Chapter 92: Plum Blossoms 2: Scream Louder
Song Yanze seemed not to have heard clearly, and subconsciously raised his voice: "Who?"
The man sneered, "Jiang Tingyuan, the residence of Lord Jiang."
"Lianxin! Stop moving, let's go back to the inn."
No wonder it has been abandoned despite being in such a good location. Who can stand the fact that there is an evil person living next door?
Song Yanze knew that he couldn't refuse nor ask for another place, but at least he didn't want to live here for the time being.
The father-in-law wiped his sweat and groaned, saying, "It's really hard for Lord Xiao Song."
Everyone knows that the Imperial Envoy is also responsible for monitoring and reporting secrets. No one wants to live next door to the spy chief.
"He really said that?"
The eunuch bowed his head and replied respectfully, subconsciously glanced at the expression of Commander Jiang on the side, and bowed his head and replied respectfully.
"Master Xiao Song's face changed immediately, and he asked me if it was true. Then he took the servant to move the things on the carriage back."
"He said he wanted to...stay in the inn for a few more days."
"I tried to persuade Master Xiao Song, but he just said..." He hesitated for a moment.
The emperor, who was sitting behind the desk, smiled and looked at Jiang Tingyuan, who was silent, and said in a deep voice: "Go on."
"My Lord said that running a few more steps to exercise is better than living next door to a Rakshasa and being unable to sleep every day."
The emperor clapped his hands and laughed, looking at Jiang Tingyuan on the side: "Did you hear that? Your old acquaintance has completely forgotten about you."
"It seems that my consideration was in vain, and I ended up being the bad guy."
Jiang Tingyuan immediately bowed his hands and apologized, then frowned and said in a deep voice: "I would like to ask for leave today."
The emperor asked him to stand up. He became interested in what he said and asked him to speak.
"I offended Lord Xiao Song today. After thinking about it, I feel uneasy. I want to make amends."
"Oh? How do you want to make amends?"
"Help Master Xiao Song move."
Jiang Tingyuan's lips curled slightly. He had a deep face, high eyebrows and a straight nose, a typical northern man's appearance, but he was filled with too much blood and murderous aura, as if he was going to help Lord Xiao Song move his head.
The emperor was stunned, laughed a few times, and waved his hand to approve it. "Take it easy, I'm still waiting for him to help me fill the treasury."
After a day of hard work, it was already late when Song Yanze returned to the inn.
Song Yanze slumped in his chair and looked at the almanac. His eyelids were still twitching, but at least the bad day was over.
He was thinking about what happened between Luo Jian and Jiang Tingyuan today, and he was thinking as he walked behind the screen and undressed.
Luo Jian and the Minister of Revenue Hu Zhong are from the same hometown and they often interact with each other. Hu Zhong is a disciple of Lord Li, and they can both be considered members of Li Heng's party.
Luo Jian is a slippery and weak-willed person. It's not that he can't be won over. A minister can get a lot of things.
Thinking of this, he thought of Jiang Tingyuan again. The imperial edict he received today could not be to interrogate Luo Jian, but it is possible that he could investigate the case of corruption in the Ministry of Revenue just like himself.
But when the emperor summoned him, Jiang Tingyuan was not there, and he was not told that he could be transferred to the Imperial Front Office.
Therefore, the interrogation of Luo Jian did not seem to be an order from the emperor, but more like a decision he made on his own.
"grown ups!"
Song Yanze was thinking about it when he suddenly heard a commotion outside the inn and suppressed exclamations.
He pressed his throbbing eyelids and shouted, "Lianxin! What happened outside?"
"Nothing, I'm here to help Master Xiao Song move."
The one who answered was not Lianxin, but a familiar low voice, still with a smile.
The door was opened from the outside, and Song Yanze, with his hair loose and wearing only underwear, stood behind the screen and peeked out.
"go out!"
Song Yanze grabbed his outer robe and put it on, grabbed his collar, and glared at Jiang Tingyuan who had rushed in.
Jiang Tingyuan was still wearing the official robe, but he didn't have the sword at his waist. He looked at him for a while, his gaze moving from his eyes to his hands grasping his collar.
"I'm the only one who came in." Jiang Tingyuan took another step forward.
Song Yanze immediately grabbed his collar and stepped back, laughing in anger. "Thank you very much, Lord Jiang, for not calling in the people from your Imperial Court to see."
"Master Jiang, are you going to punish me? May I ask..."
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Tingyuan laughed and raised his thick eyebrows. Song Yanze had never seen such a frivolous and provocative expression.
"Do you?"
Jiang Tingyuan was blocking the way. He was tall and had long legs. He just leaned his arm over the edge of the screen and blocked his way.
"I won't do anything to you for now." He stretched out his hand, lifted a strand of his hair and lowered his head to sniff it.
"I'm just here to help you move today."
Song Yanze should be afraid of him because of his identity and his frivolous and unreasonable behavior, but he is not afraid and thinks for no reason that he is just flirting.
Knowing that he was not really here to humiliate him, Song Yanze reached out and slapped his hand away.
"Don't bother me, Master Jiang. I am living quite comfortably in this inn."
Jiang Tingyuan suddenly took a step back and turned to look outside the door.
Song Yanze felt relieved, but before he could put on his outer robe, Jiang Tingyuan suddenly strode towards him.
Song Yanze's outer robe was pulled over and wrapped around him like a child. Jiang Tingyuan held him by the waist and lifted him up, freeing his other hand to touch his hair.
"Jiang Tingyuan! You! What do you want to do! Jiang Tingyuan!"
Song Yanze had never been so miserable in his life. He was so angry that his eyes turned red, but his hands were wrapped in his robe and stuck in his arms, and he couldn't pull them out.
"Scream louder."
Jiang Tingyuan carried him downstairs to the lobby, which was full of imperial emissaries in red shirts and black clothes. They didn't wear swords but they all held his luggage. Lianxin huddled aside like a quail.
"Have you packed it?"
Jiang Tingyuan ignored Song Yanze's struggle like a robber, glanced at Lianxin and asked in a calm voice.
Lianxin looked at her own master with pity, nodded, and glanced at the devil-like Jiang Tingyuan. Somehow, she felt that he looked familiar.
"Not calling anymore?"
Jiang Tingyuan carried him out, and Song Yanze covered his face and said nothing.
Jiang Tingyuan knew that he was thin-skinned, so he walked to the carriage and stuffed him in.
Lian Xin was about to follow when the people around her stopped her and she had to watch Jiang Tingyuan go in.
"Master Jiang, I wonder how I have offended you?"
Song Yanze was wrapped in an outer robe, his hair was disheveled, and one of his shoes had fallen off. Jiang Tingyuan glanced at him, picked up a shoe, and put it on his ankle.
"Think for yourself."
Jiang Tingyuan held his ankle tightly, raised his eyelids to look at his flushed face, smiled and let go.
Song Yanze sat on the other side to distance himself from him, and when he opened the curtain, he saw two rows of imperial eunuchs in official robes following him. Song Yanze quickly lowered the curtain and looked at Jiang Tingyuan.
He sat on the side with his legs apart, folded his arms and stared at him, with a faint smile on his face. Song Yanze felt uneasy and looked at him against the wall.
"Why did you suddenly bring up Luo Jian today, and chose the Spring Banquet?" Song Yanze lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then looked up at him.
"There's still such a big commotion going on right now."
Jiang Tingyuan didn't answer at all, but just asked: "Why do you think that is, Master Xiao Song?"
Song Yanze nodded and whispered only two words: "Ministry of Revenue?"
"You're half right." It seems that he is indeed investigating corruption in the Ministry of Revenue.
Song Yanze was not clear about Jiang Tingyuan's position. He was the emperor's personal guard, but that did not necessarily mean he would not take sides or support any party.
Otherwise, why would he stir up trouble and bring this matter to light for no reason? He couldn't even imagine how lively the court tomorrow would be.
If it was the prince, who just wanted to make a big deal out of it and use the Ministry of Revenue to overthrow Li, we could still cooperate.
If it was Li Ge Lao, he would have cut off the tail to save his life and put the case on Luo Jian. Luo Jian alone would not be able to find much silver and fill up the national treasury. The emperor would not be satisfied with this result.
Song Yanze had calmed down, but when he looked up, he saw him leaning on his arms and staring at him. Song Yanze frowned and subconsciously touched his cheek, suspecting that something was stuck on it.
"Master Xiao Song's ancestral home is Huizhou?"
Song Yanze's ideas were different from his. While he was struggling in the court and dealing with party relations, Jiang Tingyuan was talking about nonsense.
"Yes, I have been studying in the clan school."
"Listening to Master Xiao Song's speech, it sounds a bit like the soft and pleasant Wu dialect."
Song Yanze laughed angrily, pursed his lips, and tried to bring the subject back.
"I don't know what Commander Jiang means by half right. Please give me a clear explanation."
"You'll know."
"Then I would like to ask, Commander Jiang has arrested a third-rank official of the imperial court today. Has he already thought about how to face the criticism from you gentlemen tomorrow?"
"Are you worried about me?"
Jiang Tingyuan is tall and has long legs. He probably rides a horse more often than not. Sitting in the carriage makes the place seem cramped.
He just stayed there, staring at him and saying all sorts of nonsense, and it didn't seem like he had anything to talk about in secret.
"It seems that Commander Jiang has nothing to say to me."
"Master Xiao Song has checked the account books of the Transfer Department in recent years one by one?"
Jiang Tingyuan was at the critical point where he was so angry that he didn't want to pay attention to him, and suddenly said this, which stunned him for a moment.
"Yes. On the surface, there is no flaw at all, but in reality it is indeed shocking."
Last year the deficit had reached 12 million taels. There was no major war to fight and the palace did not build any palaces or civil engineering projects. The only expenditure was on building dams in the Liangjiang area.
He was the prefect of Huaizhou, but he knew very well how much of the money would reach the local level.
The Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Personnel, and even the Ministry of War all have big problems.
It's not just the power of Lord Li, there's also the prince's party.
Jiang Tingyuan asked him again: "Since there is no problem on the surface, it means that the ministers of the six ministries have drafted the bill and signed it, and the cabinet has also approved it."
Song Yanze was naturally aware of this, which meant that although they were fighting in the court, the two factions had become united in dividing up interests and concealing the peace.
To attack the Ministry of Revenue is to go against the entire court. Even if you are working for the emperor, you may not be able to protect it in the end.
"I served as the governor of Huaizhou for five years, with jurisdiction over nine counties and hundreds of thousands of people. There were ploughing in spring and harvesting in autumn, and some people planted mulberry trees and reeled silk or went into the mountains to make a living."
He sat upright in the carriage with his back straight. Although he looked disheveled, he was well-mannered. His pair of black eyes were calm and distant, and he looked at Jiang Tingyuan with a mixture of vigilance and suspicion.
"Maybe God has mercy on us, the weather is good, and we can pay taxes and be exempted from labor service. Each person in the family can only afford less than seven ounces of rice per day."
"If there is a flood or drought, or the government increases taxes, it will be another situation."
Song Yanze looked at Jiang Tingyuan and spoke slowly, his brows unconsciously frowned and he sighed.
"This is the case when one has land. If one has sold the land, and works for a large family and earns two meals a day, that is considered good."
"The national treasury is in deficit, so I have to go to two places to fight for it, one for the people and one for the officials. I want to fight for a chance for the people."
Jiang Tingyuan looked at him, suddenly smiled, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, his eyes were very unusual, and could be described as gentle and affectionate.
"The worst that can happen is that I lose my life. I am alone and I don't want to be a burden to others."
The carriage stopped, Song Yanze came back to his senses, lifted the curtain and took a look, and saw that they had arrived at the door.
Just as he was about to stand up, he was pushed back. Jiang Tingyuan suddenly pulled him to sit in his arms. Jiang Tingyuan's fingers suddenly rested on his shoulders, rubbing the side of his neck. Song Yanze shuddered and tried to hide.
"Aren't you afraid of death?"
Song Yanze was held in his arms, his fingers rubbing his cheek and lifting his black hair.
His struggle seemed like a joke to Jiang Tingyuan, who got so angry that his face turned red and he cursed.
"How disgraceful!"
"I don't understand what you're saying."
Jiang Tingyuan lowered his eyes to look at his red ears, his Adam's apple rolling, and he took out a wooden hairpin. He lowered his eyes, and his fingers gently and deftly tied his hair.
Song Yanze inexplicably felt that this situation was very familiar and inexplicably thought of another person.
Song Yanze turned around and looked at his features, frowning and sizing him up for a while. Jiang Tingyuan smiled, looking unfriendly, and felt that he deserved a beating.
How could it be him? Brother Xiaoyan is not as frivolous or asking for a beating as him.
Song Yanze turned his head away, immediately stood up, opened the curtain, and walked away quickly on the stairs. Jiang Tingyuan followed him out and stood at the door.
"Lianxin, have you collected all the things?"
Song Yanze asked as he walked. When he heard that everything had been put away, he immediately shouted, "Close the door now!"
Jiang Tingyuan stood beside the carriage with his arms folded. The feared Commander of the Imperial Court, Lord Jiang, was locked outside the door. His attitude of disdain was too obvious.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
