eurekapd Chapter 105 I Can't See Through Her
Chapter 105 I Can't See Through Her
“My sister has changed a lot. She never used to say these things.” Zhou Qianqian shivered, and her gaze toward Shen Li was probing.
Upon hearing this, Shen Li blushed slightly and lowered her voice: "It's only because I've been getting closer to my husband lately that I've started to think about this."
Forsythia and peony tried to appear calm, but in their hearts they just wanted to sigh. Was the young lady overacting? She didn't seem shy at all when they were close.
"Oh, oh, it's good that you have a good relationship." Zhou Qianqian was a little flustered and couldn't ask any more questions.
Although she is open-minded in private, her upbringing instilled in her a deep-seated taboo about matters of the bedroom, and she really doesn't know how to talk about them in front of others.
Shen Li didn't care that much. She had been to prison, and when she couldn't sleep at night, her sisters would talk about these things.
Sometimes when they ran out of stories in their own cells, they would listen to what the neighbors were saying. You could say it was all thanks to Zhou Qianqian; if it weren't for her suggestion, they wouldn't have ended up in such a chaotic place.
Li Heng was not in the Eastern Palace. With the war in the northern border in full swing, he and Prince Yi were helping with some government affairs in the front court. Shen Li was happy to avoid socializing, so she ate her meal, took her gifts, and left the palace.
After she left, Zhou Qianqian looked somewhat bewildered.
"Consort, is something on your mind?" a palace maid asked.
“I always felt something was off about her. Although I’ve only met her a few times recently and couldn’t see any flaws, my intuition tells me that she doesn’t seem to be Shen Li anymore.”
"This servant does not understand, what do you mean?"
Zhou Qianqian shook her head again: "It's not quite right to say she's not Shen Li. Every move she makes is still Shen Li, but it's just different."
"Do you suspect that she is disloyal to the Crown Prince?" The palace maid tried to help her sort out her thoughts.
"To be honest, I can't see through her anymore." Zhou Qianqian looked towards the door, her eyes filled with reminiscence. "I used to know she was smarter than me, but her weaknesses were obvious and easy to manipulate. Now..."
She discovered that Shen Li seemed to have no weaknesses, only an extraordinary calmness and rationality.
"Should we tell the Crown Prince to be wary of her?"
“What evidence do I have? Besides, she might not necessarily be disloyal to the Crown Prince. All I can do is inform Father, use them, but also be wary of them.” Zhou Qianqian trusted her father’s judgment more.
All she could do was to keep an eye on them, weaken their abilities, and then cultivate more easily controlled people to continue working for her.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Upon returning, Shen Li instructed Lian Qiao to inform the steward that the number of cotton-padded clothes needed was greater than anticipated, requiring an additional several thousand taels of silver.
"I'm afraid we won't be able to find that many embroiderers in a short time," Lian Qiao said with difficulty. "Other families have hired people to do the work, and the embroiderers have already gone to various households to work."
"Can we find one at a higher price?" Peony asked. She knew that her mistress was not short of money, and the key was that she could make it without disobeying the imperial decree.
"I'm afraid it won't be easy. The embroiderers promised their masters that they wouldn't offend the officials just because we pay them more money."
"Then let's not find embroiderers. Let the farm women on our estate in the suburbs of Beijing do it. It doesn't matter if the workmanship is exquisite or not, as long as it's sturdy." Shen Li had already come up with a solution while she was in the palace.
“That’s right, how come I didn’t think of that? What woman doesn’t know how to sew? It’s more than enough,” Lian Qiao clapped her hands and said.
Upon hearing this, Shen Li could only manage a dignified smile, though the smile seemed forced.
Lian Qiao then remembered that her young mistress didn't know how to do this. Madam had thought of teaching her, but after only two days, the mother and daughter had pricked their hands several times, and when the master saw this, he forbade them to learn anymore.
"Don't follow my number exactly, just make as many as you can, and make sure they're twice as thick as a regular cotton coat." Shen Li thought for a moment and then added, "Make sure the farm women are paid their due wages, so they can all have a good New Year."
"Yes." Lian Qiao accepted the order and left.
"It's almost the New Year, and we need to prepare gifts for everyone. We can't be careless about etiquette anywhere." Shen Li rested her chin on her hand, looking at the notebook in front of her with a reluctant expression.
She was clever and confident from a young age, and quite adept at socializing; however, being adept at it didn't mean she enjoyed it.
Sending New Year's greetings everywhere seems less appealing than staying home to enjoy the snow and tea, chatting with my mother and sister around the charcoal fire, and writing and reading with Gu Chang'an.
So she sat there from noon until dinner time without writing a single word. After dinner, she returned to her bed and became engrossed in reading a travelogue, so engrossed that she didn't even hear Gu Chang'an come in.
Gu Chang'an glanced at the book, then looked at the blank gift list laid out on the table and understood the gist of it, feeling a little guilty.
He should take Ah Li around, otherwise where can a girl like her go?
"Husband." Shen Li felt a faint scent of pine waft past her nose and immediately looked up, only to see Gu Chang'an standing tall and straight beside her.
“Ah Li, how about we wait until the war stabilizes a bit, then I’ll submit a memorial requesting a transfer to a local post,” Gu Chang’an said solemnly after a few moments of careful consideration.
"A local official?" Shen Li was puzzled. "Where could you possibly be placed, Lord Gu?"
Gu Chang'an's abilities are outstanding even in Kyoto, and he has ambitions to reform the tax system and revitalize the country. Why is he suddenly being transferred?
“A place away from the strife in Kyoto, and with less official business,” Gu Chang’an said earnestly. “If possible, where would A-Li like to settle down?”
If he weren't so busy, he would have plenty of time to spend with Ah Li and take better care of her, unlike now where he only gets to see her for a short time each day.
"I don't want to settle down anywhere." Seeing his seriousness, Shen Li immediately put down her book, her expression darkening. "Is someone making you unhappy, my husband?"
Her first thought was of the power struggles in officialdom. Although Gu Chang'an was exceptionally capable, he was ultimately alone and helpless. The Crown Prince, whom he nominally helped, only ever made him do things and never offered any real assistance; he was practically a useless piece of trash.
"No, it's just that I think you should go out for a walk," Gu Chang'an quickly explained when he saw her expression was off.
"Me?" Shen Li glanced at the book in her hand, then suddenly realized, "Just because of this? You want to become a local official?"
From officials in the capital to those in local areas, even those of the same rank (third grade) could have vastly different levels of power.
Given Gu Chang'an's career trajectory, everyone knows that becoming a Minister and then entering the Grand Secretariat is an inevitable path, a path that would grant him immense power.
He endured countless hardships to get to where he is today. Even his father said he had great ambitions and would become a capable minister who could govern the world. How could he give up just because she casually read a couple of books?
“I’ve thought about it seriously. Kyoto is too complicated, and I imagine you wouldn’t want to deal with it.” Gu Chang’an squatted down in front of her and looked at her earnestly: “A-Li, what do you think?”
Shen Li glanced at the gift list on the table again and finally understood. She felt helpless and heartbroken at the same time: "What can I say? I do want to go out for a while, but there's no rush. Besides, don't you want to reform anymore?"
“Those things are not as important as you,” Gu Chang’an said without hesitation.
His colleagues and the common people always regarded him as a cruel official. Even after he entered the Ministry of Revenue, they still called him a treacherous minister and a sycophant, but he never felt wronged.
Even though he devoted himself to official duties every day, he knew that he was not a loyal minister and could not disregard everything for the sake of the court and the people.
If he were to weigh the imperial court and Shen Li on a scale, he would undoubtedly lean towards Shen Li.
Even his lifelong ambitions had to give way to Ah Li.