Chapter 57 Despite her peaceful circumstances, she ultimately couldn't bear it.
"Good, Zhao Liangxu, you're doing very well."
Anhe's voice trembled with anger.
After breaking free from An He, Zhao Liangxu grabbed An He's hand again before he could retaliate against Chen Qinglie.
She held Anhe's hand tightly as he tried to pull it away, and said directly to him, "Eunuch An, I just remembered something important I need to tell you. May we leave for now? This matter must not be overheard by anyone else!"
Anhe could only laugh upon hearing this. Her words were ambiguous; she vaguely mentioned something important but deliberately avoided specifying what it was, clearly trying to help Chen Qinglie out of a predicament.
What important matter could she possibly have that no one else could hear? She was just making up an excuse in her panic to get herself away and save her idealistic colleague!
In just two months, how did she manage to do this much for him?
If we're talking about familiarity, I clearly knew her much earlier, and we even lived in the same mansion. Now that Zhao Liangxu has moved away from the An mansion, she lives next door and can enter the An mansion through that archway at any time. What's the difference between that and living in the same mansion?
The person who should be most familiar with Zhao Liangxu is herself!
Even though Zhao Liangxu had taken his hand, he didn't feel happy at all.
She did all this out of necessity for others, not out of her own heart, so how could he be happy?
"What urgent matter could you possibly have? If you're in such a hurry to drag me away, then I'll deal with this person first, and then you can talk to me properly."
How could he let Chen Qinglie go so easily? What kind of good thing is this brat who still needs Zhao Liangxu to get him out of trouble?
Seeing that An He was persistent, Zhao Liangxu couldn't pull him away, so she could only move closer to An He and whisper, "Does Eunuch An really want others to see us talking intimately? There are some things I can say to Eunuch An, but we can't let others hear them."
What nonsense is Zhao Liangxu spouting now?
She's really just spouting nonsense to try and get away with this.
But then he heard Zhao Liangxu say that Chen Qinglie was someone else, and that he could only talk intimately with him. He knew that Zhao Liangxu was deliberately trying to bring Chen Qinglie up in her words, and that she always managed to say something nice to him.
His voice was calmer than before, but he was still angry: "Are you saying that we should just let this offender go unpunished and let him go for no reason? Zhao Liangxu, do you think I'm that kind?"
“Eunuch An, I didn’t say that.” Zhao Liangxu didn’t look at Chen Qinglie at all. If she glanced at him, she would probably provoke An He’s emotions again. “I already said that there are some things that can only be said to you. Does Eunuch An think that Chen Yisheng is also a close relative of ours? If that’s what you think, then it’s fine to let him hear it.”
Zhao Liangxu framed herself and An He as "the two of us," making An He feel comfortable with it.
"Moreover, Chen Yisheng certainly deserves to be punished. His outspokenness cannot be tolerated. However, Chen Yisheng is also a talented individual in the Ministry of Rites. The matter of the caravan is of great importance in the capital. Perhaps keeping him around will be useful. Eunuch An, could you please show some leniency for my sake?"
Zhao Liangxu gently shook An He's arm again: "If Chen Yisheng is severely punished today, people like Chen will probably gossip and make trouble behind his back. Eunuch An can forcefully order them to do what they want, but things will backfire if we push them too far. It will make it harder for me to do things."
"You? What grand ambitions do you intend to realize in the Ministry of Rites?" Anhe frowned as he looked at her.
“I don’t have any grand ambitions. I only went to the Ministry of Rites for the sake of the caravan. It’s one thing for people in the capital to dislike me because of my status, and it’s another thing for me to go out and not everyone has seen me. But if officials also become more fearful and distant because of this, then I really don’t have many people I can get along with normally.”
"How could Eunuch An be so heartless?"
She spoke of everything from her own perspective, without earnestly pleading with Chen Qinglie at length. Instead, she presented Anhe with the message that she would find it difficult to move forward and would suffer from social difficulties.
If An He were to get angry, how could Chen Qinglie, a mere talent from the Siyi Pavilion, possibly stop him from killing?
However, Zhao Liangxu knew that An He had been lenient with her. Although she was not sure if her words would make An He pay attention to her situation and change his mind about punishing Chen Qinglie.
I'm not very confident, but it's worth a try.
She had already done more than enough. Chen Qinglie and she were not that close. If An He saw her plea, she might inadvertently exacerbate An He's misunderstanding of the two of them.
Therefore, she was certainly not just pleading for leniency.
What if Anhe really changes his mind after considering his own situation?
Could she assume that while she was confused about her feelings for Anhe, Anhe was also unconsciously developing a little bit of inexplicable emotion?
She dared not be presumptuous and take An'an's feelings for her seriously. He was a eunuch who had killed countless people, and his heart was more or less twisted after being immersed in such things for so long. Not to mention, how could a eunuch who had suffered so much coldness because of his physical disability easily fall in love with someone else?
Did I do anything extraordinary to save his life?
Does the near-strangulation that killed him count as a fatal act?
Even if Anhe is twisted and perverted, it shouldn't be this bad.
According to Zhao Liangxu, Anhe's current attitude towards her is at most a bit more humane because they have spent a lot of time together. What she wants to do is to try and see how effective this humaneness is on her.
"Eunuch An?" Zhao Liangxu looked at An He.
Chen Qinglie dared not utter a word at this moment. He bit his lip, feeling ashamed that he, a dignified man, had to ask Zhao Liangxu to submit to An He and try to rescue him. He had truly failed the Confucian classics he had studied.
If he were to survive An He's attack, he would have to thank Zhao Liangxu, a kind girl who was willing to put herself in danger to save others.
Fortunately, Anhe couldn't hear Chen Qinglie's inner thoughts; otherwise, no matter how much Zhao Liangxu reasoned with him or appealed to his emotions, he would have had to teach this spineless, stupid scholar a lesson first.
At this moment, An He had clearly taken Zhao Liangxu's words to heart.
He knew that Zhao Liangxu didn't care about the gossip from the outside world, but not caring didn't mean she liked to hear it.
Just like those who constantly curse him behind his back or in their hearts, such things are unstoppable as long as someone wants to talk about them.
He had killed a group of people, but all he got in return was for people refraining from hurling insults at him or the Imperial Guards.
But even within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, how many people didn't hate him deep down?
He was like that, and he could understand Zhao Liangxu's situation even better. Those petty civil officials, who were full of cunning and shrewdness, were at most intimidated by him.
If he could, he would very much like to make Zhao Liangxu suffer the same infamy as him, with no way out. That way, Zhao Liangxu would be just like him, and only he could be Zhao Liangxu's support.
But reason told him it wouldn't work.
He could only glare at Chen Qinglie a few times before saying, "Is this person so precious that you can't even bear to punish him with a rod?"
Zhao Liangxu realized that An He had already made a significant concession, so she said, "Death is inevitable, but punishment is unavoidable. If Eunuch An doesn't punish you, you'll be angry, and Chen Yisheng won't learn his lesson. I understand."
An He said "Oh?" and laughed, "Secretary Zhao is quite a man of principle. Let's just give him... forty strokes of the cane."
Chen Qinglie shuddered.
Forty strokes of the cane would be enough to kill a scholar with such a weak constitution; even twenty strokes would be fatal. Moreover, the caneing was ordered by Anhe, so each stroke was meant to be merciless.
"Eunuch An is joking. Forty strokes would be enough to kill an ordinary person, let alone me. Even so, it probably wouldn't exceed forty."
Anhe wanted Zhao Liangxu to let go of her: "Hmph, you're including yourself in this? I think you want to be some kind of family member who will live and die with him."
After a back-and-forth, Anhe arranged Chen Qinglie's punishment: five strokes of the cane, not too heavy, not too light, enough to teach Chen Qinglie a lesson. Chen Qinglie was then instructed to go to Anhe's men to receive his punishment.
For Chen Qinglie, justice clashed with the powerful eunuch of the court, leaving him with scars on his back. However, if his classmates and colleagues spread the word, it would inspire the literati to stand on the side of justice and fairness. Even An He would find it difficult to kill someone against his conscience. The scars on Chen Qinglie's back were a source of glory. This ordinary student of the Imperial Academy had earned a reputation at a young age.
Zhao Liangxu hinted to Chen Qinglie to leave quickly. After such a tumultuous experience, Chen Qinglie's legs were a little unsteady. He could only force himself to bow to Zhao Liangxu before hurriedly leaving. An He glanced at him but didn't pay any attention.
When only the two of them were left, Anhe said, "Are you satisfied now?"
Anhe felt that his anger today had subsided somewhat after listening to Zhao Liangxu's repeated words, but now he still felt a bit exhausted thinking about it.
My bottom line has been lowered again and again.
Zhao Liangxu shook her head and said, "Have you forgotten, Eunuch An? I originally said I wanted to tell you some things that only the two of us could hear. Now that Chen Yisheng has left, we don't need to look for another place. This place is quiet enough."
These words surprised Anhe. Did she really have something to say to her? Or was she just making it up to deceive her?
"Say what you have to say quickly, we have a lot of things to do at home."
Zhao Liangxu looked down at the hand she was holding An He's, and suddenly a ridiculous thought came to her mind.
Anhe never said what he thought of her. Every time she tried to hold his hand, he would be startled but then readily accept it. He really didn't refuse or do anything. What kind of scumbag behavior is this?
If she hadn't witnessed how resistant Anhe was to getting close to others, and if this comparison hadn't shown how much more tolerant Anhe was towards her, she would have really thought Anhe was playing hard to get.
After having this thought, Zhao Liangxu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"What are you laughing at? Are you going to tell me or not?"
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Author's Note: Actually, I really have to say that Eunuch An was a very twisted eunuch, really.
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