Chapter 105 [Invitation from the Patriarch of the He Family]
Little did they know that back at the He family mansion, as soon as He Shao, the head of the He family, came back, He Jing's cousins started to report He Jing.
The He family mansion faces south, is nestled against the mountains and beside the water, and is luxurious and grand. With layers of exotic flowers and plants embellishing it, it gives the impression of being in a fairyland.
A luxurious carriage stopped in front of the gate of He's house, with a red silk roof and a circle of pearls inlaid on the edge.
The tall and handsome coachman jumped down from under the carriage and used a jade ruyi to lift the curtain for the people in the carriage.
A dignified and graceful woman got off the carriage. She was so well-maintained that one could not tell her age.
She had an elegant appearance, a high nose bridge, rosy lips, and the maroon gold brocade dress she wore made her look extremely good.
This woman is the owner of the He residence, He Shao, the head of the He family.
After receiving the good news that He Lin was released from prison and the Yun family suffered a heavy blow, He Shao's slightly raised mouth corners revealed her good mood today.
Except for He Jing and He Lin, all the younger generations of the He family were waiting at home.
The He family members of He Jing's generation were all dressed in jewels and gorgeous looks, which were very pleasing to the eye. They stood on both sides of the He family's hall.
Seeing He Shao walking into the hall, He Fengqing and He Manyu, the brother and sister from the second branch of the He family, came to greet her early.
One rubbed He Shao's shoulders, and the other handed her flower tea.
He Manyu helped He Shao sit down. "Thanks to Auntie's hard work today, He Lin is finally safe. He has always been reckless in his work, and this time he has caused Auntie a lot of trouble."
He Fengqing also served the scented tea he had prepared: "It's good that He Lin and He Jing are not here today, so that Auntie won't be upset."
He Shao didn't say anything and closed her eyes.
He Manyu's technique of massaging He Shao's shoulders was just right. She whispered softly to He Shao, "Aunt, I heard that He Jing was very close to the exiled prisoners. This is a disgrace to our He family."
He Fengqing then fanned the flames: "He Jing said he was helping the He family process medicinal materials, and he used this fugitive as a middleman. Now, apart from the 5,000 taels of silver deposit, he hasn't seen anything else. Could he have been cheated?"
"Yeah, He Jing has always been unreliable. I was really anxious this time, so I gave him the unsold herbs in the pharmacy."
He Manyu and her brother echoed each other: "Now that I think about it, I feel panic. That was a medicinal herb worth 20,000 silver coins."
"Oh? A fugitive?" He Shao blew on the gilded carved teacup in her hand, her tone flat: "Where did the fugitive come from?"
When He Fengqing saw that his words had taken effect, he quickly said, "They are from the capital and will be exiled to Haizhou."
"The fugitive who gave He Jing advice is said to be from the Marquis of Zhaoping's mansion and is currently residing at the post station in Lianzhou."
He Manyu explained, "Piracy has been rampant at sea recently, and Lianzhou has no time to arrange a ship for these fugitives, so they are temporarily stranded at the Lianzhou Post Station."
Hearing that it was the Marquis of Zhaoping's Mansion, He Shao narrowed her eyes and asked speculatively, "What does He Jing want to do?"
He Manyu looked nervous: "Aunt, the Zhaoping Marquisate is facing the crime of treason. Cousin He Jing is trying to kill our He family."
He Fangzhi, the eldest of this generation of the He family, stood aside, quietly watching the two people from the second branch flatter He Shao.
He didn't say a single word of slander and acted very neutrally: "Aunt, cousin He Jing always trusts others easily. He is not a bad person by nature."
He Manyu curled her lips, "Brother, you are too tolerant of He Jing. He has never had parents to discipline him since he was a child, so how can his temper be good?"
There was no need for these two idiots from the Second House family to act so impatient. They hadn't rashly intervened in He Lin's affairs. Even He Jing was the only one running around, and even if he didn't have any credit, he had worked hard.
How could a powerful person like my aunt not see the clumsy little tricks of this brother and sister? It was just that seeing that He Jing had really pulled He Lin out of jail and even outmaneuvered the Yun family, she became anxious and was afraid that this good-for-nothing who had always been trampled underfoot would turn the tables.
He Fangzhi knew what was going on, but he had no intention of stopping the brother and sister from making trouble. It would be a good idea to remind his aunt about the outstanding balance of the medicinal materials so that He Jing's contribution would not be too conspicuous.
Speaking of He Jing, He Fangzhi secretly sighed that He Jing was really lucky. The Grand Minister of Agriculture suddenly visited Lianzhou. It was said that the Yunhai County Magistrate Lin Ye had discovered a new crop called potato, which was very high-yielding, and specially reported it to the Grand Minister of Agriculture.
He Jing had previously shown off his power in Tianshui Village of Yunhai County and was taught a lesson by Lin Ye, and the two of them came into contact. When He Jing was negotiating with County Magistrate Lin about the follow-up matters of controlling the locust plague in Tianshui Village, he learned about the visit of the Grand Minister of Agriculture, and first invited the Grand Minister of Agriculture to Lianzhou to investigate and deal with the Turahua.
Everyone in the He family believed this statement because it seemed very reasonable and was supported by facts.
Little did they know that this explanation was spread by He Lin's "water army" in order to make the Grand Minister of Agriculture's surprise attack seem justified.
After listening to what the others said, He Shao pondered and said, "Since that not-so-simple exile is in Lianzhou, why not invite her to my birthday party and meet her?"
He Shao took a sip of tea and said, "I want to see who this person is."
He Manyu was surprised to hear her aunt say that she wanted to invite the exile to a banquet. Just as she was about to speak out to stop her, He Fangzhi spoke first, "Nephew will do it right away. It's your 40th birthday, and we'll have a banquet for everyone."
"This exile group has endured great hardships on the journey. Auntie is generous and kind-hearted. She is willing to use her kindness to influence these prisoners. If this gets out, it will be a good thing."
As the most prominent family in Lingnan, the He family would hold grand banquets to entertain people from all over Lingnan on important occasions. Exiling more than 60 people from the team was no big deal.
He Fangzhi's name for inviting people is reasonable and can also bring good reputation to the head of the He family.
He Shao nodded with satisfaction. Although her nephew was cunning, he was a worry-free person when it came to getting things done.
*
At 9:00 the next day, a piece of good news spread among the exile team at the post station.
This group of fugitives were stranded in Lianzhou, and happened to encounter the 40th birthday party of He Shao, the head of the He family, the richest family in Lingnan. A grand banquet was held to entertain the people, and these fugitives could also take advantage of it and have a good meal.
Everyone in the post station was in a festive mood, but Jiang Lili felt something was wrong.
Sure enough, He Jing brought her news as soon as he arrived at the inn: "My aunt wants to test your Zhaoping Marquis Mansion, especially you. You must be prepared to meet my aunt."
After that, he added, "Don't worry, my aunt may like to find fault with people, but she's not a big deal."
Jiang Lili was waiting for the meeting with the head of the He family: "Don't worry, I have made all the preparations."
Now it’s all about ensuring that He Jing’s image is foolproof.
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