Chapter 97 Parting (Part Two) He's a Masked Tiger
In fact, Emperor Wucheng did not want to do this either.
Yan San is a capable man. He can extricate himself from a powerful family so decisively, and remain composed even when he falls from grace. He can also quickly reorganize the Jiangzuo military power, which they had previously disrupted, and put it to his own use.
Recalling the strangulation case two years ago, a case of killing one chicken to scare the others, no one can help but admire it to this day.
He had considered following Emperor Xuan's example, using his own daughter to win people's hearts and get Yan San to stand on his side. After all, marriage alliances have always been the fastest and best way to link interests. But this man was stubborn. He didn't even want the Cui family girl, who was his equal in social standing and with whom he had a childhood sweetheart relationship. He dared to refuse a marriage proposal in court. Needless to say, his own daughter was even less likely to be accepted. He was just hitting a wall and humiliating himself.
I don't know what kind of bewitching drug that spoiled Princess Liyang gave him. He's already dead, but he's become a completely different gentleman, just like Li Zhao and Li Xun!
Getting involved with the Li family always leads to trouble!
Yan Ning stood in the center of the hall, dressed in a crimson unicorn robe and wearing a scholar's cap. He held jade chopsticks in his hand, his body slightly bowed. His lips, which had been pressed together, parted slightly, opening and closing repeatedly. His eyes were red and filled with tears as he wept, "Under this whole heaven, all land belongs to the king. Logically, it should be handed over to Your Majesty. However, Jiangzuo was bestowed by the late emperor and is still a relic of Liyang. Every time I see it, it is as if I see Liyang again. I dare not say that it is difficult, but I am incompetent. I only married after I was over twenty. But seeing the cruel world, it shows no mercy. We have been married for several years, but we have no children. Now, only my eldest son is left. In the dead of night, the lonely lamp casts a desolate shadow..."
As he spoke, tears silently streamed down his face. He choked back a sob and then weakly uttered, "It is because of this that I have been entrusted to the Emperor. I, Changjun, have no face to see Liyang and dare not live on in this world..."
He cried pitifully, and his words, though not harsh, were all forceful. He kept mentioning that it was a gift from the late emperor and a relic of Liyang, making it seem as if he was trying to forcibly take it back, thus becoming the villain who broke up the couple!
After dealing with him for two or three years, Xiao Yuanshan had come to realize that this man was not as upright and virtuous as he appeared on the surface. He had ruthless methods and was also capable of being a rogue!
They are adept at using various appearances to deceive and frame you, while feigning complete innocence!
Unfortunately, he was a useful person, and in the past two years, it was through him that he was able to rival Li Xun and the aristocratic families, thus gaining some real power. He also dared not directly break ties with anyone.
The man softened his tone, "My dear minister, your loyalty to Liyang has moved me deeply. As for the matter in Anzhou, you were wronged, but you also know my situation—an emperor supported by powerful families..."
Both the emperor and his minister wept instantly. Seeing the person in the seat become weak, Yan Ning took the opportunity to say, "In recent years, there has been no flood in the south, but the north is dry and there is no harvest. The people are suffering and there are many refugees. If we do not intervene, I am afraid that the banditry in Anzhou will only increase, or the uprising of that year will repeat itself."
Just as he was feeling sentimental, the sudden seriousness startled Emperor Wucheng. He then composed himself, straightened his back, and asked in a serious tone, "I wonder what good plan you have, my dear minister?"
Yan Ning said, "The current situation is caused by man-made disasters, in addition to natural disasters."
Too many people are failing to do their jobs.
He suggested reinstating those former officials who had been demoted due to the power struggle between Emperor Xuan and the aristocratic families.
Most of those people got there through their own hard work and talent, but they lacked worldly wisdom and were inflexible.
It's not that this is bad, nor is it good. This kind of temperament is too easy to offend people. Only by relying on a wise emperor can one find a way out.
In the past, when Emperor Xuan was on the throne, he had a way to display his talents and virtues, but he also offended many powerful families. When Emperor Xuan was weak, he was purged and expelled from the capital.
Floods and droughts—neither of these can be accomplished without physical effort, hardship, and suffering.
If such hard work could be accomplished by simply doing it half-heartedly, while also reaping some benefits and lying around leisurely, who would be willing to put in the effort?
This is perfectly normal now.
Emperor Wu Cheng frowned and said, "That's good, but I'm afraid others will have some opinions?"
He had witnessed and even participated in the process of seizing power from Emperor Xuan, and he knew better than anyone the methods of those aristocratic families. When their interests were threatened, they were more united than anyone else. In the current Jin Dynasty, aristocratic families controlled most of the resources, from the court to land and agriculture, and all kinds of means of production. The national treasury might not even be as full as the aristocratic families' granaries. Rashly recalling these old officials would definitely attract their attention. One must have a plan.
Yan Ning had already planned ahead when he brought it up, and he submitted the memorial he had written in Jiankang.
Emperor Wu Cheng first frowned as he looked at it, then slowly relaxed, and then burst into loud laughter, "My dear minister, you are truly talented!"
"Let's do as you say."
He summoned the chief eunuch and issued an order to first recruit people from the court who could go to deal with the disaster.
Apart from Lu Wulang and Xie Liu, few were willing to go, so it was only natural to recall those old officials and give them important positions.
Even if you disagree with the choice you made, you can't say anything more and have to accept it.
Having gained a group of loyal and capable former officials, and having given the Yang and Wang families an explanation for the previous banditry incident in Anzhou, Emperor Wucheng was overjoyed and bestowed many gifts upon Yan Ning. Boxes of gold, silver, and jewels were sent to his small courtyard, and the old servant watched with a smile that made his eyes crinkle.
The Lady of Huayang County and her husband, along with Li Xun, the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, also came to congratulate him. That night, the old servant and Yan Ning helped them set up a table in the courtyard. They ate and chatted about everyday things. After a few rounds of drinks, Li Jinghe finally asked, "Did you see your younger sister this time, Lord?"
Before returning to the capital, Yan Ning explained this to Li Yunru.
When he returned to Jiankang, Lady Huayang came to see him and said that her younger sister might still be alive. He insisted that she was right. She showed him a handwritten letter.
In fact, the handwriting was very different from Li Yunru's usual handwriting. He practiced Yan style calligraphy, while he loved cursive script. Usually, a single sheet of paper would be filled with a long, flowing piece of writing, and you couldn't recognize any characters unless you looked closely.
But the characters are derived from the person, and no matter how much they change, the essence remains the same. This handwritten letter looks neat, but each character seems to be outside the letter. To be able to write such characters and recognize Li Jinghe, they have implicitly accepted that it is Li Yunru. However, there are millions of people in this world, and they are not sure. That's why they came to find Yan Ning and asked him to look for the place in the book.
He had been searching for her for the past three years, so when he heard about this, he was naturally very excited and eager to go. However, it was already April, the day she was to leave. Before she left, he erected a cenotaph for her on the east side of Fragrant Hills. Li Jing was not sure about this, but the cenotaph was real.
He was constantly on the go, searching for various matters and people. He hadn't been back for three years. After careful consideration, he decided to return to Jiankang first and asked someone to search for the person on his behalf. Unexpectedly, the two of them met again in Jiankang.
Yan Ning always regarded this as a destiny bestowed by heaven.
He explained to the person that Li Yunru had thought it over, took a plain silver bracelet from her hand and handed it to him, saying, "When you return to the capital, please give this to my sister and tell her that I am doing well and that she doesn't need to worry. When the time is right, I will go back to see her."
So even if Li Jinghe and the others didn't come, he would still go find them later. But upon hearing this, he took out the bracelet and gave it to Li Jinghe, and then told her exactly what Li Yunru had said.
Li Jing's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she said to her husband Qin Zhan, her words tumbling out incoherently, "I knew it! I knew it had to be her! I even taught her that word myself!"
"Why didn't Changjun bring her back?"
Having been away for so many years, she must have suffered a lot. She should be brought back to the capital. However, Yan Ning had his own considerations. He explained, "The capital is in turmoil right now, so it's not a good place for her. I sent her to Jiangzuo, which is my territory. With Song Ji there, it will be safer."
Moreover, the reason why the person encountered danger in Xiangshan three years ago has never been resolved. He had investigated and even believed what Cui Wan said in her emotional state, but he still could not find any concrete evidence to find the "culprit".
After their reunion, the two did not completely avoid mentioning it, but for some reason, neither of them told him the truth.
He guessed... perhaps it was someone close to her, her father, her brother... or even her mother, who made her so worried.
His princess is always so good.
Therefore, before things become clear, it is not appropriate for her to return to the capital in her capacity as the Lady of Liyang County, lest she be taken advantage of by those with ulterior motives.
Now he's not afraid of being separated from her, because if anything happens to her, he'll sense it.
The person is currently doing very well.
It would be even better if we could be a little further away from Songji.
The feeling of knowing someone is interested in you but having to send something to them is not pleasant.
The others, unaware of his thoughts, simply thought him magnanimous and considerate, and stopped pressuring him. They raised their cups, drank to the moon, and rejoiced at the moment.
...
Jiangzuo.
After entering the country, Li Yunru rested briefly before immediately getting into the swing of things and sought out Song Ji to understand the current situation.
He told her the truth, including details about the number of soldiers, their deployment, their strength, and even the tax revenue of all businesses in Jiangzuo.
Li Yunru used to be a hedonist and would get drowsy listening to this, but now that her temperament has changed, she listens with great interest. So much material, so long, and she listens to it all.
However, it will take some time to completely eliminate these messages, and it cannot be forced in a short period of time. Therefore, after listening, the two did not have any specific discussion, but instead went to stroll through the market.
She is a person who loves lively gatherings. Even though she has been away from home for many years and her temperament has changed a lot, this one thing remains unchanged. She wants to buy everything she sees when she passes by. Songji silently follows behind her, helping her pay the bill and carry the things.
The people of Jiangzuo seemed to be very familiar with Song Ji. Wherever he went, people would greet him, and some would even give him gifts for free. This made Li Yunru sigh that things really do change every thirty years.
"Songji, you're doing better than me now."
Song Ji simply smiled, not denying it, and asked, "Is there anything else you want?"
Li Yunru glanced at a flower stall and ran over, but then picked it up and suddenly put it down.
"What's wrong?" Song Ji asked. "Don't you like it?"
"no."
She thought about how poor Yan Ning was, and realized that it wouldn't be good for her to buy things for him like before.
"Take it if you like it." He casually tucked the hairpin into her hair, and the shopkeeper, with his keen eye, praised, "Madam, you have such a beautiful face, it looks absolutely stunning on you."
"This pith of rice paper isn't anything valuable, but it really suits a person. Ordinary people can't wear it with that kind of elegance. Mr. Ji is very lucky to have married such a beautiful wife."
Li Yunru: "..."
"I don't……"
Before she could finish speaking, Song Ji spoke up for her, explaining, "She is Yan Langjun's wife, not mine."
boss:"……"
Young Master Yan said he wouldn't marry again...
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