Golden Branch

Chapter 445 Change
Wang Heng disliked every old friend she met today.

Especially Zhou Jiming, who has an inexplicable hostility towards his own family.

Wang Heng is not a domineering person, but she will not allow herself to be bullied.

"The Dali Temple is handling a case? Can the Dali Temple handle a case so recklessly?"

Wang Heng picked up Anan and said coldly, "I don't know when the Dali Temple became so willing to break the law!"

"He's running freely on Suzaku Street, not even giving way to the carriage of a noble. Where are the rules? Where are the laws of Dayu?"

When Wang Heng spoke, the guards around knew what she meant.

The leader was the guard captain Ah Hu. He was very straightforward and went straight forward to speak to the officials who didn't care:

"Princess Langya is here, how dare you act so arrogantly?"

The crime of bumping into the procession of a noble person can be serious or minor.

Wang Heng was well-versed in the laws of Dayu. Even if she acted pretentiously, she would always stay within the scope permitted by the rules and laws.

"..."

Several officers, who were originally acting with confidence, only realized that they had offended an important person after hearing Ah Hu's shouting.

Even though I was wondering in my heart: Tsk, what's the point of being Princess Langya? She's not of real royal blood.

However, the bloodline is fake, but the title of princess is real.

Not to mention that she also has a husband who is a founding duke and is greatly favored by the emperor.

Lou Yu and Lou Hanzhang, old friends of the Dali Temple.

Many of the cases he handled were classic cases in the Dali Temple.

Even if Lou Yu failed to reach the top of Dali Temple, he still managed it for a year or two. Even if Zhou Jiming was in charge of Dali Temple, it would be impossible to erase all traces of Lou Yu.

"I didn't realize you were the princess. We almost offended her. Please forgive us!"

Regardless of whether they were willing or not, several people hurried to the carriage, some saluted and some apologized.

"...Never mind. As expected of Lord Zhou, he'll do anything to solve a case!"

Wang Heng smiled coldly, appearing to be magnanimous and forgiving, but in fact she was still implicitly criticizing Zhou Jiming's "arrogance".

Well, okay, in Wang Heng's opinion, Zhou Jiming is not only rebellious, but also stupid—

Has he forgotten the horse-riding incident that year?

In order to so-called solve the case, he allowed his subordinates to run rampant in the capital.

He has a good reputation for being impartial and conscientious in his work, but what about others?
Yang Cheng, the once glorious eldest grandson of the emperor, is now in a difficult situation due to the sequelae of a broken leg.

Wang Heng did not intentionally accuse Zhou Jiming of a crime, and she also believed that Zhou Jiming certainly did not do it on purpose.

But Yang Cheng is the legitimate son of the crown prince and a member of the royal family. Let alone harming him, even if he fails to serve him wholeheartedly, it is a sin!
What about Zhou Jiming? He has crippled the eldest son of the Eastern Palace and now he still doesn't know how to restrain himself. I'm afraid he doesn't even know how he will die in the future.

"Let's go! Get out of Suzaku Street quickly so the Dali Temple can handle the case!"

Wang Heng deliberately acted angry and gave orders in a cold voice.

The officers outside the carriage looked at each other in confusion, as if they had caused trouble for their chief officer.

Feeling uneasy, they followed the rules more strictly. They all bowed and stepped back, watching the luxurious two-wheeled carriage restart and quickly disappear on Suzaku Street!

Only after Wang Heng and his group left did the officers react.

Instead of continuing to pursue the criminal, they returned to the Dali Temple.

"My dear, this is the situation! We almost bumped into you..."

The officers were dejected and replied in a low voice.

"...It doesn't matter!"

After a moment of silence, Zhou Jiming spoke slowly.

During the time he was promoted to the position of Dali Temple Minister, he had been working diligently and conscientiously on cases.

However, because he also held a position in the Hundred Cavalry Division, Zhou Jiming acted somewhat overbearingly.

Fortunately, no major disaster occurred today, but Wang Heng and Lou Yu had a grudge against him.

"Don't worry! I'm wholeheartedly helping the Saint, and I have no selfish thoughts. The Saint will definitely not let me down!"

Zhou Jiming comforted himself in this way.

Even if self-consolation is useless, he has already embarked on the path of a cruel official and a lone minister, and there is no turning back.

"The most important thing is to solve the case! This girl's abduction case has lasted for several months and involves many people. We must solve it as soon as possible!"

Zhou Jiming quickly put these aside.

He is a man of action.

He wanted to use tangible political achievements to firmly establish himself in the capital and in the court.

……

A four-wheeled carriage pulled into Pingkangfang and stopped in front of the Duke of Qi's mansion.

Before the servants could set up the carriage seat and help Wang Heng get out, Lou Yu, who had received the news, hurried over.

He had just returned from the Ministry of Revenue, with a little tail following him.

"Aheng, I heard you nearly startled a carriage on Suzaku Street. Are you and Anan okay? Are you injured?"

Lou Yu raised his hand and carried Wang Heng down. While asking questions, he scanned Wang Heng carefully like a radar, fearing that there was anything wrong with her.

"Brother, I'm fine! There was no direct collision. The driver pulled the reins in time."

Wang Heng sensed Lou Yu's concern and worry, so she said softly, "Anan was just frightened, he wasn't hurt!"

Lou Yu had already finished the scan and indeed saw no obvious external injuries on Wang Heng.

At this moment, after listening to Wang Heng's words, his tense body relaxed slightly.

He put Wang Heng on the ground and turned around to take the chubby little girl.

The little girl was very happy to see her father. She stretched out her two fat arms like lotus roots and cried out with her cherry red mouth.

There was only excitement on her fair and delicate little face, not the "fright" that Wang Heng said.

However, as a good father who doted on his daughter, Lou Yu still patted Ah Heng's head with heartache: "Anan has been wronged!"

A young man who had been standing aside and watching the family of three with cold eyes, saw the fairy-like Wang Heng. First, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then his gaze fell on the plump white girl.

Just now, he and Lou Yu were riding side by side when a secret guard suddenly ran up to report, "Sir, the princess was nearly frightened off her horse by officers from the Dali Temple on Suzaku Street!"

Then, Yang Cheng saw the calm, steady and composed Lou Yu. His face changed slightly and he said to him, "Young Prince, please wait. I will go first." Then he quickly waved the whip and the horse under his crotch rushed out like an arrow.

Because of the fall from a horse that year, Yang Cheng had a traumatic experience with horse riding.

Normally he would ride slowly and lightly, but when he saw Lou Yu galloping away, and it was related to the Dali Temple, Yang Cheng ignored his own knot, knocked his stirrups hard, and chased after him closely.

Lou Yu and Yang Cheng arrived at the Duke of Qi's Mansion one after the other. As soon as they got off their horses, they saw a four-wheeled carriage slowly approaching.

Next, it was a warm moment for the family of three.

Yang Cheng focused his attention on the chubby baby girl in Lou Yu's arms: ...Wow! She's chubby, and actually quite pretty! Come to think of it, she and he were "in the same boat".

They are all victims of Zhou's crazy pursuit of murderers.

But he was even more miserable, with a broken leg and a limp.

Yang Cheng thought of his past painful experiences and his right foot which was still a little inconvenient, and a gloom flashed in his eyes.

However, he was still "clear about gratitude and resentment" and did not mindlessly vent his anger on Anan: Why was it that he was harmed by Zhou and became a cripple, but this little fat girl was safe and sound?
It’s not that Yang Cheng’s heart is not dark and twisted enough, it’s just that this little girl is too beautiful.

White and plump, like a delicious glutinous rice dumpling.

Wouldn't it be a pity if such a delicate person were injured or disabled?!

"My dear, this is the young prince, right?"

Wang Heng did not ignore the young man standing beside her. She deliberately asked Lou Yu a question, and without waiting for Lou Yu's answer, she walked up to Yang Cheng.

"Little Dalang, I'm Langya. If you don't mind, you can call me Auntie!"

Wang Heng seemed not to notice the gloom and rebelliousness shrouded in the boy's brows, and greeted Yang Cheng softly.

Tsk, what a joke, back when Lou Yu was still Lou Dalang, he was so naughty and bad, but she could still become friends with him, not to mention Yang Cheng, a poor little guy with some thorns?
To be frank, compared with the truly sinister Lou Yu, Yang Cheng's "inferiority" is nothing but a small matter.

Just like a child throwing a tantrum, he has only become distorted by various experiences, not because of his natural disposition.

Wang Heng is naturally beautiful, and she has the absolute capital to use her beauty to commit crimes.

But she was gentle and loving, just like the mother in my memory.

She did not deliberately avoid looking at his right foot, nor did she show any expression of pity or compassion. She treated him with courtesy and closeness, and closeness and kindness.

He wanted to stick his neck out and continue to be a proud child, but before Yang Cheng could react, he had already respectfully called out, "Auntie!"

"Be good! Let's go. Now that we are here, let's make a good place for ourselves."

"Did everything go smoothly at the government office today? Your uncle is usually gentle to others, but strict with his students. It must be easy to study with him, right?"

When she said the last half of the sentence, Wang Heng blinked at Yang Cheng.

The stunningly beautiful woman in her twenties was playful but not vulgar, but rather very lively and cute.

Her clear lychee eyes showed the sadness of someone who had experienced it.

Yang Cheng raised his eyebrows, and suddenly remembered that Wang Jiu and Lou Da grew up together. They were not only neighbors, but also fellow students.

Lou Yu's reputation is even more famous, and he must be an outstanding disciple that Mr. Shen values ​​very much.

Princess Langya was not only unknown, but was even nicknamed "beautiful waste" at the beginning.

It can be imagined that when the two of them studied together, Lou Yu must have taken care of and guided Wang Heng.

Therefore, to some extent, Yang Cheng and Wang Heng are also "fellow wanderers in the world".

Having a "teacher" who is extremely talented and omnipotent, the "disciples" are really under pressure.

That's why Wang Heng showed him this expression at this moment—understanding! Sympathy! Support!
It has to be said that with similar "experiences", people can become close to each other the fastest and most effective way.

They are not polite "aunt and niece", but two little bitter girls who live under the same "strict teacher"!
"……fine!"

Yang Cheng didn't even realize it, but he actually smiled. He finally showed the shyness that a young man should have. He said sheepishly, "It's certainly not easy, but it's not as difficult as I imagined!"

At first, Yang Cheng was repulsive to Lou Yu——

It's clear that it was his father who taught him personally since he was a child.

But with the passing of his mother and the arrival of his stepmother, he and his father could no longer be as close as before.

Aye is very busy, and when he finally has some free time, he spends time with his stepmother.

When I think of him occasionally, it’s mostly to test and scold him!
The look in Aye's eyes when he looked at him gradually became impatient, even annoyed.

Did Aye also feel that he had become useless, unable to handle the important task, and then became disappointed?!

He doesn't want to either!
He also studied hard!
But he just missed his father holding his hand, teaching him how to write, and reading with him.

He just wanted to get along with Ayedo, instead of turning it into a "Yingmao"-like rule.

Unfortunately, he used the wrong method, and not only did he fail to achieve his wish, but he also made Aye dislike him!
Now, Aye has even thrown him to Lou Hanzhang.

Well, that’s not to say Lou Hanzhang is a bad person.

After all, as a disciple of a famous scholar, Lou Hanzhang also served as a scholar in the Hongwenguan.

With such qualifications, he is qualified to be a teacher to the emperor's eldest grandson.

Furthermore, he has a very deep connection with Lou Hanzhang.

When he was assassinated and frightened by a horse, he was protected by the Lou family's secret guards all the way.

If it weren't for Lou Hanzhang, he might have died by the Qujiang Lake long ago.

Yang Cheng is not cold-hearted by nature, he just became a little naughty because of his past experiences.

In his heart, he was grateful to Lou Yu.

He also understood that Lou Yu was Aye's confidant and a talent he needed to win over.

From a public and private perspective, and from an emotional and logical perspective, Yang Cheng has no reason to be an enemy of Lou Yu.

But, but——

Yang Cheng couldn't express his specific thoughts. He just felt conflicted and awkward.

At this moment, Wang Heng's joke and mischievous look made Yang Cheng temporarily forget his inner entanglement.

His smile began to extend to his eyes: "Minister Lou is knowledgeable, gentle and humble. When he taught me, he also led by example and taught by words and deeds -"

As he spoke, Yang Cheng suddenly realized the "uniqueness" of Lou Yu.

He did not lecture him endlessly like the senior officials such as the Prince's Junior Tutor and the Prince's Grand Tutor.

Not only does he not preach, he also does not easily reveal the grief and indignation of "hating iron for not being able to become steel" or the pity of compassion.

He went about his business as usual, and at most he would explain a few things from time to time while doing his work.

For example, today, when Lou Yu first arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, he did not rush to do his work, but instead looked through the files of previous years and checked the financial, tax and other data of previous years.

Lou Yu had a photographic memory, but he also took Yang Cheng into consideration.

Not only did he write it down himself, he also asked Yang Cheng to record and learn from it.

After a whole day of looking through documents in the Ministry of Revenue, Yang Cheng was so busy that even the tea had gone cold. He felt quite tired.

But, strangely, he stopped having these random thoughts.

There are only numbers in my mind.

There was also Dayu's taxation system, equal distribution of land, rent and labor service, various details, and countless data... It was not until he left the Ministry of Revenue that Yang Cheng seemed to remember his identity, disability, etc.

However, even though he began to feel gloomy again, Yang Cheng was still sure that his work today was not in vain. He had sorted out the tax records of a certain state and county for the past five years!
It seems that there is still a sense of accomplishment.

He is not as "waste" or "useless" as he imagined!
And this was given to him by Lou Yu.

It's not just specific knowledge and experience, but also... I can't put it into words, but he has confidence in Lou Yu.

Perhaps, he can follow him to change the status quo and achieve transformation!