Thunder rumbled, and the rain fell in the courtyard, beating against the broad leaves of the trees in the courtyard. The sky was a little gloomy, but some rooms in the Prime Minister's Mansion had already been lit up. When Ning Yi entered the Prime Minister's Mansion, a middle-aged official with a dignified appearance was being escorted out by the steward. Ning Yi stood under the eaves, waiting for the official to pass. The official glanced at Ning Yi and smiled gently. It was not the first time that they had met. Although they didn't have much contact with each other, the official obviously knew Ning Yi's status in the Prime Minister's Mansion. Otherwise, with his status, he wouldn't have given Ning Yi such a gentle look.
The official who walked over was Qin Hui, the Deputy Minister of the Imperial Censor.
Based on the current situation, he was a radical in the imperial court, a firm supporter of war. Although the role of the Deputy Minister of the Imperial Censor was to supervise and impeach the officials, he was merciless in impeaching the officials, which won the favor of the emperor. But on the one hand, because of their similar political views, and on the other hand, Qin Hui and Qin Siyuan were more or less related to each other, they were quite close at the moment.
"… When I came over just now, I talked about Tong Shumi, Wang He, and the others' secret activities. He is still a little worried, but he can't do anything about it. On our side, it was hard for us to get off the tiger's back. If we were to talk about who wanted to fight or who wanted to fight, now that we had fought to this extent, the rest was just window paper. If things go on like this, I'm afraid what Liheng was worried about might really come true. "
After everyone gathered in the study, Qin Siyuan took pictures of some documents from the Office of Secret Investigations and talked about what he had just talked to Qin Hui.
Speaking of which, the daily management of the business, and even the big yard outside Bianliang City seemed to be in operation. But in the Prime Minister's Mansion, those things often became trivial. No wonder Qin Siyuan, Yao Zunian, and the others said that the business was trivial and not worth mentioning. Even though Ning Yi was now using the name of the Prime Minister's residence to run businesses outside, in the hearts of the people, those businesses were still purely trivial matters. They were separated by a wall, but they were two different worlds. It was really difficult to let go of such trivial matters.
"… It seems that during the New Year, Tong Shumi, Wang Ci, and the rest have gathered at least 50 million strings of coins by taking advantage of the gathering of the officials. They've already tasted the sweetness of buying Yan Jing last year. This year, not only Tong Shumi and Wang Ci are involved, but Grand Tutor Cai is also pulling strings. They've also pulled Liang Shicheng in … "
As Qin Siyuan spoke, Yao Zunian began to laugh. "Now, almost everyone in the Imperial Court who has a say in this matter has arrived."
Wenren Bu 'Er said, "Teacher and Prime Minister Li should have informed each other, right?"
"The ones who are paying should be the big businesses below them. How could they let the people above them pay?" Ning Yi laughed.
Qin Siyuan nodded. "Prime Minister Li and I are originally in charge of the northern expedition. They didn't inform us of this matter, so we're all in it together. They want to spend money to buy the city from the Golden Men. After buying it, the Emperor will be promoted and have power. Then, they will get the money back from the business in the north. To be honest, if the northern expedition is really successful, I will tear down this stage. But now everyone knows that it's impossible to do so. I only hope that there will at least be a group of people in the north who can be used in addition to them buying the achievements. So, I met Medicine Master Guo a few days ago. "
Guo Medicine Master had been rewarded in the capital during this period of time. He was a popular person in the eyes of everyone. All the high-ranking officials in the capital had more or less seen him, so it wasn't surprising. But Qin Siyuan's tone seemed to be trying to rope him in, so it wasn't easy. Medicine Master Guo was a general. Speaking of which, his official position was under the Ministry of War. His army in the north was under the command of Tong Guan and the rest. Although Qin Siyuan and the rest were in charge of the northern expedition, they were mainly in charge of the overall situation, logistics, and personnel deployment. It was difficult for them to interfere with military affairs.
Qin Siyuan sighed. "Right now, there's only one person we can use in the north. But on our side, there aren't many favors we can give out. I've been hesitating. In the past two months, after the Ever-Victorious Army was changed to the Wutai Camp, they've been trying to recruit people. I heard that many people have died because of this. According to the intelligence from the Office of Secret Investigations, I originally wanted to suppress him, but Tong Shumi's actions forced me to consider … other plans. "
Yao Zunian said, "It's not impossible to give out this matter as a favor. But … I'm afraid that Dong Weng is worried about raising a tiger. "
Qin Siyuan nodded. "Before I came here today, I suggested that he submit a memorial tomorrow to accuse Guo Yaoshi of expanding his army without restraint before the Northern Lands had stabilized. Then, this old man would step forward to do him a favor and stop the matter. But after thinking about it, I still feel that it's not good to push this matter to the surface. The crime is too heavy, so I only asked Huizhi to write a memorial to me, and I'll pass it to Guo Medicine Master in private. "
Yao Zunian nodded. "It's indeed better to do it in private than in public. Besides, Guo Medicine Master has been recruiting people. We can support him in terms of money, rations, and weapons. Such a favor can still be given out … "
Everyone discussed this for a while and came to a consensus on supporting Guo Medicine Master's army expansion. In a sense, this was also something that Qin Siyuan had no choice in.
Ning Yi didn't say much, but after the discussion, Qin Siyuan asked him to stay. "I'm afraid this is the only thing we can do about Guo Medicine Master's matter. It's hard to say if he'll accept this favor. But what about Tong Guan and Wang Ci's 50 million strings of coins? What does Liheng think? "
Ning Yi thought for a while. "It's still very simple. Buy the city with money from the Jin Men. The Jin Men are willing to sell, and after the purchase, we'll split the profits. All the major merchants want to do business with the North. This is a proof of allegiance. Is Minister Qin trying to say that we can get benefits from this? "
Qin Siyuan nodded. "At this time, although Minister Li and I are not directly involved, as long as there are achievements in the Northern Expedition, we will get some benefits. Liheng can think about this first. "
At this point, he smiled again. "I remember a few years ago, Liheng and I talked about the Confucian school. He said that when one is in it, it's like falling into a spider's web. The things that can be done are often not easy to choose. This old man didn't want the Northern Expedition to become like this. Now that the war is not won, everyone in the court can take advantage of it. The merchants would pay, and the officials would buy a few ruined cities in the north. After buying the ruined cities, the soldiers would gain credit, the civil officials would gain fame and power, and the merchants would use their trading privileges to earn even more money. The Wu Dynasty would recover Yan Yun, and the Emperor would make a great contribution. It would look like a losing business, but it would turn out to be a win-win situation. Whether I want to or not, I can no longer decide the direction of things. But in the face of such a situation, I am worried. The deeper the matter is suppressed, the more painful it will be one day … "
Ning Yi shook his head. "The way of the world … it's not just the Confucian school. After all, this is how the game is played. It's not like you just found out today …"
"Heh." The old man smiled and looked out the window at the heavy rain. "I was just feeling emotional for a moment … This year's rain is not bad. I hope it's a good year …"
At this point, Qin Siyuan also had something to do, so Ning Yi took his leave. At Yao Zunian's place, everyone talked about this year's flood control of the Yellow River. When it came to the Seven Buddhas of the South, it was already a small matter. For Yao Zunian and the others, the trouble of Fang La in the South had been pacified. Bringing the Seven Buddhas to the capital to be executed was just a small tail that didn't even count as cleaning up the aftermath. The Office of Secret Investigations couldn't be bothered to care about this.
It was still afternoon when they left the Prime Minister's residence and returned home. Wen Ding, Wen Xing, and the others hadn't returned yet. In the courtyard next door, Song Yongping was reading the materials brought back by Ning Yi and reviewing the contents of the scriptures. Juan 'er pushed the child in the wooden cart around the courtyard while discussing dinner with the cook. Seeing that Ning Yi had returned home, she pushed the cart over. Ning Yi held the child in his arms.
"How was he today? Was he naughty? "
"No, the young master was very well-behaved."
"Oh, really?" Ning Yi looked at the child in his arms. "Come, call me daddy."
"Pa." The child spat out a bubble and laughed heartlessly.
Ning Yi curled his lips and repeated the word "daddy" a few times. He went all the way to the bedroom, with Juan 'er following behind with a smile. It was still raining in the courtyard, and the dripping water formed a curtain under the eaves. The man was holding the child, and the slender girl behind him followed. From afar, they looked like a couple.
"Have you packed everything?"
Walking through the corridor in the rain, Ning Yi asked Juan 'er. Juan' er nodded. "Yes, everything is ready. Young master, are we leaving in two days?"
"Yes, in two days, when Takeshi's matter is settled, we will go to Kihara. How can we let your miss leave home for so long? It's enough to let her be willful for a few days."
As he said so, he had already made up his mind. Not long after, it was evening, and the courtyard was lit up. Wen Ding, Wen Xing, and the others hadn't returned yet. When Song Yongping occasionally came over to take a look, the man in the courtyard was holding the child and playing with it without a care for his image. Or he was talking and laughing with the beautiful servant girl. Under the warm yellow light, it was a warm scene.
At the same time, in the Fan House, Li Yun helplessly explained to others in the busy atmosphere that Miss Shishi had a cold today and couldn't come out to see guests.
In the courtyard, Shishi was sitting on the bed wrapped in a quilt. She looked at herself in the bronze mirror in a daze and a little weak. Occasionally, she would roll the red and swollen palm print on her face with a peeled egg. In the brothel, the lights and candles gave people a feeling that it was quite festive. When the noise came from afar, it made the woman in the room seem more and more lonely.
No one would come to see her. Although as the top courtesan, she didn't want anyone to see her at such a time. But occasionally, such feelings would float in her heart. She had been in the brothel for many years. From a girl who had lost her parents to a trembling prostitute, and now she was the top courtesan. Over the years, what made her feel most clearly was that there would be no friends around the women in the brothel. Just like at this moment, no one would come to visit her sincerely. There were many people in the brothel, many women who had the same fate as her. Outside the brothel, she also knew many people. But at such a time, when she was in such a difficult situation, there was actually no one she could see.
In fact, this was very normal. A woman's whole life was like this. Occasionally, when she felt lonely, she would understand that her life was really too good. Therefore, she would start to moan about her illness again. She laughed at herself like this. She met her childhood friends, Yu Ho-chung, Chen Sifeng, and Ning Yi, because of similar feelings. But she kept her mind clear. If these childhood friends really penetrated deep into her heart to that extent, she would only feel afraid.
After being immersed in that lonely feeling for a while, she let out a sigh and slumped her shoulders. She looked at herself in the bronze mirror, and her thoughts returned to the distress of how to perform tomorrow …
More than a hundred miles south, Muyuan County. Su Tan'er and Xiaochan sat in a farmhouse, looking at the construction site that gradually stopped and dinner was starting. The night sky was already full of stars. Tan'er put down the little embroidered undergarment in her hand, looked at the night sky outside, and talked to Xiaochan about what might happen in Bianliang, as well as her longing for Ning Yi. But although she missed him, she still felt that she should leave Ning Yi alone for a while, although this idea was very strange …
North of the capital, in a military camp two hundred miles away, teams of soldiers patrolled back and forth, guarding the carts of gold, silver, and goods in the camp. This temporarily stationed army numbered as many as thousands of people. They would go all the way north, and soon, they would escort the money and goods worth up to 60 million taels of silver to the territory of the Jin people. They would buy several cities in the sixteen states of Yan and Yun. At the same time, they would impress the other party with exquisite goods to promote the future trade between the two countries.
In the residence of the Right Minister in the capital, the old man looked at the gradually stopping spring rain and frowned slightly. There were countless things that could make him frown at any time, but in his heart, at this time, he was more looking forward to the upcoming harvest.
In the Grand Commandant's residence, a man named Gao Muen was excitedly shouting that he would go smash the shop of his enemy the next day.
Chen Fan stepped into the capital.
Longing, desire, anticipation … Countless thoughts and fates interweaved and intertwined. Not long after, they would collide. Some things would change their original direction, some things would get lost in the long river of human growth, until only a faint impression was left in the memory, until even the impression in the memory was distorted, until nothing existed. But at least at a certain moment, they were all flashing with light, like the stars that filled the sky, only blinking in a thousandth of a second.
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