Chapter 20 Return to the North
Shen Wen chuckled, climbed out of the window and went into the room. She carefully slipped out of his courtyard through the shadows. She doesn't want to be caught, how can she give up the disguise she has worked so hard to maintain? Not to mention that there are too many miscellaneous people in the mansion, the old lady and the Yang Shi are not easy to falsify, and it is easy to reveal in their daily behaviour.
Shen Wen guessed that if his father had anything to say, it would be at the old lady's place, so he carefully went to the small private courtyard where the old lady lived behind the Hou Mansion.
When approaching the backyard, Shen Wen found that there were soldiers walking around everywhere. Now, she was happy.If the place where they talked in secret was Yang's main room, she might not be able to get close, but if it was really where the old lady lived, she had her own secret passage: a dog hole filled in.
Shen Wen knew that the old lady had a dog a long time ago, but after Yang gave birth to a child, the old lady was afraid that the dog would surprise the child, so she sent the dog to Zhuangzi.
The dog hole in the courtyard where the old Madam lived was originally blocked because the old Madam always wanted to take the dog back when her children were older. Unexpectedly, Yang shi's children were born one after another, and the dog died of old age and never came back.
The dog hole on the wall is too small for an adult to get through, so it has never been filled up properly.
Shen Wen chose a gap among the patrolling sergeants and approached the courtyard wall. When she arrived at the dog hole that was filled with bricks and weeds, she gently took out a few stones and a hole appeared in the shadow.
Fortunately, she was still an eight-year-old child. Although she was a little fatter, she had been practising light exercises for many years and her body was soft. She held her breath and got through.
She turned around and covered the hole with weeds to prevent light from shining through. There was no one in the small courtyard, which showed that Marquis Zhenbei did not want the guards to hear what he was talking.
Shen Wen knew that Marquis Zhenbei was trained in hard kung fu, but he also had a sharp ear and eyesight, so she was extra cautious and approached the old lady's main room in the shadows gently like a cat.
As soon as she reached a place where she could hear them talking, Shen Wen stopped, slowed her breathing, and closed her eyes to listen to the conversation in the room.
The voice of Marquis Zhenbei: "...When the auspicious beast gave birth to a monster, the crown prince said that it was a warning sign from heaven, foretelling that someone had an evil intention and a rebellious mind. The Emperor said that if there really is someone who harbours an evil heart, then they will carry a curse for thousands of generations in the future, and when they die, they will suffer eternal torment in the eighteen layers of hell."
Marquis Zhenbei sighed and said: "After the emperor finished speaking, he stared at me for a long time, and all the ministers also looked at me. I told the emperor that I, the Shen family, are loyal to the king and serve the country, and I feel proud to die on the battlefield for the country and the people. The emperor smiled and said, ‘I know that the Marquis of Zhenbei must not be a double-hearted minister.’ There was a lot of contempt in his words.”
The old lady uttered a "Pah" and said, "Just because the old marquis said..." She sighed deeply.
The room was quiet for a while, and Yang shi asked with some choking sobs, "Houye, what should we do then?”
Marquis Zhenbei sighed again and said slowly: "As I said in the hall, my Shen family can die in battle for the country and the people. No matter what the emperor thinks, no matter what the prince thinks, it can't change the pure heart of my Shen family.”
Yang shi stammered a little and said, "But, if the emperor…”
Marquis Zhenbei said, “So what?No matter what the emperor does, it is impossible for him to kill me. Since ancient times, the northern barbarians have never given up their desire to attack us. The current Tugu Khan is fierce by nature and has ambitions to dominate. At the moment, it's just because he and a few brothers and uncles are fighting for the position of overlord of Northern Xinjiang. There is no time to look south. Every year is just a test. If the emperor gets rid of me and have someone else comes to lead the troops, even if the Shen family army takes care of the overall situation and obeys the new commander, it will definitely give Beirong a chance to take advantage of it.Now I can only guard the northern border well, not allow the northern barbarians to cross the border, and protect the people of my dynasty from the disaster of war. If one day, I am no longer strong enough..." He paused.
The old Furen said slowly: "My son is right. If that day really comes, it will be just to meet the old marquis. My Shen family has not owed the emperor or the people anything, so we don't have to be afraid anywhere.”
Yang shi cried in a low voice: “I would like to go with my husband…”
Marquis Zhenbei said: “By then, if there are still descendants of my Shen family, you must take good care of it and don't be confused.”
Yang shi was just crying. The old lady sighed and said, "Why are you crying? Nothing has happened yet. The 200,000-man Shen family army is the strongest army in our dynasty. If the emperor doesn't want to dig his own grave, he shouldn't do stupid things.”
Marquis Zhenbei added, "In the capital, have the children minimise their dealings with the royal family.”
Yang shi hesitantly asked, "Third Prince, is there a possibility…?”
Marquis Zhenbei immediately said: ''The Crown Prince is the firstborn and has never done anything wrong in recent years. The ministers have been so determined that if it is changed, the dynasty will be in chaos. This enthronement ceremony is very grand, and the Emperor seems very sure of this Crown Prince.”
Yang shi sighed and said, "I think the Third Prince is quite cheerful…”
Marquis Zhenbei interrupted, "This matter must not be mentioned again. I know that the eldest son is too close to the third prince. Next year, after he marries, as soon as he has a child, let him go to the border with me. The same goes for Erlang. He left the capital as soon as possible after getting married and gave less evidence to the people.”
Probably unable to let go of her two sons, Yang Shi responded with a sob, completely lacking her usual roughness.
Shen Wen felt deeply angry.
She originally thought that Hou Mansion had stepped into the Crown Prince's trap in ignorance, but now she understands that Zhenbei Marquis may have known that the emperor and the Crown Prince had the intention of excluding dissidents, but he was unable to take any action.
Because if the Marquis of Zhenbei has any dissent, not only will it cause the northern border to be unstable, and the war will mess up the lives of the people, but it will also be permanently nailed to the pillar of shame in history, and suffer from the criticism of future generations.In an age where honour is valued, such disgrace is worse than death.
Marquis Zhenbei could only continue to guard the northern border for the sake of the people and those who wanted to put him to death, waiting for the day when that butcher's knife would fall, not being able to evade, not being able to fight back, and welcoming death with his eyes open.
Maybe you can get your life by "begging for mercy and submission”, but Marquis Zhenbei never thought of it, and neither the old Madam nor the Yang shi made this suggestion.
Shen Wen slowly retreated to the courtyard wall, climbed out of the hole, filled the hole with stones and weeds, passed through the sergeant's patrol, but did not return to the courtyard, and went straight outside.
She had gathered too strong emotions in her heart, and she had to vent it, so she ran all the way to the First Prince's Mansion.
After her death in her previous life, she used to hate the Crown Prince very much, thinking that it was the Crown Prince who was jealous of Marquis Zhenbei's friendship with the Third Prince and did not feel at ease, so he wanted to kill a few birds with one stone and get rid of the hidden dangers that he did not like. Now she saw clearly that long before that final killer card, the Emperor had tacitly approved of the Crown Prince's malice. Perhaps, it had been the Emperor's selfishness in the first place.
He used the so-called “way of loyalty to the monarch”, “Heart of the traitor minister” and other moral concepts to tightly restrain Marquis Zhenbei, but he did not check the behaviour of him and his son. The hypocrisy of this double standard completely demonstrates the viciousness of imperial power.
Only now did Shen Wen understand the strong criticism of the thousand-year-old emperor system by those in later generations, and only then did he understand the practical meaning of what later generations said: "meanness is the pass of the despicable, and nobility is the epitaph of the noble".
The loyalty of the Marquis of Zhenbei is his death sentence, and the sinister nature of the Crown Prince is the cause of his certain victory.
Shen Wen crossed the high wall from the shadow and entered the First Prince's mansion.
The First Prince's mansion is filled with happiness.
After the ceremony of the Crown Prince's enthronement, he officially entered the Eastern Palace. The move will begin tomorrow, and this evening the palace is hosting a large banquet with a constant flow of guests at the banquet in the mansion.
Shen Wen took a familiar route and arrived near the small courtyard where the crown prince and his staff had secret conversations where she had been last time. Today, the lights there were brightly lit.
In the shadows, Shen Wen looked at the door leading to the small courtyard, wondering if she should set a fire and burn it to relieve her anger.But then she learns in the millennium that after death one will experience all that one has given to others in life, and it slowly calms her down again.
