Miss Jun has already remembered, she did see this piece of money.
When she was very young, she rummaged through her father's study and found a piece of money. Because she often heard the palace maids talking about cutting silver spent, she took scissors and planned to try.
Her father found out and stopped her.
However, her father did not make a fuss about her playing with scissors like her sister and the palace maid matrons.
"This money can't be cut." He simply said gently.
Money is still money even if cut, why can't it be cut?
"Because this is money from the third year of Taiyan." Her father said with a bit of solemnity, "gongzhu, you must remember, this is money from the third year of Taiyan."
What happened in the third year of Taiyan?
"That was a shame." Her father said in a deep voice, looking at the silver ingot in his hand, "this money was specially made to redeem your great-grandfather."
To her at a young age, she didn't know who her great-grandfather was or where he was. What does redeem mean?
"Your great-grandfather was captured by the Jurchen people." Her father said.
It was very surprising to her because the imperial palace was so big, she couldn't even leave the harem, yet someone was able to capture her great-grandfather?
Her father was amused by her words, laughing yet full of sadness.
"Your great-grandfather wasn't captured here; he was at the frontline fighting." He stopped here again, "Even if not on the frontline, when the country breaks, what can high walls and deep houses stop? Not only your great-grandfather was captured, but many palace staff were also captured, and one of your great uncles."
Were there so many people in the palace originally? The palace she usually saw only had their family and the imperial grandfather's family, oh, and a few uncles who visited last year. They live in different places and cannot often come to the capital.
Later, her father said something more, but to the young her, it was very dull, she didn't understand and couldn't remember. What remained in her memories was her father's sad and angry expression.
"Gongzhu, you must remember, the third year of Taiyan was a disgrace, must remember firmly, never allow such disgrace, ensure the nation is strong and militarily robust."
In her memory, her father's voice was long, and the study was covered with the autumn's withered yellow; the silver, poked with scissors by her, was placed on the desk, emitting a dull glow.
"At that time, gold and silver cloth were handed over to the Jurchen people, but they turned against the agreement, claiming the Zhou People were untrustworthy, refusing to return Emperor Renxiao, who died of shock and illness in the city of the Jurchen people." Zhu Zan said slowly, breaking the suffocating silence in the room, "Everyone cursed the Jurchen as shameless and dishonest. It turns out..."
His voice stopped here, and the room fell into silence again, but Miss Jun knew what he meant to say.
It turns out the Jurchen's curse was right; the promised money wasn't handed over to the Jurchen but went to Shandong, into the Fang Family's hands, turning into a transaction resulting in more money.
And all this deceived the people under the heavens, Emperor Renxiao couldn't be redeemed, was killed by the Jurchen; the Chu Family Imperial Family endured the pain of losing relatives and disgrace, while also enjoying the sympathy of the nation.
Disgraceful.
Miss Jun's hands almost clawed at her face, she had no face to see people, her body trembling.
Who did this? Was it Prince Qi? Was it the imperial grandfather? Did her father know?
Why do this?
"I can't figure it out, I can't figure it out." Her voice murmured like sobbing.
Zhu Zan looked at her.
"You really can't figure it out?" He said, voice low but without a hint of hesitation, "I heard that Emperor Renxiao liked Prince Su the most back then."
Miss Jun buried her head even deeper.
She was no longer the young child; as she grew older, she knew who her great-grandfather was, knew many names of royal relatives she hadn't seen in the imperial palace.
Prince Su was the eighth son of her great-grandfather, her grandfather's eighth brother, although titled prince, he didn't go out, always stayed in the imperial palace, claimed due to young age, but actually showed favored affection, but precisely because of this, when the Jurchen breached the city and invaded the palace, he was also captured.
Emperor Renxiao died, the peace talks broke down, two nations went to war, Prince Su and other palace staff naturally couldn't care, he died of illness shortly after.
Yes, she was not a child anymore, she understood what Zhu Zan's words meant by saying Emperor Renxiao liked Prince Su.
If Emperor Renxiao was there, the succession of the throne as emperor wouldn't necessarily be her grandfather.
Her grandfather became emperor because a country can't go without a ruler for a day, but it also can't have two rulers, so what if Emperor Renxiao returned, what about her grandfather then? Return the throne to Emperor Renxiao? After returning, would Emperor Renxiao choose her grandfather as the next emperor?
So...
She was not unwilling to understand; she was afraid to think, being forced to think by Zhu Zan's words, cold, the touch felt to the quilt, simply reaching out to wrap it around herself.
True cold, so cold.
Zhu Zan was simply sitting on the bed wearing only inner pants, glaring.
"Though it sounds scary." He said in a low voice, "there are no father-son brothers in the imperial family..."
Miss Jun suddenly opened the quilt and exposed her head.
"Then father also isn't someone to be pitied, it doesn't matter if he was harmed." She said, "Prince Qi usurping the throne also isn't wrong, this throne was originally taken forcefully, all are bad people, all are robbers, all are murderers, worse than beasts."
"You're being unreasonable." Zhu Zan said in a deep voice, "When your mind isn't clear, don't think about things."
"My mind is very clear." Miss Jun shouted.
"Clear, my foot." Zhu Zan replied unceremoniously.
Damn! Miss Jun glared at him.
"If you were clear-minded, you should realize your imperial grandfather, your father, Prince Qi, they are different people, what they do only represents themselves." Zhu Zan said, "You can't think your father's death was deserved because they made mistakes."
"I didn't say father's death was deserved." Miss Jun said, bowing her head.
She only did not know if father knew about this.
"Whether your father knew or not is separate from his being harmed." Zhu Zan said, pondering for a moment, "You need to understand what you have to do now, avenge your father, as for the previous throne succession and its private intrigue, it's not something you can interfere with or manage."
Miss Jun wrapped in the quilt, she understood the reasoning, just...
"Zhu Zan." She looked at the man sitting cross-legged before her, "Do you think it's disgusting?"
Zhu Zan chuckled.
"There're plenty of disgusting things under the heavens." He said, "I can't be disgusted by them all, nor do I have time to be."
Miss Jun looked at him and smiled, though this smile looked no better than crying.
"You shouldn't think now, you're too agitated now, too muddled." Zhu Zan frowned and said.
Miss Jun nodded.
"I won't think anymore." She said, "I'm tired; I'll sleep first."
Having said that, she flopped onto the bed, pulling the quilt over to cover her head.
Zhu Zan almost got pushed off, looking at Miss Jun who wrapped herself up in a bundle in surprise.
"This is my bed." He said.
But Miss Jun seemed asleep and ignored him.
Zhu Zan had to get down himself, the early autumn night held a slight chill, only then did he notice he was still bare-chested, suddenly his face flushed and hastily pulled clothes from the rack to put on.
Nonetheless, putting it on now was useless; he had already been seen.
"Rogue." He muttered, glancing at the occupied bed, the bed wasn't large, but the woman bundled in the quilt looked small and pitiful.
He sighed softly, sitting on the floor beside the bed, the room fell silent, the night deepening.