Chapter 12 Door-to-Door Service
After getting a good night's rest, Zhuang Dongqing felt a little unwell.
He still had one on him after all.
Having already decided not to side with the male protagonist, if her resolve falters, it would be akin to navigating a treacherous ocean.
Zhuang Dongqing decided to choose the backstroke.
Lie down first.
Drink a couple of sips of hot water to calm yourself down, and ask Liufu to get you paper and pen.
In less than half an hour, the paper went from Zhuang Dongqing's hand to Liu Fu's hand, then from Liu Fu's hand to Liu Mama's hand, and finally landed in the hands of the Madam.
Bi Shuyu looked at the words on the table and read them aloud expressionlessly: "Roast duck, chicken stew with mushrooms (the mushrooms must be fresh), chopped chili fish head, plus a vegetable soup, and no other vegetarian dishes."
Bi Shuyu looked at Liu's mother.
Mrs. Liu confirmed, "Yes, these are all dishes ordered by the second young master. He said he wanted to eat them tonight."
"..."
The paper crumpled between the woman's fingers. "What does he take the Zhuang family for? He..."
Madam Liu quickly advised, "Madam, please don't get upset. You're still sick. Besides, it's really not a big deal."
That's not true.
It doesn't cause much harm, but it's extremely insulting.
What did she take for her...?
Seeing that Bi Shuyu's expression was not right, Liu's mother quickly said many nice things and coaxed her repeatedly.
Bi Shuyu took a deep breath.
Don't argue with a fool. Don't argue with a fool. Don't argue with a fool.
He repeated it to himself three times before gritting his teeth and saying, "Make it for him!"
*
That night, Zhuang Dongqing ate three bowls of rice.
Delicious. *burp*
*
Dali Temple.
Liu Qi placed the examination papers on the table. "Master, the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate have already completed their interrogations of the candidates who took these exams, along with the remaining officials."
He then pulled out another list from his sleeve. "Those circled in both red and black ink are those that the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate have reviewed and unanimously agreed to have no problems with. If the Court of Judicial Review also approves today, then they should be released again."
Cen Yan took the list and glanced at it. "Who is Zhu Bi?"
"The Censorate."
Cen Yan's gaze fell on a corner where Zhuang Xingchang's name was circled in black, but not in red.
The words "Zhuang Yue" are written next to it, but there are no circles or rings.
Liu Qi also noticed Cen Yan's gaze, hesitated, and stood there for a while. Cen Yan asked, "Is there anything else?"
"There's a small matter," Liu Qi reported. "Lord Zhuang and his eldest son have been taken to the Ministry of Justice. This year, the Zhuang family has two candidates. When they were arrested, the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate unanimously advocated taking the second young master of the Zhuang family back for interrogation as well, but Your Majesty rejected that. Today, the Left Censor of the Censorate asked about this matter again, wanting a reason."
Cen Yan calmly said, "There were no coded messages on Zhuang Dongqing's exam paper."
Liu Qi: "The Left Censor believes that this only proves that the Second Young Master Zhuang did not 'collude' with the examiners, but it does not prove that he was not leaked the questions. Furthermore, since Master Zhuang and the eldest young master were both brought, the censor feels that the Second Young Master should not have been overlooked, and should..."
"Is this what you mean by arresting and interrogating people indiscriminately without distinguishing right from wrong?"
Cen Yan spoke in a flat tone, but Liu Qi couldn't figure out what he was thinking, so she just bowed her head respectfully.
A moment later, a soft chuckle was heard.
"Instead of asking me, he could figure things out himself."
Cen Yan pulled a stack of Xuan paper from under the desk and threw it on the table. "Take this to the Left Censor. If he bothers you again, just in time, we can accuse him of dereliction of duty. His Majesty is furious about the imperial examination case. If he finds out that other princes have gotten involved, I'll have to go to his house in the middle of the night next time."
When Liu Qi opened it, he was surprised to find that it contained the articles and poems he had collected from Zhuang Dongqing during his investigation.
"This is……?"
“He probably really did damage his brain,” Cen Yan stared at the poems and texts, pausing for a moment with an ambiguous meaning. “Most of the answers to the imperial examinations are excerpts from previous lessons. If the questions were really leaked, wouldn’t it be necessary to find a famous teacher to revise and polish them?”
It's impossible for anything to be exactly the same as before.
Frowning slightly, Cen Yan added, "Perfect timing. Since you're going to see the Left Censor anyway, before giving him anything, ask him for me why they didn't mark Zhuang Xingchang, that minor official who did odd jobs during the imperial examinations, as a candidate."
*
After ordering food for two days in a row, six meals a day, Zhuang Dongqing finally felt alive again.
Unfortunately, happy times are always short-lived.
Before going to sleep, Zhuang Dongqing rubbed her full stomach, thinking about her decision, hoping that these meals wouldn't be her last, sending her on her way.
I slept until it was broad daylight.
Strangely, after deciding not to go to Li Yang, Zhuang Dongqing slept soundly.
Even though she didn't know where the road ahead would lead, Zhuang Dongqing was no longer anxious.
Anyway... the result should be quick, whether I live or die, it won't be too much trouble.
With this thought, Zhuang Dongqing felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders, and her mind felt refreshed.
But happy times are always fleeting.
After breakfast that day, he and Liufu changed their clothes. Before leaving, Zhuang Dongqing wanted to practice calligraphy for a couple more times to calm his mind. After making two mistakes with traditional characters, Zhuang Dongqing started to let himself go and left the back row full of simplified characters. He didn't want to change it anymore.
After making two copies, he burned them as usual. When he turned around, Liu Fu was standing at the door with a bundle in his hand, already prepared.
Zhuang Dongqing unbuttoned his shirt, took a deep breath, and said, "Let's go."
In the morning, we went to the market and ate our way through the streets. At noon, we chose a restaurant that we had previously hesitated to enter, booked a private room, and ordered a table full of dishes. After eating, Zhuang Dongqing found a teahouse, ordered two cups of tea, and dozed off at the table for a while.
When I woke up from my afternoon nap, the sunlight streaming through the window bathed everything outside in a golden glow.
The streets were bustling with all sorts of people: peddlers in plain clothes, wealthy young men passing by with fans, and old-fashioned scholars rambling on and on. Zhuang Dongqing suddenly realized that he hadn't really taken the time to appreciate the world yet.
Hmm, there's still some time.
It takes just as long to get to the Prince's Palace from here.
After drinking two cups of tea to refresh himself, Zhuang Dongqing confirmed with Liu Fu before leaving, "Did you take everything that Aunt Liu gave me?"
Liu Fu patted his chest. "Don't worry, young master, I brought them all."
Zhuang Dongqing: "Where is the letter I wrote yesterday?"
"Yes, it's in the bundle."
"Did you memorize the location?"
Liu Fu recited it to Zhuang Dongqing; it was the contact address left by Li Yang.
After reciting the contents, Liu Fu said, "The clothes you asked me to pack, two sets for each of us, I've folded them all. The monthly allowance I saved up is also in there." He patted the bundle.
Zhuang Dongqing stood up, stretched, and said, "Alright, let's go."
Liu Fu finished his tea before getting up; he was used to being frugal and couldn't bear to waste a single drop.
The Zhuang family mansion was located in the west of the city. Zhuang Xingchang was a minor official, and he was only able to live in that mansion thanks to his wife's family.
The Prince's residence is different; the Prince of Dingxi is now very powerful, and his residence is located in the south of the city.
Once inside the southern part of the city, the people passing by were dressed much more elegantly. Zhuang Dongqing glanced at the stewardess who had just brushed past him, then looked down at his own clothes. Even the servants in the nobleman's mansion wore clothes made of better materials than his.
After greeting the Prince of Dingxi's residence and recognizing the gate from afar, Zhuang Dongqing headed to the nearest teahouse.
Go up to the second floor, choose a spot with a view of the main gate of the Prince's Mansion, and order a cup of tea for Liufu.
Zhuang Dongqing: "I'm going. If I haven't come out by sunset, then you take that letter and go to that place."
Go find Li Yang.
Liu Fu: "Will Young Master Ji rescue you?"
They had obviously heard of the infamous reputation of the Prince of Dingxi.
Zhuang Dongqing choked up for a moment, then said only, "He'll understand once he reads the letter. Just listen to him."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Unless Young Master Ji personally asks you for something, keep everything else to yourself except for that letter."
"Understood, young master, I will take care of it!"
Looking at Liu Fu's confident expression, Zhuang Dongqing's lips moved.
He wanted to say something more, but after being stared at for so long, he only said, "Then I'm relieved."
"Yes, young master, please go ahead."
"……good."
Having stopped her rambling, Zhuang Dongqing walked away quickly without looking back.
After leaving Liufu and standing still on the street, Zhuang Dongqing allowed himself a moment or two of dazedness.
During this period, I ate well, slept well, and didn't experience morning sickness anymore.
Actually, things are going quite well.
Unfortunately, this kind of life cannot last forever.
After calming himself down, Zhuang Dongqing took another step.
Go find Cen Yan.
Yes, that's the solution he finally came up with, a solution that wasn't really a solution.
Since the original owner of this body will eventually marry the Prince of Dingxi anyway, and I'm worried about not being able to escape the plot, I might as well just speed things up to the end.
Of course, there might be two outcomes: Cen Yan listened to what he said and kept him.
The second result was that Cen Yan killed him without saying a word.
Both are good.
The former simply moved to another place to continue their ancient lifestyle.
For the latter, a swift death is also a form of liberation.
Even after confiscating someone's property, they would still have to be detained in the Ministry of Justice for several days before being beheaded at the execution ground. Now that they could skip the torture and finish the job in a single day, Zhuang Dongqing felt less afraid of death.
Of course, if it really comes to that, Zhuang Dongqing only hopes that the knife falling on her neck will be quick.
Surely a large palace like this wouldn't be short of a good knife.
If we could also ask him how he died, and then anesthetize him before killing him, that would be even better.
Very humane!
After a while of lost in thought, he had already arrived at the gate of the Prince's Mansion.
Zhuang Dongqing shook his head and went through his life story again.
If he doesn't come out, Liu Fu should go to Li Yang. Li Yang should take him in after reading the letter. He has both the indenture and the registration certificate. Liu Fu said he wanted to be a shopkeeper, but being a merchant isn't very popular. Farming is too hard. Zhuang Dongqing chose the worker registration for him and asked Li Yang to find Liu Fu a master to teach him a skill.
He had already thought it through.
If Liu Fu can learn well and get into the studies, then let Li Yang help him change his work registration.
If he doesn't learn well, finding someone to teach him how to be a manager would be a piece of cake for Li Yang. He could then change his merchant status, and all the money would be in Liu Fu's hands, allowing him to have start-up capital without relying on Li Yang.
Thus, Liufu was settled.
The favor Li Yang owed him can now be considered settled.
After confirming that everything was correct, Zhuang Dongqing stepped forward, introduced himself, and requested to see Cen Yan.
When Liu Qi heard the name Zhuang Dongqing, his mind went blank for a moment. After asking again and confirming that he was indeed the second young master of the Zhuang family, he quickly went to the door and saw that it really was him.
Liu Qi's feelings were complicated, but he didn't show it on his face. After briefly verifying his identity with Zhuang Dongqing, Liu Qi asked, "May I ask why you wish to see our Prince?"
Zhuang Dongqing scratched his right hand with his left: "...We'll talk about it when we see the Prince."
Okay.
Liu Qi led the people inside, and after announcing their arrival, Cen Yan raised his eyebrows.
"You've been so busy lately, and today is the only day off for me. It seems you came here specifically to inquire about this."
There was no anger in his words; on the contrary, Liu Qi found it rather amusing.
Liu Qi lowered his head, preferring that he himself couldn't hear it.
"Let him in."
Zhuang Dongqing entered the study, feeling very awkward.
He looked no different from the man he had met when Cen Yan went to the Zhuang residence to arrest him.
Zhuang Dongqing greeted the prince, saying, "Zhuang Dongqing of the Zhuang family pays respects to Your Highness."
He called out, "So you recognize me now?"
That's a rather narrow-minded remark.
This refers to the fact that Zhuang Dongqing did not recognize him at the spring banquet that day.
Zhuang Dongqing: "..."
Zhuang Dongqing lowered his eyes and said, "Your Highness, you are joking."
"I was blind that day, Your Highness, please don't take it to heart."
Cen Yan smiled.
Zhuang Dongqing felt even more terrified.
The hairs on my body stood on end from laughing so hard.
"I've said my reputation isn't good, and the young master is probably feeling it now."
"..."
Zhuang Dongqing didn't know whether his reputation was good or bad, but he was genuinely so nervous that his mind went blank.
Why do we have to tease him at a time like this?!
How could they be so awful!
He didn't believe Cen Yan couldn't tell he was very nervous! Very nervous!!
Noticing the slightly trembling fingertips, Zhuang Dongqing subtly pulled her hand back into her sleeve, trying to cover it up again.
"Your Highness is joking."
Oh no, I'm stuttering.
How can you be so useless!
Fortunately, Cen Yan stopped laughing immediately and said seriously, "Just say what you want to say. I have to go to Dali Temple right away. After today, it's hard to say when the young master will be able to see me again."
Liu Qi was surprised, but immediately realized that this was a trick against Zhuang Dongqing.
Zhuang Dongqing had intended to say something tactful, but after being teased in an unconventional way, he completely forgot all the words he had memorized.
"Then, then I'll really tell you."
Let's just give up and do whatever we want.
Taking a deep breath, as if afraid that Cen Yan would change his mind, Zhuang Dongqing said in one breath, "I'm pregnant with yours."
After he finished speaking, there was a long silence in the room.
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