Mu Qing replied: "My mother has already ascended to heaven."
Qin Youran said, "Get lost."
Mu Qing got out.
The next day, Ye Zelin arrived at the post station with Hua Fushu, Sanqiao and 100,000 official silver. At this time, Yu Xuanji and others were also preparing to go to the ferry.
When he met Hua Fushu, Yu Xuan greeted him earnestly. Hua Fushu replied that he was fine, and only then did he feel relieved.
Fearing that Hua Fushu would be tired, Yu Xuanji asked him to rest for quarter of an hour. Hua Fushu could not resist Yu Xuanji and rested for quarter of an hour.
Ye Zelin and Yu Xuanji discussed the matter of the 100,000 official silver coins. Yu Xuanji suggested that the Xiangxi County water conservancy project was important and that it would pass through the Zishui Ferry, so the Xiangxi County Magistrate could come to collect the 100,000 official silver coins. Ye Zelin thought Yu Xuanji's idea was a good one and wanted to pass a message to the Xiangxi County Magistrate on her behalf, but Yu Xuanji had already passed the message to the Xiangxi County Magistrate.
A quarter of an hour later, they set off as scheduled and headed for the open dock built by the government, where people and goods all boarded the ship.
A day later, the ship changed its course to the Zishui River, and another day later, it arrived at the Zishui Wharf.
The magistrate of Xiangxi County had been waiting here the day before. When he knew that Yu Xuanji had arrived, he went to check the amount of official silver after seeing her and took it away.
Hua Fushu mentioned to Ye Zelin that she wanted him to accompany her to Lanling. Ye Zelin hesitated for a moment and declined her request on the grounds that it was inconvenient for him to do so due to official duties.
Hua Fushu knew that he had a responsibility, but was still a little disappointed when he heard that he refused.
Ye Zelin said gently, "Fushu, when I'm free, I'll accompany you to Lanling, okay?"
Hearing Ye Zelin's words, Hua Fushu's disappointment immediately turned into happiness.
In Beijing, June is coming to an end and July is approaching.
On this day, after the court meeting, Ye Shiheng, dressed in purple official uniform, had just walked out of the palace when a man came up to him, chatted with him for a few words, and then invited him to have a drink at Ruifeng Tower, one of the famous towers in Tokyo.
Ye Shiheng had only had tea with this gentleman twice, and both times he was invited. They usually only met in court, so they were not very familiar with each other. Thinking that Madam Ouyang was still waiting for him to return for dinner, he politely declined, and also said that he would invite him for tea when he was free.
This gentleman was unhappy when Ye Shiheng politely declined his offer, but he had no choice but to put on his court robes and return home by carriage.
The servant who drove Ye Shiheng came over with the carriage. He had just listened to the conversation between Ye Shiheng and his colleagues and said, "General, there is a lot of tea at Minister Du's house. He invited you. Why don't you go?"
Ye Shiheng said, "Dashun, how do you know that there is so much tea in Du Shangshu's house?"
The servant Dashun replied, "Once, Lord Sheng invited you to tea, and Minister Du was also there. You mentioned this to me when I was driving back home."
Ye Shiheng got on the car and patted Dashun on the shoulder. He said, "Shunzi, socializing and drinking are important, but there are also differences in closeness. Your general and I are just casual acquaintances of Minister Du. I am a general and have a lot of official duties to attend to, so it is okay for me not to go." He got into the car and sat down.
As Dashun sat down at the front of the car, he heard Ye Shiheng say, "Shunzi, the lady said the kitchen will make crystal shrimp dumplings that this general likes to eat today, so hurry back home."
Dashun chuckled and drove back to the General's Mansion.
After returning to the General's Mansion, Ye Shiheng went to Rongliyuan, took off his court clothes, changed into a black silk shirt, and went to the dining hall.
Mrs. Ouyang was wearing a snow-blue dress and sitting upright on a lacquered round stool in the dining room. She had not yet eaten and was waiting for someone to come back.
Seeing Ye Shiheng come in, the maids who served him bowed to him, but Ye Shiheng didn't even look at them and sat down on the round stool next to Madam Ouyang.
Madam Ouyang picked up her chopsticks, picked up a crystal shrimp dumpling and placed it on Ye Shiheng's plate. "The dumpling filling is made of live shrimp that were delivered to the kitchen this morning. They are very fresh and have just been out of the pot. They are still hot. Try it."
Ye Shiheng picked up the crystal shrimp dumplings from the plate. They were crystal clear and the shrimp filling was visible. They tasted delicious when he put them in his mouth.
Madam Ouyang brought all the crystal shrimp dumplings to Ye Shiheng. "The kitchen made a lot of dumplings, you can eat as much as you want. I also asked Madam Yuan, the kitchen manager, to send two plates to my father-in-law. You and my father-in-law both like crystal shrimp dumplings."
Ye Shiheng lowered his eyebrows slightly, "If the old man knew that it was you who ordered it to be sent, he would definitely not eat it."
Madam Ouyang said, "The old man will eat it."
Ye Shiheng asked, "Why?" He knew how much the old man disliked Madam Ouyang.
Madam Ouyang smiled and said, "That was Ruhuan's idea, not mine. I just told someone to inform Madam Yuan."
Ye Shiheng nodded.
Madam Ouyang poured herself a bowl of fish porridge and took a few bites before saying, "You left court a little later than usual today. Is there something important going on at court?"
"It's not a big deal." Ye Shiheng paused, then changed his words, "It can be considered a big deal."
Madam Ouyang's heart tightened. "Is there another war in the Western Territory?"
Ye Shiheng saw Madam Ouyang's worry and said, "No, Prince Shu submitted a memorial to Your Majesty, saying that he had been exiled for more than ten years and regretted his decision. Now he is ill and begging to return to the capital to spend his remaining years. Your Majesty put this matter on the table. Some court officials felt that Prince Shu had been punished long enough and should be allowed to return to the capital to spend his remaining years. Some court officials, especially those who disliked Prince Shu, were opposed to this. I also don't want Prince Shu to come back. We all know what kind of person he is."
Madam Ouyang said, "That's right. Back then, the Wu family harmed him terribly. The eldest daughter of the Wu family was forced to commit suicide, and Lord Wu died by hitting his head against a pillar. The eldest wife of the Wu family lost her husband and daughter, and soon died of illness. Only the second daughter is left. Now the second daughter Wu is in charge of the Xianhua Club and lives in the capital. It would be better if this evil Prince Shu did not come back to cause trouble for others."
Ye Shiheng said, "Most court officials felt that Prince Shu had been punished for a long time and, since he was the late emperor's brother, he could return to the capital. So, His Majesty approved Prince Shu's return."
Madam Ouyang saw that he looked a little sad and asked, "Then what are you worried about?"
Ye Shiheng asked Madam Ouyang, "My lady, have you forgotten how Prince Shu left the capital?"
Mrs. Ouyang reacted and finally understood why Ye Shiheng was worried.
At that time, Hua Mingqian, who had just become an imperial censor, met the second daughter of the Wu family who had no one to turn to for help. Feeling sorry for the second daughter Wu, he took her to see the late emperor and sued Prince Shu. The late emperor was extremely angry and wanted to demote Prince Shu to a commoner and banish him to the southwest. At that time, Prince Shu's mother's family was powerful, and they joined forces with court officials to plead for mercy. The late emperor demoted Prince Shu to a prince and confiscated all of his property. Part of it was compensated to the Wu family, part was donated to poor people, and the rest was added to the national treasury.
In fact, this result was not as expected. Hua Mingqian was young and energetic, hated evil, and was not afraid of power. He took Miss Wu Er to ask to see the late emperor again.
The late emperor summoned Hua Mingqian and Miss Wu Er and spoke to them for a few words. Finally, Miss Wu Er took the initiative to give up investigating the guilt of Prince Shu. Within two years, Hua Mingqian resigned and returned to Su Nian.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
