Chapter 24 024 "I'm scared when I see you, so we'll sleep in separate rooms..."
Despite his different status, Xiao Yu still received some preferential treatment in the prison. This was evident when he tentatively asked the jailer for a basin of clean water. After consulting with the prison warden, the jailer actually brought Xiao Yu a basin of cold water every morning.
Xiao Yu simply used a basin of water and a handkerchief to wash his face and rinse his mouth, then used the remaining water to wipe his body and wash his feet. He would wash his hair every two days. He was so particular that even the jailer gave him a chipped old wooden comb and a tattered cloth to wipe his feet.
There were many inconveniences in the prison, so he could only make do as he could. For example, on the morning of the third day of his imprisonment, Xiao Yu washed his socks and hung them to dry on the side railing of the cell. Once they were dry, he continued to hang them there. After all, he was in prison and didn't need to wear socks, so they wouldn't get dirty and he wouldn't need to wash them. He also hung up his outer robe as much as possible during the day when it wasn't cold, only using it as a blanket when it got cold at night.
Therefore, when Xiao Yu was brought to the Imperial Study by the Imperial Guards, Emperor Yongcheng saw a clean-faced and fairly neat Xiao Yu, who looked even more energetic than some candidates who had just left the examination hall. Apart from his pale complexion and slight weight loss, he did not look like someone who had just spent seven days in prison.
Emperor Yongcheng scoffed, "Looks like you're quite comfortable in prison."
Kneeling a few steps away, Xiao Yu looked up at the emperor and said truthfully, "Your Majesty, the prison meals are meager, served twice a day. The straw mats on the beds are cold and damp, and there are rats and insects in the area. The students find it difficult to eat and cannot sleep at night. They are very uncomfortable."
Emperor Yongcheng: "..."
He even calls himself a student; he really knows how to get close to people!
However, Xiao Yu had studied at the Imperial Academy since childhood and had participated in the palace examination, so he could indeed be considered a disciple of the emperor.
"Have you ever regretted it?" Emperor Yongcheng asked with a hint of sarcasm.
Xiao Yu exchanged another glance with the emperor, then bowed and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty is still willing to see me, and I am even kneeling here to pay my respects, therefore I have no regrets."
Emperor Yongcheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "You mean, you would only regret it if I had directly sent someone to drag you to the execution ground and behead you that day?"
Xiao Yu maintained his forehead touching the ground: "Perhaps, but compared to regret, the student will be more heartbroken that the Emperor failed to understand the student's loyalty to the Emperor."
Having understood this loyalty, Emperor Yongcheng fell silent again. After a long while, he said, "Kneel up straight. I don't want to see the back of your head."
Xiao Yu obeyed.
He lowered his eyes respectfully, and Emperor Yongcheng's gaze fell on Xiao Yu's face. It was a young and handsome face. Emperor Yongcheng had seen this face when it was still full of childishness, and he had seen this face when it was injured and disheveled by some powerful young master, yet still righteous and awe-inspiring. Having seen it so many times, he inevitably developed some affection for him. So on the day of the palace examination, Emperor Yongcheng changed his mind at the last minute and spared Xiao Yu's life.
Few emperors with great ambitions want to be called incompetent rulers. Emperor Yongcheng was once a wise and open-minded ruler who was good at accepting advice. After his first Northern Expedition failed, he suffered the first great humiliation of his life. Therefore, his second Northern Expedition was not only to unify the country but also to avenge himself. So he could not tolerate his ministers dampening his spirits and undermining the morale of his soldiers.
Emperor Yongcheng did not regret executing the three upright officials. When the second Northern Expedition was defeated again, Emperor Yongcheng felt half regret and half that they had brought him bad luck first.
If Xiao Yu had only offered kind advice, Emperor Yongcheng would have scolded him and removed him from the list of successful candidates, or sent Xiao Yu to serve as a county magistrate. But Xiao Yu threatened him with the fall of the country, which made Emperor Yongcheng feel as if he had been struck on the head, and he began to truly weigh the pros and cons of another northern expedition.
"Tell me, why do you, a scholar focused on preparing for the exam, worry about the fall of the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
Xiao Rong only knows how to flatter and fawn all day long. Xiao Hu and Xiao Lin are both military men. The three of them combined probably don't think as much as Xiao Yu.
After a moment's thought, Xiao Yu said, "Your Majesty's two failed northern expeditions have proven that the Yin Kingdom and the two Hu tribes are external threats that the Great Zhou cannot eliminate in the short term. If the emperor and his ministers are of one mind and the people are of one mind, the external threats from the north will not be enough to endanger the country. However, I have heard from outside the officialdom that bandits are rising up all over the country and their forces are growing. Later, whether I traveled to Songshan or Yangzhou, the merchants and people I encountered did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to hire bodyguards, which shows that bandits have spread throughout the land. Where do bandits come from? It is only because the officials have forced the people to rebel. When the people rebel, internal strife arises. With such internal and external troubles, Your Majesty is still determined to launch a northern expedition, which is tantamount to personally putting the Great Zhou in danger of collapse."
Emperor Yongcheng had also witnessed the chaos described by Xiao Yu, but having been a wise and benevolent ruler since the founding of the dynasty, he rarely left the magnificent imperial city. He also personally pushed away the loyal ministers who were willing to tell him the truth, thus deceiving himself along with the remaining ministers.
"Fine, considering your loyalty, I will not hold it against you this time, but this will not be a repeat of the same mistake."
Xiao Yu kowtowed to express his gratitude.
Emperor Yongcheng waved his hand, as if he didn't want to look at him again.
.
Before the officials finished their shifts, apart from the Imperial Guards who escorted Xiao Yu out of the capital, almost no one knew that the top scorer in the imperial examination, who had been imprisoned a few days earlier, had just been released.
Outsiders didn't know, and neither did the Xiao family. Xiao Yu walked step by step from the imperial city back to the Marquis of Zhongyi's residence, and then knocked on his own tightly closed vermilion gate.
The gatekeeper answered the door and, peeking through the crack, saw the Third Young Master return unharmed. Overjoyed, he burst into tears and rushed off to tell the Marquis's wife the good news!
Xiao Rong and Deng ran out one after the other and met halfway. Deng burst into tears, while Xiao Yu knelt down in front of the two elders.
"You jinx, what are you doing back here!"
Xiao Rong confirmed that his son was unharmed and did not appear to have been tortured in prison. His worry instantly turned into anger, and he raised his foot to kick his son.
"You dare!"
Madam Deng pushed her husband away, then threw herself on her son, crying. She frantically touched his arms and legs with both hands, tears streaming down her face: "Are you alright? Did you suffer in there? The Emperor released you? Does that mean he won't pursue the matter any further?"
Xiao Rong stood to the side, his face ashen, staring intently at his son, waiting to see how he would answer.
Xiao Yu could not bear to look at his loving mother like this. He tried his best to suppress his bitterness and said as calmly as possible, "I did not suffer. I even had clean water to wash my face every day. The Emperor is magnanimous and has pardoned me. He will not pursue the matter any further. Please rest assured, Mother, and please rest assured, Father."
Xiao Rong spat and said, "I'm not worried about you at all. I just hope you die out there, so that I won't scare your mother to death this time and then come back again!"
Madam Deng held her son's face, crying and laughing at the same time: "Don't listen to his stubbornness. He went to kneel outside the capital as soon as you got into trouble, and he knelt there all night. He was more worried about you than anyone else..."
Xiao Rong flicked his sleeve: "I'm worried he'll implicate our whole family!"
After saying this, he turned and walked inside, intending to change into his official robes and enter the palace to express his gratitude.
Yang Yanzhen, who lived right behind Wanhetang, came over upon hearing the news. Seeing that his brother-in-law was alright, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Hu and Xiao Lin went to work, and Li Huaiyun, having received the news, also rushed over. He saw his mother-in-law holding her brother-in-law's hand, asking him about everything in detail.
Xiao Yu patiently answered his mother, glancing outside every now and then. Shensi Hall and Jingxian Hall were the same distance from the main courtyard. His second sister-in-law had already arrived, but why hadn't his wife come yet?
Noticing her son's absent-mindedness, Deng hurriedly said, "I was so happy that I forgot to tell you. Fu'er is the one who is most worried about you. She hasn't been able to eat or drink for days. She's afraid she won't have the strength to come see you. You should go back and check on her. Tonight, our family can have a reunion dinner together."
Xiao Yu nodded, bid farewell to his mother and two sisters-in-law, and then quickly left.
Shensi Hall.
When Luo Fu received the news that the Third Young Master had returned to the mansion, she excitedly got out of bed and ran outside. She stopped abruptly at the door of the main hall, remembering her plan to divorce Xiao Yu.
Her sister-in-law, Yang Yanzhen, repeatedly reassured her that Xiao Yu would not be punished too severely, so her sister-in-law guessed correctly: the Emperor was merciful and let Xiao Yu go home.
What if he's released? Xiao Yu is someone who dares to speak frankly and ridicule even the emperor. Even if the emperor dares to continue using him, Luo Fu wouldn't dare to stay with him anymore. Getting off the hook once was lucky. Can he really escape every time by sheer luck?
Once the storm passes and they're getting a divorce, why would she still want to see him again?
Thinking of this, Luo Fu retreated to the inner room and calmly sat down in front of the dressing table to comb her hair. Even though she was leaving, she still needed to tidy herself up before dealing with things for a while; letting her hair down would only make her look bad.
On his way back, Xiao Yu encountered Qingchuan, who had come to pick him up, while Chaosheng stayed in the courtyard to prepare his young master's washing and grooming supplies.
"How has Madam been these past few days?" Xiao Yu asked as they walked.
Qingchuan sighed: "I've been cooped up in the central courtyard the whole time, and haven't stepped out of Shensi Hall even once."
Xiao Yu walked even faster, and when he finally stepped into Shensi Hall, he thought of the image of his wife standing under the eaves, smiling at him, when he returned from the last imperial examination...
Before the image had faded from his mind, Xiao Yu found himself facing the empty main hall in the front yard.
Xiao Yu paused noticeably.
Upon seeing this, Qingchuan explained on behalf of his wife, "Madam may have harmed her health due to excessive worry..."
If his wife was well, Xiao Yu would take a bath before reuniting with her. But since his wife was ill, Xiao Yu went directly to the Central Hospital.
Ping An and her four head maids waited in the courtyard. When they saw the Third Young Master who had escaped death, they were both happy and uneasy because the Madam's reaction was really unusual.
Xiao Yu dismissed their formalities and, as he lifted the curtain to enter the east side room, saw his wife sitting upright in a chair facing north. Spring had arrived, and his wife was dressed in a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). When she looked up at him, her expression was indifferent, neither joyful nor sorrowful. But Xiao Yu immediately noticed that his wife had lost weight; her face was no longer as full as before, and her fair complexion lacked a healthy rosy glow.
"It's my fault for making you worry, Madam." Xiao Yu walked over and tried to take his wife's hand.
Luo Fu avoided his gaze, looked up at him briefly, then lowered her eyes and said, "My mother is more afraid of you getting into trouble than I am. So, has the Emperor pardoned you?"
Xiao Yu sensed his wife's coldness; she was angry with him.
Xiao Yu could understand this, just as he could understand his father's anger.
"Yes, His Majesty has pardoned me. I have caused you to worry and fear. Please forgive me, Madam." Xiao Yu took two steps back and solemnly apologized to his wife.
Looking at his impeccable bow, Luo Fu twitched the corner of her mouth: "It's good that you're innocent. You've suffered too. Go and get ready."
After saying that, she got up and went to the inner room.
Xiao Yu stood still until the curtains in the inner room stopped swaying. He looked at the clothes he hadn't changed in seven days and had no choice but to go to the front yard to take a bath.
After thoroughly washing himself and changing into a clean brocade robe, Xiao Yu went to his wife's side again. However, his wife still had that cold and distant look. He apologized to her and said he didn't blame her. He asked her if it was okay and said it was alright. He wouldn't say another word. The couple was even more estranged than before they got married.
After dusk, the eldest and second eldest brothers returned, and the couple went to the main courtyard for a reunion dinner. Luo Fu listened silently and rarely spoke.
Xiao Lin: "Has His Majesty given any instructions on whether your examination paper is still valid?"
Xiao Yu answered "I don't know," and discovered that his wife was completely oblivious to such an important question.
Only then did Xiao Yu realize that his wife's anger might not be as simple as he had thought.
After the meal, Xiao Yu followed his silent wife back to Shensi Hall. His wife walked along the covered walkway toward the central courtyard, and Xiao Yu followed her subconsciously.
As they rounded the corner, Luo Fu stopped and turned to the man behind her, saying, "I'm not feeling well, you can sleep up ahead."
Xiao Yu grabbed her wrist and asked with concern, "Where do you feel unwell? I'll send someone to fetch a doctor. Don't delay."
Luo Fu shook her head and pushed his hand away: "I'm scared when I see you. I'm afraid I'll have nightmares about being beheaded along with you, so let's have separate rooms for now."
Xiao Yu was stunned. By the time he came to his senses, his wife's figure had already disappeared around the corner, leaving only the sound of her footsteps gradually fading away.
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Author's note: "My husband must be hungry after just getting out of prison. Hurry up and have a bowl of food at the closed door." [doge emoji]
Haha, 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
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