Chapter 119: Plum Blossoms 29 The confused master and the naughty concubine...
They would have to go back to Huizhou after only a few days, and they took some time to come back to see their grandmother, as they couldn't stay for long anyway.
Before leaving, the grandmother stood by the pavilion and took Song Yanze's hand, giving him detailed instructions, from Mo Tanliang to the dangers of officialdom. Song Yanze responded to all of them without any impatience.
Jiang Tingyuan could finally stand beside him legitimately, holding the goose feather at his waist, and couldn't help but keep his eyes on him. Song Yanze stood close to him, inseparable, and in an intimate posture.
One of them is wearing a wide robe with big sleeves, looking elegant and graceful; the other one is wearing a short shirt with tied shoulders, looking heroic and extraordinary. It is a strange harmony.
The old lady also patted Jiang Tingyuan, looked at this child who now held great power with complicated eyes, and finally only gave them instructions.
"Go ahead, everything will be fine."
On the way back, Jiang Tingyuan was still riding a horse nearby. He looked relaxed, and from time to time he picked a handful of wild flowers from the roadside, then rode over and handed them to Song Yanze through the car window.
Song Yanze accepted it all helplessly, and didn't want to talk to him about the truth that plants and trees have spirits. Jiang Tingyuan didn't necessarily understand what he heard, let alone take it seriously, so he might as well follow his logic and accept his kindness.
Song Yanze lowered his head and gathered these "exotic flowers and plants" together. He then took out a few books from the box and picked out some flowers to put in.
After finishing the packing, Song Yanze subconsciously raised his eyes to look for him, but saw that the imperial envoys accompanying him all had one hand on the hilt of the sword at their waist.
Jiang Tingyuan was riding his horse not far from the carriage, with no sign of nervousness on his face. He nodded as he listened to Xuanqing's words. Xuanqing's expression was solemn, but Jiang Tingyuan's eyebrows were calm, but his look revealed his coldness and indifference.
This is a side that Song Yanze rarely sees.
Ever since Jiang Tingyuan came and revealed his identity in front of everyone, Song Yanze handed over all the files and cases to the Imperial Court.
Therefore, he had no idea why they were secretly on guard.
Jiang Tingyuan was naturally sensitive to his gaze. He looked up at him, smiled, and his expression changed quickly.
He rode back to Song Yanze and reached out to pick off a tiny leaf from his hair.
"What's wrong……"
As soon as Song Yanze asked the question, Jiang Tingyuan pressed his shoulders and stuffed him back into the carriage. All Song Yanze heard was the sound of many swords being drawn.
Song Yanze did not add to the trouble. He just sat in the carriage and looked out of the window. He saw a group of people jumping out from the grass and trees in the mountains, fighting with weapons. It was a barbaric and primitive killing.
There were obviously more people coming from the opposite side, but the imperial guard accompanying them was able to defeat a hundred of them alone.
For the first time, he witnessed the fighting scenes that Jiang Tingyuan was familiar with. His horse was not startled but cooperated very well, apparently he was used to it.
The Yanling knife is a thin-bladed sword. He pulled the reins with one hand and held the knife handle with the other hand. There was no expression on his face. He barely avoided the blade at his neck without moving his brows.
Correspondingly, he had no scruples when he picked up the knife to kill people. The bright red blood splattered, but he was not stained by it at all. He knocked away his knife with his backhand, reached out and roughly grabbed his hair bun, the bright blade reflected the light, and a life was harvested.
Jiang Tingyuan just let go indifferently, his expression did not change at all, because the next person's blade had already chopped towards his arm.
Song Yanze was distressed. Although he understood his ability, he was still shocked. Has he been living like this for the past seven years?
It’s not that no one rushed to the carriage, but Jiang Tingyuan stood in front and threw away every one that came, killing them from a distance so as not to let him get any blood on his body.
Jiang Tingyuan took a moment to glance at him, but he didn't see the fear and terror he expected, only full of worry. He calmed down a little, turned around and shook off the blood on the goose feather.
Xuan Qing had already arrested Jiang Tingyuan's crippled leader and was tying him up. Jiang Tingyuan had no intention of interrogating him, as he would not be able to get anything out of him no matter how hard he tried.
He just stepped on his knife, lifted the mask and looked around, but didn't see any identification.
Jiang Tingyuan frowned, picked up his knife and prepared to end it.
“Wait!”
Song Yanze got out of the car holding the frame. Jiang Tingyuan frowned, but saw him walking towards him without changing his expression through the corpses.
"Do you have any idea who sent these assassins?"
Jiang Tingyuan thought for a while: "Li Heng and the prince are both possible."
"Regarding the dam issue, the Emperor has made it clear that he wants to let the Minister of Works handle it. The Crown Prince cannot intervene, and it is not easy for him to step in."
Song Yanze understood: "The Crown Prince is afraid that he can't just let it go. The Ministry of Works is his best card in the court. He is not like Li Heng. If the Ministry of Revenue is gone, he still has the Ministry of Personnel. No matter how powerful the Ministry of War is, it can't directly control the court."
"The cases you uncovered in the local area are all major cases related to Li Heng. If he wants to protect the local Sansi and Yu Ying, he may also take action."
Song Yanze looked around at the captured leaders. They were all dressed like bandits, which reminded him of the "bandits" he saw when he first came here.
He had an idea in mind, looked up at Jiang Tingyuan, and asked him to spare the man's life. Jiang Tingyuan looked at him and understood what Song Yanze had guessed.
He was immediately tied up and sent to the Neisi Yamen to be locked up.
When they returned to the provincial capital, they tied the man up and walked through the city openly, all the way to the Neisi Yamen to detain him.
The prison had been taken over by Song Yanze before, so locking someone up at this moment was naturally no big deal. However, when they just entered the yamen, they saw Qiu Yi sitting in the lobby in an official robe, looking at them.
He looked a little tired, and his brows twitched when he glanced at the unconscious "bandit".
The group of people still smelled of blood, and no one paid any attention to him, the provincial governor. Only Song Yanze stepped forward to greet him and saw his reaction clearly.
"Now that people everywhere are safe and the flood is about to recede, Commander Jiang and I still encountered bandits on the way back."
Song Yanze smiled and pronounced the word "bandit" with a playful tone.
The prison is under strict surveillance and there is an imperial envoy in charge. The "bandits" who were caught before are still alive.
"There are always some fools who refuse to give up. I'm sorry to scare you two."
Song Yanze and Jiang Tingyuan had something on them, so they had to be polite on the surface. But they also relied on the fact that Li Gelao was in the court, so they would not do anything.
"Really? Then I'll have to trouble you to eliminate the bandits in Jiangnan Province."
After leaving the Neisi Yamen, he frowned and thought about how to return to the court, but he could not find a solution.
Are we really going to let them go so easily?
Jiang Tingyuan held his face with his hands and smoothed his frown, and whispered in his ear: "Don't think about it, just wait and see, don't interfere."
Song Yanze grabbed his hand, thinking of Prince Xuan who had emerged behind him, and was still unsure how he could make the emperor change his mind.
After the river was drained of floodwater, countless people went to watch, watching the flood water recede and the farmland gradually exposed.
Song Yanze, Yucheng and Ji Bai had formulated strategies early, organized manpower, and mobilized the people to pay attention to hygiene and disinfection. After a major disaster, if you don't pay attention to prevention and control, there will be a major epidemic.
Song Yanze had prepared all these in advance, and everything went in order.
Soon the imperial court's transfer order came down, and someone from the Ministry of Personnel came to read the imperial edict and rewarded people according to their merits.
Ji Bai and Shi Yucheng were both rewarded handsomely, and even the three officials praised them verbally. Only Song Yanze said, "Return to Beijing as soon as possible."
The emperor's attitude was very clear; he was warning them not to do unnecessary things.
Ji Bai looked at Song Yanze in astonishment, while Shi Yucheng also stood there in shock. Qiu Yi and Yu Ying on the side were both delighted and immediately knelt down to receive the order. Only Fang Yi frowned and sighed softly, glancing at Song Yanze.
Song Yanze had a calm face, looking even calmer than Ji Bai and Shi Yucheng.
Return to Beijing as soon as possible
These four words can be said to be a reward according to merit after returning to Beijing, or they can be said to be a punishment after returning to Beijing.
Song Yanze had anticipated that the emperor would choose useful people to work for him. If this person acted on his own and completed what he should do but did more things without his permission, it would make him unhappy.
"I accept your order."
Song Yanze bowed his head and saw Jiang Tingyuan avoiding the door from a distance. He chuckled softly, not wanting to make him worry.
Because of the four words "hurry back to Beijing", Song Yanze was going to leave today, and Jiang Tingyuan was of course accompanying him. For the first time, he did not ride a horse, but got into the carriage and stuck to Song Yanze.
"Don't worry, trust me, nothing will happen to you."
Song Yanze put down the book in his hand, smiled lightly, leaned on him and looked at him. "You are my husband, who else can I trust if not you?"
Jiang Tingyuan hugged him, moved close to his face, and carefully observed that he did not seem disappointed, and was truly indifferent to the gains and losses of the moment. Then he kissed him twice to feel relieved.
After returning to Beijing, Jiang Tingyuan was immediately summoned by the emperor. Song Yanze returned to his residence alone. Logically, he came back because someone came to visit him.
But the gate of his courtyard was always quiet, and Song Yanze understood that everyone in the court seemed to think that he, Lord Song, was in trouble.
Lianxin didn't understand what was going on, so she just told the kitchen to prepare delicious food for him and asked him about Huizhou. In the evening, the weather was fine, so they set up a table and sat in the courtyard to eat.
"What! Commander Jiang is Tingyan!"
Lianxin couldn't accept it. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that she should have recognized it earlier, but she only realized it now.
"Speaking badly of me?"
Jiang Tingyuan climbed over the wall familiarly, not considering himself an outsider at all. He scooped water to wash his hands, wiped his hands and sat down next to Song Yanze.
"I forgot to tell you that he and I have decided to spend our lives together." Song Yanze was still waiting for Lianxin to show an expression of surprise or disbelief, but unexpectedly, he just said "oh".
Then he glanced at Jiang Tingyuan and said, "You finally got it. You must be so proud of it."
Jiang Tingyuan raised her eyebrows and immediately leaned on Song Yanze's shoulder, acting like a savage concubine complaining.
"Master, look at what he is saying."
Lianxin shuddered, goosebumps all over her body, and her face was full of disbelief.
Song Yanze was obviously the old man who was confused. He patted the back of his hand and coaxed him in a low voice.
"He doesn't mean anything else, don't worry about it."
Jiang Tingyuan, who is 1.9 meters tall, looks cuddly and coquettish.
"Then he didn't even congratulate us."
Song Yanze pressed his eyebrows, looked at Lianxin who was covering her eyes, and coughed lightly twice.
"Congratulations, congratulations. Is that okay?" Lianxin rubbed her arms and surrendered.
Jiang Tingyuan smiled, and Song Yanze immediately put the bowl and chopsticks in front of him, and personally picked up a piece of meat for him. Lianxin looked at her son with regret, how could this go on!
Young master is behaving like a fool, and he is not letting Jiang Tingyuan get away with it. Will you still have a say in matters of great importance in the future?
It’s incredible.
Jiang Tingyuan raised his eyebrows and looked at Lianxin, then smiled and ate the food that Song Yanze had picked up. Lianxin assured him that he saw the provocation.
Song Yanze helplessly kicked Jiang Tingyuan under the table to tell him to stop.
*
Three days later, Song Yanze was about to go to court. He sat in the sedan chair with his eyes closed to rest, and was ready to accept whether he would be reprimanded, dismissed from his post, or imprisoned or exiled.
"Master Xiao Song, my master sent you a note."
Song Yanze lifted the curtain, recognized Yu Zhu's person, and reached out to take it.
"Think three times as an official: think about danger, think about retreat, and think about change."
Song Yanze looked at it for a while, sighed, and handed the memorial in his sleeve to the servant.
"Tell Lord Yu that I understand."
The servant did not take it, but bowed and replied: "I am glad that you understand. My master also said that one day you will have the opportunity to do what you want to do."
Song Yanze vaguely sensed some undercurrents, but for a moment he had no idea how far Prince Xuan and the others were preparing, or what the situation in the capital had reached.
"Where is Song Yanze, the Right Censor-in-Chief and Governor of Jiangnan?"
Song Yanze stepped out and knelt down holding a tablet in his hand.
"I am here."
As soon as he finished speaking, a stack of documents was thrown down.
"For more than a month, you have been able to call the shots in Jiangnan Province. The memorials impeaching you are almost flooding my desk."
Song Yanze closed his eyes and said calmly: "I am guilty."
"Oh? Then tell me, what crime have you committed? Now the people of Jiangnan Province are calling you Qingtian, how can you be guilty?"
Song Yanze straightened up and bowed his head and replied: "My crime is that when I was the governor of Huaizhou, I did not find out the truth about the dam and let the situation develop. I am guilty."
The emperor's expression did not change, he leaned back on the dragon throne, and his attitude could not be seen.
"The only thing you mentioned is not included in these impeachment memorials against you."
"They said you were hoarding goods, colluding with officials and businessmen, engaging in extravagant lifestyles, and manipulating market prices..."
"Do you recognize these?"
Song Yanze bowed and said loudly: "I don't admit it."
Song Yanze frowned secretly, and could hear the emperor's voice was obviously short of breath, as if he was out of breath. But he had never heard that the emperor was ill recently.
"good."
The emperor placed his hands on the armrests and looked down at Song Yanze who was kneeling below.
This is a useful and serviceable person, but he is not a chess piece that he is satisfied with. A minister like him is uncontrollable. In their hearts, the relationship between the monarch and his subjects is not as important as the righteousness of the people. They look like loyal ministers, but they are not.
"Since you admit your guilt, you should have nothing to say about the punishment."
"I have nothing to say." Song Yanze did not hesitate. If it was before, he would never be willing to accept it, but...
He chose to believe Jiang Tingyuan.
"Then I will be demoted to the sixth rank of Imperial Academy editor. You can go back to the Imperial Academy and edit your book."
Song Yanze was quite surprised, and even Li Heng frowned.
Too light.
The emperor threw the memorial in his hand back onto the table and looked at his figure.
"Back off."
Such an uncontrollable minister cannot be missing or damaged.
We must always keep people who can do practical work.
"I thank you for your grace."
Song Yanze walked out of the hall and vaguely heard the quarrel between Li Heng's party and the prince's party. Looking back, he saw Prince Xuan standing aside with his sleeves tucked in, smiling. Neither of the quarreling parties realized that...
The majority of the officials in the court kept a neutral stance and kept silent, watching Prince Xuan's attitude vaguely.
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