50 Seeking Knowledge
◎Young men are full of vigor◎
"So, you didn't tell Madam Yan right away, and deliberately waited until your sister-in-law left before you tipped her off?"
Yan Qizhu nodded. If she hadn't gotten in the way, her sister-in-law wouldn't have been able to leave home, wouldn't have been able to go to Guanyun Villa, and she and her brother wouldn't have been hurt.
"Then why don't you go and admit your mistake to them, instead of telling me, a stranger who has nothing to do with you?"
Yan Qizhu admitted sheepishly, "I can only say this to unrelated outsiders."
Yu Su Gong is funny.
"Aren't you afraid that I'll turn around and tell your brother?"
Yan Qizhu was stunned for a moment, then raised his chin and said, "If you tell on me, I'll tell my brother that you molested me today!"
"She's a little girl, so frivolous."
Seeing his serious expression, Yan Qizhu couldn't help but feel less serious and instead wanted to laugh.
"Anyway, I feel much better now that I've said it. Thank you, Master Yu."
After saying that, he bowed to him and then ran away as fast as he could.
Yan Qizhu arrived at the inner hall and had just spoken to her mother when she caught a glimpse of Yu Sugong walking in. However, he didn't come over to ask where her eldest brother was, but instead walked over to a woman.
As he was spying, Yu Sugong glanced over here and continued to talk quietly with the woman, as if it was inconvenient for him to come over. Yan Qizhu suddenly had an idea and asked his mother, "Where are my eldest brother and his wife?"
"Your eldest brother is worried that your eldest sister-in-law is tired, so he is drinking tea and resting in the back hall."
There were not many people in the hall, and Yu Sugong should have heard Hui Niang's normal voice, so he looked over here again.
Yan Qizhu was secretly delighted to see that it was done, but suddenly Aunt Hui came up and sighed: "The man you will marry in the future will also be so considerate to you. I will come to burn incense and worship Buddha every day."
"Stop talking." Yan Qizhu hurriedly whispered to stop him.
"Why should I be embarrassed? Everyone here is looking for a marriage partner. When you turn fifteen in a few days, I will definitely choose a perfect husband for you!"
Yan Qizhu was extremely embarrassed and felt as if his back was burning. He dragged and coaxed Aunt Hui into the back hall.
It was much quieter inside, the air filled with the aroma of tea mixed with the sandalwood from the temple. Wei Ziyan and Yan Qi had already rested for a while, and when they saw the mother and daughter come in, they asked them to sit down and have some tea.
Yan Qizhu didn't mention Yu Sugong at all, so not long after, when he saw Yu Sugong appear with a woman, Yan Qizhen was very surprised.
"Master Yu, what a coincidence!"
Yu Sugong smiled faintly: "Yes, it's a coincidence."
There was no lack of introductions and greetings, and Yu Sugong never mentioned the little episode that had just happened.
After a few words of small talk, they understood each other's relationship. The woman with Yu Sugong was his late mother's second sister. After a few greetings, Yu Sugong singled out Yan Qizheng for a conversation.
Behind the inner hall was a small courtyard leading to the monks' quarters. There was a well beneath a pear tree in the courtyard. Yu Sugong sat down beside it and asked, "You haven't been out for the past two days. Have you heard that the King of Liao is returning to the capital?"
"My father mentioned it briefly when he came back yesterday." Yan Qizheng stood in front of him with his arms folded across his chest.
"Then, Master Yan, do you know about the incident yesterday when His Majesty reprimanded His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
Yan Qizheng shook his head, his expression becoming serious.
"What is it?"
"Many memorials came in from the localities, all criticizing the Crown Prince's new land tax policy. They said the new tax reform policy had increased the burden on the people, causing widespread complaints and anger. After reading it, the Emperor reprimanded the Crown Prince."
"But shouldn't many people also benefit from the new policy?" Yan Qizhen was puzzled.
He had some knowledge of the land tax reform being implemented by the Crown Prince, which was originally intended to balance the tax differences among the counties in the state.
Due to historical reasons, in some prefectures, the tax burden of ten counties was borne by four or five of them. The people in the heavily taxed counties suffered, while the people in the other counties became lazy and wasted their fertile land.
The prince wanted to change this imbalance in regional development, so he implemented new policies.
"So, the counties that submitted these complaints are all from counties that previously collected less tax," Yu Sugong explained. "And, as if it were a pre-arranged agreement, all the counties submitted these complaints at the same time."
"They came prepared and deliberately targeted His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Yan Qizhen understood everything.
The King of Liao returned to the capital, and the Crown Prince was reprimanded. Putting these two things together, it was too obvious.
"Indeed, His Majesty has been increasingly dissatisfied with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince recently. Now that the Prince of Liao is about to return to the capital, and His Majesty has just conferred upon him the title of Marquis of Guangping, he is filled with anticipation for the Prince of Liao."
Yu Sugong lowered his voice and continued, "It's the time for the Eighth Prince to choose a concubine. His Majesty has indicated that when Prince Liao returns to the capital, he will also choose a concubine for him."
Hearing this, Yan Qizhen's expression became even more stern.
The border has been peaceful in recent years. If the King of Liao chooses a concubine, she will probably stay in the capital for a long time.
Will the world change?
Yu Sugong stood up from the well and said, "I'm just reminding you to be careful on your way out."
"Thank you very much."
After thanking him, Yan Qizheng added, "However, the Liao King is about to return to the capital. I'm afraid his people won't dare to act recklessly on the streets again and attract the attention of His Majesty."
"That makes sense."
The two were talking outside, while Aunt Hui and Second Aunt Yu Sugong were also chatting enthusiastically in the hall.
Both elders had come to seek marriage for their younger generation. Yu Sugong lost his mother at a young age and was raised by his second aunt. Seeing her nephew widowed for four years, she couldn't bear it, so she had to go to Xuanyi Temple today to inquire about his marriage.
Although the Yan family's concubine had also come to inquire about her daughter's marriage, she had just heard outside that they were looking for a considerate husband for her daughter. Her nephew was often away from home and was used to being careless, so she was afraid that he would not be satisfactory.
Besides, the eldest daughter of the Yan family is not even fifteen years old, and her nephew will be thirty in a few days. People might not want to have such an old man as a concubine.
Therefore, Second Aunt Yu Sugong just followed Aunt Hui's words and did not mention a word about what she was thinking.
Wei Ziyan sat aside, playing with the amulet she had asked for, listening to the two elders' casual conversation, and glancing out the window from time to time.
Judging from Yan Qizheng's expression, the two of them were probably discussing court affairs. She was looking out the window and noticed that Yan Qizhu was also secretly looking out, with a hint of anxiety between his brows.
"What are you looking at?"
"I didn't see anything."
There were only two people outside. Wei Ziyan covered her face with her hands and whispered to her, "You were peeking at Lord Yu."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Yan Qizhu's face turned red with anxiety, and he had to follow her example, covering his face with his hands and trying his best to keep his voice as low as possible.
"I'm just curious about what he said to Big Brother."
See if he really tells her secret.
"What do you mean you can see? Can you read lips?" Wei Ziyan didn't know the details and just wanted to remind her kindly.
"Master Yu is good-looking, but I'm afraid your mother won't agree."
“…”
Yan Qizhu's face suddenly turned red enough to look like blood was about to drip out.
"That's a coincidence! My nephew's birthday is also next week, one day later than Miss Qizhu's."
At this moment, the conversation next to her fell into her ears. Wei Ziyan looked at Yan Qizhu again in surprise, and she seemed to have pricked up her ears as well.
"However, my nephew has not celebrated his birthday since his mother passed away. Yaoqin used to insist on celebrating his birthday, but now that Yaoqin is gone, he won't let any of us celebrate his birthday anymore."
As soon as Yu Sugong's second aunt finished sighing, the door to the inner hall was opened and the two people who had gone out to talk came back.
"What is Second Aunt talking about?" Yu Sugong said with a smile on his face.
"Nothing much, just chatting about family matters. It's getting late, are you going home?"
"Yeah, I'm back."
As they were talking, the aunt and nephew said goodbye and left, and Yan Qizhen and the other three also returned home.
Coming out of the main hall, Yan Qizheng felt like a pair of eyes were watching him from behind, not knowing whether he was being overly suspicious or not. However, he looked around but found nothing suspicious.
"Did something happen?" Wei Ziyan asked after the two of them got into the carriage.
After his private conversation with Minister Yu, Yan Qizhen was obviously not as relaxed as when he came.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is in some trouble. I have to go to the palace this afternoon." Yan Qizheng briefly mentioned the matter of King Liao returning to the capital.
"Big trouble?"
The impeachment could be a big or small matter, the key was how confident the Crown Prince was, that was why he planned to go into the palace to understand the situation.
However, it seemed that Yu Sugong was not very nervous, and the emperor did not scold the prince in public. Most likely, the emperor himself did not want to make the impeachment a public event.
"It shouldn't be a big deal." Yan Qizhen replied.
At three quarters after 3 p.m., he met the Crown Prince in the East Palace. Just as he had guessed, the Emperor's anger was not due to the impeachment memorial at all, but was still due to suspicions of forming a clique for personal gain.
"Father, the Emperor, was well aware of the pros and cons of the new land tax reform policy from the very beginning. How could he be blinded by such one-sided memorials?"
Li Chengtai sat leisurely by the pond fishing, without any hurry.
"The new policy had the full support of several ministers, so it was implemented smoothly. Ultimately, he was afraid that I was harboring evil intentions and couldn't wait to do something about it."
The latter part of this statement was quite outrageous; if it got out, it would cause trouble. Yan Qizheng turned around to look at the guards and palace maids standing nearby and advised, "This is an extraordinary period, and the emperor's doubts are still there. Your Highness should be cautious in what you say and do."
Seeing him so cautious, Li Chengtai laughed twice: "I'm just complaining to you, don't be nervous."
Yan Qizheng had accompanied the Crown Prince in his studies since they were young, and knew that he was always composed. Seeing him fishing calmly at this moment, he was sure that the Liao King's return to the capital had not caused him to lose his composure.
Yan Qizheng lowered his voice and asked, "Prince Liao has returned to the capital. Does Your Highness have a plan?"
"Well, give them a taste of their own medicine."
Yan Qizheng didn't understand, so Li Chengtai turned and looked at him: "My fourth brother made Father suspicious of me, so I will make him taste the same."
"Let His Majesty also be suspicious of the King of Liao?"
"That's right." Li Chengtai nodded with a smile. "Your Majesty is dissatisfied with the Crown Prince and opposes the Liao King's expectations. When more and more such voices reach my father's ears, my father will change his mind."
It sounds reasonable, but also a bit risky.
"What if His Majesty really has high hopes for the King of Liao?"
"There's no such thing as a one-time event," Li Chengtai said firmly, "Since my fourth brother was born, he is destined to have no chance of ascending the throne of the Eastern Palace."
"Father has been ill for a long time and sometimes becomes confused, but he hasn't forgotten the past. This truly fulfills Fourth Brother's wish."
The Fourth Prince's mother's family came from a merchant background and held no influence in the court. His biological mother, Concubine Meng, was a talented woman when she first entered the palace, but she was not favored. She was only granted the title of Concubine several years after giving birth to the Fourth Prince. Sadly, she died of illness just a few years later, having been promoted to Concubine.
But there are also rumors that Meng Jieyu was secretly executed after being discovered by the emperor because she won over ministers of the previous dynasty and planned to make her son the crown prince.
Regardless of the truth, Meng Jieyu was posthumously named "Jin Fei" after her death, and Emperor Jingren seemed to have always had a grudge against the fourth prince.
Later, when the Fourth Prince left the capital for the Northern Frontier, Emperor Jingren gave him an eight-character motto: "Restrain yourself, return to propriety, be cautious in what you say and do."
Yan Qizheng withdrew his thoughts.
Since His Royal Highness was so confident, he felt relieved. Just as he was about to leave, a fish took the bait. Li Chengtai quickly reeled in his rod and caught a red carp.
The fat fish drew an arc in the air and landed squarely on the back of Yan Qizheng's shoe.
There was a watermark on the black embroidered satin. Yan Qi hurriedly squatted down, grabbed his sleeve and wiped it off.
Li Chengtai was dumbfounded. Which is more important, the clean sleeves or the shoes?
Looking more closely, the shoes were in brand new condition, probably a new pair.
Li Chengtai laughed: "Is it really that serious? I'll compensate you with ten pairs."
Yan Qizheng wiped it several times, but it still couldn't be restored to its original state. He sighed helplessly: "These shoes were given to me by my wife."
“…”
Besides being surprised, Li Chengtai found it even more funny.
"No wonder you're so nervous. I don't have to compensate you. Just go back and ask your wife to make you two more pairs."
Easier said than done…
Four words flashed through Yan Qizhen's mind, but he couldn't say anything.
Seeing his gloomy expression mixed with a hint of helplessness, Li Chengtai recalled the rumors in the past and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: "Could it be that even today, Captain Yan still can't control his wife?"
…
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince holds a high position and is accustomed to the obedience of his wives and concubines. How can he understand the principle of mutual respect between ordinary couples?
What's more, his daughter-in-law never obeys his orders.
After returning to the mansion, Yan Qizhen changed his clothes first, then handed the shoes to Leng Xiang and asked her to clean them carefully.
"Where's the young lady?"
"The young lady went to the study."
After going out today, Wei Ziyan woke up from a nap and still felt weak, so she lazily picked up the book "Yingying Yufu Ji", lay on the chaise longue, and continued reading from where she had been interrupted last time.
Yingying and her husband sat under the moon and flowers, their eyes locked, their breaths in their ears. After a moment of silence, Yingying's chin was gently lifted by her husband, and their soft lips pressed against each other's...
Wei Ziyan's heart trembled, and she continued reading.
The two of them were in tune with each other and couldn't help but feel lost in each other, so they went back to the room to continue their affection.
Yingying was held in her husband's arms and sat on his lap, kissing him passionately. Suddenly, something poked her.
Something? Wei Ziyan suddenly remembered the unknown object she felt on her stomach that night when Yan Qizheng was drunk.
Wei Ziyan continued to look down curiously. Yingying shyly buried her face in her husband's arms, not daring to look at him again. Afterwards, Yingying was carried to the bed by her husband, undressed, and spent a night of tenderness and love...
Wei Ziyan blushed and felt a surge of emotion as she read this passage. She closed her eyes for a moment, then suddenly realized that the book didn't mention that thing again.
Why does Yingying become shy when it sticks to her?
Wei Ziyan was eager to learn and wished to know the reason immediately.
However, such secret matters are too embarrassing to talk about, and it is impossible to ask others, so I can only secretly find the answer myself.
Yan Qizheng had told her that there were books in his study and she could go find them at will. It happened that he had gone to the palace, so Wei Ziyan immediately got up and quietly went to the study alone.
Behind the desk were two rows of bookshelves filled with books. Wei Ziyan had been to the study many times, but this was her first time looking for a book, so she could only slowly read through each book one by one.
The book she was looking for was not a serious one, and she thought Yan Qizhen would not put it in a conspicuous place, so Wei Ziyan only looked in the corners at first.
However, after searching everywhere, I found no book with the same title.
Wei Ziyan turned and continued to search towards the middle, where she saw quite a few opera scripts. Could it be that Yan Qizheng also liked reading operas?
Seeing that there was a book called "A Lifetime of Mistakes", which was her favorite play, Wei Ziyan couldn't help but take it out and read it.
She had listened to this play many times in the teahouse and knew the whole story clearly.
Wang Sheng and Qin E fell in love at first sight during the Lantern Festival and secretly pledged their love. They agreed to marry Qin E in style after Wang Sheng returned from the imperial examination.
However, fate played a trick on her. Qin E suddenly contracted an incurable disease. Not wanting to miss her beloved, she quietly left and died in a foreign land. After his death, Wang Sheng visited her grave to pay his respects and vowed never to marry.
Among them, the lyrics sung before Qin E decided to leave quietly, she mourned and wept about her special love for Zhang Sheng, and said she would marry no one else but him, but he was suffering from a hidden illness. Every word was heartfelt and every sentence was sad and moving.
Wei Ziyan had taken out the book specifically to review this section of the lyrics. Unexpectedly, when she opened the book and turned to this section, she found Yan Qizheng's notes.
Not much, just a line under the words "suffering from a hidden illness" and a comment: "full of lies".
There are three exclamation marks at the end.
It is a fact that Qin E is ill, how can it be a lie?
Wei Ziyan flipped through the book again, but found no other annotations. She was puzzled, wondering why Yan Qizheng had commented on this particular part, and why, seemingly with a touch of indignation, he had done so.
Never mind, it's not important right now.
Wei Ziyan put "A Lifetime of Mistakes" back on the bookshelf and continued looking for what she was looking for.
After searching one row of bookshelves, go to the second row of bookshelves at the back.
Just when she thought Yan Qizhen might not read those indecent books, a book called "Secrets of the Jade Chamber" suddenly appeared in her sight.
Just by looking at the name, you can tell that this book is extraordinary.
Wei Ziyan's eyes lit up, and she raised her hand to take it down. As soon as she opened it, she saw the overly vulgar words in the catalogue, such as "The Way of Yin and Yang", and she subconsciously closed her eyes.
Yan Qizhen actually has this kind of book!
After taking two deep breaths, Wei Ziyan opened her eyes again, skipped the women's chapter, and turned directly to the men's chapter according to the table of contents.
She read ten lines at a glance and quickly found the part she wanted to explore.
The book says that men can also act out of control in their dreams...
The book also describes how young men, full of vigor and vitality, react to stimulation from women...
There are also newlyweds who experience initial hesitation and discomfort, but eventually they can experience the joy of each other...
"Plop", the book in Wei Ziyan's hand fell to the ground.
So, what was rubbing against her stomach that night was...
Wei Ziyan opened her mouth in astonishment, feeling a surge of energy and blood rushing up her spine. Her face and neck felt hot like a cooked duck, and her heart was beating uncontrollably...
Just as she was at a loss of what to do, the study door creaked open. Wei Ziyan was startled and turned around to see a tall figure striding in.
Dong-dong-dong-dong
Wei Ziyan's heart was pounding, her breathing was rapid, and her mind went blank...
"You are here indeed."
Yan Qizhen's voice suddenly woke her up. Watching him approach step by step, Wei Ziyan hurriedly bent down to pick up the book and hid it behind her.
"Looking for a book?" Yan Qizheng stood in front of him.
Wei Ziyan didn't dare to look at him. She turned her head to the side and said "hmm" very softly.
"What book are you looking for? I'll help you find it."
"Need not……"
Wei Ziyan's cheeks were burning hot, and Yan Qizhen noticed that her face and neck were abnormally red.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" As he spoke, he naturally raised his hand and placed the back of his hand against her forehead.
My hands, which had just been washed with cold water, felt unusually hot.
"It's so hot—"
"no……"
Wei Ziyan quickly avoided his touch, becoming increasingly bewildered.
"I, I'm not feeling unwell... I've found the book..." After saying that, he didn't care about anything else and hurriedly fled the study with the book.
A strong wind blew in from outside, stirring the cold sweat that had broken out of her body and causing goose bumps to form on her skin. Wei Ziyan, oblivious to the wind, hurried back to the main room, hoping to find a place to hide the book temporarily. However, from the outer room to the inner room, she couldn't find a place that was secluded enough.
"Young Master."
Suddenly, voices were heard outside, and Wei Ziyan became more anxious.
At this moment, the thing in my hand is like a hot potato, and I don’t know where to hide it at all.
In a hurry, Wei Ziyan quickly climbed onto the bed and stuffed the book under the inner mattress. Just as she was hiding it, she heard footsteps behind her and Yan Qizheng walked in.
Wei Ziyan pretended to be calm as she sat on the edge of the bed, but her chest was pounding and her heart was beating as if it was going to jump out of her throat.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Yan Qi felt something was wrong and followed closely from the study.
"I just... wore too many clothes..." Wei Ziyan swallowed, "The window of the study was not open, so it was a bit hot... I feel much better now."
Yan Qi was looking at her with a doubtful expression.
"How is the prince doing?" Wei Ziyan quickly changed the subject.
"Your Highness has a plan, don't worry."
"That's good." Wei Ziyan stood up, afraid that he would notice something unusual on the bed. "Dinner should be ready."
Yan Qizhen wanted to say something, but seeing her quick steps, she certainly didn't look unwell, so he didn't ask any more questions and followed her to the outer room.
Ping'er and Qiuluo had already set the table for dinner, and when they saw the two of them sit down, they tactfully stepped aside. Yan Qizheng saw some shrimp and peeled one, about to place it in the bowl opposite him, when Wei Ziyan, holding the bowl, moved away.
"I just prayed to the Buddha. I am a vegetarian."
Vegetarian?
Yan Qizhen's brows furrowed slightly.
You still remember that when I picked up some fish for her at noon, didn’t she eat it with great relish?
His eyes circled twice between the eyebrows of the other person who was deliberately avoiding him, and Yan Qizheng calmly put the shrimp into his mouth.
"Did the young lady go out in the afternoon?" After dinner, Yan Qizhen asked Leng Xiang privately.
"No." Leng Xiang thought for a moment and said, "The young lady woke up from her nap and read in the outer room, then went to the study."
Reading...
Yan Qizhen suddenly remembered that she was holding a book in her hand when she left the study, but after entering the room, there seemed to be nothing in her hand.
Could it be...that she hid it?
At this moment, he carefully thought about that unusually flushed face and panicked look again, as if she had done something hidden from him that she couldn't let him know.
Yan Qizheng suddenly had an idea and hurried to the study to check the two rows of bookshelves one by one.
He had read all the books in the collection, and although he might not remember the older ones, he still had some impression of the ones he had read this year.
Especially for books that I have read many times, I even know where they are placed on the bookshelf.
After a moment, Yan Qizhen's gaze was fixed on the empty space in the middle of a row of books, and a dark light surged in his eyes.
There is one book missing here.
And it just so happened that it was the book that left a deep impression on him.
【Author’s words】
Oh wow [starry eyes]
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