Chapter 47
Chapter 47
The wind tonight is stronger than last night. It blew over the top of the wall, making the lamps in the servants' hands inside the wall creak and shake, and the apricot tree above head also made a rustling sound.
The two of them pricked up their ears and followed the wind to faintly hear Uncle Xie say, "I'll take my father-in-law home."
The light and shadow inside the wall moved towards the door. The light suddenly dimmed. The two people in the corner saw blackness in front of their eyes. It was as if thunder was overwhelming their heads. They were completely unable to react.
Wen Shuse originally thought that the news she had heard today was nothing more than the eldest lady counting her property, or scolding her and Xie San for being squanderers and ungrateful.
Little did I know it was such a big deal.
To be called a eunuch, he must be someone from the court of Dongdu. The imperial edict to reduce the number of vassal states means that he is going to take action against Prince Jing...
It's not that she hadn't heard rumors of reducing the power of the princes in the past, especially after the two princes of Hexi and Hebei met with accidents one after another, the rumor that Prince Jing would be reduced in power sooner or later became more rampant, but she always felt it was shocking.
She was not clear about the situation in Hexi and Hebei, but she knew about Zhongzhou. After Prince Jing set up his palace in Fengcheng, he drastically reduced the number of troops, promoted trade, and focused on managing people's livelihood.
The lives of the people in the city are visibly changing, and the Wen family is a good example.
But he made the people rich and impoverished himself. Just looking at the twenty taels of salary that Xie San brought back, it can be seen that the pockets of the royal family are cleaner than their faces. What leverage does he have to make the court take action against him?
Moreover, Fengcheng has had some incidents over the years. Take the last incident at the armory as an example. Wasn't it resolved safely in the end?
If Your Majesty really wants to reduce the power of the feudal lords, how could he miss such a good opportunity?
When I bought the food myself, I had an idea in mind and secretly bet on it. Fortune and wealth are sought in danger, so the more I have to seize the opportunity.
Not all of what she said to her father that day was lies. Under normal circumstances, with Prince Jing's personality, how could he agree to sell official positions? If it were easy to buy and sell, the Cui family would have become a wealthy family over the years.
Only when Prince Jing was away and with the testimony of General Yang's grandson, Wei Dujian, could she obtain three official positions from Madam Zhou in one go.
It was a business that was sure to make money. The three wronged masters successfully escaped the fate of being exploited and entered the official career, but before they could even enjoy the opportunity, something unexpected happened.
And it is still up to the Xie family to reduce the power of the vassal states.
Wouldn't this mean that the Xie family would betray their master and become enemies with Prince Jing's Mansion?
Wen Shuse was really frightened this time. She turned around and looked at the man beside her in panic. Xie Shao's expression was terrifyingly calm.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly walked out quickly, his hand still on the young lady's arm, and pulled her away from the corner and onto the corridor before letting go, "You go back first."
The knife was hanging over her head, and she couldn't feel at ease going back at this time. Knowing that he was going to ask Mr. Xie for clarification, Wen Shuse immediately followed him, "I will go with my husband."
Without allowing him to refuse, nor holding him back, she hurriedly caught up with him and walked shoulder to shoulder with him, "My life is also in danger, my lord, you can't stop me."
She was really scared and kept muttering, "It's all because you said we'd share the hard times, but now it's here right away. You should have just said we'd share the good times."
His voice trembled.
When I looked over in surprise, I saw that the young lady's face was pale and colorless. It was strange, as if it was the first time I saw her so scared. The situation was obviously serious, but I found it funny.
Seeing someone who was more nervous than me, the tension in my heart was relieved a lot, "Not yet."
"I'm not a three-year-old child. My dear, you don't need to comfort me. Even a rabbit will bite when it gets angry. If the prince is really going to be reduced, will he just sit there and wait for death?" He shook his head and said, "No, the palace will definitely resist. Deputy Envoy Xie has soldiers, but we don't. If a fight really breaks out, if I don't instigate discord, the brotherhood between Prince Zhou and my dear will probably be over. At that time, the first person they will take is my dear as a hostage, followed by your father-in-law and brother-in-law..."
Then there are the families of the Xie and Wen families. Although their lives are not enough to threaten Deputy Envoy Xie, they can still be used to vent hatred.
She finally realized the horror of collective punishment. Once married, they became grasshoppers on a rope, with their fate hanging on the edge of a knife. It seemed that she could only rely on the man in front of her to turn the tide and gain a glimmer of hope for survival.
The faint moonlight spread on the corridor, without any trace of charm anymore. Looking up, it looked like a cold moon.
After all, her legs were not as long as her husband's, so she could not keep up, so she reached out and grabbed the corner of his long sleeves.
The man in front of him felt his sleeves sink, but he didn't turn around. Instead, he raised his hand under his sleeves, turned his wrist, and held the hand in his palm. He squeezed it gently and said in a warm voice, "It'll be okay."
After being blown in the night wind for half a day, my hands and feet had become cold without me noticing. Suddenly, a hand held my hands, and I felt the chill again.
The warmth in her palms spread all over her body, her heart skipped a beat, and she turned her head away. Under the silver moon, the profile of the young man was firm and calm, without any trace of dandyism.
Looking at him this way, he was really tall, half a head taller than me.
Even if the sky falls, there are still tall people to hold it up. This saying is absolutely true. Relying on her height, the man next to her suddenly became majestic.
Holding her hand, it was like building a castle in front of her. All the anxiety and restlessness were dispelled at once, and the restlessness in her heart slowly became stable like a thread being drawn.
Finally calmed down.
Fengcheng is gone, so the worst that can happen is we can go to Dongdu. I hope Deputy Envoy Xie won’t act so quickly.
The man beside her saw that she did not struggle, so he did not let go and held her hand all the way to the door.
As soon as Uncle Xie came back from sending someone off, he saw the young man and young lady standing in front of the screen wall. He was stunned at first, and his expression suddenly became nervous, "Why are you here?"
Xie Shao didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Uncle, have you received the imperial edict?"
Uncle Xie's expression suddenly changed. He stared at the two of them sharply. After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Let's talk inside."
Suddenly, an uninvited guest came in the middle of the night. The eldest lady was sitting in the house waiting for Master Xie. She hadn't recovered from the noise yet. When she heard the noise, she stood up and went to the door to greet him. But she saw Master Xie followed by the two annoying people from the second room. Her heart suddenly sank and she didn't look happy. "What are you doing here at this late hour?"
Xie Shao did not answer, but followed Uncle Xie into the room. Wen Shuse followed closely behind. After entering the room, the two of them did not greet each other. They found two embroidered cushions, one on the left and one on the right, and sat down opposite Uncle Xie.
Without waiting for the Madam to ask what was going on, Xie Shao spoke first and asked Mr. Xie, "What is the imperial decree from the palace, and what is your uncle's plan?"
The eldest lady was shocked. She had never expected that the two knew about this. She quickly asked Biyun to go out and guard the door. She turned back and looked at the two of them. "No matter how you heard it, where you came from and where you are going back, it's not your turn to worry about the affairs of the mansion."
Xie Shao sat there motionless, not taking her words to heart at all, waiting for the reply from the master of the Xie family.
"Aunt, what you said is wrong." Wen Shuse couldn't help but say, "The whole family's lives depend on uncle, so naturally I have to ask about this."
The eldest lady's face changed, "How can we lose our heads? Since it is an imperial decree, we are just following orders. Whoever dares to come and take our heads, he really wants to rebel."
After saying this, most of his information was exposed. Xie Shao asked directly, "Did the emperor order the reduction of the feudal system?"
At this point, Mr. Xie had nothing to hide. "It's not surprising. It's bound to happen sooner or later."
"What if the imperial edict is fake?"
Mr. Xie and Madam's faces froze. They had doubts before. The imperial edict came too quickly without any warning. Logically, the matter of the armory had been dealt with, and the emperor would not take action against Prince Jing in the short term. But who would have the courage to forge an imperial edict at the risk of death?
Master Xie sneered, "Who dares? The eunuch from the palace came to Fengcheng in person."
"So what?" Xie Shao interrupted, "If the prince wants to see the emperor, he has to stay outside the Eastern Capital and wait for the emperor's summons. What's more, your uncle is a deputy envoy from a foreign land. What can he use to verify it? This imperial edict must be true."
"Then how can we prove that he is a fake?" Uncle Xie suddenly became angry. "Do you want me to disobey the emperor's order and then punish my Xie family, even killing all nine clans and losing their heads?"
Xie Shao asked back, "So, uncle has planned to betray Prince Jing and fight him with his ice blade?"
Uncle Xie was so angry when he heard his question that he felt like he was slapped in the face. "What can I do? You are smart, Xie San. Tell me what I should do."
Xie Shao ignored the sarcasm in his words, "Uncle should get up and go to the Eastern Capital immediately to ask for an audience with His Majesty. Regardless of whether the imperial edict is true or false, the matter of reducing the feudal fiefdom should not be handled by your uncle. If it is false, your uncle will definitely be able to save his life. If it is true, even if your uncle dies, he will still have a reputation of being a loyal protector of the master."
Uncle Xie was stunned for a moment, and stared at him in disbelief after a moment, "You mean you want me to die?"
"We don't know whether they are dead or alive, but uncle has no way out." Xie Shao looked at him and said, "Uncle, do you know what the consequences will be for the Xie family if this imperial edict is false? It will be considered treason, and we will be condemned by the court and despised by the world. The lives of the entire Xie family will be implicated because of your one thought." He said to him, "Uncle, can't you see that this is a party struggle? Someone with ulterior motives wants to take advantage of my father's absence to eliminate my Xie family and cut off one of Prince Jing's arms."
Uncle Xie didn't want to listen to a junior like him telling him what to do, and when he mentioned the Second Master, his words were telling him that when the Second Master was not around, others thought he was a fool.
He couldn't help but sneer, "Your father? I'm afraid he has already died of drunkenness outside."
When the situation was at a stalemate, the guards outside suddenly came in to report: "Sir, the prince has crossed the Ling River and will arrive in Fengcheng in half an hour."
Xie Shao stood up instantly, "Thank you, Deputy Envoy!"
Uncle Xie took a deep breath and stood up from his chair. Due to excessive tension, blood rushed from the soles of his feet to his brain, and countless pros and cons flashed quickly through his mind.
I remembered what my father-in-law had said just now, "The eldest son has great literary talent, and the Right Prime Minister appreciates him very much. He will have a bright future in the Eastern Capital. I would like to congratulate and thank the Deputy Envoy first."
Who is the Right Prime Minister? He is the Crown Prince’s uncle.
How can a vassal king compare with a prince?
As we all know, what happened to the two deputy envoys of Hexi and Hebei? He has struggled all his life, is he really going to end up here? It's impossible. How can he be willing to accept this?
The future of Prince Zhou can be seen at a glance.
I let Pei Yuanqiu go last time, and my eldest brother has gone to Dongdu again. I'm afraid Madam Zhou has been suspicious of me for a long time. She will definitely tell me when the prince comes back. I don't know where I will be by then.
And even if he didn't take action, Prince Jing would not be able to be saved when someone from the imperial court came in the future.
By then, he had no choice but to become a member of Prince Jing's rebellion. Not only could he not be given an official title or a higher rank, he could not even save his life.
I had previously hoped that the boss would be able to find a way out for me in the future, and now the opportunity is right in front of me.
His heart was beating fast, his mind was in a mess, and he looked at Xie Shao who was staring at him. He finally gritted his teeth, followed the guard and walked out quickly, and gave an order: "Close the city gate!"
Xie Shao was right. When two ships collided, a choice had to be made. A wise bird chooses the right tree to roost in. I hope the prince can understand.
In the middle of the night, all the soldiers of the Xie Mansion left the house. The deafening sound of horse hooves suddenly sounded in the alley and quickly disappeared.
Wen Shuse didn't dare to say anything until she turned around and looked at Xie Shao, "My dear..."
At this moment, Xie Shao's expression regained composure. The words had come to this point, and he, Uncle Xie, was determined to jump into the pit, and he couldn't stop him.
Those people in Dongdu are really accurate in what they say.
He turned around and pulled the young lady out of the Madam's courtyard in a hurry, "You go back to the house first, I'll go to the palace."
The babies are here. Today's transition was really delayed. I'm very sorry! There is a bonus in this chapter.
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