Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 86
Time flies and in a blink of an eye it is already July.
Because Jingzhao Prefecture caught the people carrying the disease in time, the plague finally did not affect Chang’an. At the same time, another major event happened in the capital.
Zheng Zhonglian’s heart disease recurred. After learning that it could not be cured and he could only rest and recuperate, he took advantage of Lu Yan’s meritorious service and offered to resign.
On the eighth day of July, Lu Yan took the position of Governor of Jingzhao Prefecture.
At the age of twenty-four, he held great power and held a third rank official position.
….
On the other side, in Luoyang, there was irrefutable evidence that the governor Yao Zheng had colluded with the Turks and his property was confiscated. The heads of all the members of the Yao family were hung on the city gates, and all the gold, silver and treasures in the mansion were transported back to the capital.
The Sixth Prince asked to go to Luoyang to treat the epidemic. Although this move boosted the morale of the people, he himself unfortunately contracted the plague while on the way. The accompanying doctor worked day and night to save his life, as if their lives were on the line. When the sage heard about this, although he did not recall him, he sent the Head of the Imperial Medical Bureau to Luoyang.
Empress Xu heaved a long sigh of relief in Anhua Palace…
From the moment the position of Minister of Works became vacant, Concubine Qiao of the Li Mansion seemed to be even more favored. On the day He Wanru had a miscarriage, she cried heartbreakingly and cursed Concubine Qiao as a vixen and Madam Wen, who felt sorry for her grandson, chimed in.
Seeing He Wanru crying, Li Di didn’t want to add fuel to the fire, so he promised He Wanru that he would give her another child and told her not to be angry with Concubine Qiao.
There are three reasons why Li Di doted on Concubine Qiao. The first was naturally because Concubine Qiao’s seductive skills were so deep that he was really fascinated. The second was that Concubine Qiao was Empress Xu’s person, and there were more than one or two secret letters sent out from her courtyard. Li Di doted on her and was close to her, which was tantamount to showing his loyalty to Empress Xu.
As for the third, and most important reason was that he wanted the position of Minister of Works.
…..
In the quiet courtyard, the first ray of morning sunlight poured into the room, Shen Shu lifted the bed curtain and got out of bed. Qingli helped her wash up and said, “Miss, your face is a little pale. Do you want to put on some makeup?”
Shen Shu shook her head.
Just then, a maid named Ju Ye came running over.
Shen Shu saw her hesitant look in the bronze mirror beside her dressing table and said calmly, “Speak.” Those two courtyards were like an opera, day in and day out.
Ju Ye took a deep breath and said, “Yesterday, Concubine Qiao was sick and had a high fever all night. Master went to visit her just now, but Concubine Qiao suddenly asked for red bean cakes…”
Qingli said: “Go on.”
Juye lowered her eyebrows and said, “So Master rode his horse to the East Market.”
Qingli’s eyes froze for a moment and she immediately turned around to look at Shen Shu. The reason was simple: Li Di had done these things for Shen Shu many times before.
Recalling the time before the incident at Yunyang Marquis Mansion, let alone going to the East Market to buy some red bean cakes, even if Shen Shu blinked a little more than usual, Li Di would have to hold her face up and examine it carefully.
Once, Shen Yu caught a cold and didn’t want to pass on the disease to him, so she sent someone to tell him not to come over. But Li Di insisted on taking care of her personally, feeding her medicine and wiping her body. The more Shen Yu asked him to leave, the more he acted like a fool.
So the next morning, Li Di started sneezing and coughing, but Shen Shu gradually got better.
And when Shen Shu asked him if he felt uncomfortable and he said it was worth it.
It must be said that Li Di seemed to be born to coax women. Although his appearance is not considered handsome, the pair of affectionate eyes, the eyes that people mistakenly think that he is deeply rooted in love, is like a sharp sword, easily able to break through a woman’s heart defense.
Qingli looked worried and murmured, “Lady…”
Shen Shu pinched her earlobe, put on the earrings in front of the mirror and smiled softly, “It’s okay.” It was Li Di who taught her that a smile that reaches the eyes can also be deceptive.
There was no one she could trust anymore.
——
Shen Shu went to the Western Market in the afternoon.
She pushed open the door of Baixiang Pavilion and walked in, just in time to see Shen Zhen bending over to take care of the flowers.
Shen Shu stepped forward and placed the two land deeds in front of Shen Zhen.
Shen Zhen took it and looked at Shen Shu in surprise, “Big sister, isn’t this …”
“Yes, I got my dowry back. Last time I heard you say you wanted to open a tea shop in the East Market. I think the locations of these two shops are excellent.”
Shen Zhen took it, took a look and said, “Yes, the location is indeed excellent.”
Shen Shu looked at her dimples and said, “This is for you.”
Although Shen Zhen was unwilling to accept Lu Yan’s money, she did not resist the shop that Shen Shu gave her. So later when Lu Yan heard about this, he tugged on Shen Yan’s ear and questioned her, “So you treat me as an outsider, right?”
Shen Shu sat down, poured herself a glass of water, and asked, “Are you still busy?”
Shen Zhen said: “I’ve saved almost all the silver money in my hand, so I thought I’d bring back the Shen family’s former steward, Lu, and ask him to help take care of things.”
Shen Shu nodded, “That’s great. After all, I can’t do everything myself. If you need anything, just tell me.”
When the evening drum sounded, Shen Shu returned home. As soon as she stepped through the door, she saw two maidservants turn around and run, one ran faster, the other was directly held down by her.
“Look up and tell me why you ran away when you saw me?”
The maid slowly raised her head, made eye contact with Shen Shu, and knelt down, “Madam, please forgive me. Madam, please punish me.”
Asking for punishment without even confessing her crime, her intention to delay time was too obvious.
Shen Shu walked past her and went straight back to her own courtyard.
She lifted the curtain, walked into the inner room and waved her hand. The room was filled with smoke from the incense burner which made her choke.
Shen Shu sat on the couch and looked around, but found nothing unusual. However, the moment she lowered her head, she caught her breath.
Then while covering her mouth, she started dry heaving.
“What’s wrong with you, Lady?” Qingli asked nervously.
Shen Shu’s palms were shaking. She pointed at the bed and said, “Change all these beddings, immediately.”
Qingli looked in the direction she was pointing and found that there were not only a lot of extra hairs next to the jade pillow, but also traces of rouge on the edge of the quilt.
Qingli called the other people in the yard and asked angrily, “Who was here just now?”
The people kneeling on the floor in the room shook their heads one after another while making excuses.
“Who is the master of this courtyard?” Qingli asked.
“Alright.” Shen Shu looked at them, covered her chest and said, “All of you leave now.”
The hair, rouge, and the fragrance in the room all indicated that Concubine Qiao and Li Di had just done that in Shen Shu’s room… Maybe Li Di just wanted some stimulation but didn’t want to embarrass Shen Shu, but Shen Shu could guess what Concubine Qiao was up to.
Everyone in the world is greedy. Li Di wants the position of Minister of Works that is within his reach, and his concubine is the same. She is not content with being a concubine.
This is a provocation right under the mistress’s nose.
After the hour of Hai[mfn](the period of the day from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m;)[/mfn], Li Di appeared at the entrance of Shen Shu’s courtyard. Just as he was about to come in, he was stopped outside by Qingli.
“Why are you stopping me?” Li Di frowned.
Qingli bowed and said, “The lady has a bad stomach ache and there is still filth in the room, so please don’t go in.”
Feeling guilty, Li Di stopped in his tracks.
“Did you call for a doctor?”
“The Lady said there’s no need to invite a doctor and she will be fine after tonight.”
Li Di half-closed his eyes and looked at Qingli, “How long have you been in the Li Mansion?”
Qingli said: “It has been more than four years.”
“It’s been more than four years, and you still call her Lady[mfn](gū niang – the servants were using the word lady or Miss, used for unmarried women instead of using the word Madam for married women)[/mfn]?” Li Di asked calmly, “Did she let you call her that?”
” I made a slip of the tongue, I won’t do it again in the future.”
“If you let me hear the word ‘Lady’ again, you won’t have to serve in the Li Mansion again. Remember that”
“I will keep it in mind.”
Shen Shu sat in front of her dressing table, staring at her face in the bronze mirror in a daze. A breath choked in her throat, which she could neither exhale nor swallow.
Qingli said: “If you have endured enough, I am willing to risk my life…”
“Qingli, I’m fine.”
“I will dismantle this bed tomorrow and replace it with a new one!”
“No need.” Shen Shu said slowly, “I will just sleep like this.”
The candles went out, leaving the room in darkness. The moonlight poured down and landed on the stone steps in front of the corridor. The plain white light and shadows were depressing and gloomy.
Shen Shu lay flat on the couch and slowly closed her eyes.
In fact, she should thank that Concubine.
Thank you for throwing this straw that broke the camel’s back at her and giving her the courage to take the risk.
In the early morning the next day, Shen Shu washed and dressed herself, put on some rouge, and said to Qingli, “Tell someone to prepare the carriage. I’m going to the Dali Temple.”
Shen Shu knew very well what that man wanted. If the Li Mansion was compared to a wolf’s den, then the Dali Temple was a tiger’s lair.
If falling into the tiger’s den was inevitable, she doesn’t want to become the prey he holds in his mouth, allowing him to bite and have no power to fight back.
Qingli helped her get off the carriage.
She was wearing a plain white gauze dress with layers of crabapple flowers embroidered with gold thread on the hem, like ripples caused by sunlight on the water. Her amber cross-collared chest-length top revealed her slender white neck. Her rouge-colored earrings swayed gently with her pretty figure.
The daughter of the Shen family is of outstanding appearance, and everyone in Chang’an knows it.
But even so, Zhou Shu’an was still dazzled by the charm and seductiveness in her eyes.
For a moment, the dark prison seemed to be flooded with daylight…
Zhou Shu’an lowered his eyes, stood up, pursed his thin lips and opened the prison door for her. As he walked out, Shen Shu whispered thank you to him.
Half an hour later, she came out of the cell and there was no one around.
She didn’t understand before why the key to her father’s cell had to be kept with the MInister of the Dali Temple and why the jailers around her would quietly leave when she arrived.
But now she understands.
Zhou Shu’an stood up and said, “I’ll take you out.”
Shen Shu walked side by side with him and suddenly stopped. She raised her eyes and fixed them on the man’s resolute and serious face. She opened her lips and said, “Zhou Shu’an, with the courtesy name Rongliang, from Jiaxing, Suzhou?”
Hearing her calling his name, Zhou Shu’an smiled and his eyes became firm and clear.
“Did you investigate me?”
The man had a deep voice and his words were clear and melodious.
