Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 622: Moon Halo and Wind and Rain
"What are you..."

Seeing Yan Shen step back two steps and let the dark-skinned old butler move to the front, Tang Situi, who was lying on the sickbed, was startled.

The dark-skinned old butler smiled slightly.

He does look a bit like a Nanyang person, not only in his facial features but also in his thin, small body.

Normally when he followed Yan Shen and bowed slightly, he looked humble and modest.

But at this moment, he was standing in front of Prime Minister Tang Shitui, and his arrogant look made him suddenly look taller.

The light shone at an angle, and his figure was reflected on the wall, like a huge monster looking down.

"Mr. Tang, you are still young, not even forty years old, but you are already a prime minister and a leader. Are you really willing to retire and die in obscurity in the mountains for the rest of your life?"

"Who... are you?" Tang Shitui had already realized something was wrong. He forced himself to sit up and asked in a deep voice.

He remembered that Yan Shen once told him that the old steward was called "Wu Fu".

But the old man who came to the door now was obviously not Ah Fu.

The old man smiled and said, "As for my name, almost no one knows it, and it doesn't sound good. It will be meaningless to Mr. Tang if I tell him my name.

Or, Mr. Tang, you might as well call me another name, the Fifth Buddha."

"The fifth... Buddha?"

Tang Shitui's first reaction was that this was a double surname, but when he thought about "Futu" carefully, he was suddenly shocked.

As a politician, he knew many of my secrets. He had already figured out something, but still wanted to get to the bottom of it, holding on to the hope that there might be a chance.

But the Fifth Buddha smiled and said, "My Fifth is not a double surname."

It is not a double surname. When he thought of this, Tang Shitui finally knew who he was.

Tang Situi's face immediately changed, and he said sternly: "How dare you enter our Song territory and plot evil. I would rather die than be a spy for the Jin people!"

The Fifth Buddha smiled and said, "Mr. Tang, you are wrong. I never thought that I could coerce or bribe you to ruin your reputation and join the Jin Dynasty.

I just want to make a deal with you, Mr. Tang, to help you become a hero of the Song Dynasty who can restore order and turn the tide."

"What do you mean?"

The fifth pagoda took a step back and looked at Yan Shen with a smile.

Tang Situi then looked at this so-called cousin and said in a hoarse voice, "You are not a descendant of the Yan family who sailed from southern Fujian during the Five Dynasties?"

Yan Shen nodded slowly, his expression became serious, and with a look of nostalgia, he said softly: "My name is... Zhao Chen."

The Fifth Buddha smiled and said, "Zhao is the Zhao of the Song Dynasty royal family."

When Tang Situi first heard the name "Zhao Chen", he didn't think much about it at first. After all, he was still sick and his brain didn't react that quickly.

But when the Fifth Buddha deliberately emphasized it, Tang Shitui suddenly remembered it, and his body trembled immediately, and he was so shocked that he could hardly move.

Zhao Chen was born in the same year as Tang Situi. He was the eldest son of Emperor Qinzong Zhao Huan and the son of Empress Zhu. He was born in the seventh year of Zhenghe and was the grandson of Emperor Huizong of Song.

In the first year of the Jing Kang period, Emperor Qinzong succeeded to the throne and issued an edict to appoint Chen as the crown prince.

In the second year of the Jing Kang period, the Jin army invaded the border. He and the empress were taken north together and their whereabouts have been unknown since then.

Tang Shitui pointed at Zhao Chen in shock, his fingers trembling: "You...you you you..."

The Fifth Buddha said: "He is the eldest grandson of Emperor Huizong, the eldest son of Emperor Qinzong, and the son of Empress Zhu. His status is so noble and legitimate that even Zhao Gou cannot compare to him, let alone Zhao Yuan today.

Prime Minister Tang, since the death of Emperor Gaozong of your country, our two countries have lost the friendly neighborly relationship. The current government is going against the grain and engaging in war. Where will the Song Dynasty be placed?
Crown Prince Chen is the first heir of the Zhao Song royal family. He has been acting as regent since the Jingkang period, which is God's will. Our Great Jin is willing to work together with Prime Minister Tang to support the restoration of the Great Song Dynasty, to protect the inheritance of the throne, to consolidate the Great Song Dynasty, and to restore the friendship between the two countries.

Mr. Tang, are you willing to take on the first task of restoring the orthodoxy of the Zhao Song Dynasty?"

……

In the Censorate, when the office was about to close, all the departments were still busy.

Towards evening, Chief Censor Zhu Zhuo sent a message through the Experience Hall, convening a meeting of all middle and senior officials.

Seeing this situation, Yang Yuan was afraid that he would have to work overtime tonight, so he asked Liu Dazhuang to go back first and tell his family.

Afterwards, Yang Yuan packed up the files on hand and went to Zhu Zhuo's signing room.

Zhu Zhuo summoned the left and right deputy censors-in-chief and the left and right assistant censors-in-chief, but he did not urge them to finish the files on hand as soon as possible.

He needs to make some adjustments to the personnel, adjust the tasks assigned to each person, and arrange the next tasks.

Yang Yuan supported this. With some staff members such as his right-hand men Xiao Yiran and Lu Chengze being transferred to the Ministry of Personnel, many positions in the Censorate were now vacant.

At this time, those students from the Imperial College and the Imperial Academy who had been transferred previously and had outstanding performance could be converted to full-time employees and join the Censorate.

Tan Yan, Wang Chenkun and Yang Mu all reported the names of some people. These were young people who had performed outstandingly when they were handling official business.

Yang Wenjing had just taken office and was not very familiar with his subordinates.

Several colleagues recommended a few people to him based on their own understanding.

But the person who recommended these censors was still Yang Wenjing.

In this way, he would not deprive others of the favor of winning over their subordinates, nor would he let Yang Wenjing lose the opportunity to promote his confidants.

Of course, the transfer of these people needs to go through the procedures of the Ministry of Personnel, but there is no reason for the current Ministry of Personnel to refuse to approve it.

Zhu Zhuo also redistributed the responsibilities of the left and right deputy censors-in-chief and the left and right assistant censors-in-chief.

Finally, Zhu Zhuo mentioned that after finishing the cases at hand, they could slow down a bit and not take any major actions before the government returned.

Yang Yuan fully agrees with this.

Now all we have to do is digest the hard bones we have already chewed.

The operations have to be done one by one. Now that the Ministry of Personnel has been taken down, the Censorate will be responsible for investigation and the Ministry of Personnel will be responsible for replacement. As long as there is tacit cooperation, there will be no need to use extreme measures, which will make the court officials restless day and night and lose their focus on official business.

The emperor will be back soon, and the Ministry of Personnel will begin its assessment of officials across the country this year. The next stage of the task is to consolidate the results and maintain stability.

After the meeting, everyone returned to their respective offices and immediately summoned their troops to convey the decision of Chief Censor Zhu Zhuo.

Those who were converted on the spot and became censors of the Censorate were delighted, while those who did not get this opportunity this time were all red-eyed when they saw the reward coming so quickly.

They were eager to take down another government office immediately, no matter whether it was the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Rites.

As a result, after conveying the latest personnel adjustments and appointments, Yang Yuan announced the main task of the Censorate in the next stage: to slow down the pace of case handling, which made them deeply regretful.

After Yang Yuan conveyed the relevant decision, he smiled and said, "Everyone, you have been working day and night for a long time. It is really hard. Today, we will dismiss the office. Everyone go back and have a good rest."

Several censors who were promoted to more important positions and those who were converted to regular officials on the spot were busy planning a dinner party.

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "You can go with your colleagues. I will not join in the fun this time.

When your official appointments come down, I will prepare a feast to celebrate for you all."

Since Shangguan has already said so, there is no need to force it.

Besides, with a boss following around, everyone might not be able to drink happily.

So the group of people went back happily, and after packing up, they went out together.

At this time, the same scene occurred in other offices. The censors of the Censorate called their friends and went to Wanzili to find a wine house to have fun.

The yamen, which had been extremely bustling, suddenly became quiet.

All the lights outside were turned off. Yang Yuan sat alone in the signing room, dimmed the lights, and thought for a long time.

For the Censorate, this is now a great victory.

But is it just a big victory?

Yang Yuan knew it wasn't that simple.

He used the confession of the Jin people to threaten Shen Xianggong. In order to protect his team, Shen Xianggong was forced to change his position, which made their encirclement and suppression of the Ministry of Personnel extremely smooth.

Tang Situi will certainly step down. The remnants of Tang's faction can be slowly dealt with through the performance evaluation of the Ministry of Personnel, but the conservative forces in the court are more than just Tang's faction.

They are always prepared for danger and will certainly not sit and wait for death.

Moreover, after the disastrous defeat of the Tang faction, their means of struggle will inevitably become more covert. What kind of situation will happen next?

After thinking for a long time, Yang Yuan let out a sigh, took off the lampshade, and extinguished the wick with a teacup.

In the darkness, he smiled slightly, stood up, walked to the door in the dark, and opened it.

The light from the corridor shone in.

……

Yang Yuan returned to Renmeifang, but did not go towards the Marquis's Mansion.

When you reach the small bridge, continue walking forward, following the white walls and black tiles, the small bridge and flowing water. After a few twists and turns, you will arrive at a gate with wisteria climbing around the lintel.

There were lanterns hanging on both sides of the door, with the word "Li" written on it.

Yang Yuan grabbed the brass animal ring and knocked gently on the door.

A moment later, Chen Erniang heard the noise and rushed to open the door. When she saw that it was Yang Yuan standing under the lamp, she quickly made way for him and said, "Master Yang."

"Yes!" Yang Yuan stepped in and asked with a smile, "Has Madam gone to bed?"

Over the past few days, Yang Yuan often came to visit Li Shishi and the children, and it was impossible for him to always do so without telling his family.

Therefore, Chen Erniang, a newly hired cook and two maids in the mansion all knew about the relationship between Yang Yuan and Li Shishi.

However, what they "knew" was that the relationship between Mr. Yang and Madam Li was the same as that of some beauties in the private residences of Renmeifang, both of whom were concubines of officials.

In other words, the hostess of the house depends on the official for food.

In other words, their salaries were actually paid by the high-ranking official, so they were particularly respectful and careful towards Yang Yuan.

Chen Erniang said, "Madam went to the tile house tonight and hasn't come back yet."

Fearing that the great official might have misgivings, Chen Erniang quickly added, "Madam went to the tile house with Miss Yuye, there was no one else."

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "I see. Then I'll go see Sheng'er."

Chen Erniang closed the door, and the "Tongzhou" guards who had been following her secretly saw this and quietly dispersed.

At this time, Li Shishi and Fei Yuye, a pair of pretty ladies, were walking towards their home, arm in arm, with rosy faces and tipsy eyes, along the winding stream of the river.

……

Yang Sheng is already one year old.

He can now clearly call daddy and mommy and say some simple words.

He could walk now, although he walked unsteadily.

Yang Sheng, who already knows how to call his dad, loves his dad the most. Every time his dad comes to see him, even if he doesn't bring him anything delicious or fun, he will still play with him to his heart's content.

So when he saw Yang Yuan, Yang Sheng was like a little dog seeing his master, his little butt was puffy and he wanted to break free from his mother's arms and play close to his father.

This behavior made Li Shishi jealous, and she scolded him for being a heartless person. He was worthy of being a child of the Yang family. No matter how good she was to him, he was still closest to the people of the Yang family.

Yang Sheng, who was already one year old, was no longer breastfeeding. He was now sitting in the arms of his maid Qiao Yun, eating rice oil while wearing a small bag.

Rice oil is not oil, but the thick liquid that floats on the surface of porridge when it is cooked. It is also a kind of Chinese medicinal material with the effect of food supplement. Yang Yuan has been busy recently and has not been here for four or five days.

Little Yang Sheng was sipping rice oil while playing and taking a casual bite. Suddenly he saw his father coming. Little Yang Sheng immediately spread out his hands, giggling with joy, and his little butt was sitting in Qiao Yun's arms.

"Oh, my little master, stop jumping!"

It was hot in the summer, and the little girl wore less clothes. When Yang Sheng jumped like that, Qiao Yun's collar was opened a little, revealing a corner of her scarlet "Hezi".

Yang Yuan was tall and handsome, and now he was gradually developing an air of nobility. His behavior put a lot of psychological pressure on the little girl, so she felt particularly uncomfortable.

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "Come, give him to me."

Yang Yuan took Yang Sheng in with both hands. Yang Sheng immediately hugged his neck and put his little face close to him, rubbing it against Yang Yuan's face without caring about the rice paste on his mouth.

Qiao Yun quickly straightened her collar and stood aside with a slightly dizzy face.

Yang Yuan said: "You go out first, I will feed him."

Yang Sheng is now one year old and has his own room, where he sleeps and is taken care of by a maid.

Qiao Yun agreed and went to the young master's room. Yang Yuan held Yang Sheng and fed him porridge herself.

Yang Sheng was no longer willing to eat. He kept his mouth shut and dodged, shouting in a baby voice, "Play, Daddy, play."

Yang Yuan had no choice but to put down the bowl of porridge and take the toy to play with him.

Yang Yuan threw a little duck made of soft cloth up into the air, and when it fell down, Yang Sheng quacked with joy.

So he grabbed a clay figurine of Mohelo and threw it to the ground with great force.

"Snapped!"

A nice "Mohele" was instantly broken into pieces.

"Good son, you are so strong!"

Yang Yuan clapped his hands and laughed.

……

In the Tang Mansion, Tang Situi sat on the couch with a very ugly look on his face.

He has been thinking about it for a long time, weighing the pros and cons again and again.

However, due to the serious illness, even a smart man like him felt his brain power was exhausted due to too much thinking, and his body became weaker and weaker.

Zhao Chen said in a deep voice: "Mr. Tang, I should be the ruler of the Song Dynasty.

In terms of talent, breadth of mind, courage and ability, Prime Minister Tang was no better than Yi Yin and Duke Zhou.

If I can get the help of Mr. Tang, I will restore order and uphold the orthodoxy. I will never let you down in this life."

The Fifth Buddha said: "The Crown Prince is the most legitimate successor to the Song Dynasty, and Minister Tang is a loyal minister of the Song Dynasty. How should we choose? Do we still need to hesitate?"

Mr. Tang closed his eyes, and Zhao Chen said hurriedly: "Mr. Tang is still ill and has no strength left. Just lie down and talk."

As he said this, he personally stepped forward, supported Tang Situi, let him lie down, and put a pillow under him.

Tang Shitui let out a long sigh and said in a hoarse voice: "The Crown Prince is indeed the legitimate heir to the Song Dynasty."

Just now, the Fifth Buddha had shown Zhao Chen a token that was sufficient to prove his identity.

His cabinet plaque, seal, imperial decree and several letters between him and his father Qinzong when he was in the Jin Dynasty.

These are enough to prove his identity, and Tang Shitui cannot deny it.

Tang Situi said: "But, in the past, our Song Dynasty lost half of the north, and the south of the Yangtze River was also in danger. It was Emperor Gaozong who restored the country and rebuilt the country.

Everything has started all over again. What's the point of talking about the past now? "

Zhao Chen said excitedly: "Why is it meaningless? I am not dead yet! In the past national crisis, the Ninth Uncle (Zhao Gou) was ordered by his father to be the Grand Marshal of the Army, and Zong Ze, the governor of Cizhou, and Wang Boyan, the governor of Xiangzhou, were appointed as deputy marshals to lead the troops of the various counties in Hebei to serve the king.

The word "天下" in "天下军大将马军大军" was added by the Ninth Prince without authorization, and there was no such meaning in the imperial edict.

The situation was like this from then on, and it was not a big deal that the Ninth Prince temporarily took over the throne of the Emperor.

However, once this prince returns, he should give up the throne.

Not to mention, the Ninth Prince is no longer with us, and the current emperor is just a stepson adopted by the Ninth Prince!"

Tang Situi closed his eyes and said, "The world has been settled, what else can I do?"

The Fifth Buddha said, "What if the official in Chengdu doesn't come back, or if he comes back but dies in Lin'an, who will take over the throne?"

Tang Situi suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the Fifth Pagoda in horror.

The Fifth Buddha said slowly: "His eldest son is only thirteen years old this year. How can he stabilize the Song Dynasty at such a young age?"

Tang Situi was silent for a while, then slowly closed his eyes and said word by word clearly and forcefully: "Tang is a minister of the current emperor. As long as the current emperor is alive, Tang will never betray him!"

The Fifth Buddha and Zhao Chen looked at each other and smiled.

……

Ever since Fei Yuye promised her mother that she would ask her godmother to help her choose a husband, her mother has been asking about the progress endlessly.

Yang Yuan has been in trouble during this period, and Fei Yuye has seen it all.

Naturally, she would not go to Yang Yuan to discuss these things at this time, so she had to put it off to her mother.

When she was really forced into a corner, she sought refuge with Li Shishi to avoid her mother's questioning.

After a long time, Yuye's mother Tan became suspicious.

When it comes to marriage, of course it is impossible to settle it in just a few words or three to five days.

But, it can't be that long that she can't even tell her, her mother, what family the man is going to meet?

Today, Fei Yuye returned to the "Moshanghua" embroidery workshop. Tan asked her daughter's marriage again. Fei Yuye couldn't resist and said that there would be some results soon. She would immediately urge her godmother and report to her mother when she got the accurate news.

But this time, Tan did not believe her words easily.

Tan suspected that her daughter had not consulted her godmother at all and was simply trying to put her off.

So, as soon as Fei Yuye left, Tan immediately got on a sedan chair and quietly followed her daughter.

Tan was also smart. She knew that once they entered Renmeifang, the place would be quiet and there would not be many people on the road, so her daughter would easily find them. So when they reached the vicinity of Renmeifang, she asked them to stop.

Seeing that her daughter had indeed entered Renmeifang, Tan felt relieved, thinking that she was really going to meet her godmother, Madam Li.

After making up her mind, Tan wanted to return home and wait for her daughter for a few more days to see if there was any further news.

Just as she was about to leave, she found her daughter and Li Shishi came out again.

Li Shishi now looks as if she has suddenly become twenty years younger.

But she was originally very graceful and charming, and it was evening now, and Tan was far away, so he couldn't see her clearly.

But the outline and figure were indeed that of Madam Li, so Tan didn't think much about it.

Mrs. Li accompanied her daughter out. Is she going to meet the man?

Thinking of this, Mrs. Tan felt a little unhappy.

Madam Li shouldn't be so ignorant of the ways of the world. How could a woman be so eager to help? Could it be that the man's family background is particularly noble?

Tan wanted to see what kind of family her daughter was looking for, so she quietly followed behind.

She was very far away, and neither Fei Yuye nor Li Shishi thought that someone would follow her, so Tan followed her from a distance without the two of them noticing at all.

Otherwise, with their sharp ears and eyes, if they had the slightest suspicion, Tan's tracking would not be hidden from them.

As Tan followed along the way, she saw Madam Li and her daughter arm in arm, looking very close.

The two of them went to Houshi Street together and visited Zhongwazi together. This...

How could it look like you were going to someone else's house?

The two girls are clearly just shopping.

They went to buy jewelry, rouge and powder. You put a hairpin in my hair and I put some rouge on your lips...

Such an intimate act was something that even as a mother, she had never been so intimate with her own daughter.

Watching from afar, the two of them walked into the restaurant arm in arm, talking and laughing, and Mrs. Tan fell into endless confusion.

Suddenly, a thought that frightened Mrs. Tan came to her mind.

The Fei family ran an embroidery workshop, and Mrs. Tan usually interacted with the wives of wealthy businessmen. She had also heard them talk about their so-called "inseparable love".

At this time, the daughter clearly said that she wanted to meet her godmother and urged her to help her choose a husband, but in the end, all we saw were the two girls whispering in each other's ears and being intimate like one person.

Li Shishi's beauty and charm are enough to make any woman fall in love with her.

Mrs. Tan then thought of how her daughter used to bathe together with Mrs. Li in the "Qingchen Hall".

Mrs. Tan thought again of her daughter who was reluctant to get married.

Mrs. Tan also thought of the time when her daughter went to work as a lady-in-chief in the Privy Council, and her right-hand men were also beautiful girls.

She had never heard her daughter talk about a young man. Usually, the topic was either Madam Li, Bingxin, Yuchan, and later, Bei'er was added, saying that she was a Hu girl, and so on...

Weird.

It's over. I only have this one daughter in my life. Could it be that she doesn't like men but likes women?
Mrs. Tan waited at a distance until Li Shishi and Fei Yuye came out of the restaurant.

The two drank and behaved more intimately.

Then I saw the two of them walking away, buying a cold drink here, taking a sip each, and neither of them complained.

Let's pick some flowers by the river. I'll pin them on your hair, and you'll put them in my bun, with your eyes full of smiles.

Mrs. Tan watched from a distance, and because she couldn't see the details clearly, the situation seemed particularly ambiguous.

It’s over, it’s over, it’s just as I thought…

Mrs. Tan's heart sank and she no longer had the courage to follow.

Seeing the two of them "cuddling" each other as they returned to Renmeifang, Madam Tan felt very sad when she thought of them acting affectionately and pretending to be two women when they returned.

In the past, everything in her family was decided by her husband. Her husband spoiled their daughter, so she didn't interfere.

But now, her husband has been staying in the north for a long time and has not returned, and her daughter is going further and further astray and has become like this. If she doesn't take care of it anymore, the family will break up!
Mrs. Tan went home.

She didn't have the courage to catch her daughter in adultery because she was afraid that her daughter would feel ashamed and commit suicide, and then the family would be really finished.

After returning home, Mrs. Tan went to the ancestral hall and knelt down. She wanted to apologize to her ancestors for not teaching her daughter well.

Mrs. Tan cried for a long time before coming out with red eyes.

She decided to find a matchmaker early tomorrow morning and personally arrange her daughter's marriage.

There is no future for a fake phoenix! She must not let Yuye make the same mistake again.

(End of this chapter)