Insufficient balance

  The next day, due to the crown prince's illness, he didn't have to enter the palace, so Yang Ling was able to sleep in and only woke up at 2 o'clock. The warm sunlight of a clear spring day shone through the window paper and onto his bed, soft and bright.

  The little girl was nestled in his arms like a kitten, sleeping sweetly. Her head of black hair covered half of her delicate face, and the beautiful and exquisite facial features presented an enchanting arc line with long eyelashes that had a slight subtle movement in stillness.

  Her delicate and fair face was very pleasant to look at, although the corners of her eyes and eyebrows still exuded a kind of innocence and purity, she already had a taste of being a young woman. Yang Ling looked lovingly at the little girl in his arms, gently curled up his arm to support his head, not daring to make too much movement, afraid of waking her up.

  Yesterday, she had already told her that she didn't need to get up early today to enter the palace. At this time, seeing her still sleeping soundly, Yang Ling suddenly realized that for these few days, he himself had been getting up early and entering the palace, feeling unbearably bitter. However, every day it was she who woke him up, and each time he got out of bed, his meals were already prepared. She not only got up early but also worried about these things in her sleep, so she couldn't have slept soundly either, and her body must be even more tired.

  Although tired, the young woman woke up after a while. She opened her eyes and saw that her husband was already awake. She stuck out her tongue in embarrassment and said: "Oh dear, Master is already awake? I'm so sorry, I overslept."

  Yang Ling saw her scrambling to get up, so he reached out and pressed down on her shoulder, smiling and saying: "For the past two days, you've been getting up too early, and at night... cleaning up and going to bed too late. Anyway, I don't have to go that early today, so take a break for a while."

  The young girl's face flushed with a subtle red glow as she listened to him talk about romantic matters, and she glanced at him with a mixture of shyness and delight. She nodded in agreement and snuggled into his arms, coquettishly saying: "Hmm! I don't know what's wrong with me these past two days, especially today when my bones feel all soft and sore, I just don't want to move at all. Back in my parents' home, I used to practice martial arts every morning, but now I'm getting lazier and lazier."

  Yang Ling heard her say that she was feeling weak and lazy, so he hastily asked: "What's wrong? Did you catch a cold?" As he spoke, he reached out to feel her forehead. Her forehead was slightly damp but cool to the touch, not feverish at all.

  The young lady had always been robust and rarely fell ill since childhood, so she didn't take it to heart. She thought that her husband had just overexerted himself these past two days, but this matter was too embarrassing to mention. So she smiled softly and said: "It's nothing, I've practiced martial arts since I was a child, my body is sturdy, if I really catch a cold, I'll just go see the doctor and take some medicine."

  Yang Ling touched her forehead and found that she wasn't feverish, so he put his mind at ease. Seeing her languid and charming appearance, full of the beauty of a new bride, he felt a strong desire rising up, unlike the innocent and childlike beauty of before. He pulled her closer and smiled slyly: "Come, let husband help young wife massage away her fatigue."

  His hand in the quilt irregularly reached into Nian's small clothes, secretly feeling his way to her warm and delicate chest, gently caressing it. Han Nian gave him a quiet glance, a drunk-like red flush rising on her face.

  The young woman remained silent, her face flushed as Yang Ling caressed her in his arms. She felt a growing sense of unease and discomfort, but a inexplicable fatigue made her not want to move. She let out a soft sigh and scolded him, "Husband, stop it. Didn't you say you still had to go to the palace? Hurry up and get dressed, I'll go make food for you."

  Yang Ling saw her shyness and couldn't bear to urge her, so he lightly kissed her cheek and chuckled: "You're tired, just rest, husband will eat something on the road later."

  The young woman reluctantly got up, dressing while asking: "Husband, why did Liu Biao invite you to go to the Northern Pacification Office yesterday? Aren't you currently serving by the Crown Prince's side?"

  Yang Ling took advantage of her standing up and patted a note on her plump buttocks, smiling: "But wearing the official rank of Jin Yiwei, you have to be assigned to do some errands. Zhang Dudu is afraid that I will handle official business without blemish, so he temporarily gave me a more leisurely errand, specifically responsible for handling the documents presented by the Nan Town Fu Si to the capital."

  The young girl quickly braided her hair, softly said "oh" and asked with a tilted face: "Husband, what is the Nan Town Fu Si in charge of?"

  Yang Lingdao said: "The Nan Town Fu Si is in charge of the military and judicial affairs, as well as the craftsmen's work. The judicial affairs refer to sentencing people, while the craftsmen are responsible for manufacturing helmets, armor, firearms, rockets, warships, and war chariots, all of which fall under the jurisdiction of the Nan Town Fu Si."

  What Yang Ling said is that the Wei Zhong Xing Ming, which is only responsible for sentencing criminals within the Jin Yiwei, ordinary officials and generals who commit crimes are still under the jurisdiction of the San Fa Si, so the scope of responsibility of the Nan Zhen Fu Si is a bit like a small-scale military court. As for the management of military craftsmen, if placed in modern times, it would be an important department, but in that era, managing these technical workers was not considered a remarkable thing.

  The young girl naturally didn't understand these things. After Yang Ling finished his breakfast, he instructed the young girl that if she wasn't feeling well, she should rest on the kang (heated bed). He himself carried a package he had prepared earlier and slowly made his way to the rear gate of the capital city.

  It's still early, but some shops around here have already opened for business. At that time, the social status of businessmen was still very low, but the huge profits from doing business were also eye-catching, so some hereditary meritorious officials sent their housekeepers to open shops in the name of the housekeeper near the back root of the imperial city, and actually invested, operated, and profited entirely in their hands, spontaneously forming a market for selling mid-to-high-end goods.

  Yang Ling ordered a pot of tea and a plate of melon seeds at a nearby teahouse close to the back palace gate, drinking while waiting. After waiting for about half an hour, he saw the palace gate open, and twenty or so eunuchs rushed out with several water carts.

  The eunuchs often went to Yuquan Mountain to fetch the best spring water for the emperor and his concubines, although they usually set out before dawn, it was also common for them to come out at this time, so the bustling tourists and merchants didn't mind.

  Yang Ling looked carefully and saw that among those people, there were several eunuchs who slightly lowered their heads to look around. One young eunuch stood beside the high wheel of the water cart, with a pair of sly eyes looking around. Yang Ling recognized this person as Zhu Houzhao at a glance, and hastily went forward to greet him.

  Zhu Houzhao, dressed in a small eunuch's clothes, was looking around, when Yang Ling came up and grabbed his sleeve, saying in a low voice: "Crown Prince". Zhu Houzhao was startled, looked up to see it was him, and couldn't help but smile. Yang Ling hastily gestured for him to be quiet, while Liu Jin, standing beside Zhu Houzhao, smiled slightly at Yang Ling.

  Yang Ling followed them with his bundle and walked for a while, arriving at a furniture store. This store transported the best wood from all over the country, hired many skilled carpenters, and could meet the requirements of officials and nobles to make different styles of furniture on site. Therefore, next to the shop was a passageway, which led to their own woodworking factory.

  Yang Ling pulled Zhu Houzhao, and Zhu Houzhao understood. Taking advantage of no one's attention, he followed Yang Ling over. Yang Ling quickly took two steps, looked around to make sure it was quiet and deserted, then stopped in his tracks. Turning around just as he was about to speak, he caught sight of the people following behind Zhu Houzhao, and his eyes widened in shock: "How...how...have all the officials come?"

  Yesterday, it was agreed that Liu Jin and Zhang Yong would accompany Zhu Houzhao to take advantage of the opportunity to sneak out while fetching water from the well, while Gu Dazhong and Ma Yongcheng would create a diversion in the East Palace, and Gao Feng, Luo Xiang, Wei Bin, and Qiu Ju would also be involved.

  Because these eight tigers are not all old men, some are still young eunuchs in their 20s. If they all followed out, it would be too conspicuous and also feared that Zhu Houzhao would cause trouble with them. Zhang Yong and Liu Jin, one mature and steady, the other with a deep mind, having them follow out to take care of things is more stable. Unexpectedly, at this time, not one of the eight people stayed behind, they all followed out of the palace.

  Wei Bin saw Yang Ling and was surprised, and laughed: "Mr. Yang doesn't have to worry, the Emperor just came to see the Crown Prince last night, and today there is an urgent military report entering the palace, the Emperor is discussing with the three Grand Scholars and the Ministers of War and Works, and later he will also go to inspect the Spring Examination Hall with the people from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue, it's nothing."

  Yang Ling sighed, he understood that these people were reluctant to miss the opportunity to curry favor with the prince. Yang Ling had no choice but to say: "The several officials are also right, it's just... this official didn't know about it beforehand, so I only prepared three sets of clothes..."

  "Never mind, we've all brought our own clothes," said Qiu Ju hurriedly. He looked around and saw that there were only occasional passersby at the crossroads, who didn't pay much attention to what was going on inside. He quickly took off his eunuch's robe, removed his hat, and put on a set of ordinary scholar's clothing, with a bookish scarf on his head. The change was swift. As he was originally a eunuch, lacking in masculinity, wearing these clothes made him look like a lazy scholar, although his skin was a bit darker.

  Zhu Houzhao, Liu Jin and Zhang Yong were not so particular about their clothes because Yang Ling had prepared them well. The other few people changed into their attire to cover for the three of them in front. The three also hastily changed into their robes, and the ten people all wore the same style of scholar's attire. Fortunately, it was just during the spring examination period, when scholars from all over the country gathered in the capital, and the whole city of Beijing was filled with scholars, so they wouldn't arouse suspicion.

  Yang Ling asked: "Crown Prince, are we going to the Ministry of War now?"

  Zhu Houzhao left the palace, like a bird out of its cage. In the past, when he went out of the palace, it was usually his father who took him to some remote scenic spots under the protection of many guards. It was rare for him to come out on his own today, and he looked around with wide eyes like a country bumpkin in the city. If they were to go to the Ministry of War now and make a scene, it would be impossible to go anywhere else to play afterwards. He wouldn't agree to that now, so he hastily waved his hand and said, "Not yet, not yet, let's take a stroll around first."

  Yang Ling had no choice but to accompany him in strolling around the market, Zhu Houzhao saw many things on sale that he couldn't see in the palace and was very fond of them. This little guy is also clever, seeing others haggling over prices, talking nonsense, and not knowing what to do, for a moment, he itched with annoyance, seeing something he liked, he couldn't help but ask the price, then learned to haggle with people.

  Although he didn't understand the price, Hu Ba and others were familiar with it. With their help, Zhu Houzhao wouldn't be taken advantage of as a fool. However, once the price was agreed upon, they had to buy it. Most of the eunuchs were still struggling financially, except for Ma Yongcheng, who was in charge of daily purchases in the palace. Although he wasn't the main eunuch in charge, he had enough silver to spend. To please the crown prince, as long as Zhu Houzhao agreed on a price, Ma would immediately buy it.

  A few people strolled around the market in the Imperial City for less than an hour, with eight eunuchs following Yang Ling. Everyone had something on their shoulders or backs, even Zhu Houzhao himself had a silk scroll slung over his shoulder, two packages of tea leaves in his right hand, three strands of pearls hanging from his neck, and a large ceramic plate with a beautiful shape and embedded lotus flowers and goldfish in his left hand, looking utterly ridiculous.

  Those merchants, although of humble status, were all sent by wealthy families to manage affairs and had seen some worldly experience. Looking at these people with the demeanor of a nouveau riche, they thought they were rural landlords who had made their fortune, and even if they did make money from them, they couldn't help but show some disdain on their faces.

  Zhu Houzhao was having a great time, and as for their faces, he couldn't be bothered to care. After wandering around the market until he was fed up, he felt that the things he had just bought were too cumbersome, and when he turned his head, Liu Jin and several others, including Yang Ling, looked even more disheveled than him, Zhu Houzhao burst out laughing with great relish.

  He thought that these eight people were all serving in the palace, and there were no relatives in Beijing, so he said to Yang Ling: "Today's play is really fun, I originally wanted to go out again, but it's too inconvenient to carry these things. You're new to Beijing, aren't you? Let's consider these things as our gifts to you. Let's go get a carriage on the street, send the things to your home, and then continue strolling."

  Yang Ling was delighted to hear this, and unexpectedly gained some extra wealth from accompanying the prince on his outing. Zhu Houzhao bought things based solely on personal preference, without asking about prices, so these items were varied and expensive, with some worth only over 20 coins, while others were worth over 300 taels of silver. The total value of all these items carried by several people was likely to be over a thousand taels, including rouge, powder puffs, and other such things that he could take back home and save time for his wife to go shopping.

  He was delighted in his heart, but still had to be polite and modestly declined: "Your Highness, this is not proper, these are all things you like, even if you want to bestow them on me, the eight attendants should also have a share each."

  Zhu Houzhao laughed and scolded: "Stop pretending to be innocent, they eat from the palace, take things from the palace, don't even have a home of their own. What use would these things be to them? Hurry up and hire a cart!"

  Zhang Yong also made a bitter face and said: "Mr. Yang, don't decline anymore, my body can't take it anymore, ah, this vat was not so heavy just now, but now it's almost slipping out of my hands".

  Next to Luo Xiang, Wei Bin, and Qiu Ju, several people nodded in agreement. Although they were all servants who listened to orders, they hadn't done much physical labor before. After carrying these things for half a day, they were both tired and exhausted. They didn't dare throw away the things the prince had bought casually, now they just hoped to get rid of these things quickly, as for who would take them, it didn't matter.

  Yang Ling and Zhu Hou walked shoulder to shoulder, squeezing through the crowd onto the street. Due to the large number of people, these eunuchs were afraid that Zhengde would lose his way, so they habitually followed him in front and behind, their waists slightly arched, looking as if they were attending a noble young master on an outing.

  But they were dressed in a bookish style, which made them look a bit strange when seen. The group of people unknowingly formed two columns and carried some miscellaneous things to Yang Ling's house to burn the bottom of the pot.