Chapter 137

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

Quan Wa replied busily: "Replying to the Tai Puzhe, that is a newly entered Palace Gentleman, and also the son of Yan Xiangguo, surnamed Yan, named Chu."

Shaowei understood suddenly; so he was Yan Xiangguo's adopted son, which was also the person who wanted to discuss marriage with her, mentioned by Feng Xian when she sought death in her previous life?

Although he was an adopted son, she observed that this person still bore two parts of resemblance to Yan Xiangguo, only his temperament was completely different; this person was like a spring breeze, quite unrestrained, not at all like Yan Xiangguo's solemn and unyielding nature.

Quan Wa, intending to soothe the anger she had born because of the Sixth Prince, spoke some non-secret words for her to hear: "This young master was adopted into the Xiang Gong's clan; therefore he also bears some resemblance to the Xiang Gong. The Xiang Gong originally did not wish to adopt, only because the clan pressed him, and this little young master had no father and no mother and was truly pitiable..."

"Don't look at the Xiang Gong being sparing of speech and laughter; this young master is open and witty, and fond of traveling, and the Xiang Gong indulges him. He must have just returned to the capital, and Chu has only just received this Gentleman's post."

Shaowei listened, recalling that youth's relaxed and bright appearance just now, but what she thought in her heart was: so this is the Gentleman's post that she and Ji Jin had once discussed.

Ji Jin single-mindedly wanted to be an official; Shaowei, when reading books, also roughly knew some of the official system. It was said that although the Gentleman's post was low in rank, one could accompany the Son of Heaven on his travels, serving as a guard. When the Son of Heaven resided in the palace, the Gentlemen guarded the Son of Heaven's palace quarters, ready to answer summons at any time; if one day they gained the Son of Heaven's favor, they could be promoted to high official on the spot. Many high officials were promoted up from this very position.

This post is divided into three ranks; it is leisurely and respectable, and one need not experience external posting; it is the unrivaled springboard for rapid promotion.

At that time Shaowei still did not understand too many worldly matters, so she said this position was very good; she heard that as long as someone recommended you, you could get it. She felt Ji Jin was very suitable; with his talent, learning, and character, he would certainly be noticed.

Ji Jin smiled bitterly and said: not to mention being unable to find a person of power to recommend him, even if he stumbled onto great luck and was recommended, he would only immediately apologize and refuse.

Only because the Gentleman's post salary was extremely low, not enough to cover living expenses, requiring long-term self-funded service; not to mention the travel expenses, clothing, horses, and other costs of entering the capital.

This was fundamentally not a ladder to heaven that the poor could aspire to; it was mostly a stepping stone for the sons of the wealthy and powerful.

Shaowei thought jealously: this Yan family young master goes out traveling once, returns to the capital, and can easily receive this post; but Ji Jin, who knows where he is controlling floods or caught up in war — whether covered in mud and sand or unable to fill his stomach — she has inquired until now and still has no news.

If she could find Ji Jin, she would tell him: now she also has some means, and can secretly secure an official post or half a post for him; just let him pursue his ambitions with peace of mind.

And Qingxiang Sister, who went to join Ji Jin, is even more unknown; Sister is gentle and timid; does she now have a peaceful place to settle?

Shaowei's heart felt a bout of vexation and restlessness; thinking that relying solely on wandering knights to find people might not suffice; perhaps she must also entrust some other channels.

"Those women are family daughters just selected into the capital this year..." As the carriage walked along, Quan Wa spoke again of that long line of women just now.

Shaowei forced herself to return to her senses, thought for a moment, and asked in a low voice: "Will they all become His Majesty's concubines?"

But she observed the Emperor's pulse today and it was clearly insufficient Kidney Qi.

Shaowei had once read in medical books that the union of man and woman is to follow the Reproduction Nature; although the books did not detail the specific process of union and reproduction, they clearly expounded that the Reproduction Root of men lies in Kidney Essence. Since the Emperor already has deficient Kidney Qi, why still waste and occupy these women's fine youth in vain?

Quan Wa was choked by her words, and hurriedly explained in a low voice: "Naturally not... these family daughters are mostly in preparation for the Crown Prince's beauty selection, or bestowed upon Vassal Kings. If their fate is truly bad, they are kept to serve as palace maids."

As for family daughters, most are selected from the common people; they value chastity and background lightly, but value figure and appearance heavily; therefore there will be no ugly-looking persons. If they long fail to gain a noble person's favor, it can only be bad fate.

Hearing these women's various fates and destinations, Shaowei subconsciously looked back, gazing at that already distant procession.

Those family daughters all walked with heads lowered; even though they were extremely curious about this magnificent palace city, they did not dare to look around.

The procession walked in order, until one family daughter accidentally tripped underfoot, bumped into the companion ahead, causing a small commotion, drawing the leading eunuch to question: "Which one walks without eyes?"

From the crowd came a pleading voice: "Xiangzhi did not do it on purpose..."

The eunuch's voice was sharp: "Whether she intended it or not, how does it fall to you to answer for her? Could it be she not only forgot to bring her eyes, but also hasn't grown a mouth?"

One family daughter was about to timidly step forward, when Yan Chu, walking at the front, spoke, smiling: "Eunuch, please quell your anger; a small matter only; let us not delay the hour to take them to see the Middle Attendant."

Seeing he had spoken, the eunuch smiled and bowed to him: "Young Master Yan, you flatter this slave; how would this slave dare to be angry with them? In the future these are all Noble Ladies. This slave is also worried they don't know the rules; wouldn't it be a pity to ruin their prospects!"

"Precisely, precisely." Yan Chu smiled and nodded: "The eunuch's painstaking care; they will surely understand."

The conversation having reached this point, the eunuch naturally pursued it no further, only admonishing the crowd a few sentences.

That family daughter called Xiangzhi secretly raised her head, and happened to meet Yan Chu's gaze head-on; the youth's smile was fresh and bright, making Xiangzhi hurriedly lower her head again.

The crowd continued forward; the eunuch led the way in front, chatting a few sentences with that Yan young master.

This young master is famous for not seeking advancement; if not for the Xiang Gong pressing him down, he would very likely become the Chang'an First Dandy.

At eight or nine years old he also entered the palace and served two years as Prince Companion Reader; afterwards, perhaps frightened by that matter, he fell gravely ill and recuperated for a long time.

After that he traveled everywhere; on this return to the capital, he unfortunately encountered a popular uprising, lost all his travel expenses and horses, and shamelessly clung to their escort procession bringing the family daughters into the capital to return together. This fellow played flute and zither along the road, still as if traveling. Until nearing the capital, Yan Xiangguo sent people to receive him.

At this moment the eunuch spoke while sighing in his heart: this person knows not what great fortune he cultivated in his previous life, to actually have such a good father; and this father is not even his birth father, but one picked up after birth; this fate — where can others go to reason?

While speaking, Yan Chu suddenly stopped his steps.

Following his gaze, the eunuch discerned slightly, and hurriedly made way and saluted.

After saluting, the eunuch led the family daughters away slowly; but Yan Chu turned around, caught up to that figure being supported by the eunuch, and once more raised his hand in salute: "Sixth Prince, do you not remember me?"

Liu Qi only then looked at him, voice flat: "You are Yan Chu?"

"Your Highness, it is I!" Yan Chu revealed a brilliant smile.

In childhood he was a bit fatter than now; when he first entered the palace, many people did not look favorably on him, feeling he had none of Yan Xiangguo's imposing manner.

He did not study much; seeing the Sixth Prince wield blade and staff, he begged the Sixth Prince to teach him; Liu Qi reluctantly accepted him; he learned for two days, then cried pain and fatigue. He did not wish to learn further, but Liu Qi would not agree, only fearing that if he learned nothing it would damage his own reputation; so he forced him to learn for a year before stopping.

Everyone felt he was useless; yet he truly was disappointing.

A young prince said he was so inadequate, even less like Yan Xiangguo's own son; he merely pouted and said: I am originally not a birth son; if I learned everything well, would people then think I am a birth son?

He was lazy and scattered by nature, but won in optimism and wit; he got along very well with the playful, laughter-loving Liu Qi.

That was a previous matter; now meeting again, Yan Chu only felt the youth before him was completely different from memory; facing such a face like a peerless resentful spirit, cold and expressionless, his own smile seemed all the more bizarre and false; so he stiffly withdrew his smile, trying to ask in a small voice: "I heard... the Sixth Prince received punishment?"

Liu Qi: "Self-evident."

Yan Chu's words stalled; just as he was about to speak again, he saw the other party had no interest at all in listening to his idle chatter and reminiscing; supporting himself on the eunuch, he lifted his foot and left.

Yan Chu could only call to that back: "Sixth Prince, take good care of your injuries!"

Liu Qi gave no response; Yan Chu sighed, turned back, and saw those family daughters' hems had already disappeared behind the palace gate.

They were brought all the way to Yong Lane, and stood still in an empty palace courtyard; at the very front was placed a case table; Guo Shi sat behind it; at his side a eunuch held bamboo slips; and there was also an aged palace woman.

The eunuch holding bamboo slips read each name; for each name read, one family daughter stepped forward, walked to the front, and saluted Guo Shi and the others; the etiquette was what they had learned on the journey into the capital.

Guo Shi kept smiling throughout, carefully observing everyone's appearance, sometimes not speaking; whenever she did speak, it was mostly:

"Not bad."

"This one is good too."

"Just looking at them brings good fortune..."

"All good, all good."

Those palace maids were originally all uneasy, never expecting this Zhu Xi eunuch to be so kind and amiable.

Once the roll was called, quite a few people crowded forward to salute Guo Shi, and some even pressed gold and silver jewelry on her; Guo Shi laughed and chatted with them while waving her hand: "Guo Shi is but a slave; hereafter I will still need all you noble ladies to cherish me..."

All affairs completed, the palace maids were settled in their lodgings; the sky had already turned dark.

Bedding laid out, the lamp inside the room not yet lit, looking out the narrow window, she saw the sky dim and gloomy, making one inexplicably feel sorrowful; someone asked in a low voice: "I wonder if there is a God Hall here? I want to go burn an incense stick..."

"We cannot move about recklessly... besides this is Yong Lane, not like those Empresses' palace chambers; where would there be a God Hall?"

Someone else said with a grin: "What incense to burn? Want to beg gods and spirits to bless you with the Crown Prince's favor?"

The slender woman hurriedly shook her head, face red: "No, I am not..."

Another palace maid seized the conversation, exclaiming loudly: "Xiangzhi is born like a celestial immortal; her very name says she was born to climb high branches! Not to mention anything else, today that Yan Xiang family's young master even spoke up for her! Not burning incense is already like this; if she runs off to burn incense, how would the rest of us survive!"

Everyone in the room laughed, and some teased that they should hurry and beg Xiangzhi to look after them.

"Sister Xiangzhi, you must not burn incense anymore; it is only right that we offer incense to you and beg you to bless us!"

Having gotten along all this way, Xiangzhi could tell whether it was sincere or mocking; she was so angry tears fell; her companion pulled her, saying in a low voice: "Ignore them; you know, we cannot stir up trouble."

After suffering through the night like this, waiting until everyone had successively gone to rest, Xiangzhi then walked out of the room alone, went to the unlit back courtyard, knelt and bowed toward the moon in the night sky, kowtowing with tears, praying desperately: "I beg the various ghosts and spirits to guide me, help me, help me..."

"And I beg the ghosts and spirits to bless Mother, Father, and also..."

The woman's low sobs blurred her tone; she bowed in the moonlight, like a lone floating leaf in water.

The moon hung quietly, and did not respond.

Shaowei lay on the bamboo mat in the moonlit courtyard, her eyes watching the elegant bright moon disc, but her mind was full of thoughts of killing to avenge.

She racked her brains yet had to admit there was no sufficiently swift and fierce good method; so she began to tally in her head how much of the Emperor's trust she had gained, how much power she had accumulated, how her manpower was still expanding, how everything in the ground chamber was ready, and the hammering and forging had already begun...

Money is very easily spent; the household slaves were busy recruiting all sorts of people, so the main thieving business was half neglected, which also made one anxious for the moment.

Today at dusk, Liu Qi actually had Dou Shiyi send over a box of gold cakes, saying it was an apology gift for Shaowei.

Shaowei initially refused, declaring seriously that she was not truly angry.

Dou Shiyi also conveyed it seriously: Sixth Prince knows her magnanimity is extraordinary, so he naturally would not take it seriously; but showing her so many terrible cold faces was true, he felt uneasy in conscience, hence the apology gift; if she did not accept, he would be even more unable to face himself.

Words having come to this, Shaowei could only accept; waiting until she carried the box back to the room, she counted and weighed it, muttering calculations of how many more people she could support, how many more weapons she could forge, and felt very satisfied.

After leaving the palace today, she returned to the Shen Ci to handle affairs; after returning to the residence and finishing counting the gold, Shaowei was already exhausted beyond measure; she used the late meal, took medicine, and then with Yong Er attending her bathing and applying medicine, after a good bout of fuss, she finally got to lie down in this courtyard and organize her thoughts.

Xiao Yu hid behind the pillar peeking, seeing the Young Master sprawled grandly in the courtyard, wide sandal-colored robe spread out, a head of dense black hair also loose, feet clad in a pair of snow-white silk socks, perfectly matching the White Claw Pattern Raccoon Spirit's characteristics, truly like a raccoon cat cultivating into a spirit, absorbing the moon's essence.

"Slacking off! Slacking off again!" Zhan Zhan shouted loudly, making a move to peck Xiao Yu's head.

Xiao Yu hurriedly jumped out: "Young Master, Zhan Zhan is maliciously slandering me again!"

"I finished writing it all!" Xiao Yu hurriedly held up the bamboo slips in her hand.

Shaowei still lay flat, only turning her head: "Bring it over."

Xiao Yu ran over like the wind, knelt beside the mat, presented them with both hands, for the Young Master to review.

Shaowei picked up one slip after another, her brow couldn't help but furrow; recently she had only been learning to write the character "Yu", yet such a clever little fish still wrote out a group of stupid ugly big fish, rather having the air of a household slave.

But today the strokes were ultimately not wrong, so Shaowei did not criticize; she only required being able to write characters and read books; beauty or ugliness could only be left to fate; after all there was no famous teacher constantly watching to teach.

Seeing the Young Master nod, Xiao Yu was overjoyed, and began to chatter endlessly: "Young Master, I also practiced the staff for half an hour today!"

Xiao Yu pressed close to the grandly sprawled Shaowei and talked on and on; in the lone small stove house in the courtyard, Mo Li was cooking on a grand scale.

The first thing Mo Li did after returning from the small courtyard was drill into the small stove house and lavishly treat herself.

The ingredients were what Shaowei had Yong Er send daily; fish meat, vegetable melons, all complete; Yong Er felt those two lazybones ate too well, but touching the ear pendants just bestowed by the Young Master, she said no more.

When the fragrance of the rice and dishes was strongest, a Grey Shadow flipped into the courtyard; the Grey Shadow was holding in its arms none other than Shan Gu stolen from the Taoist Temple.

Both arms still ached; the household slave had no budget to carry her again today, originally wanting to lead her in through the back door, at worst walking a bit longer. But just as he neared the residence, not allowing him to hesitate, Shan Gu automatically followed yesterday's habit, put both arms around his neck, legs together, and jumped into his arms.

Mo Li had just brought the rice and dishes out of the stove house; Xiao Yu ran to set chopsticks; the household slave silently went to get wine; Shan Gu also ran to the stove house to help carry the rice, while saying to Shaowei who was still lying there thinking: "A Jie, I also haven't eaten the late meal yet; let me make do with two mouthfuls first, then I'll discuss proper business with A Jie!"

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? Good night everyone~ Recently it's a relatively peaceful transition plot, wishing everyone sweet dreams.