Chapter 690   - Plead

This guy was hidden pretty deep. Ordinarily, the old eunuch was eccentric and seldom had contact with others. The cold palace was also seen as an ominous place, so many of the palace maidservants and eunuchs took detours to avoid it which made it easier for him to do things.

After finding out what was happening behind the scenes, Zhu Junyang summoned his ability again and found two secret accomplices from the memory of the old eunuch. After confirming that the old eunuch and his accomplice had no more information to offer, he took the two culprits who poisoned his wife and began torturing them. He pulled out their nails one by one, and then their arms and legs were torn off from their joints. They resembled dolls destroyed by a naughty boy.

When Zhu Junyang came out covered in blood, Su Ran’s hidden imperial guards went into the torture chamber to take care of the rest and immediately vomited. The scene inside was no different from that of a slaughterhouse. The two prisoners only had their heads attached to their bodies and they were still lying in the pool of blood, wailing. Most people would have nightmares after seeing such a scene.

"It’s over?" Yu Xiaocao saw her man come out in white clothing. The clothing was a bit short and tighter on the shoulders. It was obvious that he borrowed clothes from Sir Su. After he came forward, a faint smell of blood came to her nose. She took Zhu Junyang’s hands and asked affirmingly.

Zhu Junyang touched her small head. His grim face melted like snow and ice and his eyes became gentle, "It’s all over. We can go home soon!"

Zhu Junfan looked at the list Su Ran handed over and nodded at his beloved subject. Su Ran left Kunning Palace and waved. Several hidden guards appeared. He said a few words, and the hidden guards scattered and left.

"I don’t know what these remaining evils of the previous dynasty are thinking. Now that the country is peaceful and the citizens are at peace, the situation is all good, but they are still thinking about the restoration of a lost country. Is it not good to live in peace and contentment? What are they doing?" Zhu Junfan drank a sip of cold tea and waved a hand at the maidservant to give him another cup with an expression of weariness.

Yu Xiaocao gave an inappropriate yawn and said blearily, "It’s all caused by power. The change in a dynasty is driven by the change in times. However, the remaining survivors of the previous dynasty don’t think this way. They feel that they have been robbed of their throne and their country. They want to steal it back..."

"Ahem!" Zhu Junyang interrupted his wife’s words and softly said, "Are you tired? Come back with me to rest?"

"Oh ok!" Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and rubbed her sleepy eyes. She was helped up by her man who had already gotten up to leave. She took a few steps toward the doors of the palace before thinking of something. She stopped and asked, "Your Imperial Majesty, why did you ask me to come to the palace today? I was interrupted by the poisoning case and almost forgot!"

The emperor looked at his cousin and concisely said, "Official Wu, who is in charge of the experimental rice fields in Jinling, attaches great importance to this crop of experimental rice. He would like to invite you to go over and give some pointers.

Yu Xiaocao hadn’t opened her mouth before Zhu Junyang took over and said, “Your Majesty, this subject’s wedding leave hasn’t ended yet, we are still in the newlywed phase...”

"Junyang ah! Both of you are my most trustworthy subjects. The more capable someone is, the heavier their burdens. Therefore, you should put the affairs of the country first. You have to have the mind of someone willing to sacrifice their family to save everyone, serving the people wholeheartedly with the dedication to the public and your jobs...." Zhu Junfan said all these great principles, which made it difficult to refuse, "However...you still have two days of your wedding leave... We are not unreasonable either. Let’s wait till after your wedding leave to travel out of the capital!"

Zhu Junyang ground his teeth. After two days, he would have only been married for seven days. After being a virgin for twenty years, he hadn’t even had his fill of holding his soft and delicate wife yet. Now he was to be forced apart from her like the cowherd and the weaver girl. It would be strange if he was willing!

His little wife had no conscience. Her eyes were shining and her face was full of eagerness. Over the past ten years after her transmigration, she had experienced the difficulty of ancient rural life, the sweetness of having a golden finger business, the prosperity of the capital, and the magnificence of Northern Territory scenery...

After living two lives, she had never experienced the pleasant scenery of Jiangnan before! Small bridges, flowing water with homes, a misty rainy Jiangnan, these words were derived from books or the mouths of other people, but they were only descriptions in the end.

If it wasn’t because the time wasn’t right, she definitely would have happily left for Jiangnan. Eh...seeing her man’s unhappy face, she felt that she shouldn’t reveal her thoughts to avoid his narrow-minded revenge at night!

Although Zhu Junyang was completely unwilling, he could not violate imperial orders as an official. He made the final struggle, "Your Imperial Majesty, my wife has been badly poisoned and should be observed for several days to avoid having a relapse..."

"Junyang, do you doubt your wife’s pharmaceutical skills?" Zhu Junfan dug a hole for his cousin.

Yu Xiaocao immediately expressed that she was in good health and that the poison had been completely cured! Imperial Prince Xu expressed frustration with this pig of a teammate——‘Wife, just who are you siding with?’

"Junyang ah! We can understand your mood, but the farming season doesn’t wait for anyone, so... It is better for the Clerk of the Capital for Grain to leave early." Zhu Junfan had an apologetic expression, but his attitude was firm and unquestionable.

Zhu Junyang returned home unhappily. After a healthy release, he hugged his wife and said, "Honey, if you leave, what should I do? I don’t want you to leave... "

Yu Xiaocao snuggled in his arms and reluctantly said, "I don’t want to leave you either...if you could ask for leave, we could go to Jiangnan together like we were on a honeymoon trip."

"Go to Jiangnan together?" Zhu Junyang thought about this phrase, and suddenly a charming smile appeared in the corner of his mouth, "Yes! Why didn’t I think of it? Hahaha... "

"What? What did you think of?" Yu Xiaocao asked puzzled. She was a little curious. She supported her head with her arm and looked at her man who was laughing happily.

"The emperor made you an imperial envoy to Jiangnan. Just think, you’re a young lady and Official Wu is an old man over fifty years old. Isn’t your safety very important as well? We must send someone to protect you! I will go to the palace tomorrow and ask for this job! When the time comes, won’t we be going together? " Zhu Junyang was so elated that he almost went into the palace to ask for orders that night.

When Yu Xiaocao heard this, her pear-like mouth opened, and she planted a kiss on her man’s lips. She praised, “Who is this man? How is he so smart? This is a good idea, the two of us go together for work, but it’ll be a vacation that we can charge as a business expense....hahaha! However, will the emperor agree?”

Zhu Junyang looked at his little wife and gave her a deep kiss. He let go of his wife who was out of breath and confidently said, “Don’t worry! Leave this matter to your man. If the emperor doesn’t agree, I will stay in the palace and not leave.”

The next day early in the morning, Imperial Prince Xu got up earlier than was needed for the morning court session. When Su Chi announced, “Imperial Prince Xu asks to see you”, the emperor was still sleeping with the empress in his arms!

He finally had a day where there wasn’t an early morning court session, so what was this Imperial Prince Xu thinking? The genius, it was dawn and he was coming to bother him. ‘It had better be some important matter otherwise, we will teach him a lesson!’ Zhu Junfan got up from bed angry, put on his usual clothing, hastily washed his face, and had someone lead the prince into the imperial study.

“You mean... you want to escort the imperial envoy to Jiangnan? After thinking an entire night, you finally came up with an idea to avoid separation from your wife? You really are promising!” Zhu Junfan resisted a yarn and threw the scroll in his hand at his cousin’s head. Did his cousin come over so early in the morning, ruining his sleep, just for this matter?

Zhu Junyang let the scroll fall on him. He picked up the scroll that was on the ground and patted the dust off of it. He schooled his face and said, “Your Majesty, after the poisoning case against you and the Clerk of the Capital for Grain in the palace, it’s enough to show that the remaining survivors of the previous dynasty have focused on the Clerk of the Capital for Grain. Furthermore, right at this time, you are sending her to Jiangnan. The road is full of dangers! She is your most useful subject and has great achievements! She is beneficial to the nation’s economy and livelihood, so she can’t have any accidents!”

“So?” Zhu Junfan listened to this and also started paying attention. However, the poisoning case’s target seemed to be him, the empress, and the clerk of the capital for grain, and Imperial Prince Xu. He and the empress were in the inner palace, where it was safe. Imperial Prince Xu had excellent martial art skills and had few people who were able to be his opponent. Only Yu Xiaocao, who was a woman with not enough strength to bind a chicken, would leave opportunities for the opponent to attack when she left the capital for Jiangnan.

“See, Your Majesty! There are few people you can find in the capital that can match my skills, even in the entire Ming Dynasty. This subject and the great imperial envoy is husband and wife, which is even more convenient for all-day protection. What’s more, this subject’s wife, as you know, is a very active person. If she were to come up with an idea, how could others stop her? To sum this up, this subject thinks that I am the best choice to escort her!” Zhu Junyang had good reasons and a selfless appearance.

“Humph! Don’t try to sound so dignified! You just don’t want to be separated from your wife, right? If the great imperial envoy wasn’t your wife, would you offer help so actively?” Zhu Junfan stared at him with a knowing look.

Zhu Junyang saw that the emperor agreed with his point of view and gave a sigh of relief inside. A little smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said, “Your Majesty, don’t you agree with me? Then give me an official order?”

“Humph! Don’t think you are the only option available!” Zhu Junfan couldn’t stand looking at his pleased expression. ‘Interrupting our dreams so early in the morning, yet you want us to let you go so easily?’

Zhu Junfan’s lips curled into a smirk, “Chief Steward Su seems to be quite free recently!” Su Ran left all the affairs of the palace into the hands of Su Chi, leaving only the position of the head of the hidden guards for himself. Normally he didn’t have many things to handle. Su Ran’s martial art skills were not any worse than Zhu Junyang’s. Head Steward Su was also a eunuch, so there would be no suspicion that the woman would be unfaithful and he could still protect her closely...

“Your Majesty, you can’t do this!” Zhu Junyang cried out. “Chief Steward Su is suitable in all aspects but you also forget that he is the target of the remaining survivors of the previous dynasty too. Wouldn’t it be even more dangerous if he went?”

The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is a Chinese folk tale. The tale of the cowherd and the weaver girl is a love story between Zhinü (織女; the weaver girl, symbolizing the star Vega) and Niulang (牛郎; the cowherd, symbolizing the star Altair). Their love was not allowed, thus they were banished to opposite sides of the heavenly river (symbolizing the Milky Way).