Chapter 95: Jealousy Even though she says she doesn’t like him and despises him…
The emperor suspended court for half a month, and on the second day of his birthday, all the civil and military officials finally got to see the young monarch who had not yet reached the age of twenty.
Jiang Zhi was too lazy to attend court, but urgent reports from the border were pouring in like snow, and Song Lang wrote to him repeatedly to urge him to do so. If he didn't attend court to make a decision every day, the urgent reports would pile up higher and higher on the imperial desk. Jiang Zhi had no choice but to reluctantly yawn and lazily step into the Golden Palace.
He sat high up on the throne, listening to the ministers buzzing about at the foot of the jade steps, like a hundred mosquitoes and flies.
The issue under discussion was nothing more than the Daqing cavalry stationed at the border, ready to make a move. On the other hand, Yingguo was short of food and fodder, its war horses were weak, its treasury was empty, and its armor, spears and swords were either missing or of poor quality... Moreover, there were no capable generals in the court who could shoulder the heavy responsibility.
This is not surprising. At the beginning of the nation, there were many brave generals. After generations of war and reform, later rulers often favored flattering civil officials. Who would still want to take the path of military examinations? First, there was no generous salary, and second, there were no military achievements to prove. It would be better to become a civil official with a smooth tongue and flattery, and with the help of his eloquence, he could be promoted to a noble position or a prime minister.
Until the time of the previous emperor, when war with Daqing broke out again, he was in a hurry to recruit talented generals, but what could he do...
All the officials holding tablets at the bottom of the stairs looked towards the tyrant emperor on the throne.
In a dangerous dynasty that is being eaten away by termites, who would dare to be a general?
What's more...some time ago, a Yu Shu died?
Therefore, the civil and military officials argued for a long time, but no one could make up their minds.
As luck would have it, the Imperial Tutor is out of office today due to illness...
Seeing that the emperor's face was getting darker and darker, and he was showing some impatience, and was obviously eager to leave the court, all the ministers broke into cold sweats when they saw this, fearing that they would anger the emperor.
At this moment, the Minister of Personnel, Mei Lianqing, stepped out from the crowd, holding a jade tablet and bowing, saying, "Your Majesty, I have someone to recommend."
Jiang Zhi said casually, "My dear, please play quickly."
"I believe that Marquis Cang Ping is well-suited for this position. He was born a military general and fought alongside his father in his early years, participating in battles both large and small. Many in the army praised him as a valiant warrior, with courage unmatched by ten thousand men. However, due to an unexplained illness three years ago, he transitioned to a more scholarly role, receiving a sinecure in the Ministry of Works. Now that the nation is facing a crisis and the court lacks generals, isn't it time for Marquis Cang Ping to serve his country?"
As soon as these words were spoken, there was a murmur among the people below, most of whom thought that this method was feasible.
But...could Minister Mei be confused? Isn't it obvious enough that Li Qingrang is abandoning military service and pursuing a scholarly life? Besides, didn't he also take sick leave today?! They say he's caught a cold and is bedridden. If he's feigning illness to avoid disaster, we have no evidence... If he's truly seriously ill, how can he lead the troops into battle?
Sadness! Sadness! Sadness!
Furthermore…hiss, yesterday outside the Song Mansion, many people saw this once-valiant general being kicked by Princess Yunwei's mount for the first time in history… Perhaps he had given up martial arts for many years, and his skills had long been rusty…
Hey! Wait...Princess Yunwei?
At that moment, a minister stepped forward and said, "I think that if Marquis Cangping is unable to handle this task, in my humble opinion, Princess Yunwei might be able to take on this important task."
The hall fell silent, no one uttered a word. A woman leading troops into battle? Wouldn't that make the people of Qing laugh?!
The man continued, "Our dynasty is not without precedent for female generals. Wasn't Princess Wanyi, the grandmother of Commander Yunwei, also a woman in command? During the reign of the previous emperor, Princess Wanyi once led only 50,000 soldiers against a 100,000-strong army of Daqing. Miraculously, they recaptured Xiayang Pass in one fell swoop. I'm sure Commander Yunwei also has some of Princess Wanyi's military character..."
Before he could finish his words, the man suddenly fell silent because a sharp gaze pierced him, forcing him to swallow his unfinished words.
"Master Jiang Qin is truly foolish." Mei Lianqing retracted her gaze and knelt. "My sister is still young and has never seen military action. Although I enjoy reading military books, they are ultimately just theoretical theories. How can I dare to be compared with my grandmother? My sister only knows some fancy moves and spends her days hanging out with playboys, either climbing up roofs to tear down tiles or fishing in the river. My sister is so naughty and unfit for this position."
For a long time, the court was silent. Only Jiang Zhi looked at Mei Lianqing lying on the ground and sneered meaningfully. In the end, no general was chosen.
…
Mei Lianqing originally wanted to go straight home after the morning court session. His younger sister had just been forced by her grandmother to live in the Mei Mansion yesterday. In these troubled times, he felt that neither the Grand Princess's Mansion nor the Mei Mansion was a safe place for his younger sister. For the time being, he had to send his younger sister out of the capital as soon as possible.
Just as he stepped out of the palace gate, he saw officials from the Ministry of Personnel coming to him hurriedly, saying that Gongsun Jia, a Hanlin scholar and vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, was suspected of selling examination questions, and failed candidates had been besieging his house for days. Mei Lianqing naturally knew about this, so the Gongsun family had been under house arrest in the mansion for several days. Just when the truth was about to be revealed, who would have thought that the Gongsun family would be robbed early this morning!
The fire has been put out now. After investigation, it was confirmed that Lord Gongsun was innocent in the case of selling titles. It turned out that the Jiang family came to him last month with a large sum of money, under the pretext of asking Lord Gongsun for advice. However, who doesn't know what the Jiang family is trying to sell?
Gongsun Jia holds positions in both the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Rites. How could the Jiang family not have plans? Unexpectedly, Gongsun Jia showed no mercy and immediately expelled the person from the mansion.
Jiang Qin, the head of the Jiang family, was enraged and humiliated. He spread rumors that Lord Gongsun had sold the imperial examination questions, inciting public outrage. Coincidentally, Gongsun's nephew had also passed the imperial examination at this very moment. The failed students, upon hearing this, could not tolerate it. They were certain that the Gongsun family had played a role in their failure! The students, believing there must be some foul play, flocked to the Gongsun family to demand an explanation. For a time, the crowd outside the Gongsun mansion was in turmoil.
After all, the Jiang family had produced a queen, so the people in the Ministry of Personnel were afraid to act rashly and no one dared to go to the Jiang family to arrest anyone. They could only wait anxiously outside the palace gate and wait for Mei Lianqing to take charge of the Ministry of Personnel before making a decision.
Furthermore, today's fire was clearly caused by arson.
Mei Lianqing had no choice but to go to the Ministry of Personnel. He was just thinking about how to retaliate against Jiang Qin's scheme against his younger sister, but now this man had come to him on his own initiative.
No matter whether he is a royal relative or a noble family, if he dares to cause chaos, he must be brought to justice.
He, Mei Lianqing, is sure to catch that person today.
When Mei Lianqing returned home, it was already noon and the sun was setting in the west.
As soon as Mei Lianqing stepped into his younger sister's courtyard, he couldn't help but frown and stamp his feet. He saw boxes and packages of all sizes placed on the open space in the courtyard. The servants were so busy that no one noticed his arrival.
Something is wrong.
He did plan to ask Yin to move out, but how could Yin know the future?
Mei Lianqing felt an inexplicable sense of panic in his heart. He strode into the house. When the servants saw that it was the master returning home, they hurriedly bowed to greet him, but Mei Lianqing ignored them and walked straight into the inner room.
Mei Lianjun had heard the noise outside. When she turned around, she saw her brother standing in the room with a gloomy face.
My eldest brother is always like this, always having a sour face.
Mei Lianqing swept the scattered pearl hairpins and jade pendants on the long table, frowned, and asked, "What are you doing?"
"The court is without generals, and the treasury is empty. Brother, I already know this." Mei Lianjun pulled a gold-inlaid jade hairpin from a wooden drawer and casually tossed it into the box. "These jewels are useless if I keep them. I'd rather contribute my humble efforts. I've also told Grandmother, and she... won't stop me. But if I fail...if I fail, I will shoulder all the blame and will never implicate the Mei family or bring shame upon them. Don't worry, brother. I've already made three promises to His Majesty."
"Ridiculous!" Mei Lianqing strode forward. He was extremely tall and instantly enveloped Mei Lianjun in shadow, causing her to subconsciously take a half step back.
Mei Lianqing took in the entire scene. He sneered, "If you're afraid of even your elder brother like me, how can you fight the enemy in battle?!"
He clenched his fists and forced himself to utter contemptuous nonsense, "You're just a woman, you should be staying married now! What can a woman do? How can a woman command troops in battle? And what about a pale-faced girl like you with skinny arms and legs? Wouldn't you be a mere mockery for the enemy in front of our two armies?"
"Li Qingrang avoided the enemy's edge and gave up the military to pursue literature. How can you not understand?! He, a man, didn't even dare to take on this responsibility. How dare you, a woman! Mei Lianjun, do you really think you have the same integrity as your grandmother? Do you really think that the one sitting in the palace now is still the late emperor?"
Mei Lianjun knew she would be reprimanded by her brother, but she never expected him to say such heartbreaking words. So what if she was a woman? Li Qingrang was a coward, but Mei Lianjun was not!
The momentary fear had long since vanished. Mei Lianjun raised her head and brows, saying, "What if I insist on going? What can my brother do to me? Now the border is in crisis, the Qing Kingdom is eyeing us covetously, and not a single general in the court dares to fight. The Xiayang Pass that my grandmother recaptured is about to fall again. Now that my grandmother is old, I will take her place!"
"I am not your elder brother. I am afraid of death and only care about my own survival, so I just stay in the government as a weak official who can't even beat my own sister with his smooth talk!"
Mei Lianqing pressed his chest hard, suppressing the fishy-sweet feeling that was about to rise in his throat. "You really want to die, don't you? No matter how hard I try to persuade you, you still refuse to change your ways, don't you?"
Mei Lianjun straightened her back and looked determined. "The king may be foolish, but the ministers must not be corrupted with him. Although I am a woman, I am no less capable than men. I also want to save my country from danger and the people from disaster."
"Save the country from danger?" He sneered in a trembling voice. How naive was his sister?
"Do you know that going here means you're going to die? Yingguo doesn't just have no generals. They don't have any soldiers to send! That's why Li Qing told him not to go! Do you think this is a good time with a prosperous and wise ruler? Do you think anyone will care about your life or death when you go to Xiayang? Mei Lianjun, apart from my grandmother and me, who else would care about your life or death?"
He asked again in a stern voice: "Even so, you still want to die, right?"
"I'm not going."
Mei Lianqing's expression eased slightly after hearing this, but she was still very angry at her subsequent words.
"Brother, if I don't go, who else can go? Who in Xiayang cares about the people?" Mei Lianjun bit her lip. "I can not go, but there are people who can go in advance!"
"What does this have to do with you? When did it become your turn as a young woman to worry about the fate of our nation?!" He suppressed his anger and repeated word by word, "I'll ask you one last time. Do you really want to die?"
"Brother, I'm not going to die." Mei Lianjun raised his chin and met Mei Lianqing's angry eyes. "I'm going this time to teach the people of Xiayang to survive."
"Yes, little sister, you know. I have an 80%... 90%... 100% chance of dying. But so what?" She suddenly smiled and asked, "I only need to hold out for half a month, until the people of Xiayang safely evacuate Guanzhong. Even if I die, they will live. In this way, I will win, right?"
"Asshole!" A fierce palm wind came towards her face. Mei Lianjun did not dodge or retreat, and took the slap. "Since you are not afraid of death, I guess you are not afraid of others either?"
Mei Lianqing ordered the servants waiting outside the door: "Break the young lady's legs."
…
When Zhu Hao woke up from a good sleep, it was already dawn the next day. He found himself in an unfamiliar room. He had changed into clean clothes, and the wound on his knee had been treated with medicine, and even a thin scab had formed.
She knelt down and smelled the clear medicinal fragrance, which was exactly the medicine in the porcelain bottle from the stall boy.
Thinking of this, Zhu Hao suddenly felt something was wrong. Why hadn't the medicine-selling boy come to his house to ask for money?
While I was thinking, I heard a faint whisper outside the room -
"Is Miss Zhu awake? A boy dressed as a servant came to the mansion, saying he was looking for money for her medicine. He looked shabby and dusty... Could he be a swindler? How dare he come to our house..."
"You haven't woken up yet? When the young master left the room this morning, he specifically told me not to knock on the door and disturb her, and to let her sleep."
"In your opinion, should I send him away now?"
“…When did I ever say that?”
The two of them argued back and forth until they saw the door of the room open and a pretty girl walked out, then they fell silent.
Zhu Hao was able to walk without any problem, and only felt pain when she touched the wound. She walked forward lightly and said, "Take me to see him quickly."
Seeing how anxious she was, the two men thought that the young master was particularly attentive to this girl and often went in and out of her residence, so they did not dare to neglect her and hurriedly led the way.
But the little boy was indeed covered in dust and dirt, and his originally fair skin was somehow covered with soot. Upon closer inspection, the hair on his temples was slightly curled by the fire.
Zhu Hao frowned and asked as he took out the silver: "What's wrong with you?"
The child murmured, "There's a fire at home."
"Why didn't you come to get the money for the medicine a few days ago? And today there's a fire at home..." Zhu Hao looked at him suspiciously, "Excuse me, where do you live?"
The boy gritted his teeth. Fifteen copper coins! He had wanted to come earlier, but the indiscriminate students just blocked their door! He couldn't leave for several days. Fortunately, the Ministry of Personnel finally cleared his name! If he had been any later, he would have been thrown into jail with the adults! Selling questions for the imperial examination is no small matter!
"The Gongsun family." The boy pondered for a moment. Since the sister in front of him was willing to buy his things, he thought she was a kind person. So he told her everything, "I am a servant in the mansion of Master Gongsun Jia. I usually help him organize books and volumes."
His younger sister has suffered from heart disease since childhood. In order to raise money for medicine, she has to do more work to supplement the family income.
Fortunately, Lord Gongsun took him and his sister in. Although he was a court official, Lord Gongsun was also quite skilled in medicine! He was particularly skilled in acupuncture! Whenever his sister fell ill, Lord Gongsun would cure her with just a few silver needles, without the need for medicine.
But the heart disease that is born in the womb is ultimately difficult to cure.
There were many rare medicines in the master's pharmacy. Feeling sorry for him, he allowed him to sell some of the finished medicines, but he was told to make sure that the prescriptions were obtained from traveling doctors.
Since Lord Gongsun did not want others to know that he was proficient in medicine, he naturally did not dare to say more about this matter.
But the sister in front of him, who was as beautiful as a fairy, rolled her eyes, and her hand holding the copper coins suddenly stopped, and only ten copper coins fell.
The boy's eyes widened in shock as he said, "Didn't we agree that I'd buy it on credit for you and you'd pay me back fifteen copper coins later?"
"That's right," Zhu Hao agreed, but he looked embarrassed. "But I still need to do some shopping today, and I'm afraid I don't have enough money. How about... I come to your house in person tomorrow and give you the remaining five copper coins? Ten is fine too, I'll just consider it interest."
"You're obviously taking advantage of my age and playing tricks on me!" The child couldn't take it anymore. His cheeks flushed with anger. He grabbed the ten copper coins and turned away. "I don't want the other five! Don't come looking for me! Otherwise, my family will make you suffer!"
Zhu Hao stood on tiptoe, watching the child walk away. She insisted, "I will come to your house tomorrow to thank you. Not only will I return the money for your medicine, but I will also buy you a few more bottles of ointment..."
Gongsun Jia?
Zhu Hao tried to confront a rumor or a person in her memory, but when she came to her senses, she had already arrived at Li Mizhang's residence.
Although she brought this man back to the house, she almost forgot about him because of a series of unexpected events that happened in the past few days. Fortunately, Song Xieqing indulged her a lot and did not expel Li Mizhang from the Song House. Even... until today, he did not ask her why she brought a man back.
The door was half-open. Zhu Hao saw through the crack that Li Mizhang was sitting upright in front of a low desk. He held a pen in one hand and pressed down a familiar book with a dark gray cover with the other.
Zhu Hao secretly thought that something was wrong, and without caring about the scabbed wound on his knee, he rushed in.
Li Mizhang saw from afar a young lady in an apricot-colored skirt rushing in quickly, her skirt fluttering in the wind, and her half-loose black hair brushing against her red lips which were slightly open due to her rapid breathing. His hand holding the pen paused inexplicably, and he even forgot to cover the threaded book on the table.
One of them was standing, the other was sitting, one was tall, the other was short, each holding onto a corner of the book.
As a result, the pen slipped from Li Mizhang's fingertips and rolled on the desk, creating a medium-sized ink flower.
Zhu Hao looked down and caught a glimpse of a line of small words: Song Lang was favored by Emperor Bo Mingci, and the court executed the good general Yu Shu.
"Madam Yu was mourning her husband, and Qi'an was mourning her mother. Weren't you there?" Her eyebrows knitted into a small peak as she shouted, "And yet you're still throwing dirty water on him just to make a few bucks?"
Li Mizhang was stunned. He had been wondering over and over again these days what exactly she wanted to teach him to do? What kind of crappy job could he get in the Song Mansion?
Now, looking into her eyes which were slightly red with anger, he suddenly realized something.
He thought back to the past few days. He, Li Mizhang, was by no means a dull person. He already understood everything in his heart and naturally saw it clearly.
Not only was Song Lang innocent, he even tried his best to deal with people and things that had nothing to do with him.
Li Mizhang retrieved his pen from the table, flicked the tip of the pen, and crossed out the words written on the notebook. Finally, he broke the pen, raised his eyes and greeted Zhu Hao, "Is that all right?"
He truly couldn't understand how frail the woman before him was, clearly a weakling, so how could she dare to speak so recklessly before the emperor? And Song Lang, wasn't he known for his treacherous ways? Why did he choose to go against the emperor?
Li Mizhang vaguely felt that these two people might be a little crazy.
He lowered his eyes and stared at the words covered by ink. Since the Song Mansion was providing him with food and drink, he naturally couldn't write like this, but...
Li Mizhang is not a gentleman.
If one day he was expelled from the Song Mansion, or was at the end of his rope, he would still pick up his pen and use Song Lang as a gimmick to earn a few cents to survive.
While he was thinking, something as light as a feather suddenly touched the tip of his nose. Li Mizhang frowned and leaned forward to sneeze.
Zhu Hao hurriedly pulled back her half-loose hair. She took a step back and said apologetically, "Excuse me, Master Li."
He was secretly surprised that this woman actually had a slightly gentle side except in front of Song Lang, but then he saw her suddenly stand up from the table, her face almost crumpled into a ball, and said to him viciously: "I caught you red-handed now, and I was reluctant to do it. Who knows what you will do in the future..."
"Good luck! Don't go too far!" Li Mizhang laughed in anger, a trace of embarrassment flashing across his face that made people want to see through his thoughts. He simply tore off his face and said, "If you are willing to provide me with food, clothing, shelter and transportation every day, and give me money every month so that I don't starve to death on the streets, Li will naturally not write articles that damage the reputation of Master Song. Even if you ask me to write some beautiful articles praising Song Lang's merits, I am not averse to it..."
Zhu Hao was stunned when he heard this. It was true that intellectuals were very thick-skinned.
She was about to say something else when her peripheral vision caught sight of a green shadow outside the wide-open door. Zhu Hao's heart tightened for no reason and she no longer cared about Li Mizhang or Zhao Mizhang. She lifted her skirt and started to chase after him.
Seeing that the green shadow was about to disappear into the depths of the flowers and trees, Zhu Hao called out, "Song Xieqing, wait for me..."
The man's pace slowed down uncontrollably, and Zhu Hao endured the slight pain in his knees and stood in front of him.
The morning breeze blew by, and sweat appeared on her forehead.
Song Xieqing's face was gloomy. He glanced quickly at her knees, and when he saw no blood, he looked away.
He imagined the scene he had just witnessed - the woman's long black hair fell on the tip of the man's nose, the two of them faced each other across the table, and the man leaned forward, all of which made his eyes hurt.
Why was she so close to other men? Didn't she say she loved him? Didn't she say she was his wife?
Yesterday, she was clearly still sobbing in his arms... holding him tightly and refusing to let go...
Why today...
Song Xieqing raised a hand and gently pressed his brow. Perhaps he was just being overly suspicious. Besides… no matter what would happen to them a hundred years from now, at least for now, she was innocent. Since there was nothing to do with her, it was normal for her to be with whoever she wanted, to be close to whoever she wanted, wasn't it? What was he worried about? What was he uncomfortable with? Even if she said now that she didn't like him, that she despised him…
His emotions were like the tide, surging and difficult to calm down. He struggled repeatedly in his heart, like a stranded fish, sometimes able to breathe, sometimes suffocating.
Song Xieqing suddenly recalled the scenes just now, and the whispers of the two people entered his ears word for word.
He stared at her with long eyes, and suddenly called out a name that was unfamiliar to him in a plain and straightforward manner: "Wish you good."
The young lady in front of him responded without hesitation, shattering his self-deceiving words.
What is Zhu Pianpian?
She was lying to him.
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The author has something to say: Pianpian: Of course, just tell the person you like in small words [hahaha]
Xiao Song: She even lied to me about her name!
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