Xue Mansion, the sun is setting in the west.
In the inner house, the three members of the Xue family were looking sad because they had received many invitations today.
These greeting notes were all sent by the local magistrate of Jinling. The contents were concise and comprehensive, and they all advised Xue Pan to withdraw his petition.
Along with the kind words of advice, the greetings also contained warnings, saying not to see each other in the future.
Most of these officials were sixth or seventh grade, and Xue Pan was not afraid of them at all on weekdays. After all, his family had connections in the court.
However, this time was different. When he stood on the opposite side of Jinling officialdom, the nature was completely different.
He has people in the court, but he has so many officials and no one?
"What should we do?" Aunt Xue looked pale, obviously frightened.
Faced with this situation, Baochai was powerless and could only comfort her mother to be at ease, as the matter was not yet irreversible.
"The Superintendent of Ceremonies sent a message again today, asking us to buy food and weapons as soon as possible. It's difficult to do anything!"
It was okay that Xue Pan didn't speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Aunt Xue roared and scolded him again on the spot.
Xue Pan knew that he was being unreasonable, so he could only bear it silently, thinking about how to escape!
Everyone in the Xue family looked sad, and Hu Jinan, who was also involved, was drinking to drown his sorrows.
He never thought that the Xue family would sue him, and he didn't greedy his family's money, right?
Because the information was opaque, Hu Jinan didn't know the inside story. He originally planned to go to Xue's house to find out, but unfortunately Xue Pan didn't see him at all.
"Sir, Chief Secretary-Counselor, Mr. Qian is here to visit!"
After hearing the report from his servant, Hu Jinan felt a little confused. He believed that he had no friendship with Qian Ruiming, and it was unusual for him to come here at this time.
"Please come to the front hall to serve tea. I'll come over after I change my clothes!"
"yes!"
When Hu Jinan came to the front hall, he saw Qian Ruiming standing with his hands behind his hands, looking up at the paintings on the wall.
"I came late to my humble position, please don't blame me!"
"Master Hu, this painting of 'Plucking Chrysanthemums Under the Eastern Fence' has quite the charm of Tao Yuanming, but why hasn't it been signed?"
Qian Ruiming turned around and looked at Hu Jinan with confusion.
While asking Qian Ruiming to sit down, Hu Jinan said at the same time: "To be honest, this is a casual work of a low-ranking official, just to decorate the facade. Won't signing the signature just make you smile!"
After sitting down, Qian Ruiming motioned for Hu Jinan to sit down as well, and said at the same time: "Decorating the door with your own paintings, Mr. Hu is really a breath of fresh air!"
Although this was his own home, Hu Jinan still seemed extremely humble and sat in the guest's seat.
He knew that Qian Ruiming's visit must have a deep meaning, so he followed the topic and said: "Even so, there are villains who are causing trouble and pouring dirty water on the humble official!"
"I've also heard about your incident. This is truly an unforeseen disaster. All my colleagues in Jinling are feeling unfair for you!"
"The world is declining, and the prince has removed his humble position from his post. I'm afraid this court appearance will be inevitable!"
Hu Jinan spoke very quickly and mentioned the subject of interrogation without any foreshadowing. He just wanted to get a feel for Qian Ruiming and see if he could avoid interrogation.
After seeing through his mind, Qian Ruiming said slowly: "This matter is not as simple as you think. Your case involves the entire Jinling officialdom!"
Next, Qian Ruiming explained the details of the matter in detail, allowing Hu Jinan to fully understand the situation.
"So, you must go to court for this case and confront the Crown Prince openly!"
"Behind you, there are many colleagues in the Jinling officialdom and Prince Rui. We may not lose this lawsuit!" Qian Ruiming said slowly.
After listening to all the analyses, Hu Jinan finally understood the situation. At this moment, he felt both relieved and uneasy.
Although there will be many people helping him, as a veteran of officialdom, he is well aware of the risks of this lawsuit.
As a spokesperson being pushed out, he is likely to become a victim regardless of his side's victory or defeat.
But faced with this, Hu Jinan had no choice but to let the general trend push him forward.
"Sir, have you ever been to Xue Mansion?"
Qian Ruiming said calmly: "The Xue family has no choice like you, but we have put pressure on him, so I believe the Xue family will not be too embarrassed!"
But it was hard to convince Hu Jinan, because as a chess piece, he could now better understand the Xue family's situation.
Next, the two men discussed the details of the trial.
…………
The sacred capital of Luoyang, the inner city surrounding the imperial city, is where the powerful and powerful live.
The residences of royal nobles and high-ranking officials occupy all parts of the inner city, including the Rongguo Mansion, one of the Four Kings and Eight Princes.
Under the setting sun, the Rongguo Mansion was quiet and peaceful. The servants and maids were busy walking around, serving the food and daily life of the masters of the palace.
In the second room to the east of Rongxi Hall, there was a middle-aged man in a brocade robe, frowning at the letter.
This person is none other than the person in charge of the palace, Jia Zheng, who is currently a member of the Ministry of Industry. Sitting next to him is Mrs. Wang.
"This beast has really eaten the heart of a bear and the courage of a leopard..."
"Who is he? He has provoked the Thirteenth Master. Isn't this bastard looking for death?"
After hearing her husband yelling and yelling in anger, Mrs. Wang did not dare to answer the question for a moment and could only wait silently for her husband to calm down.
Even she didn't dare to speak. Sanchun and Jia Huan, who were sitting in the room, were even more silent at this moment.
"You all get out!"
After hearing this, the four people in Yingchun stood up and saluted, as if they were receiving a general amnesty, and left in a hurry.
After her husband's anger subsided, Mrs. Wang finally said, "Pan'er, this kid is really acting up. Master, you have to find a way. After all, my sister is the only son!"
"Nonsense? Do you still think this is nonsense?" Jia Zheng's suppressed anger was now burning again.
"He is seeking death. It's not enough to harm the Xue family, and now he wants to harm us too!"
"The Thirteenth Master didn't pursue the case, why should I hold on to this matter?" Mrs. Wang said with dissatisfaction in her tone.
"Master Thirteen chopped him with a knife, and our family was clean!" Seeing that his wife was really stupid, Jia Zheng didn't want to say anything more to her, so he got up and walked outside.
This matter involved so much that even Jia Zheng couldn't make up his mind, so he wanted to go to Wang's house.
After her husband left, Mrs. Wang became angrier and angrier, and finally said angrily: "Huh, you just don't like me, why bother using Pan'er to make trouble!"
Besides, after Sanchun and others left Rongxi Hall, Jia Huan went back to Aunt Zhao's residence, while Sanchun rushed to Jia Mu's courtyard.
It was already dinner time. Seeing that the three granddaughters had not come yet, Jia Mu had sent people to urge them several times.
After learning that she was listening to Jia Zheng's office, Jia's mother gave up and ordered the maids to postpone the meal and talk to Baoyu and Daiyu.
"The girl is here!"
The ladies and gentlemen outside were shouting, and soon they saw three spring couplets coming hand in hand, standing in front of Jia Mu to salute and say hello.
After paying their respects, everyone took their seats one by one, with Jia Mu at the top, followed by Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu on the left and right.
Both of them are only eleven or twelve years old, their bodies have not yet developed, and they look like children. They don't take up much space sitting beside Jia Mu.
"Why did I keep you so long today?"
Jia Baoyu couldn't help but ask questions, and the petite Lin Daiyu on the side also looked curious, hoping to hear something new.
Just listen to Tanchun reply: "The aunt of the Xue family in Jinling sent a letter, saying that the eldest brother of the Xue family was fighting for slaves in the street, and was beaten up by Master Thirteen!"
"Thirteenth Master?" Jia Baoyu looked confused.
If he were a child of other Xungui family, he would know who he was as soon as he heard these three words, but the Jia family did not have such tutoring.
On the other hand, Jia Mu, who was sitting at the top, frowned, waiting for Tanchun to continue.
"He is the thirteenth son of the current Holy Emperor!"
