In early October, something big happened.
In Dingjing, the eldest son of the Pingnan Marquis, Su Mingfeng, suddenly fell seriously ill and was forced to recuperate at home. Desperate for his beloved son, the Pingnan Marquis and his wife cared for Su Mingfeng at home, temporarily putting matters at the military horse ranch on hold. His Majesty offered some gifts as a token of sympathy and assigned a new person to take charge.
The people of Dingjing sighed with regret. Young Master Su was a young talent, having made great achievements soon after entering officialdom. Just when his career was about to soar and his future was limitless, he suddenly fell seriously ill. It was truly a case of heaven being jealous of talented people. If he had waited another three to five years, he would have no place in the court.
While the common people saw it that way, their colleagues in the court were unsure. One clever person commented, "This isn't a case of illness; it's clearly a bid to avoid disaster. We originally thought the Su family was like a raging fire, about to burn itself, but now they've seen the situation clearly and are taking action to eliminate the source of the fire."
When these things reached Shen Miao's ears, she was standing in the courtyard trimming the branches of the crabapple trees. These past few days at Guangwen Hall, because of Young Master Su's affairs, everyone had new things to talk about, and they paid less attention to her. It was a rare few days of leisure for her.
"Young lady, you really like these flowers and plants now." Guyu said with a smile, "The crabapple blossoms are really beautiful."
The deep red petals of the crabapple blossoms showed a lively color in the cold autumn. When she was the queen, she learned to manage the life of the harem, helped Fu Xiuyi win over powerful officials, went to the Qin Kingdom as a hostage, and competed with Madam Mei in wits and courage. Most of the time, she lived in power struggles and palace fighting. How could she have the mood to cut flowers and relax like she did now?
"Do you know why the crabapple blossoms are so bright?" she asked.
Although Guyu didn't understand why his daughter asked this, he still smiled and replied, "These are the seeds that the steward brought back from outside. I heard they are very precious seeds. Madam also praised them, saying that this kind of crabapple is particularly beautiful in autumn."
Shen Miao shook her head slightly.
What is the reason?
Just like the gloomy and bitter cold of the palace, even the cold palace is covered in clusters of flowers, but it's simply because beneath those branches lie piles of bones. The most gorgeous things in this world have their own coldest origins.
The Su family has already understood this truth, what will they do?
She smiled slightly.
…
At the residence of the Marquis of Pingnan.
Young Master Su's courtyard was tightly guarded, and no one except his personal servants and relatives could enter. All that could be smelled was the heavy smell of medicine. Master Su closed the door and refused to see outsiders.
As a good friend of Prince Su, Lord Xie would naturally come to visit him.
The Xie family's carriage was parked outside the Su residence, and a servant was struggling to move herbs down from the carriage. The herbs were packed in boxes, which showed how much Young Marquis Xie cared for his friend.
In the study, Su Mingfeng was dressed in green cloth. Although he looked a little thin, his expression was still as energetic as ever. How could he show any signs of being seriously ill?
Opposite him, the young man in brocade clothes frowned and asked loudly, "Avoid disaster?"
"That's right." Su Mingfeng looked at his friend and sighed, "You can see that the Su family is getting better and better. The Su family has been going on for several generations. As far as the military horses are concerned, they really shouldn't be promoted any further. But His Majesty, instead of suppressing them, has been even more supportive of the Su family."
"You have also made contributions." Xie Jingxing reminded.
"Because of our achievements, my father and I were quite proud, but we forgot the danger hidden behind it. If this merit is any greater, it will be a disaster. You understand everything I said, but the Su family was originally in the middle of it, so it was inevitable that they were blinded by it. Now that we have suddenly seen the light, we have to stop at the brink of danger. It is really dangerous."
"That's fine." Xie Jingxing nodded, "But now you have to stay at home for a few years in vain."
"I just hope the Su family is safe and sound." Su Mingfeng said, "Let's not talk about me, how about you? The Su family and the Xie family will prosper and suffer together. The Su family has decided to stop before it's too late, and your Xie family..." She didn't say anything else.
Xie Jingxing raised his eyebrows: "If I don't enter the officialdom, what can he do to me? The Xie family only has one Lin'an Marquis, and he always has to take into account the public opinion."
Xie Jingxing was different from Su Mingfeng. Su Yu, for the sake of the Su family, had sent his son into the government at an early age. However, Xie Jingxing never joined the government, holding only a sinecure. He accompanied Xie Ding on several campaigns, even using the title of his son. Even if the imperial family wanted to suppress the Xie family, they wouldn't do so if they didn't have a son to take over.
"You are so far-sighted." Su Mingfeng couldn't help laughing.
"I'm not trying to guard against him." Xie Jingxing said lazily.
He was indeed not trying to be on guard against the royal family, but was just trying to go against his father.
"However," he frowned and suddenly changed the subject, "How did you suddenly figure this out? I reminded you several times before, but you ignored me."
Su Mingfeng lowered his head in shame. "I was just fighting for a moment, and I was feeling proud, so I didn't think so much. This time, it's all thanks to my second brother."
"Your second brother?" Xie Jingxing was originally leaning lazily on the chair, but upon hearing this, he sat up straight, a strange look flashing in his eyes: "That glutinous rice dumpling?"
It’s no surprise that Su Minglang is just a stupid fool, so how can he remind the Su family of these things? Could it be that Su Minglang took the wrong medicine?
Su Mingfeng explained the whole story, and finally said, "If it weren't for my second brother's accidental mistake, this might have led to a disaster."
"An accident?" Xie Jingxing whispered to himself.
At this moment, a childish voice was heard: "Brother, mother asked me to bring you some snacks."
Su Minglang walked in with his short legs, carrying a plate of flower-shaped pastries. He was round and fat like a glutinous rice ball, with a lot of pastry crumbs on the corners of his mouth. It was obvious that he had secretly eaten a lot of it on the way over.
Thanks to his unintentional reminders, the Su family changed their strategy these days. Even Master Su, who was most dissatisfied with him, felt for the first time that his son was "definitely of great use," "intelligent and agile," and "wise but foolish." Madam Su even prepared delicious meals for him in various ways. However, in just a few days, Su Minglang gained a lot of weight.
Seeing Xie Jingxing still there, he couldn't help but lower his voice a few degrees. He didn't know why, but he was always a little afraid of his brother's handsome friend.
Su Minglang put the snacks on the table, said "Brother, I'm leaving", turned around and was about to run, but someone grabbed his collar.
Looking back, I saw the young man in gorgeous clothes. He squatted down gently and touched his head. His peach blossom eyes were smiling and lively, but his eyes were extremely cold.
He asked, "Who taught you to say that?"
Su Minglang widened his eyes.
"When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked." Xie Jingxing smiled with a very evil look.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
