Proud Feather

Chapter 27 Summons
Gao Mian was stunned for a few moments and almost jumped up.

Who wants to convict the Tian family based on a few confessions? Wasn't it Her Royal Highness the Princess herself who was nagging the Tian family, forcing him to draw his sword? Now it's his fault!
But he couldn't say these words, so Gao Mian could only bear it and asked with his head down: "Then according to what the princess said..."

Chu Ling gestured: "Mr. Jiang."

Jiang Shijun understood and continued, "Master Gao, to convict someone, you must have solid evidence. Whether it's witnesses or physical evidence, it has to be irrefutable. A housekeeper and two maids can certainly testify on their master's behalf, but they're not the master's own testimony, so some of their confessions may not be credible."

Gao Mian's forehead twitched, and he asked tentatively, "Then should I send someone to invite the person involved?"

Chu Ling smiled and said, "The matter of the trial is naturally decided by Lord Gao. I have never worked in a prison, so what do I know?"

Okay, okay, now I don’t understand again. I don’t know who was interrupting me just now.

Perhaps Gao Mian had been silent for too long, and the clerk could not help but ask: "Sir, please see..."

"What are you looking at? Didn't you hear what I said? Go do it!"

The clerk was unsure: "Sir, which ones do you want to invite?"

Gao Mian thought about it in his mind: "The two young ladies of the Tian family, as well as Madam Cao and Madam Yan."

The Cao and Yan families were not high-ranking officials, so he was determined to invite them and not give them face. As for the Tian family, after all, the princess was here, so it was reasonable for the two young ladies to come and pay their respects to the princess.

Just as he finished speaking, another voice rang out from behind the screen: "Master Gao, this isn't right? Are these the only people involved?"

After half a day of adjustment, Jiang Shijun gradually got into the groove. Without Chu Ling's instructions, he continued, "It was Old Madam Tian who decided to invite the princess to the Dahuai Temple, and it was also Old Madam Tian who discovered the princess's whereabouts and spread the gossip."

"..." Gao Mian certainly knew, but he had a reason for not mentioning Madam Tian. He patiently explained, "Princess, Madam Tian is old and a noble elder. Inviting her to the yamen based on mere suspicion would probably lead to criticism."

Unfortunately, the princess didn't reason with him: "What's there to complain about? I can come, but she can't?"

How are they the same? You're here to supervise, and she's here to be interrogated... But Gao Mian knew it was best not to argue with Her Royal Highness. Besides, it's true, given your status, the princess is here, so what can't she do to you?
"Sir?" the clerk asked again.

"Go!" Gao Mian gritted his teeth, "Invite Old Madam Tian as well!"

"Yes."

Someone came to ask for some time. Gao Mian looked at the sky and saw that it was getting late, so he asked, "Princess, it's almost noon. What are your plans for lunch?"

"So fast? I don't even feel hungry." Chu Ling was surprised.

Gao Mian thought to himself, you just ate a whole plate of crispy abalone snails, of course you are not hungry.

Chu Ling asked again: "What do you eat in the government office?"

Gao Mian replied, "According to the old custom during the reign of Emperor Taizong, officials were provided with a meal at noon. However, the food was not very tasty. Those with more affluent families often had their meals delivered by restaurants, while some had their families deliver them."

"Then how does Mr. Gao eat?"

Gao Mian was silent for a moment. "My family is not well off, and I have many family members. My wife can't take care of them, so I usually use the public money."

Chu Ling exclaimed in admiration: "Master Gao is truly incorruptible!"

Gao Mian's face was blank. He didn't want to say anything because he knew how others would react, making it seem like he was deliberately seeking fame. The pressure of raising a family was immense. While his salary wasn't low, he had a large family. Food, clothing, housing, and transportation all cost money in Beijing. He couldn't save money for his parents or his children, so he could only save for himself.

How could a princess who grew up in seclusion understand such things?
Chu Ling thought of his previous life. It seemed that Mr. Gao was involved in a corruption case. If it was true, then he pretended very realistically today. If it was false, it meant that he was an unlucky guy in his previous life.

"Forget it, Qiu Niang, what are your plans for lunch?" she turned around and asked.

Zheng Qiu replied, "Princess, before I left this morning, I instructed the imperial kitchen to prepare lunch for you and your entourage. It will be delivered shortly." "Tell them to send more..." Chu Ling turned and asked, "Master Gao, how many people are there in the Dali Temple?"

Gao Mian gave a number.

Chu Ling turned around and asked: "Ask them to send more food, will they be able to do it in time?"

Zheng Qiu smiled and replied, "Don't worry, Princess. There aren't many people. The imperial kitchen usually prepares more. It will be enough for one share."

Chu Ling said, "Give them mine too! I'm full anyway."

So, after a cup of tea, the meals were served one after another.

Gao Mian looked at the imperial meal on the table with mixed feelings. The commotion outside was caused by the excitement among the lower-ranking officials. They had never thought they would have the chance to enjoy an imperial meal in their lifetime. They could brag about it for years!

Chu Ling smiled and said, "A meal in exchange for everyone's happiness is worth it."

Gao Mian thought to himself, "You think you can win people's hearts like this? That's too easy! It's worthy of being imperial food, much better than the pig food he usually eats..."
-
Land and houses.

"What did he say?" asked Tian Ben, the eldest uncle of the Tian family, in disbelief.

He was the eldest son of Old Master Tian and the elder brother of Consort Tian Shu. When the Tian family was rising in power, Old Master Tian, aware of his limited knowledge, sent his son to work as a clerk in a shop, to learn how to manage the business. Tian Ben was quite clever and learned a lot, and when his sister became a concubine, he naturally sought a minor official position.

In the Tian family, the old man enjoys his daily life and doesn't care about anything else. Tian Ben is the one who really calls the shots.

The housekeeper repeated, "The officer said that the old lady, the eldest daughter, and the second daughter should go to the yamen."

After confirming that he had heard correctly, Tian Ben was furious: "Is this Dali Temple Minister crazy? Our Tian family is a family of officials after all. How can the women in our family go to the government office so easily? And what about Tian Fu? How does he do things? He can't even explain this!"

The housekeeper smiled and said, "Master, calm down. Tian Fu hasn't come back yet."

"So, Tian Fu was taken into custody by them?"

"Yes."

Tian Ben became even angrier and slammed his palm on the armrest. "How can this be! Who do you think we are? The old lady is the mother of Concubine Shu and the grandmother of the Second Prince. Can he invite her whenever he wants? And Miss, if you went to a place like that, someone who didn't know would think you had committed a crime. How can it be good if the news gets out?"

The housekeeper said politely, "The envoy said that the princess is still waiting at the Dali Temple."

This did not quench Tian Ben's rage. He said coldly, "The princess is only the supervisor. How could she understand these things? Gao Mian must be using the princess's name to pressure others!"

The butler nodded silently, he thought so too.

"Master, how do we get back?"

"No!" Tian Ben refused without hesitation. "How dare you say something so ridiculous? It's clear that the Dali Temple is bullying me. I'm not afraid even if I have to go before His Majesty to argue."

"Then the little one chased people away?"

"Go away, go away!" Tian Ben said impatiently. "They said they would summon him before, and we already cooperated and let Tian Fu go, but they're still not satisfied. How shameless! I want to see what they can do if I don't go. Come over and arrest him?"

Arrest the second prince’s grandmother and take her to the yamen. Come on, if they dare to do it!

"Yes."

The housekeeper was about to leave when Tian Huier came over: "Father, wait a minute."

(End of this chapter)