32. Prosperous Times
After investigating General Lou's background, Yun Zhihe thought about it many times but still didn't know what Yuan Ziluo's purpose was.
She glanced at her vaguely, and when her gaze met hers, she smiled at her.
Both parties nodded slightly and glanced at each other knowingly.
Su Lin was demoted, which brought an eerie calm to the court for a few days after it was unbalanced due to the dismissal of Prime Minister Wen.
A memorial from the local area reported that Longcheng had suffered a flood and needed relief funds from the court. The court was discussing this at the time.
Currently, there is no one to take up the position of Prime Minister, and there are only a few old ministers left to share the position. They are talking at once and have a disagreement about this.
"Your Majesty, the Longcheng County Magistrate's memorial evades the main point, making it seem as if the flood is a commonplace event. Instead, he only cares about allocating funds."
Among them, Lady Lin stepped forward. Although she was old, she was full of righteousness and was not afraid of the power of the Xuanyuan clan at all, even though the emperor above her was also surnamed Xuanyuan.
The language is also sharp and harsh.
Everyone knew that the Longcheng County Magistrate was a member of the Xuanyuan clan's side branch, which was in line with Prime Minister Wen's words, "From the highest echelons of government to the most remote reaches of the Jianghu, the Xuanyuan clan's influence was everywhere."
Lord Lin spoke directly.
The implicit meaning of his words was to criticize the Xuanyuan clan, a century-old family. They had pillows made of gold and beds made of silver, and they could get thousands of gold pieces just by raising their hands. They also implicitly asked for money from the court.
She was already very old and came from a poor family, so she seemed fearless.
Cheng Guomu Xuanyuan Ming raised her eyebrows, obviously understanding the meaning of her words, and snorted coldly.
It is only natural for a young county magistrate from the Xuanyuan clan to ask the court for money for disaster relief. Why does he represent the entire Xuanyuan clan in corruption and bribery?
Before she could say anything, Lord Chen rushed forward.
Lord Chen was impatient. Probably because Yun Zhihe and Wen Yanhe had a good relationship, he even looked at Yun Zhihe with disdain. He was still angry at the mother and son of the Wen family, and he grabbed Lord Lin, who came from a poor family, and started to scold her. She spoke with a bit of sarcasm.
"Longcheng is a water conservancy fortress. A dam was built last year. How could a flood occur in just one year?"
She snorted coldly, "Master Lin, have you forgotten who commissioned the construction of that dam?"
Lord Lin froze, exhaled through his nose, and stopped talking.
Prime Minister Wen was in charge of repairing the dam. He personally drew the blueprints and had it built.
Longcheng is warm in winter and cool in summer, with a suitable temperature. It is not too far from the capital and has tens of thousands of acres of grain fields. You can imagine what a prosperous place this is. It is known as the granary of the world.
Naturally, water conservancy construction was the top priority, and Prime Minister Wen personally inspected and measured it... How could it be destroyed in less than a year?
Lord Lin was feeling depressed but he didn't show it at all.
The memorial reported that the dam had only damaged a few houses, with few casualties and no damage to fertile farmland. The problem would be solved if the dam was repaired, and all that was needed was disaster relief funds from the imperial court.
"Okay."
Another argument was about to start in the court. Xuanyuan Ying frowned and silenced them. The court was silent for a while.
In the past few years since Xuanyuan Ying ascended the throne, he has been diligent and conscientious, clear about rewards and punishments, impartial and fair, with outstanding skills and abilities. With the Xuanyuan family as a foundation, no court official dared to disrespect him.
After he spoke, no one in the court came to argue anymore, and everyone waited for him to continue speaking.
"Allow one hundred thousand taels of silver to exempt Longcheng from corvée labor and taxes."
One hundred thousand taels of silver is neither too much nor too little, and it can be considered a satisfactory compensation for this flood.
But Xuanyuan Ying lowered his eyes and looked at Mother Cheng, narrowing his eyes slightly, and the mother and son looked away tacitly.
He naturally knew what kind of person the Longcheng County Magistrate was. He was more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything, and his memorials always avoided the important issues.
Longcheng is based on agriculture and is very prosperous. Being a county magistrate is very lucrative and he was arranged by Queen Mother Cheng to become a junior of the Xuanyuan clan very early on.
Xuanyuan Ying's look was a warning to her not to do anything weird.
Mother Cheng averted her sight.
The two of them ended their morning court session in silent conversation.
Yun Zhihe has been paying attention to Yuan Ziluo's movements these days. The secret meeting in the palace that day was too suspicious and clumsy. If there was any secret to be conveyed, it would not be so simple.
As she was thinking, she saw Yuanzi Luo leave the crowd without changing his expression, avoid sight, and walk to the side.
Yun Zhihe's expression froze and he followed her.
Since no useful clues could be found, they just exposed the conspiracy directly.
When Yuanzi Luo walked through the crowd and met the man again, the two of them talked in low voices, and there was also something fumbling in their sleeves.
Yun Zhihe hid aside and clearly saw the two of them exchanging letters.
Suddenly speaking out——
"Madam Yuan is truly leisurely and elegant, wandering around the harem after leaving court..."
She walked out calmly, but her eyes curved as she spoke softly.
"But the palace never keeps anyone here. You're breaking the rules."
Her eyes flickered slightly as she looked at the letters exchanged between the two of them, and she walked lightly over under Yuanzi Luo's calm gaze.
As they got closer, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
"I instructed the guards on their patrol routes early today. A guard should be here to check on it soon."
Yun Zhihe smiled at her, his smile was gentle, affectionate and harmless, and his clear eyes looked into Yuanzi Luo's deep eyes.
"What is the letter?"
"Why not show it to Zhihe..."
A deep voice, each word pronounced with emphasis.
Their eyes met in a flash, and sparks suddenly burst out.
Speechless.
Yuanzi Luo's face, which usually had no expression, suddenly smiled. It only took a moment for his expression to change from gloomy to bright, and the darkness in his eyes dissipated.
"It's not a good thing, but it's just the flirtation between men and women."
She was about to hand over the letter with her fingertips, and wrinkles appeared on her fingertips as she pinched the letter.
"... Madam Yun can watch it if she wants."
Yun Zhihe was stunned for a moment, with a hint of suspicion in his eyes. He probably couldn't figure out why she was so calm, but he still picked up the letter and opened it.
——Xiao Qinniang had a bad temper and was strong and sturdy. She loved torture instruments such as the fishbone whip. General Lou suffered terribly back then and was covered with wounds.
After the death of the old general of the Lou family, the Lou family became sparsely populated and impoverished. In order to appease the loyal ministers and restore the prosperity of the Lou family, the late emperor arranged for the marriage of the Lou family's eldest son, Lou Zhi, to the important general Xiao Qinniang in the court, but they became a pair of resentful couple.
General Lou mostly wore black clothes, had no earrings or jewelry, rarely carried jade pendants or sachets, was an expert in red, and had his wedding dress sewn for him. No one had yet found out what his favorite food was, nor what he liked to do most. He seldom went out, had no friends, and was taciturn.
…
If you like him, you should be gentle and considerate to General Lou, comfort his physical and mental wounds, and don't listen to slanderous words...
…
Yun Zhihe was stunned.
The words were all about asking about General Lou's life, his likes and dislikes, and even about pursuing the man's ideas. He also emphasized that one should be gentle and considerate to those who are hurt...
It's clearly - Wingman's Notes.
Yuanzi Luo let her finish reading calmly, then smiled as if embarrassed and pulled the person next to her.
"Madam Yun should know that I was recommended by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I had been living at the border before, but now I am a disciple of the Xuanyuan Sect and have broken off ties with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. This man was a retainer of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and I met him at the border back then."
"Now we can only meet secretly."
"She has admired General Lou for a long time, but she couldn't find the opportunity to express her feelings. So she asked me to find some information about the general's past and his hobbies..."
The woman next to her seemed to be ashamed, her face red as she lowered her head and murmured.
"Although the general is not handsome, in my heart he is the best man in the world. I hope Madam Yun will not reveal this to others."
Yun Zhihe's expression was stiff and his mind was working rapidly.
She looked at the letter from left to right and saw nothing mysterious about it. At most, it just recorded how a woman pursued a man in detail.
I also captured a piece of information.
——Yuan Ziluo and his brother had long since broken up over the Xuanyuan clan issue.
She concealed her thoughts and gave Yuanzi Luo an apologetic smile, her words also very skillful.
"Before, I saw Madam Yuan acting suspiciously, but now it seems it was just a misunderstanding. I'm really sorry for the offense."
"I'll send some gifts to Madam Yuan later. I'm really sorry, Zhihe, you've been judging me by your own standards."
Yun Zhihe spoke sincerely and apologized to Yuanzi Luo with a smile.
Yuanzi Luo also smiled broadly, "Madam Yun, there's no need to be so polite. It was my behavior that caused the misunderstanding... it was just a mistake."
The two of them pushed and shoved each other, and parted ways after exchanging pleasantries.
"Since it's a misunderstanding, let's just say goodbye."
Yun Zhihe spoke in a neither humble nor arrogant manner and said goodbye to her.
"Then Madam Yun, take care."
The two turned around.
The moment Yun Zhihe turned around, the gentle smile on his face suddenly froze, his eyes closed, and there was no smile anymore.
It was as if the willows in the spring breeze had suddenly frozen.
Yuanzi Luo followed his friend in the same way. The smile disappeared from his face, his lips pursed, and he looked at the letter in his hand with a frown.
After they walked away, the person next to her asked her cautiously, "Did Madam Yun believe this?"
Yuanzi Luo looked up at her calmly, a few sneers escaped from his throat, and the corners of his lips rose slightly.
“…Who knows?”
He waved his sleeves and left, and the wind blew his official uniform, tearing the folds.
…
Although the position of Councillor of the Ministry of Public Administration is only of the fifth rank, it is very powerful and is the highest official position that Xuanyuan Ying can currently give to Yun Zhihe.
Normally speaking, given Yun Zhihe's age and experience, it would take him many years to climb up.
She almost devoted herself to absorbing the knowledge and connections left by Prime Minister Wen.
Having been immersed in the officialdom, Yun Zhihe is not stupid. How could she not see the weirdness of this matter?
She concealed her thoughts and tapped the chess pieces lightly with her fingertips.
Today she came to visit the eldest prince specially. As soon as she entered the door, she saw this mess. It was obvious that a guest had just arrived.
"What is Jinniang thinking about?"
She was playing chess but didn't make any moves, thinking about the endgame in front of her. Qin Duan brought her some tea and asked her softly.
She spoke directly with a clear and pleasant voice.
"Thinking about my brother."
Qin Duan paused, a look of surprise appearing between his brows.
Perhaps she was speaking seriously, and Qin Duan didn't react for a moment. His usually smiling face rarely showed such a loss of composure.
"I was thinking that my brother's moves would not lead to such a mess."
Qin Duan's gaze relaxed, not knowing whether it was a pity or what, and he moved slightly closer to her. Her hair exuded a fragrance, and her eyes were bright and deep, like a deep spring, a still image, and overflowing with tenderness.
He covered the chessboard with his hands, as if showing helpless affection.
"Jinniang, you rarely come here just to watch this unfinished game? Really, please look at your brother more..."
Qin Duan put down the tea, and a thick mist rose above the teacup, which seemed to embellish his eyebrows.
The aroma of tea is refreshing.
"Let's postpone this chess game and play another one."
His words were always clear and pleasant, with clear pronunciation, gentle and calm, like the gurgling of water and the breeze in the willow creek, with helpless pampering and tenderness.
Yun Zhihe looked up at him, his voice as clear and melodious as jade.
"Brother's moves are always filled with murderous intent, and he's good at making a fatal strike."
He raised his hand and gently brushed away Qin Duan's hand that wanted to overturn the chess game, and looked at the endgame again.
"Jinniang's chess was taught by my brother."
She lowered her eyes to look at the chessboard again, and saw the splashing light, which was so moving. "Now the endgame is a matter of careful planning, of advancing and retreating..."
"Brother, you've changed."
Qin Duan's expression froze, and his face was no longer calm and gentle. He leaned over, and a clear and bright air filled his nose, carrying the unique fragrance of a man.
The two of them put their noses close together, and Qin Duan's eyes were like a stream of spring water, deep and profound. He spoke each word with a look of confusion and a hint of solemnity.
"So Jinniang, are you blaming your brother?"
Yun Zhihe paused, glanced away, and stopped looking at him.
"I don't know what you're doing, brother. You have a deep grudge against the Xuanyuan clan. Why did Queen Mother Cheng so calmly accept Yuan Ziluo, whom you introduced? Why did you and Yuan Ziluo break off the relationship? And why... is Yuan Ziluo asking about General Lou?"
"I will believe that she is in love with this man and woman."
"But..." Yun Zhihe's eyes were solemn, and he changed the subject, "Brother, why don't you get married?"
She didn't know what Qin Duan was planning, why he was planning it, and she didn't know the source and the end.
She only knew that Qin Duan was setting up a network.
Qin Duan laughed dumbly, as if he was looking at a child who was making a fuss. "Really? Is my brother not getting married a reason for you to act like this?"
The previous question was avoided with a light touch.
He stretched out his slender, white fingers and stroked Yun Zhihe's cheek, his fingertips caressing the corners of her eyes, as if he was deeply moved.
"Jinniang has grown up..."
Yun Zhihe ignored his words. She had no evidence to accuse Qin Duan of having ulterior motives, but after carefully connecting the dots, she realized that there was a lot of hidden secrets involved, and it was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.
She seemed to have given up her aggressive words, sighed softly, touched Qin Duan's hand, held it, and passed on the warmth, as if begging.
"...Jinniang hopes that brother will get married soon."
The implicit meaning of his words was to ask him to give up the unknown fight he was secretly planning.
Just like when he was a child, he asked his brother softly with a trembling voice at the end.
Qin Duan was silent for a moment, his dark eyes were turbulent, yet still gentle and calm, as clear as lake water.
Beautiful voice.
"Can't."
Such a rejection.
Yun Zhihe lowered his eyes for a moment, as if disappointed, pursed his lips, and listened to him again.
"But brother knows what Jinniang is worried about."
He seemed helpless, as if begging for mercy, and squatted on the ground, leaning on Yun Zhihe's legs, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, his hair softly falling on her legs, his face showing a pitiful weakness and... gentleness.
He looked up, as if using his face to gain pity, his eyes were fragmented, his voice was soft and hoarse, his arms were wrapped around Yun Zhihe's legs, his breathing was trembling, and his pale lips were slightly parted.
"Brother, do not harm the country, do not harm the prosperity of the times, and do not harm the common people."
"Why is Jinniang so aggressive? You've broken my brother's heart."
His voice was hoarse, his eyes were red, and he looked at her with disappointment and expectation.
The tall and graceful beauty curled up under her legs as if begging for mercy, leaning against her softly, rubbing her knees gently with her chest, revealing her white neck, and speaking in a soft voice.
"Brother...don't..."
She tried to pull back her bound legs, but he strangled her again.
"Then... will Jinniang agree?"
Qin Duan asked this with his eyebrows furrowed, and just one glance was enough to make the woman feel pity.
How about it?
Yun Zhihe paused, thought for a long time, closed his eyes, and time passed by minute by minute. Finally, he spoke in a hoarse voice.
"...I hope it's just as my brother said."
It will not harm the country, it will not harm the prosperous times, and it will not harm the common people.
Qin Duan suddenly laughed, his eyes slightly curved, like a blooming magnolia, ding-dong drunken.
He reached out his hand, held Yun Zhihe's palm, lowered his eyes to hide his confusion, and murmured.
"Then Jinniang will follow me to a place to see some things."
"……good."
Yun Zhihe nodded in agreement. When the warmth on his knees faded away, his eyelashes trembled slightly and he curled up uncomfortably.
The carriage was quickly prepared, luxurious and low-key. The two of them sat together. Qin Duan's face was calm and his handsome face was full of tenderness. He didn't care at all that he was sticking close to Yun Zhihe at this time.
Yun Zhihe avoided embarrassment, dodging the warmth from his body, and only asked one question.
"What are you taking me to see, brother?"
Qin Duan raised his eyebrows, hooked his fingertips around the soft, dark hair that was falling, and smiled without saying a word.
Yun Zhihe knew that he couldn't get anything out of him, so he just sighed softly and turned to look at the scenery outside the window.
The people are living in peace and prosperity, and the world is filled with the sounds of hawking and shouting.
Yun Zhihe accidentally stumbled into the bustling city and saw the smiles on the faces of the people in the market, which made him feel a lot more relaxed and forget the awkwardness and discomfort of the previous confrontation.
My heart suddenly tightened, and I sighed that time flies and the old people are gone.
Now, she couldn't see through her brother.
Qin Duan murmured only after reaching the destination.
"...Calculating the time, it should be time."
Yun Zhihe helped Qin Duan get off the carriage and looked at the city wall in front of him in surprise, wondering why they had to come here.
She followed him to the top of the city wall. The wall was majestic and solid, full of traces of time. Looking at it from below, it felt solemn and sacred. The bricks and stones were cold and covered with moss.
Yun Zhihe walked up to the top of the city wall with him, frowned, and finally couldn't help but ask Qin Duan.
"Brother, what do you want me to see?"
Qin Duanyu's white brocade clothes fluttered in the wind, and her hair danced in the strong wind. The jade-like beauty turned her head along the wind and looked at Yun Zhihe, with pity and evil in her eyes.
He extended his slender fingertips and pointed at the land outside the city.
Yun Zhihe's gaze followed the past and suddenly stopped -
She saw many people scratching at the city gate, dressed in rags, shouting hoarsely, "Open the gate", their shouts and curses intertwined. The rest of the people huddled in the corner, too thin to be able to withstand a single blow, groaning in groups in the corner.
The scenery she had just seen in her carriage was prosperous and beautiful.
He seemed to be mocking, his beautiful eyes curved, his voice was filled with a strong smile, and every word was heart-wrenching.
"Look...Xuanyuan clan's prosperous age."
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