Jingzhou was the place where Sun Yuxuan, Yang Fan, and the others had agreed to meet.
In the past few days, Sun Yuxuan had accompanied Miss Hu Fei to visit many places in Jingzhou. They had even been to Hong Lake.
Although the women of the Miao family also had their own rules, they were not inflexible because of the situation. Sun Yuxuan was deeply in love with Miss Hu, and the Hu family could see it. Moreover, the Barbarian Province was indeed too far from Luoyang. If they waited for him to return to the capital and report to his parents before returning to the Barbarian Province to escort the bride, it would be very inconvenient for an official of the imperial court.
Since Miss Hu Fei did not object, Father Hu agreed to let him take Fei 'er back to the capital first.
Miss Hu was lively and cheerful. With such a beautiful woman, Sun Yuxuan was also filled with youthful vigor. Every day, he accompanied her to tour the mountains and rivers, and they were inseparable. Although they had not bowed to heaven and earth and had not become husband and wife, the relationship between the two was advancing at a tremendous pace.
The two stayed in the inn and learned that Yang Fan would be rushing to Jingzhou the next day. Sun Yuxuan knew that Yang Fan's wife was about to give birth, so it was impossible for Yang Fan to stay in Jingzhou. He wanted to enjoy a warm world with his beloved woman before he arrived, so he took Miss Hu Fei out to play early in the morning.
The place the two went to was Guan Di Temple. The two had not been to this place before because Sun Yuxuan had brought Miss Hu Fei to tour the mountains and rivers for the past few days. Guan Di Temple held two large temple fairs every year. Over time, it had become a bustling commercial area.
There were all kinds of vendors in front of Guan Di Temple. There was a dazzling array of goods, and the streets were very lively. Miss Hu Fei was beaming with joy when she saw this scene. In fact, in the past few days of sightseeing, Sun Yuxuan wanted to find a place with an elegant environment as much as possible. However, when it came to mountains and rivers, Miss Hu Fei had lived in the mountains since she was young. How could she be as carefree and happy as him? Instead, she accommodated him more. Now, visiting the temple fairs was a girl's favorite.
When Sun Yuxuan saw Miss Hu's happy expression, he also felt inexplicably happy in his heart. He liked the way this girl looked when she was in high spirits. Miss Hu Fei looked around. She liked all kinds of cloth, silk, pouches, hair ornaments, and even small handicrafts that Sun Yuxuan had disdained. Sun Yuxuan's gaze was fixed on Miss Hu Fei. The more he looked, the more he liked her.
"Out of the way, out of the way!"
Two men dressed in green robes, who looked like ordinary servants, were leading the way. Behind them, two Scribes in round-collared robes holding fans slowly walked over.
Sun Yuxuan's arm was pushed and he subconsciously dodged to the side of the road. He didn't get angry and just turned his head to look. Just one look and he seemed to be paralyzed, standing there in a daze.
Sun Yuxuan immediately recognized that the two servants dressed in green were from the serious faces and the way they walked. The servants of ordinary rich gentry definitely didn't have this kind of prestige that was unique to the family of an official. However, it was common for officials to travel incognito, so he wouldn't be so surprised.
The reason why he was stunned was because he glanced around. When he was about to turn his head, he unexpectedly saw a familiar person who shouldn't be here: Wang Hongyi!
Because of corruption, Wang Hongyi was exiled to Jingzhou!
Because of the dispute between the Censorate and the Political Affairs Station, after paying the price of Su Weiwei, Cui Yuanzong, and Zhang Xi, he was locked up by Yang Fan from the court. Then he was impeached by Li Zhaode and was exiled to Jingzhou, never to be released again.
Sun Yuxuan thought that he had seen wrongly and thought that this person only looked like Wang Hongyi. But he looked straight ahead and saw that the person was talking to a middle-aged scholar beside him with a light smile. His expression, temperament, and actions were exactly the same as Wang Hongyi. This couldn't be wrong.
When the two of them passed by him, Sun Yuxuan even heard the middle-aged Scribes call this person who looked exactly like Wang Hongyi "Brother Hongyi". This couldn't be wrong. This person really was Wang Hongyi. Wang Hongyi …
According to the time, he should be on the road to Jiaozhi right now. If he could endure the torture, then he should be walking step by step to Jiaozhi in a month or two and spend the rest of his life there. How could he appear here and receive such hospitality?
Hu Fei held a small statue of Guan Yu in her hand. She turned her head to Sun Yuxuan and said: "Brother, do you think this looks good? I want to buy one. We have heard of the story of Guan Yu losing Jingzhou due to carelessness."
Although the statue of Guan Yu in her hand was small, it had a long beard, red face, reclining silkworm eyebrows, red phoenix eyes, and a green dragon crescent moon blade in its hand. It was majestic and full of charm.
Sun Yuxuan didn't have time to say more. He threw a few coins on the stall and pulled Hu Fei's small hand. "Let's go!"
Hu Fei saw his serious expression and couldn't help but restrain her smile. She lowered her voice and asked, "Brother, what happened?"
Sun Yuxuan shook his head and didn't answer. He only followed Wang Hongyi until he and the official in civilian clothes entered Guan Yu Temple. It was not easy to hide in Guan Yu Temple. If they followed, they would inevitably be seen by Wang Hongyi.
"Has Wang Hongyi been pardoned?"
Sun Yuxuan stood in a corner outside Guan Yu Temple, his brows knitted together.
Although he was a bookworm and didn't have high political awareness, he still understood this simple truth. It wasn't important that Wang Hongyi was pardoned. What was important was the Emperor's attitude behind it. If Wang Hongyi was pardoned, then the Imperial Censorate would once again be above the three law bureaus and even the court's civil and military officials. It would restore Lai Junchen's domineering power of killing and seizing the court's civil and military officials.
Hu Fei stood to the side and looked at Sun Yuxuan. Although she didn't understand what had happened, she knew that if Sun Yuxuan's brows were furrowed, there must be something important that was difficult to solve. She obediently stood to the side and didn't disturb him.
Sun Yuxuan thought, If Wang Hongyi is pardoned, it means that His Majesty's attitude toward the Imperial Censorate has changed greatly. The Ministry of Justice is the enemy of the Imperial Censorate. It's impossible that they didn't send someone to inform us of this change. Even if they didn't inform me, they should inform Yang Fan. I don't know if Yang Fan already knows about this.
This was a serious matter. Sun Yuxuan completely lost interest in traveling. He apologized to Hu Fei, "Fei 'er, you should go back to the inn first. I suddenly remembered something important. I need to visit a friend who works here."
Hu Fei knew that he didn't mean what he said, but she didn't point it out. She just docilely nodded her head.
Sun Yuxuan called a donkey driver and paid for the donkey rental. He told Hu Fei to ride the donkey and let the driver lead them back to the inn. Sun Yuxuan circled around the Guan Di Temple once and then sat down in a small restaurant opposite the Guan Di Temple. He ordered a few dishes to go with the wine and waited there.
There were several side doors in the Guan Di Temple, but because it wasn't time for the temple fair, there weren't many visitors in the temple, so they were all closed at the moment. Other than the main door, only the corner door at the back was open. Based on the manner of the plain-clothed official who accompanied Wang Hongyi, they didn't have any reason to choose to leave from the corner door.
Sun Yuxuan sat in the small restaurant for more than an hour. He saw the official who accompanied Wang Hongyi come out again. Sun Yuxuan quickly paid the bill and followed them far behind. Wang Hongyi came out of the Guan Di Temple and wandered around the downtown area for a while. Then he left with the official who accompanied him. There was a light carriage waiting for them at the intersection. The two boarded the carriage and left.
Sun Yuxuan hurriedly rented a donkey and got the horse driver to follow behind the carriage. The carriage traveled in the city for a while and arrived at a manor. Someone came out to welcome them. Wang Hongyi and the official got off the carriage and entered. Sun Yuxuan pretended to pass by the manor and rode the donkey to the front of the manor. When he raised his head to take a look, he was immediately shocked. So this was the Jing Province Provincial Governor's manor.
Sun Yuxuan had come to Jing Province this time to have fewer social engagements and more private time with Miss Hu Fei. Therefore, he only stayed at the inn and didn't meet the local officials. Otherwise, he might not recognize the other people, but he would definitely recognize the person accompanying Wang Hongyi in front of the Guan Di Temple. This person was the Jing Province Provincial Governor, Fan Guang.
Sun Yuxuan didn't say anything else. He went around the Provincial Governor's manor and rushed to the inn he was staying at.
… …
The next morning, Provincial Governor Fan was waited on by his most beloved concubine, Miss Ruyan. After washing up and eating breakfast, he dressed neatly and rushed to the front courtyard.
The officials of the Jing Province were all dressed neatly and waiting there. When Provincial Governor Fan arrived, everyone bowed in unison, "We pay our respects to the Envoy."
"Good morning, everyone!"
Provincial Governor Fan spent half the night with his beloved concubine and woke up early in the morning. He was still a little tired now. He cupped his hands to the officials and yawned, "Imperial Envoy Yang Fan is passing by this place today. Let us go and welcome him now."
Everyone didn't say anything and followed behind Provincial Governor Fan out of the Provincial Governor's manor. Someone had already prepared a carriage for Provincial Governor Fan. When the officials came, they all rode on horses and had their own equipment. At this moment, they all boarded their own carriages or horses and left the Jing Province in a grandiose manner.
Sun Yuxuan had also woken up early in the morning. If he went to the Ten Li Pavilion to wait, he would bump into Provincial Governor Fan and the others. If it was before he met Wang Hongyi yesterday, he wouldn't have any misgivings. But now, he couldn't. He wanted to be a step ahead and let Yang Fan know of this news. Therefore, he left earlier than Provincial Governor Fan and the others.
Sun Yuxuan rode on a horse and was dressed in casual clothes. He brought along two attendants and left the Jing Province.
He traveled all the way south. After passing the Ten Li Pavilion, he continued forward for another seven to eight li before stopping at the side of the official road. At this moment, the sun had already risen high in the sky.
For Yang Fan's return this time, he had brought along a large group of ceremonial guards. Even if he wanted to hide it, it was impossible to hide it. He had to pay attention to the etiquette of the officialdom. They had already planned their daily itinerary. When they would set off, how much distance they could cover in a day, and where they could reach. All of these had been calculated beforehand. That was why they could send someone to inform him of the official residence they would be arriving at in advance.
Yang Fan had also set off from the town he was staying at yesterday early in the morning. Therefore, Provincial Governor Fan didn't need to wake up so early. It was just that there were too many people coming to receive him, so it was inevitable that their movements would be slow. They would rather arrive early and wait for a while than to arrive later than the guests. This was also a necessary etiquette.
Sun Yuxuan rested under the tree for over an hour. From afar, he saw the Longwu Guards galloping over. Sun Yuxuan immediately mounted his horse and went to welcome them.
Sun Yuxuan passed through the Longwu Guards' formation and came to the front of Yang Fan's horse. He was just about to speak when Hu Yuanli and Maqiao excitedly galloped over. They asked in unison, "Doctor Sun, did Miss Hu Fei follow you to Jing Province?"
… …
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