Chapter 91: Picking Plum Blossoms 1 It is an honor for Master Xiao Song to throw himself into my arms...
"Only two or three flowers have bloomed on the southern branches, and they are singing their fragrance in the snow." Note 1
It was early spring, and there was still some snow on the glazed tiles of Kyoto. The chilly spring weather was still strong, and this was the time when the plum blossoms were at their peak.
The two noble gentlemen dressed in brocade clothes got off the carriage and walked to enjoy the scenery of the suburbs of Kyoto. They met many carriages along the way, and occasionally someone lifted the curtain to say hello.
"The Luo family's villa is well decorated. You can actually see some green grass along the way. No wonder they are holding this spring banquet."
Jiang Lesong was wearing a green round-collared brocade robe with bamboo patterns and holding a folding fan in his hand, looking very elegant. The young man in purple beside him was lost in thought and did not reply for a long time.
"Brother Jinan?" Jiang Lesong picked up the fan and tapped his shoulder. "Still wondering why he turned down your invitation?"
"I'm not saying anything bad about you, my foolish brother. He just came back from being sent abroad, and he was appointed to a position in the Censorate, so he should avoid suspicion. He was busy in the government office during the New Year holidays, so I think he had something important to do..."
As they talked, the two of them entered the villa and were led by two servants past the screen wall. They walked along the stone path all the way to the backyard without stopping, and then passed through another door to reach Merlin.
The sound of guqin and conversation drifted over. Here the meadow was green, the flower buds were just beginning to bloom, and large patches of plum blossoms were interwoven with pink, white and red. The fragrance of the plum blossoms was chilly and made people shudder.
"Ah, speaking of the devil, here he comes to the Luo family today?"
Jiang Lesong looked around and saw a blue figure sitting under a plum tree in the distance, looking at Li Jinan. Before he finished speaking, Li Jinan had already strode over there.
"Yanze!"
The young man who was sitting in a place with many flowers and few people around paused when he heard the voice. He turned around and looked over with a glass of sake in his hand.
Today he was wearing a round-necked robe with a floral blue crane embroidered on it. His black hair was tied up with a headband embroidered with the same color and hung down, and there were flower petals on his robe.
His eyebrows and eyes were delicate and stunning, but his gaze was distant. When he saw them coming, he smiled slightly, and was very graceful, even Qingmei gave way to him.
"Song Yanze, it's different now that you're an official. You're too arrogant. I have to rely on the face of Lord Luo, a third-rank official, to see you."
Song Yanze looked at Jiang Lesong with a helpless smile, put up his sleeves and poured him a glass of wine. He glanced at Li Jinan who was staring at him, lowered his eyes and poured him another glass.
"I was troubled by all the things that happened in Beijing and I couldn't get away. It was not intentional. I apologize first."
He spoke slowly, drinking a full glass of wine. Jiang Lesong smiled and reached out to pull Li Jinan. "Alright, alright, are you feeling better now? I, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Fourth Rank, will pour you some wine to apologize."
Li Jinan looked at him, moved his lips, pursed his lips and drank the sake, and finally said softly: "I haven't congratulated you yet. I was planning to give you the gift after the meeting, but now it's a coincidence."
Jiang Lesong was surprised for a moment, and Li Jinan took out a jade hairpin with a flowing cloud-shaped hairpin head.
Song Yanze took a glance and found that the water head of the lily was very good and it was not an ordinary thing.
Seeing that Song Yanze seemed about to refuse, Jiang Lesong immediately took it with a smile and stood up to pin it on for him.
"Please accept it, Your Excellency the Censor. You will have to give us an apology gift someday. Don't forget."
Song Yanze couldn't do anything more, so he just bowed and thanked him. After a few words, they turned to the owner.
This was the property of Luo Jian, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. The Luo family was considered a noble family in Kyoto, and they had a legitimate son who worked as an official in the Ministry of Works.
The Ministry of Revenue is the government office in charge of the purse strings, so it is inevitable to socialize with people. Whenever he held a spring banquet, the young people from all families came to show their support.
But Song Yanze actually came. Although he was born as a bastard of the Song family, the Minister of Rites, he was not favored and it was not easy for him to socialize.
He had been sent to Jiangnan as an official a few years ago, and when he returned to Beijing, he was in a sensitive government office like the Censorate. Therefore, a fourth-rank official was drinking alone here, and no one came to disturb him.
"Master Xiao Song! You are my distinguished guest."
Luo Jian finally arrived in casual clothes. As soon as he arrived, he walked quickly to them and greeted Song Yanze with a smile on his face.
Luo Jian was a third-rank official, and the same age as their father, yet no one dared to say anything about such an expensive gift.
"Lord Luo, you are joking. I heard that one of the most beautiful sights in Kyoto is the plum blossoms in your garden, so I came to join in the fun."
No one knew whether Luo Jianxin believed it or not, but they couldn't just ignore him, so they pulled him to sit down.
The current emperor is getting more and more suspicious in his old age. In recent years, the Censorate has become more and more dependent on promotions, and can even report to the emperor without going through the cabinet. Who dares to give him a hard time?
This one isn't that difficult to deal with, but that one really gives people no chance to make a witty remark.
Luo Jian calmed down a little when he thought of this. He smiled and poured wine for him. He asked in a low voice, "I heard that Mr. Xiao Song was the governor of Huaizhou before, and his ancestral home is Huizhou. I wonder if you are used to coming to Kyoto?"
Song Yanze smiled. Although he looked cold, he was not arrogant when speaking to others.
"It's a little bit strange to get used to it, but it will get better slowly in the next few days."
"That's good. I heard that you are still living in the inn. It's been more than two months and you still haven't bought a house. Is there any difficulty?"
"Lord Luo." Song Yanze glanced at him neither lightly nor seriously, as if examining him and warning him at the same time.
"The emperor has already given the reward, so there is no need for me to worry about it."
Luo Jian's heart tightened, and he quickly kept quiet and said a few nice words about the emperor's great grace.
If it were any other time, he wouldn't have to be so impatient, but recently, there were rumblings in the Ministry of Revenue that things were not peaceful.
He was a newly appointed fourth-rank censor of the Imperial Censorate who came here without any notice. How could he not be suspicious? But the other party didn't ask anything or test him...
Song Yanze looked down at the actor playing the piano on the high platform in front of him, and did not take the initiative to speak. Luo Jian had already wiped his sweat secretly, considering whether to speak to test...
"My lord! My lord!"
A servant came running over in a panic, fell to the ground and then got up in a hurry. The faces of everyone at the table changed.
"Yu... Lin Wei's envoy..."
He spoke in a trembling voice, and a rough and loud shout came.
"The Imperial Guard is investigating the case!"
The small bamboo door was kicked open, and a group of men in red shirts and black clothes with swords rushed in. Each of them had a solemn expression, and their aura was murderous and bloody.
Luo Jian immediately looked at Song Yanze, but Song Yanze also looked surprised and frowned slightly.
"May I ask you why you broke into my house? What case are you investigating?"
The dark-faced, bearded man in the lead waved his hand, looked at Luo Jian and said in a gruff voice: "Catch him!"
Luo Jian's eyes widened and he immediately shouted at them, but he saw that they were about to come over.
Song Yanze's eyelids jumped, and he slowly stood up and straightened his sleeves. "Wait!"
He walked down slowly, and Luo Jian on the other side hurriedly came up behind him.
Everyone at the table was shocked by this sudden change. No matter which family the nobles were from, they all looked terrified and lowered their heads to avoid it.
That's the Imperial Guard. The Imperial Guard was originally the emperor's personal guards in the palace, but in recent years they have created this Imperial Guard.
However, with the imperial edict, they could break into the home of a first-rank official, search his property and detain people without having to go to court.
What made them incomprehensible was Song Yanze's nonchalant expression. He even dared to stop them, which was extremely bold of him.
"Is there any imperial decree?"
The leading man looked at him twice and bowed slightly: "It's Master Xiao Song. Our master said that if Master Xiao Song asks about the imperial edict, please ask him in person."
Song Yanze frowned, and everyone looked surprised. What was the evil spirit doing? He seemed to be looking for trouble.
Song Yanze waved his sleeves and sneered, "Since there is no imperial decree, I will wait and see who dares to take him away today."
Luo Jian didn't have the energy to think about what was going on. He just wanted to hug Song Yanze's thigh.
"I was wondering who dared to stop the imperial envoy from doing his work, it turned out to be Lord Xiao Song."
A man walked slowly from the courtyard gate, one hand on the hilt of the knife at his waist and his fingers around the red tassel on it.
With his other hand he brushed the flowers with a rough and casual movement. The petals of the plum tree trembled and fell to the ground in clusters. He was truly a flower-killer.
He was dressed in a red shirt and black clothes, which was just an official robe with a patch of a Bi'an stepping on the clouds on the front. The cuffs were short and gathered. He was tall and his black boots had crushed a lot of plum blossoms on the ground.
"Jiang Tingyuan came in person?!"
Luo Jian sat down on the ground on the spot, and the commander came in person.
When Song Yanze was about to look up at him, his brows had already unconsciously furrowed.
I had heard of "Jade-faced Rakshasa Jiang Tingyuan" a long time ago, but I had always been in the local area and had never dealt with him.
It turns out that there is a reason why people hate dogs.
"Commander Jiang, may I ask where the imperial edict is?"
Song Yanze did not back down and stared at Jiang Tingyuan with all his might.
Jiang Tingyuan stared at him for a while, then looked up at the hairpin on his head, frowning.
"Lord Xiao Song doesn't seem to be afraid of me at all. Are you afraid that the imperial emissary will arrest you as well?"
Jiang Tingyuan's eyes swept across his face, then swept over the crowd who were trembling and avoiding him, and finally walked to Luo Jian and kicked him to the ground.
"I'm asking you, Commander Jiang." Song Yanze stopped the imperial envoy who was about to take the person away, and spoke slowly.
"Is there any imperial decree?" His voice was not loud, but it was powerful.
Jiang Tingyuan chuckled and drew his sword from its sheath with a swish. With a casual lift of the sharp blade, he could cut the falling petals in half.
Everyone exclaimed in surprise, Jiang Lesong and Li Jinan's faces turned pale, and no one was sure whether he would really do it.
Li Jinan immediately stepped forward and shouted in a low voice.
"Master Xiao Song is an official appointed by the imperial court. He is innocent..."
"Is it your turn to step forward?"
Jiang Tingyuan did not yell at him. He just said impatiently, then put the blade on his neck, looking at him as if he was looking at a dead body.
Li Jinan trembled and Jiang Lesong helped him to avoid falling. Song Yanze shook his head at them and told them not to interfere.
"Commander Jiang is so majestic."
He lowered his head and drew up his sleeves, gently brushing away the fallen petals, like a gentleman, mocking him neither lightly nor heavily.
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Tingyuan flipped the knife and placed it on Song Yanze's neck, raised his eyebrows and looked at him playfully with a smile.
Song Yanze didn't even blink, still looking at Jiang Tingyuan and asked him in a calm voice.
"Is there any imperial decree?"
Jiang Tingyuan looked up at his hair bun again, his eyes dark and unclear.
Luo Jiandu was sitting on the ground pulling Song Yanze, but this evil star was already looking at little Song's head.
Jiang Tingyuan suddenly turned his hand and swung the knife. A bright white light flashed, and everyone quickly pulled up their sleeves to cover their faces, gasping in fear.
Click.
There was a tiny sound of breaking jade, and the hairpin on his head was picked off and broke into several pieces.
Song Yanze was a little speechless, and then he saw him sheath his knife, take out a piece of red paper, hold it in his hand and shake it twice, then wave his hand for them to take the person away.
Song Yanze was sure that he could still maneuver the imperial edict in his hand. Seeing Luo Jian being taken away, he became anxious and stepped forward to snatch the document from his hand.
Jiang Tingyuan raised his hand, leaned forward slightly, watched him fall into his arms, and subconsciously stood on tiptoe to grab him.
"A heart as cold as a bamboo, a soul as beautiful as a plum, and a face as beautiful as a jade."
"I am truly honored and humbled that Master Xiao Song has thrown himself into my arms."
Song Yanze looked at him in disbelief, with goosebumps all over his body, and was sure that he was teasing him, a man.
But he didn't care about these things at the moment. He lowered his voice and asked, "Why did you suddenly arrest Luo Jian? Are you trying to alert the enemy?"
Jiang Tingyuan acted as if he didn't hear anything. He lowered his head and leaned close to his neck to take a light sniff. As Song Yanze looked at him with a crazy look, he brushed away the fallen petals on his shoulder.
“It smells so good.”
"Jiang Tingyuan!"
Song Yanze felt numb from the soles of his feet to his scalp, and for the first time he lost his composure and called someone by his full name.
A strand of hair was loose in his messy bun, and he stared at him with wide eyes, like a beautiful raccoon slave who was furious.
Jiang Tingyuan smiled and stepped back, put away the documents, turned around and left with his men.
"Master Xiao Song, please stay. You don't need to see me off."
Song Yanze looked at him with a sullen face, and as he came, he brushed away the branches roughly, held the knife at his waist and walked away.
"Yan Ze, you..."
Song Yanze rubbed his brows, smiled at them and said, "I'm not well-dressed, so I'll take my leave first."
Jiang Lesong sighed, but Li Jinan looked at his back for a long time, then turned around, squatted down and picked up the broken jade hairpin bit by bit.
"What a filthy bastard!"
Song Yanze cursed as soon as he got on the carriage. Lianxin was surprised. This was the first time she saw her son so angry. The carriage swayed slightly, and Song Yanze let his hair down and found a wooden hairpin to tie it up again.
He didn't know why, he was a bit clumsy in this area and couldn't learn how to tie his hair up, at best he could make it look less messy.
On the first day he was transferred back to Kyoto, the emperor summoned him and dismissed everyone to talk to him for a long time. Now the emperor has only two princes, the eldest son is the crown prince, and the second son, Prince Xuan, has also entered the court, but has always been low-key and not competitive.
What worried him in the court was the factional strife between the Crown Prince and the great cabinet minister Li Heng.
He turned a blind eye over the years, allowing them to grow stronger.
In order to annex land, amass wealth and levy heavy taxes, the emperor wanted to start with the Ministry of Revenue and ordered him to investigate.
Of course, we can't let everyone know about it, otherwise it will shock the court and the country, and will also alarm Lord Li behind the Ministry of Revenue.
Now, Jiang Tingyuan has directly muddied the waters.
Thinking of this, Song Yanze became even more angry. He simply let his hair down, which he couldn't tie up properly, and slammed the wooden hairpin on the table.
The carriage had just entered the city and was about to head to the post station when it suddenly stopped.
Lianxin came to report that the house awarded by the emperor had been delivered and was waiting for Lord Xiaosong to go and see it.
Song Yanze was finally relieved. His salary was not enough to buy a house in Kyoto. He had to rush from the post station to the morning court or when the emperor summoned him every day, which was too tiring.
This house is not far from the imperial city, and has a good geographical location. The house is not big, and the garden, waterside pavilion, winding corridor, screen wall and moon gate are all exquisite and beautiful.
There is a small courtyard outside the wing room, and there is a plum tree in it.
Song Yanze couldn't wait to move in today. It was much more comfortable than the inn, so he immediately asked Lianxin to move the trivial things in the carriage over.
However, after looking around, he found that this place was connected to the house next door, separated by only a wall.
Song Yanze stood by the wall and asked the person sent by the palace: "May I ask who is the gentleman next door?"
For some reason, the people in the palace froze and smiled awkwardly.
"He is a famous figure in front of the emperor, Lord Jiang Tingyuan, the commander of the Imperial Guards."
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