The man's voice was so faint, like a light breeze blowing from a mountain valley, but it could create thousands of waves in a deep pool of still water.
Xie Shu looked at her lover's lips, which were delicate, shiny, sweet and soft. When he opened and closed them slightly, his breath was like the fragrance of orchids.
And the lover in her arms, even if Xie Shu didn't need to do anything, she could feel her lover's body falling softly on her, like spring water, like fine snow, like a beam of moonlight.
Xie Shu's breathing stagnated. He felt a little tired for some reason when holding his lover's hand, even though his lover's body was so soft and boneless, yet he was still leaning against him tightly.
And when the two people's breathing intertwined, Xie Shu's Adam's apple couldn't help but roll.
Xie Shu slowly tightened his arms.
Yu Chuxi's heart was beating very fast. He could feel Xie Shu's eyes on his lips. He moved closer to him...
Yu Chuxi's eyelashes trembled violently. At that moment, he thought Xie Shu would kiss him.
But it didn't happen. Xie Shu looked at him, and at the moment when her thin lips were about to touch his, she suddenly stopped.
Yu Chuxi's heart sank, but in the next second, Xie Shu held him in his arms again, and then gave him a kiss in his hair. The kiss was as light as falling petals, and incredibly soft, as if it contained infinite cherishment and pity.
Yu Chuxi's whole body suddenly trembled, and her heart was filled with unprecedented joy, and she fell into his arms.
After Xie Shu gently kissed her husband's loose and thick black hair, she realized that his previous behavior was a bit reckless.
However, Xie Shu just lowered his head and looked at Lang Jun, then reached out his hand and tidied Lang Jun's messy hair to his jade-white ears. He smiled gently and said, "Lang Jun, wait for me to come back."
When Xie Shu arrived at his teacher's house, he was much earlier than usual. After the servants went to report, Xie Shu waited silently in the hall.
When Jiang Hong came out, he saw his student sitting there upright. Apart from his gloomy face and somewhat different behavior from before, there was nothing else wrong with him.
Jiang Hong couldn't help but feel a little curious. What had happened that made this patient student come to see him so early in the morning?
After entering the inner room, Xie Shu first asked, "Teacher, are you aware of the emperor's southern tour?"
Jiang Hong didn't expect Xie Shu to ask this. Has the news spread so quickly?
There is nothing wrong with this. Jiang Hong nodded and said, "A month before I left Beijing, His Majesty decided to go on a tour to the south. I tried to dissuade him but it was useless. But in my opinion, His Majesty must have had this intention for a long time, otherwise he would not have sent the Third Prince to Jiangnan four months ago. Rongzhan, why do you suddenly ask this?"
When Xie Shu heard this, a flash of light flashed through his mind. Four months ago, he had just come to this world and was still exploring everything. The only thing he did that involved other people was to go to the Xiyuan Poetry Festival.
But at that poetry reading, Xie Shu, apart from talking with a few classmates, left early after writing his poems. Could something else have happened that he didn't know about?
Xie Shu's heart sank, and he did not answer the teacher's question immediately, but continued to ask: "Teacher, I dare to ask, in your eyes, what kind of person is this Third Prince?"
The third prince?
Jiang Hong was even more puzzled. He pondered for a moment and said, "The third prince Shao Zhen is the most beloved son of the emperor. He just came of age this year and has not yet established a palace. He has been very smart since he was young. He is the best among all the princes in terms of civil and military skills, and his temperament is also very shrewd..."
These are all well-known things. The current Crown Prince Shao An is only about three years older than Shao Zhen. Therefore, the princes usually receive instruction together.
At that time, the emperor suddenly tested the talents of the princes. The crown prince stumbled and could not recite properly, but Shao Zhen was calm and recited it fluently.
Soon, word spread that the Third Prince was very talented, as opposed to the Crown Prince's stupidity.
In fact, in Jiang Hong's view, it is common sense that some people are smarter than others. Although the prince is a little mediocre, he is not so bad. What's more, the prince has a kind temperament and is of orthodox family. When it comes to the great cause of the country and the people, most of their old ministers have nothing else to think about.
However, the emperor has become more and more fond of the third prince in recent years, and seemed to want the third prince to make meritorious deeds. He also let him take over a major case of a refugee riot. Although Shao Zhen completed the task well, he acted perversely and cruelly.
In addition, the emperor also wanted to let the third prince enter the Imperial College to take the position of Dean, but Jiang Hong bluntly refused.
Therefore, Jiang Hong was very displeased with the Third Prince. Thinking of some of Shao Zhen's previous deeds, Jiang Hong paused and continued: "Although this is the case, the Third Prince is a bit unscrupulous in doing things, and he is conceited and suspicious." He has no mercy in his heart. Jiang Hong did not say the latter part.
After listening to the teacher's evaluation of the third prince, Xie Shu thought back to the scene of that day. He couldn't help but recall the Master Zheng whose appearance was different from others. The last character of Shao Zhen's name was "Zhen", which was pronounced almost the same as "Zheng". In addition, Shao Zhen was also Gu Yuanke's cousin. Thinking of Gu Yuanke's care for Master Zheng that day, Xie Shu was certain.
However, Xie Shu still didn't understand how he had offended this Master Zheng that day, which made this "Master Zheng" never forget it and even send people to suppress him a few months later. However, these were no longer things Xie Shu needed to think about now.
Someone was targeting him, and Xie Shu couldn't guard against it. It wasn't his problem, and what he should do was to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
At present, there are not many people that Xie Shu can trust, and how many people dare to question the prince and grandson of the emperor? But the teacher is different. Although Xie Shu has only been with the teacher for a few days, he respects the teacher's character and talent very much, and he also knows that the teacher is very righteous and will not blame himself for this.
But Xie Shu still didn't want to involve the teacher too much, so Xie Shu paused and said, "I did encounter a big thing, and it's related to my wife..."
Xie Shu did not mention the third prince, but only talked about the eunuch Liu Qiang from the Ministry of Internal Affairs who went to Jiangnan Province and deliberately refused to meet Yu Chuxi.
Jiang Hong frowned when he heard this, and his mind raced when he heard it.
He had also seen Liu Qiang from the Imperial Household Department before. He was a smart and cunning man. Why would he target his student's wife for no reason?
Later, when Jiang Hong heard that Liu Qiang wanted the salt merchants to fund the construction of the palace, he couldn't help but show some anger on his face. One of the reasons they dissuaded the emperor from traveling south was that the national treasury was insufficient and it would be a waste of money and labor. They didn't expect that the emperor would act so absurdly and actually sent people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to extort local merchants!
But soon, Jiang Hong's expression became serious. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Xie Shu and said, "Rongzhan, you asked me repeatedly about the Third Prince just now. Is this matter related to the Third Prince?"
Xie Shu was stunned, not knowing whether he should tell the truth. After all, he had no real evidence, it was just his guess. Who would believe him if he told it out loud?
At this time, Jiang Hong said coldly: "If you really think I am your teacher, then don't lie to me anymore."
Xie Shu had no choice but to say: "I dare not deceive you, sir, but this matter is a bit absurd..."
Xie Shu then recounted in detail what happened at the poetry meeting four months ago, and also described the appearance of Mr. Zheng.
Jiang Hong never spoke a word and just remained silent.
In fact, Jiang Hong had guessed that something was wrong when he saw Xie Shu's serious attitude, but he didn't expect it to be related to the Third Prince. After listening to Xie Shu's story, Jiang Hong believed it even more. The time and information matched. He didn't expect Shao Zhen to use the name of Master Zheng and the name of Gu Yuanke's Xiyuan Poetry Meeting to recruit guests!
It seems that Shao Zhen and the Gu family started preparing early.
After Xie Shu finished speaking in one breath, he said helplessly: "Everything I just said is true. I don't know how I offended Mr. Zheng to cause this disaster today. I don't know if you are willing to believe me."
Jiang Hong glared at him, then said unhappily: "What's wrong with believing this? You don't know the reason, but I know it very well. Let me ask you, when he gave you the prize that day, did you reject him?"
Xie Shu naturally knew that the teacher was referring to Shao Zhen. Recalling the scene that day, Xie Shu explained, "Teacher, I did swap the lottery ticket with another person, Master Cui."
Jiang Hong continued to ask: "Did he take the initiative to talk to you?"
Xie Shu said with shame: "After I finished writing the poem that day, I wanted to return home as soon as possible. He and Master Gu did try to keep me, but I declined."
Jiang Hong sneered, "That's it. You know, he is the son of the royal family. He has been spoiled since he was a child. He has always been smooth sailing. But he fell into a trap because of you and was humiliated by you in public. How can he let it go so easily?"
I see......
But Xie Shu still had some doubts: "But even so, as a prince, he doesn't have to be so narrow-minded and treat me like this..."
Jiang Hong laughed loudly, then he looked at his student who hadn't understood yet with deep meaning in his eyes and said, "You're wrong. He's not trying to deal with you, but to recruit you."
If the teacher had not been smiling when he said this, Xie Shu almost thought that the teacher was joking. How could he recruit people in this way?
But Xie Shu changed his mind and understood.
This Liu Qiang is from the Imperial Household Department, doing things according to the emperor's orders. Who could have imagined that he was secretly involved with the Third Prince?
And Liu Qiang was targeting me, if I didn't have a teacher, who could I ask for help? At that time, there would be no need for the Third Prince to come forward, he only needed to send someone to help him in times of need, how could he not remember this kindness in the future...
The person sent by the third prince doesn't even need to reveal his identity. He can reveal it later. After all, facing the pressure from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, everyone is desperate. What else can they care about?
Seeing Xie Shu understood immediately, Jiang Hong's expression gradually warmed up. He sighed and said, "Rongzhan, this is not your fault. The Third Prince covets the position of crown prince, so he recruits talents everywhere, but he is unscrupulous and uses such insidious methods. How can he be worthy of a benevolent monarch? It would be bad if the country fell into his hands. But he is the son of the emperor after all, and he is deeply loved by the emperor. Such a small matter, without evidence, is useless even if it is reported to the emperor. Now we still have to deal with Liu Qiang."
At this point, Jiang Hong slowly revealed a smile, with a cold light flashing in his eyes, like a sword being unsheathed: "Even if Liu Qiang really received the order from the emperor, he should not have acted so recklessly! He made one mistake after another, which was that he offended my disciple, Jiang Hong! Although I am now far away from the court, my reputation is still there. Back then, the emperor wanted to use eunuchs and establish the Southern Division, so I held a discussion with my friends, and then the emperor had to give in..."
Xie Shu was also overwhelmed with emotion when he heard this. Following Jiang Hong's words, he imagined the grand occasion at that time. This "Qingyi" was a very special activity in this world. It meant that famous people from all over the world gathered together to comment on the current affairs of the dynasty. Their words could influence local public opinion and affect the situation in the world.
Even the emperor did not dare to ignore it, because the previous dynasty was destroyed because the last emperor went on a killing spree and threw a large number of upright people of the dynasty into the Yellow River, which aroused public indignation. This incident is also known as the "Jiaohe Case".
The Qingyi Movement has always played the role of "inspiring reputation and encouraging each other" among Confucian scholars, so everyone is willing to respond actively. Even if Jiang Hong is not in the capital now, as long as he issues a call, many people will come to Jinling from afar.
But despite this, Xie Shu knew that the Qingyi incident was no small matter, and Jiang Hong was willing to do so for him. Xie Shu thanked the teacher deeply and said, "But teacher, I think there is still room for this matter to turn around."
Jiang Hong naturally knew that this was just the worst-case scenario.
In fact, in order to persuade the emperor to tour the south, he could have launched another campaign of public opinion, but Jiang Hong did not do so. First, he knew that public opinion was only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution. The emperor gave in today and might not bring up the old issue again in the future. Second, it was because of the Imperial College.
Jiang Hong came back to his senses, remained calm, and motioned for Xie Shu to continue.
Xie Shu no longer hesitated and poured out all the thoughts that had just occurred to him: "Teacher can launch a campaign of public discussion and influence the situation in the world. Others also know this, but Liu Qiang still did it. I think it is because he didn't know that I had become your disciple before he left the capital to accept the order."
Two days ago, Xie Shu came to Jiang Hong's house for the first time, and the teacher-student relationship between Xie Shu and Jiang Hong became known to others.
During this period, Liu Qiang was still on his way to Jinling. If he hadn't deliberately inquired, he wouldn't have known about it, and the person behind him wouldn't have gotten the news so quickly.
Therefore, Xie Shu guessed: "When Liu Qiang knew about this, he had two options. One was to report it urgently and then make remedial measures according to the subsequent changes in the situation. The second option was that he could still act according to the plan. After all, he could not guess that the teacher would do this for me. Once the teacher had this intention, he would definitely stop immediately..."
Xie Shu suddenly frowned and said, "But I still have one thing I don't understand, that is, who is the other person under the Third Prince? Originally, I guessed it was the Gu family, but the Gu family should not have thought of this, so I think the Gu family is unaware of the inside story and just made it convenient for Liu Qiang."
Hearing this, Jiang Hong looked at Xie Shu with implicit approval. The fact that Xie Shu was able to think of this in such a short time showed that he was a very strategic person.
Jiang Hong nodded and said, "Yes, I know Gu Zhong very well. He is the elder brother of Concubine Gu and a royal relative. However, he did not seek a position in the capital with the help of Concubine Gu, but came to Jinling to serve as the Imperial Censor of Salt. Don't underestimate the position of the Imperial Censor of Salt. Although it is only a fourth-rank official position, it collects one-tenth of the tax revenue of the national treasury!
Ten years ago, a major salt administration case broke out in the imperial court. The previous Salt Inspector had tampered with the account books and embezzled more than one million taels of silver over a few years. Gu Zhong petitioned the emperor to appoint him as the Salt Inspector on the grounds that the salt administration was not able to pay taxes.
In the past ten years, he has been in this position like a rock, but how much more tax silver has he paid than the previous one? It can be seen that this man is as cunning as a fox and has a lot of calculations. He is definitely not such a reckless person. He is cautious and will not provoke me like this, which shows that he is not aware of it.
But Rongzhan, you don't have to think too much. Now that the enemy is clear, the initiative is in our hands. We just need to wait and see how the situation develops. You should stay here with me and accompany me to meet the guests first."
After hearing what the teacher said, Xie Shu let out a deep breath and whispered, "Yes, teacher, what you said makes sense. Then I will send someone to inform my wife first, so that she won't worry."
Hearing this, Jiang Hong couldn't help but smile. His student always mentioned his husband in every sentence. It seemed that if this time it wasn't about Yu Chuxi, Xie Shu wouldn't be so anxious.
But thinking back to the day when I first met the two of them, all this made sense.
Xie Shu was worried about others going back to report the news, so he asked Xi Mo to go back.
Xi Mo also knew the seriousness of the matter, so without saying a word, he hurried away with the envelope in his arms.
Just then, someone outside reported that Mr. Zuo Ran and Wang Jing had arrived.
Zuo Ran was already 65 years old, 7 or 8 years older than Jiang Hong, and had been famous in Jinling for a long time. To show respect, Jiang Hong took Xie Shu to the door to greet him in person.
At the gate of Jiang's house, Wang Jing leaned over and helped a white-haired old man down from the carriage.
At this moment, Wang Jing noticed a servant walking out quickly from the side door. At first sight, Wang Jing recognized that this man was Xie Shu's personal servant.
But at this time, why did this servant leave Jiang Mansion in a hurry without waiting for his master? He must have been ordered by Xie Shu to do something urgent...
Thinking of this, Wang Jing's heart tightened.
That day, Wang Jing saw that Xie Shu had taken the lead and had become Jiang Hong's most closed disciple. Wang Jing had no choice but to make friends with Xie Shu first and find out the whole story first.
But Wang Jing could never have imagined that plans could not keep up with changes. He only found out this morning that the third prince actually asked Liu Qiang to put pressure on the Yu family and then let him show favor to Xie Shu.
When the person the Third Prince had placed beside Liu Qiang came to bring him the letter, it was already too late...
In fact, the Third Prince's move was not bad, and Wang Jing was willing to show some favor to Xie Shu, but the key point was that things were different now. Xie Shu was not only a merchant son-in-law with some talent, he was also Jiang Hong's student!
What kind of person is Jiang Hong? He was the former Imperial College Priest. Scholars all over the world regarded him as a role model. If one could be appreciated by him, he would be praised as "ascending the dragon gate". At the same time, the several discussions initiated by Jiang Hong were also very important. This was different from a teacher who only had a good reputation...
Therefore, after learning about this, Wang Jing immediately went to the house to see the situation first. Unexpectedly, Xie Shu had already arrived here and sent a servant. Could it be that he saw something?
Wang Jing didn't dare to underestimate Jiang Hong. It seemed that everything had changed.
He quietly signaled an attendant behind him to follow the servant.
On the other side, in the Gu family's hall, the building is deep, with carved beams and painted rafters. On the hall there is a large gold plaque with nine dragons, and on it is inscribed a line of large vermilion characters "Zheng Da Tang". These characters were personally bestowed by the emperor.
The furnishings here are magnificent and different from elsewhere.
A man in his early forties, with a fair face and wearing a scarlet official robe was sitting at the top. He was thinking about something and stroking his beard.
This person was the Salt Inspector Gu Zhong, and in front of him, Gu Yuanke also frowned and remained silent.
As early as several months ago, Gu Zhong received a secret decree from His Majesty, saying that he would come to the southern tour.
Gu Zhong began to think, when the emperor comes to Jiangnan, he must come to his house, but how can the emperor live in his old house? So Gu Zhong needs to renovate every part of his house and build a temporary palace.
Gu Zhong couldn't help but feel very embarrassed about this. He had accumulated a lot of wealth over the years, but how could the emperor be so extravagant? Even he couldn't stand spending money like water.
However, the emperor was unwilling to report this expenditure even to the national treasury. If it was spent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he would surely be dissatisfied with him, so Gu Zhong just wanted to find a solution himself.
At this time, the Third Prince Shao Zhen gave him a suggestion. He could solve everything without having to show up himself. He only needed to let the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs gather the salt merchants to pay. Didn't Gu Zhong know how rich the salt merchants were?
But no matter how rich the merchants are, they are still merchants after all. They need to rely on him, the Salt Inspector, to provide them with food. In addition, the people from the Imperial Household Department are in the front, so originally all this would not have fallen on his head.
Who knew that something would go wrong at this critical moment!
Why does Liu Qiang have to provoke the Yu family?
The son-in-law of the Yu family has been accepted as a disciple by Jiang Hong. How could he be so easy to provoke?
Of course, when Gu Zhong thought about it, he understood who Liu Qiang was following orders from.
At this time, Gu Yuanke couldn't help but say, "Father, this matter must not be made public. If it gets to Mr. Jiang's ears, it will be bad. Should we do something?"
Gu Zhong shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it's too late! Xie Shu is not a fool, so he will naturally want to find Jiang Hong."
Gu Yuanke sighed and said, "When I held the Xiyuan Poetry Festival before, I saw that he was very talented and I wanted to make friends with him. At that time, he was not yet Jiang Hong's student, but he was still very cold to me. In my opinion, this person has a cold temperament and a sense of aloofness."
When Gu Zhong heard this, he felt relieved. It would be best if a scholar had literary temperament. Even if such a person had outstanding talents and learning, he would not last long in the official career.
Seeing that his father showed no sign of anxiety, Gu Yuanke couldn't help but ask, "Father, have you come up with any solution?"
Gu Zhongcai took a sip of the Rain-Predating Longjing tea and said, "Nothing. Do you know why Jiang Hong resigned from his post? Why would he get involved in this matter for his new disciple? Of course, the Yu family's affairs must also be resolved...
How about this, you go there in person and explain the interests to Liu Qiang. Except for the Yu family, the other salt merchants will be accepted as usual. Then we won't have to do anything. Will those salt merchants feel balanced?"
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