Chapter 88. He was probably being retaliated against by someone. ...
Liang Yuanyi left that day with a gloomy face, and did not appear in front of Yu Mingshu again in the following days.
Yu Ming breathed a sigh of relief, but He Zheng's days were not easy.
He was probably the victim of someone's revenge.
"The Xie family's case has dragged on for two months and is still not settled, yet the Censorate has the leisure to focus on impeaching me. The day before yesterday, they impeached me for assaulting Xu Jie; yesterday, they impeached me for leaving the Guards' Office at noon; and today, they impeached me for not wearing my official uniform when I went to work this morning!"
He Zheng was furious with the censor. He paced around the room several times, saying, "If they have eye problems, they should go get their eyes treated. Why am I not wearing my official robe? It's winter. Who doesn't wear a cloak over their official robe?"
Yu Mingshu looked at him with amusement: "Putting everything else aside, have you been punished for assaulting Xu Jie?"
He Zheng curled his lip, "It's just a one-month salary deduction, let him be."
Yu Mingshu said knowingly, "Since these are just some minor charges, just ignore them. I suspect that person will be keeping an eye on you for a while, so we both need to be careful."
He Zheng became interested and sat back down beside her, crossing his arms and resting his elbows on the table. "He still wants to impeach you?"
“It’s not an impeachment.” Yu Mingshu exhaled, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards Zhaohua Palace, only to be blocked by a half-open door.
"From the Xie family's downfall and Consort Zhang's entry into the palace to Prince Qin's accession to court, countless eyes are now fixed on the Eastern Palace, hoping that His Highness the Crown Prince will make a mistake. At the very least, no official business that leaves my hands can be overlooked."
He Zheng shook his head. "Then your situation is more difficult."
“Don’t forget you’re also a military officer in the Crown Prince’s palace. If you keep giving people something to talk about over these trivial matters, it will also affect His Highness’s reputation.” Yu Mingshu patted the back of his hand, then packed his things, got up, and opened the door. “I’m leaving, time to go home.”
He Zheng followed, his tone tinged with jealousy, "Why do I feel like you care more about your cousin, the Crown Prince, than about me?"
Yu Mingshu smiled helplessly, "Why are you jealous of His Highness?"
Snow had fallen outside the door sometime earlier, leaving a thin layer of white in the courtyard. The two walked outside, leaving a trail of footprints of varying depths in the snow.
As soon as they left the residence of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, a cold wind howled. He Zheng noticed that she was only wearing a deerskin coat, which was not very thick, so he wrapped his cloak around her.
In the distance, along the palace path, a figure in deep purple suddenly stopped, his gaze shifting between the two people.
The eunuch followed his gaze to the east, and after recognizing who it was, he lowered his head. Liang Yuanyi remained lost in thought for a long time, so the eunuch had to remind him, "Your Highness, the person has already left."
Liang Yuanyi withdrew his gaze, clenched his fists, and strode away.
In front of the hall of the Prince of Qin's mansion, a man in a green robe sat for a long time. As darkness fell, he finally saw the Prince of Qin return. His face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly put down the teacup he had just opened and got up to greet him.
"Your humble servant, Fu Chongyang, Director of the Court of Judicial Review, pays his respects to Your Highness, the Prince of Qin."
Liang Yuanyi glanced at him. If he remembered correctly, this person was originally Xie Cheng's student. Later, he had some disagreements with Xie Shichang. The two quarreled in the street and started fighting. This incident caused quite a stir back then.
At the time, this man was severely reprimanded by the emperor and demoted two ranks. Now that the Xie family has suffered misfortune, he has escaped unscathed.
"The gatekeeper said that Fu Sizhi has been waiting here for an hour. What is the purpose of your persistent visit to me?"
"I have something that Your Highness, the Prince of Qin, might be interested in, so I have come to request an audience and wish to present it to Your Highness." Fu Chongyang said, taking out a letter from his sleeve and respectfully handing it over.
Liang Yuanyi stared at the slightly yellowed letter for a long time before taking it and reading it.
Upon seeing this, a hint of interest appeared in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.
Fu Chongyang cautiously observed his expression, and seeing this, he felt reassured. He cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "During his campaign, Marquis Pingyan became entangled with the orphan of the magistrate of Sangyang County, and later abandoned him after starting the affair. He has betrayed the descendants of a loyal minister. If His Majesty were to find out about this, he would surely deal with it seriously."
Liang Yuanyi remained noncommittal, slowly putting away the letter. "Where is Magistrate Yun's orphaned daughter now?"
Fu Chongyang respectfully said, "Last month, Yun attempted to go to the capital to seek out Marquis Pingyan. Before she even left Cangzhou, she was stopped by the government. They discovered that her travel document was unusual. Considering that she was the descendant of a loyal minister who had been personally rewarded by the Emperor, she was not punished but only sent back to her hometown."
Liang Yuanyi tucked the envelope into his sleeve, his gaze softening slightly. Looking at Fu Sizhi before him, he asked gently, "You have no grudge against Marquis Pingyan. What reward do you hope to gain from me by presenting this?"
Fu Chongyang immediately bowed deeply, “In the seventeenth year of Fengle, I had the honor of reading Your Highness’s examination essay, and I have admired you ever since. Now that Your Highness has shone brightly and returned to your rightful place, I am overjoyed and only wish to serve Your Highness.”
Liang Yuanyi pondered for a moment, then simply replied, "I understand," and had his servants escort him away.
Since he was recognized as a member of the Qin clan and granted the title of Prince of Qin, countless people in the court had been watching from the sidelines, but Fu Chongyang was the first to take the initiative to pledge allegiance.
He dared not say he completely trusted this person, but at least Fu Chongyang had set a good precedent.
The eunuch brought in the dinner, and while serving the dishes, he tentatively said, "I heard that Director Fu visited Master Xie in prison a few days ago. He is indeed a trustworthy and upright man."
"He's straightforward?" Liang Yuanyi scoffed. Judging from Fu Chongyang's shameless sycophancy just now, there was no sign of him being straightforward at all.
He offered no further comment, instead instructing the sword-wielding man who had appeared by the door at some unknown time: "Take my warrant and go to Youzhou. Make sure to bring the orphaned girl of the Yun family back to Chang'an."
The man with the sword bowed in agreement and hurriedly left.
…
After enduring the harsh winter and passing through the busiest period before the Lunar New Year, the New Year is finally approaching. Yu Mingshu hadn't seen Yu Dan for a long time, so he took advantage of the New Year holiday to return to Yongningfang for a three-day stay and reunite with his family.
After taking up his post at the Jingzhao Prefecture, Yu Dan suffered greatly from the demands of his work, resulting in a somewhat haggard appearance, light blue circles under his eyes, and a unkempt beard. Upon seeing him now, Yu Mingshu almost did not recognize him.
At this moment, he lit a stove in the yard and, following Yu Mingshu's instructions, secured the half-slaughtered sheep with an iron mesh and placed it on the stove to roast.
"Sister, is this all you need?"
"Okay, just leave it there. It's cold outside, come in quickly, or Jiang Niangzi will fight me to the death if you catch a cold."
“Ru’an used to be prone to overthinking, but she’s changed now. My sister even teases her about it.” As Yu Dan spoke, he grabbed a handful of clean snow, rubbed his hands together, and turned back into the main room.
Even after spending the entire afternoon together, seeing his face now, Yu Mingshu still couldn't bear to look at him and turned her face away. "Who did you learn this from? Growing such a goatee, you're not even thirty yet, and you're making yourself look like you're in your thirties. I don't know how Madam Jiang could bring herself to kiss you like that..."
"Sister! You speak so rudely!" Yu Dan's face flushed red, and he shouted to silence her.
Yu Mingshu's words were also an exaggeration. Yu Dan had not yet reached adulthood and had only just begun to grow a beard. After two months of growing it, the outline was just beginning to appear. The color was light and the beard was sparse. He certainly did not look as old as someone in his thirties.
He took a sip of tea and complained, "You don't know, I used to look too young and naive. When I went out on official business with my superiors, no one paid any attention to me. But ever since I grew this beard, everything has changed. The prisoners' legs go weak when they see me, the onlookers know to make way for me, and they don't dare to yell at me when there's a dispute in court."
After hearing these words, Yu Mingshu understood.
She had similar experiences when she was a teacher in her previous life. If she dressed younger, she would be easily taken advantage of by her students. On the contrary, if she dressed up as a mature teacher with ten years of experience, she would have a natural sense of awe when she stood on the podium.
"Even so, it still looks pleasing to the eye when it's clean and tidy," Yu Mingshu muttered as she picked vegetables.
Wu Qiuniang and Jiang Ruan returned from outside, carrying fried snacks they had bought from the East Market, and casually asked, "What are you two talking about?"
Yu Dan immediately complained, "Mother, my elder sister thinks my beard looks bad."
Jiang Ruan whispered, "That's true."
Yu Dan was furious and turned his back, not wanting to say anything more.
Wu Qiuniang just smiled after hearing this, then turned to ask Yu Mingshu, "Young Marquis He didn't come along today?"
Yu Mingshu said, "He hasn't spent the New Year with the Duke and his wife for two years, so how can he keep bothering me?"
Yu Dan turned around and asked, "When will my elder sister and He Erlang get married?"
Yu Mingshu said frankly, "The Duke's mansion is already making preparations. Spring might not be enough, and summer would be too hot. I estimate the wedding date will most likely be set for autumn."
Wu Qiuniang nodded. "The Duke's wife sent someone over a few days ago, and she said the same thing."
Yu Dan's expression was complicated. Although he had long known about the undercurrents between He Zheng and his sister, he still felt like his brother had tricked him when things came to this.
They used to call each other "brother," now they'll call each other "brother-in-law"—what kind of nonsense is this?
On New Year's Eve, the curfew in Chang'an was lifted, and the city was brightly lit with lights and the sound of firecrackers could be heard constantly.
Yu Mingshu had some wine with his family and then returned to his courtyard. He had just read two pages of a book when a long-lost sound suddenly came from the back wall.
He pushed open the door and went out to see He Zheng holding an exquisite koi lantern, waving at him from the top of the wall.
"Why are you here?" Yu Mingshu was slightly surprised. He quickly moved the wooden box over and used it to climb over the courtyard wall.
Before she could jump over herself, He Zheng scooped her up on his shoulders and carried her down. When he brought the lantern closer, he saw that her face was flushed with a slightly tipsy blush, making her look incredibly cute.
“I wanted to see you, so I came.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and put the lantern in her hand. “I just passed by the East Market, and an old woman selling lanterns said that this koi fish means good luck in the coming year. Actually, the meaning is secondary. I thought this lantern was really beautiful, so I wanted to bring it back for you.”
“It’s really beautiful.” Yu Mingshu’s eyes sparkled in the lantern light as she looked up at He Zheng and gently kissed him on the lips. “I like it very much.”
He Zheng was naturally delighted, a smile spreading across his face. "Then can I use the main gate to wish my aunt a Happy New Year tomorrow?"
"Come if you want, who's stopping you?" Yu Mingshu said with amusement.
He Zheng suddenly hugged her tightly, resting his chin on the crook of her neck. "We haven't spent the New Year together for two years. I'll keep you company tonight."
“I wasn’t planning on staying up all night,” Yu Mingshu said. “If you hadn’t come, I would have already gone to bed.”
He Zhengxin said happily, "Then you go to sleep, I'll stay with you."
…
A somber mood hung over Fengyi Palace. The Empress and the Crown Prince finished their dinner facing each other, accompanied only by two chattering children.
On New Year's Eve, the emperor went to the West Garden to accompany Consort Zhang and Prince Qin and his mother.
The servants dared not utter a sound, lest their angry master seize upon their mistakes and use them to vent his anger.
The Empress wasn't particularly angry. She simply put down her chopsticks, wiped her hands clean, said a few words to the Crown Prince, and then dismissed everyone, saying she needed to rest.
As Liang Yuanjun left Fengyi Palace and walked back to Zhaohua Palace, she frowned and murmured, "No matter how much His Majesty favored the new concubines in the past, he always had some respect for the Empress Dowager. This year, he even spent New Year's Eve in the West Garden."
The female official on duty tonight also said indignantly, "Recently, His Majesty has been summoning the Prince of Qin to discuss politics, and the decrees he issues are kept from the Crown Prince. Anyone who doesn't know the situation would think that His Highness has been replaced by the Prince of Qin."
Liang Yuanjun glanced at her, then pursed her lips and remained silent.
I'm afraid that's what Father Emperor is thinking, but he just can't find a reason to depose the heir apparent.
The Crown Prince was always cautious and never gave anyone any leverage over her. She was afraid that if her father couldn't find an opportunity to depose her, he would expose her most secret weakness.
Now that things have come to this, it's time to make preparations.
A gust of cold wind ruffled her cloak, and Liang Yuanjun coughed twice.
The female official immediately became anxious and said, "Your Highness, have you caught a chill? This humble servant will go and fetch Physician Zhong immediately."
Liang Yuanjun originally intended not to disturb Physician Zhong's rest on New Year's Eve, but then she vaguely remembered that she had been feeling numbness in her chest from time to time for the past month. So she opened her mouth but then gave up and let her go.
Imperial Physician Zhong hadn't left the palace that day. Upon hearing from the female official that the Crown Prince was unwell, he tightened his grip on the medical book and momentarily lost in thought.
The female official urged her again in a hurry, and only then did she seem to wake up from a dream, put down her book, pick up her medicine box, and go to Zhaohua Palace with her.
As night deepened, Liang Yuanjun sat at the table, staring at her wrist. Physician Zhong calmly took her pulse, put away his medicine box, wrote down a prescription, and handed it to Zhou Fuling.
"Your Highness, please avoid exposure to wind and cold these next two days. Also, please take two doses of medicine to regulate your condition."
Liang Yuanjun frowned and said, "I have been feeling numbness and tightness in my chest lately. Is this also due to a cold?"
Physician Zhong lowered his head and said, "A cold is one aspect, but on the other hand, Your Highness is overworked in state affairs and needs to pay attention to rest and recuperation in your daily life."
Was she overworked? But these days she's been left out of the Emperor's sight and hasn't had any access to confidential government affairs. She only reads official documents for two hours a day, which clearly doesn't count as overwork.
However, Physician Zhong's medical skills could not be wrong. Liang Yuanjun suppressed her doubts and said to Zhou Fuling, "Go and decoct the medicine."
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