Chapter 313: When I was imprisoned, she saved me
Hearing this, Xie Huaian's eyebrows moved slightly, and he stood up and bowed to the man, "Your Majesty, I had no intention of hiding anything, but I was forced to do so and didn't want to cause any more trouble."
He did not tell His Majesty about his marriage to Mianmian, but he knew about it.
His Majesty just smiled and asked him to sit down.
"So what if you want to marry? I understand you. I'm just a little curious. What does Madam Ruan look like that makes you so infatuated with her?"
"And I've heard that Madam Ruan has made great contributions to Wu Heng. When the Emperor confiscated their property and exiled them, they survived the arduous journey of thousands of miles and are still living so beautifully in Wu Heng. I'm sure this woman is no ordinary person."
"My wife is just an ordinary woman. Due to the pressure of life, she gritted her teeth and persevered to survive."
"When I was in prison, she saved me."
His Majesty poured him another glass of wine and asked him, "Ah Huai, besides helping me, are you coming back this time to redress the injustice done to your wife and her family and allow them to return to the capital?"
Xie Huaian did not answer immediately, but his silence confirmed His Majesty's words.
His Majesty's face was solemn. He sighed deeply and told him affirmatively.
"I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you with this wish of yours."
Xie Huaian looked up at him, and said with a guilty look on his face.
"Do you know that when Ruan Qingsong was involved in the case of the nursery rhyme that destroyed the country, the emperor clearly found the culprit who spread the nursery rhyme. Why did he insist on confiscating the Ruan family and exiling them thousands of miles away?"
Xie Huaian thought that although the nursery rhyme was deliberately spread behind the scenes by someone, it was written by Ruan Qingsong after all, and this was an unchangeable fact.
Even if it was just for deterrence or to make an example of someone, the late emperor would have chosen this move.
However, His Majesty told him: "This matter has to start with the Chen family."
"Ruan Qingsong is Chen's only son-in-law, and Chen has a secret affair with Emperor Taizu. Ah Huai, you don't know that when Emperor Taizu founded the country, everyone praised him for his bravery. He tortured the previous tyrannical emperor to death, saving the people from disaster, successfully taking the throne, and successfully launching the uprising."
"But others don't know that the one who truly dealt with the previous dynasty's tyrant was Chen's great-grandfather. He was Taizu's sworn brother. Although nominally a shadow guard, he was more meritorious than anyone else in founding the country, even dying in the line of duty, saving the tyrant's life."
"But... Taizu is the center of power. He is supposed to control absolute imperial power and silence the gossips of the people."
Xie Huaian frowned slightly, so…in order to sit in that position smoothly, Taizu erased all the achievements of Chen’s grandfather, took them on himself, and was admired and respected by everyone.
His Majesty also found this ridiculous, but a bitter expression lingered. "Imperial power is inherently subject to many constraints. Even though Taizu acted so ungratefully, his original intention was to quell the chaos as quickly as possible. If he hadn't taken absolute control and worked alongside Grandpa Chen to achieve great things, others would have been much more critical."
"Although Taizu was unfair to Grandpa Chen, it was Taizu's rule that led to the prosperity of our Great Capital today. Ah Huai, what do you think?"
Xie Huaian poured himself a glass of wine: "Humanity is inherently complicated, as long as you have a clear conscience, that's all that matters."
His Majesty chuckled: "Ahuai will definitely understand me, so I'm afraid I'll let down Ahuai's wife."
“Back then, the Emperor Taizu secretly arranged for the wife and children of Master Chen to be taken care of, but this secret must be kept hidden.
At the same time, considering the contributions of the Chen family, we must not let their family die out.
Originally, I wanted Chen's daughter to marry the son of a merchant and not enter the official career, so I dropped the matter.
But Ruan Qingsong was incredibly talented, and even entered the officialdom and passed the imperial examination. The emperor then used the nursery rhyme as an excuse to exile the Ruan family."
There is no one in the court, so keeping the old couple Chen will not cause much trouble.
"Ah Huai, your wife has been implicated for no reason and will never be able to return to Beijing in this lifetime. Do you blame me?"
Xie Huaian put down the cup and said only one sentence: "I will go see her myself."
Wu Heng.
Ruan Qingsong's suicide attempt was kept secret, and after Ruan Mian's persuasion, he finally came to his senses.
I won't die so easily.
At least I will never let Wen Qiang go unpunished until I get justice for her.
Of course, he also felt guilty and often felt indebted to Chen. He thought about his wife in everything and put his family first in everything.
All the ideals and aspirations in his heart turned into a ray of faith to deal with Wen Qiang.
Ruan Mian knew that she couldn't make him recover so quickly, so she could only comfort him little by little on a daily basis.
As the wedding date of Ruan Qing and Huo Zong approached, the prefect Lin also re-arranged a time with Ruan Mian.
That day, Ruan Mian was talking about the sunroom with Mr. Xue and others in the village.
The weather has not yet fully warmed up. Although spring has arrived, it is not advisable to remove the sunroom.
So they wanted to reclaim some additional land to grow some crops in a natural environment.
For example, spring wheat is now on the agenda.
However, before the discussion was over, the prefect, Lord Lin, sent someone to invite her.
This time, Ruan Mian did not refuse and went there decisively, and also brought a small gift to show his sincerity.
But this time, Lin Yuantang did not meet him at the restaurant in the city, but at a wasteland outside the city.
Ruan Mian was sitting in the carriage. Seeing that the carriage was not heading towards the city, he became curious: "Sir, where is Lord Lin waiting for me?"
The officer simply said, "Don't worry, Madam Ruan, nothing will happen. The Lord has a reason for inviting you here."
They had not been talking for long when the carriage came to a stop on the hillside of the wasteland.
I saw an old man in coarse linen casual clothes sitting cross-legged on the ground.
He was wearing a turban and seemed to have been waiting for a long time.
I guess this person is Lin Yuantang, the prefect Lin.
After Ruan Mian got off the carriage, he politely saluted him: "Lord Lin."
Seeing her coming, Lin Yuantang quickly stood up, with a gentle smile on his face: "Madam Ruan."
He had a kind face and was completely different from Chen Bochong and the previous governor.
With his kind face, it's no wonder that General Huo said he was an upright and honest man.
I just don't know why he called me here.
Ruan Mian didn't like beating around the bush, so she asked directly, "May I ask why Lord Lin specifically asked me to come here?"
Lin Yuantang stroked his beard and stretched out his hand to let Ruan Mian look at the vast wilderness ahead.
"I heard that Madam Ruan single-handedly grew crops in the snow and ice and built a unique sunroom. I really admire her."
"To be honest, Madam Ruan, when you were not at Wu Heng a few days ago, I went to your sunroom and ate the food grown there. It was truly amazing!"
"I'm sure Madam Ruan is aware that Wuheng is far from the capital. For many years, it was a barren and cold place, with very few indigenous people. Aside from the Jinsha people in Longchang Mountain, there are only a few indigenous people in a small village. The rest are prisoners exiled by the imperial court over the years, which is why Wuheng is what it is today."
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