Zhuang Wenfeng's death was like the first snow in winter, and the real cold was still to come. The entire Chen officialdom was shaken by it. For a whole winter, officials first argued endlessly about the reform of the system of favoritism. After the reform was decided, they had to argue every day about the candidates for vacancies. Every morning court was more lively than the East and West Markets, and the bargaining of the well-read scholars and doctors was not much different from that of the women in the market.
Mu Zhuohua listened to the adults arguing with drooping eyelids every day, pinching the back of his hands until they turned red to hold back his sleepiness. When he looked up and saw Liu Yan's straight back, he couldn't help but feel a little admiration.
Of course, the most envied person was Shen Jinghong, who left without taking away a cloud, but left a pile of mess for others to clean up.
Mu Zhuohua knew very well who gave Liu Chen a list behind his back, causing the whole court to argue endlessly about it, and he was hiding behind Liu Chen and enjoying the fruits of his labor.
This quarrel lasted until New Year's Eve, but the nobles had their own minds, and they still had to wish each other a happy new year after cursing each other.
Officials have a seven-day holiday during the New Year, which is obviously not enough time to go home to worship their ancestors. Unless they have been officials for three years, they can have a thirty-day holiday to go back. Officials from other places like Mu Zhuohua are mostly alone in Beijing to celebrate the festival. If you are willing to spend some money, the girls in Xiaoqin Palace can bring you family-like warmth.
Song Lianxi is close to Mu Zhuohua, and the relationship between the two seems to be good. He has been married for several years and has a beautiful wife and son at home. He is very happy. Seeing that Mu Zhuohua is alone, he kindly invites her to his home to spend the holiday together. Mu Zhuohua thanked with a smile, but still declined.
"Thank you for your kindness, Brother Lianxi, but I am not alone. I have a little sister waiting for me at home." Mu Zhuohua said with a smile, "I promised her that I would cook a delicious meal for her on New Year's Eve this year."
Song Lianxi heard Mu Zhuohua say that there was a little maid at home who was like a sister. Seeing that she did not look lonely, he no longer invited her warmly, but just said that they could visit each other if they had free time during the Spring Festival.
The officials also returned home early that day. Mu Zhuohua sorted out the files of the Ministry of Households and was the last one to leave.
Red lanterns were hung everywhere and blessing characters were posted. The atmosphere of the Spring Festival was very strong. Mu Zhuohua looked up at the brilliant colors and his feet became lighter.
This is the second New Year she has spent away from home. At this time last year, she and Guo Juli were still on their way north to escape their marriage. They whipped a donkey cart and stayed in a simple inn. In order to save money, they lived in a leaky lower room. The cooking skills of the inn were really perfunctory, so she borrowed the kitchen and made the ultimate delicacy with simple ingredients. She spent a New Year's Eve that seemed bleak but was very comfortable and at ease.
At this time this year, it was much better than she had imagined. She and Guo Juli finally had a home of their own. Although it was not big, it made people feel very at ease. They didn't have to compete with others or act stupid. When she went out this morning, she asked Guo Juli to buy the best ingredients in the East Market and promised to make her the most sumptuous meal in the evening.
Mu Zhuohua couldn't help but curl her lips slightly when she thought about it. She walked out of the palace gate with brisk steps. She was immersed in her own thoughts and didn't notice someone approaching behind her for a while, until a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her.
"Seventh girl, it's really you!" A familiar voice shouted.
Mu Zhuohua turned around in shock, looking at the people standing in front of him, and shouted in surprise: "Father... Mother..."
Mu Rong and Cen were dressed in gorgeous clothes, as always, but even so, it was difficult to hide the tiredness and haggardness on their faces. But when they saw Mu Zhuohua in official robes, their eyes lit up and looked up and down at this familiar yet unfamiliar daughter. Shortly after the announcement of the Spring Examination, the list of Jinshi was passed to Huaizhou, but
Mu Rong's impression of this daughter was extremely vague. He vaguely remembered that she was a child who didn't talk much and didn't fight or compete. He never thought that she would one day be able to pass the exam and become a fifth-rank official. When the Spring Examination was announced, he also heard the name of this year's third place winner, but he had many children, so how could he remember the name of the missing Xiaoqi who had been missing for a long time? Moreover, there was no governor to congratulate him, so he never thought that his daughter would be the current third place winner. Although Cen knew Xiaoqi's name, she was deep in the inner house and was indifferent to the results of the examination. Therefore, for more than half a year, no one in the Mu family knew that Miss Mu Qi had won the third place in the imperial examination.
When he heard the news yesterday, he still couldn't believe it. It was not until he saw her in person, wearing an official robe, with elegant manners and a handsome face, that he slowly accepted this surprise. It
was only after Mu Zhuohua revealed her true face that Cen realized that this concubine's daughter was scheming. For this reason, she was worried that Mu Zhuohua had other intentions and would pose a threat to her. After knowing that Magistrate Zhuang wanted her, she couldn't wait to send Mu Zhuohua away. Who knew that Mu Zhuohua did have other intentions, but what he was plotting was not the property of the Mu family, but the official career. This was really beyond her imagination.
Mu Zhuohua knew that she couldn't keep her official career a secret from the Mu family forever, but she didn't expect that they would find out so quickly and block people outside the Lifan Temple. Mu Zhuohua let the two of them look at her, and after a while she smiled and said slowly: "I left without saying goodbye that day, which made my father and mother worried. I am sorry for my mistake, not my daughter. I apologize to you two here."
Mu Zhuohua bowed.
Cen quickly held her hand. Mu Zhuohua was wearing an official robe, which always gave her a sense of oppression, so she didn't dare to accept his courtesy. But then she thought, even if she became an official, it didn't matter, she was still her legal mother, and it was natural for her to worship her.
Cen smiled and held Mu Zhuohua's hand, saying, "Now that you have brought honor to our family, your father and I are so happy that we would never blame you. We are just worried that you are alone and have no one to take care of you. Today is New Year's Eve, and it is just right for us to take you home for the New Year."
Mu Zhuohua smiled slightly, and quietly broke free from Cen's hand. Without answering her, she asked, "Why are you two not in your hometown in Jiangnan, but in Dingjing at this time?"
Mu Rong exchanged glances with Cen, and then sighed, "This matter has to start with the magistrate of Zhuang County... Zhuang Wenfeng."
Mu Minghua beat the drum to sue Zhuang Wenfeng. From that day on, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel sent people to Huaizhou to investigate, which alarmed the entire Huaizhou officialdom. Zhuang Wenfeng had a gray income of tens of thousands of taels of silver in his account, and hundreds of acres of fertile land that he had merged, all of which were "earned" by colluding with several wealthy businessmen in Huaizhou to issue interest rates. The emperor was watching this matter, so the people sent down dared not show any favoritism. They just dug deep and investigated. This investigation inevitably led to the Mu family.
This matter made Mu Rong feel that he had died unjustly. His Mu family was a big family with a lot of wealth. How could they look down on the small business that colluded with Magistrate Zhuang? To be honest, this matter was done by Cen and his brothers from his mother's family, but they borrowed the reputation of the Mu family. After investigation, it was found that the Cen family was extremely evil, and the Mu family was not immune. The Mu family did not have any actual collusion with Magistrate Zhuang, but after investigation, it was found that the Mu family colluded with the governor!
As the richest man in Jiangnan, the Mu family naturally had many competitors. Many people were eager to take this opportunity to overthrow the Mu family and bite off a piece of meat from him. Mu Rong was extremely worried about this. He ran around and managed things up and down, and spent tens of thousands of taels of silver, but he didn't see any splash.
After being beaten by Mu Rong, Cen cried in her room for several days, and then she came to her senses. She grabbed Mu Rong's arm and said, "Master, this matter has alarmed His Majesty. Dingjing sent people to investigate. What's the use of us making arrangements down there? The person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. We have to go to Dingjing to find someone!"
Mu Rong woke up as if from a dream. He immediately gathered his men and rushed to Dingjing with Cen.
Mu Rong arrived in Dingjing two days ago. The Mu family naturally had a branch in Dingjing. The head shopkeeper received Mu Rong's letter and prepared a three-story house for him to stay in Dingjing. The couple arrived in Dingjing exhausted. After drinking a cup of tea, they listened to the head shopkeeper talking about the major events that had happened in Dingjing during this period.
The most relevant thing for them was that the concubine of County Magistrate Zhuang, Mu, the loyal woman who beat the drum for hearing the news, had just been awarded a large house by His Majesty and lived in the south city.
When Mu Rong was in Huaizhou, he only heard that the magistrate of Zhuang County was sued, but he didn't know that it was his concubine who sued him, and this concubine's surname was Mu. He and Cen looked at each other in astonishment - who else could it be except his concubine's daughter!
Mu Rong and Cen immediately went to find Mu Minghua.
Mu Minghua was no longer the Mu Minghua of the past. In the past, she liked luxurious clothes and jewelry. Now she wore plain satin and a woman's bun. She only inserted a plum blossom silver hairpin in her thick hair and wore a pair of white jade bracelets on her hands. She looked much thinner, but her complexion was good.
She calmly let Cen and Mu Rong scold her for a while, and then she said slowly: "Father and mother, please see the memorial arch outside. What is written on it?"
Mu Rong was stunned. He left in a hurry just now and didn't look carefully.
Mu Minghua bowed towards the direction of the imperial city and smiled slightly, "That is the Loyalty Archway, which was bestowed upon me by His Majesty to commend me for sacrificing my relatives for the sake of justice. His Majesty thinks that I am loyal and righteous by suing Zhuang Wenfeng, but my father and mother are here to insult me, saying that I have harmed the family. Do my father and mother think that His Majesty has also done something wrong?"
Mu Rong broke out in a cold sweat and pointed at Mu Minghua's nose and cursed, "You, what nonsense are you talking about! When did I ever say that!"
Mu Minghua rolled her eyes at him lazily. Now she is a loyal and righteous lady admired by everyone. She has the great cause and the support of His Majesty, so she doesn't take these two people seriously.
"If the two elders also think that I have done nothing wrong, then don't make a fuss here, lest someone with ulterior motives hears and reports you to His Majesty." Mu Minghua smiled maliciously, "I'm afraid the Mu family can't afford such a crime."
The two men could hear the threat in Mu Minghua's words, and they were so angry that they were burning with anger, but they really didn't dare to do anything to her.
Cen gritted her teeth and pulled down her face, smiling and saying, "Your father just lost his temper and said something wrong. We are all family, why should we talk about our differences? Now that the Mu family is in trouble, you have a say in His Majesty, can you think of a way to help the family?"
Mu Minghua just threatened them with alarmist words, how could she have a say in front of His Majesty? Although His Majesty gave rewards, he only sent a eunuch. Even when she filed a complaint, she only looked at him from a distance in the hall, lying on the ground and unable to get up, and she couldn't even see his appearance clearly. "It is said that scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans are the last, no matter how big your family is, you can't stop the storm in the officialdom." Mu Minghua sighed in a pretentious manner, she sneered at the two people in front of her, this man was her nominal father, but he never showed any love, this woman was her nominal mother, but she was mean and ungrateful, she had no attachment to the Mu family, naturally she would not work hard for them.
"The Mu family has been running the business for many years, so they must have connections in the court. Father, instead of wasting time with me, you might as well find someone else."
Seeing this, Mu Rong knew that he could not get any good from Mu Minghua. He did not expect a loyal wife to help much, but seeing Mu Minghua's indifferent attitude, he was also angry. He flicked his sleeves and sneered, "Okay, okay, it's really useless to have a daughter. Since you don't consider yourself a member of the Mu family, don't go back to the Mu family in the future!"
Mu Minghua looked at Mu Rong and his wife angrily and sneered in his heart. Who would want to go back to that Mu family? She was just a product of Mu Rong's momentary joy. When she was a child, she also admired this father, but when did he ever give her a little care? As for Cen, there was no blood relationship, and he could not expect her to have much love for his concubine. For the Mu family, concubines were just tools. They were raised with good food and drink, and it was convenient to sell them at a good price and send them to others to marry and seek benefits.
In the past, they talked to her about interests, so why should they talk about family affection now?
It's ridiculous!
Mu Zhuohua felt speechless when she heard Mu Rong and Cen accusing Mu Minghua of not caring about family affection. Not to mention that Mu Minghua was really powerless in this matter, even if there was a way, she would never run around for the Mu family's affairs.
Mu Rong's words at this moment were just to humiliate Mu Minghua, but he was just stimulating Mu Zhuohua to help.
Cen grabbed Mu Zhuohua's hand and said earnestly: "Zhuohua, you are different from Minghua. You are well-educated and valued by His Majesty. It is reasonable that you have to help with this matter, otherwise our Mu family may be in great trouble!"
Mu Rong also frowned. He has been through too much during this period of time. His originally handsome appearance has been hollowed out by alcohol and sex over the years, and it is even more difficult to withstand the storm. Seeing him now, he is more than five years older than when he left home. "I heard that you are the third place in the palace examination this year, and you are highly valued by His Majesty. Not only is
you a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue, but you can also give lectures to His Majesty. Do you have any way to help the Mu family get rid of the current predicament?" Mu Zhuohua sighed and said, "Father and mother, although I have the intention, I can't do anything. His Majesty is personally watching this matter. His Majesty wants to clean up the administration and rectify the officialdom. Four hundred officials in the Ministry of Personnel were dismissed in this performance evaluation, which shows that His Majesty is serious! At this cusp of the storm, if I sacrifice public power for personal gain, bend the law for personal gain, and let people catch me, not only will I lose my official position, but the Mu family will also be guilty of this crime!"
Cen said with a bitter face, "This... is not for you to let me You have bent the law for personal gain, but since you have some face with His Majesty, you can plead with His Majesty. If His Majesty shows mercy, it won't be your fault."
Mu Zhuohua's smile turned cold, and she said, "Mother, what you said is not right. You asked me to plead with His Majesty based on personal feelings, and asked me not to bend the law for personal gain, but you asked His Majesty to bend the law for personal gain and pushed the crime onto Your Majesty. This is a crime punishable by deceiving the emperor and beheading!"
Cen's legs went weak at the intimidation of Mu Zhuohua, and she waved her hands helplessly, "That's not what I meant... How could I push the crime onto His Majesty..." No matter
how powerful she was, she was only domineering in the inner house, and she had never seen such a scene.
Mu Rong put his hands behind his back and said with a sullen face, "This is not okay, that is not okay either..." He narrowed his eyes and looked at Mu Zhuohua, sneering, "But these are just excuses for you. You are my daughter, and your last name is Mu. If the Mu family is in trouble, you will not be able to have an easy life!"
Mu Zhuohua said calmly, "Since ancient times, it has been difficult to be both loyal and filial. I hope my father will forgive my daughter for being unfilial."
Seeing Mu Zhuohua's broken face, Mu Rong was so angry that he trembled: "You, you really just watched me die without helping me!"
Mu Zhuohua spread his hands helplessly: "Father, it's not that I watched me die without helping me. First of all, the Mu family's crime is not punishable by death. It's just that they have to spend money to avoid disaster. They just admit their crimes honestly. Secondly, I am just a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue. I really can't help you. Please forgive me, father."
Mu Rong sneered and said "OK" three times in a row.
"One or two, you are so heartless and ungrateful!" Mu Rong glared at Cen, "You taught me a good daughter!"
Cen was submissive and let him scold her, not daring to talk back.
Mu Rong glared at Mu Zhuohua angrily and said, "I know that you think that you don't have to listen to me now that you are an official, but even if you become the prime minister, you are still my daughter, and your surname is still Mu! You disobeyed your parents' orders before, refused to get married and left home, which is disrespectful to your elders, disobedient and unfilial! Even if you bring this matter to His Majesty, you are still wrong! No matter how capable you are, and no matter how much His Majesty values you, in my Chen Kingdom, a person with bad conduct, disobedience and unfilial behavior is not worthy of being an official!"
Mu Rong thought that Mu Zhuohua would be able to pass the imperial examination and become an official in the court, which would be a happy thing for the Mu family. Although he had some connections in the court, those relationships that were made with money were not as good as those with blood relatives. What's more rare is that Mu Zhuohua is valued by His Majesty and can reach the emperor directly, so it is not difficult for her to say a few words in front of the emperor. Mu Rong never thought that Mu Zhuohua would refuse. He has been rich and smooth all his life. When has he ever had to look at other people's faces? But now the situation has changed. Those who used to be on good terms with him are avoiding him. The nobles in Dingjing have received so many benefits every year, but now they are closed to him. Even his own daughters are cold and indifferent. Mu Rong's anger, which has been accumulated for a long time, suddenly burst out. He glared at Mu Zhuohua with gritted teeth, and his hands were shaking with anger: "You have the blood of the Mu family. From childhood to adulthood, we have provided you with food and drink, and let you study. You have learned a lot of articles from saints, but you have learned such an ungrateful virtue?" Mu Zhuohua frowned slightly, looked at Mu Rong's face, which turned red and white with anger, and said: "Father, what you mean is that if I don't do my best to clear the Mu family's name, you will go to the Censorate to sue me. Unfilial?"
Mu Rong sneered, "You can try it."
Mu Zhuohua chuckled, "I guess father has forgotten that I ran away from the marriage because mother wanted to marry me to Zhuang Wenfeng as a concubine, and Zhuang Wenfeng has now been convicted and executed, and my eighth sister has made a meritorious complaint. What's wrong with me running away from the marriage? Father went to the Censorate to report me, but it was just to confirm the crime of collusion between the Mu family and Zhuang Wenfeng. If I run away from the marriage is unfilial, then selling children and colluding with corrupt officials are not a crime? If father wants to try, he can try it!"
"You are so bold!" Mu Rong has countless children, but no one has ever dared to speak to him so presumptuously. He was so angry that he grabbed Mu Zhuohua's wrist and raised his other hand to hit Mu Zhuohua, but before his arm fell, he was suddenly hit by a sharp pain. Mu Rong screamed, and his two arms fell down in an extremely unnatural posture.
Mu Zhuohua was startled and took a half step back, bumping into a strong embrace. She trembled slightly, avoided a little, and turned to look at the person who came.
Mu Rong's facial features were distorted with pain, and he knelt on the ground, with beads of sweat dripping down. Cen was so scared that her face turned pale. She knelt beside Mu Rong and shouted in a trembling voice: "Master, Master, what's wrong with you?"
Mu Zhuohua ignored the two people who were screaming behind her
. She lowered her head and saluted, and said in a deep voice: "Greetings, Your Majesty!" These four words were clearly heard by Mu Rong and Cen. They were both shocked and looked at the man who suddenly appeared in horror. He was tall and slender, standing with his back to the light. His dark purple official robe was inlaid with gold edges, exuding an invisible pressure. His stern face made the kneeling person look at him with a murderous intent.
Who else could be the prince in Dingjing except that person!
Mu Rong didn't care about the pain, he immediately bowed his head and kowtowed, shouting: "I, Mu Rong, pay my respects to the prince!"
Cen also immediately followed suit with trepidation.
The air seemed to be stagnant, but the sound of the wind was even more solemn.
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