Have you finished practicing your calligraphy today?" Yi Ning turned over a page in the account book.
"Those flowers were ordered by Daddy," Ting'er said. "Daddy said the more vibrant the flowers bloom, the better. Clusters of flowers are the most beautiful."
Yining was stunned after hearing this, and saw Tingger blinking at her, as if he was confused as to why she suddenly froze.
Yining decided to take Ting'er out for a walk.
Outside the east wing of Jing'an Residence, Yining and Ting'er paid their respects to Old Madam Wei. Zhao Mingzhu and Wei Jia were at odds, their tempers clash and they couldn't get on. Wei Jia played with his shuttlecock while Zhao Mingzhu whispered to the maid.
Wei Jia saw Yi Ning and followed her. Ting Ge'er and Wei Jia were having a great time playing together. The two children were walking and running, and Yi Ning couldn't catch up. She walked slowly along the corridor and saw Wei Yi coming with a servant. When they met her, Wei Yi turned sideways and said with a smile, "Sister Yi Ning, I heard that your hometown is in Baoding?"
Yi Ning stopped and saw Wei Yi standing away from her with his hands behind his back. She asked, "What does this mean, cousin Wei Yi?"
"I grew up in Beijing and have never been to Baoding," Wei Yi said. "Sister Yining should be familiar with the streets and alleys of Baoding, right? I'm planning to go there, and I hope Sister Yining can tell me about it."
"Qingqu." Yining called out, "Young Master Tang has never been to Baoding. Tell him about Baoding."
Wei Yi's face darkened when he heard this. She actually used a maid to deal with him? He said, "Wei Yining, do you know that because of you, Brother Chen has rarely seen people until now?"
"So what?" Yi Ning said calmly, "What does my cousin have to do with Shen Yu's affairs?"
"You...!" Wei Yi found that she was indeed sharp-tongued. Thinking of her domineering behavior yesterday, he gritted his teeth.
The two children came back running after playing.
Ting'er ran up to Yining and said, "Sister, Zhenzhu said that Deputy Envoy Guo has arrived. Please come over!"
Deputy Envoy Guo is here?
Deputy Envoy Guo must have come here for his father's matter, but wasn't the last matter resolved? Her brows tightened and she asked Ting'er to go back and find Tong Mama to watch over her. She led her men straight to the front yard.
Deputy Envoy Guo was anxiously waiting for Yining in the front hall.
After seeing Yining, tears welled up in his eyes and he seemed to be choking with sobs.
Yi Ning walked forward and saw that he was still wearing a military officer's robe, which made him feel even more uneasy: "Deputy Envoy Guo, is there any unexpected situation?"
Wei Ling did have an accident.
Although his matter had just been settled two days ago, this time it was even more serious than the previous one.
The Emperor sent members of the Censorate to Xuanfu, where they discovered that a year's supply of military rations and salaries had vanished from the granary. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that it was Wei Ling who had ordered the transfer, and that the supplies were now stored in the cellar of Wei Ling's residence in Xuanfu.
The emperor was furious upon hearing this. He was actually quite tolerant of corruption, but this had crossed his line. His bottom line was embezzling disaster relief funds and military pay—that was called profiting from a national disaster, and he would never let it go. If caught, it was a capital crime. Even the empress couldn't persuade him, and the imperial edict stripping him of his title had already been written.
Deputy Envoy Guo came to tell Yi Ning this: "I'm afraid this time... no one can save the Duke of Ying!"
The sky outside the main hall was gloomy, and thunder was rumbling in the sky. It had been sunny for several days, and it was probably going to rain.
After hearing what Vice Envoy Guo said, Yi Ning collapsed into the armchair, unable to recover for a long time as she listened to the muffled thunder. "Even if we can't save him, we have to try," she said. "There's no reason to give up just like that!"
Wei Yi had come with her. Thinking of how sharp-tongued she had been just now, and how she now looked like a wandering spirit, he couldn't bear it. "Hey... I think you should talk to your great-aunt. If the imperial edict arrives tomorrow and she's not prepared, it'll be even harder for you to handle it."
Yining seemed not to hear what he said at all.
She asked someone to call Cheng Lang.
As soon as Cheng Lang arrived at the time to go to the government office, he hurried to the Duke of Yingguo's mansion.
Wei Yi was standing in the main hall when he saw a handsome young man in official uniform walk in. He spoke respectfully to Yi Ning, seemingly discussing something in a low voice. The men he brought with him guarded the main hall entrance, looking quite impressive.
Wei Yi felt a little embarrassed when he saw the court official leaning over to talk to his fourteen-year-old cousin without even looking at him. He suddenly felt that he was a little redundant standing in the main hall.
Deputy Envoy Guo had not yet left. Knowing that Cheng Lang had once been a top scholar in the imperial examination, he clasped his fists towards him and said, "It's no use saying anything now. The Emperor is angry and will definitely not listen."
"Even if we go to ask Commander Lu for help, he won't lend a hand," Cheng Lang said in a gentle voice. "Now we can only ask Grandmother to go to the palace and ask the Queen for help. Even if we can't keep the title, it's fine. But we must protect the Wei family."
The more critical the situation, the calmer Yi Ning became. The Duke of Ying's Mansion was now weighing heavily on her head, and she dared not even breathe, fearing that she would fall apart if she wasn't careful. So she had to hold on even if she forced herself to. She nodded, "I'm afraid the Empress won't want to see Grandmother. Although Grandmother has the imperial decree, she doesn't have the imperial edict after all."
"I know the eunuch beside the queen." Cheng Lang thought for a moment, then hesitated and revealed his trump card.
How did he know the queen's eunuch?
Yi Ning glanced at Cheng Lang. He was still as handsome and elegant as ever. She didn't ask any more questions. "...Then I'll go tell Grandmother."
"Although the Duke of Guo usually makes many friends, he is in a high position and has a lot of power, so he has offended many people. I am afraid that besides the Earl of Zhongqin, there are also people who take advantage of his misfortune." Cheng Lang said, "But let's not talk about this for now. I will go to the Imperial City first and pave the way for you."
Today's incident really can't be hidden from the old lady.
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