Chapter 25: The Emperor’s Grace Is Enormous, He Only Hopes That His Debts Will Be Forgiveness After Death…
The women were chattering one after another. Some said they wanted to leave, but then said they didn't know where to go. But in the end, someone mentioned Hu Gou'er, and everyone fell silent with sad faces.
Zhao Changning was somewhat surprised by their reactions.
There are not many people in this world who truly feel sorry for Hu Gouer, but there are eight of them here.
"Eunuch Hu has been gone for so many days, why are you still staying here?"
She looked around the small courtyard that was specially reserved. Although it was not big, Hu Gouer must have put a lot of thought into the furnishings inside. There were nanmu tables and chairs, exquisite carvings, and a complete set of Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain. Even the rough-mouthed white porcelain flower pots casually placed on the table looked like something from the palace.
"Eunuch Hu treats us very well, aunt."
"He said he had something to give to Auntie, and we have to help him keep it safe. We have to listen to him."
"That's right, he is our man after all..."
"He treats us well, we can't do anything heartless and ungrateful..."
Only then did Zhao Changning realize that these women all came from poor backgrounds, most of their families had died out, and two of them were rescued from brothels.
The anger in her heart inexplicably dissipated a little.
She talked to these women until her voice was hoarse, but they just couldn't reach a consensus. In the end, she was the one who made the final decision. This time, she was sincere and didn't just push them away as a nuisance.
"Life in Yujing is easier, but it's not suitable for you. This incident has far-reaching implications, and there's no guarantee someone will implicate you. It's best to stay away. Besides, you're beautiful and single. I'll arrange for someone to send you back to your hometown to settle down. I hope you'll live a warm, comfortable, healthy, and happy life in the future."
When everyone heard this simple blessing, the women who were originally reluctant fell silent, looking at each other, and finally agreed with tears in their eyes.
Zhao Changning specially brought five thousand taels of silver notes today. Eight people each received more than six hundred taels. In addition, Hu Gouer also left some private money for each of them, so their future lives would be secure.
Eight women knelt in front of her and asked to be allowed to visit Hu Gou'er's grave, even if it was just from a distance.
Zhao Changning thought about it carefully, but still refused cruelly. "I have put a lot of effort into getting you out of this trouble, and I cannot let it go to waste."
The women couldn't help but shed tears, but they still kept their promise and took her to the cellar, where the things left by Hu Gouer were.
Zhao Changning looked at the four huanghuali boxes in front of him and thought that this was it. He was quite excited and wondered what Hu Gouer had left behind.
Unexpectedly, the woman was groping around on the ground and suddenly lifted up a wooden board.
"Aunt, the bottom is truly reserved for you."
Zhao Changning followed him down one level and looked at the four identical huanghuali boxes in front of him. He couldn't wait to open them. He heard that Hu Gou'er loved money, so he thought they were rare things. Unexpectedly, they were books wrapped in oil paper.
She flipped through a few books casually and was suddenly shocked. She was stunned for a long time.
The woman asked curiously, "Aunt, what exactly did he leave for you?"
Zhao Changning's heart was pounding, almost jumping out of her chest, but what followed was great ecstasy. Hu Gouer was right, this was exactly what she needed.
She turned back to look at the women and shook the booklet in her hand, "You haven't read it?"
The women all shook their heads. "He said we can't read it. Only my aunt can read it. Outsiders will die if they see it. Besides, we can't read very well."
Zhao Changning smiled and shook his head. He never expected that Hu Gouer, who was so cruel, could actually raise such loyal women.
She pointed upwards and asked, "What's in those boxes?"
The women chattered in unison, "Those are gold, silver, and treasures from the palace. He put them in there right in front of us, saying they were rewards for Auntie saving people."
Zhao Changning was stunned and shook the book in his hand. "So what kind of reward is this?"
"It's considered that our aunt really helped us, and it's also our husband's reward." The women said seriously.
When Zhao Changning heard this, he was stunned and couldn't even laugh.
People are so strange. When you are not sincere, others may not be able to feel it, but as long as you show a little sincerity, others can feel it immediately.
At this moment, she felt a little more pity for these women.
Since they had this relationship, Zhao Changning could not just sit back and do nothing. She found a new place to settle the women, gave them detailed instructions, and decided to send them out of the city one by one on a chosen day to reduce the risk of trouble.
When she was about to leave, the women saw her off with tears in their eyes and sorrow in their eyes.
Zhao Changning had almost stepped out of the door, but turned back. "If I give you a perfunctory answer, will you still give me that thing?"
"No," the women said in unison. One of them said, "He instructed us to burn everything if things got bad."
Zhao Changning asked again: "Do you know why he died?"
The women all lowered their heads, knowing that Hu Gou'er had done all kinds of bad things and was not a good person. After all, the scolding outside was deafening and they were almost implicated.
One of the women said, "He said long ago that this was his fate. He knew he wouldn't live long, and he just hoped that his debts would be forgiven after he died..."
Zhao Changning finally decided not to move the booklets for the time being and put them in the cellar, which would be safer, but it would still require some arrangements.
When she thought of those things, her palms couldn't stop sweating, her heart was full of excitement, and that dizzying feeling came over her again.
But after the excitement, I was left with exhaustion.
On her way back in the sedan chair, she looked at the gray early spring in Yujing City, which was filled with fog, and she felt listless for a long time.
It turns out that Hu Gouer had anticipated his death and even arranged escape routes for many people in advance, but did he know that he would die in a cold spring day with no greenery?
It's going to get warmer soon.
After returning to the palace, Zhao Changning went to the old emperor first. After meeting his descendants, the old emperor woke up from a nap and was clamoring for her to serve him.
The palace maids turned pale, and when they saw Zhao Changning, they cried as if they had seen a bodhisattva, "Aunt, you are finally back."
The old emperor was still angry and refused to take the tea from the palace maid. "Get lost! Where's Changning? Changning, I want Changning. Bitch, are you trying to poison me? Bitch..."
Zhao Changning took a deep breath, hurried in, and tried to persuade him, and told him what was happening outside.
"Those women of his were quite loyal and just stood there waiting. I thought the emperor was kind and knew nothing. Killing them would only add to the dead souls, so I decided to send them out of the capital to live, which would also show the emperor's great grace."
The old emperor nodded slightly and did not object. "What did he leave behind?"
Zhao Changning's heart skipped a beat. He took the spittoon to catch the emperor's spitted out tea and said calmly, "When I arrived, he had burned something, but he did leave behind quite a bit of gold and silver treasures. Your Majesty, would you like to move into the palace?"
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