Ink Burns

Chapter 73 A Passing Encounter

The day after He Dong, someone came from Liu Mansion and asked Shan Yue to come to the mansion.

This was the first news from the Liu Mansion since Cheng Xinghe’s crime was exposed.

It has been nearly half a decade since the last time.

Shan Yue originally thought that her portrait had been rejected and that she had lost hope of becoming the "Qing Feng"—she wore a veil, revealing two eye holes, and she had gone out to frame someone during the painting. When she came back, the painter had left, leaving only a pair of eyes painted with a few strokes.
I don’t know what the painter drew in the end. It’s understandable that there is an extra nose and one missing ear.

But the Liu family still let her go, which means that the matter is still in progress and she is not out yet.

To be honest, Shanyue was a little hesitant about whether to take advantage of the momentum of "Qingfeng" to enter Beijing: she knew too little about "Qingfeng" and had no idea what this crimson post meant. She didn't care whether it was a dead end or not, but she was afraid of being trapped in this situation with no possibility of escape - then how could she look for people to collect debts based on the list?
If she wanted to escape at this point, she could go to the capital alone to look for another opportunity, which was not impossible, but it would be time-consuming and laborious.

It’s nothing. Isn’t this what she has been doing all her life?
The carriage rolled forward. Shanyue put her hands on her legs and walked all the way from Cheng's house to Liu's house. This time, she went through the side door. The person who met her was the old grandmother who taught the class. She looked very happy. She congratulated her as soon as she met her: "Young lady, great news!" But she didn't explain it clearly. She just led Shanyue forward with a mysterious look on her face. When they came to a corridor next to the main courtyard to take shelter from the rain, she quickly pulled Shanyue's sleeve and said: "--Take shelter."

Then he turned around, and urged Shanyue with his peripheral vision: "Turn around! Don't let him see your face clearly!"

Shan Yue immediately turned his back.

Not long after, a voice came from behind: "Master Liu, please stay. There is no need to see you off."

It is a sound as low as a line.

Then came an old man's voice full of vicissitudes and sophistication: "That's not appropriate. Although you don't have the imperial sword, you have the sage standing behind you. Although I have retired and cannot serve the emperor, I must not take advantage of my age and make a fool of myself in the Jiangnan officialdom for Censor Xue."

Shan Yue's head was low, and with his peripheral vision glancing to the left, he could only see a tall figure in a light grass green color through the canna lilies whose leaves had all fallen, leaving only thick branches.

The Censor Xue mentioned by Mr. Liu left a glimpse of his back, and his broad shoulders and narrow waist made the green look like the evening breeze blowing through the pines, revealing his ancient elegance.

That Fengrushong chuckled intermittently, but the sound could not be heard due to the distance. "There are many talented people in Jiangnan officialdom. The worst score in the Chengde North-South list is 1:72. How dare I laugh at Jiangnan officialdom? - Today I am here to investigate the Duzhou dike breach case 20 years ago. I am just following orders from the Lord. You don't need to mind, Mr. Liu. It's not just you. There are also Han Chengrang from Suzhou and Qiu Huaibi from Jinling. I will go to all those who handled the case back then. I will investigate what needs to be investigated, jail those who need to be jailed, and die of old age. All will be handled according to the laws of the Wei Dynasty. I will not let them off just because they are dismissed and return home. The Lord means that there will be no leniency."

Lord Liu laughed twice, as if squeezed out of his throat, dry and awkward: "Good, good, good! Seeing the young people full of vigor and ambition, I feel proud, proud too!"

The young and deep voice was like a hook with poison on it: "Ban Gu said, at seventy, the Yang Dao is at its peak, the ears and eyes are not sharp, and the people who fall down are therefore dismissed. The Great Wei law says 'a doctor should be punished at the age of seventy'.

"If you calculate carefully, you resigned at the age of 63, Han Chengrang retired at the age of 60, and Qiu Huaibi was even younger, resigning due to illness at the age of 58."

"There are many talented people in Jiangnan officialdom, but few of them are able to work after the age of 70. After Mr. Liu retires, if he has nothing else to do, in addition to guiding his students and disciples in the imperial examinations, he can also patiently train the young officials who have just come up. They must take care of their health, extend their official careers, and serve the court."

This is a way of pointing fingers and scolding officials who come from the officialdom of Jiangnan for being in poor health.

Lord Liu's smile was still bubbling out of his throat like a spring that was about to dry up: "Yes, yes, yes, that's what Censor Xue said."

The vigorous green of the pine trees blown by the wind passed by the cannas, and nothing could be seen except the majestic bearing and the seven-foot-tall figure.

The old grandmother paused for a moment, and seeing that there was no sound for a long time, she turned around, pulled Shanyue over and continued walking forward.

Shanyue paused and said, "Please take me to the small room and sit for a while. I will go to see Master Liu later." "How can I do that?!"

Shan Yue said in a deep voice: "Master Liu has been ridiculed for a long time. If you run into him now, wouldn't you be the first target?"

The old grandmother understood instantly and felt ashamed: it had only been three years since she left the imperial palace, but she had already lost her vigilance against the threat of a dead end!
"You are very good." The old grandmother looked at Shanyue as if she was looking at Liushang's clever little palace maid, and she cherished his talent: "With your quality, if you enter the palace, you can become the master of a palace at least."

Shan Yue lowered his eyes: It’s not that I haven’t thought about this path - the concubines of the Great Wei Dynasty were all born into aristocratic families, but it was also not uncommon for the daughters of common gentry to enter the palace as conscripted female officials and climb all the way up to become concubines or empresses.

This is a relatively fair track.

Whether she was the daughter of a nobleman or a farmer, once she entered the palace, everyone stood at the same starting line and ran according to the same standard.

If there is really no other way, she doesn't mind entering the palace and becoming a concubine who listens to others' advice.

The old grandmother had an extraordinary status in the Liu Mansion, so she had a smooth journey. She took Shanyue to the flower room next to the main hall, where Shanyue's portrait was that day. She boiled a pot of tea and handed Shanyue a white mint candy.

Shanyue sat on a small stool and sipped his wine. After a while, he heard a sound like a gavel slamming on the table in the main hall next door.

"He's outrageous!"

It was a strange male voice that I had not heard before.

Shanyue raised his eyes and looked towards the old grandma.

The old grandmother leaned in and whispered, "Master Liu's eldest son, Master Huan, returned home from the capital the day before yesterday. He was born in the Canal Transport Commissioner's Office and is currently under investigation for a case."

Victims of the Shanglu fake medicine incident.

Shan Yue nodded slightly.

I heard the cold and sneering voice of Lord Liu again from the main hall: "Be careful with your words - even if your father was in office, he was only a fourth-rank prefect. Xue Xiao is in his early twenties and has taken the position of a third-rank official at a young age. I am only a few years older than him. It is good for him to respect the elderly. If he is unwilling, it is normal for him to instruct and punish me as a superior - it is more prestigious and there is no need to fight for the moment."

Liu Huan sneered: "Although you have done something wrong, you still deserve to be called a master. He always calls you Old Liu, and even calls his uncles by their names! He doesn't do anything to save face. I'm afraid that this third-rank official is a favor bestowed by the kitchen lady!"

"Snapped--"

The sound of palms waving against faces.

"I told you to be careful with your words! No matter if he was raised by the Kitchen Goddess or the Queen Mother, now that he is sitting in that position, as a subject you must be respectful! Put away your arrogance as a son of a noble family! It is a good thing that I told you to stay at home without work now, so that you will not bring disaster to my Liu family if you stay in the capital!"

Master Liu shouted angrily.

　I didn’t update yesterday, but I’ll make up for it today, with one more update.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)