noveltune Chapter 36: I Got a Money Bag
Chapter 36: I Got a Money Bag
There was no ice in Liu Feng's room, so he slept in a sweat.
In a daze, I reached out to touch the fan, my fingertips brushing against something fleshy. I instinctively squeezed it and heard a "ouch" from the other side.
Liu Feng suddenly opened his eyes and saw Xiang Ling sitting on a low stool by the bed, covering her face and glaring at him angrily. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and her fan had fallen to the ground. She had obviously fallen asleep by the bed.
"You have the nerve to glare at me? You can fall asleep just by fanning yourself!"
Liu Feng sat up from the bed and pinched Xiangling's face again. "Go fetch a basin of water."
Xiangling rubbed her face with both hands and went outside.
Liu Feng shook his head, stood up, and took off his short jacket, revealing his fairly muscular upper body. Actually, he was only a bit stronger than Xiang Ling. Given his age, no matter how much he trained, he would only be so-so.
As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect.
Xiangling walked in with water without blushing or skipping a beat, put down the basin, and handed a towel to Liu Feng.
Liu Feng wiped his face, and Xiangling took the towel, then rubbed it in her eyes. "Second Master, why does it feel even hotter in the capital than in Nanjing?"
"You're asking me? Who should I ask?"
Liu Feng took the towel and smiled, "Just hang in there a little longer, and soon you'll be able to buy ice in the market."
"Ice? That must cost a lot of money!"
"It's definitely not cheap."
After wiping his upper body, Liu Feng sat on the bed and said, "But you don't need to worry about money. We have money now, buying a new courtyard won't be a problem."
"Buy, buy the yard?"
"Yes. Second Master, I'm an official in the Northern Garrison Command, so I can't move. I'll be rooted in the capital from now on. This is the Lin family's house, and we might have to move out someday. We'll have to buy a house sooner or later, so we'll just have to buy one when we find a suitable one."
"Then... we'll never see Madam and Miss Lin again?" Xiangling's face was full of disappointment.
Liu Feng was silent for a moment, then said, "Fate is something no one can predict. Alright, you can go out now."
"oh."
"..."
Liu Feng took off his pants, and seeing that she didn't move, he said, "What, do you want to watch me wipe myself down there?"
"Huh?" Xiangling's face turned bright red instantly, and she lowered her head and ran out.
"Tch!" Liu Feng curled his lip. "A little yellow-haired girl, but she knows a lot."
These days, taking a bath is no easy task, even in summer. Firewood, water, manpower, and tools are all hurdles.
It's already quite good that Liu Feng can wipe his body with warm water.
After changing into a white, thick, short-sleeved overcoat, Liu Feng put on some thin cloth shoes and walked back and forth comfortably for a couple of steps.
"Second Master, Aunt Liu is here."
Liu Feng went outside. The living room table was piled with various colored silks and satins. In the two open jewelry boxes, jade and gold jewelry glittered and dazzled the eyes.
"Second Master, this was just delivered by the Hundred Households Office." Liu Ma handed a list to Liu Feng.
Liu Feng didn't answer, only glancing at him indifferently: "Where is he?"
"I heard that Second Master is resting. He had a bowl of tea and then left, saying that the other families' tea would be delivered later." - Aunt Liu.
Liu Feng nodded.
"Second Master, this hairpin is beautiful..."
Xiangling reached out to take it, but Liu Feng slapped her hand away, saying, "Don't touch it, it's bad luck!"
Liu Feng turned to Liu Ma and said, "Have Liu An take it to the pawnshop and convert it into silver."
Then he said to Xiangling, "When you have a day off, I'll take you to a jewelry shop to pick out some freshly made pieces."
"Thank you, Second Master!" Xiangling jumped up happily.
Liu Ma continued, "Second Master, the people from the Hundred Household Office also mentioned something. An imperial decree has been issued that four princes will be sent to the Ministry for training—Prince Wu will go to the Ministry of Rites, Prince Jin to the Ministry of Revenue, Prince Lu to the Ministry of Personnel, and Prince Yong to the Ministry of Justice."
Is this some kind of cult?
Liu Feng frowned. The Prince of Jin was in charge of finances, and the Prince of Lu was in charge of talent. One controlled the purse strings, and the other controlled the official hats. It seemed that the position of Crown Prince would not escape the hands of these two.
Suddenly remembering Lin Ruhai's words, a cold glint flashed in Liu Feng's eyes. No matter what, the Crown Prince must not be the Prince of Wu!
"Second Master, Zhang Xiaoqi from the Hundred Household Office has arrived," came the old woman's voice from outside the door.
Zhang Laifu?
Liu Feng glanced at the clock in the corner. It was still early before he was to leave the office, so why was he here now? He casually picked up a folding fan from the coffee table, turned around, and walked out.
Wow, this sun is like a fireball!
Liu Feng flicked his folding fan to shield his forehead and strode towards the first courtyard.
From afar, Zhang Laifu could be seen standing anxiously outside the hanging flower gate.
"My lord, save me!" Upon seeing Liu Feng, Zhang Laifu knelt down with a thud.
"Get up and talk to me if you have something to say." Liu Feng walked straight into the back room, which was cooler as it faced north.
Zhang Laifu quickly got up and followed him inside, pouring him a bowl of tea with great courtesy.
Liu Feng took a sip and looked at him: "What's wrong?"
Zhang Laifu knelt down again: "My lord, you must save me!"
"Alright, alright, stop wailing! How am I supposed to save you if you don't talk?"
Zhang Laifu wiped his tearless eyes and began to ramble on about the reason.
After hearing Zhang Laifu's words, Liu Feng was completely stunned. The classic line from later generations automatically popped into his mind: "I have never seen such a shameless person!"
Ever since entering officialdom, Liu Feng knew that civil officials had no bottom line, but he was still shocked by this outrageous move.
Despite overwhelming evidence of a raid on their property, they were forced to portray it as the Left Vice Minister actively cooperating with the Northern Garrison Command to help the court round up all the corrupt officials in the Ministry of War. These people even submitted a memorial to the court, pleading for leniency, requesting that the death penalty be commuted from hanging to exile, and that their families be allowed to visit them in prison.
Visiting someone in prison? They're practically dead—no, practically rotting. Where are you going to visit them?
The most disgusting thing is that the Imperial Study actually agreed. They've already killed the donkey before the millstone was even finished grinding?
"Sir, please save me!"
Zhang Laifu crawled forward on his knees and grabbed Liu Feng's leg. "The eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial said the palace didn't know the Left Vice Minister was dead, that's why they agreed. He told us to hurry to the palace and explain the truth, and he can pretend he never went to the Hundred-Household Office... My lord! You must save me! Once the imperial edict is issued, if we can't hand over the man, it's tantamount to deceiving the emperor!"
"Oh, my lord..."
Liu Feng's head ached from his crying, and since it was hot, he ripped open his collar and fanned himself vigorously.
The palace doesn't know the Left Vice Minister is dead? You're kidding me!
Then this guy added, "I've got my hands on everyone who knows about this..."
Holy crap!
Liu Feng kicked him to the ground. Being too cunning isn't a good thing!
"My lord! My lord..." Zhang Laifu crawled over again.
Liu Feng couldn't ignore him. If he didn't speak up, it would discourage people; but once the imperial decree came down, he wouldn't be able to escape.
"Alright, wipe the cat pee off your face and come with me to the palace."
"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir..."
......................
As he watched the setting sun sink into the distance, Zhang Laifu paced back and forth in front of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, cracking his knuckles incessantly, occasionally pausing to peer into the deep palace gates.
Finally, Liu Feng walked out of the door.
Zhang Laifu immediately went to greet him.
As Liu Feng walked out of the Directorate of Ceremonial, he seriously suspected that he had been set up by the imperial power.
He suddenly stopped in his tracks. Could it be that the position of commander of a thousand households was not actually vacant, and the emperor deliberately pulled this stunt?
Seeing that Liu Feng's expression was not good, Zhang Laifu tentatively asked, "Sir..."
Liu Feng looked at him: "It's alright, but the commandership that was almost in our hands is gone."
"grown ups......"
"Alright, it's good that everyone's safe. As long as we're alive, we can always make a comeback. We brothers will have plenty of opportunities to prove ourselves."
"My lord, I entrust my life to you from now on!"
Zhang Laifu was about to kneel down when Liu Feng stopped him, saying, "This is not the place. Let's talk about this back at the Hundred-Household Office."
"Yes." Zhang Laifu.
The emperor wasn't entirely heartless; he promoted Liu Feng to the fifth rank, making him a deputy commander of a thousand households, and even exceptionally granted him the centurion's office near Dashilan.
Like Qianmen Street, Dashilan is one of the busiest commercial centers in Beijing, packed with time-honored brands and lucrative businesses. Furthermore, the area around the Eight Great Hutongs also falls under his jurisdiction, making it even more profitable.
The emperor gave him a money bag as compensation.