Chapter 165: Who says Governor Xiao is arrogant? He is clearly the most humble and polite!
Minister Qian frowned upon hearing this: "How can this be possible? You and I are both in the court..."
"Although we are both in the court, I am a junior. When I first entered the palace and was still a humble official, I heard that you were an honest official and caring for the people. I also heard that the Qian family was kind and protected the people in the state and town. It is an honor for me to be able to associate with you. How dare I call you my equal?"
Without waiting for Minister Qian to refuse, Xiao Yan bowed and performed the rare ceremony of a junior.
"If you don't mind me being a eunuch and tarnishing your reputation, I'll call you Uncle Qian when no one is around."
Qian Baokun couldn't help but be moved by his words. He had seen Xiao Yan's appearance in front of the Saint, and he had also seen him fight with others without retreating, and his cold and decisive killing.
But at this moment, he actually bent his back towards her, treating her as a junior, with a humble look and no arrogance at all.
Qian Baokun couldn't help but secretly curse those who slandered Xiao Yan. Who said that such a humble and polite young man was a disaster to the court?
It's ridiculous!
Qian Baokun quickly stood up and supported Xiao Yan, "What do you mean by disdain? What's the difference between you and others? Don't follow those nagging people who judge people by their background."
"If you are willing, you will be my nephew from now on. As long as you do not do anything wicked and evil and maintain an upright heart, I will never let anyone bully you."
What about eunuchs? Aren’t they more upright than those powerful aristocratic families?
"I know what kind of person you are. Don't pay attention to those nonsense."
Xiao Yan lowered his eyes, feeling somewhat "touched": "Uncle Qian..."
Qian Baokun patted him on the shoulder: "Good boy."
Qian Qiyue: “???”
“!!!”
His father is crazy.
Song Tangning stood aside in silence, watching the new uncle and nephew who had just "recognized each other" in a few words. Seeing Minister Qian's face full of emotion and sincerity, he suddenly felt that his brother was a little conscienceless.
She covered her chest with her hands, and just when she felt guilty, she looked up and saw Qian Qiyue looking at her.
Tang Ning: “…”
Silently turned away.
…
The wind outside had died down a little, but the rain was still pouring down.
As the heavy rain fell on the roof and rolled down along the outward-curving eaves, it drew a misty curtain of water in the almost dark night, and finally gathered and fell on the ground, splashing water.
Xiao Yan and Qian Baokun went to the study to talk about official business in the court. Qian Qiyue took Tang Ning to her boudoir. When they walked around the corridor, they bumped into Qian Qingran who was about to go out with his servant. As they were separated by a corner, the two girls didn't see the person standing not far away at all.
"My dear?"
Qian Qingran paused, and the person next to him looked over in confusion, then paused and said, "It's a girl. The one next to her... is that the Yiyang County Lady?"
Qian Qingran said "hmm". Only Xiao Yan came to visit the mansion tonight, and he was accompanied by the Yi Yang County Master. He knew from before that his younger sister had a close relationship with that Miss Song. Seeing Qian Qiyue who was talking about something and laughing happily, he couldn't help but look at the girl next to her.
The girl was not very old, her jade-white cheeks were tinged with pink due to her smile, and her figure was even smaller than Qian Qiyue. As she was dragged forward by the girl beside her, she was holding a food box in her hand.
It seemed like they were walking too fast. She pulled Qian Qiyue and called her in a tender voice, "slow down." Occasionally, when she looked back, her pearl hairpin swayed slightly, and her face was completely facing this side.
Qian Qingran could see clearly that the pink color was the red mark on her face that had not yet faded.
It’s been more than two months since the incident on the mountain. Hasn’t the wound on this little girl’s face healed yet?
After Qian Qingran returned to Beijing, he heard people mention this matter more than once. He also heard someone say that Song Tangning's face was ruined. He only had a slight doubt in his mind, and when he saw that the two girls over there had gone far away, he led the servant and continued to walk out the door.
"I'm going to visit a friend. If I run into curfew and it's too late, I won't be back. Please tell the family at home. If father and the others ask, tell them so they don't worry."
"Don't worry, my dear. I have already explained it to you."
Qian Qingran said "hmm" and was about to get on the carriage, but unexpectedly, a carriage came towards them at the end of the corridor.
The rain was pouring down, and the carriage happened to stop not far from the Qian family's gate. The driver was covered completely in a straw raincoat, but after jumping off the carriage, he stepped into the water and his shoes and socks were still wet. He seemed to have noticed the person standing in front of the Qian family's gate, and hurried forward in the heavy rain: "Excuse me, is Minister Qian in the mansion? My master needs to see you for something."
Are you here to see your father so late?
Qian Qingran was a little confused: "My father is in the mansion, but who is your Excellency?"
The person in the car over there seemed to have heard this and lifted the curtain, revealing Song Jinxiu's face, which had been cleaned up but was still thin and pale. "Master Xiao Qian, I'm sorry to bother you."
"Recorder Song?"
Qian Qingran frowned immediately. Why was it him?
Song Jinxiu got off the carriage holding an umbrella. He was limping when he landed. His previously broken leg had not yet healed, and the pain was excruciating when it rained, but he still tried his best to straighten his back.
After walking through the rain and being supported by Yinquan, Song Jinxiu arrived at the door of the Qian family. He then said to Qian Qingran, "I am here to investigate the case of grain embezzlement under the order of His Majesty. There are some matters that I need to discuss with Minister Qian. Please ask Master Qian to pass on the message."
Qian Qingran frowned as he looked at the thin and pale Song Jinxiu. Song Tangning and the others were still in the mansion. If Song Jinxiu went in at this time, he might bump into them... But the other party came here for serious business, and was under the banner of His Majesty, so he couldn't just turn them away.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Song Jinxiu was a little puzzled: "Is Minister Qian inconvenienced?"
Qian Qingran shook his head: "No, it's just that Governor Xiao came to visit father, and they are discussing something. Song Lushi should wait until tomorrow to go to the yamen to meet father."
Song Jinxiu didn't expect that Xiao Yan would also come to find Qian Baokun. Although Qian Qingran's words were as tactful as possible, he could still hear that Qian Qingran knew that he and Xiao Yan had a bad relationship and wanted him to retreat.
Song Jinxiu couldn't help but tighten his grip on the umbrella handle.
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Qian. However, matters wait for no one. The case of grain embezzlement has dragged on for long enough. We must give His Majesty and the court a response as soon as possible. It's a good thing that Governor Xiao is here. He knows the Lu family's affairs best, and he can correct any mistakes or omissions between Lord Qian and me."
Qian Qingran frowned when he heard this. Seeing that Song Jinxiu insisted on going in, completely ignoring the fact that Xiao Yan was there, he couldn't stop him anymore and could only ask someone to pass the message.
Qian Baokun was chatting happily with Xiao Yan inside. Suddenly, he heard someone say that Song Jinxiu had arrived. His face suddenly darkened: "Why is he here?"
The messenger said, "The eldest son has already told him that Governor Xiao is discussing matters with you and asked him to come to the yamen to see you tomorrow. However, Song Lu Shi said he has something important to discuss and must see you. The eldest son couldn't stop him, so he had to bring him into the palace first."
Qian Baokun looked unhappy: "How can this person be so ignorant of the ways of the world?"
He had a very bad impression of the Song family, especially this Master Yutai who was once praised by everyone in the court. Previously, in the palace, this man did not hesitate to betray his old friends in order to escape, and lied to the Lu family to win the emperor's favor, and even took the blame for the account book.
Although few officials in the court have truly clean minds, Song Jinxiu's previous rigid and upright image was too deeply rooted in people's minds. If he had been smooth-talking from the beginning, no one would have said anything. However, he was once the most disciplined person, always using moral principles to advise others, but one day he became utterly hypocritical.
Bullying his own sister, framing his elders, and refusing to repent despite knowing he was doing wrong, all of these actions fell flat on Qian Baokun's side.
Qian Baokun didn't want to see Song Jinxiu at all. On the other hand, Xiao Yan, who was sitting beside him, looked calm. "He came here in such heavy rain. I guess there must be something wrong. Uncle, why don't you go meet him? Maybe he'll find out something. After all, he used to be close to the Lu family."
As soon as the eye drops were applied, Qian Baokun became even more disgusted.
"You're the only one who's so easy to talk to. This man has wicked ambitions. He was able to prove that his own father was colluding with the rebels, and he abandoned his closest relatives just to protect himself. He's not a simple character. You have to be careful of him, don't let him bite you."
Xiao Yan smiled and said, "Although Song Jinxiu has a mean temperament, he still has some abilities. He has a grudge against the noble families, so he can be used after all. Besides, with Uncle Qian watching over him, there's no need to worry about him causing trouble."
Upon hearing this, Qian Baokun immediately felt that Xiao Yan was naive. How could the affairs of the court be explained so easily? Today's enemy could be a friend tomorrow, and it would only take a moment for them to fall out and make peace. As long as the benefits were sufficient, those people would do anything bizarre. Moreover, if they wanted to harm others, they would use all kinds of methods, and it was impossible to just stare at them.
Looking at Xiao Yan who was indifferent, he felt that he had a heavy responsibility. Song Jinxiu had escaped from prison and appeared before the emperor by betraying the Lu family. He couldn't let him make any trouble. Otherwise, if he gained power, wouldn't he deal with his eldest nephew?
Qian Baokun's heart trembled, and he instantly became cautious. He turned to the gatekeeper and said, "Let him wait in front first. I will see him after I finish my business with Governor Xiao."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan said, "Uncle, this isn't a good idea, is it? He's doing this for serious business..."
"No serious business can delay this moment. If he really has clues about the Lu family, he should have made it clear in the palace earlier. He came in knowing you were here. Who knows what he is up to."
Qian Baokun snorted coldly, "Let him be left alone for now, lest he think that he can rival you by handling the grain tax case. Later, you will have to speak before His Majesty on this case. The limelight of eradicating the aristocratic family cannot fall on him."
Their Majesty has always been cold-hearted, and his temper has become more and more unpredictable as he gets older. The aristocratic families have always been a thorn in his side. Whoever can remove this thorn will surely gain the Majesty's favor and have a bright future.
Xiao Yan had made countless plans and taken many risks to force the Lu family into a desperate situation. He must not let Song Jinxiu reap all the credit.
Seeing Xiao Yan's hesitation, Qian Baokun made the decision directly: "Alright, just listen to me, young man, don't be so soft-hearted."
He turned to the doorman and said:
"Just tell him what I'm saying. Tell him I don't know how long it will take. If Song Jinxiu can't wait, tell him to go back first. I'll see him after tomorrow's shift."
The doorman nodded: "Yes."
…
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