Yang Ling's bedroom was divided into an outer room and an inner room. Han Youniang was cutting clothes for Yang Ling under the light of the outer room. Yang Ling had brought back a lot of expensive clothes, but most of them were for women. There were twenty bolts of linen. Yang Ling kept five for his father-in-law and brother-in-law, and kept the rest for himself.
At that time, linen was extremely expensive. It was only produced in Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Jiangxi. The finest came from Leizhou in Guangdong. These twenty bolts of linen were high-grade linen from Leizhou. Each bolt was no more than ten feet long and was worth three taels of silver.
Young-niang's needlework was much better than Yutang Chun's and Sheridan's, so she cut it herself to make a fitting robe for her husband. Seeing Yang Ling and Gao Wenxin enter the door one after the other, Han Youniang straightened up and gently massaged her waist with her small hands. She smiled at Wen Xin and said, "Sister is here."
Gao Wenxin had already wiped away her tears. She was afraid that Young-niang would notice something was wrong, so she hurriedly agreed and turned her head away under the pretense of closing the door. At first, Yang Ling was very angry when he heard Gao Wenju's words, but when he thought it through, he felt pity for this arrogant student. Moreover, with his relationship with Gao Wenxin, it was even more inconvenient for him to be strict, so he had completely put aside his worries.
Seeing the postwoman massaging his waist, he said with distress, "You, I told you to send the cloth to the shop to be made, but you insisted on doing it yourself. If you're tired, you can rest. I'm not in a hurry to wear it."
Han Youniang happily agreed and said, "Husband, please let sister do the acupuncture first. You should sleep early after drinking. I'll go to bed after I finish this section."
Yang Ling grunted in acknowledgment. Seeing that Gao Wenxin had taken the opportunity to slip into the room, he also walked into the room. He took off his outer robe, lifted his shirt, and lay on the bed. He took off his pants, revealing half of his buttocks.
Gao Wenxin silently sat on the edge of the bed and inserted more than ten silver needles into the back of his buttocks one by one. Then she gently twisted the needles in a certain order. Yang Ling rested his chin on the back of his palms, looking pensive. After a while, he slowly said, "Wen Xin …"
Gao Wenxin made a sound of acknowledgement and said softly, "Is Master not feeling well? I'll be gentle. "
Yang Ling turned his head to look at her, and suddenly smiled. Gao Wenxin was a little flustered and stuttered, "Master, what are you laughing at?"
Yang Ling gently shook his head and said, "Eighteen years old, only one year younger than me. Is she a young lady? Hehe … not really. In fact, she's still a little girl. But you're already famous in the capital at the age of eighteen, and you're one of the top three experts in the capital. From this point of view, you can be considered a young lady. "
Gao Wenxin listened to him changing between a young lady and a little girl. She didn't know what he was trying to say. She blinked her eyes and didn't dare to speak carelessly. Yang Ling saw that she was a little confused and sighed softly, "It's nothing. I'm just expressing my feelings."
He pondered for a moment and said, "It's all my fault. I thought that I didn't treat you as a servant, but I ignored other people's views. In two days, when I go to the palace, I'll talk to the emperor and remove your status as a lowly commoner. If … Wen Ju doesn't want to live here anymore, I'll find another house for you … "
Gao Wenxin's heart trembled and she cried out involuntarily, "Master, you … you want to drive me away?"
Yang Ling grunted, and Gao Wenxin's pretty face turned pale. Yang Ling said, "I'm not driving you away, I'm driving you away as a servant. You're no longer a servant of the Yang House, so you don't have to call yourself a servant in front of others. Only when you're with others can you call Young-niang your sister. You've regained your status as the Divine Doctor. If anyone dares to create trouble and sully your innocence, I'll remove his official title and punish him!"
If they were no longer slaves, the insurmountable barrier between them would disappear. Wouldn't their chances be greater?
Gao Wenxin thought this through and suddenly felt a little happy. She gently lowered her head and grunted in an almost inaudible voice. Then she worriedly said, "Master, aren't you angry with Wen Ju? He … he's just a bookworm. Master, please don't be offended. "
Yang Ling smiled and said, "Speaking of which, he just cherishes his status as a scholar and wants to avoid arousing suspicion. I won't argue with him."
Gao Wenxin's heart relaxed a lot, and her hands also became lighter. After a while, she hesitantly said, "Forgive me for being talkative, but I heard from Wen Ju that the people from the Fu School and the Imperial College are all indignant. They compare master to the Eight Tigers and accuse …"
She quietly looked at Yang Ling's expression and saw that he was relaxed and natural. Only then did she gather her courage and say, "Accuse … of being a national traitor. I know master's character, but outsiders don't know. Master doesn't know the prowess of the scholars. As the saying goes, the mouth of the scholars can melt gold. Once they open their mouths, they can destroy a person. "
She lowered her head and faintly said, "Li Jimeng's few words of nonsense caused the people in the surrounding villages to think master is an evil person who bullies men and women. Actually … at the beginning, Wen Ju defended master at the Fu School. It's just that the teachers and scholars linked the evil deeds of the Eight Tigers to master. Master and the Eight Tigers are too close. No matter how he defended, no one was willing to believe him. Instead, they scolded him as a servant. He was angry and annoyed, so he wanted to leave the Yang House to express his feelings.
With master's current power and status, there is no need for you to make friends with the Eight Tigers, who have a bad reputation. You need to know the hearts of the people. If you lose the hearts of the people, I'm afraid it will be very disadvantageous to master. "
Yang Ling asked in reply, "What is the hearts of the people? The hearts of the people are the general trend, and this general trend is benefit. Those who work for the benefit of the people will win the hearts of the people. "
He remembered something about Yuan Chonghuan and couldn't help but sigh, "I remember there was a country. When the barbarians outside the pass attacked this country, there was a General Yuan who defended a city alone. He swore to die and wouldn't retreat. The people in the city felt that their property could be protected and were extremely grateful.
But the more they fought, the more dangerous it became. Seeing that the city was about to be lost, the people were worried that the barbarians would take revenge and massacre the city. At that time, not only would they lose their property, they would also lose their lives. Many people started to scold General Yuan for torturing the people in order to gain merit and get promoted. They blamed him for not having enough troops so he shouldn't have fought so hard and dragged the people down.
Fortunately, the leader of the barbarians was killed during the siege of the city. The barbarian army retreated in disorder, and their lives and property were saved. The common people were glad, but they also cried bitterly and regarded General Yuan as their second parent. "
Yang Ling smiled meaningfully and said, "Just from this incident, do you see what the hearts of the people are? The hearts of the people are benefit, avoiding harm and pursuing benefit is the hearts of the people. Don't think that the people will be deceived. Therefore, the hearts of the people can be relied on, the hearts of the people can be used, and the hearts of the people can be fought for. As long as what I do is beneficial to the people, will the majority of the people stand on my side or the empty words of those scholars?
Not to mention the fact that the Eight Tigers are not evil now, even if they are really evil, I can't become enemies with them for the sake of face and glory. Besides … I'm not stupid enough to fight for the hearts of the people only after seeing the results of what I'm doing. "
The corners of his mouth curled up. Car dealerships, taverns, brothels, merchant houses … These places were all sorts of places and involved people from all walks of life. Let them be surrounded by my human wave tactic. If their neighbors, maids, servants, coachmen, and even their wives and children were able to accept or at least not oppose my political views, I wanted to see how long these isolated officials and scholars could persist.
Yang Ling saw that Gao Wenxin was not moving and couldn't help but look back. He saw that there were more than ten silver branches swaying on his buttocks. It was a spectacular sight. Gao Wenxin was in a daze. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Wen Xin, what are you doing? I look like an assassin. Is this also one of the treatments? "
Gao Wenxin's face reddened, and she woke up with a start. She hurriedly started to diagnose and treat her again. She stammered, "No, this servant was thinking about that sir. When his intentions were not understood by others, he must have felt very sad."
"I know that what master is doing is for the people of the world. That's why he doesn't care about his own reputation. No matter what others think or say, Wen Xin will stay by your side and get rid of the slave status … I really miss it. But no matter how others laugh at me or scold me, I will never leave the Yang House and leave master!"
Yang Ling looked at Gao Wenxin in a daze. The candlelight shone on her beautiful face. Her eyes were firm, calm, and magnanimous. Such a bold confession made Yang Ling feel an impulse when he heard it. He almost jumped up and pulled her into his arms.
But when he moved a little and the silver needles on his butt shook, he came to his senses. He suppressed his emotions and lay back on the pillow. He chuckled, "Well, no one can drive you away if you don't want to go. It's just … these needles look really scary. Let's focus on finishing the acupuncture first. "
Gao Wenxin was already in love. How could she not see the meaning in Yang Ling's eyes just now? It's all my fault … It's all my fault … She bit her lips in annoyance.
* * *
Grand Secretary Li's Mansion.
Yang Ling and Li Dongyang walked side by side into the study. Li Dongyang looked at Yang Ling in surprise. He didn't know why he took the liberty to visit him.
Yang Ling looked at the study. The study was antique. There was a rosewood square table with paperweights, inkstones, and a few tall piles of official documents on the table. Next to the table was a big blue and white jar with a dozen scrolls of Xuan paper and painting scrolls. Behind the table was a wooden red lacquer screen with golden flowers. A corner of the bed was faintly revealed.
Yang Ling was a little surprised. He didn't expect Li Dongyang to meet him in the inner study. Normally, such a private place wouldn't be invited here except for people in the mansion and close friends.
Yang Ling's eyes returned to Grand Secretary Li. There was a fine porcelain teacup in front of each of them. There was no charcoal fire in the room, so it was a little cold. Hot steam rose from the teacups and disappeared before it reached the table.
Li Dongyang finally couldn't help but ask tentatively, "Mr. Yang, what's the purpose of your visit today?"
Yang Ling smiled respectfully and said, "Grand Secretary, you are busy with official business. I wouldn't dare to disturb you if it's just a small matter. In fact, I have an important matter that concerns the court and the lives of the common people. I would like to ask for your opinion first."
Li Dongyang's heart turned upside down. Yang Ling's influence on the Emperor was unparalleled. He had a group of scoundrels like the Eight Tigers, and he had installed Jiao Fang in the Cabinet. In terms of power, no one could compare to him. Moreover, the two of them had never interacted before. Why did he come to discuss something with him?
Was it not enough to drive away the two Grand Secretaries Liu and Xie? Was he planning to expel him from the court so that he could take sole power? Li Dongyang secretly became more vigilant. He laughed and said, "Though Mr. Yang is young, you are extraordinarily talented. I am flattered that you are so polite.
In fact, if you have any opinion on the court, you can directly discuss it in public. If you want to discuss it in private, Eunuch Liu is the Minister of Internal Affairs, and Grand Secretary Jiao is your good friend. I don't think it's my turn to discuss it. "
Yang Ling said seriously, "Are you talking about the Eight Tigers and Jiao Fang, Sir Li? The Eight Tigers are greedy for power and profit, ignorant and mediocre. How can they be discussed? Though Jiao Fang is talented, she can only be a yes-man and obey the emperor's orders. In terms of knowledge and foresight, who else can I ask for advice other than Grand Scholar Li in the imperial court? "
Li Dongyang raised his eyelids and suddenly looked at Yang Ling. He stared at him for a long time with his bright eyes. His lips opened and closed for a long time, but he didn't know how to answer.
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