Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 698: Shuiqiao Encounters Qin Ye
The next morning,

The golden rooster crowed at the dawn, and the capital city was gradually dyed red by the sun.

It's another nice day at the beginning of summer, and the sunny morning makes people feel good.

The people of Beijing got up early to work hard. On the streets, a lot of white smoke floated out from the vendors' shops, and the aroma of fried cakes, soup noodles, buns, tofu pudding, etc. also wafted through the streets.

At the small stalls on the street, many officials who had woken up early were sitting at the tables and eating breakfast. After all, today's grand court meeting could not be delayed.

Especially many officials from the six ministries and halls, the young ones, and even the newly promoted officials who are familiar with the whole thing, do not eat at home, but walk out in groups of three or four as if they have made an appointment, and find stalls on the street, where they can have a good meal for a few coins. Those with a good appetite can add ten coins and have a plate of stewed meat, which will leave a lingering taste in their mouths. The people passing by, as well as the vendors and shop owners, are all used to it.

Luoyunhou Mansion,

East House, East Garden,

I'm used to sleeping in a small house, so now I feel a little unnatural living in a big house. I don't know if I'm being "cheap!".

One room, one person, one bed. I had a dream and was looking for something alone. When I woke up in the morning, I couldn’t remember anything in the dream. I collapsed on the bed and couldn’t think about it.

However, Zhang Jinyu had a good night's sleep and was in great spirits. Except for bubbles coming out of her nose from time to time, she felt much more comfortable overall. I don't know if it was because of the lack of beauty.
I was still thinking about something and lying in bed without getting up when the door opened.

Baozhu came in wearing her official uniform and waited at the window.

Thinking that there was a grand court meeting today, and listening to those old foxes quarreling with each other, he felt annoyed and had no choice but to stand up.

With Baozhu's help, he put on his clothes and looked at the sky. It was getting late. The grand court meeting was usually earlier than the ordinary court meetings.
After getting dressed, he sat at the table, feeling exhausted. He washed his face with clean water, wiped it dry, picked up the medicine that had been prepared long ago, and drank it in one gulp. The bitter taste almost made Zhang Jinyu vomit.

"Son-in-law, I prepared breakfast this morning. Do you want to eat now?"

Baozhu had already prepared some honey water and brought it to the Marquis. She also asked,
When Zhang Jinyu saw it, he quickly took it and drank a few gulps. He felt much better then. However, after all this, he suddenly lost his appetite. In his heart, he was still thinking about the stalls selling buns and tofu pudding at the north end of the water bridge, so he simply decided not to eat at home.

"Okay, stop busying yourself. When Madam wakes up, you can have dinner with her. I'm going out to eat today to change the taste!"

After saying that, without giving the little girl a chance to say anything, he walked out of the door, called Ning Bian and others who had been waiting for him, went out and mounted their horses, and headed towards the water bridge, leaving Baozhu standing there in a daze. The food outside was no match for the food in the mansion. When she saw the Marquis leave the East Garden Gate, she stamped her feet, turned around, went out, and went to the young lady's room with a group of maids.

"My Lord, where are you going?"

Ning Bian, who was behind him, led his personal soldiers and followed behind the marquis. Seeing that the direction the marquis was walking was not towards the palace, he asked in confusion.

"You are talking nonsense. We haven't even had breakfast yet. Let's find a place to fill our stomachs first. Remember there is an old man's stall on the north side of the water bridge. He sells tofu pudding. It tastes amazing."

"Well, there is such a shop. It is also an old craft. Three generations of grandparents and grandchildren have been there. It is indeed good. There is also a bun seller next to it, which is just right to fill your stomach."

Ning Bian also remembered that there was an open space on the north side of the water bridge with several food stalls. After the Marquis had eaten there once, he found that the taste was as good as that of Zuixianlou, and even for strong men like them, it would not cost much to eat a full meal.

that's it,
The group rode their horses, swaying slowly towards the south. Not long after, they arrived at the water bridge. Looking to the north, they saw many officials already sitting there eating. The aroma of buns and bean curd wafted over, tempting everyone's appetite.

Zhang Jinyu was not polite either. He got off his horse and led his men to surround the three tables. He shouted at the old man,
"Boss, please bring us the delicious food and drinks, please hurry up."

"Here it is, sir, all ready-made."

The shopkeeper answered and quickly greeted everyone, brought over a few bowls of steaming tofu pudding, and also brought three trays of steamed buns and placed them on the table.

"Sir, please eat first. If it's not enough, I'll bring you more. The rest is still steaming on the stove."

"Okay, give each of those tables a few more steamed buns so they can eat their fill."

Zhang Jinyu waved his hand and pointed at the two tables beside him. They were all his personal soldiers who had big appetites.
"Yes, sir, I will provide you with enough food."

After replying, he hurried back and served a few trays of buns to the soldiers at those tables.

Coincidentally,

Zhang Jinyu had just picked up the chopsticks and picked up a bun. Before he could put it in his mouth, he saw a carriage coming down from the bridge and stopping in front of the stall.
Glancing at him, he saw his father-in-law Qin Ye getting off the carriage. Zhang Jinyu could no longer sit still when he saw him. He quickly put down his chopsticks, stood up, helped his father-in-law to the table, and handed him the chopsticks.

"Father-in-law, why did you get up so early? Didn't you say that the renovation of the mansion in the capital was very busy and that you could be exempted from the morning court? Why did you come today?"

Zhang Jinyu's voice became much quieter. He looked back and saw that many officials in Beijing had already eaten their fill and left the table.

Qin Ye was also surprised. He didn't expect to meet Zhang Jinyu here. He took the chopsticks and picked up a bun and started eating without hesitation. It still tasted the same, authentic.

"Look at you, you are still so reckless. Today is a grand court meeting. Even if the civil and military officials are busy, they have to go. If it is a court meeting on ordinary days, those who have something to do in the departments can not go."

After saying that, he swallowed the bun.
When Zhang Jinyu saw this, he quickly called the shopkeeper and brought another bowl of porridge to the table.

"Father-in-law, eat slowly and drink some porridge. Don't be in a hurry. Tomorrow is the day when the examiners of the imperial examination will enter the examination hall. Why do we have to hold a court meeting today? Could it be that someone is causing trouble again?"

Zhang Jinyu had been busy with Enke's affairs these days and had not paid attention to other things. He really had no idea what had happened, so he asked.

Qin Ye lowered his head and drank a mouthful of porridge. Hearing this, he raised his head and looked over, explaining;
"How could you not know? I heard it was the Ministry of Revenue's business. The cabinet drafted the bill, but the Ministry of Revenue refused to sign it. It seemed that many of the deficits were not calculated clearly. Even the draft bill from the Ministry of Works was not given. It was said that there was a deficit, and Minister Lou was so angry that he cursed his mother."

Seeing that Zhang Jinyu really didn't know, he told him what he had heard from the Ministry of Works. For example, the Ministry of Works had received a lot of money from the Ministry of Revenue because of the reconstruction of the house, but the Ministry of Revenue made an excuse not to give it. The Assistant Minister of Works, Lou Xiaoruo, went to the Ministry of Revenue several times but got no explanation. After he came back, he cursed the officials of the Ministry of Revenue in the ministry hall, and everyone in the Ministry of Works knew about it.

Zhang Jinyu lowered his head. He had just drunk the tofu pudding in his mouth, but before he could swallow it, he almost vomited it out when he heard the words. Speaking of the Minister of Works, Lou Xiaoruo, he was a gentleman and a good guy. It was no exaggeration to say that such a person could be so angry that he cursed. Is this true? He didn't even sign the cabinet's draft bill. What did the Ministry of Revenue want to do!
After taking a bite of the bun, I suddenly thought of Lord Gu Yichen. That fox-like smile, could it be that the Minister of Personnel Lord Lu had set some trap on him? That doesn't make sense. When the cabinet drafts bills, don't they all keep an eye on each other?

"Father-in-law, I really don't know. I have been busy with the renovation of Hanyuan Hall these days and have neglected other things. Tomorrow, the examiners of the special examination will enter the hall. The day after tomorrow will be the day for the grand examination, which will make me even busier."

Zhang Jinyu finished the bean curd in his bowl with a few big gulps, and then called the shopkeeper to refill the bowls for the brothers who had finished eating. Qin Ye was stunned, and thought about it, it was right. There were so many students taking the imperial examinations this year, and these people were too busy to think about anything else.

"Well, I don't know. I just don't know. Your business is more important. Are you ready for Enko?"

Qin Ye shook his head. It was not his turn as a Yuanwailang to get involved in these matters. The most important thing was the imperial examination, and the waters here were quite complicated.

"To reply to my father-in-law, I have already considered this. As the saying goes, everything is ready except for the east wind."

Zhang Jinyu sat opposite and smiled. He had thought of everything from food and drinks to how to change the exam questions. There would be three exams with an interval of three months. Except for the first one which would remain unchanged, the second one would depend on chances, and the third one would definitely have to change the exam questions. He wanted to see who leaked the exam questions. Was it a shame to make money in this way? When he came to search their house, he would definitely surprise others.

"You, please be more careful and don't be careless, especially those who cheat in the exams. You must be strict with them."

Qin Ye looked at his son-in-law and said something to remind him. Zhang Jinyu was afraid that Qin Ye would think too much, so she nodded.
"Don't worry, Madam Father-in-law. I understand this matter."

The two talked.
He ate his meal quickly again. It was getting late and he still needed to go to the palace.

The palace at this time,
There was already a lot of traffic outside the Meridian Gate, and many officials from the capital had already arrived here. Many officials waited for a while, found a few friends, and entered the Meridian Gate together.
Today, the Meridian Gate was wide open, and no one knew what had happened.

Not too early,
On the military merit side, the first one to arrive was still Xiangyang Marquis Bai Guangju. After getting up early in the morning and finishing his breakfast, he hurried out of the mansion and rushed to the palace. When he arrived in front of the Meridian Gate, he got off the carriage and looked around. Most of the people who came here were civil officials, gathered in twos and threes, and no one knew what they were talking about.

Today, none of the military officials came early, but the civil officials stood in clear lines. Careful people saw that originally there were only a few groups of people standing, but now there were at least four groups. One group was the people from the Ministry of Revenue, and the other was the officials from the Ministry of Personnel. In the past, the most people were those who did not fight or compete with each other on weekdays. But today, unlike in the past, the people from the Honglu Temple also gathered together, and it seemed that they were in high spirits. Could it be that the people of the Li Party had made some moves?
Bai Guangju looked hesitant, but he didn't understand why the Prime Minister had not been involved in government affairs for many years, so why was there still a Li Party?

At this time, only the civil servants themselves can understand it.

In front of the Meridian Gate, many officials were no longer waiting at the gate. Many had gone in first, and some continued to chat outside the gate, gathering around and whispering. Xie Zi'an, a doctor in the Ministry of Personnel, found Yang Zhuo, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, in the crowd, and hurried over to him and said;

"Master Yang, I am glad to see you. Why are you still standing here? Why don't you go in?"

Yang Zhuo, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, turned around when he heard the voice and saw Xie Zi'an, a doctor in his own department.
"Thank you, sir. You just arrived too. Why are you in such a hurry? Come in right away."

Yang Zhuo replied, and suddenly saw Xie Zian's serious expression, knowing that something was wrong, and asked again,
"What happened?"

Xie Zian subconsciously looked around. Many officials from the capital had already gone in. If the two of them stayed here, they would definitely be conspicuous. So, he reached out and pulled Yang Zhuo's sleeve, and the two of them followed the crowd and went in together.

"Sir Yang, did you go to the wedding banquet held at the Prime Minister's residence yesterday?"

Yang Zhuo frowned. Everyone among the civil servants knew about this matter. Although the Prime Minister did not go, he sent the housekeeper with gifts. It seemed that everyone went. What was the problem? After all, the Prime Minister had not been involved in state affairs for many years. Maybe he was going to resign.

"I didn't go there myself, but I asked my butler to bring gifts. What happened at the banquet?"

Xie Zian moved the corners of his mouth, wanting to speak out, but these were just his guesses, and the elders and others hadn't spoken first, so wouldn't he be talking too much?

"Sir, I feel that the Prime Minister may take some action, but this is just my guess. Should I report this to the Lord?"

"Thank you, sir, for being careful with your words,"

Yang Zhuo didn't expect Xie Zian to be so bold. It was well known that the Prime Minister ignored the affairs of state, so how could he take any action? If it weren't for the elders and His Majesty's retention, the Prime Minister might have retired and returned home to enjoy his retirement.

He looked around and saw that everyone was on their way to the Qianqing Palace, so he whispered;

"Whether this is true or not, the grand court meeting is about to begin. It's too late to say anything. If the Prime Minister wants to take action, someone will come forward, none other than his son Li Chaosheng, and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice Chang Zuo, and also Yang Shaoshi, Sun Boyan and others. We should use calm to prevent movement. If nothing happens, it will be a false alarm. If so, it will be troublesome."

Yang Zhuo thought quickly in his mind. He couldn't not believe it, but he couldn't believe it completely either. If he had known the inside story last night, he could have discussed it. But now, where would he have the time? Xie Zian was not very capable and didn't know what was important or what was not.

"Your Excellency is right. I didn't figure it out last night, and today I realized it wasn't the case. But I have no evidence. After all, many officials were present. Sigh..."

Xie Zian was feeling uneasy, knowing that what he said was not the right time, so he could only find an excuse to open up.

"Okay, keep your voice down. Let's go over there first and wait for the elder to come over. I'll go tell him."

"Thank you, sir."

The two chatted and then went to the Qianqing Palace as if no one was around.

Outside the Qianqing Palace,

A large number of officials gathered here. Shen Zhongxin, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, arrived here early and stood there with his eyes closed, waiting for his teacher Gu Yichen to arrive. Thinking of the strange things that happened in the Prime Minister's house yesterday and the implicit suggestions of the elder cabinet, he felt that something was not simple here.

I didn't know what happened to Marquis Luo Yun. I opened my eyes and looked around, but I couldn't find him. I smiled in my heart, thinking that I couldn't be too late again.

Speaking of Luo Yunhou,

After Zhang Jinyu finished his meal at Shuiqiao, he helped his father-in-law Qin Ye onto the carriage and hurried all the way to the outside of the Meridian Gate. Zhang Jinyu jumped off the carriage first, then helped Qin Ye down.

"Father-in-law, can you slow down?"

"It's okay. I'm in good health."

Qin Ye got off the carriage slowly. There were not many officials around. He thought it was about time, so he asked the driver to wait here and took Zhang Jinyu into the Meridian Gate.

"Hurry up, kid. Don't be late again. The court meeting is a big deal. You must not lose your manners."

Zhang Jinyu followed behind, rubbing his full stomach, still feeling a little dizzy, but he didn't take it seriously. The so-called court meeting was just a meeting together, and many things were decided before the meeting. It was just a formality. This was what annoyed Zhang Jinyu.

"Don't worry, father-in-law, we are not too late, we still have time,"

Just as he finished speaking, he heard the palace bell ringing.
"Ding, ding, ding,"

The two were stunned. This was the voice of the court.
Qin Ye grabbed Zhang Jinyu's sleeve and quickened his pace.

"It's already court time, and you're still dithering. Hurry up."

Zhang Jinyu heard the sound of a bell not far away, and cursed inwardly that it was bad luck, without giving any face. Seeing his father-in-law walking in a hurry, he was afraid that he would fall, so he hurried over to help him.

"Father-in-law, take your time. There are so many people here."

In fact, there were very few officials around. Those who fell behind were jogging forward. Even the old dukes of noble rank were supported by the younger ones and kept running forward. Seeing this, Zhang Jinyu blushed, and without saying much, he lowered his head and supported his father-in-law and ran towards the Qianqing Palace.

Outside the Qianqing Palace,
Officials from various departments lined up in order, climbed the jade steps, and slowly entered the hall.

Outside, the imperial guards were guarding.

Eunuch Youyun shouted in front of the palace gate;

"The court is about to begin, and all officials enter the palace."

Subsequently,

The officials waiting outside the palace then walked in one by one.

The leader was Li Chonghou, the chief minister of the cabinet, followed by other cabinet elders, as well as ministers and assistant ministers of various ministries and halls. On the other side, Mu Shi, the Prince of Dongping, and Shui Rong, the Prince of Beijing, led the nobles into the palace.

At the end, it was Zhang Jinyu who followed behind and stood at the end of the team. Many nobles saw this and wanted to say something, but were stopped by Zhang Jinyu.

"My Lord, why are you standing here? Shouldn't you go to the front?"

Chang Yongbo Yue Qingwen, who was beside him, asked in a low voice,
"Yes, sir, it's not too late."

Qi Zhong, the loyal and diligent man behind him, also echoed quietly behind him.

Zhang Jinyu quickly waved his hand, signaling him not to make a sound;
"Speak softly. I caught a cold yesterday and feel dizzy. I can't stand loud noises."

After saying this, he pretended to pat his forehead, his face looked extremely ugly, and the two of them were so scared that they immediately fell silent.

"My Lord, are you okay?"

"It's okay. I feel much better after taking the medicine. I just feel sleepy."

She shook her head, her face flushed again, almost pretending too much.
Seeing this, the two of them nodded in unison.
"Then my Lord, please walk slowly."

"it's okay no problem."

(End of this chapter)