Chapter 89: "Brother Jia Ren."
Jia Ren heard the sound and was about to look in the direction of Lord Song's hand when he suddenly heard a shout from outside the courtyard.
"My lord, my lord——"
For a moment, the three people in the room turned to look outside and put down the portrait on the table.
A breeze rushed into the main room. Song Linsheng looked in the direction of the wind and saw a young man dressed as a servant running quickly into the room. He had a handsome face and was of medium height. He looked like a teenager.
He seemed to have seen this person before. When walking around in the government office, Song Linsheng had seen this person always accompanying Lord Jia. He thought he was Lord Jia's right-hand man, but Song Linsheng was not very clear about his name.
The man walked hurriedly, holding something in his hand. He seemed to be very anxious and almost tripped over the threshold when entering.
Lord Jia looked at the figure that was getting closer and closer and almost in front of him. It was Yang Sheng, whom he had asked to send to work in the front yard. Seeing him like this, Lord Jia couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
Yang Sheng was a little outgoing on weekdays, but generally he was smart and calm outside. He was rarely in such a hurry and looked so frightened as he was now, not to mention barging in so recklessly when there were other adults around.
"grown ups."
Yang Sheng stepped into the main hall and saw Song Linsheng and Xi Yan standing in front of Jia Ren. He had not noticed them before because they were far away.
He paused and restrained his movements.
"Sir Song." Yang Sheng clasped his hands together and saluted Song Linsheng. After Song Linsheng responded, he turned and called Jia Ren, "Sir Jia."
He deliberately changed the name to distinguish the two.
"What are you doing in such a hurry?" Lord Jia frowned and ordered him, "Don't offend Lord Song."
Yang Sheng couldn't hide his anxiety on his face, but because Lord Song was present, he didn't know who to report to.
Lord Song is the prefect, and his position is far higher than Lord Jia. Logically, he should report to Lord Song first, but he has always followed Lord Jia, so Yang Sheng is really in a dilemma.
Although the matter was urgent, he still stopped abruptly and could only remember looking left and right between Song Linsheng and Jia Ren.
"Lord Song—"
In the end, the etiquette and rules he had learned in the past still prevailed over Yang Sheng's intimacy with Master Jia. He turned to Song Linsheng and replied:
"Just now I was busy in the front yard when I heard the yamen runner at the gate come in and report that a little boy had brought a letter, and specifically sent it to Lord Jia."
In the past, he had always been responsible for sending and receiving letters for Lord Jia and was already used to it. However, he had never received any letters from children. He thought it must be a trivial matter between neighbors and someone had written a record of accusation.
Yang Sheng didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just an ordinary matter, so he opened it and read it first. He thought if it was a small matter, he could just go and deal with it later, and there was no need to present it to Lord Jia and cause him trouble.
Dad hasn't been getting enough rest lately, so I won't disturb him.
He thought so, but when Yang Sheng opened the letter, he was surprised and shocked.
He didn't even have time to think before he rushed out of the government office and chased in the street for a long time. However, today was the end of the rest day, and there were many people coming and going in the streets, and there were countless children. Where could he find a messenger boy?
When he turned around and came back, he met the bailiff again at the door. However, he asked him again and again, but the bailiff insisted that he could not remember the boy's face.
Yang Sheng was anxious and angry, but there was nothing he could do.
It was true that there were so many girls and boys playing in front of the government office street on weekdays that they had long been accustomed to it. When a little boy suddenly appeared, they would just treat him as an ordinary child and would not deliberately remember his appearance.
Yang Sheng knew something was wrong, so he rushed to the conference room and reported the matter to Lord Jia immediately.
Song Linsheng's eyes were filled with doubts. He had a rough guess in his mind, but he was not sure.
How come today, all these things happened at the same time?
"I have overstepped my bounds and have opened the letter. It says...it asks Master Jia to prepare ten thousand taels of gold so that we can reunite at the place where we parted."
The more Yang Sheng spoke, the more mysterious it seemed. The letter only mentioned ten thousand taels of gold, but there was no threat or intimidation. However, he felt that something was wrong.
Inexplicable content, strange children, and behind all this is a mysterious person who refuses to show his face.
His father... Lord Jia is just a Tongzhi. Even the salary he received over the years is less than one-tenth or one-twelfth of ten thousand taels of gold. Where can he find ten thousand taels of gold?
Besides, Lord Jia has very few friends and usually never interacts with outsiders. He is only slightly familiar with people in the government office and can talk to Lord Mu or Chen Mian.
Where did our old separation come from, let alone our reunion?
"It's really strange!" Yang Sheng couldn't help but add, "It must be someone with ulterior motives deliberately creating mystery and teasing us... our Lord Jia."
Jia Ren heard this but didn't respond. His expression was no less confused than Song Linsheng's. However, after going over it in his mind, he couldn't recall any of their parting moments...
"this……"
Song Linsheng looked at the person in front of him. The person's face was full of anger and a little panic. It was obvious that he didn't know how to deal with this situation.
However, Song Linsheng didn't know the man's name, so he had to call him first.
Yang Sheng responded, clasping his hands together and greeting Song Linsheng again, "I am Yang Sheng, honored to meet you, Lord Song."
"Yangsheng." Song Linsheng looked at him with a firm and gentle gaze, as if to comfort Yangsheng. "Where is the boy who delivered the letter now?"
"Don't blame me, sir. I've searched everywhere, but the child came and left quickly, so I... couldn't catch up."
Yang Sheng felt angry when he thought about his search in front of the door just now but found nothing.
This was also expected, and Song Linsheng was not surprised.
Most of the boys and girls on the streets are still little children. From a distance, they all look the same, like pink and white dumplings, as if they were carved from the same mold.
When he pours into the streets, it will be like rain falling into hundreds of rivers or wind blowing into the sky. Where can we find any trace or see any sign of him?
"Where is the letter? Is it still there?" Song Linsheng's eyes turned. He had seen from a distance that Yang Sheng was holding something in his hand.
"Yes, yes," Yang Sheng responded repeatedly. He turned and glanced at Lord Jia, who was still in deep thought, his expression unremarkable. He then placed the letter in front of Song Linsheng and Jia Ren, "Please review it, my Lords."
The letter lying open in Yang Sheng's hand had been sealed by him. At this moment, a page of cold white paper lay in his palm, with a few lines of words sparsely written on it.
Song Linsheng reached out and took the paper, holding the back of the paper with one hand and pinching a corner with the other, then leaned towards Lord Jia and examined it with him.
"Brother Jia Ren, it's been a long time since we last met." Song Linsheng read each word carefully, afraid to miss any subtle details between the lines. "I can recall the feelings of yesterday, but it's hard to catch up with our meeting today."
"I will never forget all the things that happened to us, and I will do the same for you, brother." Jia Ren continued reading the second half of the poem after Song Linsheng, "I have prepared ten thousand taels of gold. In three days, I will meet you again at the place where we parted."
Jia Ren's voice became increasingly tense, until by the end he was so dry that he could no longer utter a single word.
"Master Jia..."
Song Linsheng obviously noticed that something was wrong with Jia Ren. He called out to him softly, wanting to see how Jia Ren would explain.
Could this letter have been written by the group from yesterday? Song Linsheng couldn't confirm it for the time being. However, since the letter addressed Master Jia as "brother," it must be related to him.
"Sir Song." Jia Ren spoke in a deep voice, his eyebrows knitted together, making the wrinkles on his forehead difficult to smooth out.
However, Song Linsheng waited for a moment, but did not see what Lord Jia said next. He just stared at the letter with a solemn expression.
"Sir Song, there must be something fishy going on here!" Yang Sheng said hastily, fearing that Sir Song might misunderstand Sir Jia. "Sir Jia has no brothers or sisters, so where does this 'Brother Jia Ren' come from?"
Yang Sheng was a little frightened at first, but now he was only left with the indignation that came from being teased.
"What's more, the letter doesn't mention a meeting place or a specific time. It's vague and has no focus."
"I think it's just some scoundrel's prank, but it's a pity that he plays the role of a clown for no reason and is hard to believe."
Yang Sheng talked a lot and frequently, perhaps because he was protecting Lord Jia, so at this moment he was more eloquent than usual.
Song Linsheng's eyes turned, swept across Yang Sheng's face, and then cast his gaze on Lord Jia beside him.
This Yang Sheng seems to be...very protective of Master Jia...
He doesn't look like an ordinary servant, but more like...
Song Linsheng caught a glimpse of Xiyan, who had been following him closely without moving a step. Even though Xiyan had a serious knife wound on his neck, he was still trying his best to hold on.
He suddenly knew how to describe it. Yang Sheng's protection of Lord Jia was not like that of an ordinary servant. Instead, he was as close to him as he was to Xiyan, and even more so.
Song Linsheng's silence made Yang Sheng stop talking. He glanced at Song Linsheng's face while looking at Jia Ren's condition.
"I have overstepped my bounds. Please forgive me, sir." Yang Sheng felt a little anxious.
It’s hard to tell what Mr. Song’s attitude is, so that’s fine.
But Lord Jia remained silent for a long time. He was so calm in the face of such gossip. How could he not defend himself?
You know, in front of Mr. Song
It would be very easy for Lord Song to misunderstand if someone slandered him like this, and then he would be punished for corruption and improper association. What should we do then?
Yang Sheng's heart tightened, and he immediately stopped caring about everything else. He had promised his father that he would never try to stand out in public.
He shouldn't have said so much in front of Lord Song, but he couldn't help it because he didn't want Lord Jia to suffer an unjust accusation.
"Sir, sir—" Yang Sheng lowered his voice and advised Lord Jia, "Sir Jia, you..."
Song Linsheng turned his gaze back to the letter in his hand. Was it written by someone else? Or was it really the work of those people from yesterday?
At this moment, Xiyan, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly stepped forward and whispered in Song Linsheng's ear, "Sir, could it be..."
Song Linsheng nodded slightly, and Xiyan tacitly stopped talking. The young master was knowledgeable and experienced, and everything he could think of, the young master must have thought of long ago.
"Master Jia... do you have any idea?" Song Linsheng carefully considered his words, trying not to be biased.
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