Capítulo 1603: Chapter 1610: Grievances Redressed (5)
The truth be told, the women of the Du family are remarkable—not only is the Liaodan Lady Yan a daughter of the Du family, but the future Lady Yan of the Meng slaves is also theirs. Though the Empress Dowager of Great Jin isn’t surnamed Du, her connection to the Du family is like flesh bound to bone. Otherwise, for the grave crime of rebellion committed by the Du family, mere exile would never suffice. Surely, it was the Empress Dowager who intervened so they could narrowly escape death and settle down in peace among the Meng slaves!
…
Two months later, one evening, in the early spring chill of the northern lands, a red jujube horse galloped furiously along the wide official road. On its back sat an utterly fatigued young man gripping the reins, lashing the horse’s body as they raced toward the city.
The man had been traveling for a year. During this year, he had spent most of his time in Qing Luo Kingdom. Yet at the Lantern Festival, when he saw the Prince of Qing Luo with his Princess by a street vendor’s stall drinking tea, the Prince personally tasted the tea poured by the street vendor to ensure it wasn’t too hot before offering it to the Princess. After she drank, the Prince gently wiped her mouth, adjusted her cloak, and placed her hat for her. At that moment, he realized—it was over, hopeless.
Wanyan Jingchen loved Xiang Yun—loved her to his very core. As one man observing another, he could tell the deep affection in Wanyan Jingchen’s gaze. There was no one else in his eyes, only the content and smiling young woman before him. And that young woman had once been his, but she would never return to his side again.
That night, he departed Qing Luo Kingdom and began wandering aimlessly, like a soulless shell with neither goal nor purpose, drifting wherever fate led him. Now, he found himself at the Qing County suburb of Bianzhou Prefecture. In four or five more miles, he would reach Qing County City. His horse had been running all day and was utterly exhausted, as was he. He longed to find a place to rest.
After running for a while, he suddenly saw a temple ahead. It was small, occupying roughly an acre, and seemed desolate. There wasn’t a single person in sight, and clearly, the incense offerings weren’t flourishing.
Mo Zili was extremely tired and decided to go in to rest for a while. After dismounting, he tied his horse to the poplar tree beside the temple and then stepped inside.
“Oh, Bodhisattva, I beg you, please strike that dead eunuch with thunder and kill him! Uh… If you think taking a life is improper, then please make sure he’s reincarnated as a eunuch again in his next life…”
Inside the temple hall, a maiden knelt before the statue of Bodhisattva and prayed devoutly. When Mo Zili heard these words, his foot twisted, nearly causing him to tumble to the ground.
Just then, another maiden’s voice could be heard—a maid’s voice. “Miss, do we really have to come here every day to curse Eunuch Liu? Besides, in order to show sincerity in your prayers to Bodhisattva, you refuse to ride the carriage and walk several miles back and forth every day. It’s exhausting!”
The kneeling maiden inserted her incense stick into the burner, then turned around. The solemn piety of her earlier expression had vanished. Tilting her head up to gaze into the far-off sky, she said wistfully, “But if I don’t curse him, I’ll never feel at ease in my heart. Lately, it’s gotten to the point that I toss and turn all night.”
“But Miss, despite your tireless cursing every day, is it actually working? We’ve been cursing for three months now, but there’s still no news of Eunuch Liu being struck by lightning! And it’s spring—there’s no lightning at this time of year!”
The young woman shot a glance at her maid and responded, “Of course I know it’s useless.”
“Then why do you keep…” The maid opened her mouth in shock, completely baffled by her mistress’s logic.
In a calm voice, the maiden explained, “He’s a trusted confidant of the Empress. He’s a guest at my father’s table. Tell me, can we beat him up?”
“No, we can’t!” The maid answered matter-of-factly.
“Can I seek revenge on him?”
“No, you can’t!”
“Then, how am I supposed to vent my resentment?”
With a woeful expression, the maid replied, “Miss, Eunuch Liu merely loves to laugh; you really don’t need to take it so personally.”
“Loves to laugh? When introducing others, why didn’t he laugh? Why did he burst out laughing only when it came to me, Shen Juhua? My parents invited him to dine at the same table solely because he’s a trusted confidant of the Empress and a eunuch, so they let their guard down about seating arrangements. I didn’t find fault with him, so how dare he mock me?”
Remembering the scene from the first time she met Liu Xi, Juhua couldn’t help clenching her fists, feeling absolutely livid.
That detestable dead eunuch had initially greeted her with apparent seriousness. But upon hearing her name, his expression instantly turned strange—his face contorted as though holding back a bowel movement. Ultimately, he couldn’t restrain himself and burst out into uncontrollable laughter, doubling over and howling like his life depended on it. Was her name really so amusing?
Juhua—such an elegant name, consisting of two refined characters. “The fragrant chrysanthemum blooms brilliantly in the forest. Pines stand proudly upon the cliffs; all other blossoms have faded, yet only the chrysanthemum glows uniquely amid the branches.” Such pure and noble imagery! How could a dead eunuch understand it?
What was even more infuriating was that every subsequent encounter, he’d sport that same painfully stifled expression, as if she were hilariously funny. On several occasions, he couldn’t even hold back and laughed out loud, igniting her fury!
Outside the door, listening to the conversation between mistress and maid, Mo Zili’s lips twitched uncontrollably, and he stood frozen in the wind, like a statue…