Chapter 040: Ding Fengbo (Part 3)
Xu Hexue stretched out her palm, and her thin and pale knuckles bent uneasily, falling on the screen, overlapping with the dim outline of her palm through a layer of white gauze.
They kissed each other lightly, with caution and restraint.
The screen could not block the warmth of her palms. Perhaps her fever had not yet subsided, so the temperature was even higher, causing him to blink like a frightened bird when he touched it lightly.
He suddenly remembered that when she had been released from the prison of the Night Bureau and moved into the Taiwei Mansion, he had also placed his hand gently on her forehead to reduce her fever.
He had no erotic thoughts at that time, so he could no longer remember that kind of temperature.
But tonight,
There was clearly a screen between them, and their palms were clearly just touching, but his other hand hidden in the quilt suddenly clutched his robe.
Her pale lips were slightly pursed.
The ghost no longer had a flesh and blood body, and he could not feel his own heartbeat. Only tiny drops of dust floated around him, as if leaping for joy, and then quickly merged into his body.
A solitary lamp flickered, silently mending his broken soul.
"Your hands are as cold as snow, but if we do this, will you feel warmer?" the girl behind the screen asked him.
"You'll be cold, too."
He just said.
“Summer is always hot, winter is always cold. Whether it is hot or cold, it is just temperature. I don’t think there is any difference.”
Ni Su looked at his figure behind the screen. He was like a snowy mountain covered with weeds, lying quietly in the dim shadows. It seemed that no one could approach him, and no one could break his dead silence.
But she suddenly wanted to.
Thinking of this, she pressed her fingers against the screen, pressed against his palm, touched his thin knuckles, and deliberately touched his fingertips and tapped them lightly.
He seemed startled.
Ni Su even heard a bit of his disordered breathing, very lightly, but for some reason, her ears felt a little itchy.
He quickly withdrew his hand, and Ni Su saw his sleeve flicker past.
Above the snow-capped mountains, birds cried out in surprise and flew up with their wings flapping. Although the scene was a little chaotic, this empty mountain seemed to become a little more lively and alive.
Ni Su raised the corner of her mouth and vaguely saw that he seemed to be wrapped in a quilt, with his back even turned.
"Are you angry?"
Ni Su rested her chin on the soft pillow.
"No."
He didn't turn around, still hiding quietly in the shadow.
Ni Su knew that he had a very good temper, as if he would never get angry, but she still asked this question on purpose. After hearing his answer, she asked, "What do you want to eat tomorrow morning?"
"Just eat it."
He said.
"I want to eat sugar cakes, shall we eat together?"
There was silence on the other side of the screen for a moment, and finally, he said "hmm".
The long dark night passed without the two speaking. Ni Su was still in severe pain, but she endured it quietly. In her heart, she was thinking that if he was still unwilling to open his heart, then it didn't matter.
At least during the time he was in the world of the living, she wanted him to be happy.
He could eat his favorite cakes and go to Xie Chunting as many times as he wanted, or go find the crooked tree where he buried his private money as a child.
As long as you are happy, that's all.
The sudden autumn rain in the second half of the night washed the entire yard clean. Yu Wen tiptoed into the house to open the window, and Ni Su, who was sleeping lightly, was awakened.
She first looked behind the screen and saw that the quilt on the couch was neatly folded. The person who had slept there last night was no longer there.
"Miss Ni, the medicine is already being boiled. What would you like to eat this morning?"
Yu Wen turned around and saw that the young woman lying on the bed had opened her eyes. She walked forward and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.
"Candy cake."
When Ni Su opened her mouth, she realized that her voice was a little hoarse.
"Okay, I'll have someone buy it for you."
Yu Wen was quick and skillful. She fetched some hot water to help Ni Su wash her face, and then combed her hair with a comb. After Ni Su finished drinking the medicine, she went out and found a servant to go to the street to buy sweets and cakes.
The errand boy came back quickly and the cake was still hot, obviously fresh out of the pot.
It was no longer raining outside, but the morning mist was damp and hazy.
Ni Su handed a piece of cake to the young man sitting on the edge of the bed, and she also took a piece and took a careful bite.
She would blow on her fingers from time to time.
Ni Su raised his eyes. He was wearing a dark green round-necked robe today. A section of the white collar of his inner garment was visible from the dark green lapel. The rich color made his neck and face look as white as cold jade.
The thin sunlight from the sky shone on his smooth clothing, and the dark patterns of the gold embroidery thread shimmered.
The heat of the cake did not seem to be too strong for him. His long eyelashes were slightly drooping as he ate the cake very seriously. However, Ni Su could not find any expression of satisfaction or joy on his face.
He seemed to be just repeating the same action over and over again.
"You... don't want to eat?"
Her gaze was hard to ignore. Xu Hexue turned his head to look at her and blinked his eyelashes uncomfortably.
"Is it tasty?"
Ni Su asked him.
"Um."
He nodded and took another bite.
Perhaps it was because his appearance was too pleasing to the eye, Ni Su felt inexplicably awkward lying on the bed eating sweets.
She thought randomly, but still ate the cake bite by bite.
On the second day after Ni Su came out of the Drum Court, he asked Cai Chunxu to take some of his own money to buy a lot of medicine and supplements for He Zhongping and the other 35 scholars.
Unexpectedly, He Zhongping came today with some things sent by him and others. On that day, Wu Jikang suddenly suffered from hysteria, and He Zhongping only received a few beatings, and the trial ended hastily.
He Zhongping's injuries were relatively minor among those who were tortured in the Drum Court. After a few days of recuperation, he was able to get out of bed. He immediately came to visit Ni Su.
"Mr. He is also injured. He should take good care of himself. He doesn't need to come to see me."
Through the screen, Yu Wen also lowered the tassel curtain, and Ni Su vaguely saw He Zhongping limping in.
"They are all more seriously injured than me. I'm here today to see you, young lady, on their behalf..." He Zhongping said as he sat down at the table. But as soon as his butt touched the stool, he made a "hiss" sound and jumped up.
Yu Wen couldn't help laughing, and took the cushion and put it on the stool: "It's my fault that I was slow, Sir, please sit down now."
He Zhongping smiled awkwardly and sat down again. His butt felt a little better.
"Are they all right?"
Ni Su spoke from behind the curtain, "When I saw you coming to the Drum Courtyard that day, I was really grateful."
"We have all received the medicine from the young lady. They all said thank you to you, young lady." He Zhongping was a little confused when he heard her say the word "grateful". The smile on his face was a little forced. He lowered his head and said after a while: "Neither they nor I deserve the young lady's gratitude. They feel unfair for Brother Jiming and for themselves, and I..."
He Zhongping's eyes were gloomy: "And I feel guilty towards Brother Jiming."
"If I hadn't told others about his essays and poems, perhaps this wouldn't have happened at all. Miss Ni has been fighting for her brother's injustice and has endured all kinds of suffering in Yunjing. This is truly a heroic act. If I remain indifferent at this moment, how can I be worthy of Brother Jiming's care for me in Yunjing?"
As he spoke, He Zhongping stood up with one hand on the table, and bowed solemnly to Ni Su behind the curtain: "Miss Ni, I used to be afraid of everything, but now I have thought it through clearly. If Wu Jikang is not dead, I am willing to continue to seek justice with you. Justice is clear, and there is a long way to go."
He Zhongping didn't stay long. He was injured and couldn't sit still. He just said a few words to Ni Su and then left.
The door was wide open, and sunlight was shining faintly on the ground.
Ni Su lay on the bed, as if she could smell the refreshing scent of the empty mountains after a recent rain.
She saw the dark green figure standing in front of the window, the remaining raindrops falling on the book in his hand. He was staring at the raindrops that wet the book, and finally his white fingers gently brushed the paper pages.
She was sleepy and at peace.
…
Emperor Zhengyuan had not attended court for the time being due to a headache, and few officials in the court were able to see the sick emperor. Only Meng Yunxian went to the Qinghe Hall for several consecutive days.
"Tell me, what are those people from the Imperial Censorate and the Imperial Academy arguing about?"
Emperor Zhengyuan was in even worse spirits today. He lay on the dragon couch, his voice sounding weak and hollow.
"How do I know the reason?" Meng Yunxian stood outside the curtain, lowered his eyelids, and said respectfully, "But now the people are boiling with anger, and the people all praise Ni Qinglan's sister for being so true and fierce. Moreover, a group of young scholars have also been punished for Ni Qinglan. If the government does not make a decision on Chongyang's injustice as soon as possible, I am afraid..."
"What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid that everyone in the royal family will think that the emperor is not determined to implement the new policy this time. After all, the emperor's uncle Wu Jikang cheated during the winter exam, and the winter exam was specially set up by the emperor to select talents for the new policy. The winter exam is the beginning of the new policy. If the beginning is not good, how can we talk about a new era?"
If the beginning is weak, how can we make the royal family return some of the money they have taken in? If they find that the government is not determined, won't they despise the new policy even more and destroy it?
How much money can be recovered by then?
Meng Yunxian didn't say these words, but that didn't mean that Emperor Zhengyuan wouldn't think of this. He waited quietly, and after listening to the emperor on the dragon couch coughing for a long time, he said, "Please take care of your health, Your Majesty."
"I am really old..."
Emperor Zhengyuan sighed slowly, his chest heaving.
Emperor Zhengyuan seldom addressed himself as "I" except when he was attending court.
"Zhang Jing and Jiang Xianming both submitted memorials opposing the Fengshan ceremony," Emperor Zhengyuan said, changing the subject, "but I think you, Meng Qing, seem to have a different view from them."
"Your majesty is benevolent and generous, and your kindness is greater than Mount Tai. Why can't you perform the Fengshan ceremony?" Meng Yunxian said, bowing again. "I'm afraid that Prime Minister Zhang and Censor Jiang are also worried about wasting money and labor, but now if the majesty can recover some of the money that was used to dredge the river but was embezzled, it can also solve the urgent problem."
Emperor Zhengyuan said nothing and stared at him for a while.
"I heard that Zhang Qing and you parted ways at the city gate, but I see that you still treat Zhang Qing as a good friend."
"Although we have severed our relationship, we still remain as colleagues."
Meng Yunxian responded calmly and without panic.
Only mentioning colleagues instead of friends, Emperor Zhengyuan twitched his lips and tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the bed, tapping it from time to time.
Meng Yunxian lowered his head, listening to the subtle noise and waiting patiently. At this point, Emperor Zhengyuan could no longer avoid the winter examination case that Dengwen Drum Court had taken over.
"I have made up my mind. Meng Qing, please go back."
Emperor Zhengyuan's voice seemed calm.
"I'll take my leave."
Meng Yunxian immediately bowed and then left the Qinghe Hall.
It wasn't raining today, but there was still water in the palace. Meng Yunxian walked down the long white jade steps and headed towards the Council Hall. He didn't care at all that his official boots got wet .
It was lunchtime in the huge government hall, and there were not many officials in the hall. Meng Yunxian walked in and saw a hall attendant collecting a pile of books. He asked, "What are those?"
"Mr. Meng,"
The official in the hall bowed and said, "These are what Zhang Xianggong wanted. They are the performance evaluations of officials during the Zhengyuan period."
"What does he want with these?"
Meng Yunxian felt strange.
The hall attendant shook his head, "I don't know."
"Okay, let me take it." Meng Yunxian walked over and took it, then went to the back hall.
Zhang Jing did not like crowds and did not go to eat with those officials. Hanlin scholar He Tong brought a food box over, and Zhang Jing ate alone in the back hall.
"You're not well yet? Why are you eating these?"
Meng Yunxian walked over and took a look at the porridge and side dishes on the table.
Zhang Jing looked up and saw that he was holding a stack of books in his arms. His expression froze for a moment, then he lowered his eyes and drank his porridge by himself: "Once you are used to eating these, it will be difficult to digest other things."
"What do you want these for?"
Meng Yunxian put all the books on the table and said, "Don't tell me, you want to rectify the administration of officials?"
"You came back to push for new policies but they didn't do much good, and you won't allow me to take drastic measures?"
Zhang Jing didn't even raise an eyelid.
"It's not suitable right now."
Meng Yunxian was in a hurry all the way back from Qinghe Hall. He didn't care whether the tea on the table was cold or not, he just picked it up and drank it.
"When is the right time?"
Zhang Jing drank his porridge while saying, "Meng Zhuo, I see that your courage has been worn out after you were demoted. The emperor wants to hold a ceremony to bury the dead, and you raise money for him. You are really getting better and better being an official."
Meng Yunxian showed helplessness, "The emperor is much more determined to perform Fengshan than to re-implement the New Deal. I mentioned Fengshan in the Qinghe Hall that day in order to make the emperor take the winter examination seriously. At that time, Censor Jiang was in the hall, but he did not refute it. Instead, he wrote another memorial to oppose Fengshan. He is the only close minister that the emperor can tolerate. What about you, Chongzhi? How long have you been back? The emperor still has doubts about you. Why did you write a memorial to slap the emperor in the face at this time?"
When Zhang Jing heard him say "He is the only close minister that the emperor can tolerate", his hand holding the spoon clenched tightly, almost trembling slightly.
He suddenly raised his eyes to look at Meng Yunxian, "You should know how he became that close minister."
Meng Yunxian was stunned.
Of course he knew.
The year that General Xu Hexue died was the year that Jiang Xianming rose to prominence.
"Just because the government can only tolerate him, can't we tell the truth? Is this the way to be an official? The thirteen states in the north have not yet been recovered, and my Great Qi still has to pay 100,000 tributes to the Hu people who plundered my land! The more we suppress the bandits in recent years, the more they continue to cause trouble. In such a situation, the government still wants to waste people's money and energy to offer sacrifices to the gods on Mount Tai?"
Zhang Jing put down the spoon and stood up. "Meng Zhuo, let me ask you, if no one is willing to tell the truth, how can we clear up the world and protect the country?"
"I'm not saying you can't say it, it's just not the right time!"
Meng Yunxian frowned.
"Why is it wrong? You were in the Qinghe Hall today. Did the emperor ask you? Did you speak for me? What position did you take to speak for me?"
Meng Yunxian opened his mouth, met Zhang Jing's gaze, and his throat felt a little dry.
Colleagues, not friends.
Because the government doesn't want the two of them to be friends anymore, it's better for them to remain at odds with each other, so the government won't have to worry about the two of them teaming up to plot anything.
"You have no position, so you shouldn't speak for me."
Even if he didn't say anything, Zhang Jing had already seen through how he handled himself in front of the emperor. "What I want to do and how I want to do it have nothing to do with you. I am a minister of the emperor and also a minister of the Great Qi. I am a king and I also have to serve the country. I can't do what you do and just say things that the emperor likes."
"Zhang Chongzhi!"
Meng Yunxian was afraid that he would say such a thing. The mere word "colleague" hurt him before he even said it. He was usually tolerant. After fourteen years of being demoted, he became more tolerant than before. But in front of this old friend who was still very important to him, his tolerance became intolerable. "Fourteen years ago, the consequence of my rectification of the civil service was that you and I parted ways, you lost your wife and children, and you were injured... It's not that I have changed, I just figured out some things, and I know that some things can't be rushed."
Meng Yunxian confronted him for a while, then he closed his eyes and said something that was almost beyond Zhang Jing's expectation:
"Respect him, the king is benevolent, and the minister is upright."
A ruler should be benevolent, and a minister should be upright.
If the ruler is unkind, then it is of no use for the ministers to be upright.
