Chapter 112 [VIP]
The small, dilapidated courtyard was crowded with people.
Their faces were filled with astonishment and disbelief. If they hadn't seen and heard it with their own eyes and ears, who could believe such an absurd thing!
When they first heard that Liu Ling insisted on breaking off the engagement with the Zheng family, they only thought that the Zheng family had such a bad family style that they had raised such a restless daughter who was not good enough for Liu Ling.
Everyone felt sorry for Liu Ling.
Halfway through the class at the Imperial Academy, Zheng Si suddenly stormed in, looking fierce, and dragged Liu Ling out without waiting for help. Fearing that the Zheng family might be enraged and harm Liu Ling, or that they might use their power to force Liu Ling to marry the disgraced Zheng Liu, they hurriedly followed. Some students even went to find the Imperial Censor to come along.
As a result, they were stopped after entering the courtyard.
Then, I heard everything I should and shouldn't have heard.
What they thought was Zheng Liu's promiscuity was actually a scheme orchestrated by Liu Ling to break off the engagement; Liu Ling was maliciously slandering Zheng's daughter.
Moreover, Liu Ling actually had such a hobby?
The Chancellor of the Imperial Academy couldn't help but look at the old blind man. His face was smudged with soot, his cheeks were swollen, his eyes were dull and lifeless, his eyebrows were sparse, and even half of his hair was white. What had Liu Ling seen in him?
Looking at the crowd in the courtyard, Liu Ling was also frightened, his confused mind buzzing.
He instinctively wanted to explain, but his parched lips moved again and again, unsure of what to say.
A vague feeling in his heart told him that this was wrong and that he had to make things clear, otherwise his future would be ruined.
But……
“Young Master Liu,” Gu Zhizhuo’s voice rang in Liu Ling’s ears like a spell, “Your sweetheart is terrified. You should give him a promise. Don’t you truly love him?”
"Of course I mean it!"
Liu Ling blurted out, and the chief priest gasped in shock, his face turning pale.
“Sir.” Liu Ling finally made up his mind. He bowed deeply to his teacher outside the door. “I am devoted to Chen Lang and will never change my mind. Please bear witness for us.”
Whoosh!
A commotion erupted.
Even if some people didn't believe their ears just now, or even doubted whether Zheng Si had forced Liu Ling to say those words, now they completely believed it.
Unwavering belief.
The Imperial College scholar was dumbfounded.
Liu Ling is doing well in his studies and has a good chance of getting into high school next year. He's ruining his future!
"Your Excellency, the Chief Minister."
Zheng Si also cupped his hands in greeting and said expressionlessly, "I would like to ask you, sir, to be my witness regarding today's events."
The chief priest nodded solemnly.
He maliciously ruined the reputation of the Zheng family's daughter just so he could break off the engagement and stay with such a fortune teller. This mad behavior could even strip him of his official title.
Even though the chief priest felt sorry for him, he couldn't bring himself to ask the Zheng family to be lenient.
It was Liu Ling who first drove the Zheng family girl to the brink of despair.
Moreover, the chief priest looked around at the other people. He wasn't the only one there. Even if he was willing to keep quiet for Liu Ling's future, others would still talk about it, especially the upright and incorruptible Censor Zhou.
Why.
That's enough. It's all Liu Ling's own doing.
"Brother Liu, what's wrong with you?" Finally, some classmates snapped out of their shock and started chattering.
"Are you possessed by an evil spirit?"
"Don't talk nonsense, Chen Lang and I are truly in love."
"No, no, no. I didn't, I'm not!" Blind Chen cried out with a mournful face, but his voice was quickly drowned out.
Blind Chen was terrified. Dragging his aching limbs, he turned and ran. The next moment, someone tightly hugged his waist.
"Chen Lang, don't go!"
"Let go, let go! Someone please save me..."
The courtyard was in a chaotic mess.
Gu Zhizhuo took her brother's arm and walked out lightly. After they were outside, she said, "Brother, send two people to keep watch. Don't let Blind Chen die. He's still useful."
Given how things have turned out, who knows what the Liu family might do for Liu Ling?
It's too easy for them to die; she's not that kind-hearted.
Gu Yican nodded, then placed his finger under his lips and let out a few sharp whistles like birdsong.
"Sister!" Zhou Liulang, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, followed her like a lackey, asking, "Will that guy surnamed Liu always be like this? This is so exciting!"
"This talisman is second-hand."
Gu Zhizhu spread his hands and said, "It can only last for a month or two at most. Then, he will slowly wake up."
Last time, when Zhou Liulang went back to get the lantern, his master told Madam Zhou that this kind of evil magic, which controls a person's love, hatred, and delusion, is by no means a permanent solution. Even if left unattended, a person will gradually regain their senses after three to six months. However, for a woman, three to six months is enough to ruin her life.
Now, even if it only lasts for half the time, it will be enough for Liu Ling.
Zheng Si thought the same thing, and he said readily, "That's enough. A month is enough to ruin his reputation and destroy his future. Once he comes to his senses, hmph, he'll be living a life worse than death!"
Zheng Si walked happily out of the alley, completely oblivious to the filth and stench inside.
"Young Master Zheng, take out 20,000 taels of silver. It's a way to avert disaster and settle this karmic debt."
After Gu Zhizhuo finished speaking, he gave a brief explanation again. On Saturday, he suddenly remembered Zhang Xiucai, who had been killed by the teahouse, and nodded repeatedly, asking on behalf of Zheng Si, "Is 20,000 taels enough?"
"It's secondhand." The backlash will all fall on Liu Ling. "You'll just lose some money."
"no problem!"
Zheng Si answered very readily.
Although he received a monthly allowance before the family split up, 20,000 taels was nothing to him, as he could easily borrow and dabble. Without even blinking, he said, "Who should I give it to?"
Gu Zhizhuo looked around the alley and sighed, "Let's set up a charity hall, only accept girls, give them ten copper coins every day, and hire a master to teach them some skills to make a living."
"You have to pay money to teach someone a trade?" Zhou Liulang asked, puzzled.
Zheng Si understood, and slapped him dismissively: "Are you stupid? If they don't give them copper coins, how can they bear to let girls come to school! They might as well keep them at home to do chores. Didn't you hear what that little girl just said? Is she even ten years old? Her father actually made her pull half the curtain!"
Zhou Liulang felt distressed upon hearing this.
As a typical playboy, he never paid attention to the hardships of ordinary people.
However, even in families like theirs, a young woman cannot afford to make a single wrong move, or she could lose her life. Unlike men, who can be prodigals their whole lives and still be considered "priceless" if they return, it just doesn't seem fair.
Zhou Liulang and Zheng Si exchanged a glance, and he raised his hand and said, "Sister, count me in!"
"We're going to have drinks with Mo Jiu and the others later, and we'll ask them for some more money. We should be able to scrape together 100,000 taels," Zhou Liulang said enthusiastically. "Brother Can, you have some money, so you can contribute 10,000 taels."
This was meant to avert disaster for Zheng Si, so they naturally couldn't overstep their bounds.
Gu Yican: "Okay! My sister and I will each take 10,000. You can handle the rest."
"no problem."
The two whispered amongst themselves, and that very day they managed to scrape together 100,000 taels of silver.
Zheng Si cleared out a courtyard under his own name and transferred several old women from various households to help. In just three days, a small girls' school was set up in a proper manner.
It was the first time these people had owned their own "business," and even though it only lost money, they were all very busy and enthusiastic.
Gu Zhizhuo followed Zheng Si and the others to take a look. There were already girls studying there. The school provided two sets of clothes and lunch every year, and also gave ten copper coins a day. Soon, some people were interested. Anyway, keeping them at home to do chores wouldn't be worth ten copper coins, so it was better to send them over to earn money.
When Gu Zhizhuo arrived, there were nannies teaching them to read the Three Character Classic. After they learned the commonly used characters, someone would come and teach them a skill that they could use to make a living.
She went quietly and left quietly, not returning to her residence, but instead going to Taiqing Temple.
When Zheng Si went to the Imperial College to arrest people, Gu Zhizhuo asked the old blind man to carefully recall who else he had given the marriage charm to. There was a wonton seller in the red-light district, a man surnamed Wang from the brothel, a beggar from the south of the city, a vagrant from outside the city, and even three people whose origins were completely unknown.
Since the matter involves private matters, and Gu Zhizhuo has the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion behind her, it is not appropriate for her to personally visit each of them. Fortunately, she has her senior brother!
He recounted what had happened, and Qingping took the blame.
"Don't worry about leaving it to your senior brother."
Qingping patted his chest and assured her, making trips to the capital for several days in a row.
Not long after, Gu Zhizhuo, engrossed in calculating data for the repeating crossbow, heard that the short, dwarf Fang, who sold wontons, had fallen into the river and drowned, and that his newlywed wife, Wu, had returned to her parents' home. Then, a beggar from the east of the city sued the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial for breaking off his engagement. While beating the grievance drum, the drum collapsed, crushing him and paralyzing him…
It's just cause and effect. Gu Zhizhu smiled and, without looking up, wrote a number on the hemp paper with a charcoal pencil.
These events didn't attract much attention in the vast capital city, far less than the excitement surrounding the Liu family.
For his own selfish reasons, Liu Ling framed Zheng Liu, ruining her reputation. His actions were heinous, and the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy reported him to the Education Commissioner, resulting in the stripping of his academic honors. The Liu family went to great lengths to resolve the matter, but Liu Ling insisted on staying in Yanziwei Lane, refusing to return even at the cost of his life. The Liu family could only claim that he was possessed by an evil spirit and even went to the Shangqing Temple, attracting the attention of the entire capital.
Even Ji Nanke was no exception.
She stroked the red lucky bag. No wonder the old blind man refused to sell her the marriage charm. He had such strange tastes; he didn't even fancy the beautiful woman, but instead used the marriage charm on Liu Ling.
However, the fact that Liu Ling would abandon his future, family, and reputation to stay by his side shows that this marriage charm is indeed quite special.
"I can't delay any longer!" Ji Nanke made up her mind, took the lucky bag, and went to the Ji family's courtyard.
Ji has been feigning illness for some time, but the household has ignored her. When she says she is sick, they call a doctor for her, but no one comes to visit her.
The entire courtyard was deserted, resembling a nunnery.
Ji Nanke walked into the room and looked at the unfinished breakfast on the octagonal table—a simple bowl of porridge and four small dishes—and her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.
She placed a bamboo basket she was carrying on the octagonal table, and covered the basket with a layer of blue floral cotton cloth.
"Ke'er".
Upon seeing her arrive, Madam Ji's face lit up with joy, and she asked impatiently, "Have you seen him?"
Her cheeks flushed slightly, as if she were blushing.
Ji's quiet and uneasy heart was revived by Ji Nanke's previous words, and she hoped every day that Ji Nanke could bring her good news.
Seeing that Ji Nanke did not react, Madam Ji became somewhat uneasy: "He... he is not..."
Ji touched her cheek. Although she was only in her early twenties, she noticed a fine line at the corner of her eye that morning, perhaps because she hadn't taken good care of herself lately.
Now that he has ascended to the throne, he is surrounded by beautiful women, so why would he remember him?
Ji slumped back down and sat down.
“Aunt, you’re overthinking it.” Ji Nanke sat down beside her, took her hand, and comforted her, “Of course the Emperor cares about you, but you are his wife.”
Yes. Lady Ji fell silent. She was a subject's wife; it was impossible for them to be together openly.
Over the years, she had harbored a deep resentment. If the Duke of Zhenguo's family hadn't wanted to marry her back then, she could have stayed by his side instead of living a life of secrecy and being unable to show her face in public. Even her son had to take another man's surname.
Ji sighed softly, her voice hoarse: "If he can't take me away, then so be it."
Now she is like a bird with broken wings trapped in a cage, only able to watch the bright sunshine outside from afar.
Ji Nanke was secretly annoyed.
It's pathetic to be happy one moment and sad the next for a man!
She suppressed her displeasure and said gently, "Please think of Yan-ge'er."
"Even if you stop fighting now, do you think Gu Zhizhuo will let you off the hook? Do you want to live the rest of your life like this, with Yan Ge'er bearing the name of an illegitimate son and never being able to rise above his station?"
Ji Nanke's questions grew increasingly sharp: "This is still the best-case scenario; you know the worst-case scenario. Do you want to 'die suddenly' along with Yan-ge'er?!"
"Aunt, you can't just back out now!"
Ji closed her eyes, her face deathly pale.
She almost forgot that she was risking her life.
"But he can't take me into the palace."
“Aunt,” Ji Nanke said, her tone assertive, having unknowingly gained the upper hand, “I have obtained a marriage talisman for you.”
"Ke'er, how could you believe in this thing?"
Ji Nanke said meaningfully, "This talisman is different; it is very effective."
She gave Granny Wan a wink, and Granny Wan hesitated for a moment before going out, closing the door, and standing guard under the eaves.
Ji Nanke took out the red lucky bag she had received from Blind Chen and handed it to her: "It can make your beloved devoted to you and never change her heart."
Ji's gaze faltered slightly, then she shook her head with a laugh: "How could that be?"
"Aunt, I assure you."
Ji Nanke suppressed her smile, leaned closer to Ji Shi, and whispered in her ear.
After saying that, Ji Nanke took her hand, placed the lucky bag in her palm, gently closed her fingers, and said with a smile, "As long as you give this talisman to the Emperor, your wish will surely be fulfilled!"
Ji Nanke's tone was instigating: "For the rest of your life, for the day when Yan-ge can wear the imperial robes, isn't it worth taking this gamble?"
“I…” Ji stared at the talisman, hesitating.
Could such a talisman really make him reveal his identity and invite her into the palace?
That would allow Yan Ge'er to be recognized as a prince and become a legitimate member of the royal family.
this……
Ji hesitated and said, "Ke'er, witchcraft is a great taboo."
Hesitant and timid. Ji Nanke cursed inwardly. No wonder she played such a good hand so poorly. She coaxed her gently, "This is just a marriage talisman, a token of your affection for him. How can you call it witchcraft?"
Seeing that Ji was already tempted, she pressed on: "Think about your cousin Yan, and then think about yourself."
"Do you desire wealth and glory, or a violent death?"
Ji Shi: "..."
"Granny Wan, is Consort Ji here?"
A light, crisp voice suddenly rang out from under the eaves, startling Lady Ji so much that she almost threw away the marriage charm she was holding.
"I'm here."
Granny Wan deliberately raised her voice so that it could be heard inside, and only opened the door a few breaths later.
“Auntie, it’s Xiao Kui, who serves the Grand Madam.”
Xiao Kui was a twelve or thirteen-year-old third-class maidservant, responsible for running errands and relaying messages.
She curtsied with impeccable manners and said joyfully, "Great joy in the household! The Grand Madam said there will be a grand reward for the entire family. Aunt Ji, this is for you."
She took out two silver ingots, each weighing one ounce, and presented them to her.
This year is the Year of the Rabbit, and all the silver ingots were uniformly made in the shape of rabbits. A whole box was made, enough for the Grand Madam to use as rewards for a year.
Ji Shi held the two silver ingots, her fingers trembling.
The Dowager Lady always used these silver ingots to reward her servants; she would never give them to the younger generation in the household.
Ji Nanke glanced at her and asked, "What happy event is happening in the manor?"
"The eldest son-in-law invited Chief Minister Song to propose marriage to the eldest daughter," Xiao Kui said happily. Then she asked, "Granny Wan, how many people are there in your courtyard? Two silver ingots for each person, I'll give them to you all at once. The Grand Madam said that everyone in the mansion will receive them, so we can share in the joy."
Feeling stifled, Ji made a snap decision and clutched the lucky bag tightly.
She believed that the emperor had feelings for her, after all, she had given birth to his son.
Xiao Kui gave the silver ingot to Granny Wan and left. There were still quite a few servants waiting!
The courtyard returned to its desolate state, so cold that even the summer sun seemed unable to penetrate.
"What should I do?" Ji asked, her head slightly lowered, her face shadowed.
Ji Nanke pulled off the blue cotton cloth covering the bamboo basket, revealing a basket full of peaches inside.
Ji is allergic to peaches.
She handed one to Madam Ji, saying, "Please have this."
Boom!
The sound of firecrackers crackling and popping rang out.
Even in broad daylight, fireworks lit up the sky above the mansion, and the brilliant fireworks cast a faint red hue over the blue sky and white clouds, like the morning glow.
The Dowager Lady happily accepted the betrothal letter from Chief Minister Song, repeatedly replying, "Good, good!"
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