Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Waiting

I went back to Chengqingfang on the second day of the Chinese New Year.

Uncle brought Zhan Ming here, so he was considered as her mother's family. Second sister Du Runqing did not show up, but uncle Du Zhiqi secretly asked Du Lingjing about arranging an official position for him.

"I heard that the Marquis intends to use those ministers who opposed the party. I am your uncle, so I am closer to you than outsiders. What do you think, Jingniang?"

After the beginning of spring, the Ministry of Revenue will begin to adjust officials from various places one after another, which is the time to select vacancies.

Du Zhiqi also tried to get close to the Fu party members who came to Beijing. When his brother died and the Fu party was scattered, some people came to him, but he was in trouble at that time, so he did not interact with them.

Now that Jingniang has married the Marquis, and with the Marquis as her backer, he doesn't have to worry about much, and can take up important positions together with the Fu party.

He was still thinking about the position that Shao Boju had promised him before.

"Has Jingniang told the Marquis? What does the Marquis think?"

Du Lingjing couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, are you still thinking about Shao Boju? Do you know that he is in prison now?"

Du Zhiqi certainly knew, "But I heard that the emperor has said that he might let him go."

Shao Boju was let off despite committing such a serious crime, maybe he can do it again in a few years. He just wants to return to Beijing to take up his post, so why can't he?

The uncle and nephew were talking in the hall. Just now someone came to look for Lu Shenru for something, so he went out.

Before the uncle and nephew finished their words, Chong'an came and invited Du Lingjing to go to the study.

When Du Lingjing arrived, she noticed that his eyes looked a little complicated.

"What happened?" she asked.

The man was silent for a moment, then sighed, his voice slightly deep.

"Shao Boju committed suicide."

The study room suddenly became quiet, and Du Lingjing was stunned for a long while before coming back to his senses.

The emperor has already intended to spare this third place scholar. Even if he cannot regain his former favor, at least his life can be saved.

But the meaning of forgiveness came down, but he committed suicide.

Would he rather die than submit to his uncle Shao Zun, or was he too ashamed to be released from prison and see his old brothers again, or was it that a man who had been immersed in power and dignity could no longer live in hopelessness?

In her father's old study, Du Lingjing saw that the Marquis was also silent for a while.

But he did not mention Shao Boju's matter again, and only sighed, "The emperor has always been fair. Now that Shao Boju is dead, the two people in Rongchang Marquis's mansion are probably dead. Maybe there will be other arrangements for them."

He turned around and said, "I'm going back."

A single move can affect the entire body, and the turmoil in the court has never stopped. Du Lingjing quickly nodded and let him go.

As soon as he left, Du Zhiqi came over to ask. Du Lingjing thought about how he had just said that Shao Bo was safe, so she told him the news directly.

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw her uncle's face finally turn pale in surprise.

"Why?" he murmured.

Du Lingjing didn't speak immediately, but just looked at her father's empty study.

Her father's old things were moved or lost in the process of moving again and again, leaving only a few boxes of old books and paintings. If she hadn't done it herself, there would be no way to restore them to their original state. But she was married, and she had no time to take care of the study.

The traces left by my father are gradually disappearing irreversibly.

Du Lingjing lowered her voice.

"My father was once a cabinet minister, and he promoted the new policies throughout the country, but he died in a mountain torrent in the end; my uncles and aunts who were members of the anti-party party rose and fell with my father, and some died with my father before they could be appointed by the Marquis today; Shao Boju did not die while waiting for the verdict, and the emperor agreed to spare his life, but he committed suicide..."

"And the Marquis," she looked at her uncle, "Does your uncle really think that the Marquis married me? Was it because of an imperial decree?"

She said no, "It was to win over the opposition party so that she could gain a firmer foothold in the struggle with Dou Ge Lao."

When she said this, Du Zhiqi looked over in shock.

"It was the Marquis who requested the Emperor's order to grant the marriage..."

Du Lingjing laughed helplessly.

"Whether it's father, the uncles who opposed the party, Shao Boju, or the marquis, I'm sorry to say that everyone is better than you, uncle, in planning and planning. Do you really think it's easy to stay in the officialdom of the capital?"

If he had really married her to Shao Boju at that time, the Du family would have been finished along with Shao Boju.

But it was simply impossible, because the imperial decree granting the marriage was actually requested by the Marquis.

In the cold winter, Du Zhiqi broke out in a sweat.

In places he couldn't understand at all, things were piled up one after another, but he could only see the top layer.

"Then... I have to be an official, right?"

Du Lingjing said, "Uncle's former official position is vacant. I think that uncle is bored in the capital, so why not just go back to where he came from."

Where are we going back to? Du Zhiqi thought he was going to be hit by a falling rock.

He originally wanted to find a better position and leave that remote place, but after going around in circles, he ended up back there.

He looked at his niece who had become a marquis' wife, and for a moment it was as if he was looking at his elder brother who had been a cabinet minister. They didn't think he could handle such a big responsibility...

His back slumped. "But your aunt is still ill, and your sister is also in the capital. What should we do?"

"Uncle, rest assured. If I were in Beijing, I would take care of him."

After saying this, Du Lingjing said no more.

Her uncle was really not up to the task, so if he left early and was no longer used by others, he might be able to escape the disaster.

After Du Lingjing finished speaking, she did not want to stay any longer, but she did not return to the Marquis' Mansion. Instead, she went to see Hu Tinglan.

When she saw Hu Tinglan, she felt as if he had been soaked in deep, cold water, weighing him down, feeling wet and heavy.

Obviously he already knew about Shao Boju's suicide.

Brothers and old friends who have known each other for many years have broken up for some reason and are still alive in this world, but at this moment they are separated by the Yin and Yang.

Du Lingjing didn't know what else to say, so she just listened to what Hu Tinglan said.

"I don't know if this is destined by fate, or if from the day he was chosen as the top scholar, he has been on a path of no return."

Du Lingjing was stunned for a while.

It seems that even Shao Boju himself said that his talent was actually far inferior to Hu Tinglan's.

However, Brother Hu only won an ordinary rank in the imperial examination, while Shao Boju was specially selected by the emperor as the third place in the imperial examination.

Perhaps fate really changed completely at that moment.

Du Lingjing also stayed silent with her eldest brother for a long time. However, Hu Tinglan did not want to show anything in front of others, so he just said to her, "You are going back to your mother's house today, but you also came to see me. You should go back early."

He wanted to send her away, but Du Lingjing shook her head and suddenly asked.

"Brother, aren't you going to tell me about Mr. Liao's matter?"

The Marquis recruited many ministers from the Faction on a large scale. Mr. Liao was the most talented one, but he was loyal to Prince Yong.

Du Lingjing could guess 50% of the answer, so she asked Hu Tinglan directly, "Sir, what is the situation and what do you think? Big brother, tell me the truth."

She had a clear mind and spoke to this extent.

Hu Tinglan couldn't hide it from her any longer, so he told her that the Marquis intended to make important use of Mr. Liao and even help him become a cabinet minister as soon as possible.

"But you can't change your mind. You always think that King Hui is too young. To be honest, the Marquis and the Imperial Concubine are too powerful as King Hui's maternal family. They are not good choices for the Crown Prince."

He said that Mr. Liao felt that Prince Hui was not even as good as the third prince, Prince Cheng, who was ignored by everyone.

"Sir, you really can't be used by the Marquis, and I'm afraid that the Marquis will be angry with other people who are against the party, especially you. You are at a loss, and I'm afraid you have to return home completely."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Du Lingjing.

It was a little dark in the room, and the charcoal fire in the charcoal basin was almost going out.

Du Lingjing slowly calmed down.

"I see. This matter is probably not just Mr. Liao's. Why don't I talk to the Marquis?"

There were indeed other people who had such a situation. Hu Tinglan asked her, "Is it appropriate for you to go and tell them?"

Du Lingjing felt that there was probably no one more suitable than her.

After all, she was the bridge that the Marquis painstakingly built to connect him with the Fu Party.

She smiled and said, "Although I am insignificant, I still have to give it a try."

... ...

When she returned to the mansion that day and passed the outer courtyard, she heard the aides of the mansion discussing the matter of rebelling against the party, but the marquis was not there.

She went back to the main courtyard and waited for him, but he had something to do that night and came back too late. She was afraid of disturbing her, so she stayed in the outer courtyard.

The next day, Du Lingjing got up early and had breakfast. Seeing that he had not returned yet, she thought for a moment, then got up and went out.

She walked all the way to the outer courtyard, only to find that she was not the first person to come and ask for a meeting.

It was still early, but some people had already gathered at the gate of the outer courtyard, waiting to see the Marquis.

Chongping and Chongan were not here. Today, a young steward was in the outer courtyard. He asked the servants to serve tea and told them to sit down and wait. "My Lord is very busy, so don't be anxious. Just sit down and have a good tea and wait."

When Du Lingjing followed her father in Chengqingfang, some people came to look for her father. Wen Bo arranged for them to wait in the outer courtyard, but there were not so many people.

Du Lingjing heard someone muttering that he had come five times from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, "I couldn't wait for you every time, so please let me know this time."

This person said that someone had come here yesterday, "The Marquis accompanied his wife back to her parents' home. I waited until the afternoon but didn't see the Marquis. I came here before dawn today. Please be sure to report it!"

Several people also said that they had been waiting for a long time. Qiu Lin, who was listening, said, "The Marquis is too busy. If it were me, I would be fed up with so many people wanting to see me every day."

Du Lingjing inexplicably found what she said funny and laughed softly.

But when she smiled, the steward saw her.

The steward came out quickly to greet her. "Madam, why are you here? The Marquis is in the hall discussing matters with his staff. Madam, do you want me to report to you?"

Du Lingjing originally wanted to ask him to help pass on the report, but when she heard him discussing matters with his staff and saw so many people waiting outside, she said there was no rush, "It's not something urgent, I'll wait for a while."

The steward could not let her wait in the hall outside like an outsider, so he led her into the courtyard of the marquis' study.

But as soon as Du Lingjing came in, she heard an aide passing by.

"... ...These people from the Fu Party are too annoying. They are all so stubborn and stubborn. The Marquis first saved them and then arranged high positions for them. If it were someone else, they would be too happy. But they are still thinking about Prince Yong? Especially Liao Xu. The Marquis really gave him enough face."

"Who says it's not true? I don't find it strange that these people who support the Madam were deposed and expelled from the court. I guess Lord Du has this kind of temper, which is why the current emperor is unwilling to use him..."

It would be fine if he was talking about Fu Chen, but Lord Du is the madam's father.

The steward's face turned pale when he saw that the two aides were not paying attention to the lady, but she heard everything they said clearly.

He was so nervous that he wanted to go up and cover the mouths of the two aides. However, other aides passed by and also talked about the party members. Fortunately, one of these aides saw his wife and quickly pulled everyone around to shut up.

Everyone looked at each other and shut their mouths in embarrassment. The manager didn't know whether to welcome Du Lingjing in or not, and didn't know what to do.

Du Lingjing was confused after seeing this.

The courtyard gate was originally a place where the staff of the Marquis' Mansion could speak freely, and it was inconvenient for outsiders to hear. Outsiders waited in the hall outside, where they could not hear the voices inside.

She should also be an outsider...

She turned around and said to the steward.

"I'll wait outside too."

The steward was just thinking, if he really brought the lady in, he didn't know what would happen. When he saw the lady took the initiative to mention that she was outside, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Madam wants to see the Marquis now. I can go and inform him right away."

But in the front hall, Du Ling was listening quietly as the discussion reached a crucial point, and he would ask a few questions from time to time in his deep voice.

She said no, "It's not too late to talk about it after the Marquis is done."

The steward sent her back outside and had a screen put up. Du Lingjing also sat with the people who had been waiting for him for several days, drinking tea and waiting.

But this wait lasted from morning dawn until noon, and the tea in front of Du Lingjing's face was changed three times, but he still didn't get a moment's rest.

Everyone in the hall was waiting here, but some couldn't stand it anymore and left, saying they would come back another day.

Du Lingjing had nothing else to do but wanted to have a good talk with him about the party rebellion.

She wanted to tell him that even though he had been planning for a long time and only wanted to marry her to win over the party officials to his service, he didn't need to be too hasty.

Things will go smoothly if you take it slow.

She waited for a while, thinking that he might be almost done with his work, but she didn't realize that there were so many people waiting in the hall, some of whom were pacing back and forth anxiously, and he might not necessarily see her first.

How about she go have a meal first and then wait for him?

But at this moment, Ruan Gong suddenly came over, and his steps were a little hurried.

He walked up to Hu and said that Brother Hu had sent a message to Mr. Liao, "Mr. Liao has set off today and left Beijing to return to his hometown in Sichuan."

Du Lingjing was surprised.

She thought the New Year was not over yet and it would take at least a few more days, but she didn't expect her husband to be so hesitant and leave so soon.

Sichuan is not Qingzhou, the mountains are high and the water is long. When will I be able to return? I have to make things clear first.

Du Lingjing stood up immediately, asked Ruan Gong to harness the carriage, and chased after him without even changing clothes.

... ...

Lu Shenru had been busy all morning, and now he took a breath. Just as he asked someone to serve the meal, he saw the steward from the hall outside coming forward.

He asked if there was anyone else he wanted to see, "Who are they and why are they here? Tell me what's important."

The people in the hall outside have been waiting for so long, and no one is unimportant.

But there was one person who said she was not in a hurry and could wait slowly.

But the steward said, "If you have time, why don't you meet the lady?"

What he said made Lu Shenru stunned for a moment, thinking he had heard it wrong.

"Who are you talking about?"

The steward said, "Madam is in the hall. She has been waiting for you since morning. She has been waiting for you for three hours. Would you like to see her first?"

As soon as the words fell, the man's eyes widened.

The atmosphere in the study suddenly became tense, and there was a chilling coldness inside and outside the room.

"How dare you let my wife wait outside for three hours?!"

The steward paused, then fell to his knees. Chongping had just returned from outside, and when he heard the steward say this, he gasped.

The man's face turned pale and he walked quickly out and went straight into the hall.

"Quanquan..."

Unexpectedly, when he arrived in the hall and stepped behind the screen, he saw only an empty tea bowl behind the screen, and not even the shadow of the person was there.

"Where's the lady?!" he asked.

The manager in the hall didn’t know when the lady left.

Lu Shenru thought she had returned to the main courtyard, and turned to go to the inner courtyard. Fortunately, a servant came forward to reply, saying that the lady had received an urgent report, "My Lord, the lady just hurriedly got the carriage and went out."

*

The news of Shao Boju's suicide tormented Yang Jinyu the whole night yesterday.

She had originally thought the same as everyone else, and was overjoyed to hear that the emperor had said that he might show mercy and forgive her. But Shao Boju actually committed suicide at this time. Once Shao Boju died, the emperor could not let her two brothers go in order to be fair.

Her mother, Lady Rongchang, fainted again.

Perhaps before the first month of the year, the emperor will punish her two younger brothers.

At the moment, apart from the Marquis and the Imperial Concubine, no one else could save them. Yang Jinyu felt like she was going crazy, and her husband didn't even come to her courtyard to celebrate the New Year.

She can only think of a solution on her own, what else can she do?

She tried to stir up trouble in front of Marquis Lu's wife, hoping to get her to quarrel with the Marquis, but that man's temper was as calm as water, and no matter what was poured into him, it would still flow away silently.

So instead of starting with her, it would be better to directly provoke the Marquis and the Fu party.

Yang Jinyu could not think of a solution until someone came to report that Liao Xu, who was the most unfriendly among the members of the Fu party and had left Beijing for his hometown.

An idea suddenly occurred to her.

Liao Xu was obviously forced to leave because of the pressure from Lord Lu.

If something happened to him on the way he was forced to leave, would those who opposed him become alienated from the Marquis and turn against him?

Thinking of this, she immediately called for help and headed out of the capital.

*

Du Lingjing was delayed for a few seconds.

She met Mr. Zhang, who ran a bookstore in the outer city outside Beijing.

Mr. Zhang also went into hiding because of the pursuit of the Fu Party by Shao Boju. He had connections with all the Fu Party members, and at that time he was under the watchful eyes of Shao Boju, so he simply ran to the countryside and hid for several months, and just came back before the New Year.

Before Du Lingjing had the chance to meet him in person, Ruan Gong sent a New Year gift to Mr. Zhang on her behalf. He also mentioned to Mr. Zhang, who ran a bookstore in Beijing, that Du Lingjing wanted to find out how the eight Song Dynasty editions that had brought her all the way to Beijing suddenly appeared.

Mr. Zhang also felt a little strange when he heard Ruan Gong's talk. "There are many people with profound knowledge in the capital, but it is really rare to publish eight precious Song Dynasty editions in a row."

He said he would keep an eye out for Du Lingjing, and when he saw Du Lingjing passing by his door, he said.

"Where is Jingniang going? I have some idea about the eight Song editions."

Du Lingjing almost forgot about this matter, but she didn't come here for this matter. She thanked him hurriedly and then asked him.

"Mr. Zhang, have you seen Mr. Liao? Which city gate did Mr. Liao leave Beijing from?"

Unfortunately, before leaving, Liao Xu actually came to Mr. Zhang's bookstore and said goodbye to him. He said that he would return to his hometown to take care of his mother and return to the countryside completely. He would not go to Baoding to teach anymore. He didn't know whether he would see his old friend again in the future.

Mr. Liao felt melancholy. He drank a cup of tea in the bookstore and left from You'anmen in the outer city.

Du Lingjing had no time to stay, so she said she would come to visit Mr. Zhang another day to ask him about the eight Song Dynasty editions that had brought her to the capital, and then she chased after him towards You'anmen.

She asked around while chasing after him, figuring that Mr. Liao probably didn't go too far.

Just when passing by a tea stall, Ruan Gong walked up and asked a question, and Du Lingjing heard the person at the tea stall say "Huh".

"This is very interesting. Why are there so many people chasing after a skinny old man? Someone just asked me about it a quarter of an hour ago."

Ruan Gong was stunned by these words, and Du Lingjing raised her eyebrows and looked over.

Ruan Gong immediately handed over the money and asked the man to say a few more words.

The man laughed and said that there were more people chasing after him. "There was also a carriage, but there was no sign on the carriage, so I don't know who it was. But he brought a lot of people with him, and they all looked like martial artists, and they also chased after the old man."

He pointed in the direction forward, but Du Lingjing's eyelids twitched rapidly twice.