Married Thrice to Salted Fish

1. Chapter 80

As soon as Lin Qingyu’s tongue stretched in, it was hooked and tangled. Gu Fuzhou successfully distracted him. Immersed in Gu Fuzhou’s scent, Lin Qingyu discarded all thoughts about separated souls and souls in the wrong body.

Gradually, Lin Qingyu’s lips began to numb, his breathing becoming more and more rapid. He couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to push Gu Fuzhou away. Gu Fuzhou put one hand on the back of his head and clasped his fingers with the other, hugging him even tighter.

Only when his lips were bitten did Gu Fuzhou let him go.

Lin Qingyu was panting lightly. His cheeks were burning red and his lips were moist and glistening. The light in his eyes darkened, revealing a rarely-seen confusion, as though he were confused by his own various reactions.

Gu Fuzhou chuckled lightly: “Doctor Lin’s face is so red.” Fortunately, his skin now wasn’t as pale so he was able to get away with it. If he had kissed Lin Qingyu with his own original body, based on how hot his face felt right now, his blush would have trumped Lin Qingyu’s many times over.

Lin Qingyu felt his face with the back of his hand. Sure enough, it was astonishingly hot. He forced himself to calm down and said, “Because you made me unable to breathe. It’s normal for one’s face to go red when you’re short of breath.”

Gu Fuzhou asked curiously, “Does Doctor Lin not know how to regulate his breathing?”

Lin Qingyu felt inexplicably angry and humiliated. He said without batting an eyelid. “Well, I’m not as good at it as you are.”

Gu Fuzhou smiled. “Actually, I’m not that good at it either but just now, I think I’ve begun to get the hang of it. I can teach you.”

Lin Qingyu turned his face away. “Maybe another day.”

Gu Fuzhou blinked. “Another…day?”

“It’s getting late, I’m going to bed.”

That night, the two fell asleep as they usually did; one at the bottom bunk, the other at the top. Strange to say but though they had slept in the same bed several times before they’d begun dating, after, they never slept in the same bed again. Every night before going to bed, an inexplicable awkwardness would descend upon them. They would blush whenever their eyes met, making the atmosphere even more awkward. Until finally, they would tacitly go to their separate beds, like two shy newly-wed brides.

He didn’t know how other people’s first love was like, but for Gu Fuzhou, his first love was the restlessness of the young and inexperienced. Even though he and Lin Qingyu had known each other for so long already and had even had physical contact, now that they were in a proper relationship, he still occasionally felt nervous whenever he was alone with the other. But once there were others present, he cannot be nervous.

He couldn’t show his nervousness; he didn’t want to appear useless.

In the silence, Gu Fuzhou, who had just kissed the beauty in the lower bunk, suddenly laughed. “Qingyu…”

Lin Qingyu had his eyes closed. “Why haven’t you fallen asleep yet?” The feelings have subsided; recalling the kiss just now, Lin Qingyu had a vague feeling that something wasn’t quite right though he couldn’t think what exactly about it was wrong.

“Aren’t you still awake too?” Gu Fuzhou said with a smile, “I just want to tell you that kissing you was not at all tiring. I like it very much.”

Gu Fuzhou’s remarks seemed to imply that if kissing made him tired, he wouldn’t like kissing anymore? Kissing was certainly not tiring. If it were, Jiang Gongzi would wouldn’t like it much. This might just be the origin of his lifelong dream.

Lin Qingyu felt a little like laughing. “As long as you liked it.”

Gu Fuzhou asked, “Then, did you like it?”

Gu Fuzhou waited for a long time without getting a response from Lin Qingyu’s. When he finally turned over to go to sleep, he heard a soft “I liked it.” from the lower bunk.

When Lin Qingyu returned to the palace, he was summoned by the Empress to Fengyi Palace.

The King of the Northern Border saw that the rumors of Jingchun being a man had intensified and had even reached the emperor’s ears. He finally made a move.

“The King of the North has sent to the Emperor a letter with well-wishes for His Majesty’s health. In it, he has mentioned this matter, saying that it is simply unfounded nonsense and that his queen is genuinely a woman.” The empress said, “He also said that he would investigate this matter thoroughly; that he will find who is behind this rumor and punish him severely.”

After Zhang Shiquan had finished his work, he took his people and immediately left the Northern Border. This investigation would lead to nothing. The King of the North was going this to protect Jingchun and at the same time, to avoid a rift with the capital.

Lin Qingyu asked, “Does His Majesty believe it?”

“The missive was written in the King of the North’s own handwriting. Naturally, the Emperor believes it.”

“Not necessarily.” Lin Qingyu said, “Niangniang, you may wish to investigate this further.”

The Empress said, perplexed, “The truth has been laid out. What is there to investigate?”

“Whether the King of the Norther Border is deceiving the Emperor.”

The Empress could not understand. “Why would the King of the North lie about this matter?”

Lin Qingyu said, “In order to let the capital relax its vigilance and strike whilst it is unprepared.”

The Empress’ face sank, “This matter is of grave import. You must not speak such reckless remarks.”

“It is because this matter is of great import that the Emperor should scrutinize it ever more carefully and not simply take the King of the North’s word as truth. As they say, he who is not one of us, has a heart that is not of us. As the mother of the country, Niangniang has a responsibility to put to right what His Majesty hears. I ask niangniang to remind His Majesty to bind around with silk before it rains so as to avoid confusion amongst the military.”

The Empress looked pensive. “I understand.”

After Lin Qingyu withdrew, the Empress headed to the emperor’s palace. At that time, the Imperial Hospital had just delivered his medicine. While feeding the emperor his medicine, the Empress repeated all the Lin Qingyu had said. “Chenqie is of the opinion that this matter should be thoroughly investigated.”

The Emperor looked at the Empress with a somewhat probing look. The Empress smiled and said, “Could it be that there is something wrong with what chenqie has said?”

“No, Zhen simply did not expect that the Empress would share the same thought.” The Emperor’s brows were furrowed, filled with doubts, “It is suspicious how strongly the King of the North asserts this statement. The more one tries to hide, the more it is exposed. The Empress is right. This matter must be investigated completely. However, this must not be made public. Investigate it secretly; that should suffice.”

The Empress nodded. “Do not worry, Your Majesty. Chenqie will find the truth behind this matter.”

The Emperor held the Empress’ hand and said warmly, “In the harem, it is only the Empress who can share Zhen’s worries.”

The Empress was quite moved. “Your Majesty…”

The rare moment of affection between husband and wife was interrupted by Xue Ying, who came to announces, “Your Majesties, the National Teacher asks to see you.”

The Empress said in surprise, “A sudden visit from the National Teacher? It must be important.”

The Emperor sat up. “Quickly, invite him in.”

Xu Junyuan had left the world of men. Detached from the mortal world, save for when personally summoned by the Emperor, he very comes to see anyone. The Emperor has always treated Xu Junyuan as a guest of honor — many decades ago, Xu Junyuan divined the Dayu’s national fortune. He foretold a battle for the throne, an alliance by marriage with the North and the Xixia taking up arms.

Within a decade, Xu Junyuan’s words all proved true. The Emperor has always placed stock in celestial phenomena. Nowadays, his reception of Xu Junyuan was simply beyond any reproach. For the Emperor, Xu Junyuan’s casual words held more weight than those of any number of ministers’.

Once within the palace, the Emperor immediately invited Xu Junyuan to sit, dispensing with ceremony. Though Xu Junyuan could not be called extremely deferential toward the Emperor, he was nonetheless very polite. “The Emperor is not looking well. It is my hope the Your Majesty may look after your body.”

“These headaches is an old, recurrent problem. At times good, at times bad. There is also no telling when it comes.” The Emperor said eagerly, “Does the National Teacher have a reason for his visit to the palace? Could it be that a cure for Zhen’s condition is possible?”

Xu Junyuan said, “Your Majesty is the Imperial Son of Heaven and I am but a mere mortal. Drifting clouds obscure my eyes, how am I to see the path of the Son of Heaven?”

The Emperor’s shoulders slumped, revealing slight disappointment. This was not the first time he has asked Xu Junyuan to help him with a division and every time Xu Junyuan’s response was the same.

The Empress asked, “If this is the case, then why has the National Teacher come? Could it be that Li’er’s lost soul…”

The Emperor eyed the Empress askance, gone was the tenderness in his eyes. The Empress sensed his displeasure and had to shut her mouth.

Xu Junyuan seemed not to have heard the second half of the Empress’ words. He said, “Yesterday, as I was watching the night sky, I caught a glimpse of four stars aligning. If these four stars are to converge, it would spell disaster. Losses for the soldiers, worries for the rulers, banishment for the people.”

The Emperor’s expression turned extremely ugly. The Empress too frowned. “Does the National Teacher mean to say that Dayu will be under the threat of being besieged by war? Is it the Northwest, or…”

Xu Junyuan was noncommittal. He went on, “What is even more bizarre is that there is an inversion of yin and yang in the south. Moreover, this personage of yang, his fate is to soar high like a Feng Luan.”

A personage of yang…Soar high like a Feng Luan?

The Empress looked uneasily towards the Emperor. “Your Majesty, this…”

The color drained from the Emperor’s face. His whole body grew tense. He said, sounding grave, “Empress, I am giving you three days to find out Jingchun’s true identity. If you are not up to the task, I will assign this investigation to Concubine Chen and there will be no need for you to hold on to your Phoenix seal, book and treasure.”

The Empress hurriedly knelt down. “Chenqie obeys.”

Upon exiting the palace, Lin Qingyu saw the General Mansion’s carriage by the gate. The tacit understanding between him and Gu Fuzhou had gradually grown. So long as they were in the palace for the day, they would wait for each other to return to the Mansion together. Sure enough, when Lin Qingyu entered the carriage, he saw Gu Fuzhou resting inside, his legs propped up. Seeing him arrive, Gu Fuzhou put his legs down and said, “Doctor Lin has worked hard. Let us dine out for our evening meal tonight.”

Lin Qingyu asked, “Where are we going?”

Gu Fuzhou pulled him to sit beside him. “Jinxiu Pavilion.”

Jinxiu Pavilion was the most prestigious restaurant in capital. When Gu Fuzhou was still Lu Wancheng, the two had visited this place. They were now revisiting an old haunt. Jinxiu Pavilion was still the same restaurant from the outside and beside him was still Jiang Gongzi.

General Gu and his wife had honored them with a visit, Jinxiu Pavilion wanted to vacate a private room for them. However, Gu Fuzhou declined the restaurant manager’s kindness and brought Lin Qingyu to a compartment. The compartment was divided into two by a screen. As Lin Qingyu sat down, he heard a voice from the other room. “Aunt Wu Ya, I haven’t seen you for a long time. Has Aunt been doing well since leaving the palace?”

It was Xi Rong’s voice.

Lin Qingyu cast an inquiring look at Gu Fuzhou. Gu Fuzhou lowered his voice to a whisper and said, “Don’t be impatient. Listen and you’ll understand.”

It was a timid woman’s voice, may 30-40 years old. “I’ve been very good, very good. Thank you, Eunuch Xi for your concern.”

Xi Rong’s voice grew a little colder. “Since I have left the palace with the prince, I am no longer to be addressed as ‘eunuch’. Aunt may can call me ‘Steward Xi’.”

“Yes, Steward Xi.” The woman named Wu Ya sounded as though she were talking on thin ice, “Did His Highness King Ning come to find this servant because he has instructions for me?”

Xi Rong said, “I seem to remember that when the Princess Jingchun was in the Shangyi Bureau, it was you who taught her?”

“……Yes.”

“Then, you should know very well whether Princess Jingchun is a man or a woman.”

Wu Ya hurriedly said, “Since the Princess Jingchun was in the employ of the Shangyi Bureau, how could she be a man.?”

Xi Rong said, “You sound so certain. Could it be that you’ve seen his body with your own eyes?”

Wu Ya mumbled, “Although I have not seen it, when a servant joins the palace, the head aunt must personally examine her.”

“Unfortunately, the aunt who was the former head of the Shangyi Bureau, the same aunt who examined Princess Jingchun’s body has long since passed away and cannot serve as witness. Why would someone kill her to ensure her silence if not to cover up some deceit?”

Wu Ya was shocked, “She’s dead?”

“The Empress is investigating this matter and in a few days, she will find you.” Xi Rong said calmly, “His Highness hopes that you can provide the Empress with some useful clues. Of course, you are bound to benefit. I hear that you daughter is quite ill. Wouldn’t you want to find a good doctor to save her life?”

Wu Ya said, sounding panicked, “I-I do not understand what His Highness means.”

Wu Ya might not understand, but Lin Qingyu did. He asked Gu Fuzhou, “You want her to provide a false testimony?”

“She might be a false witness but she’ll say is true.”

“But even with a witness, the material evidence…” Lin Qingyu then thought of the token Gu Fuzhou had asked him to get from Shen Huaishi. He suddenly said, “That palace sash?”

“Altogether, there are three of these palaces sashes, divided between Shen Huaishi, Jingchun and Xiao Cheng. The three of them have always carried these tokens of their childhood friendship with them. Who would have thought there would come a day when it would serve instead as evidence to hasten one to one’s death.”

On the other side, after Xi Rong explained his plan, Wu Ya did not agree immediately; neither did Xi Rong force her. He said, “Go back and think about this matter. However, best not take too long. It is not that the prince who cannot wait but your daughter.”

After Wu Ya left, Xi Rong came around from behind the screen, “Greeting to the General and the Madam.”

Lin Qingyu said, “Steward Rong Xi should make the most of his visit here — would you like to stay and dine together?”

“No, thank you, I must decline. His Highness is still waiting for me.” Xi Rong saluted and said, “Allow me to bid you goodbye.”

Xiao Jie had handled the matter regarding the military’s provisions well and quickly, making the Emperor look at him with new eyes. Thereupon, the Emperor begun to entrust him with more and more tasks. Xiao Jie knew nothing about the government affairs and could only rely on Xi Rong for everything. Lin Qingyu could already imagine who would truly be wielding the imperial brush when Xiao Jie ascends the throne in the future.

Eunuchs in power have, time and time again, proven to be nothing but a disaster for the nation. When Xiao Cheng finds himself at the end of his fate, he should also prepare a retreat for himself and Gu Fuzhou, just in case.

Jinxiu Pavilion had a huge array of dishes and they were all exquisite. This was a rare visit for Gu Fuzhou and he ordered all their signature dishes. When the two of them had gone through nearly half of it, Gu Fuzhou suddenly put down his chopsticks and his expression suddenly changed. “Damn.”

“What’s wrong?” Lin Qingyu was startled, “Was there poison in the dish?”

“No, that’s not it.” Gu Fuzhou said slowly, “A fishbone is stuck in my throat.”

Lin Qingyu: “…”

Gu Fuzhou turned gloomy. “That’s why I hate eating fish. Why do fishes have to have bones?”

“Stop talking nonsense.” Lin Qingyu lifted Gu Fuzhou’s chin, “Open your mouth, let me see.”

Gu Fuzhou did as he was told. The fishbone was stuck in a spot that was quite deep. It was hard to see with the naked eye. Lin Qingyu poured him a cup of tea. “Try if you can swallow the fishbone.”

Gu Fuzhou had to finish off a whole pot of before he managed to dislodge the fishbone and swallow it. Lin Qingyu looked at him and said, tone filled with deep meaning, “As expected, last time wasn’t just my imagination.”

Gu Fuzhou had a bad premonition. “What last time?”

Lin Qingyu said slowly,”The general is tall and imposing, lofty and powerful. Who would have thought his would be a bit smaller than usual?”

Gu Fuzhou was stunned. “Huh?”

The corners of Lin Qingyu’s lips ticked up slightly. He said, teasing, “No wonder, last time you… I kept feeling something wasn’t right.”

Gu Fuzhou: “…”

The biggest uses of the tongue are for speaking and eating. Gu Fuzhou was no different from ordinary people, so he has never paid attention to the size of his tongue. Now that Lin Qingyu mentioned this, he was shocked to realize that the tongue of this body seemed to be quite small; at least shorter and smaller than Lu Wancheng’s and his own. No one would possibly believe it.

Lin Qingyu said nonchalantly: “You don’t have to worry too much about it. Although your tongue is smaller, it won’t affect your daily life.” Actually, it was quite cute.

Gu Fuzhou’s expression was quite complicated. “Thank you. That’s not very comforting.”

Two days later, a major event happened in the palace – the prince’s biological mother, Concubine Chen, who had been favored for many years, was deemed to have abused her power for personal gain, bringing great turmoil to the harem. She was stripped of her title as Imperial Consort and thrown into the cold palace.

This incident came unexpectedly and took everyone by surprise. On the surface, it seemed to be a matter of the harem, but it was inextricably linked to the previous matter. Xiao Cheng, despite being in ill-health, knelt at the gate of Qinzheng Hall all night. But the Emperor did not even come out to see him, showing not the least bit of affection to this mother-son pair.

The crown prince had gradually lost His Majesty’s regard and now, he has lost the help of his concubine mother. On the other hand, Xiao Jie had been granted his title as king and was entrusted with important tasks. For a time, the civil servants and imperial censors who were on friendly terms with the crown prince found their positions precarious and did not dare to act rashly. Let alone intercede for the imperial consort, these people didn’t even know why she was being punished.

Opinions varied widely both within and without the palace as to what actually happened that day, but only a few people knew the truth; including the palace maid named Wu Ya. Later, Lin Qingyu learned about the whole thing from Xi Rong.

The Empress had been ordered to investigate the case of the Princess Jingchun. No clues could be found inside the palace, so they could only continue their investigation outside. Princess Jingchun entered the palace ten years ago. Most of the maids of the Shangyi Bureau at that time had already left the palace to marry. Wu Ya was one of them.

The Emperor placed such great import on this matter that he even threated the Empress’ Phoenix seal, book and treasure. The Empress dared not be the slightest bit negligent. She handled everything herself, even Wu Ya’s interrogation.

Wu Ya made no outright claim to Jingchun’s identity, saying only that Jingchun had been different from other palace maids. Jingchun never got her period and no matter the season, always wore clothes with tall collars. Later, when she chanced upon Jingchun changing clothes, she discovered something on her throat that was unusual for a woman. She informed the female official who had been in charge at the time but the official insisted that she had seen it wrong and ordered her not to publicize this matter.

“So, the female official had been covering up for Jingchun?” The Empress said, “But she is a palace maid, how could she have the skill to deceive everyonoe?”

Wu Ya took out a purple palace sash. “After the Princess Jingchun got married, this servant was ordered to clean her room. In there, I found this. The material used for this sash is specially made for use of the palace. Only concubines and princes are allowed its use. This servant wanted to give this to niangniang. But unexpectedly, the Shangyi Bureau’s female official in charge was suddenly changed and this servant was served wth trumped-up charges, beaten and sent out of the palace.”

The Empress took the palace sash and looked at it carefully. It seemed very familiar, “This style of palace sash was popular in the palace for a period of time a decade ago. It’s rarely seen now.”

The sharp-eyes Lai Fu said, “The Crown Prince, the palace sash attached to his jade pendant is exactly the same as this one – they should be a pair!”

The Empress’ face grew grave and she repeatedly confirmed, “Are you certain you recognize this clearly?”

“The Crown Prince wears that jade pendant to the Fengyi Palace every day when he pays his respects to niangniang. This servant cannot be mistaken.”

“Alright…alright.” The Empress couldn’t hide her excitement, “Ready the carriage, I will go to see the Emperor.”

Wu Ya then said, “Niangniang! Niangniang, there is another matter but this servant is uncertain whether to tell of it or not.”

The Empress said impatiently, “What other clues do you have?”

“Niangniang mentioned His Highness and this servant rememerbed that it had been the Princess Jingchun who was tasked with delivering His Highness’ brush, ink, paper, and inkstones in the palace. This servant once saw the two of them in the palace, talking in the Imperial Garden. He mentioned something about when they were children in Changsheng Temple…”

A light flashed in Lai Fu’s mind. “When the Crown Prince was young, he once stayed in Changsheng Temple for a period of time with Concubine Chen in order to avoid illness. Could that have anything to do with it? Niangniang, please don’t be impatient. It’s not too late to report to the Emperor once this matter has been investigated thoroughly.”

Soon, there was news from Changsheng Temple. According to the monks in the temple, when the Crown Prince stayed in Changsheng Temple to avoid illness, aside from the palace maids and eunuchs, he had been accompanied by two young children of similar age. One of them was the little guard sent by the Heavenly Prison Sect, Shen Huaishi; the other was a young monk adopted by the temple. He had left home and joined the temple at the young age. He was a young boy who loved to laugh and easily endeared others to him. Despite their differing identities, the three of them often played and spent time together. They could even be called childhood friends.

Later, the little monk’s biological parents came to the temple asking for the boy’s return. The Empress followed this clue and found that the little monk’s father had a gambling addiction and the reason why he wanted the little monk back was to sell him into the palace as a eunuch. Who would have thought that after the little monk entered the palace, no information of him could be found. The Empress ordered the Si Lijian to investigate as to the whereabouts of this monk but they turned up empty-handed.

After investigating this far, the Empress could sit still no longer. Bringing with her testimonies and physical evidence, she sought an audience with the Emperor.

“After Jingchun entered the palace, he turned from a little eunuch to a palace maid. If it weren’t ties of kinship or friendship, who would risk death to help him.” The Empress said, “As for these ties, while he was in the palace, the only people he knew were Shen Huaishi and the Crown Prince. At that time, Shen Huaishi was completely obedient to the Crown Prince… Your Majesty, the Crown Prince cannot escape responsibility regarding this matter with Jingchun.”

The Emperor listened to the whole story. He looked at the palace sash and was silent for a while. He then said, “Summon Concubine Chen.”

The Empress was taken aback: “Your Majesty?”

The Emperor said coldly, “Go quickly.”

Concubine Chen was taken to Qinzheng Hall. Before the proof that was sturdy as a mountain, she could not argue for her son. Like a flower losing color, she knelt in the main hall and said tearfully, “It was this concubine, everything was my doing. When I was in Changsheng Temple, I had grown fond of the lovable and lovely Jingchun. I couldn’t bear to see him suffer through the purification and so did such a foolish thing. But chenqie never could have expected that the King of the North would take a fancy to Jingchun…Your Majesty, chenqie did not do it intentionally. Your Majesty!”

The Empress slammed her hand down onto the table and stood up. “Nonsense! Concubine, do you think your failure to teach your son properly is not grave enough that you now intend to deceive the Emperor!”

“Everything chengqie said is true.” Concubine Chen’s tears were like raindrop on a pear blossom; magnificent no longer but without the slightest hesitation, “That palace sash was rewarded by chenqie to Jingchun. Like the one used by the Crown Prince, they both came from chenqie’s palace. They were originally a pair but the Crown Prince did not know about it.”

“Many times, the maids of the Shangyi Bureau have seen the Crown Prince and Jingchun meeting in private. How do you explain this?!”

Concubine Chen, sobbing and sniffling, said, “Princess Jingchun is as beautiful as a flower. Back then, she was the greatest beauty of the capital. That the Crown Prince give her preferential treatment is but human nature. After she was betrothed to the King of the North, the Crown Prince had no more contact with her.”

“You are making irresponsible remarks! This matter of Jingchun’s concerns the safety of the North. I ask the Emperor to render fair judgement!” The Empress was already furious to the utmost, otherwise it would not be have been difficult for her to see that the Emperor intended to take Xiao Cheng away from this matter.

“Enough.” The Emperor closed his eyes and said, “From now on, Chen Shi will be deprive her of the title of Imperial Consort and banished to the cold palace. This is the end of the matter.”

Hearing Xi Rong’s recounting of what had happened, Lin Qingyu was not surprised at all. “Sure enough, the Emperor still doesn’t want to touch Xiao Cheng unless as a last resort.”

“Concubine Chen had taken great pains to protect her son. But as everyone knows, mother and son share the same glory and share the same loss. Concubine Chen has been banished and Xiao Cheng has lost the Emperor’s regard. One log cannot prop up a tottering building. How long will they be able to last?” Gu Fuzhou said with a smile. , “Qingyu, we’ve done something bad again.”

Lin Qingyu smiled. The feeling of two people doing bad things together is much better than doing it alone.

The author has something to say: This chapter is a double update, and the debt of 11W has been paid off.

I know that you don’t like to watch drama chapters QAQ, so finally I attach a mini-theater of the great beauty transmigrating to the modern world. (continued from the previous mini-theater)

Classmate Jiang, who lost his memory of transmigrating, received a text message and reported it as a scam. Then the stranger sent another message: [Photo] Your wife looks like this.

Classmate Jiang: Bro, this photoshopped picture is just too much.

A stranger sent a video call. Classmate Jiang picked it up and the face of the great beauty appeared on the screen.

The great beauty frowned, uneasiness and fear in his eyes: …Lao Gong?

Classmate Jiang: Yeah… where are you?