Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 111 I, Bai Lu, am not a vegetarian either!
Yan Maoqing naturally did not expect that he would be targeted again so quickly.

wrong!

To be precise, he never expected that he would be targeted by someone other than Zhu Houcong so quickly.

Because now, Zhu Houcong alone has already occupied all of his brain cells.

So much so that she has been racking her brains every day recently, but still can't figure out what Zhu Houcong's intention was in suddenly bestowing the title of Fifth Rank Imperial Lady upon Bailu. How could she have the leisure to care about anything else?

In any case, this is definitely not a good thing for him.

He was still painstakingly searching for an opportunity to retire and return to his hometown before completing his three years of official studies, so that he would never set foot in the officialdom again.

As a result, Lady Bailu became a fifth-rank imperial lady first, possessing a legitimate official position in the court. Where could he possibly reason with that?

Yan Maoqing couldn't help but suspect that Zhu Houcong might be suffering from some serious illness!

Regardless of what so-called "great merit" he has made, even if it is inconvenient to reward him openly, he could at least be secretly rewarded with some valuable things such as gold, silver, or precious jade. Wouldn't that be more discreet than rewarding Bai Lu, who holds an official position in the imperial court?

Besides, whatever comes your way, come at me. I'll take it all, good or bad.

What does it mean to skip over me and go straight to my wife?
Despicable, shameless, and vile!

They actually resorted to stealing bases; are they just standing around doing nothing?
However, Yan Maoqing could also see in the past few days that Bai Lu and the servants she brought from the Bai family clearly had completely different ideas from his.

They've all praised him to the skies:

"My lord, it is the blessing I have accumulated over three lifetimes to be born and to marry you!"

"Look, our master is the most capable. I heard the old master talk about him many times when we were in Jiangxi."

"What does it mean when one person attains enlightenment and even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven? This is it!"

"That's right, our master is the most brilliant scholar among the brilliant scholars, a celestial being descended to earth. We are fortunate to follow Miss to serve him, and we'll enjoy a life of luxury together..."

"..."

In Yan Maoqing's view, the most obvious change due to this event was probably the White Dew solar term.

Previously, Bai Lu was, after all, a virgin. Although she was much more passionate in bed than he had imagined, she was still somewhat shy and resistant to some intimate behaviors between couples.

But after that day, Bailu seemed to have suddenly become enlightened.

Now, when the two are intimate, he only needs to gently press Bailu's head, and she immediately understands, then gives him a charming look and leans down on him...

……

Days went by as usual, and classes continued as before.

Women in the Ming Dynasty generally did not show their faces in public, especially women from wealthy families.

Even during large-scale events like the annual New Year's Day temple fair, they usually have to cover their faces with a face covering when going out, and they also need to be accompanied by their father or husband.

Therefore, when Yan Maoqing went to the academy for his studies, Bailu stayed at home to take care of household chores, so that her husband would not have to worry about these trivial matters.

That day, Bai Lu sat in the pavilion in the backyard as usual, accompanied by her personal maid, and sewed new clothes for Yan Maoqing by hand.

"Madam, Madam, something terrible has happened!"

Bai Sheng, looking flustered for some reason, came over and started shouting from afar.

Bai Lu put down her needlework and stood up, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly as she asked in confusion:
"Bai Sheng, you're an elder in this family who's seen it all. What could possibly frighten you like this?"

"Madam, please forgive my rudeness... but this matter is probably no small thing!"

Bai Sheng ran a few steps forward and, ignoring his still-unsteady breathing, knelt down and said...
"Four constables from Shuntian Prefecture arrived at the gate, carrying arrest warrants issued by the Shuntian Prefecture government. They said they were ordered by the magistrate to take the lady to the prefecture for questioning!"

"Detain me?" Bai Lu could only think of one possibility, and immediately stamped her feet anxiously.

"Have you found out? Could it be that something happened to the master outside?!"

Shuntian Prefecture Government Office!
That's the government office that controls the capital!
Bai Lu and her group had just arrived from Jiangxi, and the most significant thing they had encountered before was related to the county magistrate's office.

Just hearing the words "Shuntian Prefecture" made me feel like the sky was about to fall.

"This... ugh!"

Bai Sheng was momentarily speechless, then slapped his thigh and sighed before saying with a bitter face.

“Madam, although the matter is related to the master, it is not entirely his responsibility.”

“I have seen the arrest warrant brought by the yamen runner. It says that the reason for taking the lady to the Shuntian yamen for questioning is that the master was absent from the wedding ceremony that was held with the lady in Jiangxi, which was therefore not in accordance with etiquette.”

"Now that you are living with your wife again, you have already committed the crime of adultery without a husband, which is morally corrupt and immoral, and has violated the Ming Dynasty's Code of Law..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Bai Lu suddenly calmed down, though her delicate eyebrows remained furrowed.

“There are quite a few people from Jiangxi who hold weddings like this every year. In the county alone, there are at least a hundred or several dozen such weddings. It has never bothered anyone, and no one has ever raised any objections.”

"Could it be that someone is stirring up trouble out of jealousy for my husband's merits, and is deliberately trying to frame us?"

Bai Sheng was anxious, and quickly asked again with a frown:

"Madam, perhaps I should immediately send someone out the back door to summon the master back to handle this matter?"

"No one is allowed to go!"

Bai Lu suddenly shouted in a cold voice, her expression revealing an unprecedented determination; her eyes were like autumn water, her will as firm as metal and stone.
As the saying goes, "The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind." My husband is exceptionally talented and will surely achieve even greater success in the future, which will also attract more jealousy and hatred.

There is also a saying: "A good punch can save you from a hundred punches."

“If someone is indeed trying to frame us, if I back down an inch today, my husband will lose a foot of integrity; if I soften my stance a little now, my husband will lose face tenfold. Even if this matter passes, my husband will probably be ridiculed and talked about in the future!”

"Besides, this matter has nothing to do with my husband. It was all caused by my father's anxiety and eagerness to achieve results. In the end, it was my Bai family that caused trouble for my husband."

"If I cannot share the burden of the troubles caused by the Bai family, but instead linger behind him, stammering and agreeing, wouldn't I become a burden and a shackle to my husband? How can I have the face to stand by his side and consider myself his wife?"

"..."

Influenced by Bai Lu's imposing aura, Bai Sheng seemed to have found his backbone and finally calmed down a bit, but he still didn't understand what this young lady, who hadn't really experienced much since childhood, was planning to do.

Then he saw Bai Lu hesitate for a moment, then lightly part her red lips and utter a clear, cold voice:
"Bai Sheng, immediately write a letter and send two nimble servants to travel day and night back to your hometown in Jiangxi."

"Be sure to convey the importance and urgency of this matter to my father as soon as possible, and teach him to use money to bribe and coerce, and to keep quiet about the magistrate who officiated the wedding that day and those villagers, so that everyone who talks about this matter will only know that my husband and I were married before my husband went to the capital, and that there was no absence... It shouldn't be too difficult for my father to do this."

"Teach him to keep a close eye on any outsiders who have recently gone to the county to inquire about news. This is a matter of great importance to the rise and fall of our two families. My father has many ways to make sure they never return."

"Xiao Tao!"

"Come inside with me and help me put on my phoenix coronet and wedding gown. I never thought I'd have to use my title of Lady of the Imperial Decree so soon."

"By the way, Bai Sheng, when you go out, order your servants to take those four yamen runners with sticks and lead them to the guest hall to wait."

"Then I will put up a gauze curtain in the living room, and then I will meet them in person behind the curtain."

"I want to know exactly who framed us, and who issued that arrest warrant for me. We'll have to settle this score someday!"

(End of this chapter)