Chapter 58: Pauper "She's really smart. She's worthy of being me...
Winter arrived much earlier than usual in the capital this year. The north wind howled, the snow drifted, and the roads were difficult to navigate. Many people chose to stay indoors, but this did not prevent several major events from spreading like wildfire.
One of them was the divorce of Shen Changfeng, the prince of Dingbei Palace, and his wife, Lin Meizhu, whom he had been married to for less than a year. This was not surprising to anyone, as no one except the emperor had been optimistic about the marriage from the beginning.
The people of Great Wei knew that the current emperor had no other passion but to be a messenger of love. Any young man or young lady who struck a chord with one another often escaped the emperor's notice. Couples granted marriages by the emperor often lived happily ever after, a fact the emperor himself was immensely proud of, calling himself the matchmaker. However, Shen Changfeng's actions undoubtedly slapped the emperor in the face. It was said that the emperor was so distraught that he arrested Shen Zhongda and lectured him, accusing him of poor parenting.
After returning to the capital, Li Jieyi did something big. She submitted a letter of apology, in which she listed all the evidence of Shen Changfeng's crimes and asked the emperor to strip him of his title!
It seems that the emperor was really angry this time. He ordered the three courts to hold a trial and demoted Shen Changfeng to a commoner with a wave of his hand, charging him with arrogance and tyranny!
Before everyone could recover from this news, another even more shocking news came.
Li Jieyi found Li Linyuan, the eldest son of Wuding Hou Li Mingzhe and Song Jiusi's nephew! Even more coincidental, Li Linyuan was also the newly-minted third place winner of the imperial examination and Lin Meizhu's sworn brother, Chuqi!
Song Jiusi was both a teacher and a friend to Li Zhengxuan, and Li Mingzhe was a lifelong friend. Li Zhengxuan was overjoyed and immediately summoned Chuqi to an audience. The emperor, gazing at the face that bore such a striking resemblance to his teacher, was overcome with emotion, tears streaming down his lapels. He inquired about Chuqi's past, and upon learning that he was unmarried, he was about to speak when Li Jieyi coughed and mentioned her desire for Chuqi to inherit both surnames.
The tragic fate of the Song and Li families years ago has rekindled public attention, and Chu Qi seizes the opportunity to propose a thorough investigation into the Li family's reprisal. Li Jieyi has always felt that there are doubts about the Li family's retaliation, as the Japanese pirates seemed to know the Li family's whereabouts well. However, Crown Prince Li hastily closed the case to appease public anger, and by the time she returned to the capital, key witnesses and evidence were no longer available. Given her sensitive status, proposing an overturned verdict would undoubtedly cast a shadow on the imperial family, but Chu Qi's proposal is perfectly justified.
Everyone felt very sympathetic towards the Li family's plight, and Chuqi was also a descendant of the Song family. For a time, Chuqi became the center of attention in the capital.
Every day on duty, even if his superiors were furious just a moment ago, their tone would soften when they turned to Chuqi. He constantly received gifts of food and new clothes from the mothers, wives, and daughters of his colleagues, until the influx became so overwhelming that he had to send out notices asking everyone to stop. He received numerous invitations, but most of them were unsuccessful. After court, the emperor and the eldest princess always liked to invite him to dine with them, reluctant to part. Therefore, Chuqi's return to his family had to be postponed. Even when he returned to his residence, many people would come to see him, carrying fruits and vegetables grown by their families, hens, and cattle and sheep. These people ranged from coastal residents protected by Li Mingzhe and Song Lingyi to relatives of the Song army who had fought alongside Song Jiusi.
Only on the seventh day did I realize that many people still remembered them. There have always been people who remembered them.
Shen Changfeng naturally had no chance to witness such a grand occasion. He had been in a coma for five days. During those days, the imperial doctors drew lots to go to the prince's palace to ask for preparations for his funeral. However, when they saw Shen Zhongda sitting in Qinghui Hall with a knife and a gloomy face, they shrank back.
It was half a month later when Shen Changfeng fully woke up.
In Qinghui Hall, an unfamiliar maid peeked out from behind the curtain and said timidly, "Dalang, the medicine is ready."
Hearing no response, the maid gently lifted the curtains. A strong smell of medicine mingled with the stench of blood hit her face, a stifling and foul smell. A figure lay stretched out on the bed, its pale face covered in dark purple scars. Its lips and eyelids were tightly shut, and there was no sign of breathing, no sign of life at all.
The maid was terrified and, with trembling hands, tried to check his breath. Suddenly, the person on the bed opened his eyes, and his cold black eyes stared at her. The maid was terrified and shook the medicine bowl in her hand. She said with a sad face, "Da Lang, it's time to take the medicine."
After waking up and learning that his position as the crown prince had been stripped away, Shen Changfeng had little reaction. Others might think that Li Jieyi's words were spoken in anger, but Shen Changfeng never doubted their authenticity. Li Jieyi could do what she said, otherwise she would not be Li Jieyi. But that didn't mean he didn't care. This name really hit him in the heart. He overturned the medicine bowl in a vicious voice: "Get out!"
After a while, there was another rustling sound behind the curtain. Shen Changfeng was upset and frowned immediately. He grabbed the embroidered pillow and was about to throw it out. Just as he was about to explode, he heard someone calling softly, "My dear, are you awake?"
Shen Changfeng paused in his throwing motion, then fell back asleep, his hands resting on his abdomen, his dead look restored, his lips moving as he said, "No."
Manager Shen sighed. He knew that Shen Changfeng and Li Jieyi didn't get along, but he didn't expect that this matter would become so serious.
Steward Shen lifted the curtains and looked at Shen Changfeng, who looked like he was about to die. He said carefully, "I shouldn't have disturbed you, my lord, but this is about the Crown Prince's Consort... uh, Miss Lin..."
Shen Changfeng suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards him.
Chief Steward Shen pretended not to notice the anxious look on the other side and slowly said, "The Ministry of Justice has been ordered to take inventory of your private treasury and recover the gold seal, python robe, and other items. However, the young lady has been managing the treasury until now, and the small amounts are not clearly known. I'm afraid you will need to go out and discuss this with the Ministry of Justice."
Although Shen Changfeng is a commoner now, he is still in the palace after all. The people from the Ministry of Justice also give Shen Zhongda some face, and even when they confiscate his house, they do it politely.
Shen Changfeng didn't say yes or no. He stared at the Qilin delivering a child to Chengchen, surrounded by flowers, and no one knew what he was thinking.
"If you are feeling unwell, I will tell someone and I'm sure they won't dare to do anything rash." Steward Shen glanced at him and added casually, "But if there is anything wrong, the Ministry of Justice may ask Miss Lin to verify it..."
Shen Changfeng lifted the quilt, and Manager Shen breathed a sigh of relief: "I will push the wooden wheelchair over."
Shen Changfeng's face darkened visibly, and he said in a hoarse voice, "I can walk by myself!"
Manager Shen was so grateful that he agreed to walk out of this door that he dared not say anything more. He sighed and stepped aside.
Shen Changfeng had been lying in bed for more than ten days. Even the simplest movements of sitting up and lying down could make him gasp in pain. Now he stood up with the help of the bedpost. His eyes were black and his ears were ringing. He was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He didn't even hear the buzzing calls of Manager Shen beside him.
The wooden pillar creaked under the pressure, and it took a while for the man to stop groaning in pain.
Shen Changfeng tried to loosen his hands, but fell down heavily as soon as he took a step. Manager Shen was waiting nearby and hurried to support him. However, Shen Changfeng was tall and had long legs, so he was extremely heavy. Manager Shen failed to hold him steady and he kicked over the small square table with high legs at the head of the bed. Medicine bottles, medicine bowls, teacups and other items rolled to the ground, and the medicine juice and tea spilled all over the floor. The two men fell to the ground, their clothes all wet, looking really embarrassed.
Manager Shen felt like his waist was about to break. He finally helped the man up and said earnestly, "Let me help you over there."
But in the end, Shen Changfeng still didn't let anyone help him. He was so angry that he broke the bedpost directly, held it in his hand, and used it as a bamboo stick.
Qinghui Hall was not far from the warehouse, but the officials from the Ministry of Justice waited for a long time but saw no one. They were yawning when they suddenly saw a monster wrapped in white cloth appear behind the rockery. The monster was panting heavily, with blue and red faces and bloodstains. The most terrifying thing was its eyes, which were wide open and bulging with bloodshot eyeballs, like a Yaksha Yama coming to take his life.
The fat, white clerk who was the farthest away was the first to react. Afraid of being recognized, he quickly lowered his head and whispered, "Don't look, don't look!"
After hearing Zhou Er's reminder, the others realized that the monster was Shen Changfeng. Although he had lost his title, his notoriety was known to everyone. Even though he was injured, no one dared to underestimate him. Who knew if he got angry, he would kill them to vent his anger?
If they looked more carefully, they would find that if Shen Changfeng moved at such a speed, it would be a good thing if he could catch up with them before their grandchildren were born.
When several officials saw someone coming, they opened the vault to count the money. The police officer moved the items one by one according to the list. When he moved the box containing the silver, he felt no effort and exclaimed, "That's not right. Why is my fart so light?"
The officials were suspicious and gathered around. This box of silver should have weighed one or two hundred kilograms, so how could it be so light? When they opened the box, they found that the top layer of silver ingots was still good, but when they dug deeper, they found that it was filled with straw and cotton wool!
Several officials found it even more strange. They took out a pair of account books and found that some time ago, all the money in the private treasury had been used to do business. Lin Meizhu opened more than a dozen shops, including inns and restaurants, jade and cloth shops, and medicine and rouge shops. However, the revenue of these shops were all in serious losses without exception. All in all, she lost five or six thousand taels!
Such a huge sum of money! In less than two months! All lost! This is too much of a loss!
Judging from the reactions of the people in the palace, they were clearly unaware of this!
As Shen Changfeng listened to the account books being read around him, he recalled the way Lin Meizhu's eyes flickered as she flipped through them by candlelight. So she was feeling guilty at the time? He suddenly burst into laughter, leaving everyone bewildered.
Lin Meizhu had been staying at the same inn with Chuqi during this time, and had also seen her on Tuesday. She couldn't help but smack her lips in amazement: I didn't expect that Eleven, who looked so delicate, could be so ruthless? Would she get herself into trouble by toying with this living devil?
Shen Changfeng laughed so hard that his internal organs ached. After taking a few breaths, he felt something else tickling the softest part of his heart, making him feel both sore and itchy. His eyes gradually softened, and he said with a hint of loneliness and nostalgia, "She's so smart."
Steward Shen scowled, then nodded. He realized what Shen Changfeng had said, then gave a helpless, wry smile and nodded again. Why wasn't that clever? Steward Shen knew those shops were in prime locations, had a lot of traffic, and were doing brisk business; they couldn't afford to lose money. Lin Meizhu was indeed quite clever, having been able to steal all of Shen Changfeng's belongings without anyone noticing, hiding it from so many people.
If Shen Changfeng heard this, he would definitely think it was wrong. How could it be called stealing if a wife took her husband's things?
Even if she didn't take it, he would still give it to her. After she left the palace, these material possessions were meaningless. If these valuables could make her smile, his guilt would be alleviated a little.
Shen Changfeng sat on the rattan chair and slowly stretched out his legs. He lay on his back, raised the corners of his mouth, and his face bathed in the setting sun even had a sense of satisfaction. He murmured to himself with honor: "She is really smart. She is worthy of being my wife."
No one dared to remind him that what he said was wrong. Tuesday felt a sharp pain in his teeth and wondered if he had hit his head.
The officials came in high spirits and left listlessly, carrying dozens of taels of silver and a few scattered boxes containing clothes and seals.
After basking in the sun for a while, Shen Changfeng's face regained some color, but his expression remained indifferent.
There was a long quarrel outside the palace, and it seemed that someone was fighting. But he remained oblivious to what was happening outside. Even after Chief Steward Shen rushed over several times in a hurry, he showed no sign of intervening.
"My dear, the Jade Fairy Tower, the Eight Immortals Tower, the Penglai Pavilion... have all sent people to ask for money. This is the account they handed over."
In the past, when Shen Changfeng ate and drank outside, no one ever asked him for money. Most of the time, others would rush to pay the bill for him. Now that he had lost his title, the money he owed popped up like mushrooms after rain. He owed a huge amount of money overnight, even though he had never even heard of many of the place names.
Shen Changfeng didn't even blink: "Just give it to them."
As soon as he finished speaking, he remembered that he was a pauper and said, "If I send them away, someone will bribe me..." Then he suddenly remembered that he had lost his official position. After a pause, he asked, "What about the east warehouse...?"
Director Shen said, "The prince said the amount is too large and he needs to use the silver from the East Treasury. He needs to ask the Princess for permission."
Shen Changfeng nodded, which meant there was nothing left.
Manager Shen felt that even if the sky fell, Shen Changfeng would still say that he just needed a coffin board to serve as a quilt. He exuded the faint smell of a dead person who had given up everything.
Steward Shen had an embarrassed look on his face. "Someone from Huguo Temple has also come, asking when the prince will restore the golden body of the Buddha statue."
"The rest can still be stalled for a few days, but there's a salt merchant who claims he was tricked into buying the Xishan Hunting Ground. You know, that hunting ground was taken back by the royal family years ago, so it's no longer ours. He's demanding compensation from us, or he'll sue the authorities..."
Manager Shen couldn't help but sigh: "It's easy to guess who sold this Xishan Hunting Ground. But the Crown Prince's Consort was always kind and amiable. Why is she so heartless when it comes to the Crown Prince?"
Privately renting and selling imperial farmland is a top-tier crime. In serious cases, the offender may be sentenced to death by slicing. There are countless people outside waiting to find trouble with Shen Changfeng. If this gets to the government, won't his political enemies punish him to death?
Looking at Shen Changfeng again, he had indeed slowly frowned.
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