Chapter 140: The situation suddenly changed overnight
Overnight, the situation in the capital changed suddenly.
A cold and gloomy atmosphere quietly blew into the backyards of many famous families.
Ruan Weizhi received Li Shaoqing, a Langguan of the Imperial Observatory, late at night. The two stayed up all night in the study. Several letters of request left the Minister's residence one after another and were delivered to the homes of his friends in various parts of the capital.
"Lord Ruan's kindness is as great as a mountain. I don't know how to repay you. If you need me in the future, I will do my best to help you!"
Ruan Weizhi waved his hands and said indifferently: "Don't take it to heart, Mr. Li. Since Wang Jian is in trouble, I, Ruan Weizhi, will do my best to save him. This is the gratitude and favor between your mentor and me in the past, so you don't have to worry about it. Since he asked you to come to me before he went to prison, then don't leave tonight. Stay in the mansion for the time being and listen to the news from the palace after dawn." Ruan Weizhi said for the safety of Li Shaoqing.
Li Shaoqing bowed and said, "Shaoqing, I will leave it to your Excellency to make the decision."
Ruan Weizhi nodded and called the housekeeper over, "Take Master Li to rest and make sure he is well settled."
"Yes, sir." The butler responded and bowed to Li Shaoqing, saying, "Sir Li, please!"
Li Shaoqing once again bowed to Ruan Yanzhi and said, "I will take my leave."
Ruan Weizhi nodded.
Li Shaoqing followed the steward of the Minister's Mansion to the side courtyard to rest. After a simple wash, he lay on the bed and couldn't fall asleep at all.
The scene of Supervisor Wang Yu being taken away by the imperial guards replayed itself before his eyes. In a panic, Wang Yu mouthed to him as he came rushing back: Go find Ruan Weizhi.
Li Shaoqing wanted to ask a few more questions about the reason, but was stopped by Wang Yu's eyes at that moment.
A loud thunder awakened the unstoppable destiny; a flash of lightning ignited a raging fire in the darkness.
On this night when two imperial stars appeared, Li Shaoqing seemed to see some kind of "sign", which further confirmed the concerns he and Wang Yu had exchanged with each other on the observatory.
He couldn't sleep, so he got up and walked out of the house, pacing quietly in the yard.
There are crows calling in the trees.
Li Shaoqing's mind moved, and he silently counted the crows' sounds.
At this time, two servants walked by outside the courtyard wall. He looked carefully and found that they were a man and a woman.
I looked up at the sky and saw the bright moon emerging from the dark clouds.
A dark light flashed in Li Shaoqing's eyes, and he immediately stood still, using the crow's cry, the human voice, and the moon rising from the clouds that he heard to make predictions.
Fire from heaven came to the palace, and the Vermillion Bird became angry.
Wang Yu, the director of the Imperial Observatory, calculated that Li Shaoqing would face a disaster of some magnitude, but he did not anticipate the misfortune that would happen to him.
Li Shaoqing was worried about his mentor, and the result of the divination made him feel relieved.
Judging from the results, Wang Yu's disaster was a blessing in disguise. Although dangerous, he was able to turn danger into safety in the end.
Since there is no worry about his life, in Li Shaoqing's opinion, the loss of luck is not worth mentioning.
No wonder Lord Wang asked him to come find Lord Ruan.
"We really can't stay in the capital any longer." Thinking of Wang Yu's previous advice, Li Shaoqing finally understood this time.
When the world changes, even if a person has extraordinary abilities, he must go with the flow in order to have a good ending.
After settling Wang Yu's beloved disciple, Ruan Yanzhi called his son to him and said, "I've already had the servants in the mansion deliver the other letters. I still have one letter in my hand, and I'm worried about leaving it with others. You must personally lead the men to deliver it, and make sure it reaches the virtuous king before tomorrow!"
Ruan Peining took the letter from his father, Ruan Yanzhi, and nodded heavily, "Don't worry, father! I will personally deliver it to His Royal Highness the King!"
"The old prince is not in the capital right now, recuperating outside. Go to the stables and select a few good horses. Leave as soon as the city gates open in the morning, and don't delay along the way." After giving these instructions, he handed Ruan Peining a jade ring that Li Shaoqing had brought with him. "Your Highness the Virtuous Prince once promised Wang Yu a personal order. Now that the Emperor's temperament is volatile, Wang Yu's safety is uncertain. Upon seeing this token, Your Highness the Virtuous Prince will probably lend a hand to Your Highness. However, if the old prince is also troubled, we'll have to find another way."
Ruan Peining put the things away and said, "I'm afraid it will be difficult for my father to handle the court meeting tomorrow."
"It's okay. My father still has the Shangshu Lord to support him, so it won't be a problem for now. But you, please go and come back quickly. It's not a big deal if the government office errands are delayed for a day or two. It will be difficult to handle if you delay for a long time."
"The child knows."
"Go ahead and pick a few smart guys."
After his son Ruan Peining left, the housekeeper settled Li Shaoqing and came back to report.
Ruan Yanzhi asked, "Has Lord Li made all the arrangements?"
"In reply to the master, everything has been settled for Lord Li, but Lord Li seems to be worried and has no appetite. The meal has been taken away, leaving only a pot of hot water and a few snacks.
Ruan Weizhi nodded: "Master Wang has been imprisoned, and I guess he has no appetite. Let him be."
Madam Ruan waited until her husband had given all the instructions before she brought over some warm soup with her maid.
"Master, drink some warm soup to replenish your body after you finish your work."
The maid put down the warm soup, Mrs. Ruan waved her hand, and the maid left.
The couple sat down around the table. As Mrs. Ruan served the soup, Ruan Weizhi sighed and said, "Starting tomorrow, tell everyone in the mansion not to go out casually. If anyone invites you in the near future, please decline if you can."
Mrs. Ruan placed a bowl of warm soup in front of her husband and sat down beside him.
"What's wrong? Is the situation in the palace serious?"
Ruan Weizhi blew on his noodle soup and took a sip. "A few days ago, after the court meeting, I met Wang Yu and saw that he looked worried. I invited him to drink and eat outside the palace, but he seemed absent-minded. When I asked him what was worrying him, he didn't say anything, just sighed repeatedly. At that time, I didn't think too much about it."
Mrs. Ruan saw the soup in her husband's bowl and scooped another spoonful for him. She heard the sound and said, "Was there a sign of his misfortune today?"
"I can't say for sure." Ruan Weizhi thought for a moment as he drank. "When the Xie family was confiscated and imprisoned, I went to see him. After all, he was in the Imperial Observatory, so he could have said a few words about the Xie family's deities. Unfortunately, that time, he just kept shaking his head, saying that he was powerless to do anything about it. I guess the emperor had already made up his mind by then."
"When the Xie family was convicted, Lord Wang privately told me that my in-laws still had a glimmer of luck and wouldn't fall into despair. The court was arguing over whether to sentence them to death or not, but the emperor hadn't issued an order. Although I felt relieved at the time, I couldn't sleep or eat without the imperial decree. Who could have imagined that the death penalty would be commuted to exile? It was Wang Yu's prediction that was right."
Thinking of what happened before, Ruan Weizhi couldn't help but sigh.
Mrs. Ruan, Sun, thought for a moment and asked, "Master, is it okay for you to leave Mr. Li from the Imperial Observatory at home?"
Ruan Weizhi shook his head and said, "No problem. Lord Li is young and has only recently entered the government. He's just a palace official at the Imperial Observatory, a minor position the Emperor probably wouldn't care about. Wang Yu mentioned this man to me before, saying that although he's young, he's incredibly talented, but he just lacks experience. Originally, if nothing went wrong this year, we were planning to promote him to Chief Clerk next year, but now it seems like that plan won't happen."
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