Chapter 36
There was a sudden silence in the air.
Xie Ling was stunned.
Wait, what's going on?
Before Xiao Huan had time to think deeply about whether Xie Ling was awake or asleep, he was suddenly thrown into his arms. At this time, looking at the young man in his arms who had just woken up, with disheveled black hair and untidy clothes, his throat rolled.
There's no need to be sure, Xie Ling has definitely been... seducing him these past few days.
The faint scent of magnolia lingered around his nose, and what he saw was the face that usually made him angry, but sometimes looked inexplicably cute. Xiao Huan's breathing was slightly stagnant, and he just felt that he should reject him.
He just stretched out his hand, but then restrained himself and curled it up.
The next moment, Xiao Huan thought: This guy went to great lengths and even pretended to sleepwalk so that he could fall into my arms. If I reject him so directly, would it be too hurtful?
Xiao Huan didn't expect that in the past, when he saw those palace servants with ill intentions, he would just avoid them and impatiently have them dragged away. But when facing Xie Ling, not only did he not hide, he even wondered if doing so would be too cruel?
The imperial examination is coming soon. Xie Ling is so crazy about me. If I reject him, won’t it affect his exam performance?
It would be bad if it affected his performance.
After pondering for a long time, when Xiao Huan came to his senses, Xie Ling had already opened his eyes.
Xie Ling: …
It's over. The mission failed and he fell down. It would be unreasonable for him not to open his eyes.
After failing to pretend to sleepwalk, Xie Ling thought that he would face punishment from Emperor Wu when he opened his eyes. However, after waiting for a long time, he found that the emperor was holding him with one hand, with his eyes lowered and he was lost in thought, but no one knew what he was thinking.
Xie Ling:?
How about he try it a little more?
After he hesitantly called out "Your Majesty", Xiao Huan, who was immersed in his thoughts, suddenly came back to his senses. Realizing the current posture of the two, he slightly suppressed his expression.
"Why don't you be more careful when you get up."
"If I hadn't been here, I wouldn't know where I'd fall next time."
After saying this casually, he withdrew his hand. Seeing Xie Ling nod obediently, he choked a little.
This guy dared to covet me, and he was so bold but pretended to be well-behaved. I twitched my mouth in my heart. When Xiao Huan saw him wake up, he said indifferently: "Since you are awake, go and review by yourself."
"I'm leaving first."
After he said that, he turned and left.
Xie Ling, who stayed where he was, was dumbfounded.
No, it was scary that he stood in front of his bed for such a long time for no apparent reason, said a few words and then left. Xie Ling began to suspect that there was something wrong with His Majesty.
"So, what is he after?"
Even though he respected Emperor Wu very much, he was still a little confused at this time.
never mind.
He couldn't guess what Emperor Wu was thinking, so he just thought that Your Majesty was just relaxing.
The system twitched its lips as it watched the developments in front of it.
It had been choking and silent since Xie Ling fell into Emperor Wu's arms, and it did not come to its senses until the person left. After hearing the host's mumbling, the look it gave the host became more complicated.
Forget it, fools have good luck.
This is also the host's ability.
The system took a deep breath and decided to stay calm next time something happened.
Look, it’s not a big deal. The host can handle it. He should have confidence in the host.
He shook his head, unable to figure it out. Xie Ling had no idea what the system had imagined. After sending Emperor Wu away, he wanted to lie back on the couch and catch up on his sleep.
But after tossing and turning for a long time, he suddenly sat up. He couldn't fall asleep again after being woken up.
Tsk.
He sat up and looked at the sky outside, thinking that he couldn't fall asleep. Since the teacher was not here today, why not go out of the palace? Anyway, His Majesty just said that he was going to review, but he didn't say where to review.
He did what he said. After washing and packing up, Xie Ling sent someone to report to the emperor.
As soon as Xiao Huan returned to Wannian Pavilion, he received the news that Xie Ling wanted to leave the palace. He paused for a moment, and it was hard not to think: Could it be that after that guy threw himself into my arms, he didn't dare to face me, so he wanted to leave the palace to take it easy?
Thinking of this, he naturally recalled the feeling when Xie Ling fell into his arms just now, and at this time, his hand holding the teacup tightened a little. After coming to his senses, he said nonchalantly:
"In that case, let him go to Zheng Wanping's place."
"However, you must return before the palace gates are closed in the evening."
He added lightly, and Qian Ming immediately responded.
Xie Ling didn't intend to go far, so it would not be difficult for him to come back in the evening.
After obtaining His Majesty's consent, he left the palace immediately.
Sitting in a carriage passing through the Dongfang Market where people were selling things, the familiar smell of fireworks came into the air. Xie Ling originally wanted to buy some things for Zheng Daru and Mrs. Zheng on the way.
He felt a little embarrassed lately because he always went empty-handed.
As a result, the carriage had just reached a place where officials lived when they were caught off guard by a sudden commotion in front.
Um?
Looks like there's a melon?
Xie Ling took a bite of cherry fried food and curiously poked his head out to see what was going on. It was rare for him to come out and run into trouble by chance? As soon as he opened the curtain, he and Qian Ming saw several servants in coarse cloth clothes holding a middle-aged woman in her forties, and they didn't know where they were going.
The older brothers who were watching in front were whispering to each other, and Xie Ling listened for a long time before he understood: this woman was the wet nurse of the family, and she was going to be sent to the government office because she had committed a serious crime.
But this person didn't want to go so he kept yelling and cursing along the way.
As for the content of the shouting...
Xie Ling listened carefully and said, "God damn it, if you dare to send me to the government office, you will never know the whereabouts of Master Li."
"Why don't you tell the master to let me go?"
"If something goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?"
Um?
Master Li?
Xie Ling frowned. After hearing what she said, the servants who were holding down the wet nurse seemed to be thinking of something and actually loosened up a little.
My curiosity grew even stronger.
For some reason, he always felt that the scene before him seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere.
"Come on, let's get off the car and take a look."
Qian Ming was stunned for a moment: "Master Xie, but aren't we going to look for Zheng Daru?"
Why are you joining in the fun?
Xie Ling was attracted by this familiar scene: "You can find the teacher anytime." But such live gossip is not available at any time.
"Let's take a look before we go."
Now that I'm out, I just happened to run into it, so I have to take a closer look.
Qian Ming watched Master Xie get off the carriage, and then he smoothly joined the crowd of onlookers, as if he had been standing there from the beginning.
The middle-aged woman cursed and warned for a long time, and the person she threatened was the young master Li of that family. The servants had no choice but to look at each other and leave four people to guard the wet nurse, while the others returned to the mansion to report.
Xie Ling followed the line of sight and saw the two big words "Li Mansion".
"Hey, what kind of official is the owner of this house?"
“It looks quite impressive.”
Wu Shanlai, who was watching the show closely, was poked in the arm when he turned around and was about to speak.
This is a coincidence, at first glance.
Hey, isn’t this the little brother I met at the poetry reading that day?
Is he out to watch the fun too?
His eyes lit up, and he pinched Zhang Jing beside him before speaking: "This little brother, you don't know that the person living in Chengping Street is the current Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Li Hansheng."
"These people are also servants of Lord Li's family."
The Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice asked for leave at the morning court today. His colleagues who attended the court with him thought it was nothing, but they did not expect to hear about such a farce when they returned home.
Lord Li ordered the arrest of the nanny, allegedly because he found out that his son had been swapped. Moreover, the nanny had just sent someone away the day before he was looking for her, and after several interrogations, she refused to reveal the whereabouts of Young Master Li. Lord Li had no choice but to order someone to escort her to the government office according to the procedure.
People who heard this were stunned. They didn't expect that this kind of thing was not made up in the storybook, but really happened around them, and it happened to the current Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.
Zhang Jing's father had a good relationship with Lord Li, so when he heard about the shocking incident, he sent him to take a look and comfort his uncle.
Wu Shanlai was just there to watch the fun.
After all, this kind of thing is so horrifying that everyone would be curious after hearing about it.
As soon as the two entered Chengping Street, the wet nurse's yelling and cursing attracted a crowd of people.
How outrageous!
Zhang Jinggang's face turned red with anger at this shameless man, and he was pinched by the brother next to him. He turned his head with a dark face, but he saw an unexpected face.
Xie Ling was still dressed in red, which made him stand out in the crowd.
After seeing this person, he was stunned for a moment, then reacted.
Well, isn’t this the nobleman who wanted to discuss the Classic of Tea with him at the poetry meeting that day?
Oh yes, the other party also reported Chen Siye in the end.
Xie Ling was very impressed by Zhang Jing, but he didn't expect to meet him by chance. When their eyes met, he blinked slightly.
"What a coincidence, you're here to watch the fun too?"
Zhang Jing was stunned for a moment, and when he saw Xie Ling bending his eyes and casually greeting him, he could no longer hold back his anger. He was an impatient person, and although he usually suppressed his temper by reading, he was still eager to do good at critical moments, otherwise he would not have exposed the Dongshan School in public.
However, Zhang Jing inexplicably cared about his image in front of this little brother. He tightened his hand and said, "My father knows Lord Li, so I came here to help."
"Why are you here, little brother?"
He paused for a moment and then remembered, "I was in a hurry at the poetry meeting last time and forgot to ask you your name."
"My name is Zhang Jing, and I am currently studying at the Imperial College."
Worried that Xie Ling would think he was using his power to bully others, Zhang Jing deliberately did not mention the Ningguo Mansion and only said his name.
Xie Ling nodded, still a little uncomfortable with such a polite way of speaking.
But since everyone said so, of course he had no choice but to follow suit.
"Uh, my name is Xie Ling."
"I just happened to pass by today."
He glanced at the servant who was about to take the person back, and suddenly asked:
"Do you want to come in too?"
To visit an old friend, one should go into the mansion, right?
Perhaps it was because he saw the wet nurse making such a fuss outside, which was embarrassing, and the words she said really touched the family. At this time, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice ordered someone to tie up the person and take him back.
The crowd felt a little regretful that they couldn't know what happened next, but as they saw people dealing with their family affairs, they gradually dispersed.
Only Xie Ling was still itching, and when Zhang Jing nodded, he couldn't help but ask: "If you go in, can you take me with you?"
Qian Ming: ...
Wait, Qian Ming grabbed Master Xie's sleeve tightly, almost doubting that he could not breathe. It was fine to join in the fun outside, but why did Master Xie want to go in?
He had a sad face. After Xie Ling finished speaking, he came to his senses and patted Qian Ming on the shoulder.
"I almost forgot about the teacher."
"Xiao Qian, please go and ask for leave from the teacher, and hand in my homework for me. I will come over after I finish reading it."
The policy paper written yesterday in his sleeve was sincerely handed over to Qian Ming.
Qian Ming was so sad that he could not even cry. After reminding Mr. Xie several times to be careful, he had no choice but to go to Zheng Daru first.
Xie Ling finished his own business and turned around.
Zhang Jing had agreed before he even realized what was going on.
"Of course, Xiao, no, Xie brother, come with me."
"It just so happens that we are still short of one person."
Wu Shanlai: ...
The fewer people who know about this kind of thing, the better. How can we be missing one person?
He could imagine how speechless Lord Li would be if he knew what Zhang Jing said. But it was not easy to meet this brother Xie, and neither of them wanted to miss him, so they went in together. Wu Shanlai greeted him with a smile.
"I'm sure Lord Li doesn't mind either."
What a nice guy! Xie Ling pushed through the crowd and followed the two of them in smoothly.
Li Hansheng was furious at the time, being so irritated by this shameless guy that he naturally did not notice Xie Ling. When he saw that it was Zhang Jing and his two nephews coming over, he just nodded slightly.
Madam Li, who was standing next to her, was crying her heart out. When she saw the wet nurse, she wanted to eat her alive. However, after the wet nurse was exposed, she became fearless.
When she was pulled back to the Li family, she knew that finding the real Young Master Li was more important in the hearts of the Li family. As long as she seized the opportunity, she might have a chance to escape the crime, take some money and leave with her son.
That's right, Wang Yun was holding on to this for this reason. Seeing that the master of the house was hesitant at this time, from the initial determination to send her to the government office to be punished, to letting her son go as long as she revealed the whereabouts of Master Li, Wang Yun thought about it in her heart and was no longer anxious, which made her look even more hateful in the eyes of the Li family.
"What do you want?"
Li Hansheng took a deep breath, and his heart was already tortured enough to compromise.
Wang Yun was about to speak, but Xie Ling looked at her for a long time and suddenly interrupted her: "Are you looking for the real Young Master Li?"
When Xie Ling learned that this was the home of the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, he immediately remembered that this was the family whose real and fake young masters were replaced in the wild history. He had mentioned it in the novel a few days ago, so he remembered it very clearly.
What puzzled Xie Ling was that the case of the true and false young master seemed to have not happened until the 13th year of Qianyuan. How come someone noticed it so quickly now?
Is there something wrong with the timeline recorded in unofficial history?
Although he had a lot of questions in his mind, after listening to Lord Li's interrogation for a long time, Xie Ling thought: the events match, the names match, and even the official positions match.
Most likely.
"Perhaps you can look for it in the housekeeper's private residence in the mansion?"
After hearing this shocking sentence, Li Hansheng turned around with a frown and didn't even bother to ask who Xie Ling was. He saw that Wang Yun, who was sitting opposite him, was obviously panicked after the young man finished speaking, as if she didn't react.
Li Hansheng, who had been dealing with people in the Ministry of Justice for many years, was clearly aware of the situation.
This midwife's expression is wrong!
"Someone, seal off the house."
He made a quick decision: "Zhao Wen, take people to search for the housekeeper."
Zhao Wen is a trusted member of his family, a son of several generations, and he is trustworthy. After the voice fell, a middle-aged man immediately ran out after hearing the order.
When Wang Yun saw that Lord Li actually took the words of the strange young man seriously, he immediately started cursing.
"What a butler, it's incomprehensible. If you don't negotiate terms, be careful that the real Young Master Li will starve to death there, and it will be too late to regret it then."
Even if it was a cat-for-pot replacement, she had at least been raised for a few years. Everyone didn't expect her to be so cruel, and their faces changed at this time. Especially Zhang Jing, he wanted to glare at this wet nurse to death.
But he took a deep breath, reacted, and secretly looked to the side.
"How did Brother Xie know?"
He looked for a long time but couldn't figure out what was going on. How did Brother Xie know this? The housekeeper of the Li Mansion was busy in the back and didn't show up.
Xie Ling was actually not sure, so he asked someone to go and have a look. After hearing Zhang Jing's question, he just looked and said, "I'm not sure either, but we'll know after a while."
After a while, Zhao Wen brought his men to capture the housekeeper. The housekeeper, who was originally in the backyard, panicked when he saw this scene. He never thought that Wang Yun's affairs would involve him.
Li Hansheng saw the exchange of words between the people clearly, and he had some thoughts in his mind. At this time, he ignored the midwife's shouting and scolding.
Mrs. Li was both worried and nervous. She was worried that it was all a false alarm, and she was nervous about... what if? In the end, she still held on to a glimmer of hope, and forced herself to stay calm.
Everyone turned around when they heard footsteps. The person who had checked the housekeeper's private residence had finally returned, this time with a boy of about thirteen or fourteen who was following the crowd in a daze.
Xie Ling also saw the child at a glance, and compared it with Lord Li opposite him. It was indeed 50% similar. No wonder the midwife hid the child in the suburbs of Beijing and did not allow him to enter the city. Even if he was discovered, he would hide him in the cellar of the housekeeper's house as soon as possible.
If Xie Ling hadn't been mentioned in unofficial history, we wouldn't have discovered it.
Fortunately, I was able to help today.
Perhaps it was because people who were related by blood naturally had a sense of connection. The moment she saw the young man, Mrs. Li started crying. Li Hansheng's fingertips were also trembling, and his heartbeat was so fast for the first time at his age.
I didn't expect that they could find it. Wang Yun's voice suddenly stopped. Her face turned pale and she knew it was all over. She had the leverage over the Li family before, but now she has nothing.
The real young master of the Li family who was hiding in the cellar had not yet reacted to the scene. He was controlled for the past few days and had not even had a meal.
Mrs. Li was already extremely distressed. After finding the person, she hugged her child and expressed her gratitude profusely.
"Sir, thank you so much this time. If it weren't for you, I don't know how much more suffering my son would have to endure."
Even Li Hansheng couldn't help but shed tears at this time.
Xie Ling shook his head and waved his hands quickly.
"It's just a small matter."
"I just happened to know that Nanny Wang and your housekeeper are from the same hometown and they have an affair. I heard that you searched Wang Yun's house but found nothing, so I thought of this."
"As long as we can find someone."
That child was quite pitiful. He was the young master of a wealthy family and had to work as a servant on a farm for many years. According to unofficial history, he was suffering from illness when they found him. It was a good thing that he was found earlier.
"I see." Li Hansheng had never doubted the housekeeper before, but he didn't expect there was such a relationship. He looked at the housekeeper who had stayed in the Li family for many years with cold eyes.
"These two traitors should be taken to the government office and have their mouths shut."
Thinking of Wang Yun’s yelling and cursing on the street just now, Li Hansheng added another sentence.
When Young Master Li was found, Wang Yun was already frightened out of her wits and didn't dare to say a word.
The butler reacted and begged for mercy.
The matter involved his son who had been swapped, but Li Hansheng didn't even bother to look at it. He just waved his hand and signaled the servants to take action.
Zhang Jing couldn't stand unfair things to begin with, and after watching the whole process, he looked at Xie Ling with shining eyes, thinking that Brother Xie was simply amazing.
"Thank you, brother. Fortunately, I brought you here today."
Otherwise, this incident might really make the midwife's wish come true.
Xie Ling was also embarrassed to take the credit, after all, it was all recorded in unofficial history.
"I just happened to be right in my suspicions."
Li Hansheng comforted his son with a few words. After Mrs. Li took the suffering child downstairs to eat, he looked at Xie Ling.
"Thank you, Master. I cannot thank you enough for such a great favor. If you have anything to do in the future, as long as it does not violate the law, I am willing to give it a try."
The position of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice is not lowly, and Li Hansheng's words carry a lot of weight. Even Wu Shanlai did not expect to see such a scene today when he came to watch the fun.
Minister Li actually made such a weighty promise.
Xie Ling's scalp went numb with embarrassment.
Help, who understands? He just said it casually and it doesn’t have much effect at all.
Seeing Master Xie repeatedly refusing, Li Hansheng was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Master Xie to refuse. At this time, he looked at the young man in front of him with even higher regard.
There aren't many people these days who would take advantage of a favor without expecting anything in return, and some are even just pretending. However, Li Hansheng could see that Xie Ling wasn't pretending and really didn't need it. At this moment, he felt a little complicated and couldn't help but feel even more grateful.
Zhang Jing's eyes changed when he looked at Xie Ling, and he even felt a little ashamed. He just thought that Li Shilang's promise would be helpful to Brother Xie in his career, and wanted Brother Xie to agree. He didn't expect that Brother Xie had such a noble character and was completely dismissive.
As expected, how could such a sincere and unpretentious person be obsessed with fame and fortune?
Xie Ling was stared at in bewilderment and was completely confused.
"Tongzi, why do I feel like they have made up something weird in their minds?"
He really didn't do anything!
System: ...It feels that too.
These people, especially Zhang Jing, looked at the host with eyes that seemed to be about to burst into anger.
At this moment, Qian Ming, who had finally returned from outside, finally came over.
Qian Ming originally wanted to look for Master Xie, but when he entered Chengping Street, he did not expect that the Li Mansion, which had been operating normally just a moment ago, had been sealed off from the inside, and no one could enter.
He was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and could only ask the gatekeeper to go in and pass the message.
When Xie Ling heard Qian Ming came to see him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Well, it's time to escape from this atmosphere.
"Well, my friend came to see me."
"I'll be leaving first."
"Master Li, please continue to take care of your household affairs. We will see you next time."
Seeing that Mr. Xie did have something to do and he hadn't yet finished dealing with the follow-up, Li Hansheng breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, then I won't keep you any longer, Master Xie."
"Someone, come and see Mr. Xie off."
Zhang Jing didn't expect that Brother Xie would leave soon after meeting him. It was a pity. However, it was only their second meeting, so asking about his address was a bit presumptuous, so he had to bear it.
Wu Shanlai was the one who reacted faster and said, "Well, to be honest, I have a birthday in a few days, and I want to have a big party at Zuixianlou. Could you please come over and join me when the time comes, brother Xie?"
Xie Ling blinked. He didn’t expect that Mr. Wu actually had his birthday a few days ago. But why did he invite him?
They haven't met each other many times.
However, since he had entered Li's residence by taking advantage of someone else's face, Xie Ling couldn't refuse, so he could only say, "I'll try my best."
"If I could get out, I would."
Wu Shanlai took out the invitation from his sleeve and handed it to Xie Ling, then smiled and saw Xie Ling off.
Zhang Jing didn't react until Brother Xie disappeared.
"You are amazing."
He didn't even know when Wu Shanlai put the invitation in his sleeve.
Wu Shan glanced at him and bared his teeth.
Who was he doing this for? It was for his tongue-tied brother.
She shook her head slightly, thinking that she must get Mr. Xie's contact information at the next birthday party, otherwise she wouldn't know when she would see him again.
Xie Ling didn't know that this was specially given to him. After coming out, he looked at the sky. He originally wanted to go to Zheng Daru's house, but it seemed a little late now.
Uh, I just watched the excitement for a while. It’s already afternoon now, and it’s too late to go back to the palace.
Thinking of the time set by His Majesty, Xie Ling retracted his gaze. Fortunately, when he asked Qian Ming to hand in his homework, he helped him tell Zheng Daru. It's okay to bring the homework in the afternoon.
"Thank you, Master. Shall we go back to the palace?"
Qian Ming also felt that it was a little late, and hesitated at this time.
The two looked at each other, and Xie Ling coughed lightly: "Then... go back?"
While Xiao Huan was still in the palace, he received the news that Xie Ling had interfered in the affairs of the Minister of Justice's family. After hearing this guy say that the housekeeper and the midwife had an affair and discussed the true and false young master incident, he raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Fortunately, the person was found."
He was not thoughtful about this matter. When the Eagle Guards were searching that day, the wound from cutting Young Master Li's finger probably aroused the suspicion of the housekeeper. After Li Hansheng obtained the evidence, Young Master Li was hidden immediately.
Fortunately, Xie Ling knew the location and found the person smoothly.
After hearing from the Eagle Guards about Li Hansheng's praise for Xie Ling, Xiao Huan raised the corners of his lips slightly, and actually felt that this guy had some knowledge.
But the next moment, after learning about the Ningguo prince's attentiveness to Xie Ling, Xiao Huan's smile disappeared and his face remained expressionless for a while.
Just when Wang Bao was trembling with fear and wondering what was wrong with Lord Liang's report just now, he suddenly heard His Majesty say, "I heard that the son of the Loyal and Brave Marquis gave Xie Ling a letter of invitation to a banquet?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"That Prince Wu specially invited Master Xie to Zuixianlou for a gathering on his birthday."
Wang Bao was a little confused about what His Majesty meant. He wondered why His Majesty specifically mentioned this?
It's not a big deal.
He was just wondering when he heard His Majesty frown and glance at him: "Ask someone to steal the invitation letter when Xie Ling returns to the palace."
"yes……"
ah?
Wait, did they steal Mr. Xie's invitation?!
Wang Bao looked up in surprise, suspecting that he had heard it wrong.
Xiao Huan also felt a little uncomfortable. When Wang Bao looked up, he snorted coldly: "What are you looking at me for?"
"Just pretend to be surprised and make sure Xie Ling doesn't notice it, okay?"
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