Dexian Tea House, second-floor private room.
Three middle-aged men sat around a table, each looking anxious.
The three civil officials who had blocked the emperor from bestowing the title of "Lord of Kangle Township" in the main hall and who had now leaked the news gathered together.
Liao Hai, the Imperial Censor, gained the emperor's favor in just one year.
A large part of the credit goes to Gou Weizhi, a Hanlin Academician.
His audacity to speak out in the main hall that day was due to the instructions of the Left Chancellor.
Otherwise, no matter how dissatisfied he was with Qin Shiyu, he would not provoke her again, after all, that crazy woman Qin Shiyu dared to hit even an official of the imperial court.
Who knows if she'll ever have the chance to return to Beijing in her lifetime!
Yan Bujin thought about how the news coming out these past two days had become increasingly outrageous.
For a moment, he hesitated, and then, risking being scolded, he called Liao Hai and invited Gou Weizhi out of the mansion to the teahouse to discuss countermeasures.
Yan Bujin glanced at Gou Weizhi and whispered, "Sir, the news has gone astray outside. What should we do?"
Someone always has to speak first, so Liao Hai seized the opportunity to ask, "I heard today that the winds in the capital have completely changed, and everyone is implying that we are inciting public sentiment."
What if His Majesty hears this?
Gou Weizhi was the oldest and held the highest official position among the three. His ability to remain calm and composed in the face of danger was naturally several times better than that of the other two present.
He calmly lowered his eyes, drank the golden and refreshing tea from his cup, and then slowly placed the large, heavy-handed blue-and-white underglaze red lotus-patterned teacup on the tea table.
Seeing his expression, the other two were extremely anxious, their hands practically burning from rubbing against each other.
A moment later, they heard Gou Weizhi's slow and deliberate voice, "No need to panic. The emperor knows about this and will surely take action at tomorrow's morning court."
You two are both officials appointed by the imperial court, and many affairs of the court depend on your eyes and ears.
One thing cannot be ignored, for if it is, the whole situation will be affected.
His Majesty understands such a simple truth, so you should all know it too.
The Left Prime Minister does not want you to engage in further conflict.
Upon hearing this, Liao Hai and Yan Bujin exchanged glances, their hearts wavering.
They all understood what Gou Weizhi was saying.
But now, all the blame is on them. Even if the emperor doesn't do something as absurd as dismissing them from office, they can't escape being punished as a warning.
Liao Hai wanted to say a few more words, but before he could utter a single sound, he was interrupted by a cough from the person next to him.
He glanced at Yan Bujin, received a signal in his eyes, and then stopped talking.
The three sat for a while longer before Liao Hai said he had important business to attend to and left the teahouse private room alone.
He was in a hurry to leave today, so he took Yan Bujin's carriage directly here.
He only had one servant with him, so now he had to walk back to the mansion.
Fortunately, the Leisure Tea House was not far from his residence, so it wouldn't make things too difficult for this civil official.
However, he had only walked a short distance from the Leisure Tea House when he heard someone calling him from behind.
"Brother Liao, Brother Liao, wait a moment."
Liao Hai turned his head and saw Yan Bujin walking quickly toward him.
They stopped and waited, facing each other. Liao Hai said, "Brother Yan, this place is not far from my residence."
"Walking back is no problem, so there's no need for Brother Yan to see me off."
Although Liao Hai did not fully recommend Gou Weizhi, he himself carried a certain arrogance.
If he hadn't entered the imperial court as an official and hadn't been frustrated in his career for so long, he wouldn't have been willing to cultivate a relationship with the two of them.
Yan Bujin saw through his little scheme and dragged him from the main street to a small alley to talk.
"Brother Liao, we are doing this for the sake of our children. Do you really intend to marry your daughter to a prince as a concubine?"
Liao Hai was naturally unwilling. As a civil official, he adhered to the principles of integrity and uprightness, so how could he possibly be willing to marry his daughter to a prince as a concubine?
Once he became an official, other people's daughters became his legal wives, but his daughter entered his household as a concubine. Wasn't this a slap in the face to him?
If he remains a minor official forever, unable to resist, he can only submit to fate.
But things are different now. As the Imperial Censor, he has the right to offer advice. If others criticize him because of his children, he might as well just kill himself!
Moreover, once the overall situation is settled, all the princes will be granted the title of prince. If the crown prince is kind-hearted and lets the princes return to their fiefdoms, but if the brothers turn against each other, the consequences will be immeasurable.
The fate of the Crown Prince and his wife had already served as a powerful and bitter lesson for many civil officials who harbored illusions.
Liao Hai finally relaxed his tense shoulders, looked up at Yan Bujin, and asked, "Brother Yan, what do you think we should do now?"
When Yan Bujin caught up, he had obviously come up with a good idea: "Find a way to send the message into the Empress Dowager's palace."
In this way, the arranged marriage failed, and such a big commotion occurred, so the initial intention and the final outcome of this matter are completely different.
After Yan Bujin's explanation, Liao Hai instantly understood.
He asked, "Brother Yan, do you have a good idea?"
Yan Bujin smiled, looking confident and assured.
......
People from the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion took the indenture to the Earl of Anchang's mansion to look for the person.
After learning the news, Lady Anchang subtly persuaded Yuqing to leave the mansion.
The people from the Marquis of Lin'an's residence were sent by the eldest branch of the family. As soon as Yuqing stepped out of the side gate, she saw a familiar face.
She lifted her skirt and ran quickly toward the woman, calling out, "Sister Yulu."
Once Yulu saw the person, she had completed half of the task assigned by the First Madam.
The two stood together, and Yu Lu led them to the carriage, saying, "This is not the place to talk. Let's find a quiet place. I have something important to ask you."
After Yuqing and Yulu were sold into servitude to the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion, they served by the side of the First Madam and were always very close.
However, later, when Lu Changping was found and brought back to the mansion, Yuqing was assigned to serve by Lu Changping's side.
Before leaving, Yuqing received a series of instructions from Madam Anchang, who told her to carefully consider what she should and shouldn't say.
She had intended to file a complaint, but now she felt somewhat hesitant.
Now that the young lady is being manipulated by the Marquis of Anchang's family, it's uncertain whether the old lady will intervene if she seeks help from the Marquis's family.
After all, it was Miss who insisted on marrying him, and the old lady had said that she would no longer care about Miss's future.
Even so, the young lady still insisted on getting married.
In addition, before she left the manor, Lady Anchang warned her that if Lady Anchang got angry while she was still in the manor, it would be the young lady who would suffer.
Just as Yuqing was caught in a dilemma, the carriage slowly came to a stop, and she instantly woke up.
There was little noise around, as if we had left the main street.
She gently lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked outside, only to find that the carriage was parked in the alley.
Just then, the coachman's voice came, "Miss Rain Dew, you two chat slowly, I'll wait at the alley entrance."
After saying that, Yuqing saw the coachman, dressed in gray, walking quickly away.
The carriage arrived at a quiet alley, and the coachman was asked to stand guard at the alley entrance. What could be the matter?
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