Chapter 188 Extra (11)

Since Zhao Chunxi took over the management of central-feed, and Zhao Wangshu went to the academy to study, Guan Suyi was like a transparent person in Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. Let alone leaving the house for three months, even if she disappeared, not many people would care about her safety. Only the old madam interrogated her carefully, but in the end she also agreed. The male in marquis mansion was withering, she knew that her son spoiled his concubine and neglected his wife, but for the sake of the piece of meat in Ye Fan’s belly, she also had to pretend to be deaf and dumb. The daughter-in-law threw away everything in the mansion and went to worship the Buddha, she must have resentment in her heart. Only hope after immersing in the Dharma, she could overcome it.

Guan Suyi went up to the mountain smoothly and stayed at Jueyin Temple. Because she had to enter the palace every day, in order to let Minglan help cover for her, she had to tell the truth, only omitting the scene where she was almost strangled to death. Minglan’s face turned pale with fright, tried to discouraged her, “Miss, don’t be confused! The emperor didn’t order anyone recite the scripture, but only let you to do it. If he has wrong thought about you, what should you do? You are a sheep entering the tiger’s mouth, and there is no way to escape!”

Guan Suyi waved her hands indifferently, “If I refuse this errand, it will be called suicide. Think about it, how much do people, who grew up a heart demon because of their unknown background, will value their mother? If he let me go easily, even if he promised not to kill, I still won’t be able sleep peacefully. The so-called golden mouth jade wordsrefers to the emperor’s words, it means the monarch really can’t go back on what he said, but if he wants to deal with me, there are naturally eleven thousand other ways. However, if I sincerely recite the scriptures for the late Empress Dowager, it will be different. The emperor’s last trace of warmth is placed on the late Empress Dowager, and in order to accumulate virtue for the Empress Dowager, he will never touch me. As for what you said, that he has other thoughts about me and may plotting something against me, this is even more laughable. Performing transcending ceremony for the late Empress Dowager is equivalent to observing filial piety, if he forced a woman during filial piety period, is he still human? Is he still worthy of being a son? If saying the last two times I met him, I put my little life on the line, this time it’s really safe. Your miss is not a gold ingot, anyone who sees it will like it.”

“So not only can I not refuse this errand, but I have to seize this opportunity tightly. Remembering the affection for the late Empress Dowager, the emperor will definitely protect me in the future. Of course, no matter how much I want it in my heart, I have to pretend to be reluctant on the surface, so as not to let him think that I am eager for quick success and not sincere enough, then someone else will do this errand.”

Guan Suyi tapped on the table, her tone getting colder, “You also know what kind of life I spent in marquis mansion, I simply can’t live anymore. Ye Fan gave birth to a shu son. Lord Marquis, Zhao Chunxi, Zhao Wangshu, and even the old madam all turned to her. She is also a very ambitious person. Worried that I will get in the way, she will try her best to get rid of me. If I have nothing to rely on, will I not be eaten alive by her? Now that the family all depend on me to make a living, if I fall, what’s my grandfather and parents going to do?”

She looked outside the window and sighed, “What was the situation of Guan family before? The house was dilapidated, the family had no money, the reputation is discredited, and we suffered humiliation everywhere. One more day of living, one more day of suffering. However, I married into the marquis mansion for four years, even when I’m conscientious and diligent, did Lord Marquis ever say that he wanted to pull the Guan family? In his heart, the Ye family is his serious in-law, and the Guan family is not even a poor relative. On the other hand, I visited the palace two times, and after got frightened two times, the imperial physician, medicinal materials, silver taels, and the family house were all given, and in one fell swoop, pulled the Guan family out of the quagmire that was getting deeper and deeper.”

She looked at Minglan and asked, “How do you think I should choose? Should I try to curry favor with the marquis mansion, or should I concentrate on reciting the scriptures for the late Empress Dowager?”

Minglan didn’t dare to say any words of dissuasion any more, and hurriedly said, “Miss, don’t worry, this servant will help cover it for you. Just now it was this servant who’s wrong. What a great glory to help the late Empress Dowager transcend, no one else will be able to steal it. Where the reason to push it out.”

Guan Suyi rubbed her head and said with a smile, “Fool, you are worried about me, this intention is good, I remember it. Since the emperor said that he will arrange everthing properly for me, then there will be no mistakes. Just wait for me in the temple, don’t worry about the other things. The previous painting was very evil and almost drove the emperor crazy. I’m afraid its origin is not simple, and there may be a lot of filth and struggle hidden in it. The emperor has no plan to recognize his birth mother for the time being, he certainly has his own intention, so you just need to keep these things in your heart, don’t say it, not even in your dreams.”

Minglan nodded again and again in fright, “Don’t worry, miss, from today onwards, I will be a gourd with a cut out mouth, I will never leak a word.”

Only then did Guan Suyi let her go down to rest, and she took out a few scrolls of scriptures and looked through them. At noon, someone secretly took her down the mountain and brought her into the imperial city. She first bathed and burned incense in the side hall of Weiyang Palace, and then changed into a plain sacrificial dress, then followed the secret path to the Buddhist hall.

Emperor Sheng Yuan had already been waiting there, with wet hair draped behind him, apparently he had also bathed and burned incense. He pointed to the futon beside him and said in a low voice, “You don’t need to be strict with etiquette in front of Zhen, sit down when you come, and then start reciting, so long as your heart is sincere enough.”

Guan Suyi, who was going to kneel and salute, straightened up and sat beside him.

Emperor Sheng Yuan looked at her up and down, and finally handed over a string of beads carved from red sandalwood, “Gave it to you, take it.”

Guan Suyi didn’t dare to refuse, and hurriedly accepted it. She saw that he had a string of identical beads wrapped around his wrist, each bead was polished and shiny, which showed that he often wore it, therefore he warned her not to let outsiders see it, so as not to cause trouble. The two knelt side by side and recited the scriptures sincerely. After about an hour, Emperor Sheng Yuan left quietly and went to the imperial study to handle government affairs.

Nowadays, chaos in the Wei Kingdom was frequent. He had to work hard to stabilize the country, and it was indeed not easy to take an hour every day to recite the scriptures.

Guan Suyi, who worked for the monarch, did not dare to relax even more, and after reading the scriptures sincerely, she went to Weiyang Palace to say goodbye. If Emperor Sheng Yuan was free, he would invite her in to talk for a while. If he was not free, he would let her leave, but never forgot to give a brocade box, which contain either some precious medicinal materials or a few books, both were things that she needed and liked the most.

Gradually, Guan Suyi dispelled her fear of the brocade box, and was more relaxed when facing the emperor. Nine-nine-eighty-one days seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. After burning the sacrificial eulogy written for the late empress dowager to ashes, and took off the heavy and grand sacrificial clothes, Guan Suyi went to Weiyang Palace to bid farewell. Coincidentally, the emperor was summoning the court ministers and had no free time, so she only bowed three times and then quietly turned around.

During the few months of living in Jueyin Temple, she lived a quiet and contented life. She didn’t need to bother with social niceties and scheming, she didn’t have to worry about this and endure that. Apart from reciting scriptures for two hours a day, she could do whatever she wanted for the rest of the time. When she was idle, she read books or practiced calligraphy; occasionally went home to visit her grandfather and accompanied him to chat about the current situation; on a whim, she could also go hiking and enjoy the scenery, her life was happier than ever.

The day she came out of the palace, she thought she would feel relieved, but didn’t expect her heart to be empty, as if a piece was missing. She really wished that her whole life would pass like this, never have to go back to the annoying Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. Emperor Sheng Yuan, who had finally sent away the ministers, also felt empty, and sat quietly in the Buddhist hall until midnight.

He had found out about his background, and had slept very peacefully in the past few months, but somehow, today he couldn’t close his eyes no matter what. He tossed and turned until early hours of morning and finally close his eyes for a while, only to be woken up by nightmare. When he opened his eyes, he forgot what happened in the dream, only vaguely heard a soft voice reciting scriptures going further and further away, disappearing into the sky, making him unable to catch it, and unable to keep it.

He was very annoyed. In the next few days, he couldn’t eat and sleep well. He killed several corrupt officials one after another, only then he calmed down a little.

Zhao Luli was equally anxious as him. As soon as he left the palace that day, he regretted it. Although quelling the chaos was important, it was not so urgent that he didn’t even have time to send Madam home in person. Just because the emperor pulled out that tragic past, he was so confused that he left in a daze, and instead threw Madam to the sinister and vicious Ye Zhen. If something went wrong with Madam, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

During the march, he sent someone to inquire about Madam’s situation, and when he learned that she had left the palace safely and brought back a generous reward, his heart was not calm, but felt even more anxious. What kind a person Ye Zhen was, how could he still don’t know? Ye Zhen only had herself and her interests in her heart, not even have the tiniest bit of warmth.

In the previous life, in order to escape from marquis mansion, and afraid of living a hard life outside, she forced Zhao Wangshu to do business with the Hu people, earning a lot of gold and silver in a short period of time, and purchased several mansions. But she also sent Zhao Wangshu into the death row on the charge of collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country. If it wasn’t for the old master remembering the old feelings and said a few words for Zhao Wangshu, his end would not be as light as a sentence of exile.

She didn’t even care about the life and death of her children, so how could she lift up Madam and suppress Ye Fan in order to ensure their status? Those rewards could have never been given by her, but rather had Huo Shengzhe’s handwriting. He looked rough on the outside, but once he like someone, he would definitely be very attentive, would consider every aspect of that person carefully.

In just a few months, the Guan family moved from a dilapidated thatched hut to a big mansion with three entrances. The head of the Taiyuan Hospital checked the old master’s pulse every seven days. Precious medicinal herbs were given to be eaten and used. These rewards were simply delivered to Madam’s heart. In contrast, in the past, Zhao Luli only recognized the Ye family, turned blind eye to the Guan family. When Zhong shi came to borrow money, he would shake his head and sigh with a smile, “Come to leech people again.”

Comparing the two, who’s high and who’s low could immediately be seen. If Madam really met Huo Shengzhe and received his care, who would her heart be inclined towards?

Zhao Luli didn’t dare to think deeply about this question at all. At the moment of his rebirth, the most important thing he should do was not to try to please Madam and asked to seal a title for her, but to effectively solve her urgent problems. However, in his previous life, he was used to not treating the Guan family as his in-law, and after he reconciled, he even more didn’t have the chance to come to their door, so in this life he naturally ignored their situation.

In the final analysis, he was not careful enough and not sincere enough, and in the end, he was fell short compared to Huo Shengzhe. He felt tormented in his heart, afraid that he would miss the opportunity to redeem himself this time, but he did not dare to mess up the errand in his hand, and could only restrain himself.

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