Lin Su did not deliberately avoid his intimacy with Qing Tang. Although the people in the mansion were surprised, few of them said anything. Although some people looked down on Qing Tang in private, they did not dare to say it on their faces.
This kind of thing was expected to happen and could not be prevented by punishment. Although Qing Tang felt uncomfortable occasionally, every time Lin Su got close to her, all those worries were thrown behind her.
"You don't know how rude those people are." Xikang treated him as usual, "They said you were using your beauty to please the master, a foxy woman, and that you don't have a mistress at home. They would like to, but you're not that pretty."
He had been with Qing Tang the longest and knew how hard this man worked. Although he felt a little awkward at first, he also knew that it was a pipe dream for lazy people like them to be favored by the young master.
They say sour words because they envy others who are in a higher position. If it were them, they would probably have a different attitude.
"Let them talk," Qing Tang said, picking at the dandelions in the bamboo basket. "They're just some sour words, but don't let the young master hear them. He's been busy enough these past few days."
"What is this?" Xikang asked, picking up a few leaves. "What's the use of this?"
"Dandelion, it's good for cooling down heat." Qing Tang's hands kept moving, his eyes drooping with a serious expression. "Young Master has been very busy these past few days. This will be especially good for cooling down heat when added to tea."
Under the shadows of the trees and the sunlight, he looked translucent, his drooping eyelashes seeming to carry the sunlight. Xikang held his chin and looked at him and said, "Qing Tang, you are so beautiful. No wonder the young master likes you."
Qing Tang raised his eyes to look at him and smiled: "Don't stare at me, you will get married in the future."
"I'm just praising you a few words." Xikang curled his lips. He just felt that if Qing Tang was really a woman, she would definitely be no worse than those women from famous families.
Whether it's a man or a woman, it's not something a man like him can dream of: "You really look like a mistress of a house."
"We rely on the young master's monthly allowance, so naturally we have to be considerate of him. These... are all part of our job." Qing Tang smiled.
He couldn't do much for the young master, he could only do his best to make the young master feel more comfortable and at ease when he returned home.
Lin Su has indeed been busy recently. One is to deal with the finalization of the previous case of donating an official position, and the other is to deal with the child trafficking issue.
"Starving people on the streets, and the people exchanging their children for food, are the hallmarks of a chaotic world," Lin Su said solemnly in the court. "We are living in a peaceful and prosperous age, yet children are still being sold. Doesn't this mean that Your Majesty is unkind and unvirtuous, unable to ensure the people live and work in peace and contentment?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the court was at peace. Emperor Zhaoyang's face showed no emotion, "My dear minister, what do you think we should do?"
"We should investigate strictly and impose heavy penalties to put an end to this practice." Lin Su said in a resounding voice.
Naturally, there were people who opposed this matter. The rich and powerful had many people to serve, and buying and selling slaves was a common practice. If poor families could not sell their children at will, even if they had servants who had been here for generations, it would not be enough.
This matter is not so easy to change, especially when it comes to class changes and the interests of the rich and powerful, and voices of opposition are rising one after another.
Lin Su knew that this was not the best time to bring up this matter, but since he had decided to do it, he had to start somewhere. This time it was just a wake-up call.
"What exactly do you think, Lord Lin?" Emperor Zhaoyang was also troubled by this matter.
Lin Su narrated, "Many children in ordinary families are extremely talented if they pursue learning and enlightenment. If they could be brought to your majesty's side, they would be able to serve the country. However, if you sell them off at will and make them slaves for life, your majesty will lose countless talented people."
"The palace has many people to employ," Emperor Zhaoyang said. "What if no one is willing?"
"Your Majesty is benevolent. The number of people employed in the palace is fixed, and the number of people employed is still being reduced to reduce expenses. Your Majesty is like this, but some officials are surrounded by a large number of people when they travel. The scene is breathtaking." Lin Su replied.
It is impossible to completely eliminate it. The class divisions of this era are there. What he wants to eliminate is the random buying and selling, the arbitrary killing, and the not treating human life as human life but just treating it as an object to play with.
Although the interests of high-ranking officials may cause opposition from the ministers, if it touches the emperor's bottom line, the ministers will have to keep their heads down no matter how much they oppose.
Emperor Zhaoyang looked at him, sighed and said, "I understand. You may leave first."
They are all smart people, so they naturally know each other's intentions, but even if they know, they can't ignore things that cross the bottom line.
Although Lin Su is busy, he will not spend too much time at home. During his days off, he will take Qing Tang out to the streets to show him the customs and culture of the capital.
"Selling sugar figures..."
"Tanghulu... Sir, please take a look."
There was curiosity in Qing Tang's eyes, but he didn't ask Lin Su what he wanted. Lin Su followed his gaze, bought a candied haws and put it in his hand: "Take it."
He was told to hold it, so he obediently held it and walked along. Lin Su asked, "Don't you want to eat it?"
Qing Tang was confused: "Isn't this the young master's?"
"Here's some food for you." Lin Su put his arm around his shoulders to avoid passersby, "Be careful, don't bump into anyone."
Qing Tang held up the candied haws and looked at the children passing by, who were being led by their parents to hold candied haws. He felt his eyes warm up a little: "Thank you, young master, but you haven't had any yet."
A gentleman does not eat while walking, but it did not bother him. Lin Su held his wrist, lowered his head and took a bite from the candied haws, saying, "Okay, I have mine too."
Qing Tang's eyes widened and his face flushed: "Young Master..."
Before he could react, Lin Su had already turned around and walked a few steps. His expression was so natural that passersby couldn't see any clues. He turned around and said, "If you don't leave, you will be left behind."
"Here I am." Qing Tang followed, jogging along with the candied haws in his hand. He looked at the candied haws but couldn't bear to eat it.
This is the candied haws that the young master has bitten. I really want to keep it as a treasure, but this kind of thing will probably go bad if left for too long. What a pity...
The streets were crowded with people. Qing Tang followed Lin Su all the way, but suddenly she felt her hand being held.
Looking down, Lin Su's wide sleeves covered the hands of the two people. The hands were gentle and strong, like a secret happiness that belonged to the two of them alone.
Qing Tang curled up the corners of his mouth, forced himself to suppress his happiness and followed.
The two did not hold hands for long, and they had already let go when they arrived at the restaurant for dinner. However, Qing Tang looked at his hands with satisfaction, and felt that he did not really want to wash his hands today.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
