A flash of lightning flashed across the sky. I saw Ye Yongjia's sad figure; he looked extremely depressed. The thunder added to the dull atmosphere, and it came unexpectedly, making everyone breathless.
The trembling body walked down the stairs step by step without saying a word.
Everyone gathered around. Ye Yongjia finally couldn't support himself and collapsed on the ground, motionless. Raindrops hit him, and after a while, he cried helplessly.
"What are you looking at!" Kou Zhong glared fiercely at the people around him. "Hurry up...arrange the old lady's funeral."
"Master, everyone will die eventually. Once Mrs. Kuang is gone, we will reunite with you in heaven. Don't be too sad." After Kou Zhong and Ye Yongjia returned to the meeting hall, he was still comforting the master. "Thank you, Manager Kou, for your comfort..." Ye Yongjia looked depressed and said listlessly.
"Have the old lady and the master's coffin returned to Jinan?"
"It's too late today, no matter what, we have to make arrangements for tomorrow."
"Oh, I forgot all about that."
"It's okay, I understand. I can leave all the big and small matters to you. Master, I can rest for a few days." Kou Zhong said in a gentle tone.
"Well."
He knelt down to say goodbye, turned around the screen, and gently pulled the door shut.
"The weather is good today." Lu Deguang rocked the lounge chair and looked at the sky pierced by the sun, which was clearly connected to the mountaintop on the far side. The sky and the earth seemed to be parallel; he couldn't help but sigh.
"Yes, there has been no sunny weather in the capital for a long time since the beginning of winter; after the beginning of spring, the weather has become better and better." Li Yong stood aside and added.
"It's a pity that such a good life was ruined by the Liu Party. Once Ye Long died, the Ye family was raided again..."
Li Yong suddenly laughed, and Lu Deguang immediately stopped talking, tilted his head and looked at him: "What?"
"His son got involved with him and cleared all the responsibilities. How could the Liu Party have any reason to raid the Ye family?"
"This is not simple. You can refer to Ye Yongjia's disobedience and unfilial piety." Lu Deguang was still puzzled.
"The Ye Mansion seems to have been well prepared," Li Yong explained. "They put the blame on the servant in charge, Cheng Congyuan, who died in a daze; they said he imitated his master's handwriting to frame Ye Long. , but Ye Yongjia didn’t know it. In this way, it was as if something happened to someone else’s family and he escaped unscathed. "
"That kid is really good at it." Lu Deguang praised with some hesitation.
"We can't just sit back and ignore it now, sir." Li Yong said, "Your help in the examination room can be regarded as a connection with Ye Mansion. Party Liu knows that you hate Liu Zhennian. If that matter is turned over, Come out, they can be said to have killed two birds with one stone.”
"What should we do?" Lu Deguang asked.
Li Yong frowned and was silent for a while, then replied: "There are two countermeasures." He looked at the several pine trees at the door of the house, "One is to protect Ye Yongjia and make it strong; the second is to remove Ye Yongjia to make it permanent. When you leave the court, you have no worries."
"Then destroy him." Lu Deguang replied resolutely, without any hesitation.
"I think," Lu Deguang cleared his throat and looked at the palace door: "Although Ye Yongjia said that his slaves forged memorials, how could he dare to do this as a slave? Even if there were servants who really wanted to kill Mr. Ye, wouldn't they be afraid? He was also killed? It is absolutely unreasonable! It must be that Ye Yongjia was involved in his father's affairs to get rid of his connections. If he is unfilial and unruly, it will be difficult to care for the world! If your Majesty believes that what I said is reasonable, please inspect the Ye Mansion!"
After saying that, he turned to look at Liu Zhennian who was kneeling beside him: "General Liu, what did I say?"
Liu Zhennian did not respond, but smiled with contempt. He raised his head and looked quietly at the palace door. Only when the two doors gradually opened did he kowtow and salute, echoing everyone and saying "Long live".
But that's not the emperor. It was a eunuch, pretending to be dignified and slowly walking down the steps. The hand held in his hand was not an imperial edict made of yellow satin, but a small bamboo slip. Who knows why the emperor likes such old objects.
The eunuch unfolded it slowly, and no one dared to speak.
"I think what Minister Lu said is true. Zhongshu will discuss it immediately. If he thinks it is feasible, he will draft the document and hand it over to the Secretary. Everything will be arranged by your Majesty, so there will be no mistakes."
After the eunuch finished reading, he rolled up the bamboo slips and hurried away. As soon as his feet crossed the threshold, the two doors were closed, leaving no room for conversation.
The knock on the door woke up all the servants of Ye Mansion. The unusually rapid sound was like beating a drum, which made the heart beat nervously. The usually capable servants became at a loss. Fortunately, Kou Zhong was the first one to get into the meeting hall. He put on his clothes with one hand and opened the drawer with the other hand. He rummaged through the things inside, but he couldn't find the key. He was a little panicked for a moment. He closed the drawer, suddenly thought of something, hurriedly dug into his pocket a few times, took out the key, and then walked straight out of the meeting hall.
After walking for a while, he bumped into Ye Yongjia head-on and had to explain: "Master, I'm afraid someone from the government is coming..."
"I know," Ye Yongjia looked very anxious, "Key!" he said vaguely. Without saying anything, Kou Zhong hurriedly handed the key to his master and hurried away with him.
"If you don't fucking open it, I'm going to break down the door!" the officer outside yelled in a rough voice.
"Yes, yes." Kou Zhong wiped his sweat and opened the door with trembling hands; Ye Yongjia stood behind him, pretending to be calm and calm, staring at the door intently.
Without a word of greeting, several officers rudely barged in, barked orders, and blocked several roads tightly, making all the slaves uneasy. Just as they were frightened and disturbed, a seemingly The majestic official walked slowly and slowly from the door. He only moved his eyes, and the officers around him stood still.
"Excuse me...ah...who are you?" Ye Yongjia's mind was still blank at this time. He didn't even think of a sentence, so he spoke hesitantly.
"Don't be afraid," he said with a smile, "It's not murder. However, I have ordered to inspect this house. You will not be able to live in this house, and your official position and your Jinshi will also be taken away. Please forgive me." The man followed. He saluted him and said, "I am Cui Longhuai, the Minister of Punishment."
"Why does the imperial court value my house so much..." Ye Yongjia replied with a smile.
Cui Longhuai still nodded and smiled. While he took the imperial edict made of yellow satin from his sleeves, his face suddenly darkened and he ordered Ye Yongjia to kneel down to listen to the edict.
The slaves, big and small, also knelt down. Kou Zhong looked up at the official. Although he couldn't understand the words on the document, he already knew the context of the matter clearly and was somewhat prepared. But when he looked at the master of the Ye family, he didn't know if he was afraid. Due to the majesty of the imperial edict, he still didn't want to lose the power and wealth his ancestors had given him. In short, he seemed extremely unwilling to accept this fact.
But this was not entirely bad for him: what he was looking forward to in his heart was that in the days after leaving Ye Mansion, he might be able to live and work in peace and contentment with his wife and family, do some small business, and be free from all the constraints that he could care about.
But his idea was finally rejected by himself. After Kou Zhong was banned from his residence, he temporarily lived in the Ye Family Ancestral Hall in Jinan. Since Ye Yongjia himself was nowhere to be seen, no one cared about entering or exiting here. Kou Zhongben dreamed of setting off in a few days, but his wife suddenly disappeared overnight. He was extremely worried at first, fearing that something had happened; but when he couldn't find the big bag of silver, he finally calmed down and understood. The reason for the matter. Just a few wry smiles.
Kou Zhong turned around and sat back on the bed, seemingly thinking, but looking like he was in a daze. He didn't know where he was going at this moment, and the world that was freed from bondage became increasingly blurry in his eyes. The servitude he suffered made it difficult for him to walk in thorns, but he had to admit that he could find a better home in an environment where others were giving orders. Suddenly, he was searching for something. He was searching for the shackles that he had been freed from long ago, and he was searching for the freedom that had imprisoned him.
So, as if he had a direction, or was helpless, he walked resolutely towards the south, tracing the traces of his former master.
"Master, this is a letter from the prefect of Jinan." Kou Zhong opened the door, knelt on the ground, and placed the trust in his hand. Ye Yongjia quickly took it over, tore open the cover, glanced at it once, then crumpled it into a ball and threw it to Kou Zhong. "The annulment letter," Ye Yongjia said, "I can't stay in Jinan any longer."
At some unknown time, Ye Yongjia went to the stable alone, untied the horse, stepped on it, tied the whip around his waist, and walked out through the side door. He held the riding crop in his hand and whipped the horse from time to time, trying to speed up the pace; in the end, he never glanced at the mansion.
After leaving Jinan, Ye Yongjia realized that he had no clue. Where to go? He looked up at the silent sky, which seemed to be gradually pressing down on his head. He thought for a while, but finally gave up and walked aimlessly.
For the sake of speed, Ye Yongjia turned from the main road to the small road. The road was very complicated, so he had to jump off the horse and drag the horse to walk. After passing through a narrow mountain road, the road under our feet became smoother, and we slowly saw a plain flashing out in the distance. He originally thought about getting on the horse and riding away, but as soon as one of his legs was put on, he suddenly looked ahead in surprise and stood there blankly - a group of poor people suddenly gathered there, all wearing khaki old clothes. ; There are many unable to walk, with disheveled faces, lying on the side of the road, and they are likely to be buried here in an instant. It was crowded there, like a long winding snake!
He couldn't believe it at first, but after climbing to a nearby slope to see it for real, he was really surprised. These are refugees. Thousands of refugees. Ye Yongjia was convinced. He once had the honor to read the household registration book at the Ministry of Household Affairs, which estimated that there were only fifty thousand refugees in the world, but now he saw thousands of them in one place in Shandong. This confused him, the facts were so confused that they were difficult to discern; he was puzzled, but at the same time he didn't find it very surprising.
The country must change. Said a thought in his mind. This "prosperous government" like in a dream can only paralyze yourself in the end. Now is a troubled time, a completely troubled time. Although there are no bloody fights, it still exposes abnormal thoughts and corrodes everyone's hearts.
Wei Huai, this name suddenly flashed in my mind and almost blurted out. He thought of this person and decided in his heart that this was the person who could clean up the situation.
So, as if suddenly enlightened, he had decided to go to Nanjing.
The sky was getting darker and darker, and Ye Yongjia made a half-circle on the road before arriving in the county with densely populated villages. Due to time constraints, he had no choice but to find an open hotel at random, without asking the price. The other party honestly paid as soon as he asked, took the key, and went in to a good place.
He lit the oil lamp and made the bed. He wanted to get a book and read it for a while, but he only had money with him, so he had to turn over and fall asleep.
"Is there still a place to stay?" someone asked outside the room. Although the voice could not be heard clearly, it was very familiar to him; this made him even more energetic. He quickly stood up and lay on the door panel to listen attentively.
"Guest, you are too late...I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I'll go look elsewhere."
Ye Yongjia's hands and feet trembled with excitement; he heard that right! he cried in his mind. Ye Yongjia then opened the door with one hand, stood outside the room, and towards the hotel door, the guest who was about to leave, shouted: "Kou Zhong!" His eyes seemed to be shining.
The man was shocked, turned his head, looked at the ground, knelt down, and shouted in a low voice: "Master!"
Ye Yongjia rushed over, grabbed Kou Zhong, hugged him as if he were a relative, and held on to his collar.
"I left Jinan alone, and I didn't know anyone I met along the way...Kou Guanshi..." There was a hint of sob in that voice.
"Master, I understand it's not easy for you..." Kou Zhong patted his shoulder and said.
Ye Yongjia sighed and wiped away his tears, "Don't mention it anymore," he smiled and said to Kou Zhong, "Let's go in and talk!"
He eagerly grabbed Kou Zhong, walked straight into the house, turned around and closed the door, "How did you find him here?" he stepped forward and asked.
"I expected that my master would go south, so I walked around Tai'an a few times. I didn't expect to find my master, but God helps me!" After that, both of them laughed heartily.
"Why don't I see you with your wife? What happened?" Ye Yongjia looked at his face.
"Ah..." Kou Zhong hesitated for a moment, and then said hurriedly, "I don't think it's a big deal, it's just a matter of flying away when the disaster strikes." Then he asked: "Where are you going, master?"
"Let's go to Nanjing."
"Why?"
Ye Yongjia was looking out the window at the night scene, "That's where I can look forward to the long-lost dawn."
Before dawn, both of them woke up consciously, ate some breakfast casually, then pulled over their horses, each got on them, waved their whips, left this place, and went on their way as usual.
Fortunately, there was no major incident along the way, and we gradually approached Nanjing without stopping.
"Who is it?" In the dark night, the speaker could not be seen. He only looked up and saw the black shadow on the city, where a cold and stern cry came from.
"Ordinary people," Kou Zhong stopped immediately, "come from Shandong and stay here for a few days."
"You don't know the curfew at this moment?" he shouted, "go back with the person behind you and come back at dawn!"
Kou Zhong had no choice but to turn his horse around and step forward to talk to Ye Yongjia: "Master, you are here at the wrong time. I'm afraid the curfew has just happened."
Ye Yongjia sighed heavily, straightened up and looked around, and asked Kou Zhong: "Where is the village outside the city?"
"Over there," Kou Zhong reined in his horse and pointed eastward: "After passing this wild road, there are several houses ahead. I saw them when I came here."
"That's a very thoughtful idea!" Ye Yongjia patted him on the back and said.
"After all, it's getting late, so I have to think more." Kou Zhong didn't dare to boast and bowed his head to answer.
Ye Yongjia didn't speak, just nodded, and the two of them rode away; in the silent night, only the crackling of the riding whip could be heard, and the long sound gradually faded away to the east.
