Chapter 244 Late Night Meeting with Friends
Zhao Qiaonian refused to enter the house, standing by the door. He lowered his voice and said, "Daniu, I'm here to tell you something important. For the sake of our brotherhood, I'm telling you this. Did you know that Xu Zhenying and the others are rebelling in Jinzhou Prefecture? I heard that she has already taken over the two prefectures of Jinzhou and Qianzhou. She is already the biggest rebel in the southwest. Who knows, she might even attack Bianjing City one day. I plan to pack up and go to Jinzhou to seek refuge tonight, perhaps to make a contribution to the emperor. If you are willing, quickly pack your things and follow me. To avoid any more trouble, we should set out early tomorrow morning!"
Da Niu was shocked. "What? Sister Xu is rebelling? Is this news true?"
"Keep your voice down!" Zhao Qiaonian glanced at the lights in the house. "Why not? I originally heard that there was a county magistrate from Jinzhou Prefecture in the prison, so I wanted to ask him about Xu Zhenying's situation. But I found out that the county magistrate had gone to the capital to file a complaint with the emperor, asking the court to send troops to eliminate them! Let's hurry and bring this news back, so that Sister Xu and the others can be more vigilant!"
Daniu was still a little confused. He was still immersed in the news of Xu Zhenying's rebellion. "Why did he rebel? Why didn't we hear anything?"
"Oh, Bianjing City is thousands of miles away from Jinzhou. We don't even know what's happening over there. I don't care what you think. I've decided to take a gamble. If you're my brother, don't report me even if you don't want to go. I'm going to Jinzhou with my wife and children at dawn anyway!"
Daniu stamped his feet anxiously, "Good brother, wait a minute, I need to discuss this important matter with my mother."
"Time waits for no one! Tomorrow morning at the latest!"
The two of them agreed on a time and made a decision. Zhao Qiaonian finally felt a little relieved, but when he thought about going to Xu Zhenying penniless, he always felt that he was not sincere enough.
If he goes in like this rashly, Xu Zhenying might use him because of their past friendship, but to what extent would he use him? Would it be better than Ming Xiaoshuang?
The more Zhao Qiaonian thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
Then, he thought of something and his eyes lit up. If he brought Ming Xiaoshuang's parents with him, would Ming Xiaoshuang owe him a huge favor?
Furthermore, although the county magistrate had been cursing Xu Zhenying and calling him a traitor, he had heard clearly before that that County Magistrate Sun had cursed the Great Zhou Dynasty a lot!
If he could win over one or two people for Xu Zhenying, would that mean he would have an extra bargaining chip in his hand?
Zhao Qiaonian made up his mind and immediately got busy.
He first went home and told his wife that he had made a big mistake and had to pack up his gold and silver and run away immediately. His wife was frightened and panicked, and quickly called their son and daughter to take care of things carefully.
Zhao Qiaonian felt a little guilty, but thinking that the matter could not be leaked for the time being, he had to resist the urge to tell his wife.
Then he changed into his official uniform, took two pots of good wine, and got the jailer drunk.
While the jailer was snoring and asleep, Zhao Qiaonian skillfully stole the key and walked inside.
In the past, Zhao Qiaonian would not dare to do such a thing that would cost him his life.
But after following Xu Zhenying to Qianzhou, those two taels of courage turned into one jin.
He did everything from murder to robbery, including treason.
In life, the most important thing is to take the right path and choose the right people.
He is already one step behind Ming Xiaoshuang, but he can't fall too far behind!
Zhao Qiaonian walked up to Sun Qingchen and said with a deliberately serious expression, "County Magistrate Sun, someone in the court wants to harm you and has ordered me to take your life. But I've heard that you're a good official who's dedicated to serving the people, and I simply can't bear to see you die in such a confused state. I've already gotten the jailers drunk, so now's the time to run! Run as far as you can!"
Sun Qingchen was half asleep when he suddenly saw a strong man appear in front of him. He was also suddenly excited when he heard the news.
"Brave man, what happened? Who wants to kill me?"
"How would I know? I was just told to do so by my superiors." Zhao Qiaonian's mind raced wildly, and he deliberately spoke ambiguously. "They say you contradicted His Majesty and spread false rumors to confuse the people. Now that His Majesty is vying for power with the prince in the north, you're encouraging His Majesty to go to the southwest to suppress bandits. You're a traitor! You want me to silence you! Don't ask me any more questions. I'm just doing the job for money. How could I know so much?"
Zhao Qiaonian would never have thought that the reasons he made up were so close to the truth.
So some people are born with keen senses and can tell conspiracy just by smelling a little bit of scent.
He just heard that Sun Qingchen came to Beijing to encourage His Majesty the Emperor to suppress the bandits. As for other details, he knew nothing about it. But on the way here, he randomly thought of a possible reason, which hit the nail on the head and hit Sun Qingchen's head!
Sun Qingchen almost immediately understood the real reason why he was imprisoned!
It turned out to be an internal struggle for imperial power!
Sun Qingchen really wanted to curse loudly, seeing that the enemy was getting stronger day by day, with pillows and swords and axes at his fingertips, but they were indifferent and even had the mind to fight for power!
No wonder the Zhou Dynasty was declining!
"Brave man, if you let me go, the higher-ups will definitely blame you! Why don't you just follow me and run together!"
Zhao Qiaonian's eyes flickered: "Run! The whole world belongs to the king. Where can we run to?"
Sun Qingchen pondered over it, feeling anxious as if termites were gnawing at his heart. Finally, his eyes lit up, and the fog that had been lingering in his mind for several days seemed to dissipate at this moment.
His hands tightly grasped Zhao Qiaonian, trembling uncontrollably. He seemed to be exerting all his strength to control himself in order to utter those outrageous words: "Go to Jinzhou Prefecture... find Xu Zhenying... only then will we have a chance of survival."
Zhao Qiaonian narrowed his eyes, expressionless, and spoke with regret, "At this point... this is all we can do. To avoid further complications, we'll split up now. I'll go back and tell my wife and children to get ready. Do you have a place to hide? There's a curfew in Bianjing City, so we won't be able to leave until tomorrow!"
Sun Qingchen trembled and said, "Yes, brave man, don't worry about me. Hurry home and pack your bags. We will meet at the South City Gate tomorrow morning!"
After the two men made an agreement, Zhao Qiaonian took Sun Qingchen out of the prison. The two had to act separately. Sun Qingchen wandered on the street. After about half an hour, he slipped into a small alley.
Before Sun Qingchen entered the palace, fearing the emperor's wrath, he and Gu Yunxia arranged a location. Gu Yunxia, who had been waiting for him in a somewhat deserted inn within the city, had been asking Lin Han, a senior official, to inquire about him two days ago. He then learned that Sun Qingchen had been imprisoned.
For the past two days, she had been feeling restless, as if her body was on fire and her heart was being eaten by termites. Just when she didn't know what to do, Sun Qingchen came back by himself in the evening.
As soon as Gu Yunxia saw his expression, she knew that something was wrong.
"Husband!" Gu Yunxia hurriedly went to meet him. "What happened? Did His Majesty release you?"
Sun Qingchen snorted coldly, his face filled with sullenness. "Oh, you little scoundrel, you're not worth a damn! It's time for the Great Zhou Dynasty's three hundred years of heritage to be destroyed! This is truly a critical moment for survival, and yet everyone in the court is still obsessed with their own power and status. That bastard emperor even accused me of spreading lies to evade responsibility, not believing my words at all, and instead threw me into prison! How ridiculous!"
Gu Yunxia's eyelids twitched. "So, how did my husband get out of prison?"
"Yunxia. The Great Zhou Dynasty is about to end. I, Sun Qingchen, consider myself loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and have done my best. Unfortunately, I have become a tool in the struggle for power and profit. The emperor treats me cruelly, so I can only be unjust! Xu Zhenying is right. Those who eat the emperor's salary should be loyal to the emperor. But who is the emperor? The emperor, or the people? We eat the people's salary, so naturally we should be loyal to the people!"
Sun Qingchen clutched his wife's hand tightly. "I want to go to Jinzhou and seek refuge with Xu Zhenying! Only under Xu Zhenying can I serve as a good official with a clean record!"
Gu Yunxia was frightened.
They clearly came here to ask the court to send reinforcements to eliminate Xu Zhenying, so how come in the blink of an eye they went back to Jinzhou to join the rebels?
"My dear husband, joining the rebels is a serious matter! Have you thought it through?"
"I've made up my mind. I just saw that Zhao Qiaonian was also trying to defect. Ha, how ridiculous! He even lied to me, saying someone was going to kill me. I think he was probably subdued by Xu Zhenying during his exile. Now that he knows Xu Zhenying has become a traitor, he's looking for an excuse to defect! It's good, he's strong and healthy, and he can protect us in Jinzhou Prefecture. Besides, time is running out. Madam, have you packed your bags?"
"Don't worry, my husband. My bag has never left my side since you were imprisoned. We only have a small bag with some valuables in it. We can set off now!"
Seeing Gu Yunxia's worried and uneasy face, Sun Qingchen stroked his wife's cheek, his voice choked with sobs: "I have done my best for the Zhou Dynasty and the common people, but I have done my best for you. Yunxia, I am sorry that you have suffered by following me."
Gu Yunxia blushed. "Why are you saying all this? When a woman gets married, she follows her husband wherever he goes. If you want to be a rebel, I'll be his wife! But since we're back in Jinzhou Prefecture, we have to follow all the rules. I'll also go and test that official when the time comes. Don't stop me!"
Sun Qingchen was stunned. He hadn't expected his wife to have such a broad mind. He immediately hugged Gu Yunxia and laughed heartily, "Madam, as you command! Madam, you have such lofty ambitions, and I will naturally support you with all my strength! Who knows, you might even become my superior in the future! Let's become a pair of rebel mandarin ducks!"
Gu Yunxia bashed him shyly, then continued, "By the way, two days ago, your life or death was in doubt, so I went to ask Elder Lin for help. He said he couldn't interfere in court affairs, but he hoped to meet you if there was a chance."
Sun Qingchen frowned.
Lin Han was the former Imperial College Priest, with students all over the country, making him the undisputed foremost scholar of the Zhou Dynasty. During the heyday of his time, Lin Han could be said to have summoned a single call, and all the scholars in the world responded!
Unfortunately, due to the previous emperor's renovation of a Taoist temple, the relationship between the emperor and his ministers was often divided, and Lin Han gradually lost the emperor's favor. In addition, after the young emperor ascended the throne, Zhu Ci deliberately ignored Lin Han, and Lin Han's reputation plummeted, and he gradually became a literary vagrant.
But even so, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and Lin Han still has great influence in the literary world!
"I haven't suffered much in prison these past few days, and I'm sure Old Lin has put in a lot of effort. He's always been indifferent to fame and fortune, so maybe he really has something to ask me. Well, before I leave Bianjing Prefecture, I'll go find him."
Gu Yunxia was shocked: "Husband, you escaped from prison without permission. What if General Lin reports this to the authorities?"
Sun Qingchen pondered for a moment before making a decision. "Old Lin has been kind to me. I also wrote a letter to Your Majesty admonishing him during the timber case. If Old Lin hadn't taken the blame, I might have been caught up in the timber scandal like the Xu family, facing possible execution, exile, and even beheading. Furthermore, since he's invited me, I'd feel guilty if I didn't go."
Gu Yunxia could only console herself, "Mr. Lin is a man of high character and integrity, never interfering in government affairs. He probably wouldn't deliberately embarrass us. Why don't you use my name card to visit Madam Lin late at night, and your husband can disguise himself as my servant and go along. This way, our identities won't be exposed, but it will be a burden to your husband."
The couple worked together to dress up.
The people from the Lin Mansion seemed to have received instructions. When they saw Gu Yunxia, they led her into the inner hall without informing her.
Sun Qingchen was trying to guess what Master Lin was up to. Although Master Lin was a very important figure in the literary world and everyone wanted to be his disciple, he was a candidate from the south, so he didn't have a close relationship with Master Lin.
This time, Mr. Lin suddenly summoned me, and I didn’t know why.
Sun Qingchen was walking on thin ice and was soon taken into Mr. Lin's study by a servant.
Almost as soon as he entered the room, Sun Qingchen saw the books "Mathematics", "Physics", "Common Sense" and others on Mr. Lin's desk.
A flash of lightning passed through Sun Qingchen's mind, and he vaguely came to his senses.
Mr. Lin let him into the city late at night to have a chat, and he must have known about the rebels.
Sun Qingchen couldn't help but become extremely alert.
On the other hand, Elder Lin acted casually, waving him to sit down like a junior. However, he did not ask how he was released from prison. He just smiled and said, "Master Sun, don't be nervous. My servants are very tight-lipped. Nothing about your visit to the Lin Mansion tonight will be revealed."
As soon as Mr. Lin came up, he gave Sun Qingchen a reassurance.
Sun Qingchen's tense back relaxed slightly. He glanced at the books on the table, his heart still filled with shock. "Mr. Lin, these books are widely circulated within Jinzhou Prefecture, but they have never been seen outside of it. How did you get your hands on them?"
Lin Han smiled faintly. "There's no such thing as a completely impenetrable wall. These books may seem ordinary, but they're truly thought-provoking, giving one a sense of enlightenment. Lord Sun may not be aware that these books have quietly become popular among scholars, though their opinions are mixed. Some regard the principles in the books as the words of a scourge or evildoer, and are eager to petition the court to ban them. Others believe that these books were written by some great and illustrious figure, whose writings are beyond the comprehension of the modern world, and who possess a transcendent vision and vision."
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