Early the next morning, Lady Divine Doctor Gao Wenxin took off her clothes and was quietly taken out of the city by a small sedan.
At noon, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Wang Qiong, was pardoned by the Emperor and released from prison. As soon as the white-haired Minister Wang came out of the prison of the Ministry of Justice, he was like a triumphant hero, surrounded by officials who came to greet him, asking him about his well-being. It was really a spectacular scene. Most of the court officials came. Although it was not convenient for the three Grand Scholars to show up, they also sent people to congratulate him.
A big banquet was arranged in the Minister's Mansion. A group of literate officials inevitably wrote poems and congratulated him. When she was half drunk, Wang Qiong held up her cup and walked to the center of the hall before she cupped her hands and said, "Fellow comrades and friends, Wang Qiong offended the Heavens and was imprisoned for committing a crime. It's all thanks to all of you that I was able to escape my cage, and I really have to thank all of you. This cup of wine is a toast to everyone! "
As soon as Wang Qiong finished, he raised his cup and drank it in one gulp. Although he held a banquet at home to thank his colleagues, he still adhered to etiquette and wore a mourning suit for the Former Emperor. His hair and beard were white and his face was full of righteousness. The officials who came to congratulate saw the Minister toast and stood up to respond.
The Minister of Personnel Ma Wensheng said with a smile, "Official Wang's moral writings are respected by the world. As the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, he is even more dedicated to his duties. That day, in order to persuade the Emperor to observe etiquette, he offended the Emperor in a moment of anger. It was not a big deal. Even if we did not submit a petition to be pardoned, the Emperor would definitely pardon you."
Wang Qiong heard the praise from the Minister of Personnel and could not help but smile. He walked back to the table and sat down, saying, "Minister Ma, you flatter me. Our Huaxia is a country of etiquette and righteousness, a country of etiquette. The Sage created the five etiquettes. We should understand etiquette, practice etiquette, observe etiquette, and respect etiquette. This is an important matter to the country, to stabilize the country, to order the people, and to benefit the future generations. As an official, how can I not speak up when the Emperor has made mistakes? But to be able to persuade His Majesty to observe etiquette, not to mention going to jail, even if it means death, so what? "
Wang Yan repeatedly nodded her head in agreement and said: "The Sage understands virtue through courtesy, and respects virtue through courtesy. As the saying goes, a person cannot be born without courtesy, a matter cannot be accomplished without courtesy, and a country cannot be at peace without courtesy. Your Excellency has offended your dignity by remonstrating, and you can be said to be a role model for all officials. It is our duty to seek forgiveness."
When the Right Imperial Censor, the Governor-General of Xuanhua, Datong, and Shanxi, the Assistant Minister of War, Liu Yu, heard this, Liu Daren suddenly said: "According to what this lowly official knows, the commander of His Majesty's Imperial Bodyguards, Sir Yang Yang Ling, pleaded for leniency for Daren this morning. He is His Majesty's favorite. Perhaps the person who contributed the most to Daren's release from prison was Sir Yang."
Hearing this, Wang Qiong was displeased. He laughed coldly and said, "He is just a child. Relying on his status as an old official of the Eastern Palace, he can enter and leave the court. What does he know? Hmph! When this old man advised His Majesty to return to the palace to keep vigil, it was him who slandered and stopped me. This old man threw an inkstone at him in anger. Why would he plead for leniency for this old man? "
Hearing this, Yang Fang said: "Yang Ling did plead for leniency for Shangshu Daren. This matter did happen, but... in my opinion, he must have seen Shangshu Daren in prison. The public is furious, and the officials are angry. In order to prevent himself from becoming the target of public criticism, he is only putting on an act!"
The Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, Zhao Jianzhi, slapped his thigh and said: "Exactly. You have been in prison for a few days, so you probably do not know. That Yang Ling even suggested to His Majesty that officials from the wealthiest provinces are not allowed to hold office in this province. It is in the name of preventing corruption and preventing corruption.
"What?" Wang Qiong was shocked and angry. "The way of governing the world is not by laws, but by education. If you want to prevent corruption and prevent corruption, you should talk about etiquette, righteousness, education, and good customs. If you want to prevent corruption, why not use morality to educate? Isn't this neglecting the essentials? "
The Minister of the Ministry of Works, Xu Guan, saw that the officials around him were discussing the new policy proposed by Yang Ling. He was secretly delighted. He smiled and said: "Official Wang is right. Good laws can be banned for a while, but education can be maintained for a long time. How can he, a mere scholar, understand such a theory of governing the country?"
The Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments, Jiao Fang, was an old subordinate of Wang Qiong. He had no choice but to come to congratulate him. However, he was a narrow-minded person. Wang Qiong had once suppressed him out of selfishness. Jiao Fang had always held a grudge against him. At this time, he looked on coldly from the sidelines. Seeing that the new Emperor favored Yang Ling and that he had helped him rise so quickly, he could not help but laugh coldly in his heart. He quietly began to make his own plans.
The Minister of War, Liu Daxia, frowned and said: "Hmm, this old man also feels that the boy is making a bit of a ruckus. Yesterday, the Emperor suddenly left the palace and went to the Imperial Plantation in the western suburbs. At night, the sky was filled with rosy clouds. The Shenji Battalion Left Sentries were stationed there by imperial edict. Today, this old man asked about what happened yesterday, and the Emperor actually said that he was watching the martial arts demonstration at night.
At this point, Liu Daxia stopped talking and just kept shaking his head.
Wang Jinglong and a few of his close friends were sitting at the side of the hall. Listening to their conversation, Zhao Yong smiled and said: "Everyone, did you hear that? Right now, the court officials are very dissatisfied with that treacherous official. It is a pity that we cannot find any evidence of his wrongdoing. If we can perform a meritorious deed, wouldn't that be great? "
Yang Lin shook his head and said: "It is difficult. Which court official does not have eyes and ears? If he had made a mistake, he would have been caught long ago. "
Zhao Yong smiled coldly and said: "Brother Zhao, those who achieve great things do not bother with trifles. Yang Ling is treacherous and cunning. He is careful in his actions, which is why others cannot find any evidence against him. If we cannot find any evidence against him, can't we give him some?"
Hearing this, Wang Jinglong was puzzled and asked: "How can we give him some? Brother Yang, do you have any brilliant plan? If there is real evidence, then that is fine. "He lowered his voice and said:" But if there is forged evidence to frame a minister, then that is a serious crime. "
Zhao Yong laughed coldly and said: "Minister Shun, if not for Yang Ling angering your esteemed father, would the Old Master have alarmed the Emperor in his anger? The Old Master is over seventy years old and still has to suffer in prison. As his son, if we do not avenge this enmity, we are truly a man who has held his head high for seven feet. "
Wang Jinglong's face reddened from his provocation and he hurriedly said: "Why does little brother not want to help my father vent his anger? It is just that we have no evidence against him! "
Zhao Yong smiled loftily and said: "Isn't a solution something people can think of? Two days ago, you went to the Yang House to ask Yang Ling to mediate for Uncle. Today, we can use this as an excuse to pay our respects and take the initiative to make friends with him. Humph, when we are familiar with him, we will act according to circumstances. "
Speaking to this point, he lowered his voice and said softly: "If we really cannot find him, then we will plant some evidence against him. At that time, we will choke him by seven inches and have the officials impeach him. As long as we do it cleverly, what evidence does he have to say that we planted the evidence? "
Zhao Yong's father was the assistant minister of the Ministry of Appointments. Zhao Yong had heard a little about the methods used by this yamen to punish people. He did not have any personal grudges against Yang Ling, but he had long heard that his father, uncles and elders were dissatisfied with Yang Ling. They believed that he was not a good official and wanted to be a righteous hero.
Hearing this, Wang Jinglong was delighted at first. After thinking for a while, he suddenly felt awkward and said: "But... Yang Ling is going to supervise the construction of the Emperor's mausoleum tomorrow. Do I have to chase after him to make friends with him?"
Zhao Yong had just thought of a serious crime that could bring down Yang Ling. Hearing this, he was even more delighted. He could not help but smile and said: "Very good. He is not at home and there is only a group of ignorant womenfolk left in the fu. It will be more convenient for us to act."
Wang Jinglong rolled his eyes and said in a bad mood: "Brother Zhao, there is only a group of womenfolk left in the Yang House. How can I pay them a visit?"
Hearing this, Zhao Yong was stunned. Yang Lin laughed and said: "I have an idea. Today, didn't the Emperor remove the daughter of the criminal Gao Tinghe and demote her to be a slave in the Yang Family? Sister-in-law has been bedridden for a long time and has not been able to find a good doctor. Brother Wang can go to the Yang House today to thank him and then mention that you want to bring your wife to see her. I believe Yang Ling has no reason to refuse. In this way, even if he is not at home, won't Brother Wang be able to enter the house? "
Hearing this, Yang Lin was overjoyed and praised: "Not bad. This is a wonderful plan. Let us act according to this plan. Wait until we understand the background of the Yang Family, then we can make further plans!"
Hearing this, Wang Jinglong could not help but be unhappy. For some reason, the image of two lovely and moving maids suddenly appeared in his mind.
* * *
Under the sunlight, the garden of the Gao Mansion, full of the charm of Jiangnan, was bright and beautiful. Turning into the stone door that had been dyed dark green by the moss, with a light step, the golden-red fish swimming in the shadow of the pond under the nine winding corridors heard the sound and swam away, escaping into the depths of the grass.
Countless wisteria hung from the rocks of the artificial mountain, forming a curtain above the pond, connecting to the horizontal pillars of the winding stone corridor, blocking the sunlight. Only countless mottled lights and shadows fell between the branches and leaves.
Such a quiet and beautiful scenery, but Yang Ling was not in the mood to appreciate it. Last night, he escorted Emperor Zhengde back to the capital. In the morning, he sent bodyguards with Liu Jin to the Musical House to deliver the imperial edict and escort the young lady of the Gao Family back. However, he was ordered to stay in the palace.
Yang Ling thought that the little Emperor had some playful ideas and wanted to order him to do it. Unexpectedly, after the court was dismissed, Emperor Zhengde told him that the ministers in the court were dissatisfied with him staying in the capital without doing any work and wanted him to go to the Tailing Mausoleum the next day. Yang Ling had no choice but to agree.
He was very satisfied with his current status, and he didn't want to ask for Wen Da anymore. He just wanted to spend more time with his young mother. However, people in Jianghu had no choice. He wasn't a noble young master born with a golden rice spoon in his mouth. If he wanted a carefree life, there were some things that he had to do. However, it would take at least four months for the Tailing Mausoleum to be completed. How many four months did he have to kill?
With his thoughts in mind, Yang Ling walked forward step by step. When he was finding it difficult to say to Young-niang that he wanted to leave, he suddenly heard a melodious sound of a zither. He knew that it was Sheridan playing the zither. He stopped and listened for a moment. His heart became more melancholy. Yang Ling could not help but sigh leisurely and continued to walk forward.
The stone corridor was shaded by green leaves, and Yang Ling felt refreshed and quiet the moment he stepped in. Yang Ling turned a corner, and suddenly saw a small pavilion in the shape of a lotus leaf suspended over the water. The pavilion's roof was green, but its four pillars were made of wood, giving it an antique feel.
The water under the pavilion was rippling, and a pretty girl was sitting on the pool railing. She was dressed in cyan. Her hands were holding the railing, and her chin was elegantly resting on the back of her hands. She looked like a shadow in the water. Her hair was as black as ink, and there was only a white silk tied on her forehead.
Yang Ling unconsciously slowed down his footsteps. The girl in cyan heard the sound of footsteps and suddenly turned her head. Yang Ling saw that he had never seen this girl before and was startled.
The girl turned her head to look at him. She quickly stood up and hurriedly walked two steps forward. She bowed to him and said, "Wen Xin has been waiting for daren for a long time. Daren's great kindness and kindness, this servant will never be able to repay you in this lifetime. Please accept this servant's bow!" Finished speaking, she knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times.
Once Yang Ling heard this, he suddenly realized that this girl was the female Godly Doctor that he had saved. He quickly helped her up and said, "Miss, please rise, don't address me like that. Yang Ling is really ashamed that I was unable to get His Majesty to pardon you. But this servant's identity is only a cover to deal with outsiders. The female Godly Doctor's name is all over the capital, Yang Ling will definitely not dare to treat you as a servant."
As Yang Ling spoke, he examined her. Last night, her forehead was bleeding, there were tear stains on her face, her hair was disheveled and her face was flushed. When she woke up in the morning, she was also very ugly. Now that she was dressed up, she was much more pleasing to look at.
Her facial features could not be considered extremely beautiful. She was not as delicate as Young-niang, nor as seductive as Lian 'er. But her eyes were bright and clear. From inside to outside, her entire body gave off a feeling of being untainted by a speck of dust. That kind of elegance was not something that could be obtained from just looks alone.
Gao Wenxin gently stood up and said in a low voice, "The Gao family has met with disaster, this servant's family has been destroyed. Now, I am a person without a home to return to. Daren has saved me, this kindness is as high as the mountain and as deep as the sea. Moreover, is an imperial edict so easily changed? For daren to be able to do this, this servant did not even dare to think of an ending. This servant does not dare to have any more foolish thoughts. I only want to be a servant in the Yang House. From now on, the three words Gao Wenxin, there is no need to mention them. "
When Yang Ling saw her last night, this young girl was like any other girl. She was panic-stricken and shocked. Unexpectedly, her expression was as calm as water, and her speech was natural and unrestrained. Compared to last night, she was a completely different person.
Hearing her words, Yang Ling could not help but secretly complain in his heart. In his family, there was a Yutang Chun and a Sheridan. Their identities were already not clear. If a female Divine Doctor were to be mixed in, then the back garden of the Yang Family would really be too lively.
Yang Ling hurriedly said, "It is just an empty identity. Miss, why do you need to be so concerned? I know that Miss is betrothed to the young master of the Li Family of the neighboring village. Later, I will send someone to inform Young Master Li so that you can marry him as soon as possible. "
The corner of Gao Wenxin's mouth revealed a trace of a mocking and self-deprecating smile. She indifferently said, "Daren, Young Master Li is from a family of scholars and officials. He is also a dignified Juren. Do you think that he will marry the daughter of a criminal official, a woman who has been in the Musical House?"
At this point, her originally calm eyes suddenly became misty. She sadly looked at Yang Ling. Yang Ling was suddenly speechless. He avoided her eyes and said, "Miss, you are a woman. An unexpected disaster fell from the sky. How can you have the strength to resist? As long as you have a bit of conscience, who would have the heart to blame you? How about this, I will immediately write a letter explaining the reason and have someone send it to the Li Family. "
Gao Wenxin opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Yang Ling had already turned around and left in a hurry. Gao Wenxin stood there for a long time. Then she sadly sighed and said, "The world is cold and the human heart is like frost. Wen Xin is already in such a bad situation. Sir Yang, why do you have to be so meddlesome and make me feel ashamed?"
Yang Ling did not expect that after saving someone, he would still have to clean up a mess. Now that he was living in the Gao family's house, no matter whether Gao Wenxin was a young lady or a servant girl, staying here was enough to make him feel uncomfortable.
In fact, his heart was also restless. He did not know if High Scholar Li cared about the Gao family's misfortune or if Miss Gao had been sent to the Musical House. Now that he was in a desperate situation, he could only hope that he could use his status and reputation to write a letter explaining the situation. He hoped that High Scholar Li would believe him.
Yang Ling returned to his study and hurriedly wrote a letter. He gave it to the old housekeeper and asked him to immediately go to the Li Family. The old housekeeper had been with the Gao family all his life. Although the Gao family was in trouble now, he still had deep feelings for the Gao family. As soon as he heard that Sir Yang wanted to matchmake Miss Gao with the Li family, he immediately took the letter and rushed to the Li Family's village.
Yang Ling had just sent the housekeeper away when Wang Jinglong came to visit him with four gifts. Last time, Yang Ling saw how he suppressed his anger and begged him with soft words. He thought that once Wang Qiong was released from prison, this Young Master Wang would never come to visit again. He did not expect that right after Official Wang was released, he would come to thank him.
Wang Jinglong had the intention of "making friends", so his expression and actions were much more natural. It was not like the last time when he came to visit, where he was angry but did not dare to say anything. Yang Ling also did not want to become enemies with Minister Wang, whose students and acquaintances were all over the world. Seeing that the Third Young Master of the Wang Family was very friendly, he did not want to be impolite, and quickly served tea. After chatting for a long time, Wang Jinglong changed the topic, and suggested that he bring his wife to the Yang family to seek treatment, and ask the female divine physician of the Yang family to treat her.
Only then did Yang Ling understand. He thought that it was because of this that he changed from being arrogant to being respectful. He originally still had some doubts about his attitude, but now his doubts were immediately dispelled.
He thought for a while. If Young Master Li saw his letter and was willing to accept Miss Gao, in order to hide the fact that Young-niang was sick, he would still have to invite Miss Gao to the residence from time to time. Young-niang was not sick to begin with, so there was no harm in giving this favor to Wang Jinglong. He immediately agreed.
Wang Jinglong chatted for a while longer. Seeing that Yang Ling was receiving guests today and that there were only four servants waiting on him in the hall, he did not summon the two beautiful maids he had met the last time. He knew that he would not be able to meet Yang Ling today and could only bid his farewell in disappointment.
Yang Ling sent off Wang Jinglong and sat in the study for a while. After drinking two cups of tea, the old housekeeper hurried back. Yang Ling saw him and was overjoyed. He quickly welcomed him in and asked, "Old housekeeper, has the letter arrived? What did Young Master Li say? "
The old housekeeper was so angry that his face turned red. He angrily said, "Master, I took your letter and rushed to Young Master Li's residence. The Li family acted as if they were avoiding the plague. They didn't even let me through the door. They only told me to put the letter in through the crack of the door. The Old Slave waited for half an hour. Young Master Li only wrote a letter and then put it through the crack of the door. From beginning to end, he didn't even show his face."
Yang Ling heard the old housekeeper's words and couldn't help but feel his heart sink. He hurriedly asked for Young Master Li's reply and carefully read it. This letter was written in classical Chinese. The words were obscure and the content was profound. This fake scholar really had a hard time reading the real scholar's letter.
Yang Ling read word by word for a long time before he roughly understood the content of the letter. Young Master Li's letter did not mention anything about the disaster that had befallen the Li family, nor did he mention the fact that Miss Li had entered the Musical House. In the letter, he first talked about the etiquette that a woman should abide by. Then he proudly talked about the glorious deeds of the Li family from the previous five generations. Finally, he politely asked, "Does Your Excellency want me, a High Scholar, to be the husband of your maidservant?"
After reading it, Yang Ling suddenly choked. While he was in a daze, Han Youniang happily rushed in and said, "Husband, I made sour plum soup this morning. It's in the well. Do you want to drink a bowl?"
Yang Ling wiped his sweat and said, "Hmm … Young-niang, go and get me a quilt. Husband won't go to the backyard tonight. I'll sleep in this study."
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.
