Chapter 49 I want to take a bath
Imprisonment plot?
The original plot should have been that after she was driven out of the Marquis's mansion and ended up on the streets, she was imprisoned by Chu Minglang or Ji Yushang.
Now that Yu He'an has replaced Ji Yushang in the storyline and provided accommodation, she is only staying here temporarily, so how can it be considered imprisonment?
Yu He'an was simply helping her resolve the effects of the love curse.
After being expelled from the Marquis's residence, she stayed in the courtyard and rarely went out, along with Yu He'an, with whom she had always spent time.
The plot trigger points were all correctly identified, so the plot was completed ahead of schedule by default.
Holding hands, kissing, caressing...
What will be next...?
She nestled in Yu He'an's arms, the love potion and the plot driving their relationship in an uncontrollable direction.
Warm breath gently licked the side of her neck. Unconsciously, his fingertips lightly touched the wound she had bitten.
Feeling lost and helpless.
"Don't move." The words carried a subtle warning as my hand was grabbed and my fingertips were pinched.
It was too chaotic; everything had crossed the line, and endless panic began to emerge.
Her gaze fell on a water stain on her outer robe.
"Is this how you interpret the Love Poison?"
"No, after all, the other half of the Gu worms are on Chu Minglang; it's just a temporary measure..."
"For now." Her heart skipped a beat; sure enough, it overlapped with the original plot again.
"If a way to remove the curse is not found, the attacks will become more and more frequent, from once a month, to once every two weeks, and then every three days... becoming more and more intense until one can no longer bear it and goes to find the person who cast the curse to give them a quick death."
"So disgusting...so vicious."
Chu Minglang clearly only wanted a marriage with a noble family, so why, under Madam Song's favor, did she still resort to using a curse on her, and such an unspeakable one at that?
Just yesterday, knowing full well that she was not the wife of a marquis, he not only refused to remove the curse, but also refused to give her the oppressive sachet.
This is clearly a wanton revenge against her.
Why is there so much malice towards her?
If she were a lady of a noble family, she would use her marriage and her future as stepping stones.
She was neither a lady of the Marquis's household nor willing to remove the curse, so she used the curse worm to threaten her.
She recalled Chu Minglang's last look. At first, she thought it was because Lingnan was far away and he was just being perfunctory with her words. Now she realized that he was clearly certain that she would come to him for help.
If one is afflicted by a Gu poison, seeking help from Doctor Xue will be of no use.
Go find Zhao Qin?
Zhao Qin was completely kept in the dark.
Go find Chu Minglang?
This road is now completely blocked.
If Yu He'an were to make him hand her over, she would be nothing more than a crippled noblewoman, of little use to Chu Minglang.
"Brother, I want to..."
"You can't go to Chu Minglang, and you can't go to anyone. I'll help you during this time."
"But this is a bit strange..."
How could an older brother help his younger sister? There might even be things that go too far. This can't be done... This is wrong, and she wanted to do her best to salvage the situation.
"We should be the closest of friends, do you want to find someone else?"
Something poked her, and she squeezed her legs together, letting out a muffled groan of discomfort above her head. Realizing something was wrong, she immediately loosened her grip.
Who else could she turn to besides Yu He'an?
"I didn't want to see anyone else." Unable to continue cuddling, she quickly pushed him away. "I want to take a shower."
She has one month left. As long as she can remove the curse before the next attack, no one will know anything about what happened before that.
There will always be a way out in the future.
"Brother, will you help me?"
Help her put pressure on Chu Minglang to force him to hand over the method to remove the curse.
"Of course." Yu He'an's eyes were deep, and her answer was decisive and crisp, finally putting her mind at ease.
Fortunately, things are better than expected.
*
For five consecutive days, Yu He'an was busy with the Hanlin Academy and Zhao Ziyin's case, so busy that he was overwhelmed. All the relevant files were piled up on his desk like a small mountain.
Today, when Yu He'an returned from the Hanlin Academy, he even brought back a pile of letters, which were piled up in a corner of his desk. There were so many things piled up on the desk that many of the letters slid down to the ground.
She usually stayed on the recliner under the corridor, more than five meters away from Yu He'an, a distance that wouldn't make her feel hot and uncomfortable.
The letter fell to the ground and no one picked it up for a long time. She glanced at it several times before finally moving from the recliner to the outer room.
As she picked up the letters, she saw the name Xie Ling and her eyelids twitched involuntarily.
"Take a look." Yu He'an pressed her down into the armchair.
All the letters were laid out in front of her, arranged neatly in chronological order.
She read them word by word and discovered that they were letters from Xie Ling betraying the whereabouts of his troops. The last letter was about the infamous and tragic battle of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Thirty thousand soldiers were massacred in Liaoshan Valley.
If it weren't for that war, the border of the Great Zhou wouldn't have been in turmoil for so long, Yu Zheng wouldn't have had to guard the border for decades, and Ning Weiqing might not have been kidnapped and might not have died.
All of this points to Xie Ling.
She closed the letter and put it back.
When I saw the name Xie Ling, I instinctively felt a slight liking for him. It came suddenly and strangely, and I even didn't want to believe that he had done these things.
The letter is here, and everything is a fait accompli; further argument is futile.
"Do you have any thoughts?" Yu He'an stood to her right, very close. She didn't know when it started, but she had begun to get used to this distance.
The date on the letter is more than a decade old.
She shook her head: "I don't have any particular thoughts."
They couldn't very well tell Yu He'an that she thought Xie Ling hadn't done these things.
A strand of hair fell loose beside his face, and he casually tucked it behind his ear. He looked up at the man with a bewildered expression.
He had seen those who looked lost and misty.
Yu Tan didn't know that Xie Ling was her father. Zhao Qingwu didn't tell her anything. If she hadn't guessed, Zhao Qingwu probably wouldn't have even told her that she was her mother.
He kept his own agenda to himself and didn't want to tell her.
At least wait until all the stigma is cleared before telling her, so that she can have a clear background.
You'll find out later.
Yu Tan lowered her head and thought for a while. Yu He'an was now investigating old cases, which was obviously not about dragging out the dead and whipping their corpses again.
They knew there was something fishy about the matter and wanted to overturn the case.
“Brother, I don’t think he’s that kind of person.”
“The evidence is too complete, every clue is explained clearly, it seems like it was deliberately staged for people to see.” Yu He’an snatched the letter from her hand.
Yes, that's the feeling.
The letter explained each step very clearly.
It's all too clear, it's as if everyone can see it at a glance: Xie Ling is a traitor who betrayed his country for money.
"Brother, why are you investigating old cases lately? Are there any leads in Zhao Ziyin's case? Shouldn't the Ministry of Rites have no access to disaster relief funds?"
"The situation was special back then. Zhao Ziyin was visiting his family in Quzhou. The Minister in charge of water management had been transferred back to Bianjing, but he temporarily took over the task of managing the water in his hometown. It was a wonderful job to give back to his neighbors."
When the news was first reported back to the court, Zhao Ziyin handled the matter exceptionally well. He even commissioned craftsmen to draft a detailed plan for constructing a diversion project upstream of Quzhou and presented it to the late emperor.
During the high-water season, water is diverted; during the low-water season, farmland is irrigated.
However, during the reign of the late emperor, the situation in the court was not stable, and border wars broke out frequently, so the construction of water conservancy projects required a huge amount of financial resources.
The post was rejected as soon as it was submitted. Later, it was discovered that the water conservancy project algorithm submitted by Zhao Ziyin was questionable. Perhaps anticipating the criticism, he was tempted by greed and the news was suppressed.
Later, famine victims from Quzhou went to Bianjing (Kaifeng) and submitted a petition written in blood. Three people then committed suicide by running into the Dali Temple, directly accusing Zhao Ziyin of embezzling disaster relief funds, and claiming that the rice provided for disaster relief was mixed with chaff, the rice was not porridge-like, and the rice water was so thin it didn't even cling to the bowl, resembling clear water.
If that were all, overturning the case would only require a slow search, and there would always be clues to follow. Even if more than ten years had passed, there would still be witnesses from that time. But after he investigated all these days, he found that they had all been completely hidden.
Zhao Ziyin's corruption directly points to the downfall of the Fifth Prince and the usurpation of the throne by the Third Prince. Was this a trap set by the Third Prince or authorized by the current Emperor?
"Brother." A cup of tea was pushed in front of him. "You look terrible. There's no need to rush. If Lord Zhao is watching from beyond the grave, he won't blame you."
"Have you been feeling unwell lately?" He put his arm around her waist and pulled her into the armchair.
Warm hands touched the bones on the side of the waist and pinched the soft flesh.
Realizing what kind of discomfort Yu He'an was referring to, a blush spread across his face.
Even after so long, she still hasn't adapted to this change. Despite having already done more intimate things, she still can't get used to this kind of everyday closeness.
They don't seem like siblings, they seem like lovers.
Yu He'an adapted as usual.
She wanted to know how far along the pressure on Chu Minglang was in removing the curse.
"Brother, have you run into Chu Minglang recently?"
Yu He'an smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes. "No, it seems he's been working under His Highness lately. I've been so busy with these two cases and the Hanlin Academy. I had a day off yesterday, why didn't you remind me to go see him?"
Yesterday was a day off, but Yu He'an was still busy from early morning until late at night, almost as busy as if he were on duty.
I didn't tell her I was taking a day off.
And she's always in front of him, practically wearing the words "unblock the curse" on her face, how can he not see it?
The next attack is not far off, and she wants to remove the curse before it occurs.
"Next month..." The Gu worms were about to take effect, and her voice lowered.
When she was young, she was never afraid of causing trouble for Yu He'an, because she knew that no matter how big a mess she made, he would have to clean it up after her.
Things are different now. She's even afraid he won't answer when she called out "brother" when she was first kicked out of the Marquis's mansion.
Yu He'an has always had a better memory than her, so why should she be the one to remind her of these things?
"I'll go see him in the next few days, don't worry."
Chu Minglang was searching everywhere for Yu Tan's whereabouts. If he went directly to him, Yu Tan would definitely not hand over the method to remove the curse.
I need to go out tomorrow.
The hand gripping her waist tightened.
“Yaoyao, just ask Aunt He to buy anything you need. You’re not suited to go out like this.”
She knew, of course.
But the letter she wrote to Zhao Qingwu had been hidden under her pillow for a long time, and she needed to find an opportunity to send it out. Also, she had to personally visit Zhao Qin to ask about their previous agreement.
Whether the business in Huizhou still counts is another matter. She had deposited a sum of money in Zhao Qingwu's name. If she can continue doing business with Zhao Qin, she won't have too much trouble living in Huizhou in the future.
She looked at Huixin's accounts and found that there were still a few debts that hadn't been collected. If she collected them, at the very least, it would cover her travel expenses to Huizhou in the future.
"If all else fails, I can wait for my day off to spend time with you."
The next day off will be another ten days, which is not a big deal. There is no need to wait for Yuhe'an to take a day off. Her leg has been healed for a long time, and going out will not be a problem.
She patiently negotiated, "Brother, I'll be back in a little while, just two hours, it won't take long."
Yu He'an put down the letter in her hand, looked up at her, her tone and eyes equally cold.
“Yaoyao, you always ignore advice and end up making a big mistake. Have you forgotten that Ji Yushang’s matter is still fresh in our minds?”
"Brother, I understand." If she gets into trouble again after going out, Yu He'an probably won't care about her anymore.
"You ran into Chu Minglang last time you went out, have you forgotten? How many dangerous situations do you have to face before you learn your lesson?"
She repeated, "I understand."
Under the locust tree in the courtyard, a swing set was set up. After having dinner, she sat on the swing and swayed.
These past few days, Aunt He hasn't been researching new recipes. Knowing that she likes sweets, she started researching crispy fried dough and made a special trip to the alley entrance to learn how to make it.
"My wife, what's wrong?"
"I want to go out and get back the money that someone owes me."
Aunt He's face looked like she'd seen a ghost, but her eyes darted inside.
He lowered his voice: "A lot?"
She tapped the ground with her toes, making the swing go higher: "Twenty or thirty taels."
That's all she can remember.
Yu He'an's attitude left her feeling lost, yet she couldn't quite put her finger on what was strange about it. It seemed as if every step he took was for her own good, but it didn't make her happy. It gave her the illusion that she was locked up in this courtyard. She didn't like going out, but she utterly loathed being imprisoned, no matter who treated her this way.
Twenty or thirty taels of silver is a large sum for an ordinary family, but for a noble family it might just be a reward.
Aunt He chuckled and teased, "Didn't your husband give you a monthly allowance?"
"Monthly allowance? Why would he give me a monthly allowance?"
Her monthly allowance was also given by Old Madam Song when she was in the Marquis's mansion, so why was it Yu He'an who gave it to her?
After swinging around on the swing a few times, she finally figured it out.
Her face turned red and then white.
Aunt He misunderstood, thinking that she was Yu He's mistress.
Yu He'an had only ever called her "Yaoyao." She wanted to explain, but after being expelled from the Marquis's mansion, she didn't know how to bring herself to say it.
Aunt He had been very kind to her, and she wanted to explain everything.
There was a couch in the room, so even if Yu He'an stayed, they would rest separately.
Then I remembered calling for water a few nights ago, and no matter how I explained it, I couldn't understand it.
Aunt He lowered her voice, speaking in a volume that only the two of them could hear.
"Tomorrow, after you go to the Hanlin Academy, we'll go out together and sneak back. We'll make sure we're not discovered."
How can you just feed and drink people without giving them money? A young lady still needs money to rely on. My wife, you shouldn't be too honest. You should save more money while you're still young.
"If things get better in the future, even if you're brought into the household as a concubine, you'll still have to be mindful of the mistress's mood; money is your only source of income."
How could she possibly be a concubine?
They're not in that kind of relationship at all.
She stopped swinging and finally came up with a suitable excuse.
"That's not it. I'm just seeking refuge with a distant relative of the Marquis's family in Bianjing for medical treatment."
"My birth chart was too strong, clashing with the old lady's destiny, which is why I was sent here. That day I asked for water, but I was ill; when I'm ill, I foam at the mouth and stain my clothes."
Aunt He looked at her with even more sympathy: "Such a fine young lady, how did she get such an illness? No wonder you were in such a hurry to bring back the money."
Once she told a lie, she had to cover it up with another, so she could only nod.
She didn't want people to misunderstand that kind of relationship; being sick was better than being someone's mistress.
He retrieved the money, leaving himself a way out.
Having made up her mind, she stopped struggling with it and stopped looking at Aunt He's increasingly sympathetic gaze.
She would only go out for a short while, finish her business, and return to the courtyard before Yu He'an came back.
Finally, the next morning arrived.
Aunt He stood in front of the mansion gate. Yu He'an had changed into his blue official robes and was wearing a leather belt. He stood in front of the courtyard gate, seemingly having something to say to her.
"My lord."
Yu He'an glanced into the inner room, but there was still no movement. "What did you and Yao Yao talk about under the tree yesterday?"
Thinking back to the joke I made yesterday, having lived in the streets and alleys of Bianjing for so long, I've heard too much gossip and ended up thinking the wrong thing.
"This servant misunderstood that my lady was the husband's mistress... I made a fool of myself."
"What did Yao Yao say about her identity?"
"A distant relative came to stay at the Marquis's residence for medical treatment."
"Ha..." I'm amazed she came up with that idea.
"I will marry her properly in the future."
Aunt He finally realized what was going on. Yu He'an had waited specifically for her to explain. Originally, she didn't need to say these things to her, but gossip was hurtful, and she was always quick to speak her mind.
"You're going out with her today, remember to stay with her the whole time."
"You heard what my husband said last night, didn't you?"
"No." Yu Tan was stubborn to the core; her behavior yesterday clearly indicated that she had only superficially agreed.
Aunt He laughed awkwardly a few times, and Yu He'an's gaze drifted into the courtyard.
"I'm going back to the Marquis's residence tonight, so don't wait for me for dinner."
Yu Tan stood motionless in the courtyard, her expression unchanged; it was as if even the heavens were on her side.
"Brother, you should go."
"Hmm." Yu He'an was relieved to see that the person had finally left.
Aunt He looked at her head. With Yu He'an's attitude of reporting his daily schedule, how could she possibly think of her wife as a mistress?
After waiting for a while, she went back into the room to get the letters. When she did, she noticed that a book had fallen out of the desk and was stuck in the gap. She bent down to pick it up, but then she saw her account book at the very bottom of the desk. The cover had been wet by the rain, and the first few pages were smudged.
Did you pick it up yesterday?
Why didn't you tell her?
She needed this. She didn't expect to get the money back, but she could get the account book and collect the debt.
Huixin used a red pen to mark every single account, which was much more than the accounts she remembered.
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