—— Although it was not a big deal to spend the night there, he was now a
person whose real identity got exposed. If he were to stay overnight in the
name of the original owner, it would be torturous just thinking about it.
The two men got up after him, saluted and sent him away.
It was not until the servants flanked Jiang Suizhou out of the courtyard yard
that the two sat down again at the table.
Gu Changyun gently burst out laughing.
"He found out," he said.
Xu Du gave him a disapproving look, "I warned you earlier not to tease
him."
Gu Changyun brushed him off.
"I just didn't expect that he could be so perceptive," he said. "But look, he
didn't get angry either, did he?"
Xu Du glanced at him. "Not necessarily," he replied.
Gu Changyun laughed a few more times.
"Whatever," he said. "I just want to see what this smart and soft-hearted
new master will do next."
——
Jiang Suizhou returned to Anyin Hall, but did not go back to the bedroom.
Instead, he took advantage of the still early time to head to the study.
In addition to letters, there was plenty of other information the original
owner stored in the study that could be examined. However, because it was
extremely hidden and large in quantity, Jiang Suizhou had not thoroughly
checked the information in the original owner's study until now.
Now, he had a suspicion in his mind and wanted to try to find out
something from the information stored in the study.
This search lasted two hours, until about midnight.
He found an account book that the original owner had placed deep within
his desk.
The account book was nothing special, but Jiang Suizhou found that the
amount of expenditure on the account was very large. Each time, an account
was issued on the 15th of the month, and the money was handed over to Xu
Du by the original owner himself.
In addition to this, there was an expense in the book that fluctuated slightly
each month, but the amount was insignificant.
The original owner shouldn't have kept records of such paltry sums. But
since it was recorded in the book, the use of the money must be very
important.
The date of the monthly disbursement was also the 15th.
Jiang Suizhou formulated a plan in his heart.
He brooded over it for a long time until Meng Qianshan came knocking on
the door. He was here to remind Jiang Suizhou of the late hour and that he
had to go attend the Grand Court Assemble the next day. Only then did
Jiang Suizhou put the account book away and return to his bedroom.
By then, it was already deep into the night, and most of the servants had
gone to bed early, leaving only a few on night watch.
Meng Qianshan opened the door of his room for him. When Jiang Suizhou
stepped in, he found Huo Wujiu sitting under the lamp and reading a book.
He was frowning. One of his hands supported his forehead as he read
through lines again and again. It appeared that he didn't quite understand
the content of the book, and he seemed irritable.
Hearing the sound at the door, Huo Wujiu raised his eyes and saw Jiang
Suizhou taking off his cloak while walking indoors.
He shot a faint, obscure gaze which stopped on Jiang Suizhou.
…Why is he back?
Jiang Suizhou tossed his cloak to Meng Qianshan's hand. When he turned
his head, he saw Huo Wujiu sitting there holding a book in one hand, as if
he didn't see him.
Jiang Suizhou's heart inexplicably relaxed a bit.
Even if he was an idler in the Ministry of Rites, he still must guard against
all his colleagues and always act like King Jing; when he returned to his
residence, his two sharp-eyed aides were enough for him to deal with.
On the contrary, this Huo Wujiu, who was always indifferent to him,
seldom spoke to him, and did not even give him a look, made him feel
relaxed.
Under this atmosphere, a vague feeling of "returning home" even sprouted
deep within Jiang Suizhou.
This thought made Jiang Suizhou give a self-depreciating sigh.
How much did he suffer that he actually found Huo Wujiu's face lovely?
Hearing him sigh, Meng Qianshan only thought he was tired and hurriedly
supported him, guiding him to the back room to wash up.
When the two figures disappeared behind the screen, Huo Wujiu, whose
gaze was fixed on the book, slowly raised his eyes and looked up.
…Must be difficult for him.
This morning, he heard Meng Qianshan say that "he went to Madam Gu's
place for you" and thought that the eunuch was muddled. But looking at
how late at night it was, yet King Jing still rushed back, Huo Wujiu also felt
that something was not quite right.
This man just purely wished to please him. Now, even his earlier
concubines lost his favor, and he eagerly rushed back to sleep on the
couch…
Huo Wujiu frowned, and his finger slowly tapped on the wheelchair.
Could it really be because of him?
He has never liked to owe others, whether materially or emotionally.
Therefore, he especially hated it when others wishfully gave him something
he didn't need. He never appreciated it.
For example, King Jing.
Huo Wujiu withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes again, and looked at the
book in his hand again.
This book was written by a great scholar of the Jing Dynasty. It was full of
benevolence and morality, and the speech was long-winded. Huo Wujiu was
already annoyed from reading the book, and King Jing's sudden return
should have turned his mood for the worse.
But upon reading this book again, Huo Wujiu's brow inexplicably wrinkled
up.
It seemed that this trite and fatuous great scholar had suddenly become less
repulsive.
The next day was another Grand Court Assembly.
The thought of honoring the emperor made Jiang Suizhou deeply
conflicted. After a hasty meal early in the morning, he went out.
To his surprise, just as he crossed the Zhengyang Gate, he bumped into
someone head-on.
"What a coincidence, Your Highness Jing." The man originally forced
himself to smile, but because he was too ugly, he looked vicious. Moreover,
he couldn't hide the revulsion and malice in his eyes.
Jiang Suizhou took a quick look at him.
He was wearing the official uniform of a fourth-rank military official. He
was around 30 or 40 years old, tall, and especially dark, with unkempt hair
and beard. His round eyes trained on him were quite like Zhong Kui's
1
.
Jiang Suizhou took a quick glance at his court tablet.
Ministry of War, Ji Hongcheng.
Ah, so it was him.
The Lord Ji in front of him was so ugly that it was recorded in history
books. Records written about him in the history of Jing claimed that he was
"ugly." Now, it seemed that…it was no exaggeration.
In ancient times, the preliminary round of imperial examinations also took
into account the exam candidates' appearance. If this Sir wanted to enter the
imperial examinations to be an official, he naturally wouldn't pass the examination even if it took his whole life. He only became an official by
relying on his military background. He was promoted by Lou Yue, the
famous general of the Southern Jing.
This man's entire life passed through Jiang Suizhou's mind at railway
speed.
His superior, Lou Yue, was an old friend of Huo Wujiu's father. When the
Northern Liang army rose, the Emperor and the Empress dreaded him to the
point where they did not even dare to let him fight with the Liang army.
From this, it showed that Lou Yue and Huo Wujiu's father had a deep
friendship. So, he believed that Ji Hongcheng's scowl directed at him was
also partly because of Huo Wujiu.
Therefore, Jiang Suizhou coldly glanced at him. He did not speak, only
walked around him.
He found Ji Hongcheng following him.
"I have heard that Your Highness is of good character. Now that I have seen
you, it is indeed the case," Ji Hongcheng remarked.
Jiang Suizhou didn't bother to turn his head.
He heard Ji Hongcheng add, "After all, it's only when you browbeat the
weak and the disabled in the harem that you show the true qualities of a
gentleman, right?"
Anger coated his tone, and one could tell that he had held back for some
time. This man probably had been holding a grudge against him since the
last assembly and specifically waylaid him here today to tell him off.
This man was rather bold among the ranks, brave but lacked wisdom and
tact. Now it seemed that this was indeed the case.
Fortunately, Jiang Suizhou was not the original owner and did not dare to
do anything to Huo Wujiu. If the person who heard his words was the original owner, Huo Wujiu's situation in King Jing's mansion would
probably only worsen.
Jiang Suizhou turned his head back and gave him a faint look.
Ji Hongcheng was staring at him with copper-bell like round eyes,
seemingly waiting for Jiang Suizhou to retort so he could pick a ferocious
fight with him.
Jiang Suizhou smiled gently.
"I've troubled Lord Ji," he said. "This king's harem, naturally, is at my own
disposal. Whether I want to kill, flay or defile someone, it's none of your
business —— wouldn't you agree?"
——
The sight of Ji Hongcheng's face turning red with anger, him standing in
place and unable to make a sound, improved Jiang Suizhou's mood. He
turned around and walked away.
He knew that Ji Hongcheng had good intentions and was worried about
Huo Wujiu, but he didn't mind railing against him and teaching him a
lesson so that Ji Hongcheng wouldn't do such a disservice next time.
He walked all the way to the Guangyuan Hall.
When the hour arrived, drums were beaten. Then came the eunuch's singing
cry.
Solemn silence and reverence settled outside the door. The ministers in the
hall stood grandly, but the hall remained quiet, and no one appeared in sight
for a long time.
The Emperor didn't show up.
Jiang Suizhou could not help but look around, but saw that the surrounding
ministers appeared used to it. They quietly stood and waited.
Jiang Suizhou followed suit and waited.
This waiting actually lasted for a short half an hour, until the sun was high
up in the sky. Jiang Suizhou's vision was a little blurry when the emperor
entered leisurely.
"All of you arrived here so early, huh?" His Majesty slumped crookedly on
the throne, yawning while lazily saying.
Jiang Suizhou scrutinized him and noticed that his eyes were dark, and his
complexion was blue. He looked worn out. At a glance, it was due to
overindulgence and excessive fornication.
The courtiers did not dare to say anything.
His Majesty then said, "Is there anything important today, Uncle?"
He directly addressed Pang Shao.
In the front row, Pang Shao smiled in response, and then opened his mouth
to present memorials. In fact, he already made decisions regarding the big
and small matters of the court. Every time he mentioned something, His
Majesty just nodded and then had people follow Pang Shao's arrangements.
His Majesty didn't even ask in detail how much funds the Ministry of
Revenue had to allocate in some of the issues he asked money for. He just
instructed the minister of the Ministry of Revenue to allocate the money.
Jiang Suizhou frowned while listening. He wrote down the general matters
and lamented that Southern Jing's extermination was really deserved.
Once Pang Shao finished presenting some memorials, a sparse line of
courtiers also presented memorials. His Majesty heedlessly listened to them
and then directly asked Pang Shao what to do. In the end, the issues
presented by these ministers were handled according to Pang Shao's
suggestions.
Footnote: 1
Zhong Kui – a deity in Chinese mythology, traditionally regarded as a
vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings