Su Jin was already a bit worried.
Xie Jingchen said this.
Black lines appeared on Su Jin’s forehead.
"They are so unreliable, and you didn’t give a heads up."
"I can return to the Duke Mansion on my own. You go keep an eye on them, or else they’ll create a shoddy project for in half a month."
Su Jin pushed Xie Jingchen out of the carriage.
Xie Jingchen looked at her, a smile in his eyes, "You don’t trust them, so you trust ?"
Su Jin blinked and tapped her forehead, "I almost forgot, you’re unreliable too."
Xie Jingchen, "..."
The smile froze on his face.
This ti, without Su Jin’s push, he lifted the carriage curtains to get out by himself.
Just as he stepped out of the carriage, he saw a man approaching on horseback.
He looked a bit familiar.
But he couldn’t rember at the mont.
Xingxing cheerfully approached, "Uncle Lin, why are you here? Do you have business with the young lady?"
"Looking for the young lord," the man dismounted gracefully.
Xie Jingchen imdiately had a bad feeling.
And it was intense.
Sure enough—
The man stepped forward and said, "The Marquis has caused trouble again, Madam wants the young lord to enter the palace and see."
Su Jin, "..."
Xie Jingchen, "..."
The last ti he angered the Imperial Censor to faint, it’s only been a few days, and he’s caused trouble again?
"Did my father anger the Imperial Censor to faint again?" Su Jin asked with a twitching mouth.
"This ti, it’s not the Imperial Censor."
"Then what did he cause?"
"The Marquis beat up Duke Chong and General Zhongwu."
"..."
Su Jin didn’t know who General Zhongwu was.
But she knew Duke Chong.
He was the current Empress Dowager’s nephew, the Empress’s own brother, Princess Nanzhang’s cousin.
He’s a figure who, if he stamped his foot, the Capital City would tremble for three minutes, even the Emperor feared him a little.
Su Jin had a headache.
Really didn’t know what to say.
Her father really dared to offend anyone.
And it’s not even just offending, he’s directly beating them.
Su Jin had a montary wish to just die.
Xie Jingchen held his forehead and said, "General Zhongwu is the brother of Third Aunt’s maternal family."
Su Jin, "..."
"Why did my father beat them?" Su Jin asked.
Even if he angered two Imperial Censors, those two weren’t entirely innocent, showing that her father shouldn’t be targeting them for no reason.
Uncle Lin sighed and told Su Jin what he knew.
Yesterday, Su Jin had sent a few hundred jars of good wine to the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion by the City Patrol, and last night, everyone at the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion drank to their heart’s content.
Since entering the Capital, it was the first ti Marquis Dongxiang drank happily, and he actually got drunk.
By morning, he still wasn’t sober.
He went to court with a hangover.
Su Jin had bought Tianxiang Building to sell coal, but last night it was burned to the ground.
The sister-in-law and brother from Third Madam’s maternal family, which is General Zhongwu, happened to own so shares of Tianxiang Building, and they were unhappy about it being taken over by soone.
They were happy about it being burned down.
He walked ahead, chatting and laughing with others, saying it was deserved that Tianxiang Building was burned.
Marquis Dongxiang, with good hearing, heard it and asked him to repeat it.
General Zhongwu, being strong and having long disliked Marquis Dongxiang, took this provocation to teach him a lesson.
Then, the two started fighting in front of the Political Discussion Hall.
General Zhongwu was skilled in martial arts, but Marquis Dongxiang was even better.
Seeing that he was on the losing end, Duke Chong ca to break up the fight, but Marquis Dongxiang, in his anger, beat him up too.
Uncle Lin knew this much.
"Were Duke Chong and General Zhongwu seriously injured?" Su Jin asked.
"Probably not too serious, the Marquis knows his limits."
Su Jin felt a little relieved.
When they entered the Imperial Study, they didn’t see Marquis Dongxiang, but instead saw the Empress Dowager.
Marquis Dongxiang was reflecting in the side hall, and the Empress Dowager was pressuring the Emperor to severely punish Marquis Dongxiang.
"Empress Dowager, I have no way to punish Marquis Dongxiang," the Emperor said wearily.
The Empress Dowager chuckled angrily, "You’re the Emperor, is there anyone you can’t punish?!"
The Emperor waved, "Summon Marquis Dongxiang over."
The eunuch went to deliver the ssage, and soon Marquis Dongxiang arrived.
One of his eyes was blackened, and he looked beaten up with a bruised nose and swollen face.
Seeing Su Jin and Xie Jingchen, he was not pleased, "Why are you here?"
He was gentle when looking at Su Jin.
But when he looked at Xie Jingchen, his face darkened, "Turn around!"
He was the father-in-law.
How could he let his son-in-law see him beaten to a bruised state; it was disgraceful.
Xie Jingchen, "..."
Marquis Dongxiang grumbled, "Sparring with each other, it’s unavoidable to have minor injuries."
"Minor injuries?!" The Empress Dowager was furious.
"You call that minor? General Zhongwu’s nose is broken! Duke Chong, who kindly intervened, had his foot trampled and one rib cracked, he was carried out of the palace!"
"..."
Su Jin and Xie Jingchen looked at each other in silence.
So much for knowing his limits?
Was this her father’s (father-in-law’s) concept of restraint?
The Empress Dowager’s voice was loud, after all, Duke Chong was her nephew, and being beaten like that, she lost face too.
More importantly, it takes a hundred days to recuperate from fractures.
In a hundred days, even the court could be turned upside down.
Marquis Dongxiang glanced at the Empress Dowager and said, "Who’s breaking up a fight by holding soone’s arm and letting the other punch and kick?"
"I, Su Qingyun, was born in the wilderness, but I’m not stupid. I can tell what’s a breakup, and what’s siding. Just because you, Empress Dowager, say it was a kind intervention doesn’t an you can turn black into white, all the civil and military officials in front of the Political Discussion Hall were watching, I don’t believe they were blind!"
"If I hadn’t broken free from Duke Chong’s kind intervention, it wouldn’t be just one black eye now; my little life might have been ended at their hands."
"If he ddles, breaking one of his ribs is considered light!"
"You!" The Empress Dowager was so angry her lips trembled.
The Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor, "Your Majesty!"
The Emperor held his forehead, "I inquired, this ti it was indeed Duke Chong who was at fault."
The Empress Dowager’s face turned green with rage.
The Emperor glared at Marquis Dongxiang, "But you were too excessive with your actions!"
"If this were on Qingyun Mountain, both of them would have been buried by by now. Now it’s just one broken rib, isn’t that rciful? Don’t be too demanding," Marquis Dongxiang said angrily.
The Emperor, "..."
Su Jin, "..."
Xie Jingchen, "..."
The Empress Dowager was so upset she felt dizzy and almost fainted.
The Emperor banged the Dragon Desk and said, "You and General Zhongwu fought in front of the Political Discussion Hall, treating the court’s laws as nothing, your pay is docked for a year! If it happens again, I will not go easy!"
The Empress Dowager left in a huff.
Behind her, Marquis Dongxiang asked, "How much is my annual salary?"
The Emperor, "..."
"Now get out of the palace!" the Emperor shouted.
Marquis Dongxiang did not leave but instead looked at the attending eunuchs and said, "All of you, leave."
The eunuchs were stunned.
Never had they seen soone dare to order them out right in front of the Emperor in the Imperial Study.
The Emperor, glaring at Marquis Dongxiang, said, "Speak!"
The eunuch standing next to the Emperor hurriedly waved, signaling the others to leave.
Once everyone was gone, Marquis Dongxiang extended his hand, "Twenty thousand taels."
Su Jin, "..."
Xie Jingchen, "..."
The Emperor was dumbfounded, "Are you robbing ?"
Marquis Dongxiang frowned, "It’s a reward."
"Duke Chong’s rib was broken, and he was carried out of the palace. Does the Emperor dare say he wasn’t secretly pleased?"
Su Jin, "..."
Xie Jingchen, "..."
Cough, cough!
The Emperor covered his mouth and coughed twice.
"Don’t talk nonsense! I’m not pleased! I’m heartbroken!"
"Oh, co on, at morning court, who didn’t see you grinning from ear to ear? Even in the side hall reflecting, I could feel it."
"..."
"Soone as adept at reading expressions, understanding imperial intent, selflessly considerate, sharing burdens with high martial skills, who is unafraid of power and loves money like , how many are there among the civil and military officials? Isn’t it worth a twenty thousand tael reward to win over?"
"..."
In the end—
The Emperor was swayed.
Marquis Dongxiang walked out of the Imperial Study with twenty thousand taels in silver notes.
Su Jin, "..."
Xie Jingchen, "..."
User Comments
0 comments from readers