0151 Yearning for Home (Part 3)
Since the beginning of summer, a number of major events have occurred in Chang'an.
For example, when Lady Changning was determined to divorce, the couple fought over their property and children, causing a huge uproar. Several famous brothels in Pingkang Ward even opened betting platforms, with people wagering on when the two would finally resolve their dispute.
For example, when Her Majesty the Empress brought up the issue of girls' education again, countless young scholars who had received the imperial examinations' favor stood up to become the Empress's supporters. The aristocratic families had no choice but to grit their teeth and back down, agreeing to first pilot the program in Chang'an for six years to observe its effects before considering whether to implement it nationwide.
Her Majesty the Empress was in high spirits and was discussing with her wives the location for starting a business.
Meanwhile, several minor events occurred in Chang'an City—
As expected, Liang Zhiyan's examination was thwarted.
It was A-Jian who found out about this and told it to Shu Fu to amuse her.
A gentle breeze blew, and the moon seemed to be rising. Ah Jian mysteriously pulled her to sit on a rattan chair in the courtyard of the small house. He then served her a fragrant and delicious dessert, better than milk, to cool her down. Only then did he take out a folding fan, tap it on his palm, and begin to tell a story in a vivid and dramatic way, like a theatrical performance.
It turned out that when she worked at the Shu family mansion, she had accumulated a lot of connections among the servants of the noble families in Chang'an. There happened to be a maid who was good at making plum syrup who worked under the tutelage of Chen Langzhong in the Examination and Appointment Department.
This physician, Shen, was known for his rigid and upright character, and was highly regarded by the emperor and empress. As a result, he was appointed to the Ministry of Personnel's Performance Evaluation Office, where he was in charge of evaluating officials both inside and outside the capital.
Recently, Liang Zhiyan has been burdened with several scandals, which has naturally damaged his reputation among his colleagues and drawn much criticism in private.
However, fearing that he might be biased and gullible, Dr. Shen did not make a decision immediately. Instead, he consulted one of his nephews, who had not yet entered officialdom, about his opinion on Liang Zhiyan.
The young man's name was Shen Congqing, a native of Suzhou. When he first arrived in Chang'an, he was invited to Li Miao's celebratory banquet at the tower.
That time, he didn't actually meet Liang Zhiyan in person, but he heard a couple of embarrassing stories about him, which he laughed off. Later, when the plagiarism incident at Kuai Zai Pavilion came to light, it became common knowledge among scholars, and he had heard about it as well. Naturally, his impression of Liang Zhiyan was not good.
However, the reason why Dr. Shen asked for his opinion was to test the officials, and he would not maliciously slander Liang Zhiyan because of his own bias.
Therefore, Shen Congqing carefully considered his words, suppressed the contempt in his heart, and only recounted what he knew to Doctor Shen. As for how to judge Liang Zhiyan's character, that was not something he could comment on.
As Dr. Shen left, he seemed lost in thought, and secretly sent people to conduct numerous undercover investigations.
Another ten days passed, and the Ministry of Personnel's rigorous examination, which had met the "four virtues and twenty-seven best" standards, was finally completed. The clerk who distributed the examination certificates delivered them to Liang Zhiyan, and before he could even offer him the reward coins, he went to find the next person without even looking up.
Liang Zhiyan was so taken aback by the clerk's attitude that his eyelids twitched. His hands trembled as he held the examination document. Looking down, he saw the bright red imperial edict—
Lower middle class.
Liang Zhiyan returned to the Liang residence in a daze. He couldn't hold back and threw a tantrum in front of all the servants of the Liang family. It was only after his mother, Liu, intervened and gently comforted him that he calmed down.
Liang Zhiyan embraced Liu and wept bitterly, blaming the officials of the Examination and Merit Department for making things difficult for him.
After all, Liu was the daughter of a great Confucian scholar, and she had a broad vision and insight. She quickly connected the current situation with the series of absurd things he had done a month ago, and immediately made up her mind.
She completely abandoned her plan to cling to the Shu family and marry off her daughter. She prepared to find Liang Zhiyan another capable wife and also took the initiative to release the indentures of all the concubines in his household, letting them leave the mansion in an attempt to save face in front of the Examination and Merit Department.
Although Liang Zhiyan was reluctant to give it up, his career was the most important thing compared to it, so he had no choice but to reluctantly give it up.
He returned the indentures to the women, allowing those who wished to leave the manor to collect ten strings of cash from the accounting office, while those who did not wish to leave could stay. He would cherish those who remained even more.
Upon hearing this, the beautiful women in the courtyard, each more stunning than a flower, looked around to confirm that the Liang family genuinely wanted to let them go. Then, three or five of them stepped forward, took the repatriation money, and left with profuse thanks.
Liang Zhiyan watched the graceful figures of the group disappear into the distance, sighed inwardly, but felt not much disappointment.
They weren't the people he truly cared about. Even if these few left, new people would come in later.
As this thought crossed his mind, Liang Zhiyan looked up again and saw a beautiful young woman, as lovely as a lotus flower, hesitate for a few moments, then, as if she had made up her mind, took a firm step forward.
"Grateful for your kindness over the years, I will forever remember your kindness as I depart today. I wish you good health and happiness."
The girl's voice trembled slightly as she spoke, a deep blush rising on her fair and delicate face, and a faint blush at the corners of her eyes, while her pupils remained dark and deep.
When the others said they wanted to leave, Liang Zhiyan gritted his teeth and agreed.
Liang Zhiyan was furious when Ke Fu'er decided to leave: he had treated her well, yet she was so heartless, following the example of those people, and was going to abandon him.
The veins on his forehead were throbbing, and he was on the verge of losing his gentlemanly demeanor.
Fortunately, Liu was quick-witted and held his hand firmly, suppressing him from acting impulsively.
Fu'er was determined to leave, and Liang Zhiyan had no choice but to watch helplessly as she packed her things and turned away without a second thought.
When Shu Fu heard that Fu'er had become a free person and had even given herself the name "Jiang Nianfu", she was so happy that she drank two more cups of plum juice.
I also heard that not long after she left the Liang family, Qin Youan hired her back to teach horsemanship. He also said that after Her Majesty the Empress's first school is established, he will see if he can recommend her to teach more ladies horsemanship.
Shu Fu was overjoyed and immediately remembered that she had promised to give her a saddle and bridle, and now was the time to do so.
When she was in the Shu family mansion, she did have a lot of agate and jade stored in the storeroom, but this time, in order to travel light, she only took the most commonly used utensils and exchanged all the other good things for silver.
Therefore, it was impossible to specially make a saddle and bridle as agreed. Fortunately, when she left the mansion, she successfully obtained a portion of the family property with Qin Youan's help. It was not a problem to use this money to buy a good saddle and bridle in the West Market.
Shu Fu chose an auspicious day to go out. First, she went to the West Market to select a saddle and bridle, and then personally visited the Qin residence to deliver it to Jiang Nianfu.
"Congratulations on escaping the mire. This saddle and bridle is a gift for you. It's not made of very good materials, but I hope you won't find it offensive."
Jiang Nianfu's eyes were slightly glistening with tears as she gently shook her head: "Long before this, the Second Miss had already given me the best bridle and saddle in the world."
No matter how fine the bridle and saddle made of gold, silver, pearls, and jade are, they are merely tools for galloping and whipping.
But it was the fleeting pity that Shu Fu occasionally showed at Fan Chuan's villa that truly nurtured her boundless courage, making her determined to break free from the mire and dare to pursue her own future.
This is the real, best saddle and bridle that Shufu gave her.
When Shu Fu left the Qin residence, she encountered a minor official carrying gongs and drums, going from street to street to announce the curfew.
She looked up at the sky and saw the distant, shimmering crimson sunset, like a pool of shattered gold, indicating that it was almost dusk.
She took a deep breath, picked up her skirt, and ran towards Xuanyang Ward. She had to return to the ward before the six hundred closing drumbeats were finished, or she would be punished with a beating for "breaking the night rules".
Fortunately, after a hurried rush, Shu Fu finally entered Xuan Yang Fang's territory with over five hundred drumbeats, and only then could she breathe a sigh of relief.
As dusk approached, the faintly bright sun gradually sank below the wall, turning the entire sky a clear, deep blue. The moon swayed, revealing a hint of white, and emitted a delicate fragrance of gardenias.
What a deep and warm summer night.
The moonlight shone like silver, flowing down in a cool, refreshing stream, making the entire narrow alleyway seem as if it were trapped in cool, clear water.
The girl walked slowly and deliberately, as if taking a leisurely stroll. The moon shone down on her, casting a slender shadow on the blue brick ground.
She turned around, looked down and carefully examined her own shadow. The gardenias on the green walls on both sides swayed and fluttered in the fragrant breeze, and a few white petals were blown down and landed on the butterfly hairpin that was swaying in the shadow.
Just then, it seemed as if someone was slowly walking towards them from a distance. Shu Fu didn't look up, but instead shifted her gaze from her own shadow to the shadow of the person approaching.
The man was very tall, with a slender and graceful figure like bamboo. His hair was tied into a free ponytail. Even if you couldn't see his face clearly, you could tell he was a very cheerful young man.
He stopped a few steps away from her, slowly squatted down, and gently removed the gardenia petals from her hair for the woman in the shadows.
Shu Fu stared intently as the two figures intertwined on the ground, her chest heaving slightly before her heart began to pound.
Oh.
———
Finally...ψ(｀′)ψ
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