Chapter 11
The night cicadas in the bamboo forest were awakened in an instant, chirping. The hazy and indifferent aura on Wang Shuhuai's body seemed to be broken by the chirping sounds, and a sharp light flashed in his deep eyes.
Slowly meeting her gaze.
Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with a faint smile, no different from usual.
Even every word touched his heart.
Just now he was still thinking that in order to balance official duties and offspring, it would be better to set a rule with her. Xie had always been virtuous and would surely agree to him. But now, the same words were said by her in a gentle and considerate tone, and he felt a slight discomfort in his heart.
He didn't know at this moment whether he should be thankful that he had such an understanding wife.
Wang Shuhuai's mood was unusually complicated.
When Xie Yunchu saw him, he didn't speak for a while. He blinked and asked softly, "What's wrong, Second Master?"
As if he shouldn't hesitate.
His wife interrupted him. Wang Shuhuai was speechless. He slowly relaxed his brows and nodded, saying, "Okay." There was an imperceptible hint of helplessness in his last tone.
Now that everyone is here, he has to decide on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month with him. Is it because he is too considerate or for some other reason? He has no time to delve into it. As long as it is not out of the ordinary, he will tolerate it and not care.
Wang Shuhuai turned and left Chunjingtang.
Xie Yunchu leaned against the partition door, stretched his body, and went into the bathroom to wash up.
She didn't expect Wang Shuhuai to have any extra expression after she said this. He rarely showed any emotion other than calmness in front of her, as if she was not worth his attention.
Twice a month, a total of six times before he left Beijing. It was during this period in her previous life that she became pregnant with Er Ge'er. After Er Ge'er was born, she took the initiative to take a concubine for Wang Shuhuai so that she no longer had to entertain him.
Xie Yunchu was very tired after spending the past few days at the Xie family. He filled his stomach, took a shower, changed his clothes, and fell asleep comfortably.
study.
Wang Shuhuai walked into the house with his hands behind his back. The secret guard followed him in and handed him a secret letter. The letter was sealed with roasted meat and its reddish-brown color indicated that it was top secret.
He came to the table with a serious expression, opened a small box under the table, took out a thin blade, and gently cut open the wax seal. The letter inside slid out. There was not a single word on the letter. After Wang Shuhuai poured a bottle of special colorless medicinal oil on it, black words quickly appeared on the white paper. After Wang Shuhuai finished reading it, his scabbard-like brows sank slightly.
The secret guard saw that he looked unwell and asked worriedly, "Sir, what happened?"
Wang Shuhuai spread out the letter. The secret guard poked his head out, glanced at it, and couldn't help but sigh.
Since the court proposed to rebuild the fish scale map and re-measure the land, various factions have been surging, and the old and new forces are fighting each other. The old nobles stick to the old rules and try to stop the new policy on the grounds that it may bring unrest. The new and enterprising officials shout that there is no construction without destruction, and they must get rid of the tax malpractice as soon as possible to fill the treasury.
The emperor was under attack from both sides and was in great pain. At this juncture, a wealthy family from the south of the Yangtze River came to Beijing and bribed the princess with a large sum of money in an attempt to stop the new policy.
"Sir, will His Majesty listen to the Princess?"
Wang Shuhuai held the secret letter in his slender fingers and slowly brought it to the silver lamp. A slight sneer appeared at the corner of his lips, and sparks immediately flew up. The sudden blooming fireworks pushed away the gentleness and humility covering his pupils, revealing its original color.
"Your Majesty has great faith in the Princess and has always been cautious. The reason why he agreed to revise the atlas this time was because he was put on the spot by Elder Zhang and had no choice but to do so."
"If the princess intervenes, the reconstruction of the Fish Scale Atlas will become a pipe dream. The national treasury is not full, and the government is unstable. If this continues, the country will no longer be a country."
"What should we do then?"
Wang Shuhuai stared at the letter being burned to ashes. The burning pain lingered in his fingertips, but he didn't notice it at all. He changed his usual indifferent and gentle appearance and leaned lazily on the back of the armchair, with a layer of cold, careless relaxation all over his body.
"Of course I told her to shut up and didn't dare to stop her."
Every word is clear and sharp, like the sound of jade knocking on a stone pot.
The dark guard's expression lit up, "What are you going to do?"
Wang Shuhuai stared at him coldly and said, "The princess has a confidant who is now working in the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau. This person secretly colluded with the wealthy families in Jiangnan, enclosed land and occupied the people, and competed with the court for taxes. This person has a nephew named Liu Chang who opened a dyeing factory in Yuhang. Liu Chang relied on his uncle's support and killed, injured and robbed the local people. You should think of a way to go to Yuhang in person, find one or two witnesses, and bring people to the capital to beat the drum to file a complaint with the emperor."
"Others don't know Liu Chang's true identity, but the princess knows it all. She is very careful about her reputation and will not want to be defeated over a small matter. With her skills, it would be better for her to support the country's politics and arrange for her people to go south, killing two birds with one stone, rather than being investigated by others."
"So, sir, are you trying to scare the tiger away by making a noise? Then lure the tiger down the mountain?"
Wang Shuhuai didn't answer him, his expression returned to normal, "There is no time to lose, you should go south to Yuhang tonight."
The secret guard received the order.
Wang Shuhuai worked day and night until midnight. Minggui, who had been waiting for half the night, could no longer bear it and knocked on the door and came in.
He was scolded by the Duke's men today and brought back a "job". So, he shamelessly gave Wang Shuhuai a cup of refreshing soup.
"Second Master, it's getting late. Shouldn't you go to the backyard?"
Based on Minggui's understanding of Wang Shuhuai, if the Duke has spoken, the Second Master will definitely follow it.
The silver lamp flickered in the wind. Wang Shuhuai was slightly startled, and slowly raised his head from the pile of books. His handsome and gentle face was also hidden in the dim light. He stared at Minggui for a while and asked,
"What day is today?"
Minggui was a little confused and replied, "Second grade of junior high school."
Wang Shuhuai's face froze for a moment.
The first day has just passed, so we can only wait until the fifteenth.
I didn't even think about making up for last night today.
Rules are meant to be followed.
The wind blew in. Wang Shuhuai sat in the armchair, his bony hands resting on the book for a long time without saying anything. After a long while, he exhaled a sigh of relief and gave instructions in a calm voice,
"Remind me on the first and fifteenth of every month." After saying that, he lowered his eyes and sorted out the books.
Minggui didn't know why, but he still obeyed the order, "I'll make a note of it."
After a while, he urged again, "Master, are you going to the backyard?"
This time, the slender figure behind the desk did not answer him. Instead, he stood up silently and walked slowly to the inner room.
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