[R18] Will drink wine – “About Wine” Chapter 154 [English]

Chapter 149 Hua San

It was dark in Qudu, and lanterns were lit on both sides of the street.Hua Xiangyi’s carriage returned to the city and went straight to Pan’s mansion.Hua Xiangyi told her surroundings that she and Princess Zhaoyue were talking to each other at night, and sent someone to deliver a message to the palace, saying that she would go back later.

Princess Zhaoyue’s marriage was a bumpy one. Marquis Helian originally wanted Yao Wenyu, but later the Queen Mother made the decision, and then she wanted Xiao Chiye, but neither of them succeeded.Marquis Helian couldn’t help it, he felt that Princess Zhaoyue was not young and she was still the legitimate daughter of the Fei family, so it was not appropriate to delay the marriage any longer. When Han Cheng came to visit, he made an engagement with the Han family’s son.But the marriage failed because the young Marquis Fei Shi was a bastard, and he knew that Han Jiazi was also a bastard, and he was not as good as Han Jin.He looked down upon her and felt that the Han family was not good enough for his sister, so he led others to make a fuss and broke up the marriage.

Marquis Helian couldn’t control his son, so he had no choice but to pick and choose, and finally chose Pan Yi, the second son of Pan’s second wife, who was Pan Lin’s younger brother.The two families knew each other well and belonged to the same eight families. Fei Shi observed his brother-in-law carefully for a while before Princess Zhaoyue married him.

Pan Yi was an elegant man. He was originally a doctor in the Water Department of the Ministry of Industry. Later, Pan Xiangjie survived the Guangou case safely, and Pan Lin replaced Wei Huaigu’s position in the Ministry of Household Affairs. Following his promotion, he was transferred back to Dancheng, Pan’s hometown, and served as a guard in Dancheng.This man loved reading and respected Yao Wenyu’s talent and learning, so he accompanied his wife to visit him.

Pan Yi was waiting at home, and when Pan Lin was going to court, the two brothers were talking in the front hall and heard someone calling from behind.

Pan Lin is now in charge of the household department. Because there are many things in the capital after the spring, and the seal of the imperial court has not yet been issued, he still holds the position of minister.After hearing the servant’s report, he was stunned and asked, “Miss Third, want to see me?”

Hua Xiangyi has not yet left the palace, and she is deeply loved by the Queen Mother. The guards who accompany her when coming and going should not be underestimated. It is difficult for outsiders to see her face. Even if Pan Xiangjie wants to see her, he must obey the summons.Pan Lin didn’t know what was going on and didn’t dare to delay. He and Pan Yi got up in a hurry and hurried over.

As soon as Pan Yi entered the courtyard, he saw his wife standing under the eaves crying, and there was a doctor in the house.Pan Lin was shocked, thinking that Hua Xiangyi was injured, so he hurried forward and asked, “Brother and sister, what’s wrong?”

Princess Zhaoyue’s eyes were red from crying. She was holding the handkerchief and her words were choked before she could speak.She hid her face, and Pan Yi hurriedly came to protect her, pulling someone to ask: “Madam, what’s going on?!”

Hua Xiangyi said in the room: “The minister and the guard are both brothers, so there is no need to abide by the rules and come in to talk.”

Pan Lin felt relieved when he heard Hua Xiangyi’s soft voice, which didn’t sound like she was hurt.He and Pan Yi looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then opened the curtain and went inside.A screen was set up in the room, with Hua Xiangyi sitting on top. He and the two knelt down and said in unison: “Wei Chen pays his respects to the third lady.”

Hua Xiangyi said: “Brother, please get up.”

Pan Lin looked through the bead curtain beside him and saw a doctor inside, so he said, “Who is injured?”

Hua Xiangyi was silent for a moment and said, “To be honest, the person lying inside is none other than Yuan Fu’s beloved disciple Yao Wenyu.”

Pan Yi immediately said happily: “It’s Yuanzhuo!” As soon as he finished speaking, his expression suddenly changed and he asked nervously, “Ah! Could it be that he was injured on Mount Bodhi? I have heard that the horse track on Mount Bodhi has been in disrepair for many years, and accidents are easy to happen on rainy days.”

Princess Zhaoyue stood aside and wiped her tears and said, “My cousin was injured because of the horse road. He was robbed by others!” When she said this, she suppressed her sorrow, “Those legs… what will I do in the future?”

Pan Lin thought a lot in that moment.Now is the critical moment for he to be promoted. He should be promoted to the seal of the Minister of Household Affairs. After a few years, when all inspections and evaluations catch up and the impeachment in the Guangou case is offset, he will have a bright future.Yao Wenyu has a special status, and at this moment, there is an undercurrent surging in the court. Pan Lin originally did not want to participate in it to avoid being classified into a faction, but he respects Hai Liangyi.

Pan Lin only paused for a moment and then said: “Bodhi Mountain is on the outskirts of the city, and there are patrol teams inside and outside Qudu. What happened to Yuan Zhuo is not a trivial matter. Please explain the details to me first, Miss Three.”

He did not evade or decline, and Hua Xiangyi knew that she had not found the wrong person.Pan Lin had a bad temper. The only friend he could hang out with was Fei Shi, and the person he couldn’t deal with the most was Xue Xiuyi.After the Guangou case, Xiao Chiye held a banquet, and Pan Lin was invited to go. During the banquet, he was humiliated by Xue Xiuyi in every possible way. He made a vow that “I will never sit at the same table with Xue even if I starve to death in the future.” From then on, he never interacted with Xue again.Nowadays, Xue Xiuzhuo is very popular in Qudu because of his support for the prince, and Pan Lin did not come to visit him.Xiao Chiye helped Pan out of trouble and prevented Pan Xiangjie from being killed by Wei Huaigu in the Guan Gou case. The map of Guan Gou in Qudu reported by Pan Lin became the key for Qiao Tianya and others to escape the siege in Qudu.

Later, Xiao Chiye was besieged and killed by Han Cheng and was charged with murdering Emperor Tianchen. Pan Lin was not in a hurry to draw a clear line.He’s father, Pan Xiangjie, is a wallflower, but Pan Lin can afford to be decent.

Hua Xiangyi recounted her meeting with Yao Wenyu in a low voice, and finally said, “Sir, are you willing to listen to a few words from me?”

Pan Lin said: “I respectfully listen to you.”

Hua Xiangyi glanced sideways, looked at the beaded curtain, and said after a moment: “The storm in Qudu is hard to stop, and Yuan Zhuo’s death today is no accident. The minister knows more about the affairs of the court than me, and Yuan Fu’s death and remonstration should be a regret for the ages. Yuan Zhuo is not only Yuan Fu’s beloved disciple, but also Yao’s beloved son. heAt this moment, the reputation of Taixue has been ruined, but his talents and learning are still there, and his character and character are still there.After going through this difficulty, his determination has become stronger, and he may not be able to return to the mountains and fields in the future and lead the world’s literati to restore the glory of Taixue.”

Pan Lin was silent.

After Hua Xiangyi was silent for a long time, she continued: “Yuanzhuo must leave the capital as soon as possible after tonight. I am about to marry Qidong far away, and it is inconvenient to get in and out. Although I have a large inner rank, I cannot send him out of the capital in a big way.”

After Hua Xiangyi said this, she stood up and slowly knelt down and saluted Pan Lin across the screen.

Pan Lin immediately changed his color, took a step forward and said, “How can this happen! Third lady, please get up quickly!”

Hua Xiangyi kowtowed and said: “Yuanzhuo has been favored by virtuous teachers one after another in his life. I have read all his articles. Now that the prince is in power, the Imperial Academy is empty, the three-legged power headed by his aunt cannot last long, and Kong Qiu himself cannot be protected. Although I am a daughter, I understand that it is hard to find a national scholar.” She paused for a moment, and said solemnly, “I’ll take it, please.”

When she called Pan Lin, she spoke from the bottom of her heart.

When Pan Lin saw that Hua Xiangyi was willing to do this to protect Yao Wenyu, he couldn’t help but look ashamed and said hurriedly: “Third Miss, get up quickly! I cherish Yuan Zhuo’s talent and learning, and this matter should be done by us. Early tomorrow morning, Yuan Zhuo will leave Qandu with his siblings and his entourage, and first settle in Dan City. After he recovers from his injury, he will make his own plans.”Speaking of this, I thought of Hai Liangyi and said, “Although Yuan Fu has different political views with us, I admire him. How courageous the civil servants are in admonishing him. Even for Yuan Fu, I should help him.”

Hua Xiangyi continued: “Today Yuan Zhuo is not dead, so the other party must have known about it. To be on the safe side, I would like to ask the minister to find a way to hide it from others.”

Pan Lin replied: “I have a solution.”

“It’s getting late now. I can’t stay any longer.” Hua Xiangyi stood up and was supported by the maid. When she came to the bead curtain, she saw Yao Wenyu’s face inside was as white as paper. She didn’t say anything after all, so she left.

An hour after Hua Xiangyi left, the body wrapped in a straw mat was delivered to the back door of Pan’s house.The people who inquired about the information in the outer courtyard did not know the details. They only heard that it was a beggar that Princess Zhaoyue picked up from outside and died of illness in the middle of the night.The pursuers who had been squatting for a long time followed him all the way to the mass grave and examined the body. They found that he was the same size as Yao Wenyu. Even the wounds on his broken leg were the same. Only the face was damaged, but the bite marks on his lips were similar.

The man did not dare to delay, so he withdrew his people back to his home and went to report.

* * *

The next day, Princess Zhaoyue and Pan Yi set off back to Dan City. She had just given birth to a child. She was accompanied by many mothers and maids, more than a dozen of whom were packed in the car alone.Pan Lin went to court in the morning and was standing at the foot of the steps waiting. He saw Kong Qiu and Cen Yu standing in front. He was worried that someone in the court was watching, so he did not step forward.

Now the prince gets up at Yinshi and goes to class at Maoshi.The banquet officials formed by the cabinet are all carefully selected bachelors from the Imperial Academy, and their morning classes will not end until noon.The person who manages the affairs behind the scenes is still the Queen Mother. Li Jianting has just changed from attending lectures in Xue Mansion to attending lectures in the palace. As long as the cabinet does not pass the vote, she must continue to be a student.The Ministry of Rites has long been preparing for the enthronement, but now it is suppressed by Kong Qiu and others, so the ceremony is far away.

Xue Xiuzhuo is still teaching Li Jianting. Li Jianting does not have the right to participate in politics, but he has the right to listen to it.She slept very little that day, taking a short nap after morning classes. In the afternoon, there was a cabinet meeting headed by Kong Qiu and Xue Xiuzhuo.All matters of the six ministries, big and small, must be reported to the cabinet, and they stand to discuss and discuss. Li Jianting rarely speaks, but she is respectful. Whether it is morning classes or meetings, she always arrives before the ministers and will stand under the eaves of Mingli Hall to wait.

Kong Qiu and Cen Yu were originally very unhappy with Li Jianting, but they had to admit that Li Jianting’s attitude was sincere enough, and his desire to learn was far more obvious than that of Li Jianheng.

Pan Lin went down to the court and prepared to board the carriage. When he was about to lower the curtain, he saw Xue Xiuzhuo and others walking out of the palace gate.The two looked at each other for a moment, Pan Lin nodded calmly, barely made a half salute, and then lowered the car curtain.

* * *

Qiao Tianya closed the window and made a slight sound.

Yao Wenyu woke up, as if he had just stepped out of the shaking carriage, and the sweltering heat was everywhere.He turned his eyes and saw Qiao Tianya.

Qiao Tianya said: “It’s the third quarter of Yinshi, you can still sleep.”

Yao Wenyu said expressionlessly: “It’s such a big dream that I can’t bear to look back.”

Qiao Tianya poured the tea, took a sip, raised his glass to he, and said, “Would you like to drink it?”

Yao Wenyu was quiet for a moment and said: “The tea is tasteless, let’s change to a bar.”

“You are still injured, so you should not drink alcohol.” Qiao Tianya said as he untied the soju from his waist, shook it a few times, unscrewed it and drank it himself, “I’ll drink it for you to see.”

After Qiao Tianya finished drinking, Yao Wenyu said: “Good wine.”

The hair on Qiao Tianya’s forehead was blocked by his eyes, and he had not shaved off his recent stubble. After hearing this, he touched it a few times and said: “Wine that costs a few pennies is not considered good. If you are better, I would be willing to spend dozens of taels of silver to let you taste real good wine.”

Yao Wenyu’s lips moved slightly.

Qiao Tianya leaned on the table, looked at he, and said: “The military craftsman from Libei will arrive in a few days. I can go out with you to see the autumn scenery of Cizhou.”

Yao Wenyu’s smile disappeared fleetingly. He looked out the window and heard the crow of horses under the eaves again.He was quiet for a long time and then said: “Can you please tell me that I will prepare a generous gift for Hua Qi’s wedding tomorrow? Miss Hua San has saved my life. Please also say thank you to her for me. Don’t say anything else to her. Tell her that I am fine.”

Qiao Tianya responded.

Yao Wenyu looked blankly and said, “Let’s play the piano.”

When Shen Zechuan got up, he heard the faint sound of the guqin in the courtyard.

Fei Sheng joked: “This Qiao Tianya is so secretive.”

Shen Zechuan tilted his head and said: “The Qiao family has declined, and the squeamish young masters did not stay. The most difficult time was when he was exiled. He had to fight for food with wild dogs and take care of his sister-in-law. The only thing he has left now is the guqin, which he caressed every day. He cherishes it very much and never plays it for others. This is his arrogance.”

Fei Sheng had seen the piano and didn’t even dare to touch Ding Tao.He didn’t understand this arrogance, but he didn’t slander him either.He has worked with Qiao Tianya for many years. Although everyone from Qudu to Cizhou wants to take Qiao Tianya’s place, he is willing to admit Qiao Tianya’s ability in his heart.