Chapter 96: Grudges
When it comes to Mr. Qian, the Tongzhi of Qingzhou Prefecture, the common people of Qingzhou Prefecture probably aren't very familiar with him. They know Mr. Fang, the prefect, and Mr. Li, the Tongpan, but they know very little about Mr. Qian.
There is naturally a reason for this. Tongzhi is not a fixed official position, but is usually set up according to local conditions. Generally speaking, it is the deputy position of the prefect, equivalent to the prefect's secretary.
Generally speaking, a Tongzhi must be the right-hand man of the local prefect and is highly respected, but the relationship between Tongzhi Qian and Prefect Fang is very interesting.
It was because Qian Tongzhi was not promoted by Prefect Fang, but was a member of the imperial court who was temporarily sent here to handle affairs when Qingzhou suffered a flood that year and most of the local officials were dismissed and convicted, while Prefect Fang had not yet arrived in Qingzhou.
When Qian Tongzhi first came to Qingzhou Prefecture, there was a period of time when there were no tigers in the mountains. Unfortunately, Fang Zhiwen appeared out of nowhere. Not only was he a direct descendant of the emperor, he was also a man who made decisions arbitrarily and was involved in every detail.
If Qian Tongzhi was smart, he would know that he could only flatter such a boss and obey him obediently.
Unfortunately, this Tongzhi Qian was not a smart man. He took advantage of his seniority to take advantage of his position. Although Fang Zhifu smiled on the surface, he acted without hesitation. Soon, 70% to 80% of the power in Qian Tongzhi's hands was divided away, leaving only some scraps.
What's worse, the emperor sent the fifth prince to provide disaster relief. Qian Tongzhi was in charge of local water conservancy and river engineering, so naturally he had to deal with this prince.
Everyone knew that disaster relief was actually a lucrative business, and Qian Tongzhi had some thoughts in mind at the time, but before he could do anything, he was frightened out of his wits by the Fifth Prince's decisive action, and he became even more timid from then on.
But he was still Tongzhi after all, holding a fifth-rank official position. As long as the court did not directly dismiss him, Tongzhi Qian would still have some confidence in Qingzhou Prefecture, and it didn't matter whether the common people knew it or not.
He must have known that given Prefect Fang's dislike for him, it would be extremely difficult for him to make any further progress, so he simply didn't do anything practical. This way, everything remained peaceful.
Although Qian Tongzhi appears cautious and calm outside, he is completely different when he returns home.
He liked fine wine and beautiful women. In addition to his wife, there were eight women with official status in his family, and countless others without official status, most of whom were sent away at will by his wife.
The former Chen Pingting is now the most favored eighth concubine. When she was brought in as a little darling, Madam Qian didn't even take this merchant girl seriously. Who would have thought that after a few years, this woman not only didn't die, but became the most favored one. Now she even dares to offend her directly, and she has to tolerate it in every possible way, because Lord Qian likes her.
Although she was a concubine, as a favored concubine, Chen Pingting lived in the backyard of the Qian family and felt more comfortable than Mrs. Qian.
For example, at this moment, she is meeting her mother in her own yard. It is extremely difficult for concubines of other families to contact their families, let alone see them, but Chen Pingting can often see her parents.
Her face was a little pale, and her pretty face was slightly tired. She leaned lazily on the chaise longue.
Seeing that his mother had no intention of getting up, without even moving her eyelids, he asked, "Mom, why are you here again?"
Now, facing her daughter, Mrs. Chen seemed to be trying to please her: "Mother, I missed you so much that I came to see you."
Chen Pingting sneered and said calmly, "Didn't you just come here a few days ago? Who's causing trouble this time? Mother, you don't care about my brother. Look at how much trouble he's gotten into this past year. My master is very impatient and doesn't want to deal with this matter anymore. Are you happy to see me fall from favor?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen quickly said, "Pingting, you can't ignore your eldest brother. After a woman gets married, she still has to rely on her family. He just arrived in Qingzhou Prefecture and was blinded by the world, so he has been confused a few times."
Chen Pingting sneered, "I rely on him? Just save your energy. It's good enough that he doesn't cause me any trouble. If Dad hadn't died, he would be the only male left in the Chen family. I wouldn't care whether he lives or dies."
Mrs. Chen looked embarrassed, but she didn't dare to argue with her daughter directly.
Chen Pingting was upset, but seeing Madam Chen's expression, she sighed. After all, she was her biological mother, and they had been very close since childhood. She softened her tone and asked, "Mother, tell me straight, what's going on?"
Mrs. Chen then said, "Daughter, this is really not your brother's business."
She subconsciously looked at the maid next to her. Chen Pingting frowned, but waved her hand to let them go.
Madam Chen followed him and closed the door, then came over and said, "Pingting, the boy from the Su family passed the examination for the scholar degree and has now arrived in Qingzhou Prefecture. He plans to take the examination for the juren degree."
Chen Pingting felt uncomfortable when she heard the name of the Su family, especially when she thought of the handsome and talented Su Zongzhang in the past, and then looked at the fat, lustful, and insolent Lord Qian, who had a habit of not being able to be seen by others. She felt more and more unwilling.
But soon, Chen Pingting sneered and said, "Is it that easy to pass the imperial examination? Even if you pass, you may not be able to become an official. What are you afraid of?"
Mrs. Chen quickly said, "Pingting, have you heard of 'Song of the Year Flower'?"
Of course Chen Pingting had heard of it. This play became popular all over the country last year, and their mansion had even invited a troupe to perform it. Mrs. Qian praised it highly at the time, but Chen Pingting didn't like it very much.
Madam Chen continued, "You may not know that this poem 'Song of the Year Flower' is actually about the story between Su Fengzhang and his good friend Lin Changqing. This poem was written by Su Fengzhang himself."
"If it were in the past, mother would naturally not be anxious. Even if Su Fengzhang passed the imperial examination, what would happen? The best he could do would be like his father, finding a job as a minor official in Hushan County. He wouldn't even be worthy of carrying shoes for our son-in-law."
"But who knew that his friend died so well? Such a despicable play, even the emperor watched and listened to it, and even sent eunuchs from the palace to pay tribute to him."
"The news from Hushan County says that the eunuchs in the palace said it themselves. His Majesty is very pleased with Su Fengzhang. If he goes to the capital to take the imperial examination, he might pass. If he does, won't he catch the emperor's eye?"
"If that time really comes, he will definitely not let our Chen family go. I'm afraid they still remember clearly how Su Zongzhang and Su Dianli died. When he comes to power, it will be our bad luck!"
"What? He actually wrote "Sui Hua Yin"?" Chen Pingting asked in surprise. She was now a woman in the inner house, and a young woman at that. She could only rely on her family to pass on news from the outside world. Naturally, she was not as well-informed as Madam Qian.
Mrs. Chen said with a sad face: "Isn't it true? Who could have known that Su Fengzhang could have such good fortune!"
Chen Pingting frowned, and became even more annoyed when she saw Madam Chen's sad face. Before, when Mr. Chen was still alive, she didn't have to worry about the affairs of the Chen family. Now Madam Chen had no idea, and her eldest brother was a hopeless person.
"Even so, what can I do? The imperial examination is a big deal, not to mention me, even my master can't interfere." Chen Pingting was self-aware of this.
Mrs. Chen cried out, "Pingting, you are a member of the Qian family now. Even if Su Fengzhang becomes rich, he may not be able to embarrass you. But what about me and your brother? If he becomes an official, it will be easy for him to deal with a merchant."
Chen Pingting couldn't help but curse, "Dad told you not to go too far and to break off the engagement in a nice way, but you refused to listen. Now that we're enemies, what can I do? Can I even let Su Zongzhang live?"
Mrs. Chen just kept crying: "Then you should think of a way. Once he really passes the imperial examination and comes to Beijing to take the imperial examination, it will be very difficult for us to take action."
"Besides, if he hadn't been so aggressive back then, your father wouldn't have rushed to send you to Qingzhou Prefecture, nor would you have encountered pirates on the way back, and you wouldn't have died so miserably."
"Su Zongzhang and Su Dianli died early. It was their own fault. It is their family that should pay for your father's life."
"Even if it's not for us, you can't let him take the lead for your own sake. When he does, he might not be able to do anything to you directly, but if he says a few words to Master Qian, then you won't be able to..."
Only a selfish and conceited woman like Mrs. Chen could say such confusing and fabricated words.
"Alright!" Chen Pingting couldn't help but yelled when she saw that what she said was becoming more and more outrageous.
Mrs. Chen was startled and sobbed, covering her face.
Chen Pingting calmed down her anger and said to her, "Alright, I'll figure out a way to deal with this."
After saying this, Chen Pingting didn't care about Mrs. Chen's expression and directly asked someone to send her away.
But after the person left, Chen Pingting felt embarrassed. Although Mrs. Chen's words were unpleasant, there was one thing she said that was right. If she were Su Fengzhang, she would never let go of those who bullied her if she became successful one day.
Having made up her mind, Chen Pingting put on some makeup, walked out of the room, and went straight to Lord Qian's study.
When she reached the study door, a servant stopped her and lowered his head, not daring to look at her directly: "Eighth Aunt, the master hasn't come back yet."
Chen Pingting smiled tenderly: "I know, but when I was painting with the master in the room yesterday, I dropped a gold hairpin. I went in and found it and came out later."
"This..." The servant hesitated.
Chen Pingting's expression turned cold, and she angrily asked, "What do you mean? Are you saying that I'm not allowed to enter the master's study?"
"That's the gold hairpin the master gave me. If anything goes wrong with it, you can't afford the compensation even if I sell it."
The servant knew that she was the most favored and often went in and out of Master Qian's study, so he didn't dare to stop her harshly. "Eighth Aunt, please come in. The study is a very important place, so please be careful."
"Okay, I got it. When the master comes back, I will praise you for your diligence in front of him." Chen Pingting walked in with a smile.
After entering the study, she glanced at the desk and quickly reached out to put one of the business cards into her arms. Her movements were skillful and it was obvious that this was not the first time she had done this.
It was impossible to let Lord Qian intervene personally, but with the business card, she could do a lot. When her brother got into trouble before, Chen Pingting was afraid of incurring Lord Qian's dislike, so she secretly used the business card to do things without leaving any trace.
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The author has something to say: People who have done something wrong
It is easier to frame others
Why? Because she is afraid.
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