Xie Ming

Chapter 580: Drinking and Talking
The imperial court was interested in borrowing Xiao Lang's sharp sword to stir up trouble in Yangzhou.

In order to confiscate the embezzled money and goods as soon as possible to replenish the national treasury, Emperor Zhu Cilang of Nanjing tried his best to cooperate.

An urgent imperial edict was sent straight to Linyi, which clamped Liu Zeqing's feet and made it difficult for him to return to Yangzhou and cause chaos.

The cabinet, represented by its chief Qiu Weizheng, had long harbored resentment towards Zhao Xiande's double-dealing behavior.

This time Xiao came on duty to investigate a case, and he was willing to do him a favor.

With the east wind from these two places, Xiao Jingchuan could rely on it to get all the information.

During this trip to Yangzhou, everything went smoothly in terms of official business. In just two days, I had done my best to accomplish everything I could.

What with collecting evidence, prosecuting crimes, confiscating embezzled funds, sealing and confiscating private accounts and property? When it comes to doing his job, he does it smoothly and there is rarely any hindrance.

Of course, the tricks involved should have been considered.

For example, some local county magistrates and yamen officials who are still under the control of the Southern Party, as long as they have given Zhizhong a heads-up, in order to avenge his revenge on Weizhen, will be exempted from punishment and involvement this time, naturally.

Anyway, in a nutshell, to sum up.

The affairs of Yangzhou were handled urgently in two days, and 90% of the purpose of the mission was achieved.

On the night of the 30th, on the second floor of the post house.

After dinner, Xiao Jingchuan took a short nap in the room. When he needed to urinate urgently, he couldn't find Changting.

I heard from the soldier in charge of night duty that the boy had actually run to the roof tiles on the second floor of the inn alone.

When Xiao heard this, he could not help but smile bitterly and sigh.

Thinking that everything was going well for the moment and there were no other problems to worry about, he said goodbye to the guards, took a can of liquor from the counter, and jumped up from the corridor to have a heart-to-heart talk with Gu Changting.

That evening, the wind was calm and the moon was bright, and the stars were as bright as the sea.

Xiao Lang was carrying a small jar of liquor, stepping on the tiles, and looking up he saw a figure sitting alone in the middle of the roof not far away.

"Ah!"

“It is here.”

"Why are you drinking alone?"

"I heard from Yue Xiu the other afternoon that there is a pretty girl with a child who wants to see you."

"Zhao Qingmei, right?!"

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"You're not going to help your Qingfeng Baiyue?!"

Xiao Jingchuan shook his body, took a few light steps towards Chang Ting who was sitting alone, put his arm on Chang Ting's shoulder, and used the force to sit down next to him.

This was just a casual chat, but when Chang Ting heard it, he was still slightly stunned.

"Humph!"

"Yue Xiu is a gossipy person."

It seemed that Changting was afraid that he would not want to investigate the matter any further and be exposed by Deyuexiu, so he became angry and grumbled.

"Haha, hi!"

"You know, this is what he does. No matter what the information is, it has to be reported to me. It's just his job. You shouldn't be so angry."

When Xiao heard this, he offered comfort.

"call--"

"Well, I know."

"I'm just unhappy and I'm just complaining a little."

"General, regarding Qingmei, I didn't see her."

"I don't plan to help."

"Public affairs should be handled in a public manner."

"Evil will be punished, it is the cycle of cause and effect."

"Who am I?"

"What can I promise after seeing you? After all, it's still embarrassing for you."

"Why!"

"What do I want?"

Gu Changting looked up at the starry sky, sighing and unable to dispel his sorrow. After he finished speaking, he grabbed the small jar in his hand and quickly drank two more mouthfuls. Seeing his son's face, Xiao Jingchuan smiled beside him.

"Ugh"

"How many people in this world can clearly explain what they do, think and feel?"

"I just noticed that you have been in a state of emotional ups and downs these past two days. I'm afraid you'll get sick again because of this."

"Chang Ting, I was so busy these days that I didn't have time to pay much attention to this."

"Come on, I have some free time right now. Mr. Gu, tell me what happened to your Gu family, the Yangzhou Gu family."

"Just let me listen to it, just think of it as a way to relieve boredom, it can be eaten with the next meal! Huh? Hahahaha"

Good things are not easy to say.

Among brothers, one may come to comfort the other and make him feel better, but if one's words are too caring, it may seem hypocritical and awkward.

Xiao Jingchuan made a few jokes casually, and both sides felt relieved.

So, upon hearing this, Chang Ting was immediately amused and burst out laughing.

"Hey, General, why did you act like the old woman and daughter-in-law at the entrance of the village the other day?"

"I just love to listen to these gossips."

Changting retorted.

Seeing that this kid was still willing to talk back, Xiao Lang threw a side punch at him to ease the atmosphere. At the same time, he opened the jar of wine he brought with him and pretended to be someone who was ready to chat and listen to gossip.

Seeing this situation, Chang Ting smiled bitterly, but there was nothing he could do.

"Haha, okay, I'll tell you, I'll tell you."

"Alas——" he sighed and paused for a moment, asking for something to remember.

"As for me, I have to start from the beginning."

"I am Gu Changting, and my paternal ancestors are indeed from Shaoxing, Zhejiang."

"We are of the same ancestry as the Gu family in Yangzhou, but our relationship has been severed for a long time. We are not in the same genealogy, so we have to keep a separate record."

"Of course, my mother is a young lady from the Gu family in Yangzhou."

"Her branch, the Gu family of Yangzhou, is a big family."

"Alas, it seems like ten years have passed in the blink of an eye."

"When I was young, I lived in Yangzhou with my mother."

"My mother was the youngest in the family at that time and was very favored. She married my father, which was considered marrying down."

"Back then, when my father was still young, he was awarded the title of scholar."

"At that time, our family was very happy. It was rare for someone of his generation to have such a promising future."

"They are all showing their courtesy. I think as long as my father is willing to work hard, he will make further progress and have a successful career in the government in the future."

"Perhaps it was during those years, because they had been to Yangzhou, they also had such thoughts."

"So, even though they were poorer than my father's family, due to some old agreements between their ancestors, no one mentioned any reason to break up the marriage."

"My mother was also confused and married to Shaoxing."

"But, who would have thought that things in this world are unpredictable and everyone has their own destiny!"

"My father, Gu Maowen, was successful when he was young, but he turned out to be a weak successor. It's really hard to call him a great talent."

"Ever since my mother got married, for more than ten years, no matter how hard he worked."

"I didn't want to, but I ended up wasting my time, failing the exams again and again, and failing the exams again and again."

"Besides, if you fail the provincial examination, you cannot become a juren, let alone be appointed as an official or even a civil servant. You are not qualified to be one."

"At that time, my mother gave birth to me."

"The poorest family has no food or clothing."

"In the first two years, we relied on a few elders in the clan, and there were still a few people who came to help us."

"It's a pity that my father has a bad temper and a very strong self-esteem."

"I offended people for no reason."

"After so many interactions and years of failure, the clan members gradually lost their appreciation for him."

(End of this chapter)