Chapter 30 Shackles He wanted to bury that man with his own hands.
"Hey, my Lord, please slow down!"
Xia Fu, the eunuch from the East Factory, came out from the city gate of Yingtian Prefecture. He had a smile on his face, but he saw that the man was pale and almost fell when he got off his horse. Xia Fu immediately stopped smiling and stepped forward to help the man up.
"Thank you." Zhang Jin struggled to gain leverage, his voice hoarse as he nodded to Xia Fu. "Have you found the princess?"
Xia Fu hurriedly said, "Got it! Got it!"
Zhang Jinwei's dark eyes rippled slightly. He grasped Xia Fu's arm, veins popping out of his hand, but his tone remained steady: "Where is the princess now? Is she safe?"
"Ouch, ouch—" Xia Fu cried out in pain from the pinching. Seeing Zhang Jinwei's expression unchanged, his hand still firmly grasping him, he could only tearfully say, "The princess is currently in Wuchang Prefecture, about to take a boat down the river to Yingtian Prefecture. The experts from the East Depot just brought the news a few hours ago! Don't worry too much, my Lord! The princess is fine!"
"Is that so..." Zhang Jinwei whispered. He let go of Xia Fu's arm, forced a decent smile, and led his horse towards the city gate.
Halfway through the walk, he suddenly turned around and asked, "Excuse me, what is your name, sir? What is your position in the East Factory?"
Xia Fu rubbed his arm and smiled apologetically, "I'm just a nobody. My last name is Xia Fu. I used to work for Governor Liu Renfu. A few years ago, I got into trouble, so I came to serve Governor Feng Gui in Yingtian Prefecture. I don't have a job title, I just serve the Governor with all my heart."
"Feng Gui and Liu Renfu have never gotten along, but you just turned around and followed Feng Gui. Aren't you afraid of being called ungrateful?" Zhang Jinwei said lightly.
Xia Fu lowered his head and said, "Your Highness, you may not know that the two governors may not get along well on the surface, but they are actually on good terms. Even if there were rifts in the past, they are now united. We are all working for His Majesty. How could there be so much hatred?"
Zhang Jinwei glanced at Xia Fu indifferently without saying a word, and just walked in. The Jinyiwei behind him also didn't say anything, leaving Xia Fu alone there laughing.
Xia Fu smiled for a moment, then quickly fell silent, wondering what a strange thing this prince consort was. He said he wasn't in a hurry, yet he rode at full speed, having reached Yingtian Prefecture from Shaanxi in just over two weeks. And yet, he seemed so calm, perhaps because he was too heartbroken to express himself, or perhaps because he wasn't very familiar with the princess. But according to the gossip Xia Fu had gathered, the princess and her husband weren't exactly close, but there was some affection at least...
The cunning eunuch rolled his eyes and said, "Speaking of our princess, His Majesty's intention is... to let the princess have some fun outside for a few days. She's been living in the palace for a long time, and after hearing the evil monk's words, she's just curious about the outside world. After her trip, I'm afraid she's suffered a lot, and she'll definitely calm down after returning home."
Calm down.
Zhang Jinwei sighed inwardly, his grip on the reins tightening. He hadn't slept or eaten well on the way to Yingtian Prefecture, constantly thinking about Zhou Shan's unusual behavior. He realized that Zhou Shan had been planning her escape for a long time, even before she married him.
If you want to leave, why don't you talk to him nicely?
Ultimately, he had never entered Zhou Shan's heart. To that man, Zhang Jinwei was merely an obstacle brought to Zhou Shan by the imperial decree. From the deep palace to the rear quarters, neither place was a place Zhou Shan wanted to be. Zhou Shan had never trusted him either.
But if Zhou Shan told him that she wanted to leave, would he let her go?
Zhang Jinwei's eyes darkened, then suddenly frowned. He pondered Xia Fu's words carefully and realized there was something else behind them! Zhou Shan's affair had been exposed too quickly, as if... Emperor Yongchang had known Zhou Shan was planning to escape long ago and had specifically ordered that Zhou Shan have a few days of fun before sending someone to bring her back!
"Eunuch Xia." Zhang Jinwei exhaled, "May I ask which East Depot criminal officer went to look for the princess?"
"Oh, what a coincidence! This judge is an acquaintance of the Prince Consort!" Xia Fu laughed, but his eyelids were drooping. The light in his eyes was floating, and no emotion could be seen. "It was none other than Eunuch Wang Xiang. He previously served the Emperor, but one day he lost his favor and was sent to teach the Princess to Concubine Jing... The Emperor loves the Princess so much. All these years, he has never forgotten Concubine Jing and her daughter!"
…
"Slave, Wang Xiang, pays homage to the princess."
The man in black approached Zhou Shan, knelt on one knee, removed the veil covering his face, and addressed Zhou Shan respectfully. He was thin, with a handsome face and fine lines around his eyes. This face was very familiar to Zhou Shan; he had been with him day and night, reciting poems and composing fu together.
Zhou Shan had been suspicious of Wang Xiang for quite some time.
How could a eunuch, well-read, talented, good at socializing, and well-behaved, be left in obscurity in the deep palace simply because he had lost the emperor's favor?
Zhou Xian felt bewildered. He leaned against the side of the boat, half of his body sticking out. His bun was loose, his black hair fluttering in the wind, covering most of his face. He felt tears stuck to his hair.
"It's you...it's really you..."
Zhou Xian blinked slowly, tears dripping down his face. He froze there, half of his body hanging in the air, shaky and about to fall. His hand holding onto the edge of the boat suddenly slipped, and he fell towards the river!
Wang Xiang was quick-witted and quick-handed. He immediately turned over and jumped down, flying towards Zhou Shan at high speed like an agile water bird.
But someone was faster than him.
Monk Yu had broken through the encirclement at some point, spread his arms, and jumped down to where Zhou Shan fell. His monk robe fluttered in the air. He stretched out his hand and held Zhou Shan's hand tightly.
The hand was cold, drained of all color, and beneath the glaring autumn sun, it looked frighteningly pale. Zhou Xian's face was also pale, his lips pale. Anger, transformed into tears, continuously flowed from him, making one wonder if he would die of heartache.
With two splashes, Monk Yu fell into the water holding Zhou Xian.
"Fang Yuan... I'm sorry, I seem to have implicated you... cough cough." Zhou Xian's voice was weak, as if he had choked on some water. The river water was icy cold and he was trembling all over. The only bit of warmth he had came from the Jade Monk who was holding him.
Monk Yu smiled helplessly and did not respond. He just lifted Zhou Xian up. The two of them floated on the water, surrounded by masters of the East Factory on all sides.
"Shameless evil monk, let the princess go!"
Wang Xiang shouted coldly. He kept approaching Monk Yu and Zhou Xian, extending a hand midway. He put on a smile again and sighed, "When His Majesty learned that the princess had escaped, he was so worried that he lost his appetite. His Majesty is old. Can the princess bear to cause her father so much worry?"
Zhou Xian closed her eyes, unwilling to look at him.
Wang Xiang wasn't angry either, but continued to smile gently. "Princess, you've been away for over a month now, so you should have had enough fun. I just thought you were listening to the evil monk's nonsense and replied to His Majesty in this way... But I still have to advise you, Princess. The war is going on ahead, and the court is in a state of panic. Your current actions are truly impulsive."
"Go home, Princess. As a child of the royal family, you should consider the interests of the court!"
…
"Princess still refuses to eat?"
Wang Xiang asked the eunuch from the East Factory in front of the door. He was wearing a red lining and a Qilin patch on his body, which was very different from his usual delicate and elegant temperament.
The eunuch replied respectfully, "From morning till night, the princess only drank two sips of water and did not touch any of her food."
Wang Xiang asked calmly, "Did he say anything?"
The eunuch said, "In reply to Eunuch Wang, the princess asked about the evil monk several times, saying that he was her friend and forbade us to harm him. She also asked about Censor Zhang's whereabouts, but she didn't say anything else."
"That child..." Wang Xiang sighed. "I understand. You leave. Have the children remove the demon monk's shackles, treat him to a fine vegetarian meal, and prepare fifty taels of gold to send him away."
The eunuch was puzzled and knelt hurriedly to ask, "Forgive my son's ignorance, but that evil monk previously caused chaos in the royal temple, injured Prince Jing, escaped from the prison, and now has kidnapped Princess Jiayi. He should be executed immediately. Why..."
"Hmph, you also know you're foolish!" Wang Xiang smiled and shook his head. "Your foster father loves you, so today I'm giving you a few words of advice. That evil monk is quite powerful, and behind him is the Sixth Prince Zhou Heng. And the Sixth Prince is currently in the limelight, and His Majesty likes him very much. Since His Majesty hasn't punished the evil monk, how can we, your servants, interfere? You can leave now!"
The eunuch was surprised and delighted. He knelt down and kowtowed three times: "My son has learned his lesson!"
After his adopted son left, Wang Xiang knocked on the door. After a while, no one answered. He sighed, reached out and pushed the door open, saying, "Princess, I'm sorry to bother you."
The room was simply furnished. Before the dressing table stood an open box of gold, surrounded by a number of precious banknotes, small change, and other valuables. Wang Xiang looked toward the couch and saw a figure with her hands clasped around her knees, her face buried between her legs. Her black hair was cut short, barely reaching her waist. She wore a thin undergarment, and her long gown and horse-faced skirt lay on a stool beside the couch.
Wang Xiang gathered up the clothes, sat down on a stool, and said softly, "Princess, is there anything you would like to ask me?"
Hearing this, Zhou Xian reluctantly raised his head and glanced at Wang Xiang. His eyes were red, his face still stained with tears, and the cloth on his knees was wet. He said in a barely audible voice, "Mother...does she know?"
Wang Xiang was silent.
"Concubine Jing didn't know." After a moment, Wang Xiang said calmly, "Concubine Jing had a strong temper. His Majesty was afraid that she would be easily broken after her early death, so he asked me to stay with her and keep her quiet. Who would have thought that Concubine Jing couldn't adapt to life in the palace and passed away early."
"Heh...just past the easy break!"
Zhou Xian's eyes suddenly widened. She crawled to Wang Xiang's front using both hands and knees, grabbing her by the collar. Every word she spoke was stained with tears and blood: "She was clearly abducted into the palace... She never consented to it. How can you take it for granted? If you had known earlier... What would she be? What would I be?"
He came to this world with great difficulty, wanting to live a glorious life, taking away Fu Ningxiang's unfulfilled regrets, cutting off the shackles of his bloodline, and from then on, the sky would be high and the seas would be vast, with nothing to bind him anymore.
Who would have thought that it was all someone else's calculation.
"Wang Xiang, answer me, did he know it a long time ago... that I was a man, that I wanted to escape..." Zhou Shan couldn't stop crying, he was shaking all over with crying, his tears wet Wang Xiang's clothes. Wang Xiang felt sorry for the child he raised, and raised his hand to touch his forehead.
But Zhou Xian dodged it.
"Princess, please understand. There's nothing in this world that the Emperor doesn't know." Wang Xiang looked at Zhou Shan pitifully. "The Emperor is the heaven of Daning. The whole world belongs to the Emperor, and everything above the Emperor's land is under the Emperor's control. The Emperor loves you and Concubine Jing, so he allows you to act recklessly and has never blamed you..."
"So he wants my mother and I to be grateful to him?" Zhou Xian interrupted Wang Xiang coldly. He looked back at Wang Xiang, hatred in his eyes, and then he couldn't help crying. "So my mother's efforts were just nonsense in his eyes..."
What a conceited and arrogant person.
Zhou Xian gasped for breath a few times. He had not eaten for a day and a night, and his body had no strength. The shackles that had bound him since he was born were now getting tighter and tighter, and he could hardly breathe.
He fell on the couch, his ears ringing, and in a daze he asked again: "Where is Zhang Jinwei? Does he know? Is he..." Was it also arranged, arranged to deceive him, pretending to be sincere, but actually it was all an act?
Wang Xiang sighed, "The Prince Consort is just a scholar, how would he know? But His Majesty, by marrying the princess to him, is indeed supporting the clean forces. The Chen faction has been rampant in recent years, and it's time to curb it."
Zhou Xian didn't want to listen anymore. He wrapped himself in the quilt and fell asleep in extreme pain. In his dream, he experienced a revolving lantern of events, including his childhood, youth, and the present... Each event passed by like flowing water. Finally, he saw Fu Ningxiang standing on the distant other side with a sad look in her eyes.
If he died...
Is death better than life?
After his death, he could only be buried as the tenth child of Emperor Yongchang. Even after his death, he could not break free from this bondage, or it could be said to be a curse.
Zhou Xian woke up from his dream, his whole body cold. He stumbled to the window and saw the bright moon shining on the river, the fishing lights flickering, everything was silent, and the world was in chaos.
He refuses to admit defeat.
So what if I can’t break the shackles?
Zhou Xian thought almost stubbornly that since he dared to use himself to support the Qingliu, he would dare to let the Qingliu serve his own purposes. He must stay alive, and make that person's later years worse than death.
He wanted to bury the man himself.
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