Although his eyes were closed, Zheng Yan could still clearly feel the gaze of the Marquis of Changxing and his wife. He smiled and thought, "What's this? In the court, I've seen this girl covered in excrement trying to get rid of everyone by dancing. It's just an elopement. It doesn't stir up any waves in my heart."
Although they didn't know what Zheng Yan was thinking, the elderly couple, the Marquis of Changxing and his wife, understood what that smile meant—they had been looked down upon!
[One couldn't stand his wife's lack of romance, the other couldn't stand her husband's stinginess; a burly man yearning for love and a still-attractive middle-aged woman longing for freedom, finally succeeded in their secret rendezvous and elopement under the allure of excitement!]
The text is full of clever phrases, adding a lot of color to this story.
The elderly couple, the Marquis of Changxing and his wife: Forget about being looked down upon, let's enjoy the show!
Selfish people have gone in pursuit of happiness, leaving behind only the very unfortunate...
Marquis Changxing and his companion agreed with Chuanwen's words. Indeed, how could Wang Sanlang's wife, with two children, possibly survive? And what about Zhao Dajia? Hmm? They hadn't heard anything about Zhao Dajia, not even that his wife had run away!
Something's not right, something's not right!
The Marquis of Changxing and his companion sensed something was amiss. Given Zhao Dajia's restless nature, if his wife had run away, wouldn't he have posted notices and searched the entire city?
[Tsk tsk tsk, Wang Sanlang's wife is having such a tough time. She's perfectly content being a good wife and mother, and suddenly she receives a letter from her husband saying he's left her. What "found true love," what "you're not the person I wanted to marry," what "you'll find your own happiness"—pah! Listen to this scumbag's talk! If she wasn't the person you wanted to marry, why did you have two kids with her? If you truly loved her, why didn't you do it earlier? You've already emptied your diaper and now you're telling me the food is bad? Isn't that just asking for a beating?!]
Chuanwen was very indignant. Changxinghou and the other man said: "Oh right, right, he's such a scumbag. Tell me quickly, is Zhao Dajia alright?"
Chuanwen went to dig into Zhao Dajia's past again, and after reading it, he felt extremely sorry for him and sighed deeply.
First, he was caught by the emperor fighting with a beggar over duck intestines, and ridiculed by all his colleagues. Then his wife ran off with someone else, and he was heartbroken. Then, the emperor publicly reprimanded him in front of all the officials for being unwilling to donate money, using him as a contrast to Wang Shuren, who was known for his integrity. Although Wang Shuren was later discovered to be a corrupt official and imprisoned, the damage done to Dajia was real. Then, while attending court, he was arrested and interrogated in prison by Consort Meng. Poor Dajia became even more insecure and fell into depression!
The elderly couple, Marquis Changxing and his wife, exchanged a glance. Depression? What is that? It doesn't seem like a big deal.
[Including today, Brother Dajia has attempted suicide eight times!]
suicide! !
The two men, including Marquis Changxing, were surprised, and Zheng Yan's eyebrows twitched.
"Huh? Who is it?"
Marquis Changxing noticed a corner of clothing at the doorway. Zhang Yuan immediately went to investigate and saw the old man, the Minister of Works, stride in.
"It's me, it's me. I just missed you, little brother, so I came to see you! I stopped outside for a bit earlier because I was afraid of disturbing your enjoyment."
Marquis Changxing, chuckle, do you think I believe you? You're just pretending to look at him; you're really looking at his granddaughter!
Chuanwen, Chuanyu, and the others looked completely bewildered. What was going on? They had just been chatting casually about girls' schools!
When Chuanwen met the Minister of Works's smiling gaze, she felt utterly innocent. [Why are you looking at me like that? Want some food?]
Chuanwen held half a pig's trotter in his hand, glanced at the Minister of Works, then at the trotter itself, and thought, "Should I give it to him or not? I've only taken a couple of bites, I'm a little reluctant..."
The Minister of Works stiffened for a moment, his gaze falling on the pig's trotter in Chuanwen's hand. "I'm not going to eat your saliva. Keep it for yourself."
Then, to avoid Chuanwen really giving him the pig's trotters, he quickly shifted his attention to exchanging warm greetings with Marquis Changxing.
"Little brother, how have you been lately?"
"Okay, okay."
The two exchanged forced smiles and pleasantries, and both heard Chuanwen secretly breathe a sigh of relief. The Minister of Works' smile became even more fake, while the Marquis of Changxing's smile became even more genuine. Hahaha, you old rascal, you eavesdropped!
The Minister of Works ate dinner at the Marquis of Changxing's residence before returning home. During his stay, he overheard gossip such as the young widow on East Street meeting her lover at night, the eighty-year-old teahouse owner in Pear Blossom Lane plotting to inherit his illegitimate son's fortune, and the silk shop owner on West Street having his son snatched away by a flower seller, which was actually done by his employee because he thought the wages were too low.
The Minister of Works, having eaten his fill, went home contentedly with a full belly. Before leaving, he made an appointment with the Marquis of Changxing to visit Zhao Dajia the next day. After all, they were colleagues, and since Zhao Dajia had become so depressed that he attempted suicide, it was necessary to offer his condolences.
Marquis Changxing had no objections, but the next day, after seeing the courtyard full of officials at Zhao Dajia's house, he looked at the Minister of Works with a puzzled expression and asked, "Sir, how many people did you invite?"
The Minister of Works was also innocent. He only told Yu Heng, the Minister of Revenue. After all, Zhao Dajia was from the Ministry of Revenue. Asking a superior to show concern for a subordinate and acknowledge his work might make him feel better.
Marquis Changxing: "Then tell me why, besides the Ministry of Revenue, there are also people from the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Justice standing in the courtyard, and even... the Crown Prince is here!"
The Minister of Works felt wronged; he really hadn't told so many people!
Yu Heng, the Minister of Revenue, who had been listening behind the two for a while, quietly approached them. "I heard that Zhao Dajia and Guan Jia, the principal of the Ministry of Rites, are good friends, so I informed Guan Jia. At times like this, it's always helpful to have the advice of a good friend, isn't it?"
Marquis Changxing and the Minister of Works thought for a moment and nodded slightly. What they said made sense, but why did the entire Ministry of Rites come?
Guan Jia, who happened to be passing by, ah... well... he only told Lord Zhou, Lord Li, and Lord Shen of the Ministry of Rites... Lord Wang and Lord Qiu of the Ministry of Justice... Lord Chen and Lord Shen of the Ministry of War... Lord Huang and Lord Hua of the Ministry of Personnel... and so on, that's all...
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