Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 5 Settlement
The prince's wives and concubines have three levels: Crown Princess, Liangdi, and Baolin. Du Erniang and Du Jin are Liangdi, ranking third.

In the first month of this year, the Crown Princess Webster was forced to reconcile with the Crown Prince due to the Wei Jian case.In this regard, Du Jin was delighted that she had the possibility of becoming a princess, but at the same time she was worried.

This day the prince was sent out, and the servant girl Qu Shui hurried over to report: "My aunt asked someone to bring a token, and said that it was a great thing."

Du Jin knew that her eldest sister had almost sold out her dowry since she married Liu Ji, and only one jade pendant remained, so she took a look and quickly ordered someone to come in.

"What a big deal?" She already had a bad feeling, and she trembled, and said to herself, "It's like walking on thin ice, and finally fell into a hole in the ice."

She adjusted her mood, rushed to the side hall, and saw a young gentleman sitting on the futon with his face in his arms, with a calm demeanor.

But when he turned around, Du Jin felt a feeling of being scrutinized.

She couldn't help frowning slightly, and asked, "Who is Xiao Langzi?"

"Langzi" is a good name for a handsome young man, adding the word "little" is her subconscious resistance to being scrutinized by Xue Bai.

"Xue Bai, I have been favored by the Du family." Xue Bai went straight to the point: "Liu Lang's son-in-law sued the Du family for 'falsely claiming to be a prophecy, handing over the East Palace, and denouncing Cheng Yu', and the Jingzhao Mansion has taken his father. Someone is behind this matter Manipulation, we have found evidence and want to present it to the prince."

Du Jin's expression changed instantly, but she quickly calmed down.

"The prince is not here, can I show the evidence to my concubine first?"

Xue Bai took out the draft of the pleading paper.

Just as Qu Shui was about to go forward, Du Jin had already leaned over to take it in front of Xue Bai, and a piece of whiteness came into his eyes.

A faint fragrance floated by, she took the manuscript paper and slowly knelt down on the thin ball opposite, looked carefully, stroked Qu Shui, and said in a low voice: "Quickly send someone to invite the prince back."

Later, she asked Xue Bai for the details, and Xue Bai explained everything in detail since he was comatose and lost his memory as a book boy in Du's house.

Du Jin heard about it, she patted her heart, showing a rejoicing attitude, and said: "Xue Langzi has worked hard for the Du family, I'm a bit cold today, I can't repay you, I will thank you very much in the future."

Xue Bai said slowly: "Although I have lost my memory, I know that since I was beaten to death, I must have offended someone before. When I came here today, there were people watching outside, and these people might find out what happened to me before I lost my memory. What, bring trouble to the prince?"

Du Jin stared intently and heard what he meant.He said he was afraid of bringing trouble to the prince, but in fact he wanted the prince's protection.

There was a slight change in her tone, and she said: "If you get into any trouble, you can just tell me, I can help you, and I will never shirk."

Xue Bai said: "But I really don't remember."

Du Jin felt a little unhappy.

Xue Bai said again: "Qing Lan said that I have brand marks on the back of my neck and strangled wounds on my legs, so I should be an official slave."

"Look at your appearance, but a wealthy family is not a slave?"

"Can't remember, but it's possible."

Du Jin is willing to repay the favor, but the prince's current situation is not good.Without knowing whether Xue Bai's troubles are big or small, it would be risky to rashly agree to protect him.

So she looked at Xue Bai carefully again for a while, wondering if this person was worth helping.

Finally, Du Jin nodded and said, "Okay, I will keep you safe."

Xue Bai breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Can I meet the prince?"

"The crown prince is busy, so it's inconvenient to see you." Du Jin rolled her eyes and said, "If you have something to do, it's the same with my concubine. The East Palace will never treat you badly."

Xue Bai looked at her, saw a very familiar look, and immediately understood - he was also doing things for the East Palace, and she hoped that he was doing things for her.

It can be seen that although she and the prince are husband and wife, there are still some subtle differences between them.

Xue Bai said calmly, "I heard about the Wei Jian case that happened at the beginning of the year, and I've been thinking, if the prince abandons the people around him again this time, it will be bad for people's hearts, right?"

He seemed to have become a counselor behind the curtain of Prince Liangdi, considering issues from Du Jin's point of view.

Seeing this situation, Qinglan was astonished. It has only been five days since the Du family rescued Xue Bai, but he can show more strangeness every day, which shows that the city is extremely deep.

But Du Jin desperately needed such a person, so she couldn't help smiling, and said, "Don't worry, I'm not Concubine Wei, and we have evidence that can prove the Du family's innocence. This case is simple, and it's not difficult to reverse the case."

This smile is full of charms, she is indeed a beauty who easily makes men desperate.

Then, she added softly, "Of course, I will let the prince know what you said tactfully. The crown prince is the foundation of the country, not to mention prestige, and the last bit of decency must be preserved no matter what."

Xue Bai nodded approvingly, and asked, "How does Er Niang plan to use this evidence?"

He also called her "Second Mother" instead of "Du Liangdi", but Du Jin smiled knowingly again and said: "The crown prince must discuss with several attendants and come up with the most appropriate solution."

This is not something that Xue Bai can touch on, so he asked: "Who is behind the scenes?"

Du Jin sneered slightly and said, "Who else can there be besides Li Linfu, the Prime Minister of the court?"

Xue Bai didn't speak, and waited for the next sentence.

"Li Linfu's small-character brother slave, because of his cunning nature, unkind face, and violent spirit, like a fighting chicken, the court Chinese called him "Suo Fighting Chicken". He strongly supported King Lishou as the heir. He thought that he had no merit in the appointment of the crown prince, so he wanted to shake the East Palace. The Wei Jian case at the beginning of the year was the result of his unjust imprisonment..."

Du Jin opened her mouth quite fiercely, scolding Li Linfu all over the place, and finally concluded: "This man is jealous of the virtuous and capable, and he is really a treacherous minister."

Xue Bai listened very seriously.

He was sitting upright, and occasionally his fingers unconsciously made a false grip and shook twice, as if he was holding a lead chalk to record.

Du Jin looked at it, guessing that he used to have the habit of taking notes when listening to people talking.

After talking about Li Linfu, Xue Bai pondered for a moment, then asked again: "Is there Yang Guozhong in the court?"

Du Jin thought for a while, then shook her head and said, "I've never heard of this person."

"It's Concubine Yang's brother."

"Concubine Yang Guifei only has three older sisters, and one brother who died young." Du Jin said, "It's a cousin who came here this year who is not in tune, he is a spit pot."

"Spitting pot?"

"There is a story. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't know this person." Du Jin said, "This person's name is Yang Zhao. He is addicted to drinking and gambling. He was despised by his relatives, so he had to go to Xichuan to make a living. It seems that he was last year, right? Xi Chuan returned to Chang'an, gave gifts everywhere, and flattered Li Linfu."

Having said that, the corner of her mouth turned down, and she waved her sleeves before continuing.

"One day, when Li Linfu came out from the imperial city, he had a mouthful of old phlegm in his mouth and had nowhere to spit it out. Yang Zhao was by his side, and hurriedly opened his mouth to ask Li Linfu to spit it into his mouth, so it was called the 'spit pot'. A cockfighting cock, a spit pot, go hand in hand."

Qing Lan was beside her, and she couldn't help but let out a "Huh" in disgust, feeling a chill.

Xue Bai was also speechless for a while.

I thought to myself, it seems that Yang Zhao is Yang Guozhong, and he has not yet made a fortune.

Du Jin asked, "Why do you inquire about this person? But Liu Ji has a relationship with him?"

Xue Bai remained calm and asked, "Why does Er Niang think so?"

"Liu Ji served as the guard of Zuo Xiao, Cao, and Yang Zhao served as the guard of You Xiao, Cao, and both of them have the temperament of wishing to drown in the wine pool, and it is normal to have contacts." Du Jin said: "You mean... Liu Ji was captured by Yang Zhao. Introduced to Ji Wen? The eldest sister told you?"

Xue Bai had a long talk with Du An last night, but Du An didn't know much about these people in court, and only said that Liu Ji never talked about them after returning home.

In comparison, Du Jin has been immersed in power for a long time, and her thinking is indeed much more flexible.

Hearing her words, Xue Bai gained a lot in an instant, and said in a deep voice, "The key to this case..."

At this time, Qu Shui hurried back and said: "The prince is back."

"So fast?" Du Jin was a little surprised.

"The people sent by the servants have just left the house, and the prince must have rushed back after hearing some news."

Du Jin nodded, stood up to meet him, and at the same time explained to Xue Bai: "After I have seen the prince in person, I will welcome eldest sister and Wulang. You wait here, don't move around at will."

~~
Du Jin treated people generously, and she did not forget to order people to prepare lunch for Xue Bai and Qing Lan.

But after lunch, Xue Bai waited for a long time in the prince's courtyard, but she didn't come back.

Until a middle-aged man in a red round-neck and narrow-sleeved gown trotted over.

This man was about 40 years old, with bowed waist and slumped back, ugly appearance, bulging eyes, protruding forehead, crooked teeth, and no beard on his face... He should be an eunuch.

"A certain person is Li Jingzhong, the eunuch of the East Palace. If you dare to ask, is Mr. Xue Lang face to face?"

Li Jingzhong's voice is strange, probably because he was castrated before the voice change period.

Xue Bai saluted hurriedly and said, "Exactly."

Li Jingzhong stepped forward, leaned in front of Xue Bai, and said in a low voice: "Li Linfu sent someone here, apparently to visit, but actually to search."

Before Xue Bai could react, he raised his hand and said again: "Quickly ask Mr. Xue Lang to come here."

They walked out of the side hall, not daring to go to the front yard, but hurried along the long corridor to the back yard.

At the end of the corridor, Li Jingzhong looked down and saw that Xue Bai and Qing Lan's shoes were still left in the front yard, so he quickly summoned a few young eunuchs to order them to take off their boots and put them on.

Xue Bai didn't say anything, just glanced at the front yard.

Qing Lan pursed her lips before putting on the little eunuch's boots, because the boots were too big, she stumbled when she walked.

Passing through the courtyard twice, I saw a swill-carrying carriage set up by the side door of the rear courtyard, with a large tank on it, and several men dressed as servants standing beside the carriage, all of them were tall and strong.

Li Jingzhong led them to the tank, and said: "There are people staring outside, please feel wronged for a while. This tank is clean, the big water tank in the kitchen."

Xue Bai was reluctant to go in, and said, "We have evidence to prove the Du family's innocence."

"That's right." Li Jingzhong said anxiously: "But where did the evidence come from? It can't be obtained by someone sent by the crown prince. It has to be handed over to someone else to clear up the wrongdoing of the Du family. It will be useful only if you are hidden away." This evidence."

"Where are the Du family siblings?"

"I should send it over, but how can I take care of it right now?"

"There are people watching outside, if they are caught, they will not be able to explain clearly." Xue Bai said: "Did the other party deliberately force us to reveal our flaws?"

Li Jingzhong stomped his feet anxiously, and said: "Don't worry, the arrangements have been made... let's go, the prince's situation is very bad."

He was really anxious, he stretched out his hand to help Qing Lan into the vat, and then came to help Xue Bai.

As soon as Xue Bai entered, Qing Lan saw him getting so close, she quickly closed her eyes and covered her chest.

"Squat down." Li Jingzhong kept urging, and personally picked up a log cover and pressed it down.

In this way, the two of them squatted in the tank and it was a bit crowded.

The darkness shrouded it, leaving only a little glimmer of light in the thin cracks between the wooden covers.

Li Jingzhong ordered from outside: "Hurry up, move the slop bucket up, tie the cover up, don't let it fall...how is it outside?"

"You can go."

The vat shook a few times, and then the drums sounded.

The car bumped violently, and Xue Bai and Qing Lan were collided with each other from time to time. Qing Lan was very flustered at first, but gradually got used to it.

It took a long time for the carriage to stop.

The big vat was lifted up and shook violently, Qing Lan let out an "ah" and completely fell into Xue Bai's arms.

Xue Bai ignored her and stretched out his hand to push the cover, but the cover was tied up with hemp rope.

Through the gap, he saw that what he was in was the wilderness.

"Let us out!"

There was no movement outside, the large tank was placed on the ground after shaking a few times, and there was a slight rustling sound.

Like rain hitting the eaves.

Xue Bai thought of many previous details in an instant, knowing that this was to bury him and Qing Lan alive.

He slammed into the upper cover, only to break open a little, and immediately a big man stepped on it.

Seeing that he couldn't push it out, he quickly shouted: "Killing us will not do your master any good, it will only bring trouble to him."

"Swish swish..."

"I can give you whatever you want! Believe me, I am different from others in this world, and I can give you a lot! Do you want money? Just ask how much you want."

Qing Lan also understood what happened, put her hands on the cover, and cried, "Please... let us go... Please..."

In the confusion, she suddenly felt Xue Bai's hands touching her feet, and she became even more frightened and screamed.

"Ah! Don't be like this..."

However, the rustling sound continued and became smaller and smaller.

Finally, there was no more light in the gap between the cover plate and the cylinder mouth, and no movement outside could be heard.

Only complete darkness remained.

(End of this chapter)