Yihong Building.
In the elegant little building by the Yudai River.
Shen Qiaodie, who has lived here for a few months, was shocked after hearing what Liang Manman said!
"Sister, you said...he has left Kyoto?"
"Well, Xiaowan said this news. I can't be wrong after thinking about it."
Shen Qiaodie's eyes widened. When she entered Kyoto, she was brought here by Wen Xiaowan, and met His Highness the Third Prince here.
His Highness the Third Prince said that if the eldest brother could change his mind, would you still be willing to rebuild the old relationship with him?
At that time, I was extremely happy and replied to the third prince: If His Highness can fulfill his wish, this little girl will never forget His grace!
The past two months have passed in a blink of an eye, and we have waited for the news of his return from the Shuangjiao Mountains to suppress the bandits, as well as the changes in Kyoto.
But he didn't ascend the throne as emperor... This made her a little disappointed.
Then I heard that he had become the regent of Ning State!
Ningguo has no emperor!
Then he, the regent, is actually the emperor!
This made her happy again.
So, she looked forward to this joy. She sat in front of the window every day and looked at the gurgling jade belt river outside the building, thinking that one day he would come here.
Thinking that he could get back together with himself.
Even if you can't become his queen, it would be great to be his princess.
However, the trees along the Yudai River have lost their leaves and become bare.
Snow came again, turning the trees white and freezing the Yudai River, but he never came.
Thought he was busy.
I heard he is really busy.
There is still some expectation in my heart, I am afraid he should come when he is done.
But now...he has left Kyoto!
He must have gone to find Zhongli Ruoshui!
Shen Qiaodie closed her eyes, raised her head slightly, and took a deep breath. Only then did she realize that she was wishful thinking. Only then did she realize that since the moment she bought the marriage certificate from Li Chenan for one hundred taels of silver... In fact, there is no relationship between the two.
Perhaps that incident broke his heart.
Maybe Zhongli Ruoshui is too dazzling!
She thought of her father who was still lying in bed in Guangling City, waiting for news, and of the Shen Mansion, which was once very prosperous in Guangling City, but now in decline.
She suddenly laughed at herself, realizing the innocence in her heart and the absurdity of her fantasy——
He never thought about getting back together with him!
He lied to himself!
Treat yourself like a clown!
I am afraid that in his heart, I am like a humble speck of dust...even worse than a speck of dust!
I'm afraid he has forgotten the girl named Shen Qiaodie!
You are heartless.
I am meaningless!
Shen Qiaodie opened her eyes, looked at the white snow under the sun outside the window, and said:
"Thanks to my sister for taking care of me these days. Now that he's gone, it's time for me to go too."
Liang Manman looked at her and asked after five breaths: "Where are you going?"
"The world is so big, there is always a place for me, Shen Qiaodie."
"In that case, you go ahead... This is the money the third prince has given you. The other third prince asked me to tell you something."
"What words?"
"The past is like a cloud of smoke, forget everything that should be forgotten!"
Shen Qiaodie stood up, packed her bags, and after a long time she replied to Liang Manman with one word: "Okay!"
She left Yihong Mansion and Kyoto with her maid Yan'er.
Standing outside the south gate of Yujing City, she looked back at the tall city wall. The loneliness on her face had completely disappeared, and her expression became determined.
"Walk!"
"Miss, shall we go back to Guangling City?"
"Go back and take a look."
"What about the Huo Mansion...?"
"I won't go, Huo family. When I was in Guangling City, I thought the Huo family was already very great. But after I came to Kyoto, I realized that the Huo family is actually nothing!"
"You actually want me to be Huo Shufan's concubine!"
Shen Qiaodie looked at the huge city gate of Kyoto, raised her eyebrows, and said:
"A businessman is a businessman after all, that is to say, he has more money and can live in a better place with better food and clothing."
"But they are like ants in the face of power."
"So this trip to Kyoto is not in vain. At least I know the importance of power!"
"Let's go!"
"…where else are you going?"
Perhaps it was the glare of the sun reflecting on the snow that caused Shen Qiaodie to narrow her eyes:
"Go to the country of Yue and join a distant relative of my Shen family!"
"He is also a businessman, an imperial businessman from the Yue Kingdom... Let's go to the Four Winds City, maybe we can open another door!"
The master and servant stood up and walked without looking back at the bustling Kyoto.
…
…
Sunlight in winter is extremely rare.
The sunny Jade City has become lively again these days.
More than a month has passed since the Kyoto Incident, and it has been buried in the dust by the people's money, salt, firewood and rice.
Today's excitement is due to the approaching New Year, but more importantly, it is due to a series of good news coming from the court.
Although the eldest son of the emperor who came from Guangling City did not ascend the throne as emperor, he brought a new atmosphere to the Ningguo court as regent.
Those reform measures were not hidden, so they had already been circulated in Kyoto.
It's just that those measures are a bit unbelievable. Although they are talked about by the people of Kyoto, they don't know what they really mean.
They only know one thing——
The regent actually wanted to put the imperial power under the law!
This...this is simply amazing!
How could he do such a thing?
What is an emperor?
It's the emperor!
He is the son sent by God to rule the world!
The person sitting on that dragon throne should have the supreme right!
But now, the regent has come up with some kind of "Constitution", saying that the emperor's words and deeds must also follow this constitution...
How dare this emperor's eldest son treat God's son like this...
"Isn't this a mess?"
"What the emperor said has to be discussed through the cabinet. Doesn't this mean that if the cabinet discussion fails, the emperor's words will not count?"
"certainly!"
In a tea garden under the sun, many tea drinkers gathered together and talked about the great court meeting in the palace yesterday.
Mr. Qian sat at the table, stroked his long beard, and said again with a glowing face:
"Don't you think this outrageous move is unbelievable?"
"I tell you, this is the great wisdom of the regent!"
"The Regent said that absolute power will inevitably lead to absolute corruption! Think about Ji Tai, he is an example of power that has lost its restraint and turned into a huge corruption!"
"The Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial City Department jointly ransacked his home. You would never imagine how much money that old guy had embezzled!"
Everyone stuck their heads out and asked curiously: "How much?"
"Is it tens of thousands taels?"
"Tsk, you don't think the prime minister is a high-ranking official! In his position, he has at least spent a hundred thousand taels!"
"So much? How many lifetimes will it take for us little people to earn one hundred thousand taels of silver?"
Qian Guodong smiled slightly: "Look at your little knowledge, I tell you, Ji Tai has been greedy for 100 million taels of silver during his more than ten years in power!"
As soon as these words came out, the whole audience was shocked, and only a sound of "Hiss...!" rang out in the tea garden.
"This is the corruption caused by unfettered power!"
"So the regent's move not only set a precedent in history, but also put a cage on all officials in the court...including the emperor!"
"If a minister is corrupt, he will be judged by the laws of the Ministry of Punishment or Dali Temple!"
"...Then what if the emperor made a mistake?"
"If the emperor makes a mistake, the regent said, he is as guilty as the common people!"
The crowd was silent again. After a moment, someone asked cautiously: "Mr. Qian, you...how do you know?"
Qian Guodong picked up the cup of tea and blew it, "Because Nian Chengfeng, the Secretary of the Zhongshu Province who was entrusted with the important task by the regent, was once my classmate and colleague!"
At this moment, another voice came: "But there is a rumor in Kyoto recently, saying... that Xi Wei and that person, Xiao Mantou, the former master of Wanxi Zhai, have an illegitimate daughter."
"It is said that Xi Wei's illegitimate daughter is in Kyoto, right next to the regent... Everything Xi Wei has done includes framing the Chehou Mansion twenty years ago, and also including the murder of Empress Lu, which caused the whereabouts of the eldest son of the emperor to be unknown, etc. Waiting, all for the purpose of helping the regent ascend to power today..."
"The Regent will become Xi Wei's son-in-law, and they will share the country... The Regent, he is not the eldest son of the emperor!"
"They, they teamed up to steal the country!"
When Mr. Qian heard this, he frowned and his heart sank, "Where did this rumor come from?"
"I don't know this, but there is indeed such a saying. There are still many people saying it. I'm afraid it will be known all over the city in a few days."
Suddenly the wind started blowing.
Qian Guodong suddenly felt a chill.
He stood up with a serious look on his face: "You can't spread rumors!"
"I will go into the palace to meet Mr. Nian now!"
