"My lord, you are so complimentary! It is my honor to be able to relieve your worries and relieve your troubles! If I had not taken you in when I was desperate, I would still be wandering around now!"
Seeing that Xia Qing truly respected him, He Zhongkuan was deeply moved. He also talked about the past and expressed his gratitude to Xia Qing for taking him in.
After everyone left, Min Feng stayed. Xia Qing knew that he had something to say, so he left him in the study.
After Xia Qing returned to the desk, he planned to arrange the matter first. He had to move faster. The emperor had been very worried about the border payment in the past few days, and his patience had already been worn away.
If he didn't act faster and made the emperor unhappy, he wouldn't be able to save any face.
Xia Qing took a deep breath. The emperor didn't pay attention to the merchant's wealth and Gu Chengyu's soap recipe, but he didn't expect to pay attention to him.
And he didn't know it yet. If Mr. He hadn't reminded him, he really wouldn't have thought of it.
After all, he is old and has lived a comfortable life for too long. It is too cold at high places, and there are not many officials in the government who can take action against him.
He couldn't help but feel a little lax. After so many years of pampering, he lost his vigilance.
When Min Feng saw that Xia Qing was sometimes deep in thought and sometimes writing on the paper, he knew that the teacher was trying to deal with the aftermath. He did not dare to say anything, so he had to wait patiently.
After a long while, Xia Qing put down the pen, picked up the letter in his hand, took a look at it, and then nodded.
I dried the ink on the paper, put it in an envelope, and sealed it with wax. I called a guard and asked him to deliver the letter to Yingnan Mansion overnight.
After handling this matter, Xia Qing looked a little tired. He rubbed his brows and felt very weak.
When Min Feng saw that the teacher had finished his work, his legs softened and he knelt down in front of Xia Qing.
"Teacher, what happened this time is that the students are useless, and it's hard for the teacher to take care of the students." Although Xia Qing blamed herself, she also complained a little.
The teacher asked him to do this, otherwise the emperor would not punish him.
Ming'er, the Imperial Academy must all know about this, and he has lost all face. How could Gu Chengyu hide it for him? It must have caused uproar in the city.
Min Feng didn't know that he was judging a gentleman's heart with a villain's heart.
Gu Chengyu did not mention this matter in the Hanlin Academy, and Zhang Hai himself was involved, so it was even less likely to mention it.
It was definitely spread, and it was still the same saying, there is no airtight wall in the world. However, that was only a few days later.
Besides, because those people were worried about Xia Qing, even if they knew it in their hearts, they couldn't talk about it in front of Min Feng. Wouldn't that be a slap in Xia Shoufu's face?
Xia Qing looked at the kneeling disciple in front of him and saw that he looked respectful and guilty, and couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted!
"You! You have turned a deaf ear to what I told you before. This time, I learned a lesson. It's a pity that a good achievement has now turned into a mistake, and I almost committed the crime of deceiving the emperor.
"
Xia Qing saw that Min Feng's face turned pale, and said: "This incident is to teach you a lesson. You must work diligently in the future. If you don't become an official, you will lose your past diligence. Those romantic poems and poems,
From now on, if you don’t get involved, it’s just a false reputation. It has no need in the officialdom. It’s just the icing on the cake! Get up!”
Xia Qing really spent a lot of time thinking about this disciple, and she sincerely planned for him.
As soon as Min Feng heard this, he knew that the teacher had forgiven him. He stood up carefully and asked about the side salary.
Min Feng didn't hide anything from him and told him roughly what happened.
This made Min Feng feel even more guilty. In order to make up for his mistakes, the teacher even had to abandon his clan members.
He was so grateful that the teacher did his best for him.
He was originally just a poor scholar. If he hadn't taken refuge with his teacher, he wouldn't have the good life he has now.
"Students must be cautious in their words and deeds in the future, work harder than before, and strive not to lose the teacher's face."
Seeing that he was sincerely repentant, Xia Qing respected him more than before and was very pleased.
"Teacher, that Mr. He is so powerful, I'm afraid his strategy is slightly inferior to yours."
Min Feng suddenly thought of He Zhongkuan and felt that this man had a deep scheming mind, as if all these troubles would be solved easily if he took them into his hands.
Xia Qing couldn't help feeling a little proud when she heard that Min Feng spoke highly of this person, but put him ahead of He Zhongkuan.
Although I think Min Feng is a bit of a flatterer, who doesn't like to hear someone be obedient?
"This person's strategy is indeed great. He has given me advice for my master several times. Every time I have the upper hand in the game between my master and others, he is considered a rare talent."
Xia Qing nodded as he spoke, which showed that he also admired He Zhongkuan very much.
"Weishi rescued him by chance two years ago. At that time, he was still working under a merchant. Only that merchant committed a crime, and he almost got involved. In the end, there was still some involvement between the merchant and Weishi's tribe.
My master found that this man had a clear mind and some strategies, so he brought him back to the mansion."
Xia Qing only said a few words briefly, but did not elaborate on the specific reasons.
Min Feng had seen the heroic martial arts of those just now, and his mind was much clearer than before.
"Then there won't be any problems with this person, right? If he's a spy from someone else's house, that would be a bit troublesome."
Xia Qing was very happy when he heard this and nodded with satisfaction. Not bad! It seems that after experiencing this, he is more calculated than before.
"Don't worry! There is nothing wrong with this person."
He Zhongkuan followed a boy carrying a lantern and returned to his small courtyard in Xia Mansion. He had no wife or children and lived here alone.
After returning to the house, he dismissed the boy. After He Zhongkuan washed up, he held his breath and listened to the movement outside the house for a while, feeling that there should be no one outside.
He took the candlestick into the study on the side of the bedroom, took out a piece of paper cut into a one-foot square, put it on the table, and started writing quickly by the candlelight.
Not long after, he put down his pen, took out a small bamboo tube from his sleeve, and put the note in it.
After sealing the bamboo tube, he hid it close to his body and then lay down on the bed.
The next day, at dawn, the officials of the Dayan Dynasty who were going to court were already waiting outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Xia Qing stood in the first place with his hands down, looking at the green bricks on the ground, lost in thought.
He had already arranged everything that should be arranged yesterday, and was just waiting to go to court today.
I just don't know if the emperor will be angry if he mentions this matter in the court meeting. He is already prepared, and he will definitely be severely reprimanded by the emperor today.
Standing behind him, King Shen Shikang looked at the figure in front of him who was bowing his head in thought, and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth into a sneer.
He and Xia Qing had always been friendly on the surface, but secretly plotted against each other. Who said that Xia Qing had suppressed the officials of the second prince's faction before?
The emperor summoned him yesterday afternoon for the sake of border payments.
Shen Shikang couldn't help but smile to himself as he mentioned Xia Qing as a side salary. He, Xia Qing, also had this day.
This was a big problem that had always troubled civil and military officials. He wanted to see how Xia Qing could solve this problem, even if the Ministry of Revenue did not release the money.