Zhang's cousin
"Is your highness feeling better?"
Zhang Yannian stopped in front of Liu Ju's door with the snacks made by his mother. He still didn't come out. Liang Huai led him a little further away and stopped at the bottom of the corridor.
Liang Huai shook his head. "Your Majesty's kick was quite heavy. Several bones were broken. He will need at least a month to recuperate. Besides, this is not a serious matter. The physical injuries are just external. The mental illness is difficult to cure."
"Concubine Rong was your highness's beloved. With her death, your highness is inevitably sad, but it will heal after some time."
Liang Huai shook his head and wanted to say something, but stopped and sent Zhang Yannian away.
After late spring, June arrived, and summer had already arrived. One day, Zhang Yannian finished his shift and went to visit his mother at her courtyard. Aunt Jiang was waiting for him at the door, smiling and welcoming him in. "There are guests at home, and the old lady said we should have dinner together before leaving."
"Who is it?"
"I don't know either, but she's a girl. The old lady said she should be called Miss Wenying."
Zhang Yannian felt that the name sounded familiar. The two of them passed through the hanging flower gate. There were two water tanks in Zhang's mother's yard. Two water lilies had already gracefully poked their heads out. Between the lotus leaves, a goose yellow butterfly flew slowly towards the lotus and then landed in the center of the flower.
Suddenly, a knife fan fell on it. It was a girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a pair of black hair hanging down on her face and silver bracelets on her arms. The pink gauze fluttered as she pounced towards her.
The butterfly swiftly escaped from under the fan. She looked up and saw Zhang Yannian's gaze. She was not embarrassed at all. She stood up and looked back at him with a smile. "Cousin."
Zhang Yannian didn't remember having such a cousin among his relatives. He nodded and walked into Zhang's mother's room with her.
"Yannian is back. This is your cousin Wenying from your second aunt's family in Jiangdong. She came to Beijing for medical treatment and came to visit us on behalf of her mother."
"Sister Wenying."
He greeted her politely, "It's a long way to Jiangdong, cousin. Did you come here alone? I wonder what illness you're seeking treatment for?"
Wenying lowered her head and smiled, "It's not a serious illness, just a cold body and weak heart. Mother has been worried for a long time and insisted that I come to the capital to see a famous doctor to treat the root cause."
"I know there's a skilled imperial physician in the palace. If you don't mind, you can ask him to come."
"The imperial physician in the palace is supposed to treat nobles. How can he just call him in to treat us? If His Majesty knew, wouldn't he blame me?"
Zhang's mother suddenly interrupted him with a smile. Wenying also said, "I appreciate your kindness, cousin. It's really not a serious illness. I will go to the doctor outside and ask him to prescribe medicine."
"Alright, then stay here for a few more days. Tomorrow, when I'm free, I'll ask them to show you around."
"Okay, thank you very much, cousin."
Throughout the meal, he could constantly feel the gazes on him, and several times he caught them in the act, but they weren't embarrassed at all and just looked at him with a smile. This made him think that this cousin was a little strange.
After dinner, he asked about her accommodations and was about to have someone arrange for her to stay in the newly renovated west room, but Zhang's mother said, "The west room hasn't been renovated yet; the paint isn't dry yet. I've already had them clean up the east room; it's cooler there too. Wenying, do you think that's okay?"
Wenying nodded naturally. After she left, Zhang Yannian asked in surprise, "The west room is obviously cooler and has been renovated a long time ago. Why did mother want her to live in the east room?"
"If I hadn't seen her coming here alone with her luggage, I wouldn't even let her stay."
Mother Zhang's tone was unusually cold. "What do you think she's here for? She's old enough to get married. What kind of a wretch is that Jiangdong barbarian your aunt married? Seeing you've become successful in the court, he sent his daughter to borrow our influence."
Zhang Yannian said, "That's not a problem. I need help in the court, and marriage is the most convenient way."
"You're quite open-minded, but I can't forget. That year, right after your father died, I took you to her, but she said she was a daughter of a foreigner and not a member of the Zhang family, and she couldn't bear to take in the descendants of a criminal. The late emperor had issued a clear decree not to implicate his family, but she was so cowardly that she was afraid to be associated with her and spend a penny of her money. Now that you've become successful, you want her daughter to share in the glory. Even if your father were still alive, he would never look at her with a kind face."
The obscure and dark memories of the past flooded back into Zhang Yannian's mind. He was silent for a moment, "After all, my cousin was still young then..."
"Never mind. Let her stay for one night and I'll give her some money."
After Zhang Yannian came out from his mother's house, he thought about the past and stopped caring about his cousin. He just went to his room to rest.
There was a large tank of ice in the room, and a faint cool breeze blew over him. He took off his official robe, revealing only a green and moon-white long gown. Sitting in front of the desk, he leaned back to stretch out the fatigue in his whole body.
Ever since the incident at Huangshan Palace, the Emperor had Rong Ying boiled alive and then, provoking provocation, executed three members of the Rong family. The Crown Prince, watching the execution, vomited violently, took two steps, and collapsed, never to return. Meanwhile, the Emperor, though also seriously ill, quickly regained his strength and seemed even more energetic than before. He hadn't anticipated the mole on Rong Ying's face would cause such trouble. He sensed the Emperor's growing dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince, and this time, unlike before, the Emperor looked at him with a look that threatened to strike him dead. The Crown Prince was devastated, refusing to attend court or socialize. He feared that if things continued like this, the Emperor might actually consider replacing him.
A quiet face appeared before him accompanied by a faint fragrance.
"cousin."
His heart skipped a beat, and his expression turned cold when he saw the peony pinned in her hair.
"Where did you get the flowers on your hair?"
"I picked it from the flower shed in my cousin's yard."
He suddenly reached out and plucked the peony off. "Didn't anyone tell you not to touch other people's things?"
Wenying curled her lips and said, "It's just a flower. My cousin is a high-ranking official now, why is he so stingy?"
Zhang Yannian frowned and looked at her, "What's the matter?"
Wenying sat down beside him without any hesitation and poured herself a cup of tea. "Can't you come and talk to your cousin if you have nothing to do? He just said he could take me out to play. What are the fun places in Beijing?"
"There's nothing fun here. If you want to go shopping, I'll ask Chunhua to ride you there."
Zhang Yannian's expression was still cold, not as enthusiastic as when they first met. His dislike for her was obvious, and he didn't expect that she would point it out directly.
"My cousin doesn't like me? Is it because I touched his flower?"
Zhang Yannian said, "Most of my colleagues come from high-class families and are already married. I'm afraid I can't help you with your marriage. If it's a heart attack, the clinic in the east of the city has excellent medical skills. You can stay for a few days before leaving."
This was a sign of saying goodbye. Any other girl would have blushed and left, but Wenying laughed. "Is it really that serious? You have at least dozens of pots in your shed, and you got so angry just because you picked one. How expensive are they? You have no respect at all..."
She threw a handful of money on the table and said, "Consider it my purchase. Don't be angry anymore, cousin."
"Whether it's valuable or not is not up to you to decide. I regard it as a treasure, priceless. I wonder if my cousin can afford it?"
"It's priceless...it must have been given to you by someone very important to you, your cousin. If it's so important, why can't you bear to part with it and abandon it? Why don't you see your old friend coming closer?"
"This has nothing to do with you." Zhang Yannian frowned, unwilling to stay under the same roof with her anymore, and stood up to leave.
"Why is it none of my business if you killed me?"
The questioning behind him made him pause, and he turned back stiffly. Wen Ying walked towards him and grabbed him by the collar. "Zhang Yannian, I trusted you so much, but you actually poisoned that bowl of milk. You wanted to use me to harm Emperor Wu of Han. What are your intentions?"
"Who are you……"
Zhang Yannian's eyes were filled with shock. Wenying said, "I am. I don't know what happened, but I woke up as Gu Wenying. You haven't answered my question yet, Zhang Yannian. I asked you to help me fake my death and get out. You said you would have someone put a drug in Liu Che to drink. Why did it turn out to be poisonous in the end?"
"It's a long story. Anyway, Concubine Rong, who was by the Crown Prince's side, saw the letter you sent me and learned of our plan. So she sent someone to bribe the Taoist priest and replaced the sleeping pills with poison."
"How do you know so much?"
"Your Majesty brought all those implicated that day to the Imperial Prison for interrogation, and she finally spoke out under severe torture. But that day, Your Majesty was so furious that he impulsively put her on the scorch. There are many things I still haven't figured out..."
"She should have wanted to harm me. If she knew that the drug would be used on His Majesty, why would she poison him? She has no grudge against His Majesty. Unless she didn't know that the drug was destined for His Majesty's bowl, she knew I was in Huangshan Palace and mistakenly believed that I was pregnant. She was just a pawn being used by the Crown Prince..."
"It's not the Crown Prince." Zhang Yannian interrupted her immediately upon hearing this, looking around and explaining in a low voice, "The Crown Prince is a filial son, and Concubine Rong is his most beloved. Even if he wanted to have sex, he could have found someone else. There was no need to do something so obvious that would have cost Concubine Rong her life in vain."
"That's because it failed. What if it succeeded? Concubine Rong would be the greatest contributor, and the entire Rong family would follow suit and become loyal subjects. Once the emperor dies and the crown prince ascends the throne, who would pursue these matters?"
"The prince is my student. I know him well. He has a kind heart..."
"Pure and kind?" Ah Jiao looked at him mockingly. "I almost forgot. If he was pure and kind, then it would have been you who deliberately lured me to Liu Che to play the zither and plot to kill me. Lord Zhang, you've been promoted, but when did you become such a cruel and ruthless person?"
Zhang Yannian was speechless, "I didn't know it was you..."
"He planned this to kill me in order to eliminate his spies. And Liu Che, I told you not to tell him my identity, so how did he know it?"
"Your Majesty knows?" Zhang Yannian asked in surprise, "But apart from Wen Dao, no one else has written to me about your letter..."
He seemed to have thought of something. Seeing his shocked expression, Gillian sneered, "Even someone who has been with you for so long can be bribed by him. This shows that he is extremely scheming and has ulterior motives."
Zhang Yannian seemed to no longer want to discuss the Crown Prince's issue. "It's my fault. I should have thought things through carefully before making plans. That plan was full of loopholes. Fortunately, Your Majesty only punished Concubine Rong."
"Liu Che is not dead?"
"Thank God, Your Majesty is injured, but it is not serious."
Ah Jiao breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Zhang Yannian's calm expression, not too surprised, she asked, "Why don't you seem surprised at all? I changed my body twice. Don't you think it's weird? Aren't you afraid that I'm a monster?"
"Don't be afraid, I recognize you."
She smiled and said, "What do you know? You are just too stupid to be fooled."
Zhang Yannian looked at her smile and smiled back, "Your Majesty wrote me a letter saying you wanted to leave the palace. Now that you've escaped, what are your plans for the future?"
"I haven't thought about it yet. I can't lift anything. I wanted to leave the palace and stay away from Liu Che. I wanted to live a simple life near the mountains and rivers. But after spending more than half a month at your aunt's house, I'm almost suffocating. Such a small room, such hot weather, and only three or five dishes to eat, not even ice. I'm so hot that I have rashes on my face and hands. And those servants are so stupid. They don't know how to put on makeup or do their hair. I came to Chang'an from Jiangdong by boat with this plain face, and look at my hands, they are all tanned."
Zhang Yannian looked at her quietly. Her eyebrows were slightly frowned, and her eyes were watery and moving when she was angry. She stretched out her arm to show him the back of her slender white hand. There was a red rope on her wrist, which looked particularly dazzling.
His expression was gloomy, and he suddenly looked away, turned his back and walked away.
"I finally understand how comfortable my life was before, and how difficult it is to leave the palace now. I'm thinking of just going back to the palace, admitting my mistakes, and asking Emperor Liu Che to make me a princess... Hey, where are you going? What are you doing?"
When Ah Jiao saw him suddenly walk away, she followed him closely. He took out a small box from the box and placed a dozen thick wooden slips on the table. Then there were gold, silver and jade articles, from large ornaments to small things like tea bowls, chopsticks and spoons... Zhang Yannian sat upright and pushed all these in front of her.
She was stunned. "Give it to me?"
"My salary is modest, though not much, but I have received many gifts from the Crown Prince and Your Majesty over the years, all of which are here. I also have land and estates outside the capital. Your Majesty, wherever you want to go or what you want to do, I will have the retainers in the palace calculate and purchase them for you, and the rest will remain with you."
The man in front of her looked at her, his eyes as clear as water and as firm as a mountain. Her heart was filled with ripples, and she suddenly stood up.
"Your Majesty, there is no need to thank me. As a subject, I have also received your grace..."
The softness of his lips was like a dragonfly, ready to take flight. He could hear the rapid drumbeats suddenly beating in his chest. His entire body seemed to have hardened into a block of wood, and he was at a loss for what to do with the softness before him.
He raised his head stiffly and said with forced composure, "That's not what I meant."
She smiled at him, as if she found his expression quite amusing. "This is what I mean, Zhang Yannian. Your aunt wants me to come to the capital to find your cousin as my wife. When I saw you today, I felt that your lips were red and your teeth were white, as bright as the moon, and you had a heavenly appearance. Would you be willing to marry me?"
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