Chapter 127 Nurse Liu: More False Memories...
Coming to her senses, Zhang Ting took a deep breath to calm herself: "I never expected you to see us that day..."
Zhang Ting didn't intend to tell anyone about his inexplicable rebirth; she would only recount her experience up to this point.
Upon his rebirth, he was overwhelmed with emotion and, filled with hatred, jumped into the river. Without him as the source, would his uncle and aunt's family, out of consideration for their reputation, treat their only orphaned daughter from the eldest branch of the family kindly?
But after being interrupted and calming down, Zhang Ting no longer harbored such weak hopes.
That's impossible.
There is only one thing he can do: his return to this time must be Heaven's way of helping him get revenge.
The boy's hoarse voice slowly filled the room.
As Qi Chengming listened, he gradually felt more at ease.
call.
He can help with this.
Zhang Ting's pressure was excessive, almost driving the young man to the brink of despair. This was largely due to the hardships he had endured since childhood, and the final straw was that his sister would never have a good future.
Qi Chengming can handle all of these things.
He was still wondering why Zhang Ting's hatred, breakdown, and determination seemed so heavy, as if she had already foreseen a bloody future for her sister, as if she was certain that she would never be able to reverse anything.
You can't say it's just an immature teenager's thinking that went to extremes, because this despair was real for him, who was isolated and helpless. Analyzing it more deeply, you could even say that Zhang Ting's uncle and his family had been controlling and manipulating him from a young age.
Being isolated from the outside world means being unable to find any help and being confined to the inner quarters. Wouldn't that make you vulnerable to being manipulated and molded?
Over time, it would be strange if Zhang Ting didn't start to doubt herself.
Fortunately, it's not too late.
Qi Chengming no longer hesitated. He calculated that he had already stayed long enough. If he delayed any longer, the servant boy named Silkworm would be back soon. Although he didn't know what Silkworm had originally gone to do, after Qi Chengming climbed up, the Imperial Guards would definitely have been responsible for holding the servant boy back for a while.
Qi Chengming immediately exchanged a glance with the distant, complex-looking wet nurse, Liu, and said with certainty:
“Brother Zhang, none of your worries are problems. Once you have a powerful backer, your uncle’s family can’t really do anything to you. As for your sister, Prince Rui will help you.”
"...Will you help me?" Zhang Ting asked hesitantly and without confidence.
His initial hesitation stemmed from the fact that these matters seemed to be strictly private affairs, and he had never heard of any prince interfering to this extent. Moreover, who would help him without a reason?
"Wait a few days, during these few days in Liuzhou," Qi Chengming said confidently, giving Liu's wet nurse a look.
After listening for a while, Granny Liu had long felt sorry for the unfortunate brother and sister. She grasped Zhang Ting's hand and patted it gently with love and heartache: "Good child, it's not worth hurting yourself for those people... Leave it all to us, okay?"
Zhang Ting, who had maintained a calm demeanor even while speaking, couldn't hold on any longer in Liu's arms, and her eyes immediately reddened.
He forced a slightly unsteady voice to express his gratitude: "Thank you... Brother Qi, and this lady."
The mother and son climbed out the way they came, and then the room was completely silent.
Zhang Ting remained rooted to the spot, unable to process what had happened for a long time.
After her rebirth, the series of experiences felt like a dream, and only now did Zhang Ting's mind suddenly start working again.
"Wait. Wait, wait, wait..." he murmured, his expression growing increasingly incredulous, belatedly realizing the shock, "Prince Rui... Brother Qi, are you planning to help me deliver the message? It's Prince Rui who will help me tomorrow???"
In his past life, he never passed through Liuzhou with his uncle! Was Prince Rui's fiefdom originally in Liuzhou, and is he currently there? Is the future crown prince—the legendary wise new emperor—about to help him?
If it's Prince Rui...
Zhang Ting's heart suddenly began to pound, as if everything before him had regained its color. He clenched his fist tightly.
Then there's no need; he'll take the most ruthless step to retaliate.
Even Xian'er wouldn't have a good end that way.
but……
Zhang Ting couldn't help but chuckle: "...Brother Qi."
What exactly happened between that mother and child?
Why did the mother and child both climb through the window?
"That's really strange..."
The sound of footsteps echoed upstairs, and a few moments later, someone angrily pushed open the door. It was his personal servant, Silkworm, who had returned.
A boy, carrying a basket filled with soiled, wet clothes, stormed in, put down the basket, and began to complain:
"Fourth Master, your clothes haven't been washed yet. What's going on at this inn? Are there so many burly men coming to borrow soap? I'd like to try out the famous Liuzhou soap and see what it feels like..."
"It's the same if you wash it tomorrow," Zhang Ting said coldly, her gentle expression vanishing.
"Fourth Master, you..." Can Si noticed the boy's red eyes. He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly fell silent as if he were mute, his face conflicted, as if he wanted to persuade him but lacked the confidence.
Zhang Ting walked to the side and sat down, closing her eyes and beginning to organize her memories.
His experiences after being reborn seemed quite different from his previous life; at least he remembered that his uncle had never served in Yulin Prefecture. He needed to sort out where things didn't add up.
Silkworm... she was his aunt's woman, and over the years they had developed a genuine connection. At least when he was rescued from the river, Silkworm was genuinely worried for him. When it came to business, she genuinely wanted to advise him, thinking that would lead to a better life. But he couldn't forget how Silkworm had tipped him off several times when he was young after he had secretly studied something.
If this matter can truly be resolved, he will no longer keep silkworms by his side.
...
Liu, the wet nurse, and Qi Chengming walked down the street, with several imperial guards gradually joining them as they prepared to return to their residence.
"Your Highness, how do you plan to help? His uncle is a proper official in the court, and he is going to take up his post in Yulin Prefecture." The wet nurse Liu remembered this, and she also did not forget that the Second Prince had been paying attention to the matter of Yulin Prefecture in recent months.
Will this have any impact?
“Zhang Ting just needs a backer; he can handle the rest himself,” Qi Chengming thought to himself as he walked.
His decision not to reveal his identity on the spot was also a matter of caution. No matter how pitiful Zhang Ting was, he wouldn't believe everything someone said just because of what they said.
He promised to resolve the matter within a few days, but he was also waiting to gather more comprehensive information about the Zhang family before figuring out how to handle Zhang Ting's sister's situation. The outside world and the inner quarters were completely different circles.
Zhang Ting's younger sister's status as an orphan is awkward; with no female relatives to guide her, she can only live with her aunt. If her grandmother is unwilling to get involved in anything, her marriage will still have to be arranged by her aunt, which is a major disadvantage.
Judging from Zhang Ting's description, if he were to gain powerful backing and rise to prominence, given the long-standing rift between them, would his aunt, sensing his implied meaning, dare not do anything further? Or would she use Zhang Ting's sister as leverage against him?
Qi Chengming used to think it was the former. But after experiencing the Yang siblings, he was no longer sure.
There are fools everywhere, and even more so in large families. What if...?
Qi Chengming calculated his age and made up his mind.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
With more time available, new intelligence was gradually uncovered. Chief Steward Song made several trips to the study, where he compiled the information onto paper for His Highness to see.
“Zhang Rui’s transfer to Yulin Prefecture was not a normal one; he must have pulled some strings… Did Vice Minister Gao send him here beforehand? And who is Vice Minister Gao working for?” Qi Chengming thought of the unknown identity of the culprit behind the corruption along the Yulin Prefecture riverbank, who was a high-ranking official in the court. He narrowed his eyes, filled with suspicion.
Who would have heard the news so early, before Shen Shuzhi even submitted his memorial to the emperor in Yulin Prefecture, and be so eager to send people to this poor and remote place?
What gave Qi Chengming a headache was that he unexpectedly discovered that all the newly appointed officials in Yulin Prefecture were the same upon closer examination!
Each one seems reasonable at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they all seem to have some suspicious clues, and if you investigate further, you'll get dizzy.
Qi Chengming spent a long time flipping through the letter that Prefect Lu had written to him. Lu Yu's meaning was very tactful. He only said that the Vice Minister of Works had no connection with Jiangnan or Hedong. If he had to say that there was any far-fetched connection, it was that he had married the sister-in-law who was the Third Prince's study companion.
That's probably how the news leaked out.
"...But this doesn't rule out the possibility that Zhang Rui has sided with the Third Prince's faction, or whether he will align himself with them in the future." Qi Chengming vaguely remembered something, but then felt that he had overlooked some minor detail.
He remained relatively calm upon arriving here.
Qi Chengming understood that even if he wanted to remain in seclusion, once his influence had expanded to several states and spread throughout the south, it would not be so easy to conceal it.
Liuzhou was impenetrable under his control, completely sealed off. Yulin Prefecture, however, with its breach, was like a boiling cauldron, now teeming with all sorts of strange and powerful figures. These diverse forces flocked to Yulin Prefecture, some wanting to gather intelligence, others hoping to use him for future purposes.
It's normal for the brothers to send people over, both openly and secretly. Whether or not they can get what they want is the challenge Qi Chengming left for Shen Shuzhi.
As for Zhang Rui...
After a few days, we've pretty much figured out his family's situation.
To outsiders, he was a decent minor official. He worked diligently and was aware of his limited abilities. Over the years, thanks to the influence of his father and brothers, his official career had been steadily progressing. In reality, the Zhang family's business was already tacitly agreed to be used and managed by him.
Internally... he seemed muddle-headed and transparent, never caring about his nephew. In reality, his intentions were clear: he was after the family fortune. Zhang Ting even held back some of what she said.
Since Qi Chengming intends to help Zhang Ting, he won't leave any hidden dangers... so that Zhang Rui might still become a member of the Third Prince's faction.
"Send someone to the inn where the Zhang family is staying to announce that Zhang Ting and his sister are invited to the Prince's Mansion for a chat." Once Qi Chengming made his decision, he no longer intended to conceal his identity. He had even found a reason, and he decisively said, "If asked, just say... Zhang Ting's mother knew someone close to me in her early years."
Although Zhang Ting and his sister Zhang Xian's mother was only a concubine who died in childbirth, she was originally from a respectable family. What's more, it's said that she was originally from a poor family in the capital who returned to her hometown after her family's decline. Doesn't that give you a story?
The wet nurse readily accepted this close friend: "Only my age is more suitable, and I've come all the way to Liuzhou. Your Highness, is this still my job?"
There's a rough saying among the common people: "If you have a lot of lice, you won't even feel itchy."
She inexplicably became the wife of the Qi family, and in name only, she had a "son" named His Highness. Now, what does it matter if she has another fake confidante?
Qi Chengming chuckled, "Great!"
He saw that Zhang Ting was not too old and had not completely wasted his time in the past few years, so he decided to work hard to cultivate him and get him back to school.
His initial desire to save people stemmed from genuine compassion, devoid of any self-interest. However, Qi Chengming now genuinely lacks a trusted confidant capable of holding office. Both "studying for officialdom" and "having a devoted confidant" are indispensable.
Well, Zhang Ting's arrival is just in time!
We'll have to find a different approach for Zhang Rui.
"Then I'll go and announce the order now." Chief Steward Song listened calmly for a while, then smiled and took on the task, intending to join in the fun himself. He knew best what the new emperor was thinking.
Sure enough, the next moment—
"Remember to observe their reactions carefully for me! Come back and tell me in detail!" Qi Chengming called out from behind.
I just regret that I can't go and see the excitement myself.
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The author says: Actually, Qi Chengming can use all the members of the Zhang family (he can't just push them to the other side right away), but he has to consider how to use them and distinguish between what is more important and what is less important.
He's only responsible for helping Zhang Ting out here; Zhang Ting would probably prefer to take revenge herself in the future.
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