Chapter 113 Cousin
Yanqing Temple is the largest Taoist temple in Beijing except for the royal Taoist temple. Many concubines of high-ranking officials and nobles who could not enter the ancestral temple at home would be worshipped here.
Jiang Shuyi went to pay tribute to her aunt by herself and did not dare to let Pei Yan follow her.
There is a folk saying that an emperor cannot bow to ordinary people, as it will shorten their lifespan. The same is true for ghosts, as it will make them unable to bear it and their souls will be scattered. Whether this saying is true or false, Jiang Shuyi is taboo about it.
Jiang Shuyi felt a little embarrassed as Pei Yan just watched, and she couldn't say many things.
She simply acted like a spoiled child and asked him to get a talisman for her, while she worshipped her aunt alone.
"Aunt, my daughter is living a good life now. She has become a royal concubine."
"His Majesty treats my daughter very well. As long as she is willing, he will bring all the treasures in the world to me!"
"Auntie... did you take Jiang Wanqing away? Don't listen to her nonsense. I have never bullied her. I listened to you and treated her very well. I once climbed over the wall to steal cakes for her, but when she was eating, I don't know whether it was intentional or not, my elder sister found out. She reported it to my mother, and I was punished... I also took the blame for countless mistakes for her, but she has no conscience at all and thinks it's her due..."
Jiang Shuyi knelt on the mat and mentioned Jiang Wanqing. The smile on her face gradually disappeared and her eyes turned red with grievance.
......
Cheng Fu and Fang Chu waited outside the door for two quarters of an hour before the empress came out.
Fang Chu saw the traces of tears on the queen's face and immediately handed her the towel she had prepared. She did not smile as usual, but whispered softly to comfort her: "If the madam is in heaven, she will definitely be happy for the queen."
Jiang Shuyi nodded, wiped her tears, and returned to normal. She asked, "Where is His Majesty?"
Since there was no one here, they did not change their address. Fang Chu was about to answer when there was a sudden noise from the courtyard gate.
Someone wanted to come in, but was stopped by the Taoist priest guarding the gate.
"Why are you stopping me from going in to pay my respects to my aunt?"
The man's righteous voice came and Jiang Shuyi frowned.
Only her aunt is enshrined here.
Thinking it was some random intruder, he was about to signal Cheng Fu to chase him away when the man's impassioned voice came again: "My aunt's daughter is the Empress of the Palace. If you dare to mess with my aunt's tablet, the Empress will not forgive you!"
Jiang Shuyi's eyes moved slightly, and she walked towards the door.
Cheng Fu had the responsibility to guard, so he followed immediately.
When I reached the gate of the courtyard, I finally saw the person who was making noise.
He was a young man in a blue robe and a square scarf, with a handsome face, about seventeen or eighteen years old. He was holding a broken bamboo fan and was arguing with the Taoist priest guarding the gate. His face turned red as he spoke.
Jiang Shuyi appeared from inside, startling the young man. He opened his mouth and forgot to speak. He took a look at her woman's bun, then he came back to his senses, straightened his clothes, and asked politely, "Who are you, Madam? Why did you come out of this yard?"
From Cheng Fu's perspective, the man stared at the empress for a while, and then began to straighten her already neat clothes like a peacock spreading its tail. He remembered it silently and would report it to His Majesty later.
Jiang Shuyi didn't care so much and asked the man suspiciously: "Who are you? What is your relationship with the people inside?"
The man performed a scholar's greeting and said, "My surname is Gu, my name is Hanqing, the deceased is my aunt, I don't know who your wife is, why did you surround this yard and prevent me from paying my respects?"
Jiang Shuyi was stunned.
My aunt’s surname is indeed Gu.
She looked at the man carefully and found that he did have some resemblance to her aunt in his features.
Jiang Shuyi seemed to have accidentally discovered a relic left by her aunt, and her tone softened unconsciously: "You are her nephew, why haven't I seen you in the Jiang family?"
Gu Hanqing looked surprised: "How do you know my aunt is in the Jiang family?"
Jiang Shuyi was unhappy: "You answer my question first."
Gu Hanqing then hurriedly said, "I'm sorry, my grandparents were originally poor and had to sell their daughter to make a living. My father didn't stop them at the time and was deeply saddened. Later, he met a nobleman and followed him to do business to earn some money. After he was able to support the whole family, he began to inquire about the whereabouts of my aunt.
But the human traffickers at that time were no longer available. After many twists and turns, we learned last spring that my aunt had been sold to the Jiang family in the capital. My father and I went to inquire about it, but we were shocked to learn the sad news that my aunt had already passed away, leaving behind only two daughters. The eldest daughter entered the palace to become an imperial concubine, and the younger daughter also wanted to be selected and refused to see us. "
Jiang Shuyi couldn't tell what she felt, so she took a deep breath and asked, "My aunt... How old were you when your aunt was sold? Do you recognize her?"
Gu Hanqing sighed: "I was not born at that time, so I have no impression of this aunt, but I know that without my aunt, our family would not be alive today."
Jiang Shuyi felt depressed after hearing this. If she had a choice, she would rather give up the lives of the entire Gu family and save her aunt.
"Lord Jiang only told me that my aunt's spirit tablet is here. I will stay in the capital to study and prepare for the next spring imperial examination, so I will come to pay my respects often."
After Gu Hanqing finished speaking, he looked at the noble lady who looked like a fairy, and continued to ask politely, "Who is the lady? Judging from her age, is she a young lady of the Jiang family?"
Jiang Shuyi didn't answer, but just asked her own question: "Is your father still alive?"
Gu Hanqing wanted to say that it was a matter of courtesy and that she should answer him first, but out of courtesy, he continued to answer: "My father is still alive, but my grandparents are no longer here."
"The man who sold his daughter deserves to die."
After Jiang Shuyi finished speaking in a hateful tone, Gu Hanqing's expression changed. His gentle and elegant face was stained with a hint of anger. He said unhappily, "Who is Madam? Why are you speaking rudely to my grandparents?"
Jiang Shuyi sneered and looked at him: "Am I wrong? I won't let a man who can even trade his own flesh and blood live well even if he is not dead!"
"Madam, you are well-dressed and well-fed. How can you know what happened at that time?"
Gu Hanqing was also polite during the argument, but his face flushed a little: "If it wasn't for the desperate situation, who would be willing to sell their children? If we didn't sell a child at that time, the whole family would starve to death."
"Selling sons and daughters? Why sell daughters and not sons?" Jiang Shuyi glared at him angrily, "In this world, how dangerous it is for a woman to be sold? If you are not careful, she will be doomed and there is no way to redeem her! Why don't they sell your father to a rich family as a farmhand? At least they can redeem him when they want to, or sell him to the palace as a eunuch, maybe he can make a name for himself!"
Gu Hanqing was about to frown and try to explain, but Cheng Fu said coldly, "Madam, do you want me to take this man away and punish him?"
Gu Hanqing paused for a moment before saying anything, and was stunned: "Mother...Mother?"
He understood something in a flash, and was immediately excited and sad. He wanted to take two steps forward, but considering etiquette, he immediately knelt down and said in a trembling voice: "I am Gu Hanqing, a commoner, and I pay my respects to the queen, and to my cousin."
Jiang Shuyi sneered, "Who is your cousin? Ever since your grandmother sold my aunt, there have been no daughters in your family. How can I have a cousin?"
Gu Hanqing choked up, "Cousin, I just said something wrong. If you were the young lady of the Jiang family, I would feel offended by talking about grandparents. If you were my aunt's daughter, it would be natural for you to say that. It is my grandparents who are sorry for my aunt, and our whole family is sorry for her..."
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