Chapter 45: First Release Yes, he is really useless. ...
When Mingxuan came, his hands were covered in mud, and the soles of his shoes were also covered in mud, as if he had just come out of the fields.
"Miss Changning, long time no see."
He smiled slightly, standing gracefully under the thatched door, dressed in a linen robe and a bun, with an upright posture. Even though he was so poor, he still had the elegance of a scholar who had won the third place in the imperial examination, and even made the dilapidated house brighter.
Seeing that he came empty-handed, Zhao Changning couldn't help but glance behind him. There was nothing there. It didn't look like he was going to thank anyone.
"Master Ming, what is this?"
Mingxuan bowed politely, "Thank you for sparing my life, young lady."
Zhao Changning couldn't help laughing. Was he mocking her?
"Sir, please don't thank me too soon. If I get upset one day and tell the emperor everything I said, your fate will be in jeopardy."
Mingxuan pursed his lips and smiled without saying anything, but the ease in his eyes showed that he was not worried at all.
"Miss Changning, won't you invite me in for a chat?" He smiled and said, "I'm just a commoner now, and people will avoid me. Miss, there's no need to worry about any repercussions. Even if you're in front of the Emperor, you can be calm."
Zhao Changning was not so stingy. He took a step back and made a gesture of invitation.
Granny Xu looked at Mingxuan curiously. She thought this man had red lips and white teeth and looked even better than a girl, so she poured him water attentively.
"Are you the girl's friend? Please sit down and drink your tea. Don't mind me. This is the wild tea I picked in the mountains. It's very bitter..."
Mingxuan was not shy at all. He sat down and drank, savoring the tea carefully. "It's really bitter, even bitterer than the tea made by the people in Zhejiang. It seems that the tea is of a different variety."
Seeing that he liked it, Granny Xu smiled with wrinkles in the corners of her eyes, "As long as the guests like it, the food will be ready soon. I'll steam some more buns, it will be quick. Please stay for dinner."
After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but slap her lips, and looked at Zhao Changning with a smile, her eyes quite rich, "Miss, I talk too much, what do you think?"
Zhao Changning smiled indifferently. Seeing Mingxuan sitting there calmly, he nodded and sat down as well.
Mingxuan stood up with a smile, bowed again, and said casually, "Thank you very much for the meal, Master."
Yunsheng was well-behaved and went in to help Grandma Xu cook.
Mingxuan poured water for Zhao Changning with a coarse earthenware kettle. Then he remembered something and said to the servant beside him, "Taiping, go back and get Yunqiu. We didn't leave any food for today."
Taiping ran out quickly.
Zhao Changning listened to these words and felt that he really didn't look like a candidate for the third place in the imperial examination, nor did he have the grace and elegance he had that day in the teahouse. He also saw that he had lost a lot of weight, and the dirt in his fingernails seemed to be indelible, and the nails were dyed brown.
Her heart moved, "Master Ming seems to be in financial difficulty?"
Mingxuan was probably really hungry, as he kept eating the two plates of snacks that Grandma Xu placed on the tea table, one plate of fried peanuts and the other plate of fried broad beans. They were probably homemade and had no taste.
He told her frankly, "I was recalled after concealing my death. Not only did I lose my position as governor, but I also lost all my property. I'm sorry to have embarrassed Miss Changning."
Zhao Changning was speechless for a moment when he heard this. Seeing that he was enjoying his meal, he couldn't help but ask, "Don't you have any savings after being an official for so many years?"
She was used to seeing corrupt officials. When the late emperor was alive, he had uncovered a corrupt official who was the most corrupt among the corrupt. He had confiscated tens of millions of silver taels. The national treasury was not as much as his wealth, which made the late emperor so angry that he almost fainted.
There are also local officials, but few of them are good. A prefect can earn 100,000 silver coins a year, which is obvious.
Mingxuan was about to speak when he heard a noise at the door.
It turned out that Taiping had returned, followed by a timid little girl, who was also dressed in coarse linen clothes, but her natural beauty could not be concealed. She was about ten years old, with a pair of big watery eyes, an oval face, and picturesque eyebrows. However, she was too timid and kept trying to hide behind Taiping.
Seeing this, Mingxuan stood up, walked over to the woman, and said softly, "Yunqiu, didn't I teach you that you should greet people and bow when you see them? Come, this is the host's house, how should you greet them?"
Zhao Changning thought that this was the concubine who served Mingxuan. She was so pitiful, no wonder she was so gentle and patient.
Granny Xu also came out at this time, "The food is ready, the steamed buns and flower rolls are all steaming in the pot, girls, you can eat first."
Yunsheng helped set the table, then stood behind his aunt, looking at Mingxuan and the other two curiously.
Zhao Changning didn't care about so many rules and asked everyone to sit down together.
Only my mother-in-law refused, saying that someone had to watch over the kitchen, and besides, there were three more mouths to feed, so she should prepare more.
Zhao Changning sat down first, "Master Ming, please sit down. It's just simple tea and food, please don't be dissatisfied."
Mingxuan greeted with a smile and pulled the little girl to sit down together.
A large bowl of stewed chicken soup was just brought out. It was homemade and not presented in a nice way. A chicken leg was raised to the sky and was instantly grabbed by a small hand, almost spilling the whole bowl of chicken soup.
No one reacted and just stared at Yun Qiu, who was grimacing from the burns, but still tried his best to gnaw on the chicken leg.
"Yunqiu, Yunqiu, put it down, put it down quickly." Mingxuan grabbed the woman's thin wrist and took the chicken leg away with a twisted face.
He looked a little embarrassed, but still forced a smile and apologized to Zhao Changning, "I'm sorry, she had a hard life since she was a child and doesn't have any manners."
Zhao Changning was extremely surprised. He didn't expect that the person serving Mingxuan was such a woman, but he just waved his hand.
"It's okay, it's okay. The chicken is stewed for soup, so it's okay for her to eat it."
When Yun Qiu heard this, she immediately looked at Mingxuan with her big, elk-like eyes, her eyes full of desire for the chicken leg.
Mingxuan disagreed and said solemnly: "You made a mistake today and shouldn't have eaten, but the master has generously forgiven you. From now on, you have to listen to your brother. If you make a mistake again, you won't even be allowed to eat."
Seeing that he couldn't eat the chicken leg, Yun Qiu lowered his head sadly.
Mingxuan sat down again and explained to Zhao Changning apologetically, "This is my sister. She can actually speak, but she had a hard time as a child and was beaten. That's why she's timid and won't speak."
It turned out to be his younger sister. Zhao Changning looked at Yun Qiu again and asked, "Why are you bringing her?"
Mingxuan explained gently, "Her last name is not Ming, her last name is Li."
Zhao Changning understood instantly that this sister should be his half-sister, born after his biological mother remarried, but shouldn't she be by his side?
Mingxuan seemed to know what she was thinking and continued, "After my biological mother remarried, her life was neither good nor bad. Later, she only had this daughter, and life became even more difficult. Yunqiu has such a temper. Now the Li family doesn't care about her, but I can't ignore her."
"You just asked me why I didn't have any savings after all these years. Of course I have some." He smiled and said, "But after buying her a small courtyard nearby, there's not much left."
Zhao Changning couldn't describe the feeling in his heart when he heard these simple words.
She hesitated and said, "The Ming family won't just watch you like this, right?"
Mingxuan's expression was calm, neither resentful nor disappointed. "The Ming family and I are two different people. Now I am self-sufficient, and I am quite content."
Zhao Changning was surprised and said, "It was the Ming family who sent a letter from Jiangxia, revealing the matter of the Imperial Household Department."
"I arranged that person." Ming Xuan shook his head and smiled, "I grew up in Jiangxia, Huguang, and only returned to the Ming family later. The matter of the Imperial Household Department actually has nothing to do with the Ming family."
Zhao Changning suddenly realized that it was no wonder that he was so reckless. So that's how it was.
Granny Xu came out with a basket of steamed buns. Seeing everyone sitting there talking but not eating, she felt very uneasy. "Why aren't they eating? Is it because they don't taste good?"
"No, Grandma Xu, we are waiting for you." Zhao Changning asked Grandma Xu to sit down, "Everyone, sit down and eat together."
Yunqiu was probably very hungry, so he grabbed the steamed bun and started eating it, just like eating a chicken leg, with relish.
Mingxuan carefully helped her prepare a bowl of soup and gently instructed her, his eyes soft and gentle, "Yunqiu, eat slowly, you'll choke easily."
Zhao Changning saw that the brother and sister did have some similarities, especially their eyebrows and eyes, which probably resembled their mother, but it was also obvious how beautiful his biological mother was.
But beauty is like duckweed, drifting for half her life, and finally she dies early, leaving her children without support.
The meal was a mess. Yun Qiu had no idea what he had experienced in the Li family. He was like a child, not only without manners, but had nothing to do with etiquette. He even used his hands to eat.
Zhao Changning didn't dislike her, but was horrified. "What kind of life is she leading in the Li family?"
Mingxuan's expression wasn't looking good either. He gently stroked Yunqiu's head to comfort her, saying, "The Li family is an ordinary family. Not rich, but not poor either. They just don't like her. They often keep her chained up, feeding her one meal and starving the next. Her biological mother is cowardly, and her concubines are domineering... Unfortunately, I only found out about this later."
Grandma Xu burst into tears after hearing this. She hugged Yunqiu and comforted her, "My dear girl, don't be afraid. You will have a family in the future and a good life will come..."
Yunqiu curled up in Grandma Xu's arms and refused to move except to eat and drink.
After dinner, Yunsheng and Taiping took Yunqiu to play in the yard, while Zhao Changning and Mingxuan sat in the corridor drinking tea and chatting.
Zhao Changning listened to Mingxuan talk about his time in Zhejiang, about how he led the people to reclaim land, build canals, and suppress bandits. When he talked about suppressing bandits, Mingxuan became lively and wanted to ride his horse again.
"Zhejiang is a good place, with beautiful mountains and rivers, and good people..."
"Is it worth it?" Zhao Changning suddenly said, looking at Yun Qiu in the yard.
"Hmm?" Mingxuan followed her gaze and understood. He smiled and said, "If I can save countless girls like Yunqiu, Miss Changning, I think it will be worth it."
Zhao Changning shook his head, "You know what I'm asking."
Mingxuan's expression also grew serious. He said calmly, "Actually, I lied. My biological mother and I met again later, more than once."
Zhao Changning was stunned when he saw his eyes were full of memories.
"That was the tenth year since I was brought to Yujing by the Ming family. I became a renowned scholar who won the imperial examination. I rode horses in the Imperial Street and attended banquets in the Imperial Palace. I was the talk of the town. My biological mother once came to look for me, but I ignored her..."
Mingxuan's tone of voice sounded like a sigh, and there was no trace of joy in the low voice.
"Later, I worked in the Hanlin Academy. Later, I went to Zhejiang to take up a post. Zhejiang is very far away. My biological mother came to see me off secretly, with a bag of steamed buns in her arms. In the place where the Li family lived, they couldn't even get enough to eat, but they gave me a bag of steamed buns..."
He tilted his head, and tears gradually appeared in his peach blossom eyes. The blue sky and white clouds were reflected in his black pupils.
"The steamed buns that Grandma Xu made today taste very similar to hers, making it hard for me not to recall her. Now that I think about it, she had the most difficulties back then..." Mingxuan realized that he had lost his composure and said with a wry smile, "Excuse me, Miss Changning, please don't blame me."
Zhao Changning could hear the regret in his words. If he really resented him, why would he keep Li Yunqiu by his side?
She understood why he didn't return to the Ming family. "It's human nature. Lord Ming doesn't need to explain."
Mingxuan's eyes also fell on Yunqiu, and he murmured, "I thought I was dead this time, but thanks to the lady's kindness, I was able to save my life. It's okay for me, and it doesn't matter if I have to suffer, but Yunqiu can't."
He stood up and bowed deeply to Zhao Changning. "I'm here to express my gratitude, but I also have my own selfish motives. I'm truly sorry to bother you, young lady."
Zhao Changning also stood up and raised his hand to help him up, "Master Ming, please speak."
Mingxuan looked at me sincerely, "I heard that the young lady is promoting the appointment of female officials. The teaching staff in the inner academy is not enough, so Mingxuan wants to recommend himself."
Zhao Changning was surprised. This was really a waste of talent. Besides, Mingxuan really didn't need to do this. As long as he wanted, there were many people willing to help him.
She saw the dirt color under his fingernails again, and she understood a little, "Sir, this matter is not for me to decide, but I can ask the Queen about it. However, the salary of the Inner Academy teacher will not be too high..."
Mingxuan smiled calmly, "Yunqiu and I don't need much."
Zhao Changning personally saw the brother and sister off. Seeing Mingxuan holding his sister's hand and occasionally tilting his head and speaking softly, he couldn't help but smile and shake his head.
She called Granny Xu over and took out two silver notes from her bosom, each worth twenty taels.
"Take this money, Granny."
Granny Xu quickly declined, "I don't need that much, young lady. I'm an old woman and I barely have any expenses every day."
Zhao Changning was very persistent, "You should cook more food every day and send some to Yunqiu. Their family is not doing well."
Granny Xu was puzzled. "Why didn't the girl just give them the money?"
Zhao Changning didn't explain. "Cook more meat every day. Don't worry about spending money. I have enough money. Don't mention me when you send it to me. Just say you can't finish it and you're worried about wasting it."
Yunsheng was also very curious on the way back to the palace with Zhao Changning.
"Didn't Lord Ming used to be the Governor of Zhejiang? How could such a high-ranking official be so poor? All the officials I've met, even the smallest ones, were very wealthy."
Zhao Changning looked at the setting sun and said in a daze, "Yeah, he's really useless."
I can't make any money.
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The author has something to say: Changning: Humph, not like me at all [milk tea][milk tea]
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