Chapter 141 Xiao Yan supported Tang Ning: Run slower, I am here
Qian Baokun was originally angry that Xiao Yan used him and the Qian family, and he secretly hated Xiao Yan for dragging him into the muddy water of the aristocratic family. But after hearing Xiao Yan's words, the anger in his heart suddenly subsided, and he hesitated in the face of the sincere Xiao Yan.
"But, if you are held accountable for trespassing into the Secretariat, you won't be able to bear the consequences..."
"Minister Qian, you're joking. I'm working for His Majesty to clean up the court. The grain tax case concerns people's livelihoods. Those victims who died in the floods need someone to stand up for them. If the court is not cleaned out of corrupt officials, those innocent souls will never rest in peace."
Xiao Yan had an outstanding appearance to begin with, and he used to be filled with a murderous aura that could captivate people. But now, the coldness had faded away, and his eyes were like the warm sun in a mountain stream falling on the water, revealing an indescribable depth and gentleness among the rippling waves.
"Although I am a eunuch, I have also received the kindness of all living beings. My heart for being an official is the same as Minister Qian's."
"I'm not lying to you. Saying I'm loyal to the emperor and serving my country will inevitably make people laugh at me for being boastful. But if I can bring order to the court, give the lowly a chance to rise to prominence, and bring peace and happiness to the people of the world, I'm happy to bear the notoriety, even if it means resorting to unscrupulous means."
"The Lu family is a cancer in the court. They will be destroyed sooner or later. If Your Majesty is forced to punish them this time, I will accept the responsibility. Minister Qian does not need to worry."
Qian Baokun opened his mouth: "But..."
"Minister Qian, there's no need to persuade me. I've made up my mind."
Xiao Yan suddenly stopped the carriage and turned to Qian Baokun, saying, "The palace gate is just ahead. Minister Qian, please separate from me. You should take the three young men into the palace to meet His Majesty first. When you see His Majesty, tell them that I deceived the three young men and used them as pawns."
"After you have an audience with the Emperor, I will go to see His Majesty, so as to avoid His Majesty misunderstanding that you and I are colluding and delaying Minister Qian."
Xiao Yan's thoughtfulness made Qian Baokun a little overwhelmed.
He originally thought that Xiao Yan was just using him and the Qian family, wanting to step on them to deal with those people from the aristocratic families, but now seeing that he was willing to take the blame himself, he even allowed him to make excuses before the emperor, and even handed over the account books of grain embezzlement to him, just to reassure him.
Qian Baokun's previous aura had almost completely dissipated, and instead he felt guilty. "Master Xiao, why don't I go with you to explain to His Majesty? With this account book, His Majesty probably won't blame me..."
"No need. If you don't clear yourself from this, the noble family won't let you go, and His Majesty will become suspicious."
Seeing that Qian Baokun wanted to speak, Xiao Yan waved his hand to interrupt him:
"No need to say more. I know what Minister Qian means. However, I have a bad reputation after all. Going with me will affect your future. Lu Chongyuan is not someone to be trifled with. You should hurry up and enter the palace. Don't let the Lu family get ahead of you and spread rumors in front of His Majesty."
…
Qian Baokun was "driven" off the carriage by Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan did not take back the account book in his hand. He watched Xiao Yan leading the black-armored guards towards the Privy Council, and from beginning to end he did not worry at all that Xiao Yan would slander him in front of the emperor.
Qian Baokun couldn't help but pursed his lips tightly, his face full of emotion.
"Father, why did they leave?"
The three brothers of the Qian family were walking behind, and had no idea what was going on. Seeing Xiao Yan leave without looking back, the eldest brother of the Qian family suddenly became anxious.
"Didn't Xiao Yan say he wanted to come with us to the palace? They've caused such a big mess. Are they planning to use us and then abandon us, using our Qian family as a shield?!"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Qian Baokun turned his head and said in a low voice: "Superintendent Xiao is not the person you think he is."
Qian Qingran: "?" He looked at his father blankly, "What's wrong with you?"
When he came out of the Lu family earlier, Qian Baokun kept saying that Xiao Yan was despicable and shameless, extremely hateful, and that the Qian family never associated with other people in the court. When Qian Baokun mentioned Xiao Yan to them earlier, he was also full of disgust?
Qian Baokun held the object in his hand, his face full of complexities. "I was wrong about Xiao Yan. I used to think eunuchs were ruthless and unscrupulous, but now I know that Governor Xiao is also a man of great ambition. Although he has a disability, his character is far superior to others in the court..."
Qian Qingran: “???”
The second elder brother of the Qian family said: "Dad, are you crazy? What is Xiao Yan's ambition? Killing people?"
That crazy guy who crippled people's hands and feet at will and almost chopped off Lu Qin's lifespan said that he had a good character and his father was crazy?
Upon hearing this, Qian Baokun glared at his second son and said, "You're just following what others say. If you think about it carefully, Xiao Yan only killed those who deserved to be killed. There's nothing good in his hands."
The second brother of the Qian family: "..."
He watched his own father, who was initially furious, suddenly change his attitude. Not only did he not blame Xiao Yan for taking advantage of him, but he actually looked like he had found a confidant and was full of praise. The second brother of the Qian family couldn't help but mutter to Qian Qingran beside him: "Brother, did our father take the wrong medicine?"
Qian Baokun instantly glared at him: "What did you say?"
The second brother of the Qian family quickly shrank his neck and hid aside.
Qian Qingran didn't know what had just happened in the carriage to cause Qian Baokun's attitude to change so drastically, but the most important thing right now was what was happening with the Lu family. He frowned and asked, "Father, regardless of what Xiao Yan does, the Lu family will definitely not let this go. What should we do next? Should we still go to the palace?"
Qian Baokun said in a deep voice: "Come in!"
"Then let's do as we said before..."
“No need.”
Qian Baokun's eyes narrowed slightly. He had originally thought about it. Xiao Yan was plotting against him and the Qian family. Even if they were tied to the same boat, he would bite him hard and let him know that he, Qian Baokun, was not someone to be trifled with. But now...
Since Xiao Yan was willing to take a step back and protect the peace of the Qian family, he naturally would not let him handle the Lu family's affairs alone.
Qian Baokun said in a deep voice, "I will go to see His Majesty after entering the palace. You three don't have to say anything. If His Majesty summons you alone, you should say this..."
He whispered a few words in front of the three people.
After hearing this, the three brothers of the Qian family couldn't help but look up in surprise.
Qian Qingran frowned, "Father, are you really going to make this decision? If His Majesty suspects that the Qian family is colluding with Xiao Yan..."
"Don't worry about that. Since I told you to say this, I'm sure His Majesty won't get suspicious." Qian Baokun said, "Just do as I say."
Although Qian Qingran was hesitant, seeing Qian Baokun's affirmative expression, he finally nodded and agreed.
"Okay, I'll listen to my father."
…
The Qian family carriage headed straight for the palace. Not far away, at a corner, Xiao Yan and the others, who should have left, stopped where they were. After seeing Qian Baokun and his group enter the palace, Cang Lang said to the carriage, "Superintendent, the Qian family father and son have entered the palace."
Jinyun couldn't help but frown when he saw someone entering the palace and said, "Isn't this a bit too risky, Governor? The account book is related to the grain tax case. It is evidence we obtained from Cai Qi with great difficulty, and now we are handing it over to Qian Baokun."
"The Qian family is also a Lingnan family. Qian Baokun may empathize with the plight of aristocratic families. If he hides the money out of fear of the Lu family's power, or uses it to reconcile the Qian and Lu families, wouldn't that ruin the governor's plan?"
"Qian Baokun won't."
Xiao Yan was stroking the ring on his finger, his face looking exceptionally calm.
Although the Qian family is also a noble family, the style of the Qian family is completely different from those noble families in Beijing that have been in high positions for a long time. He had met the head of the Qian family once when he was young. He was a compassionate and extremely generous person. There were very few stories about playboys in the Qian family. The Qian family was also a well-known family for doing good deeds in Lingnan.
He often took care of the people in nearby counties and cities, and whenever there was a disaster, he would donate generously and never keep anything for himself. As a result, the Qian family was very prestigious in the Lingnan area.
Qian Baokun's temperament is very similar to that of his brother, the head of the Qian family. When he was an official in Lingnan, he cared very much about the people's livelihood. After entering Beijing, he held an important position in the Ministry of Revenue, but he had never embezzled a penny. Earlier, there was a flood in the south. Due to the corruption of officials from aristocratic families and the deficit in the court, everyone was embarrassed about disaster relief, but Qian Baokun secretly supported it and did his best to raise money from the Ministry of Revenue.
Later, when the grain tax case broke out, he went to the south to investigate but things did not go well. The Qian family also secretly helped him. He did not believe that Qian Baokun had not helped him.
Xiao Yan said softly, "Qian Baokun may seem timid and unwilling to argue, but he actually has a very strong temper. If I were to argue with him wholeheartedly, he would get tired of me taking advantage of him. But if I take a step back now, he will return the favor. He might not help me with other matters, but he won't sit idly by when it comes to the grain tax case."
"Besides..."
He chuckled.
"This Minister of Revenue is a man who truly loves his daughter."
The Qian family had three sons before they had this daughter. Qian Qiyue was ill when she was young, but the Qian family still protected her like a treasure and would not allow anyone to say anything wrong about her, let alone that she was frightened and injured by Lu Zhinian.
It would be fine if the Qian family was not making trouble today because of Qian Qiyue, but since they were using the little girl as an excuse and it concerned her reputation, even if he really knew that he was being used, Qian Baokun would grit his teeth and swallow the blame.
Xiao Yan almost understood Qian Baokun's thoughts thoroughly.
Jinyun felt relieved after hearing this, but he still couldn't help asking, "What if something unexpected happens to Qian Baokun..."
"If he really had an accident, I would naturally have other ways to deal with it. Besides, who told you that there is only one copy of that account book?"
Jinyun: “?”
Jinyun: “!!!”
Isn’t there only one copy...wait.
He was stunned: "What the Governor gave to Qian Baokun was a copy?"
Xiao Yan raised his lips: "It's human nature to be wary of others."
Jinyun: “…”
Canglang squatted on the edge of the carriage, looking at Jinyun's shocked expression and laughing out loud: "I told you a long time ago not to worry about nothing. It has always been our governor who fooled others. When have you ever seen others take advantage of the governor?"
Didn’t you see that Qian Baokun looked like he was fooled when he got off the carriage?
Jinyun fell silent upon hearing this, and suddenly he felt a little pitiful for Minister Qian, who had been full of regret and felt that he had misunderstood his family's governor.
Seeing Canglang laughing so hard that his eyebrows were not visible, Xiao Yan threw a piece of silver out of the carriage and hit it directly on the back of Canglang's head: "Okay, let's go back to Tang Mansion." He was a little worried about the little Haitang at home.
Canglang took the silver and stuffed it into his clothes, smiling:
"Alright, thank you for the reward, Governor!"
…
After Xiao Yan left the house, Song Tangning had been feeling uneasy. She sat in Song Ru's room, looking at the little girl who had taken medicine and fallen asleep on the bed, and tucked the quilt for her.
Song Ru's face was still pale, and her lips were bloodless.
Madam Qin was sorting the silver needles for pain relief placed by the window. She turned and saw Song Tangning looking worried. She said soothingly, "Don't worry, she's not seriously injured. The pain she felt earlier was mostly because it was her first period, and it happened to hit her lower abdomen, which made it difficult to bear for a while."
"I've given her acupuncture to relieve the pain, and she's also been given some herbal medicine, which should allow her to sleep peacefully for a while. However, she's weak and cold, and I just took her pulse and realized she's seriously weakened. If she doesn't take good care of herself, when she's older, not only will she have trouble having children, she'll also be plagued by illness."
Madam Qin had heard earlier that Song Tangning's sister was not valued in the Duke of Song's Mansion and had a hard life. At first, she thought she was malnourished because she was so thin, but after taking her pulse carefully, she realized that she was not only unwelcome. The girls from poor families were not as weak as her. Her skinny arms were simply caused by hunger.
Song Tangning pursed her lips and said, "If she takes good care of herself, will A'ru be able to recover?"
Madam Qin said, "Of course you can. After all, the young lady is still young, so it's not too late to raise her now. However, it would be best if her marriage could be postponed to avoid getting pregnant too early and having difficulty with childbirth. If she can wait until she's twenty to have children, she'll be no different from other ordinary women."
Song Ru is less than fourteen years old this year. She will wait for five or six years before getting married. I think her health will be restored and she can have another child by then without taking the risk of going through the gates of hell.
Song Tangning nodded when he heard this: "I understand, I will tell A'ru."
"Aren't you going to tell Princess Cheng about what happened today?" asked Madam Qin.
Song Tangning whispered, "I'll tell my aunt later."
Madam Qin hesitated, "The child in Princess Cheng's belly..." She couldn't help but glance at Song Tangning, "The child is getting older. If we want to keep the child, we have to start taking good care of it. If we want to... we should make a decision sooner rather than later. If we delay any longer, it will hurt her body."
Madam Qin found it difficult to understand Princess Cheng. During this period, she went to the house from time to time to take Princess Cheng's pulse. Every time she saw her, she felt that Princess Cheng was not very enthusiastic about the child in her womb.
The child's pregnancy was not auspicious. He was born with a weak heart pulse. Even if he was taken good care of, he would probably be weak. But although Princess Cheng did not want this child, she followed the doctor's instructions and took the medicine carefully, without any delay.
Lady Qin couldn't help but ask, "Does Princess Cheng still plan to return to the Cheng Palace?"
Song Tangning whispered, "My aunt probably wants to go back."
"But King Cheng..."
"It's not for Prince Cheng, it's for Xie Yin." Even though Song Tangning was unwilling, he knew that it would not be easy for his aunt to let go of Xie Yin.
Madam Qin fell silent when she heard this. Although she had never given birth to a child, she knew that the love between mother and child was hard to break. She didn't ask any more questions, but just sighed softly.
It turns out that getting married is the most troublesome thing. It is better to practice medicine. There are no worries and you don’t have to put yourself in a difficult position.
The two chatted about something else. Song Tangning was always worried about Xiao Yan who had gone to the Lu family. He looked out the window from time to time. After a long time, he heard the sound of servants paying their respects from outside.
"Master Governor."
Brother is back?
Song Tangning's eyes lit up, and he quickly stood up and looked outside. He saw Xiao Yan stopped in front of the courtyard, as if he was asking something to the servants outside.
She hurriedly called out "Brother" and then walked out quickly. The closer she got to the door, the faster her steps became, and in the end she almost jogged.
When he came to a sudden stop in front of Xiao Yan, Xiao Yan extended his hand to support him: "Run slower, I'm here."
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