"Girl, it's true..." The maid said nervously: "I have inquired carefully. It is said that Miss Zhan and the group of people were kidnapped directly from outside the city to the Yamen by the Xu family girl! There is a mountain of ironclad evidence.
Come on, I already confessed in front of the court!"
Xia Xi's expression changed drastically, she stared at the maid closely and asked, "Did she say something that she shouldn't have said?!"
"Don't worry, girl. Miss Zhan only said in court that she had no accomplices!"
God knows that when she found out about this, she almost cried.
The girl was restrained by her master and could not do anything she wanted to do in person. So after the Zhou family girl left that day, the girl called her to him alone - saying that she thought she was the smartest and someone who could be used.
Listening to the girl's appreciative tone at that time, she had already realized that the road in life, which was not broad, would inevitably become narrow again.
But as a servant, how can I say no to my master's orders?
Therefore, she became the human-shaped homing pigeon that the girl and Zhan Yunjiao used to convey news and plans.
And to be honest, when she heard the so-called plan, she vaguely felt that it would only be possible if this thing could be done...
Sure enough, look what she said?
Did it overturn?
And the car didn't need anyone else to overturn it, it was overturned in the hands of the driver.
Hearing that Zhan Yunjiao had not confessed herself, Xia Xi breathed a sigh of relief, raised her chin slightly, and seemed to have regained her composure: "It's quite sensible——"
And people are always dissatisfied.
Just a moment ago, she was extremely afraid that Zhan Yunjiao would implicate her, even though she was sure that the other party had no evidence, but once this kind of thing came out, even if the government could not punish her, she expected that her father would not spare her lightly.
.
Therefore, before the maid came back, all she could think about was how to defend herself.
But now, after hearing that the other party did not reveal himself, his uneasiness disappeared, but uncontrollable anger immediately emerged in his heart: "I can't even handle such a simple little thing. I'm really blind to find such a helpless person."
Use the waste to help!”
Everything was clearly well planned, how could Xu Mingyi see through it at a glance?
It must be Zhan Yunjiao's incompetence and the clues she provided are wrong!
It is said that Xu Mingyi has a deep love for her brother, and she will definitely let him go after seeing the letter.
It’s past!
We went over to arrest them all and take them to the Yamen!
But then again——
"Xu Mingyi, this bitch, really doesn't have any dignity at all!" Xia Xi said with disdain in her eyes: "After such a thing happened, she dared to go to the Yamen in such a big way. Isn't she afraid of being spread rumors and rumors turning out to be true?
"
This was one of the reasons why she was initially sure that even if it failed, it would not cause any trouble on the outside.
Involving a person with a clean reputation and a flower-picking thief, which noble lady would choose to expose this matter? - I think at most it would just be a secret investigation.
After all, she underestimated Xu Mingyi's shamelessness and vulgarity!
A government official who only knows how to wield a sword and a stick? How can he teach a girl who is well-educated and has a sense of shame?
No wonder I can end up with a bitch like Xu Ying? Birds of a feather flock together!
Xia Xi sat back in the chair, her emotions rising and falling due to anger and unwillingness.
A moment later? She didn’t know what she thought of? Her eyes suddenly moved.
She raised her head and looked at the maid standing there.
The maid's heart was beating wildly.
Have you just experienced such a thrilling experience? Don’t you still think it’s not exciting enough?
"Immediately go find some people in secret and spread some news in the city at this time - say that she Xu Mingyi? Has been insulted by flower pickers outside the city? She is no longer innocent." Xia Xi said with steady eyes.
After all, not everyone went to the government office in person to observe.
There are many ignorant people in this world who do not know the truth and will be led astray by a few words.
Anyway, the flower-picking thief is so elusive that it is impossible for him to come forward to clarify that he did not do this.
The so-called most beautiful woman in the capital is involved in the most talked-about flower-picking thief recently? She believes it? There are many people who are willing to add fuel to the rumors they have heard.
When the time comes, let’s see if Xu Mingyi still has the face to appear in front of others!
"Girl..." the maid said with some scorn, "I'm afraid this method won't work."
Thank God, the girl came up with such a bad idea, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to stop it if there was a more feasible one.
Xia Xi swept over coldly: "How--"
"Does the girl know something? The real flower-picking thief was caught by Miss Xu in public today..."
"What?"
Xia Xi's face froze? Her eyes were full of disbelief.
"The flower-picking thief was mingling among the people watching the excitement, and somehow he was spotted by Miss Xu? He was captured on the spot, and the man has already confessed his crime."
All in all? Both the real and fake flower-picking thieves were caught by Miss Xu personally? Were they crushed to death in Miss Xu’s hands? There was no power to resist - under this condition, how can we spread the news that Miss Xu was defiled?
Rumors, aren’t they just talking in sleep?
The maid said in a low voice: "This matter has now been spread in the city. Now everyone is praising Miss Xu. If you rashly spread such unconvincing rumors, it must be very eye-catching... Miss,
Let’s just wait and see what happens for a while.”
Waiting to see what happens is naturally a nice thing to say. After all, there is nothing to watch quietly, but she can't tell the girl directly: Girl, please calm down, please don't rush to kill me anymore, okay?
Xia Xi's face turned green and white for a while. She looked at the maid and gritted her teeth and asked, "How much praise do you have? I would like to hear how they praise her?"
The maid sighed helplessly in her heart.
Isn’t this girl deliberately trying to make herself unhappy?
But he could only reply: "It is said that Miss Xu has a bright eye and is straightforward in her actions. This time she has eliminated harm for the people... She is worthy of being the granddaughter of General Xu... Some people even say..."
When the maid said this, she hesitated.
"What else can anyone say?" Xia Xi frowned tightly.
"Some people say... that the vulture that Miss Xu brings with her is also very spiritual... Only this slave girl knows that in some teahouses... there are storytellers who have changed the girl's previous experiences.
The names are mentioned as a book..."
In order to confirm the truth and falsehood, she went to listen to it - and actually felt that it was true and very good.
For a moment, she forgot that the protagonist was a girl from her family. As she listened, she accidentally felt that what Big Bird did was really relieving her anger, and she almost couldn't help but clapped her hands and applauded along with those people.
"It's so outrageous!"
Xia Xi was so ashamed and angry that she grabbed the teapot on the table and threw it out.
The maid quickly lowered her head to avoid him.
Don’t blame her for saying everything, it’s just that the fact that the girl was taught a lesson by a vulture is really popular in major teahouses now, and she can’t hide it for long.
If the girl learns about it from others, she will definitely find trouble with her again, blaming her for not telling the truth - she has experienced this kind of thing before.
Xia Xi was so angry that her chest heaved violently and her eyes turned red.
What storyteller...this must be Xu Mingyi's method again!
Xu Mingyi...
She won't let it go so easily!
…
The night was beginning to darken. In the inner courtyard of the capital government office, Ji Dong was sitting on the edge of the bed, soaking his feet. His white trousers were rolled up high, revealing a pair of bruised knees.
The woman who moved the drum stool and sat aside, rubbing his knees with medicinal oil, was his first wife Mao.
"The flower picker's nonsense in public, what does it have to do with the master? How could the emperor be so angry with you?" Mrs. Mao said angrily while rubbing her husband's knees.
Ji Dong smiled and sighed.
Today, His Majesty summoned him to the palace and asked him in the royal study about what the flower picker had said today.
He had expected this to happen, and before the gentle-tempered Majesty could speak, he knelt down to apologize.
Your Majesty didn't say anything about punishing him.
However, he knelt down for less than half an hour.
It was still a spring day, the sun had set, and the gold bricks in the imperial study were bone-chilling. In addition, he was already thin and did not have a body of flesh to protect his bones like Xu Xiandi. When His Majesty allowed him to stand up, he could only rely on his hands to support the ground.
, it took a while to straighten up.
But Xu didn't want him to limp away, so His Majesty the Emperor kept him talking for a while and then let him out of the palace.
"If you ask me, it's better to resign. Let's go back to the countryside of Lingyang. It would be good for you to be a teacher. At least you don't have to suffer this anger anymore! You are a thankless person all day long. What a shame.
You are thin, and your hair is falling out day by day. My son and I are afraid that you will collapse in the study one day!" The young couple got through it together, and they don't have many taboos about what they say.
Mao didn't like the capital either. On the surface, the ladies were friendly with her, but secretly they often laughed at her for being rustic. She couldn't even learn the Beijing dialect in the years since she came to the capital.
"If I don't become an official anymore and just teach, then where will the students I teach go? What's the use of studying for the world?" Ji Dong patted his wife's hand and comforted him: "You
Don’t worry, I know everything well.”
"You always say that you have an idea... When you dreamed of digging for gold, you even knocked down a wall. You also say that you have an idea."
Hearing his wife mention the past, Ji Dong coughed lightly and was too embarrassed to answer.
Mao lowered his voice again and said uneasily: "But... is it really like what the flower picker said, Daqing is going to be in chaos again? If you don't resign now, if the rebel army invades the capital and we run away, will it be too late?
?”
Ji Dong was noncommittal and just asked: "Why do you want to run?"
"What? You still want to stay as a loyal minister guarding the city!"
"Can't I surrender?"
"..." Seeing her husband's matter-of-fact expression, Mao's mouth twitched.
What about the integrity of scholars?
But she was relieved when she saw that her husband had no such thing at all.
Ji Dong still looked like he knew what he was doing.
Resigning is impossible anyway. He unilaterally announced that he and the governor of the capital have been firmly sealed. No one can easily separate them. After all, if troubled times are coming, it is better to take advantage of now.
Earn two more years of salary and money?
Living your life requires careful planning.
As for sticking to one’s integrity and all that—
That also requires dividing people up.
Ji Dong looked down at his bruised knees.
Hey, it’s not easy to earn some money to support your family.
Mrs. Mao handed over the cloth, and Ji Dong took it and wiped his feet dry. He got on the bed and stretched out his legs to support his bones.
Mao poured him a cup of hot tea.
It was at this time that footsteps came from the window.
Immediately, there was a knock on the door.
"master……"
Recognizing the voice of a close servant, Ji Dong said, "Come in and talk."
The servant pushed the door open and walked in, saying: "Sir, Wu Shisun from Dingnan Palace is here."
"Wu Shisun?" Ji Dong was quite surprised: "Did you explain your purpose?"
"He said he wanted to go to the prison and meet the flower picker."
Ji Dong was even more confused for a moment.
Dingnan Wang Shisun, why did you come to see the flower-picking thief so late at night?
The servant roughly conveyed the original words: "Wu Shisun said that when he fought with the flower thief today, the thief made two moves very fast. He didn't see clearly for a while and couldn't sleep because he tossed and turned. He came to discuss with the flower thief. He wanted to
Please do it for your convenience..."
Ji Dong was surprised and couldn't help but let out a "tsk" sound.
Young people really can't be too idle.
But who is the grandson of King Dingnan? So this cannot be called leisure, but study.
And since everyone has come here in person, he still has to make this convenient.
Anyway, today's trial has been completed, the arrest has been made, and he is waiting to be beheaded. Let Wu Shisun do whatever he wants, as long as he doesn't let the person go.
After Ji Dong nodded, the servant hurried to the front to reply.
Later, a government officer took Wu Chao to the cell.
"Wu Shisun, this is it."
Such an important prisoner was naturally kept in solitary confinement. The yamen officer brought him in, opened the cell door, and then withdrew very wisely and stood guard.
Xiao Qi stood guard at the cell door while Wu Chao walked in alone.
The one-armed man with his feet chained was sitting in the corner of the cell. He raised his head when he heard the movement, and when he saw the person, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes: "Wu Shisun?"
The young man in front of me is so handsome and has such an outstanding temperament that it is difficult for anyone to admit his mistake.
"Do you recognize me?" Wu Chao asked.
The man smiled inexplicably: "Could it be that Shisun is confused? We just met him in court today. Fortunately, Shisun taught me a few tricks. How can I not remember this?"
Wu Chao was noncommittal.
He said he recognized him, which meant that he had not just met her today, and it was just a casual test.
But with the other party's attitude, there's no need to waste more words and questions.
"Have you ever noticed that you have lost something on your body?" The young man stood with his hands behind his hands and asked in a casual tone.
The man subconsciously rubbed his empty thumb with his index finger.
"I thought I lost it accidentally." He looked at the young man and sneered: "It turns out Wu Shisun took it away."
No wonder he came suddenly at this time——
He just said that the dignified grandson of Prince Dingnan couldn't come here specifically to see his joke.
He admitted it very simply, and Wu Chao didn't mince words: "Then tell me, where did you get this finger ring?"
The man leaned lazily against the wall and replied: "This is a gift from a good friend of mine."
"Friend?" Wu Chao looked at him: "May I ask who this friend of yours is?"
