Chapter 153 Xu Nian pays tribute to Wang Shidu and Wang Rong when he files a petition

Xu Nian, who was missed by Luo Jinan, did not go to the streets of Shengdu to greet him. At this time, she was standing in front of a small house.

All that met his eyes was white, and faint sounds of sorrow could be heard from within the courtyard. This was the residence of Lord Wang, the Imperial Scholar.

There was no one at the gatehouse, so Xu Nian and Mo Jian pushed open the half-open old wooden door.

A wooden coffin was parked in the middle of the cramped courtyard. In front of the coffin, a woman was leaning against a young man and burning paper money. The sad voice came from the woman.

Xu Nian felt sad as he looked at the desolate scene in the courtyard. Just at this moment the young man turned around and looked at him.

Xu Nian walked up to the two guarded men and whispered, "I am the owner of the Treasure Pavilion. May I burn some incense for Lord Wang?"

The young man remained silent and looked at her coldly. The woman wiped away her tears and smiled slightly, saying, "Of course, Miss, you are the first one to come to pay tribute to my grandfather."

As Mrs. Wang was talking, she began to shed tears again. Xu Nian took the incense and bowed solemnly. When Xu Nian stood up, a pair of pale hands took the incense stick. It was the young man who had been silent before.

Mrs. Wang returned the greeting and said apologetically, "My mother-in-law is ill in bed, and the maidservants and my girl are taking care of her. If you don't mind, come in and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."

Xu Nian reached out and helped Madam Wang into the main room, and the young man knelt in front of the coffin and burned paper in an orderly manner.

The tea in the teapot in the main hall had long gone cold. Mrs. Wang smiled awkwardly and said, "I'll go get some more tea for the young lady."

Xu Nian held Madam Wang's hand and said, "It's okay. I feel a little hot after walking all this way. Drinking some cool tea is just right."

Mrs. Wang's eyes were red as she watched the girl pouring herself a drink. "My master is a man who values ​​etiquette the most. If he saw the girl drinking cold tea after entering the house today, he would definitely scold me..."

Xu Nian looked at the sobbing woman opposite him and his eyes became sore. Perhaps what Mrs. Wang wanted most now was to hear this kind of scolding.

"My condolences, ma'am—"

Before Xu Nian finished speaking, he heard a commotion outside.

Xu Nian supported Madam Wang and walked out quickly, and saw that the brazier in front of the coffin had been kicked over to the ground, and the cold and aloof young man from the Wang family was beaten by two servants and fell to his knees, holding his chest.

Mrs. Wang cried out in grief and ran towards her son. Xu Nian pulled out the "bracelet" and threw it at the old woman who was spewing feces with her mouth wide open.

The servant had been thrown out of the door by Mo Jian, leaving only the old woman who was beaten and screaming was hiding.

Xu Nian put away his weapon and said coldly: "Who sent you?"

The old woman hesitantly whispered, "I'm here to take over the house. Someone has died in this house. How can I sell it in the future?"

Only then did Xu Nian realize that even such a cramped and dilapidated courtyard did not belong to the Wang family, but was rented by the Wang family.

Xu Nian looked at the guilty old woman and didn't believe a word she said.

"Since you are so loyal to your master, you can stay here."

The old woman was so frightened by the sword that was stabbing at her that she sat on the ground and cried, "Master, please spare my life. It was an old woman who gave me 100 taels of silver to let me take over the house."

The old woman looked up and saw the cold expression on the girl's face. She could only continue, "She said she was close to the princess and that if I could kill Wang Shidu's family, she would give me another 100 taels."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang cried even more bitterly. At this moment, a maid ran over and said in a sad voice, "Madam, the old lady... the old lady is gone."

Xu Nian asked Mo Jian to watch over the old woman, and followed the staggering Madam Wang to the courtyard of the old lady of the Wang family.

In the room, a little girl, about eight years old, was lying on the bed crying sadly. Mrs. Wang rushed to the bed, shouted "Mom" twice, closed her eyes and pouted.

The Wang family was in chaos for a while, and Xu Nian, who had originally come to burn incense, took over the arrangements for the funeral of old Madam Wang and the matters of seeking medical treatment and medicine for Madam Wang.

In the chaos, no one noticed that Lord Wang's son ran out of the house in grief and anger.

Wang Rongshi ran to the imperial city in one breath. He looked at the drum stand in the distance with fire in his eyes. He walked forward firmly, picked up the drumstick and struck it again and again, each time heavier and faster than the last.

The official who was guarding the Dengwen drum ran over in a hurry. By this time, the sweat on his back had soaked his underwear. Who could have thought that the Dengwen drum, which had not been sounded for decades, would be sounded today?

"Who is coming, and why are you beating the drum?"

Wang Rongshi looked at the official and said coldly, "My son Wang Rongshi has been wronged and is here to see His Majesty."

Although the official was angry, he could not keep the matter secret from the palace, so he had to ask for the complaint. When he saw the other party frowning, he felt relieved, as it seemed that the boy did not have the complaint.

The official said angrily, "Hurry up, there is no point in filing a complaint without a complaint." As he spoke, several officials stepped forward and drove them away.

Wang Rongshi pointed the dagger in his sleeve at himself and said hoarsely, "Three days ago, my father's blood was splattered in the court. Today, do you want me to be splattered with blood too?"

The official was so frightened that he took two steps back. Only then did he realize that the person in front of him was Wang Shidu's son.

At the same time, all the civil and military officials in the hall heard the drumbeats, and they all looked at each other in disbelief.

Emperor Renhe, who was just asking about Luo Jin'an's well-being, suddenly froze and his face turned cold. Why did he knock today instead of earlier or later? Was he trying to slap him in the face?

At this time, the guards came running in and announced, "Your Majesty, the son of Wang Shidu has struck the drum to raise a complaint and wants to see Your Majesty in person."

Emperor Renhe pressed his temples, feeling resentful that the father and son of the Wang family were really causing him trouble.

"Bring up the complaint."

The guard said with difficulty: "Your Majesty, there is no complaint."

Emperor Renhe slammed his palm on the table and said angrily: "What? Did he come here to make fun of me? How dare such an ignorant child—"

"Your Majesty," said the deputy assistant Shen Qingsong, who stepped forward and bowed, "I heard that this prince just became a prostitute last year, and even ranked among the top. I don't think he would do such a rude thing. There must be some hidden reason behind this."

Duke Wei laughed and said, "Lord Shen is very familiar with the affairs of the Wang family. I wonder how much contribution Lord Shen made to Lord Wang's actions."

Shen Qingsong knelt on the ground and said angrily, "Lord Wang's outspokenness and courage to criticize are like Duke Zheng of Wei. I don't know why Duke Wei called him a villain."

Emperor Renhe was getting more and more annoyed by the quarrel between the two. He looked at Luo Jin'an who was not concerned about the matter and said coldly, "What does the Crown Prince think about this matter?"

Luo Jin'an stepped forward and bowed, his face showing a sullen expression as he said, "Your Majesty, I am just entering Shengdu today and I don't know what's going on. May I ask where is Wang Shidu? Since his son has come to complain, I think Wang Shidu knows more about it."

Emperor Renhe looked at the crown prince who was looking at him with sincere eyes, his chest heaving, and he felt like his head was about to explode.

He looked away and ordered the guards: "Bring the king... and bring people to the palace."

Luo Jin'an stood back to his original position, raised his lips slightly, and asked Duke Wei beside him, "Who is this Wang Shidu?"