"What do you think?"
There was an ominous atmosphere in Zhongshu Province. All the important officials sat 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 wider than the others and a stronger body. Although there is a lot of flesh on his face, his eyes are wide open in the middle, and he can see the sharpness inside. He held Huang Ling's edict in his hand and scanned the crowd with disdain, waiting for their answers.
"Your Majesty's approval, the ministers dare not disobey. Just go ahead with the general's orders." A political participant said on behalf of everyone.
"Okay. You take care of the rest." Liu Zhennian stood up and handed the edict to the prime minister, then strode out of the palace gate. The prime minister looked at the long shadow gradually opening outside the palace door, his hands shook constantly, and a breath of cold air came out of his mouth.
"Master Ye, there is nothing we can do about 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? Then he will report to Emperor Chen and This matter is 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 calm. "Although I was impeached and dismissed from office, gentlemen, don't forget that he is not the only one who holds the military power! I only need to write a letter to Wan Huizhi in Nanjing. With the friendship between my two fathers, he will definitely help me and I will be able to protect the country. The Ye family will never fall."
"Wan Heshun is a very deceitful person. When Liu Zhennian was in charge of the capital, he sent a letter asking him to join the court as a 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 Nanjing has an elite army, and Hui Zhi is a king with a different surname. Even if he comes to Beijing, how can Liu Zhennian survive?" Ye Long said, then shook his head, "All my colleagues, 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. The atmosphere becomes peaceful. He then walked to the window and looked sadly towards the south.
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, a smile appeared on his lips, and he looked up at the prosperity in the distance that was soaked in the warm sunlight, which was particularly bright.
"Mr. Cheng! The new meeting hall is completed! You are going to be promoted to a higher position again!"
"Where there."
"Mr. Cheng, how hard will it be for you to take care of two places and do things at both ends from now on?"
"There is no need to work hard when you are doing things for your master."
He listened to everyone's flattery and walked slowly to the front of the meeting hall. Only after everyone had dispersed did he stop to watch. There was nothing novel about that house, except that the materials were much better than before. The beams and columns were all made of mahogany, with fine lines on them. Cheng Congyuan stretched out his hand and patted it. 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 and could not leave for a long time. The servant who knew how to fawn over said flatteringly: "Mr. Cheng, don't bother to look. When you take charge of this land, you can watch it as you want. Just go back and rest today."
"That's right." Cheng Congyuan was in a very good mood and couldn't help but smile, with layers of wrinkles on his face. He also felt that his legs were sore from walking, so he walked out of the meeting hall, sat on a stone bench nearby, braced his legs, 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 didn't pay much attention and left in a hurry after a while. Cheng Congyuan went back and reported the situation of the new meeting hall to Ye Yongjia. Ye Yongjia didn't listen very carefully and just nodded a few times as if to deal with it. He also talked about what the name of this hall should be. Ye Yongjia didn't pay much attention to it, so he just used " The name "Red Sandalwood Hall" comes from 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. He drank some tea and realized for the first time that he was not sleepy, so he took a book and sat on the rattan chair to read. In less than half an hour, it was difficult for him to keep his eyes open, so he had to close the book lightly and fall asleep casually on the chair.
…
"Mr. Cheng! Mr. Cheng!"
Hearing these two calls, Cheng Congyuan 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 person, but it was Kou Zhong standing in front of the table with a proud look on his face, which made him very uncomfortable. "What are you doing here? Are you afraid that my rest will be ruined? 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, "I can give you a break."
Cheng Congyuan suddenly had many doubts, and he felt uneasy in his heart unconsciously. "What's 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 adjusted his sleeves. Cheng Congyuan looked at him uneasily. "Yes, that's true. The master wants me to be the steward of the Rosewood Hall, so let me ask for your opinion. It's just a good time to share the burden with Mr. Cheng."
There was a sudden buzzing in Cheng Congyuan's head. He looked to the left and right in a panic, and kept tapping the table with his hands. He didn't know how to react for a moment. He put his hand on the chair handle, took a long breath, and said for a long time: "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 tea cup, and Kou Zhong hurriedly helped him pick up the pot and poured the tea inside. Cheng Congyuan took a sip and then stood still.
"I will go see the master in person." He said in a weak voice.
"No one dares to lie about such a big thing, Mr. Cheng, don't worry." 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 gift, and immediately sat aside. After chatting for a while, Cheng Congyuan deliberately led the conversation to the new manager: "It is said that the Red Sandalwood Hall will be managed by Kou Zhong. I would like to ask the master... is this really true?"
"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 his own assumption." 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 from the usual hale and hearty old man. The atmosphere became a little tense at this moment, and no one dared to act rashly. Both of them were silent. Cheng Congyuan is still recalling the word "conjecture", when it was actually evidence.
Before the interests have become a consensus between the two of us. He suddenly remembered that there was that day that announced the break with everything in the past. Nowadays, no one can fault it, but it must be endured.
Cheng Congyuan slowly stood up and said goodbye to Ye Yongjia.
'But this has built the foundation for the prosperity of the Ye family, and this is enough. '
Cheng Congyuan left the meeting hall. He then understood that his trust had been quietly transferred to Kou Zhong, and he would lose all reliance and insight into all the interests and risks in the mansion. He slowly turned around and knelt down towards 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 Lord Ye Longye of the court to the prince."
"Who are you?" the official asked, blowing tea.
"Just a slave."
He hesitantly scanned the contents of the letter, read it about once, then put it 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: "Wan Wangwang saw what was written in the letter and asked you to lead troops to the capital."
Wan Heshun pouted: "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 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, there is something urgent!"
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 said through gritted teeth, still a bit sulky. 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."
"Your trial?"
"Then who else can be tried? I'm afraid Liu Dang 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 that shook the sky and pierced Cheng Congyuan's ears. He had already discovered what was going on. This day was inevitably coming, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "Looking for the master." He responded calmly.
"No matter what, I must save 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 suddenly looked at Cheng Congyuan, his eyes stern: "Is it difficult for Mr. Cheng to give in? Are we going to watch the master die with our eyes open?"
"Nonsense!" Cheng Congyuan was trembling with anger, "At this time, the Kou manager should not 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 still swallowed it hard and said decisively: "No more."
Ye Yongjia gritted his teeth.
"My servant has inconvenient legs and feet, so there's nothing to complain about... I'm going 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's the only way to go. He borrowed an oil lamp from the slave standing outside the door. The light swayed in the dead night sky, and the surroundings were shrouded in darkness. He followed the path of the light without hesitation, fumbled to open the door to his home, gently lit the standing lamp in the room, took a piece of paper from the bookcase, and sat on a chair. He calmed down, took out his pen, dipped it in a circle on the inkstone, and wrote slowly.
'Chen Bing Ke gave the matter to 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 hands trembling slightly. The shape is even more similar than the last time he copied it. People in the court should not be suspicious, he thought silently in his heart. After thinking about it, he blew on the handwriting gently and continued to write.
It was around midnight, and even he himself had forgotten to update his voice several times before he finished writing this so-called "memorial". All he needed to do was stamp it and be able to deceive both the government and the public. He put the memorial aside and was about to take a nap, but he didn't feel sleepy at all and his mood was still difficult to calm down. Cheng Congyuan tried to calm down, then turned to think about other things. He first recalled 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 put me to death. There is no doubt about it. Speaking of this person, he is quite loyal. He is no different from a dog. He can climb to this level. 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.
'The master is getting more and more mature, and the prosperity of Ye Mansion should no longer rely on a single servant. If he knew what I was going to do in the future, I'm afraid he would never forgive me lightly.
Speaking of the master, he is by no means a rotten scholar, but he just needs some inspiration in the court. If he is harmed because of this, I'm afraid...'
Cheng Congyuan no longer thought about it, but the fear had made cold sweat seep down his spine, and lingered in his heart for a long time. For a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief and let 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, holding a 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 chance given to you in vain. 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. , Master doesn’t want to make any noise and let people know about it, understand?”
"Understood!" said the slave, "I wonder 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 might even charge you with the death penalty."
"Never dare! Never dare!"
"Just go."
"Yes, yes." The servant looked horrified and did not dare to look at Congyuan. 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 that man's fear of him, but felt disappointed, and gave out a helpless and self-deprecating wry smile.
