Chapter 7 The Last Words: Graves Lied Both Sides
Zhu Qing was stunned; what he held was not a letter, but a burning coal that could scorch the skin.
This letter, which shouldn't have been here, left her momentarily unsure whether it was a spy from the shogunate who had deliberately intercepted it, or whether she had been framed.
If she was a spy, then the monarch she truly served hadn't received the letter, and instead alerted Tian Lingzi; she was doomed. If she wasn't a spy, but Tian Lingzi discovered the letter was still on her, she would be unable to clear her name no matter what, and would still be doomed.
With graves on both sides, Zhu Qing couldn't find any memories in the original owner's mind and couldn't be sure if she was a spy. She couldn't decide whether to burn the letter or not.
Suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps approached from behind Zhu Qing.
Zhu Qing hurriedly stuffed the letter back into his pocket, pretending to be calm as he turned around. He saw his colleague Hua Ning step over the threshold and walk to a hard bed in the room. Hua Ning took a pair of sleeves and gathered them around his forearms, then lowered his voice and said, "The letter that the three of us sent out last month was intercepted. Eunuch Tian was furious and actually sent the Left Shence Army to arrest us. You know about this, right?"
More than knowing, Zhu Qing wept inwardly, feigning surprise: "I had no idea! No wonder the Shence Army is so frenzied today!"
Hua Ning leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "Originally, the letter was divided into three parts at the instruction of the chief clerk. One part was for you, one part for me and one part for Jiu Zhu, and they were sent out together. The purpose was to mislead people, but unexpectedly, the thief still managed to spot the fake one and managed to intercept the real one!"
Zhu Qing: "Oh, is that so?"
Hua Ning: "Isn't it strange? Even we don't know how the thief knew which letter was real? Jiu Zhu said that Eunuch Tian suspects that someone informed on him and that there is a spy in the shogunate! He has already sent people to take control of the shogunate and not allow anyone to enter or leave. He is determined to find out who is behind this."
Zhu Qing took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly as she asked, "With Eunuch Tian's methods, if that person gets caught, his fate will surely be terrible, right?"
Hua Ning nodded. "We were the ones who sent the letter out. I'm terrified. If Eunuch Tian can't find the culprit, he'll kill us all."
Hua Ning sighed anxiously, "Jiuzhu is Eunuch Tian's adopted daughter. She knows Eunuch Tian best, so the news she brings is definitely true. We're all doomed now, and we'll probably all die here. Aren't you the one with the most ideas? Do you have any ideas?"
Zhu Qing said weakly, "I don't know what the best solution is."
She was even more anxious than Hua Ning; the letter was right on her person, and she felt like she was about to be burned to death by it.
Now it's not just a matter of whether or not to burn the letter; Zhu Qing has implicated the entire shogunate. The crucial envelope is in her hands; if she handles it properly, no one will have to die.
Although it was Tian Lingzi who decided the fate of the shogunate, Zhu Qing was the most crucial link. Could she turn the tide for the entire shogunate?
Zhu Qing's mind was buzzing with confusion when Bao Fu called out from outside the window, "Sister Zhu, your family has come to see you. They're just outside the shogunate."
Hua Ning broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly pushed Zhu Qing, saying, "You'd better go and check on them. If we come to see you at this time, we're doomed tonight. Given Eunuch Tian's temper, it's not impossible that he might take his anger out on them."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qing's already anxious heart became even more pounding, and she ran out in a flash.
-
Zhu Qing ran breathlessly to the gate of the shogunate, where he saw about twenty Shence Army soldiers guarding the gate. His third brother, Zhu Feichuan, was carrying a medicine jar and had a bundle slung over his arm. Beside him, Nie Zhen was holding Manman's hand.
"Qingqing!" The three of them were overjoyed when they saw Zhu Qing and ran up to her one after the other.
A Shence Army soldier drew his sword and stopped people, saying that no one except Eunuch Tian was allowed to approach.
The Shence Army's reputation was known to every household, so Zhu Feichuan dared not cause trouble. He craned his neck and shouted to Zhu Qing, "I heard from Mu Zao that your medicine and naan bread were all spilled. I brought you some new ones, so please take them!"
With that, Zhu Feichuan forcefully flung the bundle from his arm into the shogunate.
It fell with a thud at Zhu Qing's feet. Just as Zhu Qing was about to pick it up, Shence Army beat her to it, glaring at her fiercely and saying, "Eunuch Tian said, not even a fly can get in. I'm letting you off this time because it's your first offense!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shence Army threw the bundle heavily towards Zhu Feichuan. Zhu Feichuan jumped up and caught the bundle, holding it in his arms.
Nie Zhen said anxiously, "What should we do? There's no food, and we're not allowed to go out or come in. Qingqing won't take her medicine; her body can't take it!"
Manman's eyes reddened with anxiety, and she gripped her mother's hand tightly.
Zhu Feichuan's face was grim, but seeing the blades in the Shence Army's hands, he dared not act rashly. He looked at Zhu Qing with concern and said, "Don't be afraid, we'll stay in the city and wait for you."
Zhu Qing dared not keep them, fearing that, as Hua Ning had said, Tian Lingzi might implicate his family in a fit of anger. She cried out, "Third Brother, listen to me! Quickly take your sister-in-law and Manman back! Don't leave them in the city!"
Zhu Feichuan had never seen Zhu Qing so anxious. This morning, after hearing from Mu Zao that everything was normal at the shogunate, he brought food and medicine to find Zhu Qing. Nie Zhen and Manman were worried about Zhu Qing and wanted to come along, saying that they were afraid Zhu Qing would be frightened and that it would be good to keep her company.
To their surprise, upon arriving here, they found the Shence Army blocking the road and surrounding the shogunate like a cage.
Zhu Feichuan wasn't stupid. With war raging and Zhu Qing's shogunate under Tian Lingzi's control, the mobilization of the Shence Army was no small matter.
Worried about causing trouble for Zhu Qing, Zhu Feichuan didn't insist any further. He gave Zhu Qing a deep look, then left with his sister-in-law and Manman.
Nie Zhen was a traditional woman who listened to her husband at home and her brother-in-law outside. When Zhu Feichuan said he was leaving, she had no choice but to hold onto Manman, who was reluctant to part with her, and slowly leave, looking back every few steps.
Not long after Zhu Feichuan led his sister-in-law and niece away, he handed the bundle to Nie Zhen and said in a deep voice, "Sister-in-law, go to the Rouge Shop in the West Market and find Mu Zao. Ask him to escort you and Manman back."
Seeing his solemn expression, Nie Zhen's heart pounded. She gripped her daughter's hand tightly and asked nervously, "And what about you?"
Zhu Feichuan looked at the medicine jar in his arms and said, "I'll try to get the medicine to Qingqing. If she runs out of medicine, her body won't be able to take it. Besides, judging from today's situation, the shogunate is probably in big trouble. I have to stay here and observe the situation. I can't leave Qingqing here alone."
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Nie Zhen said with a pale face, "Then, then I'll go back and have your older brother come too. Uncle Yu is enough for the family."
Zhu Feichuan refused without hesitation: "Second brother has been tinkering with herbs all year round. He's very frail. What can he do? Let eldest brother stay and watch over you."
Nie Zhen thought it made sense, so she didn't say anything more and returned the bundle to Zhu Feichuan: "The food inside can't be sent to Qingqing, so you can keep it for yourself. I still have some copper coins here, take them. The city isn't safe right now, so find a place to stay. Don't sleep on the streets like before."
Zhu Feichuan didn't refuse, knowing he couldn't refuse Nie Zhen anyway, and accepted the copper coins.
"Then I'll take Manman and leave first. Be careful on your own."
Manman tugged at Zhu Feichuan's sleeve and gestured to him, meaning that he should be careful and bring his aunt home safely.
Nie Zhen, holding Manman's hand, disappeared into the crowd.
Zhu Feichuan carefully put away the copper coins, but instead of looking for a place to stay, he carried the medicine jar, slung his bundle over his shoulder, and headed towards the shogunate.
-
Zhu Qing felt a little relieved after coaxing her family away. She returned to her seat in the secretary's office, feeling dizzy and disoriented. Looking at the high stack of manifestos on the desk, she felt her vision blur.
She sat with a bundle in front of her, and Hua Ning and Tian Jiuzhu on her left and right. The brazier for burning waste paper was right at her feet. Burning the letter would have been easy, but she hadn't yet decided whether she should burn it or not.
Not only Zhu Qing, but also Hua Ning and Bao Fu had no interest in copying the proclamation. Only Tian Jiuzhu was engrossed in writing at his desk.
Zhu Qing's hands were wrapped in gauze, and he couldn't lift his brush. He just sat there, and the atmosphere in the secretary's office was frozen. Even the fire in the brazier seemed to have stopped burning.
At this moment, Hua Ning broke the dead silence and said, "Sister Jiuzhu, you are closest to Eunuch Tian. Has he revealed who intercepted that letter? Does he have any clues? When will he come? Having soldiers guarding us but not coming is like having a knife hanging over our necks. It's terrifying."
Zhu Qing pricked up her ears and, along with Bao Fu and Hua Ning, nervously watched Tian Jiuzhu.
Tian Jiuzhu continued writing furiously, without looking up: "If my godfather told me everything, he would have been dethroned long ago."
Hua Ning's eyes reddened: "It seems we're doomed this time. So be it, as long as you don't take me to pay your military salary."
Bao Fu also said dejectedly, "Now that Huang Chao is pressing on the border, the court will inevitably face fierce battles and military pay shortages. It's really hard to say. I just hope that Eunuch Tian can have mercy and, if he really takes my pay, kill me before he eats me."
Tian Jiuzhu copied until the brush was smoking, then interjected, "I advise the three of you to quickly write down your last words to your families. When you're really gone, I can help you send each of you home."
Bao Fu: "..."
Hua Ning stared at her speechlessly: "Don't you have any empathy? We've worked together for so long, and we're about to die. You're Eunuch Tian's goddaughter, so you don't have to die. Aren't you sad?"
Tian Jiuzhu raised her head and asked seriously, "What do I have to be sad about? The world is so chaotic now, isn't there separation and death every day? If I grieve for every one who dies, how can I live my life?"
"You!" Hua Ning was furious, but couldn't find any words to refute him.
Tian Jiuzhu stood there for a moment, then said, "Your deaths weren't caused by me. It was already an act of mercy that I was able to deliver your wills. In the entire shogunate, my godfather will probably only spare the life of the chief secretary. Once you're gone, the position of judge will be vacant, and then I can take over."
"I only want to climb higher; the deaths of other people have nothing to do with me."
The judge she mentioned was the head of another department, in charge of military and political affairs. His position was originally the same as that of the chief secretary in charge of civil affairs, but the chief secretary of this shogunate, Feng Huaihe, was different; he was one rank lower than Feng Huaihe.
Zhu Qing sighed inwardly. From Jiu Zhu's perspective, she felt that what others said made sense. She silently endured the pain in her palm, and with her bandaged hand, she clumsily picked up the brush and began to write her will.
Although she had only lived with the Zhu family for a few days, she had already felt a warmth she had never experienced in her previous life of over twenty years.
She still had some last words she wanted to say.
Zhu Qing had just written one character when Tian Jiuzhu asked, "Isn't Zhu Qing usually the most daring, fearless and reckless? Why don't you think of a way to escape? You actually wrote a will?"
"Huh?" Zhu Qing looked up and met Tian Jiuzhu's probing gaze. Zhu Qing panicked, feeling as if Tian Jiuzhu could see right through her. Uncertainly, she pointed at herself and said, "You're saying I'm not afraid of anything?"
Tian Jiuzhu snorted: "Otherwise what? Who else is named Zhu Qing besides you?"
Just as Zhu Qing was about to speak, he saw Feng Huaihe, dressed in a moon-white robe and wearing a headscarf, walking slowly along the flower-lined path in the small courtyard outside the secretary's office, heading this way.
Feng Huaihe's chief secretary had no servants; he always delivered messages in person.
The four people inside immediately shut their mouths, stood up straight, and faced the door.
Feng Huaihe stepped over the threshold, glanced at them, and then looked at Zhu Qing. He said softly, "Come with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tian Jiuzhu, Hua Ning, and Bao Fu turned around almost simultaneously, their three gazes falling on Zhu Qing. Zhu Qing hurriedly lowered his head, inexplicably not daring to look at them, and silently walked towards Feng Huaihe.
A note from the author:
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