Chapter 4 Chapter 4 My childhood sweetheart is not a traitor
There was a moment of deathly silence in the water pavilion.
"My son!" Mrs. Qin suddenly shouted and ran out regardless of everything.
Fearing she couldn't handle it, Xiao Jiang hurriedly called for someone to follow her and then asked the servant if he knew why the Jinyiwei had arrested the man. The servant was already terrified and stammered, unable to explain. Xiao Jiang was so angry that she almost slapped him. She could only order her trusted steward to go to the front yard to get the news.
He also hurriedly ordered his servants not to report to the Marquis and the Dowager, "If you disturb the peace of these two elders, you will not be required to serve here anymore."
On the other hand, he was worried about causing panic. Today happened to be the Four Seasons Banquet, and there were many guests coming to the Marquis' Mansion. Before things were decided, he was most afraid of word spreading. If any bad words leaked out, it would be very disadvantageous to the Marquis' Mansion.
We must stabilize the situation.
While he was extremely worried, he still reminded his sister to take the children out through the back door first to avoid being involved.
How could Mrs. Jiang stay out of this matter at this time? She hurriedly told her two children, "Wait here and don't wander around," and then she went after her sister.
Only Xiaoman and her sister were left at the waterside, and no one spoke.
The trees outside the window were shaking their branches restlessly, and bright and dark shadows fell on Zhang Junyi, swaying rapidly.
"Are you mad at me?" she asked suddenly.
Zhang Xiaoman chuckled, "Don't tell me I don't even have the right to be angry?"
Zhang Junyi avoided her gaze and said, "You said it yourself, you and Young Master Liu can't be together."
"But why didn't you tell me then? Third sister, I like Liu Jinshu. Let me go on this blind date." Zhang Xiaoman laughed self-deprecatingly. "Well, I told you clearly then... Is the one you snatched more fragrant?"
Zhang Junyi said nothing.
"In your eyes, my marriage can be settled with a kingfisher butterfly hairpin. To put it bluntly, you still don't trust me and look down on me." Zhang Xiaoman sighed, "Fourth sister, not wanting it is different from being schemed against."
Zhang Junyi suddenly looked up, opened his mouth to say something but held it back, then stood up and walked out.
Zhang Xiaoman looked out the window and saw her beckon a maid over. The maid took something from her hand, bowed, and left. About a quarter of an hour later, the maid returned and whispered a few words. Zhang Junyi glanced over and then turned back.
At first she lowered her head and walked very slowly, then she raised her head as if she had made some kind of determination, and walked faster and faster, almost jogging into the pavilion.
She tried to calm her breath, "Your neighbor's brother is called Chen Ling'an. Coincidentally, the leader of the Jinyiwei who came to arrest Master Liu today is also around twenty years old, and his name is also Chen Ling'an."
Zhang Xiaoman's head buzzed, and he cried out, "Really?"
Zhang Junyi said, "This is about the Jinyiwei, how dare I lie?"
She seemed calm and composed, but her eyes flickered and avoided, her voice trembled, and the tips of her fingers gripping the round fan turned white, all of which showed her nervousness, and even a hint of excitement.
It gives people a sense of going all in.
Even though he knew she was setting a trap for herself, Zhang Xiaoman still walked away.
"Wait!" Seeing her determination, Zhang Junyi hesitated. "You just arrived, but you don't know that the Jinyiwei have a very bad reputation. Most court officials hate them, especially the civil servants, who are most afraid of being associated with them. If you go there rashly, whether he is the person you are looking for or not, your father will be furious, not to mention the marriage with the Liu family... Don't blame me for not warning you."
Of course Zhang Xiaoman knew the consequences of this trip.
But so what? Nine years of thinking, nine years of waiting, nine years of no news, so long that the image in my memory is almost blurred.
She didn't want to miss even a glimmer of hope.
"I am willing to bear all the consequences. Besides, isn't this what you expected?" Zhang Xiaoman smiled and turned around to walk into the golden sunlight.
Her skirt fluttered, her jewelry rings and pendants swayed, and she flew past like a nimble swallow.
The news that the Jinyiwei had arrested someone had spread from the front yard to the Four Seasons Banquet. All the noble ladies attending the banquet were panicked. Some left in a hurry for fear of being implicated, some stood on the dry bank to watch the excitement, and of course there were also some who were on good terms with the Qin and Liu families and stayed to comfort and help.
There was a commotion everywhere, and no one noticed Zhang Xiaoman's actions.
She had a very strong ability to recognize the way. When she came to the Marquis' Mansion to recognize her relatives before, her stepmother just told her the direction of the outer study, and she found it almost exactly.
As soon as they passed through the second gate, the panic-stricken mansion gradually became quiet, and even the flowers on the roadside were motionless.
Zhang Xiaoman couldn't help but slow down his pace.
It was unknown whether the servants in the Marquis' Mansion had run away in fear or had been dispersed. Looking around, there were few people around. Occasionally, a person dressed as a manager passed by, but he looked hurried and flustered. When he saw Zhang Xiaoman, he didn't even ask a single question.
The woman's scream suddenly rang out, but it stopped abruptly, which made it even more terrifying.
Zhang Xiaoman's heart tightened as he heard the voice that sounded like Mrs. Qin's, and he followed the voice to the outer study.
After passing the screen wall, there was an open hall at the end of the corridor. The red-painted pillars of the outer wing were separated by a carved lattice door. She didn't dare to go in rashly, but just hid behind the bushes and looked around.
The Xiang bamboo curtain hanging at the door was half fallen off, and in the inner hall, Madam Qin could be seen hugging a man in a jade-colored robe. He was tall and handsome, and should be Liu Jinshu.
The guards of the Marquis' Mansion and the Embroidered Uniform Guards stood facing each other, hands on their swords, staring at each other.
The entire hall was eerily quiet. Everyone was standing motionless, except for one person who was sitting.
He sat sideways in the shade, his whole body shrouded in dark shadows, and Xiaoman couldn't see his face clearly.
Unlike the others who were extremely tense, he looked very casual, leaning back in his chair, looking down at something. He was a little thin, not as tall and strong as the other Jinyiwei.
However, it gives people the strongest sense of oppression.
I can't explain why, but I just can't take my eyes off him.
A male voice broke the silence in the hall.
"Sir Chen, these are letters exchanged between me and my teacher. They are all asking for advice on homework and discussing academic matters. I wonder which law I have violated?" Liu Jinshu said. Although his voice was gentle, his tone was cold and contained a kind of condescending contempt.
The man in the chair laughed. "You talk a lot about morality, but you're full of thieves and whores. Liu Hanlin, you're obviously not blind, so why are you lying?"
He spoke politely, but his words were like knives, stabbing Liu Jinshu's face and making his cheek muscles bulge slightly. It was obvious that he could not suppress the anger in his heart.
Liu Jinshu's tone also became sharp. "Without an imperial edict, without oral instructions, without any arrest warrant, how can you arrest someone without knowing the reason?"
Madam Qin, desperate to protect her son, pointed at the man and threatened him, "If you don't explain yourself today, I'll file a complaint with the emperor!"
The man sneered, his tone a bit nonchalant. "You're so arrogant! Even your husband doesn't dare to say that he can see the emperor if he wants to. How can you be considered a respectable person?"
He waved his hand and said, "Come on, bring Madam Qin to the palace and see if Fengtian Palace can accommodate her face."
The color drained from Madam Qin's face instantly, and she backed away repeatedly, "I won't go. Once I leave the Marquis' Mansion, who knows where you'll take me!"
A tall and strong captain strode forward and said, "No one has ever dared to challenge the Jinyiwei, and even threatened to report us to the emperor. How ridiculous! If everyone is like my wife, and doesn't take us Jinyiwei seriously, then what is the point of the emperor establishing the Jinyiwei?"
Liu Jinshu hurriedly stood in front of his mother and said, "Since you can't find any fault with me, you are using my mother to threaten me. Master Chen is really despicable!"
He then sternly scolded the guards and servants beside him, "Are they all dead? Why don't you help my wife go back and rest!"
With the order from his superior, how could the captain let Madam Qin go easily? He pretended to grab Madam Qin's arm.
The guards of the Marquis' Mansion tried to stop them in a hurry, but some foolish young man drew out a knife in panic. The sharp sound of the blade rubbing against each other immediately broke the tense nerves of the Jinyiwei.
But when the sound of knives being unsheathed came one after another, the whole open hall was filled with an eerie atmosphere, and even Xiaoman, who was hiding behind a tree, couldn't help but hold her breath.
"Stop, stop!" At the other end of the corridor, a middle-aged man in red clothes and jade belt waved his hands and shouted to stop, followed by seven or eight officials in green and blue robes.
Xiaoman recognized the man as Qin Boyan, the son of Marquis Pingyang. She had met him once before when her stepmother brought her to visit the Marquis's mansion.
There was another person following behind them from a distance. He was also wearing a crimson official robe, had gaunt cheeks, and five wisps of beautiful beard. He walked slowly and steadily. No one knew where he came from.
Xiaoman turned her gaze back to the open hall.
When these people arrived, the atmosphere in the open hall changed subtly. Liu Jinshu's tense face relaxed a little, Mrs. Qin's tears flowed more violently, but her back straightened a little.
The captain who had been shouting in a hoarse voice now quieted down, put his hand on his sword, and stood behind his boss like a nail.
Qin Boyan was a military general with a strong temperament. He hated the Jinyiwei who had no achievements and could only rely on others for power. He was already full of resentment, and now that they bullied him, his temper exploded on the spot.
"Chen Ling'an, look carefully at where this is!" he shouted in a hoarse voice.
"My grandfather followed my great-grandfather in conquering the empire, a founding hero worthy of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple! My father defended the southwest and achieved remarkable military success. My great-grandfather personally inscribed the title 'Loyal, Brave, Righteous, and Brave' upon the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion, promising the Qin family eternal favor. Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you act so wildly in the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion!"
The man who had been sitting in the chair, looking down at something, finally raised his head.
"Today, I have experienced the Pingyang Marquis's mansion's arrogance and favoritism."
There was a hint of excitement in his tone.
Qin Boyan sneered, "Don't threaten me. Others may be afraid of you, but I'm not. When I was serving on the front lines, you were playing in the mud!"
Perhaps it was his tough attitude that gave people confidence. Those who were attached to the Marquisate and the Liu family immediately became arrogant and rushed forward, speaking in a flurry of words without a single good word:
"You are a sinister, despicable, treacherous villain. You frame loyal and good people, flatter the ruler, and harm the people. How can you have the face to live in this world?"
"You have done nothing for the country, and nothing for the people. If you continue to act recklessly, there will be endless troubles!"
"Traitor! Traitor! We are writing a joint letter to impeach you. Even if blood is spilled at the Meridian Gate, we will bring you, the traitor who has acted tyrannically and disrupted the government, to justice!"
…
Hearing this, Zhang Xiaoman frowned behind the tree.
Is this person really as bad as they say?
Just then, the man stood up.
The loud curses of the group miraculously became lower, and only Qin Boyan's rough voice echoed in the open hall.
A figure slowly walked out from the shadows.
The golden sunlight shone on his big red hat, which danced and flickered like a ball of angry fire.
Zhang Xiaoman widened his eyes.
Strong and handsome facial features, clean and sharp facial lines, deep brows and a straight nose made his eyes half-hidden in the shadows, making him look a little gloomy and eerie.
The temperament is very different, but the appearance is about 60% similar to what I remember.
His heart was beating uncontrollably. Zhang Xiaoman couldn't help but hold his breath and slowly walked out from behind the tree.
As she got closer, she could clearly see that there was a shallow scar the size of a soybean on the left corner of the man's forehead.
Zhang Xiaoman felt a buzzing in her head, and an uncontrollable sour taste rushed to her nose, choking her and making her tears flow.
It’s him, it’s Chen Ling’an!
There was a loud bang, and all the sounds disappeared in an instant. All the figures blurred in an instant, and he was the only one left in his eyes.
Her feet moved faster and faster. The person she had been thinking about day and night was right in front of her, and nothing could stop her!
The exclamations rose like waves in the stagnant hall, and then fell silent.
Everyone stared at the girl who was holding Chen Lingan tightly in her arms, even Chen Lingan himself stood there in a daze.
The Jinyiwei looked at his hand that was frozen in mid-air and had not fallen yet, looking at each other, not knowing whether to continue arresting him.
Zhang Xiaoman raised her head and opened her mouth to call him, but her throat was blocked by tears and she couldn't make a sound for a while.
She swallowed several mouthfuls of air, finally finding her voice again, and turned around to shout at the people:
"Brother Ling An is not a traitor!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com