Chapter 9: Paying Back the Debt of Love Deng Yesi Seeks Death

At dawn, the Ministry of Personnel.

The lattice windows were wide open, letting in warm sunlight. A few files were casually placed on the table, and wax had solidified on the candlesticks, leaving traces of dripping. One could tell at a glance that the owner had been burning it for a long time last night.

Lord Deng, the Minister of Personnel, sat at the table with a worried look on his face. He threw the file in his hand aside and pinched his brows with two fingers.

Ever since the night of the Qujiang Banquet, he had been worried about his daughter Deng Yesi these past few days. Not to mention whether the news of his daughter being captured by a monster and taken to Qinlou had spread, what worried him even more was that Deng Yesi was pregnant!

And the adulterer was none other than Jia Ci, the scholar Deng Yesi had mentioned to him not long ago. Lord Deng covered his face with his hands and sighed, forcing himself to suppress the anger in his heart.

He had already told his daughter that he would choose a man he liked from among the new Jinshi candidates this year and recruit him as the new son-in-law of the Deng family. If his son-in-law had a successful career in the future, what could his daughter not want?

But Deng Yesi just didn't understand his painstaking efforts and insisted on staying with Jia Ci. Now she is even pregnant. It's really embarrassing and a disgrace to the Deng family!

Lord Deng was shaking with anger, not noticing the knock on the door. He only heard the voice of Lord Fang, the Minister of Personnel. Lord Deng quickly suppressed his anger, patted his sleeves, and raised his voice to signal Lord Fang to come in.

The wooden door was pushed open, and Lord Fang bowed to Lord Deng with a serious face. After getting permission, he sat aside. The attendant who followed him put a stack of files on Lord Deng's desk, but the latter did not look at them carefully, thinking it was a new case.

Lord Fang had already anticipated that Lord Deng must have been absent-minded these past few days, so he simply stepped forward and opened the file, motioning Lord Deng to take a closer look.

The number one scholar Du Yubai's whereabouts are unknown and he has not returned since the Qujiang Banquet.

"Master Deng," Master Fang reported with a solemn expression, "Mr. Du's whereabouts are unknown. I have sent people to the Jinbao Inn, where he is staying, to search for him several times, but there is no sign of him. Our neighbors on the same floor of the inn say that Mr. Du hasn't returned for several days."

"It's so rare for a poor family to have a top scholar in the imperial court. What...what should I do?" Lord Fang sighed as he stood at the table. When he learned the news last night, he almost told Lord Deng that very night.

"This matter cannot be delayed any longer. Report it to His Highness immediately!"

Lord Deng just felt upset. Not long ago, everything was calm and he even thought that he could get promoted with the help of this year's east wind. But as soon as winter came, all kinds of bad luck fell on him. It was really hard to accept.

Lord Deng hurriedly instructed Lord Fang to report the matter to Prince Rong'an. As for why he didn't report it to the Dali Temple first, it was naturally because even if Lord Song, the Dali Temple Minister, took over the matter, he would ask the young prince to help find someone. It would be better to do it directly in one step and avoid wasting time in finding someone by having the matter transferred to several parties in the middle.

It’s really a headache!

Lord Deng suddenly exhaled through his nose, then stood up and left the Ministry of Personnel.

Early this morning, his daughter Deng Yesi tried to sneak out of the house to look for Jia Ci while he was not paying attention, which made him not dare to stay in the Ministry of Personnel for even a quarter of an hour after finishing his shift, and he hurried back to the house.

Shangshu Mansion.

Deng Yesi lay on the bed with a dead look on her face, her eyes open but motionless. Only her occasional blinking eyelids showed that she was still alive.

The tears in the corners of her eyes had not yet dried. Deng Yesi heard the noisy sounds in the mansion. Her eyes suddenly moved. She saw her gently stroking her abdomen with her right hand. When she lay flat, that place was slightly bulging. She didn't know whether the unborn baby in her belly was still alive.

That was the gift Jia Lang left her, she had to protect this child no matter what! Deng Yesi thought, hatred slowly creeping into her eyes.

If her father hadn't been unwilling to recommend Jia Lang and hadn't forced her to marry the newly-minted Jinshi, she would have been welcoming their soon-to-be-born child with Jia Lang...

"Jia Lang, Jia Lang, your heart and eyes are full of that Jia Lang!"

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Lord Deng rushed in angrily. Seeing Deng Yesi's appearance, he became even more furious.

His face was ferocious, and his mouth trembled as he pointed at Deng Yesi. If Deng's mother had not stopped him, he would have dug three feet into the ground to find Jia Ci and tear him to pieces!

"Husband, talk to the child nicely and don't get angry." Deng's mother tried to persuade him, but it was no use.

Deng Yesi was unwilling to speak, his eyes fixed on the beams, tears streaming down his face.

Well, her father has always been of this irritable temper. After finishing his shift, he would either drink or beat and scold her mother. If anything at home did not go his way, he would suddenly jump up and yell. She thought that this was how husband and wife were, and that marriage would be like this too. But after meeting Jia Lang, she understood what affection and love were, which were things she could not feel at home.

Jia Lang made her understand that love is protection, not "forcing" her to get married because of love as her father said.

In the past, Jia Lang risked his life to avoid the night patrol officers and soldiers just to bring her a bite of food, which was something a father would never do. He would only let her eat less to maintain her figure so that she could marry up and win fame and fortune for him.

Deng Yesi didn't want to marry someone like her father.

At that time, she met Jia Lang for the first time. It happened that her father was angry in the court that day, and after returning home, he quarreled with his mother. She really couldn't stand such a life, so she sneaked out of the house. Unexpectedly, she ran into Jia Lang who was going to Beijing to take the exam.

After a while, she developed feelings for Jia Lang, and then she got pregnant.

While she was in a trance, her father's insults continued in her ears. Deng Yesi could no longer hear them clearly. Her mind was full of how to protect the baby in her belly, and then find Jia Lang. The two of them would leave the capital and find a place to make a living. She didn't want to see her father again!

*

Luo Mansion.

Ever since the two of them found the Taoist book containing the human-shaped pottery figurines last night, Qin Yanheng glanced up and down at the contents recorded on it, closed the book in a secretive manner, turned around and sent her back to Luo Mansion.

So she was woken up in the middle of the night by this man, and then inexplicably went to the library with him to search for books all night, but in the end she only got one sentence: "Wait a few more days, and you will naturally know whose body the monster is using to cause trouble."

Luo Qingling was a little angry. She hated people who only spoke halfway, but when she wanted to ask more questions, Qin Yanheng had already turned and left.

This little princess is indeed a person with a bad temper. She must be used to giving orders to others and will not tolerate others asking questions or questioning her. It makes sense. How could a person in a high position reveal his thoughts to her?

Outside the window, it was gloomy. It was the height of late spring, so cold that Luo Qingling had to wear a thick cloak even when sitting in a room with a charcoal fire. Someone was talking in the courtyard; it must be Aunt Zhao.

"Madam Luo, please come with me to the Shangshu Mansion as soon as possible. My wife...she..." The female voice was unfamiliar and a little old, and she walked into the courtyard in a hurried manner.

Luo Qingling heard the sound and looked over, only to see Aunt Zhao standing in the yard with another woman. He knew without a doubt that this woman must be Deng Yesi's servant.

The woman grasped Aunt Zhao's arm with one hand and wiped her tears with a handkerchief with the other. After sobbing softly for a while, she continued, "If my wife continues like this, I'm afraid she'll commit suicide!"

Seeking death?

Could it be that Deng Yesi was scolded by Lord Deng again after returning home? She had long noticed that the relationship between the father and daughter of the Deng family was quite discordant. If Lord Deng forced Deng Yesi to death because she was pregnant with Jia Lang's child, it was also within expectations!

Based on the fact that Lord Deng publicly insulted Deng Yesi at the post station that day, I think Lord Deng will not give up easily.

Everyone hurried to the Shangshu Mansion. Luo Qingling hurriedly greeted Lord Deng and then went straight into Deng Yesi's room.

Deng Yesi lay flat on her back on the bed, tears welling in her eyes, her gaze filled with despair. She caught sight of Luo Qingling, sobbed violently, turned her back to the others, and sobbed softly.

Luo Qingling couldn't bear it, so she quickly walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, gently comforting her, "Madam Deng, don't be sad. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

As soon as she said this, Deng Yesi couldn't help but hug Luo Qingling and burst into tears. "Madam Luo, my father made me abort this child so that I could marry that number one scholar named Du. I don't want to marry anyone else. Only Jia Lang knows how to love me. Only Jia Lang makes me feel at home. I can't live without Jia Lang and this child in my belly."

Deng Yeshi's words and deeds all expressed his love for Jia Lang, but for some reason Luo Qingling always felt that the relationship between them was a little strange. Perhaps it was because Deng Yeshi had never felt fatherly love that she turned to Jia Lang to seek the affection she had longed for for many years. But this Jia Lang...

"Madam Luo, have you met Jia Lang in Xiangshan Temple?" Deng Yesi asked suddenly with his face buried in the quilt.

"Yes, that day the young prince and I went to Xiangshan Temple, where we met Master Jia. He waited for you all night." Luo Qingling thought about it and admitted half of the truth. As for the fact that she tied up Jia Ci and Qin Yanheng with the Golden Dragon Sword and took the opportunity to interrogate them... she still couldn't tell Deng Yesi.

"Has Madam Deng not eaten yet?" Luo Qingling was worried that Deng Yesi was overly worried. Besides, staying in her room all the time wasn't a good idea. It would be better to let her eat something to calm her down. "When I came in just now, I saw a tea room next door. It's decorated very exquisitely. I guess Madam Deng has put a lot of effort into it."

Deng Yesi understood what Luo Qingling meant. She wiped her tears, smiled bitterly, and tapped Luo Qingling's forehead with her index finger. Fighting back the tears, she said, "You little girl, you've only just come of age, two years younger than me, and you're already so good at coaxing people. I'm afraid you'll be in big trouble in the future! Forget it, forget it. I'll have someone bring some food, and you can have a good chat with me."

Another place is the lobby of the Shangshu Mansion.

"The top scholar Du Yubai wants to see you--" A servant came in jogging outside the mansion to report. Lord Deng, who had just been sitting in the hall with an angry look on his face, suddenly smiled and stood up and walked towards the door.

This morning I heard that this Du Zhuangyuan had disappeared for a few days, and even the report of the new Jinshi had not appeared. Why did he suddenly come to my house now? Could it be that he had figured it out and wanted to be the son-in-law of Lord Deng in the Shangshu Mansion, so that he could have a smooth career in the future and never have to worry about anything?

The more Lord Deng thought about it, the happier he became, so much so that he started to jog. At this moment, he didn't even remember his daughter who was pregnant before she got married. His mind and eyes were probably filled with the very satisfactory top scholar from a poor family, Du Yubai.