Chapter 117 (No further information)

Night had fallen, and the Rouyi Palace was completely silent except for the pattering of rain.

Light streamed through the study window, where Granny Shang sat dozing against the wall. The gatekeeper tiptoed forward, and Granny Shang's eyes widened instantly as she looked over warily.

The gatekeeper curtsied and said in a low voice, "Granny, Yang Ying has come to see Her Majesty."

Granny Shang looked slightly startled. Now that Zhang Shan was in charge of the guards, it was not easy for Yang Ying to sneak over to see Consort Liu at night. She quickly nodded, turned around, and pushed open the door to the study.

Consort Liu picked up her brush and wrote without raising her head, saying in a hoarse voice, "Granny, I'll rest in a while."

"Your Highness, Yang Ying has arrived." Granny Shang scrutinized Consort Liu's gaunt face and sighed inwardly.

"Yang Ying?" Consort Liu pondered for a moment, then said, "Go and let him in."

Granny Shang hurried off, and Consort Liu put down her pen and walked out of the study, standing under the eaves, gazing at the dark rain curtain.

Yang Ying bowed and followed Granny Shang. He raised his hand in greeting, and Consort Liu nodded to him, "No need for such formalities, just speak frankly."

"Your Majesty, the eldest son died unjustly. We have been bullied a lot lately. Zhang Shan sees us as a thorn in his side and wishes he could get rid of us as soon as possible."

As soon as Yang Ying opened his mouth, his voice was choked with sobs, "Your Majesty, we brothers are not convinced and want to avenge our eldest brother."

Consort Liu lowered her eyes and said, "Alright, how do you plan to avenge him?"

Yang Ying froze, then said dejectedly, "Your Majesty, this servant is foolish and asks for your guidance."

Consort Liu readily agreed, "Alright, tell me in detail, and I'll come up with a solution for you."

After going through great lengths to avoid Zhang Shan and his group, Yang Ying arrived at Rouyi Palace to see Consort Liu, feeling genuinely apprehensive. After all, when Yuan Changsheng was alive, he had never spoken to Consort Liu. Now that Yuan Changsheng was gone, and Zhang Shan had taken over the role of palace patroller, they had suffered repeated defeats and were now considered useless. Consort Liu, however, didn't hold it against them and was even willing to help them find solutions.

Yang Ying thought again. Consort Liu had long fallen out of favor, and even her eldest daughter, Princess Xiao Jiatang, had moved out. She and he were both people who had lost power.

As he spoke, Yang Ying gradually straightened up and unconsciously raised his chin: "Your Majesty also knows that Zhang Shan has sided with Consort Hui and is bullying people by abusing his power. He first kicked me out of my residence, and then deliberately didn't assign me and Chen Fushun to duty, so that he can find an excuse to deal with us later. When the eldest brother was alive, he assigned all the tasks to us. Your Majesty, the eldest brother was forced to a tragic death. Now, we are doomed no matter what. Please, Your Majesty, show us a way to survive."

Consort Liu nodded and said, "That's easy. You were originally guards, so just go and report for duty. If Zhang Shan doesn't allow it, you can cry and complain, saying that you are loyal to the Emperor and will serve him for life, without even a day's rest. If Zhang Shan continues to obstruct you, then use a self-inflicted injury ruse to let others see your fate. There are guards who are not convinced by Zhang Shan and will speak up for you. Zhang Shan will lose face, and given his temperament, he will definitely be furious. Zhang Shan hasn't settled into his position yet, and the people are not united. It's a big taboo for guards to cause trouble in the palace; if it gets out of hand, he won't benefit."

Yang Ying listened intently, thinking to himself that he hadn't thought of such an easy method; it was all because of the recent series of misfortunes that had left him disoriented. Having hidden for most of the night, Yang Shan was exhausted and sleepy. Now that he had the solution, Yang Shan was impatient to stay any longer and immediately said, "Your Majesty is clever; this plan is excellent! This servant will return now and be there promptly at dawn." With that, he turned and strode away impatiently.

Hearing this from the side, Granny Shang stepped forward, looking worried, and said, "Master Yuan once said that Yang Ying is somewhat clever, but a bit arrogant and habitually uses ruthless methods. Master Yuan managed to subdue him and then employed him. Your Highness..."

"Is Granny worried that I can't subdue him?" Liu Xian said as he entered the room, his voice indifferent.

Realizing she had misspoke, Granny Shang hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, I wouldn't dare. Your Highness once taught me that a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. Your Highness must be careful and guard against Yang Ying!"

Consort Liu lowered her eyes and remained silent. She stood in front of the desk and gently stroked the paper on it.

The words, written with such force that they seem to penetrate the paper, are densely packed: "You lie buried beneath the spring, your bones turned to dust; I remain in this world, my head covered in snow."

No one in the world was like him, willing to live for her and willing to die for her.

Yang Ying is not him, and can never become him. Everything Yang Ying has is because of him. And everything he has is a gift from her.

Now Yang Yinggan stands before her, his presence carrying a veiled threat.

She would avenge him. If she lost, she would give him her life.

Yang Ying came from the mire, foolish and ruthless. He delivered himself to our doorstep, which is just as good as returning to the mire, his last bit of use.

*

After Yang Ying left, Lai San stood guard by the door, occasionally opening the door a crack and peeking out.

The wind was strong outside, causing the candle flame to sway from side to side. Candle wax dripped down and splashed onto Chen Fushun's hand. He rubbed his hand and sat up abruptly, angrily cursing, "Sanlaizi, what are you doing sneaking around like that!"

Lai San ignored him, and after waiting for a while without seeing any movement, he anxiously closed the door, collapsed onto the couch, and stared blankly at the ceiling: "Shunzi, why hasn't Second Brother come back yet? Could something have happened to him? Second Brother is only obedient to your face; he's indifferent to you and me. He went out at this crucial time without even telling us, and it's raining outside, pitch black. The eldest brother warned us before not to always take chances; if you walk too many dark roads, you'll eventually encounter a ghost. The eldest brother encountered a ghost, and Second Brother encountered a ghost too..."

Chen Fushun was furious and kicked him, saying, "Look at you, all jumpy and easily startled. You've been following the eldest brother for so many years and haven't improved at all. There's a reason why your second brother is going out. He's followed the eldest brother and has shown his face to important people, so he can get on their good side. What use are you and me? Nobody will recognize our faces!"

Upon hearing Chen Fushun mention Yuan Changsheng, Lai San was overcome with grief and sobbed, "What a man our eldest brother was, and he just died like that!"

Chen Fushun felt bad because of the crying, so he silently turned over and stared blankly at Lai San with his back to him.

Seeing that Chen Fushun ignored him, Lai San wiped his face clean and prepared to get up again to check the situation.

Just then, footsteps came from outside the door. Chen Fushun turned to look, and Lai Sangeng rushed forward and quickly opened the door.

Yang Ying was startled, and his hand, which was about to push the door open, stopped in mid-air. He was immediately annoyed and slapped Lai San, who was looking on with surprise.

"Ouch!" Lai San was hit hard, his head and ears ringing. He covered his face, and seeing Yang Ying's gloomy expression, his cry of pain turned into a buzzing sound like a mosquito. His face burned with pain, and the taste of blood rose in his mouth. Lai San chewed on his teeth, secretly clenched his teeth, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Chen Fushun called out to his second brother and quickly handed him a dry cloth, saying, "Second brother, hurry up and wipe yourself down, be careful not to catch a cold."

Yang Ying took the towel and wiped his face and head haphazardly. He then unbuttoned his wet clothes and saw Lai San standing there motionless. He glared at him and cursed, "You bastard, I slapped you, and you're taking it personally!"

Lai San's expression changed. Chen Fushun saw that his face was swollen and there was blood at the corner of his mouth, so he quickly tried to smooth things over, "The room is cramped, it's inconvenient for Lai San to come over." He winked at Lai San and reached over to get the trunk on the couch.

Yang Ying was preoccupied with his own thoughts and had no time to argue with Lai San. He snorted and took the dry clothes that Chen Fushun handed him to change into. "Let's rest early and go to work tomorrow morning."

Chen Fushun was taken aback, and Lai San also looked up and asked blankly, "Zhang Shan assigned us to duty?"

Yang Ying coldly replied, "What does it matter to us if Zhang Shan'an doesn't make arrangements? We are guards, and it's only right that we go to report for duty. Who dares to stop us?"

Chen Fushun frowned and remained silent. Lai San rubbed his slapped face and said cautiously, "Second Brother, Zhang Shanming is clearly targeting us. If we go to take up the post ourselves, he will definitely cause a scene."

"I just want to make a scene."

Yang Ying added menacingly, spitting hard at the ground, "We're both backed into a corner now. Zhang Shan won't let us go, and if we just sit here waiting, we're just waiting to die. Many of the guards don't respect him. Xin Mazi, Zhang Wan, and Huang Baisui are all putting up with it, but if things escalate, he won't come out on top. Listen to me, this method is guaranteed to work!"

If the guards cause a disturbance, it could be a serious matter, threatening the safety of the palace. Moreover, once a disturbance breaks out, swords and spears have no eyes, and one could easily lose their life on the spot.

Chen Fushun remained silent. Lai San's heart was pounding with anxiety. He saw Yang Ying collapse onto the bed, sprawling out his arms and legs, taking up most of the bed, and already asleep with his eyes closed. Stroking his face where he had been beaten, Lai San composed himself and shrank to one side to lie down.

Yang Ying's snoring gradually rose, sounding like a drumbeat in Lai San's ear, sometimes loud, sometimes soft. He opened his eyes, staring at the dark room, his mind a jumbled mess.

Chen Fushun slipped on his shoes and went out in the dark. Soon, Lai San heard the sound of running water, and he got up and went out as well.

A light rain was falling outside, blowing on my face and taking away the summer heat. Lai San leaned against the wall waiting for Chen Fushun. He turned around and listened to Yang Ying's snoring inside. He hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Shunzi, you usually have a lot of ideas and are smarter than me. Tell me honestly, is your second brother's idea feasible?"

Chen Fushun lowered his head and fastened his belt. He wanted to say something, but then hesitated and said, "Be smarter."

"I'm not very bright to begin with," Lai San muttered, groping for the chamber pot to urinate. Frustrated, he simply turned around and urinated randomly.

“I castrated this man and entered the palace. I finally made it through and accumulated some wealth. My eldest son said he would adopt his youngest son into my family so he could take care of me in my old age and see me off when I die. If I were to die, we would be rootless people, wandering ghosts, unable to even hold our heads up among the ghosts.”

Chen Fushun paused slightly, then lowered his head and went into the house. Seeing that Chen Fushun didn't respond, Lai San's face darkened, and he pulled up his pants and followed him back into the house to lie down.

As dawn broke, Yang Ying sat up. Chen Fushun was tidying the bedding. He yawned and mumbled, "Where did Lai Pi go? Tell him to fetch some water!"

Chen Fushun put away the bedding and left the room, instructing the eunuch to take away the chamber pot and leave a large bucket of water at the door. The weather was hot, and the early riser on duty scooped the water into a wooden basin, buried his head in it, and began to snore.

Lai San was nowhere to be seen. Chen Fushun looked back at the half-open door, straightened his clothes, walked out of the door with his head down, quickened his pace, and ran towards the Chuigong Hall.