Chapter 92: Cleaning Up
The winter sunlight leaned more towards a dim yellow.
It shone upon the young man smiling as he held his horse before the gate, yet it couldn’t melt the chill radiating from him in the slightest.
“Miss Zuo, long time no see.” Zhao Chen stood in the light. When his eyes swept over, his gaze felt substantial, as if it were striking directly upon one’s body.
Addressed this way by him, Zuo Lianzhi panicked for a moment. Secretly thinking this boy was somewhat sinister, she felt an urge to retreat but forced a smile. “Ah Chen, why have you come today?”
She lowered her eyes halfway to avoid Zhao Chen’s gaze, but felt no better. Her heart felt as though it were being strangled by a large hand, and her limbs gradually turned cold.
Zhao Chen said warmly, “They can’t even pass a message properly. It seems Miss Zuo’s servants really need some discipline. I came today because Father misses Shunnian and Miss Zuo, so I specially came to take you two to visit him.”
Zuo Lianzhi trembled slightly. She pinched her fingertips hard, and only after feeling the pain did she sober up a little. “It’s not their fault; I am forgetful. Look at me, I’ve already forgotten what they just told me.”
Zhao Chen nodded. He ordered a servant to lift the carriage curtain, signaling her to board. “I had sent people to tell Miss Zuo before as well, but unfortunately, Miss Zuo didn’t seem to remember. It just so happens the Imperial College is on break today. Knowing Miss Zuo is forgetful, I am personally escorting you two over, to save you from forgetting again.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Zhao Shunnian beside him, his eyes darkening a few shades. “You see your Elder Sister, yet you don’t know to greet her?”
Just one look from him made Zhao Shunnian shiver with fright. After being scolded, his eyes darted around wildly as he called out tremblingly, “Elder Sister.”
He looked nothing like his former spirited self.
Seeing his cowering appearance, Zuo Lianzhi felt some heartache, followed by a glare of ‘iron not becoming steel.’ The indignation accumulated in her chest, but having been forced into this position, she had to get on the carriage whether she wanted to or not.
Taking a few steps forward, she gritted her teeth and let the maid support her as she boarded.
Watching the carriage curtain drop in front of him, the smile on Zhao Chen’s face faded completely. He glanced coldly at the carriage, then mounted the steed he held in his hand.
The Zuo residence was somewhat remote, located in the southeast corner of Luoyang City. It took about two quarters of an hour to arrive outside the Luoyang Prison.
“I have already bribed the jailers. Miss Zuo, hurry and take Shunnian inside,” Zhao Chen said after dismounting, tying the reins to a roadside willow tree before turning to speak.
Watching the brother and sister enter, Zhao Chen did not go in. He waited outside the prison, leaning lightly against the wall, looking up at the sky.
A quarter of an hour later, Zuo Lianzhi and the other emerged from the prison. Perhaps the prison air was too heavy with chill; both of their faces were somewhat pale.
He stepped forward to meet them, raising an eyebrow. “So fast? I thought Miss Zuo and Shunnian hadn’t seen Father for a long time and would have many things to say, begging the jailer for quite a while.”
Looking at his gentle face, the smile on Zuo Lianzhi’s face nearly collapsed. “En.”
Giving them another glance, Zhao Chen suddenly strode towards the prison.
The jailer had received his benefits, so he was naturally diligent. Bowing, he led the way to a cramped, dark little cell. Compared to the environment of the official prison for high-ranking nobles, this was a world of difference.
Seeming to sense someone approaching, the man in hemp clothes suddenly moved, rushing to the bars. “Shunnian?”
“They have all gone.” Zhao Chen walked over slowly and said methodically, “Does Father think they would turn back?”
Zhao Weimin was stunned. His lips trembled, and he looked at him with eyes splitting with rage. “You—”
He nearly couldn’t catch his breath, and his body slumped, sliding down to sit on the floor.
Zhao Chen squatted down as well, holding onto the bars, and asked softly, “Was Father happy to see Shunnian and Miss Zuo today?”
“You… you…” Zhao Weimin’s eyes were wide and round, one finger pointing at him, unable to utter a syllable for a long time.
Zhao Chen frowned. “Father doesn’t look very happy. But just now, didn’t you see the two people Father cares about most?”
Zhao Weimin glared at him, gritting his teeth. “You unfilial son!”
The damp and cold prison made this sentence exude a grim chill.
The cold air radiated from the cell, wrapping around his body without a single gap. Zhao Chen shook his head, frowning slightly. ” did Father speak wrongly? I have come to see you so many times, but Shunnian and Miss Zuo refused to come. I personally brought them here—how am I an unfilial son?”
“Did you do something to Shunnian and Lianzhi?” Zhao Weimin’s face was cold as he asked in a deep voice. “Or did you threaten them?”
Moments ago, he had been filled with joy to see those two children. Just as he was about to ask if they had suffered any grievances that kept them from visiting, Lianzhi looked at him warily: “Uncle Zhao, you are someone with a case against you. If I get too close to you, others will inevitably gossip. I am a daughter of the Zuo clan; now that I have returned home, I have no relation to you. It is better not to have people seek me out in the future. As for Shunnian, his engagement was just broken off. Marriage prospects are already difficult for him, so it is not suitable for him to come visit often.”
Zhao Weimin was dazed and entranced, thinking vaguely that since she wasn’t his own flesh and blood, no matter how much he loved her, it wasn’t enough. In his resentment, he asked Zhao Shunnian, “Do you think the same way?”
No matter how he asked, Zhao Shunnian refused to speak. He kept shaking his head, and in the end, he simply started crying.
In that instant, half his heart turned cold.
Flicking the hem of his robe, Zhao Chen looked astonished. “How could that be! How can Father think of me like that? Whatever Shunnian told Father came from his own heart. I wasn’t even here just now; how could I control things from so far away?”
Zhao Weimin said, “If not for what you said, Shunnian…”
“Why bother?” Zhao Chen suddenly put away the smile on his face and whispered, “Why must Father escape reality? Is it that you dare not admit that the two children you spoiled for over a decade don’t care about you at all?”
Zhao Chen stood up. Watching Zhao Weimin’s face turn grey inch by inch, he smiled, dusted off his clothes, and left.
First, he sent Zuo Lianzhi back to the Zuo family, then he led Zhao Shunnian back home.
Zuo Lianzhi was uneasy the whole way. Only when she landed safely in front of the Zuo residence did she breathe a sigh of relief.
When Zhao Chen returned to the manor, Zhao Yuan was already waiting at the gate, craning his neck to look. Only when he saw the people behind Zhao Chen did his tightly knitted brows relax a little.
As soon as Zhao Chen dismounted, Zhao Yuan pulled him into the manor and asked urgently, “You didn’t do anything foolish, did you?”
Just back from the government office, Zhao Yuan heard from servants that Zhao Chen had taken Zhao Shunnian and Zuo Lianzhi out today. Worried that he might have done something stupid on impulse and fallen into a doomed situation, Zhao Yuan broke out in a cold sweat and had been waiting at the door for nearly an hour.
Zhao Chen said, “Big Brother, I’m not stupid enough to lead people out with great fanfare to lay a hand on them.” A smile hung on the corner of his lips as he said warmly, “I just took them to see Father, to let Father know what kind of ungrateful wretches he raised.”
Watching Zhao Shunnian’s figure reach the second gate, a chill rose in his eyes as he whispered, “No need to dirty my hands. There are people who find them even more of an eyesore.” That day in the official prison, when Father mentioned Mrs. Xu and her children, he had already seen it.
Zhao Yuan asked with his eyes.
Zhao Chen pointed upwards, smiling without speaking.
With the Marquis of Huai’an imprisoned for such a disgraceful matter, it more or less involved the Empress.
Actually, this matter wasn’t rare. Although it was written in the law, few were actually imprisoned for it. Everyone couldn’t help guessing that His Majesty was dissatisfied with the Marquis of Huai’an, which was why the verdict was handed down.
Dissatisfaction with the Marquis of Huai’an, in the final analysis, wasn’t that dissatisfaction with the Empress?
Thinking they had glimpsed the truth, impeachments against the Empress became common during this period. Even though the Emperor had already punished a batch of people with harsh methods, it couldn’t stop the scattered few who didn’t believe in the evil omens.
“They are just too idle, putting their minds on this.” Gu Zhen flipped through a memorial in his hand, his face gradually turning cold. He asked gravely, “Have those few from last time been dealt with?”
Prince Yan replied, “They have all been sent home.”
Gu Zhen pressed his brow and took another scroll. After reading just two lines, anger surged in an instant. “Is he tired of living!” In his rage, he actually threw the memorial out.
Although the Emperor didn’t usually have a mild temper, he controlled it most of the time, not showing his emotions. Even Wu Mao, who had been by his side for over a decade, was seeing such anger for the first time.
Panic rose in his heart. Just as he was hesitating whether to pick up the memorial, a hand as soft as boneless jade reached out and picked it up first. “Who provoked Your Majesty to such great anger?”
Gu Zhen’s brow jumped. Looking at the woman with the slender waist bowing slightly at the palace door, he suddenly remembered the contents of the memorial. He feared she would see it, but realized it was too late.
With an inadvertent glance as she stood up, Zhao Yiyi saw the general content of the memorial.
She pretended not to see it and looked away, holding it in her hand.
Gu Zhen looked nervous. He stood up and walked over quickly, taking the memorial from her hand. Softly, he said, “Zhen will resolve these matters; do not worry.”
Zhao Yiyi smiled and asked curiously, “Is this concubine’s reputation that bad right now?”
Gu Zhen’s scalp went numb. He frowned slightly. “It’s just the same few people back and forth; they can’t stir up any real trouble. You need not take it to heart.”
Zhao Yiyi nodded and didn’t respond. She just handed the memorial to him. “Since it is a small matter, Your Majesty should cultivate your character more and not get angry.”
Gu Zhen froze there, not taking it immediately.
As her gaze shifted, Zhao Yiyi glanced at the signature at the end of the memorial and paused for a moment.
Keenly catching her abnormality, Gu Zhen said, “Are you angry? Just some irrelevant words; pay them no mind.”
Zhao Yiyi indicated she was fine. She frowned and said, “I’m not that angry. It’s just that this person is familiar; he seems to be Madam Xu’s nephew.”
Gu Zhen took the memorial and read it again. His face darkened, but he still comforted her, “Zhen knows. Don’t overthink it; Zhen is here for everything.”
Such a memorial was somewhat surprising to Zhao Yiyi, yet she felt it stood to reason.
Therefore, she remained silent, unwilling to pay it much heed.
Looking at the small dimple of her smile, Gu Zhen asked, “Why… did you have time to come over today?”
The hand hanging by his side clenched tightly; a few sparks of hope couldn’t help but ignite in his heart.
“This concubine wanted to take Duan-Duan out of the palace today.” Zhao Yiyi’s voice was normal, carrying a unique softness. “I was just passing by, so I came to inform you personally.”
So it was for this.
Knowing this, he was inevitably disappointed. Suppressing the acidity in his heart, Gu Zhen smiled at her. “Zhen will see you off.”
Only after escorting her all the way to the Yintai Gate did Gu Zhen turn back.
This time, his expression completely changed. Frost covered his face, chilling people to the core.
“Zhen remembers Zhao Chen said that the one who incited the Cui family to reveal Duan-Duan’s identity as an adopted daughter was the Zuo daughter?” He slowly returned to the seat of honor and sat down, his face dark.
Wu Mao replied, “Answering Your Majesty, there was such a matter.”
Gu Zhen glanced at the cypress tree outside the window and said in a deep voice, “Go arrange it.”
Wu Mao naturally understood what “arrange it” meant. Precisely because of that, his heart jumped.
With His Majesty’s temperament, he rarely acted privately, but once he made a move, he would leave absolutely no room for maneuver.
Prince Yan sat on the side, not daring to breathe loudly. He didn’t dare touch his bad luck at this time, so he stopped the previous matter and waited, even drinking tea with a bit of caution.
After a long while, only after the day’s matters were finished did he lower his head and retreat.
Gu Zhen felt annoyed just looking at those memorials. Leaving some leeway earlier was only to see what else they could play at, or if someone was instructing them from behind.
But Yiyi already knew. Dragging it out further was meaningless. With her temperament, she said she was fine, but in her heart, who knew how angry she was?
New Year’s Day was just a few days away; it had to be handled before then.
It was going to be a new year. For him and Yiyi, it should also be a new year.
Author’s Note: Others when ignored and ostracized: Quietly develop. Zhao Chen when ignored and ostracized: Quietly become twisted.
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