Chapter 78 The Wind Rises The two exchanged a glance, both extremely satisfied...
"Miss, it's getting late. The manor has urged you several times, saying that Madam is waiting for you to have dinner," Songlan whispered from outside the door.
Meng Lingyao looked up at the window and saw that the city lights were already on. She closed the ledger and said to Manager Qian, "That's all for today. I will talk to my parents about going to Jinling later, and I will send someone to inform you once it's settled."
"Yes!" Manager Qian hurriedly replied loudly.
By the time she finally stepped out of Juxiang Tower, the night had already spread like thick ink. As she stepped onto the wooden steps of her own carriage, she suddenly heard a rapid sound of horses' hooves, like a sudden rainstorm hitting stones, approaching from afar and then fading away in an instant, leaving only the dusty smell carried on the night wind.
"What's going on?" Meng Lingyao covered her face with her sleeve, frowned, and did not turn around.
Cang Dian, standing beside the carriage, peered into the shadows where the horse's hooves had disappeared. "Miss," he said, "it was someone wearing a bamboo hat, whose face I couldn't see. They headed straight for the government office, perhaps to deliver a message to some yamen."
Meng Lingyao casually responded, not paying much attention, "The weather is about to change, let's hurry back to the manor." Then she lifted her skirt and got into the carriage.
The steed galloped along at breakneck speed until it came to a stop in front of the Dali Temple. Upon seeing this, the guards at the gate bowed familiarly and said, "Minister Jian is back! The lord has been waiting for you for a long time."
Jian Su dismounted, removed his straw hat, and, despite being covered in dust, his face still appeared somewhat pale in the dim light. He nodded in acknowledgment and walked straight into the hall.
Inside the back hall of the Dali Temple, candlelight flickered. Pei Xu was bent over, examining a dossier, his cool profile half-lit and half-shadowed in the candlelight. He only looked up when he heard footsteps approaching the door.
"how?"
Jian Su bowed deeply, his expression solemn. "Your Excellency, this trip has been very fruitful."
"The death of Prince Qing's heir is indeed suspicious. My subordinates conducted a secret investigation in the area and found that the official report's claim of 'sacrificing himself heroically to save the people' was completely fabricated. When the flash flood broke out that night, the heir was still indulging in a drunken stupor in the county magistrate's mansion, and the news of his death while saving people came out in the early hours of the next day."
Pei Xu tapped the table lightly with his fingers, signaling him to continue.
"After searching for a long time, I found a courtesan who had managed to escape that night. She had gotten up in the middle of the night and escaped the disaster. She saw several men in black dragging a corpse out of the prince's room. She was so frightened that she fled overnight and hid in a dilapidated temple in the countryside."
"As for the magistrate who reported this matter," Jian Su paused slightly, "he was appointed through Zhao Yuan, the heir of the Marquis of Wuxing's mansion and the current Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. The Marquis of Wuxing's mansion is now colluding with the Third Prince. This matter is inextricably linked to him."
Pei Xu said calmly, "Power moves people's hearts. The Third Prince has been biding his time for several years, so he must have some ulterior motives."
The Third Prince's maternal family was weak and powerless; if he wanted to advance further, he needed to seize every available force. How could Prince Qing not hate the fact that his only son had died a violent death? He couldn't blame his deceased son; he could only direct his resentment towards the Emperor who had banished his son to the borderlands.
For the Third Prince, this was a force he could rely on.
Jian Su nodded and said, "My lord, on my way back, I passed through Qinghe and happened to hear an interesting story."
With a blank expression, he uttered the word "fun," and Pei Xu couldn't help but glance at him.
Jian Su remained methodical, saying, "The old master of the Cui family, who is retired in Qinghe, inscribed a plaque for a newly built garden by a wealthy merchant from Shanxi. The three characters 'Qingyuan Hall' cost a full thousand taels of pure gold. A single character worth a thousand gold pieces—this deal is faster than robbing a bank."
He scoffed coldly, his gaze sharp. "My rough investigation reveals that the Cui family's influence in the area, including their land ownership and patronage of influential figures, surpasses even that of the Lu family. From the prefect and magistrate to the village head and local gentry, everyone in the Qinghe region is a protégé or former subordinate of the Cui family. Old Master Cui's prestige in the area—"
He pointed to the sky, "No different from that. Now, with the Third Prince allied with them, it's even more..."
He didn't say anything more.
Pei Xu slowly rose and walked to the window. Outside, the night was as dark as ink, with scattered lights in the direction of the palace in the distance, like the lurking eyes of a giant beast.
"When things reach their peak, they must decline."
The alliance between the Cui family, the Marquis of Wuxing's mansion, and the Third Prince was within the Emperor's expectations, and it was also something he had personally facilitated. However, if the alliance became too close and threatened imperial power, it would become intolerable for the increasingly aging Emperor.
After a long while, he raised his hand, half-closed the window, and calmly said, "The wind is picking up."
A sudden rainstorm swept through the capital, and within three to five days, the wind direction suddenly shifted during the court assembly.
The Emperor publicly praised the Second Prince. He recounted the Second Prince's achievements during his time at the Ministry of Justice: investigating and prosecuting dozens of corrupt officials, clearing up over a hundred backlog cases, reforming prison administration, and winning the hearts of the people. Even a few cases in which the Second Prince was only nominally in charge were mentioned.
While the Second Prince was overjoyed, a chill ran down his spine. He never expected that his father knew so much about his affairs in court, down to the smallest detail. So, his usual laziness and shirking were also all under his father's control.
Before the ministers could even deliberate, the Emperor immediately entrusted several crucial matters concerning the lifeline of finances and grain to Zheng Huaiyuan, the Second Prince's father-in-law and Minister of Revenue.
Anyone with eyes could see that no matter how stern Zheng Huaiyuan usually was, claiming that he was only loyal to the emperor, once this marriage was arranged, his title as Minister of Revenue would be inseparable from the "Second Prince's Party".
The Emperor's high regard for him stemmed from his favor towards the Second Prince.
The wind quickly blew into the depths of the palace.
Consort De's smile was almost unbearable. For several days in a row, she was all smiles and treated her daughters-in-law who came to pay their respects with great kindness. She even bestowed upon them a great deal of treasures, which was unprecedented for her.
Meanwhile, in the Xuanji Hall, Consort Wen was in high spirits today, spending half the day by the window writing calligraphy, and gradually a pool of lush flower shadows appeared on the Xuan paper.
The palace maids serving nearby praised her repeatedly, while Consort Wen smiled slightly and said, "It's just some idle writing, a way to pass the time."
The palace maid leaned closer, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of secret glee, "Your Highness may not know, but Consort De has been in a very good mood these past few days, and the entire palace has been rewarded with money. I wonder if she would still be smiling if she knew that this was all thanks to you?"
"What merit could I possibly have?" Consort Wen took the damp handkerchief offered by the concubine and slowly wiped the ink stains from her fingertips. "It was nothing more than a few casual words with His Majesty. It was the Cui family that acted arrogantly, failing to even manage the inner quarters properly. It seems that this has stirred His Majesty's interest, making him feel that the Third Prince's recent close association with the Marquis of Wuxing's residence and the Cui family is too conspicuous. After all, he is a prince of noble birth, and getting too involved with these powerful families inevitably leads to a loss of decorum."
Gazing at the lifelike lotus on the paper, her thoughts drifted far away. "I have no children yet, and with two princes in the court, it's not good for either of them to be the only one who stands out. Only when the lotus leaves in this pond are taller and lower, more spread out and more curled up, can they support each other, creating a space where neither can completely crush the other into the mud at the bottom of the pond... This situation allows one a little room to maneuver and catch one's breath."
Her voice was gentle, but the smugness in her eyes was like a flower bud hidden under the dark leaves in a painting, peeking out quietly, thinking that her exquisite words had stirred the emperor's mind and disturbed the deep pool of water.
By the end of June, Madam Zhong had already agreed to Meng Lingyao's trip to Jinling, only instructing her to bring more guards.
That day, she was reading a volume of Jinling Gazetteer, while the trunk beside her was half open, and Songlan was going in and out, directing the maids to pack their belongings.
Just then, light footsteps sounded outside, and Bei Zi walked in carrying an exquisite visiting card. "Miss, the Pei family has sent a visiting card."
Meng Lingyao took it and saw that the letter was written in neat small regular script, but the signature was not Pei Xu, but the old master of the Pei family.
She raised an eyebrow, somewhat curious. She had heard Pei Xu mention his grandfather in passing before, and knew that he was an old man who had written excellent poems and, even when he was ill, had instructed his grandson to recite them in public, striving to make them known to everyone.
Although we've never met, just hearing about his deeds tells me that we must get along well!
"Prepare gifts and go to the Pei residence." She closed the gazetteer, her eyes filled with anticipation.
In the secluded back garden of the Pei residence, a cool breeze wafted through the waterside pavilion. An elderly man, about seventy years old and vigorous, leaned against the railing by the lake, holding a brush in his hand. His gaze was fixed on the graceful lotus leaves in the pond, the brush tip suspended, yet his expression already conveying the essence of the scene, displaying the demeanor of a master.
Hearing the soft tinkling of jade pendants, Old Master Pei turned around, his face displaying the composure and scrutiny of an elder. He stroked his beard and nodded, “This must be the Meng family’s daughter? I have long admired her intelligence and wisdom, and seeing her today, her demeanor is indeed refined and extraordinary.”
Meng Lingyao bowed respectfully, "Junior Meng Lingyao greets Old Master Pei. I am deeply honored by your invitation."
"No need for formalities." Old Master Pei gestured to the teacup on the stone table beside him. "Come, sit down and let's talk."
His gaze casually fell on the paper at the other end of the stone table. "I came across a problem the other day, but I haven't thought it through yet. I hope Miss Meng won't laugh at me."
Meng Lingyao sat down as instructed, her gaze respectfully falling upon the unfolded Xuan paper. The paper was covered in ink, clearly a newly composed impromptu poem about summer, with vigorous strokes and a broad artistic conception.
He couldn't help but praise, "Grandpa is a great talent. Although this poem is not a complete work, just by looking at its imagery, I can already feel the summer breeze blowing in my face."
After a moment's thought, she sighed, "There is also a sense of magnanimity in it. I admire you greatly."
When Old Master Pei heard that her comments were insightful and not just empty flattery, he immediately beamed with joy, "Miss Meng has a keen eye; that's exactly what I meant!"
His interest suddenly surged, and he pointed directly to the large blank space at the end of the poem, saying, "This poem is perfect for display on a small canvas. I wonder if Miss Meng would be interested in continuing the poem's meaning with a painting? The interplay of poetry and painting would surely be exquisite."
Meng Lingyao was not at all reserved and smiled happily, "If the old master has given the order, how could I dare to disobey? I've made a fool of myself."
She stepped forward, dipped her brush in ink, concentrated for a moment, and glanced at the swaying lotus leaves outside the window. Then, focusing on the expansive poetic space on the paper, she began to outline and paint. With just a few strokes, she sketched half of a scene of lotus blossoms on a waterside bank, deliberately leaving a large blank space in the upper right corner of the scroll, perfectly matching the poem's title about leaving blank space.
Old Master Pei watched with bated breath, his eyes growing brighter with each glance. When Meng Lingyao put down her brush, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! Miss Meng's painting is truly a stroke of genius, perfectly capturing the essence of my poem!"
He grinned from ear to ear, his elder's dignity completely gone. He eagerly picked up his brush and began to paint with flowing strokes, adding a poem and his signature. He then took out a private seal from the sandalwood box brought by the old servant and solemnly stamped it on.
Meng Lingyao also stamped her seal in the corner. The two looked at each other, both extremely satisfied.
"Oh dear, it's a pity we didn't meet sooner! It's a pity we didn't meet sooner!" Old Master Pei held the newly completed treasure, admiring it with great affection, and sighed with emotion, "I am alone in this large courtyard, and I usually just write poems and practice calligraphy. It is rare to have such a kindred spirit as my young friend, who can truly understand my poetic sentiments."
Meng Lingyao smiled and asked, "Grandpa, you're joking. Doesn't Lord Pei often return to the mansion to take care of you while he's in the capital?"
Upon hearing this, Old Master Pei immediately curled his lip. "That saw-mouthed gourd? He's been incredibly boring since he was a child. You could count the number of words he says on two hands a day. If you didn't know better, you'd think he was practicing some kind of silent meditation."
He pointed to the newly acquired calligraphy and paintings, "When he sees something this good, he just squeezes out a dry 'very good,' maybe adding 'Grandfather is very talented.' If you ask him, 'What's so good about it?' he'll just say some clichés like 'profound artistic conception' and 'exquisite brushwork,' which are so cheesy! Unlike you, young friend, whose words are so sincere and insightful, praising things to the point, I can tell you truly understand!"
Just as they were getting into the conversation, they heard light footsteps outside the waterside pavilion.
Pei Xu silently entered through the wooden steps of the waterside pavilion, listening to the full extent of the slanderous words.
The old servant opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by a look from him. He could only lower his head and hold his breath, silently praying for the old master's wine this month.
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