Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Once we make a promise, we must not forget it...
"Why did you commit suicide?" Chen Ling'an laughed sadly. "Don't you think it's a bit shameful to ask this question? Or do you mean you had your own reasons, that you had no other choice?"
Chen Ling'an looked at him coldly, "No matter how much you say, I will never be soft-hearted. Go to hell and beg my father for forgiveness!"
Chen Shao shook his head, picked up the small copper kettle that was burning hot, and slowly poured tea into the teapot. In the mist, his face looked gloomy.
"I haven't wronged him, so why should I ask for his forgiveness? On the contrary, he should thank me. It was me who restored his reputation, it was me who saved the entire Chen family, it was me who made it possible for him to face the Chen ancestors in his death."
"Nonsense!" Chen Ling'an raged. "Your current wealth and glory was earned at the cost of our entire family's lives, and yet you still shamelessly say these things!"
"You've been a close minister to the Emperor for more than a year or two, yet you still see things so simply?" Chen Shao poured out the water from the teapot and refilled it with hot water. "Indeed, your father was wrongly accused in the North-South List case. He didn't abuse his power or favor anyone. He was purely meritocratic."
"But he forgot, no, I should say he deliberately ignored, the differences between the North and the South."
"After hundreds of years of turmoil and constant war, the North is far less stable and prosperous than the South. It's hard to even survive, let alone study. On the same exam, they simply can't outperform southern scholars. When our dynasty was founded, the majority of candidates for the imperial examinations were from the South, and naturally, most officials were also from the South. Northern scholars have been excluded from the power system. If this continues, how can there not be chaos?"
Chen Shao sneered, "The late emperor, considering the overall situation, hinted to him before the exam that he should appease the people in the north. But he, in his belief in 'fairness', ignored the late emperor's wishes and chose not to admit a single northern scholar."
"It's not like the late emperor didn't give him a chance, but he still upheld the original results after the reexamination. He even showed the test papers to the late emperor, analyzing the merits and demerits of the southern and northern scholars one by one. Stupid, truly stupid. The late emperor was always suspicious. How could he not suspect that he was rallying the southern gentry to oppose the imperial power? He cut off his own path."
He looked at the stunned Chen Ling'an and said, "Your father was known as an 'honest gentleman', but he died because of this."
Chen Ling'an gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to lose his composure. After a while, he took a deep breath and said, "You knew he was innocent, but you deliberately framed him for fraud. He's your biological brother, how could he have ever wronged you?"
A hint of sadness flashed across Chen Shao's face, but it disappeared in an instant. "He has done nothing wrong to me, but if he continues to be so stubborn, given the late emperor's temper, he will definitely find an excuse to kill him and even confiscate his property and exterminate his entire clan. I cannot let him drag me to death. The Chen family cannot be destroyed by him."
Chen Ling'an sneered, "Instead of letting others take advantage of this, why don't you, your brother, 'sacrifice your own family for the greater good' and exonerate yourself and the Chen family, right, Second Uncle?"
Chen Shao leaned back proudly. "Yes! Under my leadership, the Chen family is more prosperous than it was ten years ago. We have twelve Jinshi (Jinshi) scholars, over thirty Juren (Juren) scholars, and even more Xiucai (Xucai) scholars. Even if I fall today, the Chen family will rise again in the future."
Chen Lingan gave him a deep look. "Why do you think I wouldn't take action against those people? When my family was in trouble, they all took advantage of the situation."
"You definitely would, but the Emperor won't allow it." He picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea. "Boy, you underestimated me and overestimated yourself. I didn't lose to you, I lost to the Emperor."
"Do you really think the Emperor can't see through the little tricks you and Liu Fang are playing? The Emperor invaded from the north. He used me to force out the previous Chen Ge Lao and stabilize the hearts of the Jiangnan gentry. But now the Southern faction is too powerful in the officialdom, and I, the rock that holds the mountain in check, have become a stumbling block. The Emperor only took advantage of the situation to remove me as a warning to the Southern gentry, but he won't allow you to blow up the mountain."
Chen Ling'an stood up suddenly. "I don't want to listen to your nonsense, Second Uncle. I've reserved the best seat for you in the Imperial Prison."
Chen Shao laughed heartily, picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp. "How can you interrogate my second uncle? Boy, take my body and report to the emperor!"
Chen Lingan was shocked and snatched the teacup to take a sniff. "Heartbreak grass! You, you..."
Blood slowly flowed from Chen Shao's nose and mouth. He struggled to remain seated, his right hand tightly grasping the silver "Wenyuan Pavilion Seal" of the Prime Minister. He exhaled heavily and died.
A cool breeze blew in with raindrops through the window, and papers all over the room trembled and fluttered, as if countless paper money was falling from the sky.
Chen Ling'an slowly walked out of the house. His face was as pale as paper, and his eyes were empty and idle, as if he had suddenly lost his direction.
He tilted his head back and let the drizzling rain fall on his face.
"Sir?" Wu Yong called him softly.
"They've all been imprisoned?"
"Yes, the men of the Chen family and several of the chief stewards have been taken to the imperial prison, and the women are temporarily locked up in the Yingtian Prefecture Jail. No one has touched the confiscated items, awaiting your Excellency's instructions."
Chen Lingan slowly opened his eyes and said, "The case of the Chen father and son is now in your hands."
Wu Yong's eyes widened, "How can this be possible!"
"Chen Shao committed suicide by taking poison. Chen Lingyi couldn't handle it alone, so it's not difficult to interrogate him."
"yes?"
"If you have any questions, come and ask me." Chen Ling'an left.
Wu Yong didn't know if it was his illusion, but Shangfeng's figure seemed a little shaky in the wind and rain.
He has clearly avenged himself, so why does he look so unhappy?
-
Perhaps Chen Shao's death touched Emperor Hongde's heart to some extent, so he only demoted Chen Lingyi and exiled him to Lingnan, confiscated all the Chen family's property, and prohibited him from taking the imperial examinations and becoming an official for two generations, but he did not kill the Chen family.
On the day the decree came down, Xiaoman went to find Chen Lingan.
Qingming Festival has passed, and with the nourishment of spring, the Chen family's old house is lush and green, looking much more lively than before.
A misty drizzle fell evenly and densely. Chen Lingan sat on the steps under the corridor of the main courtyard, staring at the trees in the courtyard in a daze.
The willow tree grew sparse branches and nestled quietly beside the tall sycamore tree.
Xiaoman walked over to him and sat down. "Wu Yong said you haven't been to the government office for a few days."
"I'm too lazy to go."
"Will you go again in the future?"
Chen Ling'an didn't say anything.
Xiaoman thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you resign? You don't rely on this salary to survive anyway. Why don't you just come and help the Jiang family? Mother has a lot of shops and we're all too tired to take care of the chores. We're really worried about it."
Chen Lingan: "I'm very expensive, you can't afford me."
Xiaoman glanced at him sideways, "What if... it's not a job?"
"Want to get it for free?"
"Bah! What a whore...you just talk nonsense, you big fool!"
A cool breeze blew raindrops onto Xiaoman's face. Xiaoman touched her burning cheek and said softly, "I was serious about resigning. You did all this for revenge. You actually don't like being in the Imperial Guard. Now that Chen Shao is dead and the Chen family is ruined, there's no need for you to stay in the Northern Pacification Division any longer."
Chen Ling'an sighed deeply, slowly lay down, and stared at the beams of the corridor in a daze.
Xiaoman tilted her head to look at him, "Do you want to go back to Xuanfu? Xuanfu in the summer is the most comfortable. The sky is blue, the clouds are like big balls of cotton, and the wind is refreshing. It's not like the endless rain in Jiangnan, where it always feels like being soaked in water."
Seeing that he didn't respond, Xiaoman said, "Have you ever been to Suzhou? I often hear Aunt Lin talk about the gardens in Suzhou. They are different from those in Jinling. They are small and elegant, with changing scenery as you move around. There are views inside the garden and outside the garden. Sitting in the waterside pavilion listening to Kunqu Opera, drinking tea and snacks, just thinking about it makes me feel comfortable."
"Oh right, I heard that Huangshan in Huizhou Prefecture has amazing scenery. I'm not afraid of climbing mountains. If I get the chance, I must go and see what Huangshan has to offer!"
She spoke excitedly, and Chen Ling listened quietly, his eyes becoming more gentle.
My parents love reading travelogues the most. While drawing in the books, they say with anticipation that when their children grow up, get married and have their own families, they will visit these places one by one.
He slowly closed his eyes. His parents had no chance, so did he have any?
"Write down all the places you want to go." He said suddenly. Before Xiaoman could react, he turned over and sat up, pulling Xiaoman to the desk. "You tell me, I'll write!"
Xiaoman looked at his face and whispered, "I won't go alone."
Chen Lingan smiled, "I'm worried about you going alone!"
Xiaoman's eyes lit up. "You're going with me? You have to be the one to go with me. Mother can't climb the mountain, Yan Ning is busy with his homework, and He Ping is always thinking about how to trick the emperor into marrying the princess. He has no time for me. Right now, I have no one else but you."
When she said the last sentence, two rosy clouds appeared on her face and her voice became lower.
Chen Lingan wrote down a few of the points she had just mentioned and said softly, "I understand..."
Xiaoman smiled and continued to count them one by one, "Let me think of what else there is. Cixi's bayberry, Fujian's lychee, Hangzhou's loquat, Huangyan's tangerine, Yunnan's mango, Wuxi's peach, Tianjin's big winter jujube!"
It's all food! Chen Lingan laughed, "Anything else?"
"Yes! Suzhou squirrel mandarin fish, Yangzhou crab meat and lion's head, Xi'an mutton soup steamed bun, Shanxi knife-cut noodles, steamed pork with rice flour, mapo tofu, hand-pulled lamb... I want to eat the most authentic local food!"
"Okay." Chen Ling'an quickly finished writing, carefully dried it, and handed it to her. "Keep it. Put a check mark on each item you complete."
Xiaoman looked at the list and said, "If I think of something else later, can I add more?"
"sure."
Xiaoman then nodded with satisfaction.
"Sir!" The sound of footsteps accompanied by Wu Yong's voice came from the other side of the rain. "The emperor is looking for you. Hurry and change into your official uniform and come to the palace."
Xiaoman's heart sank for no reason, and she subconsciously grabbed Chen Ling'an's hand.
Chen Lingan: "It's okay, the emperor won't punish me."
"Sentence?" Wu Yong looked puzzled. "The court officials recommended Liu Fang as the new Prime Minister. The emperor summoned you to the palace to ask about Liu Fang. Steward Lu didn't say anything about sentencing you."
Chen Lingan smiled at Xiaoman, "Did you hear that? Let me go now."
Xiaoman smiled sheepishly and let go of his hand, but she was still worried and chased after him, shouting, "Don't forget what we agreed to do together!"
Chen Ling'an waved without looking back.
Wu Yong looked at him, then at Xiaoman, his mind spinning rapidly.
What is it that requires two people to do it together? Oh, could it be that good things are coming to the adults?
He looked at Chen Ling'an's face, which remained cold and hard for thousands of years, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, spring is here, all things are revived, and it's time for animals... Oh no, the adults have finally come to their senses!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
