Chapter 55

That night, Su Mi was in the southern courtyard, having finished dinner with Su Mingde and Mrs. Yu. Afterwards, they were about to start their journey back to the main residence.

The account books that needed to be collected were obtained, and the official documents were in Su Mingde’s hands. As for the rest, Qin Yan wasn’t interested in participating. He didn’t enjoy dining with others, so he had already boarded the carriage early on.

Su Mi knew that Qin Yan was waiting for her in the carriage. She hurriedly took a few bites, bid farewell to Su Mingde and Yu Shi, and carried a small package to the gate.

“Master.”

Su Mi lifted the curtain and softly called out, sitting in the right-side seat.

Once seated, she took out pieces of pastries from her personal package and arranged them neatly on the rosewood table.

“I also brought some in my bundle.”

Qin Yan glanced at the delicate pastries on the table. His lips curled slightly, but he didn’t reach out for them.

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“R esd’v zkjl lyvkdt vblpl.”

Fw Yk oyp vyjld ycynj qsa y xsxldv. Fbl ayalzu pyo Ckd Zyd lyvkdt rypvaklp, cwv vbyv oypd’v y ckt elyz. Fbl bye psxlvbkdt kxrsavydv vs ekpnwpp okvb vbl xypvla.

“Nsae, R byhl psxlvbkdt vs vlzz usw.”

“Txx?”

Fw Yk vssj y ellr calyvb, yp kq tyvblakdt nswaytl, yde pyke, “Nsae, es usw jdso vbyv R’hl clld alflnvle qsa xyaakytl voknl clqsal?”

Ckd Zyd zssjle yv Fw Yk wrsd blyakdt bla osaep. Tl vokpvle vbl zlvvla kd bkp zlqv byde, yde bkp hsknl vwadle nsze. “Ebs kp pralyekdt awxsap ytykd?”

Fllkdt bkp lmralppksd, Fw Yk’p blyav pjkrrle y clyv. Fbl iwknjzu pbssj bla blye yde pyke, “Nsae, R fwpv oydvle vs xyjl vbkdtp nzlya vs usw. Mbl qkapv vkxl R oyp alflnvle oyp clnywpl xu nswpkd qasx vbl Zw qyxkzu eked’v oydv vs xyaau y xlanbydv’p eywtbvla. Mbl plnsde vkxl, kv oyp clnywpl vblal olal awxsap ycswv xl yde Zw Hbkikw, cwv dsdl sq vblx olal vawl. R byhl dlhla esdl ydu sq vbl vbkdtp awxsale ycswv xl.”

Ckd Zyd zsspldle bkp takr sd vbl zlvvla kd bkp byde, yde bkp lmralppksd alvwadle vs dsaxyz.

“Why are you suddenly bringing this up today?”

He knew very well that Ling An had thoroughly investigated Su Mi before she became a candidate. Those rumors were deliberately spread by Li Xiuyuan in order to make Su Mi his mistress. Qin Yan never took them seriously.

“I just don’t want you to misunderstand me in the future, Lord.”

Today was the first time Su Mi learned about the differences between men and women from Yu Qingniang, and it was also the first time she learned that eunuchs were different from ordinary men.

Mrs.Yu naturally spoke in euphemisms and didn’t go into too much detail, even though they were mother and daughter. But Su Mi had already seen the positions depicted in the erotic illustrations at Qingnan Chun and was reminded of them by Mrs. Yu. She vaguely understood the matters between men and women.

But when she wiped Qin Yan’s body, even though she was very sleepy, she still remembered that it seemed to be a bit different from what Mrs.Yu said was missing; maybe there was something else?

Although she had doubts, it was ultimately a private matter concerning Qin Yan, so she didn’t ask Yu Qingniang again. Besides, she didn’t mind. As long as it was Qin Yan, she liked him no matter what he was like.

However, since she understood this, she remembered what Ye Yunshuang had said about the rumors. Eunuchs were different from men, and if Qin Yan knew about those rumors and developed resentment in his heart, coupled with her previous behavior, he might think that her mind was filled with thoughts of men and women and resent his eunuch status. What should she do?

Whether it was now or in the future, she didn’t want Qin Yan to have the slightest misunderstanding about her.

Qin Yan saw Su Mi’s fluctuating expression, and he couldn’t help but smile. “How many times have you met him?”

“Hmm?” Su Mi didn’t expect Qin Yan to ask this. She counted seriously: “If we count from my childhood memories, I remember four times, but each time there were many people present.”

“Good.” Qin Yan smiled. “If you don’t want me to misunderstand, then there shouldn’t be a fifth time.”

Su Mi nodded solemnly. She didn’t want to see Yu Zhiqiu again anyway.

…

The carriage raced all the way, bringing Su Mi and Feng Bao back to the master’s residence, and then, without stopping, it rushed towards the imperial city.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Jingyu’s face was pale as he sat on the golden dragon throne, supporting his forehead while looking at the account books on the table.

Due to just drinking the medicinal soup, a bitter taste spread from the back of his tongue, but the preserved fruits on the table remained untouched.

“With Zhang Huaian’s protection, Lu Wenguang won’t be able to overthrow this account book.”

Qin Yan stood at the lower end, folding his robe sleeves. “No need to rush.”

Zhu Jingyu smiled. “Hmm, you have the final say.”

He straightened his body and casually flipped through the account books. As he closed it, he noticed a missing page at the end. “By the way, Shen Ruoliu is pregnant.”

Qin Yan’s eyebrows furrowed at the news, and he looked at Zhu Jingyu.

“Not mine, but the childhood sweetheart of hers. It’s quite a coincidence. He’s a member of my Imperial Guards, and I’ve helped them a few times.”

Zhu Jingyu recalled those tender scenes and still felt somewhat uncomfortable. So he changed the subject. “Guess what Zhang Huaian will do. The Crown Prince is young, and in another two years, if I die without leaving an heir, wouldn’t it be perfect for the Crown Prince to succeed?”

When Zhang Huaian selected the concubines, it was never for the purpose of having an heir. On the contrary, he was always proactive, selecting low-ranking officials who could keep secrets. From the beginning, he had the selected concubines take contraceptives. Who could have expected that Shen Ruoliu would still become pregnant?

“Haha, Ah Yan, he doesn’t need to worry so much. What can I do with my body?” Zhu Jingyu laughed recklessly, and a hint of mist appeared in the corners of his eyes.

Bang!

In the next moment, the brush, ink, and inkstone on the table were suddenly swept away by his arm, falling to the ground with a crisp sound.

Zhu Jingyu’s smile hadn’t faded from his face, but his eyes were filled with resentment. His voice was low and hoarse, like a wounded beast.

“Since birth, I have consumed medicine. I’ve been drinking it for twenty years, all for the sake of survival. But in the end, I still have to die. Why should I endure this torment?”

The hall was empty, seemingly echoing with the sound.

Qin Yan lowered his head, picked up the dropped account book, and placed it back on the table. He looked at Zhu Jingyu.

“You won’t die. I promised Ye Qing that I wouldn’t let you die.”

***

In the 21st year of the Ming Yin dynasty, the Minister of Revenue, Lu Wenguang, was accused by the Imperial Censor with evidence from the account books.

However, it was later discovered that it was Lu Wenguang’s nephew, Zhou Feng, who used his name to engage in private transactions. The silver recorded in the account books was found in Zhou Feng’s basement. Although Lu Wenguang was manipulated, he was also suspected of lax discipline and was demoted to the Minister of Rites as a warning.

On this day, shortly after leaving the court, Lu Wenguang entered the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Lu Wenguang knelt before the main seat, and the tea in the porcelain cup on the sandalwood table had long gone cold, with no one daring to come and refill it.

“Lord Prime Minister, I… I didn’t know that Zhou Feng had an account book!”

“Hehe, your own nephew, and you didn’t know? Shouldn’t I be the one who knows? If I hadn’t received the news in advance, would you have had time to move the money and items to your nephew’s house?”

Lu Wenguang lowered his head, breaking out in a cold sweat, too afraid to speak.

“You can stay as the Minister of Rites, behave yourself, and don’t cause any trouble for me.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Get lost!”

Lu Wenguang’s legs went weak, stumbling several times as he retreated, but at least he had some sense and closed the door behind him.

Only two people remained in the study: Zhang Huaian and Li Zhi, the Grand Secretary, who had been coldly watching Lu Wenguang.

Li Zhi glanced at the door, and through the slight crack, he could see that there was no one outside. He spoke softly, “My lord, if you ask me, why make it so complicated? Prince Qi has already reached adulthood. Why wait…”

Coming from a family of generals, he couldn’t stand this back-and-forth in officialdom. It was a matter that could be resolved with a single life, yet they had to take a roundabout approach and missed the opportunity.

Zhang Huaian narrowed his eyes and sneered, looking at Li Zhi. “You think it’s so easy to kill him? How has he survived these past twenty years?”

“In the first decade, he was protected by Old Eunuch Ye Qing, and in recent years, he has been guarded by this young one, Qin Yan. The Jinyiwei Guards, Imperial Guards, and Eastern Bureau. He’s more troublesome than Ye Qing.”

Not just troublesome, how many people have been lost in these two years? It hasn’t been long since the incident in Quanzhou, and now they’re already plotting against the Six Ministries.

Zhang Huaian’s voice was cold, and Li Zhi knew he had misspoken. He coughed a few times and continued, “My lord, today in the imperial harem, Lady Shen is unexpectedly pregnant. I saw that the Emperor intended to promote the power of the Shen family. I’m afraid…”

Li Zhi didn’t finish his sentence, but Zhang Huaian understood. He himself was a member of the imperial family, and his own younger sister was the beloved concubine of the late Emperor, now the Empress Dowager, and also the birth mother of Prince Qi.

If Shen Ruoliu gave birth to a prince, then even if Emperor Ming Shun died, the throne would not be passed on to Prince Qi. At first, he thought that the petty officials would be easy to handle, but he did not expect that people in the world were indeed greedy.

However, Zhang Huai’an was not at all worried. If his sister couldn’t handle even an unborn child, then the late Emperor wouldn’t have only had two sons all these years.

“Matters in the imperial harem are managed by the Empress Dowager. We don’t need to concern ourselves with them.”

Li Zhi nodded, seemingly recalling something. “My lord, during the spring hunt with the officials at the end of spring, I think it’s an opportunity to try again…,” he gestured to his neck, clearly implying something.

Zhang Huaian glanced at Li Zhi, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. “Trying again wouldn’t hurt.”