Not long after walking, there was a sound of thunder, dark clouds hung low in the sky, and a heavy rain suddenly came.
The rain was like thunder, and the torrential rain hit the earth violently, and pedestrians on the road ran around to take shelter from the rain.
Xue Yujin raised the car curtain, and the cold wind immediately rushed in, and the raindrops hit her face with the force of the wind.
Looking up at the sky covered with dark clouds, she suddenly felt out of breath.
Li Zhiying held her hand and said softly: "Sooner or later the storm will pass."
Xue Yujin turned to look at her and nodded slowly.
Two-quarters of an hour later, the carriage arrived at Wei Mansion, and Xue Yujin quickly got out of the carriage.
Soon, she saw Xue Ne lying on the ground on the street outside the gate of Wei Mansion.
"Brother!"
She shouted, ran to Xue Ne, lay on him, and cried loudly.
Li Zhiying took the oil-paper umbrella from the maid, quickly came behind the two of them, and held the umbrella for them.
However, a small umbrella could not block the heavy rain, and the clothes of the two women were soon soaked by the rain.
Xue Ne's tragic situation broke Xue Yujin's last nerve. Her cry was like a cuckoo crying for blood, sad and sad.
At this moment, Xue Ne moved beneath her.
"Is it my little sister?"
Xue Yujin cried: "Brother...brother, it's...me."
"You're so heavy that I can hardly breathe." Xue Ne's voice was weak.
Xue Yujin hurriedly stood up and held Xue Ne in her arms.
Xue Ne suddenly stretched out his hand, wiped the corners of her eyes gently with his index finger, and said with a smile: "Little sister, I seem to have had a long dream, but no matter how good the dream is, it is still false. I have already woken up."
Xue Yujin wiped her tears and said bitterly: "Did that bad woman beat you like this? I'll go find her to settle the score!"
Xue Ne hurriedly grabbed her and said, "Don't go, I don't want to have anything to do with her anymore."
Xue Yujin nodded and said: "Okay, I will listen to you. I will take you to Zhiying's Mansion to recuperate first."
Xue Ne raised his head, stared at Li Zhiying who was holding an umbrella and said, "Your Highness, thank you very much."
"You don't have to thank me. Yu Jin is my friend, and I should do what I do."
Xue Ne was silent for a while and said: "Anyway, when my sister was in the most painful and sad time, thanks to you being by her side, I...as my brother..."
Li Zhiying interrupted with a smile:
"Okay, if you really appreciate me, just follow me back home. I already have a lot of patients, and I don't want to add two more."
The three of them returned to Prince Zhou's Mansion in a carriage.
Li Zhiying ordered her servants to boil ginger soup and gave it to the Xue brothers and sisters. Then she ordered people to boil hot water. All three of them took a bath and changed out of their wet clothes.
Xue Ne only took a cup of tea and finished taking a shower. After changing his clothes, he stood in the corridor outside the lobby and stared at the sky without saying a word.
The heavy rain came and went quickly, leaving only sporadic light rain outside.
But the sky is still gloomy.
After an unknown amount of time, Xue Ne suddenly found his sister standing next to him, silently looking at the sky like him.
"Little sister, how is your father's condition?"
Xue Yujin was silent for a while and whispered: "Brother Wu said that the evidence from the prince's side is conclusive, and it will be difficult for dad to be cleared of his charges."
Xue Ne nodded, his expression very calm.
He put his hand on Xue Yujin's shoulder and said solemnly: "Little sister, no matter what happens in the future, I will definitely take good care of you."
Xue Yujin bit her lip and said "hmm" heavily.
Xue Ne smiled and said, "I'll go out and inquire about the situation first. You wait for me here."
Xue Yujin wiped the corners of his eyes and said, "Then you have to be more careful."
Xue Ne nodded and strode towards the door.
While walking in the corridor, a man in white clothes suddenly walked towards me. The man was leaning on a cane with both hands, his face was pale, and he looked like he was recovering from a serious illness.
Xue Ne nodded at him and walked past him.
After leaving the palace, he first headed towards the imperial city and decided to go to the Qianniu Guards Office to inquire about the situation.
However, as soon as he left Pingkangfang, he was surrounded by a group of people on horseback.
The young master of the Xiao family was taking the lead. He looked at Xue Ne condescendingly and said coldly: "Where is your sister?"
Xue Ne said in a deep voice: "What are you looking for her for?"
Master Xiao sneered: "What are you doing? She publicly humiliated me in Furong Garden and made me dare not go out for three months. What do you think I want to do with her?"
Xue Na said: "She is my sister. What she does is what I do. Why don't you find me?"
Master Xiao laughed loudly: "Xue Ne, do you still think that you are a lieutenant general in the Qianniu Guard? Let me tell you, your official position and title have been reduced, and now you are just a commoner!"
Xue Na said: "I'm very busy and don't have time to spend more time with you. If you only plan to talk these nonsense, I have already heard it and I won't accompany you."
Young Master Xiao said coldly: "You have a beautiful idea! I just want to tell you that your Xue family has neither power nor power now. Even if I beat you up, there is nothing you can do."
"Then what are you waiting for?"
Master Xiao was furious: "You asked for this, hit me!"
The guards immediately rushed forward. Although Xue Ne was injured, he acted calmly and calmly. He fought with the guards for a long time and still resisted tenaciously.
At this moment, a horse suddenly came galloping in the distance, and the man shouted: "Stop!"
All the guards immediately stopped.
Master Xiao looked at the man and became furious: "Sun, when did it become your turn to take care of my affairs?"
Xue Ne gasped and looked at the man. The man who came had a handsome face and was the Xiao family's son-in-law, Sun Lang.
The master of the Xiao family had a son and a daughter. Because the younger son was extremely stubborn and the eldest daughter was smart and capable, he hired a son-in-law, hoping that the eldest daughter would inherit the family business.
Therefore, Master Xiao was very disgusted with this new son-in-law and never had a good look.
Sun Lang said softly: "Second brother, it's not that I want to interfere with your affairs, but my father-in-law has given instructions not to cause trouble to the Xue family."
"Who is your second brother? You are just a boneless pretty boy. Sooner or later, I will drive you out of the Xiao family!"
Master Xiao said a few words and left with the others.
Sun Lang glanced at Xue Ne, sighed and said:
"I have heard some things about your mansion. I have always admired General Xue. If there is anything I can do for you, Mr. Xue, just ask."
"Thank you for your kindness, farewell." Xue Ne cupped his hands and strode away.
When we arrived at Qianniu Health Department, many people looked at Xue Ne with different eyes and attitudes.
Of course, there are also people whose attitude towards Xue Ne has not changed at all from before.
Qianniuwei General He Qingzhi is one of them.
"Brother Xue, I have also heard about your family's affairs. Many of us have gone to see the Marquis, hoping that he can intercede on behalf of General Xue, but, alas..."
Xue Ne said calmly: "General He, I understand that the Marquis has a close relationship with the East Palace. The East Palace is taking the lead in this matter, so it is naturally inconvenient for the Marquis to speak."
Seeing that Xue Ne was not particularly sad and angry, He Qingzhi felt a little strange and frowned: "Brother Xue, are you okay?"
Xue Ne smiled and said: "General He, I don't think the sky is falling, so you don't have to worry about me."
"Okay, I know you won't be defeated that easily. If anything happens to you in the future, you can come to me." He Qingzhi praised.
"Thank you, General He. This is my official certificate and seal. Now that I am no longer a member of the Qianniu Guard, I will stay here soon. Take my leave."
He Qingzhi watched Xue Ne's back leave the room, sighed secretly, and thought to himself: "As expected of Xue Rengui's son, Qianniu Guard has lost another capable general."
…
Across the west courtyard of Prince Zhou's Mansion, Zhang Gou walked slowly back and forth in the courtyard on crutches.
He is very active by nature and the last thing he wants to do is lie still in bed.
Originally there was a girl named Yuping who served him. When she saw that he could walk, she left.
Currently, only three people, including him and Xu Wenqing, live in the West Cross Courtyard.
After walking for a long time, he was a little tired. When he was going to rest on the stone bench in the courtyard, he suddenly saw Xu Wenqing coming back with Reed supporting him.
"Is Miss Xue okay?" he asked immediately.
Xu Wenqing was about to answer when he suddenly paused for a moment, stopped and started groping around on his body.
Zhang Gouqi asked: "What's wrong with you?"
Xu Wenqing blushed and said: "Nothing, by the way, what did you ask just now?"
Lu Wei refused to let her go and hummed: "Miss, did you drop the door key again? I said you should let me hold it, you must take it yourself."
Xu Wenqing immediately took out a key from his arms, snorted and said, "Do you think I'm really that clumsy? How could I lose the key?"
"Then what are you looking for?" Lu Wei asked.
Xu Wenqing lowered his head and hesitated: "Go up, the silver hairpin I bought this morning... I can't seem to find it."
Lu Wei said angrily: "So didn't I say, just let me hold everything you have in the future? Why do you have to show off?"
Xu Wenqing lowered his head and whispered: "Maybe it fell on the ground, why don't you go look for it on the way back?"
Luwei stamped his feet, helped her sit down on the stone bench, and said angrily: "Then wait for me here, I will go look for it."
Zhang Gou was interested and did not interrupt.
Xu Wenqing was originally yelling and doing things carelessly, but now he is blind and has upgraded to "careless".
Every time their master and servant went to hang out in the back garden of the palace, she would always have to leave something behind. Poor Luwei could only go back along the road to help her find it.
"By the way, Senior Brother Zhang, what did you ask me just now?"
Zhang Gou slowly came to sit next to her. Because it was winter, cotton pads were placed on the stone bench so that people would not feel cold while sitting.
"Aren't you looking for Miss Yujin? How is she doing?"
Xu Wenqing's somewhat short eyebrows knitted together and sighed: "When I went to find her in the morning, she was still the county head of Duke Ping's mansion. In the blink of an eye, her property was confiscated and her title was stripped. No one can bear it."
After a pause, she asked nervously: "Senior Brother Zhang, do you think my bad luck has been transmitted to her?"
"Don't talk nonsense. How can you have any bad luck?"
"Hmph, you don't need to comfort me. If I hadn't been plagued by bad luck, how could I have been so unlucky this year?"
Zhang Gou said with a smile: "So, it's bad luck for you to know His Highness King Zhou?"
Xu Wenqing's cheeks heated up and he changed the subject: "By the way, Senior Brother Zhang, I heard from Butler Wen that you went out at noon. Who was looking for you?"
Zhang Gou's face sank and he said, "He's just a stonemason who learned his trade from my father."
Xu Wenqing said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.
At this moment, she seemed to hear something and turned her eyes towards the courtyard door.
Zhang Gou followed and saw a tall man standing at the door.
Zhang Gou had seen this man once in the palace. He stood up and cupped his hands and said, "Brother, what do you want to do here?"
The visitor said: "Xue Ne, I am temporarily staying with my sister at the Prince of Zhou's Mansion, and I came here to visit you two."
Xu Wenqing said happily: "You are Miss Xue's brother, please come in."
Xue Ne entered the courtyard, sat down next to the two of them, and remained silent.
Zhang Gou knew that he had just been deposed, and he didn't know how to speak for a while. He was afraid that he would irritate him by saying the wrong thing, so he didn't speak.
Xu Wenqing couldn't hear the sound and said uneasily: "General Xue, why don't you speak?"
Xue Ne took a deep breath and said, "Actually, I came here because I have something to see Brother Zhang."
Zhang Gou said hurriedly: "General Xue has something to do, but it doesn't hurt to say so."
Xue Ne said: "I heard from my roommate that Brother Zhang used to be a stonemason. I wonder if this is the case?"
"Yes."
Xue Ne was silent for a while, and then said: "I met Brother Zhang for the first time, but I hope to ask Brother Zhang for help. I wonder if Brother Zhang will find it rude to me?"
"What did General Xue say? It's my honor to be able to help you."
Xue Na said sternly: "The titles of all of us in the Xue family have been reduced. Please, Brother Zhang, please stop calling us generals."
Zhang Gou nodded and said, "Brother Xue, if you need any help, it doesn't hurt to ask."
Xue Ne gritted his teeth and said: "Xue wants to ask Brother Zhang to help me find a job. I still have the strength to do any ordinary physical work!"
Zhang Gou was surprised and said: "If Brother Xue wants to find an emissary, why not ask His Highness the King of Zhou?"
Xue Ne lowered his head and said: "We in the Xue family are now labeled as belonging to King Pei's party. His Highness, King Zhou, is already taking a lot of risks by taking us in. How can I cause him more trouble?"
Zhang Gou nodded and thought to himself: "With this stigma, naturally he can no longer enter the public house. His former friends may also avoid him, so he came to me for help."
Xu Wenqing suddenly said: "Um...is the risk taken by His Highness King Zhou very high?"
Xue Ne gritted his teeth and said: "When I save some money, our brothers and sisters will move out and we will never let His Highness King Zhou continue to take risks."
Xu Wenqing turned pale and said at a loss: "That's not what I meant, don't...don't...I...I was just asking..."
Xue Ne saw her hands constantly moving, her face turned pale, she smiled slightly and said:
"I misunderstood the girl, but we were planning to move out. After all, we brother and sister can't live in Prince Zhou's Mansion forever."
"Is your decision to move out really not because of me?" Xu Wenqing whispered.
"real."
Xu Wenqing patted his chest and said with a smile: "That's good." Suddenly his hand touched something hard, he touched it and took out a silver hairpin from his arms.
Zhang Gou: "..."
Seeing that Xu Wenqing was stunned and still holding the hairpin, Xue Ne asked: "Miss Xu, what's wrong with you?"
Xu Wenqing hurriedly put the silver hairpin into his arms and said with a smile: "It's okay, it's okay, Senior Brother Zhang, Ms. Xue is asking you for help, please reply quickly!"
Zhang Gou nodded and said: "If Brother Xue doesn't mind, I can take you to find someone. That person is in need of manpower, but the work is a bit hard."
Xue Na stood up suddenly, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Brother Zhang."
Zhang Gou stood up and looked at Xu Wenqing and said, "Junior sister, I'm going out for a while. Do you want me to ask Butler Wen to send someone to take care of you?"
Xu Wenqing waved his hands repeatedly: "No, Lu Wei should be back soon. Go help Mr. Xue quickly and don't worry about me."
When the footsteps of Xue Ne and Zhang Gou disappeared, Xu Wenqing hurriedly took out the silver hairpin, threw it towards the courtyard door, and then sat upright.
After a long while, Lu Wei finally came back and said with a sad face: "Miss, I didn't find it."
Xu Wenqing said: "Look for it again in the yard."
Lu Wei said angrily: "I've looked for it a long time ago, but it's not there!"
"If you look again, you might have missed it before."
Lu Wei had to search again, and soon she found the silver hairpin on the ground and exclaimed: "Miss, I found it!"
Xu Wenqing stood up, face a little red, took out the key and said: "Just find it, it's so cold outside, help me into the house quickly."
Lu Wei said "Oh" without thinking much, put away the silver hairpin, took the key and opened the door, and helped Xu Wenqing into the house.
It was inconvenient for Zhang Gou to go out, so Wen Rong specially ordered the doorman to prepare a carriage for him whenever he went out.
He and Xue Ne rode a carriage heading west and came to the first famous temple in Chang'an City, Da Ci'en Temple.
As the New Year approaches, the incense in Daci'en Temple is at its peak, and the stone stairs leading into the temple are full of pilgrims, creating a lively scene.
Zhang Goulou ordered the carriage to go around to the back door of the temple, and then knocked on the door.
Soon, a monk opened the door.
Zhang Gou said: "My name is Zhang Gou. If you have anything to do, please contact Master Tong An and inform Master Xiangfan."
The monk looked at the two of them and said, "Please wait here."
Xue Ne couldn't help but ask: "Brother Zhang, the person you want to take me to see is a monk, right?"
Zhang Gou said with a smile: "Brother Xue, don't worry, that man is also a mason, but he happened to take a job at the temple, so I came here to find him."
Not long after waiting, a middle-aged man with long hands and feet came out. After seeing Zhang Gou, he said in surprise: "Junior brother Zhang, why did you come to me?"
Zhang Gou said calmly: "Senior Brother Tong, do you have time now?"
"As long as Junior Brother Zhang comes to see me, I can make time even if I don't have time!" Tong An said with a smile.
Zhang Gou nodded and said, "Then let's talk somewhere else."
The three of them found a restaurant near the temple and sat around a table. Zhang Gou poured a glass of wine for Tong An and said, "Brother Tong, I have something to ask you for help."
Tong An laughed and said, "Junior brother Zhang said whatever you say, your business is my business. If you need anything, just give me an order. Don't mention helping me."
Zhang Goudao: "Then let me tell you straight, this Brother Xue is a good friend of mine, and I would like to ask Brother Tong to arrange for him to join your work team."
Tong An glanced at Xue Ne, touched his chin and said, "Originally, my work team was already full and I really couldn't get anyone in, but now that Junior Brother Zhang has spoken, okay, let's add him."
Zhang Gou added: "His wages must be based on the standards of a first-class mason."
Tong An glanced at Xue Ne again and said, "Is it possible that this brother Xue has also passed the first-class mason examination?"
Every year, the Ministry of Industry and the General Supervisory Committee arrange examinations to grade various private craftsmen. This is a measure to facilitate the selection of talents from the private sector.
Over time, among the people, the wages of different levels of craftsmen have also been divided. Tong An and Zhang Gou are both first-class stonemasons.
Zhang Gou shook his head and said, "No."
Tong An showed a perplexed expression, and after a long while, he patted his thigh and said, "Okay, depending on your junior brother Zhang's golden face, I'll calculate the wages for this brother as a first-class mason."
Zhang Gou said: "Thank you very much." Xue Na also thanked him.
Tong An rubbed his hands, showed a flattering smile, and said: "Junior brother Zhang, look at the matter of me entering Shenhuofang..."
Zhang Gou knew he was going to bring this up, so he frowned and said, "You are also one of the best stonemasons in Chang'an City, and the wages you get from taking jobs outside are not low, so why do you have to go to Shenhuofang?"
Tong An said with a stern face: "How can you work outside and be safe in the public house?"
"Then, how about I use my connections to let you serve as a general and serve as a prisoner?"
Tong An grimaced and begged: "Junior brother, now everyone knows that being a prisoner is not as popular as Shenhuofang. Please help me for the sake of our senior brothers."
Zhang Gou was silent for a long time and sighed: "His Royal Highness the King of Zhou asked me to recover from my injuries before entering the Shenhuofang. My injury is not healed yet and I cannot enter the Shenhuofang. I really can't help you."
Compared with his previous direct rejection, his stance this time was obviously much better.
Tong An said anxiously: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. I can make arrangements after you recover from your injuries!"
Zhang Gou finally nodded.
Tong An was overjoyed and said: "In this case, we all rely on Junior Brother Zhang."