Chapter 46: Sweet After Bitterness
Later, the decree from the front hall was issued.
It is not known whether Huan Yanbo's incident stimulated the Emperor of Southern Qi. He first promoted the Fourth Prince's mother to Rongpin, and then allowed the Fourth Prince to work in the Ministry of Justice after he recovered from his injury, participate in the trial of cases in the Ministry of Justice, and allow him to attend court, which was equivalent to allowing the Fourth Prince, who was idle in the mansion, to participate in court affairs.
After this incident, the Fourth Prince's status in the imperial harem was clearly different; the long list of rewards was merely a minor detail.
The one who came to announce the decree was none other than Wang Zhen, the eunuch who was in charge of writing beside the Emperor of Southern Qi and was also considered a favorite of the emperor. After reading out the long list of rewards said with a smile: "Congratulations, Your Highness, on finally getting your reward after all the hard work. His Majesty also said that Zhang Er was your lifesaver, so let Your Highness handle it as you see fit." Another eunuch brought out two large boxes of snacks: "These are snacks for Zhang Er." There was also a reward of one hundred taels of silver.
Tang Ying kowtowed again to express her gratitude, and the imperial physician announced at an appropriate time: The Fourth Prince could return home to recuperate in a sedan chair, and he would be accompanied by several doctors.
The eunuch followed Tang Ying out of the palace and saw with his own eyes that she gathered the beggars from the four streets to share snacks. She was as happy as if it was New Year's Day. He returned to the palace to report to the Emperor of Southern Qi: "Zhang Er led the beggars from the four streets. The beggars, big and small, all respected him. When they heard that it was snacks from the palace, an old beggar was so happy that he shed tears..."
Emperor of Southern Qi: "There is still chivalry in the market, but the royal family is ruthless."
It was clear that he was lamenting that the Grand Princess and her son had despised and humiliated the Fourth Prince, almost driving him to commit suicide.
The eunuchs serving on duty were terrified and dared not say a word.
His Majesty the Emperor's feelings for the Grand Princess have faded at this moment, so naturally he can be judged as heartless. But one day when he remembers the Grand Princess's kindness in the past, the word "heartless" may not be used anymore.
Tang Ying had not slept all night, and the next morning she had another day trip to the Golden Palace. In the afternoon, she dozed off against the wall with a stick in her arms. Her tattered felt hat was turned upside down on her face, blocking out the sun. She was sleeping soundly when someone knocked on a broken bowl next to her.
She pulled down her felt hat and saw Hongxiang beside Yao Niang throwing a small silver coin into the broken bowl. She bent down and said, "Beggar, Aunt Yao asked you to go back. You have passed the test."
Tang Ying grabbed the silver anchor in the bowl and stuffed it into her arms, then pulled down her felt hat and went back to sleep: "Tell Aunt Yao to give me another month, and I'll go back when I've had enough fun."
Hong Xiang was furious: "How dare you disobey Aunt Yao's orders?"
Tang Ying pulled down her felt hat with a smile, revealing her white teeth: "Yes, if you don't obey, you will be thrown out to be a beggar. If you don't obey again, will you be a night incense seller?"
No one in the Film Department dared to disobey Yao Niang's orders, but Tang Ying was an exception. Even Yao Niang deliberately indulged her. Hongxiang was very unhappy and pulled her cloak tighter: "I will go back and report to my aunt that you are addicted to being a beggar and don't want to go back to the department." She whispered: "It's better to let my aunt kick you out of the department!"
When she turned to leave, a carriage happened to pass by. The people in the carriage lifted the curtain and saw this scene. Hongxiang's face and even her walking posture were very familiar to them.
"Stop the car." Yuan Lang said in the car.
Two years ago, he really encountered a girl in mourning clothes being bullied by several thugs on a snowy night. He watched from a close distance until the thugs tore off the girl's outer shirt, revealing her bellyband underneath. Then he ordered the coachman: "Go back home." They were indeed disguised as people from the Shadow Department. The bullying looked real, but weren't they afraid of freezing on the roadside in such a cold day?
A cold smile appeared on his lips.
The snow was falling heavily and the wheel tracks were heading eastward. The encounter in the previous life was left behind him. Even from a long distance away he could still hear Hongxiang's shrill cries for help.
The mandarin ducks that were held in the heart and slept beside each other in the previous life were just deliberately close to each other.
All the tenderness and love at first sight are just lies woven by conspiracy and cannot stand the test of time.
Hongxiang walked very quickly, as if the beggar who was sleeping with his eyes closed in the alley had annoyed her. The people passing by in the carriage were still cursing in a low voice, and Yuan Lang heard every word. When she walked away, he lifted the curtain and jumped out.
Coachman: "Your Highness, Yanyue Tower is ahead."
Yuan Lang waved his hand to let him leave, walked into the alley with his hands behind his back, and when he saw the outfit, he felt that it looked familiar, and his mouth opened quickly - isn't this Zhang Er, the troublemaker who caused trouble in the court today?
The sharp-tongued Grand Princess and her son were in such a state of embarrassment that they fell flat on their faces.
Zhang Er...
He had been feeling something was strange in the court today, and the closer he got, the more he felt something was wrong. He was still about ten steps away when he suddenly heard a group of people behind him talking in unison, shouting, "Second brother, go home."
Yuan Lang turned his head and saw a group of beggars rushing towards him from the direction he came in. The one in the lead was carrying two fat chickens, and the ones behind him were carrying vegetable buns. They passed him and went straight towards Zhang Er.
Zhang Er lazily straightened his tattered felt hat, picked up his broken bowl, limped to his feet with the help of a dog-beating stick, and was sandwiched between a group of beggars, shouting and yelling.
Yuan Lang stayed in the alley and tapped his forehead: "I really haven't been sleeping well recently. What on earth have you been thinking about?"
After Zhang Er entered the hall today, his walking posture was a little unnatural, but everyone was focusing on the incident itself at the time, so he didn't think much about it.
Just now, when Hongxiang passed by the beggar, a thought suddenly popped up in his mind: Could Zhang Er be from the Shadow Department?
After Tang Ying entered the Imperial Cavalry Division under the pseudonym Zhang Ying, Fu Chen abused his power for personal gain and seconded her to the Fengzi Department. As far as he knew, Yao Niang had also been in the Fengzi Department recently, so this was intriguing.
What he was thinking just now was: Could Zhang Er be Tang Ying?
However, after that, looking at his back as he walked, he was limping slightly, so it was definitely not Tang Ying.
The Fourth Prince's mansion has never been as lively as it is today since its establishment.
First, a team of palace warriors escorted Yuan Jian back, followed by a long list of rewards and several imperial doctors. Before the chief secretary of the royal palace could send these people away and settle them down, a group of people from the Ministry of Works came to the door.
The Minister of Works personally brought his men to visit the patient. When he heard that the Fourth Prince had returned to his room to rest, he was even more polite when speaking to the Chief of the Palace: "Your Highness is ill, so I won't disturb you from recuperating. However, there are still many unsatisfactory aspects of the last renovation of the palace, and I couldn't spare any manpower for the time being, so I put it aside for the time being. I took advantage of today's free time to quickly bring people to clean up."
Chief Secretary Jiao Yue thought to himself: We built the palace in early spring, and now it's winter. Your Ministry of Works must be really busy.
If the master loses face, the servant will not be able to stand up straight.
But today's incident was strange. His Highness came to the palace with injuries all over his body, and not only brought back a large amount of rewards, he also recruited people from the Ministry of Works.
"Since the Ministry of Works has freed up manpower, let's get started right away. Don't wait until next spring." Jiao Yue sent the Minister of Works away, and sent someone to take the people from the Ministry of Works to clean up the mansion, and hurriedly found time to meet the Fourth Prince.
"Your Highness, Your Highness is in trouble."
Although Yuan Jian was stopped in time when he hit his head against the pillar in the Golden Palace, the blow to his head was quite severe and he felt dizzy and nauseous ever since.
For some reason, after he risked his life to seek death, it seemed that the bloodiness that had been buried deep in his body for many years was aroused. At this moment, he seemed to have become a different person. He closed his asked calmly, "What's wrong?"
"Your Highness, people from the Ministry of Works have arrived, saying... that they want to renovate the mansion."
"Tell them to be gentle and not disturb me while I am resting."
Yuan Jian closed his eyes and said, "Don't see anyone else who comes. If it's Second Brother Zhang, bring him here directly."
The chief historian quietly withdrew. Xiao Luzi and Xiao Qinzi cried with joy. They felt sorry for the injury on Yuan Jian's forehead and whispered, "Our prince has finally gotten through all the hardships! The queen has also made it through!"
"You're so noisy, shut up!" Yuan Jian cursed while suppressing his disgusting smile, with the corners of his lips curved. For the first time in his life, he felt happy. Thinking of the look on Second Brother Zhang's face in the Golden Palace, he couldn't help wanting to laugh.
He had been humiliated and treated coldly for many years, and a little kindness from others was enough to comfort him in his life. What's more, Zhang Er, a total stranger, risked offending the Grand Princess and was beheaded to come to the Golden Palace to help him turn things around. It was no exaggeration to say that he was doing him a favor that saved his life.
In a dilapidated temple in the capital, Second Brother Zhang, who was missed by the Fourth Prince, was standing on his feet directing a group of beggars to bury the pot and stew the chicken.
"Hey, have you washed it clean? Use boiling water, boil it a few times before plucking the hair, and clean the roots..."
"Have you ever cooked before?" I really wanted to borrow Uncle Fei from Master Fu so that he could teach these beggars how to cook.
"Second brother, we are beggars. We just need to beg for food. What kind of meal should we make?" Baozi, who had been released by Xiong Yu, carefully bit off a small half piece of the snack from the palace that he had just received today. He felt the crispy crust melted in his mouth. He held the remaining half in his palm and smelled it again and again. He was reluctant to swallow the one in his mouth.
He was given two pieces of dessert today, and he had already finished one, leaving only this one.
His words caused his companions to laugh, and everyone echoed in unison: "Second brother, don't you know that we are beggars?"
Tang Ying, who had originally planned to be a hands-off boss, had to do it herself. She instructed a few nimble little beggars to pluck the feathers, while she drew a dagger and prepared to cut the chicken.
When the beggars saw that she actually had a knife, they felt that Zhang Erge was unfathomable and much more powerful than Chang Sanke, who used to be only a boaster and scolded everyone.
"Second brother, where did you get the knife?"
"It's a family heirloom." Tang Ying grabbed a few strands of hair from the beggar next to her and said, "Come and see. This is a precious sword that can cut hair with a single blow. There is only one of its kind." She performed a small show before the meal, which attracted a group of beggars to shout and laugh.
An hour later, the chicken stew in the big iron pot in front of the dilapidated temple was finally cooked. The beggars, who had been drooling with greed, rushed forward with their broken bowls and almost overturned the pot. Tang Ying cursed with a dark face: "I asked you to eat, but do you only want this one? Even begging for food knows there will be another meal, don't you want to eat the next meal?"
Don't look at Brother Zhang's smile. Everyone still remembers his glory of defeating the bosses of four streets. They dared not to do anything rash. Tang Ying continued to scold: "Everyone, line up for me, one by one! The old and weak ones and the young ones should line up in front, and the strong ones should line up at the back. Those who still want to grab it, stand aside and don't eat it!"
She carried a large iron spoon, two spoons of meat and vegetables, and two steamed buns for each person. She cursed and scolded the greedy beggars as she served the food, just like a fireman in a military camp.
