Chapter 23 Maintenance 2 It’s just the cousin from the third room who’s here…

The emperor's old illness has relapsed in recent days, and he is lying on the soft couch in the Weiyang Palace.

Even in the early summer, he was still wrapped in a thick quilt, and his eyes were full of fatigue.

Xie Wuhen consoled him: "Your Majesty is not feeling well, you should rest well."

The emperor covered his mouth and coughed a few times, then waved his hand: "It's okay, it's okay."

Then he instructed Zhao Fu: "Pour out the second cup of tea, brew the third cup, and let Ziyu taste it."

He was not feeling well today, so naturally the task of making tea had to be done by the eunuch.

Zhao Fu replied respectfully, "Yes, I will pour out the tea right away."

Xie Wuhen was somewhat helpless: "It's okay if I don't drink tea today."

"This is my newly acquired oolong tea, known as the 'top tea'. I won't feel comfortable unless you try it."

Zhao Fu immediately echoed, "This is the Emperor's favor to you, sir. I'm just worried that my clumsy hands won't be able to brew the perfect tea."

The emperor glanced at him and said: "If you can't ejaculate, I will chop off your head."

Zhao Fu's neck shrank. "To save my life, this old slave dares not to give it my all."

Everyone in the hall smiled.

But after a moment, Zhao Fu placed the brewed tea in front of the emperor with both hands, "Your Majesty, please try it."

He poured another cup and placed it before Xie Wuhen: "Master, try it too."

The emperor took a sip and said, "Not bad." Then he asked, "What do you think, Ziyu?"

Xie Wuhen savored it carefully: "The taste is mellow and long-lasting, unique and distinctive."

The emperor's brows finally relaxed. "When I'm well again, I'll cook it for Ziyu myself. It will definitely be better than what this old man cooks."

Zhao Fu knelt down with a thud: "This old slave dug it with his own hands. I hope the emperor will forgive me."

The emperor waved his hand at him and said, "The tea is ready. You may all leave."

Zhao Fu replied "yes" and then led a group of maids and eunuchs out of the Weiyang Palace.

Only Xie Wuhen was left in the hall.

The emperor sat up from the couch, exhaled a breath of foul air, and asked casually, "You left the city on business right after your wedding. Didn't the Li family's daughter act out with you?"

Xie Wuhen couldn't suppress the upward curve of his lips: "Your Majesty, she... is fine."

The emperor also smiled and said: "It seems that my decree of marriage has finally brought lovers together."

Xie Wuhen knelt down solemnly to express his gratitude.

"There are only two of us in this palace. No need to be polite. Stand up." The emperor waved his hand at him and then asked solemnly, "What have you learned in the past two days since you left the city?"

"Your Majesty, I have found the real iron dealer behind this."

The emperor frowned and looked at him solemnly, waiting for him to continue.

He hesitated for a moment: "I found an underground foundry at the foot of the West Mountain outside the city. It is full of already cast swords, armors and other equipment, and the leader of the foundry is..." He suddenly stopped talking.

The emperor asked coldly, "Who is it?"

He replied: "Zhuang Chengkang."

"It's the Eastern Palace." The emperor's expression was suddenly cold.

Zhuang Chengkang was the attendant guard of Crown Prince Zhao Che, and his actions naturally represented the Crown Prince's will.

The emperor began to cough violently, and it took a long time for him to stop. He spoke in a low and difficult voice: "He can't wait any longer and wants to rebel."

This "he" naturally refers to the prince.

Xie Wuhen served tea: "The emperor is not feeling well, please don't be angry."

The emperor took two sips of tea and finally calmed down. "Do you have any concrete evidence?"

He replied, "Because this matter concerns the Crown Prince, I dare not act rashly."

The emperor thought for a moment and said, "Don't alert the enemy. Let's put it aside for now."

He bowed his head and replied "yes".

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Fu appeared at the door: "Your Majesty, the Minister of the Chancellery requests an audience. Do you want to be summoned?"

Isn’t the Shangshu Ling Zhou Ping? According to the theory of blood relationship, the prince should call him "uncle". I just don’t know whether this "uncle" was behind this treason.

Xie Wuhen and the emperor looked at each other, both speechless.

After a moment, the emperor waved his hand and said, "Let him wait outside the palace first."

Zhao Fu replied "yes" and stepped back.

"Your Majesty, this Lord Zhou..." He hesitated to speak.

The emperor looked at the sky outside the palace, his eyes as deep as a pool. "All twelve guards in the capital have confidants of the Zhou family. This person cannot be touched for the time being."

Then he asked again, "Have you found any other news after being out of the city for two days?"

Xie Wuhen heard the emperor's implication and said, "I have also found out some information about that lady."

The emperor's expression brightened: "Have you found Duofu?"

"It hasn't been found yet, but there has been new progress."

Xie Wuhen paused and said, "After the empress left the capital, she fell into the hands of a pawnbroker named Liu. The pawnbroker, intent on profit, took the empress back to the capital and sold her as a slave to a wealthy family in the city."

The emperor asked anxiously, "Have you found out which family it is?"

Xie Wuhen shook his head helplessly. "I interrogated Liu Yazi overnight. According to him, the man who came to buy the Empress was a man in shorts, who looked like a security guard for a wealthy family. As for which family, he didn't know."

The emperor clenched his fists secretly and remained silent for a long time.

He searched for her for seventeen years, but he never expected that she was actually in the capital - working as a slave in the backyard of a family.

After a while, he said in a trembling voice, "I don't know right now... whether Duofu is dead or alive."

Xie Wuhen sighed, "It's been a long time, so it might be difficult to investigate. After all, the life and death of a slave depends on the master of the house."

He added, "However, Liu Yazi also revealed a clue."

"What clue is it?"

"Liu Yazi said that the Empress was accompanied by a man at the time, whom she called Shunzi. I speculated that Shunzi might be the eunuch who helped the Empress leave the palace, so I went to the Imperial Household Department archives to search. I found that seventeen years ago, there was indeed a eunuch named Shunzi in Changle Palace, but the following year, this person was no longer listed in the archives."

The emperor's eyes flickered: "Changle Palace, Concubine Shu."

"I have sent people to Shunzi's hometown, Fuzhou, to see if we can find more clues."

The emperor closed his eyes and fell silent.

After a long while, he spoke: "You continue to investigate and report to me at any time." His tone was hoarse and heavy, with a sense of desolation.

Xie Wuhen lowered his head and replied "yes", then left Weiyang Palace.

As soon as he reached the palace gate, he saw Zhou Ping waiting in the corridor.

The sixty-year-old man was wearing a black official robe, which made his old face look even darker and more decadent, and the white beard under his chin even more dazzling.

Ever since Xie Wuhen obtained the imperial decree to marry the daughter of the Li family, the two of them have been at odds with each other, and they can't help but exchange some witty remarks whenever they meet.

Xie Wuhen stepped forward and bowed: "What a coincidence, I met Mr. Zhou here."

Zhou Ping's tone was meaningful: "It is indeed a coincidence, and there are quite a few coincidences between this old man and Mr. Xie."

Xie Wuhen sneered: "Master Zhou, are you holding a grudge against me?"

Zhou Ping also sneered: "Master Xie, you are so self-righteous in taking someone else's love?"

"My marriage was granted by the Emperor. If Lord Zhou is dissatisfied, I will accompany him to the Emperor to argue with him."

"Thank you, sir, for not using the emperor to scare me."

"Lord Zhou is as calm as a mountain. I'm afraid even the emperor can't scare you, right?"

Zhou Ping paused, speechless for a moment, then said something with a hint of meaning: "In fact, in this world, there is no such thing as coincidence. Everything is planned before it is done."

Xie Wuhen also said something with a hidden meaning: "May I ask what Master Zhou is planning? Please don't plan something that you shouldn't plan!"

Zhou Ping paused, snorted, flicked his sleeves and left, then turned and walked into the Weiyang Palace.

Xie Wuhen showed disdain on his face and walked down the steps in front of the hall.

When he thought about the fact that his wife had intended to marry such an old man, he felt very unhappy.

At this time, Xie Mansion.

Su He had finished chatting with Liu and returned to Chunhuayuan.

While changing her clothes, Zhang Xiuhua reported, "Uncle Qing just sent Xiaolian to deliver a message."

Su He asked, "Uncle Qing, what's the matter?"

"It's nothing serious. Uncle Qing said that Ping'an Lane took in two more children the day before yesterday. But don't worry, miss, they have no problem living. Uncle Qing led a group of people to do business and made a lot of money. He also asked Xiaolian to bring a bag of silver here." Zhang Xiuhua said, pointing to the purse on the table.

"We can't accept their hard-earned money. Tomorrow, take another 100 taels of silver from my dowry and send it to Uncle Qing along with this bag of silver. With so many people, expenses are high, so having money in hand will keep you from worrying."

Zhang Xiuhua nodded and said "OK".

Chunlan, who was standing next to her, held up a newly embroidered robe and said, "Miss, try this one."

She has always been an excellent needlework woman. She can inlay gold and silver embroidery on ordinary brocade, which immediately enhances its color and brilliance.

Su He raised his hand to try on his coat, then walked to the mirror.

The woman in the mirror was as if she were wearing phoenix feathers, shining brightly. "Wear this dress to the Du family's banquet the day after tomorrow."

Chunlan nodded happily and giggled.

Every time she smiled, the scar on her face would be pulled, making her whole face look even more hideous.

Whenever Su He saw her face, her heart would ache slightly, and she would secretly be glad that she had killed the real Li Shuli.

She said "thank you" from the bottom of her heart.

Zhang Xiuhua also agreed casually: "I will do the work in this room from now on. Chunlan needs to take good care of her hands and make more new clothes for the young lady and for ourselves."

The three of them chatted and laughed, and before they knew it, it was already dusk.

Zhang Xiuhua was just about to prepare dinner when Nanny Han came over with a smile on her face: "The old lady wants to invite the young lady to have dinner with her in the main courtyard."

Su He was quite surprised. The old lady didn't even bother to pay her respects, but suddenly invited her to dinner. What was the reason?

She asked tentatively, "I'd like to ask Madam, is today an important day?"

Nanny Han waved her hand: "It's not a big day, it's just that the cousin from the third room is coming over, and the old lady wants to introduce you two to each other."

Isn’t the cousin from the third room Zhang Qianer who wants to marry Xie Wuhen?

The old lady actually had the idea of ​​"introducing". It seems that Zhang Qian'er has a close relationship with the eldest branch of the Xie family. It seems that today's dinner is a Hongmen Banquet.

Su He said calmly, "Madam, please wait a moment. I'll go into the house and tidy up, then I'll go with you."

When Su He and Nanny Han arrived at the main courtyard, the entrance hall was already filled with tables of dishes.

Old Madam Xu Nanzhi sat at the top seat, while Zhang Qianer sat at the bottom seat on the left.

When Su He entered the room and bowed, Zhang Qian'er also stood up and bowed to Su He.

Xu Nanzhi waved at her and said, "Come and sit down. I asked the kitchen to prepare several special dishes today. See if they suit your taste."

Su He followed her instructions and sat down to the lower right of Xu Nanzhi.

As soon as she sat down, she smelled a faint scent of medicine on the old lady.

Fortunately, the old lady was in good spirits: "You two should have seen it."

Zhang Qian'er answered first: "I have already met the young lady on the day of the tea ceremony."

There was quite a big commotion on the day of the tea ceremony, and she was just bringing up something that was not relevant.

Su He smiled calmly: "Yes, I have seen it."

Xu Nanzhi also smiled and said, "In this case, we are a family now. Let's eat quickly, the food is getting cold." After saying that, she picked up the chopsticks to pick up some food.

She picked up a few strands of stir-fried bamboo shoots and placed them directly into Zhang Qianer's bowl: "This is your favorite, eat more."

Zhang Qianer smiled sweetly: "Thank you, aunt." After saying that, she secretly glanced at Su He.

Su He was serving soup by himself.

Today's table was obviously not prepared for her, but she didn't care.

Anyway, she will be leaving in a year, so let the Xie family's troubles escalate as they please. It has nothing to do with her.

Xu Nanzhi said to Zhang Qian'er earnestly, "Although Ziyu is married, he is still your cousin. You should come to visit me as often as before."

Zhang Qianer glanced at Su He, her face showing embarrassment: "Of course I want to visit my aunt more often, but I'm worried... Young Madam will mind."

Xu Nanzhi looked at Su He after hearing this, with a hint of inquiry in her eyes: "Shu Li wouldn't mind this, right?"

Su He smiled gently, "Mother, you're worrying too much. How could I care about such a small matter? Sister Zhang is a relative of the Xie family. Even if she comes to visit you every day, I'll be happy."

Then he changed the subject: "Besides, mother is the head of this family. Whatever mother thinks is appropriate is appropriate. There is no need to ask for my opinion."

Hearing the word "head of the family," Xu Nanzhi suddenly put down her chopsticks and said meaningfully, "Shuli, you're joking. How can I be considered the head of the family? Didn't Ziyu hand over all the housekeeping power to you? I heard that even the key to the storeroom is in your hands. Even the staff I arranged for you have been kicked out of the house and can only do some cleaning work in the yard. I'm old now and can no longer order people around. I'm starting to be disliked. I can't bear the title of 'head of the family'. I hope Shuli will be careful with what she says in the future."

Su He choked. Was the old lady trying to vent all her anger towards her son on her?

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