Chapter 81 Flatten

Xu Guangzhi was best at expressing policy theory on current politics, and because of his strong writing skills, he often had deafening arguments. It was not easy to refute him, but fortunately, Guan Suyi had nothing to do after being thrown away to the village estate in her previous life, so she was studying and learning day and night.

Shang Chongwen's imitation of the policy was titled "Confucianism Law". After repeated revisions by Guan Father, many points that conflict with the new law had been deleted. And Xu Guangzhi's popular policy that swept the entire upper class circles was titled "Confucianism and Law", which had not been edited out at all, and its main idea was that law was a moral auxiliary. When a country formulated its law, it should be based on Confucian ethics and morality, and then the law was applied to compliment it. The benchmark for officials to try cases and sentencing was morality and etiquette first, and then national law. If the two were in conflict with each other, then morality and etiquette would take precedence over national law, which was the so-called: "If the rites and music cannot flourish, the punishment will not be properly executed*".

Then in the article he went deeper step by step, and successively put forward the arguments of concealment of relatives*, the eight discussions*, the official allowance*, the upper invite*, the quasi-five-clothes to control the crime*, and the ten evils*. Leaving aside the concealment of relatives, the eight discussions, the official allowance, and the upper invite have indeed provided an excellent tool for the privileged to evade legal sanctions, it could be said to completely overturned the argument "the prince and the common people breaks the law, the punishment are the same". The theory of quasi-five clothing to control crimes was based on the closeness of blood kinship, the husband was the guide for the wife and the father was the guide for the son, and it greatly consolidated the patriarchal authority, but the women had become the most humble being, they could not disobey her father, husband, or even son, when receive harm, except enduring it, they could not resist.

A wife suing her husband was a capital crime, and a child suing her parents was also the same. All families were oppressed by the patriarchal power. From the previous "severe punishments and strict laws" to "completing the defense of rituals and teachings", the influence of Confucianism on the people and the township, and even the country were extended to the limit.

It was conceivable how the patriarchs and the privileged classes, who got the most benefit from it, would cheered and supported it wholeheartedly. This article was their mouthpiece and sharp blade, it was the best voice for the clan to resist the country, the etiquette to resist the law, and the privileged class to oppress the people. It's not an exaggeration to call it "Outstanding Article".

Guan Suyi read it over and over again, her eyes were already cold, dipped the brush in thick ink, and slowly wrote, "Moral as private moral and law as public law. When governing a country, should private or public be considered first? The common people are the public, and the individual is the private, every person in the world know which one is more important. Moral as the master of the law can also be interpreted as private above the public, which is like putting the cart before the horse, and a perverse act. The sentence bending the law for personal gain must first harbor selfish desires, and then disregard the laws and regulations; if the law is disordered, the people will be ruined; if the people are ruined, the country will perish…

After reading and re-reading the opening, and changing it again and again, she wrote more and more smoothly, then gradually lost in it. Later she became deaf and blind towards her surrounding, completely indulge in her writing.

Jinzi and Minglan guarded her silently, and seeing that it was time for dinner, they stepped forward to remind, "Madam, it's time to take a break…"

Before they could finish the sentence, she interrupted impatiently, "Stop talking, go out, close the door!"

Jinzi wanted to persuade her again, but was dragged out by Minglan, and pointed out, "Miss is fascinated by writing article, let's guard outside, and no one should go in to disturb her. If you cut her train of thoughts," after the words fell she slash her own neck, and sinisterly added, "You can't make up your sins with your death, she can remember and hate you for years!"

It turned out that Madam also had the bad temper of a literati. Jinzi was greatly surprised, but also a little funny. She quickly covered her mouth and blocked the door, saying that she would never let anyone in, and sent Yinzi to the front hall to deliver a message, asking the old madam and the second madam to stop waiting and eat first.

Zhao Luli brought his two children under the pretext of paying respect to his mother in the morning and evening. When he came to the West Mansion, he couldn't see Madam at the dining table, and felt a little upset. He asked several servants only to find out that Madam had locked herself in the study for more than half an hour, during which time she hasn't eat a grain of rice, drink a glass of water, and it's unknown what she was doing.

"Daddy, take this food box to see mom." Zhao Chunxi handed over a heavy food box, winked with a strange expression.

Zhao Luli smiled, patted his daughter's head, and told her to take good care of her brother. He then went to the study, but was stopped by Jinzi and Minglan, and after he tried his best to persuade them, they let him enter very quietly to take a look. Madam had changed into plain-colored casual clothes, and had taken off the beaded hairpins on her head. She only gathered the thick silky blue-black hair into a bundle and tied it with a hair band, looking very simple and elegant. She was writing very quickly, her brows shrouded in indomitable spirit and as he approached he could smell the strong fragrance of ink.

She was so absorbed that she didn't even notice how Zhao Luli pushed the door, how he approached, and how he bent over to read the manuscript.

Zhao Luli just wanted to take a few glances to make sure that she was okay and go back, but he didn't expect after reading two paragraphs silently he couldn't move any more. Of course, he also read Xu Guangzhi's policy theory, and he thought that the words and writing were extremely powerful, but at this time he suddenly thought – compared to Madam, he is just so-so!

Was the prestige close to that of Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies? With its own style, in the end became a great expert? Nevertheless, the fame would be actually difficult to match! Zhao Luli shook his head again and again, and then went to Look at Madam, who was continuously writing, and thought she was extremely venerable. He didn't dare to disturb her, let alone asking her to stop to eat, he just picked up the manuscripts scattered on the table one by one and placed them in order.

It took a whole night to write this. After the sky started to brighten and the first rays of morning sun sprinkled in, Guan Suyi finished the last stroke and let out a long sigh.

"The Innkeeper (Nilu Sheren)? Is this your pen name?" A hoarse male voice suddenly sounded, startling her.

"Why are you here?" Guan Suyi's voice was equally hoarse.

When Jinzi and Minglan heard the movement, they hurriedly made hot water, brought in hot porridge, and served the master to wash and dine.

"I watched you all night. I have read your article, if you publish it, it will definitely shake the existing legal system, and it will also affect the future pattern of criminal law. Suyi, I never knew your talent to be so high!" Zhao Luli sighed with regret, as if mourning for the wasted past, but also rejoicing for a better future.

He always thought that when it comes to talent, Ye Zhen was considered a first-class existence among women. However, in retrospect, the poems she wrote and the words she recited, except for the wind, flowers, snow and moon*, hurting for spring and sad for autumn, it had no meaning at all. As for Suyi's thought, if ones didn't have profound knowledge and wide-ranging horizons, afraid that they would not be able to read it, let alone understand and comprehend it. If he compared Ye Zhen to a book, he could read it page by page; Then she was a sea, and only by diving into the bottom of the water could he glimpse a glimmer of the wonders.

But Guan Suyi's heart had been completely closed for him, and she said without emotion, "Then you go back and rest, I still have things to do."

"Do you want to spread the word about this article, suppress Xu Guangzhi, and rectify father-in-law's name?" Zhao Luli removed the bitterness in his eyes and said warmly, "If you trust me you can leave this to me, you hurriedly go back to your room to sleep and nourish your spirits."

Guan Suyi stared at him for a while, finally handed over the thick stack of manuscripts, and said tiredly, "Thank you very much."

"You and I are husband and wife, why are you so polite? Isn't it right for the husband to serve his wife?" Zhao Luli was happy and excited, he quickly stroked his wife's haggard cheek, and then strode away.

At noon, a piece of policy theory with tens of thousands of words was posted on the eight-character (八) wall of each public security office in the capital. At first, only a few passersby read it. Later, some people clapped their hands in admiration, copied it on the spot, and shared it with their colleagues,. Gradually more people saw it, among them legalists were the most popular.

Xu Guangzhi advocated the law as the moral auxiliary, and this policy theory in turn supported the law as the primary and moral as the assistance, refuted the theory of etiquette with the theory of public and private, and crushed personal euphemism with the righteousness of the country. Among them, there were many examples to illustrate the harm of concealment of relatives, eight discussions, and official allowance, all of which were well-known tragedies. For example, the villagers of Taohua Village covered up their sons and nephews, done harm in four directions, and eventually the entire village slaughtered by the imperial court; For example, the case of avenging their father to the point of hacking and killing each other, resulting in the death of both clans; For example, the case of former dynasty's officials protecting each other, deceiving the monarch, and finally leading to the destruction of the country…

Every word was bloody, and every sentence was full of bitter tears. The powerful officials in the court were still unmoved, but the common people all fell to their knees and cried bitterly after listening to the chanting of the Legalist scholars, cursing the officials for oppressing the people and bending the law for personal gain! What eight discussions, official allowance, and upper invite, the whole damn thing was to make excuses for breaking the law, even the emperor would be punished for breaking the law, but they could use money and titles to offset them, and the killing of ordinary people only need to pay enough silver to get rid of everything, have they ever put the common people in their eyes? Can they treat them as human beings?

Wow, this policy theory was a good statement, the purpose of establishing the law was to love and protect people, to showed fairness and maintain justice. The national law was a public instrument, and human life was far greater than the sky, and it should not be controlled by the selfish desires of some people. Whether it was a prince, a general, a husband or a wife, all must abide by the law and be content with their duties. Only in this way they could create a prosperous world and achieve great achievements together.

"Well said!" The scholars were silent, but the common people applauded enthusiastically. What is outstanding article? Only those who truly conformed to the people's heart, conformed to the way of heaven, and uphold justice for the suffering people were qualified to be called outstanding article, and the rest were just the propaganda for the powerful official, running dogs for the rich.

After the sharp and to-the-point refutation, this article also discussed "how to establish the law and revising the law". Various legal forms that existed, namely punishment, law, regulations, order, code, style, rules, imperial order, grant, sections, ratios, cases, etc. Were detailed one by one, indicating that establishing the law should first establish the skeleton, then shaping it, and then add flesh and blood.

The skeleton should be divided into different categories, and it should not be done overnight. The people have civil law, officials have official law, taxation has tax law, land has land law, etc.; Shaping should be based on the current national strength, completely fitted to the current political situation and people's sentiments; Flesh and blood were the large and small cases from ancient times to the present, and when recorded in the book, they could be use as a guide for sentencing by future generations, without subjective assumptions.

All in all, the terms and conditions were detailed and appropriate, and the wording was precise. The people who didn't understand this passage, still felt that it was very powerful, and they couldn't help but applaud. Those Legalist scholars were already enthusiastic and excited, and they bought brush and paper in the bookstores on the street to transcribe them.

An official in charge of revising the law clapped and said, "Good, good, good, this old man finally knew why when the emperor ordered us to revise the law, we feel that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, turns out it's because the skeleton hasn't stand up but rushing to add flesh and blood, so how could it not collapse? This Innkeeper is really a nationalist. The emperor should welcome him into the court with the great honor of a respected teacher!"

Not long after this article appeared, no one discussed how Xu Guangzhi was, and the literary name he had accumulated before was trickle down.

If the rites and music cannot flourish, the punishment will not be properly executed*": from the analects, the rites and music here are the means of regulating society.

eight discussions*: it is a privileged system stipulated in the Chinese feudal criminal law that crimes by 8 type of people must be handed over to the emperor for adjudication or reduced punishment in accordance with the law.

official allowance: it is a legal system that allows aristocrats and bureaucrats to use the official titles to resist imprisonment.

upper invite*: the system in which imperial clan nobles, and high-ranking official are not allowed to be tried for a crime without authorization, and must have petition from the emperor.

quasi-five-clothes to control the crime*: the 5 clothes system is the traditional mourning clothing system, which indicated the closeness of blood relation to the deceased. This system is to use five-served kinship as the basis for conviction and sentencing.

ten evils*: rebellion, conspiracy, treason, violent, inmoral, great disrespect, unfilial, discord, unrighteousness, civil strife.

wind, flowers, snow and moon*: trite poetry subject.

Chapter 82 Famous

Zhao Luli ordered a few servants to make several copies of Madam's articles, and posted them on the eight-character wall when the officers of public security changed positions at noon. Recently, the emperor encouraged free airing of views, and scholars of all factions and schools were very active. Occasionally, when they have wonderful ideas, they would send them to Emperor Teacher for corrections, or share recitations with their classmates, and those who have the courage would directly post them on the public list in hope to make a name for themselves.

He asked a little servant to guard the wall to prevent other articles from covering it, and then stood not far away to watch. As he had expected, this article quickly attracted the attention of passers-by, especially scholars who studied Legalism, they even foolishly stood under the wall and couldn't move.

After a while, several scholars began to recite word by word, attracting more passers-by to watch.

Had to admit that in terms of choosing words and sentences, Xu Guangzhi's citations was very impressive, but compared with Madam, he was really inferior. His articles were written for scholar officials, and it was the privileged class he wanted to please, so there were many esoteric and incomprehensible allusions. Madam's article was written not only for literati, but also for common people, explaining the truth in simple language, and citing examples that were easy to understand. She also analyzed "Confucianism and Law" in more straightforward words, pointing out its shortcomings straight to the point, so that anyone who listened to it, even children of eight or nine years old, could understand it.

Therefore, as soon as the scholar read a few paragraphs, more and more ordinary people came around, squeezing the neatly dressed scholars until they had nowhere to stand. When it recited that the foundation of establishing the law was to love the people and protect the people, and to show fairness and justice, before the scholar opened their mouths the ordinary people had already roared and applauded. For those who have been oppressed or have been wronged, tears streaming down their faces, they were weeping bitterly, and bluntly said that the Innkeeper's every word and sentence had spoken out what's inside their hearts, and just like the Emperor Teacher, truly plead for the life of ordinary people! Even when the most esoteric passages about establishing and revising the law was recited, they were reluctant to leave. Although their faces were full of ignorance, they shouted 'good' word from time to time, clapped their hands, and vowed to cheer to the end.

"Who is this Innkeeper? Is it really a little shopkeeper who runs an inn? This literary talent is simply outstanding, and it can be compared with the Emperor Teacher!"

"Xu Guangzhi's previous policy theory was praised by the above as an outstanding article, and I still wonder why it's outstanding, but it turns out it's the voice for the powerful, to boost the arrogance of the noble family, and to provide a justifiable reason for the upper class to oppress the people. This man's temperament is really difficult to change, still cannot eliminate his viciousness, but it has added some servility, and changed to praise the stinky feet of scholar-officials!"

"That's right. Comparing his character with the Innkeeper, really one is a high-spirited breeze*, and the other is extremely filthy."

"Don't talk about characters, just this single article alone, he is also poles apart, cannot be talk about together!"

"The Innkeeper is really the bell and drum of the people, and the sound is really deafening! Which official can say what he said? Which commoner dares to say it? I listened to it from the beginning to the end, even if I don't understand the last part, I feel extremely carefree!"

"Indeed, it's really refreshing! This is the real outstanding article, Xu Guangzhi is a fart compared to the Innkeeper."

"Hey, that's not right! He doesn't even count as fart!" As soon as the man's voice fell, there was a lot of laughter next to him.

Zhao Luli slowly integrated into the crowd, read the article over and over again, and when he listened to their high praise for his wife, his heart was full of pride and regret. This was the madam he given up his self-esteem and went to the palace to beg for; it was also the madam he blindly suppressed and wantonly humiliated; and the madam who was cold to him and almost gave up righteousness in front of the Dengwen drum. If he had seen her goodness earlier and learned to understand, cherish, and love her, they would not have so much estrangement and indifference like right now.

Now, he didn't even dare to say to others "Guan Suyi is my wife", lest he would provoke ridicule of "not knowing happiness in the midst of happiness". He found that Guan Father and Old Master Guan were walking towards this side after they left their post. His cheeks were burning red and he had no face to see them, so he hurriedly sneaked away with his head down. On the way , he was bumped by someone and almost fell, he then got into the carriage only to find that the manuscript in his arms was gone, he couldn't help but cry blood.

Guan Father and Old Master Guan were not familiar with Xu Guangzhi's writing style, but how they couldn't tell the handwriting of the pearl in their palm? At first they were stunned, and then read it again and again.

After about half an hour, the two of them had already read the article thoroughly, and their hearts were full of stormy waves.

"Hmm, I taught her Confucianism since young, but you secretly taught her the hundred schools of thought behind my back! This article combines the benevolence, virtue and fraternity of Confucianism; justice and punishment of Legalism; tranquility and inaction of Taoism. It sums the three without being abrupt. How much effort did you spend behind my back?" The old man seemed to be furious, but his eyes were full of proud smiles.

Guan Father was also very puzzled, and said modestly, "Son didn't teach her much, just stuffed a few miscellaneous books, and didn't even take regular examinations, just let her do whatever she wanted. Yiyi is exceptionally gifted, what can I do?" When the words fell he spread his hands out, as if helpless.

The father and son looked at each other, then laughed dumbly. But they could never have imagined that if there had been no house arrest in village estate in the previous life, there would be no Guan Suyi with great talent, who was now a standing bookcase*. Everything she had was bought with endless suffering, not at all worthy of pride and admiration.

At the same time, Xu Guangzhi tore the manuscript in his hand into pieces, and then brushed off the things on the desk, looking exasperated. County Prince Jing sat on the top and snorted coldly, "It's useless to be angry at this time, why don't you write another article to argue? Aren't you the best at eloquence, so you can't step on this Innkeeper?"

Xu Guangzhi was deeply scheming and his thought was also far, and said sullenly, "Your Highness doesn't know, now it's not whether I can refute him, but whether others are willing to listen. Do you know why his article spread so quickly, in just an hour, it has been heard in the streets, and everyone knows it? My article was written from the standpoint of the powerful and was written for scholar-officials, but his article was from the standpoint of the common people, and written for hundreds of millions of people in the Wei Kingdom. My article is a voice for the privileged, and his article is to plead for the life of ordinary people. Your highness, how many powerful people are there in Wei Kingdom? How many are the common people? If the common people had been bewitched by him and believed that I was a running dog for the powerful, they would never listen to me from now on! Even if I wrote hundreds or thousands of articles, it would be in vain. Do you remember the last time Prime Minister Wang incited civil unrest? The power of the people can overthrow even the imperial power, and even the monarch must be in awe, so how can the voice of the people be ignored or even blocked at will? To go against the people's mouth is like going against the river, and if I write an article against him, it's like standing on this gushing river, and destined to be drowned! I only hope that the emperor understands my painstaking efforts, and pays more attention to my strategies, can supports and reuse them. So now we can't do anything but wait. "

County Prince Jing recalled the man-made disaster that nearly split the Wei kingdom last time, and his heart was already timid. He was not Emperor Sheng Yuan, and he had absolutely no prestige to quell the civil unrest. If Xu Guangzhi and that Innkeeper person start a writing battle but fail miserably, not only would his literary name be destroyed, but himself could invite trouble.

The two sat silently, and after a while, they could only admit defeat with hatred, and wait for the next time to make arrangements slowly and regain their strength.

—-

In the Weiyang Palace, after Emperor Sheng Yuan dispatched a secret guard to steal the original manuscript from Zhao Luli's arms, he then infatuatedly read it, sometimes slap the table and shout with praise, sometimes suddenly realized, and reluctant to let go even for a moment.

"People come! Summoned Emperor Teacher, Chief of Ceremonies, Minister of War, Minister of Education, Minister of Works, and the others, and said that Zhen have an outstanding article that Zhen want to share with them!"

Half an hour later, the ministers were summoned, and when they saw the manuscript in the emperor's hand, their heart were uncertain. As scholar-officials, they were naturally more satisfied with Xu Guangzhi's policy theory, but the emperor was born in the rough and a non-Han people, so it was difficult for him to understand their obsession with patriarchal power and clan etiquette, but the court gradually started using poor official, and the pursuit of fairness and justice were unprecedentedly strong.

The publication of this article could be said to be in line with the mandate of heaven and in line with the people's hearts. Although it hurt the vital points of the powerful, it also scratched the itch of the common people and even the poor officials, so it had an extremely large mass base. Now that the noble family was declining and the poor family was rising, on one side it affirmed the importance of the Confucian doctrine of benevolence and won over the common people's recognition; On the other hand, it directly pointed out the limitations and disadvantages of dividing people by social classes, and won the backing and support of the common people all over the world. Immediately after that, the style was changed again, from simple and easy-to-understand white prose to a profound and refined legislative outline, which captured the hearts of literati.

If this Innkeeper was willing to become an official, he would be on the same level as Emperor Teacher!

Everyone's thoughts were different. They walked slowly to the front of the hall to salute. Before kneeling down, they were summoned by the emperor, he happily said, "This article called "The Law of the People", presumably all the beloved ministers must have read it? Come and tell me what you think."

Old Master Guan and Guan Father took a closer look and found that this manuscript paper was actually their family's beloved daughter's handwriting, and they couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat.

Among the chief ministers of the three divisions, two came from official noble family, naturally they didn't like the article very much, so they would hang their heads and drink tea after a few perfunctory sentences. But the Minister of Works, who came from a poor family, praised and highly admired them, and the mood of Guan family's father and son who were originally fell to the bottom, slowly lifted up.

The emperor had never seen Yiyi's handwriting, so it shouldn't matter. Thinking like this, the two of them changed their faces to their usual looks, took a few sips of hot tea, and waited to enjoy Minister of Works' praise before talking.

"Emperor Teacher, you are the best at writing article, please help Zhen to appraise this "Law of The People"?" Emperor Sheng Yuan asked with a wicked delight.

Old Master Guan reluctantly suppressed his pride and affirmed, "This article can be regarded as the introduction to establishing the law, and all officials should be ordered to study and understand it carefully. Xu Guangzhi's policy theory has also been read by this minister, and its purpose is to 'establish the national laws on the basis of etiquette and patriarchal law', which seems to show benevolence and righteousness, benefiting all classes, but in fact it strengthens patriarchal power and weakens monarchical power; it strengthens the cohesion of clans and weakens the rule of the country. Within three to five years, the society can be stabilized, and within ten years, it can make people obedient, but twenty or thirty years later, noble families can flourish and the clan prosperous…"

As for the consequences of revitalizing the noble family and clan, presumably without him saying anything the emperor had already understand. They would try to eliminate each other, you advance I retreat.

Emperor Sheng Yuan's eyes became sharper, and he turned to look at the two courtier, Minister of War and Minister of Education, and said with a fake smile, "No wonder Xu Guangzhi is so sought after by scholar-officials, it turns out that this is the reason. Concealment of relatives, officials shielding one another, if you violate the national law you can still go to court or become an official. It's really easy, huh! You have obtained privileges to hold into a group, if you want to do anything, you have relatives or colleagues to help cover up, then where do you put Zhen? Xu Guangzhi is good, good mouthpiece for the noble families, running dog for the powerful!"

Minister of War and Minister of Education were trembling with fear, and hurriedly knelt down to plead guilty, and never dared to recommend Xu Guangzhi to become official. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that his policy theory was poking at the the emperor's heart and lungs, which really disgusted him to the extreme!

T/N: I will break down GSY's pen name here because, spoiler alert, it will be asked later. It's 逆旅舍人(nì lǚ shè rén) as a whole it means Innkeeper, and I'm translating it as such because I think it meant to be a simple word like this but if it looked deeper it will have different meaning. The word 'Nilu' means inn or guest house but the literal translation of its character is 'reverse travel', 'Sheren' can means owner or the general term for relatives and guests of noble family's house, but the literal translation of shè can means residence or give up (shě) and rén is people. So if we really see the literal meaning of each character, Innkeeper = reverse travel give up people. Please forgive the confusing explanation, I'm also confuse because I don't understand Mandarin!

high-spirited breeze*: pure character, noble morality.

standing bookcase*: refers to person who reads a lot and knows a lot, the term is walking encyclopedia.

Chapter 83 Confidant

Emperor Shen Yuan wanted to use Confucianism to govern the country. First, he saw its benevolence ideology as a way to make people obey and control them; Second, he saw that its Three Principles and Five constants* would make his subjects loyal to the monarch and avoid committing rebellion. However, when it compiled and summarized by Xu Guangzhi, the clan etiquette was placed above the national law, that means, the monarch and ministers guidance were placed after the father and son, and the husband and wife.

It was the same three principles, only the order was slightly changed, but the meaning was very different. As the Emperor Teacher said, his policy theory advocated and consolidated patriarchal power, not monarchical power; it strengthened the concept of clan, not the idea of loyalty to the country. In a short period of time, the people's clan concept would have been strengthened, and they would naturally follow the rules and work diligently. However, as time goes by, they would only know that they have a family, but didn't know that they have a country, they would only know how to protect their families, but didn't know how to repay the country. If faced with family troubles and national disasters, it was natural to protect the small family and abandon the big country.

In the end, it didn't matter to them who was the emperor, they could still live their lives. Just like a soldier who defected and returned home to serve his parents, Confucius praised his filial piety, instead of punishing him, he tried give him honor.

Several great families in the past stirred up storms in the Central Plains, led wars against the feudal vassals, and planned riots. As long as the family existed, the power continued to expand, they didn't care who the person on the throne was, and even the slightest disagreement could turn the world upside down.

What was the suffering of the people? What if the common people were in trouble? They only have the word "clan" in their hearts, how could they lower their heads to see the commoners crawling at their feet? No, maybe they once lowered their eyes and looked at it carefully, otherwise how could they have created words such as "ants"?

Emperor Sheng Yuan, who used to be one of those ants, hated the rotten and apathetic noble family, so how could he allow them to revive? He picked up Xu Guangzhi's article and glanced at it for a second, before throwing it into the brazier expressionlessly and burning it to ashes.

Several ministers lowered their eyes and did not dare to look more, lest the fire would accidentally burn them.

The era of the noble family had passed, apart from gradually declining and falling apart, afraid it would be difficult to regain its former scenery and glory. Xu Guangzhi was clearly a smart man, but he chose to attach himself to the noble families and tried to enter an official position. Didn't he see that the emperor's recent promotions were all underprivileged students, and the people he suppressed were the children of noble families?

Everyone was confused and secretly fearful, but Old Master Guan and Guan Father were calm and unperturbed. Although they also came from a noble family, they were not from an official noble family. They had expectations for fame and fortune, but they attached more importance on personal cultivation and ideas in their hearts. As long as the children in the family read well and studied well, there was nothing to worry about.

No, study too well was more worrying! Thinking like this, the two secretly glanced at the manuscript placed by the emperor's side, wondering how to deal with it. Yiyi's pen name was Lingyun Layman, but she abandoned it and took this "Innkeeper". It could be seen that she didn't want to reveal her identity, so they must cover up for her.

The father and son looked at each other and understood.

How could Emperor Shen Yuan not find the exchange looks between the two Mount Tai, he laughed secretly in his heart, and then picked up the manuscript and said slowly, "Emperor Teacher, how does the handwriting of this Innkeeper compare to yours? Although Zhen's eyes is dull, but can hear the sound of cracking silk and gold in it, and perceive the unstoppable momentum, there is even a strong arrogance on the paper, which is good characters that is rarely seen in the world, right?"

Guan Father hurriedly lowered his head to hide the smile at the corner of his mouth, Old Master Guan then highly praised him, "Where is the emperor's eyes dull? It's actually has unique vision and discerning sight! This Innkeeper's iron painting silver hook characters is like a frightening dragon, not only the framework is upright, but also has the spiritual charm, truly a masterpiece that this minister has only seen now in his life! This minister's handwriting can be compared with others, but never dares to show ugliness in front of this Innkeeper."

Never expected the usually humble and polite Emperor Teacher would praise his granddaughter without any reservation like this. Emperor Shen Yuan coughed repeatedly and laughed secretly. He remembered the scene of Madam chopping watermelon with her bare hands, and then looking at the two Mount Tai, he felt that everyone in this family were really cute and he felt more respect.

After the old man finished his round of praise and stopped to drink tea, Emperor Shen Yuan continued to ask, "Zhen once heard Emperor Teacher say that your precious granddaughter is also a master of calligraphy. How does it compare with this Innkeeper?"

Old Master Guan's beard trembled for a while as if he was a little awkward. After a while, he said, "Back to the emperor, the two should be almost on par."

"Oh?" Emperor Shen Yuan laughed, "Then Zhen will request for Madam's masterpiece someday, and ask Emperor Teacher to help Zhen send the word."

The old man's cheeks were flushed, and he seemed unable to speak. Guan Father looked at his nose and his nose pointing to his heart, pretending to be an outsider.

After teasing the serious and rigid Emperor Teacher, Emperor Shen Yuan felt very happy, shook the manuscript, and continued, "After the appreciation of calligraphy, let's appreciate the article again. Zhen guess this Innkeeper should be a scholar of miscellaneous school, although she* mentioned national law everywhere between the lines, and seems to be a Legalist; she understand the essentials of Confucianism in great detail, and can easily cite the sentences and allusions that cannot be obtained by scholars who have not been immersed in Confucianism for decades, and seems to be a Confucian; Her study of historical classics can be called to be penetrating, and it sums up the trajectory of historical development, and seems to like a historian. Counting carefully, it's really a rare all-rounder!"

After the embarrassment dissipated, the old man nodded again and again, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, as if he was enjoying it. Guan Father and several ministers occasionally echoed, but did not show any abnormality.

Emperor Sheng Yuan fondly touched the manuscript and sighed, "Zhen want to invite this Innkeeper to the palace for a meeting, if Zhen can persuade her to serve as an official, or stay by Zhen's side to come up with strategy for Zhen, it will be a great blessing in life!" Glancing at the old master's instantly stiff face, he smiled and reassured, "Of course, Zhen will never treat Emperor Teacher coldly for her. There is a saying in Central Plains that 'a teacher for one day, a father for a lifetime'. The teaching of Emperor Teacher for Zhen is comparable to that of a father." In fact, his father had never looked after him, how could he raise and teach him? Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies had done far more for him than his father, and he would never forget it in this life.

Old Master Guan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, his old face was wrinkled like dried orange peel.

Emperor Shen Yuan let it slide at this point, pretending to wave his hand regretfully, "Unfortunately, Zhen have sent many people to inquire, but they have not found any clues. It can be seen that this Innkeeper has no intention of becoming an official. Then let her be free and live like free cloud and wild crane. Emperor Teacher, Zhen have one last question, what this 'Innkeeper' (literal translation: reverse travel, give up people) word means?" (TN: the break down of the word is at the end of chapter 82)

Old Master Guan breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "The inn means a guest house or a hotel. This is a word from "Zuo Zhuan – The second year of Duke Xi": 'Today Guo is not in the right way, and protects against the guest house (TN: that became a fortress for the enemy)'. Keeper has two meanings, one is for the owner of the inn and second is a guest of a noble family. Since she already choose the word Inn, it can be seen that word keeper means the former, modestly calls herself just a small shopkeeper who runs a guest house, a commoner."

Emperor Shen Yuan pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, "The little shopkeeper of a guest house? I don't think it's right. The word 'inn' (reverse travel) should be interpreted from a superficial level in my opinion, meaning that it's a traveler who travels in the opposite direction."

The words paused for a while, and his tone was firm and admiring, "Laozi has a proverb: 'I have three treasures, which are worth keeping and protecting. One is kindness, the second is frugality, and the third is that I dare not be the first in the world'. Every time Zhen think about it, Zhen scoff at it. If no one takes the lead, how can Zhen become the emperor? How can the world be at peace? If we do it in the opposite way, give up kindness to be courageous; give up frugality to be extensive; give up behind to be the first, then the hero will be established, the generals will come out, and the people will survive, thus the prosperous world can be expected. Therefore, the meaning of 'give up people' is fully revealed, not the owner who give up for the guest, but to sacrifice one's life for righteousness, and dare to be the first!"

He fixedly looked at Old Master Guan, and sighed, "The mind and courage of this Innkeeper is truly admirable!"

Can the four words "Innkeeper" be explained in this way? Old Master Guan knew his granddaughter very well, and thought that this was just a pen name she chose at will, without any special meaning, but unexpectedly the emperor beautify it and pull out such out of this world reasoning, which made him laugh.

But he didn't refute, just nodded silently. The other ministers laughed and praised the emperor's wisdom and knowledge, gradually eliminating his dissatisfaction with Xu Guangzhi and the noble family, and then took the opportunity to leave.

—-

Guan Suyi laid down for half an hour, dreaming of a little baby clinging to her and called her mother, she woke up with tears in her eyes and couldn't sleep again. It was really uncomfortable to stay in the Zhao Mansion, and seeing Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu she felt even more heartbroken, she hurriedly washed and went directly back to her parents' house.

After stepping into the Emperor Teacher Mansion and talking with her mother for a while, she finally calmed down and shut herself in the study to practice calligraphy. In the evening, when it was almost time for dinner, and she was about to untie the lead block from her wrist, she heard a frantic voice from the old man outside, "Well, you little fox, secretly learn the Hundred School of Thoughts behind my back! It's not only your father teaching, but also your maternal grandfather and grandmother, isn't it?"

Guan Suyi pushed open the window and looked at the old man with a smile, "Grandfather, aren't you happy that your granddaughter done a good job in learning?"

"Happy, so happy!" Old Master Guan's feigned anger expression suddenly disappeared, he stroked his beard and laughed, "You don't know, the emperor asked me several times if I knew this Innkeeper, and I almost couldn't hold back and said it was my granddaughter! Thinking that you want to conceal your identity, and afraid that you will be disturbed by the common people, so I held back. You learn what you learn, and you actually kept it from me? Do you think that I'm also the same class with Xu Guangzhi, who only recognizes Confucianism, and must be strangle the Hundred School of Thoughts? That's not a scholar, that's a bandit!"

Guan Suyi repeatedly agreed, and her mood instantly became happy.

Old Master Guan continued, "His Majesty is really interesting. He likes to play around in front of others after drinking a little bit of literature. How do you think he break down the 'Innkeeper' word, truly wish flowers came out from the speech…" He slowly recounted the conversation in Weiyang palace to his granddaughter, and then he walked into the study and looked at the table, only to see a line of handwriting like a dragon jumping out of the snow-white paper: give up kindness to be courageous; give up frugality to be extensive; give up behind to be the first; to die? No regrets!

"Was the emperor really hit the nail on the head?" He was dumbfounded for a moment, and then he looked at his granddaughter in shock.

Guan Suyi's inner shock and emotion were no less than her grandfather's. She could never have imagined that the person in the world who could truly understand her and see through her was this emperor who had once made her look down on him in every possible way. Yes, looking back in time, the vicissitudes of life, she can change, how do you know that others can't?

This emperor was not muddle-headed, on the contrary, he was also very courageous, knowledgeable, and wise. The previous life was gone, it's time to abandon the past and look at the present.

The depression between her brows completely dissipated, and she said word by word, "If fortunate enough to meet His Majesty, Yiyi should take him as confidant and have a chat over the wine."

Three Principles and Five constants*: three principles: ruler guides subject, father guides son and husband guides wife. Five constant virtue: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and fidelity.

Chapter 84 Love Letter

Old Master Guan looked at his granddaughter with new eyes. The child had been growing up by his side, and no one knew better than him what her temperament was like. She was indeed proud, unyielding, and stubborn, but she had no such spirit.

Give up kindness to be courageous; give up frugality to be extensive; give up behind to be the first; to die? No regrets! This sentence seemed simple, but it hid a willingness to die. She was a pampered little girl, and her biggest worry was probably the chaos and jealousy in the back house. How could she be so reckless and brave? After marrying into the Zhao mansion, did she still experience unknown hardships?

The old man's face changed suddenly, and asked, "Yiyi, tell me honestly, how does the Zhao family treat you?"

Guan Father also walked in with dark eyes. He picked up his daughter's calligraphy to take a look, while holding back his heart palpitations, "Did Zhao Luli bully you?"

The family had been worrying about her all their lives. In this life, Guan Suyi only wish them peace and security, so how could she complain? She quickly took her grandfather's arm and smiled, "Even when he was still Marquis Zhenbei, he couldn't get a bargain from me, and now he's a commoner, what can he do with me? Grandfather, father, don't worry, I have a good life in the Zhao family, the servants fear me, the children respect me, the mother-in-law and sister-in-law protect me, the two concubines are locked in the East Mansion, and I don't need to see them at all. There is no mistress in Wei Kingdom who lived more comfortably than me."

"That's good." Old Master Guan gave his granddaughter a deep look, and he when he was sure she was not lying he felt relief.

But Guan Father didn't quite believe it. He was about to question her carefully when a servant girl suddenly came out and said out of breath, "Old Master, someone from the palace has brought something. You should go to the front yard to greet him."

When the three walked to the front yard, they saw a eunuch, who had brought things to the house last time, saluting with a smile on his face, "Greeting the two masters, greeting Madam, this servant has been ordered to send a reward." After the words finished he gathered his sleeves to let them look behind.

This time, it was six big box, with a red seal attached. Zhong shi said clearly, "Did you send it by mistake last time, and the emperor asked you to change it?"

"Answering Madam, there's no mistake last time, rather missed a few boxes. This servant has a gift list here. Can you please check it?"

The reward this time was really delivered to the heart, a box of extremely precious stones such as Shoushan stone, Qingtian stone, Changshi stone, Balin stone, etc., the quality and color were more extraordinary than the other, and for the old man who loved to carve seals, this was a precious treasure; A box of antique calligraphy and paintings, all genuine works of famous masters, any of them was enough to make those elegant scholars outside to fight until they break their heads. Guan Father was breathing heavily, his heart was beating wildly, and he had already rushed to the box; The remaining four boxes were all rare and unique books in the world, with a wide variety of subjects.

No matter how hard it was for Guan Suyi to maintain an elegant and indifferent demeanor, she took a deep breath before walking over, and said with a shameless face, "Mother, did your word of making up for my a dowry last time still count?"

Zhong shi, "…"

—-

After dinner and dragging four large boxes back to the Zhao Mansion, Guan Suyi sighed contentedly, "I finally understand why my grandfather and father love the emperor so much, his benefit really lies in the word 'local tyrant'. I have been to so many places, and I have seen all kinds of people, but I have never seen anyone more generous than the emperor. I am afraid there are thousands of books, enough for me to build a bed, and then lie down and read it for eight to ten years. If his rewards are all like this in the future, then I have to go back to get bask in the light."

Seeing Madam's hilarious expression, Jinzi secretly said: Madam, you are wrong, it was the Emperor Teacher and Chief of Ceremonies who got to bask in your light. These objects are all given to you by His Majesty, he bears, and dare not, so he can only act in a roundabout way.

The master and servant were happily counting the books, then there was a crisp knock on the door outside, when they looked back, it was Zhao Luli. With a gentle smile on his face, he asked, "I heard that you went back to the Emperor Teacher Mansion today? Are the two Mount Tai still healthy?"

Guan Suyi led him into the inner room and said lukewarmly, "It's still as healthy as before, thank you for your concern. Did you come from the old madam's? You should you have dinner, right? I brought a few boxes of stuff back, so the house is messy, it's really rude."

Zhao Luli could clearly hear that she tried to chase him out, but his feet seemed to take root, and he refused to move half a step. He pressed his chest full of tart feeling and sighed, "Suyi, I'm really sorry, I accidentally lost your original manuscript today." Seeing her waving her hand, as if to say it didn't matter, he hurriedly continued, "I tried to make up for it, but I found that I always made mistakes. Today I was hidden in the crowd, watching them praise you, commend you, support you, my heart is sweet and bitter. Sweet because such an excellent woman is my wife, bitter because I didn't know how to cherish it, and I almost lost you. Suyi, after dividing the mansion, do you plan to live like this with me forever? Don't you want to round the house* with me, be a real couple, and then raise a child together? If he can inherit your intelligence, he will be very promising in the future, he…"

For Zhao Luli, these were his desires for a better life; for Guan Suyi, it was nothing more that a soul-crushing nightmare, which made her to be in so much pain that she wanted to die. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and she was trying to tell him to shut up quickly, but Jinzi came in with a tea tray, and it's unknown what tripped her feet that it all fell on his head.

She kept apologizing and wiped away with sincerity, her eyes were full of tears, as if she was about to cry. Zhao Luli couldn't care to argue with his wife's close maid, so he had to reluctantly return to East Mansion for a change.

"Lock the door between the two mansion, and no one is allowed to open even if they knock." Guan Suyi let out a sigh of relief, and then took out a gold bead the size of a broad bean from her purse and threw it at Jinzi, "Well done, take this to play with."

Jinzi was flattered and hurriedly knelt down to thank her. Suddenly, she saw a pigeon flying diagonally outside the window. It first landed on the window sill, and then jumped into the study without fear. It stood on the brush holder, tilted its head to look at Guan Suyi, and grunted as if it had something to say.

Guan Suyi thought it was very smart and cute, so she didn't chase it away. After the gloomy mood subsided, she took a serious look, and then saw that it was a pigeon with a thin bamboo tube tied to its ankle. She already had a guess in her mind, and she took out the note from the bamboo tube and slowly unfolded it, first sighing, and then secretly said 'sure enough'.

Guan Guan Jujiu, in the river continent. A fair lady, a gentleman is good. The staggered water chestnuts flow from left to right. A fair lady, I have longed for it*… The handwriting that was slightly jerky but still penetrated the back of the paper slowly wrote the world's first love poem.

The man's sad expression, eyes full of struggling, and the figure who wanted to chase but couldn't, seemed to be close at hand, making Guan Suyi even more upset. She originally planned not to reply a word, but after thinking and thinking, she finally picked up the brush and wrote – A tall bird can choose a tree, and a free sheep can collide the fence. Things have been seen now, and I would like to forget about them from now on*.

Watching the bird flutter and fly away, and suddenly drop a few snow-white feathers, she suppressed the loneliness and desolateness in her eyes, and slowly hid herself in the shadow of the blood-red sunset.

—–

Emperor Sheng Yuan raised his arm to catch the carrier pigeon and fed it a few grains of corn. Then he took off the bamboo tube and carefully pulled out the paper roll.

"A tall bird can choose a tree, and a sheep can collide the fence.…" He chewed word by word, felt a stab in his heart, and said with a wry smile, "Madam is so cruel, is she actually trying to persuade Zhen to forget and change the feeling? She doesn't moved by Zhen at all?" Just as he felt an unbearable pain, another carrier pigeon flew in from the window and jumped onto the imperial table.

Seeing that the emperor had not responded for a long time, Baifu stepped forward to get the letter, recognized the mark on the bamboo pipe, and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, it was sent by Lord Shen."

Lord Shen was Jinzi, the number two figure in the Dark Guard. Emperor Sheng Yuan was busy reading, and the painful expression was slowly replaced by joy. After a while, his cheeks were red and his heart throbbing. It turned out that his understanding was correct, the Innkeeper really meant that.

Ever since he met Madam, when encountering difficulties, he could not help but imagine—what would Madam do if she was here? Gradually, his thinking became more and more like Madam, and his love became stronger and stronger, until this point where his heart have tacit understanding, and he could see through her. He seldom read Taoist classics, and he was not familiar with Laozi's views, but suddenly he was blessed with this thought and blurted it out. Madam wanted to take him as a confidant, but she didn't know that she was already his confidant.

After bursts of uncontrollable joy, his face turned from red to black, and he sneered, "Already hurt Madam's heart, now will make up for it with a child, Zhao Luli thinks so beautifully!" Remembering his filthy origins, his originally pitiful sense of superiority disappeared.

How could Zhao Luli be disgraceful, at least he could give Madam a child, but what about him? What could he give Madam. But if he was asked to give up, his heart would feel as painful as being cut by a knife, just like a traveler who fell off a cliff, even if his two arms dig into the rock, there would be death after the exhaustion.

He covered his face, his facial features were severely twisted, he wanted to cry but there were no tears, he wanted to roar but couldn't, there was no way out except to suffer in secret. After being silent for nearly a quarter of an hour, he said hoarsely, "Serve the brush and ink."

Baifu didn't dare to breathe, lightly spread the rice paper, polished the thick ink, and handed over the imperial brush.

"Madam compares me to a tall bird and a sheep, and compares herself to a common tree and a fence, which is really humble and self-deprecating, which cause one to grieved. Although I am not talented, I am proud of my deep feelings, and willing to be a phoenix that does not drink unless it's morning dew, does not eat unless it's tender bamboo, and does not live unless it's on a thousand years sycamore tree, that's why in this life does not marry unless with Madam. Madam can blame me, hate me, but please don't keep me far away. Sincerely Hunnar. Warm regards."

After Emperor Sheng Yuan finished writing, he hid it in the bamboo tube, and then released the carrier pigeon. He stood by the window for most of the night, after he was that Madam had not replied to the letter, he lay down gloomily.

On the other side, Guan Suyi looked at the love letter that stated 'won't marry unless with you'. She was angry and funny, but also moved for no reason. She planned to burn it quickly, so as not to get caught, but somehow she couldn't do it, so she had to find a safe place to hide it. After thinking about it for a while, she didn't write a reply, but it was rare to have a good night's sleep.

round the house*: consummate the marriage.

Guan Guan Jujiu, in the river continent. A fair lady, a gentleman is good. The staggered water chestnuts flow from left to right. A fair lady, I have longed for it*: zhou nan- guan ju is the first poem in the book of songs, basically it is about finding a good and fair maiden for the young noble.

A tall bird can choose a tree, and a free sheep can collide the fence. Things have been seen now, and I would like to forget about them from now on*.: from poem sending the right word by wang changling in the tang dynasty.

Chapter 85 Dystocia

Since the first carrier pigeon came, Guan Suyi had been receiving Hunnar's letter almost every day, sometimes even a few times a day, either love poems or confessions, and some trivial fragments of life. She rarely replied, and only wrote a sentence or two when she was entangled, and it was all clear refusal, but that person seemed to be unable to understand, slightly depressed for a day, and the next day the same as usual.

"Qingqing Zijin, leisurely my heart. Even if I don't go, Zining doesn't follow the sound… looking back and forth, on this high tower. One day have not to see, it seems three months*… On this day, the courier pigeon sent another love letter, Guan Suyi recited it word by word, and sneered, "One day have not to see, it seems three months. It's obvious that when Sister Li invited me out just now, you hid in the corner and watched for more than half an hour."

"Madam, you found out?" Jinzi felt embarrassed for His Majesty. That thief-like action actually discovered by Madam, and when Madam found out his real identity, wouldn't his reputation be swept to the floor?

"A nine-foot-tall man is peeking, unless it's a blind person, how come you not see." Guan Suyi shook the letter and sighed, "Forget it, as long as he doesn't make thing difficult for me, just let him go. Look at his words, he actually made a great progress."

"Yes, the writing is more and more like Madam's handwriting. Master Hunnar is quite studious." Jinzi nodded with a smile, stretched out her hand to receive the love letter, and hid it in the secret box. Unconsciously, a few months had passed, and the secret box had already been filled with notes of various sizes, afraid it would need to be replaced by a bigger box soon.

Minglan worriedly said, "Miss, you should burn these things, what if people find out, say you, say you…" She blushed and bowed her head, as if ashamed to say it.

Guan Suyi had experienced being framed in her past life, she naturally understood how powerful it was, but as long as she thought of Hunnar's eyes that was full of deep love, and the sentence "In this life I will not marry unless with you", she could not harden her heart no matter what. After living for two lifetimes, this was the first confession she got, the first reluctance to let go, and the first time to guard. If possible, she really wanted to treasure it carefully and properly, rather than burn it to ashes.

No matter how strong she was, she was still a person made of flesh and blood, was she not allowed to have a soft and warm place in her heart? Was she not allowed to have a beautiful memory that would bring smile to her face when she was tired?

The previous life was too bitter, in this life she wanted to taste a little sweetness, that's all.

Seeing that her miss suddenly seemed to be at loss, and there were tears flashing in the corners of her eyes, Minglan immediately panicked and waved her hands, "Oh, it's this servant who talks too much, the secret box is well hidden, where will people find out. Sister Jinzi don't be in daze, put it away quickly, we must take good care of this study in the future, and don't let other people come in at will."

Jinzi hurriedly put away the box. Seeing that Madam was still in a bad mood, she changed the subject and said, "Madam, have you heard? Except for Ye Fan and Ye Cainu* in the palace, the rest of the Ye family are dead!" Ye Zhen, who was once high and invincible, had been demoted again and again, and had become the lowest cainu, not even had a little face with palace maid and eunuch.

"Huh? What's the matter?" Guan Suyi really recovered, and asked with furrowed brow.

"I don't know who this family offended before, but they let poisonous snakes kill all the survivors!"

"They were all bitten to death by poisonous snakes? As far as I know, although the rest of the Ye family were sentenced to exile, they were not in one place. They were all over the border, three or two here, three or two there. It's not easy to find all the people and kill them one by one."

"Yes, so it took almost five to six months. When the first Ye family was bitten to death, the local yamen thought it was an accident and just wrapped it in straw mats and buried it, then the second, the third, the fourth, it was not until all of them were dead that the officials realized that something was wrong and sent someone to investigate, and now it have been reported to the court, afraid that they will be vigorously searched and investigated."

"Five to six months are all spent on finding people and killing them, this cycle goes on and on. If there is no deep hatred, who would be willing to spend so much effort? How the Ye family offended this person is not a simple matter!" Guan Suyi pondered.

Exactly! Judging from the method, it was the man who chased and assassinated His Majesty back then! Jinzi's eyes flickered, and she gritted her teeth secretly.

While thinking about it, there was a heart-wrenching cry from outside, followed by a burst of commotion. Minglan went outside to inquire, and came back after a while, and said disdainfully, "It was Concubine Ye who was distraught when she heard the news of her family's death, she said she have to go to the border to pay homage no matter what, and now she is kneeling in the main courtyard to beg the old madam to be gracious and let her go."

Jinzi said with a sneer, "When the Ye family was exiled from the capital, why didn't see her distraught, and now she's howling, probably want the master to go with her, or if can't make him go, at least she has to let the master see her filial piety and comfort her."

"Comforting just comforting, you can roll to one place." Speaking of others, Minglan didn't feel ashamed at all, she raised two thumbs and touched each it together and smiled obscenely.

Guan Suyi pinched her cheek and sighed, "My sister-in-law has been more than seven months, and her body is getting heavier and heavier. It's not good for her to be noisy like this. Go and have a look."

Before the group reached the main courtyard, the crying ceased. Guan Suyi entered the inner hall, only to see Zhao Chunxi and Mu Mu accompanying Ruan shi. The old lady had a headache and had already returned to her room to rest.

Ruan shi seemed very happy and waved her hand, "Xi'er has become more and more capable, she drove away concubine Ye in just a few words, giving me and mother-in-law some peace. She also brought me Fu Ji's sour jujube cake, sister-in-law come and try it."

Ruan shi previous morning sickness was so terrible that she couldn't eat anything, just Fu Ji's sour jujube cake, so how could Guan Suyi share this bite with her? She hurriedly smiled and pushed it away, then picked up Mu Mu and pinched the tip of his nose. A few people sat down and chatted slowly. About a quarter of an hour later, Ruan shi suddenly groaned while hugging her stomach, and her dress quickly got wet, but it was not stained with amniotic fluid, but blood.

"Go and call the midwife and imperial physician! If the imperial physician arrives slowly, go to the street to find a few doctors. Hurry, hurry, hurry!" The others were still in shock, Guan Suyi quickly recovered, assigning her servants to work everywhere, while asking Zhao Chunxi to take Mu Mu out, then turned to order, "Jinzi, you are proficient in medicine, take a look at sister-in-law first."

Jinzi didn't dare to delay, she picked up the pregnant woman who weighed 100 pounds, and stably sent her into the inner room. In just a short while, the whole house was moved by the wind, and it was not chaotic at all. Soon the midwife and the doctor came one after another, and the imperial physician really had something to do, so he was a step slower, in the end they tossed from morning to midnight, but still could not do anything.

In the delivery room, Ruan shi's screams and cries slowly subsided, and the imperial physician asked through the window, "It's dying, keep the old or the young?"

Before waiting for Zhao Luli and the old madam to react, Guan Suyi said firmly, "Keep the old!" No one could see that her nails had been digging into her palms, gushing blood.

Ruan shi, whose life was on the line, suddenly burst into tears. As the person involved, her perception was clearer than the imperial physician, and keeping the old was already impossible, so it's better to exchange her life for the child's life. She took her last breath and shouted loudly, "Sister-in-law, to have you say 'keep the old' today, even if I enter the underworld and be reincarnated, I will never forget your kindness. But I know my own body, the amniotic fluid has not broken, the blood has been drained, and it's absolutely impossible to save it! I beg you one last time, save my child, you must save my child! In the next life, I am willing to be a cow and a horse for you!"

Guan Suyi burst into tears, her voice was fierce, "Don't say such nonsense! Save yourself, how many children do you want to have in the future? Imperial physician, don't listen to her, hurry up and save people!"

"Oh oh oh, this official is going to give the needle!" The imperial physician quickly recovered, and drew out the silver needle and make Jinzi pierce the acupuncture point.

Ruan shi still didn't give up, and shouted in a hoarse voice, "I really can't do it, sister-in-law, please promise me! As long as you promise, there is absolutely nothing that cannot be done. Sister-in-law, I don't believe anyone now, not even myself, I only believe in you…"

However, before the words were finished, a gust of blood gushed out, finally exhausting the last shred of her life. Her eyes were bulging, and her expression was unwilling, as if she still couldn't let go.

Sensing that suddenly there were no movement in the room, Guan Suyi felt cold and full of trepidation. Is fate really irresistible? She tried her best to protect Ruan shi, but she still couldn't save her?

The door of the room opened silently, and Jinzi who was covered with blood, the imperial physician, and the midwife came out, and said sadly, "The second madam is gone, the child, the child cannot be saved."

The old madam fell down instantly, Zhao Luli quickly helped her, tears rolled down her cheeks. Several children were confined in the main house, they did not get news, so they did not know how to be afraid and anxious. Guan Suyi was just stunned, and then stepped into the delivery room without hesitation.

The strong smell of blood almost stunned people, and Ruan shi was lying on the blood-soaked mattress, her eyes fixed on the door.

"Save my child, you must save my child!" The last cry of her death constantly rang in Guan Suyi's ear, which made her heart felt like it was stabbed with a knife, the pain was excruciating. She knelt beside the bed and wanted to close Ruan shi's eyelids with trembling hands, but she failed three times in a row, so she had no choice but sort out the remains and scrub the body first, so that Ruan shi could go cleanly and decently.

"Madam, leave these tasks to this servant. There is too much blood in here, I'm afraid it will provoke you. Please go back to wash, take a rest, wait until it's all done here, and this servant will call you. There is a funeral to be done, you must replenish your energy so as not to be unable to sustain it." Although she knew that Madam was very courageous, attached great importance on righteousness, and would never care about the blood and death in the delivery room, Jinzi still had to persuade her.

If Madam fell ill because of this, His Majesty would suffer more than she herself.

Guan Suyi put her palm on Ruan shi's swollen belly, and felt something underneath kicked her. Her expression was first surprise, then thoughtful, and finally turned into determination. She looked straight at Jinzi, her eyes were like two fires burning, which could burn people.

"You know martial arts and are good at medicine, right?" Hidden in her hoarse voice was a wave higher than a raging storm.

"Yes, madam, what do you want to do?" Jinzi's heart beat wildly for a moment.

"Find a knife, I'm going to cut open the abdomen and take the child out!" She said slowly, word by word, her eyes that were as bright as cold stars told others that she was not crazy, but more sober like never before.

"Qingqing Zijin, leisurely my heart. Even if I don't go, Zining doesn't follow the sound… looking back and forth, on this high tower. One day have not to see, it seems three months*: 'your green clothes, it is deeply lingering in my heart. Although I can not go to you, why don't you take initiative to send me a message? Looking back and forth, on this high tower. I have not seen your face for a day, it seems like has been 3 months.

Cainu*: the lowest level of imperial concubine.