Chapter 231: Nian Family
Qu Ling slept until noon.
Still no one came to Zhuoxiyuan to see her.
She did not go to see the governor.
Instead, he directly instructed Guanqi, "Go to the largest restaurant in Yangzhou, on the busiest street, and read out His Majesty's decree for the selection of female officials."
"No matter your background, marriage, or age, anyone interested can come to Zhuoxiyuan to participate in the selection."
This time when she came from the capital, she not only brought guards with her, but the emperor was also afraid that she could not deal with those literati, so he also selected several young talents from the Hanlin Academy to follow her.
Guanqi immediately took people to the streets, beating drums and gongs, and reading out the emperor's decree.
Qu Ling used this high-profile attitude to tell all the protesting Jiangnan students that their protests were completely ineffective.
"Mother, the princess has arrived in Yangzhou. She wants to personally select female officials for His Majesty."
Nian Sheng excitedly stepped into Madam Nian San's yard.
"You are not allowed to go!" the third lady warned.
Last night, not only did Nian Zhaoyun fail to bring Nian Sihua back, he also made a mess of himself, which made Nian Zongben very angry.
"If your grandfather finds out, he might expose your true identity."
She originally wanted to scare Nian Sheng.
But it didn't work.
"This is the order of His Majesty. Do you dare to disobey the Holy Order?"
Madam Nian San was anxious. "Even if it's His Majesty, he can't do whatever he wants."
Scholars are the foundation of the world, and this foundation cannot be shaken.
This has been the case throughout the ages.
The emperor had no choice.
Princess Jiaan's making such a fuss will only harm those girls who are unwilling to accept it.
"Anyway, you are not allowed to go," Madam Nian San's eyes were red as she ordered the servants, "Take the girl away and keep an eye on her. She cannot go out."
Nian Sheng was anxious, "Then I can go see my aunt."
"I can't go either."
Mrs. Nian San had a gloomy face.
"Your grandfather is angry about this, and your aunt..."
She hesitated to speak, looking at her daughter's still slightly childish face, and hardened her heart, "I'm afraid your aunt will be expelled from the family."
Nian Sheng was shocked.
Is it just because of my aunt’s divorce?
Unfortunately, Mrs. Nian San was wrong.
She underestimated the cruelty of this family.
The one who went to Zhuoxi Courtyard to report the news was the maidservant beside Madam Nian San.
"...The fifth girl insisted on participating in the selection of female officials. When the old master found out, he wanted to strangle her to death."
Nian Sihua's face turned completely pale.
"He deliberately let you out to report the news."
Without her father's permission, this old woman could not leave the Nian family.
What happened at the dock last night made her father furious.
Qu Ling certainly couldn't hide what was happening in Zhuoxi Courtyard.
As soon as she came in, Nian Sihua couldn't sit still.
She stood up too quickly and nearly fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face. "My father knows that Sheng'er is close to me, and he's blackmailing me."
I thought that after leaving the capital and giving up my own flesh and blood, I would be invincible.
But she never expected that the person who gave birth to her would force and threaten her like this.
Nian Sihua couldn't help but wail, "I wish I were as cold-hearted as them."
"What are you afraid of, I'm here." Qu Ling handed over the handkerchief.
Then he asked the old woman, "Is the person dead?"
When the old woman first saw the legendary Princess Jia'an, she was so frightened that she almost bit her tongue when she spoke.
“No…no.”
Nian Sihua wiped her tears and said, "I have to go back. Even though they are threatening me with Sheng'er, if I really don't go back, they will be cruel enough."
The old woman suddenly burst into tears.
"Don't go back, Auntie. Forget it. Madam said that if you go back, you will just be adding another life."
Maybe it was because she saw Qu Ling, but she felt like she was meeting an official, so she told the truth immediately.
"The old man never wanted you to be alive, and he didn't want the fifth girl to be alive either."
How could Nian Sihua not understand? He closed his eyes and a feeling of powerlessness surged from his heart.
"Oh, are you trying to intimidate me?" Qu Ling said with a smile.
The fair and delicate fingers slowly moved the Buddhist beads.
"Knowing that I was here to select female officials, you were so impatient that you strangled your own granddaughter to make your position clear."
Qu Ling smiled and asked, "Who is he showing his loyalty to?"
The old woman felt a chill down her spine just by listening to her speak.
"Princess, please save my fifth daughter."
The old woman kowtowed and prayed.
Before she left, her wife was heartbroken and said, "Go tell my aunt not to come back. I will die with Sheng'er. Going to hell is better than staying in this cannibalistic place."
Qu Ling said, "Since you need me to save your life, why don't you lead the way?"
Nian Sihua felt embarrassed and forced a smile, "I have to trouble you again, Princess."
"I'm not doing this just for you," Qu Ling said. "Your father is a cancer. If we don't get rid of him, there will be no peace in Jiangnan."
Everyone in Yangzhou City saw Princess Jia'an, who had just arrived in Jiangnan, go to the Nian family.
She sat in the carriage, with only thin gauze curtains on both sides, which made her appear and disappear when the wind blew.
"The Nian family is so proud to have the princess visit in person."
"I heard that His Majesty asked the princess to resolve the issue of the Jiangnan students boycotting the exams. Most of these students are from Tongjiang Academy. To resolve this matter, we still have to seek help from the old master."
The princess's carriage was surrounded by guards in front and behind, so the common people could not get close to it. However, they still followed the procession to the end, wanting to watch the excitement.
Some even whispered, "Will the old man meet the princess?"
Then someone said, "It would be fine if someone else was sent, but sending the princess would be counterproductive, wouldn't it?"
"I definitely won't see you again."
The empress's ascension to the throne had already made many men resentful, and she asked the princess to handle such a big matter, which clearly showed that she did not take scholars seriously.
Especially since they had publicized the selection of female officials in the morning, it was a slap in their faces.
Some young and energetic scholars couldn't wait to follow and see Qu Ling get rejected.
They are just waiting for the Nian family to fight for all the scholars in the world.
Qu Ling came to the Nian family with great fanfare, and the Nian family had already heard the news.
When the carriage arrived at the gate of the Nian Mansion, it was closed.
"Let me tell you, old man, your integrity is like a bamboo, which would rather break than bend."
More and more people gathered to watch the fun.
"Princess, do you want to knock on the door?" Tingqin asked.
Qu Ling asked, "How many people are coming to watch the fun? Have all the important people in Yangzhou come? If not, send someone to notify them."
Tingqin laughed, "Yangzhou City is so small, our villa is outside the city, and we walked slowly on the way here, so those who should have arrived have already arrived."
Qu Ling nodded and pointed at the Nian family's gate, "Smash it down."
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