Yang Ling arrived at the Palace of Heavenly Purity and saw that Ma Yongcheng and Gu Daeyong were both in the hall. Gu Daeyong was standing behind Zhengde while Ma Yongcheng was standing in front of the table talking. Seeing that he had arrived, Emperor Zhengde interrupted Ma Yongcheng and smiled at him. "I told you to come later. You are indeed late. I have already finished the morning court and you have only just arrived."
Yang Ling greeted him and said with a smile, "Your Majesty told me to rest more. That is Your Majesty's understanding. If I came early, wouldn't I be going against Your Majesty's wishes?"
Emperor Zhengde curled his lips and said, "Hypocrite. You have a wife to accompany you, so naturally you don't want to accompany me." Seeing that Yang Ling was startled, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. He clapped his hands and said, "I really guessed it. Young-niang jiejie is just like mother. All the women in the world are similar. Haha!"
Yang Ling didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Ma Yongcheng and Gu Daeyong heard him, an Emperor, call Young-niang jiejie without any scruples. They could only laugh dryly and didn't dare to point out his faults.
Ma Yongcheng coughed twice and smiled apologetically at Yang Ling. He quickly changed the topic and continued to say to Emperor Zhengde, "Your Majesty, after the Old Slave revealed your intentions in the court room, Minister of Revenue Hangul Daren Han said, 'The national treasury is empty. The officials who manage the finances are not those jugglers invited by the Eastern Palace to play tricks. Now that Badaling is being built and Tailing is also being built, Your Majesty should use it sparingly.'"
Zhengde slammed the table and said angrily, "What are you saying? Ming Destiny has always supported the people with low taxes. The taxes collected by the court are not much to begin with. Moreover, I have said that I will take half of the money from the palace treasury. I just want them to repair the garden in Beihai, pull out the weeds, and build a few boats. When I am free, I will go to play and say all these things. These damn ministers! "
Ma Yongcheng nodded his head and bowed his head, "Yes, yes," he said, "Assistant Minister Jiao Fang of the Ministry of Appointments, Jiao Daren, said, 'The common people also have extra expenses, sometimes they will go for a walk, they will build a garden or a pavilion at home, much less the royal family. The imperial court had always been lenient. Now, the amount of money and grain in arrears and tax evasion was uncountable! Even if we can only collect ten to twenty percent, there's no need to ask His Majesty to limit the amount. '"
Hearing this, Emperor Zhengde's anger turned into joy, "Jiao Fang? Is it that Jiao Fang who used a small living thing to admonish me yesterday? Haha, this official's way of admonishing me is interesting, not like those old masters who are always bemoaning the state of the universe and pitying the fate of mankind, as if if I don't listen to him, the sky will fall. Hmm, listening to his words, he is quite considerate to me, this is a good official. "
Ma Yongcheng smiled apologetically, "What Your Majesty said is right, but Jiao Daren was immediately reprimanded by Han Daren, Mr. Yang, Liu Daren, and the others. He was so frightened that he didn't dare to respond."
When Emperor Hongzhi was Hongzhi, he rarely traveled. In his life, he didn't leave the Forbidden City that many times. Although he did take his son out in private, it was only to walk in the marketplace. Naturally, he couldn't go to the royal garden because it had been in disrepair for many years and the Beihai was barren.
Now, Zhengde wanted to repair it. In fact, the project wasn't big and the amount of money spent was also very small. Yang Ling had already heard from him that the reason why the court officials firmly opposed this matter was because they wanted to nip the problem in the bud. They were afraid that once this matter was opened, the Emperor would become more and more playful, so they firmly opposed it. They wanted to bind the Emperor to the Forbidden City.
From Yang Ling's point of view, this was only a small matter. Whether it was repaired or not had no effect on the current Ming Destiny, and it also wouldn't change the history he knew. This matter hadn't reached the point of wasting manpower and money, and Yang Ling didn't have the extravagant hope of transforming Zhengde into a servant of the people, so he naturally didn't say anything.
Zhengde grumbled indignantly for a while, then like a deflated ball, he said, "Then let's do it like this for now. If they don't pay, I will spend my own. You better watch your money pouch carefully for me. That's right, now accompany Yang Ling to the outskirts of the city to take over my Imperial Plantation. When I have time, I will personally go and take a look. "
Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Yang Ling and Ma Yongcheng hurriedly accepted the edict and left the hall. They first went to see the five hundred bodyguards led by Liu Biao. When Yang Ling saw Ma Yongcheng, he remembered that it was Ma Yongcheng who had sent money to redeem Tang Yixian. That was why he had brought the three girls home. He had thought that he had saved them from a fire pit, but now Miss Yixian's whereabouts were unknown. He couldn't help but feel somewhat unhappy.
Seeing his gloomy expression, Ma Yongcheng couldn't help but feel strange and asked, "Sir Yang, why do you look so worried? Is there something on your mind?"
Yang Ling smiled and said, "Oh, it's nothing. That's right, last time eunuch sent money to redeem Miss Tang, I only spent ten thousand taels. I still haven't found an opportunity to return the rest of the money to eunuch. In a moment, when we get home, I will withdraw the money and return it to you."
Ma Yongcheng beamed with joy and said, "No need, no need. His Majesty dotes on Sir Yang and has even given you a large residence in the Imperial Plantation. This kind of favor is not something that others can compare to. From now on, our family will need Sir Yang's help and care for us."
He proudly flaunted, "Besides, things are different now. Our family is in charge of the palace treasury, and all the purchasing tasks in the palace have been handed over to our family. What does this little bit of money count for?"
Only now did Yang Ling know that Ma Yongcheng was in charge of the palace's finances. He hurriedly congratulated him. Ma Yongcheng's face was full of joy. The daily expenses of the tens of thousands of people in the palace were enormous. He had gone from being a small purchasing officer to the head of the rear palace's finances. It was as if he was sitting on a mountain of gold. Naturally, he didn't care about the tens of thousands of taels of silver that he had saved in the past.
In the western suburbs of the capital, seven villages were connected together. They were all surrounded by Zhengde as the Imperial Plantation. Yang Ling was ordered to stay here for a long time. He also heard that the Emperor had already given him a ready-made residence. How could he not bring Young-niang with him? Therefore, he led his five hundred bodyguards and rushed back to bring his family back. Only then did he arrive at Xixiao.
The new Emperor had ascended to the throne and the capital had stabilized. The sudden movement of so many soldiers naturally couldn't be hidden. Moreover, the one leading them was Yang Ling, who had recently been in the limelight. The news immediately spread throughout the capital. Zhao Yong and the others who were having a banquet in a restaurant also heard the news. They hurriedly sent one of their family members to see what was going on.
By the time Yang Ling arrived at Xixiao with his army, the sun was bright red and they were about to set. At this time, the distant mountains were like black smoke. In front of them, the fields were fertile and the crops were green. A small stream flowed around the fields like a jade belt. The atmosphere was incomparably elegant.
In the fields, birds chirped and frogs croaked. It was a leisurely rural scene. Young-niang, Madam Zhang, and the others were delighted to see this. Sister Yu and Sheridan rarely saw this kind of rural scenery. They were even more mesmerized by it.
The residence that was given to Yang Ling was the wealthiest of the seven villages. This village had fifty to sixty families living in it. The courtyards were separated by fences that were half a person's height. The courtyards were surrounded by winding streams, bridges, and green willows. On a small path in the village, there were shepherds driving their cows and sheep home.
Along the way, there were women and old men who saw this large group of people. They all stopped to look at them in amazement. Although these people lived in Xixiao, it was as if they had never left their homes in their entire lives. They appeared very simple and honest.
When Yang Ling arrived, he couldn't help but laugh when he heard the name of this village. This village was called Gaolaozhuang. He didn't know if that fellow Wu Chengen had also been to this place before.
However, after being in this world for so long, Yang Ling already knew that the people in this world still didn't know about the book "Journey to the West." He guessed that Old Wu either hadn't been born yet or hadn't written it yet. If it weren't for the fact that there wasn't any copyright protection in this era and that writing books couldn't earn money, Yang Ling almost plagiarized it so that he could leave his name in the Four Great Classical Novels.
The Village Chief and a few squires were already waiting at the entrance of the village. When they saw them, they respectfully greeted them. The Village Chief wasn't very old. He was in his forties and was in the prime of his life. From the way he dressed and talked, he was also a well-educated landowner.
Yang Ling followed their lead and arrived at his new residence. It was a large mansion with three courtyards. It had a tall gate and a large courtyard. A newly made inscribed board written in black and gold with the words "Mighty Duke's Mansion" hung high under the gate. The red lacquered door with copper rings was wide open. Once he entered the door, he could see a painted wall. It looked like the original owner was an extremely wealthy family.
The small village couldn't afford to entertain Yang Ling's five hundred soldiers. Yang Ling had already ordered the army to temporarily set up camp in a large peach and apricot forest not far behind the Weiwu Count's Residence. They were to bury their own pots and cook their own meals. They must not disturb the place. Fortunately, five hundred soldiers weren't too many, but they weren't too few either. After more than twenty large tents were set up, they settled in.
As soon as they entered the house, in addition to the respectfully welcoming people of the village, there were unexpectedly two rows of male and female servants standing there solemnly. Yang Ling saw that although the family servants who came to greet him were all dressed in green and wore little hats, their expressions and temperament were somewhat elegant and refined. He couldn't help but secretly feel happy. Who said that the little Emperor was young and inexperienced? This favor was really good.
Although the banquet was held in the Weiwu Count's Residence, it was prepared by the Village Chief, Gao Yuanwai, and the squires. When everyone entered the house, the family members moved the few boxes in and immediately set up the table and chairs. They set up the banquet to entertain the new owner.
Yang Ling and Gao Yuanwai and the others were not familiar with each other. The womenfolk held the banquet alone in the inner court. Apart from some polite words, they didn't have much to say to each other. Ma Yongcheng only chatted with Yang Ling and ignored these country bumpkins. Gao Yuanwai was a very obedient person. Seeing this posture, they greeted each other for a while and then hurriedly said goodbye.
Yang Ling very politely sent Gao Yuanwai and the others out of the door. When he returned, he drank and chatted with Ma Yongcheng, Liu Biao, and a few generals in the Weiwu Count's army. After Ma Yongcheng ate and drank to his heart's content, he also said goodbye with a smile. Yang Ling wanted to take the silver and return it to him, but Ma Yongcheng refused. He got into the small sedan chair and went back to the palace.
After Yang Ling sent Liu Biao and the others away, the big courtyard became deserted. Two family members lit two red lanterns and hurried to hang them at the door of the house. Then they closed the door. As soon as they went around the screen wall, they saw Master Yang standing in the courtyard with flowers in full bloom and staring at the moon in a daze. The two hurried over and waited on the side.
Yang Ling sniffed and asked, "Why is there a smell of medicine?"
The old housekeeper hurriedly bowed and said, "Master, this house … the old owner planted some medicinal herbs in the garden. Right now they are blooming, so there is a smell of medicine."
Yang Ling made an 'oh' sound and looked at his new residence with satisfaction. He then smiled and looked at the sky and night. He felt that this ancient house, this elegant and simple rural scenery made people feel especially comfortable. Not to mention that the mistress of the house was so cute.
Was the home of a hero's gentleness the grave, or was it a hero's happy home? Yang Ling suddenly felt that if he had no desires and just lived here with Young-niang, planting flowers and grasses, wouldn't that kind of happy life be more free and unfettered than immortals?
Yang Ling smiled and turned his head. He saw the two family members standing respectfully to the side. One of them was an old housekeeper who had a calm demeanor, while the other was a young man who seemed to be afraid of him. Yang Ling couldn't help but smile warmly and said, "Don't be afraid, I, the master, don't put on airs. In the future, everyone will be a family. I won't casually punish the servants."
The old housekeeper hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, the master is benevolent. The banquet in the backyard has already been removed. The master has just moved home and is tired. Would you like to rest now? The maids have already arranged the master and madam's bedroom. "
After he finished speaking, he saw that the scholarly young man next to him was still in a daze. He hurriedly used his shoulder to nudge him. The servant in green clothes and small hat hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, please rest, master."
Yang Ling looked at him strangely. He felt that this servant was a bit strange. He thought that it was because he was new here and they weren't familiar, so this servant was a bit timid. Therefore, he didn't take it too seriously. He smiled amiably and said, "Yes, I will sleep by myself. You guys remove the banquet in the middle hall and rest early."
This house was really not small. The front yard had a screen wall and a hall behind it. On both sides of the courtyard were two rows of rooms where the servants lived. On the left and right of the middle hall were two rooms. One was a study, and the other was a small hall for meeting important guests.
Passing through the middle hall was a garden with rockery, a pond, a winding corridor and a pavilion. There were vines everywhere. When the wind blew, there was a fresh fragrance of flowers. Although the garden wasn't big, it was extremely exquisite. It had the taste of a Jiangnan water village garden.
Yang Ling was even more delighted. Now that it was late, he couldn't see clearly. Tomorrow, he would take a good look. This small house really was like a fairyland. He walked through the winding corridor, and just as he passed through the moon door and entered the backyard where the wives lived, he heard a faint sound of sobbing.
Yang Ling was startled and hurriedly rushed towards the sound. The rear courtyard was a concave shaped two-story building. On the first floor opposite was a reception hall. Two maids stood at the entrance of the hall. When they saw him, they hurriedly saluted and said, "Nubi greets laoye."
When Yang Ling heard the sound of crying coming from the hall, he didn't pay attention to them and hurriedly rushed into the hall. He saw Han Youniang, Yutang Chun, Sheridan, and his sister-in-law, Zhang shi, all had sad expressions on their faces. Yun 'er was helping up a young girl who was sobbing like a pear blossom in the rain.
Yang Ling was startled and said, "Young-niang, what happened?"
When Han Youniang saw him, she hurriedly came over and pulled his hand. She said sadly, "Xianggong, this family is so pitiful. Can you … can you think of a way to save them?"
Yang Ling was surprised and said, "This family? What the hell happened? " While his mouth was asking, his heart was already thumping hard. Could it be that the young Emperor had been bewitched by someone else, and in order to bestow him a mansion he would do something outrageous? If that was the case, he would not be able to afford it.
Su San pulled the young girl and said, "This young lady is a relative of the previous owner of this residence, Master Gao. She is the niece of the Gao family. Young Lady Gao, please tell this matter to my Daren. My Daren is very capable and will definitely be able to save your sister."
Yang Ling looked at the young girl and saw that she was about seventeen or eighteen years of age. She had a few freckles on her cheeks and her appearance was quite beautiful. She was gently wiping away her tears.
Yang Ling hurriedly said, "What actually happened? Tell me first."
It turned out that when Young-niang and the others were eating in the rear courtyard, because they had just moved to this place, they saw that the scenery in the courtyard was like a celestial being. Their hearts couldn't help but be happy. The women sat in the reception hall eating and chatting. From time to time, they would laugh happily.
There was a maid who was standing to the side. When she saw them talking and laughing, she couldn't help but reveal a sorrowful expression on her face. From time to time, she would quietly turn around to look for her tears. Yutang Chun was sitting opposite her. Seeing that her expression was strange, she called her over to ask what was going on. At first, the young girl was flustered and tried to cover it up. Later on, she couldn't stand it anymore and could only kneel down to apologize. She told the story. Hearing this tragic story, Young-niang and the others couldn't help but cry.
It turned out that the owner of this big house was called Gao Tinghe. He was the unlucky imperial physician who had just been escorted to Caishikou by Emperor Zhengde to be beheaded a few days ago. Hongzhi Emperor took medicine, and his nose bled and he died. Under Zhengde's anger, Zhang Yu, the eunuch who gave the medicine to the emperor, and Liu Wentai, the dean of the Imperial Hospital, were both beheaded. How could he, the doctor responsible for prescribing medicine to the emperor, be spared?
Moreover, his crime was more serious than that of the two condemned prisoners. In order to distinguish them, the Ministry of Punishments sentenced them to death. But Gao Tinghe's crime was even more serious. He was sentenced to confiscate his house, confiscate his property, behead his son, send his daughter to the Musical House, and the others were all listed as slaves.
This imperial physician Gao's family was small. He had no son and only a daughter named Gao Wenxin. She was eighteen years old and had already been engaged to the Li family in the neighboring village. But three years ago, the old lady of the Li family passed away. The young master of the Li family had been mourning for three years, so the marriage of this daughter was delayed. As a result, she was arrested and sent to the Musical House.
This girl in plain clothes was called Gao Wenlan. She had a younger brother, Gao Wenju, who was the young man who served Yang Ling in the vestibule. Gao Tinghe's elder brother, Gao Tingzheng, died early, so Imperial Physician Gao brought his elder brother's son and daughter into his home to take care of them. He had planned to marry his daughter in August this year and then adopt Gao Wenju as his son. Fortunately, it was a little late. Otherwise, the only descendant of the Gao family would also be dragged to be beheaded.
It turned out that such a good family was broken up in an instant. She was originally a young master and a young lady, but she had to stay here to serve the people who occupied her family. How could she not be sad and shed tears at such a situation?
After listening to her narration, Yang Ling could not help but feel sad. Han Youniang took his hand and said, "Husband, Miss Gao is a young lady from a big family who is well-educated and polite. She was sent to such a place to be defiled. Isn't it worse than death? Husband, can you please save her? "
After hearing this, Yang Ling could not help but hesitate. It was a trivial thing for him to ask for a person from the Musical House, but the other party was a criminal, which was not something he could easily provoke. Gao Tinghe's crime was related to the death of the Former Emperor. How could he casually save his relatives?
Sympathy was one thing, but if he wanted to see injustice, he had to consider his own weight. What would Emperor Zhengde think about this matter? Would he agree to release them?
Yang Ling was hesitating. Seeing his hesitation, Gao Wenlan had knelt on the ground and begged again and again, "Your Honor, please save my sister. She is well-educated and kind. She has saved many patients in the surrounding villages and has been doing good deeds. Please save her, Your Honor."
Gao Wenlan kowtowed several times, and blood could be seen on her delicate forehead. Seeing this, Young-niang could not bear it and begged, "Husband, a woman's reputation is a big thing, and she is such a good girl. Husband, since we have come here, it is also fate. How can you leave her to die? "
Yang Ling took a breath and smiled bitterly in his heart. "Silly girl, you think your husband is so capable. Hongzhi Emperor is at the end of his life, and everyone knows that the imperial physician died unjustly. But none of the civil and military officials in the court came forward to plead for mercy. Those imperial messengers even submitted memorials asking for the punishment of the related personnel.
Besides, now it has been three days. If Miss Gao was unwilling to surrender, she might have already committed suicide. If she was afraid of death and surrendered, it would be too late to save her. If she really ended up like this, would she still be willing to come back to see her relatives and old servants? "
As Yang Ling was thinking, he looked up and saw Young-niang, Sister Yu, and Sheridan looking at him with expectation and infinite trust. Then he looked at the girl who was still kowtowing and had blood on her forehead. He could not help but sigh and heavily stamped his feet, saying, "Okay, I will go! You wait at home. I will go to the city immediately and go to the Musical House. "
Yang Ling hurried to the camp, led four armed guards, and rode straight to the capital. The village road was winding, and it was difficult for the horse to go fast. After a long time, he turned to the official road.
How to save her? If this was the revenge of Emperor Zhengde, and he rashly saved her, then …
A gust of wind came, and Yang Ling thought of the fate of Doctor Gao and his family, and could not help but shiver. He suddenly turned his head to look at the village, and the two lights in front of the house had turned into a glimmer of light.
Yang Ling secretly warned himself, "The official career is dangerous. Today I have infinite glory in the court, but if I fall one day, what will happen? If my Young-niang and the girls who have been with me are also sent … "
Yang Ling's head was cold, "I can't go with the flow like this anymore. It is the safest and most dangerous to rely on the Emperor's favor. For the sake of my beloved family, I must find a way to have the ability to protect myself." "If someone tries to harm me, even if he is the Emperor, then he is also my enemy. I, Yang Ling, only care about my conscience, but not about the monarch, minister, father, and son!"
* * *
Yang Ling did not dare to act rashly, and first went to the Imperial Bodyguard to see Qian Ning. When he heard that he was going to save a criminal, Qian Ning also looked scared, but he still had some conscience. After repeatedly persuading him and mentioning some rules of the Musical House, he hurriedly ran away with an excuse that he had something important to do.
It turned out that the Musical House belonged to the Ministry of Rites, and there was a Left and Right Shao Wu and a Left and Right Si Yue respectively. This place was not only to manage the official prostitutes, but also the rites and music organization of the imperial court. The music and dance needed for the palace ceremonies also needed the Musical House.
The Musical House was divided into two kinds: prostitutes and musicians. The wives and daughters of the prostitutes were engaged in the life of selling; while the musicians, generally speaking, their wives and daughters were prostitutes. Once they entered the Musical House, they would have male slaves and female prostitutes for generations. Nowadays, many prostitutes in the Musical House were even the descendants of some official families, ministers, and princes who committed crimes more than a hundred years ago or even earlier.
Although the Musical House was under the charge of the Left and Right Shao Wu and Right Si Yue, because the rites and music of the imperial court often needed the Musical House to be responsible for the rehearsal and performance, in order to facilitate the dispatch, there was also a eunuch in the palace who was responsible for directing the Musical House, and this person was the real power of the Musical House. Liu Jin used to be the chief eunuch of the Musical House. Later, because he was accused of taking bribes, he was dismissed by Hongzhi. Now he was in charge of the Bell and Drum Bureau, ringing the bell and beating the drum every day. Although it was still the work of the music department, he had no real power.
When Yang Ling heard that the eunuch of the palace was in charge of the Musical House, he couldn't help but be overjoyed. Now he came forward, even Wang Yue and Eunuch Wang had to give him some face, not to mention others. Even if Zhengde was there and couldn't rescue Miss Gao for a while, as long as he asked the chief eunuch to say a word and not send Miss Gao to receive guests for the time being, it could be postponed.
Thinking of this, Yang Ling didn't go to the Musical House, but rushed to the imperial city first. When he arrived outside the imperial city, he suddenly realized that at this time, the palace was closed, even if he had the identity card of the palace, he couldn't open the palace gate. He couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
Near the Musical House in the south of Beijing, there was a building every three steps and a courtyard every five steps. Most of the brothels and song houses in the capital were concentrated here. Inside the Musical House, Sikong Ming, the Chief Dancer of the Right Shao Dance Bureau, was drinking tea with his legs crossed. His eyelids drooped, and he said to the person standing in front of him, "Is there still no one from the Gao family?"
The man in front of him was about fifty years old, with two moustaches, wearing a blue shirt and a green horn scarf. He smiled apologetically and said, "Your Honor, the Gao family has been confiscated, and the whole family has been taken as slaves. Who would be willing to spend money?"
Sikong Ming snorted unhappily. The prostitutes in the Musical House were different kinds, such as singing prostitutes, dancing prostitutes, and music prostitutes. The emperor's decree didn't explicitly order to receive guests, so the Musical House had the right to arrange the prostitute to do what kind of job.
If the Gao family was willing to spend a lot of money, although Miss Gao was bound to be a prostitute for the rest of her life, and if she got married and had children in the future, she would still be a prostitute for generations, but she might not necessarily be a prostitute who sold herself. Sikong Ming thought that he could make a profit, but now it seemed that the Gao family was really going to be pushed by everyone when they were down, and no one was willing to help them.
He stacked the tea bowls and saw that the musician with the green hat was still standing in front of him. He couldn't help but stare at him and shouted, "What are you still doing? Go, ask a few people to wash that Miss, and tonight we'll put up a sign to receive guests. "
Green Hat rubbed his hands together and smiled apologetically. "Milord, that girl has a fiery temper. Don't offend the guest. Otherwise, I'll have to open her bud first. This woman, once she's had it once, she'll give up."
Sikong Ming laughed as soon as he heard this. He jokingly scolded, "There hasn't been a woman with status in our Musical House for many years. This Miss Wen Xin's father is a medical officer, an imperial physician who serves the emperor, and she herself is a female miracle doctor. There are a lot of people lining up to taste her. Don't touch her. Spread the word that the price of the first one will be doubled, hahahaha …"
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