Chapter 45 Chapter 45 He heard his own heartbeat.
==Chapter 45==
The faint sunlight filtered in through the window lattice, spreading across the bed curtains, creating a warm spring atmosphere. The person inside was awakened: "Young lady, it's time to get up."
Feng Wenyu was very sleepy and responded with great difficulty.
After secretly following Qiao Anyu back yesterday, she had something on her mind and couldn't sleep all night tossing and turning. She wanted to find someone to help her out, but she wasn't the kind of person who would spread other people's secrets.
Jinshu was a little worried. Since her daughter couldn't get up, she could only let her sleep for a while longer. She stared at the hourglass in the room, not daring to let her daughter waste time. She asked Shuyao to urge the kitchen to bring breakfast.
Another quarter of an hour passed before the meal was served. This time, Jinshu didn't dare let the girl sleep anymore.
The handkerchief soaked in cold water was directly applied to the girl's face. A mournful voice rang out, "Jinshu is so cruel." Jinshu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Who was it that repeatedly reminded her to wake him up before going to bed yesterday?
Now that she was awake, getting up was not a difficult task. Feng Wenyu sat up, and Jinshu and Shuyao helped her dress and wash, put her hair into a bun and pinned a jade hairpin. After she was ready, they moved to the table and started to eat breakfast.
She was also dazed and had no appetite.
Jinshu coughed lightly and reminded her subtly, "What time did you meet with Master Xie?"
Feng Wenyu glanced at the hourglass beside her, and suddenly she shuddered, her whole body sobering up immediately. She drank the rice porridge in two mouthfuls, and hurriedly swallowed a piece of cake. The scene suddenly changed to her urging Jinshu:
"Hurry up, hurry up, we're going to be late!"
Shuyao snickered, and Jinshu couldn't help but said helplessly: "Everything is packed, just waiting for the girl."
Feng Wenyu touched her nose, too embarrassed to look at Jinshu. She led the two of them out in a hurry. No matter how fast she hurried, when she arrived at the gate of the mansion, she saw that Xie Zhujing's carriage had been parked at the door for who knows how long.
Uncle Zhou was also waiting for her at the door in a carriage.
Xie Zhujing was still wearing a blue shirt today, but the sleeves were embroidered with dark patterns, making this unremarkable shirt seem reserved and unassuming. His eyes were steady, without any trace of impatience. Feng Wenyu then asked:
"Have you been waiting long?"
Xie Zhujing didn't mention how long he had been waiting. He tied up her hair, which was a little messy from running, and whispered, "I just got here. There's no need to worry."
Feng Wenyu felt a little relieved. She was not a person who liked to be late. It was clearly the agreed time, and making others wait in vain would seem like a breach of promise.
She glanced at the sky and hurriedly urged:
"Hurry up, then, before it's too late."
She and Xie Zhujing made an appointment today, not to go somewhere for fun, but because a large number of refugees had recently flocked to the capital, and the news reached the emperor. Everyone then realized that heavy snow in the border town had collapsed houses, and the people were displaced. It was near the end of the year, and the county magistrate's term was about to end. He was only concerned about improving his resume and concealed the matter.
The inaction of the county magistrate and the negligence of the prefect caused the matter to snowball and become increasingly serious. Eventually, the refugees fled to the vicinity of the capital. The truth could not be hidden, and an official discovered the refugees and quickly reported it. Only then did the court learn of the tragic situation in the border town.
First, Gao Dang was corrupt, and then the county magistrate deceived the emperor. Emperor Wenyuan was furious and ordered the county magistrate to be executed. The local prefect was also demoted.
Her grandmother ordered people to distribute porridge at the city gate, and Xie Zhujing was called by her second uncle to help. After Feng Wenyu learned about this, he made an appointment with Xie Zhujing to go together today.
Giving out porridge is good for reputation. Feng Wenyu had been thinking this way before he went outside the city.
It was not until he actually saw the scene outside the city that Feng Wenyu suddenly fell silent, staring blankly at the scene in front of him. Whether it was the people squeezed under the shed or queuing up to get porridge, they were all ragged and skinny. They crowded together, wolfing down the hot porridge as if they could not feel the heat at all.
The tragic situation of the refugees described in the books now truly appears before our eyes, making us realize the heaviness of the words.
Feng Wenyu was ashamed of his previous idea of taking advantage of refugees to make money. His fair face turned red with shame and he was indignant about it:
"Has the Border Town Magistrate gone mad? He doesn't care about the lives of so many people?"
Xie Zhujing tilted his head to look at her, then quickly lowered his eyes. He said in an extremely calm voice, "There is no shortage of corrupt officials in this world, and there are countless officials who falsify the truth for the sake of their own political achievements."
These officials may not have looked like this at the beginning, but after serving as officials for a long time, they become superior to others. The people are their political achievements and reputation, but what are the lives of the people worth?
The border town incident would have angered Emperor Wenyuan, or the county magistrate was too bold, daring to falsely report facts but lacking the means and ability to deal with the follow-up.
Feng Wenyu fell silent again.
Seeing her like this, Xie Zhujing couldn't help but feel strange. People can't empathize with people of different classes from themselves. Most people who can empathize with others in different situations are hypocritical. He originally thought that Feng Wenyu had already prepared herself mentally.
It turns out she didn't.
It turned out that she had no idea what she would see when she came outside the city.
Just as Xie Zhujing was about to say something, he saw the little girl turn around and go back into the carriage. The next moment, Jinshu came out and rang the bell. Immediately, someone surrounded the carriage with their backs to it. Xie Zhujing was surprised. What was this for?
Soon, he had the answer.
A quarter of an hour later, the little girl got off the carriage again. She changed into plain clothes and took off the precious jade hairpin on her head. She no longer had the brilliance and beauty that was set off by the gorgeous clothes. Only her face became whiter, like pear blossoms reflected in spring water. The plainer it was, the more extraordinary it seemed.
Realizing what she was doing, Xie Zhujing suddenly laughed silently, but his heart in his chest was beating faster and faster, as if it was hitting his ribs. At this moment, he could hear his own heartbeat.
He felt more and more that the Feng family had treated her too kindly.
So much so that it's a bit stupid.
Did she understand that even if the bright moon fell, it would not be confused with fireflies?
Even though she was wearing coarse linen clothes, she looked out of place among the crowd.
Feng Wenyu wondered what Xie Zhujing was laughing at and urged him, "Aren't you helping with the porridge distribution?"
After she finished speaking, she took the soup spoon without waiting for Xie Zhujing to answer. She clumsily and unfamiliarly poured porridge for the refugees. Each bowl was filled to the brim. Soon, her stall was filled with refugees.
Looking at the endless team, Feng Wenyu felt for the first time that the burden on his shoulders was a bit heavy.
When people get busy, all the melancholy about spring and autumn disappears completely. In the end, Feng Wenyu was so busy that she could hardly lift her arms. Someone brought rice porridge over and when it was poured into the pot, some rice grains splashed. Feng Wenyu seemed to feel a pain on the back of her hand, but it was not obvious. Seeing the next refugee pick up the bowl, she immediately put the pain behind her.
Suddenly, someone pulled her. Feng Wenyu's mind was a little confused and she turned around a little late. It was Xie Zhujing. He frowned and handed the soup spoon to the servant next to him and pulled her aside.
Feng Wenyu was a little confused: "What's wrong?"
Xie Zhujing was looking down at her hand. Sure enough, there was a red spot on the back of her hand from being burned. "Doesn't it hurt?"
Feng Wenyu followed his movements and saw the red dot. She whispered:
"It doesn't hurt."
Xie Zhujing didn't argue with her and directly asked someone to bring cold water. People were coming and going all around, and Feng Wenyu felt a little embarrassed for making a fuss over such a minor injury. She wanted to pull her hand back, and her voice became smaller and smaller:
"It's really okay."
Xie Zhujing looked up at her and said, "Young lady, only when blisters form and scars form will you feel pain?"
Feng Wenyu was about to say something when Xie Zhujing saw through his thoughts and interrupted him:
"You are here to do good. Their suffering is not caused by you, so even if you gain something from it, it is what you deserve."
His voice was calm, but it struck her heart. He said, "There's no need to feel guilty about this, young lady."
Self-interest is the norm.
Feng Wenyu bit her lip and fell silent.
Xie Zhujing applied the medicine to her before saying, "If I knew you would feel guilty about this, I wouldn't have agreed to your visit today."
Only after the medicine was applied to her body was Feng Wenyu able to withdraw her hand. She glanced at Xie Zhujing and muttered softly:
"fraud."
Xie Zhujing didn't quite hear what was said. He looked up and asked in surprise, "What did the young lady say?"
Feng Wenyu snorted lightly and repeated without any guilt: "Liar."
He couldn't see it at all. His eyebrows were flying, no longer as calm as before. He was obviously very happy and would not stop her from coming this time.
Say one thing and mean another.
Xie Zhujing was stunned for a moment before he suddenly laughed: "Okay, I'm a liar."
He admitted it so readily that Feng Wenyu was choked for a moment.
Xie Zhujing extended his hand towards her: "Miss, you've worked hard all day, are you hungry?"
Just now, when she was busy, she didn't feel hungry. But when Xie Zhujing asked her, Feng Wenyu finally realized that she was hungry. She didn't try to be stubborn anymore and stretched out her hand for Xie Zhujing to pull her up.
She looked back and saw that the line behind her was still very long, but her soup kitchen trip was over for the day.
Feng Wenyu didn't look back. She knew very well that giving out porridge was not a long-term solution.
The carriage returned to the city and stopped in front of Fuchun Tower.
During the meal, she couldn't help but ask, "How does the emperor plan to accommodate these refugees?"
The soldiers guarding the city would not allow the refugees to enter the capital, even Emperor Wenyuan would not allow it, but it was not a good idea to let the refugees stay outside the city.
Xie Zhujing used the serving chopsticks to pick up some food for her. He could answer this question without even thinking:
"Once the difficult situation at the border town is resolved, let them return home."
Feng Wenyu frowned: "But during this period of time..."
Xie Zhujing shook his head, indicating that she need not worry:
"The court will handle it. Besides, the old lady has set a good example, hasn't she?"
My master is the Prime Minister, and the old lady took the lead in building tents to distribute porridge. The other officials and wealthy businessmen in the capital will only follow suit. Before the imperial court's order comes down, these refugees will at least have a place to shelter from the wind.
Feng Wenyu finally understood why her grandmother, who had always lived in the inner house, had unexpectedly sent people to distribute porridge and passed the news to her and Xie Zhujing.
Feng Wenyu stopped dwelling on it and said indignantly, "In the final analysis, it's still the fault of the Border Town Magistrate. If he hadn't delayed reporting it, the situation wouldn't have escalated to this point."
There are so many refugees fleeing to the capital, how many of them died on the road?
Hearing this, Xie Zhujing narrowed his eyes imperceptibly and said something ambiguous:
"The magistrate alone can't accomplish everything."
The heavy snow crushed the people's houses, and more than ten people were killed. How could the local county magistrate have concealed the truth?
When local people were in trouble, instead of reporting it to the authorities or going to the local prefect, they traveled thousands of miles straight to the capital?
From the time of the incident until now, including when the refugees were on their way to the capital, no one in the city or the government office reported the news to the emperor. As soon as the refugees arrived in the capital, they were immediately discovered and reported to the emperor at the morning court.
Too many things that shouldn't be put together mean that this is destined to be more than an accident or coincidence.
A county magistrate alone cannot achieve this.
Feng Wenyu understood his implication and looked up in surprise: "Are you saying... someone did this on purpose?"
Feng Wenyu couldn't help but lower his voice when he said the last few words.
The main reason is that this matter is too shocking. Who would plan to take the lives of so many people?
Xie Zhujing shook his head and said, "As soon as the news reached His Majesty, he demoted Prefect Cao. Now the position of Prefect of Border Town is vacant."
He pushed the cup away, dipped his fingers in water, and wrote the word "Shou" on the table.
Feng Wenyu saw it clearly and couldn't help swallowing.
Who did Xie Zhujing point to when he wrote the word "Shou" (longevity)?
Apart from the second prince, Prince Shou, Feng Wenyu could not think of any other candidate.
Party disputes always leave corpses everywhere, let alone the fight for the crown prince. I am afraid that no matter how many people die, those fighting for power will not hesitate!
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