Chapter 76

Xie Chen can still recall his mother's frightened expression. Everyone in Yandu knew that Madam Xie was noble and elegant, and her every move was an example of a noble lady from an aristocratic family.

But Xie Chen saw that his mother's eyes were full of grief and reluctance, "Erlang, go to your father's house, someone will take you out."

"No, mother, I'm not going anywhere." Today was a tense day. Although Xie Chen was not a member of the court, he could tell from the expressions of his father and brother at home that something big must have happened.

Now seeing my mother, who always taught me to stay calm and not panic no matter what happened, in this state, I naturally didn't want to leave.

"Mother, what happened? Can we solve it together? If it doesn't work, we can still use my grandfather." Xie Chen pleaded with tears in his eyes.

"Erlang, something big has happened at home, you have to leave." Mrs. Xie said in a sad tone, touched Xie Chen's face with nostalgia, and then pushed him out.

"Mother, I won't leave. I won't leave." Xie Chen shouted at the top of his lungs, grabbing her arm and yelling.

A person appeared behind him. Madam Xie pulled Xie Chen's hand away and said calmly, "Take him to the Wei family. If the Wei family goes back on their word, send him to find Ruan Qingyun. He will make his own arrangements."

The man knelt on the ground and replied, "Yes."

"Xie Chen, if you escape, there might be a chance for the Xie family to turn things around," he said sternly, looking at Xie Chen, who was crying with tears streaming down his face, "You are not allowed to come back, do you hear me? No matter what you hear, you are not allowed to come back. If you dare to look back, don't blame me for not recognizing you in your grave."

"Mother, please don't...you can't do this."

Xie Chen shook his head desperately, his voice choked with sobs and he burst into tears.

He struggled to reach out to grab the corner of Madam Xie's clothes, but the man behind him was so strong that he couldn't pull him back. He could only wave his hand to knock him out, then bowed to Madam Xie and quickly left with Xie Chen.

Madam Xie raised her hand to wipe away her tears and held her head high. She was still the Madam Xie Wei Jiayan praised by everyone in Yandu. She turned around for the last time to look in the direction where her youngest son left, and strode into the Xie Mansion. Even if there were mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, she would go for it.

Xie Chen woke up from his thoughts, his eyes moved slightly and he looked at Ruan Qingyun, then he lifted his robe and knelt down.

"The situation was critical that day, so I was unable to thank you. Today, we meet again, and I would like to thank you for saving my life."

"Young master, please get up quickly." Ruan Qingyun walked over and helped him up.

"Why do you say that, sir? If it weren't for Mr. Xie's rescue, there wouldn't be Ruan Qingyun today. Besides, I only did what I should do. As for Ding Yan's evil deeds and murder of loyal and good people, he will surely be punished by God." Ruan Qingyun said angrily as he thought of what happened that day.

Hatred flashed across Xie Chen's eyes, but it disappeared in an instant, and he asked, "Is my aunt okay?"

"Second Mother is fine. The Liu family doesn't dare to do anything to her. It's just some gossip. Second Mother won't take it to heart." Ruan Qingyun said with a smile.

When the Xie family was in trouble, Xie Erniang joined all the married women of the Xie family to write a letter to the Emperor Yuanqing, asking what crime had they committed by saying that the Xie family had always been loyal to the emperor and served the country, their father Xie Gongsuwen had fought for the Yan Dynasty and was still guarding a place in his old age, and their brother had been self-disciplined and a key figure in the court? Every word was written with heart, and the loyal and righteous people in Yandu were admired by everyone.

However, at that time, Emperor Yuanqing had lost power, and the power in the court had long fallen into the hands of the Ding family. The Ding family controlled the government and eliminated dissidents. Everyone was in danger. Who dared to say a word for the Xie family? It was already good enough if they didn't add insult to injury.

Among them was a man who divorced Xie's daughter for fear of offending the Ding family. Xie Erniang went to his house and scolded him severely with the seven reasons for divorce and three reasons for not divorcing. She also helped him get back his dowry and took it back home in a car.

From then on, Xie Er Niang became famous in one battle, and no one dared to bully Xie's daughters because of the demise of the Xie family.

Xie Chen listened quietly to him talking about Xie Erniang's deeds, chuckled, stood up and took something out of the box, "Sir, please give this to my aunt, and let her give one copy to Sister Aying."

Xie Ying was the divorced daughter of the Xie family.

Gu Qingyun took it and felt it was a little heavy. He thought it was a gift from Xie Chen to Er Niang, so he put it away.

"Why did you come to Dingyuan, sir?" Xie Chen asked.

"There was a famine in Wei County. When His Majesty learned about it, he sent me and Ding... Ding Wenhong to provide disaster relief. We didn't know that there was not enough food, so we went to Dingyuan to buy food and meet the young master. I thought that the young master would join the army like Xie Gong after he arrived in the northwest, so I asked someone to find out. It was said that there was a young general who was very brave and repelled the attacks of the Xiongnu several times. His surname was Wei and his name was Zhongxuan, so I knew it was the young master."

Xie Chen remembered that Lin Shuge had asked him his name that day, and he blurted out this name in a hurry.

Wei took his mother's surname, and Zhongxuan took the name Zhongxuan because his elder brother Xie Yi's name was Boxuan.

"Your Excellency is from Ganzhou. I'm not sure if you can meet the Ganzhou County Magistrate. Is he okay?"

"He is indeed from Ganzhou. Are you talking about County Magistrate Lin? Of course I have seen him. He is graceful and has both moral integrity and talent. I want to report to His Majesty when I return to Yandu. This person is a first-class talent and should not be confined to an unknown place."

Ruan Qingyun thought that the Emperor of Yandu had just taken power and it was time to recruit people. Lin Shuge was extremely talented and cared about the people. If he could be employed by the Emperor, he would be even more powerful.

"He is my elder brother. I was seriously injured after I escaped from the Qiang tribe, and it was my brother...he saved me."

Xie Chen looked at the silent night. That night was also such a night, but it was much colder. He lay in the chilly wind from the northwest. The faces of the Xie family members appeared in his mind one after another. One moment, his grandfather saw that he was extremely talented, smiled and threw him up, and said with a big laugh that the Xie family's family of generals would have a successor. His grandfather said so because his father and brother were both civil servants and failed to inherit the Xie family's military style.

Then his father heard him and advised him to be careful with his words and actions, and not to be naughty and make his mother angry. Then his brother and sister-in-law joined together to plead for him. Scenes followed one after another like a kaleidoscope.

The last scene freezes on the scene where Mrs. Xie pushes him out of the Xie family. He sheds tears, thinking that Erlang may have to go this far. He is sorry that it was Erlang's incompetence that failed to clear the Xie family's name.

He gradually closed his eyes, waiting for the northwest wind and snow to engulf him, but he didn't want to hear the sound of nature.

Someone passed by, and he didn't know whether it was an enemy or a friend, so he could only take a chance and call for help, but he didn't expect to meet his brother.

Being carried on his back, he felt a sense of warmth even in such a cold and frosty northwest climate.

"It was actually County Magistrate Lin who saved the young master? This is incredible. No wonder I saw that he had a clear and bright face and a gentlemanly demeanor..."

After hearing his compliments, Xie Chen said, "That's true, brother, but I don't think you want to go to Yandu."

Yandu is in such a situation. The new emperor is just a puppet supported by the Ding family to the throne, just like Emperor Yuanqing. If the new emperor really wants to seize power from the Ding family, there will definitely be bloodshed. If my brother goes to Yandu now, he will inevitably be involved in it. My brother has no foundation and no party. What can he use to compete with the Ding family? Can he rely on the new emperor? Xie Chen laughed at himself in his heart.

Besides, his brother has a pure character, and he doesn't want him to get involved in this muddy water.

Ruan Qingyun looked at Xie Chen strangely. It seemed that the young master had a good relationship with County Magistrate Lin. However, the aristocratic families in Yandu are now intertwined, and the Ding family holds great power. If Lin Shuge wants to make a name for himself, he must join one of them. But given his character and personality, he will certainly not be willing to do that. Then the only way is to be a loyal minister. However, this path is indeed dangerous. If you are not careful, you will be doomed. The young master is right to think so.

He sighed and told him about the current situation in Yandu. Famine occurred in Wei County just after the new emperor took power. The Ding family used astronomical disasters to attack the ministers who wrote letters to support the new emperor's rule. They attacked each other in the court. The Ding family was powerful and the emperor's party was losing ground. In order to appease the people, the new emperor personally issued an edict of repentance, which calmed the farce.

However, when the Ding party saw that the new emperor showed weakness, they wantonly eliminated dissidents in the court and forced the emperor's party to retreat again and again. That's why the new emperor sent him to provide disaster relief and appease the people.

However, the Ding Party was afraid that he would win the hearts of the people for his contribution in disaster relief, so they sent a playboy named Ding Wenhong to share the credit. Along the way, he captured and killed many corrupt officials, most of whom were from the Ding Party.

There were also officials who sympathized with the people and opened the granaries to release grain privately, risking violating the law. Emperor Xuan also handled the matter appropriately, believing that they had their reasons and were all for the sake of the people. He specially reported to the new emperor and pardoned their crimes.

"Your Excellency's trip is dangerous. There may be a fierce battle when you return." Xie Chen sighed after listening to his analysis of the situation in the court.

"You are right, sir. I have been an official for several years. When I was just starting out, I suffered my first setback when I offended my superiors due to my youthful arrogance. If it were not for Mr. Xie who investigated the matter and cleared my name, I would have been a dead body long ago."

"But some things always need people to do them, like Mr. Xie back then, and like me today and the young master in the future." Ruan Qingyun said softly, hinting at something.

Xie Chen's eyes were as deep as the sea, as if he wanted to drown someone. He raised his head and looked straight at Ruan Qingyun, smiling, "In that case, why don't you find a few people who are neither Ding's party nor the emperor's party, but are passionate and dedicated to the public."

"How did you know about them, sir?" Ruan Qingyun asked in shock.

Xie Chen didn't say anything, he just dipped his finger in water and wrote a few names on the table.

Ruan Qingyun silently memorized these names, raised his head and looked at Xie Chen again. In his impression, this young master was the famous "Xie Family Jade Son" in Yandu. Everyone only praised his appearance, and it seemed that the Xie family had never spread any news about his talents. He had only heard that this young master was not as good at writing as his father and brother, and seemed to inherit Xie Gong's ambition, but he didn't know anything else.

It seems that he has grown a lot after experiencing the great changes in his family. He is no longer the little boy who was in a trance and only wanted to kill his enemies to vent his anger when he was sent here by Madam Xie.

Or maybe he has always been the way he is now, but the Xie family just doesn't want him to stand out among the crowd?

Ruan Qingyun was shocked by his own thoughts and could not help but stare at Xie Chen in a daze.

However, Xie Chen seemed not to notice his gaze and turned to ask about the affairs of Ganzhou. Ruan Qingyun also turned to talk about what he saw and heard in Ganzhou.

"Sir, do you want to spread these technologies in Yandu as well?" Xie Chen asked after pouring him a cup of tea.

"That's indeed the idea." Ruan Qingyun replied. In Ganzhou, he saw with his own eyes the various ways people made a living, and these were all made possible by the technology devised by County Magistrate Lin. If Yandu were to have the same good fortune, I wonder how many people would benefit.

"Then, sir, can you ensure that this technology will not be controlled by the aristocratic families, and then exploited by the people, becoming a way for them to reap huge profits?" Xie Chen asked back.

Ruan Qingyun was silent for a long time and said: "No, well, let's wait a little longer." After the new emperor takes power.