Chapter 102: Red Bean Lovesickness? Cheng Xianzhi?

The shopkeeper led the two to an elegant room on the west side of the third floor. As they ascended the stairs, Cheng Xianzhi caught sight of a familiar figure. Even Lu Tingwan saw her. She pointed to the east corner corridor on the fourth floor and patted Cheng Xianzhi on the shoulder. "Is that Gongsun Xue?"

Cheng Xianzhi was calm and composed. He glanced at it briefly but quickly looked away. "I didn't see it."

Lu Tingwan thought she had seen it wrong, but even if it was Gongsun Xue, it was nothing. It was normal to come to Weiyang Tower to eat and drink, so she didn't think much about it.

As Gongsun Xue entered, Jiang Qingsheng's face appeared at the door. He waved to his followers not far away, gave a few instructions, and then returned to the room.

It was already dark when the two left Weiyang Tower, and the palace gate was locked at midnight. Cheng Xianzhi escorted Lu Tingwan to the palace gate and left only after seeing everyone go in.

Not long after they left, Han Zhou rode up and said to the people in the carriage through the curtain, "Sir, Jiang Qingsheng left Weiyang Tower and went to the gambling house."

"He's quite the entertainer," Cheng Xianzhi rubbed the marks on his thumb from drawing the bow. "The news has spread, and Queen Mother Jiang has been rallying her supporters to try to get Jiang Qingsheng to guard the northwest. Gongsun Yin and the Emperor are holding back, and no one in the six ministries is on board either. This matter will have to be delayed for a while."

"The Second Madam has been serving the Empress Dowager for a long time. Didn't she say anything else to Your Excellency?" Han Zhou's horse hooves followed the wheels of the carriage, and the carriage avoided the busy city and drove towards Cheng Mansion.

Cheng Xianzhi sighed slightly, "Jinhua Palace isn't an easy place to stay. She wants to find evidence that the Jiang family is pushing the Lu family into the abyss. Even if she gets it, what good will it do? Right now, the Jiang family can't be touched. Unless we can completely uproot them, any suppression will be meaningless."

"Then why did you let her enter the palace?"

"As long as she's willing to stay in Kyoto, I don't care where she goes."

During the banquet at Weiyang Tower, Lu Tingwan wanted to ask about the Northwest Affairs several times, but Cheng Xianzhi avoided her. She could feel that he did not want to talk about political affairs, or perhaps did not want to talk about it with her. After all, she was in Jinhua Palace, and given Cheng Xianzhi's cautious and meticulous nature, it was reasonable for him to be on guard against her.

But Cheng Xianzhi didn't want her to get involved in the mess again. If she left any traces on Queen Mother Jiang, it would not be easy for her to escape.

What she should do is to work safely in Jinhua Palace, but Lu Tingwan didn't plan so in her heart, and she was not satisfied with it.

Whether Jiang Qingsheng can go to the northwest is the most difficult issue in the court at present. Many eyes are staring at this position. If the Jiang family wants to surpass everyone and monopolize power, they will not be recognized by other parties.

After losing two major wings, Liu and Lu, in succession, the Jiang family's progress in the court was not as good as before. The poor families headed by Rong Fei's father strongly opposed it, and the opinions were divided and the result was delayed.

Cheng Xianzhi returned to the Cheng Mansion and went to Yingyue Pavilion on purpose. Gongsun Xue was covered in the sticky stuff she brought back from Weiyang Tower. She took a bath as soon as she came back. As soon as she came out of the bathroom in her pajamas, Cheng Xianzhi sat upright on a chair and sipped tea leisurely.

"The tea in the entire Cheng Mansion is not as good as Xue'er's." He took a sip. "I heard that Xue'er often goes to Weiyang Tower to listen to operas and drink tea these days. Do you have any good teas to recommend? Next time I come to Yingyue Pavilion to drink with you, okay?"

Gongsun Xue listened to every sound of Weiyang Tower, feeling terrified. Her voice trembled slightly as she replied, "If you would like to drink, Xue'er will carefully select it for you."

Gongsun Xue tightened her clothes and sat beside Cheng Xianzhi. Cheng Xianzhi's eyes moved to her, and a strange fragrance filled his nostrils. It was not like the fragrance of the drug Gongsun Xue had given him that day, but Cheng Xianzhi was still wary.

As his eyes glanced over, he accidentally caught a glimpse of the bruises on her neck below her ear. He pointed to his own neck and asked casually, "How did Xue'er get hurt?"

Gongsun Xue was extremely nervous. She felt the spot where Cheng Xianzhi's finger was and said calmly, "Uh, it's not a wound. I was picking a few camellia branches in the back garden yesterday and accidentally attracted a bug. It's been itching more today, so I scratched it harder, which is why it left this mark. I'm sorry to worry about it, Master."

Cheng Xianzhi nodded nonchalantly, "There are a lot of mosquitoes in the summer. I'll have someone send over some anti-itching medicine."

For a moment, Gongsun Xue felt a sense of guilt. She had been fooling around with Jiang Qingsheng in order to take revenge on Cheng Xian, but there was no turning back.

In an instant she regained consciousness. All his care and tenderness were superficial. These concerns were only because she was the daughter of the Gongsun family, not the one he loved in his heart.

"I've been so busy with court affairs lately, I haven't seen you in a while, so I finally found time to come." Cheng Xianzhi stood up and was about to leave. "It's late, you should rest."

Gongsun Xue was in her pajamas, so Cheng Xianzhi didn't let him see her off. He didn't go into the study, but went to Yansheng Hall. He stood outside the moon-shaped door and stared at the courtyard wall for a long time. He knew that the person he wanted to see was not there.

Feng Xin was the only one in Yansheng Hall. The grape trellis was laden with fruit. Lu Tingwan loved grapes, and even the wine she brewed was incredibly cherished. Feng Xin meticulously tended to it daily, meticulously keeping the entire courtyard elegantly clean. As long as she returned, she would have a comfortable place to stay. This was what Feng Xin wanted most.

The next day, after the court meeting, Lu Tingwan accompanied Queen Mother Jiang back to Jinhua Palace. Queen Mother Jiang changed out of her phoenix robe, and fatigue was obvious on her face.

Lu Tingwan brought a bowl of refreshing soup and said, "Your Majesty is so busy and concerned about the affairs of the court. It's difficult to come to a conclusion about Young Master Jiang's matter. Why don't you put it aside for now?"

The phoenix crown of Queen Mother Jiang was taken off by the maid, and a few strands of white hair were mixed in her black hair. She waved her hand to signal all the palace maids to leave.

"You were once a pawn sent by your family to gain power," Queen Mother Jiang said, rising from her dressing table and moving to the window. "So was I."

"A woman from an aristocratic family is born to be a tool for her family's pursuit of power. That year, I was over sixteen, and my father was the general guarding Shanhaiguan, suppressing foreign enemies for the imperial court. Military generals are most afraid of their achievements surpassing their master. To eliminate the fear of the late emperor and the aristocratic family, my father did not hesitate to send me and my brother to the capital as hostages, thus restraining my father and preventing the Shanhaiguan army from rebellion."

"But when I entered Hanzhang Palace, I was shocked to realize that the late emperor didn't just want me and my brother to be hostages."

Lu Tingwan continued, "The late emperor wanted to make the empress dowager his concubine, so that the Jiang family's lifeline would be inseparable from the imperial power. This would not only win over the military families, but also stabilize the morale of the Shanhaiguan army."

Queen Mother Jiang showed an admiring look. Lu Tingwan was not stupid and could understand the key point immediately.

"Therefore, the honor and disgrace of the entire Jiang family rests on my shoulders."

"The late emperor treated me well. Others thought he was asking me to take charge of government affairs out of consideration for the Jiang family, but that's not the case."

This was something Lu Tingwan had never thought of.

"The late emperor had feelings for me and often discussed state affairs with me during his reign. The harem wasn't supposed to interfere in government affairs, but the late emperor wasn't afraid of me being a Jiang family member and even allowed the crown prince, now Your Majesty, to be raised under my name. With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, the court was unstable, with members of the royal family plotting behind the scenes. I was able to stay behind the scenes to stabilize the situation."

"The Jiang family is in charge of the military power, and the Queen Mother is in charge of government affairs. This is a demonstration to the aristocratic families and royal clans, and it helps Your Majesty stabilize the hearts of the court officials. In this way, the forces from all sides will not dare to act rashly." Lu Tingwan followed up the words.

What Queen Mother Jiang said was true, but since she was born for the honor and disgrace of the Jiang family, she held power for too long, and these rights that should have been given to her ultimately fell not into the hands of the emperor, but into the hands of the Jiang family.

Lu Tingwan was very clear about this, and the Jiang family was therefore given important positions, far surpassing the status of other aristocratic families in Dalan.

The first is Jiang Haiyi, who guards Shanhaiguan and holds a large number of troops. The second is the powerful faction that Queen Mother Jiang has won over in the court over the years, and this faction includes Lu Mingqian and Liu Qiyuan.

Perhaps Queen Mother Jiang was initially forced to fall into this power and became a pawn being pushed around, but later she gradually won the emperor's heart. In addition to her beauty and family background, her outstanding political views were also inseparable.

But as time went on, all of this became taken for granted. The Jiang family was loyal to the court and thought they could be proud of their achievements. They disregarded the law and dared to commit acts of favoritism and abuse of power. The Jiang family was like a big tree, and it was Queen Mother Jiang who continuously supplied nutrients to this tree.

The Jiang family needs to constantly absorb energy to keep the tree standing, so she cannot retreat and can only allow these roots to take away energy one after another, until she eventually becomes the leader and commander of power.

She was frail, but on her shoulders was the weight of the Jiang family's generations of glory.

Even if it goes against the original intention of the late emperor, there is no way back.

"I say you're very similar to me, yet not quite." The crabapple blossoms slanted in from the window, and the Queen Mother broke off a branch. "You didn't follow the path Lu Mingqian had laid out for you. You chose a path that was different from everyone else's. It's your own path."

Lu Tingwan took the crabapple branch and placed it in a white jade porcelain vase. A sense of melancholy welled up in her heart. Was she on the right path? She hadn't been like Empress Dowager Jiang, who had sought to wrest power from the Lu family, only to end up with her family destroyed and her entire family executed.

"Go down, I'm tired." Queen Mother Jiang walked towards the couch. Lu Tingwan lowered the curtain and ordered the palace maid to guard the bedroom.

Lu Tingwan returned to her residence and changed into a new palace dress. The palace maid passed the message outside, and Lu Tingwan inserted the last hairpin and came out slowly.

"The Queen has gone to bed. I will deal with the affairs of the harem later. Is there anything I can help you with?" She glanced at the palace maids in the courtyard.

The maid was holding a wooden box, about the size of a palm. She said respectfully, "Master Lu, this is from Minister Cheng, who specifically instructed me to hand it over to you personally."

"Cheng Xianzhi?" Lu Tingwan instinctively read his name.

The maid came forward and presented it.

"Did he say anything else?"

"That's all."

Lu Tingwan took the small wooden box and weighed it twice. It was empty and weightless. The palace maid saw her staring at the wooden box for a long time.

What was Cheng Xianzhi up to? She carefully unlocked the lock. The base was solid, with a small wooden box inside, and in the middle was a...

A...

"Red bean?" Lu Tingwan pinched the small bean and frowned. "What does this mean?"

The young palace maid also stared at the bean. "Minister Cheng gave a bean to Lu? What should we do with this bean that can't be used or eaten?"

Lu Tingwan felt that Cheng Xianzhi's thinking was definitely not that simple. She held the red bean above her head and squinted her eye, trying to see what was contained in it. With the help of sunlight, she confirmed that it was just an ordinary red bean.

Lu Tingwan put the red beans back into the wooden box and placed it somewhere randomly. It wouldn't be too late to ask him about it another day.

For a month in a row, Lu Tingwan received a red bean from Cheng Xianzhi every day. The boxes on the dressing table were piled up in several rows and piled high. She was looking at these boxes worriedly, not knowing what he meant. Now everyone in the harem knew that Cheng Xianzhi sent red beans to Jinhua Palace every day.

Lu Tingwan went home twice on holiday but didn't see him. Cheng Xianzhi went to the military training ground in the suburbs to supervise the troops and brought Xie Zhao, who was serving in the imperial guards, with him. She couldn't find anyone and could only stare at the grapes on the vines in Yansheng Hall and count them. They would be ripe soon.

She thought that when she brewed wine, she would give Cheng Xianzhi two more jars to repay him for his help several times.

The maid looked at Lu Tingwan, who was sighing repeatedly in front of the dressing table, and consoled her, "The Queen Mother said that Minister Cheng has been supervising the troops at the training ground this month and can't come into the palace. Don't worry, Lu, he will be back in a few days."

"Sad?" Lu Tingwan was stunned. She was indeed sad, but it was not because she couldn't see Cheng Xian.

"Yes," the maid disagreed. "Master Lu stares at these wooden boxes absentmindedly all day long. Isn't it because he misses Minister Cheng?"

"Although a day without seeing you feels like three years, it's inevitable that Master Lu will become ill after not seeing you for a month."

The more Lu Tingwan listened to this, the more she felt something was wrong. Then she thought that in their eyes, it was not an exaggeration to say that the two of them had such a close relationship. She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and did not explain further.

"This pain of missing someone must be as unbearable for Minister Cheng as it is for Manager Lu, otherwise why would he send a red bean every day to express his longing for you?" said another palace maid.

Lovesickness?

Is this what he meant by giving me red beans?

Lu Tingwan picked one up and examined it in her palm. "Xiangsi, Cheng Xianzhi, him?"

Then he shook his head, denying this absurd idea, and chuckled, "How could he!"

On the training ground outside the Ministry of War, Cheng Xianzhi had just come down from the command post. Han Tzhou took the sword from him. Cheng Xianzhi's forehead was still sweating. He took the handkerchief and wiped it while asking, "Have the things been delivered?"

Han Zhou raised the corners of his lips slightly, with a hidden smile: "Give it to you."

"What do you have to say?"

“No.”

His hand stopped wiping the sweat, and his inner thoughts were exposed, "Can you really be so patient?"

"The Second Madam may still be guessing what the Master means."