When the late emperor was still alive, he originally intended to abolish the position of left and right prime ministers and establish a new cabinet.
However, at that time, the Left Chancellor Liao Wushan's faction was powerful and deeply entrenched, and the late emperor was in poor health with the crown prince still an infant, so he dared not confront them head-on.
That's why we have the situation we have today.
After the cabinet was established and the old Right Chancellor retired, the position of Right Chancellor was no longer mentioned. On the contrary, the Left Chancellor Liao Wushan appeared to be a loyal minister, but in reality, he never stopped making moves behind the scenes, and his ambition grew day by day.
"No."
Yunyin said, "Since the Left Prime Minister took sick leave before the New Year, he has been recuperating in his residence. Our people have not seen him go out."
That's strange.
Yue Rongheng finished his tea, slowly stood up, and looked out at the busy official road.
The Qin family's carriages were no longer in sight.
She left.
That's fine.
She has her own path to walk, and so does he, just like before; their paths are different.
As the regent of Da Xiang, he had his own inescapable responsibilities, and she---
His gaze slowly returned, and Yue Rongheng walked forward without saying a word. Yun Yin pursed his lips and quickly followed.
He always felt... as if a piece of his master's heart had been emptied after Madam Qin left.
...
"My lady, we've arrived at Bixia Town," came Awei's voice from outside the carriage.
Bixia Town is a town that must be passed through on the way from the capital to Ningzhou Prefecture. Although it is not a large place, it is particularly prosperous.
Their group consisted of roughly fifty people.
Someone had already gone ahead to the inn to make arrangements.
Qin Sheng put on her veil and got out of the carriage. Awei was talking to Yu Fu when he saw her get off the carriage and hurried over to greet her.
Yu Fu is the eldest son of the steward of the Qin family. He is also very capable in the steward's affairs. This time, Madam Qin specifically spoke to the steward and his son, asking them to send Yu Fu to Ningzhou Prefecture with Qin Sheng. The Yu family father and son were very happy to do so.
"My wife."
"Wife." The two greeted each other in unison.
Yu Fu said, "Let's have lunch in Bixia Town and rest for a while. We should be able to reach Ningzhou Prefecture before dark."
Qin Sheng nodded and looked at the two of them, saying, "Thank you both for your trouble. Remember to make arrangements to order more meat dishes for everyone, and just don't let them drink alcohol."
Yu Fu and Awei nodded repeatedly and went down to make arrangements.
Bixia Town is a necessary stop on the way to the capital, and it is frequented by merchants, tourists, and scholars. The inns are almost always fully booked.
However, Yu Fu was reliable and had someone make a reservation three days in advance, having already booked an inn.
Qiao'er, Fei Cui, and Cai Yue had never traveled far from home before, so everything they saw seemed new and exciting.
The three girls chattered incessantly the whole way.
The inn had been booked, and the men were all on the first floor, while Qin Sheng, accompanied by her maids and servants, went up to the second floor.
Qin Sheng removed her veil and had just taken a sip of tea when she suddenly heard Qiao'er call out softly, "My lady, come and see quickly!"
"What's wrong?" Qin Sheng didn't move.
Qiao'er exclaimed excitedly, "There's someone down there selling themselves into servitude to bury their father!"
"..."
Qin Sheng had only seen such things in plays, and when he heard Qiao'er shouting and the noise outside, he couldn't help but become curious.
She got up and went outside to look, and was immediately stunned.
When she heard Qiao'er shout that someone was selling themselves to bury their father, she subconsciously thought it was a girl, but it turned out to be a young man.
The man looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He was dressed in thin clothes, but he looked very clean. He had a rugged face, and even when he was kneeling on the ground, his posture remained straight.
There were quite a few people around watching and pointing, but no one stepped forward to say they wanted to buy him.
"Jadeite".
Qin Sheng called Emerald over and whispered a few instructions.
Emerald was taken aback, but nodded anyway and quickly went downstairs.
Qiao'er and Caiyue also heard what Qin Sheng had just said. They exchanged a glance but didn't say anything more.
About fifteen minutes later, as the food was served, Jade returned.
"Madam, I have already instructed Steward Yu to give him twenty taels of silver without revealing your name or identity."
Qin Sheng nodded and invited them, "Let's eat."
When traveling, there aren't many formalities. Qin Sheng had lunch at the same table with several maids.
The inn was only booked for half a day. After having lunch and resting for a while, Qin Sheng and his group bought some things in town before continuing their journey.
It was a cold winter day, with the wind howling outside, but the carriage was warm and cozy.
The maids all dozed off one after another, and Qin Sheng, leaning back on the soft, dark purple embroidered bird and flower cushion, also became drowsy.
I don't know how much time has passed.
“Wife---” Ah Wei’s voice sounded from outside the carriage. Qin Sheng frowned, rubbed her forehead with one hand, and opened her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Qin Sheng asked.
Awei said, "Guard Bai said that our men went ahead to scout the way and said there were more than thirty people ahead who looked like bandits."
"Robbers?"
Qin Sheng was startled, and the maids who were dozing in the carriage were also awakened by her shout.
This place is only forty miles outside the capital city, how could there be robbers here?
In her haste, Qin Sheng forgot to put on her veil and went out of the carriage, where the guard captain, Bai Feng, was already standing beside it.
"My lady!" he quickly bowed and greeted her.
“I’ve gone ahead myself to check it out. Although those people look like bandits, I’ve never heard of any bandits around here. Could it be—”
"You suspect that those people are after us?"
To be precise, they came for her.
Bai Feng dared not nod at this, saying, "We can force our way through, but my lady, there are many women in this group who are powerless to resist. I'm afraid I cannot guarantee your safety."
Before they set off, Lord Qin had repeatedly instructed them that their only mission was to protect the lady's safety no matter what happened.
Therefore, Bai Feng dared not take the risk.
Qin Sheng had never encountered such a situation before and didn't have a good solution at the moment.
She wasn't sure if those people were real robbers or if they were after her. If they were after her, who was behind it?
Qin Sheng had never made enemies, except for the Yin family, with whom he had a deep-seated hatred.
...
At this very moment, in the Yin residence.
"mother……"
Yin Wenxiao stepped back repeatedly, looking at his mother with shock and disappointment, as if she were a complete stranger.
How could you---
"It's all because you're soft-hearted and foolish!" Old Madam Yin said angrily. She had Bi Mama dismiss everyone, leaving only the mother and son in the room.
"Fifteen thousand taels of silver, you just gave it to Qin Sheng like that? You're so generous, but look at the state of the manor now!"
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