Chapter 67: "Sir Song has been punished.
He initially instructed Yang Sheng to take people with Lord Mu to patrol outside the city. Although he gave Yang Sheng a lot of people, he was always worried because he was afraid that Yang Sheng had little experience in the world and would not be able to control the old hands under him who had been working for a long time.
Even with Lord Mu present, he was always too worried to sleep.
She did not rest at all, but just sat by the window, wondering when he would come back, fearing that he would be delayed on the way or something would happen to him.
But he hadn't expected that Yang Sheng hadn't even left the city with Master Mu. His original plan to have him train with Master Mu had fallen through.
After Yang Sheng returned to the government office, he finally felt relieved. Only then did he start to worry about Master Song and Madam Wen, although he was still a little worried...
But, how could I be so worried about Lord Song that I couldn't sleep?
Lord Jia couldn't help but feel angry and amused.
"Let me ask you, why did you come back alone last night? Why didn't you leave the city with Lord Mu?"
Lord Mu is young and promising. He is very smooth and efficient in doing his work, and has his own style, which is beyond the reach of an old antique like him. It would only benefit Yang Sheng to follow Lord Mu and gain more insights.
Lord Jia raised his eyebrows and glared at Yang Sheng with pretended majesty, demanding that he explain himself clearly.
However, if Yang Sheng was still the Yang Sheng when he was a child, he would probably be scared to tears, but the current Yang Sheng has already understood Lord Jia's temper thoroughly.
Even if Lord Guan Jia blew his beard and glared at him eight hundred times, Yang Sheng would just laugh. Even if he made a huge mistake, his father would not punish him.
"I was going to go! I've already gathered my men and horses and are waiting at the city gate. How could I not go?"
If he hadn't gone, he would have stayed in Tongzhiyuan early in the morning to drink soup. How could the trip be in vain? He was not the kind of person who was eager to work hard or take shortcuts. It would be a pity to waste the mandarin fish soup and steamed fish he had just made!
He hadn’t even smelled enough of the fragrance! Yang Sheng couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.
"I just met up with Lord Mu at the city gate and was already packed and ready to leave. Then out of nowhere, he suddenly told me to return to the government office and wait for his news."
"He also said that the government office must be guarded by someone, and that we didn't have to leave the city. He told me to come back and look after you, Father."
Upon hearing this, Lord Jia's eyelashes twitched slightly, and as his eyes turned back, he put down the teacup in his hand, and there was no lack of doubt in his words:
"Guarding me? Guarding me for what?"
Could it be that Lord Mu noticed something strange? Logically speaking, that shouldn't be the case. Moreover, if Lord Mu really saw something, why didn't he send a trusted confidant to investigate?
Just call a Yangsheng back to "guard" him?
Lord Mu doesn't know that Yang Sheng is his man and is also a fool.
Lord Jia glanced at Yang Sheng sideways and saw that he was indeed a fool.
Instead of asking Yangsheng to guard him, it would be better to ask a stone to guard him.
only……
Lord Jia's expression remained unchanged, but his mind was in a state of confusion.
How could Lord Mu not know?
He knows.
He knew that Yangsheng was his colleague in the same court, that he was closer to Yangsheng than to other yamen runners, and that he wanted Yangsheng to go with him.
So, he declined.
He was not asking Yang Sheng to come back to "guard" him, but asking Yang Sheng not to leave the city with him.
Lord Jia rubbed his fingertips back and forth on the teacup. His movements were extremely gentle, as if he was afraid of leaving even a scratch on the glaze.
He couldn't tell what was going on in his mind. He wasn't frustrated, nor was he angry out of shame. He just couldn't help but admire in his heart.
Lord Mu, you are truly worthy of being Lord Mu.
"Then how should I know? What's wrong?"
Yang Sheng talked to his father without raising his head, his face buried in the bowl of drunken crabs.
The drunken crab, pickled with vinegar, wine lees and various spices, is not a whole crab, but split in two. The gap is full of fat and oily crab roe, with a rich and attractive luster.
Yang Sheng closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The aroma of the wine was so intoxicating that it penetrated into his heart and made him drunk without even drinking.
He told his father to eat by himself, but he didn't know how long he would have to wait. He was just busy talking, as if he didn't know he was hungry. Yang Sheng couldn't help but complain in his heart.
He first washed his hands with a towel, then took the crab peeling tool beside him and carefully peeled the drunken crabs in the bowl one by one. He arranged the crab meat, crab claws and crab legs together to form the shape of two crabs, except that one was full of crab meat and the other was just an empty shell.
Lord Jia lowered his eyes and stared at Yang Sheng's movements. His ten fingers flew skillfully, and he used the long-handled axe and crab claws very well, so that he did not lose his etiquette in eating.
He felt very relieved. This kid, his teachings were not in vain, and sometimes he could be considered decent.
For example, now.
Yang Sheng put down the crab claws and washed his hands with a towel again. Then he respectfully pushed the bowl full of crab meat in front of him towards Lord Jia.
"Father, please eat some quickly!" He then served another bowl of porridge to Master Jia, advising him, "The crab meat is very cold, don't forget to eat some hot porridge."
Lord Jia picked up the bamboo chopsticks and slowly used the crab meat. The crab meat had a fresh and tender taste, firm texture, and the aroma was so fragrant that it made people intoxicated without even drinking.
This jar of drunken crabs was pickled by the aunt in the kitchen in the twelfth lunar month, and now is the best time to eat them.
But before he could swallow a mouthful, he saw Yang Sheng sitting opposite him——
He held half a drunken crab in both hands, one end in his mouth and the other in his hand, licking the crab roe with the tip of his tongue, making a sizzling sound. His mouth was full of oil, and his fingertips were filled with the aroma of vinegar and wine lees, which lingered on his nose for a long time.
"Yang Sheng!"
"Hmm? Dad?" He had food in his mouth, so his words were mumbling and inaudible. "What...what did you say?"
A frown formed between Lord Jia's brows, forming the shape of the Chinese character "川", as if the mountains were changing and gathering towards his eyebrows.
He turned his head and couldn't bear to watch Yang Sheng eating. He couldn't help but spit.
"Who is your father?"
Yang Sheng didn't care at all, with an unconcealable smile on his face, and a hint of youthful coquettishness: "Dad! It's just you and me here! Why bother with all the formalities?"
"Oh! Don't worry, if I go out, entertain in restaurants, or attend banquets, I promise I won't do that!"
Seeing Yang Sheng's face covered in sauce, even if Lord Jia had the best self-control, he couldn't hold it in any longer. He glanced at Yang Sheng unhappily, and his composure quickly fell apart.
"I'm glad you know!"
Yang Sheng smiled and happily ate the crab. For a while, the only sound was the sizzling sound of his eating.
After a long time, the aroma of drunken crabs spread throughout the Tongzhi Courtyard. With the occasional sound of bowls, plates and bamboo chopsticks colliding, the atmosphere became peaceful and the meal was almost finished.
Finally, the meal was over, so his father didn't have to stay awake all night and go hungry. Yang Sheng wiped his hands and then handed Lord Jia a clean handkerchief.
"Father, did you know yesterday that the prefect was in trouble?"
He had just thought about asking about this matter, but he wanted to ask his father to have breakfast first, as now was the right time.
"Don't keep calling me 'Prefect, Prefect'. It makes me feel a little jealous."
Lord Jia held the handkerchief in both hands and gently wiped the corners of his mouth, wiping off the sauce that had accidentally stained it, and responded calmly.
"My last name is Song, so please don't lose your manners."
Yang Sheng curled his lips, knowing he was in the wrong and not daring to argue with Lord Jia. He quickly changed his tone, "Okay, then, did Father know that Lord Song was in trouble?"
He always felt that his father had been restless since he came back from Yuanshui yesterday. He sat in the house for half a day without making any noise.
Suddenly rushing out at night and saying they were gathering troops to patrol the city? Isn't that strange?
His father was never the kind of person who acted on impulse. He always followed the rules and made plans in advance. He was a person who thought three steps ahead before taking one step at a time.
Even if they had to go out of the city for patrol, why would they delay it until night? You should know that they rest during the Shangsi Festival, but they never go out for patrol until night.
In previous years, his father would always inspect the city defenses half a decade in advance to ensure the smooth progress of the Shangsi Festival and rest period. The Shangsi Festival had already passed yesterday, so how could it have been delayed until last night?
Yang Sheng didn't know how his father would react, so he kept his eyes fixed on Lord Jia, waiting for his response.
"How could I have known that Lord Song was in trouble?"
He is not a Golden Immortal, how can he know the past and the future?
"If I had known this earlier, how could I have put Lord Song in such danger?"
If we had known this earlier, we could have rescued him earlier. There would have been no need to wait until Lord Mu came to rescue him.
Lord Jia had a calm expression and clear eyes. He glanced at Yang Sheng with some confusion.
What's going on in this guy's mind? It's really weird.
Yang Sheng seemed to be relieved when he got Master Jia's response. He smiled again and changed the subject cheerfully: "I'll finish taking care of the flowers and plants in the yard later, and then I'll go wipe your Handan screen to prevent it from getting dusty!"
In his heart, his father was just like the pattern on the lotus screen. As the saying goes, "hollow inside and straight outside, without vines or branches", it was the best portrayal of his father.
"Why do you ask that?"
Before Yang Sheng could come back to his senses from his immersed reverie, he called out to Lord Jia and asked him a question.
"Ah? Oh oh oh!" Yang Sheng didn't think twice and confessed his thoughts. "I just think that my father is so wise that he asked Lord Mu to go out of the city for patrol. Lord Mu just happened to save Lord Song!"
"That's why I asked this question. Fortunately, my father thought of the patrol yesterday, otherwise, Lord Song would have been in trouble."
"I heard from the brothers who came back to report that Lord Song accidentally fell into the unfilled foundation pit where gold was mined and froze all night. Fortunately, Lord Mu arrived in time."
Lord Jia frowned and said nothing, calming his mind.
The spring is chilly, and at night it feels like the depths of winter. The river breeze is as sharp as a knife.
Lord Song...his body naturally can't bear it.
He looked only a few years older than Yang Sheng, and was still a child after all.
As for the lady Wen next to him, she was a girl, and although she had a sharp tongue, she probably couldn't stand the cold.
It's okay, it's okay...
Lord Jia couldn't help but sigh in his heart, but when he lowered his eyes, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart and quickly stopped thinking.
Yang Sheng, who was standing aside, had already stood up and was picking up the bowls, cups and food boxes on the stone table. He casually put the food box between his elbows and walked out of the yard.
"Dad, I'll go wash these dishes and come back!"
"After the break tomorrow, Lord Song will probably come to the mansion. You should take people to clean the meeting room and the government office..."
"Yes, yes, Lord Jia! I obey your orders!"
Before Lord Jia finished his instructions, Yang Sheng took the initiative to take over the conversation and happily accepted the order.
Lord Jia was left sitting alone in the courtyard. His eyes were gloomy and dark as ink, no longer showing the same joy and anger as before, making it difficult to guess what he was thinking.
Yang Sheng walked briskly, humming a tune all the way. When he reached the gate of the courtyard, he pushed it open and went out.
The door gradually covered Yang Sheng's face and closed again -
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