Chapter 491 The Grand Finale (1)
In the ninth year of Emperor Yuanning's reign, Ji Guichen, the son of Prince Qing'an, was made crown prince.
The court was in an uproar.
Nobody knew that Prince Qing'an actually had a son!
Strangely, Prince Qing'an showed no sign of happiness. He acted as if anyone owed him money, and if anyone asked him about it, he would scold them for being nosy.
Neuropathy!
In the tenth year of Emperor Yuanning's reign, due to discrepancies in the amount of salt tax paid, the emperor declared that he would thoroughly investigate the salt mining operations.
The Prince of Guangping, who had long held the power to extract salt, resorted to assassination when the emperor visited the national temple to pray for blessings.
Emperor Yuanning died, and the crown prince succeeded to the throne, changing the era name to Renkang.
After Emperor Renkang ascended the throne, he was ruthless and decisive. He first beheaded the son of the Prince of Guangping, who had been brought into the palace by Emperor Yuanning for education. It was this son who led assassins to kill the emperor. The entire prince's mansion was confiscated and the prince was imprisoned.
He also appointed two other imperial brothers who had been educated as imperial envoys, one a civil official and the other a military officer, to thoroughly investigate the entire salt mining operation.
In just three months, twenty-two officials, from princes to county magistrates, were beheaded or exiled, shocking the court and the public.
Emperor Renkang's first act of rebellion terrified his court officials.
With the new emperor on the throne, the pressure to get married naturally intensified once again.
Court officials with daughters of marriageable age began to stir up trouble again.
The new emperor declared, "The choice of empress has already been made; this matter is not to be discussed further."
My lords, please focus your minds on the well-being of the nation and its people.
Do you know how many people in Liaoyuan froze to death last year?
Do you know how many floods have occurred in the south this year?
Did you know that the largest brothel in the capital had uncovered a spy from the Northern Barbarians?
"Do you know that Japanese pirates have been active on the islands of Liaodong, killing many civilians?"
As the questions were raised, the court officials fell silent.
At this moment, in the remote Ming'an County, Chang Le Town, Shenyi Village.
An ordinary horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of the Lu family's house.
Suddenly someone shouted, "The miracle doctor's husband from Fancheng is back!"
The son-in-law of the legendary doctor has never been to Ming'an County; I heard he's been in Fancheng taking care of the academy there.
Upon hearing that he was coming, people in the village threw down their rice bowls while eating, dropped their hoes while digging, and even Granny Liu, who could no longer walk, was carried here by her grandson.
"Grandma, let me take you out for some fresh air."
"Mmm... I want some candy."
In the most distinctive hot pot restaurant in Shenyi Village, someone was crying while drinking.
"Why won't you let me leave Ming'an County? That's my brother... Why can't I go see him off..."
He mumbled incoherently, drinking and crying at the same time.
The other person was also coughing so badly from choking on the alcohol that his eyes turned frighteningly red.
"Hey Zhang, shall we sneak back to Beijing?"
Zhang Lin looked up: "Fu, that's a good idea."
The straw curtain was suddenly lifted, and Mr. Qu walked in.
Fu Leng immediately stood up, now mostly sober, and became very respectful.
"Father-in-law, please let me get drunk just this once. I'm heartbroken that the Emperor is gone."
There was nothing he could do; he was genuinely afraid of Mr. Qu.
Over the past few years, Mr. Qu has managed to transform Fu Leng, who was somewhat reckless, arrogant, and unsteady, into a calm, methodical, polite, and obedient son-in-law.
This time, however, Mr. Qu did not reprimand him for being a railway official and for not being careful with his words and actions and for being cautious and vigilant.
Instead, he plopped down on the floor, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.
"A notice was posted on the street that the new emperor's name is Ji Guichen." Mr. Qu's eyes also reddened.
It seems he accidentally taught an emperor.
However, Emperor Yuan Ning... is gone... that upright and virtuous man is gone.
His time in power was too short, far too short!
Zhang Lin was thinking, thinking, thinking...
Ji Guichen?
What is her relationship with Lu Guichen?
Fu Leng was thinking, thinking, thinking...
The curtain was lifted again.
Liu Lizheng... Oh, he's not the village head anymore; his nephew Liu Erzhu has become the village head.
Liu Ludan shouted excitedly, "You guys are still drinking here! Hurry up and go to the Lu family! Qingya's husband is back!"
who?
The three men stared at him with six round eyes.
"Look quickly! I took a peek and only saw his back. Doesn't he look a bit like the magistrate's son who ran away before? He's even wearing a bamboo hat."
"No way, how could that loser be worthy of our divine doctor... Oh my!"
He was shoved aside and fell against the door frame, while the three of them scrambled to run outside.
Poor old man, with his frail arms and legs, nobody cares about him anymore...
"Oh, right, I came here to say, Zhang Lin, you bastard, why aren't there white banners hanging on the door? Do you want the authorities to arrest you?... Ouch, my back hurts so much..."
...
The Lu family's gate was tightly shut, and the villagers did not see anyone.
It'll come out sooner or later anyway, no rush.
Fu Leng leaped onto the top of the wall.
Zhang Lin followed closely behind.
Mr. Qu was panting heavily and jumping up and down:
"Fu Leng! Take me inside, or I'll make my daughter divorce you!"
Fu Leng turned back and pulled him inside.
Upon entering, one sees Zhang Lin kneeling on the ground, hugging the legs of a young man in white, and weeping bitterly.
"Brother, my dear brother, come to my house tonight. Your bedside table has been waiting for you. I want to talk to you for days and nights..."
"Sigh..." the young master sighed.
She looked up, a faint smile on her face: "Mr. Qu, how have you been?"
Waaaaaah...
The father-in-law and son-in-law embraced and cried for the first time.
Inside the house, Lu Qingqing and her daughter Shan Yueming were talking.
"Now that Yanzhi is back, he'll give me a grandson right away. If he doesn't have one soon, he'll get too old. Men over thirty are no longer useful."
Lu Qingqing raised an eyebrow. "He's well taken care of; he's no different from before."
"That's because you don't spend much time together. You'll notice it when you're together every day."
Yeah?
Lu Qingqing didn't care.
Who comes every day? It's so comfortable to sleep in someone's arms.
Shan Yueming then pulled out a book.
"Your mother wrote a storybook to add some fun for you."
Lu Qingqing: "..."
Instead of compiling medical books, the mother of a thousand physicians began writing storybooks.
I knew she wasn't a proper doctor.
"The Fallen Prince Falls in Love with the Goddess Doctor"?
This isn't about the two of them, is it?
"Hehehe, hurry up and get out, or those old men will snatch your little son-in-law away."
...
The next day, the villagers all knew.
The name of the son-in-law of Doctor Lu is Si Yanru, who was the son of the former Magistrate Xu!
The Lu family said that he was not Magistrate Xu's biological son, but rather an adopted son who lived with him.
I see!
All that cursing before was for nothing; they didn't wrong Qingqing at all!
...
On the streets of Ming'an County, a couple wearing veils appeared.
There was no way around it; Lu Qingqing was too famous now. Once someone recognized her, they all swarmed around her.
Ji Ruyan's face was even more striking, so the two of them simply covered it up.
Anyway, there are a lot of people from other places coming and going in the city now, and they dress all sorts of things, so it's not surprising.
Returning to this familiar place, Ji Ruyan was filled with emotion.
What was once a small town is now a crucial and important location.
"Fortune telling by weighing bones—"
The fortune teller stopped the man, saying, "Young master, would you like to have your fortune told?"
Ji Ruyan was not annoyed; she hadn't seen this lively, bustling scene of everyday life in a long time.
The gentleman was a novice; after giving his birth date and time, he rambled on for a while before finally saying:
"Five taels and four mace."
"This person's fate is predicted to be rich and clear, with a wealth of knowledge leading to success. They will naturally enjoy a life of plenty and are truly blessed."
"Good luck, good luck."
The fortune-telling fee was three coins, but Ji Ruyan gave twenty coins.
The gentleman was so happy that his beard stood on end, and he wanted to give Lu Qingqing a free fortune telling.
“We are husband and wife, husband and wife are one, the same,” Lu Qingqing said.
"Yes, Madam is right. I hope you two will hold hands and live a long and happy life together."
Ji Ruyan gave him another tael.
Fortune teller: Today is an auspicious day; all your wishes will come true.
The two held hands and continued walking forward.
A child rushed over and almost bumped into Lu Qingqing, but Ji Ruyan caught him and spun him around to avoid it.
"I'm sorry!" the child shouted as he turned and rushed over.
The child was about ten years old, and his father was chasing after him with a stick in his hand: "You brat, if you don't study hard, you'll be a fool in the future, and no one will even want you as a shop assistant!"
The child's mother caught up and grabbed the man.
"Never mind him. He's not cut out for studying. There are many other paths in life. You don't have to study. As long as a person is upright and doesn't go astray, he's a good kid."
"You're pushing the child so much that they don't want to come home anymore."
The man seemed to have come to a decision, and sighed, "Then I won't study anymore. I'll go to the academy and tell the teacher."
Ji Ruyan chuckled and said, "It was her?"
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