"Sister Shishi, long time no see."
On the dark long street, not far away was the outer wall of the Imperial City. The light that seeped out from the courtyard on the other side brought with it a blurry yellow light. When Ning Yi walked over, the guards beside him also followed. But even though there were many people, the street still seemed quiet.
Shishi wore a light pink dress. She smiled cautiously at the side of the road, "That's … the Prince of Guangyang's courtyard. He just sent you out …"
"Yes." Ning Yi turned his head and glanced at the courtyard door, "The chief steward of the Prince's Mansion and Lord Tan Zhong."
"They … didn't make things difficult for you?"
Entering such a courtyard and finally being sent out by a high-ranking official like Tan Zhen and the chief steward of the Prince's Mansion, if it was someone else, it would be something worth showing off. But Shishi was not such a shallow woman. She had seen the whole process in front of the Qin Mansion. Afterwards, the Prince of Guangyang and the others intercepted Ning Yi. She could more or less guess what it was for.
Ning Yi had already walked close. He smiled, "I scolded him, it's not a big deal."
He said it so easily that Shishi didn't know how to respond for a moment. She turned and followed Ning Yi forward. After passing the corner of the street, the Prince's courtyard disappeared behind them. The long street ahead still couldn't be considered bright. There was still some distance from the bustling residential and commercial areas. Nearby were the mansions of many large families. A carriage slowly came from the front. Behind Ning Yi and Shishi, a group of guards and coachmen quietly followed.
"I remember the last time we met, we were still talking about Taiyuan. It feels like a long time has passed. How has Shishi been recently? "
"Same. Participated in a few poetry meetings and met all kinds of people. Speaking of Taiyuan … "
"You've become a braggart," Ning Yi said softly.
Shishi followed him forward slowly. After a moment of silence, she said, "Others may not know, but I know how much the Right Minister's residence has done. Just now … just now in front of the Minister's Mansion, second young master was wronged. I saw it … fortunately, Liheng found Minister Li … "
Ning Yi shook his head, "It's just the beginning. Minister Li … he can't even protect himself. It's hard to count on him again."
"Tan Zhen and the others are the masterminds? So they called you over? "
"Only a part of it." Ning Yi smiled. "They were the ones who sent the people in the crowd to slander Shao Qian. I messed things up and they were a bit angry. The case this time was ordered by Wang Bei. Tie Tianying only understood it and didn't make a big deal out of it. A few of his subordinates wanted to do it first and then claim credit from Wang Bei. That's why we were able to stop them.
His tone was calm. Then, he smiled. "We haven't seen each other for so long. Shishi, are you going to ask me about these unhappy things?"
"In Liheng's eyes, I'm afraid I'm a spy." Shishi also smiled, and then said, "Happy things … there's nothing to be happy about. Fan Lou, on the other hand, is full of smiles every day. I've seen many powerful people, and I don't know if they're really happy or not. I was quite happy to see Brother Yu, Brother Chen, and Liheng. "
"Yes." Ning Yi nodded.
Shishi thought about it and was a little hesitant, but she finally said, "Liheng has already … prepared to leave, right?"
Ning Yi pursed his lips and shrugged. "Actually, if you want to see it, you can see it very clearly. Mama Lee must have noticed it long ago, right? "
"The others only think that Liheng wants to clear up your relationship with the Prime Minister's Residence. Mother is also a little uncertain … but I can see it." The two of them walked forward slowly. She lowered her head and recalled, "How many years ago was it when I met Liheng in Jiangning?"
"Uh, Jing Han …" Ning Yi frowned.
"It was Jing Han's ninth year." Shishi nodded. She looked at the road in front of her and smiled. "In the blink of an eye, five years have passed. Actually, from when I saw Liheng until Liheng came to the capital, I sometimes felt that we lived closer together. Sometimes, I always felt that the distance between me and Liheng had never closed. Now, it seems that I finally understand Liheng in some ways. I'm very happy, but Liheng is leaving, so I don't know if this counts as something to be happy about. "
A light breeze blew. Shishi ran her fingers through her hair and looked to the side. Ning Yi felt that it was a little difficult to answer. He took two steps forward, only to see that Shishi had stopped behind him. She turned her head back. In the dim light of the night, there was an obvious sorrow on the woman's face. "Liheng, is it really … impossible to do?"
Her voice trembled slightly towards the end. This emotion was not only sadness for Ning Yi's departure, but also something more complicated. The woman in front of him seemed to be clear-headed about many things, but in fact, she was very compassionate. Previously, she ran around for her sisters who had been wronged and for disaster relief. When the Female Zhenren came, she went to the city wall to take care of the injured. Let's not talk about how much power a woman could exert, but the meaning of her fists could not be faked. She knew Ning Yi's character. He would not give up until the end. Now, when she spoke, or because of Ning Yi, she could not help but think of these things and felt afraid.
Ning Yi stood there and opened his mouth. "It's hard to say if there will be a turn for the better." He paused. "But there's nothing we can do … You should also prepare to go south."
"I have no home in the south," Shishi said. "Actually … Bianliang is not a home, but there are so many people … Uh, Liheng, are you going back to Jiangning?"
"That's the plan for the time being." Ning Yi looked at him. "Leave Bianliang. The next time the Female Zhenren come, the place north of the Yangtze River will not be safe."
Shishi nodded, and the two began to walk forward. After a moment of silence, another carriage with a lantern passed by them. Shishi whispered, "I can't figure it out. It's obvious that they have fought so hard, why do they still do this … I could figure it out every time before, but at this time, why can't they be smart for once …"
"Because of the song and dance in front of us." Ning Yi was silent for a moment, and then said. At this time, the street they were walking on was slightly higher than the other places. Looking at the side of the night, through the gaps of the trees, they could vaguely see the prosperous and peaceful night view of the city — this was a city that had just experienced the disaster of war. "And … the Right Minister's Residence has made a few mistakes, one of which is the most troublesome and unstoppable."
"What is it?" Shishi turned to look at him.
"On the day the Female Zhenren attacked the city, His Majesty chased the Empress out of the city. At that time, the Right Minister's Residence used some tricks to make His Majesty stay. His Majesty lost face, and he would never mention this matter again, but … ha … "Ning Yi lowered his head and smiled, then raised his head again." After I reviewed it, when I went to see it again, this might be the reason why His Majesty was willing to give up Taiyuan to defeat the Qin family. There are many other reasons, but they are not valid. Only in this matter, His Majesty's performance was not honorable, and he himself knew that no one would believe him if he chased after the Empress. But Cai Jing, Tong Guan, these people all have stains, and only the Right Minister kept him. Maybe every time His Majesty saw Prime Minister Qin, he subconsciously wanted to avoid this matter, but when he didn't even dare to think about it, the Right Minister insisted on going. "
Shishi's lips slightly opened, and her eyes gradually widened.
"At that time, the war was dangerous, and I didn't know for a while outside the city. The Right Minister should have realized this, but in that situation, there were too many things, and there was no good way to remedy it. Later, as time passed, I could only hope for luck. " Ning Yi shook his head, his gaze and tone calm. "Ha … it might not be true. It could be that I was gauging the heart of a gentleman with the yardstick of a lowly person. There is no meaning in saying these things now. I won't pursue it. "
Hearing that calm voice, Shishi stilled for a long time. No one could say for sure about the matters of people's hearts, but Shishi understood that the possibility of this was not small. When she looked at Ning Yi's face again, she thought of the punch he had been punched in front of the Qin Fu, and then how he had been called over by Tan Zhen, Tong Wangye, and the others to be "scolded." These days, it was likely that he had been surrounded by these things, these faces.
Shishi had gone to the city walls to help defend the city. The sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of people inside and outside the city, the desperate scene of struggling on the line between life and death, was still vivid in her mind. If one said that after experiencing such great sacrifice, after experiencing such hard work, the glimmer of hope that had been exchanged for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people had been destroyed by a wounded pride after a failed escape attempt — even if it was just a small part of the reason. She could understand what kind of disappointment there was in the heart.
She could more or less feel, after these days of dealing with those high and low officials, what kind of exhaustion and anger the man in front of her had after being so calm.
She kept such feelings in her heart. "Then … are there still people in the Right Minister's residence that can be saved? If I can be of use … "
"Don't get involved in this matter." At the side, Ning Yi immediately shook his head. "It won't help, and will only cause trouble."
"There will always be something that can be done. I'm not afraid of trouble. Just like how you had those storytellers speak for the Right Minister, as long as someone speaks …"
"So there's nothing to say, right? They are determined to move against the Right Minister's residence. If they continue to spread the news, the storytellers under me will also be arrested and thrown into prison. The Right Minister has done meritorious service in defending the city this time. To move against him, it is necessary to smear his name. They have already made preparations, so there is no way to go against them. "
The night wind blew over, bringing with it a quiet coldness. After a moment, Ning Yi said again, "Don't think too much, go to Jiangning. We are friends. If you have no place to live, I can be responsible for helping you settle down — I originally planned to remind you, and this time it's just right. In fact, when the time comes, when the Jurchen people come south, if you refuse to go, I will also send people to take you away. We are so familiar with each other, you don't need to thank me, this is what I should do. "
Shi Shi burst out laughing. "Then I want to wait for you to come and catch me …"
The light on the street was dim and uncertain. Although she was smiling at this time, when she walked into the darkness, her tears fell uncontrollably.
When the Jurchen people attacked the city, she was in the Asura battlefield, watching hundreds and thousands of people die, she still had a faint hope in her heart. The Nü Zhen had finally been beaten back, and she was able to cheer and celebrate with joy. But only at this time, in this quiet atmosphere, in the calm words of the man beside her, she could feel a desperate sadness rising from the bone marrow, the chill even made people unable to see the slightest hope.
Anger and exhaustion were meaningless here, and so was hard work. Even if they were prepared to be hurt, the things that they could do would be meaningless …
Seeing her suddenly crying, Ning Yi stopped. He took out a handkerchief and gave it to her, saying that he wanted to comfort her, but in fact, he was a little confused about why she suddenly cried. Shishi stood there, pulling his sleeves, and quietly shed a lot of tears.
*****
Perhaps there would be some differences in the details, but just as Ning Yi and the others had predicted, once the overall situation had begun, it would be like a flood that couldn't be stopped.
As if not feeling the warmth of spring, when March passed, Qin Siyuan's case further expanded. This expanded scope, half was true, and the other half was false. When Qin Siyuan was revived, the situation in Jinliao had begun to become clear. In the past few years, in order to ensure the logistics of the war against Liao, the Right Minister's Residence had done a lot of things. In terms of forming a clique for personal interests, it might be dwarfed by Cai, Tong, and others, but if it really came out, it was still a shocking number of things.
As the presiding judge, Tang Ke, who was in the middle of the case, couldn't stop this kind of advancement. His tendency to try to help Qin Siyuan to a certain extent made the case more complicated and clear, and also extended the trial time of the case. Time was a necessary condition for rumors to ferment in society. In April, when the signs of summer began to appear, the condemnation of the "Seven Tigers" in the capital became more and more intense. And because of the "Seven Tigers" only having Qin Siyuan on trial for the time being, he gradually became the focus of attention.
As these things gradually deepened, a lot of things happened in April. After early April, Qin Shaoqian was finally imprisoned. This time, he was involved in his father's case, and could not avoid it. On Ning Yi's side, the Office of Secret Investigation began to leave, and the people sent by the imperial court gradually took over the affairs that were originally in charge of the Prime Minister's Residence. Ning Yi had tried his best to smooth things over, but naturally, there were still a lot of conflicts. On the other hand, Tie Tianying and others, who originally had a grudge against him, found this opportunity and often came to provoke and make trouble. This was also within his expectations.
Ning Yi had long been mentally prepared and expected these things to happen. Occasionally, he would dream about it in the middle of the night, or think about it when he had a break in his work. Although the anger in his heart was increasing, the day of his departure was getting closer and closer. So, until something suddenly happened.
At this time, it was already late April of this year.
Time seemed to be slow, but it actually passed quickly.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
