Chapter 363: The Fierce Master's Wife
In late autumn, the trees in the capital were withered, with only a few birds singing alone on the trees. Pedestrians hurried past the trees, and coughing could be heard from time to time.
The temperature dropped sharply last night, which is what later generations call a cold front. Please remember to put on more clothes to keep warm.
Xia Yan caught a cold.
He lay on the bed gasping for breath, with no one to serve him or care about him.
Knock knock knock!
Someone knocked on the door, and Xia Yan coughed, "Come in."
The door was pushed open from the outside, and the person came in carrying something, "Mr. Xia, the lady said that the weather is getting colder, and before the uncle left, he asked the family to keep an eye on you. If anything goes wrong...Mr. Xia!"
The person who came was Sun Bu Tong. He was shocked when he saw Xia Yan lying on the bed with a bleak face, "Are you sick?"
"It's okay." Xia Yan said with a smile: "I'm afraid Qingzhi is killing people in the southeast right now!"
Sun Bu Tong was panicked. "Hurry up and lie down. I will go and tell the lady."
"Wait a minute, cough cough cough!" Xia Yan coughed and stopped Sun Bu Tong, "I haven't been out for the past two days, and no one asked me about the news. Is there anything going on in the court?"
Sun Bu Tong came over and asked, "Is this really okay?"
"It's just a cough."
"I'm sorry for being so rude." Sun Bu Tong reached out and touched Xia Yan's forehead, "Oh my god!"
Sun Bu Tong didn't say anything, he immediately pulled back the quilt and quickly dressed Xia Yan.
"Hey! What are you doing? Let me go, let me go..."
Sun Bu Tong carried him on his back and walked out. "Your forehead is burning hot. My uncle once said that if a person has a fever for too long, he will become a fool. If my uncle comes back and sees that you have become a fool, he will kill me. My wife will not be in good condition."
"You kid, just put me down and go get a doctor."
Sun Bu Tong came to give a gift. There was a carriage waiting outside. He put Xia Yan in the carriage and ordered, "Go back quickly!"
The driver was stunned for a moment, "Are you not going to give the gift?"
"It's almost like giving away your life, go home quickly!"
……
"It's a bit dangerous. Excuse me, what method did you use to reduce the patient's fever?" The doctor who was urgently invited asked while taking Xia Yan's pulse.
"Alcohol." Sun Bu Tong didn't think it was a secret, but the doctor was confused.
"Madam is here." Someone came in from outside, "Please step aside, sir."
The doctor was frightened and hurried out.
Then Li Tian brought Huang Yaner in and asked, "How is Mr. Xia's condition?"
Sun Bu Tong said: "The doctor said it was a cold. Fortunately it was discovered early, otherwise it would be troublesome if the lungs were invaded."
"I have sent someone to report to the palace and will invite the imperial physician later. By the way, Mr. Xia should stay at home until he is fully recovered." Li Tian acted decisively.
"I'm fine!" Xia Yan said, "There will be a meeting in the court tomorrow, how can I not go?"
"Aren't you going to stop getting involved in government affairs?" Li Tian said with a smile.
Xia Yan said unhappily, "Your man is not here, and Zhu Xizhong, that old playboy, is sometimes useless. I shamelessly went to get some help, and His Majesty acquiesced. If it involves Qingzhi, I can also say something."
"You! Take good care of yourself first!" Li Tian ordered: "Until the imperial physician gives the OK, Mr. Xia is not allowed to leave the house."
"You..." Xia Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "If Qing Zhi was here, would you still be like this?"
Li Tian said: "If my husband is like this, don't even think about going out."
Someone outside called Huang Yaner. After she went out, she came back and whispered to Li Tian, "Madam, Zhou Xia is in trouble."
……
"Didn't your teacher teach you to greet elders first?"
The person who stopped Zhou Xia was the famous scholar Chen Duan.
Chen Duan was accompanied by two followers. He pointed at Zhou Xia with his folding fan and said, "Why, didn't Lord Wei teach you how to behave?"
Zhou Xia didn't want to get entangled with him, but he stopped after hearing this. "I was talking to someone just now, so I didn't see you. Also, you mentioned me just now, but I can't help but feel sorry for me. I said that elders should be kind, but you are so mean..."
"Snapped!"
Chen Duan slapped him without any hesitation, "I slapped him on behalf of Chief Wilbur. When he comes back, let him come to find trouble with me."
Chen Duan is from the southwest. He came to Beijing for something and will go back after a while.
Jiang Qingzhi once said: "To deal with shameless people, we have to be more shameless than them."
Zhou Xia covered his face and slapped him with his backhand.
Chen Duan didn't expect that he would dare to do it. He was stunned and cursed: "Are you all dead?"
The two followers rushed over and started punching and kicking him.
……
"Zhou Xia was beaten and was helped back home. When I went there, he was still trying his best to hide his injuries and said that he was not seriously injured."
Sun Bu Tong lowered his head, but his voice was full of cruelty, "Madam, Chen Duan did it on purpose. I asked him, and when Zhou Xia was talking to someone outside the imperial city, Chen Duan deliberately walked up to him and greeted him, his voice was subtle..."
"When Zhou Xia didn't respond, he made a big fuss about it..." Li Tian held the teacup, and Sun Bu Tong nodded, "That's right. Madam, the master is not here, and I have asked someone to invite Mr. Hu."
Hu Zongxian happened to be out visiting a friend today. When he came back and heard about this, he went to see Li Tian.
"I think this is intolerable." Hu Zongxian lowered his eyes and said, "After cleaning up the Beijing guards, the Duke left Beijing and went south. There have been undercurrents in the court recently, and Yan Song's party has been frequently attacked, and political affairs are often dragged down...
Those people couldn't find Lord Bo, so they vented their anger on the Yan Party and political affairs. In fact, they were pointing their swords at Your Majesty..."
"My husband said before he left that His Majesty wanted him to go south to avoid the limelight." Li Tian said with emotion: "His Majesty has blocked the storm."
Hu Zongxian sighed, "To be honest, Your Majesty really... leaves me speechless."
In terms of responsibility, Dao Ye can crush countless emperors.
Li Tian said: "I know that these are all friendship."
Hu Zongxian smiled appreciatively, "So your majesty asked the Duke to stay out of the spotlight, while Yan Song was in a state of panic."
The difference between the two is affection.
"Zhou Xia should be impeached for this matter." Hu Zongxian gave his own suggestion, "If it were someone else, it would be fine, but Zhou Xia is an official in the court. He must have an explanation for being beaten innocently." Zhou Xia is Jiang Qingzhi's disciple, and the Taoist priest who protects his shortcomings will naturally make Chen Duan pay the price.
"Your Majesty is responsible for the backlash after the purge of the Beijing Guards. If you come to the fore for this..." Li Tian raised his eyes, "Is Mr. Hu confused or is he trying to test me?"
Hu Zongxian smiled awkwardly.
He wanted to test the lady, but he was surprised by her quick reaction.
"Use a famous scholar to bring His Majesty into the court, and then use various other matters to push it over... This method is simple but effective." Hu Zongxian carefully analyzed it to Li Tian.
"Then there is no need to inform the palace about this matter." Li Tian said.
"What about Zhou Xia...let him be patient for now?" Hu Zongxian said.
"I have my own opinion."
……
"Brother Chen, please stay at home these days!"
A man and Chen Duan were drinking in a restaurant.
"I know." Chen Duan said with a smile: "If it can be accomplished this time..."
The man said calmly, "It is said that the Duke of Qian is seriously ill and can no longer get up?"
Chen Duan nodded and whispered, "All Yunnan affairs are handled by the governor, and that duke is just pretending. Now he lies down all day and can't even speak..."
The man smiled and said, "After Mu Rong, the Mu family must have someone to take the helm, and Yunnan must also have a reliable person to take the helm."
The two smiled at each other, and Chen Duan raised his glass, "Thank you very much."
"You're welcome." After drinking, the man wiped the corner of his mouth and said, "The capital guards are now being rebuilt, but the culprit is far away in the southeast. The court has been very lively recently!"
"I heard that Long Wei Bo is very vicious?" Chen Duan asked curiously, "I have also heard about this man in Yunnan. He is said to be cruel and murderous."
"That morning, Jiang Qingzhi was in charge of the imperial city, commanding the Tiger Guards to cleanse the guards. The blood flowed like a river!" The man whispered, "The corpses were pulled out in carts. It was shocking to see. That butcher! Damn it!"
"Then I wish he will die at the hands of Japanese pirates in the southeast." Chen Duan raised his glass to comfort him.
"Dry!"
The two parted later in the evening. Outside, the lights were on and people were coming and going.
Watching the man go away, Chen Duan turned around and said to his followers, "Go back and pack your bags. We'll leave tomorrow."
……
"Madam said that you should take good care of your injuries and don't worry about anything else." Sun Bu Tong brought some medicine to visit Zhou Xia.
Zhou Xia's cheeks were bruised and swollen, and he looked quite embarrassed, but he did not look angry. "Go back and tell Master's Wife that the teacher is not in the capital. Those people are so angry that they have no place to vent their anger, and they want to find an opportunity to attack His Majesty..."
"Madam knows." Sun Bu Tong said, "Just be at ease."
Zhou Xia's situation at the moment was quite embarrassing. Although Xu Jie had not established a firm foothold in the Political Affairs Hall, he was a deterrent to his former "student".
According to normal procedures, Zhou Xia should report to the police, but many people are waiting for him to do this.
Then a storm arose, first dragging in the Bo family, then most likely Zhu Xizhong and others... everything was aimed at Emperor Jiajing.
On the second day, Chen Duan left the capital with two followers.
Many travelers set off at this moment, and those who saw them off gathered together to either recite poems or drink and sigh...
Several of Chen Duan’s good friends and several great scholars in the capital came to see him off.
"I'm drinking a cup of muddy wine, not to say farewell." A great scholar raised his cup, "but to celebrate Mr. Chen's righteous act yesterday."
Chen Duan raised his glass and said with a smile: "The so-called Mohist master is nothing but an evil heretic in my eyes. If Jiang Qingzhi were here, I would also slap him on the cheek..."
"Hey! Someone's coming." Someone said, "Mr. Chen, is there anyone else coming to see you off?"
"It should be gone." Chen Duan informed these people and turned around in surprise after hearing that.
Several guards came slowly in a carriage.
As they got closer, the carriage stopped and a maid got out and pulled back the curtain.
A jade hand stretched out from the car, with a jade bracelet on the wrist.
"It's actually a woman!" Everyone was stunned, but Chen Duan also looked surprised.
A young woman got off the car, looked around, and asked, "Who is Mr. Chen Duan?"
Chen Duan smiled and said, "That's me. Madam, do you know me?"
The young woman smiled and said, "I don't know you, but you had someone beat Zhou Xia yesterday... Do you still remember this?"
So you are here to attack me?
Chen Duan sneered in his heart, "This boy is disrespectful to his elders, he deserves to be beaten!"
"Okay!" The young woman nodded. "By the way, what should we do when we meet you, my dear?"
Chen Duan was startled, "You are..."
"I am the Princess of Huating County, but you don't greet me when you see me. Sun Bu Tong!" the young woman suddenly shouted.
"Ma'am, I'm here!"
The young woman pointed at Chen Duan and said, "Beat him!"
"you!"
Just as Chen Duan was about to scold, Sun Bu Tong and another guard rushed over, and Chen Duan's followers also shouted and went to meet them.
After just one encounter, the two followers fell to the ground.
Sun Bu Tong grabbed Chen Duan by the collar and punched him so hard that blood spurted out of his face.
After a brutal beating, under the angry gazes of those famous scholars, the young woman said calmly: "I forgot to tell you, I am Master Zhou Xia's wife. My disciple was bullied, and I stood up for him. Who has any objection?"
Her eyes rolled.
No one answered.
(End of this chapter)
