Chapter 1: The Little Beggar Outside Yongdingmen

In addition to indulging in daily pleasures with the concubines in the inner palace, he has recently taken to visiting a courtesan in the city, resulting in him staying outside the palace every night

Are they all blind, unable to see the two beggars outside the city gate

Other time travelers either become noble lords or are born into prominent families; at the very least, they come from commoner households

Without much thought, Zhang Lingyang stuffed the silver note into the old beggar's arms: "You have seen the situation, so I will not elaborate. This is a silver note worth one hundred taels. Take this note and leave the capital, go back to your hometown, and buy a few acres of thin fields to support your old age!"

Zhang Lingyang only felt a chill running down his back, his body trembling uncontrollably, yet he still stubbornly said: "Under the feet of the Son of Heaven, I do not believe you dare to kill someone"

"Hehe!" Upon hearing Zhang Lingyang's words, the burly man let out a strange laugh, "Dare not? My master is the Chief of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Supervisor of the Eastern Depot, Lord Wang. Kid, do you think I would dare not?"

Because of this, he has heard it not less than 8,000 times, if not 10,000, and he has heard even more malicious words than this, so he has long since become immune to them

Run and shout: "Those two beggars, you wait a moment!"

At this moment, Wang Qin in the car spoke up: "Give him a sum of silver!"

Yes, father-in-law

Inside the car, Wang Qin pulled back the curtains and looked outside carefully, his eyes growing brighter with each glance

A gentle breeze swept through, lifting the car curtain and revealing a charming visage

Then, Wang Qin said to a strong man who was following him, "Go, call those two beggars here"

Not far apart, Zhang Lingyang naturally heard Wang Qin's words clearly.

Upon thinking of this, Zhang Lingyang shook his head: "I will not go!"

Zhang Lingyang and the old beggar turned back in confusion and saw a strong man approaching them, which caused them to stop in their tracks

Not only was he scolded by the Empress Dowager, but he also lost face, causing many of his colleagues to mock him.

However, upon reaching Yongdingmen, after a whole day, I found that I had not earned a single penny.

"Kid, do you dare to haggle? Do you believe that I can slice you in half with one blow?" As he spoke, the burly man exerted more force with his hand.

"Bah!" The old beggar spat heavily on the ground, "These damned dogs!"

The strong man replied with a grunt, reluctantly sheathing the long knife that was resting on Zhang Lingyang's neck, and took out a silver note from his bosom, tossing it at Zhang Lingyang's feet

A wall apart, there are two worlds

Doesn't Emperor Tai'an know that every day there are countless eyes and ears watching and listening to him

Why? It is because the person in the car is a eunuch, which indicates that this individual does not have any inclination towards the love of men.

As for why one does not directly beg in the inner city

At this moment, a carriage slowly approached from the inner city towards this direction

After all, such matters are quite prevalent in the circles of the high-ranking officials and nobility

"Not going?" The burly man let out a strange laugh, "kekek," as he drew a long knife from his waist and pressed it against Zhang Lingyang's neck. "Think carefully again?"

Xuzhou is the place where Emperor Zhou Taizu raised his banner, and it is also the hometown of Emperor Zhou Taizu

Wang Qinfang spoke from the carriage, and the vehicle slowly moved forward again

In the first year of the Great Zhou Tai'an, in the month of March, the willows swayed gently both inside and outside the capital city

Outside Yongdingmen is the outer city, where the residents are all commoners

Within the inner city, the stench of wine and meat from the red gates is overwhelming; outside the city, the roads are littered with the frozen bones of the dead.

Because, in their identity as beggars, they cannot even step half a foot through this door

Otherwise, he would not have become the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Sacrificial Office and the Supervisor of the Eastern Depot at such a young age

It is important to note that countless luxury vehicles pass through here every day

In the beggar community, people refer to him as Er Gouzi

Outside Yongdingmen, one horse-drawn carriage after another, surrounded by a crowd, rolled over the bluestone pavement, slowly making their way into the city

The thought crossed my mind: "Could this person in the carriage have a fondness for men, and be attracted to me?"

Zhang Lingyang was not the least bit offended; he casually picked up the banknote from the ground. Upon opening it, he was surprised to find that it was a one-hundred tael note, which made his eyes light up.

The more Zhang Lingyang thought about it, the more he felt it was possible

If one is despised by Emperor Tai'an, then the best course of action is to go to Xuzhou to visit the imperial tombs

The old beggar certainly has reason to curse like this

Since leaving the palace, Wang Qin has been frowning all the way, feeling a constant sense of frustration in his chest

In a fit of anger, the Empress Dowager imposed house arrest on Emperor Tai'an, and the good days of Wang Qin, the eunuch who had followed Emperor Tai'an since childhood, also came to an end

As the sun gradually sets in the west, the number of pedestrians on the road decreases. Zhang Lingyang knows that he will go hungry again tonight

Let's go

Zhang Lingyang opened his mouth, wanting to retort with something like "Do nobles and high officials have any special lineage?" However, the words were on the tip of his tongue, yet he swallowed them back.

On weekdays, Zhang Lingyang follows the old beggar to beg in the outer city, and by the end of the day, he can still collect about two or three wen to fill his stomach

Having spoken, he turned and approached the carriage, addressing Wang Qin inside: "Your Excellency, the people have arrived"

Wang Qinming understood that everything he had was given to him by Emperor Tai'an

Stop the car

Waving goodbye to the old beggar, Zhang Lingyang turned and followed the carriage, walking away without looking back

Now it is settled, even the Empress Dowager is aware of this matter

As the sky gradually darkened, Zhang Lingyang stood up and brushed off the dirt from his backside, helping the old beggar who had also been squatting for half the day. He then sought a sheltered place to spend the night

Today, while I was away, someone took the opportunity to slander me in front of Emperor Tai'an, resulting in my being severely reprimanded by him.

Thus, Zhang Lingyang has lived in a daze until today

Moreover, Emperor Tai'an issued a death order, stating that if he could not come up with a solution within three days, then his position as the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Sacrificial Office would be considered at an end, and he would have no choice but to return to Xuzhou to visit the imperial tombs

Then, Zhang Lingyang changed his tone and said: "If you can give me a sum of silver, I will agree to go with you!"

Yes, father-in-law

Since childhood, Wang Qin has followed Emperor Tai'an and is well aware of his character.

Having finished speaking, Wang Qin then lowered the curtain

When Emperor Zhao Chenxi of Tai'an first ascended the throne, his true nature was fully revealed

Upon hearing the strong man's words, Zhang Lingyang inexplicably felt a sense of relief in his heart

It seems that I will have to go hungry again tonight

Do not mention those noble young ladies; even ordinary citizens would keep their distance upon seeing Zhang Lingyang's appearance at this moment

Having arrived in this world for three months, every day, after dawn, I beg along the streets, and after dark, I take shelter under a windbreak to get through the night

In a corner of the wall, Zhang Lingyang gazed greedily at the carriage, swallowing hard from time to time. He also made an effort to sniff, as a faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils

The burly man cast a disdainful glance at Zhang Lingyang and the other person, then distanced himself, covering his mouth and nose, and said: "My master requests your presence"

Zhang Lingyang's face revealed a look of intoxication: "If I could have a taste of these young ladies, I would die without regrets"

At a distance of at least one zhang from the cart, Zhang Lingyang was stopped by a burly man: "You smell terrible, don't let it offend my master!"

Zhang Lingyang only felt a chill on his neck, and cold sweat was streaming down his face

More importantly, Emperor Tai'an was constantly pressuring him to find a solution

The old beggar beside him cast a disdainful glance at Zhang Lingyang, saying, "You, a filthy beggar, still wish to enjoy the favor of a lady? Have you even considered your own status?"

Zhang Lingyang has not taken a shower for three months

The strong man responded with a sound and hurriedly ran towards Zhang Lingyang.

In the blink of an eye, a smile had already spread across Wang Qin's face as he said to the strong man: "Take that little one to our home!"

And what about Zhang Lingyang

Beyond Yongding Gate lies the inner city, where the residents are all high-ranking officials and nobility

Zhang Lingyang thought he had finally encountered a kind-hearted person, and disregarding the expression of the burly man, he happily assisted the old beggar towards the carriage

As he carefully recalled in his mind, Wang Qin finally remembered something, and suddenly his eyes brightened, prompting him to urgently instruct the coachman to stop the carriage

There is no other reason; Zhang Lingyang truly smells too bad.

Perhaps, Zhang Lingyang is the most unfortunate time traveler in the world

Do not mention bathing; if the money is not obtained before sunset, Zhang Lingyang will go hungry again tonight

Wang Qin, the Chief Eunuch of the Grand Council and the Superintendent of the Eastern Depot, has been having a difficult time these past few days

Zhang Lingyang felt no anger at all towards the strong man

Turning around, Zhang Lingyang asked, "This brave man, may I ask what brings you here?"

He is a beggar who does not even have a name

The old beggar opened his mouth, tears welling in his eyes, but ultimately did not say anything.

The old beggar speaks very wisely; I am now just a filthy beggar myself

As Wang Qin opened the car curtain to let in some air, he saw two figures walking away into the distance

The strong man turned to Zhang Lingyang and said: "Kid, did you hear that? My master invites you to his residence for a meeting"

Among the figures, Wang Qin felt a sense of familiarity, yet he could not quite recall.