only loaded seven carriages when I go, and maybe there will be fourteen when I come back. This is called reluctant to let the child catch the wolf*. Grandfather, please be more generous.¡± Guan Suyi swept the corner of her eyes to the side of the street, then paused. Sure enough, Hunnar came, his face covered with a layer of human skin mask, and the Mynah stood on his shoulder, talking in his ear.


    He noticed her gaze, and silently mouthed, ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    So what if I don¡¯t go? Do I really have to marry into the palace? The last time her father asked her how a nobleman should be regent, this was a hint to her that even if the emperor was deeply affectionate and righteous, once the two were united, it would become a purely political relationship. And politics was precisely the most dangerous and most difficult to grasp. It would be a second marriage for her, her name was not justified, her status destined to be a head lower than other concubines, how could she dominate the six palaces?


    Moreover, just managing the Zhao¡¯s house she already felt tired, and she would not jump into the sea of swords and fire without thinking.


    After thinking about it, she retracted her gaze and boarded the carriage, but she heard someone outside the carriage shouted urgently, ¡°Old master, there is a letter from Jiaozhou, you should take a look, see if there¡¯s a change over there.¡±


    Old Master Guan opened the envelope and read it quickly, his reluctant expression was immediately replaced with joy, ¡°Quickly unload the carriage!¡± He waved his hand at the guards, ¡°Don¡¯t go, the in-laws are already on their way to the capital. Yiyi, come down and go home with me.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Guan Suyi asked as she lifted the curtain.


    ¡°The emperor wants to cast a history for the Wei Kingdom and create a biography for himself, and specially invited your maternal grandmother to come to the capital to write a book. How can a history book be easily written, I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t be able to leave when they come back this time! Our family can finally be reunited, okay, it¡¯s really great!¡± The old man rejoiced, but Guan Father frowned and looked worried.


    Guan Suyi immediately jumped out of the carriage and kept asking, ¡°Is it true? Let me see.¡± Only then she realized that she didn¡¯t want to leave Yanjing at all. Leaving this place that gave her pain but also gave her joy.


    Outside the crowd, Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at Madam with a smile. Her joyous appearance was so obvious, it seemed that she was reluctant to part with him. Take care? He doesn¡¯t need to take care, he just wants to grasp the heaven and earth forever. Without his permission, Madam could not go anywhere, even the two Mount Tai could not arrange her to leave or stay. He could give her the freedom to choose, but he won¡¯t give her the right to refuse, whether she agree now or in the future, it¡¯s just a matter of time.


    ¡ª-


    The trip was canceled, and the only person who was unhappy in the Guan family was Guan Father, but he couldn¡¯t say anything, so he had to find another way. Fortunately, the imperial examination was imminent, and students from all over the country flocked to Yanjing, now it was time to choose a few suitable son-in-law¡¯s candidate. Zhong shi also wouldn¡¯t let her daughter stay alone for the rest of her life, and it was only right to find a good family while she was not yet turned twenty.


    At the beginning of spring, Master Xuan Guang always held a literary gathering in Jueyin Temple. Many literary giants, scholars, students, and honorable people gathered together to communicate with each other, which could be regarded as a major event in Yanjing. And this year coincided with the imperial examination, and this literary gathering naturally would become an opportunity for the students to become famous, and it¡¯s unknown how many people come with the idea of clinging to the powerful, trying to take a shortcut quietly. If one lucky enough to be favored by any literary giants or honorable people, soon they would be able to step into the sky.


    Didn¡¯t the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies were chosen by His Majesty at the literary gathering in Bodhi Garden? Who said that other people would not have that luck. What if His Majesty also came incognito to examine the character and intelligence of the current students? Thinking it this way, there was an endless stream of people who came to participate in the literary gathering, and even the noble ladies in the capital went up to the mountain in droves.


    Early in the morning Guan Suyi was picked up by Zhong shi to dress up. She let her changed several sets of clothes, and finally settled on a goose-yellow chest-length dress, with a white muslin shawl on the outside, and the skirt was embroidered with willow leaves made from gold and silver thread, which was not conspicuous at first glance, but it shines brightly under the sun.


    After that, she actually took out a ribbon of the same color, tied it tightly under her daughter¡¯s chest, and once again tied a bow on the chest to make her daughter¡¯s already plump chest even higher, creating a deep gully that even Guan Suyi felt herself blushing when she saw it.


    ¡°Mother, why do you make me wear this kind of clothes? It¡¯s too embarrassing!¡± She complained while covering her chest.


    ¡°What do you know? This is a style passed on by the Jiuli people. The eldest princess wears this kind of dress every day to show off. When the weather is hot, she even forego the muslin shawl and goes out with her bare arms. I always look at it and become used to it, and when thinking about it I think it¡¯s pretty, at least prettier than the dress with sleeves.¡± Zhong shi bent over to put on anklets for her daughter, and taught earnestly, ¡°The Zhao family neither entered the noble families¡¯ eyes, nor it¡¯s comparable to the upstarts in the court, and later even the title of nobility was reduced to a commoner. Even if you hold the title of first-rank madam, there are no nobles in the capital who look up to you, afraid you have very little communication on weekdays. After coming to Yanjing for a year, how many times have you been out? How many times have you been to a Banquet? Do you know the madam of each family? Do you know what the most fashionable clothes, jewelry, and head ornaments in Yanjing City? Just know how to read books all day, really living in vain.¡±


    After putting on the anklets, she took out many exquisite wooden boxes, selected head ornaments for her daughter, and said in a serious voice, ¡°You are a reconcile woman. Although you are talented, your personality is too rigid. Mother will tell the truth that you won¡¯t like, which mother-in-law would dare to have a daughter-in-law like you? Wouldn¡¯t they be afraid of marrying a Buddha that they cannot suppress. Your biggest advantage now is this face. If mother doesn¡¯t dress you up more beautifully, and let those family¡¯s sons take the initiative to ask for marriage, I¡¯m afraid no matchmaker will come to the door.¡±


    She put on a set of emerald head ornaments on her daughter¡¯s temples, pinched her chin and turned left and right, sighing, ¡°My daughter is so stunning, even the praise causing a downfall of the country is not too much, and when you show your talent in this literary gathering, there¡¯s not need to worry about your marriage.¡±


    Guan Suyi kept covering her cold chest with her palms, and said with a smile, ¡°Mother, daughter has just reconciled, so I¡¯m not in a hurry to get married now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not in a hurry, but I¡¯m in a hurry. Shut up and put some lip rouge.¡± Zhong shi took out a lot of bottles and jars and began to apply it to her daughter¡¯s face. Zhong shi was from a family of agronomists, extremely good at growing plants, and even better at extracting and utilizing them. The rouge and gouache used by the women of the clan were all prepared by themselves, and the effect was better than the palace¡¯s tribute. And Zhong shi was the best among them. If she was serious, she could even carve a few flowers from a dead wood, not to mention Guan Suyi was not dead wood, but a beautiful jade.


    After a quarter of an hour, Jinzi and Minglan who walked into the room to pack things simply couldn¡¯t even recognize her, and stammered, ¡°Mi¡­ miss, why are you dressed like this?¡±


    The beautiful woman stood leaning against the window, dressed in brocade. The originally plain face was painted with bright lip rouge, and a small dot-shaped gold leaf was pasted on both sides of the eyebrows, the outer corner of the beautiful eyes were traces with ink brush, slowly lengthened, gradually rising, and finally quietly ending. The slight glance of the eyes gave a charming and amorous feeling. It was like a hook, which tightly hooked the tip of your heart, and it was like a dull knife, that slowly stabbed you in the chest, so that you could only stare at her without blinking to relieve the heart-stopping pain.


    As if this soul-snatching face was not enough, she still wore the most fashionable chest-length dress, her enviable twin peaks were half exposed, round and upturned; her lustrous white skin was half covered, smooth and delicate. When walking, the breeze blows the clothes, which outlined the small waist that one could not bear to grasped; the skirt then bloomed, and even the brilliant gold and silver threads could not match the dazzling carnelian jade hanging loosely on her small and delicate feet and ankles.


    Blood red, translucent white, step by step, she did not step on the ground, but on the heartstrings of other people. Where is this going to participate in the literary gathering, this is clearly to kill people! After today, it¡¯s unknown how many handsome young men¡¯s hearts would be crushed to death in her hands. Thinking like this, Jinzi and Minglan let out a breath, and finally they could breathe.

 CH 125

    Guan Suyi covered her chest with one hand and pulled the hem of her skirt with the other, standing in front of the bronze mirror she hesitantly said, ¡°Is it really okay to wear it like this? Would it be too indecent? Besides, it¡¯s just spring, and the weather is still a bit cold, but I even put on thin muslin, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be a laughingstock when I go out.¡±


    Jinzi hesitated to speak, but Minglan waved her hands indifferently, ¡°Miss, you are thinking too much, let alone spring, even in the mid-winter of the twelfth month, some people wear it like this. Just wear a fox fur coat outside, and when entering the inner room, you can take off the coat, it will definitely overwhelm the crowd. This is a trend brought by the eldest princess. The noble girls and noble ladies in Yanjing City are flocking to it. Every banquet will be full of fragrance clothes and shadow on the temple*, ice flesh and snow skin*, which makes people dazzled when they see. If you don¡¯t wear it like this, you may even be scolded for being old-fashioned.¡±


    ¡°Oh? This dress has become popular in the capital?¡± Guan Suyi was surprised.


    The Zhao family was inferior to the noble families, did not mingle with the upstart, and did not communicate with the low-level officials, so the position in the capital was very embarrassing. When Zhao Luli was deprived of the title, the situation became even worse, and Guan Suyi didn¡¯t even have a chance to go out to a banquet. If she widely send out invitations to others to visit her, it was unlikely to get promised, and she seemed to be isolated. Therefore, after marrying into the Zhao Mansion in this life, she only spent her free time reading books and busily managing the family, and never paid attention to the changes in the outside world.


    She still remember that at this time in her previous life, Second Miss Xu had entered the palace and was named Zhaoyi. Because of her outstanding talent and beauty, sincere and upright, she was quite favored by Emperor Sheng Yuan, and soon took charge of the authority of the Six Palaces. Later, she became famous for ¡°Lesson for Women¡±, and then flew up the branches and turned into a phoenix, which attracted noble ladies in the capital to follow suit. Everyone took pride on being unwavering and had virtuous virtue.


    The clothing style of the previous dynasties was originally more relaxed. In the early days of the establishment of the Wei Kingdom, it also adhered to the that tradition, the heroic and rambunctious characters of the Jiuli people were also dominant, and the lavish style prevailed for a while. But it was reversed under the preach of Second Miss Xu, and it became more conservative day by day. The commoners might not feel deeply, nor understood what ¡°Xu¡¯s Neo-Confucianism¡± means and how it affect their lives, but the upper circles bear the brunt of it, becoming distorted and grotesque.


    The term ¡°the top move, below follow¡± had been vividly interpreted. ¡°The King of Chu has a slender waist, and many of them starve to death in the palace*.¡±, and the situation of the Wei Kingdom was also strikingly similar. The emperor only respected Confucianism, and all scholars abandoned what they had learned before and went to study Confucianism instead; the emperor advocated Neo-Confucianism, and the rotten, rigid and arbitrary patriarchal thought became popular; the emperor liked women who were faithful unto death, and reconciliation and remarriage became a disgrace and taboo. A transformation quietly took place in the upper-class circles, and in ten, twenty, thirty years¡­ this trend would surely seep into the lower-class people, completely imprisoning their thoughts.


    The women who were killed by ¡°Xu¡¯s Neo-Confucianism¡± were not only Guan Suyi and Li shi, but also many more. She closed her eyes and casually looked into her memory, and she could find frame after frame of bloody pictures. A woman who returned home after she reconciled was beaten to death; a woman who was disrespectful to her husband was arbitrarily abandoned and thrown into the river; there was even a little girl under the age of fourteen who was helped by a guard because she stumbled while walking, her hands were chopped off by her father who adhered strictly to Neo-Confucianism, just to keep her innocent.


    Once the barriers that isolated her memory were opened, all resentment and unwillingness flood into her heart. Guan Suyi originally thought that living in Cangzhou and ignoring world affairs was her struggle against Xu¡¯s Confucianism and her self-rebellion. Only now did she realized that in the process of studying ¡°Lesson for Women¡± every day and refuting it, her thoughts had already been deeply poisoned.


    It¡¯s just a gorgeous gown, how could it be ¡°indecent¡±? Besides, so what if it¡¯s indecent? She had a prominent family background and had a respected status. As long as she did not disgrace her family reputation, why shouldn¡¯t she wear this?


    Once the gate of the dangerous heart was opened, even Guan Suyi herself couldn¡¯t lock it. Looking at the beautiful and graceful woman in the mirror, she liked it very much. Unknowingly the hand covering her chest had been put down, and her light-white fingertips twisted the crooked hairpin and smiled slowly.


    This smile was not at all like the gentle and shallow smile in the past, dignified and elegant, instead it exuded a suffocating charm. Just with a different expression, her non-aggressive qualities disappeared without a trace, becoming sharp and intense, severing Minglan and Jinzi¡¯s eyeballs like a knife blade. They felt that their miss seemed to be different from before, but they couldn¡¯t tell what was different.


    She no longer covered her chest and shrank her shoulders, but raised her chest and raised her chin slightly, looking at the bronze mirror proudly.


    ¡°It¡¯s really beautiful, the more I look at it, the more beautiful it becomes.¡± She smiled softly, unaware that the clothes she was boasting were still hers, and that tender and sweet voice made Jinzi and Minglan get goosebumps all over.


    ¡°The color of this hairpin is not bright enough, let¡¯s replace it with the exquisite jadeite crested phoenix hairpin.¡± She stroked her temples with her fingertips, and took off the golden hairpin lazily.


    Minglan was the first to come to her senses, rummaging through the box with a blushing face. Jinzi was still stunned. She was used to seeing her master with her face facing the sky. The first time she saw her dressed up, it was really hard to extricate herself. She wonder what would happen to His Majesty when he saw her? Probably dizzy. She then heard her master ask, ¡°Can you sing the most popular lewd songs in the pleasure house nowadays?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± She had a dumbfounded expression, and immediately reacted, hurriedly waved her hand, ¡°Miss, this servant has only received poison and martial arts training in the dark guards, and has never studied seduction technique.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense? Just say whether you can or not.¡± Guan Suyi changed the head ornaments according to her own will, and when she squinted, her eyes were gleaming, seducing other people¡¯s souls.


    Jinzi¡¯s whole body stiffened, and she said quietly, ¡°Yes. The popular things in the underworld, this servant basically familiar with them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± After dressing up properly, Guan Suyi took out a delicate small wooden box from under the bed, stuffed the newly made skin mask, and said with a low smile, ¡°This is the Rizui wine brewed by my maternal grandfather, by refining and fermenting the essence of five grains and the aroma of hundred fruits. The wine taste is not heavy, it¡¯s like drinking nectar and jade dew in the throat, and it only takes three cups to make people drunk. This skin mask is of an ordinary-looking man. When you enter the Jueyin Temple, you put it on, approach Lu Fengming as a servant, and deliver this wine to him. After drinking three cups he won¡¯t know if it¡¯s day or night, then quietly hummed lewd songs in his ear. He loves to linger at that pleasure house place, and this will definitely reveal his true color.¡±


    Jinzi was stunned when she heard this, before she murmured, ¡°Miss, didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t care about a dying person? Why do you plan to ruin his reputation?¡±


    Guan Suyi walked to the door and turned her head to look back. The bright sunlight shone from her back, casting a shadow on her face. ¡°I suddenly realized,¡± the corners of her mouth rose slowly, and her tone was a little weird, ¡°In this life I should change my way of living. Whether becoming a hypocrite or fake nobleman, I also can¡¯t let myself live in humiliation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Who doesn¡¯t want to live happily.¡± Minglan laughed, diluting the suffocating aura.


    Jinzi hugged the things in her arms tightly, not daring to slack off. She always felt that from today onwards, afraid His Majesty would be more suffocated. Just thinking about this, she saw her miss turned back, opened the drawer and took out three pieces of skin mask, fold them into thin squares, and put them into the purse on her waist, said while laughing softly, ¡°When going out, these faces are indispensable, one of mine, one of an ordinary man, and one of blank mask ready to be molded. If you find me disappearing suddenly in the future, don¡¯t panic, just sit and wait in the tea-house in front of the mansion, and I¡¯ll be back when I¡¯m done playing.¡±


    ¡°Miss, you haven¡¯t played enough?¡± A drop of cold sweat dripped from Jinzi¡¯s forehead, feeling that this errands were getting harder and harder.


    ¡°There is a saying called ¡®Live until you get old and learn until you get old¡¯. I think I have to add another sentence, ¡®Live until you get old and play until you get old¡¯. This is the true meaning of life.¡± As she spoke, she stepped very gracefully and walked away, leaving Jinzi and Minglan to looked at each other.


    ¡ª-


    Seeing that her daughter had changed a few pieces of jewelry, but it was more luxurious and bright, Zhong shi was naturally very satisfied, and immediately took her to the mountain. Due to the grand scale of the literary gathering, the crowds were swarming, not only in the Jueyin Temple, but also in the pavilions outside the temple.


    The men were all dressed in loose gown with wide girdle, looking elegance, and the women were all dressed in brocade and splendid make-up. They gathered together in twos and threes to chat and laugh. If it was the previous life, except for the noblewomen of the Jiuli tribe who were stubbornly resisting, how could the Han women dare to indulge like this?


    Seeing the scenery that was completely different from her previous life, Guan Suyi let out a long sigh and finally smiled slowly. She followed Zhong shi to meet some acquaintances of the elders, and after a few chats, she was pushed to the Bodhi Garden to socialize with the young people.


    Catching a glimpse of the woman standing by the gate, with brilliance light that threaten all the women, the courtyard was silent for a moment, and then a man whispered, ¡°Which lady is this?¡±


    ¡°It should be the di daughter of the Guan family, the one who was just reconcile.¡± A noblewoman of the imperial family introduced in a low voice, didn¡¯t know whether it was intentional or not, she still added another sentence. She and Guan Suyi were in the main hall while reading the scriptures for the late empress dowager, so she naturally knew her.


    ¡°It turned out to be her!¡± Some people shook their heads and sneered with disdain; some people suddenly realize, their faces looked infatuated and some people remained silent, with cool eyes of a bystander. Even if the Wei Kingdom¡¯s customs were more open-minded, for the noble family¡¯s children, a reconcile woman in the end was not a good match, not worthy of their favor.


    The noblewomen who were originally very jealous of Guan Suyi  began to snicker, as if they had won a battle. How could a broken flower, withered willow* be compared with a delicate flower bud? The momentary amazement subsided, and everyone continued to hold the scroll and read it. If there was a wave of literary thoughts and the poetry idea was rising, they would pick up their brush and write the words on the white wall.


    Among so many young men and women, there was only one person surrounded by many people, which had attracted much attention. She wore a long-sleeved dress that could not have been more conservative. The tender green color made her lips red and her teeth white, and her face was like peach and plum. Surrounded by luxuriously dressed noblewomen, it made her looked more fresh and refined and different.


    Holding a book in her hand, she recited word by word, which attracted a group of students to listen carefully, completely fascinated with her.


    Guan Suyi, who was isolated by everyone, didn¡¯t feel uncomfortable at all, and slowly paced over, waited until the woman to raise her teacup to moisten her throat, she then cupped her hands and asked, ¡°Second Miss Xu, whose masterpiece is this? It seems to be a lecture interpretation? ¡±


    Xu Yayan smiled and replied, ¡°This is my father¡¯s humble work, called ¡°Subset Commentary¡±, to solve the doubts of the students all over the world and points out the way.¡±


    Solve the doubts of the students all over the world? Xu Guangzhi wants to pick up the name ¡°Master of the World¡±! Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes flashed and then she grinned.

 CH 126

    Xu Yayan never expected that Guan Suyi would recognize her identity, but she thought left and right, and still not remember when and where they had intersect, so she had to give up. Before this, she had also imagined what Guan shi look like and what her temperament would be, and when she really saw her, she finally felt relieved. She was so gorgeous and flamboyant, if she was really an impetuous person like the rumor, there was no need for deep friendship.


    How could Guan Suyi not notice the coldness in her tone? If it was in the past, she would have understandingly and tactfully walked away without speaking, but today she smiled and shoved in front of her face and continued to talk, ¡°It turned out to be Master Xu¡¯s masterpiece, do you have any extra manuscripts? Can you lend me a look?¡±


    Xu Yayan still had the same gentle and courteous look, took out a fragrant book from the box by her side and handed it over, ¡°There happened to be the last one, then I will give it to sister to read. If sister has any advice, you can look for me to discuss it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will read it carefully and give advice one by one.¡± In her previous life, Guan Suyi, who lived quietly in Cangzhou, devoted all her remaining vitality to study, especially the works of the Xu family, which she read every day and was familiar with it. Combining the viewpoints of ¡°Mencius¡¯s Confucianism¡± and ¡°Zisi¡¯s Confucianism¡± to interpret and decompose them, and then wrote articles to refute them one by one.


    Started over again in this life, if really want to talk about the level of knowledge, Xu Guangzhi might not be her opponent. This ¡°advice¡± was not a rhetoric, but the truth. However, it angered the students who had read Master Xu¡¯s masterpieces and respected him as a teacher, even more so Xu Yayan, who was very unhappy.


    ¡°Miss Guan, if you have time to talk nonsense here, why not go to the main hall and apologize to Master Lu?¡± A handsome nobleman said coldly.


    ¡°Yeah, although Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies have already apologized on your behalf, but after all it¡¯s not as sincere as you personally go. Your Guan family originally a family of benevolence, but didn¡¯t expect to start bullying others after you move up in the world, people today are treacherous, public morals are degenerating everyday.¡± Another person was filled with righteous indignation.


    ¡°My grandfather and father have apologized on my behalf? When and where?¡± Guan Suyi finally showed a solemn expression.


    ¡°At the beginning of the literary gathering, in front of all the students at the gate of Jueyin Temple.¡± Xu Yayan advised, ¡°Miss Guan, Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies are both the backbone of the country and well-known figure in the literary world. I hope you will think twice in the future, and don¡¯t burden their official reputation.¡±


    Guan Suyi smiled instead of being angry, looked around at everyone and said slowly, ¡°I have one doubt in my mind, can you please answer me? Virtue and talent, which one is more important? Which is the first and which is the second?¡±


    ¡°Confucius said: ¡®A great horse is not praised for its strength, but its virtue.¡¯  He placed more emphasis on virtue even on horses, so what about people? He also said ¡®The Constant Mean is also virtue, and it¡¯s the most important¡¯! it can be seen that the essence of Confucianism is all in the words ¡°Constant Mean¡±, which is the supreme virtue, so Confucianism should be based on virtue, take virtue as the foundation, and knowledge is the second.¡± Xu Yayan talked eloquently.


    Guan Suyi nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Master Lu has talent but no virtue, he hampered the students¡¯ progress, so he was persuaded to resign, where did I do wrong? My grandfather¡¯s and father¡¯s apology, and I will take it back on their behalf.¡± She smiled slightly, then politely said, ¡°Persons who walk different paths cannot make plans together. Since you all pay more attention to learning and do not ask about morality, then I will leave.¡±


    Xu Yayan was once again realized the feeling ¡°a scholar meets a soldier, and the reason is not clear¡°. In this person¡¯s mouth, Master Lu became a person with ¡°no virtue¡±. Who does she think she is? Even Judicial Minister would not be as decisive as her!


    ¡°Wait? Since you said Master Lu have no virtue, do you have any proof?¡± The handsome young master, who had asked her to go to the main hall to apologize earlier, questioned her.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t answer nor did she look back, seemingly slow, but in fact she walked very fast towards the courtyard gate. What it meant by ¡®when views are irreconcilable, it¡¯s a waste of breath to continue discussion¡¯? This exactly it. Young students were the easiest to incite, as long as a person earn some prestige and write a few essays, he could instruct them to run up and down and wave flags and shout battle cries. Before, they still repeatedly praised her as a role model for women, but now after only one month, they began to scold her for insulting the teacher. What was the fact, what was the truth, they didn¡¯t think about it at all, just blindly obey the authority.


    No, maybe it¡¯s not that they were not thinking, but as a woman, she naturally should be a head shorter than them. Too much praise would inevitably inspire jealousy, the human heart was such an inconsistent and vicious thing. The slander poured out and the criticism filled the sky, but Guan Suyi¡¯s mood was exceptionally calm. She had already figured it out, in this life she had to live for herself, regardless of others.


    The handsome man was furious by her arrogant attitude, and scolded loudly, ¡°If you have no proof, it means that you are slandering, I will definitely tell the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies, and ask the two masters to judge the right and wrong! You have insult the teacher and your morals are corrupt, you should leave the literary gathering immediately, so as not to contaminate the purity of the literary world!¡±


    His status seemed to be very precious, and the people around him hurriedly stepped forward to comfort him, with a flattering attitude. However, Guan Suyi never looked back, raised her right hand and waved lightly, the person had already left the courtyard gate, leaving only a domineering scent of cinnamon, which made these people blushing and their eyes burning.


    The scene was silent, and finally Xu Yayan spoke softly to break the gloom, ¡°Forget it, right and wrong the public will make an appropriate judgment, so there is no need to care about her. What can she gain today other than disgracing Guan family¡¯s style and ruining Guan family¡¯s reputation?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The virtue of the noble man is like wind, the virtue of the villain is like grass, the wind will topple the grass. Which is right and which is wrong, when the wind of righteousness passes by, it will be clear at a glance. Come, come, still ask Miss Xu to continue to read for everyone.¡± The handsome man had a courteous attitude.


    Another person who also admired Second Miss Xu hurriedly said, ¡°Miss¡¯s hairpin flower small script is unparalleled. After reading the book, you should leave the calligraphy as a memento.¡±


    The students who had worshipped Master Xu as their teachers followed suit and surrounded Xu Yayan like the moon that were held by many stars. Many  noble ladies who wanted the reputation of eager to learn and love talents were also very willing to make friends with her, so they comforted her one after another, and then scolded that Guan shi woman to vent their jealousy and hatred.


    Compared with Guan Suyi, Xu Yayan was in the limelight today, but she still maintained an air of neither arrogance nor impetuous, neither humble nor overbearing, which made people look up more and more. She picked up the ¡°Subset Commentary¡± and was about to read it, but found a man hidden in the corner suddenly came out and walked towards the courtyard gate.


    He was very tall and strong, with a thick beard covering his jaw, which hid his appearance, but a pair of black-blue eyes were terrifying. He walked slowly, looked around at the crowd, and the depths of his eyes flowed with a careless yet majestic power.


    Black-blue eyes? Everyone could see that this person has a pair of eyes with different colors, which was the same as His Majesty, but in the whole Wei Kingdom there¡¯s only one! Shouldn¡¯t this person be the emperor in white dragon fish suit? How long has he been here? Such a powerful aura, why has no one discovered him before? Everyone¡¯s eyes were glowing, and their hearts were beating like drums. They wanted to come forward to talk, but they were afraid of offending the holy face and made a fault.


    Xu Yayan¡¯s palm holding the scroll was already covered in fine sweat, and she kept recalling her words and deeds. After making sure that there was no rudeness, only then she let out a sigh of relief! The most outstanding person today was none other than herself. If she wins the emperor¡¯s favor because of this, father would definitely rise to the top, and the Xu family would definitely soar to the sky. She no longer has to copy manuscripts for a few taels of silver and stay up all night¡­


    Everyone¡¯s thoughts were different, but they all began to stroke their temples and smooth the hem of their clothes, lest there be any disrespect. However, this man only glanced at them coldly and walked away, when they looked again after he went out of the courtyard gate, he had disappeared without a trace, it¡¯s unknown where he was going.


    ¡ª-


    It was also shameful to say that Emperor Sheng Yuan had waited for Madam in the Bodhi Garden for half an hour, and he should have chase after her, but he couldn¡¯t leave due to physical discomfort. At the sight of Madam, his always strong self-control collapsed like a flood, all rushed down to his lower abdomen, causing the unspeakable place to almost rupture.


    He hurriedly hid his breath and hid behind the rockery, lest Madam see his ugly appearance and leave an even more unbearable impression. He never knew that the elegant and charming Madam who had always showed her natural features, when she changed her clothes and put on a little bit of makeup, would be as beautiful as fantasy. The moment she walked in, it was like a beam of light shining from the sky, and it was like a sharp blade piercing his heart, making him to almost walk forward recklessly, wrap her in a robe, and then take her away without hesitation.


    How could she wear that kind of clothes? How could she smile so dazzlingly? Today, she was different from any time before, less repressed and more indulgent; She had lost her gentleness and only arrogant remained. It seemed that she no longer want to be gentle, and not even want to utter a single superfluous words for unrelated people.


    What changed her? Is it because of him? Because she knew that she could rely on him in everything, so she completely opened her heart and lived wantonly? This thought flowed through his heart like honey, and Emperor Sheng Yuan couldn¡¯t wait to see Madam and asked her.


    After the desire subsided, he hurriedly chased out following the guidance of the dark guard, went around in circles, and finally saw Madam by the sparkling spring lake. She stood against the wind, her figure was ethereal, her white muslin shawl was fluttering, and the fragrance was overflowing. It¡¯s unknown where Jinzi was, only Minglan stayed by her side, looking at her without blinking.


    In this way, she was more terrifying than a demon, like if she turn around and look at him, she could kill him on the spot. Emperor Sheng Yuan covered his chest and suddenly felt a little overwhelmed. He opened and closed his lips a few times, but couldn¡¯t make any sound, only then he realize that his throat had already been dried by the fire of desire.


    ¡°Have you seen enough?¡± Unexpectedly, Madam turned around and gave him a charming smile.


    An invisible arrow shot into Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s chest, causing his heart to stop and his blood to freeze. He calmed down for a while before saying hoarsely, ¡°Not enough. No matter how long I watch, it¡¯s always not enough.¡±


    Guan Suyi was about to raise the corner of her mouth, but her expression shattered in an instant, she quickly turned her back and scolded angrily, ¡°Stay away from me, you beast!¡±


    ¡°Madam, your temperament is getting bigger and bigger, how did I provoke to even make you scolded me beast.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan felt very aggrieved, he barely took two steps forward, then heard Minglan scream and hurriedly cover her face. When he looked down, he realized that he had lost control of that place again, and he couldn¡¯t even cover it with his wide robe.


    This is really embarrassing! He sat down slowly in the gazebo by the lake, spread his legs, leaned forward, and appealed, ¡°If Madam blames me for polluting your eyes, don¡¯t look at it. Shall we sit down and talk for a while? Anyway, you have nowhere to go now, and you¡¯re too lazy to take care of those vulgar people, so use me to kill time.¡±


    ¡°Use you to kill time? Can you bastard talk properly?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s head was about to smoke, but the other person was only stunned for a moment, and then laughed wildly, as if she had told a big joke.

 CH 127

    Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t hide her face from Hunnar¡¯s laughter. After thinking about it carefully, she understood what was wrong, and immediately reprimanded, ¡°Stop laughing, that thing that stuck in your brain, it¡¯s very vulgar!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan showed an innocent expression, ¡°Why Madam take your anger on me again? Wasn¡¯t it you who think crookedly before? You even scolded me for not being able to talk properly, that is called confidence of one own conviction. Madam, you are becoming more and more self-willed, and I don¡¯t believe you¡¯re also this unreasonable in front of Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies.¡± After the words fell he was stunned for a while, and then burst into laughter, ¡°Oh, I get it. Madam can only do this in front of me, because with me, you can throw away all the pretense and show your true selves. You know that I¡¯m not going to tell anyone, and I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡±


    The more he laughed, the happier he was, and once it gets started there¡¯s no stopping it.


    Guan Suyi, who had never dared to turn back, was about to explode with anger. She wanted to flung her sleeves and leave, but then feeling like she had lost, she couldn¡¯t help but feel resentful. After thinking for a while, she simply turned around and walked towards Hunnar. She sat on the bench opposite him, but not at all in the dignified posture of the past, rather outstretched one of her hand and rest it on the railing, her fingertips flicked the muslin shawl without a moment¡¯s hesitation, one hand gently supported her chin, and looked at him with her coquettish eyes. She tilted her legs together, causing the hem of her skirt that was embroidered with willow leaves spilled all over the ground, gold and silver threads reflecting the light from the lake, like falling stars, really dazzling.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned for a moment, his laughter stopped abruptly, and his breathing became heavier. He clearly knew that it was extremely rude, but he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Madam. From her cloud-like black hair to her graceful figure, to a small jade piece tied to her ankle, he could linger back and forth repeatedly.


    Finally, as if he couldn¡¯t bear the great pain, he abruptly turned his head away, and even through his thick beard, his bronze-colored skin was a little flushed. The former Madam was like the flower in the high mountain, and he did not dare to climb it for fear of sullying her; the present Madam was a worldly beauty, but she had grown many thorns, making him want to pick her up, but also afraid of damaging her.


    He loved her talent, her temperament, her looks, and even her stubborn willfulness hidden under her dignified exterior. He wanted to get her whole selves, not the helplessness and compromise under the oppression of power. He tried hard to control his body¡¯s reaction, but then he heard Madam laugh evilly, she said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you laugh before? Why don¡¯t you continue laughing?¡±


    ¡°Madam, you try to confuse me with your beauty!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. It was only today that he realized that being too beautiful could also become a weapon.


    ¡°Wine doesn¡¯t make men drunk, men get themselves intoxicated. Lust doesn¡¯t overpower men, men surrender themselves to lust. It¡¯s you whose mind  doesn¡¯t right, how can you blame me?¡± Guan Suyi smiled beautifully, she really looked radiant.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, who wanted to glance at her quickly, became dizzy again. He quickly took off his robe, threw it in the air, and ordered, ¡°Minglan, put on the coat for your master. The wind in this lake is cold, and the water vapor can soak the body, afraid she will freeze if sit for a long time.¡±


    Guan Suyi caught the black robe that was fluttering in the wind, and chuckled, ¡°I once followed my grandfather to Mohe. In winter, the water dripped into ice, and it was cold to the bone marrow. He also dug up the frozen river and let me swim twice a day to strengthen my body. What is this little lake breeze?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan glanced at her quickly, his gaze stayed for a moment on her graceful collarbone and tall chest, and then moved away hastily, said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Madam should be more considerate of me, and put on the robe. If you don¡¯t wear it, I won¡¯t even dare to look at you in the eye today.¡±


    ¡°Why? Am I not beautiful?¡± The more he showed weakness, the more excited Guan Suyi became.


    ¡°It is precisely because you are so beautiful that I dare not look at you. Madam, ordinary people may have more rational nature rather than wild nature, able to control their desires very well. But don¡¯t forget, I was raised by pack of wolves, and full of wildness in my bones, and once it was provoked, it¡¯s bound to devour the prey that doesn¡¯t stop dangling in front of my eyes, especially if the prey is the most difficult-to-find delicacy in the world.¡±


    In order to show that what he was serious, he deeply gazed at Madam with his bloodshot eyes.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s proud smile slowly faded, and she put on the robe without saying a word. She knew that if this person was determined, he would never give her any room to resist. It¡¯s okay to compete, but it also need to be done in moderation.


    Minglan didn¡¯t dare to disobey the Holy Order, so she stepped forward tremblingly and tied her miss¡¯ clothes. The robe was very wide, the cuffs were still a little long after it rolled up five or six times, and the hem was spread all over the floor like a quilt.


    Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t let it be, so she had to hold the extra fabric on her knees, and the tip of her nose gently sniffed the man¡¯s ambergris scent. It was domineering and profound, which cause her heart to tremble slightly, and somehow her cheeks were red. Without any better option she fiddled with the embroidery on the fabric, as if she was very interested in the craftsmanship.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was much more at ease, looked at the petite Madam who was shrunken in his clothes like a little girl, before he walked to her side and took a seat, and began to speak after the distance between them was only two feet away.


    ¡°Madam, you are very different today.¡±


    ¡°Really? Just changed the clothes.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely not because of your clothes, afraid you¡¯ve even changed your temperament. If it was the usual you, you would definitely fight those scholars in Bodhi Garden, argue with them one by one to the point they wouldn¡¯t be able to refute, but you didn¡¯t do that, you just flung your sleeves and leave. You seems to no longer care what others say about you, and just follow your heart¡¯s desires.¡±


    Guan Suyi glanced at him unexpectedly, raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°Yes, I want to change to a less suffocating way of living, can¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You can. With me behind you, you can do whatever you want, say whatever you want, and if you want something, no matter how rare and precious, just tell me and I will deliver it to you. Is it because of me that you changed? Madam, can I understand it like this?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan leaned forward, his eyes sharp.


    Guan Suyi was dumbfounded but she no longer avoided his gaze, instead looked into his eyes as well, and laughed lightly, ¡°You are right but also not. The reason why I changed is because I myself want to change, but who gave me the courage to change, I have to admit, it is you. Without me noticing, in front of you, I had thrown away all the pretense and restored my true self, to have generosity and benevolence, even more, rebelling against the orthodoxy. What I wanted to do but didn¡¯t dare to do, what I wanted to say but didn¡¯t dare to say in the past, to you, I can do and say it without any hesitation. Because I know that in the world, only you that will not be surprised, even my family may not be able to accept my truest self.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s breathing was stagnant and his tone was tense, ¡°Then what am I to Madam?¡±


    ¡°A friend?¡± Guan Suyi replied uncertainly.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to be your friend, I want to be your husband. Madam, it¡¯s a good thing that you¡¯re no longer run away from your feeling towards me. With your words today, I believe that in the near future, you will definitely accept me wholeheartedly. Madam, I like your change.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed heartily, full of the happiness that his long-cherished wish was about to be fulfilled.


    Guan Suyi leaned back and calmly said, ¡°I just have the courage to examine myself and be honest with myself, which seems to give you an inaccurate hint? I will never marry into the palace and compete for one man¡¯s affection with your three thousand beauties. Managing one Zhao Mansion has completely exhausted me, then how can I face the Three Palaces and Sixth Courtyard? Our relationship stops here, isn¡¯t it good?¡±


    ¡°No, Madam, you must marry me, there¡¯s no need to consider anything else.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan showed a hint of his domineering style. The Mynah, who had been looking for him for a long time, flew down from the sky, and as soon as his master untied the silk thread that bound his mouth, he said, ¡°Madam marry Zhen, Madam marry Zhen.¡±


    Guan Suyi was annoyed by the domineering attitudes of these two master and pet, and her desire to have a good talk faded away. She dug out a few grains of rice from her purse and throw it far away, ¡°Go.¡±


    The Mynah immediately chased after the rices, and after landing, he tooted, tooted, pecking at the food, and didn¡¯t make any more noise.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at her with a smile, and sighed, ¡°Madam, you actually already knew that you¡¯re just stubbornly resisting. There are only two final outcomes, first you will marry me willingly, and second you will marry me reluctantly. Either way, you will have to marry me.¡±


    Guan Suyi untied the belt, took off his robe, and threw it right in his face, sneered, ¡°Really? Maybe there is another ending, that is, I will immediately go to Qingyun Nunnery, ten miles away, to become a nun, so that you could not get what you ask for for the rest of your life. You can¡¯t force to marry a nun and let her grow her black hair overnight, can you? You¡¯re very right, the reason why I dare to be so presumptuous is all because of the confidence you gave me. If you have the ability then just kidnap me now.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan took off the robe on his head and said to her back as she walked away quickly, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have the ability, but I have to consider your reputation. You don¡¯t care what others think about you, but I do. If you really become a nun, I will find an excuse to seal the Qingyun Nunnery and order all the nuns to return to the secular world. You see, I have a way to deal with you, but I just can¡¯t bear it.¡±


    Guan Suyi paused in her footsteps, then turned her head to look at him deeply, and then she left in disbelief.


    The person was already far away, but the strong fragrance still remained on the robe. Emperor Sheng Yuan couldn¡¯t bear the lake wind to blow the smell away, so he put it into a ball and squeezed it in his hand, but after walking halfway he changed his mind, and slowly put it on. In this way, Madam¡¯s scent clung to his body like an illusory embrace, enough to soothe his longing soul.


    Guan Suyi walked slowly around the bamboo forest in the outer courtyard twice, feeling that the literary gathering was about to start, she went to Bodhi Garden. The young men and women who gathered here before had retreated to the corner, and in the middle were placed many low tables and futons, all of which were prepared for the great names of present age. Old Master Guan, Father Guan, Master Xuan Guang¡­ Even Xu Guangzhi was on this list. It seemed that the publication of ¡°Subset Commentary¡± had indeed changed the tide for him. After this imperial examination, it¡¯s unknown how many Confucian scholars would throw themselves to become his disciple. At that time, fame and fortune would come rolling in, and he could try to become official again.


    While thinking about it, Guan Suyi slowly stepped into the courtyard gate, and saw that everyone present looked at her, full of ridicule.

 CH 128

    Guan Suyi had previously announced in the Bodhi Garden that she would withdraw the apology to Master Lu on behalf of her grandfather and father, naturally this was passed on to the person himself. As one of the host of the literary gathering, Lu Fengming could not wait to sweep her out of the door, but because of the prestige of the Guan family, he had to endure it.


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father apologized again and again, swallowing their breath, and were ridiculed by him for a while before he finally put the matter to rest. This scene was naturally seen by the people attending, creating the impression that the Guan family¡¯s daughter was arrogant and domineering, unkind and rude.


    How could Guan Suyi not expect Lu Fengming would seize her words and deeds to suppress her grandfather and father? However, not fight back was only temporary, and when the truth was revealed, Guan family¡¯s benevolence and open-mindedness would surely spread far and wide. She couldn¡¯t care less about what other people say about her, but she cared very much about what other people say about the Guan family. She cupped her hands in salute to her grandfather and father from a distance, then walked to an empty seat and sat there.


    Lu Fengming put down the teacup heavily and sneered, ¡°Without virtue and ill-mannered, actually still have face to show up here!¡±


    Old Master Guan stroked his beard and said, ¡°The child is still young, and she is still a girl. Master Lu is a person of virtue and prestige, so why bother to stoop to her level?¡±


    Lu Fengming picked up the brush and said as he wrote, ¡°It is precisely because of the young age that it should be taught better. The Guan family has educated people from generation to generation, and has produced literary giants of the world. Could it be that you don¡¯t you know how revered the word ¡®teacher¡¯ is? Humiliating a teacher is like humiliating a father, which is a rebellious act!¡± In just a quarter of an hour, an article ¡°The Teacher¡± had been freshly released, with elaborate ideas and bold language, which denounced the current frivolous style and the unhealthy trend of ¡°ashamed to learn from teachers¡°, ¡°humiliated the teachers¡°, it was passed on to all the people present to read, which attracted voices of admiration.


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father smiled lightly, as steady as Mount Tai, and did not get angry or even scolded their beloved daughter on the spot, on the contrary waited quietly for this article to spread to the audience, which could be said to be full of grace.


    Lu Fengming closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, lightly twisting the Buddhist beads, which was also the style of an expert. As his direct disciple, Zhao Wangshu was sitting on the futon behind him. His heart was touched by this article that was full of vigor and profound meaning. He felt that his mother had done the right thing, it was more promising to worship under Master Lu. Guan Suyi was clearly harming him before.


    The article finally reached to the outermost periphery, and the student sitting beside Guan Suyi planned to hold it in front of Master Lu, but listened to her slowly said, ¡°I haven¡¯t read it yet.¡±


    ¡°You want to see too?¡± The student was stunned by her brazenness. If it were a different person, she would have fled in shame at this moment, to ashamed to show one¡¯s face. But she was still sitting in the gathering place calmly, without any change on her face, even more, still want to look at the article, as if the whole thing had nothing to do with her? How did she do it? Afraid even a ruffian didn¡¯t have this ability.


    ¡°Show her! Let her learn properly!¡± Lu Fengming ordered.


    The student immediately handed over the article and glared at her with disdain. After Guan Suyi took over the article, another person slowly came to the courtyard, and he also attracted everyone¡¯s attention, just because he was tall, with wide eyebrows and deep eyes, and black-blue eyes, much like the legendary Emperor Sheng Yuan in the white dragon fish suit. But no one dared to come forward to talk, lest they commit a taboo, so they could only pretend not to know.


    The man casually pulled a futon, sat next to that Guan shi woman, and then leaned over to read the manuscript with her, his behavior was very natural. In an instant the place was quieten down, but Master Xuan Guang, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up, ¡°The time has come, all students can write articles on the collection of classics and history. Although I am not talented, I would like to discuss one or two with everyone, or help thinking the literature¡¯s way or the learning confusion.¡±


    This was the mock battle before the imperial examination, which was very helpful to test the depth of oneself or others, and could also get the guidance of famous teachers, which was a great benefit. All the students were overjoyed, one after another took up their brush to write down their own view. Even the women who had little knowledge of literature and calligraphy were interested and asked the monks for the four treasures of the study, very eager to try.


    Xu Yayan was composing while writing, she was already confident.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan came very close to read the manuscript, shook his head and said, ¡°This Lu Fengming has some talent, it¡¯s a pity.¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s not drunk, his brain is still not bad.¡± Guan Suyi handed over the manuscript and chuckled, ¡°Just wait, I invite you to watch a good show.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan loved her cunning appearance, and said indulgently, ¡°Although Madam¡¯s temperament is big, it also dispelled quickly. Right now, you¡¯re not angry with me anymore, aren¡¯t you? Sure enough, I still like this side of Madam the most.¡± At the end, without waiting for Madam to retort back, he sat back in his original position and looked around the place. He then saw a group of young servants carrying fruits, refreshments, drinks, side dishes, and other things, and placed them on the table one by one for the esteemed guests to enjoy, and finally retreated to the side, ready to be dispatched at any time.


    Because the emperor was here, the high-level people did not dare to be sloppy, and when the students finished writing their articles, they had to write one as a model. Among them, Xu Guangzhi and Lu Fengming were the most urgent. Both have the idea of entering the officialdom, and both attached great importance to fame and fortune.


    Lu Fengming had previously written an article ¡°The Teacher¡±, and the manuscript was now in the hands of the emperor. While he was proud of it, he inevitably wanted to make another one that was even more outstanding. However, he expressed his thoughts by drinking alcohol, and at this time, he had no energy left, and gradually became restless.


    He wanted to drink to stir up his minds, but he was afraid that he could not hold back his addiction and get drunk, showing his ugliness and revealed his true self. He hesitated, but smelled the faint aroma coming from the jug. Wow, it¡¯s actually fruit wine! How can fruit wine be intoxicating? With his tolerance from drinking thousand cups of wine, he could drink ten jars without any problem.


    Thinking like this, he completely relaxed his mind, poured down a cup and took a closer look. The color was light green and clear, the smell was light and fragrant, and it had the charm of a hundred fruits, it was undoubtedly a fruit wine. He took a small sip, the taste was sweet but not greasy, and it was warm and smooth in the throat, which was the favorite of women nowadays, so he drank it all. One cup was not enough, then drank another cup. After drinking four cups, he closed his eyes and mulled over the article.


    However, the effect of the wine began to surge at this time. At first, it was just a fever, then in a short while he was already out of his mind and  didn¡¯t realize his surrounding. In the daze, someone sang with a sultry voice in his ear, making him feel that he was in the pleasure house right now, and in an instant he abandon all restraint.


    He casually grabbed to his side and found a ¡°pleasure house¡¯s woman¡±, he then he fondle over while shaking his head and humming. ¡°Beat the drum hard and beat the gongs slow, stop the gongs and stop the drums to sing a song, all kinds of gossip also sing a song, listen to me sing eighteen touches. Reach out to touch sister¡¯s face, dark clouds fly for half a day, reach out to touch the front of sister¡¯s head, the heaven is full and addicting. Reach out to touch sister Maowan, spread out the middle and wide, reach out to touch sister¡¯s little eyes, black and black eyes staring in vain. Reach out to touch sister¡¯s little nose pin, far far away the heated breath out of the hut, reach out to touch sister¡¯s little mouth, the baby smiles slightly¡­¡± <Note> Unexpectedly kept touching the body from top to bottom, and went straight to touch that shameful place.


    The one who was held in his arms was originally a thin and weak boy servant, but while struggling he pushed Master Xu next to him, who was then hugged and kissed by Lu Fengming, completely got entangled. The boy servant quickly fished away the wine jug, then took out another jug hidden in his wide sleeves and threw it under the table, pretended to be knocked over, and then quietly hide.


    Everyone was staring at Master Lu and Master Xu, and naturally they would not pay attention to a servant. This scene was truly incredible, one could see that Master Lu was a frequent guest at the pleasure house, with adept movement, vulgar manner, and the words that leave his mouth were still that foul language. With the help of everyone, Xu Guangzhi managed to break free, but then he heard Lu Fengming change to another obscene song. While singing he called to the brothel madam to find him a few more sisters, it seemed that he drunk to much and thought that the Bodhi Garden as brothel.


    The whole place was silent, and then there was a big uproar. The highly respected image that Lu Fengming had created before was completely destroyed in an instant. Master Xuan Guang hurriedly asked several monks to take Lu Fengming away, and then folded his hands together and recited Buddha¡¯s name. His normally calm and indifferent face was slightly distorted, showing that he was very angry.


    Amid the uproar, a majestic voice came through, ¡°The court has just revised the law, and those who serve as officials should value both public and private morality. If they are caught visiting prostitutes, they will be dismissed from their posts and will never be hired back. I heard that Master Lu has both integrity and talent, but this kind of integrity and talent is really an eye-opener! They all say that fairness is in the hearts of the people, let me say that only a few people have clear eyes and bright heart, and the rest are just following the trend, playing up to those in power. The fact the the literary gathering invited such a follower of wine and women to preside over it, and then regarded them as models and pursued them greatly, it shows that the Wei Kingdom¡¯s literary style has tended to be decadent and sloppy, truly disappointing.¡±


    Hearing the lamentation of the tall man, everyone in the room was blushing and ashamed. Then they went to see the magnanimous and open-minded Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies, and only then they understood what true self-cultivation was. No wonder Guan Suyi didn¡¯t want to apologize to Master Lu, no wonder even her grandfather and father¡¯s apologies were resolutely withdrawn on their behalf, afraid that she was extremely disdainful of Master Lu¡¯s character. However, even if she was scolded by the whole people of Yanjing, apart from refusing to apologize, she did not say any negative things about Master Lu. This recuperation, this virtue, indeed too magnanimous.


    Lu Fengming, who had repeatedly attacked Madam, was denounce into the mud. Emperor Sheng Yuan cupped his hands to Madam and said warmly, ¡°Madam has been wronged,¡± and bowed to the two Mount Tai, ¡°I don¡¯t care to watch this kind of farce, there are still important things at home, so I will take my leave, the two master, please.¡±


    ¡°Master Huo, please take care, let us send you on your road.¡± Since the emperor was unwilling to oppress others with his honorable position, Old Master Guan and Guan Father naturally would not break it. The rest of the people hurriedly stood up, ready to pay their respects.


    However, Guan Suyi walked to the wall full of poems written by the students, randomly picked up a large brush from someone¡¯s desk, dipped it in a thick ink, and wrote the words ¡°Mingde Weixin¡°.


    ¡°The fragrance of good governance, it felt by the gods. The millet is not fragrant, the virtue is fragrant (Mingde Weixin).¡± She put down the brush, walked slowly to Emperor Sheng Yuan, and cupped her hands in all directions, ¡°Talent have high and low, people have noble and lowly, the only thing that does not distinguish between high and low, noble and lowly, and always be fragrant, and always be remembered, is only virtue. Today, at the literary gathering, Guan Suyi has been taught by everyone, and I have also accepted it in my heart.¡± After the words fell, she accompanied her grandfather and father, and slowly sent the emperor away.


    There was a deafening silence all over the place, and everyone felt regret and introspected themselves, then looked at the four big characters, and they couldn¡¯t help but gasp. If they hadn¡¯t seen it with their own eyes, they would never have imagine that such a powerful and imposing writing came from a woman¡¯s hand. They could even vaguely heard the sound of cracking wall and split rubble, as if the hard wall could no longer bear its weight, and seemed about to collapse. And the hairpin flower small script of Second Miss Xu, who was said to be the best in the world, suddenly became pitiful and ridiculous.


    Master Xuan Guang felt as if he had obtained a great treasure, he quickly instructed the monks, ¡°Hurry up, hurry up and print these four characters! No one is allowed to write on this wall again in the future!¡±

 CH 129

    Guan Suyi followed her grandfather and father to send Emperor Sheng Yuan in white dragon fish suit to the gate of Jueyin Temple. Zhong shi, who originally stayed in the back hall with the other madams to discuss how to blend incense fragrance, also hurriedly came to bid farewell to the Emperor.


    ¡°It¡¯s enough to send until here, everyone, please go back,¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded to Madam alone, ¡°Madam please go back.¡± Just for seeing Madam at the literary gathering, he took half a day off out of his busy schedule, and now that his purpose had been reached, naturally he would not stay.


    Guan Father smiled and cupped his hands, but he was rolling inside. Old Master Guan was always outspoken, and immediately said, ¡°Master Huo, our Yiyi has already reconcile, so the name have change to miss.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan suddenly said, ¡°Look at my memory. I made many mistake just now, Miss Guan please forgive me.¡±


    Guan Suyi bowed down and smiled falsely, ¡°Do not dare. Master Huo, you are busy with other affairs, and it¡¯s a great honor for this little girl to help you think about one or two things. The mountain road is rough and difficult, please pay more attention and drive slowly.¡±


    Guan Father heard some familiarity from the conversation between the two, but Old Master Guan didn¡¯t think about it at all, and followed up with a few words. Zhong shi was best at refining plants, and her sense of smell was not inferior to Emperor Sheng Yuan. She secretly looked at the two of them, her eyes were full of shock. How could she smell Yiyi¡¯s scent from the emperor¡¯s robe? And it came from the whole body, blending together with the ambergris¡¯ scent, which meant that the two must have had very close contact.


    This, what is this? She was anxious in her heart, but did not dare to show it, and then she saw that the emperor looked at Yiyi with a soft expression on his face, his eyes were shining, and seemed to be very much infatuated. Before getting into the carriage, he looked at her again and again and left a sentence ¡°Thank you for your concern, Miss¡± that was full of satisfaction, and left reluctantly. What else is there to say? It¡¯s clear that every word and deed were full of ambiguous feelings, so he must have already hooked long time ago! Yiyi has just reconcile! How could it be¡­¡­


    When the carriage disappeared on the mountain road, Zhong shi immediately wanted to question her daughter, but her husband held her wrist and secretly stopped her. What kind of temperament their daughter was like, no one knew better than them, she always said what she was thinking. If she want to enter the palace, afraid she would have already revealed the intention, why waited until now? She would never take the initiative to jump into the fire pit for the sake of power and wealth; on the contrary, if she had no intention, but others scolded her and pointed their finger at her, she might become rebellious and resolutely do something stupid.


    Therefore, not only could they not questioned her, but they had to pretend not to know, and slowly figure out a way to avoid it. However, that person was the emperor, how could they avoid him? Zhong shi was at a loss for a while, and couldn¡¯t help but look towards her husband.


    Guan Father shook his head invisibly, implying that they would talk about it after going back. The group entered the temple gate and walked to a place with no people, then Old Master Guan muttered, ¡°I seem to smell the Rizui wine on Lu Fengming¡¯s body.¡± He then stared straight at his granddaughter.


    Guan Suyi did not evade, and said calmly, ¡°Yes, I did it. It¡¯s said that it¡¯s not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years. It can be seen that a gentleman is not a perfect person, but also has hatred and grudges. When he first left the Zhao Mansion, I gave him two hundred taels of silver, enough for him to buy a small courtyard and settle down in Yanjing safely. But he¡¯s not satisfied, and intends to ascend to the throne by stepping on the reputation of the Guan family. Since he repaid virtue with resentment, I have no choice but to repay resentment with resentment.¡±


    Old Master Guan¡¯s face kept changing, and finally sighed with indignation, ¡°Conspiracy and tricks in the end is small way (In Confucianism it means a doctrine other than ritual, music, politics and religion), Yiyi, you must not go astray.¡±


    Guan Suyi replied solemnly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, grandfather, although my methods are narrow-minded, my original intention is still there. I know who I am and what I am doing. I will never ruin Guan family¡¯s principle.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Old Master Guan¡¯s face softened a little, and then he continued to walk in the direction of Bodhi Garden. Guan Father and Zhong shi looked at each other and said nothing more. Their daughter was a sensible person, and speak too much would only annoy her, so maybe she was not a very sensible person after all. This child was born with a hard backbone, which could not be provoked or opposed, and could only be pacify.


    ¡ª-


    The mess in the Bodhi Garden had been cleaned up, and Lu Fengming was also taken to the side hall by the monks to sober up. The students wanted to perform well in front of the emperor, but they were disturbed by this farce, and the emperor even said ¡°truly disappointing¡±, so they all hated the culprit.


    As Lu Fengming¡¯s direct disciple, Zhao Wangshu simply too ashamed to lift his head. He always knew that the other person loved drinking, but also knew that he was talented. If he could stay sober during class, he would definitely be able to help him pass the imperial examination. However, now, Lu Fengming had changed from the great scholar of this generation to a ¡°follower of wine and women¡± in the emperor¡¯s mouth. His true form had been revealed and his reputation had been ruined, and from now on, don¡¯t even think about getting a foothold in Wei Kingdom. As his disciple, what benefits could he get?


    Seeing the contemptuous gazes cast from all directions, Zhao Wangshu clenched his fists and told himself that he must not escape. Mother was still lying on the bed, almost dying, if he escape now, what should she do? However, Master Lu was also found by her for him. In the matter of studying, Guan Suyi was much more far-sighted and could discern people better.


    Thinking like this, there was a trace of daze in his eyes, and he didn¡¯t know how to proceed in the future. Guan Suyi once arranged everything for him. How to live, how to study, how to advance, all of them were to take one step and look ten step, and there was not a slightest mistake. He only needed to follow the rules to achieve the goal, and then support the Zhao family lintel.


    But when his mother appeared, everything changed. Master Lu¡¯s reputation had been ruined, where could he go to invite famous teachers? In order to not get implicated, any great scholar with a bit of status would not be willing to accept him, right? His back was bent, and he felt that he couldn¡¯t straighten his waist or lift his head.


    The rest of the students stood in front of the wall admiring the calligraphy, with expressions of awe on their faces.


    ¡°I heard that Miss Guan is only eighteen or nineteen years old this year, but she has such a vigor stroke! It is said that whether the calligraphic style is strong or not, depends on hard work and years of accumulation. She is a woman and still a young one at that, how she was trained to become strong to this point? If I hadn¡¯t seen it with my own eyes, I would never believed it.¡± A middle-aged scholar shook his head and sighed.


    ¡°The Guan family produces literary giants for generations, and it¡¯s rare to have mediocre talents. Could it be that they have some secret teaching method? Esteemed brother, you are an eldest disciple of Chief of Ceremonies, so you should know one thing or two.¡± Someone grabbed Qi Yu, who was Guan Suyi¡¯s senior brother to asked.


    ¡°No secret method, just hard training. My junior sister started to practice calligraphy when she was three years old, her wrists were first tied with sandbags, then replaced with iron blocks, and then letter wrapped with two loops of lead blocks, weighing as little as four to five pounds, as many as ten pounds. Polished day by day, diligently practice, never slack off, after fifteen or sixteen years, this then has the writing power that can split the silk. Don¡¯t be fooled by her young age, if she can break a quarter of an hour to half an hour she would use it all, although she hasn¡¯t yet reach twenty, when it comes to learning, she¡¯s not inferior to scholars in their fifties. Not only her, the old master also injured his wrist because he added too much lead blocks when practicing calligraphy, and now there is always a stagnation in writing. The Guan family¡¯s high level learning is most afraid of looseness, and they often too demanding on themselves. If want to worship under the Guan family, you can¡¯t do it without any real effort. After passing the first test, there will be the second test, after passing the second test there will be the third test, and then there are examinations every other months, and you must not slack off.¡±


    Qi Yu looked down on Xu Guangzhi¡¯s dissemination of ¡°Subset Commentary¡± and his behavior of collecting disciples, so he added the last few sentences. How could Xu Guangzhi not hear the sarcasm hidden in his words, but he just smiled and did not care.


    The students either had shocked expressions, or their teeth were sour and trembling. Are you studying literature or martial arts? It¡¯s too hard! However, there were also those who yearn for the Guan family¡¯s learning, and secretly decided to submit a few articles to the two masters later to test their own depth. This was the real scholar, not like Lu Fengming, who blindly seek fame and deceive the world, and even had the face to say that Miss Guan had humiliated the teacher and wanted to have her thrown out. Truly never seen anyone more brazen than him!


    Xu Yayan stood still in front of the wall for a long time. One of the poem she wrote before was next to the four characters ¡°Mingde Weixin¡±. She originally thought that the floating kite in the wind and unimpeded backbone style, which she newly trained and worked hard on, was enough to make up for her lack of wrist strength, even if could not be said to be the best, at the very least it was outstanding. At first, it did attract people¡¯s attention and won a lot of admiration. However now, when it was compared with Guan Suyi¡¯s domineering handwriting that cracked the wall and split rubble, it fell directly into the dust.


    That¡¯s not all, she also questioned Miss Guan in front of the emperor about why she suppressed and insulted Master Lu, and then she showed off her inscriptions on the wall of learning. To say that she had lost face step by step was not an exaggeration. Where did she come out on top today? It¡¯s clearly lose face until grandma¡¯s house! What kind of impression she has on the emperor? Just a jumping clown who could not distinguish between black and white, and overestimate one¡¯s capabilities.


    Xu Yayan¡¯s cheeks slowly turned red, and her internal organs were slashed layer by layer with shame and frustration, the pain was unbearable. If there were not many people standing around, she would have liked to rush forward and cut off the wall with a knife, just because she also signed it Caiwei Sanren, for fear that others would not know that this was her ¡°masterpiece¡±.


    There were not a few students who have the same thoughts as her. They all paced back and forth in front of the wall. If they found that their words were written in one place with Miss Guan, they closed their eyes and held their foreheads with embarrassed expressions. If they found it far away, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The handsome man who previously pointed at the tip of Miss Guan¡¯s nose and scolded her for having corrupt moral, was now so embarrassed that smoke rose from his head, and he frequently covered his face with his cuffs.


    When the Guan family and their party returned to the Bodhi Garden, some students kept bowing down and apologized to Miss Guan. The originally messy gathering place finally regained some orderly. Old Master Guan and Guan Father did not put any airs, and waved their sleeves to let everyone take their seats. Originally it was a good thing to hold a literary gathering, so it could not be abandoned halfway.


    Everyone thanked them again, and after they calmed down a little, they started writing.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t have any intention of participating, she just lowered her eyes and looked blankly. In the end, Zhong shi was not reassured, and whispered in her ear, ¡°Look at the first student in the first row, that is Ji Chengyue, the eldest di son of Supervisor of Attendants Master Ji, who study under the current great scholar Yun Feilong. He is known as the number one gifted scholar in Yanjing, with the most noble status, the best appearance, and the best future among the students present. Yiyi, you take a look, and if it¡¯s agreeable, mother will shamelessly play the matchmaker for you.¡±


    Guan Suyi reflexively looked at the man, but saw that the other person was also looking at her, and only after a while his face was red, and smoke rose from the top of his head. In panic he buried his face, and then there was a ¡®clang¡¯ noise, the brush in his hand actually fell off.

 CH 130

    At the sight of Ji Chengyue¡¯s gaffe, Guan Suyi did not show any ridicule on her face, instead nodded slightly at him, and then looked away naturally. In front of her family and outsiders, she could only be a dignified and virtuous, gentle and courteous Guan Suyi, and could not have the slightest transgression.


    She suddenly had no interest in this kind of life, her lips didn¡¯t move, but her voice reached Zhong shi¡®s ear, ¡°It turns out that he is the famous eldest young master Ji. Don¡¯t worry about it, mother, he pointed at my nose and scolded me earlier, and also very attentive towards Second Miss Xu, afraid he has no intention to marry the Guan family. The status of Supervisor of Attendant¡¯s family is not low, in any case, they will never let a reconcile woman pass the door.¡±


    With a disappointed look on her face, Zhong shi turned to look at other students, did not notice that Ji Chengyue¡¯s brush tip was slightly stopped, and his eyes were astringent.


    ¡°How about the fourth in the second row? I heard that he was born in a poor family, but he is extremely talented, and very filial to his parents. If you get married, you may suffer for two years, but it will be fine when he becomes famous. With your grandfather and father¡¯s support, you don¡¯t need to consider the family status or background, you can marry anyone.¡± Zhong shi named another student.


    Guan Suyi became more annoyed the more she listened, but she could only suppress herself. Why didn¡¯t she realize until now that the days of being trapped with worldly affairs and public sentiments were so boring, and to have her life arranged by others was so annoying? She really wanted to tear this face and immediately live happily.


    ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t want to get married, don¡¯t say it anymore.¡± Although she tried her best to restrain herself, her tone was still a little aggravated. Seeing the sad expression on Zhong shi¡¯s face, she quickly took her arm and apologized. Just sitting here, putting on a graceful airs, she already felt exhausted.


    Half an hour later, one after another, students put down their writing brush and submitted their examination paper. Jinzi quietly touched her master¡¯s back and stood with Minglan. Minglan squeezed her eyes and asked in a low voice, ¡°What happened to that person?¡±


    ¡°What else can happened? After waking up from his drunk, he found that he has lost his face, and had to quietly gone down the mountain. He probably would pack his luggage overnight and leave Yanjing in embarrassment. Don¡¯t mention him, it¡¯s bad luck!¡± Jinzi wiped her hands with a handkerchief while speaking, revealed a deep loathing on her face. When she caught a glimpse of the unperturbed Xu Guangzhi sitting at the front, on the surface praised but actually mocking ¡°Master Xu is still so graceful, being hugged and kissed, touched up and down by people, he can still sit here without changing his face.¡±


    ¡°Probably have already practiced it before!¡± As soon as Minglan finished speaking, she was dragged to the corner by Jinzi and laughed secretly.


    Zhao Wangshu¡¯s mind was completely blank when others were busy writing. To tell the truth, Lu Fengming never taught him even for a day. He was always bribed by him with a few jars of wine and let him go out to play, at the end of the day, he would help him lie in front of his father. If it wasn¡¯t for Guan Suyi who caught him and trained him for a period of time, and then sent him to the village school to be tortured, he might not be able to write all the characters.


    Now that Lu Fengming¡¯s reputation had been ruined, how could he still have the heart and courage to write? Holding the writing brush straight while sweating coldly, he suddenly saw Qi Yu sitting in the front row, and thinking of his earnest teachings, his mind suddenly opened up, and his thoughts were flowing. It turned out that all his knowledge came from Guan Suyi¡¯s and Qi Yu¡¯s teaching, so what is the purpose of worshiping under Lu Fengming again? Just to step on Guan Suyi and then fall into the abyss?


    He regretted it, regretted that he blindly obey his mother¡¯s words, but instead harmed his future.


    Xu Yayan sat with all the noble ladies, also writing slowly. Seeing that Guan Suyi hadn¡¯t started writing, she was relieved but at the same time a little unwilling. Guan Suyi could beat her on the calligraphy, but not necessarily surpass her on the article. Guan Suyi was good at lyrical prose, and she was also good at it; She was best at book theory, and Guan Suyi may not be able to surpass her. Most women have delicate emotions, but they knew nothing about the political situation, and that¡¯s what differentiate her from them.


    Thinking like this, Xu Yayan finished her last stroke, and secretly estimated in her heart that she might be ranked in the top ten. No need to mention Young Master Ji, he must come as the first place in this literary gathering. She glanced at him, but saw that he was staring at Guan Suyi intently, his cheeks were crimson, his eyes were like water, it seemed that he already developed some feelings.


    Also, based on Guan Suyi¡¯s appearance, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that she had been attacked by Lu Fengming before, and because she was a reconcile person, those who came to ask for marriage would probably already crashed the threshold of Guan¡¯s house. Even now, there were many people watching her openly and secretly. Just now the emperor had come, what was his impression of Guan Suyi? The person with clear eyes and bright heart in his mouth must be her, while he degraded the others to dust, which means that he must have appreciate her very much.


    Who wouldn¡¯t like such a woman with good looks and a prominent family background? Xu Yayan had just regained a little self-confidence, but at this moment, she was beaten to pieces, and a violent hostility secretly developed inside her, she could not wait to pull Guan Suyi out and compete in every aspect.


    She secretly took a breath, handed the finished article to Master Xuan Guang, and then sat quietly.


    All the Masters read the papers one by one, and suddenly one of them wondered, ¡°How can the styles of these two articles so similar? It¡¯s just that one has a profound idea and clever conception; the other is crude and simple, and the writing is immature. However, it can be seen that both articles has a common origin. The two of you come out and investigate with me, to see whether there is a suspicion of prior discussion or plagiarism.¡± He called out two names, one was Qi Yu and the other was Zhao Wangshu.


    Qi Yu¡¯s attitude was calm, neither humble nor arrogant; Zhao Wangshu¡¯s face was pale, and he was sweating like a waterfall. Everyone looked at them with contemptuous expressions on their faces.


    Seeing that her senior brother was implicated by Zhao Wangshu again, Guan Suyi said slowly, ¡°Still ask Master Yun to clearly examine. These two didn¡¯t have prior discussion or intention to plagiarize. It¡¯s just that in the past six months, Zhao Wangshu was sent to my senior brother to study, and he has received a lot of teaching, so it affect his writing style.¡±


    Great Scholar Yun Feilong stroked his beard and sighed, ¡°So that¡¯s the case, then this old man will appoint Qi Yu as the first place this time. I wonder if you have any objections?¡± he abandoned his prot¨¦g¨¦ Ji Chengue and instead went to promote an unknown person, which showed that this person was indeed amazing. After reading the papers, the great scholars were greatly amazed, and they all made comments with red ink on the manuscript.


    The students under the seat started to discuss and whispered, ¡°They also said that Miss Guan wanted to harm him by sending him to a village school, but it turns out that all the knowledge was taught by Qi Yu, and have nothing to do with Lu Fengming. When Lu Fengming came up to trample on Miss Guan and Qi Yu, he should explain the truth and defend the two.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that Qi Yu¡¯s reputation is not conspicuous, but Lu Fengming was highly respected and can increase his connection. He gained knowledge from Qi Yu, and he didn¡¯t go astray by relying on Miss Guan¡¯s help, but in turn he slandered the two to the extreme. This character is really amazing!¡±


    ¡°No wonder he wanted to abandon Qi Yu for Lu Fengming, originally they¡¯re jackals of the same tribe!¡±


    These unpleasant words drilled into Zhao Wangshu¡¯s ears word by word, making him extremely ashamed and unable to raise his head. It turned out that Qi Yu¡¯s talent could actually overshadowed Ji Chengyue, no wonder Guan Suyi said that she would send him to the village school to study; It turned out that if people want to worship under the Guan¡¯s family, they have to have a strong talent to learn. It was not that she refuse to use the Guan family¡¯s power to pave the way for him, but that he was not qualified. She never thought of raising him to be a waste, but just let him keep his feet on the ground and walk steadily. It¡¯s all because he take the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain, for no reason misunderstood others and himself.


    Regret, ah! Zhao Wangshu covered his face with his sleeves and quietly exited Bodhi Garden along the base of the wall. He didn¡¯t dare to stay for a moment, and was even more afraid of seeing his stepmother sitting outside the crowd.


    At the end of the literary gathering, Qi Yu won the top spot, Master Yun¡¯s disciple Ji Chengyue took second place, and five of the remaining eight finalists were all students Xu Guangzhi had just recruited. When they become official, they would be used by Xu Guangzhi and gradually become a faction. Forming parties for personal gain and excluding dissidents had always been his forte, after starting all over again he still haven¡¯t change.


    Seeing this, Guan Suyi had completely lost interest and left the Bodhi Garden under the pretext of going to the restroom, but she was stopped halfway, ¡°Miss Guan, please wait! Earlier, this stupid one created karmic hindrance, and have offended you so much, please ask Miss Guan to forgive the sin!¡±


    ¡°No problem, it¡¯s just a little misunderstanding.¡± Guan Suyi looked back and saw that it was Ji Chengyue. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes were evasive, and he didn¡¯t even dare to look at her directly, his demeanor was very similar to that of Hunnar. Is he likes her? Why? Just because Lu Fengming is a clown?


    Who was the person who pointed at her nose and scolded her earlier? Who was the person who kept telling her to leave? With just a little effort, these people could hate her, love her, scold her, praise her, without the slightest bit of their own opinion, let alone the slightest stance. If she had to choose one of them to spend the rest of her life with, she would rather be alone forever.


    The husband she imagined should be firm, tolerant and persistent, no matter what others said, he would always trust her; no matter what happened, he would protect her without hesitation; no matter her nature was good or bad, he could accept her without any second thought¡­ In short, his feelings for her would not be shaken by any external things.


    Thinking of this, Hunnar¡¯s figure unexpectedly appeared in her mind, making Guan Suyi¡¯s heart tremble fiercely, and the color of her face almost changed. She bowed down and smiled gracefully, barely holding on to a dignified manner to bid farewell to Ji Chengyue.


    Ji Chengyue was anxious, but he couldn¡¯t find a suitable excuse to keep her, so he could only watch her leave. Looking at her again at this time, Miss Guan still has a bit of a domineering attitude, she was clearly an imposing and brilliance person, the rumors shouldn¡¯t be trusted so easily.


    ¡ª


    Guan Suyi found a secluded corner in a daze, and finally made it to the end of the literary gathering. She then followed the old man back to the Emperor Teacher Mansion. As soon as she stepped into the backyard, she saw Mu Mu holding a little monkey in his arms and hurriedly greeted her, ¡°Mom, look, this is Big Brother! Can I keep it?¡±


    Guan Suyi was immediately stunned. This monkey was clearly rescued by Hunnar with a gold bead, how did it arrive at Guan¡¯s house? It¡¯s called Big Brother, and the Mynah seems to be called Little Brother, what a good pair of brothers!


    ¡°Where did you get it?¡± She bent over to look at the wooden sign hanging around the neck of the little monkey, with the word ¡°Big Brother¡± engraved on it.


    ¡°I found it at the door. The gatekeeper told me that there was a little monkey squatting on the head of the stone lion, and it would bite anyone who come near it. It was very fierce. I ran out to see it, and it immediately rushed towards me, holding me and refuse to let go. Mother, it likes me, and I like it too, can I keep it?¡± Mu Mu blinked his big black eyes.


    Guan Suyi was most unable to resist this eager expression, and suddenly fell into a dilemma. Damn Hunnar, all day long never done serious things, and just add trouble for her! If you leave this little monkey here, wouldn¡¯t she think of him all the time?

 CH 131

    Perhaps sensing the awkward feeling of his adoptive mother, Mu Mu ran forward and hugged her legs, shaking hard while pleading, ¡°Mom, I beg you, let¡¯s keep Dalang!¡±


    The little monkey seemed to have received special training. First, he sniffed the smell on Guan Suyi¡¯s body, after making sure that he was not looking for the wrong person, he then climbed to a peach tree, picked up a peach blossom, and handed it over with a grin, looking very attentive.


    Jinzi and Minglan were greatly surprised, and exclaimed ¡°This monkey is really divine! Miss, you might as well keep it, and it can accompany the young master to play. He is the only child in the house, it¡¯s indeed a bit lonely.¡±


    Guan Suyi was still hesitating, just because when she saw this monkey, she would think of Hunnar, if she keep it, it would seem that there were shadows of that person everywhere in the mansion. However, she was even more reluctant to disappoint Mu Mu. After all, this was the first time he asked her for something.


    Seeing that his adoptive mother¡¯s expression was slightly soften, Mu Mu quickly wrapped his short legs around her, pleading with a milky voice. The little monkey was even smarter, picked a lot of peach blossoms and sprinkled it on her head, making it full of colorful falls. Guan Suyi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry by these two¡¯s antics, so she had to agree.


    While  the Emperor Teacher Mansion was full of laughter and joy, the Zhao Mansion was still gloomy and depressed. The door between the East and West Mansions was completely locked. If people between the two mansions wanted to communicate with each other, they had to go outside the mansion and knock on the gate. Zhao Luli was always go out for business, rarely returned home, and when he finally came back once in a while, he would stay in the tea house opposite the Emperor Teacher Mansion for a whole day. If he could occasionally saw Guan Suyi while she went out, and look at her from a distance, he would be able to pull himself up.


    The old madam had been wore down by the toxins, and fell ill every three days, and now she could only lie in bed. Zhao Chunxi wanted to take care of the matter both outside and inside, and also take care of her grandmother and Zhao Huai¡¯en. Because of that she grew up rapidly, and her face has been covered with a layer of twilight before she even reach marriageable age.


    Knowing that Lu Fengming hurriedly packed up and left Yanjing without stopping, she guessed that something had happened, and immediately sent someone to inquire. Just after receiving the exact news, Zhao Wangshu actually returned to the mansion and rushed to Penglai Garden to talk to Ye Zhen. She sneered while looking forward to it, stood in the corridor listening.


    There was a buzzing sound inside, it should be Zhao Wangshu reporting Lu Fengming¡¯s scandal, and then she heard Ye Zhen¡¯s hoarse voice, ¡°Am I not doing it for your own good? No matter how talented Qi Yu is, does anyone in Wei Kingdom know his name? If you think Guan Suyi have your best interest, why didn¡¯t she just take you back to the Guan¡¯s family and let you worship her grandfather or father as your teacher? As long as the two of them pull you along, you won¡¯t be what you are now!¡±


    Become closed disciple*? You wish! In Wei Kingdom who doesn¡¯t know that Old Master Guan and Guan Father never accepted mediocre talents. If people cannot not pass the initial test of the two of them, they would even be kicked out. First send to the Guan clan¡¯s first disciple to lay the foundation, and in the future when his talents were more profound, then enter the Emperor Teacher or Chief of Ceremonies¡¯ place, this is the way to fight steadily. Do you think that everyone is like you Ye Zhen, with a mind to climb high branches while taking shortcuts? Zhao Chunxi mused sarcastically.


    Perhaps Zhao Wangshu also said the same, causing Ye Zhen to smashed a lot of things, and repeatedly scolded him for repaying kindness by stabbing people in the back. Vaguely, Zhao Wangshu¡¯s bitter voice came intermittently, to the effect that at this literary gathering, the students had different performances, the good and the bad were mixed. The Emperor Teacher was deeply aware of this big problem, and had decided to submit report to the emperor, dividing the triennial imperial examination into regional and hierarchical and progressive style, from easy to difficult, step by step, first pass the preliminary exam, then pass the second test, and then the third exam, finally select the best group of students, who would be selected by the emperor himself. This was the same way the Guan clan selected their students, only on a larger scale.


    In other words, except for winning the first place in one fell swoop in the next imperial examination, they would have to take it slowly in the future. If they missed it this time, the students would have to wait for another three years, if they fail one test, they would also have to wait another three years, so on and so forth.


    Ye Zhen was completely mad, and screamed, ¡°Three years? You have to wait another three years? You useless waste, what did you do earlier, you can¡¯t even write a single article! You immediately moved all the Four Books and Five Classics to my room, I will watch you study, go, go!¡±


    Zhao Wangshu¡¯s sobbing voice came, as if very aggrieved. Zhao Chunxi obviously didn¡¯t want to care about him, but her toes involuntarily kicked open the door, and said sharply, ¡°Waste? What qualifications do you have to call him a waste? You blame him for not working hard, so why did you go away in the past? Why didn¡¯t you come back and discipline him? Who forced him to betray his master? Who forced him to worship a drunkard as a teacher? Who made him lose his face in Yanjing now? It¡¯s you! It¡¯s all you! What will happen in three years? In Guan Suyi¡¯s arrangement, originally Zhao Wangshu will have nothing to do with this imperial examination, he¡¯s not even qualified to test the water. After three years, when the foundation is solid, he can participate in the first exam and move forward step by step. Now you want to force him to study all night, is it for him to become a talent, or for you to spit out your resentment? Do you treat him as a son, or as a cow and horse?¡±


    She walked into the house and smashed whatever she saw, her hair was messed up and her eyes were red, she finally gasped for breath and said word by word, ¡°The Ye family died because of you; the second aunt was dragged to death because of you; grandmother¡¯s life has been shorten because of you; mother was forced to reconcile because of you; daddy was forced to have a home but could not return because of you. Are you satisfied? Are you going to drive your son, the only one who cares about you, crazy? Why don¡¯t you die in the palace? You bitch should die in the palace!¡±


    Zhao Wangshu, who was kneeling in the pile of ruined porcelain, was already frightened and dumbfounded. He looked at her with his mouth open, and tears gradually soaked into his eyes. It was not that he couldn¡¯t feel his mother¡¯s paranoia and madness, or that he felt he wasn¡¯t as strong as he wished to be and unable to move. He just couldn¡¯t let go the blood ties.


    He called ¡°sister¡± full of hope, hoping that she could stay in the East Mansion and give him some support and encouragement, but after she vented her grievances, she left without looking back, leaving only an indifferent sentence, ¡°If you¡¯re still persist going on the wrong way, you will die in Ye Zhen¡¯s hands sooner or later.¡±


    This seemed to be a curse, but it didn¡¯t seem to be, making Zhao Wangshu cold to his bone marrow.


    ¡ª¨C


    At the same time, the main entrance of Xu Mansion was full of guests. After the literary gathering, Xu Guangzhi invited all the disciples to come to his house to socialize. The huge courtyard was full of people inside and out, and there were even some busybody lying on the wall to watch the fun. He sat in the middle and talked eloquently, his every move was in the style of a great scholar, made people fascinated.


    Xu Yayan stayed in the inner house with her mother Lin shi, looking out through a bamboo curtain.


    ¡°This is the article you wrote at the literary gathering. Your father quietly put it away and asked me to burn it quickly. As a woman, how can you show your face and compete with others? It can¡¯t be like this in the future.¡± She took out a manuscript from the bag and reprimanded.


    ¡°But other women have also written articles, why am I the only one who can¡¯t write? Am I inferior to them?¡± Xu Yayan¡¯s face was full of grievances.


    ¡°On the contrary, it is precisely because you are better than them that your father doesn¡¯t allow you to associate with them. Women should be chaste and virtuous and keep their duties, and they should not show their faces easily, otherwise they will look lowly. Look at that Guan shi woman, one moment make this trouble, one moment make that trouble, the rumors in Yanjing is all about her, the result? Isn¡¯t she reconcile? In the future, even a decent husband cannot be found, can only stay alone at home for a lifetime, desolate until death, this is exactly the ending of a restless woman! If she is honest and abiding by women¡¯s morality, she should take Madam Ye in and take the initiative to be an equal wife. Madam Ye originally is the di first wife, one head higher than her, could it be she still feel wronged? Look at now, Madam Ye is sick, Old Madam Zhao is also sick, Zhao Luli never returns home, leaving the two children alone, this is all the fault of that Guan woman!¡±


    Xu Yayan was a little conflicted in her heart, and asked back, ¡°Mother, if you encounter this situation, will you take the initiative to back down and ask  to become an equal wife with Madam Ye?¡±


    ¡°Naturally. Women should be faithful unto death, regards their husbands as heaven. A husband¡¯s first wife should be respected, whether she is dead or alive. Of course, the daughter of our Xu family can never be a concubine. You have also reached the marriageable age, this is the manuscript left over by your grandmother, which is full of the summary about the principle of being a daughter, a wife, and a mother. You take a look at it.¡± Lin shi opened the wooden box on the table and took out a stack of yellow papers.


    Xu Yayan took it cautiously, flipped through the two pages, and a bright light appeared in her eyes. Lessons for Women? Female virtue? Great word! There was an urge in her heart to summarize it and write it into a book. Didn¡¯t Guan Suyi say that virtue is heavier than talent? Men have the virtue of a gentleman, and women should also have the virtue of a lady. If looking at her words and deeds, how could it be worthy of the four characters ¡°Mingde Weixin¡±?


    She read a paragraph carefully, as if gained the most precious treasure.


    Seeing this, Lin shi was very pleased, opened the money box, locked the things sent by the students, and said in a low voice, ¡°Your father has really turned things around this time. The silver sent by the disciples alone is more than a thousand, not to mention silk, antiques, jade and other items. In the future  you no longer need to copy books at night and sell them. I heard that Grand Astrologer and Supervisor of Attendants, those two masters, want to recommend him to preside over this imperial examination. Even if he cannot be the chief examiner, still can also get a deputy post, and later on, he will become a true high-level official.¡±


    ¡°The examiner? I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t work, right? The Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies are on top, so it¡¯s not father¡¯s turn yet.¡± Having said that, Xu Yayan was extremely unwilling.


    ¡°What do you know? First push as the main examiner, and after being rejected by His Majesty then push to become the deputy, the chance of being appointed will be greater.¡± Lin shi smiled disapprovingly. In her opinion, it was already very good for her husband to have a half-official position, and he must not be too greedy.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. If father can participate in presiding over this imperial examination, he can attract many students, and when they become officials next year, they will be able to help father. When climbing in court, the network is the most important thing. Our family has no background, fortunately father can think of this way.¡± Xu Yayan admired her father very much, and there was a bit of pride in her tone.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Master Yun only accepts children from noble families, and Guan¡¯s father and son only accept outstanding talents, but how can there be so many noble families¡¯ children and outstanding talents in the world? Where should the rest of the students go for advice? Your father as the model of this generation and a worthy teacher, will be widely praised and famous all over the world in the future.¡±


    Xu Yayan pointed to the lively scene outside, and said with certainty, ¡°Mother, you are wrong, father is already the gate wall of peach and plum*, famous all over the world.¡±

 CH 132

    ¡°Gate wall of peach and plum, famous all over the world?¡± Guan Suyi flipped through the ¡°Subset Commentary¡± in her hand, and smiled sarcastically, ¡°All I see is fishing for fame and pull support to form faction.¡±


    Jinzi reported Xu Guangzhi¡¯s recent movements in detail, and sighed, ¡°He is really a snake who knows how to curry favor. You destroy his literary name again and again, but he still can get up again and again, and climbs higher and higher each time. You take a look, this is his newly published article, titled ¡°Doctrine of Teacher¡¯s Way,¡± which compared the scholars who criticized him for recruiting disciples to ¡®Groups of dog in village barking, barking what they find strange*¡®, and also said that he ¡®disregarded common customs, be laughed at and insulted, resisting face and become a teacher,  and he¡¯s willing to guide the students of Wei Kingdom in literary road and stand up to the teacher¡¯s way¡¯. Because most of the students who participated in the imperial examination were from poor families, they¡¯re not qualified to hire great teachers, and they are deeply impressed by his one or two teachings, so they speak up to build momentum for him. Now no one dares to openly oppose him, they all have fled away.¡±


    ¡°Bring the article here,¡± Guan Suyi spread her palms, her tone was careless, ¡°Mencius said ¨C The fault of people is that they like to be the teacher of others. But I can¡¯t agree. If someone else writes this kind of book, I will definitely give full support and exert my strength to cheer them, just because they pointed out a clear path for the students in the world. However, this person is Xu Guangzhi, I will suppress him again to see how many times he can get up.¡±


    Jinzi took out the manuscript of ¡°Doctrine of Teacher¡¯s Way¡± and asked in a low voice, ¡°Miss, what kind of deep hatred do you have with Xu Guangzhi? Why you insist on making things difficult for him? Besides, how do you want to suppress him? He has blocked all the words, and bought the hearts of the poor students all over the world, and you alone may be no match for the people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    Guan Suyi waved her hand and whispered, ¡°Who said I was fighting against him alone? I¡¯ll just throw out a brick and get a jade back* and let all the great scholars in the world to also speak. At that time, this ¡°Subset Commentary¡± will not be worth a penny.¡±


    ¡°What is this trick of throwing out a brick and get a jade back ?¡± Jinzi liked Miss¡¯ ruthlessness toward the literary world the most.


    ¡°He writes books, and I also write books. It just depends on who has better ideas.¡± After saying this, Guan Suyi spread out the rice paper, picked up the brush and was about to write. But unexpectedly Zhong shi to walk in with a stack of calling cards. She urged, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you dressed yet? Didn¡¯t I tell you that we¡¯re going to be a guest at Madam Ma¡¯s house later?¡±


    ¡°I also sent Minglan to inform you that I will not go.¡± Guan Suyi had no choice but to put down the brush dipped in ink, frowning slightly.


    ¡°You have to go even if you don¡¯t want to. I have already replied to the post, how can I break the promise? Mother tells you that Madam Ma¡¯s eldest son is really gentle and elegant, very handsome. He traveled around Jiangnan before, and this time he came back specially to participate in the imperial examination, his learning is not worse than Young Master Ji. Although he married once, his first wife died of illness. Now the three-year filial piety period has passed, and still have not any children. He is a good match.¡± Zhong shi walked forward and dragged her daughter, her hands kept busy while quickly tied up her daughter¡¯s loose hair, and ordered Jinzi and Minglan to prepare the dress and rouge gouache.


    Seeing that the manuscript on the table was disrupted, and the brush rolled off the table, Guan Suyi finally couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, and asked solemnly, ¡°Mother, what do you want me to do? Hurry up and get married? Well daughter will immediately write a letter to my lover and ask him to come and marry me, so you don¡¯t have to worry, just wait at home to receive the betrothal gift.¡±


    Her parents could see the intersection between her and Emperor Sheng Yuan, how could she not see through their cover up? If really want to force her to marry, alright then, who is not marrying? She can even deal with a coward like Zhao Luli, can¡¯t she deal with a fool like Hunnar?


    Zhong shi was startled and stammered, ¡°You, do you have a lover? Who is it?¡± Then she waved her hand quickly, ¡°No, no, no, how can I still don¡¯t understand my daughter? How can you get involved with other man shortly after reconcile! Yiyi, you must be scaring your mother. Alright, mother won¡¯t force you, if you want to stay at home then stay at home, do whatever you want, mother will turn down Madam Ma and tell her not to wait.¡±


    Only then did Guan Suyi hold Zhong shi¡®s arm and smiled slightly, ¡°Mother really understands daughter, just now I was really scaring you, don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    Then Zhong shi sat weakly on the embroidered stool and patted her chest lightly.


    Seeing Madam was taken aback by her miss, Minglan quietly pulled Jinzi out of the inner room and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t you think Miss smiling very evilly? This time when she returned home, she really changed a lot, where would she contradict Madam like this in the past, she would have already followed her to the meet-up.¡±


    ¡°Miss just want to live her own life. Could it be that the Guan family dislikes her for reconciling, and can¡¯t tolerate her to eat leisurely?¡± Jinzi frowned and asked back.


    ¡°How? Miss is the only child of the Guan family!¡± Minglan immediately retorted.


    ¡°Then why rush Miss to get married? Could it be that a woman¡¯s value can only be reflected in her husband? I think Miss is like me, probably has the idea of establishing a female household.¡± Jinzi firmly asserted.


    Inside the house, Guan Suyi also said in a deep voice, ¡°Mother, all day long you take me to this madam, to look at to that young master, and let them to turn their noses up at me, even treat me like an ornament or an exhibit. They also disliked me for not being gentle, that I am not virtuous, and they think they will not be able to suppress me in the future, afraid that I might cause trouble in the house. What a big face! What is this suppressing? Could it be because I¡¯m a reconcile woman, I¡¯m destined to suffer from them after getting married? Then why should I reconcile with Zhao Luli? At least in the Zhao family, no one will think about oppressing me, and no one will be able to oppress me. Are you are in a hurry to get me married, so that I can experienced the pain of being humiliated again? If so then fine, I will find you the most honorable son-in-law in the whole world, and this time I will swallow my blood even if my teeth are knocked out, and I will never complain!¡±


    Zhong shi was about to say a few soft words, persuaded her daughter to change her mind, but when she heard this, she was frightened, and she quickly waved her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t, don¡¯t! Don¡¯t be impulsive! You are a person who already reconcile once, it¡¯s alright to be a second wife, how can you enter the palace? Are you not afraid of being laughed at by the world!¡±


    ¡°So because I reconcile I¡¯m only worthy of being a second wife?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s strength was drained by these words. It turned out that the idea that ¡°women are humble and only worthy of being dependant of men¡± had existed since ancient times, and was not Xu Yayan¡¯s original creation; it turned out that even women themselves just wanted to find a husband and make do with the situation for a lifetime. However, she make do once, make do for the second time, and no longer wanted to make do for the third time. If she really can¡¯t escape, it¡¯s better to choose Hunnar, at least he is the most honorable person in the world, even if it make do, it will not be too bad.


    Zhong shi felt uncomfortable by her daughter¡¯s desolate gaze, and sighed, ¡°This is the situation of the world, and no one can be exempted. Besides, the palace is a place that eats people. You have a straightforward personality, how can you survive?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t the Guan family support me for the rest of my life?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s voice was hoarse, obviously tired.


    ¡°No.¡± Zhong shi¡®s eyes showed despair, ¡°To say something unpleasant, after your grandfather and father passed away, if the Guan family have no heirs, according to the law, all family property must be returned to the clan and distributed by the clan members. When the time comes, where can you go? The world is so big, but where is there any place for you? It¡¯s not that mother wants to force you. If you marry someone and take away a generous dowry, even if you don¡¯t live well in your husband¡¯s house, it¡¯s better than being homeless and penniless.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I set up a female household like Jinzi?¡± Guan Suyi asked again. This was actually the future she had planned for a long time.


    ¡°If it¡¯s a commoner¡¯s family, of course you can. But the Guan family has a big business, and many people are staring at us. If your grandfather and father are gone, not only the clan will take action, but even outsiders will also be involved. The so-called the tall tree attracts the wind* is precisely this. You are a woman, at that time you won¡¯t know when you are hurt, so mother want to find you a support, so that you can live a safe life.¡± Zhong shi hugged her daughter and wept softly.


    Guan Suyi finally woke up from the excitement and joy of returning home and began to face her own situation and the hidden crisis of the Guan family. In her last life, she had gone early, and the Guan family was impoverished, with no money left except for a dilapidated house, so how could the clan care about them? But this life was different. The Guan family was prominent for a while, and even estranged relatives often came to the door, let alone close relatives within five-clothes? Afraid they were all waiting to divide this huge business!


    After pondering for a moment, she said apologetically, ¡°Mother, it¡¯s daughter¡¯s fault. I shouldn¡¯t always think about myself and ignore your feelings. Let¡¯s not be in a hurry to get married. Let¡¯s bring Mu Mu here first and change his seniority.¡±


    ¡°Yiyi, what do you mean?¡± Zhong shi¡®s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the second uncle come to the door a few days ago and ask grandfather to adopt the seventh cousin as your son? Seventh cousin is three years older than me, already understand the matter, and now he want to catch up with the imperial examination, this is to borrow the power of our family to pave the way for him. He has a father and a mother, and a lot of brothers and sisters. In the past, when our family¡¯s reputation was not prominent, he didn¡¯t respect grandfather and father, so how could he treat you with sincerity? Afraid as soon as he get the family property, he will change his face. If so, it¡¯s better to adopt Mu Mu and let him be your son.¡±


    ¡°But after all, he already has a mother and son¡¯s relationship with you, and has no blood relationship with our family. Setting aside what the outsider will say, the patriarch will definitely not agree. This is a bit difficult.¡± Zhong shi had already have this idea in the back of her mind, but she didn¡¯t dare to say it openly.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s hard to, it¡¯s still need to be done! Even if all of our family¡¯s things are thrown into the lake, we still won¡¯t let others have it.¡± In the previous life, in order not to be dragged down by her reputation, it¡¯s unknown how many clansmen went to Cangzhou and begged her to die sooner. A few other cousins sent her poison, which made her heart feel cold.


    If it wasn¡¯t for her maternal grandfather and grandmother running around for her and damaging their body; if not for her grandfather being repeatedly persecuted by the clan, she would not have cut her life short.


    ¡°Change the household, recognize him as the son, immediately start to prepare. I¡¯ll explain to Mu Mu. Let¡¯s hide it from the clansmen for now, and the matter of entering the family tree must be carefully planned, so that no one will interfere with it.¡± She took out a document from the box that Hunnar gave her, and indeed Mu Mu was assigned to her name as an adopted son.


    With the support of her daughter, Zhong shi had the backbone, and immediately walked out, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go to your father to discuss it. Your father may not have this idea, just afraid of messing up the seniority in the family and it¡¯s not easy to open his mouth. Your grandfather is old-fashioned, I¡¯m afraid we have to persuade him slowly.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, Mu Mu is still young and has just come to our house, so it¡¯s not too late to change his seniority.¡± When Zhong shi walked away, Guan Suyi shook the document and instructed, ¡°Jinzi, invite your former master out, just say that I have something to ask him.¡±


    Jinzi did not dare to neglect, and hurried away.


    TN: so basically the other Guan family is so awful that GSY is better off having an evil mother-in-law than staying single.

 CH 133

    In the early years, Guan Father and Old Master Guan traveled outside to promote Confucianism, so they entrusted Zhong shi to the care of the clan in their hometown. The clansmen promised on the surface, but secretly withheld the things that the two sent back. When Zhong shi couldn¡¯t open the pot and was starving to death, they came to the door and forced her to sell the land to sustain her life. If it were not for Zhong shi get the news before and hid in her parents¡¯ house, she might not be able to keep her husband¡¯s property.


    Later, Guan Father couldn¡¯t stand it, so he had to take his wife with him. The couple gave birth to their eldest daughter during the journey, and they gradually got used to the life of wandering outside. Two years later, Zhong shi became pregnant again, but because of the unstable fetus and weak body, she had to return to her hometown to give birth. This time, Guan Father was on guard, and all the belonging were brought back by a reliable friend. The clansmen couldn¡¯t take advantage of it, and they began to isolate her. Occasionally, Jiuli¡¯s army and the army of the previous dynasty were fighting nearby, fearing that they would be attacked by the war, the clansmen fled to the mountain overnight, and left the Zhong shi alone in their residence.


    Zhong shi was seven-to-eight month pregnant, how could she escape? Unable to think of anything, she took a bag of dry food and curled up in the basement of a certain family¡¯s house. It was the middle of winter and the weather was so cold that even normal people couldn¡¯t stand it, then how about a pregnant women? After the war was over, and the army left the camp, Zhong shi had a miscarriage. She gave birth to a male fetus who was not breathing, on top of that she injured her body and could never conceive again.


    The clansmen came down from the mountain without caring for her, let alone look after her for a day. The family who dug the basement also blamed her for having a miscarriage, which stained his land, and from time to time after that he would stand outside her courtyard wall and curse, as if he had formed a deep hatred, which showed how the humanity was so cold, cold penetrating the bone marrow.


    Guan Father deeply hated the ruthlessness of the clan, but because of the blood connection, he couldn¡¯t take revenge and had to secretly swallow this anger. However, the clansmen not only did not realize that they were wrong, but also intensified their efforts to force them to return the fields to the clan, just because the two of them were always traveling around and not produce anything. However, when did Old Master Guan get even half an acre of land when he separated from his brothers? The hundred acres of fertile land were all bought by him and his son with their own hard work, and had nothing to do with the clan.


    They were resolutely unwilling to return the land. But they did not live in the village, and that hundred acres of fertile land were always idle, so naturally others couldn¡¯t stand it. That was why the relationship between them became worse and worse, until later the war broke out in full swing, and the clan moved to Yanjing to avoid disaster. Only then the relationship eased a bit, which was also because Old Master Guan used the money from selling his land to pay for travel expanse for everyone. But after arriving in Yanjing, the clansmen who used to cry and said that they didn¡¯t have money for the travel bought a large courtyard with three or four entrances, but the Guan family was the poorest, and could only temporarily live in a broken house and relied on thin tiles to cover up from the rain.


    No one wanted to help them, so the white-eyed wolves were always be the white-eyed wolves wherever they went, and couldn¡¯t be redeemed.


    Guan Father had no affection for the clan since a long time ago. Now that the Guan family became famous, they all came to the door one after another. How could he not guess what they were thinking? Seeing his daughter bring Mu Mu home, it was not that he didn¡¯t think about it, but he never opened his mouth because of the seniority problem. Perhaps because the Guan family suddenly has a son, even thought he was only the adopted son of his daughter, it made people restless. Recently, they frequently came to the door to make peace, and even the patriarch had repeatedly visited and directly ordered them to recognize the second uncle¡¯s eldest son as the heir.


    Heir? Dream on! Guan¡¯s father and daughter had the same thinking. Even if the things belong to the Guan family were thrown into the lake, still wouldn¡¯t let others have it. Therefore, when his wife came to him and revealed that she want to recognize Mu Mu as the heir, he immediately agreed, and said that he would persuade the old man. The Old Master attached great importance on ethics, and if his great-grandson suddenly become his grandson, afraid that he would not be able to overcome the hurdle in his heart. In addition, there were still problems such as changing the household registry and the family tree that need to be solved, so it need to be figured out slowly.


    After getting her father¡¯s approval, Guan Suyi called Mu Mu and explained to him the problem of changing his seniority.


    ¡°Mu Mu, you can¡¯t call me mom in the future.¡± She took the little child into her arms and spoke softly.


    ¡°Why? Mom, don¡¯t you want me anymore?¡± Mu Mu was so frightened that he couldn¡¯t even hold the little monkey, his eyes were dripping and immediately a lot of golden beans fell out.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Guan Suyi hurriedly explained the matter of recognizing him as the heir, not afraid that Mu Mu could not understand this matter because of his young age. Now leave some impressions in his heart, and when he was older, he would gradually understand. But Mu Mu was better than she expected, knowing that they just changed the way he address people, not to send him away, he immediately agreed while hugging Guan Suyi¡¯s arm.


    ¡°So can I stay here forever? Always with mom, grandfather, grandmother, and great-grandfather?¡± Mu Mu confirmed again and again.


    ¡°Yes, you will be the Guan family in the future, and you have to change your name to Guan Mumu. Also, you can no longer call me mom, you have to call me sister, your grandfather and grandmother are your parents, and the old master is your grandfather. Do you want to? ¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Mu Mu hugged his new sister and refused to let go. As long as they don¡¯t send him away, they could ask him anything.


    ¡°Mu Mu is so good. In the future, you can only call us this in private and don¡¯t let outsiders hear, or they will hurt you.¡± Guan Suyi breathed a sigh of relief, thought for a while, and felt happy again. She was supposed to have a younger brother, but he died because of the war and the indifference of the clansmen. Mu Mu survived, this might be because God was compensating her, compensating her mother!


    ¡°Good brother, obedient brother.¡± She was overjoyed, kissing Mu Mu on the left cheek, and kissing Mu Mu on the right cheek, making him giggle.


    ¡°Sister? Sister, sister, sister¡­¡± Mu Mu called out tentatively, feeling it was very novel, he called again and again, and quickly adapted to the change in seniority. The two siblings hugged and played together, feeling closer than when they were adopted mother and son.


    ¡°Madam, I¡¯m here to make an appointment.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan stood at the door and smiled at the two people in the room.


    Mu Mu was startled, and hurriedly hid in his sister¡¯s arms, but the little monkey ran over, stumbling onto the man¡¯s shoulder and sat down there, his mouth kept chattering. A Mynah flew in and stood on top of the little monkey¡¯s head, pecking its ear with its sharp beak and called ¡°Big Brother, Big brother¡±.


    ¡°It knows Big Brother. Who is it?¡± Because of the presence of the small animals, Mu Mu¡¯s fear subsided. He pointed out to the Mynah and asked.


    ¡°This is Little Brother, Big Brother¡¯s brother.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s a Mynah, and Big Brother is a monkey.¡± Mu Mu came out of his sister¡¯s arms, ran timidly to Emperor Sheng Yuan, and stretched out his short hand, as if he wanted to bring the little monkey back, but he couldn¡¯t reach it.


    ¡°You can be relatives without blood, just like you and me.¡± Guan Suyi took the opportunity to teach her younger brother, and then sent Jinzi a wink and asked her to take Mu Mu away.


    Unexpectedly, Emperor Sheng Yuan suddenly bent down and picked up the little guy, carried him on his other shoulder, and said with a small laugh, ¡°This is my wife¡¯s new brother, Guan Mumu? Much cuter than other cubs.¡± People who knew him all know that he hated children the most in his life, and avoided them whenever he saw one, but the one who was raised under Madam¡¯s knee was really pleasing to the eye.


    The culture of the Central Plains was indeed extensive and profound, and the phrase ¡°love the house and its crow¡± was simply very appropriate here.


    Mu Mu was startled at first, he was supported on the waist by that man, then they walked around the house twice, which made him laugh, and while hugging the man¡¯s head he asked, ¡°Who are you? Why haven¡¯t I seen it before?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your brother-in-law.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed.


    ¡°Hunnar, what nonsense are you talking about?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s cheeks were flushed with anger.


    ¡°Since Madam dislikes me for talking nonsense, then I¡¯ll leave now.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan put down Mu Mu and made a move to leave.


    ¡°No, you stay.¡± Guan Suyi hurriedly stepped forward to block the door, then took Mu Mu into her arms and handed him over to Jinzi to take away. Mu Mu was a little worried, and before going out, he explained in a milky voice, ¡°Sister, don¡¯t be angry, talk to brother-in-law well.¡±


    Before the helpless Guan Suyi could answer, Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed softly and promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little brother-in-law, your sister¡¯s temper will come and go quickly, and it will be fine after a while. This is a greeting gift from your brother-in-law, keep it.¡± He took out a gem-studded dagger from his waist and stuffed it into Mu Mu¡¯s arms.


    Mu Mu was a boy after all. He liked weapons, swords and halberds very much, so he quickly hugged him tightly and said politely, ¡°Thank you, brother-in-law.¡± After that the two people went out of the room, and took away Little Brother and Big Brother and the house was completely quiet.


    Guan Suyi calmed down her shyness slightly, and spread out her hand to invite, ¡°Please sit down and drink tea.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan took a seat opposite her, raised his teacup and sighed, ¡°This is the first time I am treated politely by Madam, today is worth remembering.¡±


    Guan Suyi gritted her teeth and continued, ¡°I think Jinzi has already told you? It¡¯s not difficult to change the household register, but changing from the grandson to the son is a bit confusing, and afraid it will cause an uproar. Although my father is well-liked, but he also has many enemies, the court above and below all staring at him. If he runs around to change the household register, and his political opponents get the wind, it will definitely affect his career. When the clansmen receive the news, they will also attack our family. At that time Mu Mu will be in danger. I want to ask you to quietly change his household registration so that it can give him a heavy layer of protection.¡±


    ¡°Since you understand that it will ruin Chief of Ceremonies¡¯ career, why did Madam tell me? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I will mark down Chief of Ceremonies?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± Guan Suyi smiled slightly, ¡°Borrowing your word, I only do this because you like me.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart trembled and he sighed, ¡°Madam, you have turned bad. You¡¯re like a scoundrel now.¡±


    ¡°I was originally like this, but you think of me too well. I am indeed a scoundrel, and I act recklessly because of your liking; I¡¯m also very hypocritical, rejecting you while enjoying the pleasure and convenience you brought me; And I¡¯m still duplicitous, on the surface rejects you to death, but secretly feel happy and proud of your affection. When I¡¯m fine, I hope you will go as far away as possible, and when I have something, I will think of you as soon as possible, and ask you to cut through the thorns for me. Sometimes I want you to give up on me, and sometimes I want you to love me more. You see, I¡¯m such an inconsistent and contradictory person. I reject you, use you, whet your appetite, I don¡¯t want to accept but I also don¡¯t want to lose, it¡¯s so hypocritical and disgusting. If you think I¡¯ve broken your beautiful imagination, leave as soon as possible.¡± Guan Suyi slowly opened up her heart, and even herself couldn¡¯t figure why she was saying these things.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned for a moment before he said, ¡°Madam, not only do I not want to leave now, but I love you even more. Your imperfection is exactly the perfection in my eyes.¡±

 CH 134

    Guan Suyi was embarrassed and waiting for Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s ridicule, but she didn¡¯t expect to hear another confession. Her cheeks started to flush layer by layer, then she turned her head away, not dare to look into his eyes full of love and ecstasy.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan reluctantly suppressed the excitement in his heart and laughed hoarsely, ¡°Madam, do you know what you were doing just now? You cut open your heart and showed it to me. Have you ever done this to other people? Emperor Teacher, Chief of Ceremonies, Madam Guan, do they know the real you?¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s ears trembled slightly, and she didn¡¯t dare to look at him. How could she possibly say those words to someone else? She was the di daughter of the Guan family, a paragon of virtue and morality!


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed louder and louder, and then said tenderly, ¡°It¡¯s not that Madam has no feelings for me, otherwise you would not be reluctant to lose me, but you dare not accept it. What are you worrying about? Worry that my heart will change after you enter the palace and worry that you will lose the favor and not being able to survive? Madam is so bold and strong, can¡¯t you try to take a step forward? You didn¡¯t want to reconcile at first, but now aren¡¯t you living well? When you enter the palace, I will definitely cherish you properly, become the only favorite in the harem with unparalleled honor.¡±


    ¡°The ending as the only favorite in the harem are usually a sudden death or the cold palace.¡± Guan Suyi finally turned to look at him, and some resistance resurfaced in her eyes.


    ¡°In the end, you just won¡¯t believe me, so it¡¯s useless for me to say more.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan helplessly supported his forehead. Madam was really stubborn, and the door of her heart that was just opened was closed so quickly.


    Guan Suyi was almost sidetracked by this man, so she couldn¡¯t help but be alert and said bluntly, ¡°If you help Mu Mu change the household, count it as I owe you one.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you plan to use to pay it back?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan firmly pursued, unable to let go.


    ¡°Aything except entering the palace.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes darkened slightly, then he pointed to his lips and said, ¡°Then kiss me, mouth to mouth, tongue wrapped around tongue.¡±


    Guan Suyi was embarrassed and annoyed by his straightforward request, and immediately wanted to refuse. But she was afraid that he would flung his sleeves and leave, and if she went to ask for it again in the future, he might raise the price, which would make it even more difficult to pay. However, letting her straightforwardly agree, she still very unwilling in her heart, so she could only stare at him with her fiery eyes.


    After finally gaining the upper hand, Emperor Sheng Yuan would not give in so easily, then he patted his clothes as if ready to leave, ¡°Since Madam feels embarrassed, then forget it. Anyway Chief of Ceremonies¡¯ methods are not bad, just bribe someone to do something about this can also get the matter done. Even if this unruly handle is in the hands of Minister of the Household, he must control everything. It is difficult to be an honest official, and a little stain will ruin your reputation, so you let Chief of Ceremonies fend for himself.¡± After the words fell the man walked to the door, his face was full careless smile.


    ¡°Alright, I promise you!¡± Guan Suyi gritted her teeth and shouted, ponder for a while then said, ¡°But do you dare to make a bet with me. If you win, I will kiss you; if you lose, you will help me with this matter unconditionally.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan turned around and smiled, ¡°You talk about how the bet works first?¡±


    ¡°You sit here, and if you can stay still for a quarter of an hour, I will kiss you.¡± She pointed to a low stool.


    ¡°Can I blink?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was afraid he would fall into Madam¡¯s words trap. Don¡¯t look at her dignified and virtuous appearance, in fact, she had more tricks than anyone else, and even more she was a little scoundrel.


    ¡°Can.¡±


    ¡°Can I speak?¡±


    ¡°Can.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t push me on purpose, would you?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t touch you.¡± Guan Suyi raised her hands.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s a bet, of course there must be a jackpot. If I win, you have to sit in my arms, put your hands around my neck and kiss me, and then you have to call me husband. If I lose, I will naturally help you settled Mu Mu¡¯s household registration.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan grandly sat down, his eyes were full of blazing hot flames.


    Guan Suyi felt like she was burned by him, and lowered her eyes, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start. I promise not to touch your body. If you move by yourself, you will lose.¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡± Not to mention sitting on a stool, even if he squatted on a horse, Emperor Sheng Yuan could hold on for two hours without moving. He stared at Madam intently, his eyes like a wolf that had been hungry for a long time.


    In order to avoid his gaze, Guan Suyi walked around the round table twice, and then stood in front of him. She looked at him with gentle eyes for a while, and finally leaned down slightly, opened her red lips, and approached inch by inch.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was taken aback by her gesture that was like begging for a kiss, and almost couldn¡¯t help but reaching out and hug her. Fortunately, he quickly remembered the bet and reluctantly suppressed it. It turned out that Madam was waiting for this, said she won¡¯t touch him, but she didn¡¯t say she won¡¯t seduce and confuse him, really cunning!


    He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and didn¡¯t look at Madam¡¯s demonic appearance.


    Seduction, this kind of thing, Guan Suyi had done it once before, and this time practice makes perfect. At first she was hesitating whether to retreat or not, but thinking of the jackpot that had added to the bet, she could only bite the bullet. Just pretend like she was wearing a mask. Thinking like this, she slowly let go of herself and leaned forward. It¡¯s really weird, when she was wandering the streets that day, she clearly wore a mask on her face, but it seemed that she removed the mask in her heart, so that she dared to be the real Guan Suyi.


    Who is Guan Suyi? Before that, she didn¡¯t even know it herself, but afterwards, she realized that she would never be able to become a perfect person who always restrain herself and return to the rites and abiding by morality, as taught by her grandfather. She had too much rebellion and too much unwillingness, and she needed to vent.


    Staring at this deeply contoured, resolute and stern face, she slightly opened her red lips and sent out a mouthful of orchid fragrance. The other person¡¯s eyelashes trembled violently, and the muscles in his cheeks also trembled. Obviously, he was quite startled, but he tried his best to restrain it. She gave a low laugh and blew onto his eyelids again, his eyelashes trembling more frequently, and finally he opened her eyes after couldn¡¯t bear it any longer.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t open it, I¡¯ll blow into your ear.¡± There was a thick honey juice flowing in her voice, making the other person¡¯s blue eyes to burst into flames in an instant.


    ¡°Madam, you¡¯ve turned bad. At this moment, you are really a rogue.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s voice was like a stone stuck in his throat, making it very hoarse.


    ¡°This is how I am originally.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s delicate red lips were getting closer and closer, so close that he could feel her body temperature and breathing in the air. She was still talking, and the fragrance from her lips was blowing from time to time, making his skin tingle.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart was beating like a drum, his blood was boiling, but he knew very clearly that if he wanted to pick up these two red lips, he couldn¡¯t do anything. Endure, must endure.


    Guan Suyi got closer, her lips and his lips were only separated by a thin-paper distance, and then she stayed still, her voice was very beautiful, ¡°Just a little bit, can you feel it?¡±


    How can he not feel it? Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s blue eyes were already covered with blood, and the upper and lower canine teeth touched lightly, desperately want to bite the prey sent to his mouth, but had no choice but to restrain himself. When he thought that the other person would continue to seduce him until a quarter of an hour passed, she suddenly pulled away, and the cold wind poured in as she leaned back, instantly cooling his hot lips and bulging heart.


    How can you back off so suddenly? Don¡¯t you know that chasing prey is the instinct of a wild beast? Just as this thought appeared in his mind, his body had already rushed over uncontrollably, only to be held back by an unsheathed sword.


    ¡°I won.¡± Guan Suyi said word by word. Of course she knew that he would rush over by instinct, otherwise she would not have proposed this bet.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s strength was taken away by these two words, and he laughed sullenly, ¡°Madam, you really have turned bad! But I love you even more! Even if you are arrogant, hypocritical, a rouge, and just want to string me along and scheme me, I also accept it.¡±


    Guan Suyi was pierced by this sentence, rubbed her numb lips, and then smiled brightly. She hadn¡¯t figured out how to deal with this feeling, but she also decided to move forward slowly and tentatively. When she sense danger, she only need to see what kind of answer her heart would give, perhaps firmly refuse, perhaps move forward without hesitation.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was dazzled by her bright appearance, took out a document from his arms and handed it over, sighing, ¡°Although I couldn¡¯t taste Madam¡¯s lips, this sincere smile can also be used as consolation. I¡¯ve got the paperwork done on the way here, so hide it properly. You also know that since ancient times, the patriarchal law has always been higher than the country law. If the Guan clan do not recognize Mu Mu and unwilling to put him in the family tree, even if you change the household, it will not help. ¡±


    How could Guan Suyi not know this? Within a clan, the power of the clan leader was above everything else, and if he want to punish a clan member with capital punishment, it was useless even if the officials come.


    ¡°After changing the household, at least we gained a foothold with the law. In the future, when Mu Mu grows up, it will not be easy for others to get hold of him. Besides, my father will also find a way to put him in the family tree. The clan is not tightly bound and inseparable whole. I can always draw a few people to speak for him.¡± Guan Suyi rubbed her eyebrows, showing exhaustion, ¡°I hope grandfather and father can live a long life and pave the way for Mu Mu. Thank you very much this time.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan pondered for a moment, and then tempted her, ¡°Why should you be polite between you and me? Have you ever thought that if you marry the most powerful person in Wei Kingdom, Mu Mu will be the country¡¯s uncle. Who would dare to meddle with the country¡¯s uncle¡¯s family property? All your troubles now are just troubles you asked for yourself. If Mu Mu is your adopted son, I will treat him as my own son; if he is your younger brother, I will treat him as my own brother, and I will never make him suffer.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s ears turned red, and she wanted to be angry, but also found it funny, she quickly snatched the document and reprimanded, ¡°Start talking nonsense again! It¡¯s getting late, go away! What I hope the most is for Mu Mu to become a worthy person, not to help the Guan family hold on to the family property. If I really hand him over to you, I am afraid he will become a little scoundrel or a little bully.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan reluctantly walked to the door, and pretended to say goodbye, but suddenly pulled Madam into his arms, quickly kissed her on the side of the face, and then flew up onto the roof and disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°One household registration for a cheek kiss. Madam will not be stingy, right?¡± The man¡¯s deep and rich voice still echoed in her ears, making Guan Suyi¡¯s cheeks flushed red, both embarrassed and annoyed, and after enduring for a while, she inexplicably laughed.


    Mu Mu ran out with Big Brother in his arms, and asked with disappointment, ¡°Sister, where is brother-in-law? Jinzi said that my brother-in-law is a great general and he is very amazing.¡±


    ¡°Shh, don¡¯t mention him in front of others, not even father, mother and grandfather. This is our secret, okay?¡± Guan Suyi stretched out her pinkie and said helplessly.


    Mu Mu¡¯s eyes lit up, and immediately hooked her sister¡¯s pinkie finger, and mysteriously promised, ¡°I will never mention it. Pinkie swear and the hook can¡¯t be change for a hundred years.¡±

 CH 135

    The next day, Guan Suyi handed over the revised household registration documents to her father for safekeeping.


    Guan Father took a look and raised his eyebrows, ¡°How did you get this document?¡±


    ¡°When I left the Zhao Mansion, Mu Mu was placed under your and mother¡¯s name, and is your adopted son. As long as the clansmen agree to put him in the family tree, he will be the true heir of our family. Well, Guan Mu Mu, doesn¡¯t it sound good?¡± Guan Suyi nodded at the three words at the end of the page.


    ¡°If you had already registered the household registration, you wouldn¡¯t have let him call your mother all this time. I won¡¯t ask you how you get this document. I¡¯ll just let you think about it, with your temperament, how many days you can live in the palace? The brutality of the harem¡¯s battle is no less than political struggle and war. Each has its own faction and its own interests. If you stand in someone¡¯s way, it will be full of sword and shadow*. Women in the harem can kill without blood. You have followed your maternal grandmother to revise history books, you must know all kinds of chaos in the harem of the previous dynasty. And the emperor sits there holding three thousand beauties, today favoring this one, tomorrow adoring that one, and he can forget the old affection in a blink of an eye. Your character is straightforward, your method is crude, and you can¡¯t hold back your words, just like your grandfather. Look at how many people he has offended until now, he even has reprimanded the emperor several times in person. The monarch is suspicious and the heavenly family is ruthless. Now he can tolerate your grandfather because of political needs, but next year when the country is more stable it may not be so clear. I¡¯m here trying to find a way out for your grandfather, so that he can retire from office smoothly and can enjoy his old age. But you are good, you actually eager to jump in. I fished up this and fished up that, and if I couldn¡¯t stand firm, the whole family would have to fall into the water.¡±


    Guan Father put away the document and sighed deeply, ¡°On the surface you look more docile than anyone else, but in fact, you have a rebellious nature. When you were a child, I only reprimanded you for carelessly write one sentence, and you secretly replace the sand in the cloth bag with iron, in a short while keep increasing the weight until several pounds, and almost waste your wrist. If you were falling behind your senior brothers at any exam, you would read books all night without sleep. Your greatest strength is being competitive, but your biggest weakness is also being competitive. The more I stop you, the more you like to fight against me. So now I neither advise you nor stop you, I just want you to think clearly about the severity of it, and whether it¡¯s worth gambling with your own life, or even with the life of your whole family. Originally Guan family could have been a detached pure minister, rather than a relative of the imperial family. Once we get involved in the whirlpool of power, it will be difficult to get out.¡±


    Guan Suyi was silent for a moment, then bowed and said, ¡°Father, I have taken everything you said to my heart. How to choose, I will think about it clearly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, your seventh cousin is coming to ask for lessons, you should go back first. Mu Mu¡¯s household registration has been completed, so we don¡¯t have to worry. When he grows up and has a future, the clan will naturally not dare to compete with him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, daughter must teach brother well.¡± Guan Suyi bowed again and again, went out of the room, and saw Mu Mu standing under the wall with a paper kite, her solemn expression then eased slightly.


    Mu Mu was very smart, he knew he had to change his way of addressing, but he also knew that he couldn¡¯t let outsiders hear him, so he simply didn¡¯t call anyone in public, just waved or ran over to hug her thighs. When he saw his sister coming, he wanted to call her, but when he saw the maids standing not far away, he quickly covered his mouth and narrowed his eyes with a smile.


    Guan Suyi also laughed and walked over to help him pull the string, making paper kite flew higher. The two siblings were playing around for a while, when they heard footsteps behind them they turned their heads to see that it was the seventh cousin who arrived as expected. He was handsome in appearance, gentle in temperament, outstanding in talent, and regarded as the best among the Guan clan¡¯s juniors. Although the Guan family belonged to a Confucian family, the only one who really studied Confucianism was the old master, and the rest of the di branch and side branch had long abandoned their pens to plow the field due to frequent wars.


    The great-grandfather of this seventh cousin was the current clan leader, and if he wanted to compete for the Emperor Teacher¡¯s family property, the others were naturally not opponents. Therefore, he had now regarded himself as the future master of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, and said, ¡°Cousin, you are a reconcile woman, how can you stay at home for so long? Better hurry up and find someone to marry. How will you place your adopted son? Fostered in the Emperor Teacher Mansion or take it away together?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it away together.¡± Guan Suyi smiled lightly, as if she didn¡¯t notice the chasing out meaning in his words.


    ¡°You¡¯re right to think like this. After all, it¡¯s a mother and child, how can you abandon him and marry alone? However, if you marry with a child, it¡¯s not easy to find a suitable husband. I have a classmate who is thirty-three years old this year. Although he is a little old, has been married once, and has two sons and a daughter under his knee, but his character is very reliable, and he doesn¡¯t mind if you bring your children to enter the door. I¡¯ll tell my aunt and let her look at it for you.¡±


    He even dared to introduce his cousin to a thirty-three years old widower, and even put on airs with the other person, did he consider himself the head of the family? Guan Suyi sneered in her heart, but her face was very kind, ¡°My parents are in charge of my marriage, cousin doesn¡¯t need to worry about it.¡±


    Guan Wenhai ate a soft nail*, but he was not annoyed, instead laughed helplessly, as if the victory was already within his grasp and didn¡¯t care to haggle with others.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes became darker and darker, and then she pointed to the manuscript in his hand and said, ¡°This is cousin¡¯s masterpiece? Can you lend me a look? I heard that the imperial examination this time put emphasis on policy theory, and the topics will be randomly extracted from the Confucian classics. Now all the students in Wei Kingdom are probably writing policy theories, it just depends on who has the luck to bet on the exam questions. My cousin is here, afraid also want to ask my father to speculate on the questions, right?¡±


    Guan Wenhai handed over the manuscript and said frankly, ¡°The fifth uncle is a close minister of the emperor, and he should have some understanding of the person on top. It would be more appropriate to ask him to speculate the question. I don¡¯t dare to disturb the old master, I am worried that my level is limited and will provoke the old man to reprimand.¡±


    Guan Suyi smiled without saying a word, took the manuscript and read ten lines in one glance, and said slowly, ¡°I advise my cousin to go home and rewrite it. Gewu Zhizhi* (examining things and gaining knowledge), you¡¯re already wrong at the beginning of the topic, and it is even more wrong when you break the question, and the argument is simply wrong. It¡¯s fine to show it to father, if you take it outside to discuss it with others, it will definitely be laughed at.¡±


    ¡°Does cousin really understand? Don¡¯t feel unhappy just because your cousin urged you to marry.¡± Guan Wenhai¡¯s complacent expression finally showed a crack.


    Guan Suyi pointed to the first vertical line of the first page and said, ¡°If I remember correctly, your Gewu Zhizhi should be derived from Xu Guangzhi¡¯s ¡°Subset Commentary¡± ¨C including the pattern and also the substance. Exhausting the truth of things, to know is to bring knowledge to the extreme. But have you ever thought about it? The book ¡°Great Learning¡± (attributed to Zengzi (Confucius¡¯s disciple) that had come from a chapter in the Book of Rites. It consists of a short main text of the teachings of Confucius by Zengzi and then ten commentary chapters supposedly written by Zengzi) is to expound the basic purpose of outstanding education for the children of nobles for three generations at that time. These students are between the age of fifteen and twenty, still in the early stage of exploring learning, and walking at the starting point of the academic path. And among the eight items listed in the ¡°Great Learning¡±, they are examining things (Gewu), gaining knowledge (Zhizhi), sincerity, righteousness, self-cultivation, family order, governance of the country, and peace in the world. Examining things and gaining knowledge occupies the first two place. That is to say, if you want to explore the secrets of learning, you must first do these two points. However, from Xu Guangzhi¡¯s point of view, examining things and gaining knowledge has become the principle of everything in the world. Even the Sage did not dare to make such a bold statement, so how could a student who just entered the learning path be able to do so? A very simple sentence, but when explained by Xu Guangzhi, has become mysterious and unrecognizable. The so-called Gewu Zhizhi is nothing more than distinguishing between human affairs and thus distinguishing between good and evil. This is the basic principle that a student must uphold when embarking on their learning journey.¡±


    She shook the manuscript and said bluntly, ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous that a simple sentence has been thoroughly misinterpreted by you, and making it thoroughly complicated, and still brings out all the general principle of the thousands changes in the world.¡±


    Guan Wenhai blushed at her criticism, and said angrily, ¡°Cousin, how much older Master Xu compare to you? How much higher his knowledge compared to you? If you don¡¯t understand, don¡¯t make outrageous words.¡±


    ¡°There is progression in wisdom, and there are high and low in learning, but when did the Sage ever say that the academic level must be related to age? Gan Luo* is twelve when he became minister, how should you explain that? According to my cousin, Master Xu is far younger than all the great Confucian scholars, under the circumstances, what qualifications does he have to make comments on Confucian classics? Why do you students have to participate in the imperial examinations diligently? Directly rank the age, the oldest is the top of the list, the second oldest is the second, and the third oldest is the third.¡± Guan Suyi returned the manuscript, then an article idea started rolling in her mind, and it could not be stopped. She immediately picked up Mu Mu and bent down her knees to say goodbye.


    She wanted to write a book to refute Xu Guangzhi¡¯s ¡°Subset Commentary¡± from beginning to end, telling the students all over the world that power and prestige were not absolute.


    Guan Father was standing at the door at some point, when he saw Guan Wenhai coming over angrily, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Go back. As Yiyi said, even the opening topic of this article is wrong, and there is no need to correct it. After going back, think more, study more, read more, and come back when you have your own opinions.¡±


    Guan Wenhai was not convinced, but because he hadn¡¯t been adopted yet, he didn¡¯t want to offend Guan Father too much, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and retreat. After thinking about it on the road, he found it even more difficult to accept. He walked to the tea house where the students usually gathered around and passed the article for everyone to take a look. His literary talent was originally brilliant and knowledgeable, and because the principle of ¡°Gewu Zhizhi¡± put forward by Xu Guangzhi was too profound, he expounded it with metaphorical meaning and sharp rhythm, which aroused a voice of admiration.


    The current style of writing was like this, the more profound and mysterious, the more incomprehensible, the more it was touted by the scholars. It seemed that only by complicating simple truths can they show their level.


    Guan Wenhai got everyone¡¯s affirmation, so he told his cousin¡¯s statement as a joke, which caused everyone to ridicule constantly. Ji Chengyue and Xu Yayan happened to be in the next private room, and when they heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but ask to look at the manuscript and read it.


    ¡°Good article!¡± Ji Chengyue praised, and then tried to excuse Guan Suyi, ¡°However Miss Guan, as a woman, can give her own thoughts is already very rare. The road to study is difficult, and we should have the courage to raise objections, otherwise wrong will always be wrong and nothing will be gained.¡±


    ¡°It still fine for her to make outrageous remarks when she knows one and understand half*, but why does Chief of Ceremonies also agree? The Guan family¡¯s literary style is probably not as rigorous as the rumors outside says. I heard that Guan Wenhai is about to become the heir of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, and there may also be suspicions of deliberate targeting.¡± Xu Yayan said casually.


    Ji Chengyue was stunned for a while, looked left and right then said to her, ¡°It¡¯s not good for others to criticize Guan¡¯s family affairs. I almost forgot to congratulate Second Miss Xu, I heard that Master Xu¡¯s ¡°Subset Commentary¡± has been submitted to the imperial court, if the emperor approves it, it will become one of the required reading list for the imperial examination in the coming year? With this, Master Xu can also get the position of a chief examiner.¡±


    Only then did Xu Yayan rejoice and thank him with a smile.


    At the same time, Guan Suyi was spreading out a piece of rice paper, and slowly wrote, ¡°The Sage¡¯s words are very subtle with profound meaning, and when people follow it, they learn from it, but it is still difficult to understand the whole picture. Just like building a house on top a house, stacking a bed on top a bed, it will getting smaller and weaker. That¡¯s why later people have the saying reduced teacher and half virtues. When interpreting the words of the Sage, we should interpret the scriptures according to the scriptures, rather than interpreting the meaning of the scriptures with one¡¯s own opinions¡­¡±


    TN: Translating this chapter remind me of something. I took one course of philosophy in college, I don¡¯t like it. Philosophy is something that if you understand a little bit, it feels like you¡¯re the smartest people in the world, but if you don¡¯t understand it, it just lots and lots and lots of words.

 CH 136

    As soon as she started writing, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t stop, so she had to tie a small sandbag to Mu Mu and let him sit next to her to practice calligraphy. Mu Mu was very well-behaved, neither disturb nor noisy. When it was time for dinner, he even urged his sister to eat, for fear that she would exhaust her body.


    Old Master Guan and Guan Father were not at ease at first, and ran to the study to take a look a few times, and only after reading the first page of the manuscript did they no longer bother her again.


    ¡°Although the mind is a little off, but the knowledge is greatly improved. Good!¡± Old Master Guan stroked his beard with a gratified expression on his face. Guan Father shook his head and smiled bitterly, didn¡¯t say anything. Where is his daughter¡¯s mind is a little off? She was about to jump into the fire pit!


    Guan Suyi wrote for half a month before stop writing, checked the manuscript, polished it slightly, and then copied it several times, and let Jinzi took it to the literary notice to post it there.


    ¡°Miss, why didn¡¯t you ask someone to transcribe it and instead paste your manuscript directly? Your handwriting is well known to all scholars in Yanjing. If you publicize it like this, you will become very famous!¡± Jinzi pointed her finger to the signature and pointed out, ¡°Because of the previous article ¡°The Law of the People¡±, the Innkeeper became highly respected by the people, words and talents are not under Xu Guangzhi. When everyone finds out that the Innkeeper is you, I am afraid it will attract a lot of criticism.¡±


    ¡°Post it, I¡¯m the Innkeeper and the Innkeeper is me, others can say whatever they want.¡± Guan Suyi washed off the ink on her fingertips and spoke carelessly.


    When Jinzi got the definite order, she left with the manuscript, bribed the guards who guarded the public notice, and posted her master¡¯s article. Only in a few moments it attracted a large number of people to stop and watch.


    ¡°Am I not mistaken? This is actually the masterpiece of the Innkeeper? Hurry up, hurry up, go to the bookstore to buy a brush and paper, and copy it down!¡± Only seeing the signature, before even reading the full text, some scholars hurriedly bought paper and writing brush. Yet many more remained, initially skeptical and then ecstatic.


    The article really adhered to the legacy of the ¡°Law of the People¡± and continued to oppose Xu Guangzhi. In the first sentence of the opening chapter, she directly reprimanded Xu Guangzhi for interpreting the words of the Sage with his own personal opinions, which was a big taboo. He forced his own academic views into the minds of students all over the world, making them lost their literary way; The next point was to clarify all his omissions, and to examine them with profound knowledge.


    Everyone at the time knew that the Innkeeper had a deep knowledge in history, and her annotations of Confucian classics strictly followed the principle of ¡°interpreting the scriptures with scriptures¡±, with little personal opinion. If there were some confusions, she then implored all the great scholars to correct them. She welcomed criticism towards her article from people all over the world, and said that only in this way was the most rigorous learning attitude, rather than the words of one group became commonplace, so that the virtue of the Sage were reduced and diminished and eventually disappear.


    At her concluding remarks, she pointed out that Xu Guangzhi was not annotating Confucian classics, but used Confucian classics to annotate his own thoughts. If the ¡°Subset Commentary¡± circulated for a long time, what future generations would learn was no longer the thinking of Confucius and Mencius, but the thinking of Xu shi, and what they understand was not the words of the Sage, but the words of Xu shi. Xu shi¡®s vain attempt to usurp the Sage¡¯s position, changed the Sage¡¯s words, and gain the reputation of ¡°teacher of the world¡± was really just trying to gain fame for himself!


    Finally, it was important to point out that the imperial examination was promoted by the emperor. If the students were fortunate enough to pass, they should be the disciples of the emperor, and serve under the emperor, not others.


    Said to be an article, in fact, the number of words was enough to make a book. Because the Innkeeper¡¯s literary name was extremely popular, the onlookers first put her in the same position as Xu Guangzhi, and there would be no unnecessary doubts. After reading the full article, it was indeed deeply moving and profound. No matter how many times it was tasted, they still find it difficult to understand its true flavor.


    As soon as the news spread, students soon came to watch, and before the students from the poor family could speak, the children of the noble family had already clapped their hands and applauded, full of admiration. They were of noble origin, and naturally they hired great teachers since they were young, and all of them were giants in the world, if want to annotate Confucian classics, who would dare to surpass them? But Xu Guangzhi went beyond it, and even published articles to flaunt himself and belittle others, how could they not hate him?


    He described his critics as ¡°Shu dogs bark at the sun*, and Wu buffalo gasped when he saw the moon*¡°. All the literary giants naturally were aloof, so it was not good to argue with him. At this time, they thought about writing a book, but was afraid of being ridiculed for picking up other people¡¯s words, so they all kept silent. Now this Innkeeper pointed finger at Xu Guangzhi first, and also invited scholars from all over the world to criticize her own articles, in order to explore the Sage¡¯s words in a more in-depth and comprehensive way. This was equivalent to setting up ladder for those literary giants who were high above, if they don¡¯t go down at this time, when else?


    After reading the article, all the great scholar thought about it, and immediately summed up and posted their most exquisite learning views, and of course did not forget to refute Xu Guangzhi. Although he had a solid foundation in Confucianism, his mind was too utilitarian. His annotations of Confucian classics were as described by the Innkeeper, most of them were his own thoughts cloaked in the Sage¡¯s words and couldn¡¯t stand the scrutiny.


    More and more Confucian scholars joined the literary war, refuting each other, communicating with each other, commenting on each other, and annotating the Confucian classics in a comprehensive and thorough manner, making the students read it heartily and reluctantly to leave. It was no exaggeration to say that standing in front of this wall covered with splendid articles for a quarter of an hour was more useful than painstakingly reading for ten years.


    By the time Xu Guangzhi received the news, his ¡°Subset Commentary¡± had already been totally refuted by the literary giants, and many of the errors and omissions were so low-level that people laugh. He didn¡¯t bother to read it one by one, just found the article of the Innkeeper and read it silently, and when he saw the last sentence, he almost spit out blood.


    He was not afraid to refute the academic views, he could write an article to dismiss them when he went back, but it alluded him of usurping the Sage¡¯s position and changing the Sage¡¯s words, which was clearly to cut off his literary path; It also pointed out that he had formed a party for personal gain and competed with His Majesty for disciples, which actually accusing words that were enough to make the whole Xu family beheaded! This Innkeeper was so vicious! It really used brush and paper like a knife, rushing to kill!


    Xu Guangzhi was dizzy and about to collapse, but fortunately, Xu Yayan helped him in time, so he didn¡¯t collapse to the ground. Ji Chengyue happened to be nearby, so he hurried up to help, and ordered his servants to set up a carriage and send Master Xu home. Seeing Xu Yayan¡¯s gaze asking for help, he felt embarrassed in his heart, and his face couldn¡¯t help became gloomy.


    The great Confucian giants in the whole Wei Kingdom simultaneously wrote articles to annotate Confucian classics, which was once-in-a-century event. Even his teacher Master Yun, who usually valued his own words, published five articles in a row, expounding his academic views in great detail. If he left at this time, it was equivalent to skipping class in the middle, and afraid that he would lag behind others in learning, so how could he be willing?


    Fortunately, Xu Yayan saw his embarrassment and did not beg him to send them personally. While waiting for the carriage to approach, her eyes lingered on the Innkeeper¡¯s manuscript, and she suddenly exclaimed, ¡°This, this is Guan Suyi¡¯s handwriting! The Innkeeper is Guan Suyi!¡±


    ¡°How could it be?¡± Ji Chengyue shook his head reflexively, and then took a closer look, he was speechless, and then his cheeks blushed layer by layer, he was completely ashamed. Just half a month ago, he said that Miss Guan was short-sighted and courageous, but it turned out that they were the ones who were really short-sighted. Her knowledge had far surpassed her peers, and she could stand side by side with all the great scholars. How could he have the face to point fingers at her? Indeed, the ignorant was fearless.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s handwriting had long been famous in Yanjing, but before people were attracted by her outstanding literary talent and profound knowledge, so the students did not pay attention to the handwriting. However, when one person pointed out, more and more people would see it. The Innkeeper whose writing was like a knife and whose words were so incisive was actually a woman, and she also totally refuted Master Xu, who was several decades older than her. How knowledgeable should she be? At what age did she start reading? Guan family¡¯s education is really terrible!


    Although some people criticized the Innkeeper¡¯s woman identity, the literary war between the giants was still going on, and the students were still writing wildly, they had no heart to care about anything else. On the way, the Innkeeper published two articles in succession, and the exquisite subtle remarks attracted many giants to discuss and refute. With this back-and-forth exchange, her profound Confucianism had been clearly demonstrated.


    People who wanted to make a big fuss about her gender gradually gave up and concentrated on copying.


    Because the literary war was intensified and in full swing, the authorities were alerted, and the imperial guards were specially dispatched to guard the literary notice, so that if any student of the great scholar want to post a new work, he must register it first. One wall was not enough, so several rows of wooden walls were added, and no one was allowed to take it off at will.


    In the evening of the same day, the literary war came to an end, but the matter was not over yet. When the news was brewed overnight, it spread farther, so there must be more famous people joining in, perhaps great scholars from other places would also send their manuscript swiftly. This was not only a battle of Confucianism, but also a battle of literary names. Whether it was a scholar who purely studies Confucianism or a hypocrite who was obsess to become officials, they would not miss this opportunity.


    Guan Suyi went silent after publishing three articles. She knew that the follow-up literary war had no place for her. She was just a brick that used to attract beautiful jade, and more Confucian giants would support this grand occasion.


    ¡ª-


    In the garden, the sky was full of stars, and the flying flowers were scattered. Guan Father held a can of oil lamp and sighed, ¡°You made such a big movement with a wrong eye*. Fortunately, you¡¯re still aware how to retreat in the torrents, and stop before going too far, so that all the giants can overshadowed your limelight.¡±


    ¡°A tall tree attracts the wind, and I, this little sprout, can¡¯t withstand the hurricane.¡± Guan Suyi also held a can of oil lamp in her arms and whispered, ¡°The literary war may last for several days. Father, have you ever thought about compiling everyone¡¯s articles into a book and make into a real ¡°Subset Commentary¡±? Or gather the famous name of Wei Kingdom to jointly write a masterpiece involving all things, all disciplines and studies? To enlighten the world and guide the way for future generations. That¡¯s the real meaning of the literary war.¡±


    Guan Father looked at his daughter with new eyes, and said solemnly, ¡°Is this what you expected?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Scholars of the world as teacher of the world, and all things have spirits when they last forever!¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s blood was burning, and it was boiling bit by bit.


    Guan Father looked at her for a long time, and sighed deeply, ¡°It is father who underestimated you. If what you said can be achieved, the Guan family will become the literary leader in one fell swoop, and scholars all over the world will be grateful for this kindness. This is the real power of enlightenment, and also the fastest way for the emperor to promote Confucianism. Yiyi, I thought about it before, maybe you can enter the palace and try it.¡±


    Hearing the last sentence, Guan Suyi was dumbfounded for a while before stepping into the study holding the oil lamp. Tonight, both grandfather and father plan to write through the night. The lights would not go out the whole night. The same situation must happen in every corner of Yanjing. And the next day, there would be no shortage of waves in the courtroom.

 CH 137

    Emperor Sheng Yuan had received the ¡°Subset Commentary¡± presented by Supervisor of Attendants since half a month ago, and many civil servants from poor families wanted to elect Xu Guangzhi as the chief examiner of the imperial examination, and even more students from all over the world cheered and made a big splash for him.


    Obviously, he had refuted him twice before, reducing Xu Guangzhi¡¯s reputation to the mud, but he still had the ability to jump out, and each time he jumped harder and harder. This showed how ambitious this person was, how tough he was, and how high his ability was. Perhaps because last time he was dependent on the powerful people and lost to the heart of the common people, this time he learned the lesson and took control of the people¡¯s hearts first, and replaced the target with the world¡¯s students.


    How many students were there in the world? Thousands upon thousands, with endless follow-up, and how many of them could get the guidance of great teachers? One in ten thousand! Xu Guangzhi was precisely looking at this point that he dared to cross many great Confucian giants and write the ¡°Subset Commentary¡±, because he knew that as long as this book spread, the poor students all over the world would become his loyal fans. Immediately afterwards, he published an article expounding his views on ¡°The Teacher¡¯s way¡±, branding himself as a pioneer who dared to be the first, the vanguard of promoting Confucianism, degrading those who rebuked him as Shu dogs that bark at the sun, completely blocked the mouths of all the present age¡¯s scholars.


    This first punch and second punch smashed down one after another, and it really opened a way for him to reach the sky. Because of Madam, Emperor Sheng Yuan hated the house and its crows, and immediately wanted to dismiss the memorial, but because of his high reputation, if he suppressed him again, it could chilled the hearts of students all over the world, so he could only delay.


    Whenever Supervisor of Attendants asked about it, Emperor Sheng Yuan said that he had not fully understand the ¡°Subset Commentary¡± and had to ponder it more. After all, the promotion of the compulsory reading list for the imperial examination was a major event, so it had to be controlled. However, Supervisor of Attendants had already planned in advance, and just waiting for the emperor¡¯s approval, then he would join hands with Xu Guangzhi to write a few more Confucian commentary books, gain a name for himself, win over students, and expand his power.


    Some people were waiting, and Emperor Sheng Yuan was also waiting. From what he knew about Madam, she seldom hated a person, but once she did, she would fight to her last breath. In the first two rounds, she fought with Xu Guangzhi to the end, there was no reason why there was no movement this time, so he sent a secret guard to inquire, and sure enough, he got the news that Madam was also writing a book.


    Warriors fight with blade and sword¡¯s shadows, in bloody rain and bloody storm; scholars fight with words and brush, piercing the sky and cracking the stones*. Madam, are you going to start a literary war with Xu Guangzhi? Thinking like this, Emperor Sheng Yuan was looking forward to it, and he also opened the ¡°Subset Commentary¡± and read it carefully, trying to find out any errors and omissions.


    In this way, time naturally passed quickly, and unconsciously half a month had passed. Emperor Sheng Yuan found seven or eight doubts, recorded it in a booklet, and waited until he could ask Madam for advice in the future, but one day he received a stack of manuscripts from the dark guard, saying that it was Madam¡¯s masterpiece.


    ¡°It finished so soon?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was surprised, he opened two pages and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Madam, Madam, apart from being a rogue, hypocritical, and duplicitous, you are also arrogant and vindictive, use brush and paper as a knife, and really do not leave Xu Guangzhi any way to live.


    ¡°Learn and practice regularly* (xu¨¦ ¨¦r sh¨ª x¨ª zh¨©) ¡°, Xu Guangzhi misunderstood the words ¡°sh¨ª¡± and ¡°x¨ª¡°, and actually made Madam to go through all of Confucius¡¯s works to prove the true meaning of those two words, not let go of the slightest negligence.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan could almost imagine her reading at night with the lights on and writing hard, and he could also imagine she went through the words one by one with her white fingertips. She was really not hesitating at all, when she decided to do something, she would try to do her best.


    Taking out his booklet and comparing it with Madam¡¯s manuscript, Emperor Sheng Yuan was ashamed. He thought that he had worked hard and made great progress, but compared with Madam, he was still far behind. Presumably that the students outside who take Xu Guangzhi as their teachers were even lower.


    When Emperor Sheng Yuan secretly decided to increase the difficulty of the imperial examination and select the real talents, another dark guard came to report that Madam¡¯s article had provoked a literary war, and now all the great scholar have gathered in the tea house opposite the literary notice. If there was an article that attracts their attention, they would immediately write an article to refute or comment.


    The literary thought of an experienced scholar in the literary circle could not be compare with ordinary people, because there was mountain of books and sea of ink hidden in the heart, once they had an inspiration they could immediately write it down, no need to ponder over it too much. Therefore, in just half a day, Madam¡¯s article had already led to more than a dozen masterpieces. One was more profound than the other, one was more subtle than the other, the literary giants seemed to be competing with each other. First, they used three quarter of their power to test each other, when they saw that their opponents were very good, they showed their real skills. Later, more and more masters participated. In order not to be inferior, they even took out their hidden ability.


    This made it advantageous for the students who came to watch. They felt that this article was exquisite, and that article was peerless. Even if they had a few hundred pairs of eyes, they couldn¡¯t read it all, and their hearts were burning with anxiety.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan did not expect that Madam would make such a big move, but at present it was a good thing, and immediately dispatched the Guards to protect the literary notice, and one article was not allowed to be overlaid on another article; no one was allowed to take it at will; one eight (°Ë) shape stone wall were not enough to post it, then another wooden wall was added; after nightfall, all articles have to be copied and backed up, and finally recorded it in a book.


    Since ancient times, the people of the Central Plains have the habit of cherishing the broken broom as their own*. They loved to hide and tuck any secret skills they have mastered, and never divulge these even to their own disciples. Therefore, many skills or learning have gradually declined. Such a grand occasion where they tried to one-up each other and revealed everything they know, was simply unheard and unseen before.


    When talking about inciting people¡¯s hearts, Madam was still the best on this matter. Instead it was Xu Guangzhi who was dragged over by her and used as a target, and suffered a huge secret loss in vain. Didn¡¯t you see that each of these great scholars had to step on Xu Guangzh in their article? It was also a trend brought by Madam.


    While paying attention to the progress of the situation, Emperor Sheng Yuan was full of admiration for Madam. Seeing that she had quietly hid away and no longer participated in the follow-up literary war, he was relieved. Now that her pseudonym had been exposed, if she mix in it again, she might have the reputation of being rampant among the younger generation. But her age and gender gave her the most comprehensive protection. Just one sentence ¡°Don¡¯t care about women¡± could stop the mouths of many literary giants and made her knowledge more noticeable.


    A woman was only three points high, and when she spread out she could get seven points recognition, and with Madam¡¯s great talent, no one could belittle her against their conscience at this moment. However, in the future, if she use the name of the Innkeeper to post again, her authority and influence might be greatly reduced. People in the world despised women, this was a common practice and could not be changed.


    When Madam becomes the Empress of Wei Kingdom, she will no longer be slight by anyone, and Zhen will make her the most honorable woman in the world. Thinking like this, Emperor Sheng Yuan finally calmed down, tore the note that recorded the slander towards Madam into pieces, and threw it into the brazier and burned it.


    ¡ª-


    The next day, there was silence in the court hall. Several civil court ministers who had previously urged Xu Guangzhi to become official were silent, sweating like a waterfall, secretly praying that half a month passed, and the emperor had forgotten their memorials. But heaven failed people¡¯s wishes, to their surprise the emperor took out a book, which was undoubtedly the ¡°Subset Commentary¡±, and then took out a thick stack of manuscripts, and said solemnly, ¡°Yesterday, a literary war broke out in Yanjing, which really opened Zhen¡¯s perspective, it turns out that the battle for literary and academic names is no less powerful than the battle for city and territory. Zhen spent a day and a night reading the masterpieces of the great scholars, and these twelve sichen (tn: 24 hours) was far better than years of bitter reading, it stirred up the literary thought in one¡¯s mind, and leave a rich aftertaste!¡±


    He casually threw the ¡°Subset Commentary¡± aside, his tone was cold, ¡°Zhen almost got duped by this master Xu again. Last time the policy theory broke my law and discipline in the court, this time wrote a book and messed up my literary exam. If Zhen approve your memorials and this book is listed as one of the required read for the imperial examination, it is equivalent to making Xu¡¯s words superior to the Sage¡¯s words; making Xu¡¯s Neo-Confucianism authoritarian in Wei¡¯s literary world. Ten or twenty years later, which scholar can understand the real thoughts of Confucius and Mencius? All become Xu Guangzhi¡¯s mouthpiece and supporters!¡±


    Resolutely brushing off the book, he said word by word, ¡°Today¡¯s students are all disciples of the Son of Heaven, not the disciples of others! If anyone wants to form faction inside and outside the court, and use power for personal gain, don¡¯t blame Zhen for shooting thunder! Xu Guangzhi is ambitious and his scheme is not small, Zhen really dare not use him, and whoever recommends him to enter the officialdom in the future, first settled his own official hat and then talk about it!¡±


    People, who couldn¡¯t stand Xu Guangzhi¡¯s way of recruiting disciples and monopolizing the academic¡¯s court officials, today were ready to stop him from becoming official, but they didn¡¯t expect the emperor to completely block his front and back road himself, which was really gratifying.


    ¡°Your Majesty is wise!¡± One person bowed down and everyone surrendered, and the matter was thus over.


    There was silence in the hall for a moment, and then everyone saw the Emperor Teacher walked forward and said slowly, ¡°Your Majesty, the minister has a memorial to submit. Although Xu Guangzhi is fishing for fame, but he also set a precedent, to seek a good teacher for the students all over the world, so his original intention is still good, still ask Your Majesty to calm down his anger. This minister feels the Wei students¡¯ thirst for knowledge, implore Your Majesty to summon the world¡¯s great scholars to jointly create a Confucian treasure book to pass on to the present and future generations. In addition, please call the great masters of Hundred School of Thought to cast another encyclopedic collection, so as not to make the culture of the Central Plains decline and wilt down, and don¡¯t let us teachers wither.¡± After the words finished, he fell down and knelt reverently.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan had a keen political sense, and immediately realized the huge benefits hidden in what Emperor Teacher said. Creating a Confucian treasure book could quickly establish the status of Confucianism in the country, and laid a solid foundation for the smooth implementation of the art of imperialism; Casting the Hundred Schools of Thought¡¯s treasure book, this huge temptation would surely attract countless talents and scholars to gather in Yanjing, and they could be used by the court.


    After the war, although Wei Kingdom owned a vast land, most of the people fled beyond the pass or overseas, for fear that the barbarians would come to power and harm the Han people; and Xu Guangzhi shouted the slogan ¡°Dismiss the hundred schools and revere only Confucianism¡± had also scared away all the scholars of the Hundred Schools of Thought. What did Wei Kingdom lack the most now? In addition to government income was talent.


    The Jiuli people were good at martial arts but not proficient in literature, and they were not loyal to Emperor Sheng Yuan, so he could not use or dare to use them. On top of that, there were too few poor officials under his command, so that he couldn¡¯t completely eliminate the influence of the noble family in the government, just because they monopolized the academics and talents.


    Legalist, Military School, physician, historians, farmers, Mohist¡­ scholars from Hundred Schools of Thought were the pillars of the country. If they could gather in Yanjing and flood into the court, what¡¯s the problem with the Hu people*? What¡¯s the problem with Xue The Thief? Wei Kingdom would definitely become powerful within five years!

 CH 138

    Emperor Sheng Yuan was worried about how to win over these talents, and then Emperor Teacher gave him this wonderful idea. As long as the proclamation was issued to the world, and with the temptation to write a book that could be passed down for future generation, which literati could resist? As long as they were willing to come, he could make people stay behind!


    ¡°Emperor Teacher has a good mind! Bring the memorial, Zhen want to take a closer look!¡± He immediately asked Baifu to present the half-foot-thick memorial to the imperial desk.


    The generals still did not respond, but the civil servants were already red in the face with excitement. Leaving a masterpiece for future generations, those who were fortunate enough to participate in this would surely leave a good reputation for all eternity! This was what they have been looking for all their lives, how could they miss it? Emperor Teacher really had a broad mind, and capable to expand the literary world, unlike Xu Guangzhi, who blindly deceived the world and stole name to gain profits.


    Be sure to let the emperor approve the memorial as soon as possible! Be sure to get the book-writing position! Thinking like this, all the civil servants were ready to move. When the court disperse and the news spread, the great scholars who lived in Yanjing, would surely gather in the Emperor Teacher Mansion to try to contribute to the Confucian treasure book. This kind of thing did not need to be stirred at all. As long as the emperor call for action, the people of the world would definitely respond!


    In a moment of thought, Emperor Sheng Yuan had already quickly read the memorial, and without even thinking about it, he lifted the imperial brush and wrote ¡°memorial is granted¡± in bright red. He also appointed Emperor Teacher as Lantai Historian, in charge of setting up the compilation hall, and summoned the world¡¯s literary giants to participate in this grand event.


    Old Master Guan kowtowed to accept the order, looking very excited. All the civil servants also knelt down and kowtowed, cried out Long live Your Majesty.


    After another court affairs were dealt with, Emperor Sheng Yuan felt a little high-spirited, and was about to let Baifu shout the dismissal of the court. However he saw the princes of the Jiuli clan come forward in unison, begging the emperor to set up an empress. Because of his bizarre background, and because the previous emperor had murderous intentions for this son, the loyalty of the imperial family to Emperor Sheng Yuan was far less than that of the Han people. No one expected that it would be him who eventually ascend the throne, and on top of that he received Empress Dowager¡¯s instigation, so it was inevitable that they had a disobedient heart. Therefore, in the early days of the founding of the country, among the top ten surname of Jiuli clan only the Pan family sent their daughter to the palace, and the rest of the imperial concubines all had lowly background, considered as discarded pieces.


    Now that the mystery of Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s life experience had been solved, and with the help of Han ministers, his power had become more stable and his prestige had risen. While the Empress Dowager¡¯s line had completely given up and almost hidden, causing the imperial relatives and the ten noble surnames panicked and wanted to stuffed their daughter into the harem.


    The emperor was abandoned by his clan since he was a child, and was raised by a pack of wolves. Most of the troops who helped him conquer the world were Han troops, so how much feeling did he still have for his clan? No one dared to think deeply about the answer to this question. But watching him wantonly support Han ministers, and focused on suppressing the Jiuli clan nobles who were not loyal to him, they could assume one or two.


    Strengthening his blood ties with the clan while the military power had not yet completely captured by him was a method that the princes had been painstakingly thought for many days. In any case, the Empress of Wei must be a woman of the Jiuli clan, and the next crown prince must be come from a concubine of the Jiuli clan, and the emperor must not be allowed to mess up the imperial bloodline.


    Holding the list of potential empresses drawn up by several princes in his hand, Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed instead of getting angry, he leaned over and asked, ¡°Who is Zhen?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, you are the lord of the Wei Kingdom.¡± The nobles of the Jiuli clan were a little puzzled.


    ¡°How much power do Zhen have?¡±


    ¡°You are supreme!¡±


    ¡°Can Zhen be worthy of the most precious treasure in the world?¡±


    ¡°You are rich in the world, and the treasures in the world naturally belong to you.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you mean by picking these ordinary women for Zhen? Are you looking down on Zhen?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan threw away the list and said slowly, ¡°If Zhen want to set up an empress, certainly have to marry a woman with the most beautiful appearance, the most outstanding talent, the most the noble family background and the highest moral virtue in Wei Kingdom, the other vulgar women not worthy of entering Zhen¡¯s eyes!¡±


    As soon as these words came out, the whole court fell silent. The princes wanted to retort, but could not find a suitable entry point. He was the supreme being of Wei Kingdom, and of course worthy of the most outstanding woman in Wei Kingdom, what¡¯s wrong with saying that? Those four conditions were also essential qualities for the mother of the country, and none of them were indispensable.


    This, this was completely different from what they originally thought! How to refute it? Could it be that you have to choose one from these women, Your Majesty? Could it be that you said you deserve such a perfect woman, then you can just casually get it? The current Emperor Sheng Yuan was not a tool that was used like a pack horse by the previous emperor in those days. He arbitrary decide the discipline of the imperial court and had real power in his hands, it was simply impossible to force him to submit. Even if the armies controlled by the ten noble surnames and the imperial clan were all added up together, they were only two-thirds of the Han army under his command. If they have a fight, they were bound to be doomed.


    The most beautiful, the most talented, the most noble family background, and the most virtuous? The Han courtiers also pondered in their hearts, picking out the unmarried women in the capital one by one, only Guan Suyi, the granddaughter of the Old Master, accounted for all four points. Whether she was beautiful or not, anyone with eyes could see; whether her talent high or not, wasn¡¯t she talented enough to compete with the literary giants of the world several times, still need to elaborate? If the Emperor Teacher Mansion couldn¡¯t afford the four characters of ¡°a noble family background¡±, who could afford it? As for virtue, it¡¯s a matter of opinion.


    Some people criticize Guan shi¡¯s womanly character as being rigid and unladylike, but that was for ordinary people. If the emperor came forward to argue, the fact that she cut open the abdomen to take a child out, thus allowed the late Empress Dowager to rectify her name, was enough to earn her a favorable impression. Others could say hundreds of thousands of sentences about Miss Guan¡¯s disadvantages, but in the emperor¡¯s heart she was still good.


    The emperor¡¯s words were completely pointed out to Miss Guan! Thinking like this, many people glanced at Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies to see how they would react.


    However, to everyone¡¯s disappointment, Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies didn¡¯t even raise their eyebrows, as if it had nothing to do with them. That¡¯s right, although Miss Guan was both talented and beautiful, she had been married and reconcile, so how could she become the empress! Almost forget that key point!


    Everyone reacted and breathed a sigh of relief. The lower-ranking ministers did not think about it anymore, but the noble and powerful ministers examined their daughters one by one to see who was talented, beautiful, and virtuous, and find an opportunity to let them meet the emperor in the future.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was not surprised when he saw that the two Mount Tai were indifferent, but he also could not help but a bit disappointed. What¡¯s wrong with a reconcile woman? A reconcile woman can¡¯t marry again? What a bunch of idiots! The words had been released, and if someone want to put a woman in his harem, he had to decide whether she was qualified or not.


    After thinking about it, he slowly said, ¡°All the beloved ministers worried that there is no master in the harem, and Zhen is also worried. But the mother of the country is the most honorable woman in the world, how can anyone deserve it? It¡¯s better to have the empress¡¯ seat empty than having unworthy people usurping the throne of Jiaofang Palace* and harm my great Wei¡¯s blessing, what do the beloved minister think?¡±


    It had been raised to harming the country¡¯s blessing, who dare to refute it now? What¡¯s more, what the emperor said was right, whether the empress was virtuous and not, it was indeed a great importance. Don¡¯t you see that Xia, Shang, Zhou¡­ all the previous dynasties died because of the chaos in the harem. Looking at it, the emperor¡¯s standard for establishing an empress was really reasonable.


    After the court hall calmed down, Emperor Sheng Yuan raised his voice, ¡°Do you have anything else, beloved minister? Let¡¯s retire if there is nothing.¡±


    Everyone hurriedly knelt down to send off the emperor, only to see him striding to the door of the Jinluan Palace, and suddenly turned around and smiled, ¡°Emperor Teacher, Zhen asked you last time if you recognize the Innkeeper, you said you didn¡¯t know, and now Zhen find out that she is actually your granddaughter. Zhen will remember your crime of deceiving the monarch, in the future send the Innkeeper¡¯s calligraphy treasure to make it even.¡±


    Old Master Guan hurriedly knelt down to apologize, and when he got up again, His Majesty had already left. After coming out of the Jinluan Palace, the father and son showed a solemn expression. Who said that reconcile woman cannot enter the palace? Others might have forgotten, but they have not, the Jiuli people have always had the custom of son inheriting when the father died, younger brother succeeding when older brother died, not only in the change of rights and family inheritance, but also the marriage. Younger brothers married his sisters-in-law, sisters-in-law married husband¡¯s younger brother, and son even married the stepmother, all kinds of absurd actions had been passed down for hundreds of years and had evolved into the norm.


    Even father¡¯s woman could marry, then what¡¯s marrying a second-married woman be count on? His Majesty¡¯s words today were deliberately addressed to the Guan family!


    Old Master Guan unaware of the ins and out, so he was just a little worried, but Guan Father felt that the situation was over and he was powerless to struggle, he could only take one step at a time and go with the flow. Fortunately, although the daughter did not understand hidden plot, she was good at using open conspiracy. If she could occupy the phoenix position, she might avoid the worst end.


    ¡ª-


    When the court meeting was in progress, the literary war was still continuing, and the tea houses near the literary notice were already overcrowded. The prominent people occupied one place, and the students did not dare to enter and bother them, and could only linger nearby. Some tea house shopkeepers knew how to take advantage of the situation, selling both tea and brush, paper and inkstone, and the business was very hot.


    One of the luxuriously decorated tea-house was gathering many noble children, they silently buried their heads to copy the articles. Guan Wenhai was also among them, but his face was not as excited as the others, sometime white and sometime blue, looking very twisted. The news that Guan Suyi was the Innkeeper gave him a slap in the face, and then Master Xu¡¯s works were refuted by many great scholars, and they used practical arguments to prove that many of his views were just conjectures. If they were used to teach students, it might be suspected of misleading people.


    There was no doubt that Guan Wenhai was one of the misguided students. Thinking of the policy advice that he shared with the public half a month ago, he longed to go back in time and burn the manuscript. He even prattle on self-importantly, directly scolding his cousin for pretending to understand the matter, have shallow knowledge, and said that Guan Father had some grudge with him for refuting his article.


    It turned out that he was the one who pretended to understand, and he was the one who harbored grudge. He mocked his cousin¡¯s words, and his cousin¡¯s reply to this had now become a reason for everyone to make fun of him.


    ¡°Remember the article that Guan Wenhai published last time? Looking at it now, it¡¯s ridiculous. Miss Guan warned him that he was wrong, but instead he slandered people for being short-sighted. I actually don¡¯t know that a person who could criticize Xu Guangzhi to the point of exhaustion and discuss the Tao with all the great scholars is actually not as knowledgeable as him.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you don¡¯ know. He doesn¡¯t look at people¡¯s talent, he only looks at age. Older people are more knowledgeable, and younger ones are less knowledgeable, so he doesn¡¯t agree with the younger students, and must mock a few words.¡±


    ¡°If that the case, then what kind of imperial examination is he taking? Just wait until he is seventy or eighty and go straight to get the champion title, won¡¯t it be possible?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what Miss Guan said too. Hahahaha¡­¡± The tea house was full of laughter, causing Guan Wenhai to have smoke over his head and too ashamed to show his face. Ji Chengyue sat in the corner and listened, his ears were also burning red. He also looked down on Miss Guan, indeed have eyes but fail to see. Fortunately, those stupid words were only mentioned to Xu Yayan, so it shouldn¡¯t be spread to her ears, right?

 CH 139

    Guan Wenhai felt uncomfortable in his heart, but he couldn¡¯t flare up, so he had to pretend that he didn¡¯t hear other people¡®s ridicule. Just at this moment, a young servant hurried up to the tea house, searched back and forth a few times before running to him, whispering in his ear, ¡°Young master, when Emperor Teacher came back from the palace, he immediately gathered the clan members, saying that he wanted to rebuild the clan school, inviting famous teachers to teach Confucianism to all children in the clan. He also said that the heir of the Guan family must fully inherit his mantle. People who don¡¯t need the teaching and don¡¯t want to change can cling to their mediocre talents¡­¡±


    This statement was clearly criticizing himself, but Guan Wenhai had no way to refute it, just because he publicized an article with a very wrong topic half a month ago. He also sent that article to Master Xu¡¯s house, asking him to comment, so it received many praises and also spread his name as outstanding talent. Before the outbreak of the literary war, he, like Qi Yu, Ji Chengyue and others, were the hottest talents in Yanjing City.


    However, how much praise he had received then was how much ridicule he suffered now. What amazing talent full of knowledge? Just someone who drift with the waves and go with the flow, only know how to follow the crowd.


    ¡°What does the old man mean? Don¡¯t want to recognize me as the heir? How can great-grandfather agree?¡± Guan Wenhai said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s not a question of whether the clan leader agrees or not. You were very famous before, and you are the best among the Guan clan¡¯s juniors, the clan leader want to pick you to inherit the mantle of the Emperor Teacher, others can¡¯t say anything even if they have any resentments. But now you¡­¡± The little servant looked around and lowered his voice, ¡°Now you have lost your literary name. Chief of Ceremonies advised you before, let you go home and read carefully, and then go to consult him again after changing the article. Who expected that after you went out of the Emperor Teacher Mansion you showed the article to the students of similar learning, and publicly mocked Seventh Miss for her poor knowledge, made outrageous remarks, and said Chief of Ceremonies was dissatisfied with you and tried to suppress you. After that, you became even more confused, and went to Xu Guangzhi¡¯s house and asked him to give pointers. You also borrowed his reputation to gain a reputation for yourself. If Xu Guangzhi has always been dominant, that¡¯s fine, the two masters can¡¯t do anything to you. But now Xu Guangzhi¡¯s ¡°Subset Commentary¡± has been repeatedly criticized by many great scholars, and what even worse is the fact that his Gewu Zhizhi is precisely where he is wrong the most. So the reputation you have accumulated for many days destroyed, and you have become the laughing stock of the students all over the world. I don¡¯t know which meddlesome people informing Emperor Teacher what you have been doing recently, and also sent over the article that Xu Guangzhi revised for you, which angered Emperor Teacher and publicly scolded you for being stupid and uneducated. He also said that such a person is not worthy of inheriting his mantle, let alone becoming the heir of the Guan family.¡±


    The more Guan Wenhai listened, the paler his face became. He shook his hand and put down the brush, and asked, ¡°Does he want to choose another heir?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The old master said that the heir of the Emperor Teacher Mansion can be talentless, but cannot be without virtue. You are disrespectful to Chief of Ceremonies, and you are not friendly to Seventh Miss. When you enter the house you were still smiling, but when you go out you would do your best to slander, neither have the wisdom to understand people nor the talent to differentiate learning. If the Emperor Teacher Mansion is stuck with you like this, then¡­¡± The little servant¡¯s voice faded away, he dared not to speak any further.


    Guan Wenhai knew that the old man was always outspoken and would definitely not say good things, but he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°How about stuck with me? What did he say about me?¡±


    ¡°He said that if the Emperor Teacher Mansion stuck with an heir who is not filial, without talent without virtue, and two-faced like you, it would definitely decline in the future. He wanted to establish a clan school, and let all the school-age children in the clan to receive Confucian education, choose good seedling from them to personally guide, inspected the talent and morality together, and decided an heir after a few years. Because your article ¡°Gewu Zhizhi¡± was highly praised by Xu Guangzhi, and it was very famous, the matter of you slandering Chief of Ceremonies and Seventh Miss is known to all the literati in Yanjing. When Emperor Teacher said this, the entire clan agreed with the exception of our family. No matter how powerful the clan leader, he could not go against the will of the entire clan. Even more did not dare to let people in Yanjing point at him and scold him for using power for personal gain, maliciously encroaching on other people¡¯s properties, and corrupting other people¡¯s lintel, so he could only nod his head in agreement. Didn¡¯t you want the respected status of Guan family¡¯s heir? In the future, not only inherit the vast wealth, promoted to a high-ranking post, but also assume the position of the leader in the literary world. Without some real talent and learning, no one can take this mantle. If you had taken the article home and corrected it earlier, there would be no such bad things like now. It¡¯s a pity¡­¡±


    The little servant frowned and said, ¡°Young master, go home quickly, the clan leader was so angry that he said he was going to use the family law on you, the master and madam are also waiting for you to go back and give them an explanation.¡±


    Guan Wenhai was dizzy and almost fell. He staggered a few steps and asked, ¡°I can¡¯t be adopted into the Emperor Teacher Mansion? Has the whole clan agreed?¡±


    ¡°If you are still the most talented junior in the Guan clan like before, how could the clan dare to oppose you. But now your reputation is ruined like this, it¡¯s reasonable for Emperor Teacher to replace you, because the fault is all yours, not him. Don¡¯t think about it, go home and apologize to the clan leader, study hard in the future, and try to reverse the impression of the two masters on you. Maybe there¡¯s still a chance. The imperial examination will be held in two months. If you come back as a champion, those who slander you will look at you with admiration.¡± The young servant supported his young master and carefully walked down the stairs.


    ¡°Yes, I can still participate in the imperial examination.¡± Guan Wenhai, who was depressed, immediately pulled himself up and gritted his teeth, ¡°If I win the top spot, I will definitely wipe away today¡¯s humiliation. If Guan Qiguang doesn¡¯t choose me, that¡¯s because he¡¯s blind as a bat!¡±


    The two left the tea house in a vain footstep, and not long after they walked out, they saw Old Master Guan entering Wencui Building with his son and granddaughter, they then greeted all the great scholars, chatting and laughing. They stood on the terrace on the second floor, it¡¯s unknown what they were talking about, they actually caused all the literary giants to change color, and repeatedly asked whether it was true or false. After getting the positive reply, those literary giants were all laughing and looking ecstatic.


    ¡°Shopkeeper brings the wine! Wei Kingdom has such a wise monarch, and the literary world is having this grand event, we must have a good drink, and we won¡¯t go home if we don¡¯t get drunk!¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait! In order to show all the gentlemen¡¯s skills, we should drink after the battle. Whoever wins will be the main writer!¡± Old Master Guan pointed to the literary notice across the street, his eyes full of fighting spirit. Last night, he had already written a good draft, and he was just waiting for today to splash ink and write, cut down other outstanding heroes with his brush.


    There were not a few great scholars who had the same idea as him, and now there was also a main writer position as the jackpot. They became more and more unwilling to miss this opportunity, and hurriedly took up their brush to write with their thought gushing.


    Guan Wenhai saw his cousin chatting and laughing and being praised by all the great scholars, his eyes were about to burst into flames. He was supposed to be the heir of the Guan family, and all the praise and respect, as well as high official post, honors and wealth, should belong to him! If his cousin had not written an article to criticize Xu Guangzhi, his article would not have become the laughing stock of the whole capital, and his reputation would not have been destroyed.


    My good cousin, you wait for me! Glaring upstairs viciously, Guan Wenhai walked quickly along the wall.


    ¡ª-


    At the same time, Xu Guangzhi was also waiting for news at home. He guessed that the emperor should approve the memorial for his appointment today. If Guan Suyi hadn¡¯t interfered with it, it might have been done, but now it was hanging.


    He was on fire inside, his thoughts were disordered, but his face was very calm. He read Guan Suyi¡¯s article again and again, but he couldn¡¯t find any flaws. The education of the Guan family was indeed very good. With her being a woman, she was actually proficient in Confucianism. All the errors and omissions listed have undergone extremely rigorous examination. Only the words of the Sage were used to annotate the chapters and phrases, and there was rarely any personal opinion, which made him want to write an article to refute but had nothing to write.


    When he wrote the book, he was indeed had some selfish intentions, secretly integrated his academic thoughts into Confucian classics, so his intention was indeed not pure. But which great scholars in the world was not like this? Otherwise, various schools of Confucianism would not appear. Many seniors haven¡¯t opened their mouths yet, as a junior why was she made a fuss? The first time was like this, and the second time was also like this. He had to suspect that Guan Suyi¡¯s actions were all instigated by Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies.


    Could it be that the matter of framing Guan Yunqi last time was exposed? Already knew that he was my mastermind, but couldn¡¯t bring himself to fight with him, so let the junior find the other way? Even if Guan Suyi made the matter bigger, just one sentence ¡°Don¡¯t care about women¡± could completely shut his mouth and made him suffer a dumb loss. Thinking like this, Xu Guangzhi was actually timid, because he understood that now he had no ability to compete with the Guan family¡¯s father and son, unless he gave up being a pure minister and re-attached himself to the County Prince Jing or the aristocratic family. But after this, his literary road was completely destroyed, and had no value for others. Even if he came to the door and knelt down to beg, afraid there was no way out.


    He put down the manuscript with a look of trepidation.


    Xu Yayan who accompanied him nearby asked anxiously, ¡°Father, can you write an article to refute Guan Suyi? How old is she? How can she compare to you in terms of knowledge, it must be all nonsense.¡±


    Although Xu Guangzhi was eager for quick success, he would not deceive himself, shook his head and sighed, ¡°Her articles are very rigorous, and they all criticize my views using the Sage¡¯s words. If I write an article to refute her, then I am refuting the Sage. Not only will I not be able to get anything good, but it also confirm the accusation of ¡®usurping the Sage¡¯s position and changing the Sage¡¯s words¡¯, then I will never be able to stand up in the literary world again in the future. Don¡¯t be as ignorant as Guan Wenhai, thinking that because the person is young so their knowledge is shallow. Father will give you a thorough understanding of her knowledge, not below me, and even slightly better.¡±


    Xu Yayan clenched the corner of her skirt tightly and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Father, will you be alright this time?¡±


    ¡°The last time I lost to her, I can start all over again, but this time it¡¯s hard to say.¡± Xu Guangzhi¡¯s eyes were red, and his voice was rough, ¡°This time she didn¡¯t hold back at all. Not only cutting off my literary road, but also cutting off my way of living. What is the crime of competing with the emperor for his disciples, there is no such thing in ancient times, but I also understand that it will definitely not be a good thing. I only hope that the emperor is merciful and doesn¡¯t want to care about me, just cut off my official career and that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°What if the emperor wants to care about you?¡± Xu Yayan unknowingly shed many tears, showing that she was very frightened.


    ¡°If the emperor wants to care about me, the whole family will be executed. I was really confused at the beginning, why didn¡¯t I think that this generation¡¯s students were also disciples of the emperor, how could I leave such a deadly handle to others! It is father who harmed you, father is useless!¡± Xu Guangzhi leaned back, his heart felt like ashes. Blame him for being too ambitious, but forgetting the danger of imperial authority.


    Xu Yayan cried and comforted, ¡°Father, don¡¯t say that, it¡¯s not that you are useless, it¡¯s that Guan Suyi has ulterior motives and deliberately misinterprets your meaning.¡± It was only at this moment that she understood what it meant to be denounced by speech and writing, words were used like a knife. It turned out that when the soft brush was held in some people¡¯s hands, it could be turned into a murder weapon in an instant!

 CH 140

    The father and daughter sat silently, waiting in despair. At noon, the di eldest son Xu Tao, who gone out to inquire about the news, finally returned, with mixed joys and sorrows, ¡°Father, you will be fine, the emperor did not care about you, only said that you will not be allowed to step into the official career in the future.¡±


    Xu Guangzhi was happy at first, then stiff again, with a look of resentment and unwillingness in his eyes. What¡¯s the difference between cutting off his official career and killing him? Was he had to waste all his talents and learning like this?


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t think too much, saving your life is the most important thing, where there is life there is hope. I heard that Emperor Teacher made a suggestion to the emperor to create a Confucian treasure book and Hundred Schools of Thought collection, and invite the literati from the whole world to work on this. He is now in the Wencui Building discussing this with all the great scholars, you have written a ¡°Subset commentary¡±, although there are mistakes and omissions, but there are also points worthy of recognition, as long as you ask a few well-known scholars to defend you, or you can find a position as a writer, after a long time, you can redeem your reputation. The emperor only said that you will not be allowed to enter the official career, but he did not say that you will not be allowed to write books.¡±


    ¡°Let me think about it, don¡¯t be in a hurry now, let¡¯s wait until the storm subsides.¡± Xu Guangzhi finally deeply understood a saying ¨C the front rafter rots first*. If it weren¡¯t for him being too eager for quick success and instant benefits, instead joined force together with all the great Confucians to publish the article, there would be no such misfortune like today.


    Xu Tao glanced at his sister, hesitantly said, ¡°I also heard another piece of news. Today, the princes urged the emperor to establish the empress. The emperor said that he will marry a woman with the most beautiful appearance, the most noble family background, the most outstanding talent, and the best virtue in the whole Wei Kingdom. I don¡¯t know what other people think, but our family¡¯s Yan¡¯er, except for her family background, have those three standards above, so she should be able to compete. Didn¡¯t Yan¡¯er have a good friendship with the second daughter of County Prince Jing, Linxiang County Princess? In the future, you should walk around with the county princess more, maybe you can meet the emperor.¡±


    Xu Yayan¡¯s heart was beating wildly for a moment, but she quickly calmed down and said with a bitter smile, ¡°These words seems to pointed out to that Guan shi woman.¡±


    Lin Shi, who had been listening for a long time outside the door, suddenly barged in and snorted coldly, ¡°Yan¡¯er, don¡¯t belittle yourself, that Guan shi woman is a reconcile woman, just some broken flowers and withered willows, how can she be compared with you?¡±


    Xu Guangzhi¡¯s mind moved slightly, but he waved his hand and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. The customs of the Jiuli people are very different from Han people. It is very common for a son to marry his stepmother, a younger brother to marry his sister-in-law, and a sister-in-law to marry her husband¡¯s brother, it¡¯s all very common. Marrying a reconcile woman is nothing for them.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s the empress! The mother of the country! How can you let a woman who had married before get that position? Besides, the emperor has all the power in the world, he can do whatever he wanted, if he wishes to marry a wife, how many clean and pure women can he get? Why insist on picking up a broken shoes that was worn by others? That Guan shi woman wants to be an empress, keep dreaming!¡± Lin shi hated Guan Suyi to the bone, naturally did not have a good word, then she was pondering about something, feeling overjoyed, ¡°If that Guan shi woman can write a book and become famous, so can our family¡¯s Yan¡¯er. Yan¡¯er, go and take out your manuscript for your father to see, let him help you correct it and post it, then fight for the reputation of outstanding talent.¡±


    ¡°But mother, you were so angry last time that you threatened to burn the manuscript, so I stopped writing. Now I have only written three or four pages, and it is still far from being able to be published.¡± After reading Guan Suyi¡¯s article and learned that she was the Innkeeper, Xu Yayan¡¯s self-confidence was almost gone, she didn¡¯t want to take out the manuscript and make people¡¯s laugh.


    ¡°Go get it, father will help you see.¡± Xu Guangzhi suddenly opened his mouth, and even his brother looked over with hope.


    Xu Yayan had no choice but to take out the few pages and spread them out on the table one by one. Xu Guangzhi read a few paragraphs, clapped his hands and praised, ¡°Good article! Although the writing is still immature, the idea is very profound. After the book is published, it may be passed down as heirloom! You continue to write, after you finish, father will polish it for you, it will definitely spread out a good reputation for you for having integrity and talent, let all the women in Wei Kingdom know that there is someone like you!¡±


    ¡°Thank you father!¡± Xu Yayan was overjoyed.


    ¡°It¡¯s father¡¯s fault that make you alienated Linxiang County Princess and almost ruined your future. If she sends another invitation in the future, you should accept it.¡±


    ¡°But her shu brother is a greedy ghost, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go to the County Prince Jing Mansion, just invite people out to play. You can even inquire about the movements in the palace.¡± Xu Guangzhi hinted.


    ¡°Daughter understands. Daughter will definitely not disappoint father.¡± Xu Yayan¡¯s eyes lit up, and she became very excited. Father¡¯s official career has ended, but she still has infinite possibilities. She asked herself whether she have beautiful appearance, outstanding talent, and high morality, except for her humble family background, from head to toe she could hardly find any faults. As for this Guan shi woman, so what if her conditions were better? After all, it¡¯s just a broken flower and withered willow. The emperor was so honorable, how could he look up to her? As long as this ¡°Lesson for Women¡± was published, all women in the Wei kingdom would take it as the guiding principle, and all the men in the Wei kingdom would praise her for having virtuous character, and even if it did not attract the emperor, she still could find a good family.


    Thinking like this, Xu Yayan felt a sense of pride, and immediately took her leave and went back to her room, quickly writing.


    ¡ª-


    Because the previous article offended Xu Guangzhi, Old Master Guan led his granddaughter to personally apologize, and invited the other person to participate in writing the Confucian Treasure Book. His generous attitude attracted countless praises and Guan Suyi¡¯s literary name was extremely flourishing for a while. But in the eyes some conscientious people, she was the worst daughter-in-law, either causing this matter or causing that disaster, seemingly without end, no different from a calamity star.


    The people who originally interested in marrying the Emperor Teacher Mansion gradually retreated, only Master Yun came to the door to ask for marriage for his direct disciple Ji Chengyue. Zhong shi was overjoyed and unreservedly agreed, and was preparing to send a post to invite Madam Ji for a meeting. However she first received a booklet sent by the other person, a total of several thousand words, and it could be read in a quarter of an hour, but it almost made Zhong shi vomit a mouthful of old blood.


    ¡°What do you mean is that if want to marry into Ji Mansion, we have read this book first? Do you want to let Yiyi follow what is written in this book and only after completing it that she can marry into her family? What is this be humble first, regard husband as heaven, faithful unto death? Is this asking Yiyi to be a mistress or a servant for her family? That old bitch is too deceiving, people still haven¡¯t passed the door, already played the mother-in-law¡¯s arrogance, then how about after passing the door!¡± Zhong shi even scolded some dirty words which showed that she was furious to the extreme.


    Guan Suyi gave Minglan a wink and asked her to take Mu Mu to play in the garden. After the two people and one monkey had gone far, she crossed the threshold and picked up the small book that was thrown to the ground. The word ¡°Lessons for Women¡± stung her eyes firecly, making her short of breath, and violent hatred surged, ¡°Where did you get this?¡±


    Zhong shi said vaguely, ¡°I don¡¯t know which maid brought it in, don¡¯t look at it, it¡¯s all nonsense!¡± She made up her mind not to let her daughter marry into the Ji Mansion, and naturally she would not tell her the origin of this booklet.


    But Guan Suyi was so sharp, she could guess it right away, ¡°Is it sent by someone from Ji Mansion? Has this book spread all over Yanjing?¡±


    ¡°It cannot be said to spread all over Beijing, it only spread among the upper circles and Confucian families.¡± Zhong shi had heard about this book before, but it was the first time she saw it with her own eyes, and sneered, ¡°For those big men, this book is indeed a good thing, just give it to the women in the family to study, and it won¡¯t be long before they can train a bunch of fools who obey their orders.¡±


    Guan Suyi hastily turned two pages, said while her mind was wandering, ¡°It¡¯s not only used by men to teach women, women can also use it to grind women. If the mother-in-law asks the daughter-in-law to act according to this book, she would really have to endure for decades before she could get out. Where is this a book, this is a shackle, a big mountain, its purpose is to detain and suppress all the women in the world, and they will never be free for the rest of their life!¡±


    Seeing the inscription on the last page, Guan Suyi sneered, ¡°Caiwei Sanren, Second Miss Xu? She must be the hottest choice for a good daughter-in-law in Yanjing now, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard that several noble families one after another have proposed marriage to her, saying that Second Miss Xu can be regarded as a model of female virtue, and marrying her will surely make a prosperous husband and prosperous son, and make the lintel shine.¡± Zhong shi rubbed her temple and sighed. Other people¡¯s daughter was sought after by many families, why her daughter was so good, but no one showed interest?


    ¡°She must have rejected it, right? Where is she willing to marry a common people now? She¡¯s staring at the one in the imperial city. Not only her, but now a noble girl with a little family background, which one will be willing to marry at this time? The beautiful people can do their utmost to dress up; talented people can do their utmost to write poems; talentless and unassuming people just simply live in temples to cultivate, and occasionally donate porridge to help the refugees to show their high morality. A perfectly fine young lady is completely distorted just because of this first sentence. It¡¯s ridiculous and sad!¡± Guan Suyi threw ¡°Lessons For Women¡± into the brazier and burned it, her eyes were soaked with coldness.


    Zhong shi was also very dissatisfied and complained, ¡°They can make troubles by themselves, why do they have to run to you again and again? Every one of them have poison in their eyes, as if they have a deep hatred for you. If you are not a reconcile woman, you¡¯re bound to be tear down to the bones. The emperor¡¯s four conditions are clearly talking about you!¡± Like Old Master Guan, Zhong shi naturally believed that her daughter was the best in the world deserved to be favored by the emperor.


    The coldness in Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes retreated a little, her cheeks were flushed with a thin layer of red, and she said angrily, ¡°Mother, please speak quietly, don¡¯t let others listen, otherwise our family will be drowned by people¡¯s spits.¡±


    ¡°Let them spit, who the lover you talked about last time, you know, I know, heaven also know. I am reluctant to send you into that man-eating place to suffer, otherwise how can I let that evil madam of the Ji family bully you? Nowadays all the noble daughters in Wei Kingdom are unwilling to get married, they just want to aim for the heavenly riches and honor. I want to see when our family refuses this marriage, when Ji Chengyue can marry a wife!¡±


    After cursing fiercely only then Zhong shi felt comfortable. She was about to make her daughter doing some embroidery with her, but saw Minglan running in while panicking and shouting, ¡°Madam is not good, the young master is gone!¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s face changed greatly, and before Zhong shi could react, she ran out and ordered calmly and decisively, ¡°When and where did he disappear, take me to see? Why didn¡¯t you stay with him? Forget it, it¡¯s no use blaming you now. Jinzi, hurry up and help me find him, it¡¯s only a short while, it shouldn¡¯t be go far. By the way, Hunnar has people around me, right? Get them all out to help, just say that I¡¯ll owe their master once, and I can repay it with anything!¡±


    Jinzi didn¡¯t dare to delay, and hurriedly went to find people, she blew the beast flute hanging around her neck to summon the dead soldiers who were hidden in the dark. The young master disappeared in the mansion, and these people didn¡¯t find any abnormality. It would be fine if he just hid by himself, but if it was because some people playing dirty tricks, then the other person¡¯s background would not be simple.


    TN: This novel doesn¡¯t have many cliffhanger but this one is a big one. Anyway, characters in this novel are definitely fictional, but most of literary works mentioned here are real, including book that supposed to be written by the character, like this ¡°Lesson For Women¡± book, which is based on Lesson for Women (wikipedia) that is written by Han Dynasty¡¯s female intellectual Ban Zhao.

 CH 141

    Guan Suyi had guarded Mu Mu very strictly recently, for fear that some people would harm him, but she didn¡¯t expect with a little bit of slip up and something really happened. It was Zhong shi¡¯s maid and Minglan who took him to play. Both of them were very reliable, and they didn¡¯t go far, only played with rattan ball at the flowerbed in the main house.


    The rattan ball was kicked by Mu Mu through the courtyard¡¯s wall, and Zhong shi¡®s eldest maid was too lazy to pick it up, so she asked if there was anyone over there, and if there was, please help them by throwing it over. Minglan also ran over and shouted, shouting a few times and turning back, Mu Mu was gone.


    ¡°Miss, the young master just disappeared here, in the blink of an eye the person is gone! Sister Taohong and I thought he was hiding, and we searched for a quarter of an hour inside and outside the courtyard, and when we couldn¡¯t find him, we realize that something was wrong, and we quickly report it to you.¡± Minglan choked and pointed to a path, which was full of lush flowering trees and shrubs, with messy footprints and crumpling marks, obviously trampled by Jinzi and Taohong.


    Even if the kidnapper had been hiding here, the evidence would have been destroyed long ago and had no reference value. Guan Suyi tried her best to keep her calm, ¡°Where¡¯s Big Brother? Big Brother is gone too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re gone.¡± Minglan burst into tears.


    ¡°What are you crying about, it¡¯s more important to find the people.¡± Guan Suyi then ordered, ¡°Send someone to inform grandfather and father, and ask them to come back quickly. If necessary, please ask them to write a memorial and ask the emperor to close the city gate and search all over the capital. Go and check to see if there are any idle people entering and leaving the mansion within a quarter of an hour. The rest of the people will be looking in the house, and check every single corner.¡±


    Minglan took the order and left, Jinzi quickly returned and said that during this period of time there were two groups of people entering and exiting the Emperor Teacher Mansion. One was a farmer in the suburbs of the capital who came to deliver the ingredients, pushing trolleys and baskets, which was very suspicious; The second was from the clothing shop who came to deliver the cloth. Because the news of the young master¡¯s disappearance had not yet spread, the gatekeeper let them go without checking.


    ¡°Jinzi, I¡¯ll leave following the trail outside to you. I¡¯ll look within the mansion. If there¡¯s any delay, the kidnapper will run farther, so let¡¯s split up.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes were already red, but she held back her tears.


    Saving people was like putting out fires, Jinzi understood this principle, and immediately led the dead soldier to track down the two groups of people. Guan Suyi searched all over the place where Mu Mu used to play hide and seek, hoping that he would just hide, and not be taken away. Even if it was determined that it was just a mishap in the end, even if the chaos caused people to be in a complete mess, as long as he¡¯s alright, everything would be fine.


    On the trees, on the roof, on the ancient well, under the bed, they searched all the places they could find, but Mu Mu was never been seen. Zhong shi had already dizzy from anxiety, her forehead was covered with icy kerchief, and she was already losing her mind, but Guan Suyi never gave up.


    ¡°Miss, someone said that a piece of head cloth was found at the back corner gate. It looked like it had been scraped from young master¡¯s body, and there¡¯s blood on it!¡± Minglan rushed in quickly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and have a look!¡± Guan Suyi was shocked and walked quickly, but when she arrived at the back corner gate, she didn¡¯t find the so-called cloth, and she didn¡¯t find any servants searching here. She was about to turn around and ask Minglan, but then she was hit hard in the back of her head and immediately lost consciousness. At the last moment before she fainted, she vaguely heard the sound of the corner gate being opened, and two people lifted her up and quickly left the Emperor Teacher Mansion.


    When she woke up, she found that it was dark all around, her body was locked in a long and narrow box, and it rocked back and forth, as if she was inside a carriage. She clearly regained her consciousness, but she couldn¡¯t move her limbs, let alone speak.


    Her acupoint had been hit! She immediately realized her condition, then quickly pulled away from the panic and began to think about the whole situation. She was now sure that Mu Mu¡¯s disappearance was just a cover, and the one that the person behind the scene wanted to deal with was probably herself. What¡¯s more, that person also knew her relationship with Hunnar, otherwise they would not have gone to such lengths to move Jinzi and others away.


    Who is this person? What¡¯s their purpose? In between flashing light, she remembered the vacant position of Hunnar¡¯s empress, and couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly in her heart. The mastermind behind the scene knew that Hunnar had sent someone to protect her secretly, so before getting started, they used a tactic to lure the tiger away from the mountain, so that person must have regarded her as the biggest rival in the competition. She had been busy helping her grandfather sorting out manuscripts recently and had never step outside the house, but she was still caught in the whirlpool of fighting. Was this the so-called ¡°people sit at home, and disasters come from the sky¡°?


    Who was so powerful to actually see Hunnar¡¯s intention? She never thought that Hunnar would tell others about them, so it must have been leaked unintentionally. And the word ¡°unintentional¡± had already pointed out many clues: First, this person might have frequent contact with Hunnar, or with his close confidant, or with people in the palace; Second, this person either wanted to become the empress herself, or wanted to eliminate dissidents for others; Third, there was no doubt that this person must be from the Jiuli clan; Fourth, this person had a lot of capabilities, and if this person was a member of the Jiuli clan, they must be one of the ten noble surnames.


    Guan Suyi went through the ladies who were vying for the empress position in her mind, and then smiled bitterly in her heart. She didn¡¯t want to know, she was startled when she thought about it, her enemies were all over Yanjing, everywhere. Anyone who learn Hunnar¡¯s intentions towards her would choose to get rid of her, without exceptions.


    But why? Why should she become the dead soul under their knife? Why should she make way for them and die inexplicably outside? It still fine if they only deal with her, but they also decided to harm Mu Mu. If she could survive the catastrophe this time and escape from death, she would definitely repay them a hundredfold!


    Two flames ignited in Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes, she then tried to mobilize her body and found that although her limbs were limp and weak, her head could swing left and right, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    Since being tapped once by Hunnar, she had studied this skill in depth, and had also practiced it several times with Jinzi. Just hitting the acupoints itself wouldn¡¯t do anything, but people who studied martial arts would gather internal energy to their fingertips, and then hit the acupoints around other people¡¯s body deeply, closing all the meridians on this acupoint channel, causing a short-term confinement phenomenon. There were specific acupoints for imprisoning the upper body, lower body, limbs, and throat, but no matter which martial art schools, the method of tapping the acupoints was always the same.


    The same was true for the method of solving it. Those who have martial art in the body could use their own internal energy to remove the internal energy on the acupoints, while those who do not have martial art should reversely compress the other acupoints that were connected with the particular acupoints, and use the backflowing blood to disperse the blockages. Jinzi once demonstrated on her the acupoints that could confine the whole body, and it was easy to untie it, just press the Tianzhu acupoints on both sides of the back of the neck directly.


    Coincidentally, the people behind this seemed to have placed her in a coffin, with a hard wooden pillow resting on the back of her neck, with a depression in the middle and bulging on both sides, which was perfect for pressing Tianzhu acupoint. Guan Suyi shook her head from side to side and pressed down hard, trying to restore her freedom before these people could make a move.


    In the darkness, the passage of time became unknown. It seemed that a long time had passed, and it seemed that it was just a moment. When the sweat soaked through the inner clothes, the gums were bitten, and Guan Suyi felt numb in her hands and feet, she finally regained senses. She didn¡¯t hurry to move, just put her ear to the wooden board, and listened to the sound outside.


    When the acupoints had not been untie, she heard people¡¯s noise in her trance, but now it was getting quieter and quieter, and the road had become bumpy. They should have left the city and entered the official road.


    ¡°Get the people out, let¡¯s change the carriage and move through the mountain road.¡± A cold female voice came.


    ¡°Okay.¡± A certain man agreed, lifted the lid of the coffin, and was not surprised to see that Guan Suyi had woken up. He just took her out with a blank expression and placed her on another carriage. The woman asked the coachman to drive the original carriage to the southwest, as fast as possible, then jumped into the new carriage and turned on the rugged mountain road.


    Guan Suyi restrained herself from speaking and moving, just looked at the two people carefully. Judging from their appearance and stature, there was no doubt that they were from the Jiuli clan, and there was a murderous aura on their bodies, like some running dogs raised by the nobles, who were especially responsible for dealing this kind of private affairs. The man was driving the carriage while the woman stayed by her side, and then she said slowly, ¡°Are you awake? Don¡¯t panic, we just take you to Yanghua Mountain, and after three days, the people there will naturally take you back to the capital.¡±


    Yanghua Mountain? It was a land occupied by bandits. Often passing convoys were intercepted by the bandits, all the men were killed, and the women and their belongings were plundered back to enjoy. If she was sent to that place, Guan Suyi could foresee her fate, she would be humiliated and tortured in all kinds of ways. But that¡¯s not all, they even asked the bandits to send her back and in full view of everyone it would tell the world ¨C The di daughter of Guan clan has been destroyed, and now just a piece of junk that has been used up by them.


    What a vicious mind! Who is the person behind this? Guan Suyi thought that she hated Zhao Luli, Ye Zhen, and Xu Guangzhi, but only then did she realize that those emotions were just resentment, not hatred. The real hatred was wanting to eat human flesh and drink human blood!


    The woman lowered her head to look at her red eyes, her tone was full of contempt, ¡°You Han women are so ridiculous, you think you can become the empress with just a bit of good looks? Let me tell you, Jiuli women will never bother to play tricks with you, let alone play fight openly and secretly with you. There are only two ways for us to deal with the enemy, one is to let her die, and the other is to let her feel that death is better than living.¡±


    Guan Suyi felt so much hatred and stared at the woman closely, trying to carve her appearance into her mind.


    The woman shook her head and smiled, ¡°You can look as much as you want. In three days, your eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet will be cut off one by one, then no matter how much you want to see, it¡¯s useless. It¡¯s also sad and regrettable that the di daughter of the Emperor Teacher Mansion would have fallen to such a point.¡±


    Guan Suyi bit her gums and spat out a mouthful of bloody spit at her. The woman thought she was going to bite her tongue to commit suicide, so she hurriedly leaned over to probe, but unexpectedly, the other person raised her hand and hit her armpit with all her strength, causing her to lose her mobility instantly, and then quickly dislocated her jaw, depriving her the opportunity to call for help.


    ¡°I told you to behave!¡± Guan Suyi opened her mouth, but what she emitted was that woman¡¯s unique cold voice, which made the other person stunned and frightened. The man outside the carriage wanted to lift the curtain to take a look, but after hearing this, he felt relieved and continued driving.


    ¡°It seems that hitting the acupoint lightly is not enough, I need to twist your limbs too.¡± Guan Suyi continued to imitate the woman¡¯s voice and quickly dislocated all her joints, making her completely incapacitated.


    The mastermind behind the scenes thought she was just a weak woman with no strength to even truss a chicken, which was a big mistake! Without any martial arts foundation, how could she follow her grandfather to travel in the war-torn Nine Continent? Is Jiuli noblewomen so great? If she¡¯s so tough then fight her face to face!

 CH 142

    The woman never expected Guan Suyi could open the acupoint by herself, and she never expected her strength to be so powerful that she could subdue herself in a flash, on top of that she still imitated her own voice.


    Old Five, lift the curtain and take a look! The woman screamed wildly in her heart, but she could only turn her eyes and head weakly like Guan Suyi before. She thought this mission was easy. At first, things did develop as smoothly as they expected, but everything went out of control because she miscalculated Guan Suyi.


    She was guessing what Guan Suyi would do. It could be seen that she was only agile and had not developed internal strength. The reason why she could put herself down was because the element of surprise. When the Old Five found out the abnormality and came to capture her, she definitely would not be the Old Five¡¯s opponent, so the best way for her was to jump out of the carriage and escape.


    Guan Suyi was also thinking about what to do, but she immediately rejected the idea of ??jumping from the carriage. First of all, she didn¡¯t know where it was and how to get back; second, she was not sure that she would not meet the bandits on the road; finally, she was not reconciled! She would never be reconciled if she didn¡¯t let those people who hurt her and Mu Mu get retribution!


    The fire of hatred burned in her heart, burning her bright eyes red. She really wanted to ask the woman about Mu Mu¡¯s whereabouts, and who was the mastermind behind her, but she also understood that people who practiced martial arts have keen eyes and ears, and the man outside would definitely be able to hear her voice when they were so close. So she couldn¡¯t ask anything, she could only say less and make less mistakes.


    She raised her hand, slapped the woman twice, then took off the purse around her waist, and took out two human skin masks, one was of her own facial features, and the other was an unshaped one which needed to be heated to be mold. But there was neither boiling water nor fire here, so she had to find another way.


    The more critical the moment, the clearer her thoughts became, and she quickly found a compromise and put the unshaped mask on the woman¡¯s face. She evenly smeared a layer of glue on the outer layer, and after a while, the glue dried and harden, and the other person¡¯s facial features were printed down. She carefully peeled it off, put it aside for later use, and then covered the mask with her facial features over the woman¡¯s face and glued it tightly.


    The woman did not understand what she was doing, and her heart was full of fear and anxiety. It was not until she also put on a mask and changed each other¡¯s clothes that the woman realized in horror ¨C she actually thinking for the plum tree to withers in place of peach tree*, and gave her opponent a taste of their own medicine!


    No no no, you can¡¯t do that! Old Five, come and help! The woman went crazy when she remembered the conditions she had negotiated with the bandits earlier. She was going to be gang-r*ped by the men of the whole village, gouged out her eyes, ears, mouth and nose, cut her tendons and hamstrings, and then threw her naked in the most prosperous part of Yanjing. This was thousands of times crueler than the torture used in the Heavenly Prison!


    Please spare me! She looked at Guan Suyi with tear-filled eyes, trying to impress her, soften her, and then find an opportunity to fight back. Aren¡¯t all Han women like this? Unable to see people in distress, even when the leaves dried up and the flowers withered, they will shed a few tears. Can you really send others to death with your own hands?


    Let me go then I will let you go! She had these words written in her eyes, but she vaguely understood that Guan Suyi, who had changed her appearance and voice, didn¡¯t have to worry about exposing herself. Her mask was glued and her complexion was shiny. It looked very strange in the daytime, but the carriage would not reach Yang Hua Mountain until nightfall. In the dim light, who could see who? If Old Five was convinced by this face, and if he was not attentive enough, he would fall into her trap.


    She was not a weak woman who had no power to even truss a chicken. On the contrary, with her strength, it was not difficult to split the skull of an adult with one hand! The woman was terrified in her heart, but now she was the meat on other people¡¯s chopping block.


    As midnight approached, the weather was slightly cold, and Guan Suyi, who had taken a rest while closing her eyes, took off the cloak hanging on the wall of the carriage, and put it on tightly. She approached the woman and said in the other person¡¯s voice, ¡°It should be almost there, you have a goodtime tonight.¡±


    The man chuckled and tightened the reins, ¡°We¡¯re already here, it¡¯s guarantee to send her to the seventh heaven.¡±


    The carriage slowly stopped at the foot of the mountain, a few people walked out of the dark forest, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Would you like to pass this road or go up the mountain?¡±


    ¡°To the east, south, west, north and middle, where does this road lead to?¡± The man did not answer the question.


    Guan Suyi quickly realized that they were matching the secret code, and felt very fortunate in her heart. Fortunately, the man trusted the woman very much, and only let her guard the hostage, not letting her answer the call, otherwise she would be exposed by now. The woman¡¯s eyes widened and she tried to struggle, but she couldn¡¯t even move a finger, so she could only wait in despair.


    ¡°This road leads to the underworld, give me your life!¡± With cruel words, a few bandits stepped forward with a smile on their faces and hurriedly asked, ¡°Is it in the carriage? Give us brothers a few looks¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t show any signs of timidity, she picked up the woman with one hand, lifted the curtain of the carriage and threw her out. If the woman didn¡¯t talk to her, she really couldn¡¯t judge the temperament of the other person, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to act so well. However, it was her short words that gave Guan Suyi insight into her nature ¨C looking down on people, arrogance, vicious, and regarded killing people¡¯s lives as the greatest pleasure. The woman never regarded her as a human being, so she would not hand her over peacefully, and nine out of ten she would just throw her away.


    From the man¡¯s chuckle, Guan Suyi could tell that she did the right thing.


    After the woman fell to the ground, she grunted, and when the bandits lit the torches, they could not help but take a deep breath, ¡°Mother, this old man have never seen such a beautiful girl! Look at this face, look at this body, simply delicious!¡±


    Because she practiced martial arts all the year round, the woman¡¯s figure was indeed not bad, the part that should be substantial was extremely substantial, the part that should be slender was not full, and coupled with Guan Suyi¡¯s face, her appearance was even more attractive. The man didn¡¯t know Guan Suyi well, so he didn¡¯t see the clue and urged impatiently, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t look anymore, you have three days and three nights to enjoy it as much as you want, don¡¯t waste the journey time!


    The few people¡¯s lust had been lit, and they echoed one after another, ¡°Yes yes yes, hurry up the mountain to let the boss take a look, and after he play enough then give it to us brothers to enjoy. It¡¯s a pity that she¡¯s not a virgin, otherwise the taste will be even better!¡± After the words fell, they let out a string of lewd laugh, then walked along the rugged mountain road into the dense forest and quickly disappeared.


    Guan Suyi said coldly, ¡°Let¡¯s go back and report it.¡±


    The man did not doubt her, and drove the carriage back the same way they came. When it was almost dawn, they finally arrived at the suburbs of the capital, and it would only take half an hour to reach the city gate. In order to prevent the man from talking to her and thus exposing her identity, Guan Suyi pretended to be asleep all the way, and only ¡°wake up¡± at this time, opened the carriage¡¯s curtain and walked to the other person¡¯s side to sit down. She knew this road, she also knew that there were army troops stationed here, and that there were no bandits. Taking advantage of the man¡¯s inattentiveness from drowsiness, she raised her hand and strike the side of his neck.


    The man fell down without saying a word, but was grabbed by Guan Suyi in time, dragged inside the carriage, and she neatly dislocated his limbs and jaw. Like the woman, he did not carry anything that could indicate his identity. The carriage was also a Wupeng carriage used by ordinary people, and there was nothing special about it.


    Parking the carriage in a secluded place, Guan Suyi silently waited for the other person to wake up. About a quarter of an hour later, the man opened his eyes and realized his situation while showing a look of hatred and doubt.


    ¡°Where is the little boy you kidnapped from the Emperor Teacher Mansion?¡± she asked in her real voice.


    The man was shocked at first, then suddenly realized, and after a while, he exuded a strong murderous aura. It seemed that he was more ferocious and inhuman than the woman. He was closer to the dead soldier than a running dog kept by the nobles. If want to ask the secret from the dead soldier¡¯s mouth, it was impossible without some extraordinary means.


    Guan Suyi knew her own ability, she could resist the villains, but she couldn¡¯t use torture, so she could only take the person back to Jinzi to deal with. Hopefully, they have tracked down Mu Mu¡¯s whereabouts and they would be able to reunite as soon as she got home. She climbed out of the carriage, tightened the reins, and directed the carriage to drive on the official road. Before she got close to the city gate, she saw a crowd of people in front of her, complaining and clamoring.


    ¡°Sister-in-law, what¡¯s going on at the front?¡± She greeted a woman on the side of the road with a smile.


    ¡°I heard that the young son of a high-ranking official was kidnapped. Yesterday, he reported to the emperor, so the city gate was locked and the people were not allowed to enter or leave the city. I originally thought that the ban would be lifted today, but looking at this situation, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to enter today.¡±


    ¡°Has the child been found?¡± Guan Suyi held her breath and asked.


    ¡°Can it still be locked if he¡¯s already been found? I don¡¯t know whose child is this, even causing the whole city to be under martial law.¡±


    An old man next to them said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s the child of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, he disappeared at noon yesterday, and they searched for a day and a night but still couldn¡¯t find him. My son is a yamen in the city, and he is very well informed. I heard that last night the lights in the city were not allowed to be turned off, and people were searching from house to house. The emperor also issued an edict, asking the troops stationed nearby to sweep along the way, if alive need to see the person, if die need to see the corpse!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the Emperor Teacher the teacher of the emperor? The status is noble enough, no wonder the emperor is so anxious. Bodhisattva please give the blessing, I hope the child is found sooner, and we can enter the city quickly.¡± The woman folded her hands and bowed to heaven and earth.


    Hasn¡¯t been found? Guan Suyi¡¯s heart throbbed violently, and she was thinking about whether to falsely report the kidnapper and let the guards take her into the city, but she saw a hustle and bustle ahead, and people kept shouting, ¡°Back up, the army is going out of the city! Be careful! Don¡¯t be stepped on by horses¡¯ hooves, the army master won¡¯t take responsibility if there¡¯s people trampled to death!¡±


    ¡°The army is out, hurry up, hurry up stand to the side! Perhaps they have found some clues, and go out to catch the kidnappers!¡± The crowd slowly retreated to the sides, Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes lit up, she immediately turned her horse¡¯s head back, and retreated for about a mile before she stopped firmly on the side of the road.


    She had to find a way to inquire about the situation and see if Hunnar had found a clue. Outsiders only knew that the young son of the Emperor Teacher Mansion was abducted, but they did not say that the daughter was also missing, which showed that Hunnar deliberately concealed the news. The Guan family was a literary family and had never dealt with people in the military. If she didn¡¯t know the general who came out to search for the people, before she even approached, afraid she would be killed as a suspicious person.


    She couldn¡¯t enter the city gate, and she couldn¡¯t approach the army, could it be that she had to wait here for days? She thought and thought, but she still didn¡¯t dare to take off her mask and take the initiative to reveal her identity. Not only her family and Hunnar were looking for her, but afraid the mastermind behind the scenes would send spies to keep an eye on the situation at any time. These people may be hidden among the people, the army, or even lurking around Hunnar. She could not trust anyone.


    When she felt helpless, the army finally passed through the crowd and slowly approached. Although the man at the front had a full beard and changed the color of his pupils, he was undoubtedly Hunnar! He personally led the army to find her!

 CH 143

    First, Mu Mu disappeared, and then Madam also disappeared. Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t know how he lived this past day and night. He didn¡¯t want to think about any tragic situation that might happen, and only told himself firmly that even if he turned Wei Kingdom upside down, he would get the two back.


    The siblings were kidnapped one after another, which clearly showed it was premeditated. If Madam was caught first, the dead soldiers he sent to Madam¡¯s side would definitely be aware of it, but if they were all transferred somewhere else, and the Emperor Teacher Mansion was in chaos, it would be easy to attack Madam. The mastermind behind this was very clear about his relationship with Madam, but who is it?


    He would not doubt his confidant, and after thinking about it, a figure could not help but emerge in his mind. But more thoughts were suppressed by him, he just wanted to find Madam and Mu Mu as soon as possible, a quarter of an hour late, the damage they suffered would increase by one point, and he had no time to delay.


    He rode steadily on the horse, seemingly very calm, but his mind was empty, he didn¡¯t dare to think about anything, he just moved in the established direction. This was a habit he developed when he lived among the beasts. When his stomach was too hungry or his injuries were too severe, in order to survive, he could only empty everything and leave his limbs to the survival¡¯s instinct to take control. He didn¡¯t think about whether he could find Madam today, let alone thinking whether it was living person or a cold corpse that he would find.


    In any case, find it first.


    When the army was about to pass through the crowd and turn on the official road, he leaned over slightly, raised his whip, and prepared to accelerate with all his strength. He stared straight to the end of the road, his eyes were sharp, but his pupils were dilated, as if his body and soul had been divided into two halves, one half was terribly calm, and the other half was slowly approaching the edge of losing control.


    Suddenly, he heard a high-pitched whistle from the side of the road. The whistle played several turns, first it was thrown straight into the sky and then fell down again, the rhythm was very unique. One sound barely left another ringing again and the sound was stacked on top of each other, it turned the tune from when the woodcutter was bored into a splendid arrangement, which was similar to the long-lost ¡°Howling Sound¡±.


    Not only the people around were attracted by the whistle, but even the soldiers who were in a strict military form couldn¡¯t help turning their heads to take a look.


    ¡°The army is on the move, carrying the monarch¡¯s order. Why are you making such noise? Are you tired of living?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan also followed suit, his empty eyes slowly focused, and then it burst into starlight. The whistler was a slender woman, after pulling out her fingertips from her mouth, she stared straight at him. She was wearing a very ill-fitting dress, with long sleeves, and the dress¡¯s hem was dragged beside the carriage shaft. Her face seemed to be covered with liquid, and it looked very bright in the morning light.


    Seeing that he turned his head to look, she whistled again, then took off her heavy cloak and threw it far away. The soldiers thought that there was hidden weapon or poison inside the cloak, and were about to swing their swords to intercept, but the emperor raised his hand to stop it.


    The woman¡¯s figure was very slender, and after throwing off the wide robe she looked even weaker, but no one expect that her hands were extremely strong. When Emperor Sheng Yuan and the woman looked at each other, a faint thought appeared in his heart, but he did not dare to confirm it, for fear that everything in front of him was just a dream.


    But he soon smelled a scent hidden by the cloak, and his dark eyes instantly radiated ecstasy. It was indeed Madam, she was still alive!


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± He shouted hoarsely, whipped the horse, and quickly ran towards Madam. The expression on his face was a mixture of joy from regaining what he lost and fear of being on the verge of despair.


    The people watching saw that this little lady dared to whistle at the heavily armed soldiers, and even took off her clothes to seduce the general, and they all thought in their hearts that she was just tired of living! She didn¡¯t even realize what she looked like, her facial features were just ordinary, and she even smeared lard ointment on her face, under the sun it was dazzlingly bright. Look at it, the general at the front was already furious, and maybe in a while he would slash her with a sword!


    But the scene of blood splattering in their imagination did not happen. The tall general strike the horse to rushed to the front of the little lady¡¯s carriage, jumped on the carriage shaft with a gentle leap, hugged the person into his arms without saying a word. He covered the back of her head with his big palm and pressed it firmly against his chest, his chin pressed against the top of the other person¡¯s head, and rubbed it lightly over and over again with the palm of his hand. The originally cold face was actually turned into a gentle mess, and upon closer inspection, there were tears in the corners of his eyes.


    No matter how smart Guan Suyi was, she was just a mortal, how could she not be afraid of life-or-death situation? But she didn¡¯t dare to show it, and she didn¡¯t dare to let her fear dominate her, because she knew that her biggest weapon was a clear and sharp mind. Once she lost this weapon, her life would be lost. So she kept suppressing and holding on, until the moment when she was taken into Hunnar¡¯s arms.


    ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± In front the other person, she didn¡¯t need to hide her weakness and embarrassment, all the negative emotions erupted like lava.


    ¡°I¡¯m here. Are you alright?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan pushed Madam away and looked her up and down carefully.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Guan Suyi wiped away her tears and pointed to the carriage, ¡°There are still people inside, let¡¯s go in and talk.¡±


    There was a murderous look in Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes, but it quickly disappeared, and he waved at the dumbfounded soldiers. ¡°Change the route to Tong Valley, and join Marquis Zhenxi as soon as possible!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Everyone shouted in unison, then turned their horse¡¯s heads and stepped onto another official road and headed east.


    ¡ª-


    In the carriage, although the Jiuli man tried his best to cover it up, he still showed a look of disbelief, which immediately turned into fear.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan inspected his whole body, and said firmly, ¡°This is the person who kidnapped you? He recognizes me.¡±


    ¡°Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°No. He should be a private soldier raised by some family, perhaps he has seen me on some occasion.¡±


    ¡°You put on a beard and changed the color of your eyes, but he can still recognize you. It shows that he is very familiar with you, and must have seen you many times.¡± Guan Suyi changed the topic and asked, ¡°Do you have any news about Mu Mu?¡±


    ¡°Yes, go and save him now.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan tentatively stretched out his hand to hold Madam¡¯s thin shoulder, and said softly, ¡°You seem to have not slept all night, take off your mask first, get a good night¡¯s sleep, and I¡¯ll let you know what happened when you wake up.¡±


    Guan Suyi almost fell into his arms, but remembering Mu Mu, whose life and death were unknown, she regained her strength, ¡°I¡¯ll go to sleep after we save Mu Mu. Where is he now?¡± As she spoke, she removed the mask with a special potion and then exchange it with a young man face. Before returning to the Emperor Teacher Mansion, she couldn¡¯t let others discover her true identity, lest the mastermind behind the scenes make a big fuss about it.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s arm hung vainly on Madam¡¯s shoulder. Seeing that she did not dodge, he held it more firmly, but he did not dare to take her into his arms rashly, lest he offend her even a little bit. She was indeed very fragile now, and he could embrace her into his arms with just a little effort, but he didn¡¯t want to take advantage of the situation. After the ecstasy of finding what he thought he lost, he just wanted to stay close to Madam and be alone for a moment.


    ¡°After Mu Mu disappeared, someone found the unconscious Minglan in the grass, and then everyone realized that you were gone too. Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies hurriedly entered the palace and begged me to seal the city gate. I was afraid that the kidnapper had escaped and sent Marquis Zhenxi out of the city and the soldiers were sent to many roads to search for suspicious people. If you and Mu Mu were killed, who would benefit from it? I followed this clue and it led to your cousin Guan Wenhai¡¯s head¡­¡±


    Listening to Hunnar¡¯s story, Guan Suyi finally pieced together seven or eight points of the truth. Guan Wenhai was also involved, and was used as a scapegoat by the mastermind behind it. Since losing his heir status, Guan Wenhai had been drinking heavily all day and doing nothing. One day, he was very drunk in a wine shop, and the two mercenaries listened to his rants about Guan Father, and immediately expressed their willingness to help him teach Guan Father.


    Guan Wenhai made a deal with these people in confusion, paid 500 taels for their hard work, and prepared two relatively safer way out, and after the mercenaries got hold of Mu Mu and Guan Suyi they would sell them far away. The two reasoned that they didn¡¯t have enough people, so they would only responsible for selling Guan Suyi, not Mu Mu, and let him figure out a way by himself.


    Guan Wenhai was already possessed, he even took a group of rouges and asked them to help sell Mu Mu. He didn¡¯t actually know the exact plan, and only responsible for funding and arranging the route. Mu Mu took the land route and was going to be sold in Tong Valley in the east; Guan Suyi took the water route and was going to be sold in Wuzhou in the west.


    Since he couldn¡¯t get five hundred taels on the spot, he borrowed money everywhere, and repeatedly surveyed the situation on the east and west roads. Although he was handsome and dressed luxuriously, he went to the place where dragons and snakes were mixed, which left a deep impression on people. As soon as Emperor Sheng Yuan posted the reward list, someone went to the yamen to report him, and said his drunken words exactly.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan immediately arrested and tortured the person, and finally dug up some clues. But he knew that this matter was by no means simple. Maybe Guan Wenhai was just a hurdle arranged by the mastermind, or maybe Madam and Mu Mu were neither in the east or west road. But he didn¡¯t dare to gamble. What if the other person¡¯s falsehood had some truth, or his truth had some falsehood? What if this news was actually true? If he killed Madam and Mu Mu because of his hesitation, he would never be able to forgive himself.


    So after just thinking about it for a moment, he personally led the troops out of the city gate, but he didn¡¯t expect to encounter Madam as soon as he set foot on the official road.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that there is truth in falsehood, and there is falsehood in the truth.¡± Guan Suyi sneered, ¡°I am not in Wuzhou at all, but at Yanghua Mountain, which in the completely opposite direction! If you chase down the waterway, you will only get farther and farther from me. As for Mu Mu, nine out of ten he is in Tong Valley. In order to save money and trouble, the rouges Guan Wenhai found should follow the route he arranged, but it cannot be ruled out that these people are cunning and change the route halfway. Anyway, let¡¯s go and see it first. Guan Wenhai is just a scapegoat, he contributed money and efforts, and after it finish still need to be responsible for the crime. Really fucking stupid!¡±


    After several twists and turns, and got the exact news of Mu Mu, Guan Suyi finally couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, cursing uncontrollably. No matter who was behind this, just wait for her! Without having to borrow Hunnar¡¯s hand, she would definitely ruin the other person¡¯s reputation, let them feel death was better living!

 CH 144

    All Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s attention was drawn to the word ¡°Yanghua Mountain¡±, and he asked in a deep voice, ¡°They want to throw you into the den of bandits?¡±


    ¡°More than that¡­¡± Guan Suyi explained everything that happened on the road in detail, then patted the purse hanging on her waist, and said with fear, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t carried these three masks with me, I would never be able to come back this time.¡± Until now, the lewd laughter of those bandits still reverberates in her mind, sending chills down her spine.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan quickly patted her on the shoulder and softly comforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, you are safe now. I will take this person out of the carriage and torture him to see if I can find out the culprit behind it.¡±


    Guan Suyi nodded, then hesitated. ¡°Alright, but can you come back soon?¡± When faced with danger alone, she could move forward bravely and fearlessly. But once she was in a safe place with a warm and solid support, unconsciously she wanted to cling to it. She was afraid of being alone in the carriage, and the weak emotion that she had left in her previous life was surging at this moment.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at Madam¡¯s little hand grabbing the hem of his clothes, and his cold and hard heart became a puddle, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be afraid. I will be back soon. You lie down and sleep for a while, and I will call you after I finish.¡±


    ¡°How long until you come back?¡± Guan Suyi asked while frowning.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled and promised, ¡°I will be back in less than a quarter of an hour.¡± Madam was extremely stubborn, once she grabbed hold of someone or something, she would never let go. In the eyes of others, even relatives, this could be regarded as a terrible problem, but to Emperor Sheng Yuan, it was precisely her most lovely trait. She now looked like a cat with its little paws open, hanging on the corner of its master¡¯s robe to beg for caress or hugs, but on the surface tried her best to look indifferent.


    This kind of her would only make him love her to the core.


    Guan Suyi then let go of his robe and pretended to waved her hand casually, ¡°Then you go.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan held back his smile and jumped off the carriage while carrying the man, then after just a few steps away he heard a young man¡¯s voice coming from inside the carriage, ¡°Bring me a set of military uniform.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you go to sleep first.¡± One moment Emperor Sheng Yuan was still smiling at the carriage, the next moment he turned around and his face became extremely cold. He handed the person over to the lieutenant who was best at extorting confessions by torture, and ordered, ¡°Find out whose dog is this.¡±


    Because they were traveling, the lieutenant couldn¡¯t set up a torture chamber, so he had to tie the person to the back of a horse and wait until they set up camp to ask the questions. Emperor Sheng Yuan found his horse, took out a clean military uniform and a thin blanket from his luggage, then returned to the carriage and ordered the army to move on.


    Guan Suyi stared at the curtain of the carriage with wide eyes, and when she saw Hunnar came in, she relaxed and leaned against the wall of the carriage. The feeling of stepping into the coffin frightened her, no, in fact she had already been lying on the coffin. If those two people had not put a wooden pillow under her neck, she could only be trampled on by now, and the only way to end her misery was to bite her tongue and kill herself.


    When Emperor Sheng Yuan saw her face turned from white to blue, he immediately realized that she was afraid again, and hurriedly sat down and patted her back, softly comforting, ¡°Don¡¯t think about it, you are sitting here right now, nothing happened. Come on, quickly change your clothes. You put on a man¡¯s face but wears a woman¡¯s clothing, be careful to let other people laugh.¡±


    Guan Suyi glared at him, seemingly a bit angry, but actually she felt much better. She immediately wrapped herself in the robe and tied the belt. Because the sleeves and hem were too long, the two of them worked together to roll it up for a long time but still couldn¡¯t shorten it, then he just simply cutting it off with a dagger, only then did she look a bit like a young soldier.


    ¡°Alright, you go to sleep first. Qin Lingyun is a fierce general under my command, and it¡¯s no problem to deal with a bunch of rouges. Maybe you can see Mu Mu again when you wake up.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan lumped the rest of the clothes together and signal her to lie down on the makeshift pillow.


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to sleep. I want to save Mu Mu.¡± Guan Suyi held a corner of his clothes.


    ¡°Just sleep for a while. Look at you, the circles under your eyes are so dark.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan tried to persuade several times to no avail, so he had to put his hand on her forehead and gently press it down, but she leaned forward with her waist straight, refusing to fall down. Her stubborn appearance was fragile and cute, which made Emperor Sheng Yuan feel pity, and wished to wrap her whole person into his arms and lie down together.


    ¡°Are you going to sleep? If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll have someone send you back to the capital, lest you¡¯re unable to hold on halfway and slow down the marching speed.¡± He was both angry and funny.


    ¡°I¡¯m sitting in the carriage, not walking on the road, so how can I slow you down?¡± Guan Suyi rubbed her dark eye-sockets, her pupils were a little confused.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your carriage, and we have to match the speed of the carriage wheels, with my two thousand elite cavalries, I would have gone thousands of miles away by now.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan thought about it for a while, and laughed softly, ¡°Or you will go down and abandon this carriage to ride the horse with me. If you want to sleep, it will be more comfortable in my arms.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s pale cheeks were slowly burned red, but fortunately, she was covered by a mask, so it didn¡¯t show. She leaned back and compromised, ¡°You win, I¡¯m going to sleep now, call me in half an hour.¡± She hesitated for a moment and then changed her mind, ¡°No, call me in three quarters of an hour.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will definitely call you.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was a little helpless, he pulled the thin blanket and covered it over her, sighing, ¡°You always win when you shouldn¡¯t win, but you admit defeat when you shouldn¡¯t lose. Madam was born to restrain me.¡±


    Guan Suyi pulled up the thin blanket to cover her cheeks, revealing only half of her red ears. Emperor Sheng Yuan sat beside her and watched for a while, then suddenly laughed softly, his expression full of tenderness and helplessness.


    ¡ª


    Three quarters of an hour later, Emperor Sheng Yuan did not wake up Madam as promised. When she woke up, it was almost midnight, and the army finally blocked the gang of rouges in the mountain pass near Tong Valley. Qin Lingyun and Zhao Luli respectively led two groups of people, and they were at a stalemate with the desperate bandits.


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was very annoyed, because one of the bandits was pressing a dagger against Mu Mu¡¯s neck.


    The scout reported in a low voice, ¡°Back to the master, this group of people met Zhao Luli on the way, and he actually recognize the young master. The two sides fought, and happened to be blocked by the marquis at this place. The bandit leader saw that we were numerous and powerful, and learned that the young master is the young son of the Emperor Teacher Mansion. He knew that he was in a big trouble, so he held the young master hostage and threatened us to let them go.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t let them go!¡± Guan Suyi said firmly.


    ¡°Indeed we can¡¯t let them go. They have already learned Mu Mu¡¯s identity, and they will definitely kill him to silence him when they arrive in a safe place.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan took Madam to observe the periphery of the battle circle, found a highland with a better view, picked up the handle of the huge Bone Spirit Longbow and put two arrows at the same time.


    The two stood in the dark, and as long as they didn¡¯t make a sound, no one would notice their existence. On the contrary, the bandits were blocked in the battle circle by soldiers holding torches, and the orange-red flames reflected their hideous faces. Mu Mu was held hostage by the leader, looking very frightened, his face was as pale as paper.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s dry eyes instantly became wet, but she forcibly suppressed the urge to run over. She visually measured the distance between the two sides, and said worriedly, ¡°Fifty to sixty zhang*, headwind, the light is dim, wouldn¡¯t it be too difficult to send a sneak attack? If you miss the shot, Mu Mu will be in danger.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan asked in a deep voice, ¡°Madam, can you trust me?¡±


    In the darkness, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t see his expression clearly, but she could see a hint of determination and steadiness in his deep eyes. Slowly, her flustered heartbeat also calmed down, and she said word by word, ¡°You shoot, I believe you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Madam.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled slightly, and then raised his bow and arrow and aimed at the bandit leader sixty zhang away. The bowstring was pulled to the limit by him, and a faint crackling could be faintly heard, as if it would burst in the next moment. Guan Suyi¡¯s heartstrings also tightened, and even her temples throbbed.


    Finally, his fingertips loosened unconsciously, and the two arrows broke through the air, separated by a few feet in front and back. One shot first went through the bandit¡¯s head, and the other came later and shot at the same place. Hearing only two muffled sounds of ¡°poof¡±, the bandit leader lost his life before he could even blink his eyes. The arrows that had not lose its steam then pierce the bandits standing behind him and they fell to the ground one after another.


    Originally Mu Mu was still clutched in the villain¡¯s hand in horror while tilting his head hard to stay away from the blade, but the next moment, the hand fell down softly, releasing its hold on him. At first, he was still confuse, but then Marquis Zhenxi grabbed him, and Zhao Luli slashed his sword, eliminating the bandits closest to him.


    Although they had not cooperated for a long time, the tacit understanding they have cultivated on the battlefield was still there. In an instant they killed a group of people, and then withdrew from the battle circle.


    ¡°Mu Mu, Mu Mu, are you alright?¡± A teenager ran out of the darkness and hugged Mu Mu to check him from head to toe.


    Mu Mu often played the game ¡°Do you recognize me¡± with his sister, and recognized her immediately. But he remembered his sister¡¯s instructions, so he didn¡¯t dare to call her name, just put his arms around her neck. His head arched from side to side, secretly wiped away his tears. He was a man, how could he cry from being scared!


    ¡°Little brother-in-law must be frightened, right? Give big brother-in-law a good look.¡± Another tall figure walked out of the darkness, carrying a giant bow on his back, reaching out to hug the little guy and placing it on his shoulders.


    ¡°Are you big brother-in-law? You are so good at archery!¡± Mu Mu¡¯s eyes lit up, and he didn¡¯t want to let go of the man¡¯s big head. Although the other person had a beard and the color of his eyes was wrong, the voice was the same. It was he who saved himself, and he was safe with him.


    Qin Lingyun was very considerate. After snatching the child, he covered his eyes, preventing him from seeing more bloody scenes, so he was able to ease his fear quickly. Several people quickly left the battle circle and walked to the Wupeng carriage to talk.


    ¡°Thank you Lord Marquis for your help! Thank you Master Zhao for your help!¡± Guan Suyi bowed down sincerely.


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem.¡± Zhao Luli fixed his gaze at her, but in the end he didn¡¯t find anything amiss. He just thought that she was Mu Mu¡¯s servant, and he hurriedly came out because he was eager to protect his master. Qin Lingyun understood in his heart and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m just following orders, not deserving the ¡®thank you¡¯ words. By the way, Mu Mu¡¯s little monkey is still with me, you can come and get it later. Thanks to this little thing sneaking out and gave me directions all the way, only then we were able to block people in the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Is Dalang okay? That¡¯s great! Thank you Lord Marquis! Thank you¡­¡± Mu Mu didn¡¯t know what to call Zhao Luli, and thought about it for a long time before he shouted ¡°Master Zhao¡± like his sister, which made Zhao Luli smile bitterly. He turned around and heard Mu Mu calling Emperor Sheng Yuan ¡°brother-in-law¡± very affectionately, and his heart felt like it had been stabbed by a knife.


    The more Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at his brother-in-law, the more he liked him, so he simply put him on his shoulders and took him to an open place to play, while waiting for the soldiers to clear up the battlefield. Guan Suyi followed step by step, looking at the big and small backs stacked on top of each other, she smiled while supporting her forehead.

 CH 145

    The rouges group were no match for two thousand elite cavalries, without the shield, they were cleaned up like chopping melons and cutting vegetables, but leave some leaders to be brought back to be tortured.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan played with Mu Mu for a while. Seeing that Mu Mu was talking less and rubbing his eyes from time to time, and seemed a little sleepy, he knew that the fear in his heart had gradually faded and that they could return with peace of mind. He put the little guy on the carriage¡¯s shaft and used the light from the torch to check all parts of his body. After finding out that there was no trauma, just a few bruises, he then felt a little relieved. If the little guy was hurt anywhere, Madam would be sad, and if Madam was sad, he would be a hundred times sadder than her. Is this the so-called ¡°empathy¡±?


    Mu Mu was very well-behaved and sensible. Seeing his sister wiping her tears while rubbing his bruises, he quickly stretched out his short hand to hug her and comforted her, ¡°I¡¯m fine, those people hit me twice at first, but when they saw me obediently sit and not moving, they stopped hitting me. I know you guys will come to save me.¡±


    ¡°Well, Mu Mu is so good. Next time if you encounter this kind of thing, don¡¯t make senseless resistance, just remember the route clearly, find an opportunity to leave a secret signal and I will come to save you. Do you remember the treasure hunt game we played? A small triangle is placed in a small circle, that is our secret signal to get in touch, and you should remember it in your heart.¡± Guan Suyi felt that blindly teaching her brother to study still wouldn¡¯t work. Children who grew up in peaceful times always had poor survival ability.


    When she was a child, there were turmoil between the vassal states, and the world was very chaotic. One time she encountered a wave of homeless people, and she was unfortunately separated from her parents, in the end they found each other by using a secret signal. All the survival skills she had learned in the past had to be taught to Mu Mu from beginning to end, and it was not wrong to be vigilant even in peaceful time.


    Mu Mu shook his head and murmured, ¡°I, I want to learn martial arts, I want to fight the bad guys myself, and I don¡¯t want my sister to save me, that¡¯s too dangerous.¡± He then secretly glanced at Emperor Sheng Yuan and hopefully said, ¡°Brother-in-law is a general, Brother-in-law can teach me.¡±


    Before Guan Suyi could answer, Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed, ¡°Okay, brother-in-law will teach you martial arts, you can become a general in the future, and expand territory for brother-in-law!¡±


    Mu Mu was still an ignorant child after all, couldn¡¯t hear the deep meaning hidden in those words, he just felt very happy, and his little head nodded quickly. Guan Suyi held her forehead while saying, ¡°Mu Mu is the heir of the Emperor Teacher Mansion. In the future, he will take over grandfather¡¯s mantle and become a great Confucian in the world. You kidnapped him to practice martial arts now, aren¡¯t you causing trouble for my grandfather?¡±


    ¡°Sister, I want to study as well as learn martial arts. I can be a Confucian general.¡± Mu Mu replied very cleverly.


    Guan Suyi was dumbfounded, and Emperor Sheng Yuan was also stunned, after a while they both laughed in unison. Isn¡¯t a Confucian general still a general? This silly boy. Forget it, he can do whatever he likes, as long as he can be happy and grow up safely.


    Zhao Luli looked at the three of them from a distance, and when they were finish talking and laughing, he walked over and asked, ¡°Is Mu Mu okay? Is he injured?¡± He had always feel guilty about this former adopted son. He took him back but left him to be raised by his sister-in-law, let alone talk, he only saw him a few times in a month, so that the child had no affection or nostalgia for him.


    If he took better care of him and made him feel a sense of belonging in the Zhao family, perhaps Suyi would not have gone so decisively. But wrong was wrong, and regret was useless, so he could give up easily and did not compete with Suyi for custody of the child.


    Now Mu Mu even called Huo Shengzhe as brother-in-law, it could be seen that the happy occasion between those two were approaching, and the Emperor Teacher Mansion also had a qualified successor. After Suyi left the Zhao¡¯s house, everything really goes smoothly. Thinking like this, a wry smile appeared on Zhao Luli¡¯s face.


    Mu Mu cupped his hands cautiously, ¡°Back to Mr. Zhao, I¡¯m not injured, thank you for your help this time.¡± Although he and the other person lived under the same roof, the number of times they met was very small, at most only half an acquaintance.


    Guan Suyi also thanked him again. The two of them were so polite, which made Zhao Luli feel embarrassed and could only sighed, ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. I originally wanted to save Mu Mu secretly, but I didn¡¯t expect that when the rouge gang saw that my caravan was full of disabled people, they started to get idea to rob it, which made the matter bigger. Fortunately, Mu Mu was not injured, otherwise even if I die ten thousand times still cannot escape the blame.¡±


    He paused, then his tone suddenly softened, ¡°Mu Mu, how has Suyi been doing recently?


    Mu Mu tried not to look at his sister, nodded and said, ¡°She is very good. She reads and writes at home all day, and then helps grandfather organize manuscripts and write the treasure book. She is very happy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that she¡¯s happy.¡± Zhao Luli seemed to have tears flashing in his eyes, and afraid that others would see it under the torch light, he had to bow his head slightly and walked away hastily.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan said in a deep voice, ¡°Whether she lives well or not, is my responsibility from now on, and has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too late to ask this question now?¡±


    Zhao Luli¡¯s already depressed back was looking even more dejected, and he stood at the same place for a while before slowly walking towards the place where the fire could not shine. In the distance, the sound of the swordsmen had ceased, and the soldiers piled up the corpses on the ground and burned them, then packed up to return.


    Guan Suyi hugged Mu Mu in her arms, wrapped him in a thin blanket, and said softly, ¡°Mu Mu, close your eyes and sleep, and you¡¯ll be home when you wake up.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Mu Mu¡¯s misty eyes were full of hope.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true, when did your sister lie to you?¡± Guan Suyi hugged him tighter and without hesitation tapped his back with her fingers. Mu Mu quickly fell into a deep sleep in this gentle comfort, his little hands tightly grasping the hem of his sister¡¯s clothes.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan watched this scene silently, and suddenly said, ¡°Madam, you must be a good mother in the future. When we have a child, it is up to you to decide whether he will study literature or martial arts. No, if the first child is a boy, then he will be the Crown Prince of Wei Kingdom. He must have both civil and military skills in order to carry the national cauldron, so he still needs your strict teaching. The second child preferably is a little princess, who looks very much like Madam when she was young. I will definitely hold her in the palm of my hand¡­¡± The more he spoke, the more excited he became, as if very soon he and Madam would have children run around their knees.


    Because of his childhood experiences, his desire for family far exceeds ordinary people, but he was also infected with the nature of a lone wolf, and unwilling to accept any woman. Madam¡¯s appearance was like a redemption for him, even more, it was destiny.


    Guan Suyi hurriedly covered Mu Mu¡¯s ears, seeing that he had no sign of waking up, she whispered, ¡°Shut up! Say that again and I¡¯ll be angry!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed softly, ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t say it. Madam, are you tired? Why don¡¯t you let me carry Mu Mu, I have a lot of strength, and I can hold him back to the capital without any problems. If you hold him like this, your arms will be numb within a quarter of an hour.¡± As he spoke, he moved to the other side and carefully took the child.


    Mu Mu recently ate very well and slept soundly. He had grown a lot of meat, and it was indeed difficult to carry him. Besides, Guan Suyi had just escaped danger and was already exhausted, so she did not refuse Hunnar. When Qin Lingyun lifted the curtain and entered, he happened to see one of them hugging Mu Mu¡¯s upper body and the other holding Mu Mu¡¯s legs, sitting head to head, shoulder to shoulder and resting together. The intimate atmosphere was like honey that could not be dissolved, making the air sweet.


    ¡°Master, this subordinate brought Big Brother over.¡± He raised the small cage in his hand, his face a little embarrassed.


    Big Brother was curled up in the cage, sleeping with a layer of bloody gauze wrapped around his tail. He seemed to smell a familiar smell, and could not help but snorting twice, but he was too tired to wake up. Guan Suyi hurriedly took the cage and whispered thanks.


    Since Emperor Sheng Yuan wanted to rush back for morning court, the carriage was driving fast. Guan Suyi had many doubts that needed to be answered, so she stopped Marquis Zhenxi and asked, ¡°Have you investigate the person who kidnapped me?¡±


    Qin Lingyun glanced at his master, saw him nodding slightly, and then replied, ¡°We couldn¡¯t investigate him, he bit his tongue and killed himself, he¡¯s really a tough stubble. But please rest assured, Madam, on the way back, I will stop by Yanghua Mountain and bring the female kidnapper back. Her mouth should not be as hard.¡±


    As soon as Guan Suyi closed her eyes, she could remember the vicious face of the other person, and waved her hand, ¡°Forget it, let her stay there, no need to torture anyone, I¡¯ll find out the real culprit by myself.¡±


    Qin Lingyun was stunned for a while, then laughed softly, ¡°I thought the Guan family was known for their benevolence and magnanimity, but I didn¡¯t expect that Madam was not at all like the rumors. Today if it some ordinary woman who encounter what Madam had encountered, afraid she only knew how to wait for death, how could be able to escape safely by herself. I have seen the person, his limbs and jaw were dislocated, and the techniques are quite sophisticated, not like something a powerless woman can do.¡±


    Marquis Zhenxi had never seen Madam¡¯s divine power, and had no interest in Confucianism, so he didn¡¯t know that she had been practicing calligraphy with heavy load since she was a child. From his master¡¯s recounting, the process of her escape seemed to be very easy, but after thinking about it carefully, it was inevitable to realize how dangerous it must be. If her ability was one point worse, the ending would be as the female kidnapper said, death was better life. He would like to ask this scholarly family¡¯s noble girl, where did she learn these kung fu? It¡¯s hard not to make him raise some doubts.


    His Master was precisely ¡°the look is not charming, people are self-fascinated*¡°, and now couldn¡¯t find the south, east, north and west, so he couldn¡¯t help but worry more.


    Guan Suyi glanced at him and said slowly, ¡°It is precisely because there are so many people like you who judge people by their appearance that I can escape. Women of the Jiuli clan are not the only one who are strong and powerful, I, Guan Suyi, am also not a vegetarian.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan gently held her cold fingertips and answered on her behalf, ¡°Madam has been practicing calligraphy with heavy load since she was a child, and her wrist strength is extraordinary. It¡¯s not strange for her to be able to restrain an adult man.¡±


    ¡°Practicing calligraphy with heavy load? That makes sense.¡± Qin Lingyun then asked again, ¡°What about dislocating the joints? Ordinary women don¡¯t learn this.¡±


    Guan Suyi was angry but also found it funny, and said coldly, ¡°My grandfather¡¯s wrist suffered from an old disease and was often dislocated. I helped him put it back again and again, and over time practice makes perfect. The structure of human joints is the same, it can be fixed and naturally it can be un-fixed, what¡¯s so strange about it? For you men, is it a normal reaction for women to just sit and wait for death when they encounter danger? Don¡¯t patronize me, go back and take good care of your sister-in-law, don¡¯t let other people trick her to return to the clan and get sunk in the pond. Right now, there¡¯s a booklet called ¡°Lesson For Women¡± circulating in Yanjing, do you know?¡±


    Qin Lingyun was shocked by the meaning of her words, inevitably turned pale from fright. Sunk in the pond*? What sunk in the pond?

 CH 146

    ¡°I know ¡®Lesson for Women¡¯. It seems to be a book that teaches women how to abide by their duties. It¡¯s very popular among the Han noble ladies.¡± Qin Lingyun didn¡¯t understand how a book could have such a big relationship with his sister-in-law. He somewhat understood Guan Suyi¡¯s character, she would never talk nonsense without a certain degree of certainty.


    ¡°Not only is it popular with Han noble ladies, but it is also highly respected by pedantic-minded and rigid Confucian scholars. Now, in this Yanjing city, almost every Confucian scholar will transcribe a copy of the ¡°Lesson for Women¡± and order the women in the family to study it. Although your sister-in-law has no immediate relatives, the entire clan has moved to the capital to settle down because of your care. The clan leader is a stubborn old Confucian, who after reading the book, deeply hated the women for not being chaste. It doesn¡¯t matter if she reconciled, or remarry, or has a private communication with a man, or privately set a marriage, she will be sunk in the pond. Looking at your ruddy face and your mouth has become sharp, the happy occasion with your sister-in-law must be near, right? You have to keep an eye on her, lest there be too many dreams at night* and happy events turn into disasters.¡±


    ¡°What you said is true?¡± Qin Lingyun asked, but in fact he had already believed it by eight to nine points. For some reason, after listening to Guan Suyi¡¯s narration, he was furious and almost desperate, as if he had experienced the pain of losing his sister-in-law, and wished he could put on a pair of wings and fly back to her immediately.


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s true, you can find out if you send someone to investigate.¡± Guan Suyi felt a pain in her fingertips, and inhaled, ¡°What are you doing all of a sudden, let go.¡±


    Only then did Emperor Sheng Yuan return to his senses, and he quickly let go of Madam¡¯s fingertips and said solemnly, ¡°The Confucian family member are not allowed to reconcile, or remarry, or have a private communication with a man, or privately set the marriage? Madam, it seems that you and I have already committed all the sins?¡±


    Guan Suyi laughed angrily, ¡°I may have reconciled and have a private communication, but who said that you and I have privately agreed to remarry? Besides, what does it mean to commit all the sins, just based on someone lifting her wrist and dropping the tip of the brush, then all women in the world are shackled and chained. Who does she think she is? The mighty Buddha? When I go back, I will tear off a layer of her face and tell her to shut up forever!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan patted her on the shoulder and comforted, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be angry, I will ban this booklet when I go back, so that you can remarry with piece of mind.¡±


    Guan Suyi glared at him dumbfoundedly, ¡°Defending people¡¯s mouth is more important than defending the river*, why are you banning it for no reason? It will only make it more wildly circulated in secret. Naturally I have a way to make the writer lose face, no need to bother others.¡± At the end, she looked at Qin Lingyun and said, ¡°Return to your sense! We¡¯re now on the road, it¡¯s useless to think too much. This matter, I will resolve it myself, if it¡¯s leave to you, when something goes wrong you will only ask the victim repeatedly, but the murderer was left alone. You can¡¯t find any clues, so I¡¯ll do it myself. Do you have a brush and paper? Prepare it for me.¡±


    Qin Lingyun could no longer doubt her, so he took out the four treasures of the study from his luggage and laid them out neatly one by one. Emperor Sheng Yuan picked up the water bag, poured some water into the inkstone, and slowly grinded it evenly.


    ¡°First of all, this person must know about my entanglement with Hunnar.¡± Guan Suyi picked up the brush and wrote the words ¡°insider¡± on the paper.


    ¡°I do have a suspect in mind.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan briefly explained the Little Brother¡¯s blabber mouth, and gritted his teeth, ¡°If I find any evidence, no matter whether she¡¯s former subordinate of imperial sister or the noble daughter of the Pan family, she will definitely pay the consequences!¡±


    Guan Suyi thought for a while, then shook her head, ¡°No, she wouldn¡¯t be the one who did it. According to what you said, she was originally a female general. She was very powerful on the battlefield, but she was very low-key when she came off the battlefield. She was a brave and resourceful type, and will never use such a clumsy method to deal with me. Besides, in case you will be doubting her, even if she really wants to get rid of me, she will never do it herself. So¡­¡±


    Guan Suyi wrote the words ¡°borrowing a knife to kill people¡± after ¡°insider¡±, and continued, ¡°I think there are two people behind this matter, one pushing and one implementing it, and between those two, one seems to exploit the other. Of course, it is also possible that there is only one person who simply thinks that I am too threatening and wants to get rid of me. Confucius said: ¡®In the beginning I see people, listening to his words and believed his actions.*¡® He also said: Look at what a person did, examine his motives for doing things, understand what he is comfortable with. Then how can this person heart¡¯s be covered up?*¡¯¡±


    She slowly wrote these two sentences on the paper and whispered, ¡°It can be seen that in order to recognize a person, you don¡¯t have to look at their face or listen to their words, just look at how they act. Everything this person did to me behind the scenes has completely exposed themselves, and I can now list all the details and screen them out of thousands of people.¡±


    Qin Lingyun and Emperor Sheng Yuan were both interested and looked over with burning eyes.


    Guan Suyi picked up the brush and wrote a strong character ¡°One¡±, and said slowly, ¡°First of all, they can raise the dead soldier, which is the privilege of the Jiuli noble family, so they must be one of the ten noble surnames.¡± After writing down the word ¡°Two¡±, she continued, ¡°Secondly, one of the two dead soldier was very familiar with Hunnar¡¯s appearance, which showed that he had seen His Majesty many times. That is to say his master also had many contacts with Hunnar, and is one of the top ten noble surnames who has close contact with the imperial power. Such contacts may be before or after ascending the throne, or both. In other words, this person is either from a family that controlled the army; or closely related to the imperial family, and have the privilege to enter and leave the palace at will; or even more, the other person is both in charge of the army and close relative to the imperial family, therefore noble person among noble person.


    Only from two dead soldier she actually able to uncover so many clues, Qin Lingyun was simply amazed.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan wanted to applaud Madam for her extraordinary intelligence, but because Mu Mu was still sleeping, he had to hold back. He nodded to the rice paper and whispered, ¡°What about other clues?¡±


    Guan Suyi wrote down the word ¡°Three¡± and said firmly, ¡°If it was a man who did it, he surely would kill me neatly, instead of tossing around with many twists and turns. Using all kinds of ruthless and vicious methods, this person wants me to feel death is better than alive, and also wants me to be completely ruined, there should be no doubt that it is a woman!¡± She wrote another ¡°Four¡± character and her tone became colder, ¡°It is said that things are like its masters*, from the arrogant attitude of the female kidnapper, she should be very capable in front of her master, and to some extent her temperament must be influenced by her master. She looked down on Han women, and her master must be the same; she doesn¡¯t care about a human life, and her master must be the same; she is proficient in martial arts, and her master must be the same; she is arrogance, conceited, and thinks that she is extremely smart, saying that she disdains playing tricks with Han women, and her master must be the same. So¡­¡±


    With her brush strokes, she outlined the image of the mastermind behind the scenes one by one, ¡°The real culprit is a noble woman of the Jiuli clan, at the marriageable age, between fifteen and eighteen; She is arrogant and domineering, and has practiced martial arts since childhood, claiming to be superior to others, and do not regard servants or Han people who are inferior to herself as human beings; She has a very strong sense of jealousy, and should have killed many people. Her favorite expression is either ¡®lowly slave¡¯ or ¡®Han dog¡¯; When walking to places would be very ostentatious, with no less than ten followers at a time, very grandiose, shouting orders loudly, and very high-profile; She can freely enter and leave the palace, face the emperor many times, and due to her personality, get along badly with women of the same generation, and will not make good friends with the concubines in the palace, so she probably the relative of the empress dowager or the prince consort.¡±


    When she put down the brush, Qin Lingyun was in awe, and the exact image of the culprit appeared in Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s mind.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know that you don¡¯t like to socialize and know very few noble ladies, I would have thought that you were accusing someone for being black.¡± Qin Lingyun pointed to the lines of writing and said, ¡°You should have guessed it, right? There is indeed such a noble woman in the capital, and this person is Bian Min¡¯er, the niece of the Empress Dowager. The princes asked the emperor to establish the empress, and she was the top of the list.¡±


    ¡°Bian Min¡¯er?¡± Guan Suyi wrote these three words on the paper and smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll remember.¡±


    Because the matter related to establishing the empress, and it almost harm Madam, Emperor Sheng Yuan was both guilty and angry. No matter whether there was evidence or not, he had already recognized Bian Min¡¯er as the culprit. Gritting his teeth, he said, ¡°Madam, you just wait. Zhen will surely skin her alive and let her pay for your grievance.¡±


    The word ¡°Zhen¡± that had not been said for a long time came out, it was obvious that he was very angry. Guan Suyi glanced at him and sneered, ¡°If I just sit and wait for your protection, I¡¯m afraid the grass on my grave will already be waist-high. As the old saying goes, it¡¯s better to rely on yourself than anyone else.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at Madam with pleading eyes. He was afraid that because of this accident, Madam would drift away from him. Madam was such a brave and fierce woman, how could she be happy when she was involved in this kind of killing game for no reason? While she hated the real culprit behind the scenes, she probably hated him, the source of the calamity, too.


    ¡°Madam, please don¡¯t take your anger out on me, this kind of thing will never happen again in the future.¡± He held Madame¡¯s slender wrist tightly, no matter how hard she struggled, he would not let go.


    Qin Lingyun didn¡¯t dare to look at his master¡¯s humiliating appearance, he hurriedly opened the curtain of the carriage and ran away, for fear that he might hear some deadly words if he took a step too slow.


    Guan Suyi slowly but firmly brushed away Emperor Sheng Yuan, and said word by word, ¡°I originally not without feeling for you, but I just refused to admit it. For a few moments, I did think about it, why don¡¯t I just simply be together with you, you treated me so sincerely.¡±


    The word ¡°Originally¡± made Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s mood slump to the bottom, and a pair of crimson eyes looked at her with fear and anxiety, unwilling for her to continue, but had to let her finish speaking. He felt like a prisoner waiting to be executed, and could only wait helplessly for the guillotine to fall.


    Guan Suyi lowered her eyes, and the conversation turned sharply, ¡°However, overnight, many people have set their sights on the empress position, and they are willing to live and die for you, distorting their own nature for you, and I am very disdainful of this. Not only am I a scoundrel and very competitive, but I¡¯m also very aloof, the thing that many people are fighting for, I don¡¯t want it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Is Zhen just something that you can casually throw away? Guan Suyi, do you have a heart?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan quickly broke free from the panic and became unyielding. He would not accept Madam¡¯s refusal, even if he had to press hard to make her nod, he would inevitably force her to remarry. In the past she still ate soft food and refuse hard food*, and he might be able to impress her slowly, but now she didn¡¯t eat soft and hard food*, so there was only one way left to force her, the imperial power.


    He didn¡¯t want to go this far, no matter who forced him and Madam to this point, they would have to pay a painful price!


    Guan Suyi gave him a fixed look, and said cautiously, ¡°I do have a heart, so I changed my mind. I want to marry you, but only as the empress. Huo Shengzhe, listen carefully, if you don¡¯t propose marriage in the name the main wife, you should never step into the Emperor Teacher Mansion.¡±

 CH 147

    Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned for a while before he asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Madam, what did you just say? Can you say it again?¡± Something he yearn for in the dream finally happened in reality, but he couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°I said I want to marry you.¡± Guan Suyi leaned against the carriage wall, laughing at herself, ¡°You ask me if I have a heart, I always thought that my former self was too considerate so I ended up being bullied, banished, and killed. However, now, after going through several twists and turns, and almost get myself and Mu Mu killed, I suddenly realized that my former self was not considerate at all, she was just too stupid that make people unbearable to look.¡±


    She turned her head to look at him, her eyes flashing with a strange light, ¡°Now all the noble girls in Wei Kingdom are keeping their eyes on the empress seat, I thought that if I stayed far away, I would not be implicated, and could even watch people trying to outwit each other, fighting openly and secretly, and take pleasure in it. This is exactly where I don¡¯t have the perseverance. I think I am too aloof and proud, not affected by secular world, as if I am more indifferent than others. However in the eyes of Han noble women, I am unchaste and unclean, and do not deserve to be the empress; in the eyes of Jiuli noble women, I am too weak and deceitful, pretentious and hypocritical. They slander me, defame me, and even damage my reputation, but that was nothing, there is a saying ¡®The clean will be clean, the dirty will be dirty¡¯ so I can only sit up straight. But they even want to take my life and Mu Mu¡¯s life. If I and Mu Mu have an accident, how heartbroken my family will be? Grandfather is old and frail, he cannot stand the stimulation, perhaps he will become seriously ill; Father and mother will be mentally and physically exhausted, completely disheartened, and this family will be destroyed in an instant.¡±


    Her indifferent tone finally carried bitter hatred, ¡°Even though I was already involved in the whirlpool, I was willing to quit for the sake of that aloofness, it¡¯s really stupid! As the saying goes cleverness may overreach itself* I almost harm myself, harm Mu Mu and harm my family. If I have promised you long ago, no matter what kind rumors and gossip going around, justifiably I am now the most honorable woman in Wei Kingdom. So what if other people family¡¯s status is higher or if their bloodline more noble? Still dare to confront me? But I refused and backed away, so one by one they came to step on me, one by one they came to hurt me, and I became a piece of fish on the chopping board, just waiting to be slaughtered.¡±


    She looked into Hunnar¡¯s eyes and said bluntly, ¡°You are right, in this world, there is no problem that power can¡¯t solve. I need power to protect myself and my family, so I want to be the empress. I didn¡¯t have the perseverance before, now I finally understand.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan couldn¡¯t describe his current mood. After the ecstasy, the only thing left was heartache and guilt. What a kind of aloof person Madam was, but now she had to succumb to the imperial power, and it was not because other people force her, but from heart-wrenching comprehension. He could imagine how her internal organs were tormented by anger and resentment as she lay in a dark coffin waiting to die.


    She had escaped from death, but her soul was still trapped in that cramped and hopeless place, which was why she had such a strong thirst for power. Whatever she wanted, he was willing to give it with both hands, only wishing for her happiness and smooth life.


    But he was a little unwilling in his heart, and he smiled bitterly, ¡°Madam is willing to marry, Zhen is naturally happy. But Zhen also want to ask, could it be Madam doesn¡¯t have a little bit of love for Zhen? Is marrying Zhen purely to protect yourself and your family?¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s cold face slowly melted, then she said cautiously, ¡°My heart and liking for you is exactly the premise of my promise to marry you. Why do you look down on yourself so much? You are handsome, tall, strong, capable of both literature and martial arts, with power to overflow the sky. If I don¡¯t like you, who can I like? Looking all over Wei Kingdom, who will be better than you?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned, but after a while, his cheeks were red and burning, but fortunately it was blocked by a beard, so he didn¡¯t lose his face. His mood first fell to the bottom, then climbed instantly, and then slowly fell back, thinking that he could finally relax a little bit and accepted his fate, Madam sent him to the clouds with two or three words. His happiness, anger, sorrow and joy were all controlled by her, but he didn¡¯t have the slightest desire to resist. He endured and endured, only then he didn¡¯t howl on the spot. (tn: too easy!)


    ¡°Madam, I will definitely treat you well, if I fail you in this life, I will be struck by lightning!¡± After finishing his vow, he then put Mu Mu carefully into Madam¡¯s arms, and when she was not paying attention, he suddenly held her cheek and kissed her on the forehead and the tip of her nose.


    In fact, he wanted to taste Madam¡¯s sweet lips, but he was afraid of angering her, and ending up in extreme joy turns to sorrow state. From now on, he was also a man with a family. In the future, he would have a litter of cubs with Madam, afterwards he would raise them carefully. Like the leader wolf, he would catch the most delicious prey for them, shelter them from the wind and rain, and give them everything he had.


    The wish that he once thought was the most difficult to achieve was now within easy reach, so how could he not be excited? In order not to disturb his brother-in-law, he lifted the curtain of the carriage and sped toward the jungle.


    Guan Suyi was still a little puzzled at first, but when she heard a wolf howl in the night, she shook her head and sighed, ¡°Just a few nice words, he¡¯s already coaxed.¡± However, it was precisely because of the wolf nature that remained in his bones and blood that she dared to give it a go. She heard that wolves are extremely loyal animals and would only have one partner in their life. Can she expect the same thing from him? Although she thought like this, she would not be stupid enough to say it, and now she had no choice but to take it one step at a time.


    Qin Lingyun raised his horsewhip and knocked on the carriage window, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Madam, what¡¯s wrong with Master? He only does this when he is furious or ecstatic. Did something happen to you and him?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, he will come back after he¡¯s finished howling.¡± Guan Suyi patted Mu Mu¡¯s back while answering, with a brisk smile on her face.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was reluctant to leave for too long, so he hurriedly retuned after a few howls, took Mu Mu into his arms again, pointed to his shoulder, and said so-matter-of-factly, ¡°Wife, lean on me to sleep, when we arrive at the Emperor Teacher Mansion, I will wake you up.¡±


    ¡°Wife?¡± Guan Suyi raised her eyebrows.


    ¡°Empress?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled extremely brightly, his hair and coat were covered with dew, the light in his eyes were brighter than the stars outside the window, and the whole person exuded a fluttering breath.


    ¡°Wait until I officially marry you then you can change the way you call me, don¡¯t let outsiders hear it and cause me trouble.¡± Having said that, Guan Suyi leaned her head over and said in disgust, ¡°The whole body is tendon meat, it¡¯s really hard.¡±


    ¡°This tendon meat is very strong, strong enough to protect you and the children. Madam, go to sleep, stop talking.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan stretched his arms and hugged her into his arms, buried his head in her jet-black hair, and took a deep sniff. It¡¯s so good, everything is good today!


    ¡°By the way, help me take off this mask, I¡¯ll have to rely on it when I go out in the future, so I can¡¯t let my father confiscate it. You only need to say that you rescued me from the bad people, and he will be grateful to you, maybe he will agree to marry me to you while his head is still overheated.¡± Guan Suyi took out a bottle of potion from her purse and stuffed it into Hunnar¡¯s hand in a daze.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you hide it. When will we get married? Or when we arrive at the Emperor Teacher Mansion, I will directly propose marriage to Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies? No, before I enter the city, I have to go hunting for two wild geese.¡± He muttered while his hands were busy moving, and quickly removed the mask from Madam¡¯s face, wiped it clean, and put it in her purse.


    Guan Suyi became more and more drowsy, and fell asleep in his arms.


    The army finally arrived at Yanjing before dawn, showed the token, and entered the city gate unimpeded. Marquis Zhenxi led the 2,000 elite cavalries back to the barracks, and another group of men and horses escorted his master to the Emperor Teacher Mansion. At this time, it was still dark, and the city was under curfew. Even if they heard the sound of hoofs, people did not dare to go out to check.


    The carriage went around the back alley, a soldier knocked on the door, while Emperor Sheng Yuan woke up Madam and brother-in-law, and told them to put on the cloaks to cover their faces. ¡°Why don¡¯t I order someone to send a few boxes of betrothal gifts and propose marriage today?¡± he asked persistently.


    ¡°When to propose, you should wait for my news.¡± Guan Suyi was unmoved.


    ¡°What if there is no news after Madam return home?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was quite troubled. He was itching to hold the ceremony with Madam now, and then announce it to the world.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do to convince you? If I don¡¯t marry a husband who is a master of pen and sword, wise and brilliant, with power to overflow the sky, will I still be stupid enough to marry someone else who is not as good as you?¡± Guan Suyi picked up the confused Mu Mu and prepared to jump off the carriage, but her waist was hugged by Emperor Sheng Yuan, and he attentively brought her down.


    The culture of the Central Plains was indeed broad and profound. What¡¯s the saying ¡°Holding it in the hands afraid it will break, putting it in the mouth afraid it will melt¡°? What¡¯s the saying ¡°Unbearable love¡±? This is exactly it! Emperor Sheng Yuan sighed while holding Madam¡¯s little hand, but he was pushed away on the grounds of ¡°avoiding suspicion¡±.


    While two were pulling and tugging, the door opened. Old Master Guan and Guan Father had some intuition, so they came to answer the door themselves. Before they could see the daughter hidden under the cloak, they were attracted by the little guy in her arms.


    ¡°Mu Mu?¡± The two of them were surprised.


    ¡°Grandfather, father, let us in first!¡± Guan Suyi whispered.


    ¡°Yiyi?¡± The two of them were overjoyed, and hurriedly welcomed the group of people into the door, hugged and cried together for a while before they found that His Majesty was also there and that he personally rescued the two of them. The gratitude in their hearts were beyond words. Hearing the news, Zhong shi arrived in a hurry, crying and laughing, so excited that she almost fainted. She wanted to kowtow to His Majesty, saying that she would repay this kindness by being an ox and a horse for him in this life.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was about to open his mouth and said that being an ox and a horse is absolutely unacceptable, and it would be better to marry your daughter to Zhen, but Madam who knew him very well pinched his arm, so he had to give up. The family calmed down their joyful mood, and then ordered their servants to prepare breakfast. After the happy feeling were used up, they sent the two back to their room to rest, only then the one that supposed to go to morning court went to morning court, the one that supposed to worship Buddha went to worship Buddha, everyone were busy.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan and the two Mount Tai sat in the same carriage, and after thinking for a while, said, ¡°The grace of saving life should be promised to each other, Emperor Teacher, Chief of Ceremonies, what do you think?¡±


    Guan Father had already cave in, but he didn¡¯t dare to make his own decisions, so he had to look at the old master. The old master closed his eyes and sighed, ¡°If the monarch wants the minister to die, the minister has to die. Not to mention there¡¯s a life-saving grace, but even if there¡¯s not, Your Majesty wants to accept Yiyi, what can this minister say?¡± He had a lofty and unyielding character, but he was even more loyal, where he dared to disobey the emperor¡¯s order?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed and corrected, ¡°It¡¯s not to accept, but to marry. Another day, Zhen will marry Madam with the courtesy of the empress! This son-in-law has seen father-in-law and grandfather-in-law, and I hope that the two Mount Tai will entrust Madam to Zhen. Zhen certainly will treat her wholeheartedly.¡±


    The old master and Guan Father said that they dare not, but secretly heaved a sigh of relief in their hearts.

 CH 148

    Guan Suyi and Mu Mu slept until noon before they got up. This time, Zhong shi didn¡¯t shout at the people with feather duster, but instead indulge them. Jinzi and Minglan received 20 boards each, and now with their injuries they still insisted to guard their miss¡¯s room. Taohong had already been sold, even she cried when she left, it didn¡¯t make Zhong shi¡¯s heart soften.


    At noon, when the clan leader heard that Mu Mu had returned safely, he brought a large group of clan elders to the door. On the surface, he said condolences, but in reality he forced the Guan family to intercede for Guan Wenhai and let him out.


    ¡°Yunqi¡¯s wife, the Guan clan has studied Confucianism for many generations, has always been a benevolent family, and has always cherish magnanimity. Mu Mu is safe and sound, so why should you kill Wenhai? As long as you say two good words for him, they can let him out. He is talented, young, and has a great future in front him. Someday when he¡¯s successful, he will definitely repay you thousands of times. Now you execute without warning, don¡¯t you violate the rule of the ancestors? You can¡¯t write two ¡®Guan¡¯ words in one stroke*, everyone is a relative by blood, one prosperous then everyone prosperous, one falling then everyone falling. If his reputation is ruined, doesn¡¯t it mean that Guan clan¡¯s reputation is also ruined? If he has a loss of virtue, doesn¡¯t it mean that Guan clan has a failing morality and disgraceful? It doesn¡¯t matter if we become a commoner, and we won¡¯t feel hurt just because people gossip about us, but the old master and Yunqi still have to gain a foothold in the court. If the clan¡¯s reputation is ruined, it¡¯s not a small offense. Don¡¯t think about Wenhai, don¡¯t think about the whole clan, you still have to think about yourself, right? As long as you present a memorial to the emperor and say that everything is a misunderstanding and Mu Mu is lost by himself, the reputation of the clan will be preserved, and the virtue of the Guan family will also be preserved. Isn¡¯t it the best of both worlds?¡±


    Because Emperor Sheng Yuan suppressed the news, these people only knew that Mu Mu was safe, but they didn¡¯t know how he returned, and they didn¡¯t know that even Guan Suyi had been missing for a day and a night. Thus, they dare to say those statement.


    Zhong shi remembered what happened to the two children, remembered the son who died in vain. Her hatred for the clan had reached its peak.


    She slowly turned the teacup in her hand and said, ¡°Guan Wenhai has confessed in prison, saying that it was he who sent people to kidnap Mu Mu and planned to sell him to Tong Valley. Yesterday, the imperial army was the one who search and retrieve Mu Mu from Tong Valley. Why Guan Wenhai was arrested, anyone with a discerning eye can tell, presumably it has spread all over the capital by now. Such a wicked person, but you force us to spare him, this is not to treat Mu Mu as a person at all. Don¡¯t you take our Guan family in your eyes at all? Ah yes, if Guan Wenhai is convicted, the Guan clan¡¯s reputation will be greatly damaged. Outsiders will definitely point finger at your back and scold you for having a heart of wolf and lungs of dogs, losing your conscience. In order to avoid being implicated, I can ask the old master to excuse Guan Wenhai, just pretend it never happened.¡±


    Everyone was overjoyed. They didn¡¯t expect the Zhong shi to be so easy to talk, Guan family¡¯s benevolence name indeed was not false. If even such deep hatred can be endured, it¡¯s not too much to make more demands, right? Anyway, there is no successor in the Guan family. If they don¡¯t want to sever the descendants and lose the family property, aren¡¯t they still have to rely on the support of the clan?


    Thinking like this, another clan elder said slowly, ¡°Yunqi¡¯s wife understands the great righteousness and is worthy of being the daughter of literary giant Zhong family. In this case, us here will thank you on Wenhai¡¯s behalf, and when he comes out safely, we will let him come to the door to make amends. Everyone is from the same clan. If one person is in trouble, the whole clan should support, how can we be divided? In the future, Emperor Teacher Mansion have no successor, don¡¯t you still have to rely on everyone¡¯s help to support the lintel? By the way, many of the clansmen are destitute, although there is a clan school, there are not many people who can afford the tutor¡¯s salary. Yunqi¡¯s wife, you let Emperor Teacher be more accommodating, don¡¯t delay the children. There¡¯s also the matter of joint venture to purchase the sacrificial land, the poor should give less, the rich should give more, Emperor Teacher Mansion as the pillar of the clan, shouldn¡¯t you give more silver? With the production of the sacrificial land as a support, the clansmen will be well fed and clothed, and will soon be able to live a good life. Whether the Guan clan can regain its former glory depends entirely on Emperor Teacher Mansion.¡±


    Zhong shi finally deeply realized a sentence ¨C good people will be taken advantage by others. If you take a step back, what you will gain is not understanding and harmony, instead you will back down step by step, until you are squeezed out of all your value, and be trampled under someone¡¯s feet like the dirt on the ground.


    The Guan clan was indeed passing down benevolent and magnanimous value throughout the generations, but the one that could genuinely accomplish this was only the old master¡¯s line, so they have been bullied and used by the clansmen for generations, and it had long become the norm. Almost suffering the tragic death of her both children, Zhong shi couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.


    She nodded and said, ¡°The private tutor¡¯s salary doesn¡¯t need to be paid, the sacrificial land will be bought for you, Guan Wenhai will be released, and my Guan family will agree to all your requests. When the old master and husband come back from the court, we will write a letter of confessing sin to burn the ancestry, and asked to be removed from the clan. From now on, the Guan family is the Guan family, the Guan clan is the Guan clan, and there is no longer any connection.¡±


    Everyone was shocked, they never expected that Zhong shi would fight back so decisively, actually abandoning the clan and leave. There was no precedent for self-requesting to be removed from the clan, because no one in the world would do this, as people would not be able to live without the clan. However, the situation of the Emperor Teacher Mansion and the clan was completely opposite. The reason why the Guan clan had a superior status in Yanjing was because the powerful Emperor Teacher and Chief off Ceremonies; most of the orphans and widows in the clan were supported by the Emperor Teacher Mansion; the sacrificial lands were purchased by the Emperor Teacher Mansion; the clan school was built by the Emperor Teacher Mansion. Everything was bestowed by Emperor Teacher Mansion, they were nothing more than parasite attached to the mansion, relying on Guan Yunqi have no successor to abuse the power and squeeze them to the extreme.


    At present, Zhong shi was finally driven to a dead end by them. Not only did she not charge the clan school¡¯s fee, purchased the sacrificial lands and released Guan Wenhai, but she also wrote a confession of sin letter and asked themselves to be removed from the clan. What they should do and what they can do, they had done their best for the clan. Outsiders knew about this, so they would not scold the Emperor Teacher Mansion as being unkind and unrighteous, but they would only ridicule the Guan clan for killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, and drain the lake to get the fishes.


    On the surface, it was the clan who removed the Emperor Teacher Mansion, but in fact, wasn¡¯t it the Emperor Teacher Mansion who abandon the clan? They couldn¡¯t bear, then no need to bear it anymore, Mu Mu¡¯s disappearance had obviously stepped on Zhong shi¡®s bottom line!


    The hall suddenly became silent even the falling needle could be heard. Several elders were sweating and trembling with fear. Only the clan leader said in disapproval, ¡°You are a woman, what qualifications do you have to be Yunqi¡¯s master? Do you know how serious it is to asked yourself to be removed from the clan?¡±


    ¡°I know. After we asked to be removed from the clan, we don¡¯t have to support a group of white-eyed wolves; we don¡¯t have to be forced to choose the so-called heir. My Emperor Teacher Mansion has a lot of property, and I will give it to anyone I want in the future, and it has nothing to do with you. If my father-in-law and my husband are valued by the emperor and they are conferred a nobility title or a Shilu*, it will not fall into your hands. As for whether I can be the master, let¡¯s wait for my father-in-law¡¯s reply.¡±


    These words were not Zhong shi¡¯s whim. Last night, while she painfully waited for her son and daughter to return, the old master ordered them like this. He already had enough. Guan Father even bluntly said that he wanted to abolish the clan, and told them to go back to wherever they came from. They would buy the sacrificial lands and release Guan Wenhai to block the mouth of a lot of people, showing that the Guan family had been extremely benevolence, while the evidence of Guan Wenhai harming people¡¯s life was conclusive, what else could they say?


    Seeing her firm attitude, the clan leader started to panic. As if sitting on pins and needles, he waited for half an hour, and sure enough, the serious-faced old master and Guan father finally came.


    He cupped his hands at everyone and sighed, ¡°This old man has no virtue, and treated the clan wrongly, so the resentment is increased, and disaster fell to the head. Therefore, asked ourselves to be removed from the clan, and will no longer harm others and harm ourselves. Just now I have already presented memorial to the emperor, begging him to release Guan Wenhai. It may be assumed that he has returned safely now. I dare not shirk the sin of being removed from the clan, and have already reported to the emperor to ask for the Holy Judgment. The emperor is merciful and when he approves it, he ordered us father and son to reflect behind close door, and only after three months can we return to the court. I lost my morals and conducts, which caused my family to suffer this great disaster, and also implicated the junior in the clan to be imprisoned, I really don¡¯t have face to see the clansmen. Everyone please return, Yunqi and I will burn incense and take a bathe, then pray to the ancestor. The confession letter will be handed over to the clan leader in a few days, and will asked him to read it on my behalf. Ashamed too ashamed, everyone please return.¡±


    The old master¡¯s words seemed to indicate that he was wrong, that he had harmed the clan with all his virtues, and had no choice but to extricate himself from the clan. But who would be fooled by this? Afraid even a fool wouldn¡¯t be fooled. Every time he admitted a mistake, he slapped the clansman in the face. Since ancient times, only the most wicked people would be removed from the clan, but the Emperor Teacher Mansion was full of benevolence and righteousness, the virtue was deep and flowing, and to be able to force them to voluntarily leave, the Guan clan was also quite capable.


    The emperor said to let the two reflect behind closed doors, but he rewarded many treasure chests, which were now piled up in the garden, which showed that he also knew who was right and who was wrong.


    After getting removed from the clan, the Emperor Teacher Mansion could pass the mantle to Mu Mu, or maybe let Guan Suyi recruit a son-in-law, where they need to rely on others? They able to not depend on the clan, but the clan could not but rely on them. Without the banner of the Emperor Teacher¡¯s clan, who else could protect them? No matter how many sacrifice lands were purchased, it would be taken away by the tyrants in an instant; the future of the juniors in the clan would inevitably be ruined just because that Guan Wenhai plot to kill people.


    It could be said that the Guan clan without the Emperor Teacher Mansion had no foothold in Yanjing City at all. Wherever they came from was wherever they had to go. However, there was no airtight wall in the world, and when the news reached their hometown, there would only be more people who throw stone at them. In a single thought, the entire clan was overthrown, and the clan leader was terrified. The rest of the clan elders were embarrassed and frightened, racking their brains to figure out how to save the situation.


    But Guan Father would not give them a chance to speak, and politely said, ¡°This matter had been reported to the emperor, and it will be known to the whole world in a short time. The Guan family has no virtue, do not dare to harm the clan, and even more too embarrassed to face the clan, please don¡¯t say any more. I have already assigned the steward to handle the purchase of the sacrificial land. The six thousand hectares of fertile land presumably enough to support the young and old of the clan, and it is also the last thought of our Emperor Teacher Mansion for the clan. Everyone, Please.¡±


    The clan elders who were driven to the door by him looked at each other in dismay, and finally returned home in frustration. Even the emperor knew, then there was really no room for redemption. For an unworthy son, but losing the pillar of the clan, when this spread out no one could fathom this. Guan Wenhai¡¯s reputation was already rotten, after saving him what else could he do other than eat rice? If the Guan clan have no protection of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, the six thousand hectares of fertile land would also become someone else¡¯s sooner or later.


    ¡°I said at the beginning, don¡¯t anger Emperor Teacher for a junior, but you don¡¯t listen! This time is finish,¡± the clan elder who had never said a word in the Emperor Teacher Mansion finally said, ¡°You all go home and pack your bags. Yanjing City have no place for our clan to stand!¡±


    ¡°If the clan disposes Guan Wenhai, Emperor Teacher will be soft-hearted, and he should not make things too bad.¡± Another person said.


    The clan leader was furious, but under the resentful gazes of everyone, his back was gradually hunched, and he fled in embarrassment. He also knew that if the Guan clan really lost the backing of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, his position as the clan leader would be over.

 CH 149

    Because Guan Wenhai was suddenly arrested by the officials, and it was said that he had been sentenced with severe punishment, his mother Yao shi had been crying for a day and a night. Until this morning, when she heard that Mu Mu had been found, she urged the great old master to come to the door to beg the people. It had long become the norm for them to ask anything from the Guan family, and they thought that as long as Mu Mu was safe this time, the Guan family would put the matter to rest. So what if Mu Mu had an accident? Just a wild species, what does it matter? When Zhong shi was abandoned by the clan until she had a miscarriage, the Guan family never cared about it.


    It was precisely because they were benevolent that the clansmen could squeezed them dry, and the clansmen never thought that there was a time where benevolent people would also run out their patience.


    ¡°Sister-in-law, stop crying. When the clan leader personally went, how can people not give in to his demand? I heard that the wild seed is fine, not a single hair is missing, but our Wenhai have been badly punished, we must settle this account with them! They all say that this matter was ordered by Wenhai, I don¡¯t believe it even if I¡¯m beaten to death. It must be their family who framed the blame! What kind of person Wenhai is, we watched him grow up, can we still not know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sister-in-law should wipe away your tears. Maybe Wenhai will be back soon. So what if the Emperor Teacher Mansion is high and powerful? If there is no heir, won¡¯t they still have to rely on our clan to continue the incense for them in the future? Dare to do anything to us, as long as the clan leader speaks, there is no reason not to agree.¡±


    After listening to the consolation of her sister-in-law, Yao shi¡®s mood was much better, and she was about to ask the maid to fetch a basin of water to wash her face when she heard that the clan leader was back, and hurriedly carried the hem of her skirt to greet him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Everyone asked in confusion.


    ¡°I have sent the servant to pick up the person from the Heavenly Prison, he will be home soon.¡± There was no trace of joy on the clan leader¡¯s face.


    His eldest son asked with an expectant expression, ¡°Has the matter of sacrificial lands been discussed? How many hectares is their family willing to pay?¡±


    ¡°Discussed. Six thousand hectares.¡± The patriarch didn¡¯t want to say more, and went straight back to the house.


    The rest of the people rejoiced, put their hands on their forehead while celebrating, ¡°Oh my God, six thousand hectares! I think it¡¯s more than enough to feed our entire clan, right? The Emperor Teacher Mansion is really generous, I don¡¯t know how much gold and silver they have at home!¡± Thinking like this, their desire to encroach the Guan Family¡¯s property became stronger and stronger.


    However, the happiness was only short lived. At noon, Guan Wenhai was indeed released. When he was walking through the downtown area, he happened to meet several rouge leaders who were arrested and brought to justice. They had already received the tip from the officers, they knew that Guan Wenhai fellow was safe and sound, and it was them that had to take the blame for him. When they saw each other, their eyes were full of blood, and they roared in full view of everyone, saying that they were bought by Guan Wenhai commit crimes, and he was the main culprit.


    Guan Wenhai had long been frightened by all kinds of torture, holding his head and hide behind the head guard, at a glance people could tell that there was a ghost in his heart. The crowd¡¯s eyes were sharp, and they really couldn¡¯t understand how he could get out of the prison safely? This is the capital offense of plotting against people¡¯s life!


    Soon, Zhong shi spread the news about the Guan clan¡¯s harsh treatment of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, withholding money, robbing the land, abandoning pregnant women, and cutting off their descendants¡­ The charges were innumerable, and truly appalling, people never expected the Emperor Teacher Mansion which looked beautiful from the outside was actually treated this way in the clan, it was true that good people would be cheated on by other!


    The people¡¯s sympathy was already biased towards the Guan family. When they heard that the Guan clan came to the door and forced them to save Guan Wenhai, make them organized the clan school for free, and asked them to purchase the sacrificial lands, they were completely speechless. However, the Guan family unreservedly agreed to all of that, which made people hate iron for not becoming steel! What are you doing defending such a clan? Waiting to be eaten alive?


    The people turned from sympathy to dissatisfaction with the Emperor Teacher Mansion. They thought to themselves, how high and powerful you are, but actually compromise to this point, it¡¯s losing face too much! Can such a weak official really take on the heavy responsibility of the imperial court? The dissatisfaction continued to ferment, and when they heard that the Emperor Teacher Mansion had asked to be removed the clan, they were suddenly relieved.


    Right, as a human being, how can you just endure it blindly? You have done what you have to do, and you have showed all the camaraderie with the clan, how long will you stay if you don¡¯t leave now? Won¡¯t it be too late to wait until someone skinned and tear you to the bone!


    Under Zhong shi¡¯s hidden push and propaganda, the people had no objection to this matter. And when they saw the steward of the Emperor Teacher Mansion carrying more than ten boxes and holding a large stack of land deeds while he personally delivered it to the clan leader¡¯s house, they were already convinced by the Emperor Teacher Mansion¡¯s benevolence and generosity, prostrate themselves in admiration.


    Suddenly, a loud shout burst out from the crowd watching the excitement on the side of the road, ¡°Hey, I said your Emperor Teacher Mansion is too useless! They are harming your children, they schemed your life, they want to take your family property by force and break your foundation, they are simply deceiving people too much. Then what are you supporting them for? Just let them die!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Honest men are always bullied, honest horses are always harnessed! Why should your Emperor Teacher Mansion be an ox and a horse for them?¡±


    The housekeeper had already received order from the old master, and after reading the gift list, he bowed to passers-by, neither humble nor arrogant, gentle and polite, ¡°I want everyone to know that our Emperor Teacher Mansion has a family precept that has been passed down since ancient times ¨C Others can be unkind to us, but we cannot be unjust, not because we are weak or gullible, but only for the sake of having a clear conscience.¡±


    ¡°Good! Well said! The Emperor Teacher Mansion is too damn righteous!¡± These chivalrous words were poking at the passers-by¡¯s hearts, especially those righteous people who walked down Jianghu were most deeply moved, and became more and more disgusted with the Guan clan. After this day, the phrase ¡°You can be unkind, but I cannot be unjust¡± quickly spread in the Wei Kingdom and became the motto for the chivalrous people, and the Guan family¡¯s benevolence reputation was not damaged by being removed from the clan, but instead became even deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.


    Yao shi, who was still triumphant before, was now holding a pile of land deeds and wanted to cry but have no tears, and the rest of the clansmen sat around in the hall, sighing in despair. The six thousand hectares of sacrificial lands were indeed fertile lands, but they were purchased in their original homeland, and that place was a battleground for the military, so a large number of troops were stationed there. In order to collect enough grain and grass, the generals of the army would wantonly invade the surrounding lands to make military colonies. It could be said that people with no background have little place to stand there, which was also the reason why the Guan clan moved to Yanjing.


    If the clansmen still had the protection of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, there was no problem buying many sacrificial lands there. However, once the news that the Guan family had request to be removed from the clan spreads, within half a month, the six thousand hectares of sacrificial lands would be divided up by the major corps. And the Guan clan would also be completely suppressed.


    What the Guan family sent was not a permanent resource, but a life reminder!


    ¡°Without the Emperor Teacher Mansion, what is the Guan clan? You also offended the old master to death for a junior, and even harmed everyone in the family! I don¡¯t care, this matter was made by Guan Wenhai, and it was he who should be removed from the clan. Tell him to immediately go to the gate of the Emperor Teacher Mansion to plead guilty, and then exile him afar away!¡± One of the clan elder completely changed his tone.


    The patriarch was no longer angry at this time, just because Guan Wenhai had been severely tortured, his tendons and tongue were cut off, and now had become a waste. There was no shortage of heir in the family, so he couldn¡¯t harm everyone because of him. If he had known this earlier, he should have let him die in prison, and there¡¯s no need to implicate everyone!


    Yao shi cried so hard but she didn¡¯t have the power to block it, she could only watch helplessly as everyone opened the ancestral hall, crossed out Guan Wenhai¡¯s name, and then ordered him to carry thorns on his back and go to the Emperor Teacher Mansion to plead guilty. Unexpectedly, before the group of people went out, they received the news that the old master was bedridden from anger, and the emperor specially sent him to Imperial Manor in the suburbs of the capital to recuperate, and the Guan clan was not allowed to visit.


    The Emperor Teacher dedicated his life to the clan, and when he got old, he ended up with rootless duckweed and severed descendant, so his grief could be imagined. Even though he was seriously ill, he was still able to organize the manuscripts, and he did not delay the major event of writing the Confucian Treasure Books. All the great scholars went to Imperial Manor every day to have discussion, revise the articles, and exchange insight with him. He actually rather indulged in pleasure and forget home and duty, how could still take the feelings of the clansmen into account?


    The clan leader used the sister-in-laws to persuade Zhong shi, sent people to appealed with Guan Father, and asked the juniors to ask Guan Suyi to come out and talk, but they all couldn¡¯t get in. The Guan family were more unsociable than other people, except for Guan Father and Zhong shi who occasionally go out, the old master and Guan Suyi would rather stay at home reading books and writing all day long than stepping out of the house.


    They didn¡¯t go out, and it was difficult for others to get in. After three days, they finally realized the reality. The clan leader had resigned amid the strong resentment of the clan. Guan Wenhai did not know where he was sent, and it seemed that death was better than life.


    Guan Suyi slept and woke up to find that the Guan family had actually left the clan, she almost thought she was still dreaming. But the old master acted very fast. It only took one night to write a family history, detailing why the Guan family asked to be removed from the clan, and opened another family tree, officially classifying Mu Mu as the heir. He had a very deep relationship with the Zhong family, knowing that Zhong shi was infertile, he never mention taking a concubine, and Guan Father himself had no intention to ask for it.


    After worshiping the family ancestral hall, the family of five could finally breathe a sigh of relief. After Guan Suyi took a good rest for two days, on the third day, she dressed up and prepared the carriage to go out.


    When the female kidnapper negotiated the terms with the bandits, she only said that Guan Suyi was a lowly concubine in the family. Because Guan Suyi angered her mistress, she was sent to the mountain to be taught a lesson. The bandits did not know the real story, so naturally they were not afraid of offending others, and would definitely torture her to death. Although she wore a mask, it wouldn¡¯t stand beating and kneading, and it would fall off automatically within a day, showing her original appearance. It¡¯s hard to say whether the bandits would send her back as promised, but Guan Suyi knew that the mastermind behind it would definitely come to the scene to watch the lively event and enjoy the pleasure of destroying a human live.


    Where was the most prosperous part of Yanjing City? Since it was Luogu Street, she just had to go there and wait.


    Near noon, suddenly a fast horse carrying a sack drove through the street. The rope that tied the sack was not fastened, and it automatically cut off during the bumps, causing it to fall to the ground. Some busybody unpacked it, and saw a naked woman hidden inside, her hands and legs were broken, her eyes, ears, mouth and nose were completely gone.


    ¡°Mother! What kind of thing is this! Report it to the official, hurriedly report it to the official, this is a murder!¡± The Luogu Street, which was already crowded with people, was boiling for a while, and a woman in a bright red riding suit stood opposite inside a teahouse, she pointed at the scene with the whip, and said with a cheerful smile, ¡°See? This is a good show that this county princess has let you enjoy, and there are more exciting ones to come!¡±

 CH 150

    An inconspicuous carriage was parked in the dark alley, around fifty or sixty steps away was the lively Luogu Street. Over there was bustling with noise, but unexpectedly it was particularly quite here.


    Guan Suyi was sitting cross-legged, drinking tea slowly. After a while, the carriage curtain was lifted, Jinzi bent over to came in, and said in a low voice, ¡°Miss, you are right, that Bian Min¡¯er reserved a private room in the most luxurious teahouse on Luogu Street early in the morning, and invited seven to eight noble ladies to drink tea inside, and now they have been together for more than an hour and have not left, as if they were waiting for something.¡±


    ¡°Seven to eight noble ladies? Who are they?¡± By this time, Guan Suyi was sure that Bian Min¡¯er was the real culprit behind the scenes. With such an arrogant personality, how could she not come to watch her tragic situation in person?


    Jinzi reported the names of many Jiuli noble girls one after another, all of which had the same status as Bian Min¡¯er, but one of them seemed very abrupt.


    ¡°Xu Yayan? She is a Han woman and a commoner. How could she get involved with these people? Is she not afraid of becoming sheep that enter the wolf pack and being swallowed alive?¡± Guan Suyi was quite surprised.


    ¡°Miss, you don¡¯t know, the daughter of County Prince Jun, Linxiang County Princess, is very close to Bian Min¡¯er. She advocates the Han learning, so she loves to associate with Han talented women. Xu Guangzhi used to be an advisor in County Prince Jun Mansion, and at that time Xu Yayan has a good relationship with the Linxiang County Princess. Didn¡¯t the emperor say that he likes beautiful and talented women? Now all the ladies in Yanjing are studying Han learning, and this Bian Min¡¯er is no exception. Then through Linxiang County Princess as the bridge, she asked Xu Yanyan as study companion, and consulted about Confucianism every day.¡±


    ¡°Oh? It¡¯s really a muddy pig and a scabies dog* mixing up together.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s tone was full of disgust. After finally escaping from death, she could see clearly no matter how proud and arrogant she was, she was nothing in front of power! Hunnar was right, he had thousands of ways to deal with her, but he just couldn¡¯t bear to do it. However, he couldn¡¯t bear it, but others would not keep their hands. Why should she force herself to be a soft persimmon for that bit of hypocrisy, and let others pinch it as much as they want?


    From now on, she would turn herself into a sword, and whoever come to provoke, she would chop off their hand!


    Restraining the anger in her eyes, she said calmly, ¡°Tell me about this Bian Min¡¯er.¡± Know yourself, know your enemy can then come unscathed through a hundred battles, she has to find an opening to start. You are on the first day of the month and I am on the fifteenth*, and no one owes anyone.


    Jinzi was very familiar with to the noble daughters of the Jiuli clan, and immediately reported, ¡°Bian Min¡¯er is the niece of the Empress Dowager and the eldest daughter of the general Bian Zhaoxiong of the Central Army. Because her personality is like a man, her martial arts skills are very strong. She is quite favored by Bian Zhaoxiong and the Empress Dowager. In the past, Bian Zhaoxiong fought a victorious battle, but he didn¡¯t want any reward, and only asked for the title Linci County Princess for his daughter, with fief of 800 households, which is unparalleled among the noble daughters of Wei Kingdom. However, the Empress Dowager¡¯s family is now being suppressed, and several emperor¡¯s grandsons are in His Majesty¡¯s hand, their life and death are his to decide. Although the Bian family controls 100,000 military powers, it is nothing compared to His Majesty¡¯s millions of soldiers, and now has already declining. In order to reverse the situation, Bian Zhaoxiong united several princes to push Bian Min¡¯er to the empress position and use it to consolidate the position of the Jiuli clan nobles in the court. They not only want to ensure that Bian Min¡¯er enters the palace, but also want her to give birth to the eldest son, and then establish him as the crown prince.¡±


    ¡°The Empress, Crown Prince, the future emperor. The Bian family is really ambitious.¡± Guan Suyi said casually, ¡°If she didn¡¯t come to provoke me, maybe I would take the initiative to back down in my stupidity. But apparently she thought that I don¡¯t understand enough and had to swing a stick over me, which forced me to wake up. In order to thank her, I need to give her an unforgettable gift.¡±


    ¡°Miss, what do you want to do? Send her to the bandit den too?¡± Jinzi was eager to move.


    ¡°Colluding with bandits, do I look like that kind of person?¡± Hearing screams from outside the alley, she waved her hand and said, ¡°Go and have a look, the person seems to have been sent back.¡±


    ¡ª-


    At the same time, Bian Min¡¯er was whipping the windowsill with the horsewhip and her smile was extremely cruel.


    ¡°You have anything to do with that person?¡± Linxiang County Princess¡¯s words were certain.


    Bian Min¡¯er didn¡¯t answer and asked, ¡°Guess who she is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already been cut like that. How can I guess if you don¡¯t tell me. Could it be that this person have no eyes and offended you? In any case, you¡¯re now a person who is about to become an empress, so it¡¯s better to be more restrained.¡± Linxiang County Princess warned in a serious tone.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not the empress, who else can it be? Pan Duolan? She¡¯s been in the palace for so long, but she never gone up to the dragon bed!¡± Bian Min¡¯er sneered disdainfully.


    ¡°How do you know she never sleep there? Don¡¯t make irresponsible remarks on this kind of things.¡± Linxiang County Princess looked left and right, and the rest of the ladies quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look at them, but all pricked up their ears to listen, especially Xu Yayan, and there was a flash of light in her eyes.


    ¡°Sister-in-law told me. She has lived in the palace for so long, how could she not know?¡± The sister-in-law in Bian Min¡¯er¡¯ mouth was the widow of the late first prince, and it was also she who sent the news that Emperor Sheng Yuan was infatuated with Guan Suyi into the Bian Mansion, which gave Bian Min¡¯er a head start. As for where the first prince consort got this news from, it was really not clear, and Bian Min¡¯er did not verified it at all. Her principle of doing things was ¡°It¡¯s better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one go.¡±


    However, it turned out that there were indeed dead soldiers lurking around Guan Suyi, that slut really had an affair with the emperor!


    Thinking of this, Bian Min¡¯er couldn¡¯t help but show a vicious expression, which startled Linxiang County Princess. She was about to inquire but then she heard shrill cries coming from outside the window. A woman knelt beside the dying naked woman and shouted, ¡°Suyi, what happened to you Suyi? Come on, go to the Emperor Teacher Mansion and inform them that something happened to their daughter! My poor Suyi, how could you become like this!¡±


    Guan Suyi, the daughter of the Emperor Teacher Mansion? The already noisy crowd boiled in an instant.


    On the second floor of the teahouse, Linxiang County Princess was also shocked and exclaimed, ¡°That person is actually Guan Suyi? Why did you make her like this? You, you¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it. It¡¯s just a bitch. If I touch her I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll dirtied my hand.¡± Bian Min¡¯er picked her nails with a very casual expression. This was not a lie, she just threw Guan Suyi in Yanghua Mountain, why should she spend so much effort to deal with this kind of people?


    It was already three days but the ban on the city gate had not been lifted. The emperor said to the outside world that he was searching for a kidnapper who had slipped through the net. In fact, while secretly looking for someone in the capital, he also sent the elite cavalry along the waterway to chase all the way down to Wuzhou. However, he could do all the calculations, but he could never calculate that the person had been sent to Yanghuan Mountain, and she was already ruined that very night, so what if he suspected her? There was no evidence left behind, and with the protection of the Bian family and the princes, she only needed to wait at ease to enter the palace.


    Could it be that for a bitch who rides thousands of people and sleeps with thousands of people, the emperor can still turn against the whole clan?


    Thinking like this, Bian Min¡¯er laughed in high spirits.


    How could Linxiang County Princess not guess the inside story, she tapped her forehead with his fingertips, as if she was very angry, but after a while she smiled helplessly, thinking that it was very interesting. On one side Xu Yayan was chilled by the cruelty of the two, but on the other side she secretly felt relieved. Guan Suyi, who was once magnificent, was nothing more than a bitch in front of those noble girls of the Jiuli clan, just someone they could abuse as much as they want. Thinking about how invincible she was in the past, and then looking at the bloody mass of rotten flesh below, it¡¯s really gratifying!


    In the street, the woman was still crying, and the crowd watching the excitement circled around, pointing and talking. A little girl pushed aside the crowd and squeezed in, and asked, ¡°I am Miss Guan¡¯s personal maid Minglan. She is staying at home perfectly fine now. Who among you said that something happened to her?¡±


    ¡°Hurry up, Miss Guan¡¯s maid is here, let her recognize her.¡± The onlookers immediately made way for Minglan.


    As she approached, Minglan shouted in horror, ¡°Sister-in-law Song, why are you? My miss is fine, why are you recklessly spreading rumors like that? Quickly send the person to the hospital, and then report it to the officials, this is a big case murdering human life!¡± As she spoke, she took off her cloak and put it tightly over the woman¡¯s body, but she didn¡¯t dare to move her at will, only checked her injuries, and then begged the passers-by to ask for a doctor.


    It turned out that this woman was Qi Yu¡¯s wife Song shi, and for some reason she insisted on identifying the woman lying on the ground as Guan Suyi. Seeing Minglan, her face stiffened, then remember the mysterious person¡¯s explanation, she said with certainty, ¡°You dead girl, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know. My husband said that the eldest miss was missing when Mu Mu disappeared. Now, I¡¯ve been worried for several days. When I saw this woman today, I felt familiar. I walked closer and saw that she is Suyi. You think she has lost the face of the Guan family in this disaster, and you don¡¯t want to recognize her. Then I will send her to the hospital myself! From now on, I will also take care of her food and drink. This is a life, ah! That damned Emperor Teacher Mansion, what a benevolent family, even their own daughter refuses to recognize!¡±


    ¡°How many times have you met my miss? What evidence do you have to prove this woman¡¯s identity? You talking this nonsense, is it related to the case? If you don¡¯t make it clear, I will send you to see the official!¡± Minglan was so angry that smoke was rising above her head, and fire were spitting from her eyes.


    Where did Song shi dare to look at the woman¡¯s face, stubbornly said, ¡°You said that she is not Suyi, then do you dare to call out your eldest miss to let people see? It¡¯s pitiful enough for her to suffer this great calamity, why do you still force her to die? Recognize her, send her to the doctor, and save her life, is it difficult for your Emperor Teacher Mansion? Everyone, my husband Qi Yu is the brilliance disciple under Lord Chief of Ceremonies, and has senior brother ¨C junior sister relationship with Miss Guan, and I am also like a sister to her. Even if I admit wrongly, it¡¯s unlikely to admit wrongly my own sister. The Guan family doesn¡¯t want her, I want her, let me go, let me take her to the hospital, saving people is like putting out fire, saving people is like putting out a fire, ah!¡±


    Song shi said righteous and awe-inspiring words, but she didn¡¯t dare to reach out and hug the woman.


    The onlookers had already been confused by the two, and didn¡¯t know which one to believe. Suddenly they heard someone shouting loudly, ¡°What¡¯s so hard to tell? Just invite Miss Guan to let us see!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, call your master to come, then you don¡¯t have to argue!¡± There was a burst of chorus from the crowd.


    Just at this moment, a carriage slowly approached, and a woman in magnificent clothes lifted the curtain of the carriage, and said in a lengthened voice, ¡°I heard that the daughter of the Guan family is in danger? Why don¡¯t I know it myself?¡±


    ¡°Miss Guan is here! The real person is here! That woman inside is talking nonsense!¡± Someone recognized Guan Suyi and quickly opened the way for her.


    When the group walked to the center of the street, they met Song shi¡®s eyes, and her expressions changed.


    ¡°Sister-in-law Song, I¡¯m staying at home perfectly fine, so why do you have to identify this woman as me? Could it be that you know something? It¡¯s inconvenient for me to ask you right now. When the officials arrive, you can tell them in detail.¡±

 CH 151

    In the second floor of the teahouse, hearing Song shi cries, several noble girls turned from dubious to surprise. They had always known that Bian Min¡¯er was ruthless, but they didn¡¯t expect that she would even dare to harm the granddaughter of Emperor Teacher, and in broad daylight, she threw her naked body in the city center, let her suffered while people surrounded her and watch.


    Linxiang County Princess sighed, ¡°You¡¯ve made such a big fuss, are you not afraid of the aftermath? I heard that Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies love Miss Guan so much.¡±


    ¡°If they don¡¯t love her, I wouldn¡¯t have done this.¡± Bian Min¡¯er sneered, ¡°If everything goes well, they should suffer together with that little bitch. After the death of the great-grandson and the granddaughter, and the mastermind behind the scenes is still a junior of the same clan, that old bastard Emperor Teacher may be greatly stimulated. The day before yesterday, Guan Wenhai¡¯s family went to the Emperor Teacher Mansion to make trouble, didn¡¯t they make him sick? I heard that he couldn¡¯t even get out of bed, and now Guan Suyi has this incident too, what do you think he feels in his heart? Afraid this one breath will become his last! Even if he doesn¡¯t die immediately, his broken body will not last long, and Chief of Ceremonies in order to abide by filial piety, he must stay at home and take care of the sick. From taking care of the sick, afterwards mourning one¡¯s parent, he will not able to take official post for three to five years. With both of them out of the court, how many people can your father put in the civilian court? When the filial piety period is over, who will remember this green onion* Guan Yunqi is?¡±


    Bian Min¡¯er poured a cup of hot tea for Linxiang County Princess, and continued, ¡°You, like your father, advocate the Han learning, and like to detour in everything. As a result, the layout of several years is completely ruined by the old bastard Emperor Teacher with just a few words. He also repeatedly impeached my father for corrupting the army¡¯s pay and doing treacherous schemes, so that my father was demoted from Wei General to the general of the Central Army, and completely lost the right to command the various armies in the capital. That Guan Suyi is even more hateful! What is cutting open a stomach, what is taking a child out? Making my aunt¡­¡±


    The next few sentences involved the secrets of the imperial family, so Bian Min¡¯er didn¡¯t say any more, only said murderously, ¡°In short, I don¡¯t do things like you, and I don¡¯t like to dillydally. How many people want to eat the Emperor Teacher Mansion alive? But how many people actually dare to do it? I indeed can¡¯t do anything to Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies, but I can easily crush their life roots. I want to see how much energy is left in the Emperor Teacher Mansion this time.¡±


    Linxiang County Princess said worriedly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that the emperor will thoroughly investigate this matter?¡±


    ¡°What to be afraid of?¡± Bian Min¡¯er laughed extremely disdainfully, ¡°With my father and the princes jointly protecting me, how could he dare to oppose the whole clan? Although he has a million soldiers in his hands, he is also facing the attack of Hu people and Xue the Thief. If Wei Kingdom to be in turmoil first, inside and outside riddled with difficulties, how many days will he be able to sit on the throne? Rest assured, he will never dare to turn against his clan at this time. Not to mention that he has no evidence pointing towards me, even if he has, what can he do to me?¡±


    Linxiang County Princess thought for a while, and couldn¡¯t help but nodded, ¡°You can say like that, but don¡¯t be too ostentatious, if one day he destroys Xue the Thief and Hu people, and then want settles the accounts with you, it will be troublesome. After all he and Emperor Teacher have master and disciple¡¯s relationship, and the feelings are quite deep.¡±


    ¡°Destroy the Hu people and Xue the Thief?¡± Bian Min¡¯er waved her hands disapprovingly, ¡°Wait for the next life. In order to have check and balance with him, several princes will never agree to the Western Expedition. If he defies the public opinion, he must draw his own army and when his strength is weakened, then several princes can easily suppress him. Therefore, he will never dare to act rashly, so he can only waste the time with us.¡±


    ¡°Other people say that you are impulsive and doing things mindlessly, but in private you think more than me.¡± Linxiang County Princess sighed, ¡°If you with this kind of temperament enters the palace, Pan Duolan will definitely suffer.¡±


    Bian Min¡¯er laughed cheerfully, ¡°What kind of green onion is she? I can destroy her with just raising my hand! So what if the emperor doesn¡¯t want to establish the empress? As long as I want to go in, he will have to nod his head sooner or later.¡±


    Linxiang County Princess shook her head and smiled, already used to her arrogance. The rest of the noble girls hurriedly gathered around to say a few good things, and the words were extremely flattering. Xu Yayan didn¡¯t dare to join in the fun, she just stood quietly by the window and looked down, but her heart was churning with turbulent waves. It turned out that the real Jiuli noble girl was like this, they didn¡¯t even put the emperor in their eyes, and could even reduce him into the mud with just one word.


    But is the emperor really that weak and incompetent? Is there really no way to went against these imperial relatives? not necessarily!


    Several princes joined hands would only gather a few hundred thousand of troop. If they really angered the emperor, in fact, he could divide these troops without using any swords. Why do they despise the emperor so much? Why they still maintain their inner arrogance when his imperial power has been solidified? This was a secret to Xu Yayan.


    But she was really unwilling! Whether it was being suppressed by Guan Suyi or being despised by a noble girl from the Jiuli clan, it all motivated her ambition to climb higher. Fortunately, one of the formidable enemies had been destroyed, and were these noble girls of the Jiuli clan could become a target that she could use?


    Thinking like this, a smile finally bloomed on the corner of her lips, but in the next moment it solidified into frost. She saw Guan Suyi standing intact on the street, with picturesque features and outstanding temperament.


    ¡°She, nothing happened to her. That person is not her!¡± Xu Yayan cried out in fear.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Bian Min¡¯er immediately walked to the window and looked below, just in time to look at Guan Suyi who was also looking up. One had a charming smile, the other with widen eyes.


    In the middle of the street, Song shi was already stunned. She looked at the real person and the woman lying on the ground, her body was trembling, unable to say anything.


    Guan Suyi squatted down and checked the situation of the female kidnapper. Looking at this tragic situation, her eyes felt like it were ruthlessly pierced, but not out of pity or fear, but out of anger. If she hadn¡¯t escaped by chance, she would be the one who was lying half-dead here now. How heartbroken her family would be? Would her grandfather be completely sick like in her previous life, and difficult to recover? The famous Guan family might fall into purgatory overnight.


    The person behind the scenes was not only arrogant and sinister, but also have a heart that can be punished*!


    She let go of female kidnapper¡¯s bloodied wrist, wiped her fingertips with a handkerchief and sighed, ¡°There is still a breath left, she needed to be sent to the hospital quickly. However, it¡¯s unknown how many bones were broken, so it¡¯s best for people not to move her casually and wait until the doctor came.¡±


    After hearing this, several passers-by who were going to step forward to help quickly retreated, so as not to do bad things with good intentions.


    Guan Suyi then looked at Song shi and said coldly, ¡°Sister-in-law, don¡¯t cry, I can¡¯t stand your fake tears. Although I didn¡¯t immediately come to check just now, I sat in the carriage and listened for a while. You keep saying that I am like a sister to you, but what you do is completely the opposite of what you say.¡±


    Ignoring Song shi¡®s struggle, she firmly grasped the other person¡¯s wrist and said slowly, ¡°If you really have a strong relationship with me, how can you be mistaken me? This woman¡¯s eyes, ears, and nose have been gouged out, and her facial features are blurred and difficult to distinguish. There is no clothing on her body to show her identity, why do you insist that it is me? Then let¡¯s take a step back and say that you indeed recognize correctly, then I will ask sister-in-law, if the woman lying on the ground is like a sister to you, how can you bear to not check her injuries? Why didn¡¯t you get her a cloth to cover her body? How could you let her miserable state be pointed out and talked about by the passers-by? Look at you, kneeling for a long time, howling for a long time, hands are clean with no trace of blood, it can be seen that you have never touched the woman before. What are you afraid of? Minglan doesn¡¯t know this woman, but dared to check her injuries and take off her own cloak to cover her body. As her sister but you are indifferent, are you feeling disgusted?¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m not disgusted, I just didn¡¯t think about it for a while!¡± Song shi shouted incoherently.


    Guan Suyi shook her off and said word by word, ¡°I¡¯m obviously fine, but you want to identify this woman as me, do you want to harm me or something? This woman ended up in such a tragic situation, could it be related to you? Sister-in-law, now the most suspicious person is you, and I hope you will follow me to the yamen to explain it clearly.¡±


    Seeing that the doctor came in a hurry and instructed several medicine boys to carefully carry the female kidnapper, Guan Suyi then grabbed the stunned Song shi, intending to bring her to see the official.


    ¡°Sister let me go, please! I have nothing to do with this matter at all, really! This morning, a woman wearing a veil hat gave me a hundred taels of silver and told me to wait here, if I find a half-dead person thrown on the street, I should run here and scream your identity. I only see the money and got possessed, I should be damned! Please look at Qi Yu¡¯s face and spare me this time!¡± Song shi struggled desperately, but even struggling to death she couldn¡¯t open Suyi¡¯s iron tongs hand.


    The passers-by were in uproar, never expecting that there were such wolf-hearted people in the world, knowing that someone was about to die but not reporting it to the officials, but instead ran over to invert black and white for one hundred taels. If Miss Guan didn¡¯t show up today, the news that she was mutilated and discarded naked in the city center by some villain would spread all over the capital in an instant. How much damage would this do to her reputation?


    The culprit behind the scenes was so vicious! Song shi kept saying that she and Miss Guan were like sisters, so what she did was also maddening! Neither of these two should be spared lightly!


    Thinking like this, the passers-by stepped forward one after another, wanted to help sending Song shi to the authorities, and insisting on giving testimony for Miss Guan. Guan Suyi thanked them one by one, and before leaving she cupped her hands towards Bian Min¡¯er, who was standing across the street, with a hint of mockery on her face.


    Bian Min¡¯er really couldn¡¯t understand, Emperor Sheng Yuan obviously sent people to Wuzhou, which was thousands of miles away from Yanghua Mountain, but how did Guan Suyi come back safely? Who was the person lying on the ground? She remembered Bian Wu (old five) and Bian Liu (the woman), and then suddenly realized: It turns out that those two people¡¯s delay in returning is not to avoid the limelight, but because they met an accident!


    ¡°Damn it!¡± She slapped the window sill with her horsewhip, and roared angrily, ¡°Damn, damn, damn!¡± At the end, she smashed the furnishings in the room, then ran out like the wind, got on her horse, and galloped across the street. She didn¡¯t care whether she would trample passers-by to death, in the blink of an eye she had gone far away.


    ¡°I thought Miss Bian was very capable, but she just showed us a massive screwup.¡± A noble girl said quietly.


    ¡°If it¡¯s just a screwup, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯m afraid that the head and tail if this one hasn¡¯t been dealt cleanly, and that Guan Suyi will take revenge.¡± Linxiang County Princess frowned.


    ¡°How can she get revenge? Apart from glib talk and brandishing a writing brush, what else can she do? Could it be she¡¯s going to write an article scolding Bian Min¡¯er like her crusade against Xu Guangzhi? Hahaha, that¡¯s really interesting! Hurry up and ask her to write it!¡±


    As soon as this sentence came out, it immediately attracted laughter in the whole room. They all didn¡¯t look at Xu Yayan¡¯s face, which had turned from white to red, and from red to purple. She now hated Guan Suyi, hated her for blocking her way, hates her for not dying.

 CH 152

    Guan Suyi sent Song shi to the authorities, and then turned around and went back to wait for Bian Min¡¯er. She deliberately stood on the only road to the mansion of Central Army General, and when she saw a fast horse approaching, she turned around and entered a dark alley.


    Relying on her status as a relative of the imperial family, Bian Min¡¯er was accustomed to being rampant and domineering in the capital. When she saw the figure of her enemy, she couldn¡¯t help but get angry and lose her sense. She immediately whipped her horse fiercely and chased into the alley, then suddenly widen her eyes. To her surprise she saw that Guan Suyi did not dodge, did not escape, only straightened her waist, raised her chin slightly, stood in front of the alley and waited, with an unmoving appearance.


    Why is she so calm? Does she think I won¡¯t let the horse¡¯s hoof trample her to death? Or does she have some help? Bian Min¡¯er was slightly startled, and was worried that she might be caught in an ambush by the other person. She then felt the fast horse under her body stalled forward, and then it abruptly fell, forcefully throwing her out. Fortunately, she was highly skilled in martial arts. She flipped a few times in the air and stabilized her figure, so she didn¡¯t hit the wall and break her neck. When she looked back, she saw that the horse had broken all four hooves, and the wound was very smooth and even, as if it had been cut by a sharp blade.


    The whine of the horse echoed repeatedly in the narrow alleyway, which was terrifying.


    ¡°You dare!¡± Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s eyes were red with anger, she raised her hand slightly, intended to summon the dead soldier who would protect her, but she didn¡¯t see anyone after a long time. She quickly realized that those people must have been dealt with. The dead soldier who protected Guan Suyi were trained by Emperor Sheng Yuan himself, they were the first batch of elite dead soldier of the Jiuli clan, and were known as the strongest human-shaped weapon. How could others be comparable to them?


    If she really fights with the other person, she would definitely lose.


    ¡°Bian Wu and Bian Liu betrayed me?¡± She slapped the dust on her skirt and laughed disapprovingly, ¡°So what? Do you dare to kill me? Do you dare to oppose the entire Jiuli clan? Even Emperor Sheng Yuan dare not, who the fuck do you think you are?¡± After the words finished, she spat to the ground, and her expression became more and more contemptuous.


    Guan Suyi stepped forward, slowly untied the black iron wire wrapped on both sides of the dark alley, rolled it into a small ball and put it inside her purse, and said in a low voice, ¡°If I really wanted to kill you, I would have placed the iron wire on your neck height just now, and let your head separate from your body. You see, there are only you and me here. Your dead soldiers have already entered the underworld, they can¡¯t stand up to testify for you. After I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll leave in secret and let Hunnar helped sweep this matter and push the charges on the remnants of the previous dynasty or the bandits. Without tangible evidence, do you think your father will fight against the Han officials of the whole Wei Kingdom for you? Will he take the risk of turning against the emperor? Women who want to be the empress, worthy of being the empress are plentiful, and without you, there are still thousands of people on top. You are not the only choice for the princes, don¡¯t think too highly of yourself. ¡±


    She walked slowly to the end of the alley and said with a cold tone, ¡°I¡¯m here today just to tell you that I¡¯m not at all afraid of open fight, but do you dare to play hidden conspiracy?¡±


    Bian Min¡¯er was not a reckless person with no brains, so she naturally knew what Guan Suyi said was not false. Although her father spoiled her, if she died, it was just a corpse with no use value. Who would harm their own interests for a corpse and be willing to fight against the imperial power? No matter how much she despised Emperor Sheng Yuan, she knew that it was not that he could not destroy the Bian family, but that it was inconvenient to do it because of external troubles.


    She had looked down on him since she was a child, and that sense of superiority had long been deeply rooted in her bones. Even if she knew that her aunt had become a puppet in the other person¡¯s palm, she was reluctant to admit that he was no longer Wuxia Amon*. As if the more she belittled him, the more she could regain her lost dignity. Therefore, she must become the empress, and then give birth to the Crown Prince of Wei, so as to achieve the past glory of the Bian family.


    If she really provoked Guan Suyi and died here, all her ambitions would collapse. Bian Min¡¯er touched her cold neck, and then realized that she had underestimated the other person too much that she actually walked to the gate of hell. Fortunately, Han women look forward and backward* when they do things, and they stupidly miss the opportunity to kill with one blow¡­


    ¡°If you don¡¯t kill me today, you will regret it tomorrow.¡± She stared straight at the other person and overbearingly said.


    ¡°The way you deal with the enemy is to let her die, or to live worse than death. The way I deal with the enemy is to let her lose everything she cares about the most.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s straight back had disappeared from the mouth of the alley, but her voice still resounding for a long time, ¡°Who dies and who lives, who regrets their past deeds, let¡¯s wait and see.¡±


    Bian Min¡¯er didn¡¯t want to admit that for a moment, her heart trembled because of those words. She pulled out the dagger from her boot and stabbed the horse to death. Only then did she walk out of the alley with blood stains all over her body. In the distance, she saw a cavalry rushing fast, so she quickly avoided the road.


    ¡°Yo, isn¡¯t this Miss Bian? Why, getting robbed by bandits?¡± The leader Marquis Zhenxi¡¯s tone was concerned, but his careless demeanor showed the opposite feeling.


    ¡°What the hell it got to do with you?¡± Bian Min¡¯er would never tell anyone what happened today. Being scared to death by a Han woman had become a lifelong shame for her, and it could only be washed away by killing the other person herself.


    ¡°Indeed it has nothing to do with this Marquis.¡± Marquis of Zhenxi then raised his whip, ¡°This Marquis has been ordered by the emperor to clean up the bandits in Yanghua Mountain, so I will leave first.¡± The soldiers then cleared up the way and quickly ran towards the city gate.


    Bian Min¡¯er stood there and watched for a long time before she left while gnashing her teeth.


    ¡ª¨C


    After Guan Suyi warned Bian Miner, she walked around the street for two more laps before returning home.


    Jinzi looked at her calm and indifferent profile, and said softly, ¡°Miss, I feel that you have changed a lot this time. You seem to be more stable, and seem to be more dangerous. If it changed to you in the past, how can you let your hands get bloody, afraid you don¡¯t even dare to look at it.¡±


    Guan Suyi shook her head and sighed, ¡°I wanted to stay away, but someone forced me to jump down with swords and halberds. If I don¡¯t jump, the only ending is to get pierced intestine and rotten stomach. It doesn¡¯t matter how tough your character, how strong your ability, how smart your brain, you are still vulnerable in the face of power. Bian Min¡¯er dared to deal with me, relying on her status and power. I dare to fight with open fire with her, and also relying on my status and power. When power collide with power, it only depends on who has stronger arm and harder fist. After all, the Guan family is a civil court official, and we belong to the Han people. We can¡¯t compete with the imperial relatives, so we can only borrow somebody¡¯s authority. If I am still unstable now, if I¡¯m not ruthless enough, the only ending after entering the palace is a dead end.¡±


    Jinzi looked around, lowered her voice and said, ¡°Miss, you are wrong, how can the palace be so terrible like you said. There are two factions of concubines in the harem, one is the Han people, the other is the Jiuli people, and the two factions have their own leaders. The concubines of the Jiuli clan obeyed Pan Jieyu¡®s orders, and the Han concubines followed the lead of Shen Jieyu. Pan Jieyu is the daughter of the Pan clan and is a bit difficult to deal with, but the rest of the people are from ordinary families, nothing to be afraid of.


    Most of the concubines in the harem were selected by the Empress Dowager, and she certainly would not add help to Hunnar. Therefore, there were many Han concubines from poor families, even the daughters of street vendors. In order to prevent foreign relatives from interfering in politics, Hunnar sent the women who had been sent to the palace by the Han ministers to meet the Empress Dowager in Changle Palace, and it¡¯s unknown what she said, one after another they feigned illness and left the palace, which also saved him a lot of troubles.


    In this way, apart from Pan Jieyu, there was really no one in the palace who could overpower Suyi in term of family status. But she was a little unhappy after all, but she didn¡¯t say it clearly, just nodded and said, ¡°What is the situation, let¡¯s talk about it after entering the palace in the future.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, miss, this servant will follow you in.¡± Jinzi comforted.


    As soon as the two entered the main house, they saw Minglan standing under the porch wearing bloody clothes. Obviously she had just returned from the hospital. She pointed to the hall and whispered, ¡°Senior Brother Qi brought Sister Song with him, and now he¡¯s kneeling inside to plead guilty. Madam¡¯s face turned pale, she sent a message to the master and asked him to come back and deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and change your clothes, I¡¯ll go in and have a look.¡± Guan Suyi stepped into the main hall and caught sight of Song shi who kept kowtowing, and couldn¡¯t help but sneered. In the prevous life, she sold her and senior brother for one thousand taels. In this life, she sold her for one hundred taels, it¡¯s really became cheaper after one life. Song shi was so greedy, it¡¯s no wonder that when others want to deal with the Guan family, the first thing that come to mind was her. If senior brother become the Zhuangyuan* in the future, and he had such a wife by his side, no matter how capable he was, afraid that he would be ruined for not cultivating the inner house.


    She just thought of this when Guan Father walked in and said coldly, ¡°Qi Yu, you lost your father since you were young, and I¡¯m the one that brought you up. They say a teacher for one day and a father for a lifetime, but it¡¯s a pity that back then when your teacher wanted to help you set a decent marriage, you categorically refused because of your mother¡¯s order, and finally chose to marry Song shi. At that time, as a teacher, I once said that a rural woman with a rough temperament may hinder your future and make you regret it. Now Look, what did this Song shi do? For one hundred taels of silver, she slandered Suyi as a naked woman, with broken limbs, and all facial features destroyed thrown in the city center. Let¡¯s not talk about how other people will talk about it, just say that if this news spreads to the old master¡¯s ears, how much his already seriously ill body will be hit? The imperial examination is not only to test your learning, but also to test your moral conduct, and having the slightest stain on the body will only be thrown off. This matter has already become a big issue, and it has been filed to the authorities. They says husband and wife are one body, therefore you cannot take the exam this year, lest you would be impeached for not cultivating the inner house, and you will be disqualified from your scholarly honor, which will only make your situation worse.¡±


    ¡°Master!¡± Qi Yu cried out in disbelieve, tears instantly welled up in his eyes. He had studied hard for many years, wasn¡¯t it just for this moment? Why was it ruined at the last step? Song shi, what a good one Song shi! If he had known this earlier, he shouldn¡¯t have ignored Master¡¯s objection, let alone tolerated her for the sake of his mother.


    Guan Father was not soft-hearted, and continued, ¡°If you passed the exam and admitted to an official position in three years¡¯ time, it¡¯s inevitable to have people come to the door to try to form connection. If Song shi is still your wife, can you guarantee that she will not accept bribes and sell you behind your back? Have a worthy wife then husband are less likely to suffer. If you want to be promoted without disaster, you¡¯d better change to another wife.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Song shi screamed, ¡°Who the hell are you, why do you want my husband to divorce his wife! Qi Yu, if you dare to write a divorce letter, I will hang myself in front of the Emperor Teacher Mansion and let everyone have a good look this his Guan family bully others!¡±


    Qi Yu, who was still a little hesitant, changed his eyes in an instant. He kowtowed three times to Guan Father, and dragged the noisy Song shi out of the house. When Song shi returned home, she thought that her mother-in-law would always help her. Wasn¡¯t it she that don¡¯t want her son to marry a woman from wealthy family, for fear of being suppressed repeatedly in the future? Unexpectedly, as soon as the other person heard that because of Song shi, Qi Yu would not be able to participate in the imperial examination this year, and had to wait for another three years, she immediately vomited a big mouthful of old blood. Saying that she was completely wrong, she should not ruin her son¡¯s future, and then let her son write a letter of divorce to drive Song shi away.


    The wicked have their own wicked grind*, and Qi Yu¡¯s mother was not a fuel-efficient lamp*, and in her hand Song shi would not end up well. After a few rounds, she suffered crushing defeat and returned to her parents¡¯ home crying.


    On the other side, Guan Suyi received a post from Linxiang County Princess. inviting her to attend the tea party three days later. Linxiang County Princess and Bian Min¡¯er were good friends. This post was very strange, afraid it would become a Hongmen feast* for her. But Guan Suyi was not at all frightened, and immediately wrote a reply to accept the invitation.

 CH 153

    Linxiang County Princess not only made good friends with the noble daughters of the Jiuli clan, but also admired the talented women of the Han people. Making friends based on temperament and moral character, and not paying attention to family background. Her father was a founding hero, and he had quite a bit of face in the court, which made her like a fish back in water in Yanjing City. Even a thorn head like Bian Min¡¯er could let her in as a confidant, it showed how skilful she was.


    If she posted a tea party invitation, not only all the noble family¡¯s daughters would respond, but all the madams would happily attend. It was originally just a small gathering, but news passed quickly from mouth to mouth, in the end received many letters to ask for details. So it had to be changed to a banquet with a hundred tables, and all distinguished people were invited. The location was also moved from the County Prince Jing Mansion to an imperial manor in the eastern suburbs.


    Dressed up, Guan Suyi was sitting in the carriage, holding two posts in her hands, and pondered as she looked closely, ¡°First sending a post asking me to come to the mansion for a small gathering, and when I agree, send another post to change the location to imperial manor, and the scene is ten times larger than before. Jinzi, you say, this going back and forth, changing and changing, is it all prepared for me? Is it possible to invite so many people just to deal with me? Could it be that I thought wrong, and in fact, she just invited me to meet with no other purpose?¡±


    Jinzi analyzed, ¡°This Linxiang County Princess is a person with the principle no benefit, no getting up early. What she does and what friends she makes all has a purpose. She doesn¡¯t make friends with you early, and she doesn¡¯t make friends with you later, but choose at this time. Even if she doesn¡¯t come at you, there must be other purpose. You just need to be careful about everything. Fortunately, she used a roundabout way. Even if she tries to deal with you, at most just go around a few circles without really going anywhere and will not make trouble to the point of using knife and spear like that Bian Min¡¯er.¡±


    Guan Suyi shook her head and chuckled, ¡°In the past, I hated socialization the most. I was afraid of using knives and spear, and I was afraid of deceit and treachery. Just wished to shrink at home reading and writing all day, not to ask about the world, not to be stained by the world. Now that my temperament has changed, knowing that others might be tricking me, the first thing that comes to my mind is not to avoid, but to face it head on, as if fighting with people is endless fun. Jinzi, Minglan, why do you think this is?¡±


    Before Jinzi could figure out how to respond, Minglan said bluntly, ¡°Miss, you were dragged down by the emperor. If you never met him, where would you be forced to be like this?¡±


    That¡¯s very reasonable answer that it was impossible to refute. Jinzi, who was going to defend His Majesty, thought and thought, but could only shut her mouth.


    Guan Suyi leaned on the soft pillow, tapping the low table with one hand, and propped her forehead with the other, admiring the beautiful scenery through the fragrant bamboo curtain. Her eyes were blank, it¡¯s unknown what she was remembering, her every move was no longer dignified and decent, instead lazy and casual, and after a long time she waved her hand and said, ¡°When you say this, I think about it for a long time, but I don¡¯t feel that I was harmed by him, rather it¡¯s my nature that has been ignited. What kind of person am I, how can I not know? Grandfather ordered me to study Confucianism, but I insisted to study Hundred Schools of Thought behind his back, which means that the restlessness is in my bone. Meeting Hunnar may be my predestined fate, but for now, it¡¯s not a bad thing. Without his forcing, I¡¯ll still be staying in the Zhao family as the nominal mistress. Wouldn¡¯t it be more pitiful and deplorable to waste my life like that?¡±


    Minglan suddenly shuddered when she remembered all kind of troubles in the Zhao family.


    ¡ª¨C


    When the carriage of the Emperor Teacher Mansion was halfway through, Linxiang County Princess was instructing her maid to dress Xu Yayan well.


    Seeing the other person¡¯s beautiful and unparalleled face after wearing makeup, she nodded with satisfaction, ¡°That stupid Bian Min¡¯er thinks that everything will be fine when she enters the palace, but she doesn¡¯t realize that the emperor has strong army in his hand and monopolize the power, the Wei Kingdom has long been ruled by his words. To destroy several princes may have to plan a few times before he can do it, but it¡¯s easy to pinch the Bian family to death. If she still thinks that she is the niece of the empress dowager, so she is higher than the emperor, she may not have a place to be buried when she enters the palace. That¡¯s why I hold her now, you also need to learn, hiding behind her is the safest. When she and Pan Duolan busy fighting, it will be the best time for you to ascend to the top.¡±


    ¡°County Princess, can this commoner woman really enter the palace?¡± Xu Yayan was still a little worried, and always felt that everything was like a dream. Before she could think of a way to climb, Linxiang County Princess took the initiative to set up a ladder for her and delivered her this opportunity.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see who I¡¯ve invited today? If you don¡¯t even have this bit of eyesight, I will reconsider the candidates for the palace.¡± Linxiang County Princess drank tea slowly.


    ¡°Many thanks to Country Princess for helping this commoner woman!¡± Xu Yayan thought about it and couldn¡¯t help but feel overjoyed. Most of the guests invited today were noble girls or noble madams from Confucian families who had been studying ¡®Lesson for Women¡¯ for a long time and have great respect for her virtue and talent. And she only needed to show her talent a little to get acclimation from everyone, and if the emperor saw it by accident, it would definitely leave a deep impression.


    Linxiang County Princess gave her a look and ordered, ¡°My father will invite the emperor to hunt in the eastern suburbs today, and on the way, he will rest in the imperial manor. He has always liked women with outstanding talent, beautiful appearance and gentle temperament, and you are exactly his type. I have given you the opportunity, don¡¯t let me down.¡±


    ¡°But why do you still invite Guan Suyi? She, her appearance and talent are above mine, and I¡¯m afraid she will steal half the limelight from me.¡± Xu Yayan didn¡¯t want to admit it, but she had to.


    ¡°Without comparison, you can¡¯t show good or bad. Although your appearance and talent are slightly inferior to her, there is one thing she cannot compare in any way, that is, chastity. She is unchaste and unclean, but still delusionally want to marry into Supervisor of Attendants Mansion as a reconcile woman, which really annoyed Madam Ji. Just you see, once the two of them meet, they will fight with each other, and the other madams may help, or mediate, or watch from the side, or they will add to the mess. The more they make a fuss, the more you show that you are quiet and graceful, gentle and charming, and in the eyes of discerning people, you will stand out even more. I asked her to come not to make her the center of attention, but to carry the sedan chair for you. You just need to sit still, and don¡¯t lose your head. Besides, if you come forward to insult her, you can sell it well with Bian Min¡¯er, which will make it easier to gain her trust.¡±


    Xu Yayan breathed a sigh of relief and asked, ¡°Will the emperor really like me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he has always liked a woman like you. Do you remember Ye Jieyu, who was once very favoured? She has similar temperament with you, and a similar appearance. If it were not for the Ye family to cause disaster, she would not be thrown to the cold palace, and silently disappear. You only need to let the emperor see your positive sides, and naturally my father will arrange the path for you in the future. You are a Han woman and have no prominent family background, he will not be suspicious of you, and the speed to be favoured will definitely be very fast.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks County Princess, many thanks County Prince. Yayan will definitely try to repay the great kindness and virtue of the two of you.¡± Xu Yayan knelt down in joy.


    ¡ª


    Guan Suyi arrived at the imperial manor in the eastern suburbs, and under the guidance of the maid, entered the Hanging Fower gate. She was about to follow the noise to go inside, but she heard a soft call from behind, ¡°Miss Guan, please wait a moment.¡±


    ¡°Young Master Ji?¡± Guan Suyi curtseyed, ¡°Do you have something to say?¡±


    Ji Chengyue looked left and right, and whispered, ¡°No matter what my mother said later, please don¡¯t care about her, Miss Guan. You have to believe that it¡¯s just her prejudice, and not my real intention. Wait until I pass the imperial examination and have the ability to take control of the family, I will definitely marry you. Please wait for me.¡± After he finished, he cupped his hands with his face flushing red, and quickly left.


    ¡°It seems that today is really a Hongmen feast.¡± Guan Suyi stared at the back of the other person¡¯s gradually receding back, shook her head and laughed.


    The three master and servants went to the back garden, and when they looked around, they immediately understood the situation today. Guan Suyi rarely went out to socialize and didn¡¯t recognize a lot of people, but Jinzi was very familiar with the guests. All of these people came from a Confucian family, they attached great importance to ethical doctrine and the Three Principles and the Five Constants, and it was precisely because of their promotion that ¡°Lesson for Women¡± became popular in the upper circles.


    Xu Yayan, the author of the book, was also invited to come. At this moment, just like the moon that was hold by many stars, she was surrounded by the madams and young ladies, chatting and laughing. She was dressed up, her face was full of spring, and her fresh and pleasant temperament was vividly displayed in a light green long dress that dragged to the floor. However, Linxiang County Princess, who was supposed to be the host of the banquet, sat by the side with simple makeup and was willing to serve as a foil.


    Guan Suyi just glanced at it and said, ¡°It turned out that it was not deliberately aimed at me, but planned to hold Xu Yayan up. Linxiang County Princess is really kind.¡±


    ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t deliberately aimed at you, you are isolated by the guests. Miss, it¡¯s just an embarrassment to stay here any longer. Why should you wronged yourself to elevate others? Let¡¯s sit down for a while and then leave, what do you think?¡± Minglan said indignantly.


    ¡°Leaving halfway is more embarrassing and disgraceful.¡± Guan Suyi first greeted Linxiang County Princess, and then nodded to the nearby young ladies and madams one by one, not caring whether the other people responded or not. She found a secluded corner to sit down and said with a chuckle, ¡°Have you forgotten what Ji Chengyue said just now? Presumably Madam Ji is looking for me right now. With her here, we will never be isolated.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s looking for you to mock and ridicule, to let everyone see your jokes.¡± Minglan pouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m was worried that I won¡¯t have the chance to tear off Xu Yayan¡¯s face. But Linxiang County Princess has set up the stage, indeed as considerate as the rumors says. I¡¯m not afraid of Madam Ji¡¯s troubles. On the contrary, I¡¯m afraid that she won¡¯t make enough troubles.¡± When she said this, Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes flashed with interest.


    She was wearing a flowing dark flower cloud brocade dress, with a layer of crimson muslin on the outside, and her magnificent bright face was lined with an extraordinary temperament, no matter where she sat, she was the focus of attention. No matter how they dismissed her on the inside, many people still could not help but watching her secretly, and among the guests, there were also many children of influential officials who were secretly nitpicking on her appearance and whispering continuously.


    Madam Ji naturally quickly discovered Guan Suyi, her eyes flashed, but she did not act rashly, but took up the teacup and sipped silently, as if waiting for something. After a while, a maid led a woman with red eyes and a desperate expression, and whispered, ¡°Madam, this young lady said she was your niece, and begged this servant to bring her to see you. Please take a look¡­ ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s my niece.¡± Madam Ji waved her hand to dismiss the maid and whispered, ¡°Who asked you to come? Why don¡¯t you hurry home!¡±


    ¡°Eldest aunt, please don¡¯t drive me away! The people from the Qian family are coming, they want to snatch Yao¡¯er back, please save her!¡± The woman was talking with tears running down like rain, seeing that Madam Ji was indifferent, she actually knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed with no regard to anything else.


    Guan Suyi looked over, her brows furrowed immediately, while the rest of the crowd gathered around, trying to find out the problems.

 CH 154

    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t like to socialize and didn¡¯t know many people, but she had deep impression of this woman. She nodded and asked, ¡°This person¡¯s name is Ji Ting? The eldest daughter of the second house of Ji Mansion?¡±


    ¡°Miss, do you know her?¡± Jinzi was greatly surprised, and immediately said, ¡°She is Ji Ting, the eldest daughter of the second house of Ji Mansion, because her husband spoiled the concubine and destroyed the wife, she had to bring her only daughter Qian Shuiyao and reconciled with him. However, the second house has no power or authority, and she lost her father since she was young. She has younger brother and sister and a daughter to take care of, and has her infirm and sick mother to support. Her life is really difficult. As a last resort, she has to embroider some patterns and take them to the cloth shop to sell. Gradually she and the steward of the cloth shop developed some feelings, and wanted to remarry. The steward was from a poor background with only a meager monthly income, but he was willing to help her support her family. The two originally had already exchanged Eight Characters card, Second Madam Ji also agreed, but unexpectedly the marriage was reported to Master Ji, which made him furious. He sent someone to Qian¡¯s house to ask them take Qian Shuiyao back, and then ordered Ji Ting to shave her hair and accompany the green lights. Today is the day the Qian family supposed to come to pick her up, his family spoiled the concubine and destroyed the wife, and the back house was filthy and chaotic, if Qian Shuiyao was really taken away, her life and death in the future is difficult to say.


    ¡°Ah? Is there such thing? Master Ji is too cruel! That¡¯s his niece, she¡¯s just remarrying, what could hinder him?¡± Minglan said angrily.


    Guan Suyi put down the teacup, her tone became colder, ¡°Hindering his face is a capital offense. A pedantic person like him regards ethical dogma as more important than human life. Ji Ting reconciled has already hurt his heart and lungs, now she wants to remarry, and her husband is a commoner from a humble background, how can he bear it? Naturally, he must greatly punish her to show off his prestige as the head of the family.¡±


    For that kind of people, their own authority and face were the most important, so who cares about other people¡¯s life and death? In her previous life, when ¡°Lesson for women¡± was popular in Yanjing, Ji Ting was supposed to remarry, but was forced by Master Ji to become a nun, breaking off her engagement. Qian Shuiyao was killed by her father¡¯s concubine less than a year after she returned home, but it was said that her eight character was bad and clashed with the Qian family. Not only did she not have a tomb to be buried, she didn¡¯t even get a thin coffin, just dug a pit in the wilderness and hastily buried. Ji Ting was devastated after hearing the news. She ran to her daughter¡¯s grave overnight and dug her out with her bare hands. The mother and daughter hugged and died quietly.


    The steward had a deep love for her, and spent all his family wealth to buy a coffin and hold a funeral for the two of them, but because of this, he angered Master Ji. His legs were broken off and he expelled from the capital, since then his whereabouts were unknown. Second Madam Ji became mad and died in the back house of Ji Mansion within a few years. A pair of siblings had no support, one tried to assassinate his uncle with no success, and instead was sent to death in prison; one was forced to marry an old man in his fifties or sixties as his successor, and died within a few years.


    The experience of the second house of Ji Mansion was thousands of times more miserable than Guan Suyi, and it was also another wound that was left in her heart. Seeing Ji Ting was still alive, she could hardly suppress the surging hatred in her heart, and walked over step by step.


    At this time, the people watching had already inquired about the situation and said contemptuously, ¡°What are you kneeling for? Reconcile then just reconcile, but you took away the children of the husband¡¯s family, and still delusionally wanted to carry the daughter to remarry. Really lost personal morals, how dare you have the face to beg?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The husband only has a few concubines, why make a fuss to the point of reconcile? It is the mistress¡¯s responsibility to spread branches and leaves for the husband¡¯s family. If you can¡¯t have children, are you still not allow the concubines to have children? If the husband¡¯s family have no heir, even you die then thousand times still cannot escape the blame.¡±


    ¡°There are always some people in the world who are deviating from the norm, and ending up like today only has themselves to blame. Looking around, which man in Wei doesn¡¯t accept concubines? If everyone is like you, wouldn¡¯t it be all messed up? The concubine is just a husband¡¯s plaything. If you can¡¯t even tolerate this, how can you still talk about managing the family, assisting your husband and educate your children?¡±


    ¡°If you want to remarry, you can report it to Madam Ji, can she not find a good match for you? You actually privately communicated with a lowly commoner, and secretly agreed marry. Only sending you to the family temple is already considered merciful! Quickly get up, don¡¯t kneel, the husband¡¯s children should be returned to the husband¡¯s family, even if you talk until the sky is broken, it still doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    Ji Ting just kowtowed resolutely, choked and cried, ¡°You can¡¯t give Yao¡¯er back! Cuihong will kill her! Eldest aunt, I beg you to save her! You want me to break off the engagement then I can, or let me become a nun I also can, as long as you can save Yao¡¯er, I¡¯m willing to do anything!¡± She had a bloody wound on her forehead, and the blood mixed with tears, but it could not win the slightest sympathy from others.


    These women, men, all looked at her with contempt, as if she had done something really sinful. However, she just wanted to find a good home with her daughter, was that wrong? She just wanted to let her daughter grow up safely, was that wrong?


    Great despair and mourning took over her heart, made her almost fainted.


    At this moment, Madam Ji took out a booklet from her sleeve and said slowly, ¡°Our Ji family is also a Confucian family, and we understand propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame very well. After a woman gets married, she should take her husband as the sky, faithful unto death*. This is then an exemplary woman, the best of women¡¯s virtue. You were restless in the house, then asked to get reconcile, this is the first sin; Taking away the children of the husband¡¯s family, and mess up other people¡¯s bloodline, this is the second sin; Privately communicate and secretly set marriage with lowly commoner, this is the third sin. You are so sinful, for what reason you still have the face to beg me? The reputation of my Ji family¡¯s women has been ruined by you. Come on, take her away quickly!¡± She then raised her eyes to Guan Suyi, and said softly, ¡°I also sent a copy of ¡°Lesson for Women¡± to Miss Guan, have you read it? If you have, do you think I¡¯m right or wrong in treating Ji Ting like this?¡±


    Most of the people present were the young ladies, young masters, and madams of Confucian families. If the Emperor Teacher Mansion wanted to let her marry, they could only choose from these families. If she answered incorrectly, everyone would immediately attack her; if she answered correctly, in the future don¡¯t even think to remarry, just directly become a nun. This question was extremely sinister, and the people around her were already showing cold and stern eyes, obviously they have classified her as an unchaste and immoral woman like Ji Ting, and itching to exiled her.


    Guan Suyi looked at Xu Yayan, who was standing outside the crowd, looking extremely serene, and at Ji Chengyue, who was hiding in the crowd, his eyes were evasive, and suddenly chuckled, ¡°Madam Ji¡¯s move is a big mistake!¡±


    The crowd immediately burst into uproar, and some people stood up to argue with her, but she blocked them with her sentence, ¡°Don¡¯t be too fast opening your mouth to reveal your ignorance and stupidity. Even if I dictate what is right and what is wrong today, I am afraid you will not understand. Jinzi, Minglan, serve the brush and ink.¡±


    She rolled up her sleeves and sat down gracefully. Jinzi immediately took out the brush, ink, paper and inkstone from the bundle she carried with her, and laid them out one by one. Minglan poured some tea into the inkstone and grinded it.


    Seeing this, Xu Yayan walked in immediately and said coldly, ¡°Miss Guan wants to attack us again? Do you think that women should not respect their husbands, be filial to their in-laws, and be kind to their concubines? Some people are willing to be chaste and virtuous, faithful unto death; Some people want to deviate from the norm and become restless in the house. Each person has their own choices and ways of living. You are a reconcile person, do you think all women in the world should also reconcile? You want to remarry, do you think all women in the world should remarry? Miss Guan, with all due respect, your way of thinking is already heretical, so don¡¯t mislead the public anymore!¡±


    ¡°I will not comment whether a woman lowly or not for the time being. I will only refute you on one point, whether women should or should not remarry.¡± Guan Suyi glanced at her and wrote fast, she finished writing in three quarters of an hour. Everyone was waiting to see her joke, but they also didn¡¯t dare to disturb her.


    ¡°Who pride themselves of being visionary? Come up and read.¡± Her eyes were sharp and her expression was solemn.


    Ji Chengyue came up after a moment of hesitation, slowly reading, ¡°The people are the foundation of the country, and without people, there is no country. Therefore, the establishment of a country lies in nurturing the people, and the prosperity of a country lies in strengthening the people¡­¡±


    This was a policy argument based on the foundational of the country, not an attacking article that everyone thought. This article did not involve the content of ¡°Lesson for Women¡±, but discussed the importance of women¡¯s remarriage from various aspects. At this time, it was the end of hundred years of war, and the Nine Continent, which had experienced the war, was already ten rooms and nine empty spaces*. The men were captured and forced to become soldier, and died under swords and horse¡¯s hoof; The women tried to escape the chaos and suffered huge casualties; The old and weak, sick and disabled were left unattended, one after another lost their lives in the upheavals. Not only Wei Kingdom lacks people, Shu Prefecture lacks people, and the mainland of Shenzhou was broken and needed to be revitalized.


    How to bring a scorched earth back to life? There was no other way but to breed. When the soldiers took off their armor and went back to their hometowns to farm, who didn¡¯t want to marry a wife, and live and work in peace and contentment? However, the reality was that most of the young women died because of the wars, epidemics, and even exchanged for food as two-legged sheep*. Few women survived, and most of them that did were married women who were physically strong, but their husbands died on the battlefield, so they became widows. The decline of the population was accompanied by an imbalance in the ratio of men and women. If women were strictly prohibited from remarrying, the population of Wei would decrease again and again within a decade, and it would eventually become a country without people.


    If the people do not exist, then how they become a country?


    At the end of this statement, the article changed its tone again, from history, laws, and even the customs of the Jiuli people to express the importance of women¡¯s remarriage to the country¡¯s population growth. Whenever the mainland of Nine Continents encountered a long-term war, after the founding of the country, the monarch could issue a decree to encourage women to marry and have children. This was determined by the special circumstances of the country at that time, and also a major measure for population rejuvenation. There were historical records ¨C if the parents did not marry their daughter until the age of seventeen, the head official would match her; It was also said that women at fifteen still not marry, the family could go to jail. It could be seen that if a woman did not marry, local officials could force her to marry, even count it as a crime, they could also set up official matchmaker to force men and women to marry. In order to revive the prestige of the clan, the Jiulu people even changed their customs. Marrying the stepmothers and older brother¡¯s widows had become a tradition. Eventually, the population of the clan prospered and returned to its former glory.


    The irrefutable evidence was listed one by one, and it was logical to conclude that the current Wei Kingdom not only could not prohibit women from remarrying, but also should encourage women to remarry, so that they could raise more children, and at the same time raise the country destroyed by the war. Men as the sky and women as the earth, the sky is high and the earth is deep, and both of them also shoulder the heavy responsibility of balancing the yin and yang.


    After reading the article, Ji Chengyue was already red in the face and felt ashamed. The rest of the people were not fools either. Guan Suyi had already explained it so thoroughly, how could they not understand it? Not to mention that she brought out the law to support her point of view, the marriage customs of the Jiuli people alone could make everyone shut their mouth.


    Xu Yayan was already dripping with cold sweat, and her soul was cracking. Only then did she understand how her father felt when he was completely refuted by Guan Suyi and on the verge of desperation. Is the emperor here? No, no, he must not come today!


    Just thinking about this, there was a burst of applause from outside the crowd, and everyone turned around to look, only to see Emperor Sheng Yuan and several officials standing under the flower stand, holding a child with red lips and white teeth, delicate like polished jade. ¡°Madam¡¯s literary talent is brilliant and farsighted, it¡¯s better than many men, not to mention a bunch of ignorant madams!¡± He said word by word.

 CH 155

    The Emperor¡¯s procession suddenly arrived, and everyone was stunned for a few breaths before fell down to kneel and salute. Remembering the farce that just happened, their faces turned purple and red, looking very wonderful.


    ¡°Madam, please get up.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan led along a child to take two quick steps and personally supported Guan Suyi. The child then hugged her legs and shouted ¡°sister¡± crisply. It was Guan Mumu, the heir adopted by the Emperor Teacher Mansion, but for some unknown reason he was brought by the emperor.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± Guan Suyi bent her knees, hugged her brother, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Mu Mu was very smart and sensible. Knowing that some words could not be said in public, he leaned forward next to her ear and whispered with his small hands covering his mouth, ¡°Brother-in-law said that he will take me to see grandfather in Imperial Manor and go hunting. I receive father and mother¡¯s permission to go out. My brother-in-law also gave me a bow and arrow, it¡¯s called the Sun-shooting Devine Bow, it¡¯s really amazing, look!¡± He pulled something from his back with his short hand, making Guan Suyi to glanced back, and sure enough she saw a jewel-encrusted bow and arrow hung on his little arm, shining beautifully.


    ¡°Sun-shooting Devine Bow? Isn¡¯t that an artifact used by Hou Yi*? It¡¯s amazing!¡± Guan Suyi was not the type of person who pour cold water on children, so she naturally continued to follow the conversation, causing Mu Mu to squinted his eyes with smile and his small chest lifted up high.


    While eavesdropping on the conversation between the brother and sister, Emperor Sheng Yuan waved his hands to let everyone get up, walked straight to the main seat, and ordered, ¡°Bring the article, I want to read it carefully.¡±


    Ji Chengyue immediately offered the manuscript with both hands, and then stepped aside with red face. After this incident, he no longer dared to claim himself as a great talent. Who would have thought that this booklet that recorded women¡¯s virtues and deeds would conceal such a huge hidden danger? If it wasn¡¯t for Miss Guan¡¯s elaborate writing, none of the people present would have thought of it, and would also contributed its widespread propaganda¡­


    The more he thought about it, the more ashamed he became. Many people were too embarrassed to raise their heads. Some people raised their sleeves to cover their faces, wishing they could crawl under the table. Among them, Xu Yayan was the most uncomfortable. She repeatedly recalled Guan Suyi¡¯s article, trying to find out the flaws, but her brain became a pot of porridge, and she was just too embarrassed.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan did not forget to take care of Madam and brother-in-law when he read the manuscript. He patted the cushion on his side and said softly, ¡°Madam, please take a seat. I may have questions to ask later.¡±


    Guan Suyi thanked him neither humbly nor arrogantly, and then led her brother to sit down comfortably. Everyone also returned to their respective positions, anxiously waiting. Madam Ji pulled Ji Ting behind her and tried to hide the person. She regretted it so much that her intestines were blue. Recalling that today was not supposed to be the day the Qian family come to pick people up, but she sent a message, specially arranged it for today, and then ordered her maid to let Ji Ting come in and cry, so that she could use the question to humiliate Guan Suyi. But she didn¡¯t expect her to directly wrote an article, and actually refuted the female commandment ¡°faithful unto death¡± as useless, and let the emperor listen to it. If the emperor agreed with her point of view, wouldn¡¯t the Ji family become a big joke?


    Half an hour later, Emperor Sheng Yuan had finished reading the article and handed it over to the accompanying minister to read. One of them was the Minister of the Household, who received the article as if he obtained the most precious treasure. He read it once, read it twice, read it trice, and reluctantly handed it over when his colleagues urged him.


    After the article was circulated, Emperor Sheng Yuan asked in a deep voice, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°It has acute foresight, thoroughly cut the country¡¯s affliction!¡± The Household Minister said slowly, ¡°A few days ago, the work of collecting household registrations has basically ended. Within a hundred years, the population of the Central Plains has dropped from the original nine million households to the current two million households. Seventy to eighty percent tragically died due to the chaos of the war and military disasters. The man¡¯s head hangs beside the horse and the women are behind the horse*, The bones are exposed in the wild, there is no rooster crowing for thousands of miles, of life and people is left behind, and the thought of it breaks people¡¯s intestines*. This is the current situation of Wei Kingdom. There are mountains of bones on the battlefield, and graves in the countryside. Millions of heroic souls were martyred while leaving behind millions of widows and orphans. Those people cannot share the land without the head of the household, and if they do not share the land, they will starve to death. Even if the war is over, there is only one dead end. This minister often inspects various places, and sees such a tragic situation.¡±


    He took out a memorial from his arms and presented it respectfully, ¡°It¡¯s also a coincidence, this minister is planning to present a memorial to the emperor recently. Please add the policy of nurturing the people to the national law, and urge both men and women to marry as soon as possible and have children. If, according to this booklet, women should be faithful unto death and never remarry, so how can these millions of widows and orphans find a way to survive? Excluding them, there are very few unmarried women, and they are not enough to marry existing men. In other word, many common people will be helpless for life and their descendant will be severed. After these people grow old, newborns are even rarer. The population of Wei may be reduced by another million households. So where does the national tax come from? Where does the army come from? Without national tax, without the army, how can we resist the Hu people and the evil Xue who are like wolves and tigers? If this continues, within twenty years, the Central Plains will be crushed by those two armored horses and completely become a barren land.¡±


    Seeing that the memorial was taken by the emperor for a closer look, he continued speaking with admiration, ¡°Miss Guan is worthy of being the Emperor Teacher¡¯s offspring, she has not only foresight, but also a heart of concern for the country and the people. Can this article be lent to this official as a book preface and compiled into the law of nurturing people?¡±


    Guan Suyi quickly waved her hands to humble herself and expressed her deep honor.


    Everyone under the seat was too ashamed to listen to them any longer. They felt like they were sitting on pins and needles.


    After reading the memorial, Emperor Sheng Yuan flipped through ¡°Lesson for Women¡± again, and sneered, ¡°Zhen have heard the reputation of Second Miss Xu and her ¡°Lesson for Women¡± many times in recent days. Zhen thought it was a fancy chapter of Ban Xiang Song Yan*, but it turned out to be a foolish theory that can mislead the country and harm the people. Zhen can ban it for that single point ¡®faithful unto death¡¯, but on second thought, this is your foolish opinion. If it banned, it will only make it seems important, making people want to find out more, so why bother. When Zhen coldly watched your word be passed on and be regarded as guiding principle, originally thought it was just to make women more chaste and graceful, so there is nothing wrong with that. But it has developed into an obstruction of marriage and severing people¡¯s descendants.¡±


    He threw the ¡°Lesson for Women¡± into the stove for making tea, burned it to ashes, and said coldly, ¡°Severing people¡¯s descendants is severing the Wei Kingdom¡¯s roots. How can Zhen tolerate it? In order to make the people prosper, live and work in peace and contentment as soon as possible, Zhen has exhausted everything. But you people are hiding in the midst of singing and dancing to indulge in fantasy. Most of you are rich and noble. Even if you encounter a military disaster, you¡¯re likely be sent to a safe place by the guard to hide. You have never seen the suffering of the people, so how could you know the tragic situation after the war? You eat until you¡¯re full, you dressed warmly, and when you write a few sentimental nonsense poems in your spare time, you will feel that there is nothing more sorrowful in the world than this. How can you know what real tragic world are? If cannot go on then reconcile, if impossible to make a living then remarry. This is the way to survive, the way of reproduction, where is this a sin?¡±


    He said in a more serious tone, ¡°It¡¯s just a small booklet, but it forced Zhen to revise the law and force men and women in Wei Kingdom to marry, which is actually a kind of accomplishment. Just as the so-called above go under follow, what fashionable in the upper layer, the masses will follow suit. You say remarriage is not good, over time, the common people will also regard remarriage as a dreadful thing. How should the millions of orphans and widows left behind after the war live? How will the population of Wei Kingdom grow, and how will the national strength increase? You can only see the square inches above your head, but you cannot see the condition of the world, and still considers yourself a scholarly family, a learned person, it¡¯s ridiculous!¡±


    Every time the emperor said a word, the heads of everyone dropped a point, and in the end, one or two were hunched over their chests, and they felt very ashamed.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan pointed to the woman behind Madam Ji and asked, ¡°Do you want to remarry?¡±


    Ji Ting glanced at her aunt and stood up firmly, ¡°Report to the emperor, not only this humble woman want to remarry, but also want to remarry with her daughter.¡±


    ¡°Report to the emperor, she has a private communication and set the marriage secretly with the other person, and this minister wife just want to discipline her, not to prevent her from remarrying!¡± Madam Ji panicked, and quickly knelt down to defend herself.


    Ji Ting took out a few documents from her sleeve pocket, said while  choking up, ¡°Your Majesty, please take a look, this is the eight-character card and the marriage contract of this humble woman. Originally planned to burn them one by one in front of the eldest aunt as I have made up my mind, so I brought it here. This humble woman and Zhang Lang has already obtained the consent of both parents, and it is not a private communication, please emperor investigate clearly!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan ordered Baifu to look up the document and sighed, ¡°Your fiance is a kind man, and he is willing to help you raise the children of your ex-husband, which is not easy. Zhen will make the decision for you in this marriage; your daughter, Zhen will let her return to you, Zhen will also send you twenty-four box to carry as your dowry, so that you can marry beautifully. Zhen want to tell the people of Wei Kingdom that it¡¯s not shameful for widows to remarry, but a way to survive, and they should be supported. Remarry, give birth, multiply, and strengthen the people of Wei Kingdom. Not only are they innocent, but also made great contributions.¡±


    Ji Ting was ecstatic and kowtowed again and again, feeling that she flew directly from hell to the clouds, her happiness was extremely unreal. On the other hand, Madam Ji¡¯s face was pale and she was on the verge of collapse. When today¡¯s incident spread to the outside world, she would definitely become the representative of a stupid woman, where still have face to speak of?


    Oh no, she almost forget about Xu Yayan, this person is the culprit! If Xu Yanyan was not meddlesome and write ¡°Lesson for Women¡±, how could she get in trouble with the emperor and with the law? When the law of nurturing the people was promulgated, the official voice of Ji Mansion would be greatly damaged, and it would be difficult to gain a foothold in the court! My son¡¯s future is also ruined!


    The more Madam Ji thought about it, the more frightened she became, in a short while she was already sweating like a waterfall, and it soak through her clothes.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan glanced at her, then glanced at Xu Yayan, who looked like golden paper, and continued, ¡°Women are weak? Zhen never thought so, but Zhen was surprised, most of the women here actually agree with this view. If it¡¯s not a self-contempt then what is it? To borrow a sentence from Madam ¨C men are the sky, women are the earth, how high is the sky, how deep is the earth, how far is the sky, how wide is the earth. The sky drops rain and dew, and the land gives birth to lakes and forests, the two are interdependent and coexisting. The reproduction and growth of children rely more on the land. The steep peaks breed indomitable pines and cypresses; verdant hills and limpid water breed flexible bamboo. Fertile soil breeds good talents, and poor land has no good seedlings, this is a well-known principle. Zhen remember a saying in the Central Plains ¡®being a mother is strong¡¯. It can be seen that women cannot be weak, but must be strong, so as to bring up a better next generation. Zhen does not despise women, otherwise Zhen will not reuse the imperial elder sister and use the female generals. But if you yourself look down on yourself, Zhen have nothing else to say.¡±


    He looked at Madam and sighed, ¡°If Zhen want to set up an empress, she would never be a woman with beauty and talent, but have no foresight and insight, only a sparse pattern. The position of mother of the country has never been a weak woman who cannot bear its responsibility.¡±

 CH 156

    When Emperor Sheng Yuan said this, it was equivalent to pointing at the nose of the women present, and sarcastically said: With your shallow knowledge, you can support a small family, but don¡¯t think about being the empress and act as the mother of the country. However, even though they had all kinds of unwillingness and resentment in their hearts, they didn¡¯t have the face to refute.


    If they still not understand the significance of ¡°women marry, widows remarry¡± for the continuation of Wei Kingdom¡¯s existence, they could only be described in two words ¨C impossibly stupid. They thought that Guan Suyi was the clown of today¡¯s banquet, but it turned out that the ugliest and stupidest were themselves.


    Too ashamed! Really want to turn into a puff of blue smoke and disappear immediately. This was the idea of ??most women there, but the most awkward and embarrassing ones were Xu Yayan and Linxiang County Princess.


    After this incident, Xu Yayan understood that her dream of entering the palace was in vain. Not only that, even the reputation as a talented woman had been destroyed. After going out of this door, it wouldn¡¯t be long before she was dubbed as the number one stupid woman in Wei Kingdom. Let alone marrying into a high gate family, even if she wanted to find a poor family, it would not be easy.


    Her father, mother and brother were still waiting for her good news at home. How can she have the face to go back? At this moment, Xu Yayan had the idea of ??dying, but was secretly dragged by Linxiang County Princess, so she didn¡¯t lose her face on the spot and flee.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan glanced at the two of them and asked, ¡°Yuxi, did you sent this ¡°Lesson for Women¡± book to the grand princess and the eldest princess to read? What do they think?¡±


    Linxiang County Princess turned pale, and said with a forced smile, ¡°I never gave it to the two elders. Us Jiuli women are self-reliant, not inferior to any man.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed, ¡°Your see people speak people¡¯s language, see ghost speak ghost¡¯s language* skill is getting better and better. If you dare to send this book over, the two of them will definitely beat you. There is nothing wrong with women being virtues and graceful, dignified and demure, Zhen will not forbid you to read it and pass it on. Everything in the world has its own reason, and what is right and what is wrong is up to you to distinguish, and the growth of wisdom comes from the process of distinguishing right from wrong. Today¡¯s affairs are over, don¡¯t mention it again, just go and have fun.¡±


    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and then they all knelt down to thank the emperor for his grace.


    Guan Suyi quietly watched Hunnar talking to the crowd, her eyes shone with brilliant light. She knew that he valued feeling and righteousness, and also knew that he had distinct likes and dislikes, but she didn¡¯t know that he would have such views on women. Most of men in the world despise women, even if they have wives, they just used them to produce children, and they rarely know how to write the word ¡°respect¡±.


    But Hunnar was different. He knew respect and was willing to give women a chance to stand on their feet. Even small animals could be viewed in the same way by him. His heart was far bigger than she imagined. Maybe marrying him is not so bad? Thinking like this, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t help but smile, making Emperor Sheng Yuan stunned on the spot when he looked at her.


    County Prince Jun¡¯s whole plan fell through, and he couldn¡¯t help hating Xu Yayan and his daughter for being stupid and short-sighted, but he himself didn¡¯t reflect on why he didn¡¯t see the flaws in ¡°Lesson for Women¡±. The plan to send Xu Yayan into the palace had failed, so he had no choice but to gather his energy and entertain all the guests. In order to alleviate the embarrassment, he ordered the servants to pass the dishes and open the feast before it was time for dinner.


    Because Linxiang County Princess was the host, the dishes were all the characteristics of the Jiuli people, mostly whole roasted meat, few vegetarian dishes, and the seasonings were extremely spicy. A small table was placed in front of everyone, on which were placed sauces, dishes, drinks and other items, and there was a maid who cut the meat with a knife and put them on a plate for distribution.


    During the banquet, Emperor Sheng Yuan pulled Mu Mu to his side, and Mu Mu pulled his sister to his side. The three naturally sat together and shared a roasted whole lamb.


    ¡°How can you eat it when it¡¯s so big?¡± Mu Mu stretched out his hands and gestured, his face full of surprise.


    ¡°Naturally cut it first then eat it.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan waved back the maid, took out his dagger, and cut off the loin of the lamb himself, placed it in two small plates, and pushed it in front of the sister and brother with a very gentle smile, ¡°Here is sweet sauce, hot sauce, chutney, dip in whatever flavor you like. Eat it, Zhen will continue cutting it for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Your Majesty, you should eat yourself, there are maids here to serve.¡± Guan Suyi respectfully thanked him on the surface, but quietly pinched Hunnar in private. She was not worried about being seen by others because of the table. This person just said that a weak woman cannot become be the mother of the country, so he almost declared on the spot that he wanted to marry her. Look, Linxiang County Princess had realized it and threw several glances over here.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled without saying a word, and only held Madam¡¯s soft and boneless hand and kneaded a few times. He came here specially for Madam. Just like the so-called a feast for the eyes, he was already full with Madam sitting next to him. Where would he need to eat?


    Mu Mu thought it was interesting to cut the lamb, so he pulled out the dagger from his waist, and said in a milky voice, ¡°I want to cut it myself.¡± He then plunged the knife into the leg of lamb, used the whole strength of a child to pulled it out, making several ministers smiled endlessly.


    Guan Suyi was afraid that he would hurt himself, immediately grabbed the dagger and tried to lecture him. Emperor Sheng Yuan quickly helped to negotiated, took the dagger, put it into Mu Mu¡¯s arms, and said in a low voice, ¡°We Jiuli men can take a knife when we¡¯re three years old, and there are many people who go to the battlefield at the age of ten. He only cuts a few pieces of meat, why do you make a fuss. Zhen will watch him, he will not get hurt.¡±


    Mu Mu held the dagger and did not dare to move. He looked at his sister and brother-in-law for a while, his face was full of longing.


    Guan Suyi remembered that he was an offspring of a general, it was inevitable the brave man nature was hidden in his blood, how could it be erased? After thinking for a moment, she compromised, ¡°Forget it, you can cut it yourself. Don¡¯t be greedy to chop the lamb¡¯s leg, just slice the tender meat. If you chop it, can you eat it all? What if others want to eat too?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Mu Mu was taught and turned to look at his brother-in-law.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan rubbed his head and said, ¡°Cut it, the part your sister said not to cut¡­ Zhen will cut it for you. When using a knife, the blade should always be the on opposite side of yourself to avoid hurting your hand.¡±


    The three of them sat at the top, enjoying themselves very much. The people below all saw the clue and suddenly realized. Not to mention how gentle the emperor¡¯s gaze on Miss Guan was, how careful and considerate he was when taking care of Mu Mu, but the degree of familiarity and intimacy between the three of them was like a family of three. To say that the emperor has no unreasonable thoughts about Miss Guan, who can believe it?


    Linxiang County Princess only then remembered Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s plot against Guan Suyi, and she couldn¡¯t help but secretly hate in her heart. What deals with Guan Suyi is dealing with the Emperor Teacher Mansion? It was clear that Bian Min¡¯er wanted to eradicate her love rival, but didn¡¯t tell the truth. So she chose Xu Yayan and rack her brain to make up a plan, but it was just a joke!


    No wonder Guan Suyi was able to escape from death, she had the emperor backing her up. Now he intended to enact a law to order men and women to marry and encourage widows to remarry, so it was logical to marry Guan Suyi as the empress. It¡¯s just that the other person did not have the blood of the Jiuli clan after all, and would definitely be obstructed by the princes. All the unmarried women present had no chance, especially those Han women who had studied ¡°Lesson for Women¡± and were labelled ¡°fool and weak¡± by the emperor.


    Thinking like this, Linxiang County Princess sneered again, and even she had to admit that, looking around, only Guan Suyi had the aura and the courage to take on the empress¡¯ position.


    The meal was tasteless. After the banquet, County Prince Jun led everyone to send off His Majesty respectfully, and watched as he took the Guan¡¯s brother and sister to go the imperial manor where the Emperor Teacher was temporary staying.


    ¡ª


    Baifu was ordered by His Majesty to personally send Ji Ting home. Master Ji had received the news secretly sent by County Prince Jun, and waited at the door early, with a look of humiliation and helplessness on his face, as well as trepidation. How could he have imagined that obstructing a marriage would be rendered a disaster that would shake the foundation of the country? After the revision of the law of nurturing the people was completed and announced to the whole country, the reputation of Ji Mansion would undoubtedly plummet.


    Unavoidably he was regarded as a fool by the emperor, and would not be reuse in the future. Now he must marry his niece in a glorious way. While thinking about it, the carriage was slowly stopped on the side of the road. Ji Ting helped Madam Ji down, and when she saw her daughter standing at the door and waiting for her, she burst into tears.


    ¡°Yao¡¯er, come to your mother!¡± She stretched out her arms and hugged her daughter who flew over, vented all the suffering and humiliation she had suffered in recent days in a sad cry. Second Madam Ji led a pair of children and hugged them too. The family of five finally survived the despair and finally found the ray of light.


    Baifu didn¡¯t disturb them, just stood aside and quietly wiped his tears with a handkerchief. Truly sinful! The family was fine, why do you want to separate their mother and daughter, ruin the marriage, and force people to become a nun? Could it be this Master Ji¡¯s heart is made of stone? Today, if Miss Guan didn¡¯t open her mouth to condemn, speak out for justice, it¡¯s unknown how many women will be forced to death!


    Xu Yayan hid not far away, quietly watching this scene, and then quietly walked away after a long time. She didn¡¯t dare to go home, and wandered aimlessly like a wandering soul. When she saw a woman passing by with a child in her arms, she suddenly grabbed her and asked, ¡°This sister-in-law, are you married?¡±


    ¡°I have children, what do you think?¡± The woman didn¡¯t dare to offend her when she saw that she was dressed in rich clothes and wore delicate makeup, so she had to answer her inexplicable question patiently.


    ¡°Then if your husband dies, are you willing to observe the festival for him or remarry?¡±


    ¡°Bah! Your husband that dies!¡± These words made the woman furious, she broke away and walked away quickly, muttering in under her breath, as if she was cursing.


    Xu Yayan stood silently for a while, and was about to turn around when she heard the aunt who sold nuts on the roadside say, ¡°I see that you are a child of a wealthy family, and don¡¯t know the suffering of the people. If the husband dies, how can the women in this world not remarry? If there are no son, the land will be reclaimed into the clan. A person can only starve to death if she lives alone, and the same will happen if she has daughter and no son. Even if she has a son to inherit the family property, if there¡¯s no labor to cultivate, she will not be able to eat enough or wear clothes warm enough, and still be bullied by the neighbors. Of those women who have brought up their sons alone, which one was not suffering and feel grievances? Which one didn¡¯t get sick from overwork and died early? Marry a man marry a man, can dress and eat*. To have enough food to eat, and don¡¯t have to worry about the clothes, what else can I do but remarry?¡± As she said, she rolled up the nuts, shook her head and left, showing that she was very disdainful of this question.


    Observe the festival? If you can¡¯t live anymore, what festival do you still observe?


    Xu Yayan leaned on the wall and slowly squatted down, suddenly buried her head in her arms, and choked silently. Is female virtue bad? It¡¯s just a wrong sentence, why should I suffer such result?

 CH 157

    Not long after the banquet was dispersed, a few dark clouds suddenly floated from the sky, in a short while the lightning flashed and the thunder rumbled, and it rained heavily. Fortunately, Guan Suyi had already carried Mu Mu into the carriage, so she was not drenched like a drowned rat.


    ¡°It¡¯s raining too much, then we can¡¯t go hunting!¡± Mu Mu sighed while lying beside the carriage window.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, next time the weather is fine, brother-in-law will take you out again.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan rubbed the little guy¡¯s head and ordered in a deep voice, ¡°It¡¯s raining and the road is slippery, let the horse run slowly.¡±


    The guards who were driving the carriage outside did slow down, passing through the rain curtain and slowly driving towards the imperial manor. The breeze lifted the curtain of the carriage and sent in a few cool raindrops. It didn¡¯t feel uncomfortable on the skin, but rather quite fun.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan saw Madam staring out of the carriage, her hair fluttering in the wind, covering her cheeks for a while, touching her lips for a while, and floating on his face for a while, bringing a tingling sensation and a few wisps of fragrance. Somehow, it made his mouth very dry. He picked up Mu Mu, moved closer little by little, and said with a hoarse laugh, ¡°It¡¯s raining a lot. Thanks to this storm, Madam and I can stay on the road for a few more hours. It¡¯s only six days, but it feels like many years have passed, Madam, when will discuss our marriage? If you don¡¯t agree for a day, I will feel uneasy for a day.¡±


    Guan Suyi suddenly returned to her senses, and only then did she realize that Hunnar had sat down against her shoulders at some point, and the strong pure male breath was close at hand, which was very intoxicating. She tilted her head uncomfortably, and asked, ¡°Do you really want to promulgate the law of nurturing the people? ¡°Lesson for Women¡± is just a self-amusement of the powerful, if let the common people take a look at it, it will only be scorned.¡±


    In the previous life, apart from a very few Confucian students with bad minds in reading, there were not many commoners who really accepted ¡°Lesson for Women¡±. Most of the victimized women were from the upper classes. However, as long as ¡°Lesson for Women¡± existed, when the peace come, the prosperity continued, and as Confucianism continued to spread, its influence would only become wider and wider. Maybe hundreds of years from now, all women in the Central Plains would be as written in the book, weak and bullied all their lives, and could not get free until they die.


    Even as sharp-tongued as Guan Suyi was, she only dared to talk the matter of ¡°faithful unto death¡±, as the rest of the ideology have long been ingrained in people¡¯s bones and blood. Women have been the most humble existence since ancient times. This was a reality that could not be changed or overturned. Therefore, even if Xu Yayan was completely refuted, she didn¡¯t feel much joy, but even more depressed. If she could choose, she would never be born as a woman in the next life.


    Sensing that she was in a depressed mood, Emperor Sheng Yuan gently squeezed her fingertips and then restrainedly let it go, while soothingly said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to care about people¡¯s opinions, just live your life as you like. If Madam is really like Xu Yayan, on one hand humbling herself, on the other hand tried everything in her power to climb up, then Madam would not make me head over heels over you. What I adore, admire, and appreciate is Madam¡¯s strength and tenacity.¡±


    Seeing red blush slowly creeping up Madam¡¯s pale cheeks, he smiled gently, ¡°The law of nurturing the people has already been drafted and revised, it¡¯s not particularly targeting the ¡°Lesson for Women¡±. You may not be able to imagine, in just a hundred years, this land has buried seventy to eighty percent of its population, then how many orphans and widows have been left behind. If there are no national laws to force men and women to marry and encourage widows to remarry, the population will continue to decrease. Today, I personally prepare a dowry for Ji Ting and sent her to marry. In the future, more orphans and widows will find their way out.¡±


    Guan Suyi realized, pondered for a moment and then shook her head, ¡°Have you thought of another question? If all the widows remarried, how can the children of their former husband be left unattended?¡±


    ¡°Then encourage them to remarry with their children, women and orphans can all have fields to divide. Those who remarry with children can divide their fields after they settle down; those who help raise young orphans can be exempted from corv¨¦e tax. The government can establish a nursery hall or shelter to rescue relevant people, and so on. As long as you have the will, you can think of many ways. Although the problem cannot be completely solved, it can save the vast majority of people¡¯s lives. Not every decree issued by the administrator is perfect, and in the process of implementation, it will always encounter all kind of problem. I can only fumble along, learn, and correct it along the way, only hoping to be worthy of the common people.¡±


    Guan Suyi gave him a fixed look and said with sincere admiration, ¡°Hunnar, you are a good emperor.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s ears were slightly red, and his words were joyful, ¡°That¡¯s because I have a good wife.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Guan Suyi glared at him, but after a few breaths, she couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Emperor Sheng Yuan also laughed, and unexpectedly leaning over, pecked her on the side of her face, and then backed away a little, his expression was both savoring the taste and depressed, ¡°Madam quickly marry me, I can¡¯t wait anymore.¡±


    Guan Suyi hurriedly snatched Mu Mu from his arms and make him the barrier between the two. Mu Mu looked at his sister then looked at his brother-in-law, stood up with his short legs, and kissed each of them. The awkward atmosphere dissipated instantly, and the three looked at each other and smiled.


    The rainstorm soon stopped, and a mudslide caused by the rain washed down the official road. The carriage was blocked in the middle of the road, not knowing whether to go forward or retreat.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan originally planned to lead several ministers to find the old master to revise the method of nurturing the people. But when he saw this situation, he had to let them go back first, while he stayed to dig mud and rocks.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go back too? If the mountain here collapses, the gravel can fall at any time. It¡¯s extremely unsafe.¡± Guan Suyi tried to dissuade him.


    ¡°Although there is no shortage of food in the imperial manor, grandfather-in-law¡¯s joints will be swollen and painful every time it rains, and it must be extremely difficult now. Looking at the weather, I am afraid it will rain for five to six days. If there¡¯s no imperial physician guarding by his side, and the medicinal materials cannot be transported over there, how much he will suffer then?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan ordered the guards to dig the way, while sending people back to summon the imperial physician.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s cheeks slightly flushed, and said guiltily, ¡°I didn¡¯t even think of my grandfather¡¯s illness, and I have to rely on you to remind me. It¡¯s really unfilial.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan waved his hand indifferently, ¡°You are my madam, and my filial piety is also your filial piety, so why do you have to divide it so clearly?¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s heart warmed, and her gaze toward the other person became gentler. Husband and wife are one body, this sounds pleasant to say, but how many could actually do it? What¡¯s more, Hunnar was the emperor who was high above, always have others trying to please him. Where can have reason for him to go to great lengths to please others?


    Originally, she thought: As long as this person gives one point of sincerity to herself, it was enough, but she didn¡¯t expect to get ten points. Looking all over Wei Kingdom, how many women have devoted their lives to their husbands but never received the slightest respect? And she didn¡¯t seem to do anything, but this man offered his true heart with both hands. Even in the years to come, this heart may be dry out and rotten, it was still the greatest luck that it was once had been sincere.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, you and I shouldn¡¯t have divided with each other.¡± She turned her head and gave Hunnar a charming smile.


    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t smile at me so seductively, I can¡¯t help but want to kiss your lips.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan said in a hoarse voice after a few breaths.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Guan Suyi was extremely helpless. While covering her brother¡¯s ears, she warned, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense in front of children, they understand everything.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan hurriedly surrendered his hands to beg for mercy, and asked after a moment of silence, ¡°How exactly did grandfather-in-law¡¯s wrist get hurt? This time I will let the imperial physician thoroughly examine it. If he can treat it then treat it, if he can¡¯t then let him carefully raise it. Always dislocated then put it back again is not a good method.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because he was not careful, he always felt that his handwriting was not vigorous enough, and he said that Shu Sheng¡¯s calligraphy was three points into the wood, and he had to practice until three points into the stone. So he tied a few more pieces of lead to his wrist, and hurt his bone because he couldn¡¯t withstand the constant pulling force, this then leave the chronic problem. He felt ashamed about it, and never said it to anyone, so you should not know this.¡±


    ¡°¡­So that¡¯s the case.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed loudly, ¡°I finally know where Madam get her stubborn temperament. It turned out to be inherited from Emperor Teacher. You two grandparent-grandchild are really¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t find the exact words to describe, he could only shake his head and smile, the more he thought about it, the more interesting it became.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, she raised her eyebrows and scolded, ¡°Stop laughing. Laugh again and I will ignore you!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t laugh.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan quickly pressed his fist to his lips, and his black-blue eyes were full of starry brilliance.


    The guards who were digging the road outside looked at each other, they wanted to prostrate themselves towards this Madam Guan. Such a bright master, they have almost never seen it before. He looked like this in front of Madam, who could have imagined when he turned his back to Madam, how cold and gloomy and moody he was.


    While their imagination running wild, the road was finally dug, but because there were too many ditches and the width was too narrow, it could not accommodate the carriage. Fortunately, it was only half a mile away from the imperial manor, and the rain has already stopped, so they could still walk there.


    ¡°Your Majesty, how about this subordinate carry you over here? The muddy ground does not allow anyone to step on. Afraid even the boots will be eaten.¡± Said the head of the guard while bowing his head.


    ¡°Zhen will walk by oneself, you take good care of Mu Mu.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan picked up the little guy, put it on the guard¡¯s back, and instructed, ¡°You guys protect him, don¡¯t let the country¡¯s uncle fall.¡±


    How could the uncle of the country, who was confer by the emperor¡¯s mouth, be comparable to those undeserve imperial family? The guards hurriedly and carefully surrounded him, lest the soles of his feet slip and injured the country¡¯ uncle¡¯s precious body. Even though embarrassed, Guan Suyi was used to this man¡¯s thick skin, just stood at the carriage¡¯s shaft and stared at him with a half-smile.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan said cautiously, ¡°Madam, last time I used a dragon robe to pave the way for you, but you didn¡¯t step on it. If I lay it for you again this time, would you step on it?¡±


    ¡°No, never.¡± Guan Suyi firmly refused, just because imperial power could not be blasphemed.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed softly, ¡°After that day, I thought about it for a long time and finally understood where I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have paved the way for you, then stood behind you and watched you walk by. If on your way forward you fell down, no matter how strong my martial arts are, there is no guarantee that I will be able to arrive in time to prevent you from getting hurt, which is why you and Mu Mu were kidnapped. If you give me another chance, I will only carry you while walking forward, not letting you leave me even for half a step.¡± After the words finish, he suddenly picked up the person and walked straight into the mud.

 CH 158

    Guan Suyi suddenly was picked up, inevitably startled, she reflexively wrapped her arms around Hunnar¡¯s neck and glared at him. Emperor Sheng Yuan stared down, smiled back, and weighed people playfully, then continued to move forward amid her protest.


    The guards guarding the emperor¡¯s side hurriedly bowed their heads, not dare to disturb the flirtatious atmosphere between the two, but they were all amazed at how favored Madam Guan was. This really fits the saying ¨C putting it in the mouth afraid it will melt, holding it in the hands afraid it will break, love is at a loss.


    Being held in the arms of a man in broad daylight, how could Guan Suyi endure? But if she struggled too much, she was afraid of hurting the other person¡¯s face, so she had no choice but to bury her face in his chest, pretending to be an invisible person. Hearing the man¡¯s cheerful laughter coming from his chest, her unwillingness to admit defeat came up again. She rolled her eyes and said softly, ¡°Hunnar, you still did something wrong this time.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Where did I go wrong?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan met her cunning black eyes, knowing that there was a trap, but he couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°You are afraid that you will not be able to rush to my rescue, so you will block all dangers for me. If you carry me, then you fall, it means that I will fall too. You alone bear the weight of two people, so it will be more difficult to walk. We have a saying called ¡®husband and wife is one body¡¯. If the husband and wife are united, it should have me in you, and you in me, everything should be shared together. You can¡¯t bear to let me stuck in the mud, but how can I bear to see you trudging so hard? I would rather walk hand in hand with you than be a burden on your shoulders. The road ahead is bumpy, you may fall if you walk alone. But if two people walk with four feet, if you fall I will support you, if I fall you will hold me, then we will pass this steadily.¡±


    At first, Guan Suyi just made a random excuse to let him put herself down, but the more she talked the more it touched her heart and her thoughts were surging. Unexpectedly, in the previous life she never understood what husband and wife should be like even until death, but in this life, she explained it like a joke. It turned out that this was the true meaning of ¡®husband and wife is one body¡¯, supporting each other, standing together through thick and thin, and sharing blessings and misfortunes.


    While she was stunned, Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart was like being scorched by the fire, and all kinds of emotion and joy were intersected repeatedly, making tears almost fall. They all said gentle town, hero¡¯s tomb* if these words come from Madam¡¯s sincerity, why don¡¯t just let him die for her immediately?


    ¡°Madam is right, and indeed it¡¯s me who is wrong.¡± His voice was unusually hoarse. ¡°Then I¡¯ll let Madam down, how about we walk hand in hand?¡±


    Guan Suyi quickly returned to her senses, and slowly slipped down from his arms. When she stepped into the mud, she didn¡¯t care who won or lost, took the man¡¯s thick and warm palm, and shook it, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I will support you, and you must also support me. If we¡¯re to fall, how can you get all muddy, but I am clean? It said that husband and wife were originally birds of the same forest, and when disaster strikes, they fly separately. Others believe this, but I don¡¯t.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan squeezed her fingertips and laughed loudly, ¡°I don¡¯t believe that either. Let¡¯s go?¡±


    Guan Suyi had never walked such a difficult road. The yellow mud was half a foot deep, stepped one foot would immediately be eaten, and she couldn¡¯t pull it out for a long time. What¡¯s worse was that the hem her long skirt had already covered with muddy water, becoming thick and heavy, and became more and more a drag. Her body felt sticky everywhere, she could not wait to jump into the hot water and wash herself from head to toe a hundred times.


    Jinzi and Ming Lan jumped out of the carriage, followed quickly, and helped her pick up the skirt.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t dare to relax at all. He held her arm firmly with one hand, and wrapped his arm around her waist tightly with the other. He asked in a low voice, ¡°Do you want to continue walking? I can carry you anytime if you can¡¯t walk.¡±


    ¡°Walk, why can¡¯t I walk?¡± Guan Suyi pulled her foot out with force and sang bitterly, ¡°You are like me, you have a lot of love, a lot of love, and it¡¯s hot like fire. Take a piece of mud, twist a you, shape a me, break the two of us together, mix with water, twist another you, shape another me, I have you in the mud, and you have me in the mud. Born in the same quilt and die in the same coffin (!!!).¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s face turned red when he heard it, and he asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°What is this singing? It¡¯s pleasant to hear.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where I heard this folk tune. Shaping, breaking, blending, and reshaping, real husband and wife should be like this. You have me, and I have you, we shared everything together, and never give up on each other.¡± Guan Su Yi suppressed her voice to a very low level, and said astringently, ¡°I only hope that you and I don¡¯t go to the point where we get broken after being reshaped. You and I are not ordinary husband and wife to begin with, we should support each other even more.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes darkened, and he retorted, ¡°In my heart, we are just ordinary husband and wife, in the end you still don¡¯t want to believe me.¡± He felt both touched and distressed, and he didn¡¯t know how to face Madam. This mouth of hers could really make people both love and hate. One moment, she said something that made him ecstatic, but the next moment, she poured a scoop of cold water, which made his heart and lungs cold.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t believe you, why should I go through this with you?¡± Guan Suyi tugged on Hunnar¡¯s arm and showed him her bare feet, her shoes and socks had been stuck in the mud, ¡°Which girl do you think is willing to accompany you to receive this kind of suffering?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, who was still in agony just now, was filled with joy in an instant. He immediately took off his coat, put it on her, and then dipped into the mud, dug out her shoes and socks and put them back carefully. He endured and endured before kissing the muddy instep of Madam¡¯s feet, and said emotionally, ¡°Madam treats me with sincerity, so I naturally dare not let Madam down. It¡¯s the same old saying, if I let Madam down in this life, I will be struck by lightning and not have a good death.¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t pretentiously cover his mouth, instead shook off the mud on the soles of her shoes and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t forget this oath.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan walked slowly as he supported her, and said with a small smile, ¡°What Madam said just now seems to be a bit biased. We are here to visit grandfather-in-law. It¡¯s not you who accompany me in this, it¡¯s me who accompany you.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s my grandfather and your grandfather-in-law. You sent him the imperial physician and medicine, I¡¯ll chat and drink tea with him, and we do filial piety together, this is the best interpretation of husband and wife is one body. No one is allowed to say those outlandish words again, otherwise the wedding date will continue to be pushed back.¡± Guan Suyi smiled slyly.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was dumbfounded and did not dare to refute anymore. After a moment of silence, he asked nervously, ¡°If you don¡¯t push back, when will the wedding date be?¡±


    ¡°No hurry, deal with Bian Min¡¯er first. Are you investigating Bian Zhaoxiong recently? Is there any incriminating evidence?¡±


    ¡°Only caught some vague clues, there is no actual evidence. If we want to deal with the Bian family, we have to do it slowly.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan hated himself why he wanted to be a benevolent monarch, otherwise he could just find a random excuse to destroy the Bian family.


    ¡°Then give me those vague clues, and I will help you pierce the roof of Bian¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°How to pierce it?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at her with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know by then. After we dealt with her, you can come to the Emperor Teacher Mansion to propose marriage.¡± After saying this, the two finally walked out of the mud, set foot on the path paved with blue bricks, and looked at each other legs that were covered in yellow paste. They both laughed in unison, laughing while holding each other, leisurely swaying towards the imperial manor hidden behind the lush green shrubbery.


    Because this journey there¡¯s you by my side, no matter how bumpy it is, we¡¯re able to walk steadily.


    ¡ª-


    Two months later, carrying along the imperial dowry Ji Ting got married. Her husband was a kind man who took his mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law and support them. After leaving Ji Mansion, life was more beautiful.


    On this day, the result of the imperial examinations was released, and many students were waiting for news in front of the public list. Li shi finally passed through the crowded streets and arrived at the Emperor Teacher Mansion to meet Guan Suyi.


    ¡°If want to come then just come, why are you giving so many valuable gifts?¡± Guan Suyi held the gift list and rebuked.


    Li shi looked around and said in a low voice, ¡°How can we not thank you for your life-saving grace? This is also Ling Yun¡¯s intention. If you don¡¯t accept it, we won¡¯t feel at peace for the rest of our lives.¡±


    ¡°Life-saving grace? What do you mean?¡± Guan Suyi asked, even though she knew.


    ¡°Fortunately, thanks to your reminder, Ling Yun put some people around the clan leader, otherwise I would have been killed. Don¡¯t you know? He actually wanted to secretly trick me to come back and sink me in the pond, then marry his granddaughter to Ling Yun. There is no one more vicious and shameless than him in Yanjing! Now that the law of nurturing the people has been promulgated, only then he stopped, but he has the cheek to let Ling Yun take a concubine. Ling Yun couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, so he arbitrarily placed a charge on him and sent him to prison, and it¡¯s unknown when he will be released. Now the whole Li clan has to look at my face, and my days is peaceful. By the way, I am going to remarry, and the wedding date is set for the ninth day of September. You must come.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I wish you a good life for a hundred years, and give birth to your son early.¡± Guan Suyi covered her lips and chuckled.


    Li shi¡®s cheeks flushed red, and she changed the subject, ¡°Have you heard? Xu Yayan is now known as the number one stupid woman in Yanjing. She met the eldest princess on the road and was stripped of her coat and pushed into the crowd. Then the eldest princess said that she had been seen by outside men, so she lost her chastity, and she should be sent to the temple to cultivate. If Linxiang County Princess had not arrived in time to intercede for her, her black hair would have been shaved. The eldest princess raising so many handsome men, and seeing this ¡®Lesson for Women¡¯ which targeted her everywhere, how can she not get angry? Xu Yayan is really stupid, she doesn¡¯t care whether her remarks are in line with the world.¡±


    Guan Suyi shook her head and smiled, ¡°What she lacks is not vision, but a powerful backer. If no one above refutes her, this booklet will be spread for a long time.¡±


    Li shi trembled and said in fear, ¡°Fortunately, you refuted her, and the emperor also refuted her, otherwise Lingyun and I would have no hope in this life. After Xu Yayan was humiliated, Xu Guangzhi finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He sold his house to raise money, and prepared to return to his hometown. In fact, to be fair he can also be regarded as an extraordinary person. He is very eloquent, knowledgeable, and has remarkable literary talent. He is just unlucky. When he met you who opposed him everywhere, and you just happened to have the emperor¡¯s protection, his official career path gradually gone. This is his destiny, no matter how much he calculates, it¡¯s all in vain.¡±


    Guan Suyi was silent for a long time before she nodded and chuckled, ¡°Sister is right, this is destiny.¡± Perhaps her greatest luck was not to be reborn, but to meet a loved one.

 CH 159

    The list of scholars who passed the imperial examination had been released. The ones who became Zhuangyuan, Bangyan , and Tanhua  were actually three poor students who had never reveal their talents before. Qi Yu and Ji Chengyue, who were the most famous, one was implicated because his wife was committing crime and had to give up the exam halfway; The other one, because his father persecuted his niece and nephew, and breaking off people¡¯s marriage, although he was supposed to be the number one, he was brushed off in the virtue assessment and only got the top Erjia.


    Guan Suyi flipped through the list that Jinzi got for her for a long time, and finally let out a long sigh of relief. Reborn again, it was indeed very different from her previous life. The original Zhuangyuan should be Qi Yu, Xu Guangzhi¡¯s eldest son as Bangyan, and Ji Chengyue as Tanhua. However, she didn¡¯t know the three highest rank who passed the exam now.


    It was precisely because Qi Yu was a disciple of Guan family that Xu Guangzhi worried that her grandfather and father would use this pretext to enter the officialdom, so he went to a great length to ruin her and Qi Yu¡¯s reputation, which completely destroy the last glimmer of hope to make the Guan family rise up again. She had always known that it was absolutely impossible to implicate the new Zhangyuan just relying on the back house struggle alone, and there must be a power struggle behind it. But in this life, all the disasters were gone, and she was no longer the powerless Madam Zhao, someone who was full of proud bones but was hit by people over and over again until she broke apart.


    After thinking about it, she put down the list, felt completely relieved.


    Jinzi took out several sets of dresses and laid them flat on the bed, and said with a smile, ¡°Miss, which dress do you want to wear? If you don¡¯t pick now, Madam will come to urge you later.¡±


    ¡°Wear that red smoke cloud butterfly skirt with this set of gold-encrusted and jade inlaid head ornaments.¡± Guan Suyi looked in the mirror and said casually, ¡°There is no hurry, people from the clan are coming to beat the autumn wind today, and they must be kneeling again, kowtowing again, and wailing again, anyway I can¡¯t get out within half an hour. It¡¯s also strange, back then, our family provided so much for the clan but never saw them showed any gratitude. But now we asked to be removed from the clan, they come to the door to reminisce about our family¡¯s goodwill every day. It turns out it¡¯s not that they don¡¯t understand good and evil, but they just pretended to be stupid.¡±


    ¡°That is even more hateful! Getting other people¡¯s goodwill but also not remember other people¡¯s kindness, it¡¯s typical white-eyed wolf. It¡¯s also them who do not accumulate virtue. The six thousand hectares of fertile land that they just got were occupied by the stingy army in just two months. There are hundreds of people in the clan who don¡¯t know how to live in the future, and if they don¡¯t ask the Emperor Teacher Mansion, who else can they ask for?¡± Jinzi took delight in other people¡¯s calamity.


    Minglan said sarcastically while applying makeup to her miss, ¡°It¡¯s useless to beg. Madam¡¯s heart has completely gone cold, so it¡¯s out of the question to deal with them. Don¡¯t you think they are so shameless? Before, they refused to put the young master into the family tree no matter what, but now the Emperor Teacher Mansion asked to be removed from the clan, they instead anxiously wrote the young master¡¯s name, and took out the family tree to flatter him. It¡¯s really disgusting.¡±


    Guan Suyi dipped a little bit of lip rouge with her little finger and smeared it on her lips, then said, ¡°Why are you talking about these things on such a good day? Not afraid of getting bad luck?¡±


    Jinzi and Minglan kept their mouths shut, waited for their miss to get dressed, and then together went to the front hall. The people of the Guan clan were still shamelessly sat in the hall, and when they saw the magnificently brilliant and beautiful beyond words Guan Suyi, they were all stunned for a while, and then tried to flatter her.


    ¡°Well, the Qionglin banquet is about to start. As the chief examiner¡¯s family, we can¡¯t be late, still expect everyone to be gracious enough to forgive. When the sacrificial land was taken away, our Emperor Teacher Mansion is also powerless. The civilian court officials and military generals are already like water and fire, if can avoid then should avoid. Everyone please finds somebody else to solve it.¡± While speaking Zhong shi waving her hands to send off the guests, her attitude was cold and firm.


    The clansmen cried and begged all the way, but they were finally kicked out by the guards. Recalling the Emperor Teacher Mansion who always granted their requests, they realized what they had lost. Good people were indeed easily bullied, but once they were completely chilled, there was no room for turning around. If they could stand up to condemn Guan Wenhai when he was arrested, or took the initiative to expel him from the clan, they would not get into troubles to this point.


    The family boarded the carriage and headed towards the palace. Guan Suyi and Mu Mu were sit by the window, looking out through the bamboo curtain. The street was full of lanterns, gongs and drums, and it was very lively. They just passed one red silk sedan chair, another one came again, as if rushing to the market.


    Zhong shi smiled and sighed, ¡°Today, the emperor held a banquet to celebrate the new Jinshi, and the people thought it was a good day, so they all got married today. I just counted them, we actually passed four sedan chairs along the way. It¡¯s really full of joy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s strange that I¡¯m especially energetic today, turns out it¡¯s because of people¡¯s happy events.¡± Guan Suyi smiled softly.


    ¡°Exactly. The Central Plains has just experienced a century of catastrophe. The people are withered and the ground is bare for thousands of miles. We should to take advantage of the wedding rush to improve the country¡¯s fortune. The emperor really cares about the country and the people, his heart is concerned about the world, Wei Kingdom surely will get better. A peaceful and prosperous world is just around the corner.¡± Zhong shi sighed as she stared at the crowd with happy faces.


    And Guan Suyi¡¯s feelings were certainly deeper than hers. In the previous life, where did Wei Kingdom have such a thriving atmosphere? Where there ever been such a joyous scene? Everything changed, but it got better and better. While thinking about it, the carriage arrived at the gate of the palace. One palace attendant handed a sign to enter, and then they were taken by another internal attendant to the Qionglin Garden to be seated. The garden was full of splendid flowers, the spring was warm and the scenery was bright. After passing through the main gate, everywhere there were ancient pines and strange cypresses, bright stone winding roads, treasure ponds, and willow bridge, which were very beautiful. Holding a banquet here showed that the emperor attached great importance to the newly appointed Jinshi.


    The banquet had strong Jiuli clan characteristics. Men and women didn¡¯t need to avoid each other. Instead, they sat together according to their seniority and kinship, which seemed to be more harmonious and friendly. The new scholars and the emperor sat together, greatly shortening the distance between them, so that the emperor could ask questions about the exam at any time, drinking and talking together.


    Guan Suyi just sat down with Mu Mu and was about to greet Li shi and the grand princess, when a palace maid stopped her, ¡°Dare to ask if you are Miss Guan?¡±


    ¡°It is I.¡±


    ¡°The Empress Dowager has summons, please Miss Guan, go with this servant.¡± The palace maid was humble on the surface, but her eyes were full of scrutiny and arrogance.


    Guan Suyi was hesitating, but saw the grand princess nodding slightly, implying that she was indeed a female official of Changle Palace, so it was alright to go. Only then she smiled and nodded, handed over Mu Mu to Zhong shi¡¯s care, and brought Jinzi and Minglan with her.


    The once splendid Changle Palace had now become cold ashes after the fire exhausted, and the big momentum was gone. The main hall was empty, with only a Buddhist shrine placed in the inner hall. There were strong sandalwood incense and flickering candles everywhere. It was not like the residence of the Empress Dowager, but more like a nunnery. The Empress Dowager was kneeling in front of the shrine reciting scriptures, her demeanor was quiet and peaceful, but it¡¯s unknown how much resentment she suppressed inside.


    Inside the palace hall, in addition to a few palace maids and internal attendants, there was also a girl dressed in luxurious clothes. Hearing the sound, she turned her face to the side, no doubt it was Bian Min¡¯er.


    ¡°This minister daughter has seen the Empress Dowager, niangniang jin¡¯an.¡± Guan Suyi respectfully bowed down to salute.


    Bian Min¡¯er stood in front of the hall without evading, and was directly bowed by her, her eyes were like quenched with poison, as if she wanted to tear her corpse into ten thousand pieces. Empress Dowager didn¡¯t seem to hear her, and it took about a quarter of an hour before she put down the beads, and said slowly, ¡°Get up and sit down.¡± She only dared to make this little trouble for the other person, if she tried to suppress like last time, she didn¡¯t dare.


    It must be known that this shrine was not dedicated to a bodhisattva, but to a piece of white bone of Husu Liya. Emperor Sheng Yuan ordered her to kneel four hours a day and recite the Sutra repeatedly, otherwise he would send her along with several little imperial grandsons to hell. Her lifeblood was completely in the other person¡¯s hands, and she could only struggle in vain, afraid that either the fish dies or the net splits.


    ¡°I heard that Hunnar likes you very much and wants to admit you to the palace?¡± She said straight to the point.


    Guan Suyi smiled but said nothing. He clearly wanted to marry her, so how could it become ¡®admit¡¯ in the Empress Dowager¡¯s mouth? Could it be that she was sure that Bian Min¡¯er would become the mother of the country?


    The Empress Dowager didn¡¯t need her to answer, she continued, ¡°Hunnar is a member of the Jiuli clan after all, and he can¡¯t mess with the blood of the imperial family. His di wife can only from the same clan. This is the consensus of all Jiuli people. You are Emperor Teacher¡¯s offspring after all, your identity is sufficient. Although you married someone before, but us Jiuli people don¡¯t pay attention to that kind of thing, so it doesn¡¯t matter. At today¡¯s Qionglin banquet, several princes will recommend Min¡¯er as the empress, recommend you as Jieyu, and hope you two will work together with one heart and one mind, serve the emperor well.¡±


    ¡°The princes want to recommend me as Jieyu?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes widened with a ¡°flattered¡± expression.


    ¡°If the emperor likes it, Aijia will do as he wishes.¡± The Empress Dowager¡¯s expression was still indifferent, but there was contempt in her eyes. After all, she was a Han woman, definitely small-minded. Instead of letting the emperor forcibly admit her into the palace, it was better to sell her a favor first, in the future it would be easy to blackmail her. She knew that Hunnar wanted to make this person the empress, but now that he was facing enemies on three sides and was worried about internal and external troubles, how could he dare to disobey the wishes of the entire clan?


    ¡°Many thanks to the Empress Dowager.¡± Guan Suyi instantly put away all her expressions and her voice was cold.


    ¡°What¡¯s with your ambiguous talking? Could it be that the position of Jieyu can¡¯t satisfy you?¡± Bian Min¡¯er mocked, ¡°You want to be the empress? Just ask whether my Jiuli clan¡¯s hundreds of thousands of troops will agree or not.¡±


    You speak so confidently, as if those hundreds of thousands of troops all obeyed your orders and fought for you alone? There should be a limit to being arrogance, ah! Guan Suyi slandered in her heart, but she didn¡¯t refute on the surface, just lowered her eyes slightly and waited in silence.


    When the Empress Dowager saw this, she thought she was softened, then took out two boxes and said, ¡°This is a meeting gift from Aijia, take it and wear it.¡±


    The two thanked her, opened the box and saw that there were two turquoise necklaces, but Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s one was extremely gorgeous, with a palm-sized blood jade engraved with fire and coiled dragons. It was the totem of the Jiuli clan, which at first glance had a sense of heaviness that had gone through the vicissitudes of life and travelled through ancient times. And Guan Suyi¡¯s color was dull, with no extra decoration on the pendant, which made it even more ordinary.


    Bian Min¡¯er was stunned for a while, and said in surprise, ¡°Aunt, are you giving me the Zhenzu treasure?¡±


    ¡°This is the Zhenzu treasure, and it can only be worn by the tribe leader or his wife. The late emperor passed it to Aijia, then Aijia passed it to your eldest cousin. But your eldest cousin is gone, and you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s best suited to wear it.¡± She picked up the necklace, carefully put it on her niece, and said with relief, ¡°Min¡¯er, you have grown up. You should serve the emperor well in the future, spread branches and leaves for the imperial family, and continue the bloodline.¡±


    Bian Min¡¯er nodded obediently, threw herself into the empress dowager¡¯s arms and choked back her tears.


    How could Guan Suyi not know that this scene was specially performed for her? Immediately asked the maid to pour the tea and serve the cakes, and drank while eating, calmly watched to her heart¡¯s content.

 CH 160

    The play had been performed, initial show off strength was also done, but Guan Suyi did not eat this set, making the Empress Dowager and Bian Min¡¯er secretly hated. But they were sure the empress seat was secure, and they already beat this future ¡°favored concubine¡±. So they also said some intimate words, such as manage the harem well and giving birth to a son early, and only stopped after seeing the Qionglin banquet was about to begin.


    ¡°The northwest border is in chaos, you know?¡± Bian Min¡¯er suddenly spoke when the two walked on an empty corner.


    ¡°So what?¡± Guan Suyi asked with raised eyebrows.


    Bian Min¡¯er sneered at the ignorance of Han women and said with a sneer, ¡°The northwest has mostly the Jiuli soldiers, because only the iron cavalry of the Jiuli tribe can withstand the ruthless Hu people. If at this time, the princes who led the troops suddenly quit, in an instant the Hu people will be able to march straight inside. You say, at this time they want to elect me as the empress, will the emperor agree or not? He wants to admit you to the palace, but if the princes firmly opposed, will he dare to act wilfully?¡±


    ¡°So, if I can enter the palace as a concubine, I have to thank you for your charity?¡± Guan Suyi laughed softly.


    ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± Bian Min¡¯er said coldly, ¡°Do you think because the emperor standing behind you, you can do whatever you want? Then let¡¯s see who has the last laugh.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s wait and see.¡± Guan Suyi cupped her hands slightly, then left abruptly. She then stopped for a while at the fork in the road, and went in the direction of the inner palace. Bian Min¡¯er originally wanted to go back to Qionglin Garden, but when she saw that Guan Suyi acted suspicious, she followed behind quietly, until she arrived at a waterside pavilion in the back of Weiyang Palace.


    What a pair of dogs, how dare they have a private meeting in the palace! Thinking like this, Bian Min¡¯er saw the emperor walking slowly towards Guan Suyi who was sitting in the water pavilion. He was highly skilled in martial arts, and when he deliberately concealed his breath like now, it was difficult for ordinary people to find him even if he was close at hand, not to mention Guan Suyi sitting with her back to him, her posture was relaxed, looking even more unaware.


    He bent down, as if calling out ¡°Madam¡±, and as if he blew a breath in Guan Suyi¡¯s ear, which frightened Guan Suyi to turn her head immediately, and her lips almost brushed his lips. Both of them were stunned for a moment, then one stroked his lips and chuckled, the other raised her fists to beat. The intimate and sweet atmosphere showed that the two had already been in love with each other, two hearts beat as one.


    Bian Min¡¯er quickly hid behind the rockery, digging her fingertips into the cracks of the stone, breaking several nails. ¡°Whore!¡± She gritted her teeth and cursed, then stared more intently at the two.


    ¡°Go away.¡± Guan Suyi raised her elbow and pushed Hunnar, who was trying to hug her.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to let me provoke Bian Min¡¯er? How can you make her mad without showing our love?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan put a hand around Madam¡¯s shoulder and took her into his arms.


    ¡°Provoking Bian Min¡¯er seems to be secondary. Your main goal is just to take advantage of me.¡± Guan Suyi quietly twisted the back of his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s Madam who knows me the best.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed softly, raised his hand to stroked Madam¡¯s delicate cheeks, and pinned her hair that mess by the wind behind her ears one by one. He only showed half of his side face, but the tenderness and affection flowing from his eyes could be clearly seen.


    After breaking her nails, Bian Min¡¯er almost crushed her teeth, but she had to hold back.


    Guan Suyi was totally helpless with this shameless person, had no choice but to change the subject, ¡°The Empress Dowager said that the princes will recommend me to enter the palace as a concubine. Look, she gave me a meeting gift.¡± She took off the necklace and put it in the other person¡¯s hand.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan picked it up and looked at it, then sneered, ¡°This thing is extremely poor quality, even a palace maid with a little bit of face will disdain to wear it. If you wear it to the banquet, it will only make the Jiuli noble girls look down on you even more.¡±


    ¡°Really? She also gave one to Bian Min¡¯er, which is said to be your Zhenzu Treasure. It¡¯s a palm-sized blood jade pendant, carved with fire and coiled dragon totems. It looks extremely gorgeous.¡± Guan Suyi pondered, ¡°She¡¯s wearing a precious treasure, and I¡¯m wearing inferior goods. If we walk back together, it will be tantamount to throwing my face to the ground for people to trampled on. The Empress Dowager is worthy of being Bian Miner¡¯s aunt, the scheme to humiliate people is equally sinister and treacherous.¡±


    ¡°Good scolding.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan threw the necklace into the water and ordered, ¡°Baifu, bring the brocade box here.¡±


    Baifu immediately offered a brocade box with both hands, opened it, and inside there was a nine-tailed phoenix crown, with a green opening ring at the bottom of the crown, on top inlaid with gemstones and bead flowers, hanging on the lower part of the crown were six wings at the back, three flamboyant and gorgeous phoenix tail at the front, and three phoenix tails on the left and right sides. It was dotted with emeralds, inlaid with golden dragons and pearl flowers, decorated with hundreds of rubies and sapphires, and thousands of pearls. The whole phoenix crown was full of dragons and phoenixes dance in the breeze, pearl and jade wind around, truly dazzling.


    Guan Suyi, who was usually not interested in worldly things, was stunned, let alone Jinzi and Minglan?


    ¡°You want me to wear it to Qionglin Banquet?¡± Guan Suyi murmured, ¡°It¡¯s all women¡¯s dream, and I will definitely be torn to pieces by those jealous women.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed and said softly, ¡°I have conquered the Nine Continent and annihilated many countries. How many phoenix crowns have I collected? Madam can just treat it like a toy, take it back to enjoy it or store it, it¡¯s up to you. On the day you and I get married, only the most precious and gorgeous phoenix crown can set off your beauty, and only you are worthy of being my empress.¡±


    He deliberately infused the last few words with his inner strength, so that Bian Min¡¯er could hear it clearly. Her eyes were already red, she looked down at the so-called Zhenzu Treasure, eager to tear it off at once, throwing it on the ground and smashed it to pieces. What turquoise, what blood jade, it can¡¯t match even a little bit of style of the phoenix crown.


    Guan Suyi touched the twinkling phoenix wings, then rarely plead, ¡°Then you put it on for me first?¡± No matter how indifferent she was, she was still a woman. How could a woman not love jewelry?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled, raised the phoenix crown and slowly put it on for her, then held her cheek, and said hoarsely, ¡°Don¡¯t move, it seems a little bit crooked, I will help you straighten it.¡±


    Guan Suyi obeyed obediently, looked up at him, but saw that he suddenly approached and dropped a butterfly-like kiss on her nose and forehead, then stepped back a little, proudly said, ¡°The phoenix crown is not crooked, I just want to taste Madam¡¯s fragrance taste.¡±


    Guan Suyi wasn¡¯t even angry, she pursed her lips and chuckled, ¡°I know it¡¯s not crooked, and I know what you want to do. Just indulging a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Madam seems to let go a lot?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was greatly surprised.


    ¡°Hands are held, what else can I do? Wouldn¡¯t it be pretentious to hide again?¡±


    ¡°Then I have hugged Madam before, and even took off my clothes in front of you, why didn¡¯t see Madam give up resistance and submit to me?¡±


    ¡°How can hugging and holding hands be the same?¡± Guan Suyi tilted her head and said eloquently, ¡°Hugging can only stay in one place, but holding hands can walk together. This is the most essential difference between the two.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned for a while, before he laughed heartily, ¡°Madam, Madam, you always have so many crooked reasoning. But I like this preposterous theory. Hugs can only stay in one place, but holding hands can walk together. No wonder after holding your hand while walking through the mud that day, you no longer rejected me. Madam, you are so cute.¡±


    As he spoke, he cupped Madam¡¯s cheek again, trying to kiss her bright red lips, but unexpectedly kissed the back of her white hand.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you mean you will no longer resist?¡± He raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°The joy of the boudoir, let¡¯s talk about it after entering the boudoir.¡± Guan Suyi glanced sideways, suggesting that Bian Min¡¯er was still hiding and watching.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan had long forgotten about this creature, but at this time, he didn¡¯t feel disappointed when he thought about it. He kissed the back of Madam¡¯s hand before letting her go. The two of them whispered next to each other, sometimes laughing, sometimes looking at each other, the atmosphere was indescribably gentle, and they reluctantly separated after Baifu urged them three times.


    Before leaving, Emperor Sheng Yuan helped Guan Suyi remove the phoenix crown, put it back in the brocade box, and ordered Jinzi to keep it safe. Then, he took out a simple nine-tailed phoenix hairpin from his sleeve pocket and gently inserted it into her bun. After repeatedly adjusting the angle, only then he felt that it was perfect before he squeezed her fingertips and left silently.


    Under the escort of the guards, Guan Suyi also left quickly, leaving a blend of ambergris and cinnamon scents at that place, lingering for a long time.


    Bian Min¡¯er smashed her fist on the rockery, and when she heard the maid calling for her not far away, she walked out, her face extremely gloomy and terrifying. ¡°Go to the banquet! After today, I will be the Empress of Wei!¡± She said word by word.


    The two came back one after another and each sat at their place. The noble girls of the Jiuli clan all stared at Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s necklace, only because it was the treasure of the Jiuli clan; the Han noble girls all stared at Guan Suyi¡¯s phoenix hairpin, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, yes, yes nine tails. Nine is the greatest number, its nobleness was incomparable, only the empress could wear it.


    It seems that the empress¡¯ seat has already reserved. The two factions pondered on their own, but the candidates were completely different.


    ¡°Where did you get this phoenix hairpin?¡± Zhong shi gently tugged at her daughter¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°The emperor sent it just now.¡± Guan Suyi said naturally.


    ¡°That empress seat not necessarily will fall into your hand, hurry up and put it away, so as not to attract people¡¯s jealousy and increase the gossip fodder!¡± Zhong shi lowered her voice and said urgently, ¡°The war on the northwest border has started again, and the emperor is now relying on a few princes to quell the chaos, he will never dare to refute the empress candidate they proposed!¡±


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t panic, if daughter dares to wear it, naturally daughter will be able to undertake it.¡± Guan Suyi pressed Zhong shi¡®s shoulders and said firmly, ¡°After today, the princes will never mention the matter of the empress again. Just sit back and wait for Hunnar to come to the door to propose marriage.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Zhong shi asked while frowning.


    Guan Suyi smiled without saying a word, just raised the wine cup to salute Bian Min¡¯er from afar. Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s eyes were red, her complexion was black, and she looked as ferocious as a ghost. Seeing Guan Suyi¡¯s ¡°provocation¡±, she would not admit defeat, and immediately took a drink from her cup. After the two drank three cups in a row, Guan Suyi stopped to take care of her younger brother, but Bian Min¡¯er continued cup by cup in order to vent her hatred.


    Although most of the children of the Jiuli clan have a very high alcohol tolerance, not get drunk after a thousand cups, but after drinking so much their cheeks were inevitably redden, in the end still a bit unsightly. Madam Bian snatched the wine cup from her daughter¡¯s hand and scolded, ¡°Stop drinking, go down and wash your face. If you let the princes see your ghostly appearance, where still have the face to bring up the empress¡¯ matter?¡±


    Bian Min¡¯er sighed in her heart, immediately apologize to her mother, and then hurried to the back palace to wash and change her clothes, but she didn¡¯t expect to be knocked out by a knife-hand strike as soon as she stepped into the palace hall door, and fell heavily to the ground.

 CH 161

    After about a quarter of an hour, Bian Min¡¯er came out of the side hall with the support of two maids, washed her face, changed her clothes and hairstyle, held her head high, and looking arrogant. She walked back to Madam Bian and took a seat, staring straight at the nine-turn bridge, it¡¯s unknown what she was thinking.


    Madam Bian looked her up and down and saw that the redness on her face had subsided a little, she nodded with satisfaction, ¡°After today, you will become the Empress of Wei, you can¡¯t act as recklessly as you did just now. No matter how much fire you have in your heart, you have to bear it for me. I know you don¡¯t like Guan family¡¯s daughter, but the emperor likes it, so what can we do beside obeying his will. When the two of you enter the palace in the future, she will still have to live under your thumbs, and if you want to rectify her, there will be many opportunities. People is already under the nose, are you still afraid that she will run away?¡±


    ¡°Mother, I understand.¡± Bian Min¡¯er seemed to have calmed down, and was about to drink a few sips of hot tea to sober up, when she heard two Han noblewomen talking in a low voice, ¡°You saw the phoenix hairpin on Miss Guan¡¯s head? It has nine tails, only the empress is qualified to wear it.¡±


    ¡°These golden-bright and dazzling thing, who couldn¡¯t see it? She clearly didn¡¯t have it when she first came, but after she went to Changle Palace it suddenly appeared. I¡¯m afraid that the empress seat has already fall into her hand.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. His Majesty doesn¡¯t say it, but in fact, it has long been implied. It has to be the most beautiful in appearance, the most talented, the most noble family background, and the highest moral character. Which one doesn¡¯t refer to Miss Guan? After some people criticize Miss Guan as a reconcile woman, saying that she is not worthy, His Majesty immediately promulgated the law of nurturing the people, ordered men and women in Wei Kingdom to marry, and encouraged widows to remarry. If anyone want to obstruct Miss Guan from entering the palace again, they can be immediately charge with ¡®violating national laws¡¯. He has already paved the way for Miss Guan to enter the palace step by step, and cleared away obstacles one by one. Beside Miss Guan, who else can become the mother the country?¡±


    ¡°His Majesty has a deep affection for Miss Guan, and has good intentions!¡± When the two said this, they both showed a look of jealousy and envy.


    Bian Min¡¯er drank continuously while listening, and unknowingly drank two pots of wine. Madam Bian came up to snatch the wine cup, but she pushed it away forcefully, and asked, ¡°Her phoenix hairpin can only be worn by the empress?¡±


    ¡°How do I know about the Han people¡¯s stuff?¡± Madam Bian felt helpless, and was about to persuade her daughter in a good voice, but she suddenly threw the wine cup and walked straight to Guan Suyi, without saying a word, took off the phoenix hairpin on her head, threw it on the ground and stomped it into pieces.


    ¡°What a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin! I¡¯ll let you wear it, I¡¯ll let you wear it!¡± In full view of everyone, she actually went into a drunken madness. Not to mention that Guan Suyi and Zhong shi didn¡¯t have time to react, even Madam Bian couldn¡¯t recover for a long time.


    In just a moment of effort, she already lifted the table in front of Guan Suyi, and scolded like a cannonball, ¡°Whore! Han dog! You dare to be so arrogant in front of me, when you enter the palace in the future, see if I don¡¯t kill you! Do you think Jieyu is so great? I¡¯m still the dignified empress! My father is the general of the Central Army, in charge to defense the capital; my brother is the general of Huya, stationed in the northwest, they can buy war horses from the Hu people, and they can exchange salt, iron, and copper from Xue Mingrui. My Bian family can make our own weapons and coins, and we also sell endless private salt. I only need five years, when I give birth to the emperor¡¯s eldest son, what are you, Guan Suyi? What is Emperor Sheng Yuan? What are several princes? You people will become my Bian family¡¯s dogs! After all, this world belongs to my Bian family!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up, hurry up, pull the miss back and shut her mouth!¡± Madam Bian was panting while clutching her chest, looking greatly stimulated and shaky. Several maids were about to pull the person, but a majestic voice rang out, ¡°No one is allowed to move. This Palace wants to see what kind of virtue this future empress really is.¡±


    Everyone turned their heads to look back, only to see the grand princess had removed her saber and pressed it hard on the table. The blade was half unsheathed, reflecting her cold and gloomy face. Because Bian Zhaoxiong supported the eldest prince¡¯s succession, and the grand princess supported Emperor Sheng Yuan, the two had always been at odds and had many disagreements. Now that she had glimpsed into the Bian family¡¯s ambitions, how could she be willing to give up? Naturally she had to hear it clearly.


    Bian Zhaoxiong and several princes had not yet arrived with His Majesty, and among all the people present, the grand princess was the most powerful. Even if Madam Bian was so anxious, she couldn¡¯t do anything. She desperately wanted to pounce and cover her daughter¡¯s disastrous mouth, but was held in place by two guards, unable to move. Everyone in the Bian family was held back by swords, spears, saber and halberds one by one, and they could only watch as Bian Miner continued to go crazy.


    Guan Suyi had already been protected by the guards brought by the grand princess, and every time Bian Min¡¯er wanted to fight her, she was always pushed away, making her became more and more furious, ¡°How dare you stop me, wow, when my son ascends the throne in the future, you all will be executed! Father led the army to besiege Liangcheng. He should have slaughtered the whole city with all of those Han dogs and entered the Central Plains, but he was stopped by that wild species Emperor Sheng Yuan. He also persuaded Zhao Hai to surrender, and privately opened the city gate and settled peacefully, which made my father lost the merit of being the first to break through the center of the Central Plains, and everything has gone bad since then. Damn the Han dog, all the Han dogs should die! In the future, when my son ascends the throne, I will slaughter all the Han people like my father, leaving no one behind! You are only worthy of being the dog of my Jiuli people, not even fit to be the lowest and most inferior slave!¡±


    Her eyes were red and she looked crazy, the more she talked, the more outrageous she became. Madam Bian kept shaking her head and shouting, ¡°Min¡¯er, shut up! What nonsense are you talking about!¡±


    However, whether she was talking nonsense or not, everyone present were well aware. According to Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s previous style, these words definitely came from her heart. Back then, Bian Zhaoxiong used to lead troops to slaughter the city, and every place he passed was bound to be burnt, killed and looted, not even chickens and dogs were leave behind. It was not until later when Emperor Sheng Yuan suddenly emerged, occupying the position of commander-in-chief of the Jiuli army, and peacefully recruiting many Han generals, only then he slowly relented. The notorious ¡°four-class system¡± was also jointly proposed by him and several powerful people of Jiuli clan, with the intention of suppressing the Han people, and at the same time suppressing the pro-Han Emperor Sheng Yuan.


    If Bian Min¡¯er became the empress and gave birth to the emperor¡¯s eldest son, it would be a disaster for the Han people! No, she must not ascend the throne, not only her, but also any noble girl of the Jiuli clan cannot become the empress. This was no longer a matter of power struggle, but the key to the entire ethnic group¡¯s live and death!


    The Bian family colluded with the Hu people and Xue the Thief, hoarding war horses and weapons, and privately minting coins and sold salt privately. Their ambitions to usurp the throne were obvious! They already had the intention to destroy the Han people. As the saying goes, the first to strike is the strongest, after this banquet, the Bian family must be wiped out from the Wei Kingdom!


    The Han ministers looked at each other with solemn expression.


    General Zhao Hai, who had previously led the Jiuli army to enter the Central Plains by privately opened the gates of Liangzhou, received many kind glances. He was not the first Han general to take refuge with Emperor Sheng Yuan, but he was the one who pushed open the gate of the Central Plains for him. Everyone didn¡¯t say anything on the surface, but behind his back, which one didn¡¯t scold him for being a traitor dog. However, when everyone heard Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s revelation, they suddenly realized that if he didn¡¯t open the city gate and surrendered peacefully, countless people in Liangzhou might have turned into bones.


    Loyalty or human life, which one was more important. Under the brutal rule of the last emperor of the previous dynasty, loyalty had been worn out, and generals with the slightest conscience would choose to protect the people. Zhao Hai closed his eyes, tears faintly flashed in the corners of his eyes.


    Bian Min¡¯er was still screaming like a mad dog. She smashed Guan family¡¯s table and then went to smash the tables of the people next to her, scolding, ¡°I have put up with you Han dogs for a long time! Wait until several princes joined with the Hu people and occupy the five cities in the northwest, so what if Emperor Sheng Yuan did not want to set up a vassal state? Which Han troops in his hand is the opponent of the Hu people¡¯s iron cavalry, wouldn¡¯t he still have to rely on us? In five years, after several princes developed and expanded in the vassal state, forming a siege of the Central Plains, then it¡¯s the time for our Bian family to change the dynasty! Emperor Sheng Yuan is worthy of being a wild species, he¡¯s not siding with his clan, but actually support the Han people, he should also die!¡±


    The face of powerful people of the Jiuli clan turned deathly pale one by one, as if sitting on pins and needles. How could they not feel Han minister¡¯s anger? They hated Bian Min¡¯er in their heart, but they didn¡¯t dare to act rashly. Several princes did repeatedly propose to set up a vassal state, but they were all denied by Emperor Sheng Yuan for various excuses. He was worried that the vassal state would gradually become stronger and caused civil strife, which now seems to be the case.


    ¡°Bian Min¡¯er, that¡¯s enough!¡± Madam Bian shouted hoarsely.


    ¡°Not enough, let her continue.¡± A deep and rich voice suddenly came forth, making everyone trembled. They turned their heads to look at the back, and saw Emperor Sheng Yuan leading people, followed by Bian Zhaoxiong and several princes, their faces were ashen. Their trust with each other turned to suspicion, and then from suspicion to trepidation.


    Bian Min¡¯er didn¡¯t wake up until this time, looking at the mess on the ground, then at her mother whose eyes were oozing blood, she finally slumped to the ground and kowtowed desperately, ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please forgive me! This minister daughter just said some drunken nonsense, please forgive the sin.¡±


    Nonsense? Who can believe this? Old Master Guan immediately stepped forward and said sternly, ¡°Your Majesty, the Bian family and several princes must be cooperating with each other to usurp the throne. If this is true, they should be punished! Please, Your Majesty, immediately take the related people into custody, and wait until this matter is investigated thoroughly!¡±


    ¡°Please investigated thoroughly, Your Majesty!¡± All the Han ministers knelt down in unison, their voices shook the sky, and even the scholars who had not yet entered the court were not afraid to offend the powerful people, they all bowed down and made a petition. If the Bian family was not exterminated, if those princes who treat the Han people like pigs and dogs were not exterminated, how could they still have the way to survive?


    Everyone originally thought that the emperor was a barbarian after all, on the surface they obeyed, but inside they more or less had some doubts. But now when the two sides were compared, only then they realize that the emperor¡¯s reign was actually the greatest luck of the people of Wei Kingdom. If the ruler was the late eldest prince, third prince, sixth prince, or any of those several princes, the Han people would not have the status they have today, let alone live a peaceful and happy life.


    To defend the emperor is to defend themselves, this was a belated realization of all the Han ministers. And the position of the empress should be none other than a Han woman! The position of the crown prince could not be assumed by a prince who was not a pro-Han! In an instant, all the Han ministers united, intending to fight against the nobles of the Jiuli clan.


    Feeling the tense atmosphere in Qionglin Garden, and feeling the rejection and hostility of Han ministers, the powerful people of the Jiuli clan felt that something was amiss, and they suddenly realized what kind of disaster would be brought by oppressing the people of the Central Plains in the center of the Central Plains. They had no choice but to stand up and say in unison, ¡°Please investigated thoroughly, Your Majesty!¡±

 CH 162

    Bian Min¡¯er rushed forward and kowtowed, ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m just talking nonsense! I¡¯m possessed by a ghost! Please forgive the Bian family!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan kicked her away and said solemnly, ¡°Come, take General Bian and a few imperial uncles to the side hall for a while! Imperial sister, trouble you to go to each of their mansion for inspection, so they can be cleared as soon as possible.¡± If Bian Min¡¯er didn¡¯t admit it personally in front of the civil and military officials, even if he secretly got the evidence, it would not be easy to catch everyone.


    But now, Bian Min¡¯er had provoked a conflict between Han ministers and Jiuli nobles, making the two irreconcilable and difficult to mediate. And the Jiuli people were not monolithic whole, as long as he could make good use of these conflicts, he could get rid of hidden troubles in one fell swoop. To be honest, the so-called truth revealed by Bian Miner was just a conjecture deduced based on clues and traces of the scouts he sent, and there was no actual proof. But so what? Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s confession was the actual proof, that were picked up from each mansion, and without proof he could just place a few himself.


    In other words, the Bian family and several princes had become pawns in his hands, to be abandoned or discarded, it was all up to him.


    Bian Zhaoxiong and several princes had already saddled with treason crime, so they did not dare to resist, surrounded by the imperial guards they were forced to go to the side hall. The womenfolk of the Bian family were also taken away one by one, especially Bian Min¡¯er, who looked like she had lost her soul and almost collapsed.


    The nobles of the Jiuli clan were silent, and the Han courtiers were also solemn. They were secretly thinking about how to end this matter, but then the emperor said in a warm voice, ¡°Today is a big day for the students, how can it be disturbed by these little things? Come, let¡¯s start the banquet!¡±


    The emperor has a good temper! At this time, he¡¯s still able to hold his anger, truly worthy of being the master of the world! Thinking like this, the nobles of Jiuli clan were already convinced, and the Han courtiers were even more loyal to him. Just because they knew that if the emperor could not sit firmly at the top and the throne was changed to any other Jiuli imperial family, the first one to be unlucky would definitely be the Han people.


    ¡®Let the emperor quickly appoint a Han woman as the empress and give birth to the eldest son who has half the blood of the Han people, so as to consolidate the kinship between the two ethnic groups and deepen the power of the country¡¯s integration¡¯, this matter had become an urgent task for Han courtiers to solve. They looked left and right, looked at each other, and chosen the most suitable candidate in their hearts. After this incident, one could imagine how bad the emperor¡¯s mood was. If the Han people recommend a woman he was not satisfied with, or even extremely disgusted, and let him to delay establishing an empress, Heavens knows what kind of troublesome things would happen when the nobles of the Jiuli clan come up with their solution.


    The battle for the empress seat was imminent, and as long as the Han woman was first to ascend, the issue of candidate was not important. What¡¯s more, the Emperor Teacher Mansion has always been benevolent, faithful and loyal throughout generations, and Miss Guan not only had an upright and unyielding character, talented and beautiful, but also a far-sighted person. By setting her up as the empress, she could suppress the daughter of the Pan family who was now in charge of the sixth palace.


    The emperor¡¯s words revealed that he wanted to marry Miss Guan as his empress, then he must have some sincere love for her. If they don¡¯t send her into the palace now, then wait until when? If the daughter of the Pan clan was pregnant first, it would be difficult to guarantee that the nobles the Jiuli clan would not put her at the throne in the name of ¡°carrying the dragon heir¡± merit. At that time, it might be too late to select a suitable candidate among the Han women.


    The opportunity could pass in an instant, there was no room for delay. Before they could get together to discuss, the Han courtiers had quietly reached a consensus. However, Guan Suyi, who was in the center of all this, seemed to be unaware, she took a sip from the teacup while gently patted her frightened younger brother.


    Zhong shi tried to compose herself, then she leaned to Guan Suyi¡¯s ear, ¡°Is this what you mean to undertake it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to cook the Bian family and a few princes in one pot? Saving me from them pointing their fingers and jabbering on and on when I enter the palace in the future.¡± Guan Suyi lowered her voice, ¡°Furthermore, the Bian family had plan to usurp the throne, and several princes wanted to make a big vassal state. They colluded with the Hu people and Xue the Thief to weaken Wei¡¯s national strength and split Wei¡¯s territory. If their territory expanded, their status stabilized, while they held the power of life and death in the vassal state, and form encirclement on the Central Plains, then how should the people of the Central Plains live? The reason why I do such insidious things is to eliminate harm for the people and display my loyalty to the country.¡±


    Sure enough, Zhong shi thought, rubbing her brows and sighing, ¡°You¡¯re still so righteous and composed when such an earth-shattering mess is happening. When did you become like this? I almost don¡¯t recognize you.¡±


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m going to enter the palace in the future. If I don¡¯t even have this much trick, how can I supress the concubines in the Sixth Palace? How can I supress the empress dowager and the widows of the princes in Changle Palace? You should be grateful for my change.¡± From now on, Guan Suyi just wanted to be herself. She might have compromise to win Hunnar¡¯s favor, or do something against her conscience to protect herself and her children. But as Hunnar said, at least in Wei, except for him, no one could trample on her dignity or hurt her family, and that¡¯s enough.


    From the wife of a commoner to the mother of the country, from being unloved to being favored, her current life had far exceeded her imagination and expectations. If she didn¡¯t readily accept, instead reject it again and again, even she would call herself a ¡°blockhead¡±.


    Zhong shi was speechless by her daughter¡¯s reasonings, and after a long while, she said embarrassingly, ¡°Well, this is the path you chose yourself. Even if the front is full of swords, spears, and halberds, you have to go forward.¡±


    ¡°Daughter has long realized this.¡± Guan Suyi raised her cup and took a sip. Seeing that Hunnar was looking at her from a distance, she immediately smiled.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned for a while, but after a few breaths, his gloomy complexion had all receded, and turned into a sunny face. He smiled and invited all the Jinshi to take their seats. He then ordered Baifu to immediately go to his private treasury to find a decent golden hairpin and send it to Miss Guan, as a way to suppress her shock.


    After a while, Baifu walked up to Miss Guan, offered a brocade box with both hands, opened it for her to see, and inside laid an even more luxurious nine-tailed phoenix hairpin, adorned with red sapphires and shiny pearls, the phoenix wings and tails that were fluttering in the wind, vibrating as if wanting to fly like a divine bird of the nirvana, the gem¡¯s light radiating all around, vivid like a living spirit.


    The surrounding womenfolk exclaimed in amazement, and the male guests were even more determined to elect Miss Guan as the empress. Not only it could please the emperor, but also suppress the concubines of the Jiuli clan, killing two birds with one stone. With Miss Guan¡¯s talent, courage, and grace, she was enough to be the opponent of the daughter of the Pan family. They heard that the other person used to led the soldiers and killed people, had a strong personality, and had superb martial arts. If it were an ordinary Han woman who entered the palace, afraid she would not be her opponent.


    Thinking like this, they couldn¡¯t find a more suitable candidate besides Miss Guan.


    When the phoenix hairpin flew up on the beautiful hair and shone brightly, no Han ministers had wavering minds or hesitating. Guan Suyi traced her hairline, and then dragged her floor-length dress embroidered with peonies to walked forward, then bowed deeply, ¡°Thank you Your Majesty for your reward.¡±


    ¡°Madam, please get up quickly!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan walked straight off the throne, helped her up, reached out and touched her temples, smiled and praised, ¡°This phoenix hairpin had been placed in Zhen¡¯s private treasury for a long time, although it¡¯s dazzling, but it had no master worthy of it. Now flying in Madam¡¯s black hair, it fortunate enough to set off Madam¡¯s beautiful and moon-like appearance, it can be considered to complements each other.¡±


    These words were euphemistic, but not so subtle, everyone here was not a fool, how could they not understand its meaning? The emperor made it clear towards the whole civil and military court officials that his favorite candidate for the empress was only Miss Guan from beginning to end. They just didn¡¯t know since when the two had an affair, before or after the reconciliation? But who would dare to delve into this question? They just thought about it in their hearts.


    Guan Suyi smiled shyly and her eyes were gleaming, which made Emperor Sheng Yuan stunned for a moment. With great difficulty he regained his sanity, and took a few steps forward to send Madam back to her seat. He sat down while his ears turning red, and then raised his voice, ¡°Today Zhen have the privilege to win the pillars of talent, and in future days each will become Zhen¡¯s trusted aide, supporting the court, and benefitting the common people. All of those hard work and bitter study, and setting up lofty ambitions are not in vain. Come, drink! There¡¯s no need to salute Zhen, just salute the heaven and earth, the ancestors, and the country!¡±


    ¡°Salute heaven and earth, ancestors, and country!¡± Everyone hurriedly raised their cups and got up and drank them all.


    Amidst the serious and solemn atmosphere, a violent cough suddenly rang out, and everyone looked around at a loss. Then they realized that Guan Mumu, the heir adopted by the Emperor Teacher Mansion, had also heroically drank a cup. At this moment, he was burying his head in Miss Guan¡¯s layered skirt and coughing desperately, his small appearance was both embarrassed and cute.


    He was not the only child that entered the palace for the banquet today, but he was the youngest. In addition, he was very curious about the contents of the cup. While no one paid attention, he actually made a gaffe and stupid mistake in front of the emperor. Old Master Guan hurriedly stepped forward to apologize, but heard Emperor Sheng Yuan laughing loudly, ¡°Little master is sincere, other children use tea instead of wine, but he¡¯s not hesitating at all and immediately drank a cup of strong wine. Sure enough, has the style of our generation. Come, come to Zhen, drink the wine slowly, Zhen will teach you.¡±


    Mu Mu admired his brother-in-law so much, he immediately ran over after hearing this, familiarly laying on his knees while coughing, and whispered ¡°Brother-in-law¡±.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was very happy, he picked up his brother-in-law, exchanged the cup to mild fruit wine, dipped it with chopsticks and slowly fed it to him, with a gentle demeanor and considerate actions. He caught sight of Madam sitting at the bottom showing a displeased look, she secretly pushed the wine cup, signaled him not to let her younger brother drink too much, and then he stopped embarrassingly.


    Both of them were the focus of attention, how could no one notice the interaction between them? Not to mention, the emperor that kind of domineering character actually seemed to be suppressed by Miss Guan. It seemed that the candidate for the empress seat was already a nail in the coffin and could not be changed.


    ¡ª¨C


    At the same time, in the secret room in the back palace, the disheveled ¡°Bian Min¡¯er¡± was pulling her face bit by bit, revealing the true face underneath. Hearing a sound, she turned around and showed that it was Jinzi, who should have been serving by Guan Suyi¡¯s side.


    ¡°You learned how to change voices? It¡¯s quite impressive. How do you feel insulting your superior?¡± A tall man walked in carrying the real Bian Min¡¯er.


    ¡°Just following imperial order, fortunately I don¡¯t fail the mission.¡± Jinzi was about to die, but she couldn¡¯t say that, instead said, ¡°I have to go back to serve Miss. Where are you taking this person? My miss said she wanted to see her, can you help arrange it?¡±


    ¡°Empress niangniang wants to see the person, how dare we neglect it? After the banquet, you can bring niangniang to the underground palace.¡± The man knocked on the floor tiles, went down from the slowly opening secret passage, and soon disappeared under the flickering dim yellow candlelight.

 CH 163

    Bian Min¡¯er woke up while rubbing her sore neck, and as soon as she opened her eyes, even before she could see her surrounding, she was ruthlessly slapped. She jumped up and questioned sternly, ¡°Which damned dog slave dare to¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, she was slapped again, followed by another, two times, three times¡­ After a dozen slaps in succession, she heard an extremely cold voice slowly speak, ¡°Are you awake? I¡¯ll continue to slap if you¡¯re still not awake.¡±


    ¡°Mother, why are you beating me?¡± Only then did Bian Min¡¯er see the person in front of her clearly, and she realized that she was not in Qionglin Garden, but in a dark and cramped place, like a prison cell.


    ¡°Where is this?¡± She turned pale from fright and said in horror, ¡°Mother, why are we locked up? Where the hell is this?¡±


    ¡°Why are we locked up, isn¡¯t it all thanks to you?¡± Madam Bian knew that her daughter¡¯s drinking capacity was not low, even after five to six pots of wine could not make her drunk to the point of going crazy in public. The drink must have been mixed with some drug, which made her say those words that send the Bian family and several princes to their doomed. However, knowing was knowing, and whether they could be forgiven was another matter.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that this daughter had always been arrogant and domineering, never care about human life, and was cultivated to have such an ignorant temperament, even if she lost her mind, she would at most say some stupid things about other families¡¯ daughters. Where would be saying to execute all the Han people and even the emperor?


    No matter how many of those words were true or false, it was impossible for the Han courtiers to spare the Bian family, let alone allow those princes to sit on their vassals. Among the Jiuli people, in addition to the imperial family and the top ten noble surnames, just like the Han people, there were many poor people with real talents and real learning. They all genuinely followed Emperor Sheng Yuan to fight hard until achieving their current status. However, in the early days of the founding of the country, when the meritorious service was awarded, because their social status was low, their credits were deprived and even robbed, and they could only hold small position in the military.


    Once the few princes fall, the top ten noble surnames who were close to them would also be implicated, and the emperor could reasonably lift up those supporters who really rushed to fight with him among the mountains of daggers and seas of flame. He wouldn¡¯t have to worry that he could have no one to use, let alone worry for the Jiuli people who alienated him.


    After this incident, his control over the Han people and the Jiuli people would only be deepened, the prestige he established before would only get higher, and the loyalty he got before would only be steadier. He had already turned into a dragon and soared into the sky, but those who used to despise him had always reluctant to face him, which was why today¡¯s catastrophe happened.


    Who would have thought that he didn¡¯t need to confront anyone, let alone strategize a plan and slowly scheme, and just use one woman¡¯s drunken words to wipe out all the big problems!


    This trick was not very clever, but it was really ingenious. And it was precisely because the Bian family raised Bian Miner into this kind of virtue that he had the opportunity to take advantage of it. Now, even if each Bian family has a hundred mouths to defend Bian Min¡¯er, saying that she was drunk, possessed by a ghost, or even drugged, who would believe it? Her daily actions, words and deeds were exactly the same as her crazy words today. In her eyes, Han people were worse than dogs, and everyone in Yanjing knew this.


    In ordinary times, no matter how arrogant and domineering she was, the Bian family and the Empress Dowager would always support her. But now, she did her best to provoke the hatred of all the Han people and provoked a life-and-death dispute between the two ethnic groups, even if the old Heavenly Sovereign came, he couldn¡¯t defend her!


    Madam Bian regretted it so much! The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, she slapped Bian Min¡¯er five or six times, even knocked out a few of her teeth. The womenfolk of the Bian family were all imprisoned in the same cell, but no one stepped forward to stop her, all staring at Bian Min¡¯er with indifferent and resentful eyes.


    Bian Min¡¯er was shocked and frightened. She rushed over and hugged her mother¡¯s legs, crying and begging, ¡°Mother, stop beating. Where is this? Why are we locked up? In any case you should make me understand what happened.¡±


    Madam Bian thought she lost her memory of the banquet after getting drugged, and kicked her away with one foot, dropped down to the ground then refused to speak. Her eldest sister-in-law truly hated her, detailed the events at the banquet one by one, and finally said with a sneer, ¡°When the emperor ascended the throne, I said that now the Jiuli and Han people share the world, mother-in-law and father-in-law should manage sister-in-law better. Don¡¯t let her be too arrogant and cause a big disaster. Now, this word has really come true. When others want to plot against the Bian family, who else can they choose beside her? Because she¡¯s crazy! Because she attracts hatred! She talks about ¡®Han dog and whore¡¯ every day, and if something goes wrong, she will flare out on the Han servants, kill one today, kill another tomorrow. You didn¡¯t reprimand her, and even help her dispose the body. You didn¡¯t hide it from the outside world, and let her get the reputation as devil incarnate. Can you explain what she said at the banquet just now? The Central Plains are the Han people¡¯s world. Once they feel threatened, even the emperor won¡¯t be able suppress them! Our Bian family is over! It¡¯s all over!¡±


    Bian Min¡¯er was dazed and frightened, and hurriedly defended, ¡°It¡¯s not me who said those words! I was knocked unconscious when I went to the back hall to change my clothes, and I just woke up! That¡¯s right, where are my two maids? They, they must have betrayed me and made a fake Bian Min¡¯er! Mother, please believe me, I really didn¡¯t say those words, even if I¡¯m crazy I wouldn¡¯t playing around with the lives of our whole family! Mother, look at me¡­ ¡±


    No matter what the truth was, or whether the person who said those words was Bian Min¡¯er, the Bian family had already beyond hope and could not pursue the matter. The other party used Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s face, voice, and identity, and completely crucified the Bian family.


    Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s eldest sister-in-law said dejectedly, ¡°So what if it was you? So what if it wasn¡¯t you? If only you accumulate a little bit of virtue and restrain yourself, others will not believe those words. Do you know why the people who plot against the Bian family chose you? Because you are the rotten seed of the Bian family! Just pierce you, and you can make the entire Bian family rot¡­¡±


    Before she could finish her words, she heard a crisp applause from the dark passage, and after a while, a graceful woman in brocade clothes came over and said slowly, ¡°In the whole Bian family, I¡¯m afraid only this young lady has this foresight.¡±


    She stood outside the prison door, illuminated by the dim yellow candlelight, this face that make the moon hide and the flowers shy was very dazzling. Who else if not the biggest winner today, Guan Suyi.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Bian Min¡¯er finally realized, rushed over and roared, ¡°It¡¯s you who did it! You framed me!¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t answer, and walked in front of the cell door twice, her tone unhurried, ¡°That day in the dark alley, you asked me if I dare to kill you and if I dare to go against the entire Jiuli clan. I didn¡¯t answer at that time. Now I¡¯ll give you the answer ¨C I dare. Kill you, I dare; going against the Jiuli clan, I also dare.¡±


    She leaned over slightly, stared at Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s red, already timid eyes, and said word by word, ¡°Then it¡¯s my turn to ask you, do you dare to bear the consequences of angering me?¡±


    Dare? Bian Min¡¯er shook her head invisibly, then shook her head again, and finally collapsed completely. She didn¡¯t dare, because she angered this person, she actually exchanged the whole family¡¯s life for it. If she had known this, she would never have provoked the other person. Even now, she still doesn¡¯t understand how she ended up in this plight, and who was Bian Min¡¯er that gone mad.


    She finally burst into tears like a normal fifteen-year-old girl, and choked up, ¡°Guan Suyi, one person¡¯s mistake is one person¡¯s responsibility. You kill me, don¡¯t hurt my family. Guan Suyi, come back!¡±


    Unfortunately, the person had gone farther away, leaving only the cold voice echoed in the aisle, ¡°It¡¯s too late, I didn¡¯t want to take this step, it¡¯s you who forced me. Between you and I, after all, I have the last laugh¡­ ¡­¡±


    Bian Min¡¯er shook the cell door frantically, but failed to call the person back. Madam Bian grabbed her to questioned her, and only then she learned that Bian Min¡¯er tried to assassinated Guan Suyi, and suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood, she fell down while cursing ¡°evil creature¡±.


    Guan Suyi walked out of the underground palace and stood under the porch, she let the cold wind blown over her, wanting to disperse the bloody aura around her faster. Jinzi looked at her carefully and asked, ¡°Miss, are you alright? The Bian family deserves it. Don¡¯t be frightened by Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s madness. With all the evil things she had done, even if she died a hundred times, it still won¡¯t washed away her sin.¡±


    Guan Suyi smiled slyly, ¡°What? Do you think after I took revenge on her, and saw her last tragic state, I will have some sort of emptiness, frustration or helpless entanglement feelings?¡± She shook her head and her tone was loose, ¡°Repaying virtue with virtue, repaying grievance with grievance, is the most enjoyable thing in the world. From now on, I want to live this carefree life.¡±


    Jinzi was stunned for a few breaths before shaking her head and smiled, ¡°Miss, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re happy.¡±


    The master and servant walked to the front hall, but saw a slender, beautiful woman standing next to Emperor Sheng Yuan, bending slightly to look at Mu Mu in his arms. Her lips opened and closed, but it¡¯s unknown what she was saying. Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s face was full of impatience. While wrapping the sleeping Mu Mu with a thin blanket, he waved his hand as if to drive her away.


    There was a hurt look in the woman¡¯s eyes, but she stubbornly stood on the spot and refused to leave. She glanced at Guan Suyi who was slowly approaching, and her brows frowned quickly.


    ¡°This is Pan Jieyu, who fought under the grand princess, and she¡¯s a ruthless character.¡± Jinzi whispered.


    Guan Suyi had already guessed this person¡¯s identity, walked over and saluted, and then stroked Mu Mu¡¯s flushed cheeks, and said angrily, ¡°How many glasses of wine did you let him drink? He actually drunk like this!¡±


    ¡°Madam accuse wrongly, except for the cup at the beginning, Zhen only fed him with chopsticks. He is young and has a low alcohol tolerance. It¡¯s better to hone more in the future.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed, holding Mu Mu in one hand and hugging Madam¡¯s slender waist with the other, and said with a gentle voice. ¡°The night is cold as water. The two Mount Tai and mother-in-law have been waiting for a long time. Zhen will send you back. After the Bian family and several uncles were dealt with, Zhen will immediately come to propose marriage.¡±


    Guan Suyi tried to take her younger brother, but he avoided her, so she could only sigh, ¡°I know that you Jiuli people drink wine like water since you were young, but although wine is brewed from five grains, it contains alcohol poison, which is very harmful to the liver. It¡¯s better to drink less in the future.¡±


    ¡°What Madam taught is right. As long as you speak, don¡¯t even say letting Zhen drink less, even want Zhen to quit immediately, Zhen won¡¯t refuse.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan continuously smiled as he was in very good mood, while the whole time Pan Duolan seemed to be like a transparent person. He slowly left with his arm around Madam. To him, the concubines in the palace were nothing more than exquisite decorations. It was not him who want to accept, it was not him who want to choose, all was the Empress Dowager¡¯s arrangement, so let them all serve the Empress Dowager. All he need was Madam.

 CH 164

    Pan Duolan knew that she was an unnecessary person and knew that His Majesty wanted her to disappear immediately, but she followed him like a masochist, watching him showed all kinds of tenderness and care to another woman. She had seen the incomparably brave Hunnar, the ruthless Hunnar, and even the sorry figure Hunnar who was lying in a pool of blood after being defeated.


    But this Hunnar, who smiled softly and heartily, and was no different from an ordinary man, she had never seen it before. Once upon a time, she dreamed of making him show the same expression, but she couldn¡¯t even make him look straight to her eyes. What kind of charm Guan Suyi had? What kind virtue and ability she possessed?


    If in those days she was not bewitched by the Empress Dowager and avoided Hunnar like a snake and scorpion, right now she had already become the Empress of Wei, where it would be fall to someone else? Thinking like this, she couldn¡¯t help but resented herself, and even more resented the Empress Dowager and Guan Suyi.


    If it was in the past, when encountering this kind of jealousy, Guan Suyi would only feel fed-up or even flee from it, but now she remained unruffled. She followed Hunnar¡¯s footsteps and walked forward slowly, when they were about to reach Qionglin Garden, suddenly she was dragged by the other person.


    ¡°Madam¡¯s gold hairpin is a little crooked, I¡¯ll help you fix it.¡± Having said that, Emperor Sheng Yuan did not move, but stared at Madam with burning eyes.


    How could Guan Suyi not understand his hidden meaning, she pursed her lips and smiled, ¡°Where is it crooked?¡±


    ¡°Everywhere is crooked,¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan lowered his head, put a light kiss on the corner of her forehead, and once again on the tip of her nose, and said hoarsely, ¡°Madam, go back quickly, if you don¡¯t leave now, I won¡¯t to let go.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s cheeks were flushed, and she glared at him with mist-filled eyes before she took her younger brother and left quickly. But not long after she walked out, she heard a deep voice behind her, ¡°Madam, in a month I will personally come to the door to propose marriage. You wait for me.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s footsteps paused for a while, and then she walked away faster. Only then did Emperor Sheng Yuan turn his head, and without looking sideways, he crossed Pan Duolan and walked towards Weiyang Palace.


    Pan Duolan stood on the spot and stared at him for a long time, and said astringently, ¡°The two of them are getting married?¡±


    ¡°Niangniang, after Bian Min¡¯er¡¯s troubles, the Jiuli clan¡¯s momentum is weaken, and the empress position will definitely fall on a Han woman. In order to suppress you, the candidates they recommend will not be too weak. Looking at Yanjing, who can be more suitable than Miss Guan? This servant has just arrived from Qionglin Garden, and vaguely heard that the Han ministers has reached a consensus to submit a memorial to ask His Majesty to confer Miss Guan as the empress. You better prepare early.¡± Her maid persuaded in a low voice.


    ¡°Ask to confer the empress? Couldn¡¯t the Jiuli clan just ask for This Palace to be conferred as the empress? If they had chosen This Palace earlier, instead of Bian Min¡¯er, where would there be such a thing now! It¡¯s probably because my Pan family has thrown ourselves to the emperor¡¯s side, so in their eyes we are useless.¡± Pan Duolan sneered, ¡°Well, my Pan family is not on good terms with the princes, and now this kind of disaster won¡¯t implicate us. When the noble families who supported the princes were in troubles, it¡¯s my Pan family¡¯s turns to dominate, then I¡¯ll have plenty of capital to fight with Guan Suyi.¡± After finished speaking, she flung her sleeves and storm off, tearing flowers all over the place.


    ¡ª


    On the carriage leaving the palace, Guan Suyi was holding Mu Mu in her arms, already sleepy and exhausted. Old Master Guan was very drunk and slept alone in another carriage, he was snoring loudly at the moment. Guan Father sat with his wife and daughter, his gaze was deep and his face was solemn, didn¡¯t know what he was thinking.


    ¡°Were you involved in today¡¯s matter?¡± he suddenly opened his mouth.


    Guan Suyi woke up instantly and said frankly, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It seems that you are determined to enter the palace.¡± Guan Father sighed deeply.


    ¡°Father, do you remember what you asked me at the time? You said that a gentleman¡¯s actions should be justifiable, and now according to national laws and human feelings, I am justifiable. Do you still think I should not enter the palace?¡±


    ¡°You have grown up and your wings have hardened. Even if your grandfather and I try our best to stop it, I¡¯m afraid we will not be able to reverse the situation. After the banquet, all the ministers have made an agreement and want to jointly push you as the empress. You win, based on national law and human feelings, you win. I just hope you don¡¯t run back crying in the future and tell me that you regret what you did today.¡±


    Guan Suyi clenched her fist quietly and said firmly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if the road ahead is full of swords and spears, I will not look back.¡±


    ¡°If I had known today, I would have removed your rebellious bone long ago.¡± Guan Father sighed helplessly, ¡°Well, pure ministers have pure ministers¡¯ rules, and imperial-in-law have imperial-in-law¡¯s rule, but both roles still need to ¡®give loyalty and exhausted wisdom¡¯. You can rest assured that when you enter the palace, our Emperor Teacher Mansion will never drag down your empress¡¯ legs.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes were hot, and tears slowly down fell, ¡°Father, mother, I will not disgrace my family and put you in a dangerous situation. I will live a good life in this life and will not let you worry.¡±


    ¡°Will not let us worry? I¡¯m afraid there will still be endless worries in the future.¡± Zhong shi embraced her daughter and cried silently. Marrying a daughter was not easy, let alone marrying for a second time. She only hoped that this time there would be a good ending.


    ¡ª


    It¡¯s really not easy to move those few princes, but after finding the starting point, the mountain peak that looked tall collapsed in an instant. When Bian Min¡¯er caused trouble, several princes were all in the palace, and they were quickly controlled by Emperor Sheng Yuan and the news were blocked. Therefore, when the grand princess led the army to raid each mansion, no one made preparations earlier, and many deadly secret letters were turned over on the spot, which strongly supported Bian Miner¡¯s ¡°crazy words¡±.


    Those several princes were highly respected. Among the top ten noble surnames, except for the Pan clan, the other nine families were all implicated with them. Overnight, fifty to sixty percent of the Jiuli clan nobles, who used to show off their power, were sent to prison, and the vacant positions were all replaced by Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s confidants. The poor late emperor planned for a long time, and left many secret handles trying to supress the other person, but it was destroyed in an instant.


    He soon appointed Zhao Hai as the general for the western expedition, and sent him to the northwest to defend against the Hu people. Zhao Hai was the number one general of the previous dynasty, and his prestige was even better than that of Xue Mingrui. But because he privately opened the city gate, and surrender to the Jiuli¡¯s troops, he then fell into infamy and became depressed. Emperor Sheng Yuan wanted to use him, but afraid that he would not be able to convince the public because of his poor reputation, so the plan was put aside. But now his infamy had been washed away, so he should be used to the fullest.


    Zhao Hai was very grateful for the emperor¡¯s kindness, and made a solemn vow on the spot that he would never return in this life if he did not destroy the imperial palace of the Hu people.


    The few princes¡¯ plan to join forces with the Hu people to disrupt the border, thus coerce Emperor Sheng Yuan to set up a vassal state, was completely fail, and they were all stripped off their titles and imprisoned for life. Three hundred people from the Bian family up and down were sentenced to beheading, and the rest the Juili clan who were not involve and went against the masses¡¯ opinion to support the emperor, were excused.


    When the Empress Dowager heard the news, she vomited blood, cursed Emperor Sheng Yuan as an evil spawn, and crying for the late emperor to come back to life for her. Cry out to the heavens, but the heavens don¡¯t respond, cry out to the earth, but the earth impervious, desperate to the extreme. Several young imperial grandsons had long been tuned and trained like quails, and at this time, they were sent back to Changle Palace. Not to mention being domineering and arrogant, they didn¡¯t even dare to speak loudly, obviously already raised to become wastes.


    Several prince consorts knew that there was no way to advance or retreat, and they could only drag out an ignoble existence. They quickly took their children to the Weiyang Palace to kneel and thank the emperor, and from then on, they picked up their tails and behave themselves.


    The situation in the courtroom had changed greatly, and the harem turned upside down. In just one month, the Wei Kingdom had different atmosphere. At today¡¯s court meeting, General Zhao Hai sent good news for the first time, which made Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s dragon heart rejoice, and he couldn¡¯t stop laughing. The Han ministers looked at each other and felt that the timing was right, so they took out the memorial in their arms and presented it respectfully, kneeling and asking the emperor to establishing the empress soon as possible, and extending the emperor¡¯s heir.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t show it on his face, but his palms were actually sweaty. When he opened the memorial and saw the expected name, the big stone in his heart suddenly fell, feeling comfortable from head to toe. He pressed the memorial on the imperial table, and was silent for a long time before saying, ¡°Zhen¡¯s big wedding should be arranged according to the tradition of the Han people. Grand Astrologer, when is the nearest auspicious day?¡±


    ¡°Reporting to the emperor, the ninth day of September, the twenty-eighth day of September, the tenth day of October, and the twelfth day of October are all auspicious days, and suitable for wedding. Then there¡¯s next year¡­¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan interrupted impatiently without waiting for him to finish his words, ¡°Is there any good day this month?¡±


    ¡°This month is too close, there¡¯s not enough time to prepare.¡±


    ¡°You just say whether there is or isn¡¯t.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan gave him a fierce look.


    ¡°There is, there is, at the end of the month, on the twenty-ninth.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, you go down and prepare.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan stood up and said anxiously, ¡°Adjourned the court.¡±


    When everyone came back to their senses, the main seat of the Jinluan Palace was empty, the ministers subconsciously knelt down to send off the emperor, and finally joked, ¡°The emperor is almost thirty, but neither has a main wife nor children, no wonder he¡¯s anxious. Us courtiers should share his worries, so let¡¯s hurry up and organize the wedding and the ceremony to confer the empress.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations Emperor Teacher, Chief of Ceremonies!¡±


    ¡°Congratulations, congratulations!¡± Everyone gathered around to congratulate Old Master Guan and Guan Father, and then clamored for the two to treat them to a drink. After the court meeting dispersed, the news that the emperor wanted to establish Guan¡¯s daughter as the empress quickly spread throughout Yanjing, making it known to everyone.


    Madam Ji had just married her niece and saved some face, but now she was sick in bed again, with illness that was hard to cured. Although the Ji family was not accused for competing with the emperor for a woman, it was an indisputable fact that they insulted the current empress. Thinking that she also gave Guan Suyi a copy of ¡°Lesson for Women¡±, insinuating that she was unchaste and unclean, unworthy and unvirtuous, that she was a broken flower and withered willow, and could only accompany ancient Buddha with green lantern. Unexpectedly, the other person married the most powerful man in Wei Kingdom and became the most honorable woman in Wei Kingdom.


    After she occupied the empress seat and all the titled women came to worship, how could she not humiliate the Ji family? How could she not secretly hate her?


    The more she thought about it, the more frightened Madam Ji felt, and in just three days she became very thin, not resembling a human body. After finally meeting Guan Suyi and not being suppressed by the other person, she slowly recovered, but also lost half of her old life. This is the story for later time, let¡¯s not mention it for the time being.


    It was said that Old Master Guan and Guan Father invited all their colleagues to go to the restaurant for a drink, but Emperor Sheng Yuan quietly left the palace and wandered in the forest for half an hour. After hunting for what he wanted, he then changed into clean clothes and came to visit the Emperor Teacher Mansion. Before he could get to the gate, he saw a few old men with white hair, and a few children in shabby clothes, kneeling and kowtowing in front of the mansion.


    The gatekeeper looked annoyed, but because his miss was about to enter the palace, it was not good for her reputation, so he waved his hand and said, ¡°You guys wait here for now, I will make a report to madam and miss then come back.¡± But when he saw a man with strong physique and dark blue eyes striding up the steps, he couldn¡¯t help but stay still. Blue, blue eyes? His Majesty?


    ¡°Oh my lord! The emperor is here!¡± He exclaimed, and the person immediately run and disappear without a trace, leaving Emperor Sheng Yuan standing in the same place, didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry.

 CH 165

    Because the sacrificial field was occupied by the army, the Guan clan would go to the Emperor Teacher Mansion almost every day, hoping that they would eventually become soft-hearted or even exasperated to the point where would buy some more property for the clan. They never believed that good old people like Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies would abandon their clansmen. The so-called ¡°requesting to be removed from clan¡± was just angry words, they didn¡¯t really mean it, and after a few days they would calm down. Besides, Guan Wenhai had already been removed from the clan, and the clan even put Guan Mumu in the family tree, recognizing his status as the heir of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, what else did the Guan family want?


    On this day, several clan elders were preparing to go to the Emperor Teacher Mansion for a routine worship when they suddenly heard the shocking news that Guan Suyi, the eldest granddaughter of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, was going to become the empress! How is this possible?


    ¡°She, didn¡¯t she a reconcile woman?¡± the clan leader¡¯s eldest daughter-in-law asked in a trembling voice. It was already very lucky for a reconcile woman to find a widower to remarry. What kind of virtue and talent did Guan Suyi have to become the Empress of Wei? Were there no other noble girls in Yanjing?


    ¡°So what if she¡¯s a reconcile woman?¡± The clan leader was already out of his wits, anxious and restless, ¡°Juili people are not like people of the Central Plains. As long as it¡¯s a woman and can give birth to children, they can marry her. In their culture, for women to stay at home and not marry is a sin, delaying the birth of a child is also a serious sin. Otherwise, you think how could they were only 10,000 or 20,000 people when they were driven out of the Central Plains, but then become the overlords who conquered the Nine Continent after several hundreds of years? Every time they exterminated a tribe, they would snatch all the women of that tribe to marry, and even the children born by these women were raised together. They did not care about the so-called bloodline orthodoxy, and only focused on strengthening the prestige of the clan. It was not until they entered the Central Plains that they were gradually influenced by the Han people and attached great importance to the bloodline.¡±


    After all, the clan leader was also a learned person, who had some understanding of the history of the Jiuli clan, then he said in a trembling voice, ¡°Nowadays, the conflict between the Han and Jiuli ethnic group is deepening, and the emperor¡¯s attitude fluctuates from side to side. Not only promoting Han ministers, but also not forgetting to reuse his own confidants from his clan, resolutely pushed down a group of Jiuli clan nobles, and recruited a group of more capable people. At this critical juncture, who is the mother of a country is indeed a matter of national importance and even more important to the development and survival of the two ethnic groups. It just the east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind overwhelms the east wind. Several princes are all imprisoned, and the Jiuli clan¡¯s power is declining. The Han ministers has to fight with all of their strength, and it¡¯s only natural that the empress position would fall on a Han woman¡¯s hand. Why it has to be Guan Suyi? She has family background, she has talents, and her temperament and courage are far superior to ordinary women. Choosing her to enter the palace can suppress the limelight of the Pan family¡¯s daughter. As long as she gives birth to the eldest son first, the status of Han ministers will be stable.¡±


    Speaking until here, he couldn¡¯t help beating his chest and stomping his feet, ¡°Had I known that Guan Suyi has the fate of the phoenix, I would not have saved Guan Wenhai at the beginning! Evil creature! He caused our Guan family not only to lose our backer the Emperor Teacher Mansion, but also miss the opportunity to become the empress¡¯s clan! What kind of status the empress¡¯ maiden clan is? You can ask for a title and a Shilu, enough to benefit the children and grandchildren for eternity! I regret it! I¡¯m so stupid!¡± As he spoke, he burst into tears, and wept bitterly.


    Several clan elders wanted to accuse him for blindly protecting his offspring and ruining the interests of the whole clan, but seeing him crying like this they were unable to speak, they could only rack their brains to save the situation, therefore they sent pitiful old people and young children from the clan to cry and beg. They knew that Guan Suyi was about to enter the palace as the empress, so she would definitely value her reputation more and more, and would never let them kneel outside the door and let passersby see the jokes.


    However, they never expected that at this time, they would see the emperor directly.


    Everyone panicked, and they were about to kneel down and shout long live Your Majesty, but the gatekeeper who ran away led Zhong shi and Guan Suyi to hurriedly welcomed him. Without saying a word, they first took the people inside and closed the gate, to avoid these people to make troubles.


    ¡°This commoner has seen Your Majesty. Long Live Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°This minister¡¯s wife (minister¡¯s daughter) has seen Your Majesty. Blessing for Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°This servant has seen Your Majesty.  Long Live Your Majesty, long live.¡±


    Many people kneeled and kowtowed, many people bent the knee to salute, the yard was full of people falling down, and it was quite messy. But Old Master Guan and Guan Father were not there, and the people here didn¡¯t know what the emperor was doing in such a hurry. The marriage decree had not yet arrived, so why did he arrive first?


    ¡°Mother-in-law, please, Madam, please.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan lightly supported Zhong shi then gently pulled Madam up. Then he glanced at the rest of the people, his voice was cold, ¡°You may rise, if have something to say then go in to speak.¡±


    Everyone entered the main hall and took their seats. Several old people took out a family tree and presented it to the emperor respectfully, saying that the Guan family might not recognize the clan, but the clan would never abandon them, and everyone was still relatives connected by blood.


    Zhong shi was already tired of hearing these words, but because the emperor was in the main hall, it was not good to flare up, so she could only let them perform their play with snot and tears running down their face. Guan Suyi¡¯s eyelids were half-closed, her demeanor was calm, the person seemed to be here, but the spirit had long been out of her body, wandering around did not know where it had gone.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan still had serious business to do, immediately interrupted everyone, ¡°You seems not aware. Because Zhen was worried about the safety of brother-in-law, Zhen personally arrested and interrogated Guan Wenhai, only then able to found out brother-in-law¡¯s whereabouts, and Zhen personally rushed to Tong Valley overnight to rescue him. He was only abolished and not be smashed into thousands of pieces, it still because looking at his Guan surname. Zhen coldly watched as you went to Emperor Teacher Mansion, asked the two Mount Tai to release him, and forced them to purchase sacrificial lands for the clansmen, like a group of leeches that will never stop until they squeezed the blood of the Emperor Teacher Mansion dry. Not only that, how the Emperor Teacher Mansion has treated you all these years, and how you repaid them, Zhen had long clearly investigated. The Guan family is the family of Zhen¡¯s wife, even Zhen has to respect them, but you repeatedly abused them, how can Zhen still tolerate this? It¡¯s impossible to recognize the Guan family again, and it¡¯s even more impossible for them to buy property for you. People should be content, and if you are still entangled endlessly and ruin Madam¡¯s reputation, Zhen will set up a piece of land for you in Liangzhou, and you can go there to settle down.¡±


    Liangzhou was a place where prisoners were exiled in all dynasties. Not only was the land barren, but the environment was even more sinister. The emperor said ¡°settle down¡±, but what he meant was to dispose the Guan clan, right? He could even kill his own brother, what¡¯s so hard dealing with other people? Unexpectedly, he caught and interrogated Guan Wenhai himself, so his perception of the Guan clan had already fallen to the bottom, right?


    At that time the clan leader took the people back with a tough attitude, didn¡¯t he already offend the emperor long ago? Thinking like this, the few old people were already stunned, felt the cold penetrated the bone, and they didn¡¯t dare to say a word. They immediately gave the family tree and fled in a panic. After they returned to the clan, they told what happened, causing the clan leader to spew few mouthfuls of blood.


    ¡°The emperor personally arrested Guan Wenhai, personally interrogated him, and personally led the troops to rescue Guan Mumu?¡± He repeatedly asked, seeing several old people nodding in pain, he then raised a cane and swung it on his granddaughter-in-law, ¡°Why do I have to believe you demon, to force Qiguang and his son to release Guan Wenhai! The emperor had already cut a layer of his skin, why did I have to save him? Where the hell did I show my authority in front of Qiguang¡¯s father and son, I just directly challenged the emperor, ah! How many heads do you think I have? Stupid woman, brainless idiot! Bring the family tree, and I will expel all of you from the clan!¡±


    While swallowing the old blood in his heart, he beat people to death, but the rest of the people in the room did not dare to stop him, but instead showed an expression of hatred. Missing the opportunity to become the maiden clan of the empress was bad enough, but now they knew that even the emperor had secretly remembered a major sin against them, which was simply cutting off all their livelihoods. If at that time when Guan Wenhai was arrested, they immediately open the ancestral hall to expel him from the clan, all this disaster would not happen. On the contrary, they could hang on the empress¡¯s coattail and became the most influential clan in Wei Kingdom.


    Good and evil will be rewarded in the end, this sentence was indeed true.


    ¡ª-


    Zhong shi originally thought that today they would have to compensate the clan a little bit, lest the emperor think that the Guan family was ruthless and unrighteous. But she did not expect he solved the trouble in a few words instead, and it was done once and for all, her mood couldn¡¯t help but get better.


    ¡°Make Your Majesty see the joke. Good people are easily deceived, we are also very helpless.¡± Zhong shi smiled while serving the tea. ¡°The old master and the master have not yet returned home. Troubling Your Majesty to wait for a while. This minister wife will immediately send someone to look for them.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. It¡¯s good that Zhen can talk to mother-in-law and Madam for a while.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan waved his hand at the guard, and they immediately brought a cage in, with a pair of geese lying side by side inside.


    ¡°Your Majesty this is?¡± Zhong shi seemed to have guessed something, but she didn¡¯t dare to believe it. Guan Suyi, who¡¯s soul was out of her body, instantly regained her senses, and looked at the seat of honor with her bright and dazzling eyes, the corners of her mouth curved slightly, revealing an unexpected but gorgeous smile.


    Seeing this, Emperor Sheng Yuan was very satisfied, and said slowly, ¡°Hearing the chirping of wild geese, the rising sun begins to dawn. If a scholar returns to his wife, the ice is not yet panned. According to the customs of the Central Plains, when a man proposes marriage to a woman¡¯s family, he should always send a pair of wild geese. The geese have sincere feeling, if one of them died, the other will stay alone until its death and will never find a new partner in this life. Sending a pair of geese is equivalent to declare that both man and woman will always be of one mind, never leave never give up. This is the purpose of Zhen¡¯s deliberate visit.¡±


    He looked at Madam and said in a serious tone, ¡°Madam never directly said anything, but mentioned the matter of coming to the door to propose for marriage a few times, how can Zhen dare to ignore it? If Zhen really thought that this was Madam¡¯s way to say yes, and then issue imperial decree, send many precious betrothal gifts, and thought that everything was going well, then Madam would definitely complain in her heart. She is rebellious, arrogant, sometimes frank, sometimes duplicitous. She repeatedly reminded Zhen that this marriage is more based on political purposes, and the two of us are not some ordinary couple. However this instead reveals her true heart.¡±


    He sighed, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for various accidents, Madam would definitely not be willing to get involved in the power struggle. She prefers an ordinary and comfortable life, yearns for the love of an ordinary husband and wife. She agreed to marry Zhen, and it seems to be extremely impressive on the surface, but her heart is still uneasy, and there are a lot of restlessness hidden inside. It¡¯s possible for Zhen to issue imperial decree, give betrothal gifts, have people beat the gongs and drums, and send them to the Emperor Teacher Mansion in an impressive way to add another glory for her, but is this really what she wants in her heart?¡±


    Speaking until here, he couldn¡¯t help but look at Madam, and saw the other person slowly shook her head, her eyes full of splendid brilliance.

 CH 166

    Emperor Sheng Yuan, who was originally somewhat unsure, had now put down the big stone in his heart and let out a sigh of relief. Madam¡¯s thoughts, he really guessed correctly.


    Putting the birdcage with the pair of geese on the table, he said cautiously, ¡°Mother-in-law, Zhen hunted these geese with Zhen¡¯s own hands and did not use any other¡¯s help. The reason Zhen come here before the marriage decree is to tell Madam that this marriage is not a favor or reward from the emperor to his subjects, but one Zhen personally seek for. Just like an ordinary man pursuing his sweetheart, Zhen has admired Madam for a long time, thinking of her day and night, and reluctant to let go.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s cheeks were quietly dyed with a thin layer of red, she didn¡¯t stare at him anymore, only lowered her head and smiled. In any case, it was extremely hard for him to make this trip by himself. She could finally let go the remaining uneasiness and unwillingness she had.


    After seeing Madam smiling, Emperor Sheng Yuan also showed a hearty smile, and continued, ¡°Zhen still trying to understand Madam, afraid Zhen make her unhappy, or make her feel dissatisfied or even resisted this marriage. Although Zhen is the emperor, in front of Madam Zhen is just an ordinary man with a longing heart. Mother-in-law, your love with father-in-law has never change, and Madam grew up by your side, so her expectations for marriage will only be higher than this. What she wants, whether she say it or not, Zhen will do to the best of Zhen¡¯s ability for her. She said to propose marriage, then Zhen at once come to the door to propose marriage. No amounts of precious gifts can match a sincere heart. Zhen will love her, protect her, respect her, walk hand in hand with her, and never give up in this life. Please mother-in-law be rest assured to entrust her to Zhen.¡±


    Zhong shi¡®s eyes were red when she heard this, and she didn¡¯t know how to react. Even ordinary men could not say or act on these words, yet he was the dignified monarch of Wei Kingdom, but after finishing the court, he hunted wild geese all over the mountains, and then sent them personally to the mansion with great care. No matter what happens in the future, the sincerity right now was enough.


    Zhong shi, who was having trouble eating and sleeping these days because her daughter married too high, finally relaxed the knot in her heart and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Your Majesty, please take care of Yiyi in the future. She is a bit stubborn and her speaking skill is lacking, please don¡¯t lower yourself to her level.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan glanced at Madam and nodded with a smile, then Old Master Guan and Guan Father, who had been standing by the door and listened for a long time, strode in and bowed in salute. When they raised their heads, their eyes seemed flushing red with tears in the corner of their eyes. The family exchanged some pleasantries for a while and then talked about the wedding, but seeing the emperor kept looking at Yiyi, they had to give the two of them a chance to talk in private for a while.


    The two walked to the waterside pavilion in the backyard, randomly picked a large smooth stone, sat down, and spoke in a low voice.


    ¡°I thought you would send people to deliver the imperial decree and betrothal gift very grandly to the Emperor Teacher Mansion.¡± Guan Suyi broke a willow branch and gently stirred the water, her beautiful eyes staring at Hunnar for a while.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan approached her and said softly, ¡°Every word that Madam said, whether intentional or not, I always remember it in my heart. You asked me to come to the door to propose marriage in person. If I don¡¯t do it, I will suffer in the future. Madam is a bit a hypocrite, on one hand saying that we are not an ordinary husband and wife, but at the same time yearning for that kind of life in your hearts, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Guan Suyi pursed her lips and didn¡¯t answer, she just stared at him.


    Being looked at like that, Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s face warmed up and his heart accelerated, then said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Actually, how could I not long for the life of an ordinary married couple? In the past, when I first made a name for myself, I thought, after all the kingdoms were destroyed in the future, I will ask the late emperor to bestow me a few boxes of treasure. It doesn¡¯t need to be excessive, just enough for me to support my family, marry a beautiful wife, have a litter of lively cubs, work at sunrise, and rest at sunset, living a comfortable and stable life. Later when I learned my life story, I don¡¯t dare to wish for a wife and children anymore, only focus on taking power. Even if I don¡¯t live well, still won¡¯t let others take advantage of me.¡±


    He said seriously, ¡°Meeting Madam is simply a redemption from Heaven. From now on, I will not live for power and revenge, but to protect you, to protect our future children, and even to protect the people of Wei. Honor old people as we do our own aged parent, care other children as we do our own child. I never understand this sentence before, because I don¡¯t have old people above, and I don¡¯t have children below, I can¡¯t even take care of myself, so how can I take care of others? But now I understand. Because I want you to have a better life, I will create a prosperous world for you; because I want our children to have a better life, I will to remove all obstacles for them. Before I met you, I opened my eyes every day and thought ¨C how can I still alive? After meeting you, every day I open my eyes and think ¨C it¡¯s good to be alive. To me, that¡¯s what your existence means.¡±


    He reached out his palms and said in a serious tone, ¡°Madam, are you willing to walk on the road ahead with me? There are no swords and spears and halberds, only happiness.¡±


    Guan Suyi threw away the willow branch and asked in a low voice, ¡°How do you know there¡¯s only happiness? What if you change?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t change, will Madam change?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan asked without answering.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t change, naturally I won¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, instead of doubting me, it¡¯s better to believe in yourself.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was silent for a moment, then added, ¡°Even if Madam changes, I will not change.¡±


    Guan Suyi finally covered her mouth and chuckled, ¡°When did you learn from my shortcoming? Do you have to be a little better at speaking? Well, if I believe in someone, I will never change it in my life. You are right, instead of doubting you, it¡¯s better to believe in myself.¡± She put her hand in his waiting palm and shook his fingers.


    Only then did Emperor Sheng Yuan let out a turbid breath, gently pulled her into his arms, sniffed her hair and said, ¡°Madam is a bit wrong, this embrace is also very real. Even if you don¡¯t respond, even if you drop your hands indifferently, as long as I don¡¯t let go, you can¡¯t break free. When Madam becomes stubborn and wants to escape, the best way to deal with you is to hold you firmly. If you are willing to walk with me, we will keep moving forward; if you are uneasy and hesitant, I can accompany you to wander in place. No matter what, as long as Madam is always by my side, it will be fine. ¡±


    Guan Suyi was still a little overwhelmed, her hands were hanging down, she was too shy to respond. After hearing this, she couldn¡¯t help but lowly laugh. Dropping the last trace of restraint, she slowly put her hand on his back, tightening little by little.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s blue eyes were filled with a bright light of joy, while rubbing Madam¡¯s tight back, he kissed her white jade earlobe, and swore an oath, ¡°Madam, we will definitely live well. You believe in me and believe in yourself.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Guan Suyi didn¡¯t want to say anything, and quietly lay on Hunnar¡¯s broad shoulders, watching the spring light swaying across the lake. This embrace turned out to be safer and warmer than shw expected.


    Zhong shi stood not far away and quietly watched over them, then sent the servants back and walked away slowly. The picture of the two embracing each other was so quiet and serene, and it fits so beautifully, as if they should be together, as if between heaven and earth there was only this one pair. The so called string of pearl and jade* was this.


    The second marriage could still find such an excellent husband, and as the elders they should be content.


    ¡ª-


    After Emperor Sheng Yuan reluctantly returned to the palace, the imperial decree and betrothal gifts were sent to the Emperor Teacher Mansion one after another. In order to show the important he attached to the empress, he almost emptied his private treasury, box after box of small pieces of jewelry and jade, and large pieces of antique furniture one after another passing through the streets like water.


    People finally realized something and commented, ¡°The emperor rewarded Ye Jieyu with a tree of red corals when she was favored. At that time, I thought it was very precious, but now compared with the betrothal gift for the empress, it¡¯s not worth mentioning!¡±


    ¡°Can an out-of-favor concubine be compared to the mother of the country? Shut up and watch out for trouble coming out of your mouth.¡±


    The man hurriedly covered his mouth, secretly amazed by the great grace and magnificent favor for the empress.


    The procession of the betrothal gift was about to passed by the gate of Zhao¡¯s house while beating gongs and drums. Zhao Luli pushed open the door, carried Ye Zhen, who was watching Zhao Wangshu to study, into a wheelchair and ordered someone to carry her out.


    ¡°Where do you want to take me?¡± Ye Zhen was terrified, afraid that he would separate herself from her son. Although Zhao Wangshu failed to pass the exam this time, he was still young and there would be more opportunities in the future. As long as her son succeeded, she would not have to worry about being unable to change her fortunes.


    ¡°Today is Suyi¡¯s happy day, I¡¯ll let you take a look.¡± Zhao Luli pushed open the corner gate and pointed to the endless stream of procession. Zhao Wangshu hurriedly followed, holding the wheelchair with both hands, afraid that his father would suddenly send his mother away.


    ¡°Guan Suyi going to remarry?¡± Ye Zhen laughed strangely, ¡°Hahaha, which widower she will be marrying? Once again become a stepmother for someone else, and raise other people¡¯s sons and daughters thanklessly? There are quite a lot of betrothal gifts, it seems they are richer than you. But no wonder, after all, she is the di daughter of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, even if she is married to a widower, her status should not be too low¡­¡±


    Her voice became smaller and smaller, until she was completely speechless, because she saw that all the boxes and cages were covered with special seals of the inner courtyard of the forbidden palace, and the guards who carried the gifts were also wearing the imperial guard uniforms. Looking all over Wei Kingdom, who would dare to use this troops? Except for the one in Jinluan Palace, there was no one else. The betrothal gifts went on one by one, endlessly, and the value of these things could be estimated without counting. Afraid that person has already emptied his private treasury, right?


    Ye Zhen¡¯s already haggard face became grimly distorted, she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Guan Suyi wants to enter the palace?¡±


    ¡°Enter the palace as the empress.¡± Zhao Luli finally revealed the truth he had concealed for a long time, ¡°Do you know why you were sent back by the emperor? Because he wants you to separate me from Suyi, forcing her to reconcile, and then he can take advantage of the void and marry her. He has fallen in love with Suyi for a long time, and you are just a dispensable pawn.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re talking nonsense! Zhao Luli, you must be making up these lies to get revenge on me! The emperor loves me! I saved him, I abandoned my husband and children, sacrificed everything for him, he will not be that ruthless to me, I don¡¯t believe it, I don¡¯t believe it¡­¡± When Ye Zhen fell into madness, Zhao Luli had already brought her back to the inner courtyard, so as not to let outsiders see jokes.


    He crouched down in front of Ye Zhen and said word by word, ¡°The emperor has never loved you, and I will never love you again in the future. Your daughter, your mother-in-law, has long hated you to the bone. Wake up, Ye Zhen. You¡¯re just a hateful burden that people want to throw away but cannot, want to get rid of but cannot!¡±


    Zhao Wangshu had always firmly believed that her mother was not Ye Jieyu, and she would not sell her body, or even more, abandon her husband and children in order to cling to the powerful. But now, hearing her own confession, he felt that his beliefs were collapsing, and the suffering and humiliation he had endured in order to save his mother had all turned into sharp knives, stabbing the softest place in his heart.


    In just a short while, his cheeks were streaming with tears, the pain was unbearable. Seeing his father left without turning his head, he could only stand there and called again and again. He thought he had a belated maternal love, but it was nothing but a disgusting filth.

 CH 167

    Due to the emperor¡¯s urging, the ceremony for conferring the empress was organized in just half a month. The traditions of the Jiuli and Han ethnics were mixed together, which was more solemn and lengthy than the ceremony for conferring of the empress in the past.


    Three days before the wedding, the empress had to fast and bathe. On that day, Old Master Zhong and Old Madam Zuo, who had been traveling all the way to the north, finally arrived in Yanjing to marry their granddaughter off. In the boudoir covered with big Double Happiness letters, Old Madam Zuo was threading her granddaughter¡¯s face, Zhong shi was wiping her tears while mixing up the face rouge, planning to dress up her daughter beautifully as she married her off. When several palace maids were driven outside the door, they couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    ¡°I always urged your grandfather to go quickly, so that we can accompany Yiyi more when we get to the capital. But your grandfather wanted to take a detour, saying that he has to collect rice seeds from all over the world and cultivate a good variety. Now look at it, when we just entered the city gate, we heard that Yiyi is about to get married, and her husband is still the current emperor. As the saying goes, once you enter the palace gate it¡¯s as deep as the sea, it will not be easy to see Yiyi in the future.¡± Old Madam Zuo sighed in a low voice.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes were slightly red, she held her grandmother¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Then you and your grandfather don¡¯t leave anymore, just stay in the capital. When you miss me, you can pass the sign to the palace, then you can see if you want to see. If you¡¯re still running around like in the past, while I cannot go far, where should I find you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, mother, you and father should stay in the capital.¡± Zhong shi persuaded.


    ¡°The old man can¡¯t stay. All day long only thinking about how to cultivate the land and how to control the water, where can I manage him?¡± Old Madam Zuo spread out the red phoenix robe and put it on her granddaughter layer by layer, warned repeatedly. ¡°Marrying into the palace is not like marrying into ordinary family, be more dignified and virtuous. The emperor is also an extraordinary man. When you get along with him, you must take a good measure. You must not be too close or too distant. Too intimate can easily lose your heart, and too far away can be count as disrespectful. Don¡¯t be too devoted or rude. This road you still need to fumble along. If he pampers you, you should be grateful; if he neglects you, you should also treat it calmly. The so-called lift the tray to eyebrow level* and treat each other as an honered guest* means treating your husband as a guest. When he comes, you should welcome him; when he leaves, you should bow to see him off, come and go follow as he wishes.¡±


    Guan Suyi nodded tearfully. She understood that most men in the world were like this. When they were in love, they treat you like fire, warm and sincere; when the flames burned out, only ashes were left. She only hoped that the fire would burn slowly and for a longer time, even if there were only ashes left, there would still be a little residual warmth, and she would not be completely cold before she died of old age.


    She was willing to believe the present Hunnar, but who knows what would happen in the future? He was an emperor, and he had three thousand beauties in the harem. When she was old and her beauty fade, there would always be more beautiful and fresh women to take her place. The so-called ¡°holding your hand and growing old together with you*¡± has never described the love of husband and wife.


    Forcing herself to think of some happy episode, only then resisted the urge to cry, Guan Suyi bid farewell to her family, boarded the phoenix carriage, and surrounded by the guard of honor drove toward the palace. Both sides of the street were full of people watching the excitement, across the heavy bead curtains, they couldn¡¯t see the Empress¡¯s appearance at all, but their eyes were full of festive spirit, everywhere decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, gongs and drums sounded to the sky.


    The phoenix carriage entered the palace gate. The empress supposed to step on the long red carpet to go to the altar to mourn the ancestors. At the end, she went to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to receive the canonization, and then went to the Jinluan Palace with the emperor, to receive the courtiers and titled women¡¯s worship. This was an extremely long procession, walking for a while and praying for a while, the ceremony of Eight Rituals was exactly this. And the empress¡¯s court dress plus the phoenix crown on her head weighted at least twenty pounds, if persist on following the whole the ceremony, she would lose half her life.


    Guan Suyi deliberately wore a pair of soft-soled shoes and was ready to suffer, but when she opened the bead curtain and saw the civil and military ministers and court titled women kneeling all over the ground, she suddenly felt that the weight was not only from the clothes, but also from responsibility. If you never really stand at a high place and see the sight of thousands of people bowing down, like rivers converging into the sea, you will never be able to comprehend the words ¡°the mother of the country¡±.


    At this moment, she suddenly retreated, deeply doubting whether she could bear this burden. After she rebirthed, she originally just wanted to live a more comfortable and happier life. When she couldn¡¯t help but take a small step back, a big hand suddenly reached out in front of her, palm up, as if offering a lifeline.


    ¡°Hunnar.¡± She whispered, and only then did she realize that the man who supposed to be sitting inside the hall was already standing under the phoenix carriage.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Madam.¡± His deep voice was covered up by the sound of the bell, and only Guan Suyi, who was close, could hear it.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± How should the empress conferring ceremony be carried out? Grandfather and father have told her many times these past few days, but she didn¡¯t expect to be disrupted at the beginning. But this change did not make Guan Suyi panic, on the contrary, she quickly returned to normal. With a dignified and bright smile on her face, she clenched Hunnar¡¯s hand and walked forward slowly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sit in the hall and wait for Madam.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan looked down at her and chuckled, ¡°After waiting for so long, and now only need to wait half an hour, but it feels so unbearable. Besides, I said it before, from now on I will walk together with Madam.¡±


    Guan Suyi completely forgot her previous hesitation and fear, secretly shook the two people¡¯s intertwined hand, and whispered, ¡°Fortunately you come, if you didn¡¯t come, I almost went back inside the phoenix carriage.¡±


    ¡°Madam can also feel scared?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was a little surprised.


    ¡°I am human, of course I can feel scared. I¡¯m sacred of not being able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of being the mother of the country, and I am afraid of embarrassing you and ruining Guan family¡¯s reputation. I have never been an empress, and I can¡¯t enjoy the feeling of everyone kneeling under my feet. That dignified yet majestic atmosphere piled up layer by layer, overwhelming me. If you don¡¯t come, I may be able to persevere and finish this journey, but it will definitely not be easy.¡±


    So luckily you¡¯re here. She didn¡¯t say the last sentence, but glanced at Hunnar with gratitude and emotion in her eyes. Under her grandmother¡¯s advice, she had strengthened her defenses over and over again, but the moment she saw this person, it all vanished.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan gently squeezed her fingertips and sighed, ¡°Fortunately, I am here, if not Madam would have hesitated. No one is born to be an emperor or empress, and it¡¯s normal for anyone to feel panicked upon seeing such a grand scene. When I ascended the throne, my mind was also the same as Madam¡¯s. I didn¡¯t know what to say, what to do, or even where to put my hands and feet. It was Baifu who accompanied me to practice over and over again, so that I managed to survive. I couldn¡¯t let outsiders see my inner confusion and fear, so I could only keep my face expressionless throughout the whole process. When the enthronement ceremony was over and I returned to Weiyang Palace alone, I found that my face had stiffened and lost its senses.¡±


    He suddenly laughed softly, ¡°Even now, I still feel terrified, because the treasures that I have longed for too long finally fall into my palm, and I am more and more worried of losing it.¡±


    Guan Suyi glanced at him and whispered, ¡°Then let¡¯s walk together holding hands. It¡¯s better than walking alone.¡±


    ¡°I feel very at ease now.¡± The two said as they climbed the steps and walked towards the altar. The courtiers, titled women, imperial concubines along the road bowed down one after another, Long live the mountain, for thousand years.


    ¡ª-


    After the empress conferring ceremony, Guan Suyi was exhausted. With the help of Jinzi and Minglan, she removed the phoenix crown and phoenix robe, only then she felt relieved.


    ¡°I never expected the phoenix crown to be so heavy. After wearing it for a whole day, my neck feels like it will break. Could it be that I have to wear it in every ceremony in the future?¡± Before Guan Suyi could experience the dangers of harem fight, she had already defeated by luxurious and heavy jewelry. It was really not easy for women to marry into the palace, especially the empress.


    ¡°You won¡¯t have to wear it every time, but during festivals or big banquets for foreign guests, you will have to dress up.¡± Jinzi tried to contain her smile, ¡°Niangniang, you can train your wrists to be so strong, then you can wear this phoenix crown every day, it can also be counted as neck strengthening training.¡±


    ¡°Why would I practice that? To get iron head?¡± As soon as the voice fell, the three master and servants covered their mouths and laughed softly, most of their exhaustion dissipated.


    ¡°Niangniang, please eat something to pad your stomach first, the emperor will come soon.¡± After helping her change into a lighter dress and setting up a table of wine and dishes, Jinzi and Minglan quietly withdrew from the inner room.


    On the night of the bridal chamber, how could Emperor Sheng Yuan dare to get drunk. After three rounds of drinking, he hurriedly went back. Seeing Madam sitting under the dragon and phoenix candles waiting for him, he couldn¡¯t help but feel warm. Guan Suyi¡¯s cheeks were reddened by his gaze, she pointed to the stool beside her and said, ¡°Sit down, have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Ate, what about you?¡± The two sat facing each other silently, obviously they had a lot to say inside, but when it reached their mouths, they didn¡¯t know how to say it.


    The atmosphere was unspeakably awkward. After being silent for a long time, Guan Suyi bit the bullet and said, ¡°I also ate. Shall we do the wine exchange?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s cheeks flushed, then he poured two cups of wine, but after that he didn¡¯t dare to move. The so-called ¡°being close make you timid¡± was exactly this, the closer you are to the treasure, the less you dare to touch it.


    Guan Suyi also held up a cup of wine and waited for him to wrap his arm around hers. The two stood opposite each other, you look at me, I look at you, their cheeks were redder than the other, looking like they were already drunk. It took a long time for them to react, then they both reached out to wrap around the other¡¯s hand at the same time, but because of the panic, they bumped the wine cups and spilled the wine all over the place.


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan put down the cup and said helplessly, ¡°Madam, let¡¯s do it again?¡±


    Doing it again, the two finally drank the wine smoothly. Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t beat around the bushes. He bent down to pick up the person, and walked straight to the wedding bed. Feeling Madam trembling in his arms, he couldn¡¯t help but stop, ¡°Madam, are you afraid?¡±


    Guan Suyi clearly didn¡¯t want to recall the bad event from the past, but her nerves were pricked by the intimate action. The affair of husband and wife was equivalent to disaster for her. Apart from humiliation and despair, there was almost nothing good left behind. Her mind told herself that this was the experience every woman had to go through, but subconsciously her body resisted, not just trembling, but also having the urge to run away.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan put her on the edge of the bed and said softly, ¡°Madam doesn¡¯t know it, but I¡¯m also very afraid.¡±


    ¡°What are you afraid of?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s attention was instantly pulled away. What would a man be afraid of? Wasn¡¯t it women who usually suffer?

 CH 168

    Emperor Sheng Yuan hesitated for a moment, then said helplessly, ¡°Won¡¯t hide it from Madam, this is my first time.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes widened and said in disbelief, ¡°But you will be thirty after the new year, how can you¡­¡± She was too embarrassed to say it, so she could only quickly cover her mouth while her cheeks getting flushed.


    ¡°In the early years, I fought war on all sides, where did I have the heart to find a woman. Later, the Empress Dowager provoked me with my mother¡¯s matter, so I even more didn¡¯t dare to find it.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan sat next to Madam and held her hand. ¡°So, Madam is not the only one who¡¯s uneasy, I¡¯m also very worried. Why don¡¯t we look at the Bihuo picture* first and study it for a while?¡±


    He lifted the sheet, took out a few exquisite booklets from under the pillow, and said calmly, ¡°Whenever Madam find something you don¡¯t understand, you love to study it. You can teach me these books after you thoroughly read them. It¡¯s okay even if I have to wait.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s dowry also contained these booklets. Just one glance made her face red and smoke came out of her head, how could she study it? Is Hunnar joking or is he serious? He has no shame? With lighting speed she grabbed the Bihuo book and shoved it under the bed. She scolded while her was blushing, ¡°How can you let me study this? You bastard! Shameless!¡±


    Her head turned into a mush, and she could only scold these two sentences over and over again.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled instead of getting angry, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m a bastard, I¡¯m shameless. Madam, don¡¯t be angry.¡± He gently hugged her and asked, ¡°Are you still afraid now?¡±


    Huh? She actually not afraid anymore. Only then Guan Suyi returned to her sense. She wanted to give Hunnar a stern look, unexpectedly her eye barely opened, but she smiled first. She put her chin on his shoulder and scolded in a low voice, ¡°Not afraid, but you are indeed a bastard.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan turned his head to look at her, his heart was warm and soft, he couldn¡¯t help but tentatively said, ¡°If you¡¯re not afraid, can I kiss you?¡±


    Guan Suyi hesitated for a moment before nodding, her lips trembling slightly, still feeling flustered. Emperor Sheng Yuan approached slowly and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, it¡¯s also my first time. Let¡¯s take out the spirit of studying knowledge and thoroughly understand it. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and if you have fun, you won¡¯t be afraid in the future.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Guan Suyi was teased again, and the last trace of fear in her heart finally dissipated. She then said half-shyly and half-annoyedly, ¡°Can you stop saying thing that ruin the atmosphere? If you want to kiss, just kiss, why you have to be so¡­¡± The last word ¡°long-winded¡± were swallowed by Hunnar. He really had no experience, and only relied on instinct, he was brimming with wolf predatory nature, but there was no lack of unique gentleness. He intertwined the tip of her tongue, tossing and sucking, tasting the sweetness in her mouth bit by bit, carefully engraving this give-and-take taste into his mind.


    After a long time, so long that even a good chunk of the joy candle was already burned, the two recovered from the dizziness.


    ¡°Does Madam like it?¡± He kissed from the corner of her mouth to her earlobe.


    ¡°Like.¡± Guan Suyi could not deny that she was addicted to it. The pain that Zhao Luli brought her was quietly replaced by this sweet feeling.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed closely, then declared, ¡°Madam, I¡¯m going to take off your clothes.¡± But he didn¡¯t move, just looked at the woman under him with enduring and eager eyes. If she nodded then continued, if she shook her head then ended, saying that he would respect her and love her, this was not an empty talk.


    Guan Suyi turned her head and said abruptly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to talk at time like this.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled and kissed Madam. Don¡¯t talk, just do it? Madam is really timid but spicy.


    ¡ª¨C


    After a touching night, the next day, Guan Suyi woke up with a sore waist and back, and found that Hunnar was holding her, his serene blue eyes looked at her without blinking. She had never slept in other people¡¯s arms before. When she saw they were hugging each other after she opened her eyes, she reflexively struggled a few times, but was pressed down by the other person, so she tried to push back.


    ¡°No more.¡± She hurriedly shouted.


    ¡°No more what?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan asked knowingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it anymore!¡± Guan Suyi tried to stay away from his scalding spot, but she was always pressed down.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled while kissing her cheek, ¡°Where are Madam going to? I¡¯m just hugging you.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it already chenshi (7-9 am)?¡± Guan Suyi shoved him, ¡°Don¡¯t you have any government affairs to deal with? Why are you still lying on bed and hasn¡¯t get up?¡±


    ¡°The empress just married in, so the court will be paused for three days. While madam hasn¡¯t wake up, I was thinking, what should I do in these three days.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan wrapped her slender waist and sighed, ¡°Wife, children, and warm bed, these are the greatest joy in life. Madam, I don¡¯t want to be the emperor anymore, and I don¡¯t want to get up and go to court every day before dawn and listen to those ministers arguing. I¡¯m satisfied to just stay with you, talk about nothing and doing nothing, but still incomparably happy.¡±


    ¡°Really? That would be inappropriate. Let¡¯s go out of the palace in plain clothes and find a place with verdant hills and limpid water to live in seclusion. You plough the fields and I weave cloth, and live a peaceful and stable life. As for the great chaos in the court, the suffering of the people, and the destruction of the country, who cares about those things, we don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Guan Suyi lifted the quilt and went down to the ground, found a square cloth from the trunk, and put valuables stuffs inside.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was very happy, and quickly put his clothes on, and urged, ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry up, so as not to be discovered by Baifu. In another quarter of an hour, he should bring people to serve us to change our clothes.¡±


    At this time, Guan Suyi didn¡¯t move, threw away the clothes in her hand, and asked, ¡°Do you really want to leave? I was just joking. Can¡¯t you hear my obvious sarcasm?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan also threw away his clothes, and said with a muffled laugh, ¡°I was also joking with Madam. Didn¡¯t Madam hear it?¡±


    Guan Suyi first narrowed her eyes in anger, then covered her mouth and laughed non-stop, shook her head and sighed, ¡°Good one Hunnar, you actually learned to turn against me. I don¡¯t have to pack up these things, you can put them back in the trunk yourself. These words before, let¡¯s just say it in private. If you really delay the government affairs because of me, don¡¯t even wait for the ministers to accuse me as someone who brings a calamity for the country, grandfather and father will first stand up and scold me as evil daughter.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan hurriedly hugged her and comforted, ¡°Don¡¯t say that, I was joking. After finally marry you, I will only work harder and be more diligent, and never let you look down on me. In the future, when our children grow up, I want to give them a prosperous country, not a fragmented, turbulent mess. Just look after me and accompany me, alright?¡±


    Guan Suyi nodded and said yes, thinking of the farce just now, she couldn¡¯t help but laugh again. In fact, marrying into the palace was not as dangerous as she expected. As long as she stayed with Hunnar, it was actually very easy.


    The two of them washed up, got dressed, and then went to the side hall to eat. Although he had three free days after the empress¡¯ big wedding, the northwest was still at war at this time, and in the late spring and early summer, the rain was abundant and flood control matters had to be arranged, so there were a lot of government affairs to be handled. Emperor Sheng Yuan accompanied Madam to finish breakfast. Before leaving, he repeatedly told her to go to Weiyang Palace to accompany him after seeing the Empress Dowager, and not stay in Changle Palace for too long, so as to avoid bad luck.


    Guan Suyi nodded again and again, and just after she sent Hunnar away, she heard Jinzi report, ¡°Niangniang, all the honorable concubines have come to greet you, and are now waiting outside the hall.¡±


    ¡°Announce them to come in.¡± Guan Suyi was afraid that she would not be able to take on the responsibility as the mother of the country, but she would not be afraid of those women in the harem. She went to the main seat and sat down, her eyes were on the palace hall¡¯s door


    Because Emperor Sheng Yuan was not good with women, and the Empress Dowager wanted to control his children, she did not wantonly fill the harem. At most, only twenty to thirty women were selected, and most of them were sent back, the people who remained were not high in status, nor have outstanding family background. When Ye Zhen was still here, the palace power was in her hand, and after she was sent back, Emperor Sheng Yuan arbitrarily pointed out four women to split the power, so as not to make Pan Jieyu¡®s family become dominant and feed the Pan family¡¯s ambitions.


    For the western expedition, there were two suitable candidates for the commander-in-chief, one was Pan Jieyu¡®s brother, and the other was Zhao Hai. However, Emperor Sheng Yuan would rather spend efforts to clean up the stigma around Zhao Hai than directly let the Pan family take command, which showed that he was quite wary of them.


    Naturally, Guan Suyi would not underestimate Pan Duolan. Seeing the other person leisurely came in leading a group of concubines, did not bend her knees, but cupped her hands slightly, and performed inappropriate etiquette, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t help sneering in her heart: What do you mean by this? The empress herself has not yet show her strength, but she wants to become arrogant first?


    Without waiting for Guan Suyi to let her get up, Pan Duolan had already straightened her waist and took a seat under her. The other concubines followed suit, sparsely shouted ¡°May Niangniang live for a thousand year¡±, and then sat down according to their position. Instead of looking at the main seat, they all stared at the next seats, where the Han concubine and Juili concubine equally seat. It could be seen that a consensus had been reached in private that they would only follow Pan Jieyu and resisted against the empress together.


    Jinzi and Minglan were annoyed in their hearts, and they couldn¡¯t help but show it out on their faces. When they looked out, they saw that Pan Jieyu¡®s maid was just like her, all wearing military man¡¯s attire, dressed up as soldiers and even wore machetes, daggers, and other weapons around their waist, fully armed with defensive expression. Where is this coming to pay respect? It¡¯s like going to war.


    Guan Suyi was not polite with her, and said coldly, ¡°No one in the palace is allowed to carry weapons except for the emperor and the imperial guards. Does Pan Jieyu know this?¡±


    ¡°Reporting to the Empress, these women are from military households and categorize as imperial guards, not palace maids. Naturally, they can carry weapons.¡± Pan Duolan cupped her hands again, and her movements were as unconstrained as men.


    Guan Suyi took a sip of tea and continued, ¡°Pan Jieyu is indeed a heroine who has fought on the battlefield and killed the enemy, really doesn¡¯t bother with trifles. However, you are now an imperial concubine in the harem, so you should abide by the rules of the harem. Facing the empress and not use proper etiquette is still fine, but why do you even dress like a man? If people take advantage of the loopholes, or have misunderstandings, it will hurt the reputation of all the concubines in the harem.¡±


    ¡°If Niangniang doesn¡¯t like it, this concubine will go back and change it. This concubine used to follow the grand princess to fight in the north and south, and now even though live in the harem, but heart remains on the battlefield, and still dare not forget the duties of a soldier. This concubine loves to dress up as a soldier, practice martial arts every day, so words and deeds are a little rude and straightforward. So if in the future say wrong things or do wrong things, still ask the empress to please excuse.¡±


    Well, as soon as she came, she named herself as a hero and said that she was a straightforward person, which set the tone for future disputes. If the empress was too concerned about her words and deeds, wouldn¡¯t it mean she tried to suppress a hero and not being virtuous and generous? Where is this Pan Dolan a straightforward person? Obviously very cunning!


    Guan Suyi put down the teacup with a ¡°bang¡±, ready to let the other person know that she was also a straightforward person.

 CH 169

    Seeing the empress put down the teacup heavily and splash a lot of tea on the table, obviously really angry, Pan Jieyu not only did not feel panic, but instead very happy. She only said that she was rude and straightforward, but she never criticized the Empress even a single sentence. What the other person could do to her? If she was angry, it would only show how petty she was. If you can¡¯t stand even this bit of verbal wit, you should go home as soon as possible, and don¡¯t try to trample everyone under your feet just because Hunnar likes you.


    When the rest of the concubines saw that the two were at each other throats, some gloated, some stood by, and some shrank back a little for fear of getting the burnt. Only one person calmly sat in the head seat of the Han Concubine¡¯s side. Neither looking at the top nor looking at the side seats, only drinking tea by herself, with a leisurely demeanor, like an outsider who had nothing to do with it all. She was Shen Jieyu, Shen Shuniang, who was on the same level as Pan Duolan. Her father was an official of Ministry of Ceremonies, Shen Wei. Although he was only a small official with income of four hundred stone, she was considered to be the most noble among the concubines in the harem, second only to Pan Dolan.


    The rest of the people came from common origin, and they were selected to serve the emperor in the palace only because of their beauty.


    Guan Suyi received everyone in Jiaofang Palace today. If she allowed Pan Duolan to display her strength, then her dignity as the empress would be greatly damaged. Don¡¯t even mention being in charge of the Six Palaces and fulfilling the responsibility as the mother of the country, she wouldn¡¯t be able to manage these twenty or so concubines. What¡¯s the use of an empress who couldn¡¯t even manage her concubines? Even if she was favored by the emperor, sooner or later, she would be chewed to the bone by others.


    As the so-called the new official takes office with three fires, now she not only had to set fire, but she also must set the most arrogant Pan Duolan on fire, only then she could truly establish her dignity as the empress.


    Thinking like this, Guan Suyi leaned over slightly, stared at Pan Duolan¡¯s hidden smugness inside her eyes, and said word by word, ¡°Pan Jieyu, This Palace asks you, what do you think of yourself now? A female general who follows the grand princess to fight on all side or the imperial concubine who serves the emperor?¡±


    Pan Duolan lowered her eyes and said, ¡°Since has entered the palace, naturally an imperial concubine. Although this concubine never forgot the years of fighting with His Majesty, this concubine will not fail one¡¯s duty.¡±


    Guan Suyi said lightly, ¡°This Palace is also a straightforward person, and likes to interact with women like Pan Jieyu the most, because there is no need to mince words and act in a roundabout way. If This Palace have something to say in one¡¯s heart, then will say it directly. If there¡¯s any offense, please be magnanimous enough to forgive.¡±


    ¡°If niangniang have something to say, please speak bluntly.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡± Guan Suyi nodded in satisfaction, ¡°In the eyes of This Palace, where Pan Jieyu not failing her duty, you obviously forgotten this long ago.¡±


    Pan Duolan¡¯s eyebrows shoot upright, seemed wanted to get angry, but she quickly suppressed it and said, ¡°How did this concubine fail her duty? Still ask niangniang to make it clear.¡±


    Guan Suyi spread her palm, and Minglan immediately handed her a cup of hot tea. She slowly skimmed the tea foam and said, ¡°You keep saying that you dare not forget the duties of a soldier even for a day, but do you remember what the duties of a soldier are?¡±


    Pan Duolan said without hesitation, ¡°It¡¯s to protect the family and defend the country.¡±


    ¡°Very good. As a soldier, you should protect your family and defend your country. As far as This Palace know, female generals like you are not a minority among the Jiuli clan, especially those under the grand princess. When the Wei kingdom was established, one after another they took up their duties to defend the border and wasn¡¯t able return for several years, sacrificing almost everything for the country and the people. They never flaunt how noble they are or how loyal they are. And you? You stay in the splendid palace and enjoy glory and wealth, peace and comfort, wake up every day to practice martial arts, and then stop to enjoy the scenery, sit and play the instrument, but still talk about the duties of a soldier. This Palace ask you, have you contributed even half of effort to the peace of the border in all these years? Have you ever shed a drop of blood for the people of Wei? If you haven¡¯t, how can you say it¡¯s your duty?¡±


    Pan Duolan was speechless and subconsciously looked at Shen Jieyu. The other person did not raise her eyes, but only stroked the palace dress she wore. She immediately came to her sense and said with difficulty, ¡°Since this concubine has entered the palace, of course become an imperial concubine, even if has the intention to serve the country, it is in vain. Now the duty of this concubine is to serve the emperor.¡±


    Guan Suyi smiled lightly, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, don¡¯t always flaunt yourself as a soldier in the future. A real soldier can withstand wind and sand, can endure bitterness and cold, and can even sacrifice their lives, will never be like you that covet wealth and comfort. If you pull them out, you will only smear the faces of the soldiers, and even lose the prestige of the grand princess. The female general under her command who¡¯s willing to abandon her merit and duties to enter the palace is only you alone. You and them are not comparable at all.¡±


    These words were equivalent to ripping off Pan Duolan¡¯s military uniform, causing her to run naked in the wild, making her feel ashamed and angry. But so what? She couldn¡¯t find a word to refute the other person, because she did give up her comrades and her merits to become a concubine who enjoy glory and wealth. But she didn¡¯t do it for wealth, she just longed for the emperor. However, this sentence could not be said, saying it was equivalent to cutting open her heart for others¡¯ enjoyment.


    It wasn¡¯t over yet, Guan Suyi did not wait for her to calm down her embarrassment, and continued, ¡°Let¡¯s not mention the responsibility of the soldiers for now, just the matter of serving the emperor, you have not fulfilled your duty at all. Look at yourself, you have already become a concubine, but dressed like a man, which is really inappropriate. On one side recall the past and talking about merits, but on other side avoided the emperor and never served even for a day. If you really care about the troops, This Palace can send you out and let you continue becoming a female general. But what you really think in your heart, do you think This Palace doesn¡¯t know? You are just making yourself a maverick in order to attract the emperor¡¯s attention, and using every means to win his favor, so don¡¯t use such high-sounding reasons to hide your true purpose. Whether you are straightforward or cunning, This Palace can see through it at a glance, no matter how pretentious you are, it will only become a laughing stock.¡±


    Pan Duolan didn¡¯t expect her to be so ruthless, and before she had time to flare out, she heard the other person coldly say, ¡°If you really like to dress up as a soldier, after wearing men¡¯s military uniform you wouldn¡¯t smoke some incense, put on some rouge, painted willow eyebrows, and dyed your lips. Look at the grand princess, when dressing in military uniform she always showed her natural feature, that¡¯s what a heroic spirit looks like. Not like you, saying it male it¡¯s not, saying it female it¡¯s not, saying it a goblin it¡¯s not, saying it a flatterer it¡¯s not. You can either wear a military uniform and go back to your troops, or change into a palace dress and become an imperial concubine honestly. Concubines compete for favours is normal. Who do you think you can fool? You just fooling yourself.¡±


    She closed her eyes and sighed, ¡°Do you think you look beautiful like this? It just hurts people¡¯s eyes.¡±


    Pan Duolan almost vomited blood when she heard this, slapped the table and shouted, ¡°Guan Suyi, you cross the line!¡±


    There was a loud crackling sound, and the table under her hand collapsed and fell apart. The surrounding concubines screamed in fright, covering their faces to avoid, but Shen Jieyu didn¡¯t move, only a trace of light poured out from the depths of her eyes. Most of the Jiuli women had irritable character, and since they practiced martial arts since childhood, if people had verbal disputes with them, to lose it was still alright, but if they won over them, it could turn into a real fight. This time there would be a good drama to watch.


    However, what happened next far exceeded everyone¡¯s expectations. They actually saw the empress smashed the table with her palm and said angrily, ¡°Pan Jieyu, you dare to call This Palace¡¯s name directly, you got the nerve!¡±


    There was another crackling sound, and two broken tables lay on the ground, causing everyone to gasp for breath. This, what is this? Isn¡¯t the Empress niangniang from a scholarly family? How can her palm force not lose to Pan Jieyu? Could it be that she also has martial arts?


    Oops, this is kicking the iron plate*!


    Pan Duolan was shocked and horrified, not knowing how to respond for a while. She wasn¡¯t stupid enough to use force with the empress, she just wanted to destroy the table and shock the other person, but she didn¡¯t expect that the other person was not afraid at all, but her force was also not inferior. In this way, the intimidation effect was not achieved, but instead sent her into an embarrassing state, with no room to advance or retreat, and it looked like she was the one that got intimidated.


    She lost this game, and lose it very unsightly.


    But Guan Suyi didn¡¯t want to sacrifice just one table. She waved her wide sleeves and ordered in a cold voice, ¡°Arrest those who are neither male nor female outside and do a body search!¡±


    ¡°Empress niangniang, you¡­¡± Even if Pan Duolan was extremely angry, she couldn¡¯t forget to use her honorary title.


    ¡°Pan Jieyu, today This Palace will teach you how to conduct yourself.¡± Guan Suyi interrupted her, ¡°Do you think you will stand out from the masses if you don¡¯t follow the palace rules? Stupid! Rules are not constraints, but protection! If you step on the bottom line of the palace rules, then no one can help you. Even This Palace, once crossing it, it¡¯s the same as showing weak point everywhere. No need for This Palace to do anything, many people can press you to death! You let those maids wear men¡¯s clothes, if someone has evil intentions and orders a man to mix within, let him accompany you by day, and then accuse you for stealing the sky and changing the sun* and defile the harem, how do you plane to clear your name then?¡±


    This sentence completely broke Pan Duolan¡¯s central defense, causing her to break into a cold sweat instantly. She turned her head stiffly and looked at the guards who were neither male nor female. The more she looked, the more suspicious she became, the more she looked, the more frightened she became. The other concubines cried out, inhaled, their faces changed color in shock.


    If the empress didn¡¯t say it, they would never have thought about this possibility at all. It turned out that it would be so easy to overthrow Pan Jieyu!


    Shen Jieyu finally put down the teacup, lowered her eyes, and made a fearful gesture.


    Guan Suyi glanced at her slightly, and continued, ¡°This Palace is a straightforward person, and this is something that needs to be said to you. If This Palace want to rectify you, why give you the upper hand today, just wait until you get carried away and then easily put you to death with just flicking one little finger! What are you still doing? Search to see if those guards are male or female!¡±


    Only then did Jinzi recover from her daze, and ordered the inner attendants to take the people to the front of the hall and search them. The female guards who were still struggling and resisting just now all stopped, for fear they¡¯d bring death to their master. No matter how incomplete the inner attendants were, they were still men, when the female guards¡¯ body were searched by them, one could imagine the shame and embarrassment in their hearts. But no one dared to move, let alone show a strange look, because whoever try to avoid would cause their master to suffer the crime of defiling the harem, enough to annihilate the whole Pan clan.


    Pan Duolan was so arrogant when she first entered Jiaofang Palace, but now she looked like a sorry figure. She stared at the hall at the front, with fear, shame, regret and other emotions constantly flashed on her face.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, who had already walked far away, but returned halfway, was standing outside the window, watching this scene with great interest.


    Baifu whispered, ¡°Your Majesty, can you rest assured now? This servant has already said that these noble concubine in the harem are not the Empress¡¯s opponents at all.¡±


    ¡°Zhen know,¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan shook his head and smiled, ¡°Even Zhen can¡¯t win against Madam, then what are these ghosts? Let¡¯s go, go back to deal with government affairs, lest Madam see Zhen being lazy and reprimand again.¡± That being said, there was a happy expression on his face, as if he was enjoying Madam¡¯s fierceness.

 CH 170

    The inner attendants searched one by one then said, ¡°Return to Niangniang, these people are all women, and no men mixed in.¡±


    Guan Suyi waved her hand casually, ¡°Get down.¡±


    After everyone put on their clothes and fastened their belts, they filed out with tears in their eyes, thinking that they would not dare to look up to meet people for many days to come. Pan Duolan put down her hanging heart while clenching her fists tightly. Even if she was extremely angry, she would no longer dare to show the slightest dissatisfaction to the person on top.


    For the other person to speak bluntly, rather than using those trick to frame herself, was already the greatest kindness. In the eyes of outsiders, the current Pan Duolan not only couldn¡¯t hold grudges, but also had to be grateful to the Empress, because she raised her noble hand and spared her life.


    Someone in the higher position, with bright mind and sharp method, how terrible was such opponent?


    Guan Suyi looked around below her seat and said slowly, ¡°The palace should have been a place with strict rules. If you mess up, you will make a big disturbance. Don¡¯t think wearing the wrong clothes just a trivial matter, it can actually ruin you forever. What if someone, who doesn¡¯t feel content, gets inspiration from Pan Jieyu¡®s unruly behavior and dresses up a man as a palace maid and takes him with her every day?¡±


    The concubine, who was still sitting in their original position, were so frightened that their hair stood on end, and quickly knelt down to express their sincerity, ¡°Concubine will never dare to commit the crime of defiling the harem. Please the empress clearly examine.¡±


    Shen Jieyu couldn¡¯t sit still anymore, she kowtowed honestly, she already understood in her heart that this round not only failed to suppress the empress, instead let her burn all the Three Palaces and Six Courtyards with one fire. After this incident, when everyone went back, they would all be trembling in fear and suspicious of each other, even more they would close the door to decline visitors, safeguarding from everyone.


    Since she made a fuss, might as well make a big fuss, Guan Suyi said coldly, ¡°In this palace, men should wear men¡¯s clothes, and women should wear women¡¯s clothes. Break the rules, the consequences are not something you can bear. When This Palace first entered the palace, originally wanted to get along with you in harmony, but after seeing the chaos on the first day, truly feel heartbroken. Pan Jieyu, Shen Jieyu, after This Palace visit the Empress Dowager, you will hand over the directory, account books, palace card and other things. This palace will rectify the Six Palaces from top and bottom, and see how many ghosts are hidden in the dark.¡±


    Pan Duolan and Shen Jieyu, who originally wanted to delay for a few days, did not dare to refuse, and hurriedly agreed. Even beaten to death they wouldn¡¯t have guessed with just one piece of clothing, it could provoke such a big catastrophe. After this, not only the empress could clean up the palace, and interrogate the personnel, but even they themselves had to clean up their surroundings, so as not to be framed by some dirty tricks.


    Borrowing power to beat power, in just a few words the empress confiscated the palace authority, intimidated the imperial concubines, and made all the inner attendants, palace maids, and imperial guards frightened by her methods. Who would dare to go against her in the future? The so-called master of the Six Palaces was probably like this.


    Thinking like this, the concubines couldn¡¯t help but show reverence, and after kowtowing over and over again, they returned to their sit and listened to the admonition honestly.


    Guan Suyi spoke a few more words, waved her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s already time, let¡¯s go to Changle Palace to pay respect to the Empress Dowager.¡± Everyone complied and followed suit.


    ¡ª


    In the Changle Palace, the Empress Dowager was lying on the soft couch with her eyes closed. There was a bowl of soup medicine in her hand, the smell was very pungent. The three prince consorts sat around her with the little imperial grandsons, their faces full of sorrow. Compared with the last time they met, the Empress Dowager seemed to be a few years older, her turbid eyes loomed with death, and it was obvious that her limit time was approaching. But it¡¯s no wonder, her husband, son, and maiden¡¯s clan were all dead, and the imperial grandsons she raised became waste. She fought shamelessly for her personal gain in the first half of her life, and earned nothing in the second half of her life. If anyone change place with her, they would have long been disheartened and killed themselves.


    She raised her hand to let everyone get up, and said weakly, ¡°Empress, this is a meeting gift from Aijia, take it.¡±


    The eldest prince consort handed a brocade box to Guan Suyi, which contained the treasures of the Jiuli clan. Bian Min¡¯er had already executed, and the Bian family had been beheaded, so this necklace became an ownerless thing. In order to placate Emperor Sheng Yuan, the Empress Dowager could only give it to the empress.


    But in Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes, this necklace was just a ridicule object, she didn¡¯t even want to see it, how could she wear it? But she didn¡¯t show it, respectfully took the brocade box and thanked the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager¡¯s body was not good these days, and she had no mood nor energy to deal with everyone. After a few words, she let the eldest prince consort sent off the guests.


    Everyone withdrew one after another, and after they went back, they gathered all the people in their own palace to check their identities one by one, and dealt with the suspicious ones quietly, lest the empress grasp their handle. Before, Ye Zhen always pretended to be weak, where did she have the energy to rectify the harem? The Empress Dowager and Pan Jieyu were both foreigners, and they knew very little about the rules of the Han palace courtyard, more unlikely to try to reorganize them. Even after the establishment of the Wei Kingdom for several years, the palace was still in chaos.


    Guan Suyi received the directory, account book, and other items, and shook her head while flipping through it. At this moment, Baifu walked in with a flattering face and saluted, ¡°Niangniang, the emperor sent this servant to ask you when you will go to the imperial study. He¡¯s been waiting for you for most of the day.¡±


    ¡°He has his government affairs to handle, what will This Palace do over there?¡± Having said that, Guan Suyi stood up and walked out.


    ¡°Madam told me to wait.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan threw down the memorial and spread his arms.


    Originally Guan Suyi wanted to salute, but when she saw this, she pursed her lips and smiled, walked over slowly and sat next to him.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan hugged her gently, looked at her for a long time, and smiled, ¡°When Madam has not yet entered the palace, whenever I¡¯m tired I would think, if Madam is by my side, it won¡¯t be a problem for me to deal with the memorials for day and night. Not only will I not feel tire, but I will still enjoy it. Now my wish has come true, and it feels like a dream.¡± He then pushed a thick pile of memorials, ¡°Troubling Madam to help me sort this out, then I will reply to it, okay?¡±


    Although Guan Suyi was forced to marry into the palace, she also planned to live a good life with Hunnar. She opened a memorial and said softly, ¡°Sharing worries for the husband originally is the responsibility of this consort, so why said troubling?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, who had already picked up the brush, was stunned for a moment, and after a while he asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°What did Madam just call me?¡±


    ¡°Husband.¡± Guan Suyi looked at him with a smile.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan stroked his forehead, then he rubbed Madam¡¯s lips, and said helplessly, ¡°If it¡¯s not daytime and we¡¯re not in the study, I will definitely kiss Madam.¡±


    Guan Suyi covered her mouth while blushing, and said angrily, ¡°Can you just speak less and deal with memorials more? If you keep smooth talking, I can leave.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan hurriedly grabbed Madam and apologize, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t go, it¡¯s your husband¡¯s fault. Your husband will follow Madam¡¯s order and deal with memorials more.¡±


    Guan Suyi still felt angry after thinking about it. She raised her fist and hit him. At the end, she couldn¡¯t help but laugh. After laughing, she sorted the memorials one by one and placed them neatly on the imperial table. The war was on one file, the agriculture affairs were on one file, and the governance were one file¡­ and then according to the priorities, the most important ones were put on the top, and the less important ones were below, so it was clear at a glance.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan had always regarded approving memorials as hard work, but today he did not feel tired or bored at all. Not only was his mind very clear, but his hand was also very quick, and there was always a smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Madam,¡± he said after a while, ¡°the culture of the Central Plains is indeed broad and profound. Many seemingly simple words hide many great truths. Now I have a deeper understanding of it.¡±


    Guan Suyi slowly flipped through the memorial and responded, ¡°Oh? What have you learned, let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    ¡°I learned a lot, such as ¡®Marry a wife, marry a virtuous person¡¯, ¡®A virtuous wife then husband have few misfortunes, a virtuous wife then husband will be benefiting¡®, ¡®One day husband and wife are one hundred days of kindness, one hundred days husband and wife are deeper than the sea¡¯. Madam, can marry you, it¡¯s indeed my blessing for three lifetimes.¡±


    Guan Suyi glanced at him quickly and said shyly, ¡°Deal with the memorial yourself, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Let you talk some nonsense!


    Emperor Sheng Yuan quickly put down the brush, took Madam who was about get up into his arms and sat her on his knees, kissing her hot ears while laughing loudly, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be angry, I just feel something, and I can¡¯t help but let it out of my chest. Madam, sit down and read the memorial.¡± As he spoke, he shoved a memorial into her hand, his tone was affectionate and flattering.


    Feeling the hard object under her body, Guan Suyi almost jumped up in fright, and immediately took the memorial and sat down on the side, glaring at Hunnar fiercely.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed again and touched the corners of her flushed and wet eyes. He then restrained his mind and continued to deal with government affairs. Baifu, Jinzi and the others had already retreated outside the door, hearing the sound inside, their sweet tooth felt hurt. If they hadn¡¯t met Madam, they would never have imagined that their master also had such a warm side. Now he was more cheerful and smiling all day, completely different from his past unpredictable and moody self.


    Marrying Madam, he became more and more like an ordinary person, rather than a half-beast.


    Guan Suyi finished flipping through the memorial and saw a manuscript on the table. She couldn¡¯t help but pick it up and read it. After a while, she said while feeling ashamed, ¡°It turns out that Xu Guangzhi is so far-sighted, and I¡¯m narrow-minded.¡± This article affirmed the legislative policy proposed by Xu Guangzhi that argued ¡°the five-quasi-clothes to control the crimes¡± was the basic criterion for dealing with kinship relations, and should be introduced into the law. Xu Guangzhi¡¯s opinion was not applicable to the current situation, but it is applicable to a peaceful and prosperous age. Perhaps after twenty years if he could still be used, he would also become the Wei Kingdom¡¯s trusted aide.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned for a while, and after realizing what she said, he quickly comforted, ¡°Madam is not narrow-minded, but focuses on the present. No one is born to know everything, you need to look while you walk, and you learn while you look. You are so, and so am I. Then let¡¯s support each other and explore slowly.¡±


    Guan Suyi shook the manuscript and asked, ¡°You wrote this?¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded and admitted, but was poke on the forehead by Madam, and she reprimanded angrily, ¡°You lied. Judging from the writing, this is clearly my father¡¯s style.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t feel ashamed at all, but chuckled softly, ¡°Daughter knows her father best, I did copy it and incorporated my own thoughts. You can still see father-in-law¡¯s style, your eyes are really sharp.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one that just said you learn while you look? Then in a flash who¡¯s the one who took the credit of his subordinate as his own? This face is getting thicker and thicker¡­¡± Guan Suyi was talking incessantly, but was interrupted by a sentence from Hunnar, ¡°Madam, are you still hurt?¡±


    ¡°Where does it hurt?¡± Guan Suyi was stunned for a while, and when she realized what he was talking about, smoke almost came out of her head, and she punched him, ¡°Hunnar, can you speak properly!¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan immediately hug Madam who thrown herself into his arms, and secretly wondered: Didn¡¯t I learn this from you? Who told you to refuse to talk to me properly before.

 CH 171

    Three free days after the wedding passed in the blink of an eye. When waking up in the morning and saw Madam lying in his arms, Emperor Sheng Yuan sighed contentedly. Everything now was once a beautiful thing that he could not dream of. The power and status were only secondary, the most important thing was that his beloved was by the side, body to body, and heart to heart. The so-called ¡°with this kind a wife, what else a husband can ask for¡± was probably this kind of feeling.


    Seeing Madam¡¯s eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was about to wake up, he immediately rolled over and pressed her down, his tongue skilfully pried open the gap between her teeth, got in and danced with hers, sucking slowly.


    As soon as Guan Suyi regained her senses, she was stupefied by the kiss, and could only follow the man¡¯s rhythm. She thought that the bedroom matter had only pain, but turned out that was because marrying the wrong person. As long as you found the right person, it would feel like stepping on the clouds, like falling into a hot spring, when the bodies closed together it was comfortable, joyful and scalding hot. Hunnar would always pay attention to her feelings, stare into her eyes without blinking, call Madam again and again, and finally hold her in his arms and kiss her sweaty cheeks and forehead delicately.


    He saw only her in his eyes, and he thought only her in his heart. Although he would always say some embarrassing and annoying love words, but he would also make her smile.


    ¡°Hunnar,¡± she called out his name in a low voice, ¡°don¡¯t make trouble, it¡¯s time to go to court.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan raised his head from her neck with difficulty, said while gasping for breath, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to be an emperor, let alone go to court.¡±


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be the emperor anymore, bring the imperial grandsons here, choose a crown prince among them, pass the throne to him, and then we both go to the end of the world, enjoying the fun of being hunted down by the imperial army all day long. By the way, I also I have to take my family with me, so they won¡¯t be caught and threatened by the Empress Dowager.¡± Guan Suyi pushed him away and put on her robe.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan hurriedly yank her back, pressed her on the bed to block her mouth, he lingered for a long time before laughing and whispering, ¡°I only complained jokingly, but Madam always has ten thousand words waiting behind. Alright, alright, I will get up and change clothes, then go to court to listen to politics. Madam, get up quickly and help me dress, I don¡¯t want others to serve me.¡± As he spoke, he picked her up and carried her playfully.


    Guan Suyi was afraid of falling, had to put her arms around his neck, and said helplessly, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I see that you have such a playful temperament before we got married. Dare I ask how old are you this year?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed loudly, and then put Madam back on the bed, half-knelt down to put on her shoes, ¡°I can only do this in front of Madam. When I see Madam, I am happy, and when I am happy, I want to make trouble.¡±


    Guan Suyi was stunned for a while, then covered her mouth and smiled, ¡°I understand, small animals usually do this. Put on an act in front of people, reveal their true colors at people¡¯s back, it¡¯s really hard for you.¡± Her fingers slipped into Hunnar¡¯s hair, gently smooth out his hair.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was not annoyed at all, instead pressed her back again, kissing and biting, and scratched her delicate cheek with his half-short stubble, and a joyful laugh emanated from his throat. How could Guan Suyi just resign herself helplessly, she lifted her waist and turned him over, their two lips were very close, as if she wanted to kiss him, but when he raised his head and approached her, she quickly avoided him with a mischievous brilliance in her eyes.


    Baifu led a group of palace maids to stand outside the room, their face full of numb expressions. Jinzi looked at the sky and mumbling, ¡°Sir, how about you urge them? If they keep continue, the emperor won¡¯t be able to go to court today. Just after the big wedding, if there¡¯s news that the emperor dismissing the court, the old master of our family will probably run to the palace and beat empress niangniang with a feather duster.¡±


    ¡°You are empress niangniang¡¯s most capable maid, it is most suitable for you to urge.¡± Baifu was not be fooled by this. If you offend the emperor, it¡¯s still alright, if you offend the empress, even if she herself doesn¡¯t press charge, the emperor would jump out first to deal with you until you cry mom and dad.


    Jinzi covered her face, made a toothache expression, and then turned to look at Minglan, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go? If the emperor misses the time, it will not be good for niangniang¡®s reputation.¡±


    Minglan was the most honest and simple after all. When she heard that it was not good for her master, she immediately knocked on the door of the room and shouted loudly, ¡°Your Majesty, Niangniang, it¡¯s time to wash up and change!¡±


    The room was quiet for a moment, then there was a crisp low laugh and a long sigh. After a while, the two of them, who were properly dressed, walked out of the inner hall hand in hand and walked to the washstand to wash their hands and face. Seeing the maids gathered around, twisted the wet handkerchief and prepared to help him wash, Emperor Sheng Yuan immediately took it over and handed it to Madam, ¡°In the future, there will be no need for so many people to serve, only Baifu, Jinzi, and Minglan is enough. The rest all retreat.¡±


    The palace maids did not dare to disobey and filed out.


    Guan Suyi took the handkerchief and gently wiped him, ¡°Didn¡¯t they all serve you before?¡±


    ¡°These people are all the maids of Jiaofang Palace, where are they serving me?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan bent down and said in a contented tone, ¡°Only Baifu and personal guards can step into my bedroom, and I usually take care of myself and never let others get close. But now I have a wife, I have to enjoy the feeling of being taken care of by my wife.¡±


    Guan Suyi increased her strength and wiped his face red, teased, ¡°I have a husband now, shouldn¡¯t I also enjoy the feeling of being taken care of by my husband?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan wrapped his arms around her slender waist, bit her earlobe and whispered, ¡°That¡¯s natural. Madam, please wait patiently, husband will definitely serve you well tonight.¡±


    The tips of Guan Suyi¡¯s ears quickly turned red, and she rub the handkerchief on his face, and said angrily, ¡°Hunnar, can you speak properly?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan kissed her forehead, kissed the tip of her nose, and strode off while laughing, she could hear his triumphant voice after he was already far away, ¡°Madam, wait for me at home, I will come back soon.¡±


    ¡°You bastard, you¡¯d better not come back!¡± Guan Suyi chased outside the palace and grinded her teeth, but after a while she couldn¡¯t help but laugh, when she saw Jinzi and Minglan came in with the food boxes, she suddenly said, ¡°Why Hunnar left without having breakfast?¡±


    Jinzi¡¯s face was full of helplessness, ¡°Niangniang, you two got up early in the morning and fool around for more than an hour. If the emperor doesn¡¯t hurry to go to the court, he will be late. If after you just got married he neglect the government affairs, then I say the old master can kill you in the name of righteousness, will you believe it?¡±


    Guan Suyi held her forehead and introspected, and repeatedly told herself to stay focused, be dignified, and not to mess with Hunnar again. Then she picked up the chopsticks to eat, stopped just after one bite, and instructed, ¡°Walking all the way to the Jinluan Palace, there will still be time to eat two buns, right? The length of the court meeting is variable. Sometime it will be over in a quarter of an hour, and sometime will not finish in an hour or two. If he doesn¡¯t eat breakfast, he will probably starve for a long time. When grandfather and father went to court, I would stuff two wotou in their sleeve pockets to relieve their hunger.¡±


    While talking, she picked up a few big buns and ordered, ¡°Send it to Hunnar, hurry up. Let him eat a few bites on the road.¡±


    Jinzi took the food box and used her qinggong to quickly chase after him. Finally, she caught up with the emperor halfway and handed the buns.


    ¡°Madam asked you to send this? Afraid that Zhen will be starving?¡± he asked repeatedly.


    ¡°Yes, please eat it while it¡¯s still hot, so that niangniang will not feel distressed.¡±


    ¡°Understood, you can go back.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan, who had a calm face just a moment ago, after Jinzi walked far away and the sedan chair¡¯s curtain dropped down, immediately showed a silly smile, ¡°Baifu, Zhen also has a wife who care for Zhen.¡± After taking a big bite of the bun, he said vaguely, ¡°Today¡¯s buns taste extraordinarily good!¡±


    Baifu flattered, ¡°Your Majesty, niangniang only has you in her heart, so who else can she care for if not you?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan became more and more happy when he heard this, and he even still had the smile when he came to the court hall. No matter what the ministers reported, it didn¡¯t erase the good mood in the slightest, treated others with pleasant face. The courtiers were also quite relieved to see this, and they all said that the phoenix seat had its master, and the emperor was indeed greatly benefited.


    ¡ª


    Marrying into the palace was different from marrying into ordinary family. There was no rule of returning to her maiden family on the third day. Guan suyi couldn¡¯t go, so she was the one that had to summon the family to the palace


    Zhong shi looked at her daughter up and down, and said with relief, ¡°The complexion is even better than before the marriage, I can rest assured now.¡±


    Old Madam Zuo handed over a few boxes of medicinal herbs and instructed, ¡°If you want to stand on your heel as soon as possible, you have to give birth to an imperial heir. Grandmother prepared these medicinal herbs for you. Take a dose every five days to consolidate the fundament and nourish the womb. There are also some potion to improve and maintain the skin, just brew it with hot water and drink it every day, it can make the skin smooth and the complexion better. To survive in this inner palace, power and children are incomparable to the favor of the emperor. Since you have such a face, you should make the best use of it. Grandmother did not let you learn those coquettish tricks, but only tried to delay aging and retain your beauty. Beauty is women¡¯s most advantageous weapon. It will save you a lot of trouble.¡±


    If Guan Suyi heard this before, she would have blushed, but now she took the herbs calmly and sincerely thanked her. She poured a cup of hot tea for her mother and grandmother, and said slowly, ¡°Grandmother, Yiyi has something to ask for, I wonder if you can help?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Now you have been instructed to compile the history of the Jiuli clan and the history of the Wei Kingdom. You have the right to go in and out of the palace to find ancient books, and it¡¯s also convenient for you to meet me every day. I have a book in mind that I want you to help write. Can you spare some time?¡±


    ¡°What book?¡± Old Madam Zuo became interested.


    ¡°Palace rules.¡±


    Old Madam Zuo was stunned for a while, then suddenly laughed, ¡°Good, you crafty little thing, you found the path so quickly. Alright, I¡¯ll take over this job, what do you want?¡±


    Guan Suyi put down the teacup and said eloquently, ¡°Although I have never been an empress, others have been. Instead of fumbling step by step and stumbling forward, it¡¯s better to start by learning my predecessors¡¯ experience and draw a path. In the past dynasties before our Wei Kingdom, there have been many palace rules and ancestral systems. I want to ask grandmother to help me integrate and edit it and make it into a book. There are not many requirements, just one, to establish my absolute authority as the empress. I am the mother of the country, how can I lower myself to compete with the concubines out of jealousy? If I set the rules first, if anyone breaks it, I will deal with them according to the law, there is no need to fight against them.¡±


    Old Madam Zuo agreed, ¡°The family has family¡¯s rules, the country has national rules, and the inner palace should naturally have the inner palace¡¯s rules. The empress is the master of the Six Palaces, and she has to subdue everyone as soon as she undertook the seat, why there¡¯s a need to retreat and secretly plot? Rules are made by those in power, and people in lower positions have no other way but to obey. In addition to the rules of the palace, you should also write an article yourself to set the tone and advertise yourself as a ¡®virtuous empress¡¯.¡±


    Guan Suyi had already prepared, and immediately took out a manuscript and gave it to her grandmother for revision. Why did she have to fight with Pan Duolan and the others? Just draw a path, and let them go around on their own.

 CH 172

    Old Madam Zuo knew that her granddaughter¡¯s literary talent was brilliant, but she didn¡¯t know that in just a few years she had improved to this point. This article was divided into twenty chapters, namely virtue, self-cultivation, cautiousness, thriftiness¡­ Treating relatives, etc. It covers almost all aspects of women as the empress and imperial concubines. It also elaborated the details of how to treat people, and eloquently explained the style of the mother of the country.


    Without this article, the world would have never imagined what kind of things the empress should do and what she would look like. With this article, they could realize that while having supreme power and respect, the empress had so many obligations and responsibilities. She shouldn¡¯t be too extravagant, and favor evil and help the wicked. It was precisely because she was the empress that she should practice frugality, punish evil and promote good, and set an example for the titled women of the imperial court and even all women in the world. It was precisely because she was the empress that this article did not talk about how women should be humble and submissive, but instead emphasized self-reliance, discerning good and evil, and cultivating virtue.


    After Old Madam Zuo read the manuscript and handed it over to Zhong shi, she said firmly, ¡°If this article is attached to the palace rules as a preface, and once it is implemented, it will be known to everyone in the world. You will establish yourself as a virtuous empress. Whether you can do what you say is the biggest question.¡±


    Guan Suyi chuckled, then said, ¡°Why not? Right now Wei Kingdom has just been established, the population has withered, the taxes has been sharply reduced, and the country treasury is empty. If even the imperial family does not abide by frugality, it will only allow the extravagance to prevail, causing great waste and at the same time stripping away the blood and sweat of the people. How did I grow up from childhood to adulthood, grandmother know very well. The brocade clothes and magnificent dress are only worn this year, in the past only have simple meals and sackcloth clothes, but you never see me unable to stand the suffering. As long as I can eat enough and dress warmly, isn¡¯t life the same?¡±


    Zhong shi hesitated, ¡°Have you ever asked about the emperor¡¯s attitude? If you insist on being frugal, and he is extravagant¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ His Majesty lived more miserably than me when he was young, he¡¯s not a person who enjoys luxury. He is now worried about the huge military expenditure. I will save the harem expense, and hand it over to him as military fund. Now the border is in chaos, the southwest staring like a tiger watching his prey. Everything else can be saved, but the troops can¡¯t be economized. If I do this, he will certainly approve it. Once the palace become more frugal, the courtiers will not dare to be too extravagance and wasteful. In this way, the problem of the empty treasury can be alleviated.¡±


    Old Madam Zuo then made a decision, ¡°Alright, I will enter this article as the preface of the palace rules. After you discuss it with the emperor, I will start compiling it. Your grandmother has no other skills, but I knows the secrets of the past dynasties in great detail. If you want to control the Six Palaces from top to bottom, I will definitely help you formulate the strictest rules and give you the greatest authority, and I will never let the world criticize you. It¡¯s only natural that the superiors make the rules, and the subordinates shall obey the rules.¡± At the end she lowered her voice and said word by word, ¡°As long as you firmly grasp the power, no one can move you even if you lose your favor.¡±


    Guan Suyi nodded seriously, her eyes darkened. Seeing that the two of them had already made up their minds, Zhong shi didn¡¯t say anything.


    After the article was handed over to Emperor Sheng Yuan for reading, he really liked it very much. He even gave Old Madam Zuo a token that allowed her to enter and leave the palace at any time, and helped Madam compile the palace rules. As the saying goes, ¡°there is no way to make a circle without rules¡°, these women in the palace were fighting all day long, and they had already make the foul atmosphere. It was time to rectify inside and outside, clean up from top to bottom. Others only thought that Old Madam Zuo was writing the history of the Jiuli clan, so they didn¡¯t care about her frequent visits.


    ¡ª-


    Inside the Shuangyun Palace, Shen Jieyu was grooming herself in front of the mirror. From the bronze mirror, she caught a glimpse of Dengxi, her chief maid, quietly entered the palace. She said in elongated voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Dengxi sent away the people around and replied in a low voice, ¡°The Empress Dowager agreed to lend you the nails in the palace. This is the token.¡± Then she handed over an ordinary golden peony hairpin.


    ¡°Very good.¡± Shen Jieyu put on the golden hairpin and asked, ¡°Is there a roster? Let This Palace see.¡±


    Dengxi stepped forward to give a booklet, lowered her voice, ¡°These are the palace maids and inner attendants who were subdued when the Empress Dowager entered the imperial city. Most of them are old people from the previous dynasty, they are extremely familiar with the affairs of the inner palace and occupy important position. Some of them are inconspicuous miscellaneous servants, who, although have low status, are better at concealment and can play a big role in critical moments. The Empress Dowager order you to burn it after you memorize it, so as not to leave a handle. She also has some secret guards on hand, asking you if you want it or not, if you want it, show your sincerity and rescue the imperial grandsons first.¡±


    ¡°Then what can This Palace use to control her after rescuing them? If she turns her face and refuses to acknowledge the debt, who should This Palace look for?¡± Shen Jieyu chuckled, ¡°This Palace naturally will get those secret guard. You go and tell her that This Palace can rescue the imperial grandsons first and let her send half the manpower over. If it works then it works, if it doesn¡¯t work then it doesn¡¯t work, it¡¯s not that This Palace has to follow her.¡±


    Dengxi took the order and left, and after about half an hour she returned and nodded, ¡°It¡¯s done. This is the list. She will send people over on the day when the little imperial grandsons leave the palace.¡±


    Shen Jieyu opened it and couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°Juili people are so loyal, in order to protect their masters, they¡¯re even willing to become inner attendants. It¡¯s wonderful, mix in these inconspicuous miscellaneous servants, then This Palace is good to go. Five people, although not too many, is enough for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Niangniang, how are you going to save the little imperial grandsons? Even Pan Jieyu didn¡¯t dare to take on this, why do you take the risk?¡±


    ¡°Riches and honor are obtained by taking risks, what do you know?¡± Shen Jieyu said slowly, ¡°Send this medicine powder to Changle Palace, and let the Empress Dowager pick a little imperial grandson to drink it, and it will take effect within three days. The symptoms are exactly the same as smallpox, and even the imperial physician won¡¯t be able tell the difference. There is no need to drink an antidote, it will be better in half a month by its own. When the time come, just report it to the empress, move the little imperial grandson out of the palace for treatment, or feigned death to escape, or find a child who has recovered from smallpox and replace him. It all depends on their own operation, This Palace can only help until here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this servant is going.¡± Dengxi put the medicine bag into her sleeve pocket and hurriedly left.


    When the Empress Dowager got the powder, she didn¡¯t dare to give it to the little imperial grandsons, but found a few palace maids to try it first. Three days after taking the medicine, the palace maid indeed have blisters all over her body. After lying down for half a month, it healed without medicine, and there was no scar on her face. Only then did the Empress Dowager believe in Shen Jieyu, and after the little imperial grandson drank the medicine powder, she sent the five secret guards over. On the surface it was very secretive, no matter who looked at it, it was just a reasonable transfer, and there was nothing suspicious.


    On the same day, the palace rules formulated by Old Madam Zuo were finally released. Guan Suyi read it repeatedly and handed it over to Emperor Sheng Yuan for review. After confirming that there was no problem, she called the concubine to announce it.


    Since the last show of killing the chicken to warn the monkey, Pan Jieyu used the excuse of being sick to never leave the Panyun Palace. Dozens of people in the palace were all inspected by her several times, and suspicious people had long been dealt with in secret. Those female guards all put on palace clothes, removed their weapons, and never dared to be unconventional.


    After receiving the Empress¡¯s summons, although she was dissatisfied, she was afraid of being rectified, so she had to come to Jiaofang Palace to listen to the teaching under the mocking eyes of everyone.


    ¡°There is no way to make a circle without rules. Since ancient times, the inner palace has been the place with the strictest rules. The matter with Pan Jieyu last time, presumably you¡¯re all have been warned, so This Palace will not say more.¡± Guan Suyi ordered Jinzi and Minglan to distributed the thick book of palace rules, and ordered, ¡°This is the palace rules formulated by This Palace in accordance with the old rules. It has been sent to His Majesty and the old ministers, and have obtained their unanimous approval. His Majesty and This Palace have each made a preface for it, hope you will study it carefully and practice it diligently after you get it. In the future, anyone who violates the rules of the palace will be severely punished and will not be forgiven.¡±


    Palace rules had existed since ancient times, and were generally systematic with national laws, with the same binding force. Violating the palace rules was like violating the laws of the country, and countless concubines had been punished throughout the dynasties. Naturally, everyone presents did not dare to raise any objections. They took the book while respectfully complied, after seriously looked over, they all broke out in cold sweat.


    This palace rules were very detailed and very strict, from the things worn by palace maids and inner attendants, to the words and deeds of the empress and concubines, each had corresponding rules. And the promotion of palace maids and inner attendants, and the promotion of the concubines, were all need the empress¡¯s approval. In other words, with this palace rule, the empress would become the sole autocratic figure of the Six Palace, everyone would have to look at her first before acting, and everyone would be under her control.


    Those who were discourteous in front of the emperor would be demoted, those who had lost their personal virtues would be demoted, and those who were ineffective in protecting the descendants would be demoted¡­ A series of demotions were followed by a series of promotions. At the end, various crimes corresponded to various punishments, all had detailed records. Where is this palace rule? Obviously even stricter than the law!


    Except for the empress, how can everyone else live?


    When Shen Jieyu was in a rage and was about to fight, she turned to the second half of the book. The content actually annotated the source of each palace rule, and it was not made up by the empress, but actually followed the example from the past dynasties. Each palace rules also cited a concubine who had violate it, and elaborated on her fate to warn future generations.


    How could people refute such a detailed and comprehensive collection of palace rules from the past dynasties? Confucianism advocated ancient law, wasn¡¯t this the best example of ancient law? Shen Jieyu could almost imagine how the emperor and the ministers complimented this palace rule when it was presented for review. And she, a little concubine, had no qualifications to refute it.


    Besides Shen Jieyu, the rest of the concubines were also overwhelmed by this palace rules, but they did not dare to argue with the empress. Just because the front page of this palace rules not only attached the preface from the empress, but also attached the preface from the emperor, and it repeatedly ordered them to do their best and not to violate the rules. If anyone cause any trouble, it would be equal to disrespecting the imperial decree, and their fate could be imagined.


    Pan Duolan was waiting to regain her strength and fight with the empress, but the fighting spirit that had been stored for nearly a month disappeared in an instant. Here on out, what color of clothes she wears and what style of jewelry she wears were under the control of the empress, so how could she fight with her? Between the Empress and the Jieyu, which didn¡¯t feel like much different before, were now built an artificial moat, she couldn¡¯t resist, otherwise she would immediately be buried at the bottom of those moat.


    The new official took office with three fires, and those three fires have not finish burning. The empress couldn¡¯t play the trick of killing chickens to warn monkeys again, so maybe now she was waiting for someone to make trouble! You can¡¯t make trouble. If you make trouble, it will give the empress an excuse to punish you! Thinking like this, the feeling of powerlessness hit like a tide, making Pan Duolan on the verge of collapse.


    Shen Jieyu repeatedly reminded herself that this was only temporary, with the help of the Empress Dowager, she would get out of this predicament sooner or later, but then she heard the Empress speak slowly, ¡°The emperor promulgated the law of nurturing the people a few days ago, as the mother of a country, how can This Palace not response? In order to carry forward the national law, and also to do good deeds and accumulate virtue, from now on, all the maids in the palace who have reached the age of twenty-five will be released for marriage, and the inner attendants who have reached the age of forty will be released for retirement. This Palace has entered this matter into the palace rules, and it will be effective from now on.¡±


    Among the palace maids and inner attendants who could mix in the palace, which one was not old? As soon as the empress said this, it was equivalent to instantly disintegrating the power system of the inner palace that had long been structured, and taking away other people¡¯s advantages. However, she put it in the name of righteousness and great good, so that people could not say more than half a word!


    Shen Jieyu¡®s arrangement was destroyed seven out of ten before it even started. She seemed to have been hit with a stick, and the back of her head was sore and swollen, but she had to hold back. The empress¡¯s tricks are really amazing! She didn¡¯t give anyone the chance to fight at all, it was all snuffed out with one move!

 CH 173

    The concubines had long known that after Jiaofang Palace had its owner, their life would be difficult, but they did not expect to be suppressed to this point. What it meant by ¡°entering the door of the palace is as deep as the sea¡±, now they finally understand, without emperor¡¯s favor or children, it¡¯s unknow how they would live. Some people were helpless, some people were lost, and some people were full of anger.


    Pan Jieyu subconsciously looked at Shen Jieyu, her lips opened and closed slightly.


    Holding the palace rule, Shen Jieyu took a few steps forward, bowed down and said, ¡°Niangniang¡¯s warning and teaching, us concubine don¡¯t dare to disobey, we should abide by the palace rules and keep our duties. Of course, as the mother of a country, niangniang ¡®s most important responsibility should be to spread the branches and leaves for the imperial family, and extend the bloodline. The emperor is close to the standing age (thirty), but there has no good news in the palace. Should niangniang persuade the emperor to spread the rain and dew, sow the dragon seed? Us concubines has entered the palace for several years, but no one has received His Majesty¡¯s favor. The harem has no master before, us concubine worried but did not know who to complain to. But now niangniang is in charge of the Six Palaces, occupies the phoenix position, the commander of us concubines, still asks niangniang to be the master for us concubine.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, all the concubines knelt down in unison and shouted, ¡°Please asks niangniang to be the master for us concubines.¡±


    Before entering the palace, Guan Suyi already knew what she would face. She clapped her hands calmly, and one of the inner attendant walked forward with a tray, and presented the contents of the tray to the noble concubines for viewing.


    ¡°This is?¡± Shen Jieyu felt something in her heart.


    ¡°This is the palace card,¡± Guan Suyi picked up the wooden card engraved with the words ¡°Jiaofang Palace¡±, and said slowly, ¡°who the emperor wants to spoil is not something This Palace can control, but the This Palace will not shirk the duties that This Palace should fulfilled. These palace cards are engraved with your name and the palace name, and every day This Palace will send an inner attendant to let the emperor choose, so as to remind him to spread the rain and dew. As for who he will choose, it depends on your luck.¡±


    After she said this, she felt a churning in her stomach, and she had to close her eyes for a while before suppressing the nausea.


    One by one, the concubines craned their necks to look into the tray, and their expressions showed a bit of joy. Shen Jieyu stopped talking, but Pan Jieyu felt that it was not enough, and said, ¡°Niangniang should just arranged us concubines to serve the bed, why bother with all these mysteries.¡± Others didn¡¯t know, but she was very clear that the emperor obeyed the empress¡¯s words.


    Guan Suyi glanced at her and said coldly, ¡°If you think that This Palace just trying to make things mysterious, that¡¯s fine. This Palace will draw up a schedule for serving the bed and arrange the emperor¡¯s favor one by one. In the future, you don¡¯t have to go to the emperor to flatter, just come directly to Jiaofang palace to serve This Palace, and whoever makes This Palace happy, This Palace will help that person.¡±


    As soon as these words came out, Pan Jieyu¡®s face became extremely ugly, and the rest of the concubines were also frightened and uneasy. As soon as the palace rules came out, the empress¡¯s authority had already extended to the limit. If she even arranged which concubine who¡¯s going to serve the bed, wouldn¡¯t it mean that she completely controlled their way to survive? Why Pan Jieyu had to speak? You can¡¯t court death like this! The palace card still better, if the emperor gets tired of the empress, others would have a chance!


    Thinking like this, everyone quickly said in unison, ¡°Thanking Niangniang for giving us concubine this palace card.¡± Pan Jieyu sat stiffly for a moment, and finally knelt down with everyone, her heart was full of humiliation and unwillingness, but she couldn¡¯t do anything.


    Guan Suyi closed her eyes and said, ¡°While everyone is here, send the palace card directly to Weiyang Palace. The one who have been summoned will go back and prepare herself. Hope she can spread branches and leaves for my imperial family as soon as possible.¡±


    The concubines were overjoyed, and they knelt down again and again to give thanks, and then looked forward to it.


    ¡ª-


    Inside Weiyang Palace, Emperor Sheng Yuan was discussing the matter of flood control with several ministers and workers. He finally had time to rest, and was about to change into his regular clothes to accompany the empress in Jiaofang Palace. But then he saw Baifu coming in with a tray, his expression was a little strange. When he looked inside, there were more than two dozen small wooden cards with tassels of various colors, engraved with the names of the palaces and concubines.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He picked up the small wooden sign engraved with the words Jiaofang Palace and played with it, there was a gentle smile on his brows and eyes.


    ¡°Report to the Emperor, this was sent by the empress niangniang. She said that you almost reach the standing age and still have no children, so she advised you to spread the rain and dew. From now on, she will send people to bring the palace cards every day, and whoever you want to visit, just flip the sign. The concubine will then get the message to let her prepare early.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The smile on Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s face disappeared instantly, he gritted his teeth while saying, ¡°Is this really what Madam asked you to send?¡±


    Baifu caught a glimpse of the emperor¡¯s cloudy and stormy expression, he couldn¡¯t help but swallow his saliva, ¡°Report to the emperor, it was indeed sent by empress niangniang.¡± He didn¡¯t dare to say more. In fact, he very much agreed with the empress¡¯s actions. In another year, the emperor would be thirty years old, but there was not even one child under his knees. This had become the biggest hidden danger that could shake his throne. The empress¡¯s move was for the continuation of the imperial bloodline, was it not for the emperor himself? This is the real virtuous empress!


    However, Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t appreciate it at all. He flipped the tray with his hand and said angrily, ¡°Burn it! Burn all these unsightly things for Zhen!¡±


    Baifu was so frightened that he didn¡¯t dare to persuade him, he had no choice but to pick up the palace cards that had been thrown to the ground, and take it outside the hall to burn them. But after a few steps, he heard the emperor said ¡°wait¡±. He was overjoyed in his heart, thinking that the emperor had changed his mind, but then he saw that the other person only picked up the ¡°Jiaofang Palace¡± card and put it in his arms, he then waved his hand gloomily, ¡°Take the rest and burn them.¡±


    Baifu had no choice but to obey the order.


    ¡ª-


    In Jiaofang Palace, the concubines were still waiting patiently. They looked at each other and tested each other, all guessing who would be chosen. If one could be favored and get pregnant with a dragon heir overnight, according to the palace rules it was considered a great merit, and she would be promoted. With a child and a position, a greater fortune would definitely wait at the front. An empress was indeed very grand, but the grandness was not as good as an Empress Dowager.


    In the midst of wild thoughts, many people¡¯s cheeks turned red and showed a smile of joy, but then they heard the sound of hurried footsteps from outside the hall. After a while, the tall, handsome and cold-tempered Emperor Sheng Yuan strode over. Without looking at the concubines, he went straight to the empress and slapped a wooden card on the table, ¡°Madam, what do you mean by this?¡±


    Guan Suyi, who was closing her eyes and tried to relax, opened her eyes and said calmly, ¡°Didn¡¯t the inner attendant sent by this consort make it clear? The emperor has no children, so this consort asks the emperor to favor the concubines and continue the bloodline.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s angry expression gradually turned vicious. He looked back at the miscellaneous people, and scolded sharply, ¡°Get out of the Jiaofang Palace!¡±


    How could everyone dare to stroke the tiger¡¯s whiskers at this time, they fled the door without waiting for him to finish his words, and only after leaving Jiaofang Palace did they ask, ¡°What happened to the emperor? Why get angry without rhyme or reason?¡± Only Pan Jieyu had a solemn expression on her face, she stood in the open space outside the palace for a long time before leaving with flimsy footsteps.


    After everyone was gone, Emperor Sheng Yuan asked again with a stern face, ¡°Madam, what do you really think of Zhen?¡±


    Guan Suyi loosened her fist that had been clenched for a long time, and asked without answering, ¡°You only brought back one palace card, what about the rest?¡±


    ¡°Zhen burn them.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was tired of her method of always changing the subject, but he was reluctant to get angry with her.


    ¡°Burn?¡± The corners of Guan Suyi¡¯s lips seemed to be move upward, but it quickly smoothed out. She stared at Hunnar and said word by word, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m heartless for pushing you into another woman¡¯s bed less than a month since we get married?¡±


    Without waiting for Hunnar to answer, she continued, ¡°Do you know what love is? For example, if you get a very precious treasure, you love it so much, and you always take it out and caress it. But one day you bumped into a friend, and that friend also like it, so they asked you to share it with them, and you agreed without saying a word. This is love, but it¡¯s only love for playthings, even if you share it with others, you will not feel sad. There is also a kind of love called one and only, unfaltering in this whole life, and cannot be share or even touched by anyone, if you accidentally let others take a look, you will feel a heart-wrenching pain.¡±


    Guan Suyi slowly put her hand on her left chest and said with a chuckle, ¡°Your Majesty, have you ever thought that this consort is the empress of Wei, then I should fulfil the duties as an empress. Even I don¡¯t want to do something, I still have to do it; Even if I don¡¯t want to say something, I still have to say it. When I persuade you to visit others, maybe my heart is crying for you to stay.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s gloomy face was gradually replaced by love. He hugged Madam¡¯s thin body and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Do you love me? Are you trying to say that you love me? One and only, unfaltering in this whole life?¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t answer but asked instead, ¡°What about you? What kind of feelings do you have for me? If I tell you directly, don¡¯t visit others, in this life can only have me, will you think I¡¯m insatiable?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan replied quickly, ¡°We have each other is enough.¡±


    Guan Suyi finally calmed down and said frankly, ¡°Then relying on Your Majesty¡¯s love, I¡¯m going to play a rogue again, still asks you to please forgive.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan looked down at her, his tone was a little gentle, with little smile in it, ¡°What rogue are you playing?¡±


    ¡°I want to be a virtuous Empress, but I also want to monopolize my husband. Is it possible?¡± Guan Suyi stared straight at him, ¡°For Ye Zhen you can bear the infamy for so many years, so it¡¯s not a big deal to bear it for me, right? ¡±


    ¡°For you Madam, I am willing to bear anything, let alone a little infamy. Madam, what do you really want to do?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was completely confused.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s tone was calm, ¡°If I try to dominate you, not to mention the courtiers will throw me all kind of impeachments, I¡¯m afraid even my grandfather and father will accuse me for harming the country and the people. However, I just want to monopolize you, and I can¡¯t stand for you to have any relation with other women. These concubines in the harem haven¡¯t serve the bed even for a day, aren¡¯t they pitiful?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was about to shake his head, but he heard Madam said firmly, ¡°They are indeed pitiful, but if I give you to them because of this, I will only be even more pitiful. I was supposed to be a virtuous person, but in the end, I found myself just a miser who pretended to be virtuous. As I said before, the reputation of the virtuous empress, I want; to monopolize you, I also want. These cards, I will let people send them to Weiyang Palace every day, advising you to spread the rain and dew, and you should know who you want to choose, right?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan finally understood what Madam meant, first nodded slowly, and finally clapped his hands while laughing heartily.

 CH 174

    ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± Guan Suyi frowned, ¡°Who should you choose? Say it yourself now.¡±


    ¡°Choose Madam, naturally choose Madam.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled and took the stiff-face Madam into his arms, ¡°Madam, you are getting more and more fierce.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s expression was still very serious, ¡°I can¡¯t ruin the reputation of the Guan family, and I can¡¯t let my grandfather and father be impeached and criticized because of me, so I will try my best to persuade the emperor not to favor Jiaofang Palace alone. If the emperor turns over my palace cards for one day, I will respect and love the emperor as a husband for one day. If the emperor is tired, dislike, and chooses someone else, I will also respect the emperor as the monarch. From then on, we will have a monarch-subject relationship, not a husband and wife. I will welcome you when you come, I will send you off when you gone, that¡¯s all.¡±


    At this time Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t laugh anymore. He quickly blocked Madam¡¯s lips and sucked gently for a while, until she was dizzy and her eyes were soaked in water.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say this kind of heartless words, Madam. I will always choose you. I know that whenever you say ¡®Please Your Majesty, spread the rain and dew¡¯, you¡¯re actually begging me to stay. I will not be angry because of this in the future, I understand your heart, and you should understand mine too. You are the most virtuous empress in the world, in order to continue the imperial bloodline, you¡¯re almost break your heart, it is I who doesn¡¯t work hard, always sticking to you. ¡±


    The corners of Guan Suyi¡¯s mouth twitched quickly, then she ordered, ¡°Minglan, take another set of palace card and let the emperor choose it again.¡±


    Minglan took the order and left, her face still pale, showing that she was frightened by the furious emperor. After a while, she came up tremblingly holding the tray, knelt down and said, ¡°Please take a look, Your Majesty.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan felt both helpless and funny, directly took the sign of Jiaofang Palace, and flattered, ¡°Are you satisfied, Madam?¡±


    ¡°Not satisfied.¡± Guan Suyi pointed to the gate of the palace, ¡°Let Baifu take out these cards, burn it again in public, and ask all the concubines in the palace to come see it. Empress niangniang was also very earnest and tried very hard to persuade the emperor, which made the emperor very unhappy because of this, and almost wrongly implicated. The emperor is not good with women, what can the empress do?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, he pressed his fist to his lips and choking from laughter. Madam was really a tyrant and a rogue, how could he not see it in the beginning? But in this way, she was more cute and more lovely.


    ¡°Leave it alone.¡± He stopped Baifu, who had a weird expression, and shook his head with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll take it out and burn it myself, so that others can see it clearly.¡± After hugging and kissing Madam a few times, he strode out, and when he reached the outside of the palace, his laughing expression turned gloomy in an instant. He ordered the guard to build a brazier, poured the palace cards into the fire, and stared at them as they burned to ashes before turning back inside the palace.


    Each palace masters naturally wanted to understand why the emperor was furious, so they all sent some spy to investigate, and they were all greatly disappointed when they got the news. The emperor was so disgusted with flipping the cards, so for a while, other than the empress he definitely would not summon any concubines. Only hope that the empress would not be intimidated by the emperor because of this and dare not persuade him again.


    In fact, it was not strange for the emperor to be ruthless. Who told every palace concubine to avoid him like a snake before, instead every day they ran to Changle Palace to please the Empress Dowager and the prince consorts, and also intended to stand with the little imperial grandsons. Now that the Empress Dowager had fallen, they wanted to change the course and withdraw, but it was too late to regret it.


    From this day on, the empress sent an inner attendant to Weiyang Palace every day to deliver the sign. If the emperor was in a good mood, he would directly pick Jiaofang Palace, but if he was in a bad mood, he would burn all the signs, and then ran to the empress ¡°furiously¡±. The empress was also really virtuous, even if she was scolded to tears, the next day she still done what she had to do, so every few days she would have disputes with the emperor, causing Zhong shi and the others to enter the palace several times to ask for an audience, advised her not be too straightforward, occasionally be soft and follow the emperor.


    The courtiers also heard about the relationship between the emperor and the empress, they all sighed that the empress was virtuous and generous. However, the emperor was not good with women, and even disgusted with them, this matter had long been a well-known secret. So it was normal that he didn¡¯t want to visit the palace concubines, and it was not something that can be solved in one or two days. Fortunately, the empress was very patient, and what the emperor needed most was the eldest son. It was not too late to persuade again after the empress was pregnant.


    While persuading the emperor, the empress also released a large number of palace maids and inner attendants to reunite with their families, which won the praise of the courtiers and the common people. Afterwards, she practiced frugality and took the initiative to cut two-thirds of the Jiaofang Palace¡¯s expenses, wore only plain clothes, put on only silver hairpins, and ate only simple meals. The rest of the concubines did not dare to surpass her, so they also reduced their expanses and manpower, saving a large amount of silver for the inner storehouse.


    After two to three months, the empress¡¯s virtuous name had been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and could not be shaken.


    ¡ª


    Inside Shuangyun Palace, Shen Jieyu was wearing a coarse cloth and a peach wood hairpin, stood by the window looking into the distance. Dengxi hurriedly ran in and said in shock, ¡°Niangniang, the sixth imperial grandson is dead! It¡¯s really dead! The eldest prince consort has already fainted from crying at this moment.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Shen Jieyu accidentally snapped off one of her fingernails.


    ¡°The body of the sixth imperial grandson has been transported back to the palace. This servant went to the Empress Dowager to ask for the other half of the secret guard, and almost got killed by her. If the empress hadn¡¯t gone to express her condolences, this servant would not be able come back alive today!¡± Dengxi said in horror, ¡°The sixth imperial grandson is really gone, and I don¡¯t know what went wrong.¡±


    Shen Jieyu sat stupidly for a while, gritted her teeth and said, ¡°This Palace will go over and see in person.¡± When she walked to the door, she stopped, ¡°Let¡¯s wait until the mourning period is over. Now everyone is avoiding Changle Palace like snakes and scorpions. If This Palace goes alone, it will look suspicious. Besides, right now the Empress Dowager is so angry, she won¡¯t be able to talk properly with This Palace.¡±


    For the first time she seemed at a loss, murmured, ¡°Dengxi, how should we live our days?¡± Most of the nails she just got were released from the palace in a blink of an eye, and the rest were either taken by the empress¡¯s majestic aura and didn¡¯t dare to revolt, or demoted to an inconspicuous place and could not be used at all. Even the five secret guards, after the death of the sixth imperial grandson, would probably be taken back by the Empress Dowager.


    If the Empress Dowager blame the death of the sixth imperial grandson on her head, not only she could not use those people, but if they stay by her side, they would become a threat.


    Dengxi was also at a loss, ¡°Niangniang, why don¡¯t you lay low for a while? Nowadays, the personnel in the palace are reduced, and everyone can easily get familiar when seeing each other, whoever is quiet and who is cunning, the empress can see through it at a glance, so let¡¯s not provoke her attention. Dress up and see if you can run into the emperor in the imperial garden.¡±


    Shen Jieyu opened her trousseau and sneered, ¡°Dress up? The rouge and the powder are all gone, and the jewelry can¡¯t be worn outside. How should This Palace dress up?¡±


    ¡°Then wait for the emperor to remember one day, by some luck maybe your sign will get picked.¡± Dengxi¡¯s voice gradually faded, revealing a sad tone. How could the emperor willing to flip the concubine¡¯s sign, because of this he had quarrelled with the empress several times, and every time he got angry, he took it out by reducing the expense of each palace. Of course, Jiaofang Palace would only be cut more severely.


    The other palace masters were already miserable, wiping their tears every day. But the empress seemed like it was nothing, dressing more and more plainly, eating more and more simple. A few days ago, she even let people carried a loom to Jiaofang Palace, preparing to weave her own clothes. How could she not get tormented?


    Shen Jieyu also had to admit that the empress was a determined and resolute person, not someone that can be trifled with.


    ¡°Wait for the emperor to flip the card? Then you may as well inquire the emperor¡¯s whereabouts.¡± Shen Jieyu gritted her teeth and said, ¡°You bring in a loom as well, This Palace will personally weave a piece of cloth for His Majesty as a gift for his birthday.¡±


    ¡°Niangniang, do you know how?¡± Dengxi was very suspicious.


    ¡°Then learn first! Even if the weaving is not good, it still a piece of This Palace¡¯s heart! Just go.¡± Shen Jieyu urged.


    It was not easy for Dengxi to get a loom in, and the other palaces also followed suit. In the past, when walking around the palace, people could always hear the decadent music, but now it was the sound of weaving cloth.


    ¡ª-


    Guan Suyi arranged the funeral of the sixth imperial grandson, and ordered the imperial physician to guard the empress dowager, who was vomiting blood and went unconscious, before returning to Jiaofang Palace to continue weaving. She slowly straightened the thread, and was about to step on the pedal when she saw Hunnar striding in and asked with a smile, ¡°Madam, when will the clothes you promised to make for me be ready?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t finished weaving the cloth, it¡¯s still early. If you have nothing to do, why not spread the rain and dew, and go to another palace to sit?¡± Guan Suyi said habitually.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan could no longer feel his previous anger and sadness, but regarded it as a kind of fun, hugged her and kissed her twice, and said with a bright smile, ¡°Every time you say this, in your heart you actually crying and begging for me to stay, how can I go against your wishes and make you sad? I¡¯ll change my clothes and go to the backyard to farm, and you will bring me a pot of herbal tea later.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go in the sun for too long so as not to get heatstroke.¡± Guan Suyi urged earnestly.


    ¡°Understood, the next time (maternal) grandfather enters the palace, you ask him to bring some grape seeds from the Western Regions, and I will build a grape trellis for you, so that you can enjoy the coolness in summer and eat grapes in autumn.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan said while taking off his dragon robe, changed into a set of coarse cloth short. Ever since Old Master Zhong entered the capital, Emperor Sheng Yuan was astonished by his farming knowledge, and invited him for a long talk every day. The emperor then sent people to various places to instruct local officials on how to grow crops.


    He also learned a few hands himself, and then opened up a few plots of farmland in the back garden of Jiaofang Palace to grow vegetables and fruits. This move won great praise from the courtiers, and was passed on to the people, adding another luster to his image as benevolent monarch. Now Jiaofang Palace was completely self-sufficient, and there was no need for the Department of Internal Affairs to allocate expense.


    After Guan Suyi finished weaving a piece of cloth, she made some herbal tea to relieve the heat and sent it to the backyard. When she saw Hunnar, who was digging with a hoe with his trouser legs rolled up to his knees, she became distracted. It turned out that the promise he made at the beginning was true, even if they were the emperor and empress, even if they lived in the deep palace, they could still live the life of an ordinary married couple.


    ¡°Stop digging, come and rest for a while.¡± After returning to her senses, she smiled and waved at Hunnar. After taking two steps, she felt a darkness in front of her eyes and almost fainted, she then vomited while holding on to the pillar.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was startled, and immediately threw away his hoe and ran over to hug her, anxious like an ant on a hot pan. Jinzi who heard the noise ran to check the pulse, and then laughed, ¡°Your Majesty, niangniang is pregnant!¡±


    TN: What is this magical pair of emperor and empress that weaved their own cloths and farmed their own food?!


    PS: The main story will be finish in 3 more chapters. After the wedding the story does feel kinda rushed. But after the main story there¡¯s an alternate story which is very interesting.

 CH 175

    When he heard that Madam was pregnant, Emperor Sheng Yuan couldn¡¯t believe his ears. To be on the safe side, he asked Baifu to call several imperial physicians for consultation. Guan Suyi sat dumbly on the bed, her eyes were empty, it¡¯s unknown what she was thinking.


    Several imperial physicians took turns to go up to check the pulse, tapping and tapping, probing and probing, gathered together to discuss in a low voice for a while, and then walked up to the emperor who was like a tiger staring at its prey, and said in unison, ¡°Congratulations, Your Majesty, the empress is expecting, it¡¯s just three months now and the fetus is extremely stable. The dizziness and vomiting before is a normal morning sickness phenomenon, no need to take medicine, just a little bit of dietary conditioning will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Three months pregnant?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan repeatedly confirmed. According to this calculation, didn¡¯t she get pregnant on their wedding night? So fast! Thinking like this, he couldn¡¯t help but hold his forehead, feeling a bit dizzy.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Your Majesty?¡± Several imperial physicians quickly stepped forward to ask when they saw his face was strange.


    ¡°Zhen is fine.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan slowly waved his hand and slowly looked at Madam whose expression was also looking dazed, then he said ecstatically, ¡°Madam, did you hear? You are pregnant with Zhen¡¯s child! You¡¯re going to be a mother, Zhen is going to be a father, and we¡¯re going to have a child!¡± He laughed uncontrollably, and raised his voice to order, ¡°Several imperial physicians will be heavily rewarded! Jiaofang Palace from top to bottom will be heavily rewarded! Reward, everyone in the palace will be rewarded! Baifu, open Zhen¡¯s private treasury and reward some silver! Quickly!¡±


    Baifu was overjoyed and went away with lighting speed.


    Several imperial physicians hurriedly knelt down and thanked the emperor, their old faces smiling so wide that their eyes could not be seen. The emperor finally had an heir, and they hope empress niangniang would get a son in one fell swoop and solve the problem of no successor in Wei Kingdom.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan wanted to pick up Madam and swing her to express his ecstasy. But when he put his hand on her shoulder, he remembered that she was pregnant now. His hand seemed to be scalded by charcoal, withdrew it quickly, afraid of hurting even a single piece of her hair. With extreme restraint, he stroked the corners of Madam¡¯s misty eyes, and brushed the hair behind her ears before turning his head and instructed, ¡°Jinzi, Minglan, what are you still doing? Go to Emperor Teacher Mansion and announce the good news!¡±


    The two nodded with a smile, and immediately took the receiving card and left the palace.


    After dismissing the miscellaneous people, Emperor Sheng Yuan wanted to properly share this joy with Madam, but then he saw her blinking her eyes, quietly cried.


    ¡°Madam, what¡¯s wrong? Are you scared?¡± He sat helplessly on the edge of the bed, hugged Madam with one arm, patted her back lightly with the other, and comforted, ¡°Being a mother for the first time, it¡¯s inevitable to be panic. Don¡¯t be afraid, I will protect you and our child. I will let the imperial physician move to Jiaofang Palace and take care of you all day.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not scared.¡± Guan Suyi looked at Hunnar, and choked up, ¡°I¡¯m crying with joy.¡± Yes, it was tears of joy. All the hardships she had suffered in the past vanished at this moment, even the scars that imprinted in her heart were also smoothed out one by one. Her child, finally returned to her side again.


    Even if she was treated so cruelly and ruthlessly by Zhao Luli in the previous life, when the child arrives, she could forget her hatred and accept it happily. It was also because the child was gone that her last thought of survival was wiped away. She silently endured all the hurts, and silently waited for death.


    But now, she was alive again, not only her body was alive, but her soul was completely awakened. Her life was finally complete again.


    ¡°Hunnar, I¡¯m so happy. We have a baby.¡± She buried her face in the man¡¯s broad and warm chest and cried, ¡°I feel like I¡¯m dreaming, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll wake up and everything is fake.¡±


    While stroking her slightly trembling back, Emperor Sheng Yuan put his face against her neck, comforting softly, ¡°It¡¯s not a dream, you are in my arms.¡± He tightened his hands, there was some uncertainty in his heart, and some fear of losing. Thinking of the painful past and the extremely happy present, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of emotions and thoughts, and unknowingly he also shed two lines of tears.


    Guan Suyi felt a warm liquid falling into her collar. She was stunned for a while, then looked up and asked in disbelief, ¡°Why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I cry with joy too?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan pressed his forehead against Madam¡¯s forehead, sighing with great satisfaction, ¡°To have you, to have our child, my life is worth it.¡± While speaking, he stroked Madam¡¯s flat stomach and asked, ¡°Can I listen?¡±


    The child was still young, who could hear the voice, but looking at the eyes full of longing, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t say no, so she lifted the quilt and said with a smile, ¡°Listen then.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled foolishly, and then carefully put his ear on Madam¡¯s belly and listened carefully. Guan Suyi inserted her five fingers into his hair, stroking it repeatedly, and jokingly said, ¡°Did you hear something? Did you hear the child calling Daddy?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded solemnly, ¡°I heard.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bull!¡± Guan Suyi twisted his ears, ¡°you¡¯re so eager for a child, you have hallucinations. The child is still young, he can¡¯t hear and can¡¯t see anything. Wait until several months old, you can hear his heartbeat when you stick your ear again. He¡¯s sometimes naughty, will move a few times and kicks you across the belly.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan raised one eyebrow and looked very surprised. When he looked at Madam¡¯s belly again, his eyes were full of awe. This place nurtured their child and continued their bloodline, so magical and so sacred. He kissed it reverently, and said emotionally, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s nice to have you.¡±


    Guan Suyi also lowered her head and took the initiative to kiss the child¡¯s father. A family of three, how these four words taste so sweet.


    Zhong shi and Old Madam Zuo rushed to the palace as quickly as possible. As soon as they stepped into the inner hall, they saw the emperor hugging Yiyi and whispering something. The two of them looked very happy, their eyes were slightly red, and it was obvious that they had just cry. Zhong shi and Old Madam Zuo hurriedly greeted them, took a seat and exchanged some small talks. When they talked about how to raise the fetus, it was like they opened a conversation box, talking nineteen to the dozen.


    ¡°Now that you are pregnant, you can no longer eat simple meals, you must eat some nourishing food, but don¡¯t eat cold things, such as hawthorn, longan, barley kernel, turtle, crab¡­¡± Old Master Zhong was an agronomist and knew all kinds of plants in detail, Old Madam Zuo was influenced by him and naturally she was also an expert. She explained the way of maintaining health to her granddaughter in detail. There were many people in the palace, and she was very worried that other people would try to harm her granddaughter¡¯s fetus when it was not yet stable.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan listened more seriously than Madam. Seeing that grandmother spoke faster and faster, he quickly waved his hand and said, ¡°Old madam, please wait, Zhen will take a brush and paper to record it in detail.¡±


    ¡°To save the trouble, how about this humble woman write the list and give it to Your Majesty.¡± Old Madam Zuo bowed and replied.


    ¡°No, no, no trouble.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan spread out the brush, ink, paper and inkstone and said earnestly, ¡°While you talk, Zhen will write it. Instead of you write and give it to Zhen, it will leave a deeper impression this way. If Zhen memorize it well, in the future will be able take good care of Madam. She is pregnant for ten months, it¡¯s really hard for her, so don¡¯t tell her this, lest she think too much and become stress instead. With Zhen guarding and watching her, Zhen will not let her have any trouble.¡±


    Old Madam Zuo was astonished, she never expected that His Majesty would value her granddaughter so much. Not to mention the monarch of a country, even ordinary men couldn¡¯t say these words. They only know how to be happy when they have a descendant, but who would understand the hardships of their wives being pregnant for ten months? Unless they really put their wife on the tip of their heart and love them dearly, only then they would have such awareness like His Majesty.


    ¡°Then will troubling Your Majesty.¡± Old Madam Zuo, who originally not very optimistic with this marriage, instantly had some expectations.


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural for a husband to take care of his wife, so why bother with the word ¡®troubling¡¯?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan gave Madam a gentle smile, and then he picked up the brush and said respectfully, ¡°Still ask old madam to teach Zhen. This is Zhen and Madam¡¯s first child. It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that it¡¯s our lifeblood, he must be well.¡±


    ¡°This humble woman will definitely tell everything one¡¯s know.¡± Old Madam Zuo was even more pleased, on one side recalling on one side narrating, Zhong shi occasionally added a few sentences.


    Looking at the three people who were sitting together and seriously discussing the matter of raising a fetus, Guan Suyi stroked her belly and laughed silently.


    Afraid they would tiring the pregnant woman, Zhong shi and Old Madam Zuo reluctantly said goodbye after sitting for an hour. Emperor Sheng Yuan personally sent people out of the Jiaofang Palace, and finally turned back and said with some restraint, ¡°Madam, I am so happy today, I really want to jump on the roof and howl.¡±


    ¡°Go and howl then, who will stop you?¡± Guan Suyi was amused.


    ¡°No,¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan waved his hand solemnly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid of scaring our child, besides, I can¡¯t leave you now, not even for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Then how about when you go to court? How about when you deal with government affairs and meeting ministers?¡± Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t stop laughing. She felt more and more that under Hunnar¡¯s mature and stable appearance, there was actually a child who hasn¡¯t grow up. He made trouble when he was happy, and made trouble when he was unhappy. In the future, when their children were born, they would definitely be able to play together.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan frowned in distress, sighed after thinking for a moment, ¡°Not to go to court it¡¯s really impossible, but after it finish, I will come to Jiaofang Palace to handle the government affairs, move the imperial study to the side hall, and meet the ministers there. I can¡¯t get too far from you. When you over here call me, I can hear it and arrive in time. I heard that giving birth is a very dangerous thing, and I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    After being happy, he was left with deep worries.


    Guan Suyi took his big hand and comforted, ¡°I¡¯m not even afraid, why you are the one that afraid. Within seven months, I will strengthen my body bit by bit, and my fetus will be more stable, so it will be alright.¡±


    ¡°I will take good care of you and the child. You are only responsible for raising the fetus. I will send some guards over later. It¡¯s strictly forbidden for some miscellaneous people to enter and leave Jiaofang Palace. Your food and clothing expanse will be allocated from Weiyang Palace, without going through Department of Internal Affairs. By the way, don¡¯t be frugal anymore, you must eat something nourishing and wear soft clothes¡­¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan kept talking about the precautions, he didn¡¯t notice that Madam rolled her eyes in his arms, she looked at Jinzi and Minglan, and complained silently, ¡°So naggy.¡±


    The two lowered their heads to cover their mouths and laughed secretly.

 CH 176

    After listening to Hunnar¡¯s entire nagging, Guan Suyi quickly changed the subject, ¡°Today I went to Changle Palace to visit Empress Dowager. From her words she seems to hate me very much, and the eldest prince consort even showed a resentful look. Is there something strange with the sixth imperial grandson¡¯s death? Could it be you¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan patted her back and comforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t think about it, I¡¯m not bad enough to deal with a few weak children. The Empress Dowager wanted to find a disfigured child to replace the sixth grandson, and then secretly send the boy himself back to the clan, handed him over to several clan elders to be taken care of. Although those people stay in their homeland and never participate in the politics, their words carry heavy weight. If they¡¯re willing to raise sixth imperial grandson, his future would definitely not be bad. However, where there are people, there¡¯s bound to be disputes, several prince consorts seem to be in harmony on the surface, but inside they have long fought openly and secretly, forging deadly feuds. The eldest prince consort wants to send her son out, how could the other two not want to? If the sixth imperial grandson died, the remaining imperial grandsons will benefit.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s the work of the other two prince consorts?¡± Guan Suyi breathed a sigh of relief. Not long after the sixth imperial grandson died, she sent out the good news. If he was killed by Hunnar, wouldn¡¯t it be equivalent to letting the unborn child bear the sin?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan could see her concerns and comforted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Madam, for you and the child, I will try my best to be a benevolent monarch. Tomorrow morning, I will announce the news of your pregnancy, and then I will amnesty the world as to accumulate blessings for you and the child.¡±


    ¡°Would it be too early to amnesty the world now?¡± Guan Suyi smiled, ¡°What should you do when the child is born?¡±


    ¡°Then continue to amnesty and allow all the sinners who have been exiled to return to their ancestral homes and turn over a new leaf.¡± Wei Kingdom lacked people, no matter how vast the country, without farmers who farmed, it would not be able to restore its national strength. If the court could accept even the sinners, the refugees who fled to the Western Regions due to the war would return one after another. Emperor Sheng Yuan was racking his brains to recruit people, and with Madam¡¯s pregnancy he could possibly move them.


    ¡°Everything is up to my husband.¡± Guan Suyi hooked her shoes with her feet, ¡°I feel much better, I¡¯ll continue weaving.¡±


    ¡°Weave what cloth, you are not allowed to weave.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan hurriedly hugged her and ordered, ¡°Jinzi, let people remove the loom.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t! Didn¡¯t grandmother say to let me to move around a lot? Weaving a cloth only need to step on the pedals, it won¡¯t be tiring. I¡¯ll weave for half an hour every day, and when I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll make a new set of clothes for you and the child.¡±


    Hearing this, Emperor Sheng Yuan felt hot in his heart, and he helplessly said, ¡°Well then, you¡¯re only allowed to weave for an hour a day. Jinzi, Minglan, you all look after Madam carefully, don¡¯t let her get tired.¡±


    The two could only complied and not dare to neglect.


    ¡ª-


    The next day, the news of the empress¡¯s pregnancy spread to everyone. The emperor was in an extremely happy mood. Even when he received the battle report about the defeat at the border, he did not frown, and even rejected the memorial for changing the front-line commander, encouraged Zhao Hai to fight again. Zhao Hai received the decree and became more and more loyal to the emperor.


    The expense for the harem finally became a bit more generous, but all the delicious things were only sent to the Jiaofang Palace. The emperor still maintained a frugal style, so that the concubines dare not make trouble. It¡¯s unknown since when, when the concubines met the empress, they always said ¡°how about the little prince¡±, as if they were sure that the empress was pregnant with a male fetus. When the courtiers heard the news, they also placed high expectations on the empress, hoping that she would quickly give birth to the di eldest son of Wei Kingdom.


    Zhong shi and Old Madam Zuo noticed that the situation was not right and went to the palace several times to comfort the empress. The gender had not yet determined, but such rumors had been spread, and the most anxious person was none other than the empress. It was fine if she got a son in one fell swoop, but if she gave birth to a daughter, she would surely disappoint everyone. Under everyone¡¯s attention, her pressure could be imagined. If her mood could not be adjusted in time, it could bring extremely harmful effects to the fetus.


    This was someone deliberate attempt to indirectly harm the empress!


    ¡°Grandmother, mother, you can rest assured, I don¡¯t take it to heart. Whether this child is a son or a daughter, it¡¯s my child. I will never be confused because of this.¡± Guan Suyi stroked her belly and smiled, ¡°Son and daughter, I love both.¡±


    ¡°The question is what does the emperor think? If he doesn¡¯t like a daughter, he will have some resentment towards you. Besides, he is nearly thirty years old and desperately need the di eldest son.¡± Zhong shi said worriedly.


    ¡°The emperor is not that kind of person, he won¡¯t care about this.¡± Guan Suyi said firmly.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t think about anything, just take good care of the fetus.¡± Old Madam Zuo picked up the gifts from the concubines and sneered, ¡°The rumor is spread from the palace, looking all over, it can only come from several people. Look, the little clothes and pants they sent are all male¡¯s styles, really considerate.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than considerate. At this time, they already found good beauties for the emperor, ready to seize the opportunity to compete for favor.¡± Guan Suyi smiled sarcastically.


    Old Madam Zuo and Zhong shi hurriedly comforted her, and they said goodbye after sitting for half an hour. Immediately after they left, Emperor Sheng Yuan came back, sat down and very patiently asked Madam what she did and ate today, and then lay on her belly and stupidly called out the baby.


    Seeing him like this, Guan Suyi immediately put her troubles behind her and covered her mouth with a chuckle. At this time, Shen Jieyu asked for a meeting from outside, and after entering, she saluted respectfully, and asked the palace maid to present the gift she brought to the empress. In addition to her two chief palace maids, Dengxi and Dengfu, she was accompanied by a fifteen to sixteen-year-old little palace maid, who had a very outstanding figure and appearance. Even wearing the most ordinary palace clothes and a simple hair bun, she was like a peach blossom, looking very charming. What¡¯s even better was that she also had a crisp and melodious voice, when slowly spoke some auspicious words, it made people¡¯s ears soft.


    Guan Suyi gave her a fixed look, and then looked at Shen Jieyu, who had a calm expression, she couldn¡¯t help but laugh in her heart.


    Before the group of people sat on the stool, Pan Jieyu also led many palace concubines to come. When she saw that the emperor was in Jiaofang Palace, she wanted to remind him to spread the rain and dew.


    ¡°Niangniang, how is the little prince today?¡± Pan Jieyu asked.


    Guan Suyi would correct them at first, saying that she was not necessarily pregnant with a little prince, but now she didn¡¯t bother to pay attention, stroking her belly and smiling, ¡°Today is very good, it¡¯s just the mouth is very light, and want to eat something with a strong flavor.¡±


    ¡°Eat some preserved plum to whet the appetite, so you don¡¯t throw up later when you eat.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan took out a jar of preserved plums from the drawer, picked a plump one and stuffed it into Madam¡¯s mouth, and poured her another cup of hot tea, held it both hands and fed her little by little, said like coaxing a child, ¡°Slow down, be careful of spilling. Although preserved plum is delicious, but you can¡¯t only eat it all day long. If you want something with a strong flavor, Zhen will go to the backyard to pick some cucumber and make you a cucumber salad for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, this consort loves cold dishes now.¡± Guan Suyi smiled and nodded.


    The rest of the concubines were jealous and envious, their hearts were full of complex feelings. Pan Jieyu couldn¡¯t help herself and asked, ¡°Does the emperor personally cook for the empress?¡±


    ¡°Why not? Zhen¡¯s wife and child, do it still have to trouble others to take care?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan asked back like it was a matter of course.


    Guan Suyi pursed her lips and smiled. This person said it so confidently, but in fact he could only cook this one dish. She also didn¡¯t love to eat it, she just wanted to satisfy his urgent desire to take care of his wife and children.


    Pan Jieyu¡®s face became extremely ugly, and after a moment of silence, she said, ¡°This is the emperor¡¯s first heir, and should have carefully looked after. With niangniang¡®s powerful auspicious air, from now on many princes and princesses will be born in the harem, and the imperial family will also open up branches and scattered leaves, have many children then many blessings. Niangniang, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    This was a disguised reminder not to dominate the emperor and prevent him from sowing the dragon seeds. Guan Suyi was terribly disgusted, spit out the plum core, and said lightly, ¡°Of course. The emperor now has no heirs, This Palace is also very worried. Your Majesty, this consort is tired, if you have nothing to do, then go to another palace to sit down.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s impatient expression completely turned gloomy, he put down the tea cup heavily, and said coldly, ¡°Is the empress want to chase Zhen out? How can Zhen allow you to order where Zhen supposed to be?¡± He looked at the concubine in the hall, and said sarcastically, ¡°Zhen still keep all of you is already considered extreme benevolent, don¡¯t think that Zhen know nothing about the things you have done. Zhen is the master of the country and rich in the world, not a beggar who can pick up and eat any filthy things out there.¡±


    These words were too harsh that the concubines were red in the face, so embarrassed that they wanted to die. It turned out that in the eyes of the emperor, they were actually a bunch of filthy things? Also, he was a great emperor, what kind of beauty he couldn¡¯t get? Why bow down to a bunch of idiots who once avoided him?


    His exclusive favor for the empress was not necessarily because he love her so much, maybe only because she had never looked down on him, let alone submissive on the surface, but secretly avoided and even tried to make use of him. Pan Jieyu remembered what she had done, and a look of despair couldn¡¯t help but appear on her face. She finally realized that the emperor would never fall in love with her in this life, even more, he didn¡¯t even want to look at her.


    Just a few words of deception could turn her from love to fear, what qualifications does she have to be favored and forgiven by the emperor? Thinking like this, she knelt down and kowtowed three times, and then quickly walked out of the Jiaofang Palace and came to a remote place, where she bursted into tears and cried silently.


    Shen Jieyu and the others¡¯ faces suddenly turned green and white, looking very ugly, where did they still have the heart to compete for favor. They quickly kowtowed to plead guilty, and filed out. If the emperor hadn¡¯t said it, they wouldn¡¯t know that he had already made up his mind. They realized they had no hope of ascending to the throne in this life. A man¡¯s dignity could not be trampled on, not to mention that the other person was the honorable emperor, this was even more inviolable. It seemed that they really have to find someone to get favor and borrowed the belly to give birth to a child.


    After waiting for the miscellaneous people to go away, the dark-faced Emperor Sheng Yuan immediately put on a smiling expression, put his arms around Madam, and asked, ¡°Are you scared just now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, and only then did he lie down on Madam¡¯s belly, and said softly, ¡°Are baby scared? Don¡¯t be afraid, daddy is not angry with your mom, daddy is just joking with your mom, in the future you will understand. Daddy will try to restrain himself, not to speak loudly in front of your mom. You grow up well, born smoothly, and don¡¯t let your mother suffer.¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, twisted his ear and scolded ¡°idiot¡±.

 CH 177

    The closer it was to the delivery date, the more pressure Guan Suyi felt, not from her own fear, but from outside rumors and persecution. Now everyone was looking forward for her to give birth to a son in one fell swoop, as if the whole Wei Kingdom¡¯s prosperity were all pinned on her belly. Even the empress dowager, who usually didn¡¯t like setting foot outside, visited Jiaofang Palace many times. She appeared to be kind, but in fact, she sinisterly urged her to protect the dragon¡¯s fetus and to give birth to the eldest son for the emperor.


    If Guan Suyi was not a reborn person, if she had never experienced all kinds of hardships and thus became stronger, at this time she would be extremely restless, could not sleep and eat, for fear that her belly would disappoint and give birth to a baby girl. However, she understood the pain of losing her lifeblood, so she cherishes everything now. Whether this child was a son or a daughter, it was a favor from heaven and the most precious gift. It was impossible for her not to feel grateful, so how could she dislike it.


    Facing everyone¡¯s ardent expectations, or vicious curses, she survived until the ninth month, and one day, she had a contraction in the early morning.


    Recently Emperor Sheng Yuan had been very nervous and slept very lightly at night, afraid that his wife and child would have an accident. During the day he was not calm, even if he was in court or dealing with government affairs, he would make Jinzi report Madam¡¯s condition every half an hour. Not to mention on his free time, he almost glued himself to Madam, not allowing her to take half a step away from him.


    Whenever he saw her walking back and forth in the palace with her huge belly, he would be worried, and occasionally he would have the idea of ??never letting Madam have a child again. From the initial vomit, to her swollen legs and sleepless nights, she suffered too many pains and suffered too many hardships. In the end, she still had a life-and-death crisis to overcome.


    Because of the anxiety in his heart, he woke up the moment Madam had a contraction, and ran out to call someone in panic. Fortunately, several imperial physicians were all on standby in Jiaofang Hall, and immediately arranged the delivery room and let people carry the empress in.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s robes were messy and his face was pale. When hearing Madam¡¯s painful moaning, he almost rushed into the delivery room several times, but was stopped by Jinzi and Baifu. Empress Dowager and the others came to visit Jiaofang Palace with lanterns one after another, their faces looked anxious, but it¡¯s unknown what they were really thinking.


    ¡°Your Majesty, go back and change your clothes first. Heaven helps the worthy, niangniang and the little prince will be safe and sound.¡± Shen Jieyu comforted softly.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was reluctant to leave even one step, but he would not appear disheveled in front of other women. He asked Baifu to fetch a robe and put it on the spot. His strong and powerful body was wrapped in black dark coat, his broad shoulders and lean waist, tall and straight posture gave people a great sense of deterrence.


    Where the concubines still had time to pay attention to the empress, they all glanced at him one by one, feeling more and more regretful for their foolishness of avoiding him. Fortunately, Emperor Sheng Yuan was staring at the delivery room, and had no time to talk to others, otherwise he would definitely drive away all those women whose mind was not in the right place.


    As the night faded and the first rays of morning light appeared, Madam¡¯s groaning didn¡¯t stop at all, instead it became more and more mournful. He couldn¡¯t help walking back and forth at the door, almost breaking a few holes on the floor with his steps.


    Baifu saw that it was time to go to court, and then stepped forward to remind him, ¡°Your Majesty, all the ministers are waiting in Jinluan Palace, how about you go to court and come back later?¡±


    ¡°What court?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan said anxiously, ¡°Let them all disperse, Zhen want to accompany Madam.¡±


    Baifu knew that he couldn¡¯t persuade His Majesty to go, so he had no choice but to send away the ministers. After walking out a few steps he heard him shout, ¡°Wait, tell Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies that Madam is about to give birth, and stop by the Emperor Teacher Mansion to bring mother-in-law and Old Madam Zuo into the palace. When Madam come out of the delivery room, she will definitely want to see them.¡±


    Baifu complied with the orders and walked quickly. When the ministers learned that the emperor was waiting for the birth of his di son, they all expressed their understanding of the court dismissal, and they also prayed in the direction of the Jiaofang Palace, wishing for the safety of the mother and son.


    Hearing his colleagues shouting ¡°little prince¡± one by one, Old Master Guan shook his head and sighed, ¡°Nowadays, the court officials are sure that Yiyi is pregnant with a male child, I¡¯m afraid that the emperor also has high expectation. If she gave birth to a son, everyone has expected it, and it won¡¯t come as a surprise; but if it¡¯s a daughter, I¡¯m afraid the emperor will be extremely disappointed. The more favored she was before, the more disappointment and criticism she will get after. I hope Yiyi will have the blessing and can smoothly give birth to the eldest di son.¡±


    Guan Father shook his head and said, ¡°The odds of having a son and a daughter are half and half, it¡¯s hard to say. It¡¯s good to have a son, but if she has a daughter, we have to comfort her and steady her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s steady.¡± The old master said firmly, ¡°Let¡¯s go, go back and prepare for the meeting gift for my great-grandson.¡± The two were silent all the way, there was happiness, but more, there was anxiety and worry.


    After tossing and turning for a long time, in the evening when the rose-tinted clouds fill the sky, Guan Suyi finally gave birth to a child. In order to protect this lifeblood, she did not dare to slack off when raising the fetus. She took all the nourishment she should take, done all the exercises she should do, so that her body became stronger than before, and the fetal position was right. It only took half a day to give birth to the first child, it was considered very smooth.


    The midwife patted the baby twice, wiped the child clean, and wrapped it in a swaddle. Then she knelt down with a stiff smile, ¡°Salute to niangniang, Niangniang congratulations, this is a little princess.¡±


    Guan Suyi said weakly, ¡°Is she healthy?¡±


    ¡°The little princess is very healthy and full of breath!¡±


    Only then did she smile with relief, then raised her arms with all her might, ¡°Let This Palace hug the child.¡±


    The midwife hurriedly put the child beside her pillow and complimented her greatly. Although it was not a son, and might be disgusted by the emperor, but she was the eldest di daughter and have the honor of the first-class princess, so they definitely did not dare to neglect her. Originally thought they could get a lot of rewards this time, but it seems that all have gone to waste.


    The palace maids serving in the delivery room were very anxious. The birth of a child by the empress was supposed to be a great event, but the emperor was nearly thirty years old and had no children under his knee, so he was definitely looking forward to the birth of a boy. Now that things turned contrary to one wished, the emperor certainly would be very disappointed, only hope he would not show it on his face and embarrass the empress.


    Guan Suyi saw that the child was safe and healthy, so she relaxed and slowly fell asleep. Several midwifes pushing each other, all did not dare to go out to report. If it wasn¡¯t for the emperor hearing that there was no movement in the room and asked in a loud voice, they would have wanted to flee.


    The concubines felt something in their hearts. Although they didn¡¯t show it on their face, they all gloated and laughed inside. Especially Shen Jieyu, who let out a suffocating breath, secretly pondered: Although the rumors of the past few months failed to overwhelm the empress, making her lost her mind and accidently miscarriage. But Heaven is on This Palace¡¯s side, not let her give birth to the eldest son first. Then what will happened when the emperor heard the news? Maybe he¡¯s going to fling his sleeves and leave on the spot? For the sake of this child, he can even violate the principle of a nobleman stays clear of the kitchen*, which shows how many high hopes are placed on him. The eldest son and the eldest daughter, although there is only one word difference, the treatment is like heaven and earth!


    Several midwifes bravely walked out of the delivery room, raised the child with both hands, and said with a forced smile, ¡°Report to the emperor, niangniang gave birth to a little princess, and now both mother and child are safe.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t even look at the child, walked around the midwifes and went into the delivery room. Seeing Madam lying on the bed with pale face, his head felt dizzy. With trembling hand, he tried to feel Madam¡¯s breath, then he sat on the edge of the bed with weak legs and feet, buried his face in the curve of her neck and took a deep breath. No one knows how he could endure, if Madam in pain, he would only suffer more than her; if Madam afraid, he would only be more afraid than her. He thought of his mother who died tragically, and when he heard Madam¡¯s continuous screams, he almost kicked the door several times and ordered her not to give birth.


    He hugged her tightly, and the fear dissipated little by little.


    The emperor didn¡¯t even look at the little princess, which made the midwifes, who were kneeling on the ground, very flustered. The concubines were very happy in their hearts, but they all showed sympathy and compassionate expressions on their faces, and whispered, ¡°Poor one, just after being born, she was rejected by His Majesty.¡±


    Zhong shi and Old Madam Zuo, who stood behind them, felt as if their hearts were burning with fire, but due to the etiquette of monarchs and ministers, they did not dare to complain, let alone come forward to look without authorization.


    The Empress Dowager stretched out her hand to hug the little princess, but she was quickly picked up by the quick-hand Jinzi. The Empress Dowager didn¡¯t want to bother with a servant, she just smiled faintly, as if she had foreseen the end of the empress¡¯s fall of favor. So what if he¡¯s the emperor? Still can¡¯t have a son? Unlike her three daughters-in-law, the fetuses are all male child.


    Shen Jieyu coughed, and was about to hand over the gift and say a few beautiful words, but she saw the emperor rush out like a whirlwind and ordered, ¡°Jinzi, Minglan, hurry up and cook a pot of chicken soup, Madam will drink it when she wakes up! Mother-in-law, Old madam, please stay in the palace to take care of Madam for the time being, and make her feel at ease.¡±


    Then he picked up the child with trembling hands, and asked in a trance, ¡°Is this Zhen¡¯s little princess?¡± He wanted to hold the child tightly in his arms, but he was afraid of hurting her delicate skin. She was so small, her skin was red, and although her face was wrinkled, she was so cute.


    Jinzi taught him how to hold the child and smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Your Majesty, although the little princess is delicate, as long as you have the right posture, you won¡¯t hurt her.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan held the child and stood stiffly in the same place like a wooden statue. He wanted to rock her but afraid that she would be dizzy; he wanted to kiss her but afraid that his beard would prick her, he actually didn¡¯t know how to express his feelings and love. No one knew that, rather than a son, he hoped that Madam would give birth to a daughter for him, one that fully inherited Madam¡¯s intelligence and beauty. The husband and wife would accompany their child from a small pea to a beautiful girl, and the process surely full of joy and warmth.


    He would treat the child as a jewel in his palm, even if she wanted the stars in the sky, he would definitely pluck them for her.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes turned red, he slowly lifted up the little princess, put his ear beside her little face, listened to her weak but steady breathing, and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°This is Zhen¡¯s little princess, named Chaoyang, titled Zhenguo , with the fief of ten thousand households! Baifu, take four treasures of the study, Zhen will formulate a decree to grant amnesty to the world, recall all sinners and refugees, and let them pray for the Princess Zhenguo! Rewards, everyone in the palace will be rewarded!¡±


    Titled Zhenguo, with the fief of ten thousand households, barely born and the position already comparable to a first-rank prince, this didn¡¯t look disappointed and disgusted! Everyone was dumbfounded, and it took a long time to react, then they all knelt down and kowtowed.


    The empress gave birth to a daughter, which was far beyond everyone¡¯s expectations. What was even more incomprehensible was that the emperor did not feel disappointed in the slightest, but on the contrary wantonly rewarded and amnesty the world, and it took more than a month for the happy mood to slowly return to normal.


    The women in the harem were all stunned. At first, they thought that the emperor just wanted to support the empress, so he pretended to be happy, but after a long time, they had to accept the reality: the emperor seemed to like a daughter more than a son. All day long he held the little princess in his arms, his posture was even more skilled than the empress and the wet nurse, and he even changed diapers and washed the clothes and pants for the little princess himself.


    One time in court, he secretly took the little princess with him. Fortunately, the empress found out in time, and hurriedly asked Jinzi to stop him, so as not to let people see the joke. The courtiers often saw the emperor swaying and coaxing the little princess in his arms while flipping through the memorials. From disbelief, it slowly turned into numbness, and from numbness turned to get used to it.


    Within two months, the news that the emperor loved his daughter like his life spread to everyone, which made the concubines in the palace jealous and powerless, painful and desperate, and the Guan family finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    However, there were always people who refuse to stop. On this day, the grand princess entered the palace with a dark face to ask for a meeting, followed by a few old people with crane-haired and childish looks and a beautiful girl wearing a splendid dress. Emperor Sheng Yuan was holding Guan Suyi, and Guan Suyi was holding Huo Chaoyang. The family of three was laying happily under the grape trellis to enjoy the cool air. Their faces darkened when they heard the report.


    ¡°Hugna? Who is that?¡± Guan Suyi asked anxiously.


    ¡°My mother¡¯s niece.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan explained, ¡°Ever since my mother was framed to death, the Hu family never interacted with me again to protect themselves. In order to search the truth, I looked for them several times, but they were unwilling to admit it and gave me a lot of wrong clues, so the more I checked, the more I went wrong. However, the Empress Dowager sent me that drawing out of ¡®compassion¡¯, which solved my doubts. Since then, I changed my surname to Hu, but I have never gone to the Hu family to look for relatives again.¡± Talking about the past, Emperor Sheng Yuan was in a very bad mood, but when he saw his daughter¡¯s innocent smile, he quickly became happy again.


    ¡°Then she entered the capital at this time, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not as simple as recognizing the relatives, isn¡¯t it? Let¡¯s go and have a look.¡± Guan Suyi took her daughter and kissed her, when she saw her husband bring his face close, she also smiled and kissed it.


    When the three entered the main hall, they saw that the Empress Dowager, several prince consorts, and imperial grandsons had also arrived, and they were talking to the old people with a very respectful attitude. A young girl sat bellow the grand princess, her blue eyes were extremely deep, as if it could capture people¡¯s soul.


    ¡°What kind of wind has brought several clan elders here?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan helped Madam walk over and sat down, not even the corner of his eye look at the girl. The girl¡¯s expectant expression turned dim, her head bowed slightly, and she remained silent.


    Even though those several old people were highly respected in the clan, and always acting arbitrarily, they did not dare to make a fuss in front of Hunnar, who was the monarch, and quickly stood up and saluted. The girl also bowed down, her voice was very beautiful.


    ¡°Does Your Majesty still remember your cousin Hugna.¡± One of the elders said, ¡°This subject heard that you have no children under your knees, so then has the intention to send Hugna to serve you. She has the blood of the late Empress Dowager, the combination of the two of you will surely give birth to the purest bloodline of descendants.¡±


    Before waiting for Emperor Sheng Yuan to answer, another person said, ¡°This subject has already inquired about it. Although the Empress was born in a noble family, for many generations the family has only one heir in each generation. In this generation, there is only one daughter, and the bloodline is cut off. It can be seen that the Guan family¡¯s woman is not good at breeding, whether she can give birth to a di son for Your Majesty is still unknown. In order to prevent the blood of the imperial family from dying out, still ask Your Majesty to favor his concubines. If you don¡¯t like the women in the harem, this subject and the others will find a few more good ones in the clan, and they can be sent immediately.¡±


    It was not the first time that others had stuffed Hunnar with women in front of her, but Guan Suyi still felt angry, disgusted, and helpless. As a ¡°virtuous empress¡±, not only she could not refute, she even had to help persuade a few words, but who could understand the stabbing pain she felt in her heart?


    No, Hunnar could understand. Not only could he understand, but he would try his best to protect her, so even if she was angry and disgusted, she could endure it. When she was thinking like this, a large hand quietly reached out and patted her stiff knee, causing her to lower her eyes and smile.


    ¡°Clan elders can manage Zhen¡¯s harem, but you can¡¯t control Zhen¡¯s trouser belt. You can send as many women as you want. Anyway, they can only be grass widows. If they don¡¯t mind, then Zhen won¡¯t care.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan then hurriedly covered the little princess¡¯s ears, and said in annoyance, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Madam, for letting our daughter hear such nonsense. I will pay attention to it in the future.¡±


    Guan Suyi shook her head and smiled.


    ¡°But the empress can¡¯t give birth to a son¡­¡± One of clan elder became very anxious.


    ¡°Not to mention that the empress is still young and will be able to give birth to many children for Zhen in the future, even if she can¡¯t give birth to a son, what does it matter?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan hugged the little princess and spoiled her, ¡°The Jiuli clan once produced three matriarchs who led our clan to expand the territory and conquer the four sides; don¡¯t mention far, just look at the imperial sister, her ability is not inferior to any man. If Zhen doesn¡¯t have di son in the future, the Zhen will establish a Crown Princess*, what do you think, imperial sister?¡±


    Guan Suyi was stunned, she looked at her husband with her mouth open, but he smiled and took her into his arms, and declared, ¡°Zhen don¡¯t want a shu son in this life, you all put down your thoughts.¡±


    The grand princess, who throughout had a gloomy face, suddenly slapped the table and laughed, ¡°Conferring a Crown Princess? Good for you Hunnar, so brave! If the empress remains childless, This Palace¡¯s troops will be the sharpest weapon in Crown Princess¡¯s hands!¡±


    The clan elders were stunned by his shocking thoughts, and their persuasion was fruitless, so they had no alternative but to leave in a hurry with the girl whose face was ashen. These words, Emperor Sheng Yuan had no intention of concealing them, and in a flash, it spread to the whole palace. Only then did the concubines determine the emperor¡¯s attitude, and fell into despair.


    He would rather have a Crown Princess rather than a shu son, the emperor was really dead set on the empress! However, this infatuation, they originally had a chance to get it! Regret, truly regret!


    Some courtiers admonished, some impeached, and some kept silent, but the emperor was hell-bent on having only di sons, which was not a serious matter for the Han people who attached great importance on di and shu, and it stopped over time. After two years, the empress became pregnant again, and finally gave birth to a prince, and then there was no news. The emperor never favored other concubines, but only held this pair of children in the palm of his hand and loved them.


    Princess Zhenguo looked like the empress, and His Highness Crown Prince looked like Emperor Sheng Yuan, but their temperament was completely opposite. Princess Zhenguo was good at wielding weapons, and was taken to the military camp by the grand princess when she was less than ten years old. His Highness Crown Prince, however, was very well-behaved and honest, and his mind was incomparably intelligent. He could speak before he was one year old, and able to recite poetry at the age of three. At the age of six, he was taken by the emperor to the imperial study to manage the governments, as if the emperor could not wait to hand over the heavy burden on his shoulders.


    Guan Suyi had a pair of son and daughter, and a husband who never leave and never abandon her. She had no regrets in this life.


    FIN


    TN: It¡¯s finish! At least the main story. There are many extra chapters after this, which is an alternate story to the main one. But unfortunately I will have to take a break for a few days. I¡¯m behind on chapters right now because I¡¯m busy with work. Ok that¡¯s not completely true. I do have work to do, but more that that, I got trapped by webtoon binge LOL. I¡¯m so lazy translating and editing because I keep reading webtoon, even stayed until 2 am almost every night, I¡¯m sorry. Anyway I¡¯ll try posting the extras next week, hope you will still read it.

 CH 178

    Inside Ganquan Palace, Ye Zhen was sitting in front of the bronze mirror, holding a piece of gold leaf cut into a lotus shape in her hand, then she carefully pasted it between her eyebrows. Four maids surrounded her, some combing her hair, some choosing her jewelry, and some took out the clothes for her to choose.


    One of the palace maids named Yong He said worriedly, ¡°Niangniang, do you really want to do this?¡±


    ¡°Xu Yayan has become the empress, and she still want to adopt the sixth imperial grandson as her son. If This Palace doesn¡¯t do anything, how can there be a way to survive?¡± Ye Zhen¡¯s fingers trembled slightly, and the gold foil was sticking crookedly, so she had to wipe it off and stick a new one. Her features were like painting and her temperament was gentle, but her eyes hid ruthlessness and resentment, which was very different from her usual indifferent image.


    Several maids in the palace fell silent, all showing fear in their eyes. Master Ye was impeached by Xu Guangzhi, he lost his official position and was demoted to a commoner. The Ye family¡¯s business was greatly affected, and it was already declining. If niangniang did not try to compete for favor, the Ye family would collapse sooner or later. When the Ye family collapsed, niangniang, who had no support, could only struggle and be left out in the cold by herself.


    ¡°Niangniang, you¡¯d better think thoroughly before proceeding.¡± Yong He dragged out a box from under the bed, hesitated, ¡°It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t heard the rumors in the palace. If you uncover His Majesty¡¯s secrets, with his cruel nature, entering the cold palace is still light¡­¡± afraid that he would go crazy on the spot and behead all the hundreds of people from top to bottom in Ganquan Palace.


    Yong He didn¡¯t dare to say the last sentence, but Ye Zhen understood it and sneered, ¡°If the emperor is really a reincarnation of an evil ghost, and women who come close to him will die, then it¡¯s unknown how many times This Palace has died. Only the Juili concubines would believe this, they are all brainless idiots!¡±


    Another maid, Yong Ju, looked around, lowered her voice and said, ¡°No, niangniang, there are also rumors on the Han concubines¡¯ side, saying that the emperor was injured on the battlefield, and it¡¯s no longer good!¡± As she said that, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.


    Because these two kinds of rumors were widely spread in the palace, the Jiuli concubines did not dare to approach the emperor; the Han concubines while wanted to be favored, they were afraid of breaking the secret and got killed by the emperor. So they all avoided him like snakes and scorpions, and instead rushed to curry favor with the Empress Dowager and little imperial grandsons. The emperor was in his thirties, but he still had no children under his knees, apart from his physical inadequacy, they really could not think a more suitable reason.


    Hearing this, Ye Zhen somewhat felt nervous, she thought for a moment and then waved her hand, ¡°His Majesty¡¯s body is fine, those words are definitely fake.¡±


    ¡°But Niangniang, after following him for so many years you haven¡¯t serve the bed for him, wouldn¡¯t that prove the truth of the rumors?¡± Yong He was still uneasy.


    Ye Zhen¡¯s cheeks were slightly red, and she said firmly, ¡°He has never touched This Palace because of Zhao Luli¡¯s face. This Palace had some contact with him before. Him there, him there doesn¡¯t have any problem.¡± When she was sent to the emperor¡¯s tent naked, the other person did have reaction, but from beginning to end he always held back. It could be seen that he was not incapable, but could not overcome the hurdle in his heart.


    Zhao Luli had been married for four years, and she had done enough to cut off the front line, thinking that the emperor would not reject her again this time. Of course, if there was a drug to boost the fun, it¡¯s guaranteed success.


    Thinking like this, Ye Zhen ordered Yong He to open the box, took out a small black bottle, took off the stopper and sniffed, ¡°This is Soul Releasing wine, it can make people infatuated and their sexual desire go overdrive, but they will not completely lose their minds. Later you put a drop in the wine jar, it will make the wine more mellow and rich.¡±


    Yong He took the order and left, the other three maids continued to serve on Ye Zhen to dress up. When evening came, the travel-worn Emperor Sheng Yuan they had been waiting for finally came. Ye Zhen hurriedly went out to greet him, but the other person went straight past her, walked to the inner hall to take a seat, and said solemnly, ¡°Bring the wine.¡±


    He was addicted to alcohol, and when he came to Ganquan Palace, apart from talking to Ye Jieyu, he usually drank silently. When he was slightly tipsy, he then flung his sleeves and left, and would never stay overnight. His physique was very tall, with a strong body wrapped in dark clothes, he walked like a beast ready to attack; the contour of his face was sharp and chiseled, completely different from the Central Plains men that were gentle like jade, however there was a sense of aggression that completely masculine and rigid; a pair of blue eyes emitted a cold light in the night, making people frightened.


    Slightly timid women probably wouldn¡¯t like to interact with him, even someone as brave as Ye Zhen couldn¡¯t help but a bit flustered. She took a deep breath, then walked over to change the man¡¯s clothes, and ordered the maid to bring in the wine and the side dishes.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan picked up the wine jar and sniffed lightly, and said without joy or anger, ¡°Today¡¯s wine seems to be particularly mellow.¡±


    Ye Zhen was so frightened that her face tightened, but her tone was very soft and gentle, ¡°This is a twenty-year-old Shaoxing wine that just presented by the Secretary of Internal Affairs. This concubine can¡¯t drink wine, also do not know how it tastes.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan gave her a half smile, and when her face gradually turned pale, he raised his head to take a sip, and praised, ¡°It¡¯s indeed a good wine, let the Secretary of Internal Affairs send a few more jars.¡±


    Ye Zhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly asked Yong He to fetch a few more jars of wine. Emperor Sheng Yuan ignored her, drinking by himself, and without a word he drank about two jars, he then held his forehead, looking rather exhausted.


    ¡°Your Majesty, if you are tired, go inside and rest for a while.¡± Ye Zhen tentatively reached out her hand and gently placed it on his shoulder. Sensing that he didn¡¯t resist, she couldn¡¯t help being overjoyed, and hurriedly sent a wink to Yong He and the others, ordered them to help bring the emperor in.


    Fortunately, Emperor Sheng Yuan still conscious. After pushing those people, he dizzily walked to the inner hall and sat on the bed. His pair of blue eyes were filled with mist, staring straight at Ye Zhen. Ye Zhen¡¯s scalp was numb from his gaze, but the arrow had already on the string and need to be released. She slowly sat down next to him and stretched out her hand to untie his shirt.


    ¡°Your Majesty, you are drunk, take a rest at Ganquan Palace tonight,¡± she said seductively.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan leaned against the headboard, narrowed his eyes and looked unpredictable. One foot was on the ground, and the other was curled up on the edge of the bed, neither said he would stay nor said he would leave. Seeing this, Ye Zhen swallowed her saliva and continued to take off his clothes, while skilfully caress his strong and powerful body. When she finally touched that part, she was stunned, and then her red cheeks turned pale little by little.


    Soul Releasing wine could stimulate men¡¯s lust to the maximum extent, and only one drop was enough to make their sexual desire went overdrive. However, the emperor drank two jars, and the amount was definitely not small, but his body did not respond at all. Could it be that the rumors are true? The emperor is no longer able to do it? So what will happen to her knowing this secret?


    She immediately wanted to retreat, but Emperor Sheng Yuan pinched her jaw, and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Lovely dear, why don¡¯t you continue?¡±


    ¡°Your, Your Majesty must be too tired, this concubine will wait until you fall sleep.¡± Tears formed in the corner of Ye Zhen¡¯s eyes, she was extremely terrified. How moody Emperor Sheng Yuan was, no one knew better than her. If he went crazy for no reason, he would slaughter all the living things around him.


    ¡°How can Zhen be tired after drinking the good wine you deliberately prepared?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan threw her away, just like throwing away an object. When Baifu heard the sound, he walked in immediately and handed him a handkerchief.


    He wiped his fingertips clean one by one, and said casually, ¡°Ye Jieyu has a lot of good things here, even Soul Releasing wine. Zhen is really surprise.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, please spare my life! This concubine just wants a child, beg Your Majesty for mercy.¡± Ye Zhen knew the emperor very well and understood that at this time she must not make up lies to deceive him, so she had to tell the real purpose, ¡°This concubine misses the pair of children, and afraid that the evening scene will be desolate, and only want a child by one¡¯s side, beg the emperor to look at the affection of the past and fulfil this concubine¡¯s wish!¡± She moved forward on her knees and tried to hold the man¡¯s legs, but was kicked mercilessly by him.


    ¡°The affection of the past,¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled coldly, ¡°The affection of assassinating Zhen?¡±


    Ye Zhen was dumbfounded and could hardly believe her ears. He, he already knew what she did? Then why he kept her alive? Based on his character, shouldn¡¯t he cut her into pieces?


    ¡°Do you why Zhen keep you, why Zhen always like to talk to you?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s expression was unpredictable.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ye Zhen muddleheadedly asked.


    ¡°Because you are dirty enough, only in front of you can Zhen feel at ease.¡± Evil ghosts like dirty things the most. In front of Ye Zhen, he didn¡¯t need to pretend, didn¡¯t need to repress, because he could erase her anytime and anywhere, without worrying that she knew too much.


    ¡°Furthermore, you obviously want to give yourself to Zhen, but you have to pretend to be infatuated. You shed a few tears today and sigh a few times tomorrow. Your appearance is really amusing. When tired, Zhen will come to see you, and unknowingly Zhen¡¯s mood will get better.¡± He stood up, patted the dust-free hem of his clothes, and sighed, ¡°Before Zhen get bored, you are still Ye Jieyu; after Zhen get bored, Zhen will definitely find a good place for you.¡±


    Although he said ¡°a good place¡±, there was no warmth in his eyes when he looked at her. Only at this time that Ye Zhen finally understood, in his heart where was she a life-saving benefactor or favored concubine? She was just a jumping clown, or even a dead object. No wonder he often looked at her with a cold and weird smile on his face, it turned out that her ending had already been arranged. Is it to be thrown into the cold palace or execute secretly, or even die by a thousand cuts?


    Thinking like this, Ye Zhen rolled onto the bed and wrapped herself tightly with the quilt. All her sweet dreams were shattered today. However, before this was over, a dark guard suddenly appeared, holding a small black bottle in his hand, and whispered, ¡°Jieyu niangniang, His Majesty has bestowed you this wine, please accept.¡± He then grabbed her chin and poured every drop of liquid from the bottle.


    ¡ª¨C


    At the same time, Marquis Zhenbei, who missed his ¡°deceased wife¡±, was also very drunk. He swayed open the door, and rushed towards the woman who was sitting under the lamp mending the clothes, shouting ¡°Zhen¡¯er¡± incessantly. The woman was stunned for a while, and when she heard what he shouted, she struggled immediately. The two scuffled in the room, breaking a lot of things. But after all, women¡¯s strength was no match for men. She was pressed on the bed and her clothes were stripped off. Seeing that she was about to be violated, she suddenly became ruthless and picked up the jade pillow and smashed it on him.


    If he tilted his head just a little bit, he could have avoided it, but for some reason his body stiffened for a moment. The jade pillow was smashed on his face, causing him to instantly collapse on the woman¡¯s body, and a line of blood slowly dripped from his forehead.


    Previous     TOC


    TN: It¡¯s the alternate story where GSY is not reborn, it¡¯s not exactly where it was left of in chapter one, because then GSY is dead, but somewhere before that. Notice in the last paragraph, ZLL got smashed because his body stiffened, somehow I can imagine something (which what I mean the author) paused his body, so the story can be differ. I guess in the original story GSY couldn¡¯t beat him, so she was¡­ you know, and die in the end.


    What do you think of our ML? he¡¯s very different eh!

 CH 179.1

    When Minglan and Mingfang returned to the main house after dinner, they saw their master with disheveled hair and pale face, holding a bloody jade pillow in her hand, staring at the bed with wide eyes. The two followed her gaze, one was sluggish, while the other immediately turned around and ran away, ¡°It¡¯s not good! Madam injured Lord Marquis! Hurry up and call the doctor, hurry up!¡±


    Only then Guan Suyi returned to her senses. It was too late to stop Mingfang, so she could only throw away the jade pillow and laughed at herself, ¡°Very good, she¡¯s really bent on Zhao Luli.¡±


    Knowing that the situation was not good, Minglan twisted the handkerchief to wipe Lord Marquis¡¯s blood-stained face, and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Miss, you just said it¡¯s this servant who smashed Lord Marquis. At worst this servant will be beaten. It¡¯s all right.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move him, so as not to hurt him, just wipe off the blood.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s cold heart surged with warmth current, and she sighed, ¡°Silly girl, I do this by myself, why do you need to bear the blame for me? If I smashed Zhao Luli, at most I will be sent to another courtyard, it doesn¡¯t matter. If he doesn¡¯t wake up, I will pay with my life. The old madam is soft-hearted, I¡¯ll beg her to let you go home.¡±


    Minglan saw that her face had changed from panic to numbness, and her eyes showed a deathly stillness, she couldn¡¯t help but cry in a low voice, ¡°Wherever miss goes this servant will go too, you live I live, you die I die. Miss, why did you beat Lord Marquis? Did he bully you?¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t want to recall the disgusting scene just now, so she avoided, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be together in life and death, let Mingfang stay behind. She¡¯s bent on climbing the high branches, how can she know what kind of trash Zhao Luli is. I originally want to find a steward to marry her, lest she jump into the fire pit, but she doesn¡¯t appreciate it at all. Seeing how good she was just now, she obviously doesn¡¯t recognize me as her master, so let her go.¡±


    Minglan¡¯s mind was simple, and she immediately forgot her previous question, gritted her teeth, and said, ¡°Bah, what a little bitch! Only know how to hook up with Lord Marquis all day long, but I also know that Lord Marquis doesn¡¯t even give her one glance. Miss, we will ignore such person in the future! Don¡¯t panic, Lord Marquis is still breathing, he¡¯s not dead.¡±


    Guan Suyi rubbed Minglan¡¯s head lovingly, and then began to tidy up her appearance. Half an hour later, the old madam hurriedly arrived with a group of people, including Zhao Luli¡¯s son and daughter, Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu, as well as all his concubines in the back house. No matter how angry the old madam was with this son, after all, it was a piece of flesh that fell from her body, there was no reason not to feel distressed.


    The doctor then came to check on Lord Zhao¡¯s injury and told everyone that the situation was a bit serious, poured down two bowls of medicine and wait for tomorrow to see. If he could wake up tomorrow, everything would be fine, but if he didn¡¯t wake up tomorrow, it would be bad.


    After all, the old madam pitied this daughter-in-law, and did not reprimand her in front of everyone, but her face was extremely ugly. Everyone guarded in the house all night, and the next day, Zhao Luli still didn¡¯t wake up. His children and concubines were all surround the bed, calling him one after another, but he didn¡¯t open his eyes.


    The old madam looked at the people who were crying out of breath, and at the daughter-in-law who looked wooden, she couldn¡¯t help but said coldly, ¡°Suyi, you go out with me.¡±


    The two went to the side hall to talk.


    ¡°Suyi, you¡¯ve been married for four years, and the mansion from top to bottom depend on you to manage. Wangshu and Xi¡¯er are also raised under your knees, now they a bit like you. At first, I was very satisfied with you, but in recent years, you¡¯re not even as good as Ye Fan. It¡¯s true that you are the mistress, and it¡¯s true that you should take care of the housework, but you are Luli¡¯s wife first. You can¡¯t even keep the person, so why are you still staying at Zhao¡¯s house? The relationship between husband and wife is a matter of course, if you don¡¯t want to do it, why do you still hit him with a jade pillow? If you plan to be a grass widow for the rest of your life, then go to another place, don¡¯t stay in the mansion to be an eyesore. Look at Ye Fan, look at you again, I¡¯m so disappointed in you!¡±


    The old madam closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t say a word of rebuttal. Why she couldn¡¯t even keep her husband? Because Zhao Luli also need to give her a chance! She had a straightforward personality and couldn¡¯t say soft words, so she treated him sincerely instead, but she didn¡¯t expect him to avoid her like a snake and talked to her coldly. She was also human, with dignity, with flesh and blood, and could feel shame and pain. She couldn¡¯t do it when he called out another woman¡¯s name and was forced to suffer a humiliation that she shouldn¡¯t have to suffer. She didn¡¯t have a face like Ye Zhen, she couldn¡¯t be a substitute for Zhao Luli like Ye Fan, was this her fault?


    Well, she can¡¯t stay in this family anymore. Thinking like this, she kowtowed heavily, ¡°Old Madam, it¡¯s me who let Lord Marquis down. If you want to send me away, I¡¯ll pack up and leave immediately.¡±


    The old madam thought she could wake her up, but she didn¡¯t expect her to be so determined, so she couldn¡¯t help but get angry. At this moment, Mingfang knocked on the door and said loudly, ¡°Madam, someone from the Guan family has come, saying that the old master is very ill, ask you to please help.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s wooden expression instantly faded away, and she immediately opened the door and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s coming? My mother? What happened to grandfather?¡±


    Husband lay on the bed while his life and death was unknown, but still didn¡¯t see her shed a single tear, the Guan family shouted casually, but she immediately became a mess. Bah, really raising a white-eyed wolf! The more the old madam thought about it, the angrier she became, and she said coldly, ¡°Last time borrowed a hundred taels of silver, in just half a month, come to sponge on people again, it¡¯s really endless.¡±


    Guan Suyi knelt down with a thud and cried, ¡°Old Madam, my grandfather is seriously ill, I beg you to have mercy and save his life!¡± The old master¡¯s body could only be supported by precious medicinal materials such as ginseng and lingzhi mushroom. A day¡¯s expense was as high as dozens of taels. If they were not really desperate, where would the family ask from the Marquis Mansion? No amount of pride was worth mentioning in the face of her grandfather¡¯s safety. Guan Suyi kowtowed while pleading, and soon broke her forehead and bleed a lot of blood.


    The old madam was not a hard-hearted person. Although she was angry that Guan Suyi seriously injured her son, it was unlikely she would let someone die. She let people wrap one hundred taels of silver to send to Zhong shi right away, and then waved her hand and said, ¡°Go to the ancestral hall and kneel, if tomorrow Luli hasn¡¯t woken up yet, you will go to Cangzhou. Helping you raised Guan family for four years, can you count how much money we spent this whole time? Our marquis mansion had done our utmost benevolence and duty for you.¡±


    Guan Suyi was not an ungrateful person, so how could she not remember the silver that the marquis mansion spent on her grandfather? She originally wanted to take good care of Zhao Luli¡¯s children, support the old madam in her old age, and take care of the household, but now it seemed that people couldn¡¯t tolerate her anymore.


    She kowtowed three times and said sincerely, ¡°Thank you old madam, I dare not forget your great kindness and virtue. If I can¡¯t repay you in this life, I just hope to be a cow and a horse for you in the next life. If Lord Marquis met some unfortunate event, I¡¯m in Cangzhou, you can let me pay with my life at any time, please look at the past affection and don¡¯t implicate my maiden family.¡±


    The old madam knew that this daughter-in-law had a good heart, but she was too upright and dull, unlike Ye Fan, who could use her face to please her son. It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t tolerate her, but the other person shouldn¡¯t have smashed her son, made his life and death unknown. If she didn¡¯t punish her, how should she explain it to others? Besides, if his son really couldn¡¯t wake up, without a doubt Ye Fan would make a big scene, probably even send the culprit to the authorities, or kill on the spot, in short, the outcome would not be good.


    No matter how much the old madam hated in her heart, she was unwilling to let two lives gone, so she simply sent her away and left her  fend for herself.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be a cow or a horse, you just have to fend for yourself in the future. You also know my temperament, I will never implicate innocent people. Just go.¡± The old madam wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, pushed open the door and walked out.


    Guan Suyi slowly stood up with Minglan¡¯s help, she caught a glimpse of Mingfang hiding behind the window, and sighed, ¡°If Lord Marquis doesn¡¯t wake up tomorrow, I will go to Cangzhou with Minglan, and you will stay and take care of him.¡±


    Mingfang said resentfully, ¡°This servant will take good care of Lord Marquis. Madam, why did you hit him with jade pillow? Do you want to beat him to death?¡± If something happened to Lord Marquis, what¡¯s the point of her staying?


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t reply, she walked out without looking at her, and then caught a glimpse of Zhao Wangshu and Zhao Chunxi standing in the corridor, she couldn¡¯t help showing a guilty look. She bent down and bowed deeply, but the two stared at her with hatred. Ye Fan held her eight-to-nine-month pregnant belly and said harshly, ¡°Guan Suyi, if something happened to Lord Marquis, I want you to pay with your life!¡±


    ¡°My life is here, waiting for you to come and take it at any time.¡± Guan Suyi bowed again and again, then turned and left.


    The next day, Zhao Luli still did not wake up, but his pulse improved slightly. Seeing that Ye Fan was jumping up and down want to kill Guan Suyi, the old madam had to stuff the person into the carriage and sent her far away to Cangzhou. After she was gone for less than half a day, Zhao Luli woke up and saw his sleepy son and daughter sat beside the bed, his expression froze.


    How did Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu become so young? Didn¡¯t he just die from illness? He sat up slowly, touched his aching forehead, and the memory surged like a tide, making him almost faint.


    Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu were woken up by the groining sounds. When they saw their father in great pain, one rushed to help him, while the other ran out and shouted, ¡°Dad is awake! Go and call the doctor!¡±


    The old madam was sleeping next door, and when she heard the sound, she immediately came to check, bowed with hands held front of her chest, thanking heaven for the favor. And Zhao Luli who was suffering from the erosion of his memory, soon realized that he was reborn. This was Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, his wife was still Suyi, but the rest was completely different from his previous life. Grandfather-in-law and father-in-law were not used by the court, but were used as stepping stones by Xu Guangzhi in that debate, and completely suppressed. Now the Guan family was impoverished, his grandfather-in-law was seriously ill and could only rely on medicinal materials to survive; his father-in-law took a job as a small scribe in the ministry of justice, his life was extremely hard; and Madam had been married to him for four years, had always been diligent and conscientious, but he turned a blind eye to her, and even humiliated her everywhere.


    ¡°Madam,¡± he shouted, ¡°Where is Madam? I want to see her!¡± No matter whether he was dreaming or reborn, as long as he could see Madam again and make up to her, everything would be worth it!


    ¡°Is Lord Marquis all right?¡± An anxious female voice came from outside the door, causing Zhao Luli to hold his breath to look, only to see Ye Fan with a big belly, stepping into the room in two to three steps. Zhao Wangshu and Zhao Chunxi hurried forward to meet her, supporting on her left and right with nervous expressions.


    Ye Fan? pregnant? Zhao Luli, who was in ecstasy, seemed to be poured with a bucket of ice water, his blood instantly cooled down.

 CH 179.2

    Guan Suyi and Minglan packed up their valuables and went to Cangzhou in a rickety carriage. In addition to the coachman, there was an old woman who was in charge to escort them. The two knew that Madam had fallen out of favor, so their attitude towards her was terrible. At first, they wanted to swindle a bit of silvers, but they found out that she was really penniless, so they gave up, but they kept swearing while talking, which was very unclean.


    Minglan tried to rein in her temper, and several times she wanted to flare out but was stopped by Guan Suyi. Cangzhou was a long way to go. If they offend the escort, whether they could reach it alive was still unknown, so they had to endure it.


    This old woman was used to steal and cheat. When they were about to go, the old madam gave her one hundred taels of silver, saying that it was the travel expanse for escorting the madam. She secretly concealed it, and then urged the coachman to send her home, intending to give the silver to her children and grandchildren for safekeeping. In fact, how could Guan Suyi not know? It¡¯s just that when people stand under eaves, they have to lower their heads*. If Zhao Luli could not wake up, she was ready to pay with her life, so naturally she would not care about these trivial matters.


    The coachman parked the carriage by the pond at the entrance of the village and followed the old woman back to eat. Before leaving, he asked the Madam, but when he saw her shaking her head, he left her alone.


    ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s dog looking down on people*!¡± Minglan spat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry with them,¡± Guan Suyi rubbed Minglan¡¯s head and comforted her, ¡°Why hurt your liver and lungs for some irrelevant people? As long as we reach Cangzhou safely, then it¡¯s good.¡± However, whether they could arrive alive or not, even she herself didn¡¯t know. Right now the old madam willing to let her, but if Zhao Luli met an unfortunate event, she might change her mind.


    Minglan was in very low mood, she whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to Lord Marquis, I hope he doesn¡¯t die.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes dimmed slightly, but she didn¡¯t answer. Of course, she hoped that Zhao Luli would wake up, but she didn¡¯t regret hurting him. If it happened again, she would still resist desperately.


    Both the master and servant were a little out of their minds, and at this moment, a large group of villagers came noisily across the pond. The leader was an old man with gray hair, holding a piece of paper in his hand, as if to announce something. Because of the distance and the noisy surrounding, Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t hear it clearly, only vaguely caught a few words, such as ¡°doesn¡¯t obey the women¡¯s principle, to be damned¡± and so on. When he finished speaking, the crowd separated to the left and right, and a woman trapped in a bamboo cage was lifted up. The surrounding villagers frantically threw rotten vegetables and stones at her, some people even spat at her.


    The woman was very frightened. At first, she insulted these people loudly, but seeing that they were indifferent, she cried in despair. Even if she was far away, Guan Suyi could feel the despair and anger in her voice.


    ¡°Oh no, this woman is going to be sunk!¡± Minglan shouted with a pale face.


    Ever since the Empress niangniang wrote ¡°Rules for Women¡± and it was widely publicized in the capital, sinking people in the water was no longer a new thing. Any woman who was defined as ¡°doesn¡¯t obey the women¡¯s principle¡± would either be thrown out of the house or drown in the pond, one end was more miserable than the other.


    Guan Suyi had suppressed countless anger in her chest because of this, and now it rose and fell violently because of these words. Why should women suffer these tortures? Men are people, but women are not people? Could it be they say beat then beat, they say kill then kill, and treat them like livestock?


    She quickly took off her shoes, socks and heavy robe, chose a place overgrown with bushes and reeds, and dived quietly into the water.


    ¡°Miss, what are you doing? It¡¯s cold now, you¡¯ll get frozen.¡± Minglan realized something, and quickly lowered her voice, ¡°Miss, you must be careful not to be discovered by those people!¡±


    Guan Suyi grew up following her grandfather to travel all over the place, not to mention a pond that was only dozens of feet square, even rivers, lakes and seas could be trampled through. She swam slowly along the reeds, and after a while, she held her breath and dived to the bottom of the water, and in a moment, she quietly surfaced again, unknowingly already reached the other side.


    The villagers went on a crusade against the woman, and no one looked into the water. The old man seemed to have fed up with the woman¡¯s crying and scolding, raised his hand and said, ¡°Throw her down!¡±


    The villagers who were ¡°doing good deeds¡± were eager to move, immediately stepped forward to lift the woman, took a boat to the center of the pond, and threw her down. The pond was very turbid, and because it was deep, it was impossible to find out what was going on underneath. Only a few bubbles came up and burst on the water surface.


    ¡°Clan leader, it¡¯s done,¡± they shouted as they rowed the boat to the shore. The villagers stood on tiptoes and stretched their necks, but they couldn¡¯t see anything. Because it was the twelfth month, the air was very cold, they stood there for a while and then went home one after another.


    Li Su¡¯e, who was tied and locked in a bamboo cage, struggled for a while, and finally could only accept her fate. She tried her best to hold her last breath, and quickly recalled every little detail of companionship she had with her brother-in-law, and how they shared the weal and woe together, there was no trace of regret in her heart. If she started all over again, she would still take care of him, follow him, and fall in love with him. She only hated that she realized her feelings too late and resisted too long, and not being able to spend more time with him and leave him with more happiness.


    I hope in the next life, you and I can meet sooner. Thinking like this, she let out her last breath and let the cold liquid pour into her nose. Just at this moment, a hazy figure swam over in the turbid waters. Her pure white shirt floats up and down, her long black hair spreads out like algae and drifted backwards with the current, revealing a beautiful face.


    Li Su¡¯e opened her eyes wide, thinking she had seen a ghost, but found that the woman dragged the bamboo cage and swam to the other side, worried that she would drown and died, she also leaned over to give her a breath.


    The lips were soft and hot. So she was human, not a ghost. Li Su¡¯e was in a trance, sadness and joy could not be define. When she regained her senses, the bamboo cage had come to the surface but was hidden in the dense reeds. Fortunately, her hands and feet were tied so tightly that she couldn¡¯t struggle, so she could be rescued smoothly. Otherwise, depending on the current temperature, if the two of them were entangled and pulled together, they could have died.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± she heard the woman ask with concern.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Li Su¡¯e burst into tears the moment she spoke, and said excitedly, ¡°Thank you for saving me, thank you!¡±


    The woman shook her head and didn¡¯t speak. She tore open the bamboo cage with her bare hands, untied the ropes, and carried her ashore. Li Su¡¯e was dumbfounded, she never expected that the other person¡¯s delicate little body would have such great strength. No wonder she dared to jump into the water to save people in the cold winter.


    Remembering the kiss in the water, and recalling the woman¡¯s steady actions, Li Su¡¯e¡¯s pale cheeks were getting red, feeling a little shy. Who is this woman? So heroic and chivalrous, she must let her brother-in-law thank her after returning home!


    ¡°What is it, are you scared?¡± After getting into the carriage, the woman handed her a handkerchief and comforted her softly, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, you¡¯re safe now, change into dry clothes so you don¡¯t get sick. Do you have someone that you can trust and take a shelter with? If there is one, I will send you there now.¡± While talking, she changed her own clothes and went outside to pull the reins.


    Minglan handed the dress she had prepared to Li Su¡¯e and said worriedly, ¡°Miss, would it be good for us to leave those two dogs in Lijia Village?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. The fact that I didn¡¯t say anything doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m afraid of them. It¡¯s just I¡¯m too lazy to care.¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s face was full of disapproval. Those two people changed the itinerary by themselves and hid their master¡¯s belonging, when they found out that the carriage was gone, they would run back to the mansion and made up their own alibi. When she returned home after sending the woman away, she would plead guilty to the old madam, only saying that she was worried that the two would take her to a strange place to kill her, so she drove away in a carriage for a while.


    The old madam was a clear-sighted person, and if she sent people to investigate, just see who was unlucky in the end.


    Minglan had always been obedient to her miss. Seeing that she was confident, she stopped talking and helped dry Li Su¡¯e¡¯s hair silently. Li Su¡¯e was very grateful to the two of them, knowing that it was inconvenient for them to ask why people wanted to kill her, she took the initiative to talk, ¡°Thank you for your help. My surname is Li, my name is Su¡¯e, and I am the sister-in-law of Marquis Zhenxi. Please send me back to Marquis Zhenxi Mansion, thank you very much!¡±


    ¡°It turned out to be Madam Li, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet.¡± Guan Suyi seldom went outside to socialize due to her low family background, and did not know many noble ladies. But she had heard about this Madam Li. The other person seemed to be from a poor family, but because Marquis Zhenxi attached great importance to affection and righteousness, he was grateful for her years of care and respected her very much.


    Why the sister-in-law of magnificent Marquis Zhenxi was taken to be sink in the pond, Guan Suyi actually didn¡¯t know the inside story, nor would she inquire. However, she didn¡¯t ask, but Li Su¡¯e took the initiative to be frank, ¡°I see that my sister is chivalrous, so I won¡¯t hide it from you. My brother-in-law and I have discussed to get married in the spring of next year, and somehow the clansmen know about it. The clan leader is a Confucian, and with the excuse of following Xu family¡¯s words, he tricked me to go back and sink me in the pond. Fortunately, I met my sister, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be able to go back alive today.¡±


    She was terrified after she said this, and her eyes began to redden again.


    It turned out that it was an older sister-in-law marrying a younger brother-in-law, which was considered messing with ethical guideline. No wonder those old things couldn¡¯t bear it. Guan Suyi pondered secretly in her heart, but there was no surprise or contempt on her face, which made Li Su¡¯e more at ease.


    Perhaps because the other person saved her at the most desperate moment, Li Su¡¯e trusted her very much and felt very close to her. After changing her clothes, she sat beside her and asked with a smile, ¡°Which family does my sister belong to? Could you please let me know? It looks like you are going to travel far away? There are two servants with you? Don¡¯t be afraid, when we arrive at Marquis Zhenxi mansion, I will ask Lingyun to send guards to escort you, and then send a letter to your house.¡±


    Seeing her recovered so quickly, Guan Suyi felt much more relaxed, and replied, ¡°I¡¯m Guan Suyi, Marquis Zhenbei Madam. Don¡¯t bother my sister to send me off, I¡¯ll go back and explain the reason later. Of course, will not reveal anything about my sister, this is our secret.¡±


    Li Su¡¯e opened her mouth in surprise, ¡°You, you are Marquis Zhenbei Madam? Oh, it¡¯s really destiny to meet for thousand miles. (people who are destined to meet, even if they are separated by thousands of miles, will still be able to meet)! Us two, one is Zhenbei and the other is Zhenxi, there¡¯s also a ¡®su¡¯ character in our name, we should become sworn sisters!¡±


    Is ¡°destiny to meet for thousand miles ¡± can be used like this? Guan Suyi, while chatting and laughing with Li Su¡¯e, drove back to the capital.


    The coachman and the old woman came out of the house after having lunch and walked around the village for a few laps but still couldn¡¯t find the carriage. Only then did they realize that something was wrong, and immediately hired an ox cart to rush to the mansion. When Zhao Luli learned that Madam had been sent to Cangzhou, how could he still care the big-belly Ye Fan. He immediately dispatched people to intercept. The old madam repeatedly ordered him to stay in bed to recuperate. Zhao Wangshu and Zhao Chunxi cried and noisily blocked the way, and a group of concubines went up to hug his legs, which made him unable to move an inch.


    At this moment, how much he missed the Zhao family that was rectified by Madam to be orderly and quiet, rather than this marquis mansion that seemed extravagant, but people¡¯s heart was actually full of dirt. At this moment, the coachman and the old woman hurried over, knelt down and shouted, ¡°No good. Madam, dreading the punishment, has run away!¡±

 CH 180

    The shouts of the coachman and the old woman interrupted the quarrel in the hall. Before the old madam and Zhao Luli could return to their senses, Ye Fan scolded first, ¡°After you hit someone, you want to run away, what kind of rule is this? Also, who help her? Could it be she meeting a man outside?¡±


    These words were extremely vicious, obviously wanted to press Guan Suyi to death. The people there barely showed a strange expression, and before they had time to think deeply, Zhao Luli slapped her with the back of his hand and scolded, ¡°Shut up! There is no place for you to speak here.¡±


    ¡°Lord Marquis?¡± Ye Fan never expect that he would hit her, she couldn¡¯t help but cry out bitterly. Zhao Wangshu and Zhao Chunxi hurriedly stepped forward to comfort her, and then together they attacked their father, ¡°Daddy, aunt is still pregnant, why are hitting her? Besides, she was not wrong. If mother doesn¡¯t have someone to help her, would she dare to run away as a lone woman? Let¡¯s report it to the official, lest she cause any bad things in the future and implicate the reputation of our marquis mansion.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Daddy, you should write a divorce letter now, it¡¯s better to break it off early.¡±


    ¡°I said shut up, don¡¯t you understand what people say?¡± Zhao Luli held his aching forehead and said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking. Zhao Chunxi, you just can¡¯t bear to see Suyi well. On the surface following her, but on her back stir up the wind, and stir up discord. I won¡¯t bother with you, I¡¯ll just marry you off after a while. Zhao Wangshu, you¡¯re an idiot with no brain. You just listen to what others say, and only blindly serve as people¡¯s tool. I will send you to Bailu Academy in the future, don¡¯t come back if there is nothing. Ye Fan¡­¡±


    His cold gaze swept across the other person¡¯s tall belly, and said slowly, ¡°A concubine is a concubine, you will never be able to replace Suyi in your life. If you¡¯re peaceful, I can still feed you; if you¡¯re restless, then take the child to Cangzhou.¡±


    A group of people were all stunned and looked at him in disbelief.


    ¡°I know best what kind of temperament Suyi has. She dares to act then she dares to take responsibility. Even if the Zhao family asks for her life on the spot, she would not frown, so how could she run away? It must have been you two who did something that forced her to leave. People come, drag these two down and beat them hard until they tell the truth.¡±


    Zhao Luli flicked his sleeves, and several guards came up to capture the terrified coachman and old woman. Then he sat down with his head in his hands, and said coldly, ¡°Why Madam leave and where she disappear, you better report it word for word, otherwise it would be considered merciful to kill you, and I still can make your entire family to go down and be buried with you.¡±


    The two were already scared to pee, and barely hit two times, they already blamed each other for all the tricks.


    ¡°You dog slave, even dared to loot the belonging of marquis mansion¡¯s mistress, and then stole her travel money and left her alone in the middle of nowhere. If she didn¡¯t leave, should she stay to wait for you to kill her?¡± When Zhao Luli heard this his eyes flushed, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Continue to hit, hit until fifty boards, then drag out the whole family and sell them. My marquis mansion cannot afford a servant who is more honorable than the master.¡±


    Hearing the tragic howl, Ye Fan and the others woke up and looked at the person in the main seat with a suspicious look. Is this really Marquis Zhenbei? Not some ghost possessing his body? Didn¡¯t he despise Guan Suyi so much?


    Zhao Luli didn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s thoughts, he just closed his eyes and searched for the memories in his mind, the ecstasy of rebirth gradually replaced by mourning. Because Madam¡¯s family background had become low, the marriage between the two of them had taken a different track from the beginning. In order to save her maiden family, Madam had to make compromises everywhere and tried her best to repay the marquis mansion, but the marquis mansion despised her even more because of this.


    Although she managed the inner house in an orderly manner, in fact, the servants were submissive on the surface, but behind the scenes, they only listened to Zhao Chunxi¡¯s order. Zhao Chunxi persuaded Zhao Luli in this life to accept Ye Fan, and then found many women who looked similar to Ye Zhen to keep in the back house, just to add another hurdle for Madam.


    People were not in harmony, and the family was not firm. Madam had put so much effort, but what she got was only blame and neglect. Finally, the day before yesterday, the bastard Zhao Luli was so drunk that he was trying to assault Madam, so he was smashed on the forehead and caused her to be sent to Cangzhou. It could be said in this life, she never experienced even a half point of warmth in marquis mansion, only full of pain and complaints.


    Zhao Luli covered his eyes and did not dare to think again. He suddenly didn¡¯t know what else he could give her to move that frozen heart. In the previous life, Huo Shengzhe could neglect the entire harem for her, bear all the pressure, withstand all criticism, and spoil her and her children to the sky. He also kept himself clean and devoted himself to her, and in his entire life, he never did anything to make Madam sad.


    On the other hand, he not only took concubines one after another, but also indulged his children to harm her unscrupulously.


    What could he do to surpass Huo Shengzhe, and then replace the other person¡¯s position? Thinking like this, his heart suddenly trembled, and only then did he realize that Madam had not yet met Huo Shengzhe, and as long as he atoned for his sins, he didn¡¯t need to compare himself to the other person at all. This cheered him up quickly, and even the pain in his forehead was mostly reduced.


    Although the old madam was confused by her son¡¯s change, she was also pleased to see it happen, and immediately ordered, ¡°What are you still doing? Hurry up and get madam back!¡±


    ¡°Go search, but don¡¯t alarm Madam, just follow behind and protect her silently. I believe that Madam will never escape. She probably not feel safe with these two servants, so in order to protect herself, she drove for a while. She will come back at her own accord, and I will wait for her in the house.¡± If he sent people to search for her, it would be extremely harmful for Madam¡¯s reputation. Even if Zhao Luli was impatient, he had to pretend to trust Madam in every possible way, this then could block many people¡¯s mouths. With his understanding of Madam, she would definitely take the initiative to return to the capital. The family she cared about the most was here, and there were also responsibilities that she could not abandon.


    If she was not forced into a desperate situation, she would not sink the boat.


    The current Wei Kingdom was not as politically clear and stable as in the previous life, on the contrary, there had been many chaos. To get to the bottom of it, it was all due to the struggle between the poor family and the noble family, the noble of Jiuli clan and the Han bureaucrats. In order not to be overstepped, the emperor¡¯s methods became increasingly brutal, and he turned the dark soldiers from the dark to the light, and set up another official named Jinyiwei* to kill all those who dared to disobey him.


    This was a chaotic era, and the reborn Zhao Luli was unable to accept it for a while. Fortunately, he was still Marquis Zhenbei now, so he had some power and could still protect his family.


    Seeing that the guards in the mansion disguised themselves and went out to look for people, Ye Fan couldn¡¯t sit still. How she wished that Guan Suyi would get harmed outside, how she wished that she would be escorted back by these people, so that she could make up some rumors and completely ruin the other person¡¯s reputation. But Lord Marquis didn¡¯t want to make a big fuss, just waited for her to turn around by herself, then as long as Guan Suyi took the initiative to step into the house, nothing would happen. Even if Lord Marquis was severely injured, she would still be unscathed.


    Why is this happening? Ye Fan couldn¡¯t figure it out, her heart was full of uneasiness and trepidation.


    ¡ª


    At the same time, Guan Suyi sent Li Su¡¯e back to Marquis Zhenxi Mansion, and asked her two steward women to be witnesses, and then drove toward Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, but on the way visit her grandfather first.


    ¡°Yiyi, weren¡¯t you sent to Cangzhou?¡± Zhong shi, who was packing up a bundle, turned pale with fright, and asked anxiously, ¡°Why are you back? Did something happen to Lord Marquis?¡±


    Guan Suyi recounted what she saw on the road, and when she saw the bundle, she understood, ¡°Mother, are you planning to go to Cangzhou to find me? Who will take care of grandfather?¡±


    ¡°Grandfather has your father to take care of. I¡¯m so worried about you, no matter what, I have to go and see. You, this child, you know that your hands are strong, why would you still smash Lord Marquis? You scared your mother to death!¡± Zhong shi then took out two hundred taels of silver and urged, ¡°Go home and beg for forgiveness to the old madam and make it clear. The steward of Marquis Zhenxi Mansion will testify for you, so you shouldn¡¯t be afraid that she will blame you. This is the travel expense that mother prepared for you, Cangzhou is bitter and cold, if you have any difficulties, just write back, your father and mother will try our best to help you.¡±


    ¡°Mother, where did you get the money? What about the money for grandfather¡¯s medicine?¡± Guan Suyi held Zhong shi¡®s wrist tightly.


    ¡°This is the money your father earned from selling calligraphy and painting. The money for your grandfather is still there, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Father actually went off to sell calligraphy and painting?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes immediately turned red, and it was hard to imagine that her arrogant and talented father would actually be reduced to sitting on the street earning money by shouting.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry,¡± Zhong held her daughter, holding back her sadness. ¡°How can face more important than life? Let¡¯s pay off the money owed to marquis mansion as soon as possible, so that you can stand upright. I just hope that Lord Marquis is safe and sound, and let you suffer less sins. The old madam sent you away, we don¡¯t blame her, she is also kind and wants to save your life! If you can come back in the future, you must be filial to her, you understand?¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Guan Suyi wiped away her tears, washed her face again, and then went to visit the old master. Worried that he could not stand the stimulation, Zhong shi concealed the news and only said that her daughter had some free time and deliberately came to visit the patient. The old master was really happy and pulled his granddaughter to talk, but he couldn¡¯t hold it for long and fell into a deep sleep.


    Guan Suyi tucked the quilt for him, and secretly stuffed the two hundred taels of silver back under Zhong shi¡®s pillow, then said goodbye and returned to the mansion. As soon as she stepped into the second gate, she saw Zhao Luli standing in the courtyard, staring at her with deep and unfathomable eyes. His eyes were filled with mixture of love and longing, and more, regret and guilt.


    Ye Fan came out with a big belly and said sharply, ¡°Yo, Madam is finally back? We even thought you were afraid of the crime and ran away!¡±


    ¡°Lord Marquis is awake?¡± Guan Suyi breathed a sigh of relief and explained, ¡°It¡¯s because the coachman and the old madam stole my bundle as soon as we got in the carriage, they wanted to loot my belongings, and left Minglan and me in a strange place. I was worried that the two of them had ill intention, so I drove the carriage back to the capital. On the way, I met Marquis Zhenxi madam and saw that the wheel of her carriage was broken, so I gave her a ride and dropped her off. These two are the steward women of Marquis Zhenxi Mansion, they can testify for me.¡±


    The two steward women immediately sent a handwritten letter and a generous gift from Marquis Zhenxi, and said many words of thanks. Ye Fan, who was blocked, was dumbstruck and feeling suffocated. The crowd then looked at Marquis Zhenbei again, only to see that he took two steps forward and hugged Guan Suyi tightly in his arms. Although there were no tears in his eyes, his expression was very painful.


    Guan Suyi struggled reflexively, and her resistance stabbed his heart fiercely.

 CH 181

    After marrying into the Zhao mansion for four years, Guan Suyi had never been so close to Zhao Luli. But what was close to him was only the body, and what could no longer be approached was the heart. She was led to the main house by this man to talk, throughout the way her expression was wooden.


    ¡°Suyi, it was my fault.¡± Zhao Luli was used to apologizing to Madam once he opened his mouth. He understood that if Madam¡¯s family background was low, and from beginning to end he never come to see the truth, he would indeed treat her in such a cruel way. So even if she asked for reconciliation and chose Huo Shengzhe, he could never blame her, let alone resent.


    ¡°After you passed the door, you were filial to mother, took care of the children, took charge of the central-fed, and do everything well. To be able to marry you, I don¡¯t know how many blessings I have cultivated in my life.¡± Speaking until here, he felt more and more guilty. ¡°That night I drank too much and was about to do something worse than a beast, you smashed me, but it actually woke me up. The dead are gone, and the living are still here. The dead only need to be remembered in memory, and those who are around should be cherished even more. Suyi, can you forgive me?¡± He held Madam¡¯s fingertips, his eyes full of hope and prayer.


    If it was a different person, after four years of humiliation and then being lifted up like this, they would definitely be grateful and agree. But Guan Suyi¡¯s heart had become cold, and she couldn¡¯t feel the slightest joy, only felt anger of being arbitrarily controlled. Is she an object? Can people throw her away and pick her up as they want?


    However, thinking of her grandfather who was seriously ill, and her parents who had been running around for a living and suffered humiliation, no matter how unwilling she was, she had to accept Zhao Luli¡¯s offer.


    ¡°Lord Maquis is not at fault,¡± she heard her hollow voice ringing in her ears. ¡°It¡¯s this wife who has lost her duty. Lord Marquis is able to wake up, this wife is very happy.¡±


    Zhao Luli¡¯s hanging heart finally landed on the ground, and he slowly embraced Madam into his arms, cherishing and stroking her pale cheeks. Whether or not Madam could let go of the grudge, he had a long life to get her forgiveness. He wanted to turn her into his real wife now, but he was afraid that the shadow of the past would still remain in her heart, so he had to hold back for the time being.


    The two reconciled, and the one who was the happiest was the old madam. She called the couple to the main courtyard, gave them some earnest advice, and then asked the servants to set up a banquet so that everyone could recover from their shock. Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu helped Ye Fan who was arriving late, and were about to take their seats, when they heard their father asked in a cold voice, ¡°When a family eats, where there is a reason for a concubine to be on the same table?¡±


    Guan Suyi glanced at him indifferently, although she didn¡¯t understand why his temperament changed so much, she wouldn¡¯t be easily moved. Was it only a few times Ye Fan sat on an equal footing with her? If he really respected her as his wife, he wouldn¡¯t let her stay alone in the empty house while pampering his concubines. But thinking about it now, being alone in an empty house was not necessarily a bad thing, at least she was still clean.


    Ye Fan took a step back, her expression aggrieved. Zhao Wangshu was anxious, and said quickly, ¡°Auntie is our family, isn¡¯t she always sitting like this? What¡¯s more, she is still pregnant now!¡±


    In the end, the old madam felt sorry for her grandson, and waved, ¡°Sit down, Ye Fan is about to give birth, and it¡¯s not too late to follow the rules after the child is born.¡± In her eyes, after all, the Zhao family¡¯s descendants were more important, which was also why Ye Fan, who had similar face to Ye Zhen, could still win her favor.


    Speaking of this child, Zhao Luli felt uncomfortable. He suppressed the regret and guilty conscience that filling his heart, and said solemnly, ¡°Sit down, don¡¯t come out outside if there¡¯s nothing in the future.¡±


    Ye Fan was crying, and just as she was about to sit down, she clutched her stomach and wailed. The skirt was wet, it seemed the amniotic fluid had been broken. Guan Suyi quickly got up to help her, and ordered, ¡°Go find the midwife, Ye yiniangis about to give birth!¡±


    The group of people was stunned for a moment, and then each one moved. The one with the most chaotic mood was none other than Zhao Luli. He was just reborn, and had not yet cultivated a good relationship with Madam, but now he even had a shu child. Madam was the type of person who couldn¡¯t have any sand in her eyes, and just because of this, she would never accept him sincerely, at most she would only respect him like a guest. But what he wanted was not to respect each other as a guest, but accompanied each other through thick and thin, to have love thicker than water.


    Why did he always wake up too late and took a step slower? Was this his destiny? His face was extremely ugly, but he had to pick up Ye Fan and quickly sent her to the delivery room. After sitting down, he searched his memory again. Only then did he realize that his younger brother, sister-in-law Ruan and his adopted son Mu Mu had already died. The second house now did not even have an heir to inherit the incense. No wonder even though his mother hated Ye Zhen, but she still accepted Ye Fan, probably because this child was the most important.


    He was so shocked that he hurriedly grabbed Madam¡¯s wrist, and asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Suyi, are you still here?¡±


    Guan Suyi avoided answering, ¡°Lord Marquis, is the wound hurting again? There is this wife guarding here, you can help the old madam go back to rest.¡±


    ¡°No, I have to guard you.¡± Zhao Luli didn¡¯t dare to leave her even for half a step.


    Guan Suyi stared at the door expressionlessly, as if she didn¡¯t hear what he said. From noon to early morning of the next day, Ye Fan finally gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The loud cries made the old madam overjoyed, and she immediately named him Zhao Guang, holding him in her arms and refusing to let go. Guan Suyi also took the child and hugged it for a while, then handed it to Lord Marquis.


    Zhao Luli couldn¡¯t feel the joy of being a father at all, only felt at loss. He visited Ye Fan in a daze, then said goodbye to Madam in shame. He returned to the study to sort out his thoughts, but after just a moment of sitting down, a servant sent a secret letter.


    Ye Zhen! He woke up instantly, and then had a splitting headache. What are these troublesome things? There were so many concubines in the family, now even added a shu son, shortly after even the ex-wife came to join in the fun. Zhao Luli in this life was simply beyond stupid!


    He opened the envelope and read it hastily, his already gloomy complexion turned black as the bottom of a pot. Ye Zhen said in the letter that she accidently found Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s secret, and it was something that could kill her, so she asked him to find a way to save her. What secret? Wasn¡¯t it just the sins committed in previous years have been exposed, and to die a hundred times was well deserved! Save her? As an abandoned chess piece, why should he save her?


    Thinking like this, Zhao Luli wrote down the things she did one by one, and bluntly drew a clear line with her. After sending the secret letter, he thought for a while, and finally seized a glimmer of hope. Zhao Luli in this life had not completely withdrawn from the court. A few days ago, in order to help Ye Zhen suppress Pan Jieyu, he snatched an errand from Pan Jieyu¡¯s brother, and he did it very beautifully. Maybe he could use this merit to ask for sealing a title for his wife, so that everyone in the Marquis Mansion could understand that a concubine was just a concubine, and even if she had a son, she would not be better than the main wife.


    After thinking he immediately do it. He spread out the four treasures of the study, and wrote a memorial to ask for sealing the title, stroke by stroke.


    ¡ª-


    Ye Fan laid on the bed for three days before recovering a little bit of energy, holding his son Zhao Guang in her arms and teasing with a beaming smile. Suddenly, an old woman ran in and hurriedly said, ¡°Yiniang, it¡¯s not good, Lord Marquis had submitted a memorial to ask for sealing Madam an official title. The emperor has reply it today, said to allowed it!¡±


    Ye Fan froze and asked, ¡°Asking to seal the title? Why didn¡¯t I hear about this before?¡±


    ¡°This servant haven¡¯t heard of it either! Lord Marquis hid it from everyone in the mansion, even the old madam just got the news. Ye Jieyu sent someone to pick up Madam, and said she wanted to meet her and reminisce about the old times. The carriage was all set up, she should be on the way by now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really sealing the tile, not something else?¡± Ye Fan murmured in disbelief, ¡°But I just gave birth to a son for Lord Marquis, why does he want to lift Guan Suyi at this time? Doesn¡¯t he understand that this is slapping me in the face? Those sluts in the back house will definitely laugh at me.¡±


    The old woman comforted, ¡°Don¡¯t panic, yiniang, Ye Jieyu will definitely support you. She called Madam into the palace now, maybe she just want to beat her.¡±


    Ye Fan forcefully smiled and nodded, but her heart was extremely embarrassed. The emperor had granted it, what could her cousin do, at most give Guan Suyi a slap in the face. When she returned, even if she didn¡¯t have a noble background, she would be able to crush the others with her first-rank title.


    What the hell did Lord Marquis want to do? Did he really like Guan Suyi?


    Guan Suyi also had the same doubts. Before stepping into the palace gate, she frowned and asked, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I want to be nice to you.¡± Zhao Luli held her wrist and cautiously warned, ¡°Don¡¯t walk around in the palace, and don¡¯t believe anything Ye Jieyu said. I¡¯ll come to pick you up after I see the emperor.¡± Summoned by Ye Zhen, he was both angry and fearful. He hated Ye Zhen for being vicious, and he was also afraid that Madam would meet the emperor, so that he would follow the tracks of an overturned cart.


    But an imperial concubine had summoned, how could an ordinary woman defy it, she had to dress up properly and go immediately. In desperation, he could only accompany Madam into the palace on the name of thanking the emperor, and once again warned before parting, ¡°Be careful of Ye Jieyu.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Guan Suyi nodded in response. Under the guidance of an inner attendant, she arrived at a quiet palace. After entering into the palace gate was a dim aisle. At the end of the aisle, there was a strong scent of sandalwood, smelled more like a temple.


    ¡°Your niangniang believes in Buddhism?¡± Guan Suyi asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Yes, niangniang is extremely devout to the Buddha, and would recites scriptures for a while at this time of the day. Madam, please go in, this servant will retreat.¡± The inner attendant then hurriedly left.


    Guan Suyi walked in slowly, and saw that there was indeed a Buddhist hall in front of her, but no doors and windows were installed, and in the middle of the day, the room had to be illuminated by candles and oil lamps; a futon was placed on the ground, on which a scripture was discarded, seemingly stained with some stains and mottled; looking up, the altar that supposed to be dedicated to the Bodhisattva statue was instead hung a painting, in front of the eyes was all red.


    Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity, she walked around the futon to the Buddhist altar, examined carefully, and immediately her breath stagnated. This painting was very strange, it was actually a scene of a demon child slitting a woman¡¯s belly and breaking out of her body. The painter¡¯s skill was extraordinary, he depicted the woman¡¯s painful and horrified expression, and the demon child¡¯s ferocious and terrifying face to life, even a large pool of thick blood seemed to flow out of the frame.


    How could a Buddhist hall enshrine such an evil thing? Only then did Guan Suyi react, she hurriedly turned back, but her body suddenly slammed into a cold and hard chest, then her shoulders were pressed by a pair of big palms, a gloomy voice sounded in her ears, ¡°What do you see?¡±

 CH 182

    (TN: I made a mistake in the last chapter, I thought GSY turned her body around but she actually retreated backward, so the emperor is holding her from behind)


    When her body was held down by a pair of powerful palms, Guan Suyi suddenly realized ¨C it seems that she had been tricked, and was brought to a forbidden place by an inner attendant, accidently broke some kind of secret. She had never entered the palace, let alone met Ye Jieyu, and the intertwine roads in the palace were spread out like cobwebs. Even the old people who had been serving for many years could get lost, not to mention an outside woman who was visiting for the first time?


    Only by following the guidance of the inner attendant could she successfully arrive at Ganquan Palace, but she did not expect this person to take her directly elsewhere. No wonder there was no plaque on the door beam of this palace.


    She didn¡¯t dare to look back, because the man¡¯s right hand had slowly climbed up to her fragile neck and clutched it neither lightly nor heavily. His palms were very broad, his fingertips were long and powerful, and his thumbs and fingers pads equally covered with a layer of rough calluses. He either a servant who used to doing hard labor, or a soldier who had been practicing martial arts for many years.


    He was very tall, and judging from the shadow cast on the ground, he was at least nine feet tall. Even if he didn¡¯t say a word, he exuded an extremely powerful aura. This aura, based on Guan Suyi¡¯s intuition, was closer to a beast than a human being. He seemed to be observing her, his head was slightly tilted, inspecting her face inch by inch, and his hot, yet cold, murderous breath kept brushing her face and ears.


    Guan Suyi once encountered a huge brown bear during her travels. In order to avoid getting attacked, she had to lie on the ground and pretend to be dead. Until now, the feeling of the bear approaching and carefully sniffing her face was still imprinted in her mind, making her tremble all over. That was the time when she was closest to death, and at this moment, it was countless times more terrifying than that.


    She had no doubt that if she said one word wrong, he would break her neck in the next instant. There were only two kinds of men who could walk in the inner palace, one was the imperial guard, and the other was the emperor. This was a forbidden courtyard in the deep palace, and someone who could control the whole palace and kill outside women at will, except for the brutal Emperor Sheng Yuan, there was no other.


    So where is this place? Guan Suyi swept her eyes, and finally found many missing details. The stains on the scripture were not ink spots, but dark red blood. Even the futon and floor tiles were covered with blood, but because they were both black and the light was very dim, it was impossible to detect if one didn¡¯t look carefully. There was a sweet and fishy smell in the air, but it was covered by the strong sandalwood scent, which fooled her sense of smell. There were many fresh cracks on the altar table, the offerings that should have been neatly arranged had disappeared without a trace, and bits and pieces of broken porcelain and wood chips were scattered in the inconspicuous crevices in the corners of the walls.


    Based on the above analysis, before she came in, there had been a big fight here, no, a massacre was more appropriate, and the initiator was definitely Emperor Sheng Yuan who was strangling herself right now.


    It seemed that she had thought a lot, but actually in a flash Guan Suyi had already understood her situation ¨C she may not be able to go back alive today.


    Because of this realization, she actually became calm, cool-headedly thought about the meaning of the question just now, and tried her best to recall the information about Emperor Sheng Yuan that Zhao Luli had mentioned to her. Obviously, this Buddhist hall existed only because of this painting, and it might be the biggest secret in Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s heart. And what kind of person the other person was, it could be seen from many terrible rumors.


    He was tyrannical, murderous and brutal, had no tolerance for betrayal and disobedience, and his means of handling the government were very iron-cladded. In the face of such a person, crying and begging were useless, she could only be obedient and resign to her fate. He didn¡¯t eat soft and hard food, and acted unscrupulously. When he was in a good mood, he might let you go, and when he was in a bad mood, you would die without a whole corpse.


    Unfortunately, the current Emperor Sheng Yuan was in an extremely bad mood, so no matter what means she used, afraid she could not escape death. Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t stop smiling bitterly in her heart, but her face was even more indifferent. She breathed cautiously, and asked without answering, ¡°Can I get closer and take a look?¡±


    Since Emperor Sheng Yuan asked her what she saw, she might as well answer earnestly, in any case, her life was already in his hands.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan had just vented himself, and there was still blood in his eyes. He thought that this woman would show her worst side in the face of death, just like those concubines who deliberately tried to seduce him before. However, he was wrong. The other person neither cried nor begged, she didn¡¯t even look back at him or scream.


    Her eyes were so bright that he could see the light even in the dark Buddhist hall. At first, she trembled with fear, but somehow she became enlightened and calm. He was certain ¡ª she knew that this painting was his greatest secret and the cause for her near death, but she did not shy away from it when she was questioned, but instead asked to get closer and see more clearly.


    Shouldn¡¯t the normal response be to cry and shout that she didn¡¯t see anything? The blood in Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes slowly faded, and he even felt that it was a little interesting. His rough finger pads rubbed twice on her slender and delicate neck, feeling her stiffen for a moment and then immediately relaxed. He then pressed against her back and pushed her forward.


    ¡°Tell Zhen what you see?¡± He asked again, without concealing his identity, because he knew that the person in his arms had already guessed it. She was very cool-headed and farsighted, but it was a pity that after today, she would be turned into white bones and be buried here.


    Guan Suyi looked up and said calmly, ¡°Can you order to place a few more oil lamps in front of the altar? The light is too dim.¡± Even if she had to die, she would like to know why she died. If she didn¡¯t see the painting clearly, she wouldn¡¯t be able to close her eyes when she went down to the Yellow Springs.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was almost amused. This woman was very interesting, to put it without exaggeration, the most interesting woman he had ever seen in his life. Killing her like this made him feel a little regretful.


    ¡°Light a few oil lamps.¡± He ordered in a deep voice.


    A black-clad man appeared silently and placed several oil lamps neatly on the Buddhist altar. The abundant light completely shined upon the whole picture of the painting, and it also made the person behind her breathe heavily, his fingertips tighten. Guan Suyi had a premonition that as long as he exerted a little force, her neck would snap with a ¡°crack¡±.


    So this painting was really his weakness, or the inner demon was more appropriate, which also showed that the scenes in the painting must be related to him, and maybe one of them was himself. Glancing at the inscription and time in the lower left corner, and then calculating the age of Emperor Sheng Yuan, Guan Suyi came to a terrifying guess. But she didn¡¯t dare to show the slightest abnormality, only her pupils shrank slightly for a moment.


    It was only then that she finally seized a silver lining from the despair of ¡°certain death¡±.


    ¡°Is the scene depicted in this painting actually happened?¡± She asked boldly.


    ¡°Zhen has never seen someone who is less afraid of death than you.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan pressed close to her ear and said, ¡°Yes, it really happened.¡± The left hand on her shoulder slowly slid down and instead wrapped around her slender waist. In the eyes of outsiders, this was a very intimate action, but Guan Suyi knew that she had completely become a prey of his palm.


    ¡°Then,¡± she tried to make her voice as calm and flat as possible, ¡°I¡¯ll put aside all the superstition factors and just analyze this painting from a realistic perspective?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan felt the body in his arms relax little by little, and finally snuggled softly against his chest. This woman was smarter than he imagined, knowing what to do to make the beast on the verge of rampage less eager to kill. Fighting or running would only make people die faster, and the only way to delay time was to stand still.


    He had to admit that when she showed obedience, when she was leaning softly in the crook of his arm, he was willing to let her live a little longer.


    Guan Suyi tried her best to appear harmless, and then slowly said, ¡°Judging from the brushstrokes, this painter is from the East, and his skills are very high. He prefers realistic works rather than fictions. Every leaf and every weed in this painting has its own shape, and even the woman¡¯s hair is depicted one strand at a time, very realistic, and appear vividly on paper. And you said that the scene in the painting is real, it can be seen that the painter should have witnessed the whole process.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan only tilted his head to look at her, his eyes deep and unfathomable.


    Guan Suyi licked her lips and continued, ¡°This woman is from the Jiuli clan, and has a noble status. You can tell this from the clothes and jewelry she wears. She is covered in cuts and bruises and her clothes are torn, so it can be seen that she has been running in the forest for a long time, and finally fell to the ground. The periphery of the pool of blood was full of hungry wolves, and there was a faint green light in their eyes, but they never dared to approach. Why is that? Where can there be beasts who smell the blood but don¡¯t pounce on them?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan, who originally just wanted to admire her dying struggle, was unconsciously brought into it.


    ¡°See the white powder spilling outside the pool of blood? This may be a kind of potion to expel beasts.¡± Guan Suyi deduced, ¡°This woman has a way to defend herself against beasts, so the culprit that let her into this difficult situation is definitely not beasts, but people. She maybe being chased, but on the road, she went into labor and has no choice but to give birth on the spot. Have you ever seen a baby born with fangs and claws, has a blue face and long scales?¡± At this point, she held the man¡¯s big hand on her waist, caressed it carefully, and whispered, ¡°Your hand is the same as an ordinary person.¡±


    Without waiting for the other person to collect his thoughts, she added, ¡°Babies are the most fragile and harmless thing. If their mothers fail to give birth to them, they will not even have a chance to open their eyes and see this world. They will never grow fangs and sharp teeth, violently cut through their mother¡¯s belly and burst out. In contrast, there is the selflessness and greatness of maternal love here. I have seen many women who have difficulty giving birth, and when the doctor asks whether to keep the big or the small, their answer without exception is to keep the small. They are willing to give everything to keep their child alive.¡±


    She raised her head, tears streaming down from her eyes, ¡°So the scene in this painting is not scary, it¡¯s just artificially distorted. In order to save her child, the mother used this machete to cut her belly, slit open her wrists, and fed him with blood. The hand she placed on the baby¡¯s back was not to throw him away, but to give him one last hug before she died.¡±


    Her throat choked, and she said hoarsely, ¡°This painting is not a Rakshasa descending to earth, but a goddess protecting her child. The so-called truth is often concealed under distorted malice.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, she felt the arms around her waist relaxed little by little, the five fingers on her neck slowly moved away, and fresh air suddenly poured into her nose, making her eyes dazzled.

 CH 183

    Guan Suyi fell to the ground and gasped for breath. Emperor Sheng Yuan, who was holding her, stepped forward quickly and took off the painting on the wall to examine it. His deeply contoured face was hidden in the darkness, his expression could not be seen, but the hand holding the frame trembled slightly, obviously suppressing intense emotions.


    It seemed that he wanted to see more clearly, but was troubled by the dim light. He walked back and forth in the hall, looking for the light source. His rapid and messy steps indicated the turmoil in his heart. In the end, he couldn¡¯t bear the narrowness and darkness in the Buddhist hall, wanted to put the painting down, but he couldn¡¯t find a clean place.


    ¡°Hold it for Zhen.¡± His voice was hoarse.


    Guan Suyi hurriedly knelt up, took the painting with both hands, and placed it smoothly on her knees.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan walked to a wall and ripped off the wall surface. It turned out that this Buddhist hall was not without doors and windows, but it was all completely covered by wood planks. When they were removed, countless golden rays of light rushed in, and the strong sandalwood and fishy smell all rush out of the window, replaced by cold but fresh air.


    From hell to earth, it was only a moment. Guan Suyi narrowed her eyes slightly, and even had the urge to cry. A tall figure walked towards her under the cover of the radiant light, shrouding her in shadows again. She immediately restrained her emotions, presented the painting respectfully, and quickly glanced around.


    Without the cover of darkness, the scene in the hall was countless times more terrifying than what she had seen before. The ground was almost covered with blood, which had already wet her embroidered shoes and skirt, the red color slowly smudged on the pale blue fabric, which looked shocking. She was startled by her appearance, looked up, but was even more horrified.


    Compared to her sorry figure, Emperor Sheng Yuan dressed in a dark robe seemed very normal, but every time he took a step, he would leave a wet, blood-soaked footprint on the ground, and the heavy hems flowing with some kind of thick and glaring liquid.


    Where is this Buddhist hall, this is clearly the blood pool in hell. The person in front of her was clearly an Asura who climbed up from hell! Guan Suyi tried her best to suppress her inner fear, she also knew better that her life and death catastrophe was not over yet. She lowered her eyelids, not daring to look around, and even became cautious in her breathing.


    ¡°How can you be sure,¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan stared at the painting and asked in a deep voice, ¡°that this person cut open her belly to take the child out?¡±


    Guan Suyi answered truthfully, ¡°The woman in the painting is already covered in cuts and bruises, she¡¯s already on the verge of death, and has no spare energy to give birth to a child. She has no other way but to open her belly and take the child out. This may seem unbelievable to you men, but as a woman, I can understand her feelings. If it were me, I would have made the same choice in the face of the same danger. The greatness of a mother¡¯s love is far beyond people¡¯s imagination, they are willing to give everything for their child.¡± If the woman in the painting was the emperor¡¯s biological mother, it would not be wrong to say a few good things about the her.


    Her guess was obviously correct. The man¡¯s hostile face was slowly softening, and his red eyes were soaking with tears, as if he was holding back his grief.


    ¡°How do you know that the wound on her wrist was cut by herself and not caused by the demon¡¯s bite?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°Judging from the painting, one of the child¡¯s feet is still stuck in the mother¡¯s belly and has not been completely taken out, but the wound on the woman¡¯s wrist was already existed, wouldn¡¯t it mean it was cut by herself? She is about to die, if others fail to help as soon as possible, she has to find a way to keep her child alive for a few more days. Apart from her own blood, she may not be able to find a better food. Again, a mother is always willing to sacrifice everything for her child.¡±


    ¡°Children are the flesh and blood of their mothers, and the continuation of their lives.¡± Speaking of the last sentence, Guan Suyi looked up at Emperor Sheng Yuan, and was stunned. She saw the other person holding the painting and staring silently, two lines of hot tears flowed from his dark blue eyes. His lips opened and closed, as if he wanted to speak, but because his throat was blocked with so much grief, it was difficult to say anything.


    Judging from the shape of his mouth, he should be calling ¡°mother¡± one time, two times, three times¡­ However, that person had long gone, and he didn¡¯t know who to tell his longing and love.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes were hot and she almost burst into tears, then she buried her head and waited for the final verdict. As the so-called ¡°do your best to obey the destiny¡±, everything that should be said had been said, whether or not she could go back alive depend on the mood of this person.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was silent for nearly two quarters of hours before asking in a hoarse voice, ¡°Can you recite the Rebirth Mantra?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Guan Suyi replied quickly.


    ¡°Then recite it.¡± He pulled over the futon and sat down cross-legged, holding the painting in both hands, as if concentratedly look, and it seemed that his soul had left his body, unknown where it had gone.


    Guan Suyi licked her dry lips and chanted the rebirth mantra in a slow and soft voice, repeating it over and over again, twenty-one times before she stopped. It was said that reciting the rebirth mantra twenty-one times each day and night, the four heavy sins, five sins of disobedience, and ten evil karmas could be eliminated, and all desires in this world could be obtained. The mother in the painting had endured such great pain for her child, and may her next life be safe and carefree.


    The Emperor Sheng Yuan who let go of his burdens and got rid of his inner demons had never been so relaxed. He sat in the palace hall full of blood and sunshine, his soul was exhausted to the extreme, but there was still a sense of calm. Gentle incantations with a unique charm kept coming to his ears, causing him to uncontrollably close his eyes and slowly fell asleep.


    Finding that Emperor Sheng Yuan was sitting and falling asleep, Guan Suyi stopped reciting with a dazed expression. Without permission, she naturally did not dare to leave, but after kneeling for a long time, her legs and feet were inevitably a little numb, so she wanted to stand up and stretch. As soon as she straightened up, she saw a man in black appeared out of nowhere and gave a silent command, ¡°Continue reciting.¡±


    Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t resist, so she lowered her volume and continued to recite the rebirth mantra. She caught a glimpse of Emperor Sheng Yuan who was sleeping very deeply, and thought bitterly to herself: I just help this tyrant to transcend.


    After half an hour, Emperor Sheng Yuan woke up slowly, and there was no trace of malice in his blue eyes, it was just full of energy and high spirits. A man in black immediately presented a secret letter and whispered a few words in his ear. Guan Suyi had no intention of inquiring, but after enduring and enduring, she finally asked without fear of death, ¡°Dare to ask Your Majesty if you can give this minister wife a pot of tea? Want to cool it down, this minister wife¡¯s throat is about to smoke.¡±


    The corners of Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s lips seemed to be move upward, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Bring tea for Madam Guan.¡±


    Changed her name to Madam Guan, the secret letter should contain the information of the eighteenth generation of the Guan family¡¯s ancestors. Guan Suyi knew it, but she didn¡¯t feel angry. He was willing to spend energy on herself, it showed that he had given up the idea of ??killing her. She breathed a sigh of relief, and impatiently pour three cups of herbal tea, which made her feel better, then poured three more cups and sipped it.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan sat opposite and looked at her from head to toe several times, his eyes full of interest.


    After drinking a pot of tea, Guan Suyi respectfully said, ¡°Your Majesty, this minister wife entered the forbidden area by mistake, still ask for forgiveness. Ye Jieyu is still waiting for this minister wife in Ganquan Palace, can you please allow this minister wife to retire first?¡± A thin layer of sweat appeared on her palms, she knew whether she was alive or dead, it was all depends on the other person¡¯s words.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan stared at her for a moment, and when her scalp went numb and almost unable to hold back, he flicked his sleeves, ¡°Go.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s heart was beating violently, but she was very calm on the surface. She was going to kowtow to thank him, but when she saw the half-coagulated blood on the ground, she had to stop and bowed deeply instead. Out of the palace door, she let out a long sigh of relief and was about to leave, when she saw a man in black come out holding an exquisite box, ¡°This is a gift from His Majesty to Ye Jieyu, she must check it herself on the spot. Troubling Madam Guan to help deliver it.¡±


    Guan Suyi took it with both hands and bowed again to the gate of the palace before heading to Ganquan Palace under the guidance of another inner attendant. She pondered about it all the way, but she really couldn¡¯t understand why Ye Jieyu wanted to put herself to death. Ye Jieyu was Ye Zhen¡¯s sister, but Ye Zhen drowned long before she married over, and the other person shouldn¡¯t have enmity or hatred with her at all. Even if it was to support Ye Fan, at most it was enough to scold a few words. Why use other¡¯s knife to kill? Where such a big hatred between them came from?


    This question could only be answered by Ye Zhen herself. That day she was exposed by Emperor Sheng Yuan and was forced to drink that Soul Releasing wine. She then like a prostitute stripped off all her clothes and went mad in the palace. The eunuchs, palace maids, and guards couldn¡¯t stand her harassment, and ran away. In the end, she could only rub against the bedpost all night.


    When she woke up the next day, she finally understood what it meant to be too ashamed to death. When the shame was extreme, she really didn¡¯t have the courage to live. She was just a clown bouncing around for people¡¯s amusement, thinking she was glamorous, but in fact she had long been demoted to nothing.


    What even more terrifying was that after that, Emperor Sheng Yuan would still come to Ganquan Palace, seeing her embarrassed and silent, and let her continue to cherish Zhao Luli. He said that he liked her performance very much, it was lively and entertaining. But this couldn¡¯t save Ye Zhen in the slightest, instead it made her fall into deeper despair and shame.


    She couldn¡¯t stand Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s teasing and humiliation, and was even more afraid of being slashed by a thousand swords in the future. In desperation, she could only write to her father and Zhao Luli for help. Ye Quanyong couldn¡¯t even protect himself, how could he take care of her? Zhao Luli was even more ruthless, and he broke up with her directly.


    Ye Zhen, who was already on the verge of collapse, couldn¡¯t stand the stimulation, and went crazy on the spot. Zhao Luli wants to throw her away and start a new life? Very good, then she will destroy everything he cares about! Asking to confer the title? Conferring a posthumous title is almost the same.


    After waiting for half an hour and not seeing Marquis Zhenbei Madam¡¯s arrival at Ganquan Palace, Ye Zhen waved her hand and said, ¡°Remove the refreshment, and go to imperial study to inform lord marquis Zhao. Just say that Madam Guan is missing, let him find it by himself.¡±


    Yong He bent down to take orders, and as soon as she walked out of the palace gate, she saw a woman with a very beautiful appearance and an elegant temperament slowly approaching, stating that she was Marquis Zhenbei Madam. Although the embroidered shoes and skirt were stained with blood, she didn¡¯t look like a sorry figure. Yong He was greatly surprised, but her face didn¡¯t show anything, she brought the person inside to meet niangniang.


    After saluting, Guan Suyi put the heavy box on the table, and said warmly, ¡°Just now mistakenly entered the forbidden area and bumped into the emperor, so came a little late, still ask niangniang to please forgive. This is a gift from the emperor for niangniang, saying to let niangniang to open it personally.¡±


    Ye Zhen knew that this thing was not good, but she couldn¡¯t evade. She opened the lid of the box and looked inside, and she was so frightened that she lost her soul. Guan Suyi was also stunned, but because of too much stimulation, her brain had long been numb, so she just sat firmly in place.


    There was no gift in the box, but the head of the inner attendant who brought her to the Buddhist hall. A pair of eyes were wide open, obviously dead.

 CH 184

    Guan Suyi sat stiffly in place, while Ye Zhen had already scrambled to the back of the pillar, wrapping herself tightly with a gauze curtain, screamed shrilly, while tears and snot dripped down, looking rather wretched. These days, she had already tortured by shame and despair to the point of collapse, and when her hatred was deep, she really wanted to bring everyone to be buried with her, including the Ye family, the Zhao family, and even the pair of children. But now, after seeing this severed head, she suddenly realized that death was so terrifying.


    She wanted to live, no matter how humiliated, humble, and desperate, she still wanted to live.


    Guan Suyi turned to look at her, her thoughts surging. At first, she thought that Ye Jieyu was the culprit who wanted to harm her, but later she thought, with so many concubines in the palace, what if there were other who wanted to deliberately frame her? She didn¡¯t know anything about those niangniang, and couldn¡¯t guess the inside story for a while, so she walked into the palace hall to test with a few words, and actually learned the truth.


    She said that she had entered the forbidden area by mistake, and Ye Jieyu did not show any expression of surprise or concern, only surprised that she was intact. It wasn¡¯t until the lid of the box was opened and Ye Jieyu saw the head that she dared to be sure of her guess. The culprit was indeed Ye Jieyu, otherwise Emperor Sheng Yuan would never let her send the ¡°gift¡±.


    This was a deterrent and a warning. The Jinyiwei could go up to the sky and down to the ground, it was impossible for them to not know this much of truth.


    But why? Guan Suyi asked herself. She and Ye Jieyu had no grievances in the past and no enmity in recent time. What would she gain by killing her? Or, who did she want to frame with her own death? Only this reason could explain her actions. But now, Guan Suyi was not so sure, because Ye Jieyu was crying and laughing, showing a bit of madness, as if she had a mental problem.


    What can¡¯t a madman do? But she was the dignified Jieyu, pampered in the six palaces, who could force her to such a situation?


    Guan Suyi remembered the bloody Buddhist hall, and looked at the head on the table, then her shaking hand picked up the lid of the box and covered it. No wonder Ye Jieyu was going crazy. Facing such a brutal monarch every day, it¡¯d be a weird if she was not scared. Guan Suyi only entered the palace once, but when she went back, she would have nightmares for a long time.


    In a trance, a palace maid stepped forward and said respectfully, ¡°Madam Guan, this servant will take you to the back to wash up, change into clean clothes, and then go to face His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Still have to face His Majesty?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s voice was raised.


    Yong He, who was trying to control Ye Jieyu¡¯s frantic state, shouted loudly, ¡°Yong Mei, Yong Zhu, come and help! Why are you taking Madam Guan?¡±


    Yong Mei and Yong Zhu didn¡¯t listen, they directly helped Guan Suyi to walk towards the back, and a group of palace servants standing in the corner also followed, apparently following their lead. It turned out that since a long time ago, the two senior maids who were in charge of Ganquan Palace, was serving Ye Zhen but at the same time reported her every move to the emperor. On the outside Ye Jieyu was gentle and supple, kind and weak, but inside she was vicious and malicious, with the heart of a snake, so how could the emperor not know?


    Seeing this scene, Ye Zhen instantly became quiet, slowly slumped on the ground, and murmured, ¡°It turns out that I am purely amusing the emperor, what flies up the branches to become a phoenix, it¡¯s ??all delusional, fake!¡±


    Yong He and Yong Ju took a few steps back, their faces turned blue, and the fear of the impending disaster made them unable to breathe.


    ¡ª-


    In the imperial study, Zhao Luli waited for a long time but still did not see the emperor, he couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious. If possible, he would never bring Suyi into the palace, for fear that she would be caught and snatched by the emperor. But Suyi was struggling in the Zhao Mansion, and if he didn¡¯t ask to seal her the title, those concubines would never stop. In the previous life, her official title was requested for her by the old master. In this life, as a husband, he should plan for her everywhere.


    One moment Zhao Luli felt remorseful, one moment felt worried. Seeing that the emperor had not come, he cupped his hands towards Baifu, ¡°Chief Bai, His Majesty he¡­¡±


    ¡°Lord Marquis, don¡¯t be impatient, His Majesty is chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall, he will be here soon.¡± Baifu said before him.


    Chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall? Zhao Luli searched his memory and found that in this life Huo Shengzhe did not believe in Buddhism, but he had the habit of chanting sutras every day, didn¡¯t know if he would blaspheme the Buddha when he opened the sutra with his blood-stained hands. From a benevolent monarch to a tyrant, the only difference was just the trusted aide ministers and right-hand men, why there was such a big deviation?


    Thinking of Old Master Guan¡¯s great virtues, and looking at Xu Guangzhi¡¯s seeking instant success, he shook his head and sighed. When the clear water made waves, the atmosphere was positive; when the turbid current was surging on, the atmosphere was inclined. This was common sense. Really could not complain that Wei Kingdom was now in chaos and unstable, Huo Shengzhe in this life was also blind.


    While thinking about it, Emperor Sheng Yuan entered the hall, wearing a heavy deep black coat, which seemed to be fine, but brought a strong and pungent smell. Zhao Luli hurriedly knelt and saluted, and when he saw a string of bloodstains falling on the ground, he suddenly wondered: Where is it the emperor chanting sutras, he clearly killing people!


    Before he could recover from the shock, he saw a military order fall in front of him. Emperor Sheng Yuan said solemnly, ¡°The civil unrest broke out in Tongcheng, and the rebel army has captured the local government. You hurry up and send fifty thousand troops to the rescue.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Zhao Luli asked in surprise.


    ¡°Do you still want to eat a meal, drink two jars of wine, and then go to sleep for three days and three nights while having a hangover?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s tone was cold.


    ¡°This minister dare not! This minister will leave immediately!¡± Thinking of the past, Zhao Luli¡¯s face turned pale, while clutching the military order he said, ¡°This minister¡¯s wife is still in Ganquan Palace¡­¡±


    ¡°Could it be that Zhen has to care even this trivial matter? Let Ye Jieyu send someone to take her back.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan knocked his knuckles on the table with a very impatient expression.


    Zhao Luli was relieved then, bowed and walked away after he saluted. Emperor Sheng Yuan stared at his hurried back with an unpredictable expression, then a black-clothed guard quietly entered and whispered, ¡°The gift has been sent, Ye Jieyu was so frightened that her soul seems to leave her body, Madam Guan remained motionless, and still picked up the box lid and covered the severed head.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Not even a single scream?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan raised his eyebrows with interest.


    ¡°No.¡± The guard really admired Madam Guan. After so many years, she was the first person who broke into the Buddhist hall but escaped unscathed. If it were other people, they would have been chopped into meat paste long ago. Not only that, she also made the emperor remove the evil object, tore down the Buddhist hall, and helped him sleep peacefully.


    Since the emperor fell into his obsession, he had not been able to sleep peacefully for many years, either waking up in a nightmare or tossing and turning all night, anyone who approached rashly would either die or injured. And when he was about to be tortured into madness by his inner demon, Madam Guan suddenly appeared. Although didn¡¯t know what she said or did, as long as the emperor could regain his senses, Jinyiwei would naturally take more care of her. Presumably in the emperor¡¯s heart, she was also particularly different.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan recalled the scene just now, and a chuckle came out of his nose.


    The black-clothed guard and Baifu looked at him in amazement, but saw that he had already picked up a memorial to review it, as if the light-hearted laughter just now was just an illusion.


    After a while, Yong Mei and Yong Zhu led the newly-dressed Guan Suyi to come see the emperor. Thinking that the murderous tyrant was inside, Guan Suyi¡¯s hands were cold and her heart was beating like a drum. She didn¡¯t dare to recall how she brushed past death, and how she had carried a human head to Ganquan Palace. When she scared witless, maybe the other person still thought it was very funny.


    The resentment and fear that had been suppressed for a long time were churning in her chest, and she finally regained some strength in her weak legs. Hearing the call, she walked in steadily step by step, knelt down and saluted.


    ¡°Get up.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan put down the memorial, looked at her from head to toe, and said, ¡°Marquis Zhenbei is rushing to Tongcheng to quell the chaos. Zhen will let Baifu send you home.¡±


    Can go home just like that! Guan Suyi¡¯s stiff fingertips moved slightly, and was about to thank him, when she saw him take out a brocade box, ¡°This is a reward for you, come and take it.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s pupils shrank, and she almost yank the door and fled, just because this brocade box was exactly the same as the previous one, and it¡¯s unknown what was inside. Was it destroyed limbs or broken arms? She stepped forward with a calm face and took the brocade box, but her fingertips were numb.


    ¡°Open it and take a look.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan ordered with great interest.


    Guan Suyi took a deep breath and lifted the lid of the box. After the last lesson, she moved very slowly, and when the lid was completely opened, she couldn¡¯t help holding her breath and closed her eyes. It seemed that a long time had passed, and it seemed that it was just a moment. She opened one eye and glanced into the box, then breathed a sigh of relief. There were not destroyed limbs or broken arms inside, but many precious medicinal materials, and the scent of the medicine diluted the bloody aura on Emperor Sheng Yuan a lot.


    Thank Heavens, thank you Bodhisattva! Guan Suyi showed the expression of someone who just survived a calamity, then she heard a burst of laughter from the seat above.


    ¡°It turns out you can be afraid too!¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan jokingly said, ¡°Zhen thought you don¡¯t know fear!¡±


    ¡°Report to Your Majesty, this minister woman is human, so how can not be afraid?¡± After only one brief encounter, Guan Suyi had already noticed the other person¡¯s temperament. He had an extremely strong desire to control, people couldn¡¯t hide and tuck when talking to him, they could say whatever they thought, even if it annoyed him, it was countless times better than deceiving him.


    ¡°This minister woman was simply frightened, but the reaction was half a beat slower than others. Appeared calm, but in fact heart was about to burst. This minister woman thanking Your Majesty for your reward, thanking Your Majesty for your kindness.¡± She held the box and bowed down to salute.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed more and more happily, and the thick and happy laughter echoed in the hall, which shocked the palace people. How long has it been since the emperor laughed? In recent years, he seemed to be on the verge of madness every day, especially when he came out of the Buddhist hall, his eyes were always covered in blood, like a beast that picking up people and devoured them.


    Now he finally had a little bit of human air, and seemed to be full of sunshine. This Madam Guan was bound to have many good fortunes after surviving the disaster!


    ¡°Don¡¯t kneel,¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled and waved his hand, ¡°Baifu, send Madam Guan back.¡±


    Baifu didn¡¯t dare to underestimate this Marquis Zhenbei Madam whose family status was not high. He personally prepared a carriage to send her away, and pointed to the carriages that followed behind, ¡°Madam, that is His Majesty¡¯s reward, most of them are some precious medicinal materials. This servant will help you send them to the Guan¡¯s house, these are all things that the old master can use. There is also an imperial physician who will take the old master¡¯s pulse and condition his body. In the future, if the old master has any discomfort, you can just call him, he will not dare to be sloppy.¡±


    This reward was really sent to the heart. Guan Suyi was overjoyed and thanked him again and again. The resentment and fear that accumulated in her heart vanished in an instant, leaving only deep gratitude. If she could help her family, not to mention scaring her, even if she were to die immediately, she would be willing.

 CH 185

    Guan Suyi hurriedly went to Guan¡¯s house, just in time to see Zhong shi coming back from outside with a gaping empty bowl. ¡°Mother, did you go to borrow food?¡± Her eyes were red, she didn¡¯t expect that her family was already poor to this point.


    Zhong shi seemed to want to hide the bowl behind her, but in the end stopped with a bitter smile. Who didn¡¯t know the current situation of the Guan family? ¡°There was a strong wind a few days ago, which blew the roof of our house. Your father and I quickly moved the old master to another place, but he still got drenched with some cold rain. Now the fever is high, the person is almost confused. For the medicine and to repair the house, all the money has already been spent. Your father and I can endure it, but the old master cannot lack anything. I just want to ask for some coarse flour and eggs, and make a bowl of noodles for him. But I didn¡¯t expect the hypocrisy of the world, people who once received our family¡¯s favor, now they don¡¯t recognize it, indeed truly helpless¡­¡±


    Her daughter had come to the door, and keeping it a secret would only make her more worried, Zhong shi might as well confess. When she finally took two steps forward to open the courtyard door, she saw several palace carriages parked at the corner, and there was also a eunuch with white hair and ruddy complexion cupped his hands and smiling at her.


    ¡°Yiyi, where are you from?¡±


    ¡°Mother, this is Chief Bai.¡± Guan Suyi explained, ¡°Lord Marquis asked to seal the title for me. Today, after receiving the letter of approval we went to the palace to thank the emperor. But because there¡¯s chaos in Tongcheng, he led his troops to rush to help, and the emperor let Chief Bai sent daughter back home and conveniently presented the reward. Let¡¯s go in and talk, it¡¯s cold outside.¡±


    Zhong shi was overjoyed, and hurriedly greeted Baifu and waved, ¡°Please come in, please come in quickly. The house is still being repaired, it¡¯s very messy, all sirs please don¡¯t dislike. Anyway, please sit down and have a cup of hot tea!¡±


    Baifu cupped his hands and said ¡°Don¡¯t dare¡±, then went in with a smile. He looked around, and sure enough they were destitute.


    Zhong shi took the people to the main hall, served hot tea one by one, and then handed out dozens purses she had prepared. She had heard a little about the rules in the palace. These errand people had to be given ample trouble fee before they were willing to help you, especially the chief, who had seen it all, absolutely could not be too shabby. But what happened to the Guan family, they must have seen it with their own eyes, and it was really not easy to save this money. It must be known that the old master still depended on these money to save his life. Even if the couple were starving to death, they didn¡¯t dare to use the slightest bit, but today they took it all out.


    Baifu squeezed his purse and couldn¡¯t help but laugh in his heart. If it was in the past, he would have to spit on anyone who gave him, this great Chief Bai, one hundred taels of silver, but when facing Madam Guan¡¯s mother, he really didn¡¯t have the guts. Madam Guan was able to struggle free out of His Majesty¡¯s clutches, and coaxed him to sleep, and still made him laugh, she was bound to have a lot of good blessings in the future.


    Before the emperor said anything, he had to respect this person. After thinking about it, Baifu returned the purse and said a lot of flattery. How could the rest of the people went over Eunuch Bai? They also quickly returned the purses. Guan Suyi was an impetuous person, too impatient to deal with this kind of scenes, and had already led the imperial physician to see the old master.


    ¡°Excessive worry and mental-knot in the heart has hurt the internal organs, and it must be carefully nurtured.¡± Imperial Physician Cao was the physician who looked after the emperor, his medical skills naturally outstanding. He immediately prescribed a few doses of medicine and instructed, ¡°Simmer three bowls of water until it become a bowl of water then drink, two doses a day, and in seven days, I will come again to check the pulse and see how he recuperate.¡±


    ¡°Does it affect the life longevity?¡± Guan Suyi asked nervously.


    ¡°Naturally it has some influence, but not necessarily much. It was said laughing will gain you ten more years of life. The old master is suffering from a heart sickness, still need to be treated with medicine for the heart. If he can get over this stumble, entirely free from worry, his life span will surely be longer. If you have some free time then cheer him up, then he will get better soon.¡± Imperial Physician Cao had already received the emperor¡¯s orders, and did not dare to treat the Guan family as an ordinary family. He explained everything clearly, and prescribed the most suitable medicines.


    How could it be easy to cheer him up? Guan Suyi felt weighed down with anxiety, tears started flickering in her eyes. When grandfather came to the capital with great ambitions, he clearly had a lot of splendor in his chest, but because of his clumsiness since he was a child, he was not able to show his talents. Instead, Xu Guangzhi took the opportunity to step on him. If that was all, then afterward he could figure it out after some self-introspection, but unexpectedly the other person¡¯s means were too despicable, and he actually began to win over the disciples under the Guan family. Those who were willing to join him left one after another, and those who didn¡¯t were vigorously suppressed, causing many rumors to slander Guan family¡¯s style and ruining the Guan family¡¯s knowledge inheritance.


    Breaking people¡¯s knowledge inheritance was like killing one¡¯s parents, how could grandfather not hate it? With more similar tactics, he felt sorry for his disciples and sorry for his students, and actually fell gravely ill from then on. If she wanted to cure his disease, she had to help him achieve his ambition.


    Guan Suyi originally thought with marrying Zhao Luli, she would be able to take advantage of the marquis mansion¡¯s influence and find a way out for her grandfather and father, whether it was good or bad in the future depend on the ability of the two. Unexpectedly, Zhao Luli didn¡¯t take her as his wife at all, and only thought of currying favor for the Ye family.


    At first, he was rather depressed and drunk all day. Later, when the second daughter of the Xu family entered the palace, which hindered Ye Jieyu¡®s position, he pulled himself up and returned to the court to open the way for Ye Jieyu. As for the Guan family, as for his grandfather-in-law and father-in-law, which one within his scope of consideration?


    Don¡¯t mention the others, just at this time when she entered the palace, even a tyrant like Emperor Sheng Yuan could see her difficulties at a glance and helped her, but he as a husband, turned a blind eye. Is first-rank title that great? If possible, she would rather exchange this dispensable honor with the safety and well-being of her family.


    A wave of resentment barely rose in her heart, she then remembered the money that the old madam lent to the Guan family. Guan Suyi then felt helpless again, and forced a smile to thank Imperial Physician Cao. Imperial Physician Cao also had to return to the palace to resume his duty, hand over the prescription to the medicine boy, and gave some detailed instruction, before he took his leave and left.


    Zhong shi set up a table of banquets for Chief Bai and the others to enjoy, and then asked Guan Father to come back to accompany them, she then ran to visit the old master.


    ¡°What did the imperial physician say?¡± Seeing that the old master was still asleep, Zhong shi lowered her voice and asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s said to be a heart sickness, it has to be taken care of slowly.¡± Guan Suyi squeezed the prescription with a sad face. The prescription prescribed by the imperial physician was naturally suitable, but the cost was hundreds of times more than usual, every medicinal herb that were precious, it needed to be used. This thin piece of paper weighs a thousand jins.


    When Zhong shi leaned over to take a look, she couldn¡¯t help but cry out ¡°Aiya¡±. Ginseng, deer antler, Lingzhi mushroom¡­ all were rare things all year round, how could they afford it? However, the old master¡¯s illness had to be treated, this could indeed worry people to death!


    ¡°The emperor has given a lot of medicinal herbs, we will use those first. If after drinking this medicine grandfather sees an improvement, even if we have to cut our own flesh and sell it, we must treat him! I will find a solution for the money.¡± Guan Suyi said firmly.


    ¡°Those things were all given to our family by the emperor? Don¡¯t you have to take them to marquis mansion?¡± Zhong shi was very surprised. her daughter was the mistress of Marquis Mansion, how could there be a reason for taking all the rewards back to her maiden home?


    Baifu didn¡¯t know since when stood at the door, he said with a smile, ¡°Please rest assured, His Majesty sent a message when this one left the palace, these rewards are solely for the Guan family, and have nothing to do with marquis mansion. It¡¯s getting late, this one will visit the old master, and then send Madam back to the mansion.¡±


    Zhong shi was not a greedy person, only valued those precious medicinal materials, she was overjoyed when she heard this, and thanked him again and again. Guan Father never looked down on a eunuch, and had a good talk with Baifu. After visiting the old master together, he sent him and his daughter away. The group returned to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, issued the imperial decree to seal the title, and received a generous thank-you gift before returning to the palace to resume their duties.


    Guan Suyi stood up holding the imperial decree, and saw the servants who were originally respectful to her on the outside, but contemptuous on the inside, all showed a look of awe; Several concubines were envious and jealous, and their faces were very ugly; Zhao Chunxi smiled very falsely, while Zhao Wangshu couldn¡¯t figure out the situation; Ye Fan was still in confinement and couldn¡¯t get out of bed. In the whole house, only the old madam was genuinely happy for her.


    She sneered, reluctantly said a few words and then returned to the main house. From the initial anticipation to the now numbness, this house made her suffocated.


    Mingfang, who had been transferred to the front yard, blocked the road and kept saying flattery, but she was squeezed away by Minglan. The two master and servant closed the door and whispered.


    ¡°Miss, is this dress given to you by Jieyu niangniang? The material is really slippery.¡±


    Afraid that Minglan didn¡¯t understand the rules and offend the nobles, Guan Suyi asked her to wait at the gate of the palace and went to see Ye Jieyu alone. Now she didn¡¯t want to tell anyone about that life-and-death disaster, so she pretended to casually say ¡°um¡±.


    ¡°They said that Ye Jieyu is the most beautiful woman in the Central Plains, what do you think? Have you seen the emperor? Did he really have three heads and six arms?¡±


    He didn¡¯t have three heads and six arms, but it was close enough, Guan Suyi thought to herself in fear.


    Just at this moment, Zhao Chunxi knocked on the door and came in, and said with a smile, ¡°Mother, today I was going to hold Third Day banquet for second brother, but daddy took you to the palace to thank the emperor, so I had to change the post and invite the guests to come back tomorrow. What do you think?¡±


    Since Zhao Chunxi slowly took charge of the housework, for fear that other would criticize her to be reluctant to give up power and treated her stepchildren harshly, Guan Suyi entrusted the management of the central-feed to her, and devoted herself to teaching Zhao Wangshu. Regardless of the big banquets or small banquets, Zhao Chunxi would arrange it herself and only came to the main house to inform it, which was not like now, came to the door to discuss it seriously.


    With this title, the waist is indeed straighter. Thinking like this, Guan Suyi was not proud, but rather felt unpleasant.


    ¡°What the shu sons of other families do, that¡¯s what our family should do, you can prepare according to the usual practice.¡± She said lightly.


    Zhao Chunxi seemed to want to argue, but held back. As soon as the mistress was granted title, the marquis mansion lavishly arranged a Third Day banquet for the shu son, which was not taking the imperial edict seriously. She could distinguish the appropriateness of the matter, but she was still very angry at Guan Suyi¡¯s attitude. Only getting the official title already so frivolous, will you go against the sky in the future?


    She gritted her teeth and complied, then ordered her servants to make things a little simpler. But she didn¡¯t expect that at noon the next day, when the house full of guests, they actually welcomed Yong Mei and Yong Zhu, the senior maids of Ganquan Palace. The two came to the door with a valuable gift, Ye Fan was very surprised, and was about to take the gift list to thank niangniang, but heard them coldly said, ¡°This is a gift from niangniang to Madam, who are you, dare to come and get it?¡± At the end they respectfully saluted toward Guan Suyi, ¡°Niangniang invites Madam to enter the palace to reminisce, still asks Madam to follow this servant.¡±


    The hairs on Guan Suyi¡¯s body stood up, while Ye Fan was dumbfounded and lost her face. Originally thought that the two were sent by Ye Jieyu to support her, but it turned out that they were summoning Guan Suyi to the palace to reminisce. Since when the two of them have such a good relationship, actually joined hands to step her into the mud. The mistress was gone, then who would preside over the banquet?


    After an embarrassing silence, Zhao Chunxi stood up to deal with the guests. The old madam said that she doesn¡¯t feel well and left with the child in her arms. The Third Day banquet could only be hastily concluded, leading to the whole city ridiculed them.

 CH 186

    When Guan Suyi arrived at Ganquan Palace, she saw Emperor Sheng Yuan grandly sat on the main seat. Ye Jieyu knelt down at his feet, not even sitting on a futon, could only put her whole weight on her heels, waist and back was bending, head hung low, humble like a servant girl.


    Before Guan Suyi could perform salute, she saw the other person¡¯s big hand make gesture and called, ¡°Come and sit.¡±


    The maid named Yong Zhu immediately brought a stool and placed it beside the emperor. Guan Suyi walked over and glanced at Ye Zhen embarrassedly. After all, the other person was Jieyu niangniang, and she was only an outside woman, how could there be a reason for the niangniang to kneel while the outside woman was sitting upright?


    When Emperor Sheng Yuan saw that she was standing still, he realized something, and then flung his sleeves at Ye Zhen, ¡°Withdraw.¡± The shouting tone was like chasing away a dog.


    Ye Zhen complied with a low voice, and glanced at Guan Suyi quickly when she raised her head, there was resentment and hatred in her bloodshot eyes, although only a trace of it leaked out, it was enough to chilled people. Guan Suyi wondered what was going on between these two people, even if the emperor¡¯s love was short-lived, there was no need to despise people to such a degree. Even she, an outsider, could feel Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s attitude towards Ye Zhen, he didn¡¯t treat her like a human at all. When he called immediately came, when he wove away immediately went, and finally abandoned her like a worn-out shoe.


    It turned out that Jieyu niangniang, the one Zhao Chunxi long and wishful for, was so unbearable behind the back. Guan Suyi sighed in her heart, but she did not sympathize with the other person because of this. Since the time Ye Jieyu inexplicably tried to kill her, they had already become enemies, and being kind to the enemy was cruel to oneself.


    ¡°Sit down.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan tapped the table.


    Only then did Guan Suyi saluted and take a seat, her eyes fixed on the teacup in front of her, as if fascinated. She was afraid that she would say the wrong thing and accidentally offend the dragon¡¯s face, so she simply closed her mouth and restrained herself. Emperor Sheng Yuan seemed to have long expected her to do this. A pair of eagle eyes just looked at her up and down, and when she couldn¡¯t hold back and blush creeping up on half of her face, he laughed softly, ¡°Accompany Zhen to eat.¡±


    It¡¯s good to eat, since they could do something without talking. Guan Suyi breathed a sigh of relief, and while the other person was not paying attention, she quickly covered her hot cheeks. Being watched so intently by a man, it was inevitable she still couldn¡¯t stand it no matter how good she was at cultivating her qi.


    The imperial meal was quickly prepared, and they used two separate food table. Emperor Sheng Yuan only said ¡°please,¡± and took up his bowl to eat. His movement was not rude, but the speed was extremely fast, in a moment he was already finish, put down the bowl, rinsed his mouth and washed his hands, then stare at his side. Guan Suyi felt her scalp went numb by his gaze, and was about to put down the bowl, saying that she was full, but then heard his solemn command, ¡°The food on the table must be finished, Zhen doesn¡¯t like to waste food.¡±


    His meal was very simple, only two meat, one vegetable and one soup, and now he had eaten all cleanly. Guan Suyi also had two meat, one vegetable and one soup, but the portion was only one-third of his. Eating it all would at most be eight points full, by all means had no reason not to finish it. Everyone said that the emperor was extravagant, but now it seemed that was not the case.


    Guan Suyi complied and slowly ate the dishes and rice clean, constantly thinking about the purpose of this man calling her into the palace. Did he regret letting her go last time? Thinking like this, her heart rose high, and her brows furrowed tightly.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan tapped on the table, ¡°Since Zhen has spared you last time, it¡¯s unlikely to touch you again in the future. The world is boundless, and eating food is the greatest. Eat it quickly, don¡¯t let your imagination run wild.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s cheeks flushed, and she quickly picked up the rice bowl.


    The two quietly finished their meal and each drank a cup of hot tea. Although they didn¡¯t say a word during this time, the atmosphere was very harmonious.


    Seeing that the other person¡¯s complexion had improved a lot and her emotions had eased, Emperor Sheng Yuan said slowly, ¡°Since you said that the painting is fake, what about the real scene? Your Guan family has been a literary giant for generation, for you, the Four Arts is not difficult, isn¡¯t it? Can you repaint the painting for Zhen to keep as a memorial?¡±


    If this is not difficult, then what is difficult? Guan Suyi¡¯s barely relaxed nerves instantly tensed again. Restoring the real scene could become another blow to the emperor, as long as she painted it too tragically, she would stab him in the heart. If his heart demon flared out because of this, she might meet her bad end in Ganquan Palace today. As the so-called ¡°accompanying the monarch is like accompanying the tiger¡±, this was not an exaggeration at all.


    There was a thin layer of sweat on her palm, but she couldn¡¯t refuse. Take a step forward she might die, take a step back she would be doomed, so she could only go forward with her head down, maybe then could win a glimmer of life. If the real scene was too tragic, then dig a trace of warmth from the tragic, and also poke at the softest part of this person¡¯s heart, so that he would not completely lose his conscience.


    Between the lights and flint, she already had an idea, stood up and saluted, ¡°This minister wife is willing to give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Very good, bring a brush, ink, paper and inkstone.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan shouted loudly.


    Baifu hurriedly put the four treasures of the study, and was about to pour water into the inkstone, but saw that the emperor had already picked up the ink stick and was about to do it himself. He immediately stepped aside, watched as one of them paint and the other mixing ink and paint. They seemed to match each other very well, and he couldn¡¯t help but lower his head and secretly warned himself not to think too much


    Guan Suyi did not intend to paint the whole process, but fixed the picture at the moment when the mother and son parted. The mother hugged the child tightly, and brought her cut wrist to his mouth so that he could suck it. In her eyes, there was despair of dying, resentment of being harmed, but more, reluctance and love for the child. Tears came out of her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips, as if she was encouraging the child to live well.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t know what the emperor¡¯s biological mother looked like, but it would not be wrong to portrayed her more beautifully than the original painting. She thought for a while, then added a lot of blood stain to her cheeks and fingertips, making her pale face showed a bit heroic beauty. The little child was snuggled in her arms, and in her brows and eyes could vaguely see the similarity with Emperor Sheng Yuan, her lips were stained with blood, but her expression was content and calm.


    In reality, how could a new-born child be so full and round? Most of them were shrivelled and thin, with red and blue faces, and it would take ten days to half a month to make out their appearance. The Dongyang painter defiled the painting, but she beautified it. In the end, she was also acting on orders, absolutely helpless.


    The details were changed again and again, until the tragic and tender feelings of the mother and son¡¯s separation were vividly reflected on the paper, before Guan Suyi put down the brush and bowed, ¡°Does Your Majesty satisfied?¡± After not hearing the other person answer for a long time, she looked up, only to see that he had already in tears and cried silently.


    Guan Suyi hurriedly lowered her head and took a few steps back, did the ¡°eyes looking at the nose, nose looking at the heart¡± gesture.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan felt that his cheeks were cold, and when he touched it with his hand, he realized that he was actually crying. He wiped it carelessly then wiped his fingertips clean before picking up the painting to examine it. After a long time, he handed it over to Baifu, and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Frame it and hang it in the Buddhist hall.¡±


    Baifu took the painting carefully and hurriedly left. Another Jinyiwei came in and whispered, ¡°Master, the brazier has been burned.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded, strode out, and when he crossed the threshold, he noticed that Guan Suyi was still standing in the same place, and he couldn¡¯t help calling, ¡°What are you doing, come quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Guan Suyi complied obediently, and then followed suits. When she walked out of the hall, she saw a large brazier placed in the open space. The charcoal fire inside was burning brightly, exuding warm heat. There were many things scattered around the brazier, the offering tables, Buddhist altars, wooden fish, and even the painting that was once worshipped was pressed down at the bottom, only a bright red corner was exposed.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan put the things into the brazier one by one, as if he was burning the past, and destroying the demon. The billowing smoke rushed to the sky, then spread out layer by layer, and finally disappeared. He picked up the blood-red painting, glanced at it indifferently, and threw it into the flames without hesitation. There was a crackling sound, and the painting was first turned into char, and finally only a handful of ashes remained.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan then picked up a soft chair and sat down, pointed to the futon beside his feet, and said, ¡°Recite the scripture.¡±


    Guan Suyi stepped forward and whispered, ¡°Is it possible to have a pot of hot tea?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan gave a short laugh, and the haze that spread over his eyebrows slowly dissipated, leaving nothing but interest. He raised his hand and jokingly said, ¡°Bring the big urn from the pantry and boil the tea on the spot. Madam Guan, you can drink as much as you likes, take it until you¡¯re satisfied.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s cheeks flushed, and she felt embarrassed and exasperated. In the end, she could only bow down and salute, ¡°Thanking Your Majesty for the reward.¡±


    The guards never expected that the emperor could also joke, but they didn¡¯t dare to not take his words seriously, and sure enough, they brought a large urn and set it on the brazier to boil tea. Guan Suyi thanked him again, and at the end she recited the rebirth mantra seriously, thinking that today she would recite until smoke came out of her throat and her tongue went numb, but then heard a gentle voice from above, ¡°If you are tired then stop, no need to push hard.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s heartstrings loosened a little, and she continued to recite, but within a quarter of an hour she heard a slight snoring sound from her side, and when she looked up, she found that Emperor Sheng Yuan was asleep again like last time, but his expression was calmer, and the corners of his mouth were slightly curved, as if he had a good dream. In all directions, the heat radiated from the brazier baked the harsh winter into a warm spring. Before she knew it, her voice was getting lower and lower, and sleepiness surged up, her head was tilted then rushed towards the person beside her. She had a nightmare last night, and this morning had to wake up early to handle the Third Day banquet, so she actually had already exhausted since earlier time. Seeing the tiger dozed off, she also couldn¡¯t hold it any longer.


    A Jinyiwei secretly said that it was not good, and was about to rush to help her, but saw the emperor quickly open his eyes, and a strong murderous aura filled the air in an instant, his sleeves trembled slightly, a dagger was already in his palm and unsheathed. However, instead of cutting the neck of the person close to him like he had done in the past, he sniffed with the end of his nose, identified the person, and then his expression softened. One hand gently adjusted Madam Guan¡¯s posture to make her lean more comfortably, while the other stroked her face a few times.


    He looked at Yong Zhu and pointed to the inner hall. Yong Zhu understood and brought two coats, one to drape over Madam Guan¡¯s shoulders and the other to put on her master. However, he refused with a wave of his hand, but instead pulled the corner of Madam Guan¡¯s coat, and covered his legs with it. The two of them were covered with the same coat, one sat, and one leaned on the other¡¯s knees, falling into a deep sleep. The palace servants were afraid that they would be blown by the cold wind, so quickly burned a few braziers and placed them around.


    Ye Zhen stood under the porch, watching this scene from a distance, her face was pale and her expression was vicious.


    TN: If you feel like there¡¯s word that keep changing, it¡¯s because I keep changing it. ³¼¸¾ (ch¨¦nf¨´) technically speaking it¡¯s what a court official¡¯s wife called herself in front of the emperor, but I keep changing it from ¡®this minister wife¡¯, to ¡®this humble woman¡¯ to the general ¡®this woman¡¯ and now to ¡®this minister wife¡¯ again.

 CH 187

    Guan Suyi slept for more than an hour before waking up slowly, and when she found herself leaning on the emperor¡¯s knee, she couldn¡¯t help being startled, just stood up and fell back again, because she felt a tingling sensation like needle stuck on the soles of her feet.


    ¡°Please forgive, Your Majesty, this minister wife will get up.¡± She struggled several times, but always failed. Instead, she fell into the other person¡¯s arms again and again, making it look to the outsiders like she was throwing herself at him. She was embarrassed and annoyed in her heart, but her legs were failing her, and she couldn¡¯t stand up. Unconsciously, there were tears in the corners of her eyes, and she felt very ashamed.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan let her fumbling for a long time before reaching out to help her, and said calmly, ¡°Madam, is this leg numb? It¡¯s alright to sit down first and then go.¡±


    Guan Suyi wanted to go home immediately, but she couldn¡¯t move for the time being, so she had to thank the emperor and sit down in the soft chair. Emperor Sheng Yuan glanced at her and asked, ¡°Had a nightmare last night?¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t dare to hide it, and told the truth, ¡°Back to the emperor, this minister wife spent the whole night tossing and turning in dream. After closing eyes for a while, it was already dawn, so had no choice but to get up and handle the Third Day banquet for the shu son.¡± Waking up then sleep, sleeping then wake up, it was more tired than not closing eyes all night. The blood in the dream was overwhelming, as if it wanted to drown her.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled and sighed, ¡°Since you¡¯re afraid like that, how can you still dare to fall asleep beside Zhen? You¡¯re also really thoughtless.¡±


    Guan Suyi lowered her eyes and replied, ¡°Reporting to the emperor, the most terrible thing in the world is not death, but the unknown. After leaving the palace, this minister wife will inevitably think wildly and feel afraid, but in front of you, heart is actually become calm, everything is left for you to decide.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed twice, waved his hand and said, ¡°Rest assured, not only Zhen will not move you, but also will not let others move you. Zhen owe you a favor, whatever you want, just come.¡±


    Guan Suyi immediately thought of her grandfather who had an unfulfilled aspiration, but quickly denied it. When she first married Zhao Luli, she had hoped that he could pull the Guan family, but she only thought about it in her heart and never opened her mouth. People should help you out of affection, not out of duty, so there was no need to blame. The silver taels she borrowed from the Zhao family, she would find a way to return it as soon as possible, and if she couldn¡¯t get it for a while, she would double her favor for Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu. No matter how they treated her or how hurtful things they did, she could endure it, this was exactly the principle the mouth that eats other people¡¯s food is softened, the hand that take other people¡¯s things is shortened.


    She understood gratitude, and naturally she also knew how to be satisfied with what one has. The previous rewards were enough for her, and she didn¡¯t dare to ask for more, so she refused, ¡°Report to the emperor, this minister wife do not want anything. Serving the monarch is the duty of this minister wife, only ask for you to release this minister wife safely.¡±


    ¡°Zhen¡¯s solemn promise, when will the words not count? The last time already let you go, and unlikely to hurt you in the future. Baifu, bring up the brocade box.¡±


    Another brocade box? Guan Suyi¡¯s hand tucked inside her sleeve couldn¡¯t help but clenched into a fist.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled, personally handed the brocade box, and ordered, ¡°Open it and take a look.¡±


    Still has to open and take a look? Guan Suyi complained in her heart, but she didn¡¯t dare to refuse, so she slowly lifted the lid of the box. To be honest, she had already developed a sense of fear for a brocade box. But the emperor was full of wickedness, the three brocade boxes given to her were all identical, and even the knots were twisted into the same shape, so that when she saw it, her fingers twitched and the hair on her body stood up.


    She tried hard to keep herself calm, and when the lid of the box was lifted, she could not help but let out a sigh of relief when she looked inside. The box contained many neatly stacked small gold ingots, on which was placed a piece of paper, there was no blood or heads.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan took out the paper and said slowly, ¡°Last time scared you, Zhen will give you a compensation. There will be many more boxes like this in the future, you won¡¯t be afraid if you get used to it.¡±


    The amount of information in these words made Guan Suyi palpitated again. What do you mean there will be many more in the future? Does it mean that after she go out today, she will come back again in the future? Why does he, the dignified monarch of a country, always summon an outside woman? Even if borrowing Jieyu¡¯s name, it¡¯s still inappropriate!


    ¡°Your Majesty, this doesn¡¯t make sense!¡± Her legs and feet had already regained consciousness, so she hurriedly knelt down, but was firmly grasped by a large hand and was lifted up forcefully.


    ¡°Nine, nine and eighty-one days of rebirth mantra, cannot miss one day, and also cannot add one day.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan pressed her shoulder, and his tone was arbitrary, ¡°It¡¯s you who clear up mother empress¡¯s injustice and this soul naturally needs you to help pass. Mother empress has waited in the underworld long enough. Zhen wants to send her into reincarnation quickly, it cannot be delay even for a moment. Zhen have sent someone to investigate the incident in that year. In order to avoid beating the grass and scare the snake, Zhen still need to conceal it from Empress Dowager over there, therefore also cannot ask the senior monk to recite the scripture. Madam, can Zhen believe in you?¡±


    Guan Suyi had no other choice but to nod her head. She originally thought that after the truth was revealed then it was over, how could she know that she still had to paint, and after painting, she had to recite the scriptures, and it was still nine-nine-eighty-one days. How could these things be linked one after another, endlessly? However, she had already entered the pit, what else could she do except try her best to grab the rope thrown by this man to save herself?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too eye-catching to enter the palace for two to three months in a row? Wouldn¡¯t it be more sincere for Your Majesty to recite the scriptures yourself?¡± She strugglingly said.


    ¡°If Zhen can leave government affairs behind and sit in the Buddhist hall all day to recite scriptures, why should Zhen asked you? Can spare an hour is already reach the limit, but how can it be enough? You just need to say that you¡¯re going to Jueyin Temple to worship Buddha for three months, pray for Marquis Zhenbei who went out to fight, and Zhen will naturally send someone to take you into the palace in secret. Don¡¯t worry, Madam, Zhen will not harm your reputation.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan stared at the blood jade ring on his hand, his eyes dimmed.


    Guan Suyi opened her mouth, but she didn¡¯t say anything after all, rather hung her head helplessly.


    Seeing her like this, Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s tone became extremely gentle, and he spread out the piece of paper and said, ¡°This is a land deed. Zhen have chosen a small three-entry mansion for the Guan family in the south of the city to live in. Zhen heard Baifu said that at night few days ago the roof was knocked over by the wind, and caused your grandfather to be drenched by cold rain, nowadays he¡¯s very sick. If you still have a little bit of filial piety, don¡¯t turn down this gift, just think this as your reward for selling the painting. Including the one hundred taels of gold in this box, isn¡¯t the price fair?¡±


    No matter how proud Guan Suyi was, she would not disregard her grandfather¡¯s life and death for this face. She could insist on not asking Zhao Luli to help her grandfather and father find jobs, but once it involved her grandfather¡¯s illness, she could do anything. Just selling a painting, what does it matter? Didn¡¯t father also paint on the street and sell it in public?


    The previous embarrassment and struggle all turned into full gratitude. She quickly took the title deed and sincerely thanked him.


    So easy to be coaxed and satisfied. Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed in his heart, but his face did not show anything. He handed over the box and reminded, ¡°Tomorrow, go to Jueyin Temple to worship Buddha, Zhen will send someone to pick you up.¡±


    ¡°This minister wife obeyed, thanking Your Majesty for the reward.¡± To earn a place to live for her family, Guan Suyi didn¡¯t resist at all. She was about to kowtow, but her shoulders were held by the emperor¡¯s big palm, making her unable to move. Without other options, she just said lot of words of gratitude, and then left Ganquan Palace under the escort of Yong He and Yong Ju. She got into the carriage, took out the title deed, and looked at it again and again.


    The taste of poverty was not so terrible, what terrible was the combination of poverty and illness mixed with conspiracy. Over the years, she had already fed up of being despised, but she did not dare to resist because of her grandfather¡¯s illness and the Guan family¡¯s reputation. Seeing her family struggling in despair, how could she not want to pull a hand, but sadly found that she had no energy to save them. Let alone completely cure her grandfather¡¯s illness, she could not even find them a decent place to live.


    Where was she the mistress of Marquis Mansion? More like a servant girl who took care of the children on other¡¯s behalf. However, what the Marquis Mansion could not give her, the emperor would not be stingy at all. How about selling paintings? How about reciting scriptures? As long as she can make her family have a better life, she willing to do anything.


    While thinking about it, she arrived at Guan¡¯s house, and the carriage stopped at the door. When Zhong shi heard the noise, she said in surprise, ¡°Why are you here again? Running to your maiden house every three days, the old madam won¡¯t blame you, right?¡±


    ¡°No. I just came out of the palace, and stop by to see you.¡± Guan Suyi covered the box with a large coat and walked in quickly. Minglan followed behind, looking around with a wary expression.


    ¡°Mother, this house can¡¯t be lived in anymore, let¡¯s move as soon as possible. This is a mansion that Ye Jieyu gave to the Guan family. It¡¯s not long since it was built, after cleaning it you can immediately move in. There are still one hundred taels of gold here. Take it to buy furniture and other stuffs.¡±


    ¡°How could Ye Jieyu be so kind? Didn¡¯t she lift Ye yiniang everywhere, holding you down and not letting you move?¡± Zhong shi took the title deed to check, there was no surprise on her face, only trepidation. In her heart, the Ye family didn¡¯t have a single good thing, one who offers unsolicited hospitality must be harboring evil intentions, and her daughter walked so close to her, afraid she might be tricked one day.


    Guan Suyi took out the excuse she had thought up for a long time, ¡°Today is different from the past. She was holding me down because she was afraid that I would be bad for the two children her sister left behind. But after all these years, what kind of person I am, I think she also knows. And Ye yiniang is very competitive, she had already wrapped Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu around her fingers, and now she has given birth to a shu son. The distinction between di and shu was the source of chaotic family, but Ye yiniang¡¯s heart is big, she can harm the two children. So Ye Jieyu has to change her approach and hold me up. No matter who she subjugates or who she lifts, we can only accept it. Anyway, our family is poor and has nothing to be schemed of.¡±


    Zhong shi thought about it too, and only then happily accepted the title deed and gold. The two went to the back hall to visit the old master, and found that he was still in good spirits, they quickly told him about the move, which made him laugh a lot.


    ¡ª-


    In Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, Ye Fan was sitting on the bed wiping her tears, and Zhao Chunxi held a medicine bowl while persuading her, ¡°The doctor said to let you have a good confinement, and don¡¯t let you get caught by the wind. There are a lot of people in the front hall, and there¡¯s no lack of the house master to entertain, why do you have to run there too? Didn¡¯t you have to lie down now? Listen to my words, quickly raise your body, so as not to make daddy worry outside.¡±


    ¡°If he really worried about me, he wouldn¡¯t have asked to seal Guan Suyi with a title right after I gave birth to Guang¡¯er, and then ran to Tongcheng to pacify the chaos and will be gone for more than half a year. If you were me, don¡¯t you want to go out too? When I got engage to Lord Marquis, niangniang gave me a generous reward, on the day we got married, there was another generous reward. I thought it would be the same this time, niangniang would definitely send someone to build momentum for me, so I forced my sick body to go entertain the guests. But she actually invited Guan Suyi, that little bitch, to the palace to talk. She and Lord Marquis are the same, all want to slap me in the face! Where did I do wrong, just tell me directly, why abuse people like this.¡±


    The more she talked, the sadder she became, and she looked like she was about to faint.


    Zhao Chunxi comforted on the surface, but was extremely disdainful on the inside. Why mom didn¡¯t give Ye Fan face? Isn¡¯t it because she¡¯s afraid that her heart is getting big after giving birth to a shu son and want to put pressure on her? It¡¯s time for Ye Fan to understand that without the support of her daddy, mom and herself, she is nothing, not even as good as Guan Suyi.

 CH 188

    Since Zhao Chunxi took over the management of central-feed, and Zhao Wangshu went to the academy to study, Guan Suyi was like a transparent person in Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. Let alone leaving the house for three months, even if she disappeared, not many people would care about her safety. Only the old madam interrogated her carefully, but in the end she also agreed. The male in marquis mansion was withering, she knew that her son spoiled his concubine and neglected his wife, but for the sake of the piece of meat in Ye Fan¡¯s belly, she also had to pretend to be deaf and dumb. The daughter-in-law threw away everything in the mansion and went to worship the Buddha, she must have resentment in her heart. Only hope after immersing in the Dharma, she could overcome it.


    Guan Suyi went up to the mountain smoothly and stayed at Jueyin Temple. Because she had to enter the palace every day, in order to let Minglan help cover for her, she had to tell the truth, only omitting the scene where she was almost strangled to death. Minglan¡¯s face turned pale with fright, tried to discouraged her, ¡°Miss, don¡¯t be confused! The emperor didn¡¯t order anyone recite the scripture, but only let you to do it. If he has wrong thought about you, what should you do? You are a sheep entering the tiger¡¯s mouth, and there is no way to escape!¡±


    Guan Suyi waved her hands indifferently, ¡°If I refuse this errand, it will be called suicide. Think about it, how much do people, who grew up a heart demon because of their unknown background, will value their mother? If he let me go easily, even if he promised not to kill, I still won¡¯t be able sleep peacefully. The so-called golden mouth jade words, it means the monarch really can¡¯t go back on what he said, but if he wants to deal with me, there are naturally eleven thousand other ways. However, if I sincerely recite the scriptures for the late Empress Dowager, it will be different. The emperor¡¯s last trace of warmth is placed on the late Empress Dowager, and in order to accumulate virtue for the Empress Dowager, he will never touch me. As for what you said, that he has other thoughts about me and may plotting something against me, this is even more laughable. Performing transcending ceremony for the late Empress Dowager is equivalent to observing filial piety, if he forced a woman during filial piety period, is he still human? Is he still worthy of being a son? If saying the last two times I met him, I put my little life on the line, this time it¡¯s really safe. Your miss is not a gold ingot, anyone who sees it will like it.¡±


    ¡°So not only can I not refuse this errand, but I have to seize this opportunity tightly. Remembering the affection for the late Empress Dowager, the emperor will definitely protect me in the future. Of course, no matter how much I want it in my heart, I have to pretend to be reluctant on the surface, so as not to let him think that I am eager for quick success and not sincere enough, then someone else will do this errand.¡±


    Guan Suyi tapped on the table, her tone getting colder, ¡°You also know what kind of life I spent in marquis mansion, I simply can¡¯t live anymore. Ye Fan gave birth to a shu son. Lord Marquis, Zhao Chunxi, Zhao Wangshu, and even the old madam all turned to her. She is also a very ambitious person. Worried that I will get in the way, she will try her best to get rid of me. If I have nothing to rely on, will I not be eaten alive by her? Now that the family all depend on me to make a living, if I fall, what¡¯s my grandfather and parents going to do?¡±


    She looked outside the window and sighed, ¡°What was the situation of Guan family before? The house was dilapidated, the family had no money, the reputation is discredited, and we suffered humiliation everywhere. One more day of living, one more day of suffering. However, I married into the marquis mansion for four years, even when I¡¯m conscientious and diligent, did Lord Marquis ever say that he wanted to pull the Guan family? In his heart, the Ye family is his serious in-law, and the Guan family is not even a poor relative. On the other hand, I visited the palace two times, and after got frightened two times, the imperial physician, medicinal materials, silver taels, and the family house were all given, and in one fell swoop, pulled the Guan family out of the quagmire that was getting deeper and deeper.¡±


    She looked at Minglan and asked, ¡°How do you think I should choose? Should I try to curry favor with the marquis mansion, or should I concentrate on reciting the scriptures for the late Empress Dowager?¡±


    Minglan didn¡¯t dare to say any words of dissuasion any more, and hurriedly said, ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry, this servant will help cover it for you. Just now it was this servant who¡¯s wrong. What a great glory to help the late Empress Dowager transcend, no one else will be able to steal it. Where the reason to push it out.¡±


    Guan Suyi rubbed her head and said with a smile, ¡°Fool, you are worried about me, this intention is good, I remember it. Since the emperor said that he will arrange everthing properly for me, then there will be no mistakes. Just wait for me in the temple, don¡¯t worry about the other things. The previous painting was very evil and almost drove the emperor crazy. I¡¯m afraid its origin is not simple, and there may be a lot of filth and struggle hidden in it. The emperor has no plan to recognize his birth mother for the time being, he certainly has his own intention, so you just need to keep these things in your heart, don¡¯t say it, not even in your dreams.¡±


    Minglan nodded again and again in fright, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, miss, from today onwards, I will be a gourd with a cut out mouth, I will never leak a word.¡±


    Only then did Guan Suyi let her go down to rest, and she took out a few scrolls of scriptures and looked through them. At noon, someone secretly took her down the mountain and brought her into the imperial city. She first bathed and burned incense in the side hall of Weiyang Palace, and then changed into a plain sacrificial dress, then followed the secret path to the Buddhist hall.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan had already been waiting there, with wet hair draped behind him, apparently he had also bathed and burned incense. He pointed to the futon beside him and said in a low voice, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be strict with etiquette in front of Zhen, sit down when you come, and then start reciting, so long as your heart is sincere enough.¡±


    Guan Suyi, who was going to kneel and salute, straightened up and sat beside him.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at her up and down, and finally handed over a string of beads carved from red sandalwood, ¡°Gave it to you, take it.¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t dare to refuse, and hurriedly accepted it. She saw that he had a string of identical beads wrapped around his wrist, each bead was polished and shiny, which showed that he often wore it, therefore he warned her not to let outsiders see it, so as not to cause trouble. The two knelt side by side and recited the scriptures sincerely. After about an hour, Emperor Sheng Yuan left quietly and went to the imperial study to handle government affairs.


    Nowadays, chaos in the Wei Kingdom was frequent. He had to work hard to stabilize the country, and it was indeed not easy to take an hour every day to recite the scriptures.


    Guan Suyi, who worked for the monarch, did not dare to relax even more, and after reading the scriptures sincerely, she went to Weiyang Palace to say goodbye. If Emperor Sheng Yuan was free, he would invite her in to talk for a while. If he was not free, he would let her leave, but never forgot to give a brocade box, which contain either some precious medicinal materials or a few books, both were things that she needed and liked the most.


    Gradually, Guan Suyi dispelled her fear of the brocade box, and was more relaxed when facing the emperor. Nine-nine-eighty-one days seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. After burning the sacrificial eulogy written for the late empress dowager to ashes, and took off the heavy and grand sacrificial clothes, Guan Suyi went to Weiyang Palace to bid farewell. Coincidentally, the emperor was summoning the court ministers and had no free time, so she only bowed three times and then quietly turned around.


    During the few months of living in Jueyin Temple, she lived a quiet and contented life. She didn¡¯t need to bother with social niceties and scheming, she didn¡¯t have to worry about this and endure that. Apart from reciting scriptures for two hours a day, she could do whatever she wanted for the rest of the time. When she was idle, she read books or practiced calligraphy; occasionally went home to visit her grandfather and accompanied him to chat about the current situation; on a whim, she could also go hiking and enjoy the scenery, her life was happier than ever.


    The day she came out of the palace, she thought she would feel relieved, but didn¡¯t expect her heart to be empty, as if a piece was missing. She really wished that her whole life would pass like this, never have to go back to the annoying Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. Emperor Sheng Yuan, who had finally sent away the ministers, also felt empty, and sat quietly in the Buddhist hall until midnight.


    He had found out about his background, and had slept very peacefully in the past few months, but somehow, today he couldn¡¯t close his eyes no matter what. He tossed and turned until early hours of morning and finally close his eyes for a while, only to be woken up by nightmare. When he opened his eyes, he forgot what happened in the dream, only vaguely heard a soft voice reciting scriptures going further and further away, disappearing into the sky, making him unable to catch it, and unable to keep it.


    He was very annoyed. In the next few days, he couldn¡¯t eat and sleep well. He killed several corrupt officials one after another, only then he calmed down a little.


    Zhao Luli was equally anxious as him. As soon as he left the palace that day, he regretted it. Although quelling the chaos was important, it was not so urgent that he didn¡¯t even have time to send Madam home in person. Just because the emperor pulled out that tragic past, he was so confused that he left in a daze, and instead threw Madam to the sinister and vicious Ye Zhen. If something went wrong with Madam, he would regret it for the rest of his life.


    During the march, he sent someone to inquire about Madam¡¯s situation, and when he learned that she had left the palace safely and brought back a generous reward, his heart was not calm, but felt even more anxious. What kind a person Ye Zhen was, how could he still don¡¯t know? Ye Zhen only had herself and her interests in her heart, not even have the tiniest bit of warmth.


    In the previous life, in order to escape from marquis mansion, and afraid of living a hard life outside, she forced Zhao Wangshu to do business with the Hu people, earning a lot of gold and silver in a short period of time, and purchased several mansions. But she also sent Zhao Wangshu into the death row on the charge of collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country. If it wasn¡¯t for the old master remembering the old feelings and said a few words for Zhao Wangshu, his end would not be as light as a sentence of exile.


    She didn¡¯t even care about the life and death of her children, so how could she lift up Madam and suppress Ye Fan in order to ensure their status? Those rewards could have never been given by her, but rather had Huo Shengzhe¡¯s handwriting. He looked rough on the outside, but once he like someone, he would definitely be very attentive, would consider every aspect of that person carefully.


    In just a few months, the Guan family moved from a dilapidated thatched hut to a big mansion with three entrances. The head of the Taiyuan Hospital checked the old master¡¯s pulse every seven days. Precious medicinal herbs were given to be eaten and used. These rewards were simply delivered to Madam¡¯s heart. In contrast, in the past, Zhao Luli only recognized the Ye family, turned blind eye to the Guan family. When Zhong shi came to borrow money, he would shake his head and sigh with a smile, ¡°Come to leech people again.¡±


    Comparing the two, who¡¯s high and who¡¯s low could immediately be seen. If Madam really met Huo Shengzhe and received his care, who would her heart be inclined towards?


    Zhao Luli didn¡¯t dare to think deeply about this question at all. At the moment of his rebirth, the most important thing he should do was not to try to please Madam and asked to seal a title for her, but to effectively solve her urgent problems. However, in his previous life, he was used to not treating the Guan family as his in-law, and after he reconciled, he even more didn¡¯t have the chance to come to their door, so in this life he naturally ignored their situation.


    In the final analysis, he was not careful enough and not sincere enough, and in the end, he was fell short compared to Huo Shengzhe. He felt tormented in his heart, afraid that he would miss the opportunity to redeem himself this time, but he did not dare to mess up the errand in his hand, and could only restrain himself.

 CH 189

    Guan Suyi lived very comfortably, even after she finished the errand, she did not hurry back to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, but delayed as long as she could. Zhao Luli had already calmed down the civil unrest in Tongcheng, but he still had to rectify the local officials. He couldn¡¯t leave for a while, so he could only write a letter every three days to report about his safety.


    After being rescued, Li shi suffered from a serious illness. She always had a high fever and was in a drowsy state for more than a month. In the end, Marquis Zhenxi found a senior monk to help her dissolve the disaster, only then she slowly recovered. When Guan Suyi finished reciting the scriptures for the late Empress Dowager, she also recovered completely and often came to the mountain to play.


    ¡°I heard that the patriarch of the Li clan drank too much and fell into the pond at the entrance of the village and drowned? A few young men surnamed Li went down to rescue him, but the body has not been found until now?¡± Guan Suyi poured the hot water into the teacup and asked casually.


    Li shi didn¡¯t show any sadness at all, but instead laughed, ¡°This news has spread to the mountain?¡± Those who condemned her to death, those who humiliated her reputation, and those who pushed her down the pond all went down to the Yellow Spring, none of them escaped. She knew exactly who did this, but she was not afraid at all.


    ¡°That maid of mine has a broken mouth and likes to ask around.¡± Guan Suyi put down the kettle and sighed inaudibly, ¡°It¡¯s good he died.¡±


    Li shi¡¯s eyes and ears were sharp, and when she heard this, she smiled more heartily, ¡°I like sister¡¯s temperament, you looked delicate and weak, but your bones are very hard. It¡¯s a pity to be given to a soft egg like Zhao Luli.¡±


    Guan Suyi smiled without saying a word, and was about to call out Minglan for some refreshments, but saw a tall figure standing at the door, which seemed to have been here for a while. Minglan knelt at his feet, too frightened to breathe.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Before she could respond, Li Su¡¯e shouted and walked over to salute.


    ¡°Get up.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan vainly helped her up, and then pressed down Guan Suyi¡¯s shoulders, who wanted to get up and bow down, and said lightly, ¡°Heard you have just recovered from a serious illness, why didn¡¯t you raise your body in the mansion, what are you doing out? Be careful of catching cold air again, making Marquis Zhenxi don¡¯t want to go to court. Zhen have something to say to Madam Guan, you go back first.¡±


    Li Su¡¯e and the emperor met when they were poor, their relationship was different from others, so they naturally spoke more casually. She glanced at Guan Suyi worriedly and said, ¡°Your Majesty, this woman don¡¯t dare to intervene in your affairs, only ask you not to make thing difficult for Suyi, she is this woman¡¯s savior.¡±


    ¡°If Zhen want to make thing difficult also won¡¯t make thing difficult for Madam.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan waved to Minglan, ¡°Send Madam Li down the mountain, and everyone else will retreat.¡±


    Minglan and Li Su¡¯e didn¡¯t dare to disobey, had no choice but to turn around and leave step by step. Guan Suyi felt a little scared in her heart, and tentatively said, ¡°Your Majesty, have the remains of the late empress dowager buried already?¡±


    ¡°It has been buried back in the clan land.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan walked around behind the screen and ordered in a deep voice, ¡°Come here and read for Zhen.¡±


    You come all the way, just to let me read for you? Guan Suyi was very surprised in her heart, but she didn¡¯t reveal it on her face. While pointing at the bookshelf and asking him which one he like, she secretly observed his face. She saw that his eye sockets were sunken, his lips were white, and his brows were full of violent air, as if his inner demon had risen again, and he seemed to be very tired and fierce.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan rubbed his eyebrows and said perfunctorily, ¡°Which one you read, just listen to it.¡±


    Guan Suyi complied in a low voice, after thinking about it, she still took out the Buddha beads, recited the rebirth mantra, and said in her heart: Sending Buddha to the west, a good person will do it to the end. I¡¯ll help you transcend as well, hopefully you can overcome the evil tendencies and have more compassion.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan slept very restlessly these days, until he saw Madam Guan and listened to her gentle voice, the feeling that he had lost something completely dissipated. He didn¡¯t care what she read, as long as he could stay quietly beside her and smell her fragrance, it was enough. However, when he heard the familiar scriptures, he was still stunned and said helplessly, ¡°Are you trying to let Zhen transcend?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Guan Suyi said calmly, ¡°This minister wife sees that Your Majesty¡¯s expression seems exhausted and the light in the eyes are dim, which should be caused by fatigue. The scriptures can nourish your energy and concentrate your mind. Listening to this is better than listening to anything else.¡±


    ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s up to you.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled helplessly, and then closed his eyes and pretend to sleep. After listening to it for less than a quarter of an hour, he made a slight snoring sound, obviously falling asleep.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t dare to disturb him, gradually lowered her voice, and silently guarded for a while, then circled behind the screen and waited. This person had just gotten rid of his inner demons, and it was normal to have occasional insomnia. Listening to some scriptures was indeed better than reading any books. Due to the strict etiquette nowadays, it was inconvenient for her to stay in the room for a long time. She remembered the character she had not finished writing a few days ago, and turned to the study.


    Baifu treated her very respectfully, so naturally he didn¡¯t dare to stop her, only kept close by the side of the bed. An hour later, Emperor Sheng Yuan woke up slowly and saw that there was no one in the room, and his relax expression suddenly became extremely gloomy. While putting on his shoes he walked outside and looked around, becoming more and more anxious.


    ¡°Where¡¯s is she?¡± He stared at Baifu with red eyes.


    ¡°In, in the study practicing calligraphy!¡± Baifu was so scared that his knees went weak.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan left him, strode to the study, and saw the beautiful woman standing by the window splashing ink and wrote, this then suppressed his anxiety. ¡°In the future just wait by the side after reading, don¡¯t run around casually.¡± He urged in a deep voice.


    ¡°In the future?¡± Guan Suyi raised her eyebrows.


    ¡°To tell the truth, Madam, Zhen has been sleeping very unsteadily lately. Only by listening to your chanting can be relieved.¡± He walked to the table and praised sincerely, ¡°Good character! Madam¡¯s talent is really extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s not good to go on like this. When you have time, you can read some scriptures yourself, maybe it will be better.¡± Guan Suyi did not dare to refuse this person. He could talk to her in a good voice now, that¡¯s because she was useful. If she got carried away because of this, even unable to differentiate good from bad, and use all sort of excuses, he could give her torture as much as glory.


    Seeing that her family¡¯s life had just improved, Guan Suyi really had no confidence to fight against the imperial power. Not to mention that he just came to listen to the scriptures, even if he slashed her with a knife, there was no way to seek justice. Thinking like this, she sighed helplessly.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan seemed to be admiring the calligraphy, but in fact he secretly observed her expression, and saw that although she was resisting, she didn¡¯t say anything, so he smiled. From this day on, he came to Jueyin Temple every day to listen to the scriptures. His symptoms of insomnia were getting better day by day, his spirit looked very different than before, and he actually became more generous and benevolent


    Occasionally he would take Madam down the mountain to play, wandering in the narrow alley, doing nothing, just walking side by side, and it was also made him very happy. He also took Madam to the Rare Animal Garden, let her see the beasts he kept there, and then let them out to fight. He guessed that Madam would be so frightened that she would dive into his arms, but he didn¡¯t expect that she would just stood still for a moment and then regain her composure. After several go, she actually got used to it, once got used to it, it didn¡¯t seem strange.


    Such days passed quickly, and unconsciously it was already the beginning of spring, and Zhao Luli finally returned with fifty thousand armies. After receiving a letter from the old madam, Guan Suyi had to pack her luggage and go back to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. The mansion was still the same, the vegetation was sturdy and the house was dignified. Only Zhao Guang, the shu son born by Ye Fan, had grown up bigger, and was brought to the main courtyard by the old madam. Because of this, Ye Fan gained a bit of face again, and gradually brought the servant¡¯s heart back. The rest of the concubines were crushed by her, unable to lift their heads, and looked lifeless, as if they had reached their twilight years.


    Guan Suyi and her said a few empty words, then put down the luggage and dressed herself up, and then went to the main gate to welcome Zhao Luli, who was victorious and returned to court. In order to pave the way for Ye Jieyu in the palace, he also fought with his life, and it was unknown how many injuries he had suffered over the years. He regarded Ye Fan as Ye Zhen¡¯s stand-in, so what did he think of Ye Jieyu as? The other person was Ye Zhen¡¯s twin sister, should they look exactly the same?


    Could it be he redirect his affection toward her? In love with Ye Jieyu? Thinking like this, Guan Suyi felt sick for a while, and was about to take out her handkerchief to cover her mouth, when she saw Zhao Luli riding a high-headed horse and running quickly, and said happily, ¡°Mother, Madam, I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to come back, it¡¯s good to come back! Come inside and wash the dust and have a good meal.¡± The old madam hurriedly stepped forward to pull him, and Ye Fan led Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu around to greet him. As the serious mistress, Guan Suyi was pushed to the end, looking at this ¡°family happiness¡± in front of her with indifferent eyes.


    Zhao Luli paid attention to Madam all the time, and when he saw this scene, he felt like he had been stabbed in the chest, and the pain was unbearable. It turned out that in this life, Madam did not regard herself as the member of the Zhao family. When he left, she wouldn¡¯t worry about him; when he returned, she wouldn¡¯t be happy to see him. No matter how you come and go, you will never get into her heart.


    But it was not her fault, only the stupidity of the former Marquis Zhenbei. Thinking like this, Zhao Luli pushed Ye Fan away, walked to Madam¡¯s side, held her slightly cold fingertips, and said with a smile, ¡°The spring is cold, I¡¯ve made Madam wait for a long time, go in and warm yourself in front of the fire, then sit down and talk for a while. After not seeing for so long, I really miss Madam.¡±


    Guan Suyi twitched the corners of her lips, as if she wanted to smile, but in the end she couldn¡¯t.


    Ye Fan¡¯s happy expression froze on her face, and when the couple walked away, she suddenly returned to her senses, only to see a group of concubines pointing at her, muttering while giggling, as if they were attacking and jeering, which made her embarrassed and annoyed. She walked to the main courtyard, picked up her son, who was sleeping soundly, and took it to Lord Marquis to see.


    The males in Marquis Zhenbei Mansion were withering. She didn¡¯t believe that Lord Marquis could still give her the cold-shoulder when he saw his son. Before she approached the main house, she heard the old madam laugh loudly, ¡°It¡¯s good that you miss Suyi when you go out. While you both still young, hurry up and spread the branches and leaves for our Marquis Mansion. When you have children, the family will be lively, and when it is lively, then it will be prosperous. The so-called many children many blessing, prosperous sons prosperous family, this is the truth.


    Before Guan Suyi could speak, she heard Lord Marquis readily agree, ¡°Mother is right, how can a shu son and a di son be compared? There¡¯s only Wangshu as di son in the house, in the end it¡¯s a little thin. I will add a little brother for him next year.¡±


    The old madam burst out laughing, pointing at her son and saying a lot of jokes. Zhao Wangshu clapped his palms foolishly, saying that a little brother is good, and he wanted a little brother; Zhao Chunxi however came out with a gloomy face, she caught sight of Ye Fan who was dumbfounded, and whispered, ¡°How can a shu son and a di son be compared, aunt heard this? Seeing daddy has changed his mind and wants to hold Guan Suyi up, why don¡¯t you hurry up and think of a way? If she gives birth to a di son, Marquis Zhenbei Mansion will have anything to do with Guang¡¯er. ¡±


    There was also no place for their pair of siblings. How could she not see her father¡¯s change? It was clear his feelings for Guan Suyi had deeply rooted, the love had entered the bone marrow. If the two of them have a di son on top of that, who would get the title of Marquis Zhenbei was still uncertain. In the past, she wanted to keep Guan Suyi to fight with her aunt, but looking at it now, she had to get rid of her.

 CH 190

    Zhao Luli rested at home for a day, and the next day brought many precious gifts to visit his father-in-law and mother-in-law, which made the several elders very happy. After lunch, he was not in a hurry to be on duty. Instead, he took Guan Suyi to go shopping, walking slowly along the way, with a smile on his face.


    ¡°What exactly do you want to do?¡± Guan Suyi asked suspiciously.


    ¡°I want to treat you well.¡± Passing by a jade shop, Zhao Luli pulled her in and said in a low voice, ¡°When quelling the chaos outside, I wrote a letter to Madam every three days, but I guess you burn it without even reading it? No matter how Madam thinks about my sincerity, you only need to look at my future performance.¡±


    Guan Suyi was silent. Now that she was married to this person, whether he was good or bad, sincere or false, she had to bear it all, as there was no room for resistance or struggle. Life was always going to pass, even if he had a dead person in his heart, what could she do? The last time smashing his head she didn¡¯t get punished, but the next time she certainly would not be so lucky.


    Seeing that Madam did not respond, Zhao Luli was a little frustrated, so he quietly went to hold her hand when he entered the store. Guan Suyi struggled a few times, but failed to break free, so she had no choice but to go with him. When the two of them stepped into the inner hall side by side, they saw a tall, ordinary-looking Jiuli man staring at them, a little anger seemed to flow from his eyes.


    Zhao Luli looked at the other person without a trace, and judging from his clothes and aura he seemed to have an extraordinary background, so Zhao Luli led Madam to the side hall to avoid him. This was at the foot of the emperor, he didn¡¯t want to cause trouble, and attracted people¡¯s attention. However, he was willing to lay low, but the other person was unyielding, unexpectedly followed wherever they go, and his eyes became colder and colder.


    Zhao Luli couldn¡¯t stand it, had no choice to pick a piece of jade pendant with excellent appearance and hand it over to the shopkeeper to pay for it. This was a three-color jade pendant, with a red beak, yellow wings, and a white belly. Whether its carving or color, it was very unique. A loosed buckle in the middle could be disassembled and divided into two pieces, each tied with a red tassel.


    Guan Suyi liked it so much that she kept playing with it in her hand, but she didn¡¯t expect that the Jiuli man suddenly walked up to her, snatched one of them, and said loudly, ¡°Shopkeeper, how much is this jade pendant?¡±


    ¡°Customer, someone has already bought the jade pendant. If you like it, there are still a few pieces that are in better condition in this small shop, how about letting people fetch it for you?¡±


    ¡°I only want this piece, how much silver he gives, I will double it.¡± The Jiuli man¡¯s attitude was very tough, and the attendant that followed him had already taken out a thick pile of silver tickets, licked his fingertips to count.


    The shopkeeper was surprised, he looked at the person in front him, then looked at Zhao Luli, rubbed his hands together and laughed dryly. Zhao Luli had never liked to fight with others, and it was just a piece of jade pendant, not worth making trouble for, so he took back his silver ticket and said warmly, ¡°If this benevolent brother likes it, then let¡¯s give it to him, and I¡¯ll go to another place to take a look.¡±


    Guan Suyi had no choice but to put down the mandarin duck pendant and leave with him, but then heard a sarcastic voice from behind, ¡°Marquis Zhao is so brave, clearly sees what he loves at first sight, but also can say to let it go. If I were you, as long as I liked it, let alone buy it from me, even if I took a knife around my neck, I would never compromise.¡±


    Zhao Luli paused slightly, then pulled Madam away quickly. Guan Suyi looked back with an unpredictable expression on her face. The Jiuli man picked up the jade pendant she had left behind, put it together with the piece in his hand, and looked over and over for a long time.


    ¡ª-


    After such an interruption, Zhao Luli lost his mood to play, just bought a few sets of head ornaments for Madam, sent her back to the mansion, and then went to the yamen to do errands. Guan Suyi changed into casual clothes and sat down by the window to do some embroidery. She then heard that her senior brother came visiting, so she picked up her spirit and went to receive the guest.


    This senior brother, whose name was Qi Yu, was the Zhuang Yuan* in the imperial examinations, and was later released outside to serve as an official. Now it had been three years, he returned to the capital to report his duties. He had taught Zhao Wangshu before he became Zhuang Yuan. Later, when the emperor assigned the errands, he got a recommendation from Zhao Luli to get a real position, so he had some friendship with Marquis Zhenbei Mansion.


    Guan Suyi and he grew up together, and they were close to each other like brothers and sisters. After meeting, their eyes couldn¡¯t help but get red, ¡°Senior brother, you seem to be a lot haggard, did you encounter many difficulties? Why didn¡¯t sister-in-law come?¡±


    ¡°Your sister-in-law is in the main courtyard talking to the old madam, and she will be there in a while. I¡¯m all right, don¡¯t worry.¡± Qi Yu opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say more, but in the end, he didn¡¯t dare to reveal it. He inquired carefully about his junior sister¡¯s current situation, and chatted with her about Confucianism. In the end, they became very enthusiastic and went to the study to write some couplets.


    Seeing that the two of them were quite engrossed, Minglan went to the pantry to prepare refreshments. On the way, she met a steward and was asked to go to the West Street to buy some. She didn¡¯t think much about it, took the money and went away, only sending someone to bring a message to her miss.


    Guan Suyi who didn¡¯t realize that she had entered a set-up, finished the last stroke, and finally took a few steps back to take a look at the overall drawing. Suddenly, there was a clanging sound outside the door, and then the open window was closed from outside by Qi Yu¡¯s wife, Song shi, and a copper chain was passed through the hollowed-out gap and tightly locked it together.


    When Guan Suyi came back to her senses, she saw Song shi proudly holding up the key and scolded, ¡°Very good, Guan Suyi, you steal my man in broad daylight! If I haven¡¯t discovered it earlier, maybe you will even have a wild seed! Tell you what, I¡¯m here today to deliberately catch the adulterer, I¡¯m going to tell clearly to the old madam, and let her call the shots for me!¡± She then turned around and ran away.


    Guan Suyi and Qi Yu looked at each other, unable to understand what she was talking about. But it didn¡¯t matter, now they have to find a way to get out of trouble. Otherwise, when Song shi ran to the main courtyard and shouted, Qi Yu would still be fine, at most would lose his official career, but Guan Suyi would certainly have no way to live.


    ¡°I¡¯ll smash the window open, senior brother, you go first.¡± She pushed the door first, but found that it was locked by the copper lock, so she had to pick up the stool and smash the window. Although the window was made of wood, it was divided into two parts, the inner and outer layers, and it was very strong that it would take a long time to loosen a little. The servants in the yard heard the sound and ran to watch, but they didn¡¯t dare to approach, and only stood in the distance and point fingers. They were afraid that they would get into trouble, and they were unwilling to come forward no matter how much Guan Suyi called.


    Qi Yu had been in the officialdom for three years and had seen a lot of slanderous tactics. Seeing that his junior sister was sweating with anxiety, he hurriedly stopped her, ¡°Don¡¯t smash it, even if you let me out, there are so many people watching, and with Song shi¡®s constant slander, even if we have a hundred mouths, we can¡¯t speak. This is yellow mud falling into the crotch, not shit is still shit.¡±


    Guan Suyi calmed down and said dejectedly, ¡°Senior brother, it¡¯s me who implicated you.¡± She never imagined that Ye Fan would use such a sinister way to deal with herself.


    ¡°Who implicated who is still uncertain!¡± As if thinking of something, Qi Yu smiled bitterly and waved his hand.


    The two sat opposite each other, their eyes showing despair, but at this moment, a deep and rich voice suddenly came from behind the screen, ¡°It seems that you two needs help very much?¡±


    Qi Yu was startled, but Guan Suyi¡¯s eyes were full of light. She looked around and saw that Emperor Sheng Yuan was holding a cup of hot tea, this deity actually sitting in a soft chair on the ground.


    ¡°When did you come?¡± Guan Suyi didn¡¯t dare to reveal the identity of the other person, she hurriedly walked over and knelt down, ¡°Beg you to please save my senior brother.¡± Unless senior brother could fly and disappear from the house safely, this filth could never be washed away. But senior brother was only a mortal, where had such mysterious martial arts? But this person was different. In Wei Kingdom, there was probably nothing that he could not do.


    ¡°After saving him, do you think this is over?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan put down the teacup and tapped the table lightly, ¡°Today¡¯s trap was laid out as early as two months ago. Do you think it was Ye Fan who started it? Wrong, it¡¯s your good stepdaughter. She noticed that Zhao Luli has a gentle attitude towards you, and fearing that you will give birth to a di son and threaten Zhao Wangshu¡¯s status, she had already made up her mind to get rid of you. You once made a copy of ¡°Book of Songs¡±, many love poems in it were collected by your maid Mingfang and handed over to Zhao Chunxi, Zhao Chunxi then gave it to Ye Fan, and after a few words. Ye Fan fell into her trap, and bribed Song shi to put you to death. They are prepared, even if you let Qi Yu go, as long as Song shi takes out those love poems and proves that the two of you exchange things privately, you can¡¯t wash away the filth all over your body.¡±


    ¡°This matter is not about whether you can get out of this room, but whether Zhao Luli will believe you.¡± He leaned over, stared at Guan Suyi¡¯s tear-soaked eyes, and asked word by word, ¡°Do you dare to bet on Zhao Luli¡¯s heart? Bet he will stand firmly in front of you and defend you, blocking all criticism for you?¡±


    Guan Suyi shook her head, tears finally falling down in large drops. Qi Yu¡¯s eyes were also red, and his face was full of grief and anger.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumb, and continued, ¡°Everyone in Yanjing knows how Zhao Luli treats you. If he finds out about this, within two days you will catch a foul disease, and you will be sent to a foreign country to recuperate, and after a few years you will die quietly, without even having a grave to be buried. This is probably the best ending, and there are more tragic ones, like sinking in the pond, or riding a wooden donkey, or even your family will be retaliated against by him.¡±


    Hearing the last sentence, Guan Suyi trembled, took two steps on her knees, and asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Since you are here today, you must have a plan. What do you want in exchange for helping us?¡± She was not stupid, she had long felt that this person was having more and more passionate feelings for her. But the person didn¡¯t mention a word, and she couldn¡¯t expose it. She only hoped that after Zhao Luli came back, due to Three Principle and Five Constant ethics, he would calm down slowly and forget about it.


    But the world was uncertain, and before he could forget this thought, Ye Fan and Zhao Chunxi would take another action. She was already inside the trap right now, which means half of her foot had stepped into the gate of hell. The way out was just like what he said before, only a dead end. But that was not all, what she was most afraid of was still involving her family. If her grandfather heard about this, would his newly recovered body collapse again? What kind of humiliation would her father and mother suffered? As a result, she didn¡¯t dare to think about it at all. So no matter what conditions this person proposed, as long as he could solve this dead end, she had to agree.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan gave a short laugh, then took out his handkerchief and slowly wiped away the tears on her face, his voice softer than ever before, ¡°Since they insist on catching a couple in the act, how about letting Zhen be the adulterer?¡±

 CH 191

    Zhao Chunxi reclined on the soft bed, closed her eyes and rested her mind., looking very leisurely, but in fact, her thoughts were churning inside. She originally planned to take care of Guan Suyi slowly, so that she could clean her father¡¯s feelings for her first, but the people outside couldn¡¯t wait, let her eliminate the two people before Qi Yu enter the palace to face the emperor.


    It had been two days since Qi Yu returned to the capital. On the first day, he went to the Guan family for a visit. On the second day, he came to the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, and he had to enter the palace to report his duties tomorrow. In other words, she had to seize the only opportunity in front of her. She originally planned to give the two of them some medicine to support the affair, but when she reached under her bed, she realized that the medicine box she had hidden well had disappeared. This change terrified her enough, and the people under her hands became more and more disobedient, making her more and more panicked.


    She didn¡¯t dare to do it herself, but she had to keep promises to others, so without better option she took out Guan Suyi¡¯s poems and pretend to appreciate it when Ye Fan came to visit, and let her servants quietly confuse the other person, so as to borrow a knife to kill people. Ye Fan really fell into the trap, stole the poem collection and handed it over to Song shi, let her publicize it.


    There were witness and physical evidence, and this witness was still Qi Yu¡¯s wife, who would question her words? Although this plan was crude, it was easy to use, and now she just needed to wait patiently for the result. And sure enough, a quarter of an hour later, someone came to report, saying that Sister-in-law Song caught Madam and Master Qi committing adultery in the mansion, and asked the old madam to give her justice.


    ¡°How could it be?¡± Zhao Chunxi pretended to be shocked, and immediately jumped off the soft bed, flung her sleeves and said, ¡°Go, go and have a look!¡±


    In the study room, Guan Suyi was suffering from a dilemma. Was there any difference between being caught in adultery with her senior brother or with the emperor? She thought about it quickly, and then had to admit that the difference was huge, it could even be said to be the complete opposite. If she was caught with her senior brother, she would only have a dead end; if she was caught with the emperor, the only person who would die was the one who arranged it. The emperor was having an affair with the minister¡¯s wife, when such scandal happened, which house wouldn¡¯t cover it up to death?


    As the emperor¡¯s woman, even if the Zhao family wanted to peel her skin and break her bones, before the emperor rejected her, they still have to carefully serve her. This is the power of power. No matter how unwilling you are, you can only hold back. If you hold back, you will have a vast sky. If you can¡¯t hold back, can be easily killed to keep the mouth shut.


    Did Zhao Chunxi and Ye Fan expect this result before they started to move? Really want to see the expressions on their faces when they open the door. After the extreme despair and grief, a strong sense of delight actually rose up in Guan Suyi¡¯s chaotic heart. Anyway, things already happened, what could she do? Just jumping from one fire pit into another.


    ¡°Your Majesty, please save senior brother.¡± She lowered her head and quickly wiped the tears from her face.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan stared at her for a long while, then waved his hand, ¡°Take him up.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, a guard silently jumped down from the beam and picked up the stunned Qi Yu.


    As soon as this person said the word ¡°Zhen¡°, Qi Yu understood the identity of the other person, but he couldn¡¯t figure out why his junior sister would have a relationship with the other person anyway. But now was not the time to investigate, he had to quickly lay down on the beam, so as not to reveal his position. The top of the head was a blind spot, and an average person would not look up unless they were already aware beforehand.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan waited for Madam to wiped her tears and sorted out her appearance. Then he spread out his arms and said lightly, ¡°Come here, since we are an adulterous couple, we have to put on a good show.¡±


    Guan Suyi hesitated for a while before sitting down at the crooked of his arms. Noticing that his scorching big palms wrapped around her waist, her body couldn¡¯t help but stiffened for a moment. This time it wasn¡¯t like the last time in the Buddhist hall, without the slightest charm. On the contrary, he kept rubbing her back with his fingertips, silently venting his hidden desires. He held her in his arms, kissed her forehead, and said hoarsely, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Zhen will protect you.¡±


    Knowing that this person was also the culprit who pushed herself into the fire pit, Guan Suyi inexplicably felt a touch of warmth and safety. When she repeatedly warned herself not to be stupid, there was a sound of unlocking the door, then Song shi led a group of people inside and scolded, ¡°Qi Yu, you heartless man¡­¡± Before she finished speaking, she was stunned and asked in surprise. ¡°You, who are you? Where is Qi Yu?¡±


    Zhao Chunxi and Ye Fan were also dumbfounded. Looking around, there was no sign of Qi Yu, and this person seemed to emerge from the ground, a completely unfamiliar face.


    Others did not recognize him, but the old madam had seen the other person several times in the early years. Blue eyes were very rare in the Central Plains, but in recent years, the imperial court had introduced a of fourth-class system, and many people of color had come to Yanjing to do business, which made it not so rare. However, this man¡¯s blue eyes had a hint of black, and when he looked at people, it seemed to be permeated with poison, which made people shudder. She could never forget this face, let alone these eyes.


    As soon as her knees softened, she knelt down, opened and closed her mouth without making a sound. If the daughter-in-law really had an affair with this person, would they still be able to live after running to catch the couple in the act? It should be known that today was different from the past. Back then, he was only a general, but now he was the emperor. It was not an exaggeration to say that his power overflow the sky. If Marquis Zhenbei Mansion couldn¡¯t handle today¡¯s incident properly, and let people leak just the tiniest bit of words outside, then the whole family would be finish!


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t even look at the old madam who was about to faint, or at Zhao Chunxi and others who were confused and horrified, just held Madam¡¯s slender hand and played slowly. ¡°Came here to catch the adulterer, but don¡¯t even know who the man is,¡± he said solemnly. ¡°Fortunately, there is still someone in the mansion who knows, and understands etiquette.¡±


    Only then did the old madam come back to her senses and beat Zhao Chunxi and Ye Fan on their knee with her crutches, ¡°What are you doing, get down on your knees and greet the emperor!¡±


    Emperor? Zhao Chunxi and the others looked at each other in dismay, and then inhaled a deep breath. They never expected that Qi Yu would disappear, and replaced by Guan Suyi and the emperor alone in a room. If the two of them really had an affair¡­ Everyone¡¯s mind went blank for a moment, even the vulgar Song shi was so frightened that she sweated like pulp and knelt down with a thud, begging for mercy incessantly.


    No matter how stupid she was, she also knew the consequences of breaking the emperor¡¯s scandal were, ranging from pulling out her tongue and gouging her eyes, or beheading her on the spot. Unlike Ye Fan, she didn¡¯t have the protection of the Ye family and the Marquis Mansion. She was just a rural woman, and ten out of ten she would be pushed out as a scapegoat! She couldn¡¯t understand how Qi Yu disappeared from the room, but she had no time to think deeply. She regretted it very much. If she knew that Guan Suyi was hooking up with the emperor, how could she dare to touch even a single hair of her? Shouldn¡¯t she still worship her as a bodhisattva?


    Ye Fan and Zhao Chunxi also cried bitterly. In just a few breaths, the cold sweat soaked the back of their clothes, and they kept kowtowing and begging for mercy.


    Guan Suyi felt very ashamed at first, but when she saw these people looking green and white, both regretful and afraid, she quickly relaxed. She had to admit that she liked the scene in front of her. She had been married to the Zhao family for four years, but today was the happiest and the most relaxing. The so-called smashing a cracked pot was exactly this. They were the adulterer and the loose woman, what else can be done? She exhaled a suffocating breath, but her heart was desolate.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan glanced at her with a smile, and patted her cheek lightly, then looked at the old madam and said, ¡°Go and call Zhao Luli back, today¡¯s matter is not something you can handle.¡±


    As if receiving a pardon, the old madam hurriedly kowtowed, ¡°Someone has already been sent to call, still ask Your Majesty to please wait a moment.¡± At the end, she took everyone away, closed the door again, and arrested all the servants who were watching outside. She needed to wait for lord marquis to return to the mansion and let him decide, whether to pour muting medicine and sold all of them, or secretly executed them, in any case, they could no longer stay.


    The small courtyard, which was chaotic before, emptied in an instant. The dark guard took Qi Yu and jumped off the beam and went out of the mansion.


    After the miscellaneous people retreated, Emperor Sheng Yuan said warmly, ¡°This time truly wronged Madam. In the future, Zhen will not make Madam suffer any more grievances.¡±


    Guan Suyi forced a smile and said, ¡°With Your Majesty¡¯s protection, this minister wife is very grateful, how can feel wronged. It¡¯s just that the senior brother is implicated¡­¡±


    ¡°What you said is actually the opposite.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan said coldly, ¡°If he hadn¡¯t seized the handle of his colleagues and wanted to impeach the other person in order to compete for the opportunity to stay in the capital, you would not have faced such a situation today. Besides, you think he¡¯s really innocent? If he didn¡¯t have a secret affection for you and often wrote letters to express his feelings, he wouldn¡¯t have aroused Song shi¡®s suspicion. Song shi not only has your poem collection, but also the love letters he never dared to send, and if those two pieces of evidence were taken out, you will undoubtedly die. It¡¯s hateful that he didn¡¯t dare to make it clear for you at the last moment, truly cowardly and incompetent.¡±


    Guan Suyi was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat, thinking about it carefully, she felt even more afraid. If the emperor hadn¡¯t come, she wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the truth even if she had a hundred mouths today. It seemed like a small game, but there were so many players behind it, and it was even mixed with some court battles. And she was the most innocent and lowly victim among them, who was wantonly humiliated, used, trampled on, and finally shattered to pieces by these people.


    She hugged her shoulders tightly, there were countless messy emotions surging in her chest, helplessness, powerlessness, exasperation¡­ In short, she had nothing but a small life.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan hugged her, caressed her cold face, and coaxed, ¡°Zhen can see the unwillingness and struggle in your heart. You want to break this cage and live a free life, but you have no power or confidence. If you take a wrong step, not only you will die, your family can still be implicated. If you follow Zhen, what things you cannot get? Those who have trampled on you, will crawl under your feet.¡±


    He took out a piece of mandarin duck jade pendant, tied it firmly on her waist, and said in a low voice, ¡°Zhen will not force you. If you think about it clearly, take this jade pendant into the palace, and Zhen will wait for you.¡±


    Guan Suyi was distraught, but she still took off the jade pendant and firmly refused, ¡°A gentleman does not take advantage of the dark room. Today, this minister wife is compelled to ask you for help. In the future, we should adhere strictly to our roles, each safe and sound. You are the monarch, if there is a scandal that you¡¯re having an affair with a courtier¡¯s wife, it will be a stain on you, please think again.¡± And her fate would only get worse.


    ¡°Stain? Zhen¡¯s stains are still few? The reputation of a tyrant has fallen to the left and right, so what should Zhen be afraid of?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed disdainfully, ¡°You don¡¯t know, Zhao Luli¡¯s ex-wife is not dead at all, she is the Ye Jieyu in the palace. Zhao Luli has been working hard for so many years, is it not to pave the way for her? Since the two of them are so deeply in love, then Zhen will help them realize their wishes. Madam, you hurry back to pack your things and make room for Ye Jieyu, she will arrive soon.¡±


    Guan Suyi was dumbfounded, and felt that her brain was malfunctioning, completely not understand what he was talking about.

 CH 192

    Knowing what happened in the past from Emperor Sheng Yuan, Guan Suyi sat still for a long time, then covered her face and laughed, laughing but shed two lines of hot tears. It turned out that over the years, her so-called giving and repayment were just a joke. Zhao Luli would rather throw his heart on the ground and let Ye Zhen trample on it than give her another look. For Ye Zhen, he could be decadent or pulled himself up, and his only thought was just to make her live better. In the end, the harm Ye Zhen inflicted on him, he would repeat it on her.


    ¡°Good, it¡¯s very good,¡± she murmured with her eyes blank, ¡°I thought I could never compare to a dead person in my life, but it turns out that they aren¡¯t dead at all.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, it¡¯s not worth it.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan took out a handkerchief to wipe Madam¡¯s tears, but she turned her head away. He didn¡¯t mind, just shoved the handkerchief into her hand and promised, ¡°Instead of staying in the Zhao family and being abused, why don¡¯t you come to Zhen¡¯s side? Zhen won¡¯t let you live in obscurity. Whatever you want, Zhen can give it to you.¡±


    ¡°I want to be alone.¡± Guan Suyi only now found out that she had always lived under the control of others, being wantonly used and trampled on. This feeling was so terrible that she doubted the meaning of life several times. She didn¡¯t want to talk, she didn¡¯t want to see people, she just wanted to find a place to hide.


    ¡°Well,¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan sighed, ¡°Zhen have plenty of time to wait for you. Just think it through, Zhen will deal with this mess.¡±


    He ordered the dark guards to guard the study room and forbid anyone to approach, he then went to the front hall. But before he reached there, he saw Ye Zhen and an old woman stood in the middle of the hall. The rest of the people looked at her in disbelief, especially the old madam and Zhao Chunxi, as if they had seen a ghost. The two of them knew Ye Zhen¡¯s history very well, and naturally understood what the situation was now. In short, at the beginning the emperor fell for Ye Zhen¡¯s beauty and took her away, and now he was looking at Guan Suyi, who had a better appearance, and was ready to swap the wives.


    The evil curses the country, this incapable ruler is really lack morals! The two scolded in their hearts, one was distressed for her poor son, the other was afraid of losing help, and their faces were very ugly. Ye Fan had a feeling of being at the end of the road. She was able to get Lord Marquis¡¯s favor thanked to this face that was similar to Ye Zhen. Now that the real thing was back, and Lord Marquis had a deep affection for her, how could she still have her own foothold in the future? In comparison, she would rather Guan Suyi sit firmly in the position of the main wife than be replaced by Ye Zhen. It was certain that Lord Marquis would be partial to her, and the siblings Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu would also be closer to their biological mother. She spent so much time managing the Marquis Mansion, but now it¡¯s all ruined, and she ended up scooping water with a wicker basket .


    The more Ye Fan thought about it, the more bitter and anxious she became, but on her face, she still had to force a smile. She tried to find some flaws in her cousin¡¯s statements to make others suspicious of her, but after her cousin fell into the water, she lost her memory and lived in the nunnery all this time, recognizing the cooking woman in the nunnery as her adoptive mother. All these years living very poorly, but also innocent. In her hand, she still had the household registration given by the cooking woman in her hand, and she also had a road guide to find her relatives all the way here. These were all ironclad proofs.


    Ye Fan had nothing to say, looking at the old madam, and then looking at the ecstatic Zhao Wangshu, she finally lowered her head.


    After listening to Ye Zhen¡¯s ¡°tearful recounting¡±, Emperor Sheng Yuan walked into the main hall, sat in the main seat, and watched everyone kneeling and salute with a cold expression.


    ¡°Get up,¡± he waved his hand, ¡°When will Zhao Luli come back?¡± Since the last time he intercepted Zhao Luli¡¯s letter to Ye Zhen, he knew that the other person had also learned the truth of the past. Afraid Zhao Luli had given up on Ye Zhen and was ready to spend his life properly with Madam. This was the last thing he want to see. So he let Ye Zhen choose between the poison wine or returning home. She chose to return home, which was why there was this scene today.


    ¡°This minister is late, asking Your Majesty to please forgive.¡± Speak of the devil, Zhao Luli hurriedly walked into the hall and saluted, when he was about to stand, his footsteps stumbled a few times, and he almost fell. He ran all the way back to the mansion, and just before the entrance, he finally realized that fate was fate, and it was not something he could redeem by doing it all over again.


    He could guess the general situation of what happened at home after a little thought. It was nothing more than Ye Fan and Zhao Chunxi who noticed that Suyi posed a threat to them, so they set up a trap. He was always indecisive, so he often took a step slower. He shouldn¡¯t just secretly confiscated Zhao Chunxi¡¯s medicine box without warning her; he should not continue to keep Ye Fan in the mansion for the sake of his shu son.


    It¡¯s not that he was incapable of protecting Suyi, but he did not try his best. Suyi¡¯s strength left such a deep impression on him that he forgot that in this life Suyi had no support at all. The strict etiquette, and the poor and sick family members were all the shackles on her neck. She couldn¡¯t move a single step, but he didn¡¯t have the awareness to share the burden for her, but instead pulled her forward faster.


    So, how could she not trip and fall?


    Zhao Luli stared blankly at Ye Zhen, his heart turning back and forth, his thoughts rushing. He had been entangled with this person for two lifetimes, and he suddenly understood¡ªperhaps this was his true destiny.


    ¡°Your Majesty, this minister wants to have a few words with Suyi alone.¡± Seeing the other person¡¯s eyebrows was furrowed, clearly very unhappy, he cupped his hands and said, ¡°After saying this, this minister will write reconciliation letter and let her go.¡±


    ¡°The wife one married when one was poor should not be discarded in one¡¯s affluence. Even if your original wife comes back, at most you will give her a position of equal wife, why should you drive Madam Guan away? Over the years, she has taken care of your children, filial to your elders, and handled the housework for you, hasn¡¯t the least bit let you down. Isn¡¯t it a bit cold for you to do this?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan said slowly.


    Ye Fan and the others scoffed, but did not dare to show it on their faces. They understood that the emperor was not only justifying Guan Suyi¡¯s name, but also forcing Marquis Zhenbei Mansion to bear the charge of abandoning the wife that went through the hardship with her husband, which not only allowed Guan Suyi to escape smoothly, but also preserved her boudoir reputation. This was indeed a bitch but want to build an archway, truly shameless!


    However, Zhao Luli didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with this, and said with shame, ¡°It¡¯s this minister who turns his back on Madam, and the consequences will be borne by this minister. Calling Zhen¡¯er an equal wife will really wrong her, and this minister couldn¡¯t bear it.¡±


    Ye Fan¡¯s jealous eyes turned red, the old madam was so angry that she wanted to vomit blood, but Ye Zhen sneered in her heart. What a sweet word! Let outsiders who see him would think that he had deep feeling for her and would never leave her. But what¡¯s the truth, let¡¯s not talk about it.


    The same clinging on to the emperor, but all she got was disgust, but Guan Suyi was carefully cared for by these two people like a treasure. One of them protected her, while the other cleared her name, reluctant to say a single harsh word. Looking at the old madam in the hall, she also showed a sorrowful look, unlike when she faced her back then, just wished to kill her with a stick.


    If she had known today would happen, she wouldn¡¯t try to kill with borrowed knife, and instead drew a red line between the two of them. The more Ye Zhen thought about it, the more regretful she became, the more unwilling she became, but there was nothing she could do. Her biggest problem at the moment was how to survive in Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. Zhao Luli had already seen through her true face, and it¡¯s unknown how he would retaliate in the future. It was just jumping from one fire pit into another, in any case, the flames of Marquis Mansion were smaller, unlikely to burn her into eternal damnation.


    While drinking tea, Emperor Sheng Yuan admired everyone¡¯s wonderful expressions. He waited until Zhao Luli couldn¡¯t hold it any longer and his eyes were red before he waved his hand and said, ¡°Give you a quarter of an hour.¡± After this, he would never let the two met again.


    Zhao Luli quickly thanked him, turned to go to the main house, and saw Madam sat by the window with a sad expression, his heart couldn¡¯t help but ached.


    Guan Suyi glanced at him and said in a low voice, ¡°Whether you believe it or not, I only have a little connection with the emperor, we don¡¯t have a love affair. If it¡¯s not a last resort, I will not have a relationship with him.¡± No matter what happen in the future, she should definitely make it clear.


    If it was not for Ye Zhen¡¯s trap, she probably would not have encountered everything now, and she would not have learned such an unbearable truth. It was true that she couldn¡¯t accept it at first, but after thinking it over, she felt that there might not be any harm in being like this. She would rather live clearly than be blinded for a lifetime.


    ¡°I believe you,¡± Zhao Luli said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I naturally believe you. However, you can wait for me to come back and clarify the facts, but why do you still jump down when you know it¡¯s a trap?¡±


    Guan Suyi suddenly laughed, ¡°You believe me, but I can¡¯t believe you, that¡¯s why.¡±


    The little hope that Zhao Luli had left was gone. He shook his head and murmured, ¡°I really have nothing worthy of your trust. It¡¯s all my fault to get to this point. Facing you, I don¡¯t seem to have anything else to say except ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯. Timing is also fate, what can be done!¡±


    He walked to the table, picked up the brush, and said with a wry smile, ¡°The only thing I can make up for you now is a piece of reconciliation letter. Don¡¯t worry, it is me, Zhao Luli, who¡¯s heartless and fickle. After finding my first wife, I abandon you, it¡¯s not your fault at all. The emperor to you,¡± his voice became choked, ¡°to you are sincere. If you encounter difficulties, you can always find him, and he will protect you well. Your temperament is too quiet now, you should be more reckless and wilful, and live the life however you want. You look so pretty when you laugh, you probably don¡¯t even know that.¡±


    ¡°Lord Marquis is joking, only those who are favored have the right to be wilful and wanton, but what am I?¡± Guan Suyi didn¡¯t know why, but her heart felt a little bit moved. This was Zhao Luli¡¯s sincerity. She could hear and see that he still felt some kind of friendship with her. Knowing this, she had nothing to complain about.


    ¡°You will have that right in the future.¡± Just like the previous life, she was favored by Huo Shengzhe to the sky. Zhao Luli sighed for a long time, and finally wrote the reconciliation letter with his own hand. In the process, he actually let go slowly, until he completely free. If he couldn¡¯t protect Madam, then he would send her to a safer place. As long as she lived well, he was at ease.


    ¡°Take it and go handle the paperwork and household registration.¡± After drying it up, he handed the reconciliation letter to the dazed Madam, and cautiously advised, ¡°You must also live happily in this life.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Guan Suyi took the reconciliation letter and burst into tears.

 CH 193

    The dowry that Guan Suyi brought in that year had long been sold out and used to subsidize the family one after another. The remaining jewelry and brocade clothes were all the property of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, and she did not intend to take that with her. After gathering all her possessions, she only collected one single box, which mostly filled with books.


    From the bottom of the box, she pulled out a copy of ¡°Records of Noble Family¡± and wrapped it in silk. She walked to the main hall and handed it to Zhao Chunxi, ¡°Thank you for your care over the years. This is a parting gift, you can take it.¡± At the end she knelt down in front of the old madam, heavily kowtowed three times. There were thousands of words hidden in her heart, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t say it.


    ¡°Old Madam, please take care.¡± She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, looked at Ye Zhen who had a jealous expression, and then turned to leave.


    After putting an end to the serious troubles in his heart, Emperor Sheng Yuan was no longer interested in watching the drama in Marquis Mansion. He pointed to the anxious Song shi and said, ¡°Take her down to investigate, slandering the court officials is a capital crime. Zhen want to see how she, as a commoner, come with such courage.¡±


    Song shi was so frightened that her legs went weak, and she immediately shouted, ¡°Your Majesty, please spare this life! This humble one only acted on the instructions of Ye yiniang. She gave this humble one a thousand taels of silver¡­¡± She told the conspiracy of the two like pouring beans into a bamboo tube, all in an attempt to exonerate herself.


    Ye Fan couldn¡¯t hold on any longer, hurriedly knelt down and cried out her grievances, she then went to Zhao Luli to hug his legs, begging him to save her. Zhao Luli kicked her away and told the emperor to let him do according to the rule.


    ¡°How can you take care of the world without taking care the house? Marquis Zhenbei, your back house is really chaotic. Leave the errands alone and organized your family properly.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan stood up and said, ¡°Take these two away together, and thoroughly investigate.¡±


    Several guards immediately stepped into the hall and took away Song shi and Ye Fan, who were in tears. Zhao Chunxi was in a panic, and her face couldn¡¯t help but turn pale. She repeatedly recalled her every move and made sure that she was only guiding behind the scene and not leaving any handle behind, only then she felt relieved.


    After respectfully sent off the emperor, she invisibly let out a breath, and saw her daddy was pulling her mom, seemed to have something to say, so she said goodbye and went back to the room, and opened the book that Guan Suyi gave her. Turning to the page of the Zhao clan of Tianshu, her fingertips trembled slightly, and she was horrified. She quickly told herself that it¡¯s fake, it¡¯s all fake, and Guan Suyi made up this book just to get revenge on her. With her background, was she worthy of having ¡°Records of Noble Family¡±?


    However, she didn¡¯t burn this ¡°fake¡± book after all, but only pressed it at the bottom of the box, and not allowed it to see the light of day.


    ¡ª


    Guan Suyi was forcibly invited into the carriage by the guards of Emperor Sheng Yuan, and sat for a while before she saw him striding out of the mansion, followed by tied up people behind him, describing the wretched Song shi and Ye Fan.


    ¡°What will happen to the two of them?¡± She asked in a low voice when Emperor Sheng Yuan got into the carriage.


    ¡°Everything is according to the law. Whatever crimes they committed will get the corresponding punishment. What? Madam wants to intercede for them?¡±


    I¡¯m not stupid enough to spare my enemy and make things difficult for myself. Guan Suyi¡¯s heart was cold, but she didn¡¯t show anything on her face, she only shook her head slightly. She was silent for a moment, then sincerely said, ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty, for your timely help.¡± No matter how he watched the whole thing with a cold look while having his own plan, it couldn¡¯t hide the fact that he saved her life. For this alone, Guan Suyi also had to say thank you, not to mention that she also got back her poem collection and the love letter written for her by her senior brother, although the love letter became a bag of white ashes when it arrived in her hands.


    ¡°Madam should know why I saved you. You can pretend to be confuse, Zhen can afford to wait.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan took out the mandarin duck jade pendant again and stuffed it into her hand.


    ¡°The person in the jade shop is really you. Why your eyes changed color?¡± Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t refuse, so she had to change the subject.


    ¡°How did Madam recognize Zhen?¡±


    ¡°The bone structure.¡± Guan Suyi gestured on her face, ¡°No matter how the facial features change, the bone structure will never change. According to the fixed distance between your eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, I can reconstruct your original face.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why. But if don¡¯t have extra keen observation skills, ordinary people will never be able to find out, right? Madam seems to be very sensitive to numbers.¡±


    Guan Suyi nodded, not wanting to say more. She waited for a while, and when she saw that the man did not say anything further, she couldn¡¯t help but ask again, ¡°Your Majesty, you haven¡¯t told me why your eyes changed color.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan leaned on the soft pillow and looked at her with interest, ¡°You really want to know?¡±


    ¡°Really want to.¡± More than just want, it simply scratching her heart and lung! Guan Suyi secretly grabbed the hem of her skirt, rather eager.


    ¡°When you come to Zhen¡¯s side, Zhen will tell you.¡± Seeing the stunned expression on Madam¡¯s face, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    The topic was pulled back again, and Guan Suyi had to face the biggest problem, ¡°Your Majesty, you said that you will not force this minister wife, is it true or false? Can this minister wife refuse to agree?¡±


    ¡°Just say ¡®I¡¯, you are no longer a minister wife.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan said generously, ¡°Zhen will not make things difficult for you. You only need to go home, whether you answer yes or no will be up to you.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the carriage slowly stopped on the side of the road, it turned out they had arrived at the Guan mansion. He jumped out of the carriage first, and without saying a word, he hugged Madam that was standing on the rim of the carriage, then whispered, ¡°Zhen will wait for you.¡±


    Guan Suyi hurriedly broke free from his embrace, ran up the steps and knocked on the door with red face, not daring to look back at all. Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled helplessly, and waited for the gatekeeper to open the door and welcome her in, before quietly leaving.


    Seeing her daughter came back with all her belongings, Zhong shi was startled and asked anxiously, ¡°What happened to you? Did you quarrel with son-in-law?¡±


    ¡°We reconcile.¡± Guan Suyi took out the reconciliation letter.


    Zhong shi held her forehead and staggered a few steps, her voice trembling, ¡°Why did you two reconcile? What serious thing happened, that you come to this point. He just came to the door today and said he will treat you well, how can he send you back in a blink of an eye¡­¡± She started crying as she spoke, for fear that her daughter¡¯s reputation would be damaged and it would be difficult for her to survive in the capital.


    ¡°His ex-wife Ye Zhen didn¡¯t die, and now she has been found.¡± Guan Suyi took out a handkerchief to wipe her mother¡¯s tears, both her tone and expression were very calm.


    Thinking of her son-in-law¡¯s infatuation with his deceased wife, Zhong shi also understood that it was quite normal for him to make such a choice. People have been dead for so many years, and he still couldn¡¯t forget her, let alone find her alive? In order to make up for the pain that his ex-wife had suffered outside, and to give an account to the children, the position of the main wife must be returned to the original owner. In this way, the existence of her daughter was very embarrassing. Those with conscience might give her the position of equal wife, while those without conscience, such as Zhao Luli, would he not just send her home?


    ¡°But you¡¯ve just given your official title! If he wants to reconcile with you, he has to see the official. How can he be so careless? No, I have to get your father and go to marquis mansion to ask for an explanation! They deceive people too much!¡± Zhong shi was so angry that her liver hurt, but at the same time she was relieved. As long as the reconciliation was not her daughter¡¯s fault, it wouldn¡¯t hurt her boudoir reputation. Otherwise, those old Confucian scholars in the clan might come and demand to sunk her.


    Of course, now that her daughter was being treated so unfairly, she didn¡¯t expect the clan would stand up for the Guan family, and for them not to say some slanderous words was already very good.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already seen the official.¡± Guan Suyi took out the document stamped with the official seal and sighed, ¡°Mother, let¡¯s not make trouble with the Marquis Mansion, just close the door and live by ourselves. I¡¯m hungry, you accompany me to eat, okay. Where¡¯s grandfather? I don¡¯t know what to tell him yet.¡±


    ¡°Your grandfather drank the medicine and just fell asleep. Us mother and child will discuss it first, and then tell him slowly, to avoid him not be able to accept it. When the Zhao family came to propose marriage, I felt that this marriage was inappropriate, and now it is true.¡± Knowing that there was no room to turn things around, Zhong shi led her daughter back to the main hall, raised an index finger and whispered, ¡°Shh, don¡¯t speak loudly, your cousin is also asleep.¡±


    ¡°Which cousin?¡± Guan Suyi walked into the hall and saw a four to five-year-old girl curling up in the soft couch, her face was pale, her body was thin, and tears hanging from the corner of her eyes.


    Zhong shi gently tucked the quilt for her, and sighed, ¡°This is also a child with bitter life. She was hugged by the servant at home and was given a piece of cake to eat, but your second great uncle bumped into her, saying that she didn¡¯t understand the rules and broke the female precept, actually locked her in the firewood room for several days and nights, intending to starve her to death. I learned about this and ran to dissuade him. Even after I broke my mouth, your second great uncle still didn¡¯t change his mind. So I had to buy someone and quietly bring her back. As matter of fact, as soon as she entered the door of our house, you also came back, this is really a miserable person meeting a miserable person!¡±


    ¡°Mother, you brought her back secretly, aren¡¯t you afraid that second great uncle will make trouble for you?¡± Guan Suyi frowned.


    ¡°Just look at it, it¡¯s a human life after all, since I know about it, how can I just let it go? Your grandfather also said the same thing, let our family raise this child and not send her back. Your second great uncle is greedy for money, if he comes to the door, our family will give him a few hundred taels of silver to buy the child.¡±


    Guan Suyi fondly touched the child¡¯s withered hair and whispered, ¡°Then she will be my little sister from now on. How old is she this year? Why I have never seen her before? What¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°She is five years old this year, her name is Guan Miao. She is the shu granddaughter of your second great uncle, her mother died early, and falling into your aunt¡¯s hands, what good thing can she get. She¡¯s never been seen by others, and had never been brought out to see the guests, so of course you don¡¯t recognize her. Guan Wenhai is the most precious in their family, and the rest of the children seem to have been picked up.¡± Zhong shi sighed indignantly, ¡°You didn¡¯t see her when she first arrived, she was so hungry that she couldn¡¯t open her eyes. So Minglan¡¯s mother and I had to pinched her chin and poured porridge and water into her mouth, but we didn¡¯t dare to let her drink too much, for fear of bad things. And just like this we poured two tablespoons every once in a while, only then she¡¯s able to breathe evenly. If we¡¯re late for another day, maybe she would be gone. She is only five years old, and she didn¡¯t provoke anyone, only the servant saw that she looked cute, hugged her, and fed a piece of cake, why should she be sentenced to death? Ever since the Empress niangniang wrote the ¡°Rules for Women¡±, these old Confucian scholars in the city have become more and more unruly, drowning this one today and starving that one tomorrow. As long as there¡¯s a woman who loses a little bit of reputation, they will shout to beat and shout to kill, absolutely will not forgive. Where is this Empress niangniang cultivating virtue, rather doing evil! The ¡°Lesson for Women¡± she wrote is not to teach the women of the world, but to destroy the women of the world. So when you reconcile and return home, mother was forgetting my manner. Mother is worried that you will also have a bad reputation and will not be able to live in the future.¡±


    Zhong shi¡®s grief came from it, and it was inevitable that she would cry again.


    Guan Suyi pulled her gently to comfort her, but a deep resentment arose in her heart, not for those who had hurt her, but for the current world. When Minglan heard the news, she hurried back, hugging her master and cried.


    TN: So the story about the little cousin is based on a legend from Ming Dynasty. There¡¯s an honest official Hai Rui (wikipedia). It¡¯s said that when Hai Rui saw his 5-year-old daughter eating cake one day, he asked who gave the cake. When he learned that it was given by a certain servant, Hai Rui was furious and reprimanded his daughter, ¡°How can a woman just accept something from a male servant. You are not my daughter! If you can starve to death, then you are my daughter!¡± The little girl was so frightened that she cried, after that she didn¡¯t drink or eat. It was useless for her family to coax and persuade her. After 7 days, she finally died from starvation. ¡ª Hai Rui is a real figure but the story itself is debatable, it¡¯s not recorded in any official history.

 CH 194

    Guan Suyi hugged the little sister all day and refused to let go, patiently fed her porridge and water spoon by spoon, and nursed for half a month until she finally got better. The second great uncle¡¯s house knew that the child was missing but didn¡¯t send someone to look for her, so it could be seen that he didn¡¯t care about her life and death. In this way, Zhong shi was more determined to keep the child by her side.


    The old master was not a fool, and before the mother and daughter thought of an excuse, he already noticed the abnormality and took the initiative to ask. Guan Suyi concealed some of the truth, and slowly explained the whole story clearly. She thought that her grandfather would get sick from anger again, but he unexpectedly smiled open-mindedly and sighed, ¡°It¡¯s good to reconcile.¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t say anything for a while, lying on her grandfather¡¯s knee and crying silently. In today¡¯s world, it was difficult for reconciled women to live. If their parents refused to accept them, the only way out was to lose their hair and become nuns. She was probably the luckiest woman in Wei Kingdom, because her loved one only wished her a peaceful life and never cared about what the outside world thought.


    But the Guan clan attached great importance to this, and the next day they sent someone to ask for the reason. When they entered the door, they were very aggressive, even holding sticks and ropes, as if sure Guan Suyi had violated the female precept and wanted to arrest her to sink her in the pond. Later when Zhong shi explained the reason, only then their face eased, but there was a gloating light in their eyes. They never mentioned asking for justice for Guan Suyi, only pretended to comfort her with a few words before leaving one after another. Some even suggested that Zhong shi send her daughter to the nunnery to cultivate, so as not to become a gossip fodder for others.


    Reconciled daughters and widows, they were the easiest to provoke dispute.


    Zhong shi was so angry that her liver hurt, but it was not good to flare up, so she just said a few perfunctory words. A few days later, Qi Yu sent a letter saying that his wife was seriously ill and had been sent to her hometown to recuperate. At the same time, Ye yiniang of Marquis Mansion also contracted an acute disease due to postpartum weakness and died suddenly in the middle of the night, and was buried in a hurry early the next morning.


    Although these news were spread for a while, they did not have the novelty of Marquis Zhenbei¡¯s ex-wife returning from the dead. Walking on the street, almost everyone were talking about this matter, some lamenting that Madam Ye escaped from the calamity, some regretting that Madam Guan did not have the same luck. Seeing that she had just received the first-rank title, but was thrown out of the house in a blink of an eye, it was also a bitter fate.


    When Ye Jieyu heard that her sister had returned safely, she immediately summoned her to the palace to meet her, and begged the emperor to move the first-rank title to her head. The emperor was furious for this, bluntly said that the wife one married when one was poor should not be discarded in one¡¯s affluence, and that Madam Guan did not do anything wrong, but she was divorced for no reason, which really chilled people¡¯s heart. Therefore, an edict was issued, ordering Marquis Zhenbei to never ask to seal a title for his wife. Madam Guan¡¯s official title was personally sealed by his imperial brush, but in a blink of an eye she was thrown away by Marquis Zhenbei. This was a contempt for the imperial power.


    As soon as his decree was sent, the empress also issued a decree to rebuke Ye Jieyu and Ye Zhen, saying that the Ye family was bullying others, their morals were corrupted, and they needed to reflect behind closed doors.


    Ye Zhen originally thought that she would have several peaceful days when she returned to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, but unexpectedly the blows from the palace hit her over and over again, and it had a tendency to make her unable to turn things around for the rest of her life. Seeing ¡°Ye Jieyu¡± who looked exactly like herself sitting in the main seat, her mind was completely blank, and she began to doubt whether she really existed.


    After being reprimanded by both the emperor and the empress one after another, whether it was Ye Jieyu or Madam Ye, their reputations were completely ruined, so they had to lock themselves at home to avoid the embarrassment. Before this was over, people with ulterior motives realize that Ye Jieyu seemed to have fallen out of favor, and they began to impeach Ye Quanyong for various crimes. The emperor ordered Jinyiwei to conduct a thorough investigation, and actually turned out many crimes of treason, so he dispatched the troops to destroy the Ye mansion and confiscated his family wealth. Upon learning this, Ye Jieyu went completely insane, and used a white silk to take her own life, after death she was not conferred with a posthumous title.


    The Ye family, a newly-prosperous bigwig, fell apart just like that, and in the end got nothing but a sigh from others.


    Only then did Ye Zhen realize that the emperor letting her go home did not mean that the punishment was over, on the contrary, it was just the beginning. Without her status, without the support of her maiden family, without the favor of her husband, one could imagine how difficult her life was. Her mother-in-law hated her, the concubines despised her, although her son was obedient to her but he couldn¡¯t be a great use, and after finding out that she had become a drag, even her daughter began to complain.


    Her life was getting worse day by day, even if she was still Marquis Zhenbei Madam, but she was also a descendant of a criminal, and she would be pointed out wherever she go. She had no face to mixed around in Yanjing, so she could only hide in the back house and endured the torture from Zhao Luli and the old madam. When the other concubines saw her losing power, they often came to throw sarcasm and ridicule, and said every kind of scolding, wishing to drown her with their spits.


    She also didn¡¯t know when such a life would end. The so-called ¡°the mountain and water are exhausted, there¡¯s no more road¡± was more or less like this.


    ¡ª-


    Guan Suyi heard the matter about Ye Jieyu and Madam Ye, and extremely curious how these people existed at the same time, so she carefully checked the gossip and gradually formed some guesses. At first, she was still worried that the emperor would use his strong authority to force her. One month passed, two months passed, but the situation was still calm, so she relaxed her heart.


    When she thought she could live in such a safe and secure way all her life, the court suddenly started a party dispute. The reason was that Qi Yu impeached Xu Guangzhi¡¯s son, Xu Tao, for disregarding human lives, dereliction of duty, and greed. The cause of this was because his action of wantonly excavated the river channel, causing the flooding of the river, drowning millions of people downstream. This was the big crime that could execute the nine clans, how could Xu Guangzhi admit it, so he in turn impeached Qi Yu for corruption, bribery, and formed a clique for personal gain. In recent years, Qi Yu had indeed been close to officials who were studying Legalism. When something happened to him, these people were also involved one after another, and the situation became more and more turbulent, which shook the imperial court and the ordinary people for a while.


    Even though Guan Father was a small official in the ministry of justice, he was placed there by Qi Yu. In order to please Xu Guangzhi, some people tried their best to suppress him, and put nine charges on his head, all of which were capital offenses. He was put on death row on the same day, and no one was allowed to visit.


    Hearing the news, the old master immediately spit out a mouthful of blood and shouted in a hoarse voice, ¡°Wronged! How can the son that I, Guan Qiguang, raised, is such a treacherous person? The so-called nine capital crimes are all false accusation! My son is wronged!¡± After he said those words, he suddenly lay down, had difficulty breathing.


    Zhong shi clutched her chest and fell down, in the whole room only Guan Suyi was the one standing upright. It¡¯s not that she was not afraid or panicked, but what¡¯s the use of being afraid and panicked? The more critical the moment, the more she should keep a clear head, so that she could find a way out as soon as possible.


    She immediately ordered someone to ask Imperial Physician Cao, who finally saved her grandfather, and gave her mother a soothing medicine. In the end, she handed over her little sister Guan Miao to Minglan¡¯s care, while she went out to inquire about the situation. On the way, she suddenly thought that this might be the emperor¡¯s method to force her to submit, but she quickly denied it.


    The other person was the dignified emperor, where¡¯s the need to personally deal with a small official? This was entirely caused by the bipartisan struggle between Confucianism and Legalism. As the saying goes, when the immortals fight and the imps suffers. As long as the person above opened their mouths, the person below would fight to the death. Whoever had the weakest strength and the shallowest background would die the fastest.


    The emperor didn¡¯t make a move, but he certainly watched from the sideline. He might be waiting for her to come and beg him.


    After thinking about it, Guan Suyi covered her eyes and smiled bitterly. People without authority and power have a really hard life. No matter how talented and arrogant you are, you will be trampled into mud with one foot. However, even so, she still wanted to struggle, in the end she still could not accept it!


    She hurriedly came to the Qi Mansion to ask to see her senior brother, but learned that he had just been taken away by the officials. He could not even protect himself, so how could he protect her father? Out of desperation, she ran to find Zhou Lekang, her grandfather¡¯s senior disciple, who just nodded and didn¡¯t give a precise word. His ambiguous attitude made her even more flustered.


    After visiting many senior brothers, only a few met her, and the rest all closed their doors to decline the visitors, unexpectedly so cold and indifferent to this point. Her eyes were all red, completely at her wit¡¯s end, so she had no choice but to shamelessly go to Marquis Zhenxi Mansion. Li shi was very enthusiastic, but she was a woman and couldn¡¯t help, and Marquis Zhenxi was currently leading troops to suppress the bandits, would only return to the capital in a few months, and distant water cannot put out the near fire.


    Guan Suyi bid farewell to Li shi, and walked on the street with a blank expression. The sun shining brightly above her head, and the people around were noisy, but she seemed to be walking on a dark and desolate road with no end in sight. She passed by the rusted Dengwen drum and was really stunned for a while. It was said that in the time of the Zhou Dynasty, people who had grievances could beat drums and complain about their grievances. Why wasn¡¯t she born in the Zhou Dynasty, but had to live in this troubled world? To whom should she complain her grievances? Could it be she had to watch her father die in vain?


    Her straight back slowly hunched down, and then straightened up little by little. What is dignity? What is reputation? As long as she could save her father and protect this one family, she would do anything. After thinking about it, she rushed home and took the mandarin duck jade pendant to the gate of the palace.


    ¡°This sir, this humble woman asked to see the emperor.¡± She walked over and asked tentatively.


    The guard raised his halberd and scolded, ¡°What is this mad woman doing, actually wants to see the emperor when she opens her mouth. Is the emperor someone you can see once you run over and shout? Hurry up and get out of the way, so as to avoid this sword that has no eyes.¡± The rest of the guards laugh, their eyes full of contempt.


    ¡°This is a token, can you please notify first?¡± Guan Suyi held up the jade pendant.


    The guard was already impatient, and was about to stab her with the halberd, but saw the commander of Jinyiwei who was standing at the tower running down in person, and berating him, ¡°Don¡¯t be rude! This is a noble person!¡± At the end he respectfully took the pendant, hurriedly ran in to make a report.


    Several guards were horrified, and their arrogant attitude instantly turned into sincere fear.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t feel anything at all, she just stood there and waited, her heart beating fast, but her blood slowly became cold. The only thing she could rely on now was Emperor Sheng Yuan. At the beginning, she hoped that this person could forget this fondness and let her go. But now she only wished that his feelings for her have not fade, and he was willing to lend her a hand.


    The so-called chastity and aloofness were all joke now, for people who couldn¡¯t even survive, what qualifications to talk about these things? At the moment, let alone let her be a loose woman, even if she was made to be an evil who brought a calamity to the country, as long as her father could come back alive, she was willing.

 CH 195

    A quarter of an hour later, the commander of Jinyiwei ran back with the jade pendant and said, ¡°Madam, His Majesty asked you to go back for the time being, and someone will pick you up tomorrow morning.¡±


    Guan Suyi hurriedly asked, ¡°My father over there¡­¡± She didn¡¯t care who would pick her up tomorrow or what he was going to do, she just wanted to know if her father would be alright.


    ¡°It¡¯s just one day, you can rest assured.¡± The commander of Jinyiwei called a palace carriage and forcibly sent the person back to the mansion.


    Guan Suyi was completely at a loss, dragging her feet to cross the front gate. She then saw her mother standing under the porch while craning her neck, holding a brocade box in her hand, which was exactly the same as the one that Emperor Sheng Yuan rewarded every time. She was stunned for a while, and then asked, ¡°Mother, did someone from palace came?¡±


    ¡°No, this brocade box is sent by the grand princess, saying to let you dress up and see you tomorrow at the Rare Animal Garden.¡± Zhong shi asked hopefully, ¡°Yiyi, do you have any friendship with the grand princess? Can she save your father? What did your senior brothers say?¡±


    Guan Suyi did not dare to tell her mother about Emperor Sheng Yuan, lest her mother become worried, so she only vaguely said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if the grand princess will agree or not, I will see her again tomorrow. Brother Qi has also been arrested and is now on trial. Senior Brother Zhou said he would help to inquire about the situation.¡±


    Seeing the bitterness on her face, Zhong shi couldn¡¯t help but laugh miserably, ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide it from me, they say when a wall is about to collapse, everybody gives it a shove. Your father has fallen into trouble, and for his disciples and followers to not throw the stones is already good, so how can they risk being implicated to help? Just now I sent a servant to the Heavenly Prison to inquire, they said that no one is allowed to visit at all, nor is it allowed to deliver things in, this is intended to press your father to death! I just hate that our family has no authority and power, we can¡¯t redress the injustice for your father. I know best what kind of person he is, how could he possibly do something illegal? Someone wants to blame him! He is wronged, he is really wronged¡­¡±


    Unable to hold it any longer, Zhong shi sat on the steps and cried bitterly.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s red eye sockets were slightly swollen, but she didn¡¯t dare to shed tears indiscriminately, lest she wake up tomorrow with more swelling and damage to her appearance. The only thing she could rely on now was this face, and she even thanked the Heaven in her heart for giving her a beautiful face, which made her lucky enough to be favored by the emperor, otherwise she didn¡¯t know how to unravel her father¡¯s life-and-death catastrophe.


    Tomorrow, she must devote 120,000 points of energy to curry favor with the emperor. Even if his feeling towards her had fade away, she must find a way to arouse his interest again. This feeling of being wilfully slaughter by other people, she had already fed up! After thinking about it, she helped Zhong shi up and said firmly, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t cry, grand princess promised to save father, and he will soon come back safely.¡±


    ¡°Without relation and without reason, why would she take action? Yiyi, even if you were once Marquis Zhenbei Madam, afraid you wouldn¡¯t be able to see the face of the grand princess, right?¡± In the end, Zhong shi was still an astute person, and detected the abnormality.


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t ask, anyway, I have a way.¡± Guan Suyi helped her back to the room, then opened the brocade box, and found that it contained a gorgeous crimson dress, a set of red sapphire head ornament, a pair of pearls and jade embellished crested shoes, as well as earrings, bracelet and necklace, all looked very precious. There was no doubt that the grand princess wanted her to wear this outfit to the appointment.


    Zhong shi was dazzled by the colorful treasure light, and couldn¡¯t help but raise her hand to cover her eyes, and then said in shock, ¡°I understand! Does the grand princess want to send you into the palace to serve the monarch?¡±


    In Wei Kingdom the person who most worried about the emperor¡¯s heirs was the grand princess. She was a die-hard royalist. Except for the Pan family under her command, she had no dealing with the other nine noble surnames, and it could be even said that the relationship was bad. If the emperor had no children and had to pass the throne to the several nephews, she would definitely have a hard time in the future. Therefore, she often selected beautiful and healthy women from the common people and sent them to the palace, urging the emperor to extend his descendants as soon as possible.


    However, after years of hard work, the emperor still had no good news, and the urgency in her heart could be imagined.


    Her daughter was good-looking, healthy, talented, and had a dignified manner. Now that she had just reconciled, it was normal that the grand princess would look at her. Besides, the grand princess had a straightforward temperament, would not bother with trifles, not to mention a reconcile woman, even a widow had been brought into the palace, just because the other person gave birth to five sons in a row, which seemed to have a lot of a blessing.


    In exchange, she promised to save the Guan family.


    Zhong shi, who thought she could break the truth, was suddenly caught in a dilemma. She was reluctant to let her daughter go, but her husband needed to be saved, after thinking about it, the only way was the path laid out by the grand princess. ¡°No, no, let¡¯s find another way! The emperor is brutal and murderous, you will die if you enter the palace. Let¡¯s not go!¡± She held the box in her arms and shook her head, and finally chose to protect her daughter.


    But Guan Suyi had a stubborn temper, so how could she change her mind? On the surface, she promised that she would not go, but the next day she locked her mother in the room with a copper lock, while she dressed up and boarded the palace carriage sent by the grand princess. Under the guidance of the palace maid, she slowly walked around the nine-curved corridor, one step at a time. The spring color was charming, but it couldn¡¯t make her feel happy.


    After about a quarter of an hour, the palace maid took her to a horse farm and pointed to the heroic woman who was speeding by and said, ¡°That is Her Royal Highness Grand Princess. Please wait a moment, her highness will be here soon.¡±


    Guan Suyi thanked in a low voice, then stood quietly by the fence and waited, even though her heart was raging, her face was extremely calm. The emperor did not come in person, and she felt a little disappointed. It could be seen that two months had passed, and the other person had lost interest. The reason why he sent her to the grand princess was just to uphold the mentality of being dispensable. But in any case, this was her last chance. Even if she was pointed out by thousands of people and scolded by thousands of people, being called a loose woman who seduced the emperor, she was determine!


    While thinking about it, a group of noble girls slowly walked over. The leader was wearing a riding suit, looking very arrogant, while the rest of the people were laughing around her and fawned over her.


    Guan Suyi quickly stepped aside in order to avoid extraneous problems, and then bowed her head slightly to show respect. She was a little stunned, because Zhao Chunxi was also walking among them. When Zhao Chunxi saw her, her eyes widened and looked surprised, and then hid behind one of the girl in panic.


    This kind of dodging action, Guan Suyi had never seen Zhao Chunxi done it before. She was always high above, and rather arrogant. When did she ever bow down and bent her knees like now? But she quickly realized that the reason why Zhao Chunxi became like this was probably all thanks to the ¡°Records of Noble Family¡±


    She already knew the true origin of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, right? Where were they the descendants of the Zhao clan of Tianshui, just a stable-hand slave who fled from his masters and swindled and cheated under the banner of his masters. She often persuaded her not to get too close to the Tianshui Zhao, but she never listened, and it was too late to distance herself now.


    As soon as Guan Suyi thought of this, she heard the young lady of Zhao¡¯s di branch said with a smile, ¡°My father just gave me an Akhal-Teke horse, which is kept in this rare animal park. Xi¡¯er, please help me bring it here, okay? That horse is fierce, only you can control it.¡±


    ¡°Miss Zhao¡¯s family origin is very good at training horses. Last time I handed over Haifeng to her, she helped me wash him clean and fed him a lot of grass. Now that Haifeng has met her, he is more affectionate to her than to me, my heart is very sour.¡± Another girl said a few coquettish words, causing everyone to wink and giggle.


    In the past, Zhao Chunxi would never think too much, just thought that the ¡°family origin¡± in their mouths meant that she was born in the general family, and had experience in raising and training horses. But now she understood that there was the blood of a stable-hand flowing in her blood, and her family status was low. But they never mentioned her background, but secretly made fun of her, because in their eyes, she was just a clown.


    However, even if she learned the truth, she could not get rid of the teasing and insults of these people, and even her anger had to be suppressed in her heart. Because the current Marquis Zhenbei Mansion was implicated by the Ye family, since long ago had already withdrawn from the circle of top aristocracy. Her origin was not only branded as a fugitive slave¡¯s descendant, but also had a shadow of criminal¡¯s descendant. In the future, if she wanted to marry into a rich and powerful family, it was almost impossible.


    She must cling to these people in order to keep her precarious position.


    Listening to these burning innuendos, and looking at these fake smiling faces, her heart felt like it had been cut with a knife. Not to mention Guan Suyi was also present, which made her feel more and more ashamed. She hated that Guan Suyi didn¡¯t tell the truth in the first place, and also hated that her mom was useless, couldn¡¯t even tie a man¡¯s heart.


    But what could she do but hate? The feeling of powerlessness came surging, but she couldn¡¯t show the slightest difference, instead she had to force a smile and run to lead the horse.


    When Zhao Chunxi walked away, the group of noble girls gathered together and giggled and said something, without much thinking also knew that they were making fun of her. Guan Suyi didn¡¯t like this kind of intrigue, so she invisibly retreated. These people were too lazy to pay attention to her, and each picked a horse to gallop off in the field.


    A quarter of an hour later, the grand princess came on horseback, pressed the whip against her chin, forced her to look up, looked at her carefully for a long time, and said with admiration, ¡°It¡¯s indeed a rare beauty, but the Guan family¡¯s heirs are thin and it¡¯s unknown whether you can give birth or not.¡±


    It was shameful to answer this or not, Guan Suyi could only keep silent.


    The grand princess didn¡¯t need her response, she jumped off the horse and said, ¡°Heard that the peony raised by Empress Dowager is blooming, and there is even a flower king, anyway, I don¡¯t understand that thing, but the ladies in Yanjing seems to admiring it. Come, This Palace will also take you to widen your horizon.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, the father of this humble woman¡­¡± Guan Suyi hesitatingly opened her mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, someone will take care of this,¡± the grand princess waved her hand dismissively.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t dare to ask again, so as not to be annoying. She followed the grand princess to the garden step by step, and then saw many noble ladies gathered in twos and threes to enjoy the scenery. When they caught a glimpse of her dressing up, their eyes showed a clear look. One of them was horrified, and that was Guan Wenhai¡¯s mother, Mao shi.


    Although her son was unlucky and failed the imperial examination after repeated attempts, but the shu daughter of Jing County Prince was infatuated with him because of his dignified appearance, and she was considered a good relative who climb up. Therefore she was qualified to come to the Rare Animal Park. If there was anyone who least willing to see the Guan family came out of their predicament, then it must belong to her family, because they had oppressed the Guan family too much, almost to the point of being heartless.


    She had no doubt that if Guan Suyi was sent to the palace and gained favored, the first person that would be suppressed was her own family, so she hurried over and asked, ¡°Suyi, was Miao¡¯er secretly taken away by your mother? Hurry up and send her back!¡±

 CH 196

    Mao shi intended to ruin Guan Suyi¡¯s reputation, so she raised her voice very high, attracting many noble ladies to turn their heads. One of them was the mother of the current Empress Xu Yayan, Lin shi, who was revered by everyone. Hearing this, she frowned and asked, ¡°Secretly take your child away? What is this?¡±


    Mao shi was overjoyed, and she quickly added fuel to the story. Lin shi nodded and praised, ¡°The enlightenment of the sovereign came from the boudoir, and the change in the back house is related to the rise and fall of a family. It is very good that you can strictly teach your daughter. The girl of my Xu family has been constrained in the back house since they were a child. If it¡¯s not for the New Year sacrifice, they never stepped out of the second gate. Except for their father and brother at home, they never had any contact with outside men. When they were fourteen or fifteen years old, then can be brought out to meet guests. In their heart only think about filial piety and etiquette, and only says and do virtuous words and virtuous deeds¡­¡­¡±


    Before she could finish her words, someone flattered, ¡°This is the model of a girl from noble house! The Xu family¡¯s education is really extraordinary, no wonder they can raise an empress niangniang.¡±


    ¡°What is clear as ice and clean as jade? This exactly it!¡± Several others echoed with a smile.


    ¡°The Guan family is worthy of being a Confucian family, and the family style is also very honest, except for those third house. That Guan Qiguang is fooling the world and usurp a good name, his son committed a crime, and now he is in prison, and his granddaughter actually clings to the grand princess, wants to enter the palace to serve the monarch! The whole family is a bunch of flies and dogs, and they even dare to come to the Imperial Rare Animal Garden to disgraced themselves! I say, quickly go home and return the child, and then send yourself to become a nun!¡± Didn¡¯t know who scolded, which caused people to show contempt.


    Mao Shiyuan was still worried that Her Highness Grand Princess would support Guan Suyi, and when she saw that the other person was just standing by and watching the play leisurely, she felt relieved.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t expect anyone to help her, clenched her fingertips that were trembling with anger, and said calmly, ¡°Based on the etiquette of the Xu family, afraid Madam Lin is very dissatisfied with Her Highness Grand Princess?¡±


    The grand princess who was brought into the fire raised her eyebrows.


    Lin shi was not at all fearful, and said coldly, ¡°Since ancient times, men are the master outside and women are the master inside. Women should be at home with their husbands and children, how can they interfere in government affairs? My family¡¯s master has recently impeached her highness grand princess, and was supported by the whole civil and military officials in the court. Your Highness, you are not too young, you should quickly return your military power, get married and have children.¡±


    The grand princess said with a smile that was not a smile, ¡°You also said that women are not allowed to interfere in government affairs, and it¡¯s up to the emperor to decide whether This Palace will return the military power or not. How can allow a woman in the back house like you to intervene?¡±


    Lin shi choked and was speechless for a while.


    Guan Suyi then said again, ¡°The Analects says: ¡®Heaven has the virtue of good life¡¯. The virtue of heaven and even high virtue must be obeyed by the gods, then what about people? The essence of Confucianism is benevolence, and if the character benevolence (ÈÊ) is split it become people (ÈË) and two (¶þ), it means many people. Everyone is for me, I am for everyone, honor old people as one own¡¯s aged parent, care for other¡¯s children as one own¡¯s children. My mother could not bear to let a little girl be starved to death, so she rescued her, it¡¯s because my mother care for other¡¯s children as one own¡¯s children. Those Sage that left a good reputation for all eternity, which one ever advocate the murder of human life? Even Confucius said do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.¡±


    She cupped her hands and said word by word, ¡°I don¡¯t ask you how much you know about the Confucian classics; I don¡¯t ask you between the etiquette and human life, which one is more important; I only ask you, if it is your own flesh and blood who eat the cakes, can you bear to starve her to death?¡±


    As soon as these words came out, no one in the field dared to respond. Those who knew the situation in Mao shi¡®s family couldn¡¯t help but look at her with enlightened eyes. That girl was a shu daughter, no wonder she was so cruel.


    However, Lin shi chuckled and said firmly, ¡°If something like this happens to my own daughter, don¡¯t need to wait for her to starve to death. I will personally end her, so as not to stain the lintel of Xu family.¡±


    ¡°That being the case, I have nothing to say.¡± Guan Suyi bowed deeply, ¡°As cruel as tiger is, they don¡¯t eat their offspring. There are few in this world who can compare to Madam Lin.¡±


    Compare to Madam Lin? Comparing what? Beastly nature. This Guan Suyi was really cursing without dirty words. The grand princess laughed loudly and cupped her hands, ¡°Others say that This Palace is a female Asura, but today found out that it still far inferior to Madam Lin, ashamed, ashamed!¡±


    Lin shi was overwhelmed by the two echoing one another and she was about to have a seizure, but then heard a deep voice behind her, ¡°Since you came to the Rare Animal Garden, how about going to see the beasts fighting?¡±


    When everyone saw the one who come clearly, they hurriedly knelt down and saluted, and then followed the Holy One to the beast fighting arena obediently.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s palms were sweating a lot, and seeing the emperor didn¡¯t even look at her, she felt more and more at a loss. The grand princess, who was originally ignoring her, said with a smile, ¡°After entering the palace, get along with Hunnar well, and try to give birth to a little nephew for This Palace as soon as possible. Looking at Lin shi¡®s arrogant look, don¡¯t you get angry? She thought that Xu Yayan will be able to sit firmly on the fishing boat  when she climbed to the Empress Dowager? Hmph, don¡¯t know how to die in the future!¡±


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t dare to answer, just nodded silently.


    Outside the beast fighting arena, the palace servants had already arranged the seats according to their grades. Lin shi sat down on the left side of Emperor Sheng Yuan, and the rest took a step back. The grand princess sat on the right side and slapped the machete on her waist to the table, looking extremely unhappy.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan tapped the table and ordered without looking back, ¡°Miss Guan, come to Zhen¡¯s side.¡±


    Lin shi¡®s smug expression instantly stiffened. The ladies sitting in the back either pursed their lips and sneered, or had a considering look. And Mao shi was flustered, like sitting on pins and needles.


    Guan Suyi hesitated for a moment, then walked over slowly, sat down in the crook of his outstretched arms, wanted to say a few pleasant words, but found that she was running out of words. She had learned Confucianism, studied Legalism, and understood the Hundred Schools of Thought, but she had never been exposed to the knowledge of seducing men. Her pale cheeks climbed a layer of blush, her heart was so anxious, but when she opened her mouth, she only said dryly, ¡°This humble woman has seen Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan responded casually, and raised the empty wine cup again.


    Guan Suyi finally understood, and hurriedly picked up the jug to pour wine for him.


    ¡°You also have a few drinks with Zhen.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± As the saying goes, alcohol emboldens a timid person, Guan Suyi perfunctorily filled a cup, touched the emperor¡¯s wine cup lightly, and drank it all.


    The corners of Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s mouth twitched quickly, and he said solemnly, ¡°Drinking on an empty stomach will only hurts it, eat something to cushion your stomach first.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty also eats it.¡± Guan Suyi followed suit, put a piece of roast pork into his bowl, and then sat upright, her mind was blank. Obviously, she had already thought about how to please and how to seduce, but when she saw the real person, she didn¡¯t dare to do anything. Maybe she should snuggle into his arms and say a few coquettish words, or even feed him like she took care of Guan Miao.


    However, she was already so ashamed that her head was smoking just from thinking about it, how could she dare to put it into action? Her nature was so boring, men may be confused by her appearance for a while, but they would inevitably get bored after a long time. Could she really ask the emperor for help like this?


    While thinking about it, the beast fight had already begun. A tiger and a cheetah were put into the arena by the guards, roaring and fighting together. The ladies admired it with relish, and some people took out money to bet. This was the old rule of the beast fight arena, and naturally there would be eunuchs carrying trays to deliver the tickets.


    However, Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s attention was all attracted by Madam¡¯s wonderful expressions. Her face turned red for a while, turned pale for a while, her brows were tight then loose, her lips were pursed then pouted. A layer of water vapor was slowly seeped out of her eyes, as if she was afraid or anxious, and occasionally there was a stream of light passed by, as if she was being shy.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, who could easily guess what she was thinking, pressed his fist to his lips and laughed secretly. He poured Madam a few more cups of wine, and then he inadvertently tapped on the table three times.


    Just at this moment, the iron gate in the arena was smashed open by the two beasts, then they jumped out like lightning and rushed towards the crowd place. Their eyes were already red, and a lot of saliva flowed out of their bloody mouths, as if they were starving.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan sat in the front row, naturally would be the first to bear the brunt, but he was highly skilled in martial arts. He immediately picked up the stunned Madam, and jumped to the tree not far away in two to three steps. The grand princess also dodged with ease, and stood in the neighboring big tree, smilingly watched the chaos below.


    Fortunately, the imperial guards were not vegetarians. Some of the men restrained the beasts and took them away, and some of the men protected the ladies to avoid casualties. However, a lot of tables, chairs, cups and plates were broken, and the floor was in a mess.


    ¡°Is anyone injured?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan jumped off the tree with Madam in his arms and asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Re, reporting to the emperor, we are fine.¡± Lin shi said in shock.


    ¡°Zhen see you have a big problem,¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan said with a half-smile, ¡°Just now in order to seek protection, all madams went straight into the guards¡¯ arms, and ruining your reputation, how can this be good? Madam Lin, Madam Mao, Madam Wei¡­ Zhen stood on the tree and saw it clearly, you were held by outside men and they hugged your waist. This is the so-called infidelity between men and women, according to the rules, should you be locked in a firewood room to starve to death, or sunk in water in pig cage?¡±


    It turned out the emperor was waiting for this! The ladies had just recovered from their horror, but suffered another blow, and hurriedly knelt down and beg for mercy. If it was really according to Lin shi¡®s statement, everyone¡¯s reputation would be ruined today!


    Lin shi was caught by everyone¡¯s attention, and she couldn¡¯t help but defend, ¡°Mencius said: ¡°Sister-in-law drowned, then help. This is a matter of urgency, and it¡¯s not against etiquette. Today, we were rescued by the guards, and this is the case, which is not disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°Then you Central Plains people still say that men and women have different seats at the age of seven. The so-called difference between men and women do not start to count until the age of seven. You keep saying that you want to starve a five-year-old girl to death, what is it?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan asked back.


    Lin shi was dumbfounded, how embarrassed her expression was.


    ¡°It just strict with others and lenient with oneself.¡± Guan Suyi said sarcastically.


    Lin shi was burning with anger, but she couldn¡¯t refute it, so she had to bow her head and apologize, ¡°It was this minister wife who was narrow-minded, and almost caused people to die in vain. In the future, this minister wife will definitely be strict with herself and be lenient towards others.¡± She glanced at Mao shi, actually hated her. Mao shi¡¯s hands and feet went weak with fright, she shivered and curled up into a ball.


    ¡°It is said that Xu family style is strict and upright, but it¡¯s no longer like that now.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan stabbed one more time, and then waved his sleeves, ¡°All of you get up.¡±


    As if they had been granted amnesty, everyone staggered to their feet. When they saw Guan Suyi, whose hands were still tightly held by the emperor, they could not help but wonder in their hearts ¨C it seems this person is going to be favored.

 CH 197

    Emperor Sheng Yuan sent people to investigate the loosening of the iron cage, but because the result would not come in a short time, and seeing all the ladies looking pale and lethargic, he said, ¡°Afraid you ladies are scared, why don¡¯t you go and sit in the garden for a while to suppress your shock.¡±


    Everyone could not refuse, they came to the Imperial Garden with weak steps, while admiring clusters of blooming peonies in the surrounding.


    ¡°Look, this is the king of peony planted by the Empress Dowager herself. The yellow one is called Yao Huang, and the purple one is called Wei Zi. What do you think?¡± The grand princess put one hand on Guan Suyi¡¯s shoulder, but it was brushed off by Emperor Sheng Yuan with nonchalant smile.


    Guan Suyi lowered her eyes and said, ¡°The king of flowers is very extraordinary.¡± She didn¡¯t dare to say more.


    The rest of the people were also full of praise for the flowers, openly and secretly flattered the Empress Dowager. It was a well-known secret that the emperor had difficulty with having child, and the empress dowager had raised six imperial grandsons under her knees, all of whom were clever and healthy, and a few days ago, she sent a message to let the emperor adopt one as the heir. The emperor was still considering it, but the empress chose the sixth imperial grandson, who had now been brought to Jiaofang Palace to be raised, just waiting for the emperor to issue a clear decree.


    If this matter was done, the Empress Dowager and the empress would form an alliance. These two were the most powerful women in the harem, who would dare to fight with them? Rather than curry favor with the emperor and gain wealth for a decade or two, it would be better to stand in line early and gain a merit from the dragon. Thinking like this, everyone praised them more and more, and even compared these two clusters of peonies to flower fairy descending to earth, a sign of auspiciousness.


    Guan Suyi frowned. The grand princess held the handle of her machete tightly, obviously suppressing her desire to cut people. If it wasn¡¯t for Hunnar being stubborn, yelling he was not listened, beating he instead fell back, she really wished to strip him naked, poured aphrodisiacs, and threw him into the pile of women, let him gave birth to seventeen or eighteen sons at once. Then let see how can the Empress Dowager that old hag be so proud!


    While she was thinking wildly, Emperor Sheng Yuan stepped forward, plucked the most beautiful Yao Huang, and inserted it diagonally on Madam¡¯s temple, smiling, ¡°What flower fairy, what king of flowers, they cannot compare to Zhen¡¯s considerate flower.¡±


    The priceless flower was damaged like this, making all the ladies momentarily dumbfounded. The admiration they had been brewing for a long time all turned into turbid air, spinning back and forth in their stomachs, say not dare to say, hold back unable to hold back, don¡¯t mention how uncomfortable it was inside. Is the emperor meant to slap the empress dowager in the face or to lift up Guan Suyi? Or both? Are the beauties sent to the palace by Her Highness grand princess before still not enough? When did he ever care so much!


    Thinking like this, everyone looked at Guan Suyi with different light. They didn¡¯t notice it before, but this former Marquis Zhenbei Madam was actually a rare beauty, with a very extraordinary appearance and bearing. Wearing a king of flowers on her temples, she didn¡¯t look inferior at all, the person was indeed more delicate than flowers. No wonder she hadn¡¯t even entered the palace, but the emperor rushed over to meet her.


    Guan Suyi followed her grandfather to travel south and north since she was a child, and she was not frightened by everyone¡¯s scrutiny or jealousy. She touched the tender petals, then looked at the emperor¡¯s deep eyes, her cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly lowered her head. How people usually respond at a time like this? Is it a reserved thank you or an ambiguous coquettishness? She was at a loss, stood there for a long time before saying ¡°thanking Your Majesty for the flowers¡± in a low voice, and then clenched her fists in annoyance.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan didn¡¯t mind her ¡°cold¡± attitude at all, and took her by the wrist to go to the sparsely populated area. The crowd did not dare to follow, had no choice but to stand on the spot to enjoy the scenery. They actually wanted to gossip more, but when the grand princess pulled out the machete and wiped it slowly, they reluctantly shut up.


    Guan Suyi lowered her head and accompanied the emperor, from the base of her neck to the forehead, it was scalding hot. Emperor Sheng Yuan swept his eyes at her, only to see a piece of delicate and rosy skin, he couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°This humble woman is thinking about how to please Your Majesty so you will be willing to save my father.¡± After walking all the way, she finally understood that she didn¡¯t have the ability to seduce men at all, why bother becoming a laughing stock, it was better to frankly ask for the exchange.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan looked down at her, his eyes were very strange, and after a long time he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Kiss Zhen and Zhen will save your father.¡±


    Kiss? Guan Suyi took a few steps back, with a flustered look on her face. Although she had married before, she had never been exposed to man and woman¡¯s relation, so she didn¡¯t know how to act. However, her father¡¯s life was at stake, not to mention just a kiss, even if she had to offer her body on the spot, she was willing.


    The panic was slowly replaced by resoluteness, and she asked in a low voice, ¡°Is it really just a kiss?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed softly, ¡°Madam really knows how to demand a foot after given an inch. Who had promised the imperial sister that she would enter the palace to serve the emperor? If you go back on your words, Zhen can also pretend that nothing happened, and will order someone to send you back. ¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Guan Suyi hurriedly hugged his arm and said with tears in her eyes, ¡°This humble woman will never back out! For this humble woman to be able to serve Your Majesty is indeed a blessing for three lifetimes.¡± Then she stood on tiptoe and kissed him, only to find that he was too tall, and she could only kiss his chin that was covered with stubble.


    ¡°Not kissing the lips then the condition earlier is not counted.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan rubbed his chin with endless aftertastes.


    Guan Suyi, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, was suddenly dumbfounded. She had no choice but to stand on tiptoe again to reach his lips, but she was still a little bit off, so she had to jump up and hang around his neck, then kissed him without hesitation. The lips finally fit together, and the soft and warm touch made her tremble slightly.


    She blushed with embarrassment, and was about to back away, but the emperor hugged her waist, pressed the back of her head, and sighed, ¡°Madam, kissing is not like this.¡±


    Then how? As soon as these words came to her mind, her lips were pushed open by a large wet tongue, and then it entered the gap between her teeth, entangled with the tip of her own tongue. He forcefully grabbed her breath and swallowed her saliva, but she didn¡¯t feel disgusted at all, rather showed a fascinated expression. Being stared at by his deep and focused gaze, she involuntarily closed her eyes and swept into the whirlpool.


    They kissed for a long time, at first they just stood hugging each other, afterward she was pressed against the hard rockery. Hearing Madam groaned in discomfort, Emperor Sheng Yuan carried the person to the stone table and placed her on top, in the end they actually rolled into the flower bushes, bending the flower branches, and making them covered with fragrant petals.


    When the two finally separated, one was full of desire and the other was out of breath, not knowing what day it was. It turns out this is what kissing is like, they thought to themselves in unison, and then their ears turned red.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan closed Madam¡¯s slightly open clothes, and said with restraint, ¡°Get up, Zhen will take you home.¡±


    Guan Suyi covered her face and stupidly nodded. After sorting out her appearance, she followed the emperor out, but after taking two steps, she was grabbed by the wrist and dragged to his side. No one was seen on the road, it seemed that the guards had already cleared the way. She tried to get rid of the shock of her first kiss, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Your Majesty, the kiss has already been done, do you still count what you said?¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at her with a smile, but did not reply. When her face became paler and her mood became more and more chaotic, he said wickedly, ¡°Get in the carriage and take a look yourself.¡±


    Guan Suyi followed his fingertips, and saw a palace carriage parked on the side of the road, with heavy curtains hanging down, not knowing what was inside. She felt something in her heart, and hurried over.


    ¡°Father! Is it really you?¡± Seeing the man sitting cross-legged in the carriage, she burst into tears. She didn¡¯t care about her manners, and climbed up with her hands and feet. She looked at the other person from top to bottom and very meticulously, said while choking up, ¡°Father, you¡¯ve lost weight! Did they torture you? Have you been injured?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t tortured, and I haven¡¯t been injured. I¡¯m just worried about you, so I¡¯ve lost weight.¡± Guan Father planned to act a little more calmly, but when he saw his daughter, his eyes were inevitably red. Didn¡¯t know who got the instructions from above, all the criminals were tortured, but when it was his turn, they skipped it hastily. But the fact that he was not tortured didn¡¯t mean that he was not convicted. With Xu Guangzhi¡¯s instigation, those people originally planned to put him to death. Nine murder cases were placed on his head, and no one was allowed to visit, which made him cried out to heavens, but heavens don¡¯t respond, cried out to earth, but the earth is impervious, totally helpless.


    He thought he would be beheaded soon, but he didn¡¯t expect that at ten in the morning, the commander of Jinyiwei, Lord Zhou Tianzhou, came to pick him up personally, and took him to the restaurant to wash up, have a good meal, and finally put him in the palace carriage to wait. When he saw his daughter dressed up, and a man wearing a five-clawed dragon robe standing not far away, what else could he not understand? Immediately choked up, ¡°Yiyi, father make you suffer!¡±


    ¡°Daughter did not suffer! Daughter will enter the palace to enjoy happiness in the future.¡± Guan Suyi hugged her father and cried with joy. She really didn¡¯t feel bitter, as long as her father returned safely, not to mention just entering the palace to serve the monarch, even to die she was willing. She ran all over the places, knelt down and kowtowed, and made humble gestures everywhere, but no one helped her. Now, just to please the emperor a little bit, she quickly achieved her wish. Comparing the two actions, which one suffered more? Which one more lowly?


    Both asking for help, then she would rather ask the most honorable person in the world.


    ¡°Father, daughter will help you and grandfather achieve your aspiration.¡± The safe return of her loved ones brought her boundless strength. After she said these words in a low voice, she jumped out of the carriage, walked over to Emperor Sheng Yuan to thank him, and finally brightly smiled. This smile was no longer the twisted and anxious one like before, but very real and very beautiful, it almost dazzled the emperor¡¯s eyes.


    He also smiled with her, held madam¡¯s warm fingertips, and said lightly, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Zhen will send you home. Then Zhen will personally inquire about your father¡¯s case.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, my father must have been wronged.¡± Guan Suyi said firmly.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded and complied, first carried Madam into the carriage and placed her beside him before talking to Guan Father. Although Guan Father was only a small judicial officer, he had a good calculation in his heart. If there was an unusual change in the yamen, he would know all about it. He also knew the inside story of the nine murder cases, and had evidence to clear his grievances. If it were not for the fear of endangering his family, he would have taken out the evidence long ago.


    The two went from the case to the current politics, and from the current politics to the outline of governing the country, unexpectedly went deeper and deeper, and more and more getting along. Only after the carriage arrived at the Guan¡¯s house, they reluctantly stopped. Emperor Sheng Yuan took Madam off the carriage and once again helped Guan Father, thinking to himself: No wonder Xu Guangzhi trying so hard to suppress the Guan family. It turns out that Mr. Guan has the talent to govern the country, so what kind of person is Old Master Guan, who was once famous in the literary world?

 CH 198

    Guan Suyi stood quietly under the porch, behind her was the study, where the laughter of his grandfather and father could be heard from time to time. They were talking with the emperor, and their voices were full of the excitement and joy of being appreciated. After moving to Yanjing for four years, Guan Suyi watched them became more depress and quiet as days goes by, her heart felt painful like a knife pricking on it.


    It was said that a big man cannot be without power for a day, although this was a bit crude, but this was also a wise saying. Which man didn¡¯t have the ambition to make a name for himself? Which man didn¡¯t have the ambitions to be a supreme minister? Grandfather and father were willing to sell their lands and moved their families, wasn¡¯t it to realize their ambitions?


    Now that they have the opportunity to meet the emperor, they could speak freely and showed their talents, which could be counted as worthwhile trip.


    Guan Suyi stood in the warm sunshine and laughed for a while before going to the back house to help in the kitchen. Guan Miao was peeling the beans, Minglan was standing by the stove to make a fire, and Zhong shi was stir-frying vegetables with a spatula. A strong smell of meat wafted everywhere, truly mouth-watering.


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll show off my skill too.¡± She said while rolling up her sleeves to knead dough, but at this moment, an old woman ran in and said, ¡°Madam, miss, the clan leader sent someone to pick up the second miss to go home.¡±


    Guan Miao turned pale with fright, hurriedly threw away the beans, and ran behind Zhong shi to hide. Guan Suyi was about to go to the front yard to send people away, but she saw her mother took out a piece of paper from her arms and said, ¡°What go home? The second uncle already wrote the deed and gave Miao Miao to us for adoption, in exchange for five hundred taels of silver. It¡¯s written in black and white, if he reneges, we will go to the yamen to sue him! Miao Miao is not in their family tree at all, even if he breaking the sky, he still can¡¯t take her.¡±


    ¡°When was the deed written?¡± Guan Suyi had never heard of this.


    ¡°Your father invited him to drink before he was imprisoned. Your father got him drunk then lead him to sign it, seal, and pressed his fingerprint. He can¡¯t renege at all.¡± Zhong shi shook the document.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, this matter is easy to handle.¡± Guan Suyi smiled, ¡°I know that father has always been reliable. Mother Wang, you go back to them, says there are distinguished guests at home and it¡¯s inconvenient to entertain them. If they want to take Second Miss back, we will see them in court.¡±


    The old woman nodded and hurried off. The servants sent by the clan leader had already inquired clearly in advance, and learned that Guan Suyi would likely be sent to the palace by Her Highness Grand Princess to serve the emperor. After being rejected, not only they did not dare to play trick, their words still needed to be careful, and could only resigned and left.


    In just half a day, the story that Mao shi wanted to starve her shu daughter to death because of a piece of cake had spread all over Yanjing, and Lin shi¡®s excuse were also known to everyone. Nowadays, although there were many people with rigid thinking, but the renowned Confucian who were genuinely learned had expressed extreme disgust towards this matter. Some people criticized Mao shi for ¡°killing life with reason, but not benevolence¡±, while others sighed that ¡°the way of heaven may not be completely fine.¡± Mao shi and Lin shi, who originally thought they could gain prestige with this matter, became synonymous with fierce hearts, and were criticized for a while.


    After the servant brought Guan Suyi¡¯s words to him, the clan leader of the Guan clan finally gave up the idea of ??bringing back his shu granddaughter, and instead called his son and scolded him severely.


    At the same time, Emperor Sheng Yuan ended his earnest talk with the Guan family¡¯s father and son, and left after dinner. Guan Suyi took the initiative to send him off to the palace, and when the carriage was far away, she opened the package she was carrying, and said in a low voice, ¡°Your Majesty, this is the manuscript that my grandfather and father accumulated on weekdays, this humble woman would like to invite you to take a look.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan took over the thick stack of manuscripts, and after just flipping through the first two pages, he was totally absorbed and fascinated by them. This was a policy theory written by Old Master Guan. It expounded the shortcomings of the Wei Kingdom from various aspects such as population, land, agriculture, military, political system, and people¡¯s livelihood, and gave practical and effective solutions. Unfortunately, from the date of the article, it was completed in the first year of the founding of the country, and it had been four years since then. If these suggestions were adopted and implemented from the beginning, the Wei Kingdom would not have been so precarious as it was now.


    This policy theory was well versed in the way of checks and balances, and it was completely the opposite from the way of checks and balances he implemented now. One was based on winning over the hearts of the people; the other was based on winning over the powerful and noble families. Originally the foundation of the country was the people, if the hearts of the people were unstable, how could one talk about prosperous country?


    ¡°Wrong!¡± He held his forehead and smiled bitterly, ¡°It turns out Zhen has been wrong from the very beginning.¡± The intention of supporting the poor family was not wrong, but the mistake was in choosing Xu Guangzhi as the representative of the poor family. This person was eager to achieve quick result, and was the best at drilling camps. In a very short period of time, he had won over a large number of followers, and then excluded dissidents and creating conflicts. So the poor families fought against the noble families, the civil officials fought against the military generals, the Han people fought against the Jiuli people, and the whole court was filled with hostility. In the end Emperor Sheng Yuan had no choice but to activate the Jinyiwei, only then could suppress one or two.


    However, using violence to control violence was tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst. He also wanted to administer benevolent government and benefit the people, but the wealth and power had been taken up by the nobles, while outside the gates of the country, there were Xue evil and Hu people glaring like a tiger watching his prey, and the living space of the common people had been repeatedly deprived and occupied. The situation was no better than before the founding of the country.


    If at that time he considered it more thoroughly and put Old Master Guan and Mr. Guan in important positions instead, the current Wei Kingdom would definitely be very different.


    Remorseful emotions surged up, he hurriedly flipped through the following articles, and was even more impressed. The manuscript was obviously carefully organized by Madam. From the first year of the founding of the country to the fourth year, and as time went on, the old master¡¯s elaboration of the governing policy also changed. In the last article, just one title made him breathless ¨C Legislation, decentralization, centralization. The ultimate goal of the so-called decentralization was to centralize power.


    The specific details were not personally written by the old master. Just when Emperor Sheng Yuan was disappointed, he turned to Guan Father¡¯s article. If the old master was the one at the helm, then Guan Father was the one that got things done. He had written more than twenty pages on how to legislate, how to decentralize, and how to centralize power.


    No wonder with nine murder cases over his head, he was able to produce such strong evidences. Mr. Guan was indeed an astute man.


    For the first time, Emperor Sheng Yuan forgot Madam¡¯s existence, and read the masterpieces of the two gentlemen without distraction. When Guan Suyi saw him like this, the corner of her mouth couldn¡¯t help but went up. She then opened the wooden box beside her and carefully checked the evidence her father gave to the emperor. As a judicial officer, drafting official documents and entering confessions from the plaintiff or the defendant was the most basic job, and words could either save or kill people. Her father knew this very well.


    Therefore, in every case he handled, if there were some injustices hidden behind it, he would deliberately leave a drop of ink on the official document, and then re-copied it on the grounds that it was dirty, handed it over to his superior for signature and seal, and finally hid the original copy as a record, and when others asked, he would say that it had been burned. When this incident happened, and his superior really pushed him as a scapegoat, he could have contacted his wife and daughter and asked them to take out evidence and file a lawsuit. But looking at Xu Guangzhi¡¯s monstrous power, he was afraid that it would be difficult to report, and instead completely ruined his family, so he chose to endure.


    What is killing with one word? For example, there was a robbery and murder case, and there were seven prisoners. According to the law, the main offender should be beheaded and displayed to the public, and the accomplices should be exiled for thousands of miles. The main offender¡¯s name was written at the top and the accomplice¡¯s name below. The judicial official accepted the thousand taels of silver from the main culprit, then wrote his name at the end, and put the others on top, which killed a human life. In another case, a mountain bandit broke into a wealthy household at night to kill people and steal their valuables. Since the officials and the bandits often exchange money, they have to protect the other, so they changed the confession from ¡°enter through the gate¡± into ¡°enter through the dog gate¡±. Only added one character, more than 20 bandits who were arrested were released after only half a year, and then they resumed their old business and wantonly massacre.


    How so? Because the law of Wei Kingdom stated that the crime of theft and the crime of robbery should not be punished in the same way, the former being punished lightly, the latter given a heavier sentence. Climbing the dog¡¯s hole was obviously an act of theft, not like breaking someone¡¯s gate, which was the bandit¡¯s behavior. Therefore, the judicial officials could release these heinous criminals only by convicting them to theft.


    All kinds of bizarre and unjustly blood-stained cases could not be described in detail. If it were not for her father had a well thought plan, carefully reviewed every suspicious official document, and kept the case record, afraid even if he jumped into the Yellow River, he would not be able to clear himself. No, so what if the evidence was left behind? He was locked up in prison and not allowed to meet visitor, and by the time his family found this evidence, he might have become a dead soul. And if there was no way to ask for help, who could he seek justice to? If he accidently let the officials who framed him know, the whole family would be implicated.


    It was so difficult for ordinary people without authority and power to live. It was no wonder that her father always gave money to help the families of prisoners who have been betrayed and executed. It was for this reason. Guan Suyi put down the official document and said nothing for a long time.


    On the other side, Emperor Sheng Yuan also read a few policy theories and sighed, ¡°Madam, sit here.¡±


    Guan Suyi was feeling cold. Hearing this, she hesitated for a moment before moving over, until she was held tightly in his arms. The two cuddled each other and kept each other warm. After being silent for a long time, they both sighed, as if they had made appointment beforehand.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s gloomy mood immediately cleared up and asked with a smile, ¡°What are you sighing for?¡±


    ¡°Sigh that the world is chaotic and life is hard.¡± Guan Suyi bit the tip of her tongue as soon as she finished speaking, hating herself for not blocking her mouth. Saying that the world was not good in front of the emperor, wasn¡¯t it the same as scolding him for being muddle-headed? She glanced at him secretly, but only saw a gentle and helpless smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s Zhen¡¯s fault that the world is chaotic. Zhen didn¡¯t properly govern the country, and that¡¯s why the people are killed and the lives are ruined.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan whispered in her ear, ¡°Madam just wait, in Zhen¡¯s lifetime, Zhen must give you a peaceful and prosperous world.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not for me, it¡¯s for the people of the world.¡± Guan Suyi corrected his sentence, and finally scolded herself for being unable to control her mouth.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was amused by her painful expression that wanted to restrain herself but couldn¡¯t help but tell the truth. While sucking her red lips, he echoed with a smile, ¡°Madam is right, it¡¯s for the people of the world.¡± Now the country had only been established for four years, he still had time to change everything.


    At first, Guan Suyi just sat stiffly on his lap and tried to bear it, but in the end she couldn¡¯t hold it anymore, and collapsed in his arms like melting snow. His kiss was tender and yet domineering, and after a shallow taste, it deepened. She felt her every pore was stained with his scent, was almost suffocated by the kiss, but when she opened her mouth to gasp, she was greeted by an even more ferocious attack.


    She had never met such a straightforward plunder, her mind was so confused that she could not think of anything but cling to him like a life-saving rope.

 CH 199

    The grand princess seemed to be very optimistic about Guan Suyi, so she arranged for her to enter the palace the next day, and asked Emperor Sheng Yuan to seal her the position of Ronghua in advance.


    Zhong shi was relieved to hear the news, and then began to pack for her daughter. The old master sighed to the top of the canopy, said that he was old but had not die, only became a drag to his family, and he should have left to the Yellow Springs earlier. Shocked, Guan Suyi cried bitterly, she knelt on the side of the bed and begging him to take care of his body.


    Guan Father also persuaded him patiently, saying that if the elder was gone, who would help Yiyi when she was wronged in the future, only then it dispelled the master¡¯s will to die. It said that not a family, do not enter the door, the Guan family looked different on the surface, but in fact they were very similar. They valued their loved ones very heavily and valued themselves very lightly. If they could make their families live better, they could sacrifice themselves when necessary.


    Because of this, they were able to walk through the suffering together, no one complained about anyone, and no one gave up on anyone.


    Before leaving, Guan Suyi took out a robe and quickly mended it, and shed two lines of tears as she sewn it.


    Guan Father pushed open the door and came in, sighing, ¡°Is this the robe for the old man?¡±


    ¡°Well, summer is almost here, so I make him a light robe. Look, it¡¯s almost finish. Now hurry up and let him try it on. If it doesn¡¯t fit, I can¡¯t change it for him, can only trouble my mother.¡± Guan Suyi bit off the thread and wiped away her tears.


    ¡°His clothes are all made by you, so it definitely fit.¡± Guan Father was silent for a moment, and then said, ¡°The harem, like the court, has constant disputes. Father has hurt you once, and can¡¯t hurt you a second time. After you enter the palace, don¡¯t think about anything, just serve the emperor well. The emperor¡¯s favor is the foundation of your life, not the so-called prominent family. Your grandfather and I neither need you to support nor take care. On the contrary, we will be cautious in our words and deeds, keep a low profile, and try not to hold you back. A low family background also has the benefits of a low family background, at least the emperor no need to be wary of you, then he can favor you more.¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s already dried tears couldn¡¯t help but fall again, she choked up while nodding.


    When it was noon, seeing that the palace carriage had been waiting for a long time, the family reluctantly said goodbye.


    ¡ª-


    ¡°Fengming Hall? Is this my residence?¡± Looking up at the gilded plaque hanging on the lintel, Guan Suyi¡¯s face was blank. Feng Ming , the meaning seemed to be a little bigger.


    ¡°Back to niangniang, this is the palace that the emperor specially selected for you. The palace has been put in order properly. You can look around. If there is something you are not satisfied with, this servant will ask someone to change it.¡± A palace maid with a beautiful face and smart eyes said with a smile.


    Since we¡¯re here, might as well enjoy it. Guan Suyi didn¡¯t find anything wrong. She walked around to get familiar with the environment, and then sat down and asked about the situation in the palace.


    That palace maid was very knowledgeable, could answer any question, and was very familiar with the secrets of the palace, she was very capable. When she led several palace maids to kneel down and begged the master to give them a name, Guan Suyi happened to open her makeup, took out a gold leaf to play with, and called her Jinzi casually, and the rest got a very elegant name.


    Jinzi pouted, seemingly reluctantly, ¡°Niangniang, why are they all called Meilan , Zhuju, Chunhua , Qiuyue, but this servant turned into Jinzi?¡± It so tacky!


    Guan Suyi tilted her head and thought for a while, and couldn¡¯t help but laugh to herself, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I always think you should be called this name. The so-called great vulgarity is great elegance, otherwise why everyone loves gold?¡±


    Jinzi pondered for a moment, then clapped her hands and praised, ¡°Now that you mention it, after a little pondering this name is still very pleasant, it become more and more smoother. Well, this servant will be called Jinzi in the future.¡± She never had a name before, in the dark guard division she was only called by a number, so her heart couldn¡¯t help but feel happy for a while.


    Minglan originally worried that the people in the palace would be difficult to get along with, so she was relieved to see Jinzi. The two opened the boxes and cages piled up in the outer hall and arranged them one by one, while Guan Suyi sat on the soft couch in the inner hall, lost in thought. It was not her original intention to enter the palace to serve the emperor, and she had no idea how to ??compete for favor. She just hoped that she would not anger the emperor and cause her family to fall into ruin. What kind of person the emperor was, she understood a little bit. He could not be deceived or be schemed, magnanimously and wholeheartedly was the best way to deal with him.


    And this was precisely the principle of Guan Suyi¡¯s way of life, so there was no need to worry too much. After thinking about it, she took out the roster that Jinzi handed over and read it. Just after reading two pages, she heard the voices of palace maids and inner attendants kowtowing and greeting from outside.


    She hurriedly threw away the roster and ran to meet the emperor. Before her knees bent down, she was pulled into the arms of the striding Emperor Sheng Yuan, and he patted her back gently.


    ¡°How is it here? Can you get used to living here?¡± He walked to the inner hall and sat down on the soft couch. He stretched out his arms, and his blue eyes was staring at her.


    Guan Suyi stood stiffly for a while, then took a seat in the crook of his arms, her waist was straight and her tone was very serious, ¡°Back to the emperor, the Fengming Palace is very good, this humble woman likes it very much. At first it¡¯s inevitable to not used to it, but after a few the days it will get better.¡±


    ¡°Why do you still call yourself humble woman?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled and sat her on his lap, his voice hoarse, ¡°You¡¯re already become Zhen¡¯s woman.¡± His fingertips slipped to her waist, gently fiddled with the tassel of mandarin duck jade pendant, and then moving along the tassel to the side of her leg, stroking it without a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t help but tremble, and when she noticed that he was smiling more and more wickedly, she ordered herself to relax. Before entering the palace, she was mentally prepared. Anyway, sooner or later, she would have to endure this. Obedience received less sin than resistance. She could smash Zhao Luli¡¯s head with the jade pillow, but replace it with the emperor, she couldn¡¯t hurt even a single hair of the other person, otherwise it would be the big crime of murdering the monarch, and the nine clans would be executed.


    She kept adjusting her mood, and her body gradually became soft, and finally leaned against the emperor¡¯s arms cautiously.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan gave a short laugh, and finally lay down on the soft couch with the person in his arms, and sighed, ¡°Zhen have been waiting for you for most of the day, truly absent-minded, actually don¡¯t know what has been discussed in the morning court and met who. Holding you now, Zhen¡¯s mind is clearer, could it be that this is what the Central Plains people say about losing the soul?¡±


    Guan Suyi¡¯s cheeks flushed, her eyes fixed on the fabric on the man¡¯s chest, didn¡¯t dare to look up at all. She had never heard such unrestrained love words before, and she clearly felt ashamed, but her heart was beating wildly.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan listened for a moment and couldn¡¯t help but laugh again. He took off the hairpins on Madam¡¯s head one by one, and whispered, ¡°Madam, Zhen has been painfully waiting for you!¡± He then pressed her under him, clasped her fingers tightly, and stared at her.


    Guan Suyi could not hide, her cheeks were getting red as if dripping blood, she wanted to cover her face with her hands, but it was held by the other person, she could only turn her head and begged softly, ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t look at me like that.¡±


    ¡°Zhen¡¯s woman, Zhen still can¡¯t look at?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan slowly lowered his head, his nose exhaled a scorching breath, ¡°Zhen not only want to look, but also want to eat you.¡± The last word was block when the two lips were met.


    It was a fiery and tangled, lingering and affectionate kiss, with some caution but also urgency. He let go of Madam¡¯s hands and held her hot cheeks instead, not allowing her to dodge or retreat. After a long and deep kiss, he picked up the woman who was limp like a puddle of water, and walked quickly towards the large carved bed.


    ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s not even night yet.¡± Guan Suyi could hardly recognize her voice, it was so sweet, so greasy, absolutely didn¡¯t have the persuasion effect at all, instead it was like a deliberate seduction.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s eyes really darkened, and he directly pressed her on the red quilt, wantonly entangle.


    Minglan and Jinzi waited from noon to evening, and from evening to midnight, before they finally brought in the meals that had been warmed up several times. In the second half of the night, the Fengming palace called for hot water two more times, and the toss didn¡¯t stop until the early morning.


    Guan Suyi noticed the movement of the arm behind her head, and immediately woke up, but in the end she couldn¡¯t help groaning in pain. She never knew that a husband and wife¡¯s relation was be so thrilling, sometimes joyful, sometimes empty, sometimes thrown high, and sometimes fell heavily, making her ups and downs and lost her mind. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the dense red marks on her shoulders, and hurriedly when to pull the quilt, but a large hand grabbed and pressed her against the emperor¡¯s strong chest.


    ¡°Your Majesty, this concubine will help you get ready for morning court.¡± She looked left and right, but she didn¡¯t dare to look at the man under her.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed twice in low voice, pressed the back of her head and snatched a deep kiss, and then got up full of energy, ¡°You continue to sleep, Zhen used to get dress myself.¡± Then he got out of the bed naked, showing his wide shoulders and narrow waist, muscular arms and long legs, and strong muscles. One look she could see that this body contained great strength.


    Guan Suyi glanced at it and quickly looked away, but in the end couldn¡¯t help but glance again, before pulling up the quilt to cover her face.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed out loud, hugged her along with the quilt in his arms, patted her lightly, kissed the top of her jet-black hair, and instructed in a hoarse voice, ¡°Last night is tiring you out, you sleep a little longer. When you wake up, come to Weiyang Palace to accompany Zhen.¡±


    Guan Suyi nodded sullenly, and waited for the person to walk away before getting out of the quilt and inhaled deeply, her heart was full of shame. How could she go back to sleep. After lying down for a while, she got up to wash up, and as soon as she tidied herself up, someone from Changle Palace came to pass on the word, saying that the Empress Dowager wanted to see Guan Ronghua.


    Guan Suyi didn¡¯t dare to be sloppy, she changed into a more solemn dress and prepared to leave, but saw Jinzi walked in with a bowl of soup medicine, and said in a low voice, ¡°Niangniang, you drink the antidote before you go.¡±


    ¡°The antidote?¡± Guan Suyi¡¯s heart trembled.


    ¡°Why does niangniang think the emperor never have children? One is that he never looks at those women; the other is that all the concubines in the palace have been sterilized by the Empress Dowager. She wants to cut off the bloodline of the emperor and let her own grandson inherit the throne. The emperor doesn¡¯t care whether others can give birth or not, but niangniang is different. Drink the medicine quickly, and when you go to the Empress Dowager¡¯s Palace, you can eat whatever she tells you to eat, don¡¯t be on guard.¡± Jinzi held up the medicine bowl and urged.


    Guan Suyi quickly suppressed her chaotic thoughts and drank the medicine quickly.

 CH 200

    Guan Suyi walked around in the green imperial garden, and then walked further through a nine-curved corridor towards the Changle Palace. Between the flowers and willows, she faintly heard someone talking behind the rockery not far away, and only when she got close, she recognized the words ¡°The emperor, life is hard¡±. She walked over quietly, raised her hand to made a silent motion, and the palace maids and inner attendants who followed her immediately held their breaths and hid their tracks.


    ¡°I heard that the emperor took a fancy to a Han woman again, yesterday barely brought her back to the palace already sealed the position of Ronghua. He seems very fond of her.¡± This voice was very shrill, indicating that it was an inner attendant.


    Another palace maid spoke up, ¡°The emperor¡¯s birth chart only dares to touch Han women, and the family background should be low, otherwise if the person was killed, how can he explain to the courts. Ye Jieyu was fine earlier, but didn¡¯t she die suddenly in the end? I heard that the emperor was the reincarnation of an evil spirit, cutting open¡­¡±


    The palace maid described the scene of the emperor¡¯s birth in detail, and finally sighed, ¡°Poor Guan Ronghua, probably thinking that entering the palace was to enjoy happiness, who knows that she actually stepping into the gate of hell. Just wait, she will be like Ye Jieyu, within a few years she will be killed. If she¡¯s carrying the emperor¡¯s heir, it will be even worse. Maybe one day her belly will be rip off and a little evil spirit will come out. I heard that from time to time the emperor can¡¯t hold back his ghost energy and will show his true shape, it has blue face with fangs and red eyes, and will kill everyone he met. Is this true or false? Have you seen it?¡±


    ¡°The people who have seen it with their own eyes has gone to the Yellow Spring, where can they still stand and talk to you?¡± The inner attendant¡¯s voice was trembling, obviously very frightened.


    Then the two muttered some more gossip, nothing more than how the emperor brutally killed people, how strange his birth chart, and how bizarre his life experience was.


    Guan Suyi stood quietly on the spot with a calm expression, while Minglan and Jinzi looked at her frequently, one was horrified, the other was filled with righteous indignation. When Jinzi took a step forward and was about to teach the two behind the rockery, she was stopped by her.


    At this moment, the two had gone far away, and Guan Suyi said nonchalantly, ¡°It¡¯s just a scheme to sow discord, you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± If someone else heard those terrifying story, they might be so frightened that they would lose their minds, and in the end alienated and avoided the emperor, but it didn¡¯t disturb her at all.


    She had a brain and could distinguish between good and bad. Although entering the palace was because there was no other alternative, but it was true that the emperor saved her father. He had the supreme right, and one sentence could determine people¡¯s life and death, but in the case of no effort, Guan Suyi never expected him to safeguarding her. In the final analysis, most of people¡¯s relationships tend to be about interests, to get and to give, gains and losses. Unwilling to pay but wanting to earn profit, how could there be such a good thing in the world?


    So she gave herself willingly and got a satisfactory result. She had no resentment towards the emperor, on the contrary felt grateful. Although he watched from the sidelines and waited for her to surrender, he protected her father in the end. If not, after several rounds of torture, his father would have been unjustly killed in prison.


    As for his birth chart and life experience, who else knew better than her? After thinking about it, Guan Suyi shook her head and continued to walk forward. What her father said was right, the harem like the court, had constant disputes. Before this, the emperor had not eliminated his inner demon, so he was quite afraid of pregnant women and children. This was why he never favor the concubines in the harem, but instead raised the heart of the Empress Dowager. At first, she probably just wanted to resist the emperor and achieve a certain psychological balance. Because she was not doing well, so others should not be better. But she unexpectedly scored by a lucky hit, forcing out the emperor¡¯s inner demon.


    She watched the emperor become more and more crazy and out of control day by day, she should be very proud of it. However, even so, she did not feel satisfied. While giving medicine to the concubines in the harem, she induced and controlled them mentally, making them see the emperor as a demon.


    Everyone thinks you are abnormal, and everyone says you are an outlier, who will feel better after hearing this so many times? No wonder the emperor did not want to favor the concubines in the harem. He not only tabooed his own life experience, but also hated the faces of those people.


    Guan Suyi thought about it all the way, and already understood how to act in the future. All in all, she and the emperor were on the same boat, and the rest were enemies and could not be trusted. Between these wild thoughts, she arrived at Changle Palace. She respectfully saluted the Empress Dowager, then pretended to sit down absent-mindedly, not said anything nor looked around, just answered what she was asked, as if very obedient, but her hands were clenched into fists, revealing the fear and anxiety in her heart.


    The Empress Dowager was very satisfied with Guan Suyi¡¯s reaction, and her attitude became kinder, and she said a lot of things with a smile. After a while, the Empress Xu Yayan brought the sixth imperial grandson to pay respect, and after sitting on the seat below the Empress Dowager, she asked in a meaningful way, ¡°Since Guan Ronghua has entered the palace, then your father¡¯s case has fizzled out, right?¡±


    What fizzled out? Wouldn¡¯t it imply that her father did commit a capital crime, but was released because she came to serve the emperor? It was the first time that Guan Suyi had such a strong dislike towards someone, and immediately said coldly, ¡°Back to niangniang, the case is not over, and it¡¯s still being thoroughly investigated. My father has evidence to prove his innocence, the nine murder charges are all unjust, and the culprit will be brought to justice sooner or later. My father sits upright and has a clear conscience, he¡¯s not afraid being interrogated in the court, only blame some people for using their official position to avenge personal grudges, framing and making false charges, dirtying the official hat on their head, and dirtying the other upright officials.¡±


    She paused for a moment, and then continued, ¡°Before this concubine entered the palace, vaguely heard that the elder brother of niangniang was also involved in human lives case. Also doesn¡¯t know who made up the rumors, but it was said that the elder brother wantonly dug up the upper river channel, saving the counties under his rule from flooding, but causing tens of thousands of people downstream to be flooded, or lost their lives, or lost their homes. It¡¯s truly tragic. When this concubine heard this, thinking this is all a lie. How can there¡¯s such a person that worse than a beast in this world, who only cares about his own political achievements, but regards the common people as ants. If there really is such an evil beast, let alone the people will hate and curse, even Heaven will have to send thunder to kill him.¡±


    Seeing Xu Yayan¡¯s face turning blue, she continued, ¡°However, this concubine heard that the elder brother has been reading the words of the Sage since he was a child. Not only is he talented, but his character is also very noble, how can he do such a wicked thing that deserve divine punishment. It can be seen that the rumors are unbelievable. Niangniang should not worry, as the saying goes, those who are clean are naturally clean, and those who are dirty are naturally dirty, and when the emperor thoroughly investigates, it will definitely clear elder brother¡¯s name.¡± At the end, she leaned over and bowed, her tone was firm and her expression was sincere.


    Xu Yayan was brutally scolded over and over again by her, and heart was extremely angry, but she had to smile and thank her. She was originally seven points displeased with her, but now it became ten. She glanced at the Empress Dowager with an anxious look in her eyes, which showed that she was also clear about her brother¡¯s affairs, and this was asking the Empress Dowager for help.


    The empress dowager wanted to let the empress adopted the sixth imperial grandson, and naturally unafraid that the other person would cause trouble. If the other person had trouble, she could grasp the handle, and when she grasped the handle, she could control her. She thought about it for a while then decided to agree, but when she was about to send Guan Suyi away, the three prince consorts came with their children to pay respect, and surrounded the empress dowager to flatter.


    It was not was easy to open the mouth to expel people, so the Empress Dowager had to wink at the empress, letting her not be impatient.


    Guan Suyi was pushed aside by everyone, but she didn¡¯t feel uncomfortable, took a sip from the teacup, and then picked up the cakes to eat. She could feel the turbulent undercurrent in the Changle Palace. There was only one imperial throne, but there were many imperial grandsons, and all of them had strong backgrounds. Just because the sixth imperial grandson was clever and quick-witted, and knew how to please the Empress Dowager, if he was given the crown prince position, how could the rest of the people be willing?


    As long as the emperor had not nodded his head for a day, the battle between several prince consorts would not stop. The empress was caught between several major forces, and had already become the most dangerous one. It was a pity that she already stood on the cusp of the storm but she didn¡¯t realize it, still acted like the future was bright.


    Thinking like this, Guan Suyi lowered her eyes and sneered, and after she stopped smiling, she became slightly chilled.


    Just at this moment, the sound of ¡°the emperor has arrived¡± came from outside the hall, and everyone quickly stopped the open and secret fight and went out to greet him. Now who would be established as the crown prince was all depend on the emperor¡¯s thoughts, and the prince consorts who usually avoided him like snakes and scorpions were no longer arrogant, they were all rushing to curry favor.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan did not hide his favor for Madam, walked over and pulled her up and placed her beside him, and then he waved his hands to let everyone drop the curtsey. The empress dowager sat firmly on the main seat and asked, ¡°Your Majesty, have you thought about the matter that Aijia asked you a few days ago?¡±


    All the prince consorts looked at him with undisguised eagerness and ambition in their eyes.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan held Madam¡¯s fair little hand and said in a loose tone, ¡°Zhen is still considering it. The several nephews are all capable, but they are still young, so it would be a bit hasty to establish a crown prince now.¡±


    Except for the eldest prince consort, the other two prince consorts nodded secretly.


    The Empress Dowager was afraid that the night is long and the dream is many, and wanted to persuade again, but the emperor continued, ¡°How about this, first let the old third, old fifth, and old sixth be handed over to Shen Jieyu, Pan Jieyu, and the empress to raise. Wait until they get older, and they showed their temperament and talent, then Zhen will decide again.¡±


    This arrangement seemed reasonable, but in fact it completely separated the three prince consorts, and also alienated their relationship with the Empress Dowager. Moreover, it let the local wealthy families represented by Shen Jieyu, the Jiuli noble surname represented by Pan Jieyu, and the emerging dignitaries represented by the empress stood in their respective teams. And the other noble families would be unwilling to be left behind, and inevitably would use some means to seize the opportunity. All kinds of forces would be isolated, forming a relationship of mutual restraint, suppression and balance, which would stabilize the court for the time being.


    In the battle of seizing the heir position, the emperor could completely stand on the sidelines, and when several major forces fight and weaken each other, he could slowly control the overall situation.


    What if someone could see through his intentions? The interests were there, if you¡¯re unwilling to fight, many others will take your place. At least the other two prince consorts were extremely satisfied with his arrangement and were already kneeling on the ground to thank him. The Empress Dowager couldn¡¯t say anything against it. No matter which one ascended the throne, it was her direct grandson. She couldn¡¯t suppress the rest of her grandsons for the sake of the sixth imperial grandson, for no reason chilled the hearts of the other daughters-in-laws, and also chilled the big surnames behind them.


    After thinking about it, the Empress Dowager finally nodded and said, ¡°Then do as you say.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan felt Madam scratching his palm, and couldn¡¯t help but smile, while the eldest prince consort and Xu Yayan changed their faces.

 CH 201

    Since the emperor had already order to adopt the three nephews, Shen Jieyu and Pan Jieyu quickly came to Changle Palace to express their gratitude. At first the empress dowager was still a little embarrassed, but after thinking about it, all three grandchildren had prospect to ascend the throne, it was better than putting all the chips on the sixth imperial grandson alone. Wouldn¡¯t that be more secure?


    After thinking about it, she saw Guan Ronghua drinking tea, eating snacks, and taking away a box of rouge that had something added to it before leaving, which completely put her mind at ease. Even if all her sons were gone, in the end, the position of the monarch of Wei Kingdom wouldn¡¯t it be still in the hands of her grandson? This is destiny.


    She was quite satisfied in her heart, so she didn¡¯t care which concubine the emperor favored. It¡¯s good for him to be obsessed with women, and if he delayed the government affairs because of this, the winning chances for her grandchildren would be even greater. Xu Yayan and others would also not rush to compete for favor. On one hand, they were afraid of the emperor¡¯s erratic temperament, and on the other hand, they had arranged a back road for themselves. As long as they raised three little imperial grandsons, the future was set, where¡¯s the need to still rely on the emperor¡¯s power?


    Therefore, Guan Suyi¡¯s imaginary scene of being squeezed and suppressed did not happened. On the contrary, no one cared whether she entered the palace or not, whether she was favored or not. In the other people¡¯s eyes, as long as she was close to the emperor, she was equivalent to a dead person. This is truly¡­


    Guan Suyi shook her head and sighed. She was a little nervous at first, but now she had completely calmed down.


    ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan took the person back to Weiyang Palace, placed her beside him, and opened the memorial to read. But his attention was always drawn to Madam, whose frown and smile were more interesting than government affairs.


    ¡°Everyone is drunk and I sober alone, why not laugh?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s really ridiculous.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan pushed a pile of memorials in front of her. ¡°You have nothing to do, why don¡¯t you help Zhen pick out the important memorials.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, the harem is not allowed to interfere with politics.¡± Guan Suyi moved her fingertips.


    ¡°That¡¯s just a bizarre statement made up by Xu Guangzhi and others to seize the military power in the imperial sister¡¯s hands. Whether it¡¯s a man or a woman, as long as they have real talent and work hard, Zhen will use it.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan said disapprovingly, ¡°Zhen prefer women who have their own views and opinions.¡±


    This was a disguised compliment for her views and opinions, right? But then again, he was surrounded by women who only followed the herd, hearing the wind and mistaken it for rain, had no opinions of themselves, and blindly regarded him as an evil spirit, so it was no wonder that he felt fed up. It seemed that it was really because of that painting he was attracted to her.


    Guan Suyi was also an ordinary person, and being appreciated by others, it was inevitable that she would feel joy and pride. She covered her mouth and snickered for a while, and then took out a memorial and flipped through it. She read the book very fast, to say ten lines in one glance  was no exaggeration. In a short time, she picked out the important memorials and arranged them according to the categories of agriculture, government affairs, official management, and people¡¯s livelihood. She then divided the rest of the memorials into two stacks and pasted small notes on top, one said ¡°Paying respect memorials¡±; the other one said ¡°Good news memorials¡±.


    Most of these two types of memorials were sent by local officials, who from time to time sent greetings to the emperor to strengthen their sense of presence, or they dug up some auspicious things such as dragon-shaped stones and sent them to Yanjing to gain political achievements. Because both Xu Guangzhi and Prime Minister Wang were the kind of people who rejoiced in grandiose deeds, very fond of this type of false reputation, so this trend was encouraged. After a pile of memorials were turned over, very few were genuine reports, eight out of ten were empty nonsense.


    Guan Suyi couldn¡¯t control her mouth, after finally reading it, she frowned and sighed, ¡°It¡¯s a bunch of nonsense! After passing it on then what? Just use it as firewood and burn it!¡±


    Hearing this, Emperor Sheng Yuan actually burst out laughing, hugged Madam, kissed her fiercely, and praised, ¡°Madam is really insightful! Then Zhen will follow your instructions and dispose these memorials.¡± After that he took the two stacks of memorials, open them one by one, wrote Madam¡¯s words below, and returned them to the place at the end.


    The officials who received the approval were genuinely frightened and remorseful. After that, they did not dare to bother the emperor by making memorials for no reason, thus the prevailing pompous style was effectively curbed, and a large number of practical officials were also born. But this is a tale for another tell, let¡¯s not mention it for the time being.


    Guan Suyi leaned over and saw that he really wrote her opinion word for word on the memorial, her heart was a little nervous and yet happy. She had read many books and full of talents, but because of the suppression of women, she was unable to show it, and her heart inevitably got depressed. Finally, she met a man who did not despise women, so a favorable impression inevitably arose.


    Staring at the emperor¡¯s serious profile for a while, she suppressed her turbulent heartbeat and the corners of her lips that wanted to turn up, and then continued to review the remaining piles of memorials for him. Turning to the last scroll of silk script, she glanced carelessly, and unexpectedly cried out, ¡°Your Majesty, this is¡­¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan turned to look at her and said with a smile, ¡°Zhen was just thinking when you will see this letter of appointment. Tongguan has been an important place in the military since ancient times. If you want to guard the country gate, you must guard Tongguan. Zhen will send father-in-law here. There are risks and there are opportunities, but with father-in-law¡¯s talent, he should be able to deal with it calmly. If you are reluctant to part with your family, Zhen naturally can let him stay in Yanjing. But you must also know that unlike the border pass, the competition of various forces in Yanjing is more complicated, and the room to display his usefulness is limited. If he¡¯s not careful, he can be dragged into party disputes and become a pawn or stepping stone for others¡­¡±


    Guan Suyi interrupted with tears before he could finish speaking, ¡°Your Majesty, you don¡¯t need to explain, this concubine understands your painstaking efforts. You are not stingy with the official post, rather sincerely considerate to my father. Your grace of knowing*, this concubine actually doesn¡¯t even know how to repay.¡±


    Why there¡¯s the term ¡°grace of knowing¡±? To have someone understood, appreciated, and then supported and put into an important position, such kindness was equivalent to be given a new lease of live, how could she not feel grateful? If she was still a little unwilling before entering the palace, at this time she no longer had complaints. She could imagine how high-spirited and worried her father would be when he received this appointment, and how her grandfather would be so relieved. They had endured a lot of humiliation and torture, but in the end they were not defeated by the cruel world.


    And if she didn¡¯t enter the palace, the ending might be completely opposite. Thinking like this, Guan Suyi¡¯s gratitude to the emperor couldn¡¯t help but increase a few points.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips, and said softly, ¡°You staying honestly by Zhen¡¯s side is the best repayment. When the old master is in good health, Zhen will also arrange an official position for him. Zhen did not promote the Guan family because of you, the talents of father-in-law and the old master are worthy of being put in important position.¡±


    This was undoubtedly the best affirmation. Guan Suyi was even more moved, she didn¡¯t care about her manners, quietly hugged the emperor¡¯s thin waist, rubbed in his embrace, and promised in a low voice, ¡°This concubine will never leave Your Majesty in this whole life.¡±


    Emperor Sheng Yuan was overjoyed, pinched her chin, and demanded a lingering and passionate kiss.


    ¡ª-


    After receiving the letter of appointment, Guan Father was both happy and worried. He thought that this was the official position that his daughter had asked for him, and he couldn¡¯t help thinking more. If the emperor thought that his daughter was greedy, would he then treat her coldly? But the person was in the deep palace, and he couldn¡¯t see her, so he could only pack his luggage and get on the road as soon as possible. If he performed well in this post and got the emperor¡¯s attention, he might be able to add some weight for his daughter.


    With this idea in mind, the Guan family took a carriage out of the city gate, but unexpectedly they met Guan Suyi outside Shili Pavilion (generally refers to a pavilion on ancient country road for pedestrians to take rest and shelter from wind and rain). She and the emperor stood hand in hand on a slanted field. A horse was tied under a tree not far away, and was leisurely nibbling on grass. Judging from the bald plot, they should have been waiting for a long time.


    Seeing the carriage coming, she happily ran down the slope, but was pulled by the emperor and he seemed to whispered ¡°be careful¡±. His brows furrowed and his expression was tense, seemed very concerned about the safety of the person beside him.


    As early as half a mile away, Guan Father had recognized his daughter. Seeing this heartfelt scene, his hanging heart finally settle down. The emperor¡¯s attentive gaze and gentle demeanor were by no means a disguise. Besides, he was rich in the world, so what kind of beautiful woman he could not get? Why need to show those false feelings to a woman from humble origin? What he was planning?


    Being able to accompany her daughter out of the palace in plain clothing and personally came to send off her family, his daughter seemed to have some weight in the emperor¡¯s heart. Guan Father let out a long sigh, finally dispelling the last trace of concern. The old master was a keen person, and his evaluation of the emperor was much higher.


    When the two approached, the Guan family had jumped out of the carriage and waited.


    The old master and Guan Father were about to salute, but they were pulled up by Emperor Sheng Yuan and he said warmly, ¡°This journey is long, and there will be many steep mountain roads, if there are no guard to escort, afraid it will be difficult to arrive safely. This is Zhen¡¯s token, grandfather-in-law and father-in-law just go to the Gyeonggi camp in the western suburbs and asks General Zhao Haizhao to dispatch a hundred elite cavalry to send you off.¡±


    Grandfather-in-law, father-in-law? Only the elders of the empress can afford such a title, right? Both the old master and Guan father were shocked, but they didn¡¯t show it on their faces. They quickly took the jade talisman and knelt down to thank him. Guan Suyi originally still worried about the safety of her family. After hearing this, her eyes turned slightly red. She was already very grateful to the emperor, and now the gratitude had increased a hundredfold.


    Not to mention that she was only a fifth-rank Ronghua, who could be regarded as an ordinary concubine in an ordinary household, even when she was still the mistress of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, she had never been treated with such care. She could feel that the emperor cherished and loved her, and in order to be worthy of this feeling, she was willing to give everything.


    After sending her family away, she lost her reservedness and self-discipline, threw herself into the emperor¡¯s arms, and hugged him tightly, ¡°Thank you,¡± her voice was hoarse and fervent.


    ¡°What¡¯s the use of just talking?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan kissed her red and hot ears, ¡°Give birth to a child for Zhen, a child with half the bloodline of you and I.¡±


    ¡°But you are planning to divide the major forces. Is it appropriate to have a child at this time?¡± Being pregnant right now would undoubtedly bring all the disputes to herself, and Guan Suyi was afraid that she would not be able to keep the child.


    ¡°Slow has a slow method, fast has a fast strategy, it depends on whether there is news from your belly.¡± He picked up Madam, threw her upwards, and said with a low smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Zhen will protect you and the child. You both are Zhen¡¯s treasure.¡± The last word disappeared between the two people¡¯s lips.


    Guan Suyi forgot all her distracting thoughts, the sorrow of parting, and concentrated on responding to the other person¡¯s hot kiss. Gave birth to a child that have her and the emperor¡¯s bloodline, this seems like a good idea.

 CH 202

    At the beginning of summer, due to frequent floods in various places, a   lot of common people were displaced and in precarious conditions. Some local officials, or it should be said corpse and vegetarian meal, concealed this matter; or used this as pretext to defraud disaster relief funds, not care whether the common people live or die. Because of this, large and small civil unrest occurred from time to time. Just when Emperor Sheng Yuan was anxious thinking about how to pacify the chaos, Xue Mingrui launched an attack on Wei Kingdom under the banner of restoring the former dynasty.


    In order to deter the Xue Rebellion and boost morale, Emperor Sheng Yuan decided to personally go to battle, but at this time, Guan Suyi found out that she was pregnant. She could almost imagine how the Empress Dowager and others would smash her body to pieces when the emperor left the imperial city and her belly grew bigger and bigger. In order to protect the child, she tried every possible way to persuade the emperor to take her on this campaign.


    In the first three months she didn¡¯t look pregnant, so she covered up the truth. When they got to the border, the sign of morning sickness became more and more obvious, and Emperor Sheng Yuan realized that something was wrong. He was happy, angry, and very helpless. He originally wanted to teach Madam a good lesson, but when he saw her pale cheeks and slightly bulging belly, all the reproaches turned into a long sigh.


    ¡°You are too wilful!¡± He took her into the main tent and placed her on the soft couch, he then carefully stroked her belly.


    Guan Suyi¡¯s expression was in a trance for a moment. Before going out on this campaign, she asked herself thousands of times, is it right to take the great risk to follow? What will happen to her if she could not keep the baby due to the fatigue of the journey? Heirs or concubines, which one more important in the emperor¡¯s heart?


    At this time, seeing this man¡¯s eyes full of joy and worry, she suddenly understood that the reason why she was so wilful and reckless was because she was always indulged by this person.


    ¡°Wherever Your Majesty go, this concubine will go too.¡± She put her hand on the back of his hand, ¡°If this concubine told you the news before you go on this campaign, can you rest assured with this concubine staying in the palace alone?¡±


    ¡°No, Zhen will take you along.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan was even more helpless, and said in a sullen voice, ¡°But this doesn¡¯t mean that you can hide the news. No matter what happens, you should make it clear to Zhen.¡±


    ¡°This concubine will not dare anymore.¡± Guan Suyi immediately softened. The border pass was cold and the war was raging, but with this person by her side, she could endure anything. Her father wandered for half his life, didn¡¯t her mother also come with him?


    Emperor Sheng Yuan let out another long sigh, but a warm current gradually filled his heart. Without complete trust, and if she was not prepared to live and die together with him, how could Madam follow him to the border and suffer, knowing that she was pregnant? In any case, he could not betray Madam¡¯s trust and must send her and the child back to Yanjing safely.


    The war was about to break out. Because Xue Rebellion had been planning this for a long time and took advantage of the terrain, the two sides came to a stalemate as soon as the war began. Guan Suyi¡¯s belly was getting bigger and bigger, and she had been transferred from the military camp to a town behind the front line, and was taken care of by the grand princess herself. A few months later, the two sides finally entered a decisive battle, and Guan Suyi also gave birth to a baby girl at this time.


    The grand princess was a little disappointed, but she didn¡¯t say anything, and just arranged a carriage overnight to secretly send the mother and daughter back.


    ¡°Your Highness not worried that the Empress Dowager will tear us to shreds? Although I gave birth to a daughter, I have also proved that the emperor can have children. She finally won over the courtiers in the past, where willing to settle.¡± Guan Suyi hugged the child, her face full of resistance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the Empress Dowager, it¡¯s just an old hag, just send troops to surround Changle Palace. With the support of This Palace¡¯s military force, who would dare to move you? You just need to remember one thing, you gave birth to a son and not a daughter.¡± The grand princess said with her eyes closed.


    ¡°What?¡± Guan Suyi was stunned, and after thinking for a while, she came to her senses, ¡°Do you want the civet cat to change the prince?¡±


    ¡°No, just let the little princess disguise as a man and inherit the throne in the future. This Palace will assist her, and the emperor has arranged four regent ministers to take care of the order. Your father is now a big official in the border, which is enough to intimidate people. You can be at ease to become the Empress Dowager.¡±


    Regent ministers, Empress Dowager? Guan Suyi¡¯s heartbeat was getting faster and faster, and for a while, all the chaotic thoughts, all the fragmented memories gushed out, condensed and shattered in front of her eyes. The thrill of their first meeting, the eagerness of their first kiss, the tranquility of their first walking hand in hand. There was a misunderstanding between them, but they were finally replaced by the beauty of relying on each other. But now, this person seems to have arranged his own funeral and handed her over to someone else. How could he?


    ¡°I¡¯m going back!¡± she said firmly.


    ¡°This victory or defeat is only in fifty-fifty. If you go back to Yanjing with This Palace now, you can still get a good ending. If you turn around, the end may be very miserable.¡± The grand princess opened her eyes and looked at her, ¡°Don¡¯t you believe in This Palace? Once This Palace promises to assist the little princess then This Palace will never back out.¡±


    ¡°Except for His Majesty, I don¡¯t trust anyone.¡± Guan Suyi said bluntly, ¡°His Majesty cannot bear to bury me and my child in the border, only wish we could live in peace. Similarly, I also hope that he is safe and sound. He is not only the monarch of Wei, but also my husband and the father of my child. Even if death is approaching, we will not abandon him. Our family of three will be together forever. This is what I promised him.¡±


    She said firmly, ¡°Grand princess still has an army in your hands, right? Instead of protecting me and my child, it¡¯s better to go to the battlefield to help. When you reach the front line and meet His Majesty, tell him that I and my child will going anywhere, but we will wait in Lucheng. If he wins, we will be reunited; if he fails, we will be buried with him, and let him weight the matter himself.¡± She then slapped the little table hard, and said angrily, ¡°Coachman, turn around. Let¡¯s go back to Lucheng!¡±


    The little princess, who was sleeping soundly, was startled by her mother, and suddenly burst into tears, but Guan Suyi did not coax her, just stared at the grand princess, ¡°Your Highness, the child is crying, she is so young, how can you bear to let her take on the burdens that should not belong to her. She needs her mother, but she also needs her father! Only her father can keep her worry-free in her life.¡±


    The grand princess let out a long breath and sighed, ¡°Alright, it seems This Palace is not wrong about you! Soldiers outside listen to the order, immediately reinforce the emperor!¡±


    The loud horn sounded into the sky, making the little princess cry more and more miserably, but Guan Suyi smiled at ease, and then picked up her daughter and coaxed gently.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan, who had already suffered defeat after defeat, suddenly saw a line of iron cavalry rushing from the high hill, and thought he was ambushed by the enemy, but when he looked closely, it was the grand princess. Horrified in his heart, he swung his halberd and rushed over, said angrily, ¡°Why are you here? What about Suyi and the child?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, you underestimated Guan Ronghua.¡± The grand princess shouted while killing the enemy, ¡°She asked me to tell you that if you win, your family of three will be reunited in Lucheng; if you lose, she and the little princess will be buried with you, and let you weight the matter yourself.¡±


    These words ere equivalent to pull out the firewood from the bottom of the kettle, completely cutting off Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s retreat. He understood that now he could only win and not lose, because his two most important people were still waiting nearby. After being stunned, he spat out a mouthful of blood and scolded fiercely, ¡°Damn woman, it¡¯s all Zhen¡¯s fault for spoiling her, at this time still can¡¯t be serious!¡±


    ¡°You scold, but why are you laughing?¡± The grand princess snorted and cut off an enemy¡¯s head.


    ¡°Zhen is happy, what do you care?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan waved his halberd to kill the enemy commander. He was now full of endless power, because he had a partner who would live and die together with him, and had a continuation of the bloodline.


    ¡ª-


    In the spring of the following year, Emperor Sheng Yuan¡¯s injuries gradually improved, and he led the army back to the capital. Xue Mingrui was shot with an arrow by him, and now his life and death were uncertain, if Xue Mingrue wanted to recover his vitality, he would not be able to do it in three to five years. Wei Kingdom could seize this moment to recover, and when the next battle came, maybe they could already unify the rivers and mountains.


    The little princess, Huo Gantang, was very strong, sitting on her father¡¯s belly, she was babbling something. Emperor Sheng Yuan held her small waist with one hand and a letter in the other, glanced at it hastily, and then showed a mocking expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Guan Suyi picked up a piece of cake, took a bite for herself, fed it to her daughter, and finally stuffed the rest into the emperor¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of trouble in the capital, and after we¡¯re going back, there will be a lot of mess that need to be cleaned up.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan said vaguely.


    Guan Suyi leaned over to take a look, her eyebrows could not help but wrinkle. In the past year and a half, Yanjing was really lively. First, the sixth imperial grandson was infected with smallpox and died suddenly. Later, a palace maid accused a concubine of poisoning; the concubine committed suicide that very night, and the dead could not testify. Originally thinking this was over, later several imperial grandsons were also infected with smallpox and died one after another. Because of this the Empress Dowager became seriously ill, and the Empress, Shen Jieyu, and Pan Jieyu fought in full swing. The court was also not stable, one impeached the empress for not doing her best to protect her son and she should be abolished; one impeached Shen Jieyu for plotting to kill the emperor¡¯s heir and she should be punished with death; and Pan Jieyu had a dispute with the empress, slashed the other person¡¯s arm with a knife, and had been placed under house arrest in the palace¡­


    In just one and a half year, all kinds of bulls, ghosts, snakes and gods have appeared. Were it not for the emperor had a million army in his hands and won a big victory, and General Zhao who was in charge of the defense of the capital city and also his hard-core confidant, and Jinyiwei which pervasively controlled, Yanjing City might have long since turned into a pot of porridge.


    ¡°The three imperial grandsons are all dead, and the remaining few are still detained in the Imperial manor and not allowed to go out. This is a mess¡­¡± Guan Suyi shook her head and whispered, ¡°Your Majesty, you didn¡¯t interfere, did you?¡±


    ¡°Zhen is so focused on the war, how can still care about them?¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan held Madam¡¯s fingertips and sighed, ¡°It¡¯s just that people¡¯s hearts are not enough, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. These things were all caused by Shen Jieyu, she first killed the sixth imperial grandson, then disclosed false news to the eldest prince consort in order to make her retaliate, the other person used the same method to kill the imperial grandson adopted by Pan Jieyu, and Pan Jieyu had a violent temper. Gradually it become a life and death struggle. Zhen also didn¡¯t expect the situation to develop like this¡±


    The two shook their heads and sighed, and finally picked up their daughter and kissed each other.


    The emperor¡¯s triumph was supposed to be a great event, but everyone in the harem had an expression of facing impending disaster. Xu Yayan had been rejected by the Empress Dowager because of her ineffectiveness in protecting the sixth imperial grandson. Her brother¡¯s case of digging the river and causing death was brought up again and handed over to Jinyiwei for trial. Just one day in jail, he confessed everything, and also implicated Xu Guangzhi. Pan Jieyu had been sent to the cold palace for investigation, Shen Jieyu¡®s suspicion of poisoning the emperor¡¯s heir had yet not been cleared, the Empress Dowager was seriously ill and couldn¡¯t get out of bed, and several prince consorts had completely tear each other faces and moved out of the palace one after another.


    When Guan Suyi stepped into the Changle Palace with her child in her arms, all she saw were haggard, frightened, or crazy faces.


    ¡°You, you gave birth to this child? It¡¯s the emperor¡¯s seed?¡± The Empress Dowager spoke incoherently.


    ¡°Look at what you said, if it¡¯s not the emperor¡¯s seed, can this concubine still stand here alive?¡± Guan Suyi covered her mouth and chuckled.


    The Empress and Shen Jieyu were stunned for a long time, and at the end, one suddenly realized and the other withered on the ground. Where is the emperor an evil spirit, where is he cannot have children? He¡¯s clearly fine! When the two of them were about to vomit blood, Emperor Sheng Yuan, who had finished the court, strode in, first tucked in the messy hair behind Guan Suyi¡¯s ear, then picked up the little princess and threw her to the air, and the child¡¯s joyful laughter suddenly sounded in the silent palace.


    A trace of blood slowly oozes out of the corner of the Empress Dowager¡¯s mouth, and she asked angrily, ¡°You, when did you break through your inner demon?¡±


    ¡°When Zhen met Suyi, the inner demon was completely destroyed.¡± Emperor Sheng Yuan took his wife and daughter into his arms and said word by word, ¡°You can live in this Changle Palace if you like, Zhen have already recovered mother¡¯s bones, you will recite the scriptures for her every day to atone your sins. If you are honest and obedient, you can still take care of the remaining nephews, otherwise it will be hard to say.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even look at the pale Xu Yayan and Shen Jieyu, holding his daughter in one hand and his wife in the other he strode out, the family of three blended into the golden sunlight and slowly disappeared. The Empress Dowager¡¯s red eyes were bulging out and she finally fainted.


    The next month, the Empress was abolished, the Xu family fell apart, and Xu Guangzhi and his son were exiled for 3,000 miles, they were not pardoned. The evidence that Shen Jieyu plotted to kill the emperor¡¯s heir was conclusive, she was given a strip of white silk to kill herself, and Pan Jieyu continued to be detained in the cold palace. Guan Ronghua was given the title Zhaoyi for her giving birth merit. Three years later, she gave birth to the emperor¡¯s eldest son and became the Empress.


    Emperor Sheng Yuan recruited talents from all over the world to join building the prosperous world. After a series of effective reforms, he finally brought the devastated Wei Kingdom back to life.


    Previous     TOC


    TN: IT¡¯S FINISH!!


    Let me tell you my thought about this novel. Guan Suyi is the reason I picked up this novel, who doesn¡¯t like strong and smart FL, and when I said smart, the author can really back it up with evidences, because let face it, sometime we read a story with ¡°smart¡± FL and we ask, where?! And Hunnar is such a controversial ML isn¡¯t he?! But I like him, probably not so much his character but more his characterization if that make sense. Not many ML give away the FL with his own hand, which I think it¡¯s the author¡¯s some kind of morbid sense of humor, and I find it HILARIOUS! I was hesitant picking up this project because as you can tell, this novel contains heavy subjects, like who am I, I don¡¯t even speak Chinese and I want to translate things that was written more than 2000 years ago LOL!! But among the novel I read last year this one is the most memorable, the plot, the pacing, the reasoning is perfect in my opinion and I want to share it with everyone. My translation is far from perfect, but I hope you still enjoy it.


    I still haven¡¯t pick up my next project, I read a lot of interesting novels but not interesting enough for me spend effort translating it, so I still searching. Please give me recommendation, but just be aware I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll pick it up because I¡¯m really really picky.


    See you in my next translation project. Hope it¡¯s soon.