July 22nd is an auspicious day for weddings, property purchases, and prayers.
As soon as Zhao Shu got out of bed in the early morning, Green Ivy came to report angrily, "Princess, someone from the Marquis of Ningguo said that the wedding date of Young Master Jiang has been moved to the first day of next month."
Zhao Shu wasn't really interested in the Jiang family right now, but she was still very unhappy to hear this news. No wonder she hadn't heard anything about the Jiang family's wedding for so long.
"Go tell the Jiang family that if they postpone the date again, they'll make sure the Fifth Young Master Jiang pays a heavy price!"
"Yes!" Green Ivy went off proudly and arrogantly.
After washing up and having breakfast with Prince Yong, Uncle Fu, Bi Qiao, Xiao Guozi, and others waited in the small study.
"Princess, the shop has been secured. What do you think?" He handed the contract to Zhao Shu.
Zhao Shu looked at it and, finding no problems, said, "Take the things the Xie family sent to the shop. Once the imperial decree is issued, immediately open the shop and auction off the Xie family's items. Make sure to say it in a positive way."
"Yes, this old servant understands." Uncle Fu had already anticipated how furious the Xie family would be when they found out that the princess had used their things to bid on the auction. Humph, who told them to be so arrogant!
At the Meridian Gate, the ministers waited for several hours, but neither Liang Yunsi nor anyone came to announce the emperor's dismissal of court that day came.
The crowd whispered among themselves, "Lord Li, you're well-informed, do you know about this?"
"I don't know, I don't know." Lord Li waved his hand and shook his head, looking completely bewildered.
Yang Zhong and Qiu Tangshi stood on either side, their eyes blazing with tension, neither giving an inch. "Lord Qiu, do you know why this is?" Yang Zhong asked deliberately, raising his voice.
Discussing the emperor is already presumptuous, let alone asking such a loud question.
Qiu Tang sneered, "Lord Yang, you hold a high position, yet you do not set an example for all officials. You dare to criticize the Emperor here. Do you know your crime?"
Yang Zhong glared at him fiercely, thinking to himself, "You're not much better than me. Who knows how many spies you have in the palace! What are you pretending to be, a loyal subject?"
He chuckled, “Lord Qiu is right. However, I am only concerned about the Emperor. As a subject, it is my duty to care about the Emperor.”
Qiu Tang looked at him from afar, no longer replying. There would be plenty of time for a war of words later.
Yang Zhong, however, had no intention of letting Qiu Chengshi off the hook and wanted to say something more, but then a black-awning carriage bearing the Xie family's insignia arrived before the officials with the clatter of hooves.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Xie Yun, dressed in the robes of a second-rank official, stepped out of the carriage with a solemn and dignified air. The sight of Xie Yun caused an uproar among the officials.
Of the officials who were suspended from their posts to stay home and raise their children, one has now returned to court. I wonder if the others will also make an appearance soon.
However, even after craning their necks until they ached, they still couldn't see anyone else appear.
"Thank you, Your Excellency." Qiu Tangshi immediately stepped forward, his face filled with unprecedented respect, as if he had met a role model.
Xie Yun was still getting used to the sudden change in attitude, but everyone else looked at Qiu Tangshi strangely. When did Qiu the Fox and Lord Xie become so close?
Xie Yun felt bitter, as if he had swallowed a bitter pill.
Today, as soon as he got up, his eyelids started twitching. His favored and charming concubine comforted him, saying that twitching on the left means good fortune. Just as he finished listening to his eldest son's report, the ballad incident was finally put out. Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, the imperial edict arrived.
The rest of the Xie family were so happy they almost cried, but he really wanted to cry. The Emperor was putting the Xie family on the fire!
Thinking of this, he kicked his eldest son hard and cursed, "You good-for-nothing! The emperor is about to fall asleep, why are you sending him this pillow!"
Xie Qiuliang felt incredibly wronged, but he could only endure his father's anger.
The imperial edict arrived, along with a plaque inscribed with the words "A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings."
The messenger, Liang Yunsi, said with a joyful expression, "Congratulations, congratulations! This is the first time in Dayong that such a thing has happened, which shows that you have won the Emperor's favor."
What could he do? He could only force a big, grateful smile and say, "This old minister thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!" Tears were already falling as he spoke.
Liang Yunsi took it as a sign of being moved and said, "Sir, I cannot convey these words on your behalf. With such great favor and grace, it would be more appropriate for you to personally express your gratitude."
Xie Yun: ...! Who asked you to relay this! Is that what I meant?!
So he went to the palace.
Almost as soon as he arrived at the Meridian Gate, Liang Yunsi's treacherous voice rang out, "Attend court!"
A man dressed as a woodcutter passed by the Xie residence and walked all the way to the Jinxiu Pavilion.
At this moment, Uncle Fu was standing guard in front of the Jinxiu Pavilion, pacing back and forth, his obese body rolling back and forth like a ball.
The woodcutter walked to the gate of the Brocade Pavilion and said, "Going home, going home."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Fu turned and went inside, while the woodcutter carried his firewood and walked away into the distance.
After the woodcutter left, the door of the Brocade Pavilion opened, and at the same time, a pair of couplets fell from the windows on both sides of the second floor, hanging down on both sides.
First line: Blessed with high fortune and virtuous conduct
Second line: Long history
This is the most bustling and lively place, with the characteristics of a commercial street, where people come and go and cars are constantly moving.
Soon, a crowd gathered in front of Jinxiu Pavilion. Uncle Fu did not chase them away. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he took down the plaque of Jinxiu Pavilion and put up a banner.
The banner read, "Highest bidder wins," and together with the short couplets on either side, it formed a horizontal scroll, though it didn't quite match.
After hanging them up, Xinwei, Xinmao, and the others opened the gate completely, revealing what was inside.
People who can come to this place to shop are not born poor; their families are all well-off and they have seen a lot of the world.
Immediately, someone recognized that the contents inside were all high-quality goods.
"My goodness, that's a Phalaenopsis orchid, my wife's favorite flower. May I ask if you sell that pot of flowers?" This young man looked dignified, refined, and full of scholarly air. In his worldview, how could such a beautiful flower be sold?
Xinwei and Xinmao smiled slightly. Both of them were naturally beautiful, and their smiles gave people a sunny and warm feeling. They said, "Young master has good taste. This flower was a gift from the Xie family, who are known as pillars of society. Now that the family is in dire straits, we have no choice but to put it up for auction. The highest bidder wins."
As Xinwei finished speaking, someone in the crowd kindly explained, "I've heard that the Xie family is quite remarkable. You know the pillars in front of the Xie family's gate? They're so tall that civil officials have to dismount from their sedan chairs and military officials have to dismount from their horses. In the capital, which family has such an honor? This morning, the Emperor even issued an edict bestowing upon the Xie family the words 'A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings.' Oh my, the Xie family is truly extraordinary."
After rambling on and on, everyone actually started to feel that collecting something from the Xie family was absolutely necessary.
The auction is in full swing here.
Wang Jiyang, who was still kneeling at the East Gate, saw a little eunuch running over from afar. He grinned, but the smile was extremely ugly.
"Lord Wang, Lord Wang, the Emperor summons you to an audience," the little eunuch said breathlessly.
Wang Jiyang braced himself on the ground with both hands, trying hard to stand up, but because he had been kneeling for too long, he couldn't stand up for a while. The little eunuch took pity on him and hurriedly came over to help him up.
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