Ink Burns

Chapter 140 Seeking Advantages and Avoiding Harm (Chubby Chapter)

In the huge Nan Mansion, there were only three more people, but it felt like ten more plays.

Huang Zhi's first three actions upon taking office were to block the dog hole!

As the god in charge of dog holes, Huang Zhi was very fond of dog hole culture when she was a little girl. She relied on those dog holes to sneak out to play, exchange money with the peddler, and sneak in some contraband. Therefore, the evil Huang Zhizi has her own understanding of dog holes: there were no dog holes in the world, but when more people dug, holes appeared.

The evil Huang Zhizi has feelings for the dog hole.

However, the butt determines the head.

As the first manager of the Xue family's Southern Mansion, the evil Huang Zhizi put his hands on his hips, held his head high, and didn't know what the world was: "Stop! Block them all! Don't give those little girls a chance! Don't I know what the dog hole is used for? Under the leadership of my manager Zhi, it is absolutely impossible to use the dog hole to accept money privately!"

Four or five dog holes were blocked, to the point where even a fly had to be caught with the manager Zhi's name tag before getting out.

In order to fight against foreign enemies, one must first stabilize the internal situation. Manager Zhi finally closed the door with satisfaction and began to settle the accounts: It's time to let everyone see how the god at the gambling table settles the accounts so skillfully!

While Steward Zhi was in seclusion, Mama Su and Miss Wang Er, two skinny old ladies with strong personalities, were unexpectedly harmonious in their small space in the kitchen - a wolf from the northern border and a local tyrant from western Shu, both had the same goal: to fatten Shanyue.

Mother Su: "I think the Madam is too thin. She is only one pound of bones and two ounces of meat. Even dogs are greedy for her! People still need to grow some meat. If you have some meat, you can still use it to deal with problems. If you don't have any meat, you can only risk your life when you encounter problems."

Miss Wang Er agreed with him: "That's right!"

Following the roll call, he looked at the ingredients in the basket and took inventory of the menu: "Pork knuckle for lunch, green bean cake for the afternoon, and a bowl of crucian carp and tofu soup for dinner - heavy oil and heavy meat, so that the qi and blood are replenished."

"Madam, you seem to prefer vegetables and fruits?" Mother Su hesitated: Although Madam would eat all the meals, she would obviously chew faster when eating meat, as if she was in a hurry to finish it.

Miss Wang Er patted her chest proudly: "She will definitely eat what I made!"

Mother Su was touched by Miss Wang's courage and immediately gave way to her: "When your wife gets pregnant in the future, I will never compete with you for the job of serving her."

Unexpectedly, Miss Wang Er became excited after hearing this: "Speaking of this, Censor Xue and Shan Yue are quite close!"

Mother Su was moved and became excited: "Who said it wasn't! In the past, Qishu came back once every ten days or half a month. He would come back at midnight and leave before the cockcrowed. He treated our house as an inn! After he got married, he wanted to come back every day, and when he came back, he would go to the main courtyard! I watched Qishu grow up. He has a pretty face, but a temper as bad as a dry toilet. Anyway, I have never heard him talk to anyone with a tone of -"

Mother Su's voice changed several turns: "So good~~~!"

Xue Qishu is Xue Xiao.

Mother Su was not happy to call her son "Xue Xiao": What father in his right mind would name his son a bad bird?

She called him Qi Shu.

"Qishu" was the nickname given to her son by his wife who passed away young.

Mother Su raised her eyebrows: "I'm counting the days anyway. On the 2nd, 5th and 8th of each month, Madam goes to the waterside, closes the door and stays there for a long time. The book is also inside - here -"

Mother Su held a bamboo basket of vegetables in her hand and pointed out the center of the lake with her chin raised: "Today is March 18th, and the door is closed again!"

Miss Wang Er was so excited that she covered her left chest: This means that this marriage might become real! ?

A wolf from the northern frontier and a local tyrant from western Shu are eager to hug each other.

". Zhu's coffin is still in the North Mansion. I heard from Luo Feng that the weather is getting hotter and Liang Er Niang has been clamoring for the public to allocate money to buy ice. If anyone in the family disagrees, she will chop off any piece of Zhu's flesh that is rotten and send it to that person's room."

In the center of the lake, a bamboo door by the water creaked open.

Shan Yue and Xue Xiao came out one after another.

Xue Xiao continued in a low voice, "The current situation is unclear. Your sister is still in the palace, and no one knows where she is. Xue Chen is tied up with the Chang family. Zhu's coffin is still in the mourning hall, and I don't know who will take care of her. The current situation is like a pond of muddy water, with fish hiding in deep holes or among the swimming water plants. We don't know which fish to catch next, so we might as well wait. I have to wait for the other party to return the attack before we can see the other party's strength."

Every 25th and 8th day of the lunar month, we would meet by the waterside to listen to Xue Xiao talk about things happening in the capital. This was the last agreement.

Today is the second lecture, which goes on to talk about how Emperor Taizong of Wei established Jimin Hall, Huimin School and Xinglin Hall, and how the Jiangnan families in the court gradually eroded and controlled the military, the six ministries and the six imperial guards.

Clans have existed since the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. They are warlords in times of war and aristocratic families in times of peace. It doesn’t matter who the emperor is; the clan is the king behind the scenes who controls the situation.

As the situation changed, bandits became rampant, and ruffians emerged, the ability of clans to raise troops was reduced, which meant that a large piece of the pie that the clans could eat was taken away. As the situation developed, most clans took their in-laws with them, and fled to the more prosperous Jiangnan together, declining to become ordinary men of letters - today, many of the ancient families in Jiangnan, if you dig up further, most of their ancestors were clans.

Xue Xiao gave a general idea, and Shan Yue roughly guessed that these clan alliances were the prototype of the current "Qingfeng".

The Imperial Censorate suddenly had something to report, and Xue Xiao's lecture was interrupted. Shan Yue followed him out of the waterside and said, "What Chang family, clan, or family... they are all OK. I am most concerned about Shui Guang."

The most important thing now is to get in touch with Shui Guang.

But this matter is far beyond Shan Yue's capabilities, and she urgently needs the help of her allies.

Shanyue looked at Xue Xiao and said calmly, "Do you have any solution?" Oh, her sister's name is Shui Guang, and her name is Shanyue.

The rippling water reflects the mountain moon.

The mountain moon is indeed a bright and clear full moon.

Xue Xiao lowered his eyes to hide his shock, paused for two seconds, then raised his eyes and looked straight at Shan Yue: "I calculated that there should be a chance in the next two or three days."

"Now, the sun is high and the weather is hot. Zhu's death can no longer be delayed. In addition, Xue Changfeng's madness must be explained. When the time comes, we can use the opponent's force to tear off a piece of Jing'an's flesh, which is like tearing off a wall of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It will be easier to find out the news about your sister."

Shan Yue felt more relaxed than ever when working with Xue Xiao. He even curled his lips and made a rare joke: "Count? You counted with a tortoise shell?"

Xue Xiao raised his eyebrows: "I am a mad dog. It is my natural instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm."

How could Qingfeng just let it go after losing such a great general of the Zhu family? She must have been busy dealing with the old matter between Xue Changfeng and the old prince some time ago. Now that Xue Changfeng is gone, Qingfeng can free up her hands to fight back against him - otherwise why would Zhu's coffin still be in the Xue family, and there is no explanation for it? Xue Chen did not step forward either, perhaps because he was cowardly, or perhaps because he had received instructions; the letter from the capital had already been delivered to Zhenjiang Prefecture at full speed, but the Zhu family still did not show up, what were they waiting for?
Wait, if they want to wait, then just wait.

As long as "Qing Feng" counterattacks, he, as a mad dog, will immediately pounce on the target's mouth and bite it tightly.

The two of them walked along the corridor, and Shan Yue and Xue Xiao talked intermittently.

Shanyue squinted his eyes and saw in the distance an old woman who looked like a fat stool, holding onto a clothesline and circling in the corridor. The scene was very strange, as if the red lacquered toilet and the flat screen had become spirits.

As I got closer, I could vaguely hear some fantastic words like "carp tofu soup", "pregnant", "serving" and so on.
Shan Yue frowned and asked, "What are you planning?"

A calm and gentle female voice came from behind him.

Miss Wang Er waved her hand perfunctorily without turning back: "We are discussing how to take care of Shan Yue's milk!"

Shanyue:?
Xue Xiao:! ?

I suddenly feel a little embarrassed. What should I do?

The next day, the sky was slightly bright and the gate of the Forbidden Palace was about to open.

The officials of the capital city lined up to enter the palace holding their tablets. The first, fifth, and eighth days of the Wei Dynasty were morning courts, and all officials above the fifth rank in the city had to attend. Among the officials with gray beards and hunched backs, the tall and thin Xue Xiao stood out.

There were not many topics to discuss today. Before Wu Dajian could shout "Nothing to do, please leave the court", the cabinet's deputy assistant Yuan Wenying stepped forward with his hands holding the jade pendant, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

On the nine-tiered ladder to the clouds, the emperor stood on the dragon throne and raised his sleeves to indicate that the request was approved.

"Xue Xiao, the censor in the Censorate, had his father imprisoned for a crime and his mother died as a result. According to the laws of the Wei Dynasty, he should observe a three-year mourning period to show filial piety to his mother!" Yuan Wenying said loudly.

There was a low murmur in the court.

No official is willing to observe mourning - in the court, each official is assigned a position. Once a person in mourning is released from his position, it will be three years later. When the mourning period is over, who will still remember this person?
Xue Xiao is the youngest third-rank official in the court!
And now he has the old case of Duzhou dam breach in his hands!

The situation in the court is turbulent and unpredictable. In a blink of an eye, Xue Xiao will be forgotten and abandoned by the officialdom. Throughout history, how many young officials have interrupted their career paths because of this.

Xue Xiao didn't care about the road to success or the ladder to heaven. He only cared that once he handed over the power, the cases he was investigating would never see the light of day again!
But since this matter involved serious mourning, no one dared to speak out.

Yuan Wenying was the second assistant of the cabinet and the emperor's enlightenment tutor. He held a respected position and had an old grudge against Xue Xiao. When Xue Huaijin's corruption case was traced to Yuan Wenying, the clues were cut off and no further investigation was carried out.

It turns out that the opponent's counterattack is here - it is well-reasoned and reasonable.

Xue Xiao lowered his eyes and pulled his robe together, his eyelashes slightly drooping. His handsome and clear face was hidden behind his wide sleeves. His eyes were dim and unclear, and no one knew what he was thinking about.

After a long time.

Along with the sound of "ding-dong" from the emperor's crown on the dragon throne.

"Yuan Cifu——"

Xue Xiao finally spoke in a low voice.

Although the tone was low, it was full of energy, and contained a hint of sarcasm.

"Aren't you meddling too much?"

Xue Xiao raised his official robe, his clear profile raised high, the arrogance in his eyes was exactly the same as the mountain moon in the window: "Zhu's coffin is still in the Xue family's mourning hall. It has not been buried or entered into the ancestral temple. The funeral is not over yet, how can I talk about mourning?"

Xue Xiao snorted coldly and suddenly attacked: "Or is it that Yuan Ci Fu is cursing my father Xue Taibao to die early? "

I heard that Xue Changfeng had a stroke in the Imperial Censorate, and his father's symptoms were exactly the same before his death. He was barely alive, but he was not dead yet.
As for Zhu, she is dead but has not been buried yet, which does mean that the funeral is not yet complete. However, incumbent officials will generally resign and wear mourning clothes immediately after the death of a relative - after all, who would be willing to go to court in mourning clothes and arouse the taboos of the superiors and the emperor!

How could Xue Xiao be so unreasonable!
(End of this chapter)