Chapter 61 - 3#
Zheng Hong knew who Huli was going to see.
On the way back, Huli finally talked about the news he had heard.
Huiping’s family didn’t lie to him; someone in the family was indeed getting married. But Huiping’s family also lied to him; marrying someone didn’t cost that much money.
Asking Huiping for a hundred taels was all to raise money.
Huiping’s elder brother caused trouble outside, resulting in an incident. The other party demanded an exorbitant price of one hundred and fifty taels to settle the matter.
If they weren’t willing, Huiping’s elder brother would be thrown into jail.
The family married off the daughter. The betrothal gift, plus the family’s savings, could at most gather a few dozen taels. There was still a gap of over a hundred taels.
They then set their sights on Huiping.
But they knew Huiping had no affection for the elder brother who always bullied him. Only the sister who used to secretly slip him food had some pity, so they used this excuse.
Zheng Hong said calmly, “Why are you unhappy? You should be happy. This is a good thing.”
The family’s actions undoubtedly treated Huiping as a money bag to be exploited. As long as Huiping recognized this, he definitely wouldn’t blame Huli for meddling.
Huli said coldly, “When they sold Huiping back then, it was just because his parents couldn’t bear to part with the eldest son, so they sold the younger son.”
And to get more money, they directly sold him into a death contract (slavery for life).
A living contract meant the family still cared and planned to redeem him. A death contract meant there was really no hope.
The group remained silent. Upon returning to the palace, Huli went straight to the Palace Sanitation Department.
Zheng Hong thought for a moment and followed.
The person he was looking for was Jingzhe.
Unfortunately, the people from the Palace Sanitation Department said Jingzhe went to deliver things in the afternoon and wasn’t there.
Zheng Hong nodded and turned to walk out.
The Miscellaneous Duties Office and the Palace Sanitation Department were very close. Zheng Hong didn’t bother to take the main road, so he walked through the narrow path between the walls. While passing through, he heard soft voices talking around the corner.
That sounded a bit familiar.
Only these footsteps also alerted the person coming.
Zheng Hong had just stopped when someone poked his head out. Seeing it was him, he smiled.
“Zheng Hong, I was wondering why these footsteps sounded so familiar?”
“Your voice is also very familiar.” Zheng Hong smiled and shook his head, walking towards him.
However, after taking a step or two, he suddenly stopped.
The conversation just now let Zheng Hong know that Jingzhe was definitely not alone.
Guarding behind him was the expressionless Rong Jiu.
Shadows flowed beneath his feet. His pale face carried a certain sharp edginess, and that heavy gaze hanging down carried a cold chill.
Even though he often acted as their messenger and delivery bird, Zheng Hong rarely saw Rong Jiu.
And every time he saw him, he would marvel at Jingzhe’s boldness.
This Rong Jiu looked very unusual at first glance.
How exactly did he become friends with someone like Jingzhe?
Not saying Jingzhe didn’t deserve it.
But that they were mismatched.
Because the two of them looked worlds apart, completely opposite.
Zheng Hong dared to guarantee that the two of them must argue often.
He revealed a smile.
A fake smile, “I suddenly remembered, I forgot Huli at the Palace Sanitation Department.”
Zheng Hong nodded to the two of them and then turned around.
Surprisingly fast.
Jingzhe wanted to call him, but good heavens, he didn’t even catch a piece of fabric.
Jingzhe looked at Rong Jiu suspiciously: “Did you scare him away just now?”
“Wronged.” This sounded like a plea for mercy, but it felt more like a sharp whip, hitting someone’s spine hard, “He is timid.”
Is Zheng Hong timid?
If he were really timid, he wouldn’t have done so many things for money.
Jingzhe: “…Forget it.”
Compared to Rong Jiu, almost everyone was timid and fearful, even Jingzhe.
“What did you say just now?”
Today was the fifth (likely a specific day of the month), and Rong Jiu came to find Jingzhe, but not purely for meeting; he had other business with him.
It was this matter that made Jingzhe exclaim in confusion.
“But, what does this have to do with me?”
Rong Jiu was talking about that night a few days ago. Regarding Yunkui’s “fleeting glimpse,” it wasn’t an illusion. On that night, someone indeed wanted to kill him.
Although Jingzhe had a premonition that he shouldn’t be alone, he indeed didn’t expect the attacker to come so quickly.
Naturally, thinking of Li Dong, it didn’t seem impossible.
But Li Dong was an assassination. For Jingzhe, someone climbing into the Palace Sanitation Department to approach and assassinate, these were two completely different meanings.
…He thought at least it would be like Li Dong, being killed when alone.
This was too bold.
Even if Concubine Kang acted decisively, why use it here? Using such a person to come and kill him, didn’t she feel it was a bit wasteful?
It wasn’t easy to cultivate a person who could come and go freely in the palace.
However, Jingzhe didn’t ask how Rong Jiu knew, or what happened to that person.
Since Rong Jiu knew, it could only mean that after being scared away by Yunkui, that person was caught by the guards.
Dead or alive, it had nothing to do with him.
“Because you came from the North Room.”
“So did Li Dong.”
“You were in the North Room longer.” Rong Jiu shook his head, “Concubine Kang was convinced that the North Room hid secrets. This is the reason she kept staring at the North Room.”
Jingzhe frowned. Secrets?
Recently, he was overly sensitive to this word.
“Isn’t the secret of the North Room Talented Lady Yao?” Jingzhe looked up at Rong Jiu, “And the matter between Talented Lady Yao and Chen An… presumably, you should also be very clear.”
No, Jingzhe actually wanted to say, this couldn’t be a secret to Qianming Palace.
Look at the things happening in this palace. Whether it was Huang Yijie, or Concubine Kang, or further away, the Huang family outside, the diplomatic mission, generalizing all kinds of things, they were enough to prove one thing.
Emperor Jingyuan had known many things long ago.
Then did Emperor Jingyuan really know nothing about the other meaning represented by Talented Lady Yao and Chen An?
Rong Jiu’s icy voice rang out: “Do you want to say, the death of Empress Dowager Cisheng?”
Jingzhe was a bit nervous. He keenly sensed that Rong Jiu wasn’t happy upon hearing this topic. Naturally, this indeed wasn’t a wonderful question, after all, it involved dead people.
Rong Jiu raised his hand to touch Jingzhe’s face and whispered, “Jingzhe, wrong. Back then, the reason the late Emperor passed the throne to the current Majesty had no other reason, only that he had no choice.”
It wasn’t because Talented Lady Yao told the truth to the Emperor, which changed the late Emperor’s will.
Jingzhe looked at Rong Jiu blankly. No choice?
Rong Jiu was a close minister of Emperor Jingyuan; he naturally knew many secrets.
But the late Emperor had so many offspring. Below him, there were candidates like Prince Rui. How could he have no choice?
Could it be that something really happened between the late Emperor and Emperor Jingyuan?
Was this the secret the Empress Dowager wanted to expose?
“His Majesty seems to be quite tolerant of the Empress Dowager?” Jingzhe said suddenly.
Rong Jiu raised an eyebrow: “Why do you say that?”
Anyone with eyes wouldn’t say that, and would even think Jingzhe was talking nonsense.
Where did Emperor Jingyuan tolerate the Empress Dowager?
Whether sealing Cining Palace, eliminating the Huang family, or killing the original guards of Shoukang Palace… looking at each of these events, one couldn’t see where Emperor Jingyuan treated the Empress Dowager well.
“Before she provoked His Majesty, His Majesty didn’t touch her either.” Jingzhe said, “So many times, if not for the Empress Dowager being unwilling, she wouldn’t have ended up in the current situation.”
This was a very bold guess.
Saying such words to anyone other than Rong Jiu was undoubtedly dangerous.
He was evaluating the Empress Dowager.
He was even talking about Emperor Jingyuan.
This seemed like a dangerous practice.
Of course, of course, in the palace, when something happened, there would always be so many people discussing it in private.
Gossip is human nature.
Whispering, describing an event without criticism.
Instead of guessing like Jingzhe.
Rong Jiu glanced at Jingzhe. This time, it was a long gaze. It was so strange that Jingzhe couldn’t help but examine himself. Did he say something wrong just now?
But if he said it wrong, he said it wrong. Why did Rong Jiu look at him like that?
It made one’s heart panic.
After a long time, Rong Jiu nodded, as gentle as an ordinary young master. His movement of stroking Jingzhe’s face didn’t stop, and his voice was also a bit soft.
“You are right.”
He said.
“This Majesty is indeed tolerating the Empress Dowager.”
Given Emperor Jingyuan’s temper, allowing the Empress Dowager to jump around until now must have a reason.
Jingzhe blinked and let out a sigh of relief.
“I thought I guessed wrong.” He muttered, “You stared at me for so long just now. I thought you were going to turn around and tell His Majesty about this…”
Now, Rong Jiu couldn’t be gentle anymore.
“Why do you say that?”
This tone was heavier than the previous question.
Jingzhe looked at Rong Jiu strangely: “You are His Majesty’s close minister.”
Feelings are feelings, work is work.
It’s normal to separate them.
Father never brought work matters home, so later, Mother didn’t know much about his encounters.
But separating clearly also had benefits.
For example, Cen Xuanyin never got angry at his family because of outside matters.
Rong Jiu calmly pointed out the contradiction in Jingzhe’s words: “But if your family members committed a crime, would your father arrest you all?”
Jingzhe pondered. Jingzhe tried very hard to ponder.
“Probably… not?”
Cen Xuanyin was a law-abiding person. Before the accident, their family lived very steadily.
Father had good skills and many friends in the pugilistic world. After fleeing famine and leaving their hometown with Mother, he studied very hard, passed the imperial examination, and became a minor official. There were many times he could have taken shortcuts, but he didn’t.
But it wasn’t that Cen Xuanyin wouldn’t.
When the Cen family had an accident and Jingzhe was sent into the palace, Cen Xuanyin could contact Chen An and try every means to seek a way out for Jingzhe. Then for Madam Liu and Cen Liang, how could he not…
It was just that due to a strange combination of circumstances, Madam Liu and Cen Liang jumped into the river, and many things became impossible.
“If my family didn’t have an accident, Father would naturally be a good person. But if an accident happened, he would probably become somewhat terrible.” Jingzhe looked at Rong Jiu, “Father loved Mother very much. Without her, he couldn’t have survived back then.”
On the way to flee famine, although Cen Xuanyin was physically strong, he fell seriously ill and almost died. It was Madam Liu who dragged him desperately, allowing him to survive.
This was like a rebirth.
For his family, Cen Xuanyin could betray morality.
“Then why do you think I wouldn’t?”
Rong Jiu asked very gently and calmly.
Jingzhe swallowed. Did Rong Jiu know what expression he had now? If he were lying in bed now, he would definitely cover his whole face with the quilt to block the man’s death stare.
As if the quilt was the safest, most pathetic bit of shelter.
That gaze was indifferent and sharp, pressing down heavily. Like a sharp blade, Jingzhe felt his skin stinging.
Rong Jiu was angry.
On that pale face, black eyes were like burning fire.
Such intense emotions were presumably rare in someone like Rong Jiu, but Jingzhe could always easily arouse his dormant emotions.
“I didn’t think you would… betray me.” Jingzhe frowned and used a rather intense word, “It’s just, he is His Majesty the Emperor.”
Jingzhe didn’t doubt Rong Jiu’s feelings.
He knew the reason the man told him about the assassination—it was to let him know the danger around him, to make him face the previous teachings squarely.
Rong Jiu truly wanted Jingzhe to live smoothly.
It’s just that no one can resist imperial power.
Even Rong Jiu couldn’t.
Strangely, Jingzhe had never had much desire for power before, but upon suddenly touching the guess that “Rong Jiu might be in trouble,” he had a strong impulse.
He didn’t want to see Rong Jiu like this.
Perhaps… sometimes, he should indeed be greedier.
Jingzhe grabbed Rong Jiu’s hand. That pair of cold hands, even covering his face, didn’t get any warmth from him. “You have to live well.”
Jingzhe often said Rong Jiu’s thoughts jumped too fast for people to catch up, but wasn’t he the same?
Easily, the topic was thousands of miles away again.
The coldness on Rong Jiu wasn’t extinguished by Jingzhe’s tenderness. That deathly stillness condensed from coldness was spreading decay and gloom.
They condensed into his limbs and forged his heart filled with violence and malice. There was no warmth to speak of, only a hypocritical skin.
…A monster cannot really become a human just by putting on a human skin.
“Jingzhe, I was indeed too lenient with you before.” Rong Jiu whispered, “It made you too unaware of severity.”
Severity?
What is light, what is heavy?
After Rong Jiu’s anger just now, Jingzhe didn’t think the “light” Rong Jiu mentioned referred to him, but what did “heavy” mean?
Rong Jiu suddenly took Jingzhe and walked out. That confining strength made it impossible for him to break free from Rong Jiu’s hand.
“Rong Jiu? Rong Jiu!” An ominous premonition suddenly rose in Jingzhe’s heart, “Where do you want to go?”
Looking at Rong Jiu’s posture, Jingzhe didn’t think it would be a good thing.
He struggled subconsciously, but the man’s movements under rage were surprisingly fierce.
What did he grow up eating to have this strength?
“Go to,” Rong Jiu’s voice paused subtly for a moment, then continued maliciously, “Qianming Palace. Don’t you think I would place the Emperor above you?”