Chapter 114

Chapter 114: A Treacherous, Ruthless Man

Half a quarter-hour later, a carriage quietly rolled out of the Duke residence’s back gate.

Sheng Zhi Wan went out this time to find someone.

His name was Du Yi Zhi. If you only heard the name, you might have thought he was some aloof, upright scholar. But in her previous life, Du Yi Zhi had been a full-fledged traitor, and a ruthless man who had ruined himself with one cut and willingly entered the palace as a eunuch.

Du Yi Zhi had originally come from the Du Clan of Ji Zhou, and when he was young, he truly had been brilliant. But everything changed before his father was harmed to death for offending a Noble Lady.

After Du Yi Zhi’s father died, Du Yi Zhi, Du Yi Zhi’s mother, and Du Yi Zhi’s sister were driven out by the main branch of the Du Family.

Du Yi Zhi’s mother struggled to raise the two siblings. On top of that, the Du Family kept interfering, and their days were like being drowned in misery.

That did not ease until they fled to the capital city, but the good days did not last long. Du Yi Zhi’s mother fell gravely ill.

To help treat his mother, Du Yi Zhi did the lowest kinds of work in the capital city. He barely held on for more than half a year, but then his mother, unwilling to drag down her children, hanged herself with a hemp rope.

Du Yi Zhi was devastated, but Du Yi Zhi still had his sister to care for.

Who would have thought that a rope always snapped at its thinnest point, and fate always hunted the most unfortunate? Du Yi Zhi’s sister went out to work for someone and was noticed by a rich young master. After being violated, she took her own life.

With no one left to hold him back, Du Yi Zhi saw that his sister had died the same way their mother had. Du Yi Zhi finally decided to pick up the butcher’s knife.

But Du Yi Zhi was clever. Du Yi Zhi knew that with his own ability, even if he fought with his life, Du Yi Zhi could never avenge his parents and sister.

So Du Yi Zhi chose power.

Du Yi Zhi had not studied for years, so the civil exams were impossible. Du Yi Zhi’s martial arts were also half-baked. So Du Yi Zhi steeled his heart, cut himself, and became a eunuch.

In less than a year, Du Yi Zhi went from a newcomer bullied in the palace to Eunuch Su’s adopted son. After that, Du Yi Zhi became a favored attendant by Imperial Father’s side. Du Yi Zhi even made the extremely suspicious Imperial Father hand over authority and establish the Eastern Depot.

In the final years, the Eastern Depot monitored court officials and killed with ruthless severity. Everyone who had offended Du Yi Zhi was spared no mercy.

Now, based on the timing, it should have been not long after Du Yi Zhi’s family fled from Ji Zhou to the capital city, when Du Yi Zhi’s mother was gravely ill.

Naturally, Sheng Zhi Wan had to win over this man who could become a traitor and a ruthless force while Du Yi Zhi’s mother and sister were still alive.

The carriage soon stopped outside the capital city’s most remote and poorest area, Yellow Earth Alley.

Outside a pharmacy, a weak, thin young man was pressed to the ground by several clerks.

A fat Young Boss stood there, shouting, “Little bastard! How many times has it been? You dare pick up medicine dregs outside my pharmacy again. What, you think our pharmacy runs a charity?”

The Young Boss waved and ordered, “Someone get over here. Snatch the dregs out of his arms and stomp them to pieces! You want to treat illness but you don’t want to spend silver? Where is there such a good thing in this world?”

One of the clerks responded, “Yes, Young Boss!”

The medicine dregs hugged in the young man’s arms were ripped away and tossed hard in front of him. The young man reached out to grab them back, but a foot stomped down on his hand.

Almost instantly, the young man’s face twisted with pain.

The fat Young Boss watched, full of contempt. The Young Boss jeered, “Oh? Still a stubborn one. Fine. Great filial son, you really want those dregs, don’t you?”

The Young Boss squatted down and stared at the young man, then suddenly grinned. The Young Boss spread his legs and said, “You can have them too. Crawl under my crotch today, and shout twice that I, Du Yi Zhi, am a turtle, and this young master will give you the dregs. How about it?”

The Young Boss threw back his head and laughed. The clerks around him also laughed along.

The young man pressed to the ground looked like an ant. The young man lowered his head and stared at the dirt. In the middle of their laughter, the young man suddenly said, “Fine!”

The Young Boss cursed, then froze. The Young Boss snapped, “You mean it?”

The young man still did not answer. The young man kept his head down and crawled toward the Young Boss’s legs.

The Young Boss’s eyelid twitched.

Just then, a woman’s angry voice rang out, “His medicine money – my master will pay it!”

Huang Yuan Gui and his clerks froze and turned around.

Du Yi Zhi saw a pair of delicate embroidered shoes standing not far away. Smooth, round pearls were sewn onto them. Even back when Du Yi Zhi had lived in the Du Family, Du Yi Zhi had never seen shoes this luxurious.

Du Yi Zhi’s gaze lifted. A pretty young woman in fine clothes stood there with her brows drawn tight, glaring at Huang Yuan Gui and the clerks.

Her apricot-pink brocade ruqun made her face look pale as moonlight.

Du Yi Zhi instinctively lowered his head again.

Huang Yuan Gui was already stunned. Huang Yuan Gui’s father had run a pharmacy near Yellow Earth Alley for many years. Everyone who came and went were commoner. Huang Yuan Gui had never seen a miss dressed like this.

Huang Yuan Gui hurried forward and asked respectfully, “May I ask who this miss is?”

Ting Lan snorted and glared at Huang Yuan Gui. Ting Lan stepped forward to pull the young man up, but when Ting Lan reached out, the young man dodged.

Ting Lan paused, then watched him brace himself on the wall and shakily stand.

Du Yi Zhi said hoarsely, “This commoner’s hands are dirty. This commoner dares not soil Miss.”

Du Yi Zhi’s thin face was striking in a way that blurred the line between male and female beauty.

Ting Lan took out a piece of broken silver and tossed it to Huang Yuan Gui. Ting Lan asked, “Is this enough?”

Huang Yuan Gui’s eyes lit up. Huang Yuan Gui reached out and said, “Enough, enough…”

Du Yi Zhi grabbed Huang Yuan Gui’s wrist with a long, thin hand and said, “It’s too much. I remember this new prescription only cost three copper coins.”

Huang Yuan Gui went speechless.

Ting Lan thought about it, took the silver back, then rummaged in her embroidered pouch and pulled out a copper coin she had meant to use for snacks. Ting Lan handed it over.

Du Yi Zhi looked at the coin as if he wanted to speak again.

Ting Lan said, “Are you Du Yi Zhi? I came on my master’s orders to find you. If you’re willing, come with me to the alley entrance and we’ll talk. My master is waiting in the carriage.”

As Ting Lan spoke, Ting Lan could not help looking Du Yi Zhi over a few more times.

This Du Yi Zhi was really good-looking. Even though he was thin to the point of being frail and looked utterly miserable, he still could not hide that face. No wonder the Princess had come specifically to find him.

But Ting Lan still did not know where the Princess had heard of someone like this.

Ting Lan led Du Yi Zhi toward the alley entrance.

After two steps, Du Yi Zhi remembered the medicine dregs thrown on the ground. Du Yi Zhi turned back, bent down, picked them up, and tucked them into his clothes.

Sheng Zhi Wan watched the entire scene clearly from inside the carriage.

As that thin, upright figure drew closer and closer, it finally overlapped with the Eastern Depot Chief Eunuch Du from Sheng Zhi Wan’s memories. He looked the same, yet also completely different.

Du Yi Zhi’s face still lacked Eunuch Du’s cold, ruthless calm.

Du Yi Zhi stood awkwardly and bowed in a strange sort of salute. Du Yi Zhi said, “This commoner is Du Yi Zhi. What orders does Young Master have for this commoner?”

Ting Lan finally could not hold back and laughed. Ting Lan teased, “Idiot, why don’t you lift your head and look at my master?”

This person was really both silly and dumb. He actually called her Princess ‘Young Master.’