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The return ceremony finally began.
Unfortunately, God is not kind to us.
On this day, the weather suddenly changed. Since the morning, the sky in Yangzhou has been gloomy, and the sun has never been seen again. The sky is full of gloomy clouds, the cold wind is constant, and the drizzle of rain keeps falling, which makes people feel... It was wet and cold, so uncomfortable.
Looking at the gloomy weather, the faces of Zhao Deshun, the head of the Zhao family, and the elders also became gloomy.
Everyone in the Zhao family has been busy for more than three days for this ceremony, but now, because of the rain, many preparations have been wasted, such as the fireworks and firecrackers purchased with a lot of money, the massive gongs and drums troupe, and the decoration of flowers. The curtained altar, etc., were originally well prepared, but at this time they were completely useless. Even if they were barely used, they looked miserable and in disarray under the wind and rain.
The carefully prepared grand ceremony encountered such an accident, and the effect of the grand ceremony was greatly reduced. Naturally, everyone in the Zhao family in Yangzhou would not be happy.
The most important thing is that in this grand return ceremony, there are many guests who are of extremely high status and grandeur. Apart from the local wealthy squires, celebrities and businessmen invited by the Zhao family, under the invitation of Zhao Junchen , many important officials of the imperial court were also very respectful, such as Zuo Lanshan, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, Su Changzhen, Governor of Southern Zhili, etc., all came to the Zhao family mansion in person to attend the ceremony of Zhao Junchen's return to the clan; in addition, such as the Chief Assistant Although Zhou Shangjing, Ge Lao Shen Changmao and others did not come in person, they also sent their close relatives to congratulate and send valuable gifts.
When the ceremony was about to be held, Zhang De, the eunuch of Emperor Deqing, unexpectedly arrived at the Zhao family's ancestral home. He claimed that he came on the order of Emperor Deqing and gave a piece of high-quality jade to the Zhao family in Yangzhou as a gift for Zhao Junchen to recognize his ancestor and return to his clan.
Although Zhang De only stayed for a moment and left, he was the representative of Emperor Deqing after all, and his meaning was unique. This also means that the reputation of the Zhao family in Yangzhou has spread to the ears of Emperor Deqing. For everyone in the Zhao family, such glory is almost unbelievable. Some of the good-looking elders of the Zhao family even felt that at that moment My head was a little dizzy, and I just felt like I was in a dream.
They already knew it. Once the Zhao family gets close to Zhao Junchen's lap, they will get countless benefits, but limited by their vision and knowledge, they don't know how big these benefits are until now. I saw one after another important court officials and feudal officials coming to the Zhao family to participate in the celebration. I saw that the cabinet ministers and even Emperor Deqing had sent envoys to congratulate them. As for those officials below the fifth rank, They all came uninvited and were very polite after meeting the Zhao family members. Although this courtesy was only because of Zhao Junchen, everyone in the Zhao family still felt unprecedented honor and elation.
You know, the Zhao family in Yangzhou used to be just a wealthy family. Previously, let alone important court officials and feudal officials, even a seventh-grade county magistrate could show off to the Zhao family casually. Where is it like now? A "merely" seventh-grade county magistrate is not even qualified to formally participate in the grand ceremony of returning to the clan. He can only send a gift and leave!
However, the most exciting part of glory is the pride in being under the spotlight, and the envious compliments and flattery from others.
It's a pity because of this rain. All the guests attending the ceremony are now hiding in makeshift rain shelters, unable to show up. Especially those high-ranking court ministers, they naturally would not stay with the local landlords and wealthy people in Yangzhou. But they gathered alone in a rain shelter, separated from other guests on both sides. In this way, the local guests in Yangzhou could not see the high officials of the imperial court and the feudal officials, and they could not intuitively feel the Zhao family's presence. With how much prestige and prestige he has, everyone in the Zhao family can't help but feel regretful about walking in brocade clothes at night.
For everyone in the Zhao family, this regret is huge. After all, if all walks of life in Yangzhou see the guest lineup of the Zhao family in Yangzhou, then the Zhao family's prestige will greatly increase, and they can completely go sideways in Yangzhou in the future. Unfortunately, the effect was greatly reduced due to a rainy day. In this case, it is not difficult to understand the gloomy expressions of the Zhao family.
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Zhao Junchen didn't understand the little thoughts of the Zhao family, and he didn't care. At this time, he was in the living room of Zhao's house, talking to Zuo Lanshan, Su Changzhen and others.
At first, because of the grand return ceremony, Zuo Lanshan, Su Changzhen and others deliberately congratulated Zhao Junchen on his return to the Zhao family. However, when they saw Zhao Junchen's disinterested expression, they quickly understood. Knowing Zhao Junchen's true attitude towards this matter, he changed the subject, no longer mentioning the Zhao family, and shifted the topic to the situation in Southern Zhili in recent days.
"In recent days, the situation in Southern Zhili has been uneven. There are quite a lot of undercurrents, especially in Suzhou... I heard that the Suzhou colleague suddenly disappeared a few days ago, causing a lot of confusion, and then two days later, The genius spread the news that this Suzhou colleague was not missing, but was secretly arrested by the Jinyiwei people, but no one knew where he was detained and why he was detained."
While Zuo Lanshan was commenting, his expression seemed casual, but his eyes were fixed on Su Changzhen, obviously wanting to get some news from Su Changzhen.
Su Changzhen is the governor of Southern Zhili, and Suzhou is the seat of the governor's office. Logically speaking, he should be the most concerned about these matters. However, at this time, Su Changzhen acted as if it had nothing to do with him and explained casually. Said: "As far as I know, the officials arrested by the Jinyiwei are not just Suzhou Tongzhi alone. In Suzhou alone, there are seven or eight civil and military officials who were secretly controlled by the Jinyiwei, including close associates of Suzhou Prefect Zhou Suhai. Master... It seems that a violent shock in the officialdom of Suzhou and even South Zhili is inevitable."
Zhao Junchen knew that this was Emperor Deqing's move against Zhou Shangjing. Although he had not arrived in Suzhou yet, Emperor Deqing had already sent Jin Yiwei to control many Suzhou officials. Apparently, he wanted to collect evidence in advance to prepare for his next plan. Prepare.
So, after hearing the discussion between Su and Zuo, Zhao Junchen also became interested and asked: "Oh? I have heard about this situation, but I don't know the details? So many Suzhou officials were imprisoned by Jin Yiwei They were arrested secretly, but Suzhou Magistrate Zhou Suhai didn’t respond at all?”
Hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, Su Changzhen looked quite strange. Just as he was about to say something, Zhao Deshun, the head of the Zhao family, suddenly came to the room. After taking a look at Su Changzhen and Zuo Lanshan, he hesitated and asked Zhao Junchen. Said: "Sir, although the weather is not very good, the auspicious time has arrived. Should we hold the ceremony?"
Zhao Junchen waved his hand and said: "Don't worry, I'm still waiting for someone. When that person comes, let's start the ceremony again."
"But the time has come. If we delay the auspicious moment..."
Zhao Deshun planned to persuade him again, but after all, he had no opinion. When he saw Zhao Junchen frowning slightly, he shut up in the middle of his words and left the room on his own initiative.
Zhao Junchen continued to keep his eyes on Su Changzhen, hoping to get more detailed information from Su Changzhen.
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ps: During this period, many things suddenly happened, so the idea of coding was interrupted. I finally reorganized it and updated it for a long time. I am very sorry!
Also, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! (To be continued)
