Cheng Jiayuyu
recalled that after
Princess Chang was reborn, she sailed for three or four days, and really traveled all the way from Jiangning to the boundary of Yangzhou. After the two men got off the boat, Jaffe did not even ask for directions at the dock, but went straight ahead with Sheng Yunlin. “Do you know how to get to Yangzhou City?” Asked
Sheng Yunlin in surprise.
Jaffe said, “Feng Wuheng said, get off at the first ferry ahead, and then go north.” Did
he even think of that for us? So sweet?
Jaffe glanced at her. “You think he’s sweet?”
「……」 Sheng Yun-lin immediately rounded up his feelings and said, “It’s so sweet. It’s either rape or theft.”
Jaffe didn’t talk to her anymore.
Sheng Yunlin followed behind Jaffe, a little perturbed: “Previously on the ship, things are urgent from the right, he should not blame himself for talking nonsense, right?”? But if you don’t say that, she won’t be able to come round? Seeing
that Jaffe had no intention of taking the initiative to talk to her again, Sheng Yunlin thought for a moment, then went up again and said, “Lord Xie, I was really tricked into getting on that ship this time.”
“Will you still be cheated?” Although there was no expression on Jaffe’s face, there was a hint of mockery in his tone.
Sheng Yun-lin gave a dry laugh and said, “I’m not very clever either. I used to rely on people like Lord Hsieh in the court, but now it’s normal to be cheated.”
She said everything about how she played a song, how she was invited to the pirate ship by Chen Yu, and how she was put under house arrest.
“When you see Your Majesty again..” In the middle of Jaffe’s words, he hesitated.
“Oh, are you asking me how I feel?” Sheng Yun-lin understood what Jaffe meant. She supported her chin with the knuckles of her index finger, which were white, thin, and slender. “It’s all right. I thought I couldn’t hold on, but I was caught off guard, and I held on.”
But did not expect this child is now so bad, actually said to shut her off, so that her back is full of thoughts about how to escape, there is no mind uncomfortable.
“But if we can see each other or not, we won’t see each other.” Sheng Yunlin’s eyes are not very focused and seem to be somewhat vague.
“Good.” Jaffe answered.
In fact, Sheng Yunlin wanted to ask him, “What are you going to do about today?” But he felt that he blurted out that they were engaged, and now he asked the parties what to do, how to look at it and feel strange.
If you can’t ask, let’s pretend nothing happened.
Because the location of the boat was too far away from the city gate, the two men walked for nearly a day before they reached the outskirts of Yangzhou.
Seeing that it was getting dark, they decided to find a family to stay overnight. After
another two miles, I really came across a big house. But the house did not seem to be full of lanterns and candles, only the light of the fire reflected from the inside, and it even looked a little strange.
Jaffe knocked on the door. It was an old beggar who
opened the door, leaning on crutches and with a bent back. Behind him, there was a little beggar of eight or nine years old, holding the old beggar’s leg, only half of his face, but his eyes were very cautious.
Sheng Yunlin looked over Jaffe into the house. As far as she could see, it was desolate and dilapidated. She frowned involuntarily.
Jaffe saluted and said, “Old man, we are passing by here and want to stay overnight.”. Is the master of this place gone?
The old beggar babbled for a while, but neither Jaffe nor Sheng Yunlin could understand.
The little beggar looked at them warily. “My grandpa can’t speak.”
I’m sorry. Are you two the only ones who live here? Jaffe asked again.
The beggar hesitated for a moment and nodded.
Jaffe glanced at the plaque on the door, which read “House of Cheng” instead of “House of Cheng.” It could be seen that this family was not an official family, but should be a landlord, a squire, or a wealthy businessman.
“You can come and stay.” The little beggar pursed his lips. “But I want silver.”
Jaffe and Sheng Yunlin looked at each other. “You can give me silver,” said
Sheng Yunlin, “but I have a question for you, little boy.”
“What?” The little beggar’s eyes were alert again.
This is a deserted house, isn’t it? Originally, you and your grandfather didn’t live here, and the master’s family was gone, so you moved in.
「……」 The little beggar clenched his fists, gritted his teeth and said, “Then you have to give me silver!” I
didn’t say not to give you. What I want to ask is: Why are you and your grandfather the only ones living here? What about the other beggars around here?
“They dare not stay.” “Many, many people have died here,” said the little beggar.
「……」
“Are you afraid to live there?” Asked the little beggar.
“Let’s go.” Jaffe took Sheng Yunlin by the hand and said, “Go in and have a look.” Suddenly came a burst of warmth on the
palm, Sheng Yunlin slightly startled, only to feel that the whole palm has become crisp up. But it seemed natural for Jaffe to hold herself, and it would be strange for her to break free at this time.
The two of them stepped into Cheng’s house. Inside the house, almost all the houses were sealed by the government, white paper and red pen, which looked terrible in the middle of the night. Parthenocissus tricuspidata grows all over the walls, and there are ruins everywhere.
The little beggar was very familiar with the big house and led Jaffe and Sheng Yunlin to the main house of the inner house. Although the house was quite dilapidated, it was clear at a glance that there were people living in it on weekdays, and it was clean.
“You live here.” He said.
“Is this where you and your grandfather usually live?” Sheng Yunlin asked.
“We live somewhere else.”
‘Oh.. How much silver do you want?
The little beggar shook his head. “No.”
“Why not again?”
「…… My father has said that ill-gotten gains are not desirable. The little beggar lowered his head and said, “But Grandpa hasn’t eaten anything all day. Do you have anything to eat?”
His voice trailed off, and for some reason Sheng Yunlin felt a surge of sadness. She lamented that in her previous life she had been a person who killed a person and a Buddha who killed a Buddha. How could she have lived a heavy life and become overflowing with sympathy? But she still took out dry food from her bag, which she had bought from a peddler at the wharf during the day, and handed it to the little beggar: You can pad your stomach first.
The little beggar opened his eyes wide and said, “You really have …”
“Jaffe, do you have the money?”
“With scrap silver.”
Sheng Yunlin took a piece of broken silver from Jaffe and handed it to the little beggar. “Take this first and go and buy clean clothes for you and your grandfather, and then buy something to eat.”. You can save the rest, or you can make a living. Be careful not to be targeted and robbed.
The mute old man and the beggar child of eight or nine years old, with several pieces of silver in their arms, are afraid to be very dangerous. That’s all she can say.
The little beggar knelt down with silver and dry food.
He kowtowed three times to Sheng Yunlin: “My benefactor!”
Sheng Yunlin pointed to Jaffe. “The money is his.”
“Two benefactors!” The little beggar knocked three more times at Jaffe.
“Well, we’re going to have a rest. Go and find your grandfather.” Sheng Yunlin touched his head. The
little beggar’s round eyes were bright at this time. He got up quickly and ran away.
“You’ve been good to him.” Jaffe looked at the back of the little beggar and said to Sheng Yunlin, “Aren’t you afraid he’ll cheat you?”
“You gave me the money first.” Sheng Yun-lin laughed. “What’s more, his eyes can’t fool anyone.”
The eyes, like small animals, were a little frightened, but they were very pure. When I
entered the door, I found that the old beggar was so hungry that his chest was close to his back. And this child is probably not his own grandson. He doesn’t seem to have grown up in the street. Maybe for some reason he became an orphan and was adopted by an old man, so that he could depend on each other. Sheng Yunlin analyzed.
“How do you judge?” Asked Jaffe.
「…… Just a wild guess. Sheng Yunlin turned around. Why is
she so sure?
…… Because the eyes of the little beggar of eight or nine years old are very similar to those of Chen Yu in those days.
At that time, they only had each other. The secluded courtyard is like a nightmare that never wakes up.
Sheng Yun-lin doesn’t want to get caught up in memories of the past, so she braced herself up and began to look at the “master house.”. Although it is already dilapidated, we can still see the exquisite layout of the rich gentry’s family in those days.
Suddenly, Sheng Yunlin found something strange.
She tilted her head and looked carefully at the antique shelf behind the bed-there were no antiques on it, but there was a pine wood carving in the middle of the shelf, which was placed there properly.
Sheng Yunlin reached out and touched it.
Sure enough, the wood carving was connected to the Bogu shelf and could not be moved at all.
“Why, this is the same as the one in Shoukang Palace.” Sheng Yun-lin said, “Put some ornaments on the antique shelf, and this mechanism will be mixed up in it, and you won’t be able to see it.” It was with this that
she opened the cellar in Shoukang Palace and hid with Chen Yu for ten days, keeping her life in the palace change.
Sheng Yunlin turned the pot of wood carving. With a
crash, the floor tiles sank step by step, and a tunnel appeared.
Jaffe: “..”
“Oh, my God, the palace books don’t dare to write like this..” Sheng Yunlin muttered, “Out of the temple is Jianghu. Lord Xie, we won’t meet the secret room of the Wulin Sect, will we?”? Is there a martial arts secret book or something hidden in it? Was it to protect the secret book that this family was destroyed?
Jaffe was so used to her nonsense that he didn’t intend to follow it up at all. “Go down and have a look,” he said.
“If you want to go, I dare not go!” Sheng Yunlin’s face was full of refusal. At night, she was really scared.
“Then wait for me.” Jaffe lit a candle and went straight down.
Sheng Yunlin squatted at the tunnel entrance, seriously thinking about what she should do if Jaffe failed to come up in the time of a wick of incense. Only a moment later,
however, she heard Jaffe calling out to her, “Come down.”
The voice was as calm as ever and seemed safe.
Sheng Yunlin was relieved and went downstairs carefully with his skirt. There was a candlestick
at the bottom, and Jaffe had lit the candles one by one, and it was very bright inside. Sheng Yun-lin looked around and discovered that the basement was not really a “secret room,” but rather a large study, with books, calligraphy and paintings, as well as tables, ink, paper, inkstones, and so on.
Presumably, it’s just that the owner of the Cheng residence has set up a mechanism on a whim, but in fact there is no “secret book of martial arts” to hide.
In addition, there are portraits of the heads of the Cheng family hanging on the walls. He was
judged to be the head of the family because the faces of these people were carved out of the same mold, and their names and dates of birth and death were written at the bottom of the portrait.
“All right.” Sheng Yun-lin studied the portraits for a moment. “Now we can confirm one thing.”
Mmm. This place is really the home of a little beggar. Jaffe answered.
Nothing else, just because they look so much alike.
This also explains why the little beggar does not live here, but has been cleaning the house. It is his parents’ house that
he has been cleaning. There are still some books left on the
table, which have accumulated a thick layer of dust. He dusted it gently and flipped through it quickly, but his brows gradually locked up.
“Diary.” He said.
Sheng Yunlin leaned in and looked at it. July 19,
the sixth year of yuande. Jiangning weaving herbalist to change, heard that the new herbalist is the nephew of prime minister Huo. I wonder if the Weaving House will buy silk from our Cheng family in the future. I’ve ordered someone to prepare a gift, and as soon as he gets to Jiangning, I’ll come to see him. September 28,
the sixth year of yuande. Jia Cheng did not know where to learn about my family’s precious jade, and both inside and outside the words were meant to be offered to me. Ancestral precepts go first, and even if this business can’t go on, you can’t give away things that have been handed down from your family. October 3, the sixth year
of yuande. Jia Cheng has repeatedly launched an attack on the Cheng family in recent days. Now he is popular in front of Huo Xiang. Not to mention Jiangning, all the officials in Yangzhou have to act according to his face. When Lord Hu was a knitting herbalist in Jiangning, he had never done anything so absurd. December 15,
the sixth year of yuande. If we don’t move out, maybe the whole family will be here. I hope we don’t get caught.
…… After reading it,
Sheng Yun-lin shook his head. “It looks like they’ve been discovered.”
“Mmm.” Jaffe’s voice was deep.
“No wonder this house is full of government seals. No wonder the little beggar said that many people had died here..”
Lord Hu was the Jiangning Weaving Herbalist originally appointed by Sheng Yunlin, and after her death, Prime Minister Huo changed this “fat and beautiful” job to his own nephew, namely Jia Cheng.
The Cheng family was originally a wealthy silk merchant, and there was a piece of precious jade in the family, which should be what Jia Cheng called “He Shi Bi.”. I don’t know from whom Jia Cheng heard about the relationship between this piece of jade and the ancient “He Shi Bi,” so he asked the Cheng family to hand it over. The Cheng family naturally refused, so Jia Cheng took advantage of his position to target the Cheng family everywhere, forcing the Cheng family to decide to flee Yangzhou. It was
feared that someone had leaked the secret of the escape. In the end, Jia Cheng found a reason to seize the Cheng family and seize the precious jade directly. The youngest son of the
Cheng family may have been lucky enough to escape, and now lives with a mute old beggar in this deserted mansion, begging for a living.
“That little beggar didn’t have a good life, but when he met Hsieh Ching-tien, his luck changed.” Sheng Yun-lin took out the enamel folding fan from his sleeve and knocked it in the palm of his hand. “Does Lord Hsieh want to redress the grievances of the people?”
“Where did it come from?” Jaffe glanced at the fan.
“This?” Sheng Yun-lin unfurled the folding fan, shook it elegantly, squinted his eyes, and said with a smile, “It’s from my suitor.”
「……」
Jaffe stretched out his hand, and Sheng Yunlin immediately closed the fan and handed it to Jaffe.
Jaffe weighed it and said, “Weapons.”
“It’s really our Lord Hsieh. You can see it at a glance.” Sheng Yunlin bragged heartlessly.
“Did the wind give it to you?”
“Yes.”. Who else but him? Don’t rob me. I must have something to protect myself. Sheng Yunlin drew back the fan from Jaffe’s hand again. “You say, the wind has no trace to attract your attention to this piece of jade. What is the purpose?”? He wouldn’t have let us off at that dock for no reason and given us directions. Must have been trying to lure us here. Is that why you decided to live in this deserted house?
“Mmm.” Jaffe was not surprised that Sheng Yunlin could judge this. “Then tell me, why did Jia Cheng want this piece of jade?”
“Greedy for other people’s treasures?”
“No.” Shaking his head, Jaffe said, “If you use the power of the government, even if you destroy the Cheng family, you must succeed. It’s hard to describe Jia Cheng’s reason for doing so as’selfish. ‘”
“Then someone told him to do it.” Holding his cheek, Sheng Yun-lin pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, “Huo Xiang?”? Jia Cheng is Huo Xiang’s man!
“When I was on the ship, I asked Your Majesty if he knew anything about He Shi Bi, but Your Majesty had no idea.” “Jia Cheng told me that he was going to dedicate this piece of jade to the top,” said Jaffe. What he hinted at me at that time was naturally the Son of Heaven. But now your majesty does not know, then he actually want to give, can only be Huo Xiang.
“This father and daughter of the Fok family are really a disaster.” Sheng Yunlin shook his head. “Forget it. Let’s go back to sleep.”. We’ll see what we can do tomorrow.
Sheng Yunlin lost sleep again.
In the past, when she had insomnia, she liked to toss and turn, and when the maid on night duty heard it, she would light spices to soothe her nerves and help her sleep. And now she was sleeping next to Jaffe-no way, there was only one bed in the room, but fortunately the bed was big enough for them to cross the Chuhan River-but Sheng Yunlin could not turn it over at will, she did not want to disturb Jaffe.
Jaffe didn’t sleep either. So
, after a long silence, Jaffe finally asked, “Can’t you sleep?”
“Mmm.” Sheng Yunlin’s voice was muffled.
“Why?”
「…… Think about that thing about Jia Cheng. Although
she was in the basement with a casual look, as if all this had nothing to do with her, but in the middle of the night, when the night was as cool as water and her thoughts were calm, she was suddenly a little unwilling. It wasn’t like this when
she was alive.
Hu Zhengyong was a Jiangning weaving herbalist promoted by herself. He was an honest and clean official and did his work meticulously. Such a fat job in his hands, but never out of trouble, even the imperial censors are unable to find fault. The former master of
the Cheng family also wrote in his diary: When Lord Hu was a weaving herbalist in Jiangning, there was never such an absurd thing.
Nowadays, the honest and upright officials who do not make any mistakes have gone down, replaced by those who form a clique for personal gain, and even copied the ordinary people in broad daylight.
An innocent man is guilty.
But such a thing, if under her rule, should not have happened.
When she has not let Chen Yu in power, the most important reason is that the political situation is unstable. She fought against the Huo family secretly for many years. She not only became a relative by marriage, but also weakened the power of the Huo family. It can be said that she slapped a sweet jujube and tried her best to maintain a fragile balance.
She had thought that since she was destined to deliver this Jiangshan to Chen Yu’s hands, she naturally did not want to throw Chen Yu a mess. She hoped that what she gave to Chen Yu was that the people would live in peace, the officials would be clear and bright, and the mountains and rivers would be safe.
Unfortunately, it backfired.
“Where is Hu Cheng-yung now?” Sheng Yunlin asked.
He has been promoted to a fourth-grade official in Beijing. The emperor saved him. Replied Jaffe.
「…… That’s all right.
Chen Yu also tried his best to protect Hu Zhengyong. Although the fat job was handed over, Hu Zhengyong was transferred back to the capital and promoted. Fighting with the old fox of the Huo family, it is not easy to do this.
Sheng Yunlin looked at the beam overhead and murmured, “But I’m still..” Not reconciled.
She reigned for five years, taking over a stormy country with internal and external troubles, but in the past five years, she has made great efforts to stabilize the situation, restore farming and mulberry, stop fighting and recuperate, and everything has changed greatly.
She is not reconciled to her painstaking management of the country, by the Huo family’s own selfish desires, make a thousand holes.
“Then don’t be reconciled.” Jaffe said.
“What does it take to be’not willing ‘?” Sheng Yunlin asked.
“Pull out the pawns of the Huo family one by one.” Jaffe’s tone was low and firm.
Sheng Yunlin had never heard Jaffe speak in such a tone.
She suddenly realized that this man had also struggled in the whirlpool of politics for more than a decade, only longer than her, not shorter than her. Jaffe is not the kind of person who is wise enough to protect himself. You should know that whoever wants to climb to a very high position at a very young age needs not only talent but also skill.
She never questioned Jaffe’s skill, but Jaffe disdained to use it on weekdays.
“Good.” Sheng Yun-lin said, “First pull out this eyesore in front of you.”
Just as they had discussed in the Imperial Study, if she really made a decision, Jaffe would do it for her without any objection.
The next day, Sheng Yunlin summoned the little beggar.
“Want revenge?” She asked bluntly.
The little beggar didn’t react for a moment.
Sheng Yunlin handed him the diary he had found in the basement yesterday. “Is this your father’s handwriting?”
The little beggar didn’t know many words, but he could recognize his father’s handwriting. After looking at it for a moment, his eyes turned red and he said, “Dad..” It’s my father..
“Let me ask you again. Do you want revenge?”
Sheng Yunlin stood there in a commanding position, against the light. The little beggar could not see her expression clearly, but only felt that there was a kind of pressing momentum coming, which made people afraid and trusted without any reason.
He clenched the words his father had left behind and gritted his teeth: “Yes.”
“Are you afraid of death?” Sheng Yunlin then asked.
“Don’t be afraid!” Cried the little beggar.
“Okay, now tell me your name and what happened to your family.”
“My name is Cheng Ling..”
Sheng Yunlin originally did not expect the child to speak more clearly, but just wanted to get a general idea of the situation at that time. Unexpectedly, however, the Cheng family had taught the young son very well. Although Cheng Ling’s tone was immature, he said everything that should be said.
The general situation was similar to what Sheng Yunlin had guessed last night, but there was one more crucial piece of information: Jia Cheng had long known about his family’s precious jade and was not interested in it, but one day he suddenly came to the door and asked his father to hand over the jade.
Sheng Yunlin looked at one side of Jaffe, Jaffe’s expression is also dignified up.
It’s hard to say what didn’t happen in the middle, which made Jia Cheng suddenly eager to succeed, so that he finally launched an attack on the Cheng family.
When Cheng Ling finished narrating, Sheng Yunlin handed him a letter.
Take these diaries written by your father, and this letter, and go with your grandfather to the capital. To the capital, go to the East Street to find Xie Fu, with this letter as evidence, someone will receive you. Then, go to beat the drum with your grandfather. If you go to the capital to redress your grievances, you’ll be hit 20 times first. You have to stand it, or you’ll die there, and no one will be able to redress your grievances. Do you understand?
“Understood!” When he
heard the twenty big boards, Cheng Ling’s face was pale for a moment, but he still shouted out with that pale little face.
“Good boy.” Sheng Yunlin touched his head. “We’re leaving.”. It’s a long way to the capital. You and your grandfather should be careful all the way. If we are destined to meet again in the capital, I will certainly redress the wrongs of your family and let the wicked be punished.
That.. Sister..! Sheng Yunlin was about to leave with Jaffe, but Cheng Ling summoned up the courage to stop her.
“What is it?” Sheng Yunlin looked back.
“Why do you want to help me?”
Sheng Yun-lin smiled and said, “I’m grateful to you for letting me stay in your house for a night. The grace of a drop of water should be repaid by a gushing spring.”
She is still against the light, the sun in her body around a layer of halo, so that Cheng Ling desperately want to remember her face, but found that can not see clearly.
“So, are you a fairy?” He blurted out.
“No.” Sheng Yun-lin shook the enamel folding fan, which was glowing with gold in the sun. “If you have to have a name, you should call me Your Highness.”
Whether in the previous life or in this life, she likes this name very much.
Because in this huge Chen Dynasty, no matter who mentioned “that royal Highness,” it was all about her alone.
“Let’s go.” Sheng Yun-lin said to Jaffe, “Go and look for Jia Cheng’s bad luck!” The two of
them strode out of the dilapidated Cheng House, leaving only Cheng Ling, a child, standing in place, staring at their backs.
Jaffe and Sheng Yunlin hurried to the city of Yangzhou, bought a carriage, and then took the official road back to Jiangning City.
When Jaffe was driving, Sheng Yunlin leaned against the door, shaking his fan slowly.
“Where were you when I went to buy a carriage?” Asked Jaffe.
“I really didn’t run around this time!” Sheng Yunlin hastened to prove his innocence. “I was in the Escort Agency next door, and I hired two escorts to protect the two grandsons in secret.”. I’m afraid that if Jia Cheng finds out about this, it will be bad for the child on the way. Don’t let’s turn around and hurt him.
“Mmm.”
“Didn’t you also write for him?” Sheng Yunlin raised his eyes and looked at Jaffe. “Actually, we didn’t find out exactly what happened, but you still wrote a letter for the child, so that when he arrived in the capital, he would have the protection of your family.”
“My cousin was promoted to Jing Zhaoyin the year before last. Maybe he can help him.” “I write because it’s hard for children to lie,” said Jaffe. If he were a few years older, I wouldn’t necessarily believe everything he says.
Sheng Yun-lin nodded. “I feel sorry for him, too.”
「…… Very much like?
“What?”
“The emperor of those days.”
Sheng Yun-lin sighed, “Now that you know, don’t poke people’s hearts!”
「……」
The two men were silent for a long time. Jaffe changed the subject: “Back to Jiangning, what are you going to do?” Let’s see what tricks Feng Wuheng is playing
first. Since he has led us to know the affairs of the Cheng family, naturally there will be a back hand, and we will wait. As for that Chia Cheng, let’s fool him first.
Record No. YX01ao5ProQnMMPV1
Released on 2021-07-05 1713. Reprint
is prohibited. Changxiangyi: Princess Changxiangyi is doing business
again after her rebirth.
