Li Lao Er took the tea from his son, took a sip slowly, and complained in a low voice, "Once this is all over, we have to have a good celebratory drink. Your teacher is hiding in there in peace and quiet, but he's kept us all busy."
It took Jiaren a while to come to his senses. He carefully suppressed his joy and poured two more cups of hot tea for Zheng Feng and Zheng He outside the carriage...
For a prominent family to accumulate a good reputation, it may take two or three generations, or even a hundred years, of perseverance.
But it might only take two or three days to ruin a reputation.
The Wen family originally had a good reputation in Xindu, at least as a scholarly family, but now they have been pushed into the eye of the storm because of their failure to save their own son from death.
In fact, as time went on, his reputation grew increasingly tarnished.
Grandpa Wen was a thin old man with gray hair. He didn't look stupid, but the things he did were always criticized.
Right now, he was pacing around the study floor with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed tightly.
In the morning, he asked his servant to invite an old friend with whom he usually played chess to come to his house, but the old friend claimed to be sick and refused to come.
He had originally wanted to ask his old friend about the public opinion surrounding the Wen family, but seeing the situation, there was no need to ask anymore; it was certain that there would be nothing good about it.
This made him start to waver. Had he really done something wrong?
He was the eldest son in his family since childhood, but because his younger brother was exceptionally talented and was pampered by the family, he was almost suffocated by the pressure and lived like a ghost.
Later, his younger brother died of illness, and only then did he have the opportunity to be valued and nurtured by the family.
But it was too late. In addition, his aptitude was average, and he could only pass the provincial examination to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination).
This became his lifelong regret and an inescapable inner demon.
Therefore, after his eldest and second sons were born, even though the second son was much more intelligent than the eldest, he still insisted on raising and valuing his eldest son.
He even intentionally or unintentionally suppressed his second son, just to prevent his eldest son from repeating his mistakes.
Unexpectedly, this time the child couldn't be suppressed at all.
Not only did he become a student of Grand Scholar Cui, but he also passed the imperial examination and entered the Hanlin Academy.
Fortunately, the second son had been repairing books for many years and had never caused any trouble.
When the capital was moved earlier, the second son went back to find his junior sister from the Cui family. He was secretly relieved that she hadn't returned for half a year.
As a father, he was naturally heartbroken by his son's death, but the fact that his second son's death brought harmony to the family meant that his second son's life in the Wen family was not in vain.
Unexpectedly, the second son was too lucky. He not only survived to reach Jiangnan, but also seized the opportunity to become an imperial censor!
The eldest son worked hard for many years, eventually reaching the fourth rank, while the second son, with just his eloquent tongue, managed to rise above the eldest son in rank by defending a group of refugees.
It felt like a fire was burning inside him!
He finally found a good marriage for his second son, hoping to pave the way for his eldest son to advance further. However, the second son resolutely opposed it and never bowed his head, even after being kicked out of the house...
Now that the second son has gotten into trouble and is facing imminent disaster, it's already quite kind of the family not to blame him.
Why should the family step in to help?
If they are implicated and the eldest son loses his official position, who will protect the Wen family?!
Outsiders only say that the Wen family is ruthless and heartless, but who knows their good intentions!
If the second son had understood his good intentions and been willing to back down or conceal his shortcomings, things wouldn't have come to this!
Old Master Wen shook his head in frustration. Just then, his attendant rushed in from outside, shouting, "Something terrible has happened, Master!"
"What is it?" Old Master Wen scolded.
The servant took a deep breath before saying, "Master, there's news outside that the Emperor's illness has worsened, and the palace has sent people to the Dali Temple to arrest someone, intending to behead the Second Master!"
Grandpa Wen was stunned for a moment and remained silent for a long time.
Just as the servant couldn't resist his curiosity and was about to look up, Old Master Wen suddenly asked, "Is the information accurate?"
"Accurate! People from the palace have already gone to the Dali Temple, and everyone is saying they want to bring the Second Master to be punished!"
The servant, fearing the old master would blame him for his poor performance, added, "Perhaps the second master is already on his way to the palace."
Old Master Wen gritted his teeth and ordered, "Go and call Junyan over!"
The servant hurried down, and soon Wen Junyan arrived.
He had naturally heard the news long ago, so he feigned concern and anxiously asked as soon as he entered the room, "Father, what should we do? I'm afraid my second brother is going to be punished!"
Grandpa Wen waved his hand, "Forget about that rebellious son! Protecting our family and you is the most important thing right now."
Having said that, he picked up the family genealogy and household registration documents, "Come on, come with me to the Prefect of the Capital and get that rebellious son kicked out of the house!"
Wen Junyan's eyes lit up with joy, but he still pretended to stop him for a few moments before finally following his father out the door.
Inside the yamen of the Prefect of the Capital, everyone, from the secretary to the minor officials, was drinking tea and gossiping.
Everyone was surprised to hear that the Wen family father and son had come to visit.
Why is the Wen family coming to the Jingzhao Yin (prefectural governor) instead of thinking about how to save people?
Soon, they found out...
The Wen family is trying to expel their "disloyal and unfilial" son from the family!
The secretary dared not make the decision on his own and quickly reported it to the back office.
Whether the prefect looked down on the Wen family's behavior or simply wanted to shirk his duties, he sent his advisor over.
After repeatedly questioning and confirming Old Master Wen's intentions, the clerk finally completed the formalities under the watchful eyes of more than a dozen people in the government office.
From then on, the name of Imperial Censor Wen—Wen Qinglin, courtesy name Shaoyuan—no longer appeared on the Wen family's household register.
The second son of the Wen family was left all alone from then on.
If he doesn't come to the government office and doesn't register his household registration somewhere, he will be considered an unregistered resident.
A dignified imperial censor, reduced to such a state, utterly abandoned by his own family...
The people in the government office have always been the same: they won't do anything without taking bribes.
But people are all made of flesh and blood. It's really pitiful that Imperial Censor Wen is like this, and the Wen family's actions are really too heartless.
So, in no time at all, the people in the government office spread the word about it.
Even before Imperial Censor Wen and the palace eunuchs reached the palace gates, the news of his expulsion from his home spread throughout restaurants, eateries, and streets!
The Li family had been following the palace carriages. Upon receiving the news, Zheng He ran forward, slipped a silver ingot to the last eunuch, and whispered a few words of advice.
While waiting for inspection at the palace gate, the young eunuch told Imperial Censor Wen.
Imperial Censor Wen burst into tears on the spot, attracting the attention of the chief eunuch and guards.
Soon, they learned the reason, and their eyes were filled with sympathy when they looked at Imperial Censor Wen.
The chief eunuch, in particular, knew better than anyone else.
The Emperor summoned Imperial Censor Wen to the palace, not to punish him or behead him, but the entire capital was completely unaware of this!
Some people felt sorry for Imperial Censor Wen, while others cursed the Wen family for being ruthless, willing to sacrifice their son to avoid being implicated!
The Liu family became even more anxious. Old Master Liu and his son went directly to the palace gate and, together with Lord Li, requested an audience with the Emperor.
Needless to say, this is a death sentence for Censor Wen.
Even Madam Cui rushed over and knelt down in front of the palace gate!
Many people watched these companies from afar, admiring and sympathizing with their perseverance even until the very end...
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