Volume 2 Chapter 39: Hearing Whispers in the Flower Path
The tall woman said, "Yes, I got it this afternoon. It said that if Xie Zhongju follows the wishes of King Liang and does not interfere in the Jiangnan area, this will be the exchange condition."
The maidservant was surprised and said, "The palace maids of all dynasties only died of old age in the palace. There has never been a precedent of releasing palace maids from the palace."
The tall woman sighed and said, "Prince Liang can enter and leave the palace as if he were at home. Is there anything he can't do? This condition is quite tempting."
The maid said anxiously, "Sister, this opportunity is rare, so you should ask Xie Zhongju to agree to it!"
The tall woman was silent for a while, then said, "Nine years in the deep palace, no one wants to stay there, but... Oh, let me think about it."
The maid said, "Sister, what else do you want? For the sake of Inspector Xie's lifelong event, you should agree to it."
The tall woman chuckled, stretched out her hand to scratch the waist of the girl with the maids, and said, "Little girl, do you want to get married?"
The maidservants laughed repeatedly when she tickled them. They quickly grabbed her hands and came forward, saying in a tender voice, "Good sister, then will you let me marry Inspector Xie?"
The tall woman suddenly cried out, "Sister, please keep quiet and don't wake anyone up. It's nice to come out and relax, but it's time to go back." After saying that, she and the woman with maids walked away.
It was not until they disappeared into the darkness and their soft voices could no longer be heard that Lin Jianlan and Yuan Xingjian came out from behind the rockery. They had not dared to breathe just now, but now they both breathed a long sigh of relief and looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Lin Jianlan thought to himself, "That tall woman looks like the wife of Inspector Xie, right? It seems that the beautiful lady is also quite interested in him, but his wife doesn't mind, and they have a very harmonious relationship."
Seeing that Yuan Xingjian seemed to be frowning in deep thought, and the surroundings were silent, without the woman's laughter, it seemed even more depressing, so he said, "I didn't expect that Inspector Xie already has a family."
Yuan Xingjian exclaimed, "Ah!" and then came to his senses and said, "Inspector Xie is young and successful, has a bright future, and is also very handsome, so it's natural that he will be favored by women. Besides, it's not a problem for a man to be unromantic when he's young."
Lin Jianlan said, "I never said this was a problem. I'm too envious of him to even think about it. But he actually had an affair with a palace maid. His wife didn't mind it and instead planned for him. It's really unexpected."
Yuan Xingjian said: "The Tang Palace has been corrupt since Empress Wu came to power. As the saying goes, if the top beam is not straight, the bottom beam will be crooked. Even the imperial family is like this, not to mention that Lord Xie is also a good minister. No one is perfect."
Lin Jianlan smiled and said, "Brother Yuan has been speaking for Master Xie!"
Yuan Xingjian said, "From what the girl said, it seems that he is not looking for a quickie, but really wants to find a way to get the maid out of the palace. Maybe it's a good match." But he heard Lin Jianlan sighing for no apparent reason, so he asked hurriedly, "Why is Young Master Lin sighing?"
Lin Jianlan said, "Alas, I thought that Inspector Xie would be like the storytellers I heard when I was a child, a hero saving a beautiful girl and having a happy marriage with Miss Xiaohui. It turns out that he has someone else to love. I can't help but feel a little disappointed."
Yuan Xingjian laughed and said, "These stories made up by storytellers are just to please the audience. They start with sadness and end with happiness and joy. Do you believe that?"
The two of them walked slowly forward while talking. Seeing the light from the study getting closer, Lin Jianlan thought to himself, "It's already so late, and Mr. Xie is still working all night to handle official business. It's really admirable." Yuan Xingjian knocked on the door gently and asked, "Has Mr. Xie gone to bed?"
Suddenly, there was a "bang" sound from inside, as if something had hit the ground. Xie Zhongju hurriedly said, "Brother Yuan? Please wait a moment."
After a while, the door was opened, and Xie Zhongju invited the two of them into the room, saying, "I didn't expect you two to be still awake at this time."
Lin Jianlan said, "How can the jar of wine you prepared be enough for Brother Yuan to drink? The two of us went out for a drink, and when we came in from the back door, we saw the light was still on in your room, so we came to bother you." He saw piles of documents on the table, scattered left and right, and glanced at the neat and beautiful handwriting on them, with several columns of silver amounts. He knew that Xie Zhongju was still sorting out the day's events.
The cool breeze blew in through the window, making the papers rustle slightly. Xie Zhongju quickly bent down, picked up a paperweight and pressed it on the table. When he stood up again, he looked a little flustered and asked, "Did you two come from the garden? Did you see anyone?"
Lin Jianlan and Yuan Xingjian looked at each other and finally felt that there was no need to lie, so he said, "Master Xie has a family, so there is no need to hide it from us . I just saw his wife walking with a woman in the garden, but I felt it was inconvenient to meet them, so I avoided it with Brother Yuan."
Xie Zhongju blushed and said, "I was originally going to inspect Jiangnan, and I had to bring my family with me. It was too embarrassing, so I didn't tell you two. I wonder... do Brother Yuan and Master Lin have families?"
Lin Jianlan said, "From what I heard from Madam, she is quite virtuous and knows how to deal with people. I am not as lucky as Master Xie and I am still unmarried. I wonder if Big Brother Yuan has a wife?"
Yuan Xingjian said, "I have been running around all these years. Is there any beauty willing to suffer with me? I am too lazy to be bound by this." Then he laughed and said, "This is just my words of self-consolation. In fact, I envy Mr. Xie for having such a virtuous wife by his side."
Xie Zhongju said, "Brother Yuan is handsome and talented in both civil and military affairs, but he cares about the people of Taihu Lake and has never worked hard on this matter. A man should have no worries about not having a wife." The three of them all smiled. Xie Zhongju knew that the two of them came here late at night and were not here to discuss marriage. He turned around and poured two cups of cold tea and said, "No one is here to serve you, so I can only serve you cold tea. You two must have something important to do here late at night, right?"
Yuan Xingjian said seriously: "There are indeed some things, but before that I want to confirm, does Mr. Xie still have the heart to serve the country?"
Xie Zhongju was stunned and said, "Of course, why do you ask this, Brother Yuan?"
Yuan Xingjian asked: "How does the desire to serve the country compare to the desire to marry a beautiful woman?"
Xie Zhongju was stunned again, not knowing what Yuan Xingjian meant. Lin Jianlan said, "Although we have not met your wife, we have heard her conversation with that woman, and she revealed that Lord Xie intended to take a maid out of the palace." He felt a little uncomfortable when he said this, "Brother Yuan and I had no choice but to eavesdrop. We were eavesdropping, so I hope Lord Xie will not blame us."
Xie Zhongju was stunned for a moment, then he understood and smiled, "Brother Yuan, are you worried that I'll be bribed by the King of Liang?"
Yuan Xingjian said: "Since ancient times, there have been emperors who loved beauties more than the country. Lord Xie was a romantic young man, and the beauty was lonely in the deep palace. If you agree to King Liang to make a beautiful thing happen, it is also human nature. I can understand it, but..."
Xie Zhongju asked: "Just what...?"
Yuan Xingjian said: "If this is the case, then my wish to open up to you and express my true feelings will be thrown out of my mind."
Xie Zhongju said sternly, "Even if I take the maid out of the palace, the people of the Three Wus will be ravaged by corrupt officials and bullies again. Not only will I let down my father who has high expectations of me since I was a child, but she will also look down on me if she finds out." At this point, he suddenly smiled and looked at Yuan Xingjian and said, "More importantly, if I collude with King Liang like this, I will miss a chivalrous man like Brother Yuan. This price is a bit too high."
Yuan Xingjian had listened to Mrs. Xie's conversation in the garden, and his heart was heavy. However, his few casual words eased his worries. It seemed that he took this "bandit" of the underworld very seriously. He looked up in surprise and saw Xie Zhongju standing by the table. He looked at him carefully and saw that he had changed out of his official uniform and was wearing a plain dress. In the cool night, he still had a white robe on his shoulders. It turned out that he was so thin, but he had a strong character, as if he contained endless power.
Lin Jianlan said: "Since Sir Xie has stated his position, Brother Yuan can tell you what is in your heart, but Sir Xie needs to persuade him for me."
Xie Zhongju didn't know what Lin Jianlan meant, but Yuan Xingjian stood up and walked to the window, looking him straight in the eye and said, "Forgive me for asking one more question. Lord Xie said in front of the hall that any civilians in the Taihu Volunteer Army who are willing to return to their hometowns to farm will have their annexed land returned and will be given money to return home, and their names as bandits will be erased. Do you really mean that?"
Xie Zhongju nodded and said, "I don't have the power to make such a promise. Now that I have said this, Brother Yuan should know that this is the instruction of the current emperor. I will inspect the towns and villages along the way in the Jiangnan area, assess the performance of the government, calm the anger of the people, and try my best to spread this message throughout the countryside."
Yuan Xingjian said: "There are countless towns and villages in Jiangnan Road. If you want to travel through them all, it will probably take a year or so."
Xie Zhongju frowned and said, "This is my dilemma. This cannot be achieved overnight. If we can see results in half a year, it will be considered fast. However, Prince Liang and Lai Junchen have colluded and made false statements in the court to confuse the emperor. The emperor does not want to believe them, but he cannot listen to me completely. He only gives me three months. Therefore, I can only stay in small villages and towns for a while, and the effect of pacifying the people will be greatly reduced."
Yuan Xingjian lowered his head and pondered for a while, then said in a deep voice: "The people rose up because they were oppressed too much by various harsh policies and bullies. If we can make them return to their homeland and restore the beautiful scenery of the south of the Yangtze River, it will be a blessing for the people. I am willing to lend a helping hand and help Brother Xie achieve this great feat."
Xie Zhongju shook his head and said, "Brother Yuan, we both know your identity. I am very grateful that you did not stop me. How can I ask you to help me?"
Yuan Xingjian smiled and said, "Don't worry about that. Just continue your inspection and wait for good news."
Lin Jianlan said anxiously: "Brother Yuan, you can't do that!"
Xie Zhongju saw Lin Jianlan's face change drastically, knowing something was wrong, and raised his eyes and asked, "Brother Yuan? What method did you come up with to help me?"
Yuan Xingjian turned his face to the side, looked out the window, and said slowly: "Although most of the rebels are ignorant civilians, they are loyal and righteous. If Chief Li and I are together, they may not abandon us. If Chief Li and I personally send out the order to disperse them, we can quickly accomplish this. In a few days, we will invite all friends in the world of Jianghu to the Taihu Grand Gathering in the name of the Taihu Rebel Army. I will announce this matter then. As for the future, it depends on you, Brother Xie. I hope you can clear out the foul smells in Jiangnan."
But Lin Jianlan said, "Is there no other way? Brother Yuan, why didn't you tell me the whole story? Although the common people can be exempted, the leaders of the rebellion have had no other way out since ancient times. You could have hidden yourself in the martial arts world with your martial arts skills, but if you make this public, in the eyes of the outlaws, it will be the same as you selling out the righteous army and their hard work to the court. Even if the court doesn't kill you, I 'm afraid there will be no place for you in the martial arts world anymore!"
Yuan Xingjian turned around and tried to defend himself: "Except for the Jianghu and the imperial court, is there nowhere else for me to go?" After saying this, he froze on the spot, not knowing what to say. After a while, he said distressedly: "Thank you, brother, you don't have to be so sad. I only have one life, it's worth it."
Xie Zhongju's eyes were filled with tears at this moment. He lowered his head slightly and the tears immediately flowed down. Lin Jianlan saw his shoulders shaking slightly, thinking that he was very sad. This true feeling was not artificial. Although he didn't understand why a court inspector attached great importance to the life of a bandit leader, he felt that he was wholeheartedly serving the people and did not look down on the people of the green forest.
Xie Zhongju lifted up his sleeves and wiped his eyes slightly. He exhaled slowly and calmed down a little. He said, "Brother Yuan, who do you think I am? How could I stain my red official robe with the blood of others? Let me think about this matter carefully. There is always a feasible way. Brother Yuan, please don't act impulsively. I will try my best to report the inside story to the emperor. If I can't save Brother Yuan's life, I..." At this point, Xie Zhongju said in a deep voice, "I have always had an idea in my mind, but it is too abrupt. I am afraid that Brother Yuan will look down on me as a bureaucrat. If you don't mind, I am willing to make friends with you, become sworn brothers, and swear to die on the same day."
Yuan Xingjian shook his head and said, "Xie Xian brother, your heart for the people is as clear as the sun and the moon. I already regard you as a brother, but I cannot make friends with you, otherwise wouldn't I drag you down with me?"
Lin Jianlan said with a smile: "Brother Yuan, how about you trust Lord Xie? Recruiting the Taihu bandits is a great achievement. Lord Xie may not be unable to persuade you to do this. Even if the court does not allow you to live, I have a way to make the bandits tolerate you."
Xie Zhongju and Yuan Xingjian were both delighted and asked, "What else do you have in mind?"
Lin Jianlan said, "From what I can imagine, wherever Lord Xie goes, he only has a few tricks to appease the people. He promised in the hall to recruit the village heads of each village and town to preach everywhere and post notices, is that right?"
Xie Zhongju said: "There is really no other way."
Lin Jianlan said: "Brother Yuan, you are exaggerating a little. The people took refuge in Taihu Lake in order to have a glimmer of hope for survival. Now there are so many people gathered here because Taihu Lake can provide them with food, and friendship is secondary. This requires Brother Yuan to work hard. First, find reliable people to spread rumors, saying that the Green Forest gangs will no longer donate, and slowly reduce the military rations. Second, block the news from the outside, and don't let the Green Forest know that there is a shortage of silver in Taihu Lake. If the silver can't be provided, and food is gradually in short supply, they are all good people, and they don't have the courage to steal. In less than half a month, people's hearts will slowly disperse. At this time..."
