Chapter 41: Family Scandal
The burning sensation left him speechless for a long time. After a while, he turned his head away as if to avoid her, as if he didn't dare to look her in the eye. "Didn't the county lady read my file before I entered the mansion? How could any of my relatives have died that year?"
"That's right, I forgot for a moment—you're Ji Linyou's cousin, right? How could you be the nephew of an important figure under the King of Linhuai, and therefore curious about the Battle of Huangsha Valley?" Qian Deng smiled and lightly brushed the matter off. "Anyway, I've already signed your name to the Ministry of War, so I'll leave this matter to you. I hope Lord Ling will carefully investigate and see if the Jin family has any connection to this matter, and whether those rogue soldiers and Yao Gaotu can dig up any details behind the scenes."
She had wanted to mention the matter of transferring him to the palace, but at this moment, seeing his rare helplessness in front of her, she didn't want to start a dispute here.
Anyway, the matter is a foregone conclusion. If he continues to stay in the Beiya Forbidden Army, trouble will surely arise. So let her secretly eliminate the disaster for him. He will understand it by then anyway.
Therefore, she only said, "It would be best if the Jin family had nothing to do with what happened back then. Jin Tang has always contributed greatly to me and the palace. I know that the Jin family has always hoped to rebuild the trade route to the northwest. They previously sought favor with Princess Gao, and now they have sent Jin Tang to my palace. Generations of their family have devoted their hearts and minds to this end, but unfortunately, they cannot achieve what they desire..."
However, the Jin family was just a merchant family, without strong support in the court or the military. Now, with the death of Jin Tang, all their hopes were dashed.
"Do you want to fulfill Jin Tang's last wish and help the Jin family open up this Silk Road?"
"Yes, I do think so. I hope to comfort Jin Tang's spirit in heaven and make amends to the Jin family so that they don't lose this beloved child in vain in my house."
As she spoke, Jin Tang's voice, appearance and smile seemed to appear before her eyes again, and an indelible sadness welled up in her heart.
Ling Tianshui observed her expression carefully: "So the Jintang holds such an important position in the County Master's heart."
"Actually, it's not just for Jintang. Mr. Ling, you've been in the northwest for a long time, so you should be familiar with the local conditions. Since the An-Shi Rebellion, the trade routes between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Regions have been plagued by banditry and have become difficult to maintain. Although there are still sporadic groups of private merchants making the journey, they often find themselves in danger, losing both their goods and their lives. Without this communication, the countries in the Western Regions have all declined, and the Silk Road has long since lost its former glory."
"What does the county lady mean?"
"Lord Ling, my grandfather was born in Kucha. Although I was born and raised in the Tang Dynasty, I have Western blood flowing through my veins. I believe that seeing the decline of our homeland, my ancestors would be saddened."
Seeing her earnestness, Ling Tianshui's expression eased slightly: "The county lady has such painstaking efforts. If the prince knew about this in the afterlife, he would surely be pleased."
"I've been thinking about this for the past few days. To reopen the Silk Road, we need to rely primarily on the strength of three regions. First, Kucha, the center of the Anxi Protectorate. My uncles and uncles are all there, so there shouldn't be any problems. Second, the Uighurs in Beiting. Mingjiu has often negotiated trade with the Tang Dynasty, so they shouldn't be a problem either."
"So, you came to me because of the third force, the Shuofang Army?"
Qian Deng nodded and said solemnly, "Yes. The Shuofang Army is the greatest force in the northwest. To open up this trade route, we must seek the help of Prince Linhuai. I know that you are responsible for most of the liaisons between the Shuofang Army and the imperial court. I wonder if you can help me make inquiries and recommendations to help restore this trade route and provide some protection for the Jin family's trade in the northwest?"
Ling Tianshui looked at her with a strange and peculiar expression in his eyes: "But I have already joined the Northern Court Forbidden Army. Why do you think I can have such influence in the Shuofang Army?"
Because I know that you must have a certain status in the Shuofang Army and you are not an ordinary person.
Although he already understood, Qian Deng simply said to him calmly, "Aren't you in charge of the liaison between the Northern Yamen Forbidden Army and the Shuofang Army? I don't have much of a relationship with Prince Linhuai. Rather than asking, I'd rather ask you to contact someone who's involved in this matter. Perhaps that would be smoother."
Although he had promised to help her, he was busy with affairs in the Northwest. Given his status and position, he probably didn't remember her, an orphan with whom he had little contact. It would be better to communicate formally in public.
"In that case, go back and wait for news." Although Ling Tianshui sensed a change in her attitude today, he still agreed. "Actually, Shuofang has had this idea for a while now. Now that the rebellion has been quelled, the border is gradually stabilizing. However, it's difficult to restore manpower and supplies to normal at the border. We urgently need reliable caravans to resume trade. This will benefit the people and ensure timely border access."
Qian Deng was somewhat surprised. "If that's the case, then reorganizing the Northwest Caravan is a sure thing. This trade route, coveted by the Jin family and countless merchants in the Tang Dynasty, will surely be unimpeded."
Ling Tianshui nodded calmly: "You will definitely get what you want."
After receiving his promise, she felt relieved and happy, and smiled at him: "Thank you, Mr. Ling. I will also do my best to repay you."
"Shi Er Lang, you are here, come with me!"
When Meng Lanxi heard someone calling him Twelve Lang in the academy, he knew that it was someone from the Meng family.
After all, although he was the twelfth in the Meng family's generation, people only called him that when he was in the Meng family. The rest of the time, he was just the lonely Meng Lanxi.
The person who called him walked quickly to his side. It was indeed his uncle. He said to him hurriedly, "What are you still wasting away for? Get back here!"
Meng Lanxi was unhurried. After signing her name neatly on the file, she slowly thanked the teacher in front of her: "I'll come pick up my things from the academy soon. I've always relied on you to take care of me. I'm very grateful."
Uncle Meng didn't pay attention to what he said. He urged him, "What's your attitude? It's all thanks to the Meng family that you were able to enter the Imperial College and become a candidate for the County Lady's husband. Now that something has happened in the family, is this your attitude towards us?"
"Yes, I really want to thank my clan for their great kindness." Meng Lanxi smiled slightly, turned around and walked out.
Uncle Meng sensed something was wrong and asked, "The school isn't here. What are you doing here looking for the teacher?"
"I'm going to ask for a leave of absence from the Imperial College and go to the Northern Court Forbidden Army to help out and serve as a military doctor in the camp."
"What? You... you're confused!" Uncle Meng stamped his feet in anger and said angrily, "The students of the Imperial Academy are the seeds of future civil servants. Only you are qualified to be a candidate for the county lord's husband. Now you run off to the military camp to work as a military doctor and do odd jobs. Aren't you degrading yourself? How can the county lord still look at someone like you?"
Meng Lanxi seemed not to hear and only asked, "I wonder if there is something important in the clan that requires me to return?"
Uncle Meng then remembered the important matter and no longer cared about condemning him. He hurriedly pulled him straight to Yongdafang, where the Meng family lived.
Just after entering the gate and before reaching the alley entrance, I heard a burst of ghostly howling and wolves howling, and the sounds of mourning and wailing were all heard. It was obviously a very spectacular scene.
Meng Lanxi felt somewhat gloating as he walked in leisurely. He saw the clan elders kneeling in front of the ancestral tablets. The clan leader was leading several respected uncles and aunts in tearing down things posted on the walls of the ancestral hall.
When I looked over, I saw that all the posters were accounts from old years, which were the evidence of the elders' crimes of embezzling the property of vulnerable members of the tribe and oppressing orphans and widows to the point of leaving their families wiped out.
No one knew where these things were found or by whom. Even the whereabouts and division method of the patriarch and cousin dividing the small house's property 50-50 thirty or forty years ago were recorded in detail, as clearly as can be.
Now the Meng family ancestral hall is already surrounded by people who come to watch the fun, either mocking and sneering or pointing and talking. The Meng family has lost all their face that they had lost for a hundred years.
As soon as Meng Lanxi showed up, a curious person pointed at the stack of papers in the clan leader's hand and said, "Silly boy, go take a look at your family's accounts! It's pitiful that you, an orphan and a widow, took refuge with the clan, but the income from the clan fields that was originally due to you was completely embezzled by your uncle's family and the clan elders. Together, you only took a tenth or a twelfth of what slipped through their fingers! For over ten years, you and your mother have suffered!"
"Oh, is there such a thing?" Meng Lanxi showed a perfunctory look of surprise on her face, but she did not question angrily like others. Instead, she admired with interest the accounts that were posted higher and had not been torn off, to see if there was anyone worse off than herself.
This method, this clear attack, looks like the work of one person...
He thought to himself and looked back at the crowd.
Outside the bustling streets, a carriage was quietly parked at the entrance.
The carriage was unremarkable, with an ordinary green canopy and black wooden body, but at this moment a corner of the curtain was lifted, revealing a face inside the carriage quietly observing the outside world.
Even with just a glimpse of her cheek, he recognized the curve that was deeply engraved on her heart, and an indescribable joy welled up in his heart.
Leaving behind the fierce shouting, cursing, fighting, arguing, and cursing in the ancestral hall, he made his way through the noisy and crowded crowd to the carriage. He looked up at the vague figure inside: "County Lady..."
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