Tears welled up in Ming Shao's eyes again. "The mansion was in chaos. I sneaked out to tell the young lady the news, and that's all I know."
The shock on Concubine Yun's face had not yet disappeared. When she turned around and saw Jiang Rao, she was frightened by her pale face.
"My father is so inconsiderate."
Concubine Yun nodded and said, "This must be a misunderstanding."
She held Jiang Rao's hand, "Your father holds a high position, and his calligraphy and paintings are favored by the emperor. There must be people who are jealous of him. You are young, and you have never stayed in Jinling for a long time. You don't have many opportunities to encounter such things. Once the Censorate finds out the truth, your father will be cleared of all charges. Don't panic."
Jiang Rao lowered her eyes and said, "I'm not panicking."
She just looked at Mingshao's tearful eyes, and the scene of her house being ransacked in her dream suddenly flashed through her mind.
On the same snowy day, Ming Shao also burst into tears.
Even though she knew that what happened today was not the same as what happened that day, she couldn't help feeling uneasy.
She has had fewer and fewer dreams recently. In her dream last night, there were layers of snow, and she fell to the ground in the night, which hurt a lot.
Jiang Rao didn't sleep well last night, and there were bloodshot in her eyes.
She pinched her palms. Even though she looked calm, there was a hint of uneasiness in her eyes.
Concubine Yun put on a cloak and stood up. She said in a deep voice, "I will go to the emperor to see what is going on and see if there is anything I can do to help. You just wait here and don't worry too much."
Jiang Rao had already stood up before she did. She shook her head. How could she stay after something like this happened? "I'll go back home."
…
The area outside Wuyi Lane was filled with people who wanted to watch the excitement, and the entrance of the lane was packed with people.
Seeing the blocked alley, Jiang Rao's face could no longer hide its cold and pale look.
It took her a whole morning to learn the whole story from her grandfather and mother.
The impeachment was sealed, but the person who impeached did not show up. What was presented to Emperor Zhaowu was a painting.
It is said that this painting was made by her father when he was drunk.
All the words in the painting were written in extremely sloppy handwriting, except for the word "Du" in the emperor's name, which was written exceptionally clearly.
The worst thing is that this painting was a gift from her father to Prince Jing.
This made the sin of violating the taboo even more serious.
Prince Jing was a classmate of her father. He rebelled more than ten years ago, but after being suppressed, he escaped death and disappeared. Even though there was a general amnesty a few years ago, the emperor did not pardon his death sentence. Once Prince Jing is implicated and she is charged with being the remnant of a criminal gang, her family will become the same as in her previous life.
The only way is to find someone to confirm that the painting is not her father's.
She waited anxiously for news from the Censorate.
…
Concubine Yun pleaded for mercy, and the Emperor released Fourth Master Jiang for the time being.
But even if he was allowed to return home, he was only allowed to go back home to have a small gathering with his family temporarily. Four yamen runners with high martial arts skills were arranged to follow him closely. After confirming whether the painting was painted by him, he would be taken to the Censorate.
As soon as the news came out, Jiang Rao went to wait outside the mansion.
Waiting with her were Jiang Qinshi and Jiang Jinxing.
It was already evening.
The fall of wealthy families has always been a hotly discussed topic.
Within a day, rumors in the capital had spread like wildfire.
There was no movement from the Censorate, but the rumors were exaggerated and the charges against Fourth Master Jiang were confirmed.
For a time, people were in a panic, and everyone wanted to cut off ties with Jiang Xingzhou, for fear of being tainted by the reputation of being the remnant of Prince Jing.
Jiang Qinshi's face was filled with worry, and Jiang Rao said beside her, "That painting couldn't have been drawn by Daddy."
Her father was indeed somewhat disrespectful of etiquette and was particularly disdainful of such things as taboos of names. He even asked others not to avoid mentioning his name.
But he would not do something that would implicate the entire family.
Even if he said he was drunk at the time, she didn't believe it.
Jiang Jinxing looked up at his sister and shook his head, "Not Daddy."
At his age, he had only a vague understanding of what happened today. He only knew that his father had committed a serious crime because of painting, which was punishable by death. He grabbed the corner of Jiang Rao's clothes and said anxiously: "It was me, I painted it. I secretly drank and painted randomly."
His childish words were buried in the noisy voices. Afraid that Jiang Rao couldn't hear him, he raised his voice and said it again, "I drew that painting! It was me!"
Tears welled up in Jiang Rao's eyes. She held his little hand and shook her head at her brother.
According to the laws of Dazhao, the crime of disrespect is punishable by death.
All males over the age of sixteen in the clan should be beheaded, and the rest should be exiled to the frontier and become slaves.
"Sister, why are your palms so cold?" Jiang Jinxing asked softly, wrapping Jiang Rao's hands with his two small hands.
There was a commotion at the entrance of the alley, a carriage stopped, and Fourth Master Jiang lifted the curtain and got out.
The armored yamen runners really stayed by his side all the time.
When Fourth Master Jiang saw his wife and children waiting in front of the mansion gate, he perked up a little, walked over a few steps, and smiled as if nothing had happened, "I'm fine."
Jiang Qin rushed forward in a panic.
"Master, what's going on with that painting? Did the Censorate arrest the wrong person?"
His attitude of not mentioning the painting made Jiang Rao feel cold all over.
Given her father's personality, if the painting was not done by him, he would definitely deny it righteously.
Fourth Master Jiang did not answer, but shook his head and said, "Don't worry too much. I have someone to see, so I can't go back with you. You go back first."
No one was willing to leave. The helpless smile on Jiang Siye's face deepened. He looked at Jiang Qinshi and said, "Qingshan, for the time being, I can only rely on you to take care of Xingge'er and Niannian."
Jiang Qinshi put her hand on Jiang Jinxing's shoulder, tears in her eyes, and said to Jiang Siye, "Father has entered the palace to ask to see His Majesty. I will go back to the Qin Mansion tonight. Master, everything will be fine."
Fourth Master Jiang smiled faintly and nodded, then turned around and got back into the carriage. After he was away from his wife and children, the smile on his face tiredly disappeared, and his face looked extremely haggard.
He did have the habit of painting when drunk, and he himself had forgotten when he had painted the painting.
But looking at the brushstrokes, it is undoubtedly his painting.
He himself couldn't deny...
He got into the carriage, not noticing that there was another carriage following him at a distance.
The carriage took Mr. Jiang Si all the way to the teahouse.
In the private room, Jiang Xingchuan was waiting.
He was wearing old clothes, but he tried hard to show his former dignity and style.
Last time, the old uncle accused him of bringing shame to the family and caused him to be expelled from the clan. His life became worse and worse. In order to supplement the family income, he sold almost all the things he could pawn to the pawnshop.
I can only wear some old clothes to look respectable.
"Didn't you plan to never see me again in this life? Why did you ask someone to invite me to meet you in a teahouse?"
Fourth Master Jiang couldn't raise his head. His steps were heavy and his voice was extremely dry. "I... have something to ask of you."
Jiang Xingchuan opened his eyes wide. Ever since the real power was taken away from him, what he longed to see day and night was today's scene.
Come true?
He raised an eyebrow: "Is that painting really yours?"
Fourth Master Jiang did not respond to him.
Even if he felt it was the right thing to do, he would never agree to it until his death.
Promise everything is over.
He said, "Even if you were exiled from the clan, I still sent people to give you some money every month. That old friend named Zhou was actually me."
Jiang Xingchuan was stunned for a moment in surprise, then he lowered his head and sneered.
What’s the use of the money that is sent every month to help? It was just enough for him to survive, not even enough for him to maintain his past dignity.
He will fall
Isn't it all because of him that we are in this situation?
Fourth Master Jiang did not sit down, but stood in the room the whole time. His hands were shaking, "If my wife and daughter are implicated by me..."
Jiang Xingchuan sneered, "Are you asking me to take care of you?"
At the beginning, he was expelled from the clan and became a fallen dog that everyone wanted to beat.
But who could have known that he would become such a hot commodity in the blink of an eye after he severed ties with the Jiang family.
Jiang Xingchuan became famous because of his paintings and was also humiliated because of his paintings. He looked at Jiang Siye with a sneer, "My life is not easy now, why should I help you take care of them?"
He laughed, raised his chin, held a cup of tea, and said in a leisurely and arrogant tone, "Brother, don't you think that standing like this doesn't look like you are begging for help?"
He glanced at the ground, hinting at something.
Fourth Master Jiang looked embarrassed and his whole body was tense.
“I can’t do that.”
Jiang Xingzhou tapped the teacup in his hand, behaving like a gentleman, but his eyes revealed the joy of a successful villain, "Please, fourth brother."
Fourth Master Jiang pursed his lips, said nothing, looked at the ground, and like a puppet with its strings untied, he slowly knelt down.
Before his knees touched the ground, the door of the inn was suddenly pushed open.
Jiang Xingchuan was waiting to see the show when the tea in his hand was suddenly knocked over by someone and splashed onto his chin. He was caught off guard by the scalding and jumped up from his seat like a fish dipped alive into hot soup.
Jiang Rao grabbed Fourth Master Jiang's arm and pulled him out of the private room.
She was panting, tears in her eyes, and she yelled at Jiang Siye in anger: "Even if you really kneel down, he won't do as you wish."
She felt that her father's behavior was wrong. Instead of finding someone to help him examine the painting and clear his name, he came to see her uncle?
That painting might be his father's.
He imagined kneeling down in front of someone else again, just like in her dream.
I can’t kneel…
Fourth Master Jiang's lips trembled, "I know..."
He stood beside his daughter. Although he was tall, his back was still straight, and he inexplicably looked lonely and pitiful.
He knew what his daughter knew.
He never thought that his elder brother would be able to help him take care of his wife and children in the future.
All he asked for was that his elder brother would not cause trouble for them in the future.
As long as he lets his elder brother humiliate him today and vent his anger, maybe he can get rid of the anger and hatred in his elder brother's heart...
The eldest brother is not a tolerant person, so he has to come here for this opportunity.
Even if there is only a slight possibility of one or two points.
He will
Do this.
"This is not your business, go back."
Jiang Rao's tears were suppressed and rolled back in her eyes.
Seeing that she refused to leave, Fourth Master Jiang frowned and threatened her angrily, "Go back! If you don't leave, I will stay in the prison of the Metropolitan Procuratorate tonight!"
Jiang Rao stamped her feet angrily and turned away.
Fourth Master Jiang looked at her back, with thousands of words in his heart, which finally turned into a long sigh.
When his daughter was little, whenever he saw her crying, he would definitely lift the little girl onto his shoulders, let her ride on his neck wobbly, and take her to buy candy.
The little girl was easy to coax. She would stop crying immediately after being given something sweet to eat.
It would be nice if I had some candy with me right now.
Fourth Master Jiang looked down at his gray-stained robe, his empty hands, with a look of self-mockery on his face.
How could there be so many ifs?
If he had known this would happen, he would never drink alcohol in his life.
…
Although Jiang Rao left the inn, she did not return home.
The moon was high outside and the night was growing darker.
The old uncle went to the palace to ask to see Emperor Zhaowu, and Jiang Qinshi took Jiang Qinshi back to the Qin family to find a solution.
Jiang Rao staggered in Wuyi Lane, visiting every household to ask for a meeting.
She thought that if one person said that the painting was not of her father, it would not be credible. But if ten or a hundred people said it was not her father's, Emperor Zhaowu would definitely hesitate.
The first house she knocked on was the Yan Mansion’s door.
Mr. Yan took his wife and children back to his hometown to deal with his father's funeral. Only the housekeeper and servants were left in the Yan Mansion.
Other families...
Jiang Rao did not knock on any of the doors.
Everyone who saw her avoided her as if she were the god of plague.
Her steps were firm at first, but later became slow, hesitant and aimless.
She had experienced such a scene in her dream. After her house was ransacked, no one was willing to help her.
She thought she had seen through human nature, but after experiencing it again, she was chilled to the bone.
The snowflakes fell like goose feathers, she shivered, and her shoulders suddenly felt heavy, like a cloak fell on them.
It was a man's cloak. Jiang Rao looked back and saw Pei Songyu.
He seemed to be in a hurry, with unmelted snow on his head. "I know you are worried about your father. Curfew is coming soon. Don't hang around outside. Come back with me first."
Jiang Rao looked up in panic, "Cousin?"
Like a drowning person grabbing a life-saving piece of driftwood, her pupils suddenly brightened up, "You know what kind of person my father is. He must have been wronged. Please help me persuade the emperor."
if only
If there is someone willing to stand up and speak for her father, those who are waiting and watching may also stand up.
As long as she could convince Emperor Zhaowu that the calligraphy was not written by her father, nothing would happen to her father and the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion.
There was a layer of sorrow in her almond-shaped eyes, with a desperate persistence and hope. She didn't cry or make a fuss, but her look was heart-wrenching.
Pei Songyu looked at her with pity.
But he hesitated and did not agree to Jiang Rao.
He just came out of the Dali Temple.
Everyone who has seen the painting said it was Jiang Xingzhou's painting.
The older people in Beijing all remember Jiang Xingzhou, the arrogant and troubled playboy.
Even some young people of lower generation have heard from their elders how unruly Jiang Xingzhou, now known as the master, was when he was young.
The most arrogant young master of the Jiang family in Jinling.
At around twenty years old, he lives freely and flamboyantly.
Later, when I got married and started a family, I gained a weak spot.
Back then, he didn't even respect heaven and earth, let alone the emperor.
Putting aside the handwriting of the poem, the style alone is very similar to Jiang Xingzhou's style when he was young.
Emperor Zhaowu himself was familiar with Jiang Xingzhou's painting and writing style, and he invited countless people who were familiar with Jiang Xingzhou's calligraphy and painting style to inspect his paintings.
No one dares to say that the painter is not Jiang Xingzhou.
It is impossible for someone who has reached the pinnacle of perfection to imitate in both form and spirit, even if he is a good imitator.
There is only one Jiang Xingzhou in the world.
The above sentence is the praise given to Jiang Xingzhou by the world.
Today, it has become a verdict that makes it impossible for him to turn over.
"I can't deceive you."
The light in Jiang Rao's eyes gradually faded, and her eyes dimmed.
Pei Songyu saw her disappointed look, frowned, and said seriously, "I owe Fourth Master a favor, but I have my own difficulties. If Fourth Master makes other mistakes, I can protect him, but he is with Prince Jing's party..."
It took him a lot of effort to climb from a small village to Jinling, and it took him a lot of effort to climb to the position that those young masters in Jinling were born into.
He couldn't accept that he had failed.
Jiang Rao turned her face away.
Even he thought that her father once followed Prince Jing, so what about others?
"Your father is now in a desperate situation, so you should come with me. Even if you are reduced to a slave and cannot marry me in a formal way, I can at least make sure you have enough food and clothing and are not bullied by others. Otherwise, have you ever thought about what you would suffer if a girl from a wealthy family like you were reduced to a slave?"
Seeing that Jiang Rao was hesitant to move, he became anxious and said what Jiang Siye had forbidden him to say, "It was your father who asked me to come to you. Why can't you figure it out?"
Pei Songyu's cheek suddenly hurt, and the cloak was thrown back on his face.
Jiang Rao suddenly took a step back.
She trembled all over. “I will never figure it out in my life.”
He turned suddenly and ran out of Wuyi Lane.
Pei Songyu caught the cloak and tried to chase after him.
The servant behind him called out to him, "Sir, please stop chasing. If they impeach you..."
Pei Songyu hesitantly retracted his feet and finally stopped in the empty alley.
I walked around all the houses in Wuyi Lane and then went outside Wuyi Lane.
She searched door to door according to her memory of the families with whom her father had dealings.
But no one, inside or outside the alley, was willing to say a word for her father.
A kind-hearted person would ask the servants to come out and tell her some excuses about why it was inconvenient to meet guests, while a cold-hearted person would just lock the door.
Jiang Rao had never felt so desperate before.
She hugged her arms and walked on the street like a lonely soul.
At a window of the inn in the distance, a figure pointed at her lonely figure and said, "Today, even if a dog rushed over to bite her, no one would help her fight it off."
"How pitiful."
There was no trace of pity in Shen Xiuying's eyes, but the ending of her voice was filled with a joyful smile, and she curled the corners of her lips.
This sad and frightened look coincided with the timid little maid in her memory of her previous life.
After her rebirth, she originally wanted to find that lowly maid and laugh at her.
She even wanted to buy her into the mansion, but she didn't expect that after her rebirth, she would find out that Jiang Rao had a background that was far beyond her reach.
The only sense of superiority I had in my previous life was instantly gone.
"Girl, it's late, we should go back."
"Wait a little longer."
She was not satisfied with the change.
Even though the little maid in her previous life looked helpless and homeless, she had the protection of the new emperor and had never suffered anything.
This was the first time she had seen such a sad look, so naturally she wanted to admire it for a while longer.
Shen Xiuying curled her lips and said casually, "The curfew is coming soon. If she dares to wander around the street again, she will be caught by the patrol. If something happens to her father, who can protect her?"
…
Ministry of Industry office.
There was a lamp on Rong Ting's table, and the candle had burned down to a very short length. At this moment, someone came back and said, "It's late at night, and it's almost curfew. Your Highness the Ninth Prince should go back."
Rong Ting blew out the candle and walked out with him.
The official said, "I see there are quite a few memorials on your desk. It must have taken you a lot of time to read them all. I don't know whether Master Chen's training of you is good or bad."
Rong Ting blinked his dry eyes and did not answer.
"You are young, but your temperament is calm. You have locked yourself up for the whole day and didn't hear anything outside. There was a lot of commotion in the capital today." The man walked with Rong Ting for a while. Seeing that he was silent and didn't seem to know what happened in Jinling today, he couldn't help but feel curious, "Did you really hear nothing?"
"I was thinking about the Yunling Plank Road."
Since Chen Bing failed in his attempt to grab the credit, he might tamper with the plank road. If something happens on the plank road, it will be his fault alone.
He would use the same method to harm others, so he would naturally be on guard against others harming him in the same way.
The official sighed, "You are not interested in the affairs of Prince Jing's remnants?"
"The Fourth Master in the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion might be the remnant of Prince Jing. I saw the painting where the Fourth Master committed the crime, and it was written in his handwriting. This is probably true. If we follow his lead, we might find Prince Jing."
The wheelchair stopped immediately.
The two of them had already reached the outside of the palace, and the swaying light and shadow of the palace lanterns cast on Rong Ting's gloomy face.
He looked at the official in front of him seriously, "Master Liao, please don't talk nonsense."
"I'm not talking nonsense." The official approached the stable and pulled the reins of the horse. "I heard that his daughter is asking for help everywhere. It seems that she hasn't been able to get help now. Tsk, but before the matter is clarified, who would dare to help her? They might be accused of being the remnant of Prince Jing, and that would mean death..."
Before he could utter the word "guilt", a voice came from behind him, "Lord Liao, can you lend me your horse?"
The official was stunned.
At the same time, the closing drum sounded in the distance, announcing the start of curfew.
A figure stomped his feet and jumped onto the horse. In the blink of an eye, the horse sped away in a cloud of dust.
Liao Qiubai looked around and saw that his horse had been ridden away. Two steps behind him, there was an empty wheelchair with no trace of its owner.
…
Jiang Rao dragged her tired body towards the direction of Ning'an Marquis' Mansion in Wuyi Lane.
She lowered her head, feeling tired and panicked, like a bird that couldn't find a place to roost, and her eyes were full of panic and anxiety.
It was exactly as her mother said.
The closing drum sounded, one after another.
The city gate three miles away suddenly closed, and the clepsydra in the government office started to tick, indicating that the daytime hour was over.
Jiang Rao heard the sound of the closing drum and quickened her pace.
But she was bumped by someone who was walking towards her and fell to the ground.
Teardrop
The big ones are spinning around.
This is not the time to cry.
She endured it. Her ankle felt like a knife was stabbing into it, causing a sharp pain. She lay in the snow for a long time and couldn't get up.
The confusion and grievance reached its peak along with the pain in my ankle.
Her father was a righteous and generous man who would give away calligraphy and paintings worth thousands of gold. But why was there no door willing to open for her today?
Even though she knew it was easier to add icing on the cake than to help someone in need, she still felt uncomfortable.
The lanterns on the street flickered in the wind.
At the window of the inn, Shen Xiuying looked at the petite figure who fell to the ground on the bumpy snowy road, and her smile deepened.
The maid who had just bumped into Jiang Rao pushed open the door and came back. She didn't even turn her head and said calmly, "Well done."
She looked at Jiang Rao who tried again and again but couldn't get up, and smiled, "Since you are so worried about your father, why don't I give you a chance to fulfill your filial duty."
After a few times, Jiang Rao forced herself to get up despite the pain.
Because of the pain in his ankle, he walked with a slightly bent back, like a person collecting firewood on the road, walking back step by step with a staggering pace.
But she seemed not to feel any pain. Her face was full of resentment and anger towards herself and God. She hated herself for walking too slowly and hated that night fell too early.
As soon as the clepsydra clock strikes tomorrow and the curfew is lifted, she will go out again to look for him.
I have never been to Bailu Academy, the south city, or the west city.
She had to find a way to see the painting.
She dragged her injured foot forward. The distance was not very long, but it seemed to have no end.
In the howling north wind, I suddenly heard the neighing of horses.
Jiang Rao turned around.
Behind me is a ten-mile-long street, covered with frost on a windy, snowy, moonlit night.
The tall horse came against the flow of people.
The young man swiftly got off the horse, and before she could react, she felt her feet lighten and he lifted her up in his arms like a child.
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