"Your Majesty, I believe we should send troops immediately," Yang Zhong pleaded loudly.
Emperor Mingde ignored him, thinking to himself, "Hmph, you dare to oppose me? I'll wipe out your Yang family!"
"Your Majesty, I am willing to share your burdens." The speaker was Jiang Qian, an official of the Secretariat and also a member of the Ningguo Marquis's household.
No family is immune to internal strife; the only reason some families don't fight is because they have few members. Even the Ningguo Marquis's family is rife with infighting. However, Jiang Qian is different from his brothers. Huo Baichuan glanced at him and then signaled his subordinates to speak on his behalf.
"I think Lord Jiang is quite suitable." One person stood up and agreed, and the members of the New Party all agreed. Emperor Mingde felt that this person was also to his liking, so he said, "Granted."
Yang Zhongxin was heartbroken. Since the Ningguo Marquis's mansion was downgraded to a marquis's mansion, it had become a laughing stock in the capital. Although he had a nodding acquaintance with the Ningguo Marquis, he had never had any dealings with Jiang Qian, who was not the Ningguo Marquis. Did he have to lower himself to beg a nouveau riche?
He is not yet the head of the household, and his current official rank is only fourth grade.
Besides, pleading is useless; he's not in charge. He glanced at Huo Baichuan, gritted his teeth, and thought, "That guy is truly hateful!"
Huo Baichuan acted as if nothing had happened. After Emperor Mingde left court, he went home. He used to be a chatterbox, but now he was silent and sparing with words. Trying to get information out of him was like trying to hang yourself from a tree.
After the court session, Yang Zhong caught up with Huo Baichuan, calling out, "Lord Huo, Lord Huo."
Huo Baichuan walked with Xie Yun and Qiu Tangshi, talking as they went, mainly Qiu Tangshi and Xie Yun doing the talking.
Hearing the call, Huo Baichuan turned around, raised his hand and bowed politely, "Lord Yang."
Yang Zhong didn't mince words. They were all shrewd old foxes; beating around the bush was pointless. He went straight to the point: "Tell me, how can we protect Shuoyang?"
"Lord Yang, I admire your ability to help." Huo Baichuan said this and strode away, not turning back no matter how Yang Zhong called out to him.
Qiu Chengshi glanced at him with pity, then noticed out of the corner of his eye that the Minister of Revenue was avoiding him and walking back. Without saying a word, he chased after him, saying, "Why are you running? Quickly give me 300,000 taels."
After the two left, Xie Yun was left alone. Xie Yun said with great sympathy, "Why do you have to be so stubborn? Huo's eldest nephew has no other goal than to be remembered for generations. Just let him achieve his goal without any worries. As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn."
"You make it sound so easy. If we give others a chance this time, it will be our descendants who die!" He wanted to spit on Xie Yun's face, thinking, "You spineless coward."
Xie Yun didn't mind his attitude. "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Why are you worrying so much? If you're too insistent, it's your descendants who will suffer in the end."
He has come to terms with it now. As long as he doesn't lose the pillars in front of his door during his lifetime, that's enough. As for his descendants, he can't worry about them too much. Besides, history might even give him a high evaluation in the future, so why not?
"Bah! I'd rather die than submit!" he said, then knelt down in front of the palace and cried out, "Your Majesty, please send troops!"
Xie Yun shook his head at him. This old fellow was obsessed. The people of Shuoyang were also the emperor's subjects. How could he not care about his own people? But if he pleaded like this, the emperor would be unhappy and even more determined to take the opportunity to destroy the Yang family.
In the end, Yang Zhong was only after that illusory reputation. Little did he know that such foolishness and ruthlessness would only cause innocent people to die for him.
Ah, this is a great opportunity to make a name for myself and also a great opportunity to protect my family. I must go home and quickly write a letter to my ancestral home, asking them to open the granaries and distribute grain to do good deeds and accumulate merit. We also need to part with some of our family's wealth. If we have a strong family fortune, we won't be afraid of thieves stealing from us, but we will be afraid of thieves eyeing our property.
Many people share his idea: donate a portion of their money to charity so they can gain a good reputation. How does one become a family of scholars and a family that has been passed down through generations?
It is through these small acts of kindness that a good reputation is built up. Once the surrounding villages and provinces know about this family, and they continue to manage their household well, they establish a reputation as a family of scholars and philanthropists. After several generations, their status as a distinguished family is established.
Uncle Fu had been searching for Prince Yong in the capital area for some time, and after he returned to the capital, Prince Yong's letter was carefully read by all the powerful figures in the Lin family of Luoyang.
After several discussions among the elders of the Lin family, one of them, an old man with white hair known as Old Master Lin, said, "Go and call Dongxue here."
The servant hurried down to fetch Lin Dongxue, who was talking to Madam Lin. Madam Lin said, "You forgot to blush yesterday."
Lin Dongxue was helpless, but extremely filial. "Son will remember this and pay attention next time."
To be honest, it was really difficult for him to be required by the authorities to blush when meeting people.
Madam Lin saw his predicament and felt very sorry for him, but no matter how sorry she felt, she still had to follow the rules passed down by the ancestor.
“I know you’re not happy, but there’s nothing I can do. Look at the concubines, they were laughing one moment and crying their eyes out the next. Oh, go.” She gestured to the standing maid, “Go and call Fifth Concubine here.”
The maidservant left, and soon summoned Fifth Madam. Fifth Madam was a graceful woman. She bowed and stood aside. Madam Lin said, "It's hot. Tomorrow, sister, go to the shop and choose some satin to make clothes."
Fifth Aunt was overjoyed and curtsied again. Before she could speak, Madam Lin said, "Give the eldest young master a good cry."
The fifth concubine was truly a woman who was all smiles one second and then filled with sorrow the next, crying miserably.
“Look, people’s facial expressions can be controlled. You need to learn this well, or you’ll suffer. Your second uncle is always trying to compete with your father for the future head of the family. You have to be wary of him.” Madam Lin said this as usual, her tone extremely earnest.
Lin Dongxue said, "I know, Mother. Your son brought you some jujube cake. Please try it."
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