Chapter 152 "My sister wants to take Chen Liangyu away!"...
The wind at Qianji Plain Ranch carries a rough, grating quality in all four seasons.
It's even worse in the dead of winter.
Spring didn't feel like spring at all; the wind was still blowing. We wouldn't truly be out of the cold season until the start of summer.
Chen Liangyu skillfully stuck a fork into the haystack, picked up the hay and placed it beside the chaff cutter, then bent down to stuff bundles of hay into the chaff cutter. The sun rose higher and then began to set in the west. Life was like that old chaff cutter, cutting through the repetitive hay, one cut after another.
After chopping the fodder, she picked up the rough, prickly feed, mixed it with soybean meal, and poured it into the stone trough.
The cattle in the pen rushed up and buried their heads in the trough to chew their feed.
Before sunset, Chen Liangyu, dragging a leg that was increasingly sluggish due to an old injury and the fatigue of working all day, gathered the cattle-feeding tools into the shed.
At the Qianji Yuan slave shed, some workers who had finished work early were already sitting against the mud-brick walls.
A dozen or so people were crammed into a small earthen house, all of them were convicts who had been exiled there.
These slave sheds were originally the winter granaries of Qianji Plain. There wasn't even a proper straw mat on the ground, just some haystacks. The straw stalks, laid on the frozen, hard mud, were so sharp they hurt your back. The adobe walls of the sheds were often eroded by wind and sand, requiring frequent patching and repairs. The roofs weren't covered with tiles, but with salvaged felt and straw, barely enough to make a roof.
The weather was chilly, and they huddled together in different haystacks in groups of three or five.
Chen Liangyu sat down, and with her movement, her trouser legs pulled up, making them shorter. She tugged at the worn and tattered trouser legs, barely managing to cover her ankles.
A short while later, another person returned to the slave quarters. She walked to the wooden tub, picked up a ladle, scooped up half a ladle of water and gulped it down. Then she tilted the tub and scraped out the last bit of water, bringing it to her lips. Seeing Chen Liangyu looking at her, she tentatively handed the ladle to her and said timidly, "You drink it... there's no water left in the tub."
The well was at the other end of the pasture, and people had to fetch water from it in wooden buckets. If they finished work late, they would have to wait a night to catch their thirst.
Chen Liangyu was usually the first to finish work. Today, a cow in the pen gave birth to a calf. She settled the weak cow and the toddler before starting her work, finishing her tasks almost an hour later than usual.
It was only at this moment that Chen Liangyu suddenly felt that he was in the same situation as these people.
Thank you.
She took the half-ladle of water, but didn't immediately put it to her lips. Instead, she sat there holding the ladle, lost in thought.
On the day the late emperor was buried, she was flogged, and she herself couldn't remember exactly how many times she was flogged.
Xie Wenjun was supposed to enter the city through the west gate. Gao Guan had deployed guards in the west district to protect her safety, but for some reason, Xie Wenjun appeared at the south gate of Yongdu, where she had been flogged. At that time, she was kneeling on the ground of the city gate passage like a dying person. With all his strength, Xie Wenjun carried her, who was dazed and covered in blood, with one arm on his body and took her away from Xie Yuan.
"My sister is to be taken away!"
"If Your Majesty wishes to stop me, let's see how the historians will record your actions today!"
The soldiers and guards of both the Southern and Northern offices were gathered at the South Gate.
Xie Wenjun, supporting Chen Liangyu, stood amidst the onslaught of soldiers. One wore mourning clothes stained with blood, the other's armor torn. The Imperial Guard general's sword was half-drawn, but paused slightly as Xie Wenjun, supporting Chen Liangyu, took a step forward.
Finally, the Imperial Guards parted to make way for them.
After returning to Yongdu from the Guangdi Mausoleum, Chen Xingqian, without even resting, brought the prison doctor who had eaten in Han Song's prison to the palace to meet the emperor. That man was a spy from Bei Yong. From him, Chen Xingqian learned that Bei Yong would temporarily put aside the dispute and make peace with Da Lin in order to put Chen Liangyu to death.
The day before, Zhai Yu had petitioned her motherland to renew the peace treaty.
The coincidence was too much, so coincidental that it gave me the creeps.
A touch of suspicion, a dash of relief.
He was glad that Xie Wenjun had taken Chen Liangyu away, otherwise wouldn't that have played right into Bei Yong's hands?
Xie Yuan suddenly realized that everyone around him seemed to be shrouded in a fog. The more he thought about it, the colder he felt. Whose trap had he fallen into?
The Chongzheng Hall was deserted, much like the lonely situation of this person.
All those around me are passersby; there is nowhere to return to.
Once the mourning period for Emperor Xuanyuan was over, Xie Yuan immediately ordered the Grand Secretary Cheng Lingdian to streamline and merge redundant government offices in Yongdu, reducing the number of officials in Yongdu by more than half of the more than two thousand. At the same time, he merged prefectures and counties, dividing the country into ten circuits. Hereditary titles and stipends were to be revoked after three generations. Furthermore, he intended to emulate the measures taken by Crown Prince Yizhang during his lifetime, relocating wealthy gentry and noble families to counties and towns around Yongdu, or to remote areas, which nearly triggered a turmoil in the court.
The change in the landscape of Yongdu was like a completely different world.
...
All these entanglements were later recounted to Chen Liangyu by others.
On the day of the incident at the Guangdi Mausoleum, Chen Liangyu had no recollection of how she returned to the Marquis's residence, nor did she have much of an impression of what happened afterward. It was only after Xie Wenjun sent troops to escort her back to the northern border that she slowly awoke from her hazy memories.
When she woke up, her body was in terrible shape, and she spent the next six months in bed recovering.
In June of the seventh year of the Zhenyuan era, Zhai Yu wrote a letter to Bei Yong, personally advising Zhai Ji to prioritize the safety of the people of both countries, consider the diplomatic relations between the two nations and the well-being of the common people, cease hostilities, and promote peace on the border.
In September, Bei Yong replied.
At the same time, envoys were sent to negotiate on the shore of Jingzhe Lake. This time, the negotiations were not conducted by Chen Liangyu, but by Li Hezhang, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, and Duan Xuchi, the Prefect of Wuzhou, dispatched by Yongdu. The two sides eventually sat down and finalized the peace agreement.
After the two countries made peace, Chen Liangyu's numerous crimes were brought to light. She had injured countless imperial guards, killed envoys and court officials, disregarded the law, and overstepped her authority... A decree was issued, dismissing her from her position as Grand Marshal of the Three Prefectures.
However, the Eagle Head Army and the Cloud Banner Army remain unharmed to this day.
The Eagle Head Army was formed by Chen Yuanqing to fight against the Northern Yong Wolf Cavalry. It did not belong to any battalion in the three prefectures and sixteen cities, and only obeyed the Grand Marshal. At present, it could be said that it only obeyed Chen Liangyu. The Cloud Banner Army was personally trained by Chen Liangyu. The Cloud Banner Army's commander-in-chief Bu Ping'er and deputy commander Lin Yin were also promoted by her and obeyed her only.
Xie Yuan was most eager to disband these two teams, and Chen Liangyu knew that Xie Wenjun was bearing the brunt of it for her.
After that, small groups of troops from Beiyong continued to harass them from time to time.
Chen Liangyu realized that this was a scheme by Bei Yong to force her to order the troops to be sent out. If she dared to lead the troops to fight, she would be breaking the peace agreement that the two countries had just agreed to. At that time, Xie Yuan could seize this opportunity to demote her and strip her of her power, and then rightfully send the Eagle Head Army and the Cloud Banner Army to fight.
Sending troops would endanger themselves, but not sending troops would leave the people in turmoil.
When she was in a dilemma, Daiqing persuaded Xiqing to lead Ximano cavalry to garrison outside Wanghu Pass, thus protecting her from these disasters and military affairs.
While seeking external assistance, Ximano's food and supplies should also be considered. However, due to the peace treaty with Beiyong at that time, the court's allocation of military funds and food to the northern border was tight, leaving no room for maneuver. In the end, Shen Yan stepped in and donated most of her family's wealth to relieve her urgent crisis.
Subsequently, because of this money, Yongdu impeached Chen Liangyu.
Further investigation of the businesses under Shen Yan's name revealed that Sheng Changlong alone almost monopolized most of the leather and grain trade along the Shuofang trade route.
They amassed wealth through patronage of merchants and secretly colluded with foreign powers.
To fabricate a crime.
Without asking why, he demoted Chen Liangyu again and again, eventually exiling her to the Qianji Plain pasture as a herdsman.
Although she wasn't reduced to slavery, she was sent to a slave quarters.
Day after day, she grew accustomed to chopping hay, feeding the cattle, and cleaning the pens. At night, lying in the simple shed on a pile of hay, she could finally get a good night's sleep.
The only drawback is that Qianji had a grudge against someone from many years ago, which made her feel uncomfortable here.
Chen Liangyu was lost in thought when she didn't notice the footsteps coming from outside the servants' quarters. The dry grass on both sides of the door was rustling underfoot.
Upon hearing the sound, everyone else in the slave quarters quickly squatted down obediently against the wall.
Someone called out, "Master Zhang."
The door to the slave quarters was pushed open, and a man carrying a lantern shone it around the room, looking around and counting the number of people. No one was missing.
His gaze fell on the water ladle that Chen Liangyu was holding.
There was a shallow amount of water in the ladle, which was gone in two gulps.
Chen Liangyu turned his head and caught a glimpse of the newcomer with a brass ornament on his waist and a small cloth bag containing pasture seeds, which swayed as he walked.
This kind of behavior is too easy to recognize.
She didn't look up at the person's face, then turned her head away and lowered her head to drink water.
She didn't want to provoke anyone, but people insisted on provoking her.
Zhang Jialing raised his hand and gestured.
The water ladle slipped from Chen Liangyu's hand and flew away, spilling the remaining water onto the dry grass.
You have to be patient when you need to be!
A dragon swimming in shallow waters will not stir up trouble; a tiger fallen to the plains will not roar.
Chen Liangyu took a deep breath to calm herself, her reason still telling her to stay calm, but she couldn't control her mouth and blurted out, "Are you sick?"
Zhang Jialing snorted coldly, the light from the lantern reflecting a deep-seated hostility in his eyes.
He instructed the strong men guarding the slave quarters: "From now on, give her only half a bowl of water each day."
"This..." The two guards hesitated for a moment, but when they saw Zhang Jialing's fierce eyes, they felt a chill and immediately agreed.
It's so dry and cold. I've been thirsty all day, and my throat is so dry and hoarse I can't stand it. If I don't moisten my throat soon, it'll bleed even if it doesn't feel like it's on fire when I wake up tomorrow morning.
Chen Liangyu picked up the water ladle and walked out of the servants' quarters.
Zhang Jialing: "What are you going to do? You are not allowed to go out at night unless you have something to do."
Chen Liangyu walked away with her head down, and the two guards did not stop her.
A short walk to the side from the servants' quarters led to the cattle pen. The cow had just given birth to a calf and had plenty of milk. Chen Liangyu pulled the calf away and used a ladle to milk it.
The cow was quite generous and didn't stop us from drinking.
He didn't kick her.
His eyes widened slightly, and he looked a little surprised.
The calf had just opened its eyes and treated her like one of its own, showing no hesitation as it came over to lick her hands and feet.
It wasn't until much later, after arriving at Qianji Plain, that Chen Liangyu realized this Zhang Jialing was not the same Zhang Jialing as before. This was not the one who talked about the future, the present, feudal civilization, and a thousand years later, but the one who, years ago, rode through the long street and was so enraged by her words of "short-lived ghost" that she fell from her horse and died.
She found it difficult to explain all of this.
It's hard to believe.
The fall he suffered years ago changed his personality, but after Zhang Diancheng was beheaded and the Right Prime Minister's mansion was ransacked, his personality reverted to its former state, and his habit of dressing and wearing numerous ornaments remained unchanged. She couldn't help but think that this man was fundamentally mentally corrupt.
Zhang Jialing frowned, standing outside the fence holding a lantern as he watched Chen Liangyu reach under the cow's belly to collect half a ladle of pungent milk, which she then drank in one gulp.
He said coldly, "Don't you have any dignity left?"
You were once from a prestigious family.
In his view, the word "respectability" was clearly written in fine clothes and sumptuous food. To be considered respectable, one had to be dressed in silks and satins, adorned with gold and jade, and surrounded by thousands of people wherever one went.
Chen Liangyu said, "What skill that allows you to survive isn't respectable?"
Zhang Jialing scoffed, "You're lucky. Princess Jiangning shielded you and the Xuanping Marquis's family from disaster, preventing you from falling from your high position at the height of your ambition. Otherwise, would you still be so shameless as to say such things today?"
Chen Liangyu subtly realized that he was referring to Princess Jiangning, not the Eldest Princess Jiangning.
"Her Highness the Eldest Princess? She shielded me and the Marquis's mansion from a disaster?"
Zhang Jialing said, "Back then, when my father and Crown Prince Yizhang implemented their new policies, they used the Cangnan people's plight as a pretext to purge the Yao and Chen families. The Xuanping Marquis's mansion should have been dealt with as well, but Princess Jiangning reminded you, which gave you a chance to escape. Don't you remember?"
She didn't just not remember; she had absolutely no idea.
She remembered the suffering of the people in Cangnan that year, and she also remembered Xie Wenjun's reminder to her. At that time, she thought that Crown Prince Yizhang had left room for maneuver and that Xie Wenjun was using his words to tell the Xuanping Marquis's Mansion to make plans as soon as possible.
I never expected it to be like this.
Zhang Jialing said, "Princess Jiangning was punished by Crown Prince Yizhang for this and was confined to her quarters for many days."
"So that's how it is," Chen Liangyu said.
Years ago, when she was still completely unaware of anything, she was already grateful for Wenjun's kindness.
"Thank you for telling me about this."
Chen Liangyu moistened her throat and then picked up the ladle, intending to return to the servants' quarters to rest. Everyone in the servants' quarters was the same: working during the day and confined at night. She didn't intend to waste her precious rest time on Zhang Jialing.
"Move aside, you're blocking the door."
Zhang Jialing didn't move, standing in front of the gate, and asked her, "Are you and him friends?" Afraid Chen Liangyu wouldn't understand who he was referring to, he added, "The person who once lived inside my body, are you friends with him?"
"I guess so."
Where is Chen Yan?
"It counts."
Zhang Jialing's lips trembled: "Why is everyone only nice to him? My parents... are they the last people they remember him?"
"But since he has taken over my body, he should have fulfilled his duty as a son. What has he done? He has indulged in debauchery, taken in concubines and kept mistresses, and insisted on marrying a merchant's daughter, which made my father so angry that he vomited blood and fainted! He has taken over my body, and he has received the honor and prestige of being the eldest son of the Prime Minister's family. When my whole family was investigated and executed, why did he stand aside? When the Prime Minister's family fell into trouble, he should have died with them. Why did he not die?"
Chen Liangyu said, "It's not too late for you to die now."
Without waiting for Zhang Jialing to block the gate, he used his strength to leap over the half-person-high wall.
Before entering the slave quarters, Chen Liangyu inexplicably turned her head and glanced towards the cattle pen. Zhang Jialing was still standing there with a lantern in hand, the lantern swaying in the wind.
With a "whoosh," the lantern in Zhang Jialing's hand burned out, and Qianji Plain was completely plunged into the night.
The next day, as usual, Chen Liangyu rolled up her coarse cloth sleeves to her elbows, mixed the freshly chopped hay, and spread it into the stone trough. The cow gently nuzzled her hand, and she casually patted the calf's back, her movements as practiced as if she had been a shepherd for half her life.
"Hey, there it is, I see it."
This sound.
Chen Liangyu turned around and looked over. Shi Tan, the former supervisor of Qianji Pasture, was accompanying Bu Ping'er and Lin Yin toward the cattle pen.
Shi Tan extended his arm to lead the way, "Generals, this way please."
Chen Liangyu straightened up. She was dressed in gray cloth, the kind of straight-cut clothing common in ranches, meant only to cover the body, with no tailoring whatsoever. Her figure was so striking that even dressed like that, she was easily recognizable, and Lin Yin recognized her from afar.
In the blink of an eye, the three people were in front of him.
Lin Yin raised his head: "How dare you! Why don't you pay your respects to me?"
Chen Liangyu bowed to her and said, "Greetings, General Lin."
Lin Yin was pleased and straightened his back. "Go, pour us both a cup of tea."
Seeing this as a rare opportunity, Bu Ping'er straightened her back along with Lin Yin.
Follow good people and you'll become a good person; follow witches and they'll perform false rituals.
Bu Ping'er was also led astray.
Chen Liangyu pointed in a direction: "There's a river about twenty li away. Go down to the river and have a couple of sips. I don't even have any tea to drink."
"That's terrible!"
Shi Tan hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes. I have some tea."
Lin Yin said, "Then why don't you hurry up and go?"
"I'll go right away." With that, he wisely withdrew.
Lin Yin held up one finger; she couldn't lift her left arm, and her left side was slightly stiff. "General, one good news, one bad news..."
"Let's agree on this first."
Lin Yin said, "My bounty in the Northern Yong army is on par with yours. Zhai Ji is offering ten thousand taels of gold and a hereditary marquisate for my head. Let me tell you, I am extremely important to Zhai Ji; he can't do without me!"
Bu Ping'er couldn't stand it anymore: "Be serious. Wasn't it because you boasted that you would help him kill the commander-in-chief that he let you go? You've been tricked so badly, who wouldn't be angry?"
Lin Yin argued, “I said, either I kill Chen Liangyu or I never go to the battlefield again. I didn’t lie to him. Since then, haven’t I never been to the battlefield? It’s so comfortable training new recruits in the camp.”
Bu Ping'er reminded her, "Let's get down to business first."
Lin Yin said, "There has been a change in Yongdu. The Emperor was assassinated on his way to inspect the fields in the south in order to compete with the Princess for the right to agriculture and sericulture and the hearts of the people. The palace has already kept the news under wraps."
Author's note: Thank you for reading this far!
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