There was an ominous atmosphere in Zhongshu Province. All the important officials were sitting uneasily on their chairs, all concentrating and spying on each other, as if they would be killed if they relaxed a little. There were two people sitting on the main seat.
, one person is similar to a prime minister, but he looks sluggish, observing the words and expressions from the side; the other person has a face that is twice as wide as the others and a stronger body. Although there is a lot of flesh on his face, his eyes are wide open in the middle, but he can see the sharpness inside. He is holding a hand
Huang Ling issued the edict and scanned the crowd with disdain, waiting for their answers.
"Your Majesty's approval, I don't dare to disobey you. Just follow the general's orders." A political participant said on behalf of everyone.
"Okay. You do the next thing." Liu Zhennian stood up and handed the edict to the prime minister, and then strode out of the palace door. The prime minister looked at the long shadow gradually opening outside the palace door, his hands shook constantly, and he uttered a sentence in his mouth.
A bit of air conditioning.
"Master Ye, there is nothing we can do to help with this matter," several ministers came up to comfort Ye Long, "I advise you to admit your mistake to Liu Zhennian. Of course, it is not just verbal, but you must also show some filial piety, right? In that case, he will report to Emperor Chen and
This matter has been settled, so as not to cause trouble to you in the future..."
Ye Long's color suddenly changed, his eyes filled with anger: "This matter still involves my house. If I go to curry favor with Liu Zhennian, where will the prestige of Ye Long's house in Shandong be!" He walked back and forth a few times, "There's no rush," he said
His expression became calmer. "Although I was impeached and dismissed from office by him, gentlemen, please don't forget that he is not the only one who holds military power! I only need to write a letter to Wan Huizhi in Nanjing. With the friendship between our fathers, he will definitely do his best.
If we help each other, we will be able to keep the Ye family standing."
"Wan Heshun is a very deceitful man. When Liu Zhennian was in charge of the capital, he sent a letter asking him to join the court as counselor. He refused to go and stayed in Nanjing. So far, Liu Zhennian has not dared to touch him; I'm afraid he won't be able to do so today.
I will come to Beijing without permission to speak for you." An old Zhongcheng advised.
"These are all things that happened in the past. Now there are elite troops in Nanjing, and Hui Zhi is a king with a different surname. Even if he comes to Beijing, how can Liu Zhennian stay?" Ye Long said, then shook his head, "All my colleagues, for
I am the planner, and Ye is deeply grateful; however, this matter ultimately needs to be decided by me personally." Everyone nodded in agreement and said 'yes' in unison.
"I wonder if the emperor would allow Ye Yushi to go back to the palace and explain the matter?..." the Zhongcheng asked.
Ye Long remained silent and the atmosphere became peaceful. He then walked to the window and looked toward the south sadly.
Before Ye Long was assassinated, Ye Mansion was prosperous as usual. There was no bad news at all, but good things happened one after another. Cheng Congyuan gently dragged him to the cobblestone road, with a smile on his lips, and looked up into the distance.
All kinds of prosperity, soaked by the warm sunlight, are particularly bright.
"Mr. Cheng! The new meeting hall has been completed! You are going to be promoted to an official position again!"
"Where, where."
"Mr. Cheng, from now on you will have to take care of both places and do things at both ends. How hard it will be!"
"There is no need to work hard when doing things for the Lord."
He listened to everyone's flattery and walked slowly to the front of the meeting hall. After everyone left, he stopped to watch. The house was nothing new, except that the materials were much better than before. The beams and columns were all made of mahogany, and there were patterns on them.
Cheng Congyuan stretched out his hand to pat the detailed lines. The texture was really hard, exuding a thin fragrance. Looking around the hall, there were open doors on all sides and a corridor with pillars. He seemed to be immersed in it.
, couldn't leave for a long time. The flattering servant flattered him and said: "Mr. Cheng, don't bother to look at it. When you take charge of this land, you can watch it as you want. Go back and have a rest today."
"That's right." Cheng Congyuan was in a very good mood. He couldn't help but smile, and the wrinkles on his face were layered. He also felt that his legs were sore from walking, so he walked out of the meeting hall, sat on a stone bench nearby, and put his legs up.
He stopped and beat his body: "I have been busy for a few days, and my muscles and bones are so sore! After all, I am getting older!" He couldn't help but sigh.
During the conversation, his eyes casually glanced at Kou Zhong who came to see the house, but he did not pay much attention to it and left in a hurry. Cheng Congyuan went back and reported the situation of the new meeting hall to Ye Yongjia, but Ye Yongjia did not listen very much.
He just nodded his head a few times and talked about what the name of this hall should be. Ye Yongjia didn't pay much attention to this, so he named it "Red Sandalwood Hall" and called it after the wood used.
After coming out of the meeting hall, Cheng Congyuan thought about it several times in his mind. After he was convinced that there was nothing more he could do, he packed up his weak body and returned home to rest. After drinking some tea, he realized that he was not sleepy.
Feeling like this, he picked up a book and sat crookedly on a rattan chair to read. Within half an hour, he struggled to keep his eyes open, so he had to close the book lightly and fall asleep casually on the chair.
…
"Mr. Cheng! Mr. Cheng!"
When Cheng Congyuan heard these two calls, he opened his eyes slightly and stretched his arms. He was not fully awake yet, so he half-opened his eyes and responded: "I've been sleeping for a long time...Isn't it early morning?"
"Yes." The man replied in a humble voice.
Only then did Cheng Congyuan pay attention to the man, but it was Kou Zhong standing in front of the table with a proud look on his face, which made him feel very uncomfortable. "What are you doing here? Are you afraid that I will lose my rest? Are you urging me to get up and work?"
Cheng Congyuan lowered his head and rubbed his eyes, asking impatiently.
"Mr. Cheng said the opposite," Kou Zhong's smile seemed a little malicious, "but I can give you a break."
Cheng Congyuan suddenly had a lot of doubts, and he felt uneasy in his heart unconsciously. "What on earth is going on!" Cheng Congyuan asked eagerly, "Don't hide it like this."
"Then I'll tell you quickly." Kou Zhong coughed a few times and straightened his sleeves. Cheng Congyuan looked at him uneasily. "Yes, that's true. The master wants me to be the steward of the Rosewood Hall. Let me do it."
I want to ask for your opinion. I would like to share it with Mr. Cheng."
Cheng Congyuan's head suddenly buzzed. He looked left and right in panic, and kept banging on the table with his hands. He didn't know how to react for a while. He put his hands on the chair handle, took a big breath, and spoke for a long time.
One sentence: "Give me that pot of tea."
Kou Zhong looked back and found a pot of tea and handed it to Cheng Congyuan. Cheng Congyuan picked up the teacup. Kou Zhong hurriedly helped him pick up the pot and poured the tea inside. Cheng Congyuan took a sip.
, and then stayed still.
"I will go see the master in person." He said in a weak voice.
"No one dares to deceive someone about such a big thing. Don't worry, Mr. Cheng." Kou Zhong still pretended to be attentive.
"Let's go now." He said to himself. Kou Zhong's words seemed not to have reached his ears.
"Mr. Cheng is here?" Ye Yongjia smiled and stepped forward to bow to him. Cheng Congyuan forced a smile, returned the greeting, and immediately sat aside. After chatting for a while, Cheng Congyuan deliberately led the conversation to his new appointment.
The manager of this place: "It is said that the Red Sandalwood Hall will be managed by Kou Zhong. I would like to ask the master... is this really the case?"
"Yes. I just wanted to ask Mr. Cheng for his opinion."
Cheng Congyuan frowned, "Kou Zhong has a bad heart and can only be used for trivial matters. The appointment is... inappropriate."
"The servants in Kou Zhong are respectful and obligatory no matter what they do. It cannot be compared with the past. Mr. Cheng is just making his own assumptions." After Ye Yongjia said this, he knew that he had made a slight mistake and immediately fell silent.
"Yes." Cheng Congyuan's voice was weak, far different from the usual hale and hearty old man. The atmosphere became a little tense at this moment, and no one dared to move rashly. Both of them were silent. Cheng Congyuan was still thinking about his 'conjecture'
These two words have never been solid evidence.
Before interests became a consensus between the two of us, he suddenly remembered that there was that day when he announced a break with everything in the past. Now, no one can blame it, but it must be endured.
Cheng Congyuan slowly stood up and said goodbye to Ye Yongjia.
'But this has established the foundation for the prosperity of the Ye family, and this is enough.'
Cheng Congyuan left the meeting hall. He understood that his trust had quietly transferred to Kou Zhong, and he would lose all confidence and insight into all the interests in the mansion. He slowly turned around and knelt down in the direction of the hall door:
"Master, I only live for the Ye family."
"Who wrote the letter?" The official adjusted his official uniform, sat on his chair, and took a bowl of tea.
"This letter was personally written by Mr. Ye Longye of the imperial court to the prince."
"Who are you?" the official asked, blowing tea.
"I'm just a slave."
He hesitantly scanned the contents of the letter, read it about once, then put the letter down, with a look of concern on his face.
"how?"
He tightened his eyebrows, gritted his teeth, and sighed: "How dare Liu Zhennian do this to Brother Ye!" After saying that, he clenched his hands into fists.
"That……"
"What?" His eyes slipped to the slave's face.
The servant glanced at him hesitantly: "The Lord Wan saw what was written in the letter and begged you to lead troops to the capital."
Wan Heshun curled his lips: "Don't be so reckless! The capital is the residence of the emperor. If you go there without an order, I'm afraid it will attract criticism." He glanced at the slave's face again, and quickly changed his words: "That's not what I meant, that's not what I meant...
Of course I want to help Brother Ye...but not in this way. I will write a letter to support you tomorrow. Liu Zhennian will not dare to act rashly because I am too powerful. Just don't worry!"
The servant wanted to speak again, but he heard someone knocking on the door of the house suddenly, and the voice was urgent: "Your Majesty, we have urgent matters!"
Wan Heshun immediately stopped smiling and bowed to the slave: "I have important business today, so I can't accompany you. Just go back. Oh, don't worry!" After saying that, he stood up in a hurry, ran to the door, opened it, and looked both ways.
He looked up and asked seriously: "Where?" Then he saw his shadow walking eastward through the paper window.
"This guy is unreliable!" The slave still had some sullen expression on his face and said through gritted teeth. Ye Long remained silent, closed his mouth deeply, and was indifferent to his words. "Master, who else are you looking for?..."
"There is no need to look for anyone," Ye Long closed his eyes, as if resigned to his fate, "The trial will be held today."
"A trial for you?"
"Then who else can be tried? I'm afraid the Liu Party is collecting my faults." Ye Long smiled helplessly, "It is inevitable... that the house will also suffer."
"Mr. Cheng, this is amazing!" In the dark night, these words were like a sharp thunder, shaking through the sky and piercing Cheng Congyuan's ears. He had already realized what was going on. This day was inevitably coming, and he
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "Looking for the master." He responded calmly.
"No matter what, we must rescue the master!" Kou Zhong advocated loudly. "No." Cheng Congyuan sat aside, staring at the lantern, "Liu...Liu Zhennian is waiting for us to take the bait." Kou Zhong fiercely said He looked at Cheng Congyuan with a cold look: "Is it possible for Mr. Cheng to let us watch the master die with our eyes open?"
"Nonsense!" Cheng Congyuan was trembling with anger, "At this time, Manager Kou shouldn't just think about internal strife!"
"Mr. Cheng, you..."
"Okay!" Ye Yongjia dismissed Kou Zhong's words and said to Cheng Congyuan: "Mr. Cheng, is there no other way?"
"My house can just wait and see. If we really want to file a petition to plead grievances, not only will the master not be able to come back, but something will happen in the house as well."
Ye Yongjia looked unwilling and looked at Cheng Congyuan again: "Is there really no way?"
Of course there is. Cheng Congyuan almost blurted it out, but he still swallowed it and said decisively: "No more."
Ye Yongjia gritted his teeth.
"My servant has inconvenient legs and feet, so there is nothing to complain about... I have to resign. If the master still wants to discuss the matter, just ask Kou for advice."
"Okay. Mr. Cheng, go to bed early."
"yes."
Cheng Congyuan walked out of the meeting hall. That was the only way. He borrowed an oil lamp from the servant standing outside the door. The light swayed in the dead night sky, and the surroundings were shrouded in darkness. He followed the light without hesitation. He fumbled to open the door of his home, gently lit the standing lamp in the house, took a piece of paper from the bookcase, and sat on a chair. After calming down, he took out his pen, dipped it in a circle on the inkstone, and wrote slowly With.
"The minister's military affairs department is responsible for Ye Yongjia..."
He suddenly put down the pen and hesitated for a while before picking it up again.
‘See Ye Long, the censor of Zuodu:’
Cheng Congyuan stopped writing again, picked up the paper and looked at his handwriting, his hand trembling slightly. It was more similar to the last time he copied it. The people in the court should not be suspicious, he thought silently in his heart. After thinking about it, he He blew on the handwriting gently and continued to write.
It was around midnight, and even he himself had forgotten how many times he had made the call before he finished writing this so-called "memorial." All that was needed was to stamp it with a seal, and he was able to deceive the entire government and the public. He put the memorial aside, He was about to take a nap, but he didn't feel sleepy at all and his emotions were still hard to calm down. Cheng Congyuan tried to calm down and then turned to think about other things. He first thought about Kou Zhong in his mind.
'Of course, this person in Kou can't settle the old grudges with me. If he knew about this matter, he would definitely bring me to death. There is no doubt about it. Speaking of this person, he is quite loyal, just like a dog. He can climb to this level. How many people can he do? It's because he knows what kind of life he should live.'
Cheng Congyuan thought of this and looked outside the house anxiously, taking a look at the sky. It was still some time before morning.
‘Master is getting more and more mature, and the prosperity of Ye Mansion should no longer rely on a single servant. If he knows what I am going to do in the future, I am afraid he will never forgive me lightly.
Speaking of the master, he is by no means a corrupt scholar, but he just needs some aura in the court. If he is harmed because of this, I'm afraid...'
Cheng Congyuan stopped thinking at this point, but fear had soaked down his spine like cold sweat, and lingered in his heart for a long time. For a moment, he breathed a long sigh of relief, letting go of those unnecessary worries, he was just alone.
"Oh, take it."
On a still sunny morning, Cheng Congyuan stood at the door of the meeting hall, clutching the memorial in his hand, and called to a slave who came out of the hall.
"Mr. Cheng, I don't know about this item...I dare not accept it."
"This is the memorial my master wrote last night, and he asked me to find someone to deliver it to the court. This is a free opportunity for you, are you willing to do it?" Cheng Congyuan's expression showed no intention of discussing it.
"Of course I'm willing to do it!"
"You haven't done this kind of thing before. If you don't know anything, feel free to ask, but I'll tell you first: put this memorial in the box, and I'll prepare some money for you. You can set off immediately, and there's no need to tell the master.
, the master doesn’t want to make any noise and let people know about it, understand?”
"Understood!" said the slave, "I don't know who to give the memorial to?"
"When you go to the capital, go directly to the palace gate and tell the person on duty that you want to hand over the memorial. Someone will naturally guide you there. Are you clear?"
"Clear!" The slave didn't dare to say even one word 'no'.
"Also, this memorial is confidential. You must not open it without permission. If they see any signs of opening it, they may ask you for the death penalty."
"Never dare! Never dare!"
"Just go."
"Yes, yes." The servant looked horrified and did not dare to look at Cong Yuan. He lowered his head and searched for a long time before touching the memorial, wiping his sweat, and quickly got up and ran away.
Cheng Congyuan looked at his embarrassed appearance, and only withdrew his long and lingering gaze when he was no longer in sight. He thought of the man's fear of him, but felt lost, and gave out a helpless and self-deprecating wry smile.