Chapter 35: Visiting the Master at Midnight
"Sister Bao means..."
Baochai stood up and bowed, crying, "I also know that this matter makes Brother Cong embarrassed, but...but my mother at home keeps crying, and there is no other way. I can only shamelessly ask Brother Cong for help this time. Even if there is really no other way, I will give up!"
Jia Cong helped Baochai up while thinking, this matter is indeed not a big deal, but the things and forces involved are not small. Of course, he is Wei Qi's disciple, and he is not bad compared to his nephew . It is okay to ask for help, but will this matter make the master embarrassed?
After thinking for a moment, Jia Cong calmed down and said to Baochai, "Don't worry, Sister Bao, I will go to Master's house now to find out about Brother Xue's condition first!"
Having said that, he went straight into the house, changed his clothes, and hurried out the door.
When they arrived at the gate of Wei Qi's house, they knocked gently. A moment later, a servant poked his head out. Seeing that it was Jia Cong, he hurriedly said, "The young master has arrived!"
After opening the side door and letting Jia Cong in, Jia Cong asked, "Is Master resting?"
"The master is still in the study and hasn't rested yet!"
Jia Cong followed the servant straight to the study. After entering, he saw Wei Qi sitting upright reading an article!
"Greetings, Master. It is really abrupt for me to come here in the middle of the night. Please forgive me!"
Seeing Jia Cong, Wei Qi showed joy on his face. He really liked this disciple. In addition, he had no children, so he almost regarded Jia Cong as his half-son.
"Hurry up, I am reading the article you sent me yesterday. It is much better than before. It deserves a 'good' rating! It shows that I have never been idle in my daily life!"
"It's all thanks to Master's good teaching!"
The master and the disciple chatted for a while, and Wei Qi smiled and said, "Brother Cong came here in the middle of the night , I guess it's because of the matter of the Xue family's disciple?"
Jia Cong was not surprised that Wei Qi guessed the reason! Although it was a small matter, it was related to the Yuanping and Kaiguo veins, and it happened in Jiangning County. How could he, a local parent, not know about it? Thinking about the relationship between the Jia family and the Xue family, Jia Cong's purpose was unknown.
"Disciple has caused trouble for Master!"
"You and I are master and disciple. If you don't come to me, I will blame you!" Wei Qi said with a smile, "However, I'm afraid your Jia family won't bother so much about the Xue family's matter. But the Xue family knows about our master-disciple relationship and asks me for help? Moreover, it's hard for me to refuse someone who asks for help."
As expected of a second-class Jinshi, he was really quick-witted and guessed most of the story in just a few words!
Jia Cong blushed for a rare moment, "Master, please understand. The Xue family has a daughter who is a good match for me, and we live next door to each other in the mansion..."
Seeing Wei Qi's playful smile, Jia Cong hurriedly waved his hand and continued, "My disciple was short of money to buy pens and ink, so I found a recipe in an ancient book and did a business with the Xue family. The ice cubes that my disciple sent to Master before were made according to that recipe , and because of this, I am familiar with Miss Xue!"
"Hahaha!" Wei Qi burst into laughter after hearing this, as if he saw the pigs he raised actually taking the initiative to dig up cabbages. Moreover, Jia Cong was usually mature and steady, not like a teenager at all. At this moment, he rarely looked flustered and had flushed cheeks.
"I never thought that my disciple has the ability of Tao Zhu!"
Wei Qi said jokingly, holding Jia Cong's hand, "Xue Pan is imprisoned in the Jiangning County Office. Do you want me to release him?"
Jia Cong waved his hands quickly and said sternly, "How dare I disregard the law and cause trouble to Master? However, I would like to ask if I can go in and see Xue Pan and ask someone to take care of him in the cell."
Wei Qi stroked his short beard and suddenly asked, "What does the daughter of the Xue family look like?"
"How beautiful!"
Jia Cong blurted out, and then he realized that he had been tricked by his master!
Wei Qi laughed again, and then said, "If anyone else came to ask for help, I would naturally not allow it! However, I, Wei Qi's disciple, must give him face! When I go back, tell the Xue family girl that she will only be detained for three to five days, and then she will be released in one piece. You can also go to the county government office to visit her tomorrow!"
"In that case, I think I have explained this to Miss Xue?"
Seeing Jia Cong wanted to say more, Wei Qi said, "Don't worry, I am not violating the law just for you! Let me test you, is there any other reason for me to do this?"
Jia Cong pondered after hearing this. After a moment, he said, "There are three forces competing in the court: Yuanping, Kaiguo, and Wenchen. However, Yuanping is the most powerful because of the emperor, while Kaiguo is gradually declining and the weakest. Wenchen is in the middle ."
"It is in the interests of the civil officials for Yuanping to compete with the founding dynasty, but it is not appropriate for the two sides to be unbalanced. Therefore, Yuanping wants to embarrass the founding dynasty in this matter. If the civil officials can use this opportunity to fight back against Yuanping, then both sides will benefit and the three sides will be balanced!"
"Haha, he is indeed a smart disciple! But there is one more thing, that is, the Yuanping lineage is very powerful, which may make him unhappy!"
Jia Cong suddenly woke up, afraid that this was the root cause!
Yuanping is the direct descendant of the retired emperor and also controls a huge military force. For the current Emperor Longxing, this is not what he wants to see.
Therefore, it is very likely that the confidants of the civil officials of the Longxing Emperor received some hints, so the civil officials wanted to take the initiative to teach the Yuanping lineage a lesson. In fact, this time it might not be as simple as just letting Xue Pan go, and the Yuanping lineage might suffer some losses.
"Okay, I'll have someone light a light to send you back, so that I can also inform the girl from the Xue family." Wei Qi said with a big laugh.
Jia Cong bid farewell to his master and returned to the small courtyard. He hurriedly called Qingwen and gave her a few instructions, asking her to go to Lixiangyuan to report to Baochai.
Although it was already dark in Lixiang Courtyard, the lights were still on. The mother and daughter were sitting in the hall. Aunt Xue's face was covered with tears, and Baochai was whispering to her.
"Madam, young lady, Qingwen from Master Cong's room is here!"
"Please come in!" Baochai's eyes lit up and she spoke quickly.
While Aunt Xue was still suspicious, Qingwen had already been brought into the hall by the maid. "Your servant Qingwen, I greet the aunt and the lady, and I greet Miss Bao!"
"But Brother Cong is back?" Baochai asked anxiously.
"My dear Miss Bao, our master just came back and asked me to pass a message to you! He said that the county lord has agreed and Master Xue will be released in about three to five days. Tomorrow our master will go to the government office to visit Master Xue. In addition, I would like to ask if Auntie and Miss Bao have any words or things to give to Master Xue..."
After listening to Qingwen's words, Aunt Xue and Baochai were both surprised!
