Chapter 28 Mourning: Princess Jiangning Requests to Observe Three Years of Mourning for Her Mother
Yueyanglou is located on Yunzhong Street and is the most famous restaurant in Shangyong City. If there is anything special about it, it is only that the decor is luxurious and the dishes have fancy names.
Zhang Jialing sat alone by the railing, his black hair slightly disheveled and his beard stubble long. He held a gilded purple clay teapot in his hand, poured wine into a cup, and then drank it all in one gulp. He smacked his lips and let out a satisfied exclamation.
He picked up another exquisite bamboo birdcage, inside which a colorful parrot hopped around. Zhang Jialing was focused on teasing the bird and was completely unaware of Chen Liangyu's presence.
“Suckling, say something…”
"Ahem." Chen Liangyu coughed lightly.
Zhang Jialing turned around and glanced at him, saying, "You've come at the perfect time. Look how handsome my son is, his fur is so shiny..."
"I told you to send a message to the Crown Prince's Palace, but where did you send it?"
When she entered Bogong Village alone, she asked Zhang Jialing to deliver a message to Princess Jiangning of the Eastern Palace. After returning to Yongdu, she learned that Princess Jiangning had requested to go to Taihuang Temple to observe three years of mourning for her birth mother, Empress Huixian. She followed her out of the palace shortly after she set off with her troops to Xiling.
Zhang Jialing felt a little guilty and put down the birdcage. "I was going to pass it on to Princess Jiangning, but I didn't see her. Instead, I saw Prime Minister Xun. He's like a cunning old fox; he managed to get all my words out of me in no time. The Emperor then sent Eunuch Wei and the Imperial Guards to Xiling to meet you. Anyway, you were going to indirectly inform Eunuch Wei anyway, and in the end, Eunuch Wei did go. Different paths, same result!"
He smiled ingratiatingly and spoke with conviction.
Chen Liangyu found it difficult to agree with his sophistry and illogical arguments.
She originally wanted to test whether Eunuch Wei was connected to the person who assassinated Marquis Xuanping that day, and then investigate the truth behind the assassination.
But it seems there's no need to investigate further.
"It's strange, those monsters at Bogong Ridge seemed to appear out of nowhere. Before you even saw them, their throats were ripped out. Many soldiers died at their hands. That battle was incredibly brutal." Zhang Jialing spoke with lingering fear, his fingers still trembling slightly. "Once Eunuch Wei arrived, they were like sheep finding their leader, obediently letting themselves be slaughtered. In the end, I don't know what Eunuch Wei said to them, but those monsters all snapped their own necks and committed suicide."
The leader, that's it.
The secret guards do indeed have a leader.
Wei Xiaogonggong was the only one among the hundreds of children who survived round after round of trials and tribulations and did not lose his mind. After Emperor Xuanyuan ascended the throne, he sent him to work as a lowly servant in the Six Ministries. After Princess Jiangning was kidnapped by the Beiyong soldiers, he was transferred to Princess Jiangning's side as her personal attendant.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't a father-in-law, as he hadn't been castrated. However, due to the torture he endured and the long-term medication, his body had atrophied, making him look like someone who had been castrated.
Chen Liangyu stared blankly into the distance, lost in thought.
She was troubled by something else.
Zhai Jimou obtained the Yin-Yang Three Volumes from He's Military Strategy and knew that Chen Liangyu would definitely try to make his death legitimate. He was in Shangyong City, the capital of Zhonglin, without power, influence, or soldiers. Chen Liangyu could easily pin him down with a single finger.
Although he was protected by his status as a hostage, Chen Liangyu dared not kill him easily. However, he could poison him to make him mute and cripple him, rendering him unable to speak or write. Then, he could send him back to Beiyong with some treasures and beauties, and kill him at the border of Beiyong. In this way, Zhonglin could get rid of him without bearing the infamy of killing a hostage.
So, using some unknown means, he spread the Yin-Yang Three Volumes throughout Daheng. The He Family Military Strategy was already a rare treasure, and when the people of Daheng heard that the original had been leaked, they all sought it out, copied it by hand, and circulated it.
Starting from Yongdu, the river flowed to Cangnan, Linxia, Dongqiu and the eastern Baiyue region.
You want to kill me? I'll spread the word to your own people in Zhonglin first. If you want to stop the Yin-Yang Three Scrolls from flowing to Beiyong, then kill your own people first!
Chen Liangyu noticed the leak as early as the beginning of its spread and reported it to Emperor Xuanyuan. Emperor Xuanyuan then ordered the Crown Prince to investigate thoroughly and prevent the military strategy from being leaked.
The Crown Prince ordered Li Yilian, the Prefect of Yong'an Prefecture, to oversee the matter. However, the imperial inspectors dispatched to various regions reported that copies of the Yin-Yang Three Scrolls had appeared in their respective inspected territories.
The leakage of military strategies constitutes a major military leak.
Li Yilian was convicted of negligence and beheaded; his family members were punished according to the law.
Whether it was Zhai Ji's overly clever methods or Li Yilian's incompetence, the investigation failed to trace back to Zhai Ji, allowing him to escape.
Yunzhong Street extends from the south into an old-fashioned alleyway called Jinshu Alley.
As its name suggests, Jinshu Alley is filled with engraving shops and bookstores.
Engraving shops have only appeared in recent years. In the past, books were all hand-copied and bound by hand, and it took one hand-copied book to publish a book. In recent years, a method of engraving and printing books has emerged. The characters are engraved on jujube wood or pear wood, and ink is applied to the mold with a brush. White paper is then placed on top, and a page of the book is printed.
This method became very popular, and the number of engraving shops increased accordingly.
The most bustling time in Jinshu Lane is during the triennial imperial examinations, when bookstores set up stalls to sell examination classics. This year, there are no examinations, so the lane is desolate and quiet, with only a few scholars coming and going.
"There are no scientific expeditions scheduled for the next two years, so why are there so many more carving shops here?"
Chen Liangyu muttered to herself. Of course, she didn't expect Zhang Jialing to be able to answer the question; that man couldn't even figure out a parrot.
Sure enough, he automatically shut his ears and ignored her question.
"Chen Liangyu, lend me some money."
Chen Liangyu: "..."
Just as she was about to get angry, Zhang Jialing quickly explained, "I didn't go out to indulge in debauchery. Do you remember Shen Yan? She's the orphan girl we rescued from Bogongling. Her uncles and aunts are no good. They bullied her because her father was gone and wanted to seize her family property. I went to stand up for her twice, but as soon as I left, they started bullying her again, saying one thing to her face and another behind her back. So she decided to cut her losses and give them her property to start her own business. But how can she start her own business if she doesn't have the capital? I just wanted to help her. It doesn't have to be much, a thousand taels or five hundred taels, you can give whatever you think is appropriate."
Chen Liangyu took a deep breath, exhaled heavily, and said irritably, "No money!"
"You have no money? The Emperor would love to move the entire national treasury into your house, bringing loads of rewards to your home. You're kidding me if you don't have money."
Chen Liangyu said, "These are imperial gifts; they cannot be sold or pawned. Where would we get the money?"
"What about gold? What about silver? You're giving away thousands or tens of thousands of taels of silver, but you won't let people spend it?"
"After so many years of fighting, military funds and supplies are tight in various places. The resources of prefectures and counties are limited to maintaining the army. Countless soldiers were killed or wounded in the Battle of Dingbei City. Nearly half of the soldiers in the northern border were laid off. The rewards and pensions allocated are far from enough. The gold and silver bestowed by His Majesty are not enough to fill the gap. How can we squander them?"
This reasoning clearly convinced Zhang Jialing, and he didn't mention borrowing money again.
Chen Liangyu came out of Yueyang Tower and walked along Jinshu Lane. The lane was filled with the fragrance of books and ink, and occasionally a river breeze would pass through the lane, making it cool and refreshing.
They are all legitimate businesses, and there is nothing unusual about them.
At the end of Jinshu Lane, there is a small dock where small boats that travel by water would moor and land. Many porters and haulers would rest on the shore. When cargo ships came, merchants would ask people to move the goods, and these porters would earn some wages by carrying and hauling.
Chen Liangyu stood by the water and gazed for a moment when a medium-sized cargo ship docked, and the porters swarmed aboard.
She turned to leave, but met a pair of eyes.
He was a porter who was thin and weak, not tall or short, and not at a disadvantage among the tall and strong workers. It was probably because merchants often did not want to hire him. He did not rush up with the crowd.
Chen Liangyu noticed him because when those eyes stared at her, it wasn't out of curiosity or scrutiny at a woman dressed in brocade appearing at the dock. His gaze was clearly mixed with grief, indignation, and hatred, as if he were looking at an enemy he had encountered again after many years.
She reflected on whether she had ever offended this person in the past, and the answer was: no.
It was a completely unfamiliar face.
Therefore, she interpreted that look as the common people's resentment towards the government.
With that person's physique, working here would probably mean not even having enough to eat.
Chen Liangyu sighed, saying that the people's hardships were the fault of the imperial court.
The owner of the medium-sized cargo ship was overjoyed at the birth of his son and gave each of the workers who were unloading the goods an extra five copper coins. The workers were deeply grateful and showered him with auspicious words of praise.
The merchants were in even better spirits and distributed a few copper coins to each person. Even the porters and porters who were resting and had no work received a reward.
The copper coin landed at the man's feet; it had been thrown by the merchant. He hurriedly gathered the coin up with both hands and feet, fearing that if he was too slow, someone would snatch it away.
Chen Liangyu also took out her purse; she was wealthy today, and there were a few taels of loose silver in it.
She gave him all the money and the bag.
The resentment and jealousy in those eyes, though initially unresolved, transformed into sorrow and immense grievance. Before tears could fall, the person covered their face and ran away quickly.
"purchase……"
...Mutian! You'll starve to death if you do this kind of work.
She only spoke halfway through her sentence, then flicked her sleeve to cover her embarrassment and strode away.
She could no longer walk after going halfway. Several people were hiding furtively in the gap between two houses, three of whom were also dressed as porters. The men varied in height and build; one was tall and thin, one was short and stout, and the other two were of similar build.
Chen Liangyu stopped because she saw a person dressed in a cicada-patterned robe and wearing a belt that seemed out of place amidst the tangled and mottled surroundings.
That's Chen Luan.
His clothes were bulging, from which he pulled out many square-shaped oil paper packets and distributed them to the other three.
The oil paper package contained many of the snacks and cakes that were commonly kept in the mansion. Once, Chen Liangyu heard the cook complain that the mansion was using up too many snacks and cakes.
Three porters sat on the ground. Chen Luan seemed afraid of getting his clothes dirty and hesitated whether to sit on the ground. The man who was about the same height as him quickly took off his hemp outer garment and put it on the ground for him.
Chen Luan said, "My father is sending me to Hanhong Academy to study, so I won't be able to bring you food as often anymore."
The tall, thin man and the short, stout man continued to slurp and chew their food heartily, while the man who had taken off his outer shirt hesitated to speak, his eyes filled with hope and envy.
The tall, thin man, his mouth full of food, mumbled, "Shengzi, is your sister really going to marry the Crown Prince? If she does, she'll become the Empress, and then you'll be the Emperor's brother-in-law!"
The short, fat man nodded in agreement: "Shengzi, if you become the emperor's brother-in-law, get us an official position too, a first-rank official."
Chen Luan hesitated for a moment, "It's not that it's impossible, but the first rank is basically reserved for the dead. The prime minister is only a second-rank official."
"Then a second-grade one will do."
"Then I'll take the second grade. The second grade is enough."
The two spoke at the same time, and as they spoke, they burst into laughter, completely unaware that someone outside was watching their every move.
"Second Brother."
The three were planning their bright future when Chen Liangyu appeared from behind, silently startling them as they were boasting and joking.
Chen Luan stood up straight in an instant, clearly not expecting to be in such a place. In her panic, she tried to hide the bags on the ground, but finding nowhere to hide them, she tried to cover herself with her narrow body.
He realized he had momentarily forgotten his place and said the wrong thing, and slapped his forehead in annoyance.
It's common for close friends to gather, drink, and boast. After a couple of drinks, they'll dare to brag and say anything. But nobody takes the words of ordinary people seriously; they just have a good laugh and move on, then go to sleep and life goes on as usual. But nowadays, people's status is different. If these words fall on someone's ears and are used against them, they could easily cause a lot of trouble for the family.
Seeing Chen Luan so flustered, the other three also lost their composure. Their mouths were full of crumbs, and they didn't know whether to swallow them or spit them out.
"Who are these people?" Chen Liangyu asked.
Just as Chen Luan was about to introduce them, the tall, thin man spoke up first: "We're from Cangnan. Shengzi and I are good brothers who grew up together. My name is Ganzi, and his name is Dunzi." He grabbed the man who was about the same height as Chen Luan and said, "His name is Han Song. His father used to be a schoolteacher, so his name is more refined than ours. Our hometown suffered a disaster, and we fled here together, hoping to make a living in Yongdu."
The short, fat man named Dunzi also hurriedly explained, "Miss, we're not bad people. We didn't mean what we said just now, we didn't mean it."
"It's alright," Chen Liangyu said with a hint of teasing in her eyes. It turned out that these people thought she was there to interrogate them.
She instructed Chen Luan, "Go home early. Also, if you need any of that food, just tell the kitchen to prepare more at once. If you hoard it like this for several days, even if it doesn't spoil, it won't taste good."
Dunzi hurriedly said, "It's delicious, Miss. We couldn't eat these things even when our family was in trouble."
Chen Luan liked to give food to people, and he did the same for her.
That was not long after he was brought back by Uncle Yan. Their relationship was still very stiff. When they met at home, they would not speak to each other and would tacitly avoid each other.
Chen Luan thought that the clothes made her dislike him, so he could only carefully avoid her.
The author notes: This refers to woodblock printing, not movable type printing.
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