Chapter 10 Thunderstorm I'm not here on behalf of my elder brother to reprimand Marquis Xuanping.

During the Ying Tong era, the Lin Dynasty royal family declined, and the people throughout the land abandoned it.

Taking advantage of the situation, Bei Yong established a puppet regime and gradually encroached upon the heartland of the Liu Dynasty.

China was in ruins, beset by internal and external troubles.

The emperor of Beiyong disguised himself as a prince and came to Yongdu to negotiate an alliance. He took a liking to the fourth daughter of the Rong family who was attending a temple fair. He specifically requested that the noble daughter of the Rong family go to Beiyong for a marriage alliance, as a sign of sincerity, and was willing to revise the wartime treaty between the two countries and temporarily end the war.

Miss Rong was a renowned talented and beautiful woman in Yongdu. She was deeply in love with the current emperor but was unwilling to give herself to him.

At that time, Emperor Xuanyuan had not yet ascended the throne. He was enfeoffed as Prince Hui, but he was not in power, and the territory of the Lin Dynasty was fragmented. Under such circumstances, the Rong clan gathered and decided to exchange a woman from the clan for peace in exchange for marriage. The entire clan knelt before the fourth daughter and begged her to marry him.

The usually quiet and virtuous Fourth Miss Rong became stubborn in this matter, holding a gold hairpin to her neck and refusing to submit even at the cost of her life. The Rong clan elders pretended to give in, but took advantage of the Fourth Miss's lapse in attention to drug her and imprison her, intending to secretly send her away in a bridal sedan chair.

This matter still alarmed Prince Hui, Xie Lin.

He and Chen Yuanqing rode back from the trenches, stormed into the Rong Mansion, and snatched out the Fourth Miss Rong, who had been forced to wear a bright red wedding dress.

The fourth daughter of the Rong family suffered a shock and subsequently developed madness.

At the end of the year, Prince Hui, Xie Lin, recruited Lin Jianshu, who was known as "Ghost Head Knife," into his ranks, greatly increasing his power and influence.

The Great War God, Duke Zhenguo He Niangong, had four disciples: Chen Chongming, the towering pine; Lin Jianshu, the ghost-headed sword; Jiang Bojin, the flying horsetail; and Yan Baizhang, the ten-thousand-string scroll.

There's a saying among the people: whoever possesses even one of these four men can contend for the world.

In addition, He Niangong created six volumes of military strategy for entering the world, known as the He Family Six Volumes. The first three volumes are on vertical and horizontal principles, and the last three volumes are on yin and yang. He also created the Hundred Deceptions and the Central Righteousness Technique, which he taught to four people respectively. Their techniques were not interchangeable.

The eldest disciple, Chen Yuanqing and Chen Chongming, were well-versed in diplomacy and achieved early success. After graduation, they married He Yunzhou, the only daughter of Marquis He, and wholeheartedly followed their cousin, Prince Hui. Lin Jianshu's submission, combining the power of diplomacy and strategy, undoubtedly added another wing to Prince Hui, Xie Lin.

In the twentieth year of Yingtong, Prince Hui Xie Lin, with the support and conspiracy of Chen Yuanqing and Lin Jianshu, forced the emperor to abdicate, proclaimed himself emperor, and changed the era name to 'Xuanyuan'.

The fourth daughter of the Rong family was granted the title of Imperial Concubine, but the Emperor of Beiyong broke his promise regarding the marriage of the Rong family's daughter and ordered the beheading of all the Rong family members captured on the battlefield to vent his anger.

A family that had been prominent for centuries fell into ruin and no one remained.

Chen Liangyu had no interest in discerning the truth or falsehood of this tragic story. It had been passed down for so many years, and the details had been revamped countless times. Only those who were involved at the time truly knew what had happened.

Outside the window, the rain poured down, and soon it condensed into small hailstones that pattered against the window frame and the paper covering the window, as if someone were gently knocking on the window.

The thunder and lightning subsided, and only Xie Wenjun's clear words could be heard: "Her Majesty the Empress passed away early. My father once considered making my mother the Empress, but the court officials all knew that my mother was in poor health and sometimes couldn't recognize people. When she was confused, she didn't even recognize my father or me."

She paused for a moment after saying this.

Through the bed curtains, Chen Liangyu heard the little figure sigh. This time, she heard it clearly.

"Minister of Works Yao Chongshan, who is Consort De's father, joined a group of court officials in submitting a memorial to the emperor, saying that the mother of the country should not be a madwoman. As they wished, the emperor did not make my mother empress, but he never mentioned the matter of making an empress again."

The rumor that Chen Liangyu suffered from madness when she became a concubine was just a rumor. Xie Wenjun confirmed that she still felt a moment of bitterness.

"And then what?"

She uttered three words to let the person in the tent know that she was listening.

"After that, Consort De regarded my mother and me as thorns in her side. Whether it was charcoal in winter or ice in summer, the monthly allowance in my mother's palace was never enough. The extra was sent to Consort De's palace. She didn't lack those things in her palace. She just wanted to make things difficult for my mother. She cut off the allowances of the palace women. My mother couldn't give out bonuses, and the people below didn't work hard. Under the four walls of the palace, if this went on day after day, it would eventually drive people to their deaths."

"Where is the Emperor? Is he going to let the Empress suffer such injustice?" Chen Liangyu asked.

Rumors are indeed unreliable. If their love was truly that deep, why would they risk failing to seize the throne to rush back and rescue her? Why would they simply grant her a high position and then let her be bullied in the palace?

Xie Wenjun gave a cold laugh, as if mocking her naivety, "The emperor's heart is the most unpredictable thing, but not hard to guess." She turned over, "With the Yao family in power, my maternal grandfather's family has no one left in the court. After weighing the options, we have no choice but to wrong my mother and me for now. As long as the harem and the court are generally peaceful, what does it matter if someone suffers a little?"

She was able to see through this layer.

“When I was little, Consort De led a group of people to break into the palace and ordered the eunuchs and maids to search the palace. I don’t know where they found the little doll that my mother had made for me when I was a child, but it had writing on it and was full of needles.”

"She somehow found an old Taoist priest who said my fate was too harsh, that I would bring misfortune to my parents and ruin the country, and that my father should send my mother and me to a Taoist temple for purification and cultivation. My father actually believed it." Xie Wenjun's tone was like a still pond, without any hatred or even a trace of resentment. She was simply stating a very ordinary matter. "Fortunately, my brother, the Crown Prince, investigated and cleared my mother and my name. He burned the doll and beheaded that nonsense-talking old Taoist priest, which saved my mother and me."

Chen Liangyu was increasingly horrified, listening intently with a furrowed brow by the end. Although she had never lived in the palace, she knew what a grave crime witchcraft was in the royal family. If this crime were proven, Xie Wenjun and her daughter, along with everyone in their palace, would all die.

Even within the imperial palace grounds, danger lurks everywhere.

"After this incident, my elder brother, the Crown Prince, took me to the East Palace and cared for me by his side. I was freed from my suffering. But I can imagine that without me by my mother's side, her life must be even more difficult."

Chen Liangyu said, "So that's why you deliberately provoked Consort De, causing her to lose her composure in front of the Emperor?"

Xie Wenjun propped her head up and said, "I don't just want her to lose her composure and fall out of favor, I want her dead."

It's not that I want her to die, it's that I want her dead!

Her voice was still very soft, incredibly calm, as if she were simply saying that she was sleepy and needed to sleep, hungry and needed to eat, or thirsty and needed to drink water.

The case of selling official positions for personal gain went largely unnoticed; the Yao family's wealth was entered into the Ministry of Revenue's accounts, and the emperor pardoned them. The parasites of the state were transformed into meritorious officials.

Consort De became even more arrogant.

"Ah Li, have you ever been to Cangnan?" Xie Wenjun asked out of the blue.

The firelight in the charcoal brazier had softened, and Yuanrong and Daiqing were fast asleep. Chen Liangyu picked up a small shovel and cleared away the ash, adding a few more pieces of fresh charcoal.

“Cangnan Prefecture? I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard of it,” Chen Liangyu said.

There were her nominal relatives there, who had been exiled there.

During the Rebellion of the Five Princes in the Ying Tong era, the Chen family was divided into two camps. Chen Yuanqing supported Prince Hui, who is now the emperor. However, the elders of the Chen family at that time strongly supported Prince Fengde, who had more power. Due to the discord, the Chen family held a clan meeting and expelled Chen Yuanqing's branch from the family register.

After Emperor Xuanyuan ascended the throne, he eliminated the rebels. Because Chen Yuanqing pleaded with the new emperor repeatedly, the Chen family was spared, but the entire clan was exiled to Cangnan County.

Xie Wenjun wanted to say something more, but then swallowed it back, resting her elbow on her side. "Since Marquis Xuanping is no longer returning to the northern border, it's best not to concern himself with matters of the court."

The charcoal fire blazed up again. Chen Liangyu put down the shovel and warmed her hands in the light. "Princess, are you referring to His Highness the Crown Prince's plan to change the tax system?"

Xie Wenjun realized she couldn't say anything more, so she turned her head away and remained silent.

Chen Liangyu asked, "Why does the princess say these things to me?"

Xie Wenjun struggled to sit up and pulled back the curtain. Chen Liangyu turned her head to look at her, half-turned to the side.

Xie Wenjun said, "I am not here to reprimand Marquis Xuanping on behalf of my elder brother, the Crown Prince."

"I know." Chen Liangyu turned her body a little more to the side, trying to force a smile that didn't look too stiff. "Go to sleep. I'll go find something to plug your ears so you won't hear the thunder."

Xie Wenjun lowered the curtain, lay back in bed, closed her eyes, and grumbled, "You don't know, I am..."

It's a reminder to you.

Chen Liangyu searched around but couldn't find anything usable, so he simply tore a small hole in the mattress, pulled out a lump of silkworm silk, divided it into two small lumps, and rubbed them in his hands.

Although she's a bit unconventional, she wasn't a particularly particular person to begin with.

She rubbed two small clumps of silk into the shape of her ear canal and stuffed them into Xie Wenjun's ear.

"This humble woman truly understands; thank you for your admonition, Princess."

The Yao family's ancestral home is in Cangnan County, as is the Chen family. Xie Wenjun's implied meaning was to warn her that the Crown Prince was about to take action against the Yao family and Cangnan.

It's likely that the money the Yao family donated to the national treasury this time couldn't fill the Ministry of Revenue's accounts, so those in power wanted to cut off their supply line from the root and eliminate them completely.

When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat inevitably suffer as well.

Although the Chen clan was nominally exiled, they still possessed a considerable amount of wealth. The Crown Prince's reform of the tax system required first addressing the national treasury deficit. If Cangnan were to take action, the Chen clan would inevitably be severely punished.

Whether the fire will reach Marquis Xuanping or not is hard to say.

By the latter half of the night, the rain had finally stopped, the thunder ceased, and a light drizzle of snowflakes began to fall.

Xie Wenjun was fast asleep. Yuanrong and Daiqing were dozing on either side of the door. Only Chen Liangyu remained seated with her legs spread apart, guarding Xie Wenjun's bedside. Her bright and charming face appeared and disappeared with the alternation of light and shadow between the clouds and the ground.

The winter rain and snow fell without warning all night, knocking the last remaining branches and leaves from the lonely ginkgo tree in the courtyard, which then clung to the bluestone pavement and were washed into the cracks between the bricks.

Her favorite autumn scenery was ruined by a rain and snow, with withered leaves and snow covering the courtyard, turning the once serene garden into a complete mess.

The sky was still hazy. Chen Liangyu pressed her dark, bluish eyes as she returned to Liangyuan. Xie Wenjun was still asleep when she came out of Guanju Tower.

I slept terribly that night; my bones felt brittle, as if someone had swung them with a hammer.

When Madam Shan came to deliver clothes from the clothing shop to her, she saw her lying there in her clothes, with her boots still on. She couldn't bear to look at her like that, so she forced two maids into her courtyard.

Chen Liangyu was awakened by the noise. She wasn't on duty this morning, so she saved time from clocking in and took a short nap, but her peaceful sleep was interrupted by the chaotic sounds of activity. The servants had come to sweep the courtyard, and there were two young maids working inside the house.

When Madam Shan saw that she had woken up, she said, "Two maids who do sweeping and washing. If the young lady doesn't like noise, just tell them not to talk." Then she instructed the two maids dressed in light red cloth, "You two are in the young lady's courtyard. Just do your work and don't make a sound. Do you understand?"

The two maids echoed in unison, "We heard it, Madam Shan."

Mama Shan unfolded the newly made clothes and held them up against Chen Liangyu. She had grown much taller in the past year, and her usual clothes were too short. Chen Liangyu looked at the row of dark green and gray robes and had no interest in wearing them, so she told Mama Shan to put them away.

While quickly collecting the newly delivered clothes, and sorting the washed and dried undergarments and outer robes into their trunks, Madam Shan couldn't help but nag her, "Miss, it's not that I'm being nosy, but you can't live without someone to take care of you. After Jingrong left, you didn't even have anyone to serve you personally. Shangyong City isn't in the northern border, so we can't fight..." She choked up, paused, and her weathered face was full of shame. "Look at my old mouth, I've brought up that girl Jingrong again, only making you sad. I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore."

She had a childhood playmate, two years older than her, whom Jingming had picked up from a stinking ditch. Mama Shan took a liking to him, trained him, and sent him to Chen Liangyu as her personal maid.

On the way out of Dingbei City, she changed into Chen Liangyu's clothes to cover the rear and lure the enemy. She was chased by the enemy army and fell off her horse. Tens of thousands of iron cavalry trampled over her like a pile of rubble.

When Chen Liangyu turned back to look for it, she couldn't even piece together a complete bone from under that familiar red dress.

“Jing Rong has only been there for less than a year. If I were to replace her with someone else so quickly, I would be like an ungrateful traitor.”

As he spoke, his throat tightened, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Madam Shan stopped what she was doing, stroking Chen Liangyu's icy hands, and said guiltily, "Alright, this old woman won't say anymore. You said you don't want a personal maid, so we don't need one." The fact that her palms couldn't warm Chen Liangyu's hands instantly distracted Madam Shan, and she began to nag again, "Your hands and feet never get warm in winter. You put on another layer before going out, but you're still dressed too lightly! Which one should you wear?"

Helpless, Chen Liangyu put on another undergarment and pointed to the light apricot-colored casual dress with a dark pattern. After helping her get dressed, Shan Mama swayed her plump waist and left with satisfaction.

A note from the author: