"Returning to Before Husband's Castration" 《回到老公自宫前》Chapter 52

 Lu Bing’s five hundred calvary came pouring in, almost scooping out half of the water from the goldfish pond, the huge fire was very quickly extinguished.

See, we’re really here to put out the fire.

After the fire was extinguished, Lu Bing conveniently took Lu Ying and Wang Da Xia away.

“Dong Lou, it’s already late, I won’t bother you, tomorrow I’ll send you a feast to calm your nerves.”

Yan Shi Bo was calculating, since he had been completely defeated, his failure due to these youngsters, he couldn’t criticise Lu Ying so he called out Wang Da Xia, “Hey, didn’t you say you want to give up your wrong way of life and turn to a better one with me? Why are you going with Dong Hu?”

The dangerous look in Yan Shi Bo’s eyes made Wang Da Xia shiver, Wang Da Xia looked like he had seen a person eating monster, even ghosts weren’t as terrifying as Yan Shi Bo, how does he dare continue to pretend to be a traitor?

He pushed the blame onto Lu Ying, saying: “I have always been respectful of assistant minister Yan, what happened tonight was all because I was forced by leader Lu, I had no choice, it’s hard for me to find a job, taking an official’s salary, I had to listen to orders right? I’m just a nobody, not worth mentioning, assistant minister Yan has many capable people at your side, with or without me it makes no difference, it’s best for me to just work for the embroidered uniform guards.”

Wang Da Xia didn’t dare to an enemy of Yan Shi Bo, if he sets his eyes on him, his entire family would be ruined!

Yan Shi Bo could do nothing about Lu Ying, but he couldn’t handle Wang Da Xia?

“I am missing such a talent like you.” Yan Shi Bo asked Lu Bing, “Would Dong Hu be willing to part with him?” Having said this he pointed at the fake mask Wu who had shaved his head pretending to be a monk, “I’ll swap him for Wang Da Xia.”

He was the one who tempted masked Wu and killed him, pretended to be.

Yan Shi Bo meant, one life for another. Vengeance for masked Wu in exchange for Wang Da Xia.

Wang Da Xia trembled out of fear, he quickly hid behind Lu Ying.

Lu Ying shook her head at her father, saying quietly: “Wang Da Xia is my subordinate while alive and my ghost when dead.”

Lu Bing said: “No deal, everyone will return to their own home. Even though he’s useless, I’m already used to it.”

The insulted Wang Da Xia nodded his head frantically.

It was the first time he felt being called useless was a wonderful praise, it was better to be useless!

“That…” Yan Shi Bo pointed at Wei Cai Wei who had set the courtyard on fire, “What about her? A swap?”

Before Lu Bing replied, Wang Da Xia leapt out from behind Lu Ying, protecting Wei Cai Wei behind him, he said: “I heard assistant minister Yan’s home is filled with beauties, each outstandingly beautiful, doctor Wei is just an average looking woman, besides she’s a widow, a misfortune for her husband, bad luck to whoever she comes across, assistant minister Yan needs to take care.”

An average looking woman, misfortune for her husband, bad luck…hearing this Wei Cai Wei wanted to castrate him.

Lu Bing said: “Dong Lou, don’t drag the youngsters into our business, they don’t know anything, they do whatever I tell them to do.”

Yan Shi Bo couldn’t hold back his anger, he pointed at the self-rain pavilion, “Dong Hu could I have a private word with you?”

Lu Bing dismounted his horse, he said: “Dong Lou is asking of course I won’t refuse.”

The two entered the self-rain pavilion, the rain pitter pattered, covering up their conversation.

Yan Shi Bo said: “I don’t understand, Ding Ru Kui was someone you personally decided to frame and sent him to prison, why do you bribe the eunuchs in the palace each year to put his case at the bottom?”

The two speaking openly about it made Lu Bing become aware there was a flaw in the palace, no one had betrayed him.

Since Yan Shi Bo knew even this secret, there was no longer a need to hide it, Lu Bing said: “Ding Ru Kui took the fall for Dong Lou’s father old minister Yan and was sentenced to death before being imprisoned. Dong Lou, there must be some leeway, considering he took the fall for old minister Yan, give him his life.”

Yan Shi Bo only thought it was funny, “You want to be the good person and leave everything bad to me. If I let Ding Ru Kui go and he ends up being released from prison, returning in a swirl of dust, he would let us father and son go? Don’t be delusional, our Yan family has been supporting the courts for over thirty years because I don’t put my hope in others sympathy.”

What Yan Shi Bo said, after emperor Jiajing ascended the throne from emperor Zheng De, as the younger cousin succeeding the title, his position wasn’t stable, in order to strengthen his reign, emperor Jiajing would often use the reason of “striving for a better country” to build a big prison, capturing scholar officials who had different political views. 

Lu Bing however secretly saved a lot of them, being known as “someone who never framed anyone and was a friend of the scholar officials”.

Lu Bing didn’t want to take things too far, he would always leave some leeway.

He also treated Ding Ru Kui like this, personally arresting him, after his death sentence, he stil protected him secretly, he was also treated with respect in prison.

“Dong Lou, why are you so obstinate in persisting in going about things the wrong way.” Lu BIng shook his head repeatedly, “What’s thirty years or so? I’m going to ask you, in all the dynasties, when has there been a powerful official or party which can stay in power their entire lifetime without falling? We both have lived to this point, what riches and glory have we not experienced? We’re fifty odd years old, we’ve had our fair share, do we care about dying tomorrow, death is just death, but—”

Lu Bing pointed at Lu Ying through the water curtain, “What will happen to the children? If you don’t leave an escape route for yourself, you should at least leave one for the children?”

Yan Shi Bo said: “How have I not? I’ve already planned everything for them. My eldest daughter has married Yanshenggong, Kong Shang Xian, she’s the proper lady Yanshenggong, if our Yan family is exterminated and our possessions confiscated, she’ll still be the lady Yanshenggong, if she gives birth to a son, our Yan family blood will run in the Kong family. Her younger brother married your second daughter, he’s your son-in-law, you would neglect this son-in-law?”

“My eldest son married the daughter madam Xu of Dingguogonfu, the first Dignguogonfu was the younger brother of empress Renxiaoxu, the main supporter of the Zhuming imperial court was the descendant of empress Xu, even if the Yan family falls in the future, my eldest son can continue to live with the support of his father-in-law…”

Speaking of his children’s marriages, Yan Shi Bo was rather proud of himself, “I’m not boasting, Dong Hu, I arranged my children’s marriages, I did better than your arrangement for your three daughters, I’ve already got a backup plan for them.”

At this moment it was indeed true that Lu Bing’s daughters' marriages weren’t as impressive as Yan Shi Bo’s.

Lu Bing’s eldest daughter held the highest position, she was the wife of duke Cheng’s heir, his second daughter was married to Yan Shi Bo’s second son Yan Shao Ting, his third daughter was married to the son of cabinet minister Xu Jie, Lu Bing’s two sons Lu Yi and Lu Cai were still young, they were not of marriageable age.

Lu Bing said: “Dong Lou, look further into the future, didn’t you just say you don’t place hope on others mercy? The sentiments you leave behind, aren’t for you but for your children. You are however putting all your hope on the conscience of your relatives by marriage? Aren’t you relying on the mercy of others?”

Yan Shi Bo didn’t believe him, “What? You wouldn’t care about your second son-in-law?”

Lu Bing said: “Of course our Lu family will take care of our son-in-law, but others, I wouldn’t dare believe in. For example, the Yanshenggong Kong family you think is the most reliable, you think everything will be fine by marrying your eldest daughter into the family? Do you think the Kong family doesn’t have much dirty dealings? Yanshenggong goes whichever way the wind blows, when the Mongols attacked Song, the Kong family immediately surrendered and kept their position as Yanshenggong. After the end of the Mongol dynasty, the Kong family promptly surrendered and paid allegiance to the great Ming dynasty, and are still Yanshenggong.”

“How are such opportunists reliable? If the Yan family does really fall in the future, Kong Shang Xian will of course still be Yanshenggong, whether your eldest daughter will still be lady Yangshenggong isn’t certain.”

“Impossible!” Yan Shi Bo hit his fist on the table, “The previous Yanshenggong, Kong Zhen Gan, is a noble character who keeps his promises. When Kong Zhen Gan proposed marriage with marquis Jiancheng, Zhang Yan Ling’s daughter, when the Zhang family fell, Zhang Yan Ling was imprisoned for thirteen years, he was taken to the west market to be beheaded, Kong Zhen Gan still kept the engagement and married young lady Zhang as his wife, giving birth to the current Yanshenggong Kong Shang Xian, with such a father who keeps his word, his son definitely wouldn’t be different, how could he divorce his wife and marry another just because his wife’s family has fallen?”

Marquis Jiancheng, Zhang Yan Ling was the uncle of emperor Zhengde, grand empress dowager Zhang’s younger brother.

Emperor Jiajing only became the current emperor because emperor Zhengde had no sons, after he ascended the throne, whether it was the grand empress dowager Zhang or marquis Jiancheng they all tired to control emperor Jiajing, wanting him to listen to the Zhang family and become the Zhang family’s puppet, but how could emperor Jiajing be someone that’s easily manipulated?

Marquis Jiancheng, Zhang Yan Ling was exactly a person filled with evil, his cruelty and greediness wasn’t much different from how the current Yan Shi Bo was, after emperor Jiajing was stable in his throne, he asked his wetnurse brother Lu Bing to find evidence of marquis Jiancheng’s evildoings, seize his title and throw his supporters into prison— of course, Lu Bing looked after Zhang Yan Ling very well, he didn’t let him die.

Until grand dowager empress Zhang’s death, emperor Jiajing had no other concerns, he ordered Zhang Yan Ling to be beheaded at the west market.

Young lady Zhang and Yanshenggong’s engagement was made when the Zhang family was flourishing, when Zhang Yan Ling was beheaded everyone thought Kong Zhen Gan would find an excuse to break off the engagement, but Kong Zhen Gan still married young lady Zhang as agreed, it instantly became a legend.

As the wetnurse brother of emperor Jiajing, Lu Bing personally saw the Zhang family from being arrogant and domineering, even after the heat was turn up on them, they still didn’t think anything of emperor Jiajing up to when their family fell, their title removed and possessions confiscated, thrown into prison and beheaded publicly.

Having seen the loftiness of the Zhang family and their fall, Lu Bing saw through fame and wealth, he was well aware of the dangers, working hard to protect the officials in the prison in order to gain good karma to give his children a way out in the future.

Admittedly the Yan family was immense, towering over for thirty odd years without tumbling.

However the Zhang family then had lived through the 2 reigns of emperor Hongzhi and Zhengde, they didn’t fall over forty years– because emperor Hongzhi didn’t have any concubines, he spent his entire life with madam Zhang alone, they only had one son emperor Zhengde, the Zhang family were relatives which crossed two dynasties, their family was much more well off than the Yan family.

Hearing Yan Shi Bo be so certain about this Yanshanggong, Lu Bing shook his head repeatedly, “Good bamboos also have bad shoots. Currently Dong Lou still has influence so of course Yanshanggong would respect you, he even gave you the goldfish pond courtyard to live in. One may know a person for a long time without understanding his true nature, you would rather put your hopes on Yangshanggong’s moral quality rather than build up your own friendships for your children in the future. Let go, you’re already this old, how do you know good times don’t last forever.”

Lu Bing continued: “Just now Dong Lou mentioned Kong Zhen Gan’s marriage to madam Zhang becoming a legend, why? It’s because it’s rare to see a man who doesn’t throw away a fallen family that’s why it became a legend. If most people were like this, it would be so common how could it become a legend? Most people in this world are self-interested, someone’s moral quality is a thing you should never gamble on, Dong Lou shouldn’t believe in Yanshanggong too much.”

Yan Shi Bo was a treacherous official who plotted against the good, a genius highly regarded by the emperor, the son of assistant chancellor Yan Song.

However he had another identity, a father.

As a father, he no doubts did very well, his sons were educated and worthy of respect, they married daughters of prestigious families; he had also arranged for his only daughter to be in the best family as the madam of Yanshenggong.

Yan Shi Bo gave the best to his children, but his relatives by marriage Lu Bing bluntly told him `don’t trust your relatives by marriage too much, rely on yourself rather than others`.

Yan Shi Bo was trapped in the profound contradiction.

Lu Bing saw he seemed to be listening, he said: “You are an extremely clever person, what I said just now comes from the bottom of my heart as a relative by marriage, I absolutely haven’t lied, think about it properly. When it’s time to let go, let go, don’t take everything to the extreme, think of doing it for your daughter.”