"Returning to Before Husband's Castration" 《回到老公自宫前》Chapter 20

Wei Cai Wei lied: “Oh, when I went to find manager Chen this morning at Machang lane, some stranger asked me where Li Wei was, first I didn’t know Li Wei was your esteemed father, second the person seemed rather shifty, not a good person, so I said I didn’t know, I haven’t heard of him.”

Empress dowager Li’s father Li Wei was a gambler by nature, everyone knew it, that’s why Wei Cai Wei could create something from nothing, throwing out a stranger to complete the lie.

Li Jiu Bao on hearing this wasn’t suspicious at all, her expression changed, “It must be someone from the casino looking for him to settle his debt.”

Manager Chen said: “Your father and brother are still at Salitun, if someone from the casino comes knocking again to demand for payment, it wouldn’t be save for you as a woman alone at home, stay with me tonight, sleep with my grandmother, I’ll stay with the neighbour Wang Er Gou.”

Li Jiu Bao said quietly: “I’m troubling you again.”

It seems people from the casino coming to the Li family to chase up debt frequently happened, it wasn’t the first or second time the neighbours helped to shield her.

Manager Chen said: “We’re all neighbours, we ought to help each other out.”

While the two of them were talking, Wei Cai Wei had swiftly cut up the watermelon manager Chen had brought over last night, grabbing a few dried fruits she made up a platter, calling for the two to sit and eat the fruits, “I’ve inconvenienced you two today, I practice medicine outside so I hurried home and don’t even have a cup of hot tea, fortunately it’s summer, I can offer fruits to you two to quench the heat.”

This was the future empress dowager Li!

Wei Cai Wei even brought out the food from the bottom of the trunk, enthusiastically entertaining her them, afraid that she would feel neglected.

The watermelon had been cut, Li Jiu Bao couldn’t decline, she said thanks and sat down to eat.

Wei Cai Wei picked up a round hazelnut, picking up a walnut cracker she broke the shell, taking out the pulp, she used her palm to rub off the thin surface brown layer, placing it on the plate for Li Jiu Bao, “Try it, it’s a local product from my hometown.”

Even though Li Jiu Bao’s family was poor, but she was natural and unrestrained, she picked it up and ate, “It’s crisp and sweet, so tasty.”

Manager Chen said: “There are hazelnuts at the dried fruit stores in the capital as well, but they’re not as big, where is doctor Wei’s hometown?”

Wei Cai Wei picked up a hazelnut as she spoke: “I come from Tieling, these are hazelnuts from Tieling Xiangya mountain, there are also all sorts of dried mushrooms, and not available in the capital, I’ll wrap some up for you to take back with you, use hot water to soak it for chicken stew, it’s the tastiest.”

Li Jiu Bao hurriedly said: “Doctor Wei you are too hospitable, much too kind, I find it hard to respond.”

Wei Cai Wei pointed at the kitchen in the back: “I’ve never started the fire in the kitchen, I practice medicine outside, I only want to lie down when I return home, unwilling to budge, I eat out three meals a day, I don’t have time to cook. The weather is now hot and damp, dried mushrooms will become rotten if placed at home, something brought from far away, I might as well give it to you to add to your food.”

Not waiting for Li Jiu Bao to refuse, Wei Cai Wei opened the trunk and took out the dried food and wrapped it into two parcels, giving them to Li Jiu Bao and manager Chen.

Manager Chen mocked: “I’m eating and taking, it’s hard not to be embarrassed.”

Wei Cai Wei said: “I’m new here and don’t know anything, I also have no friends, they say take whatever help is on hand, even from strangers, but my neighbour is an official, I, a simple citizen can’t just go and visit a high class family, even though you and miss Li live in the opposite alley, I get along with you, you’re my neighbours from now, between neighbours, there’s no need to be so polite.” She had spoken so much, the two took the present.

When they left, Wei Cai Wei saw the two of them to the end of the lane before returning.

At home, Wei Cai Wei heaved a long sigh of relief: She was very polite today, it was good karma, it ought to leave a good impression on the future empress dowager Li.

In her previous lifetime, when Wei Cai Wei was a little acquainted with the emperor’s later most cherished imperial concubine Shang Shou.

Li Jiu Bao had entered the palace as a maid at the same time as them, but the first day Li Jiu Bao entered the palace she was taken to the prince Yu residence by the head eunuch to fill in, that’s why Wei Cai Wei didn’t know Li Jiu Bao.

Later when miss Shang had naively teased emperor Jia Jing when he accidentally struck the wrong note and become the most spoiled in the harem, she was bestowed the title of imperial concubine Shou from a maid, Wei Cai Wei rose to the Heavens, becoming a person with true authority in the harem, she was pursued by so many eunuchs, Wei Cai Wei chose Wang Da Xia, they became meal partners, imperial concubine Shang Shou recommended Wang Da Xia to the emperor, from then on they rapidly went up in the world.

When miss Shang was conferred the title of imperial concubine, a lowly maid gave birth to an imperial grandson in the prince Yu’s residence.

Imperial concubine Shang Shou became the mother of all, she prepared a gift and got Wei Cai Wei to deliver it to prince Yu’s residence.

This was the first time Wei Cai Wei met Li Jiu Bao, because emperor Jia Qing concocted immortality pills and medicines, it was hard for him to heirs, the concubines in the harem combined had eight sons and five daughters, in the end only two sons and two princesses lived to adulthood.

The two grown sons, prince Yu and prince Jing, prince Yu had two sons and two daughters, they all died prematurely.

Prince Jing’s residence had never even heard the sound of a baby cry, sonless and daughterless.

When the Ming imperial family was facing the threat of having no successors, Li Jiu Bao’s imperial grandson was very precious.

Emperor Jia Jing was already old, to dote on imperial concubine Shang Shou he would frequently use medicine to strengthen his male part, Wei Cai Wei determined the old emperor didn’t have long, even though prince Yu wasn’t favoured by the emperor, but his residence had increased----

Especially since prince Jing had no children at all, prince Jing’s four children had all died prematurely but he did have children at least, right?

Also Li Jiu Bao had just given birth to an imperial grandson.

Wei Cai Wei lived in the harem, she didn’t know about the previous dynasty, but she knew about the importance of heirs, that’s why she gave treasures to the prince Yu’s residence, planning her future prospects.

Wei Cai Wei had medical expertise, she was also specialised in gynaecology, she helped Li Jiu Bao recover from postnatal, and got rid of the pregnancy spots on her face, making Li Jiu Bao recover favour quickly, she then had another imperial grandson!

The husband and wife worked in sync, Wang Da Xia also secretly became a person of prince Yu, going through a thrilling and bitter wrestle for power in the palace, prince Jing died suddenly of illness, emperor Jia Jing died.

Prince Yu succeeded the throne, Li Jiu Bao became the natural mother of the crown prince, conferred the title of imperial consort Li.

During the wrestle for power, Wei Cai Wei got caught in grave danger, it was Wang Da Xia who took a poisoned arrow for her, Wei Cai Wei used all her knowledge to save her husband, that’s when danger was averted, but he then fell into an incomplete illness, he died aged forty-seven…

Seeing the humble origin empress dowager Li today, Wei Cai Wei couldn’t help think of her dead husband.

Ai, deep love, short life.

Reborn before he was castrated, seeing the other side of him, every time she wanted to hit him hard over his dog head, but he was only fourteen years old, young and inexperienced…

He also should be forgiven, how can she argue with a half grown child?

Putting him on the right path, the return of the prodigal son, help Wang family escape the future disaster.

This lifetime, I will protect him, I can’t let him once again go down the path of being forced to castrate himself and enter the palace.

Don’t argue, don’t get angry, don’t hit him, just consider it as repaying him for being poisoned for me in the last lifetime.

She could only think of it as compensation, because Wei Cai Wei simply could not love the current fourteen years old Wang Da Xia, so much so many times she wanted to personally castrate him!

At the same time, outside the city at a tomb in Sanlihe, Wang Da Xia who was watching the tomb being dug up sneezed three times in a row, “En, who is thinking about me.”

Lu Ying coldly said: “Who else could it be? It must be your close female friend miss Ying Ying.” 

He had just spoken when the embroidered uniform guard diggin said: “We’ve reached a coffin!”

Lu Ying ordered: “Coroner, while it’s not raining, hurry up and open the coffin to perform an autopsy.”

When it was time to open the coffin, Wang Da Xia shouted: “Wait a moment!”

Everyone thought he might have discovered something, but they watched him get a red rope threaded with amulets out of the carriage before returning!

Wang Da Xia said: “These are the amulet I asked for this morning at Tianan temple where we stayed, each of you take one, hundreds of ghosts will not approach.”

Last night it was too strange for the study companion to be struck to death by lightning, everyone had the mindset of believing yet not believing, they took an amulet.

Only Lu Ying didn’t take one, “I don’t want it, lord Lu had said, as an embroidered uniform guard, you can’t believe in ghosts and the such.”

Wang Da Xia pointed at everyone, “They’re embroidered uniform guards, why can they have an amulet?”

Lu Ying said: “Standards set for yourself shouldn’t be forced onto others.”

Wang Da Xia simply put two amulets around his neck, “Fine if you don’t want it, I’ll wear two for extra security.”

Lu Ying thought of something, he asked: “Your secret stash of money is in Lord Lu’s hands, where did you get the money to buy these amulets?”

Wang Da Xia was shocked, “Do you embroidered uniform guards need to pay for things?”

Lu Ying was simply speechless, “Embroidered uniform guards are officials of the court, not bandits! You clearly stole them!”

Wang Da Xia looked innocently, “I didn’t steal them, I said to the head buddhist monk that embroidered uniform guards needed to expropriate the amulets in the temple, the monk then gave me lots...there’s still some in the carriage.”

Lu Ying asked: “You used the embroidered uniform guards name, how can the monk not give them?”

Wang Da Xia spread out his hands: “I’m helping the embroidered uniform guards in this case, I’m penniless, you want a horse to run, but won’t let the horse eat some grass, you’re really unreasonable!”

“You…” Lu Ying raised his whip, itching to lash him a hundred times.

Wang Da Xia leapt back, diverting his attention, he pointed at the tomb: “The coffin is open, quickly go take a look.”

Lu Yin put his whip away, going over to take a look, it had been ten years, the remains had turned into bones, the coroner went to examine the bones, filling in a form, he said: “Leader Lu, the deceased does indeed have a set of baby skeletons in her lower abdomen.”

The coroner took the bones one by one out of the coffin, arranging it into a shape, a large and small, two complete skeletons.

The embroidered uniform guards made a fire around the skeletons, the coroner opened a brilliant red umbrella to cover up the skeletons, from above he began to examine the skeletons.

This was a postmortem method written by the famous Song dynasty coroner called Song Ci in <Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified>, this way it could be seen if there were any marks the bones had been fractured, if there was, it would clearly mean when they were alive they had been violently struck.

The coroner examined the adult and child skeletons, saying: “There are no marks of injuries.”

Lu Ying’s hands gradually tightened, “The study companion didn’t lie, young lady He had died from the difficult birth caused by the old woman Wang, once corpse two deaths, the fetus died in the belly.”

At this moment the embroidered uniform guards reached another grave, this coffin was very small, half the size of young lady He’s, opening it and taking a look, it was indeed an empty coffin!

Lu Ying rested his chin in one hand as he thought looking into the coffin, “The second young lady he fled, at that time she was seven years old, if she was still alive now, she would be seventeen years old, Chen Qianhu father and son as well as old woman Wang were very likely killed by her.”

The coroner said: “This morning I examined the corpse of old woman Wang, there’s swelling in her stomach, it was filled with water, there was silt under her fingernails, cause of death was by drowning, but it can’t be ruled out that someone didn’t push her to drown in the water.”

Lu Ying asked: “Wang Da Xia, what do you think?”

There was no response.

Lu Ying looked backwards, where was he!

The subordinates pointed at the carriage: “When Leader Lu went to see the open coffin, Wang Ya Nei had already hid inside the carriage.” 

He really was a coward and scared of ghosts.

Lu Ying walked to the carriage, opening the carriage door, Wang Da Xia was curled up in the carriage corner, both eyes closed tightly, hands holding a copper Buddha, muttering to himself; “Buddha protect me, ghosts disperse quickly in the name of the natural law!”

What! Buddhism and Taoism mixed together.

Lu Ying didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, his gaze fell on the copper Buddha, he asked: “You brat stole a copper Buddha from Tianan temple!”

“Expropriate! It’s expropriate!” 

Hearing Lu Ying’s voice, making sure it wasn’t a ghost, Wang Da Xia opened his eyes, saying, “Expropriate isn’t stealing...expropriate!....Embroidered uniform guards business, how can it be considered stealing?”