Chapter 48 The Visitors - What Plum What Horse
Three days later was the wedding day of Qi Jingxuan and Shen Yan. The palace had sent people to decorate Yangliu Hutong in advance. Although it was not completely decorated yet, it was already adorned with red and green, looking even more festive than during the New Year.
Gao Zheng looked at everything before him and listened to the laughter and chatter of his neighbors in the alley, remaining motionless for a long time.
Although it wasn't his first time in Beijing, it was his first time here, and everything felt so unfamiliar.
But in this unfamiliar place lived people he knew.
After hearing from his father that Shen Yan was going to marry Prince Ping, he rushed out of the house, only to realize that he had no idea where she was living.
Fortunately, everyone already knew that Prince Ping was going to marry the daughter of a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, so he easily found out where the Shen family lived.
This alley is quite deep, but not wide, and it becomes even more crowded when there are many onlookers.
Qi Jingxuan left a few guards here. The men seemed to be chatting casually under the wall of the Shen family's courtyard, but in reality, they were paying close attention to the surrounding movements. They had already noticed Gao Zheng's unusual behavior.
Just as the group frowned and reminded each other to be on guard, they saw the young man walk straight over, stand in front of the Shen family's gate, and knock on the gate.
The commotion was small, but it silenced the surroundings. Neighbors who had been munching on sunflower seeds and watching the spectacle by the wall craned their necks to look over, while the guards of the Prince's Mansion were both surprised and suspicious.
Shen Mingshan held a low-ranking official position and had only been in the capital for less than a year. He had few acquaintances in the capital, so naturally, few people visited him. Even if they did, the Shen family was currently embroiled in controversy, seemingly enjoying great favor, and involved figures like the Prince of Ping and the Marquis of Cheng'an. Therefore, those people dared not visit him easily.
Therefore, although the area in front of the Shen family's house looked lively for the past two months, very few people actually came to visit.
The guards had never seen this man before, and they were taken aback when he knocked on the door. The leader instinctively asked, "May I ask your name, young master, and what brings you to the Shen family?"
Before the words were even out of his mouth, the man, whose complexion was already not good, sharpened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "What's it to you? Who are you? What right do you have to ask me these questions?"
Gao Zheng knew the Shen family quite well, and he could tell at a glance that these people were definitely not the Shen family's servants or guards.
Judging from their attire, they are most likely servants from the Prince of Ping's residence.
Before Aci even married that infamous prince, he had already arranged for people to stand guard at the Shen family's gate, watching her. How will he treat her after they are married?
Thinking of this, Gao Zheng clenched his fist. Only when the courtyard gate opened did he suppress the fierce look on his face and say to the maid who opened the door, "Gao Zheng, son of Gao Pei, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, has come to visit Uncle Shen... Please inform him."
Seeing that he was a stranger, the maid quickly closed the courtyard gate, which had only been slightly ajar, after he introduced himself, and went inside to inform the family.
The guard watched from the side, gritting his teeth in anger, but upon hearing his identity, he suppressed his rage.
He had heard of Gao Pei, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy. He was a fifth-rank official, not much higher than Shen, but their situations were quite different.
Gao Pei comes from a prominent family in Jiangzhou. He served in the Ministry of Justice in his early years and was later transferred to local government. He consistently achieved excellent grades in his examinations over the years. Last year, he made great contributions in Yueming Prefecture, not only uncovering the corruption of Prefect Liu Yuan, but also uncovering the serious crimes of the Commander of Yingzhou Guard, including embezzling military funds and reselling military supplies and weapons.
Logically, having made such a great contribution, he should have been able to return to the capital and take up a post in the Ministry of Justice, serving as a vice minister for a few years. Once the current Minister of Justice retires, he will be the undisputed next Minister.
However, when the court was about to reward him for his merits, he sternly refused the emperor's honor, saying that he had no interest in the field of criminal justice and that his greatest wish in life was to compile books and write biographies. He then requested to become an editor in the Hanlin Academy.
There's no fixed number of editors, so transferring him there wouldn't be a problem. However, it's only a seventh-rank official position. Even though many high-ranking officials in the court have risen through the ranks from this position, it's simply inappropriate to have Gao Pei, given his age and experience, take on an editor role at this time. In the future, if others mention it, they might think that the court is unable to distinguish right from wrong, and that a meritorious official has not only not been rewarded but has been demoted.
However, the Hanlin Academy is a fixed place with limited positions. The number of people who can be appointed as lecturers or higher is fixed. We can't just take someone else's position just because Gao Pei wants to go.
After much deliberation, it turned out that there was a vacancy for a fifth-rank official in the Office of Transmission, so the emperor issued an edict to move the original Hanlin Academy lecturer there and let Gao Pei take his place.
The lecturer was promoted from a fifth-rank official to a full fifth-rank official, a real position, which was like a windfall, and he was naturally happy to accept it.
And so, Gao Pei abandoned the path arranged by the Gao family and plunged headlong into the Hanlin Academy, becoming engrossed in compiling and editing books. Occasionally, he would go to give lectures to the princes and princesses, but it was just to make a show of it. He didn't care whether the students listened or not. After finishing his lecture, he would return to the Hanlin Academy to do his own thing and ignore everyone else.
So even though his official position isn't high, no one would easily offend him.
Firstly, he has the Gao family backing him up, and secondly, he is quite capable. If he ever decides he doesn't want to stay in the Hanlin Academy anymore, he can easily find a better position.
The young man in front of him was Gao Pei's son. The guard couldn't say anything, so he could only swallow his anger, secretly roll his eyes, and step aside.
Before long, a commotion came from the Shen family courtyard. Shen Mingshan came out and opened the door himself. After seeing the guests outside, he said with delight, "Ah Zheng, it really is you! Come in and talk to me!"
Gao Zheng bowed and greeted Shen Shishu before following Shen Mingshan through the door, leaving several guards of the Prince's Mansion looking at each other at the entrance.
Someone nudged the lead guard: "Brother Shan, what do we do now?"
The man surnamed Gao was a guest of the Shen family. They couldn't stop him from going in, nor could they force their way in and follow him. Were they just supposed to stand there and watch?
"It should be fine," another person whispered. "The Shen family doesn't have many guests, but they do have some. We can just listen for any noise at the door, like before."
As long as no one in the Shen family causes a death, then they have fulfilled their responsibilities.
The man known as Brother Shan glared at him and said in a low voice, "How can it be the same? Look at the guests from the Shen family before, which one of them was this rude to us?"
This guy surnamed Gao is clearly here for the first time, yet he's inexplicably hostile towards them; it doesn't seem normal at all.
Unfortunately, this was a young nobleman, not as handsome as their prince but not bad-looking either, and he seemed to have a good relationship with Lord Shen...
A thought inexplicably flashed through Yan Shan's mind, and he murmured in disbelief, "Could it be... his childhood sweetheart?"
He was startled after saying this and quickly said to the person beside him, "Quickly go and inform the Prince, and see what he says!"
The man was startled, then quickly nodded and ran off. He untied his horse at the alley entrance and rushed back to the Prince's mansion as fast as he could. Reaching Qi Jingxuan, he gasped, "Your Highness,...something terrible has happened!"
Qi Jingxuan was directing the servants to decorate the bridal chamber when he saw the man he had sent to protect the Shen family rush in, saying "Something's wrong." His heart sank, and he rushed to the man in a few steps, asking, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"
The guard, panting heavily, pointed in the direction of Yangliu Alley: "The Shen family... someone from the Shen family has arrived..."
Qi Jingxuan was about to ask "who" and "what did they do to the Shen family" when he heard the man continue, "the son of Gao Zheng, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy."
Upon hearing the visitor's identity, Qi Jingxuan's nervousness and panic were compounded by a growing sense of confusion: "And then?"
The Gao family is a well-known and respected family; they wouldn't just openly send their own children and grandchildren to attack the Shen family in broad daylight, would they?
Moreover, Gao Zheng has never cared about fame or fortune, and his relationship with Shen Mingshan has always been good.
The guard, his breathing becoming more even, said, "That young master Gao has been invited in by Lord Shen as a guest."
Qi Jingxuan frowned even more upon hearing this, his confusion deepening: "Being a guest is fine, but what's wrong with that? Explain yourself clearly!"
The guard pondered for a moment, unsure of what to say, and could only stammer, "Childhood...sweetheart."
Qi Jingxuan said "Oh," and breathed a sigh of relief: "Childhood sweethearts, huh? I thought something had happened, you scared me half to death. I'm so glad Aci and the others aren't in any danger, I..."
He froze mid-sentence, his movement of turning around halting, and his voice rose again: "What did you say...what Mei...what Ma?"
"Green...green plum and bamboo..."
The guard hunched his shoulders and repeated himself, but before he could finish speaking, the person in front of him vanished in a flash, and at the same time, a gust of wind whistled past his ear.
When he turned around, Qi Jingxuan had already run far away, his robes billowing in the wind like a moth spreading its wings and taking flight.
The guard hesitated for a moment, then quickly took off after him, shouting as he ran, "Your Highness, wait for me!"
…………
At the Shen family home, Gao Zheng sat in the main room and exchanged warm greetings with Shen Mingshan.
Gao Zheng recounted his experiences over the past year and a half, while Shen Mingshan shared his experiences after arriving in the capital. In the end, he sighed, "If it weren't for you and your father, I'm afraid I would have remained a county magistrate for my entire life."
Although Shen Mingshan passed the imperial examination at a young age, his official career was not smooth.
Initially, he was observing the administration of the Ministry of Revenue. Several superiors were quite fond of him and wanted to keep him in the Ministry of Revenue. However, before the official selection of officials was scheduled, his mother passed away.
Because of the mourning period, he missed the best opportunity to be selected as an official. By the time the mourning period ended and the court was informed to prepare for a new selection of officials, there were no good positions left for him.
The imperial examinations were held every three years, with only about two hundred people selected each time. This was not a large number, and even a tiny fraction compared to the vast number of students.
However, compared to the number of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), the number of positions for court officials was even smaller. It was impossible for every Jinshi to have a suitable position, and there were many people who passed the Jinshi exam but did not get an official post.
Shen Mingshan missed the first selection of officials, and in the second selection, he only became the chief clerk of the county government. Fortunately, he was able to calm down and quickly won the favor of the county magistrate, and was promoted to county assistant.
But not long after he took office as county magistrate, his father passed away, and he was forced to observe another period of mourning.
After this period of mourning, the county magistrate who had been very optimistic about him was transferred elsewhere. The new county magistrate not only neglected his duties but also oppressed the people and plundered their wealth.
Shen Mingshan secretly gathered evidence and then filed a lawsuit against his superior. Although he won in the end, he also offended Liu Yuan, the former prefect of Yueming.
Much of the corrupt money of the county magistrate was given as bribes to the prefect. Sending him to prison would cut off Liu Yuan's source of income, which naturally displeased Liu Yuan.
So when Shenmingshan finished his mourning period, Liu Yuan suppressed him in every way, keeping him in the position of county magistrate and preventing him from advancing any further.
Shen Mingshan knew that much of Liu Yuan's wealth came from illegitimate sources and was even involved in more than one murder case, but he was unable to find any evidence and could only remain silent.
It wasn't until a few years ago, when Gao Zheng and his son Gao Pei began investigating Liu Yuan, that they gathered a lot of evidence after he lowered his guard and finally convicted him. Only then did Shen Mingshan's name reappear in the capital and reach the emperor's ears.
Shen Mingshan was very grateful to the Gao family father and son, and when he heard that Gao Zheng had come, he personally came out to greet him.
Gao Zheng respected Shen Mingshan greatly and quickly said, "Uncle Shen is too modest. My father and I were just doing what we should do, bringing the guilty to justice."
"Everything you have now is what you deserve. If it weren't for Liu Yuan's constant obstruction, with your talent, why would it have taken until today for you to be known?"
Shen Mingshan waved his hands repeatedly: "What talent do you have? You're joking, you're joking."
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Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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