Chapter 90
The eighth day of the Lunar New Year is when the new emperor ascends the throne, changes the country's name, and issues a general amnesty.
Officials who supported the crown prince were all promoted. Wei Ling was already the Duke of Ying, so his salary was only increased. However, Lu Jiaxue was given the rank of General Xuanwei, making him the highest-ranking military officer.
Wei Ling went to the palace to claim the reward. When he returned, Yi Ning was about to go to him about the housekeeper's matter. Through the curtains, she could hear his furious voice: "...Wang Yuan is really too confused!"
Another voice inside the room said, "Since they've already killed him, let it go."
Outside, the snow had not yet melted, but the thick velvet curtains separated the room, and inside, with the heating on, it was warm. When Yining heard the name Wang Yuan, he was lost in thought.
She had heard of Wang Yuan.
The story of this man is quite legendary, so it is widely circulated. He was very smart. When he was young, his family was poor. In order to send him to school, his mother worked as a laundryman for the porters at the ferry to earn money. This is how she was able to support such a poor student. After finally passing the imperial examination, Wang Yuan's relatives looked at his family differently. But who would have thought that Wang Yuan would fail the imperial examination four or five times, and his reputation gradually weakened. It was not until he was forty that he was appreciated by the chief examiner and passed the imperial examination. But by then, Wang Yuan had already changed. After being selected as a Shujishi, he did not follow the routine promotion. Instead, he chose to curry favor with the eunuch who was in charge of writing at the time, and was appreciated by the late emperor. Eight years later, he actually sat in the position of the chief minister of the cabinet.
This man was clever and adept at cunning and sly tactics, but he lacked any real ability to govern. His control over the court was a chaotic mess, plagued by disorder. He was also exceptionally cruel and merciless, a master at manipulating others, and no one could touch him. Yet, both emperors greatly admired him, and he controlled the cabinet, leaving no one within it vulnerable to him.
During his tenure, he killed many loyal officials, including Luo Shenyuan's teacher Xu Wei.
When Yining thought of this, those scenes seemed to appear in front of her eyes. Then she thought of Luo Shenyuan and suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe.
After Luo Shenyuan won the third place in the imperial examination, Xu Wei, who was also short of available talent, recognized his appreciation for him. Within four years, he promoted Luo Shenyuan to the position of Vice Minister of Personnel. At the time, many in the court believed that Xu Wei was training Luo Shenyuan as a senior official. Luo Shenyuan was known for his taciturnity, talent, and respect for his teachers, earning him widespread admiration.
So after Xu Wei's tragic death, everyone assumed Luo Shenyuan would avenge his teacher, or at least seek justice for him. In the end, he did nothing. Not only did he do nothing, but he actually became closer to the Wang Yuan faction. His fellow disciple, Yang Ling, who was also Xu Wei's student, was beaten to death at the Meridian Gate while trying to save Xu Wei, even though Xu Wei didn't think much of him. When Yang Ling was beaten, Luo Shenyuan's sedan chair had just passed through the Meridian Gate. Screams of agony rang out, but he didn't even stop to look at him, simply letting the sedan pass by without blinking.
The Qingliu officials were enraged by this. Though they dared not speak out, fearing Wang Yuan's intimidation, no one associated with Luo Shenyuan anymore. They privately cursed him, calling him worse than an animal and ungrateful. The Qingliu officials in the Ministry of Personnel even refused to report to Luo Shenyuan. If Luo Shenyuan hadn't punished over a dozen people out of anger, he might have been ignored.
After the punishment, no one ignored him anymore. But they went to Yang Ling's house to pay their respects, covering Yang Ling with sackcloth all day long, which disgusted Luo Shenyuan. They also placed Yang Ling's spirit altar next to Luo Shenyuan's house. Luo Shenyuan tolerated all of this and simply avoided these people when he returned home.
Censors from the Qingliu faction, displeased with Luo Shenyuan's behavior, wrote to him, accusing him of aiding and abetting the tyrant. Luo Shenyuan, however, ignored the criticism and, thanks to Wang Yuan's promotion, entered the cabinet. Even when he was promoted to Grand Secretary, a censor stood at his door and continued to criticize him, saying, "If this thief has entered the central government, I will hang him at my door and follow him day and night as a ghost!"
Luo Shenyuan had already entered the cabinet and was respected by Wang Yuan, a treacherous and corrupt official with some dirty hands.
It was not until Wang Yuan died tragically at his hands and he became the prime minister that no one dared to scold him.
To Yi Ning before, these were just random words she had heard. She had even been frightened by Luo Shenyuan's cruelty and ruthlessness. But now she knew him. This was the brother she had grown up with. This was the Luo Shenyuan who had written calligraphy for her and spoken softly to her.
Thinking about these things again, and thinking about the gloomy and tall young man she saw across the crowd many years ago, she felt uncomfortable.
…
"Yining, why don't you come in now that you're here?" Wei Ling's voice rang out.
Yi Ning finally came to her senses and followed Wei Ling into the study. The person speaking with Wei Ling was Dingbei Marquis Fu Ping. He had a kind smile, and since it was New Year's Day, he even pulled a red envelope from his sleeve and gave it to Yi Ning. After accepting the red envelope, Yi Ning bowed and said to Wei Ling, "Tell the manager of the office, please tell me, you want five thousand li of silver to repair the courtyard?"
Fu Ping listened with great interest. Wei Ling was the one who had the final say in the Duke of England's mansion. He had found this delicate and pretty girl, but she actually started to control him.
Wei Ling called Yining over and asked with a smile, "Are you confused? Then you need Daddy to give you a detailed list."
How dare Yi Ning meddle in his affairs? She just came to ask! Seeing Wei Ling and Fu Ping looking at her, she pursed her lips and smiled and said, "Everything is fine in the mansion. I was thinking about whether there is anything that can be repaired and needs five thousand taels... so I came to ask."
Yining's brows and eyes had opened, her complexion as delicate as porcelain, and she stood in the study, graceful and elegant like a lotus. A faint light from outside cast a shadow on her. She wore a cyan satin jacket, her face as radiant as jade, and the crimson mole at the edge of her eyebrow was even more striking. It suddenly added a touch of brilliance. When she was young, she had seemed delicate and adorable, but as she grew older, she had become truly stunning.
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