Chapter 10
Yue Zhizheng wiped his brows, pointed to his desk and asked him to sit over there. Que Ming sat down and saw a letter on the sandalwood table.
"I've already contacted Lord Xu Weiming of Luoyang. You'll serve under him for a year, then take the Spring Examination normally. No one will doubt your identity."
"Master Xu was a staunch supporter of the late Crown Prince's reforms. He also advised the Ling family on your behalf. At that time, the court was in turmoil, and we were successively demoted. Fortunately, Master Xu's father was a meritorious minister of the previous dynasty, and His Majesty spared him and sent him to a prosperous land."
"He is now away from the government, so coming from him shouldn't arouse suspicion."
Que Ming agreed and stood up to bow to Minister Yue.
"Teacher has planned a lot for me, Queming is very grateful!"
Minister Yue waved his hand, walked to the window, looked at a bunch of green bamboo outside the window, and suddenly became speechless.
Back then, he and Lord Xu were both disciples of Master Ling, and they followed their teacher to support the late Crown Prince's reforms.
However, the right-wing faction headed by Prime Minister Luo frequently opposed it, and the former crown prince suddenly fell seriously ill at the critical moment of passing the reform. Since then, the Ling family has never been as good as before.
Although His Majesty retained Elder Ling's official position, it was an empty one, merely a last shred of dignity for this loyal old minister. After that, Elder Ling fell seriously ill. Ling Baijie, the family's only son, also died in the Shu Rebellion. Upon hearing the news, the elder was heartbroken and followed his son three days later.
At that time, Yue Zhizheng was demoted to Qingzhou. He was heartbroken when he heard about the Ling family. His teacher had trained him for ten years, but he could not even go back to mourn his teacher's death. He could only send someone to deliver something to the Ling Mansion with a heavy heart.
After years of ups and downs, it was not until His Majesty transferred him back to Beijing that he was able to kneel in front of his teacher's grave for the first time four years later.
But it was of no avail when he came back. After the teacher left, only the women were left. Que Ming's mother took her young child back to her parents' home, but disappeared on the way home.
Yue Zhizheng searched for them for six years before he finally found some information in Xining. Holding on to the last bit of hope, he found an excuse to travel thousands of miles to Xining, and finally preserved the only bloodline of the Ling family.
Thinking of this, he felt that he had done too little and too slowly, and sighed.
"What I've done is nothing. If I had returned earlier, I wouldn't have been able to protect your grandfather, and you wouldn't have been stranded outside at such a young age and nearly died there."
When mentioning his grandfather, Que Ming's heart was filled with bitterness, but he concealed the gloom in his eyes and replied.
"The teacher was out on official business at the time. How could he disobey the imperial edict for us?"
"Besides, even if the teacher came back, it would probably be useless. The Marquis of Qingyuan would not let this opportunity go. They are ruthless and will cut off the roots if they are not cut off. If the teacher had not found me, Que Ming would have followed my grandfather and father by now."
Marquis Qingyuan is the brother of the current Empress. Both of them have the blood of the Shuhu tribe. One of them is outside and the other is inside, and they eliminate the factions that oppose them inside and outside the court one by one.
When the former crown prince got into trouble, it was definitely them behind the scenes! The former crown prince had always been in good health, so how could he suddenly become seriously ill, and at such a special time?
There was only a long sigh. Every time the teacher mentioned that incident, he would sigh.
Lament the injustice of this world and the permanence of evil.
Que Ming also looked out the window like him. Green bamboo was what his grandfather liked. His grandfather once said that people should be like pine and bamboo, so as not to suffer from the cold. Pine and cypress have their own nature, and one should always remain steadfast in one's heart.
His grandfather not only taught him this, but also taught it to his students. As one of his grandfather's most proud disciples, Shangshu Yue indeed inherited his preference.
Those people tried every possible means to get rid of loyal ministers, but they didn't know what it meant that "the man is gone, but his spirit remains."
The two of them quietly admired the bamboo forest in the night for a while. Minister Yue looked at it for a while, then turned around and suddenly remembered something.
"Qingning ran into the prince while boating on the lake today?"
Que Ming answered everything truthfully, but he did not mention that she asked him to pick up the veil.
Minister Yue became more worried when he heard this. The prince appeared in Lianhu at this time, probably to prepare for the Double Ninth Festival in a month. By then, he would definitely take this opportunity to bring up the matter of rushing to help Shu Hu again.
Shu Hu was cunning and cruel, so it was foreseeable that he would be besieged by the surrounding tribes.
However, they are still unaware of their own mistakes. Instead, they provoke conflicts again and again, and even annoy various countries at the same time. Their intention is obvious, which is to force Dasheng to help them destroy various countries and expand their territory.
It was such an obvious trap, but His Majesty insisted on helping them. If it weren't for the Queen and her brother, Marquis Qingyuan, instigating them, how could His Majesty be so foolish!
The promised three million taels of silver are not enough, and the prince must go to Dasheng to wade into this muddy water.
"The Crown Prince is cruel and moody by nature. Qingning didn't say anything wrong, did he?"
These Quemings were not present, but Qingning was always gentle and polite, so even if the prince deliberately made things difficult for him, he probably wouldn't be able to find any fault.
"The young lady is polite and well-mannered. The prince can't say anything."
But thinking of how she suddenly became restless in the boat today, he didn't understand why she didn't want to get off the boat at that time.
Could it be that she didn't want to see the Crown Prince? This made sense. The Crown Prince already disliked the Yue family, so naturally he wouldn't treat her well.
It would have been better if he had followed her at that time. At least by staying beside her he could know if she was in trouble. However, she had grown to hate his face more and more recently. She even ordered him to pick up the veil in the water for the first time. It seemed that she didn't want him to appear in front of everyone.
Thinking of this, he became uneasy and his expression became increasingly gloomy.
Minister Yue asked a few more questions, and seeing that his face was pale and something seemed wrong, he let him go back to rest.
"There are still six months left. By winter, I'll find a way to send you to Luoyang. Don't slack off once you get there. There's not much I can do for you anymore. By then, it's all up to you."
"The corrupt and redundant officials need to be replaced, and the situation cannot be delayed! This year, I asked Lord Teng to investigate Liang Province. He said the situation there is very serious. It is too late for you to join the government now. Change your status and come to my side quickly. The court is in urgent need of talented and knowledgeable people to shake up this paralyzed and complicated bureaucracy."
He had studied for so many years just to change the problems of the court and give the people living under the shadow of danger a way out.
Que Ming said yes solemnly.
Minister Yue thought about it again and again. This sentence had been on his mind for several years. Now that he was about to finish his sentence, he couldn't help but think of it again.
"Going there from now on is like walking through a sea of fire. I knew it was impossible, but I still asked you to come to the court. Que Ming, if you were..."
He suddenly raised his voice to interrupt the teacher, "No one else can persist in doing something that is known to be impossible except me. Teacher, you understand. For the country and the people, and to help the common people, Que Ming has no regrets!"
Minister Yue was moved when he looked at him, and seemed to see the shadow of his former mentor.
The mountains and clouds are vast, the rivers are mighty, and the gentleman's conduct is as brilliant as his feathered robes.
If everyone wants to stay out of trouble in this kind of world, I am afraid that this country and this family will turn into dust in an instant.
Que Ming said goodbye and was about to leave, but Minister Yue remembered something and stopped him.
"From now on, don't go out with Qingning anymore. This is a critical moment, don't make any more mistakes."
Que Ming was stunned and spoke quickly.
"Changing things now would only arouse the suspicion of the servants. Besides, the young lady wouldn't agree to it, and it would be difficult to find a reason to lie to her. It's better to keep things as they are."
When Minister Yue heard this, he thought it made sense, so he told him not to change it and let him go back to rest.
Que Ming carried the lantern and returned to the stable from the path again. He simply finished his work and returned to his room.
Lying in bed, he only felt a stuffy nose and some discomfort today. He thought that it was because he had been wearing wet clothes for too long after going into the water, and he might have caught a cold now.
The same thing happened to the eldest lady today. She seemed unwell from the moment she got on board, and she even fell into a drowsy sleep for a while.
He remembered what she said before he carried her into the car.
"Have you seen what I wrote for you..."
What is written?
The eldest daughter loves poetry and often writes herself, but I've never heard her write for anyone. Was the "you" she was referring to herself? Perhaps she mistaken him for someone else in a daze.
After all, in her eyes, I should be just a servant, a servant she looked down upon...
Unable to fall asleep, he tossed and turned in bed, facing inward. The grey wall in front of him gradually became darker, like a mirror sucking him in.
What she was talking about was definitely not him, and even if it was, it probably wouldn't be a good poem.
The only person who could receive her praise was probably someone like the Duke of Huguo. That Third Young Master Cui didn't even need to hide when he looked at her. She couldn't compare to him, and it was even difficult for her to even look up at her.
Even if he does gain some power in the future, everything he does will still revolve around finding out what happened and avenging his family.
How can I pull her to my side when I am like this?
It's better for the young lady to stay away from him, at least it won't affect her...
My thoughts drifted away with the dream. This dream was quite sensible and it replayed the scene on the boat today.
The woman under the gray veil lifted the hat on his head, saw his red cheeks under the hat, and pointed her slender finger at the side of his face.
"Queming, why is your face so red?"
He couldn't answer and tried to help her up, but she put her arms around his neck and hugged him, smiling.
"You blush because of me."
So certain, it's not even a question.
After being exposed, his face turned even redder, and he couldn't sleep well because of the heat. As expected, he couldn't get up the next morning. He had indeed caught a cold.
This cold is half because of her, and the other half is also because of her.
If the instigator felt it, he would naturally feel bad and would have a terrible headache since morning.
Yue Qingning felt very uncomfortable in his head, so he leaned on the low couch and called Qingzhu over.
"Girl, you look so pale. Did the medicine you drank last night not work?"
Qingzhu brought a bowl of peanut cheese and placed it on the table, watching her massaging her head with two fingers again.
"Having a headache again?"
"Um."
Qingzhu's soft voice made her unable to help but act coquettishly, and she pulled her over to lean on her shoulder.
With a smile, Qingzhu placed both hands on her temples, slowly rubbing away the pain that seeped into the cracks of her mind.
"Did you catch a cold because you went out yesterday without getting well?"
Yue Qingning narrowed his eyes when he heard this. It wasn't because of this! It was probably because of the prince.
Whenever I see him or even hear people talking about him, my head starts to hurt, as if some hidden mechanism has been triggered.
Not only is there an annoying person outside, there is also another big trouble in this mansion!
She sighed deeply again, raised her head, took the peanut butter in her hand, and put it into her mouth spoonful by spoonful like a kitten.
Qingzhu looked at her and thought she was adorable! She was already extremely beautiful, and with her charming and charming side that occasionally showed through, she felt refreshed just by looking at her.
After eating two spoonfuls, Yue Qingning looked up at her.
"I didn't go to breakfast today. Mother didn't say anything?"
"Madam asked about it and told the girl to eat well. She has already called a doctor to take a look. He will probably be in the mansion soon."
Yue Qingning was stunned. She didn't expect her mother to say such indifferent words.
Seeing that she was stunned, Qingzhu added.
"The eldest princess invited Madam to her residence today, probably to discuss the matter of offering sacrifices to her husband."
Upon hearing this, Yue Qingning slowly put down the porcelain bowl, and some memories seemed to come to his mind because of this sentence.
The eldest princess is the emperor's favorite sister. She is now 67 years old. However, compared to the old man in the palace, the eldest princess has always cultivated herself and not been involved in external affairs. She is much healthier than her brother, the emperor, who is four years younger than her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
