Chapter 78 My purse is afraid you won't like Lu Zi, and you won't like me. ...
Chen Liangyu hurriedly put down the teapot and went to greet him, her movements somewhat flustered, even forgetting to bow. "Your Highness, when did you arrive?"
Xie Wenjun's gaze fell on a drop of water on her throat, the jade-like color reflecting a bright light under the rising sun.
She wanted to raise her hand to wipe it, but after thinking for a moment, she finally just took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, saying, "I just arrived and saw you were practicing your sword, so I didn't want to disturb you."
Even on a bright autumn morning, there was still a chill in the air; the spot where Xie Wenjun had been watching felt alternately cool and hot.
Chen Liangyu wiped away the water stains discreetly and was about to return the handkerchief when Xie Wenjun, having waited for a while without hearing her invite her in, stepped inside without waiting for her to speak.
Chen Liangyu handed over the empty hand, withdrew her hand, and twisted the brocade handkerchief around her fingers before holding it in her hand.
Why didn't anyone inform us?
Xie Wenjun said, "Judging from your words, it sounds like you don't welcome me?"
"No." Chen Liangyu walked beside Xie Wenjun.
Just moments ago, she stood before the Guanju Tower, gazing at the black lacquered wooden door, as if hoping that the door would open from the inside and the person she wanted to see would walk out with poise, followed by two maids in palace robes.
The person did arrive, but no maidservants were seen following behind.
Despite her joy, Chen Liangyu felt a little uneasy, as if there had been an inexplicable distance between her and Xie Wenjun.
Xie Wenjun said, "I was on my way to see my brother today to report on agricultural matters, and I stopped by the Marquis's residence to take a look."
The Princess's Mansion is the former residence of the retired emperor.
Chen Liangyu pondered the location between the palace, the marquis's residence, and the princess's residence. After a long while, she finally spoke, "The princess's residence, the palace, and then here seem to be on different routes."
"My residence is not yet fully renovated and is uninhabitable." Xie Wenjun entered Chen Liangyu's bedroom, found a table and chairs to sit down, and said, "Until then, you must take me in."
Chen Liangyu, leaning against the doorframe with the Lancang Sword in her arms, heard this and a slight smile curved her lips. "A mansion that's been under renovation for so long and isn't even a newly built princess's residence. Are you building the imperial palace?"
Stop being silly.
"Very well. From this day forward, my humble door will be opened for you."
Neither of them spoke again after that.
One sat, one stood; the room was completely silent, the stillness spreading outwards.
The light slanted down behind Chen Liangyu, casting a hazy glow on the hair on her head. When viewed against the light, her features appeared even more stern and profound.
High banks and deep valleys, looking directly at them is like gazing into an abyss.
But those eyes shone like stars, captivating and mesmerizing, making one willingly face even a towering cliff.
Chen Liangyu: "You..."
Xie Wenjun: "This Empress..."
Both felt they should say something to break the awkward silence. They opened their mouths simultaneously, yet neither knew what to say. Chen Liangyu was still wringing out the handkerchief in her hands; if it was wet, she had wrung it dry by now.
Xie Wenjun said, "I heard that you were in a very bad mood at the morning court today."
Chen Liangyu said, "You and my second brother are both heartless. Neither of you attends court. You've shirked your duties, leaving me to be the debater alone."
Xie Wenjun smiled brightly and said, "You, General Chen, have trampled the faces of all the civil officials on the ground. Why do you need me to do this? Even when the old Marquis was alive, he never spoke to those old ministers like this."
"I want to smash their mud." Chen Liangyu thought for a while, then shook his head, thinking it was not feasible. "They'll just submit another memorial impeaching me."
The water stains on her throat weren't completely wiped away; a patch remained damp and glistening. Xie Wenjun couldn't resist and went over to wipe away the stain with her fingertip. She was about to pull away.
The next moment, she was pulled into a pair of arms.
Chen Liangyu wrapped her arms around Xie Wenjun's back, pressed her cheek against Xie's hair, rubbing away a bit of the scent of wood shavings water, and said, "I missed you so much."
“You never used to say you missed me,” Xie Wenjun said.
That one time, it was Xie Wenjun who forced her to admit it through unreasonable pestering. Although she admitted it, her eyes looked like she wanted to devour her. In the end, he even lectured her on how bad it was. This was the first time Chen Liangyu had ever taken the initiative to talk about missing someone.
Chen Liangyu said, "I dare not think about it in the past."
Xie Wenjun pushed her away.
Chen Liangyu felt a void in his arms and something was missing, so he pulled the person into his arms again and said, "I heard that you used some tricks to deal with some people."
Xie Wenjun said, "What other methods do I need to deal with a few people?"
Chen Liangyu asked, "Are you really going to keep those students from the Imperial Academy locked up indefinitely?"
"I must protect the Gu family."
Back then, it was Gu Changxue who brought a blank imperial edict from Emperor Xuanyuan into the palace to save Yao Jifeng's life. However, imperial authority and the law have always coexisted. Now that the matter has come to light, all the officials know that Yao Jifeng has escaped the death penalty. This matter cannot be considered an abuse of power by the emperor; all the consequences must be borne by Yao Jifeng himself and the Gu family. Whether Yao Jifeng deceived the emperor or the Gu family protected him, they must give an explanation and a justification to the scholars of the land.
But the most popular demand now is that the Gu family and Yao Jifeng be punished equally.
Xie Wenjun and Chen Luan suppressed the matter and detained the students, thus preventing the court and the public from taking too drastic actions. However, the final decision on this matter still depended on the Emperor's will.
Xie Wenjun said, "Father's residence in the palace is my elder brother's greatest worry."
Therefore, Xie Yuan insisted on rebuilding the Yanzhi Mountain Palace despite the empty national treasury and the opposition of his ministers. However, the project was slowed down because the Ministry of Revenue could not allocate funds.
Chen Liangyu said, "Whoever can raise the funds to build the Yanzhi Mountain Palace will have a greater chance of winning."
Xie Wenjun said, "I thought you would offer some advice."
"It doesn't hurt to play the villain for once."
Xie Wenjun said, "The tricky part is that we can't use the national treasury's silver, nor can we impose the burden on the people."
Chen Liangyu found it amusing. She had already guessed what Xie Wenjun was going to say next, so she spoke first, "Is Your Highness plotting against Dongyin again?"
Xie Wenjun did not deny it, "The envoy sent by Dongyin to negotiate peace with our dynasty last time, You Jingbo, was the grandfather of the Dongyin Grand Preceptor. Our spies reported that the Dongyin Grand Preceptor was imprisoned and the You family has been raided."
Yu Jingbo's arrival for peace talks, but his failure to bring back Crown Prince Chu Zhang and the captured soldiers, had already angered the emperor. Rumors also circulated that Yu Jingbo had been indulging in prostitution while the Crown Prince was imprisoned in a water dungeon, his life hanging by a thread. This angered Chu Muyao so much that he fell ill for a month. During his illness, someone accused the Yu family of secretly sending four million taels of silver to the central government. Enraged, Chu Muyao imprisoned the entire Yu family on death row, dismissed them from their posts, and confiscated their property.
The You family's wealth is indeed a considerable sum.
Xie Wenjun continued, "Chu Zhang is Chu Muyao's eldest son and was made crown prince at birth. Now Chu Zhang is in our court, Chu Muyao is critically ill, and there are already vassal kings in Dongyin who covet the throne. If we release Chu Zhang now, we can negotiate a good price. But Chu Zhang alone is not enough; we also need to release a group of prisoners of war."
How many people do you need?
"Twenty thousand people are enough."
Chen Liangyu said, "Five thousand, that's all."
Xie Wenjun wriggled out of her embrace, "You..." she bargained, "Fifteen thousand."
Chen Liangyu hurriedly chased after her, explaining in a flustered manner, "The river channel has already been dug, and my sister-in-law's weir and drainage canal also need manpower. Losing tens of thousands of people at once will delay the construction schedule. Your Highness, Princess, Qingqing... please don't ignore me."
Xie Wenjun held up one index finger: "Ten thousand men. The number of soldiers and civilians to appease Chu Zhang must be no less than this. In addition, let Chu Zhang return to Dongyin on his own. There are people in Dongyin who covet the throne and will surely want to take Chu Zhang's life. We will also need to send troops to escort him."
"Listen to that..."
"how?"
Chen Liangyu rested her chin on her hand, nestled close to Xie Wenjun, and said, “It doesn’t look like we’re releasing prisoners of war; it looks like we’re supporting puppets.”
You're right.
Chen Liangyu said, "But Chu Muyao is not dead yet."
"He won't live much longer."
Chen Liangyu pulled out a moon-white purse from somewhere, embroidered with a strangely shaped flower.
It's a deer.
"The craftsmanship is rough, Your Highness, please don't mind."
Xie Wenjun held it in her palm, brought it close to her nose and sniffed. It smelled of flowers and herbs. "Why didn't you take it out earlier?"
"I'm afraid you won't like it."
I'm afraid you don't like Lu Zi, you don't like me, and you'd rather not mention that absurd night at Qunfangyuan.
Xie Wenjun asked, "Anything else?"
"It's gone."
"You've been back in Yongdu for several days now, and you haven't come to see me. You wait for me to come to your door to see how valuable the General's shoes are, yet you're unwilling to take a few extra steps?"
Chen Liangyu actually wanted to go, but several times she felt hesitant and stopped herself.
She said, "How could it be several days? I only arrived the night before last."
Xie Wenjun said, "When you returned to Yongdu the night before last, your brother granted you a day off, but you actually didn't leave all day. This morning you went to debate with those court officials. How come I remember that it doesn't take a day to get from the Marquis of Xuanning's residence to my residence?"
Seeing her accusing look, Chen Liangyu smiled and said, "It's my fault."
Xie Wenjun said in a low voice, "I thought you didn't want to see me."
Chen Liangyu took Xie Wenjun's hand and pressed it against her face.
She actually had many more questions to ask, such as Qin Sensen and Gu Xie. But right now, she didn't want to ask anything anymore, nor could she remember to ask.
A moment of tranquility.
Chen Liangyu asked, "When did you meet Qin Sensen?" It seemed that the courtesan was still a very important person to Xie Wenjun.
Chen Liangyu's impression of this woman was limited to the birthday banquet of the old princess of the Eastern Mansion that year. After that day, the name Qin Sensen seemed to have fallen from the sky, and she became famous overnight in Shangyong City. No one ever talked about her background.
Xie Wenjun said, "I've known her for a long time. Yifeng Pavilion is famous. Which of those officials, literary figures, or wealthy merchants from all over the world doesn't consider it an honor to have a confidante from Yifeng Pavilion? That place is even more well-informed than the imperial spies when it comes to gathering information from all over the world."
Chen Liangyu said, "I know that."
"To gather information, one must cultivate one's own eyes and ears." Xie Wenjun kept everyone in suspense, then said, "Speaking of which, you and she have some history."
Chen Liangyu pointed to herself: "Me?"
Xie Wenjun nodded and said, "Her original surname was Li. In the seventeenth year of Xuanyuan, she was punished and her status as a lowly person was confiscated due to her father's crime."
Chen Liangyu tried hard to recall, but couldn't think of anyone she knew with the surname Li.
The seventeenth year of Xuanyuan.
That was the second year after she returned to Shangyong City from the northern border with her father and brothers. So many things happened that year, so many things were complicated and impossible to unravel, that she simply stopped thinking about them.
Xie Wenjun raised her eyebrows and said, "You once claimed that you would act as matchmaker and arrange for her to marry Qiu Renshan's son, Qiu Shiyan."
Chen Liangyu retorted, "Nonsense, how could I say such nonsense?"
She didn't remember Qin Sensen, but she remembered Qiu Shiyan. His disgusting face was etched in her memory. To act as a matchmaker for Qiu Shiyan—wasn't that degrading a young woman? She also remembered another girl, a resolute woman who knelt at the gates of Yong'an Prefecture, holding a letter written in blood, demanding justice for herself. Many years had passed; she wondered where she was now, and if she was still well.
Suddenly, Chen Liangyu froze.
Years ago, she seemed to have actually said that she wanted someone to marry Qiu Shiyan. The girl she had never met was surnamed Li.
Author's note: I wish I could wake up one day and have 10 more bottles of nutrient solution fall into my body.
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