Chapter 42 Cousin, Where Are You?
After Lily talked for a while, it seems that Miss Tang's focus is different.
"Usually, princes, ministers, princesses, and young ladies would all take them with them when they go out."
The person who tried to take my territory last time was probably one of Prince Rui's men.
"Who is Prince Rui?" Tang Xinuan, ever the curious child, kept asking questions.
Lily replied truthfully, "He is our prince's younger brother."
Tang Xinuan suddenly realized that she had overlooked something very important, "Then what kind of prince is our lord?"
Lily: "Our prince is the Prince of Qin. He was originally the Prince of Yu, but the emperor changed his title last year and renamed him the Prince of Qin."
Prince Duan is the prince who spends every day with our lord, and he's also our lord's younger brother.
Tang Xinuan: "Isn't Prince Rui his younger brother?"
Baihe: "Our Prince, the Emperor, Prince Duan, and Princess Chaoli are all born of the same mother. Prince Rui was born to Consort De, so he can be considered a younger brother. They are definitely not as close as brothers who share the same mother."
This was the first time Tang Xinuan had heard of this.
All the children in the Marquis's mansion were born to his aunt.
She naturally assumed that children with the same father would have the same mother.
It turns out that's not the case.
The conversation had drifted off-topic, so Lily steered it back to the main point, "Miss Tang, you haven't said yet which of us should go out with you."
Tang Xinuan was also a little embarrassed, "Why don't the four of you come with me?"
Lian Qiao hurriedly refused, "The prince said that the four of us are not allowed to appear at the same time."
Tang Xinuan asked in confusion, "Why is that?"
Lianqiao didn't understand either: "Maybe they're worried about safety."
Tang Xinuan couldn't figure out what was going on.
"How about... you two play rock-paper-scissors, and whoever wins comes out with me?"
Lily lost.
He dragged Huang Qi out in a huff.
Zisu scolded Lianqiao, somewhat speechless, "Don't argue with Baihe in the future."
Lianqiao ignored him completely, saying, "Anyway, I like going out with girls. If you don't want to, you can switch with Huangqi."
Zisu couldn't do anything about her, "You..."
Tang Xinuan was preoccupied with finding talent for Zhou Chuanxing, and once she left the palace, she focused her attention on young people.
But talented people aren't so easy to find.
She searched for several days but didn't find it.
As luck would have it, I unexpectedly ran into Sun Qingzhao today.
He has successfully entered the Ministry of Personnel.
The people stayed at the inn, and Zhou Chuan bestowed upon them a house.
However, he hasn't moved yet, still thinking about Hanxi, but they've never had the chance to meet.
However, it won't last more than a few days.
What kind of high-ranking official of the fourth rank stays at an inn all the time? If he doesn't see Hanxi in a few more days, he'll have to move out whether he wants to or not.
“Brother Han,” Sun Qingzhao was happier to see Han Xi than to see a relative, “I’ve been looking for you for ages.”
Tang Xinuan was happy to see him too, "I heard that Brother Sun got into the Ministry of Personnel, congratulations!"
Now she is becoming more and more adept at dealing with friends, and can now naturally perform the cupped-hand salute.
She also played with the small fan in many different ways.
Sun Qingzhao asked in surprise, "You knew I was going to the Ministry of Personnel?"
Then he calmed down.
Han Xi is clearly not an ordinary person; she is not a member of the royal family, but comes from a wealthy and powerful family.
The Regent defied public opinion and slapped the Right Chancellor in the face in front of the entire court. This was something the whole capital knew, so how could Han Xi not have heard about it?
“Yes,” Tang Xinuan lied for the first time, “I heard my brother mention it.”
Sun Qingzhao invited him to a teahouse to reminisce. "By the way, Brother Han, why don't you become an official? I mentioned you to the Prince, but he said you have no interest in being an official."
Tang Xinuan glanced at Xiaoqian and continued to fabricate lies, "I'm used to being free. Once I became an official, I was no longer in control of my own destiny and couldn't be so free anymore."
Sun Qingzhao couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "He really is the son of a wealthy and noble family. So many people struggle their whole lives just to become a scholar."
People don't even care about having the opportunity to enter the imperial court.
"Brother Han, the house that the Prince bestowed upon me is on that street ahead. If you need to find me again, just go there, it's the fifth house."
He pointed out the location to Tang Xinuan.
Tang Xinuan remembered, "Okay, I'll come visit you sometime."
Next, Sun Qingzhao recounted many interesting stories from his time in the Ministry of Personnel.
Especially the part where the regent defied public opinion.
"Young Master Han, you didn't see it. The Regent originally wanted me to go to the county government for training, which would only be a seventh or eighth rank. The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel expressed his dissatisfaction on the spot and even tried to embarrass the Regent."
The regent then asked him, "And how did you obtain your official position?"
The Vice Minister of Personnel was quite pleased with himself, saying that he was recommended by the Right Chancellor.
"Brother Han, guess what the Regent said next?"
Tang Xinuan couldn't believe it. "Brother Sun, tell me quickly, what did the Regent say?"
Sun Qingzhao imitated Zhou Chuanxing's domineering and arrogant manner and said, "Why can the Right Chancellor promote you, but I can't promote Sun Qingzhao?"
Are you saying that I am inferior to the Prime Minister?
The Vice Minister of Personnel was so frightened he nearly wet himself, and immediately knelt down and kowtowed to confess his guilt.
Tang Xinuan imagined Zhou Chuanxing's domineering appearance; how could a man who didn't even know how to kiss or hug be so imposing in the imperial court?
Unfortunately, she never got to see it in person.
...
Next, Tang Xinuan also told Sun Qingzhao about her troubles.
"Brother Sun, how do you think we can discover a lot of talented people?"
Sun Qingzhao truly has insights into this issue.
"That depends on what kind of talent you're looking for."
Ordinary families lack talent, and their only options are housekeepers, fortune tellers, and school teachers.
Sun Qingzhao naturally assumed that the Han family was also lacking these kinds of people.
"You can write a notice and post it on the street. People will see it and come to you."
"So easy?" Tang Xinuan secretly regretted that she hadn't thought of that.
Sun Qingzhao: "Of course, just tell me your requirements and I'll write it down for you."
Tang Xinu pondered for a moment and said, "Then you write it for me. Write that I can help the court collect taxes, appease the people, lead troops into battle, and understand important political affairs..."
Sun Qingzhao didn't write a single word.
This isn't hiring a steward, it's hiring a prime minister.
"Brother Han, this... must be something the Emperor is worried about."
If the Emperor hadn't been bedridden and Tang Xinuan hadn't been so young, he would have suspected that the Emperor was traveling incognito.
Tang Xinuan asked in surprise, "Isn't this okay?"
Sun Qingzhao could tell that she truly didn't understand.
"That won't work."
Tang Xinuan sighed, "But I promised my brother I would help him, what should I do?"
Sun Qingzhao was quick-witted and soon came up with an idea.
"Brother Han, the list of candidates recommended to participate in the imperial examinations this year has been submitted. When it comes to the imperial court's selection of personnel, it still has to go through the imperial examinations."
In a while, students from all over the country will flock to Beijing. We can get a glimpse of who's talented and who's not then.
Tang Xinuan understood. "You're so smart."
Sun Qingzhao was a little embarrassed, "How can I compare to you?"
He was the champion of the Hanxi Mathematics Competition, but he was only the runner-up.
Tang Xinuan added, "Then we can ask the prince to directly arrange an official position for me."
Sun Qingzhao shushed, "You can't say things like that carelessly. We don't have the right to recommend anyone to the Prince."
Tang Xi was surprised: "Why?"
Sun Qingzhao whispered, "It's easy to be misunderstood as planting your own people. To put it mildly, it's forming cliques; to put it more seriously, it's engaging in factional strife, which can get you killed."
Tang Xinuan was startled; she had no idea such a saying existed.
"So it turns out we can't just recommend someone to the prince so casually."
However, Sun Qingzhao quickly changed his statement.
"The court doesn't have many taboos now, because all official positions have been filled through recommendation over the years, and factions have already formed."
Tang Xinuan couldn't handle so many things at once.
She only listens to what she likes to hear and keeps it in her heart.
“Young…Young Master,” Xiaoqian suddenly rushed over and covered her face, “The young master has arrived.”
Tang Xinu was startled and got up to run, but Chu Yannuo had already led his men into the teahouse.
Tang Xinuan could only sit obediently.
She opened her folding fan, turned slightly to the side, and left her back to Chu Yannuo.
He fanned himself intermittently.
Chu Yannuo has already started his shift.
The Minister of Revenue informed him that if he stopped attending court, he would never have to attend again.
He couldn't possibly give up the official position he had worked so hard to obtain.
These past few days, I've only been able to contact my cousin when I'm off duty or when I have to find an excuse to go out on business.
Unfortunately, nothing was gained.
My cousin seems to have vanished into thin air; I can't find any news about her at all.
Although they suspected Prince Duan, the only clues were that Prince Duan and Xiaoqian had been in contact; no one had seen either his cousin or Xiaoqian enter Prince Duan's residence.
Tang Xinuan felt that she had spent her whole life scheming on avoiding her cousin.
She didn't want to see her cousin, and she had nothing to say to him.
She wrote a line of words on the table with water.
He then gestured for Sun Qingzhao to bow his head.
"Help me stall Prince Chu."
Sun Qingzhao didn't know what conflict existed between Hanxi and the Crown Prince of Chu, but he would do his best to fulfill Hanxi's orders.
When the Crown Prince of Chu turned to look in his direction, he immediately stood up, politely bowed, and hurried over to greet him.
"Young Master Chu, what a coincidence that we meet at the teahouse."
He feigned generosity and said, "How about this cup of tea, Your Highness Chu, please?"
Chu Yannuo looked down on the newly appointed Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
Logically, the two should be of the same rank.
One was a vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and the other was a vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
The Ministry of Personnel was the head of the Six Ministries.
By this calculation, Sun Qingzhao is actually a bit taller than him.
How could a beggar who can't even afford clothes be worthy of serving as an official in the same court as him?
It's unclear whether the Regent was bewitched or simply lost his mind.
At that moment, he didn't even give Sun Qingzhao a second glance.
Naturally, he didn't see his cousin quietly leaving behind him.
This was the first time Tang Xinuan had done something so exciting, and her heart almost jumped out of her throat.
Although the Marquis's mansion was a safe haven, it was also a huge cage.
She never wanted to go back there again, to live a life with no hope whatsoever.
Moreover, her cousin never respected her.
I never asked her what kind of life she wanted, what she liked, or what she wanted to do.
He only arranges her life according to his own ideas.
He ordered someone to watch over her and monitor her.
She was never allowed to leave the mansion.
She feels she has grown a lot recently.
She had only been away for a month, but she felt she had experienced more than she had in the previous nineteen years.
She likes this kind of life.
Now I am a person, a person of value.
"That was close," Tang Xinuan said, belatedly patting her chest as she escaped the inn.
Xiaoqian was even more nervous than her, "If the young master catches me and takes me back, Miss might survive, but I'll probably be beaten to death by him."
Perilla and forsythia followed behind.
Lian Qiao said speechlessly, "What do you two take us for? Do you think I'd let him arrest you?"
Tang Xinuan forgot about this. "It's nothing, sisters, don't be angry. Let's not resort to violence if we can avoid it."
Xiaoqian also said, "You don't know how perverted the young master is. If he recognizes you, he will definitely keep an eye on you, and you won't be so free anymore."
Seeing that Han Xi had left safely out of the corner of his eye, Sun Qingzhao lost his previous politeness towards Prince Chu.
"Since the Crown Prince of Chu has no time to have tea with me, then I shall take my leave."
After speaking, he turned and left the room without waiting for Chu Yannuo to reply.
Chu Yannuo frowned, feeling that something was not quite right.
"Who was Sun Qingzhao having dinner with just now?"
Chu Yannuo's personal servant replied, "Two men and two women, all unfamiliar faces, I don't recognize them."
Chu Yannuo naturally assumed that Sun Qingzhao was one of his cronies, "I don't know how he managed to curry favor with the Regent. Even a beggar can rise to the top in one step."
Tang Xinuan hadn't had enough fun yet. Seeing Sun Qingzhao come out, she invited him, "Let's go see a play."
She had never been inside a theater before, but she had heard it was very lively.
Sun Qingzhao, of course, wouldn't refuse, "Okay."
The theater was not expensive; you could watch a show for twenty copper coins.
However, you can only watch it with everyone else; if you want to order something separately, it costs ten taels of silver.
Tang Xinuan understood the shopkeeper's introduction and really wanted to see a performance of "The Generals of the Yang Family," but she couldn't bear to part with ten taels of silver because she thought about how poor the Prince's Mansion was.
"Let's just take a look around."
He made Xiaoqian pay, along with the money for Zisu, Lianqiao, and Sun Qingzhao.
The play currently being performed is "Wang Baochuan's Eighteen Years of Bitter Waiting in a Cold Cave," but Lian Qiao doesn't want to watch it. "Young master, shall we request a different performance?"
Tang Xinuan refused without hesitation: "That would cost ten taels of silver."
Lian Qiao laughed and said, "Someone will reimburse us."
Tang Xinuan still disagreed: "The prince is very poor, so let's forget about it."
What could Lian Qiao say? A prince's woman couldn't even bear to part with ten taels of silver.
"Actually, Xue Pinggui is quite handsome too."
Wang Baochuan endured eighteen years of hardship, while Xue Pinggui married another woman.
Tang Xinuan really disliked this show.
Fortunately, she didn't have a chance to finish watching it.
Suddenly, a large number of assassins dressed in black appeared at the theater and headed straight for Sun Qingzhao.
Tang Xinuan was both surprised and frightened, and she quickly pulled Xiaoqian to hide under the table.
Zisu instinctively stood protectively in front of Tang Xinuan and Xiaoqian.
Lianqiao drew her sword and charged forward, engaging in a fierce battle with several men in black.
The assassins in black were all of average skill; Lian Qiao alone could handle them.
Lily and Astragalus, who were squatting on the tree branch with numb legs, didn't move.
Sun Qingzhao broke out in a cold sweat.
He was born a beggar and had no enemies in the capital. The only reason someone wanted to kill him was because his previous remarks about dismissing the prime minister had spread.
Upon discovering that Lian Qiao, who was following Han Xi, possessed such high martial arts skills, and seeing Zi Su standing in front of Han Xi with a long sword in hand, her gaze cold and murderous, they knew that she was a martial arts master and hurriedly ran behind her to hide.
"Leave alive, leave alive."
With only Lianqiao contributing, and her being spared, the difficulty increased significantly.
She hit and cursed at the same time: "If you don't know martial arts, shut up. Be careful, my swords have no eyes."
Sun Qingzhao could only shut up, but he was still unwilling to give up.
He leaned closer to Zisu and said, "Your friend has a really bad temper!"
Zisu was composed and disdained to argue with him, only giving him a cool glance.
"If you want to live, stay far away."
As the man in black lunged at her, she drew her sword and thrust it at him.
However, he never left Tang Xinuan's side.
Her mission was to protect Tang Xinuan; if even a single hair on her head was damaged, she would be unable to explain it to the prince.
Once a fight broke out in the theater, all the audience members scattered like birds and beasts.
Tables and chairs were flying everywhere in the theater, and peanuts and melon seeds became makeshift weapons; anyone who picked them up would throw a handful.
The shopkeeper tried to stop one, but couldn't stop the other; each one was more ruthless than the last.
As luck would have it, an assassin escaped, and Lian Qiao grabbed an apple and threw it hard, hitting Chu Yannuo on the head as he was passing by.
Chu Yannuo was annoyed by his search for his cousin when, by sheer coincidence, someone stumbled upon him.
He rubbed his head as he glared angrily at the opera house.
There were people fighting inside.
He brought more than a dozen servants with him today, and with a wave of his hand, he ordered: "In broad daylight, people are fighting in groups. Arrest them all and send them to the county government."
Several assassins in black escaped, while others were knocked down by Lian Qiao and were quickly subdued by Chu Yannuo's servants.
Lian Qiao clapped her hands and looked at Chu Yannuo, "These people are in your hands now."
She was about to leave after she finished speaking when Chu Yannuo blocked her way.
“When it comes to group fighting, we can’t just arrest one side.”
Lian Qiao said unhappily, "What do you mean? These people wanted to kill Sun Qingzhao, and I was just doing my part. Your government should give me a good citizen award."
Chu Yannuo scoffed, "You? A hero? I think this fight was between you and..."
He looked down on Sun Qingzhao and pointed at him, saying, "He started this whole thing. Men, send them all to the county government."
Sun Qingzhao understood why the Crown Prince of Chu looked down on him.
After all, who would want to see a beggar serving in the same court as them, and even being superior to them?
He straightened his clothes and walked towards Chu Yannuo. "Young Master Chu, I understand that you don't like me, but you don't need to distort the truth. These people tried to assassinate me, but Miss Lianqiao helped me. If you have any complaints, come at me. Why make things difficult for a girl?"
As if reminded, the assassin in black got up and insisted that he and Sun Qingzhao had engaged in a gang fight.
Chu Yannuo insisted on showing favoritism.
The lawsuit is still ongoing and there is much debate.
Tang Xinuan and Xiaoqian hid under the table the whole time.
She didn't want to see Chu Yannuo and planned to sneak out with Xiaoqian while they were arguing.
Chu Yannuo just saw Sun Qingzhao having tea with friends.
Birds of a feather flock together.
He didn't want to let either of them escape, and seeing the two young masters walk to the door, he called out in a drawn-out voice, "Stop!"
Tang Xinu felt a chill run down her spine, and her steps seemed to freeze as she suddenly stopped.
Xiaoqian hurriedly pulled him away, "Young master, let's go!"
Tang Xinuan suddenly realized what was happening and ran outside.
Her running alerted Chu Yannuo, who instinctively gave chase.
Sun Qingzhao blocked his way at the right moment.
"Hey, Prince Chu, this lawsuit isn't settled yet, why are you running away!"
Chu Yannuo was furious and tried to pull the person away, shouting, "Get out of my way!"
Sun Qingzhao refused to leave: "Prince Chu, why are you in such a hurry? You just accused me of inciting a brawl, and this matter has not been clarified yet. I have only just entered the court as an official and I have already incited a brawl in the street. If those court officials who dislike me find out, who knows how they will impeach me. You must clear my name."
Chu Yannuo watched anxiously as the two young masters escaped his sight, "You are innocent. I must have been mistaken. Get out of the way quickly."
With a wave of his hand, all the servants of the Marquis's mansion rushed outside to chase after the person.
Chu Yannuo followed closely behind. The bustling street was full of pedestrians, but he couldn't find the two figures he was looking for.
He stared intently, searching carefully, and indeed found something unusual.
What a coincidence, the Regent's carriage just happened to pass by!
He hesitated for a moment, then ordered two servants to follow the regent's carriage.
Although he believed that the Regent would not have any connection with his cousin, it was not impossible that the Regent and Prince Duan were siblings and that the Regent might help protect her.
The person sitting in the carriage at this moment was none other than Zhou Chuanxing, who had come out on business.
He happened to run into Tang Xinuan and Xiaoqian rushing out of the theater, and immediately stopped the carriage and pulled them up.
Tang Xinuan was sweating profusely from running. She lost her balance when she got on the bus, but luckily Zhou Chuanxing blocked her way, and she fell right into his arms.
"Erlang," she said with a silly grin, staring at Zhou Chuanxing as if she had just escaped a disaster, "I ran away."
Zhou Chuanxing helped her sit up and personally wiped the sweat from her forehead and nose.
"So happy?"
Tang Xinuan said without any attempt to hide her feelings, "Yes, I'm happy. I'm happy to see you."
The little girl stumbled and ran towards him; this was the second time today.
Zhou Chuanxing felt completely relaxed. "I'm happy too."
The only one who was unhappy was Chu Yannuo.
He went back and questioned Sun Qingzhao: "Who were those two people who ran away just now?"
Sun Qingzhao chuckled and said, "Why should I tell you?"
Chu Yannuo persisted: "If you don't tell me today, don't even think about leaving here."
Sun Qingzhao had never seen such an unreasonable person: "Prince Chu, don't go too far."
Chu Yannuo didn't think she had gone too far: "What are those two doing that you won't tell me? Why are they avoiding me?"
Sun Qingzhao realized that Han Xi had already gone far away, but he wasn't afraid to tell Chu Yannuo.
"Young Master Chu, you must have heard about the competition at Caiyue Tower a few days ago, right? That young master just now was the champion, and there was also his servant."
"champion?"
Seeing Sun Qingzhao nod, Chu Yannuo was filled with despair.
What is he expecting? It's clearly between two men, so why is he making connections to his cousin?
His cousin is mentally challenged and could never be the champion of a math competition.
Is he lovesick to the point of having such fantasies?
"Cousin, where are you?!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
