Taohuaxi

Chapter 34 Feng Gao’s life experience

What I didn't know was that at this moment, there was an earth-shattering conversation in Zhang's Mansion.

In order to threaten Mr. Zhang, Liu Shou, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, went all the way to Yangzhou to find the midwife who delivered Mrs. Qin's baby. However, he revealed a secret that had been sealed for many years.

More than 20 years ago, in Jingzhou Prefecture, Huguang, Cai Qingyao, the eldest daughter of Cai Zhizhou's family, fell in love with Zhang Taiyue, a young master of Zhang's distant relative, and they made a private marriage in the back garden.However, the parents of both parties suddenly turned against each other due to the annexation of land and acres, and the two families broke off contact.The master of the Zhang family decided on a marriage for his son and went to the church to get married.However, the eldest lady of the Cai family is already pregnant.

In order to cover up the scandal, the Cai family did not hesitate to lower their family status and find a merchant family in Yangzhou to get married for their daughter.I just want my daughter to get married quickly and leave Jingzhou, so that I can make the Cai family famous.

Zhang Taiyue graduated from Jinbang High School and became an official. He returned to Cai Mansion in Jingzhou to look for someone, only to learn that Cai Qingyao was married.Zhang Taiyue secretly and openly took care of Cai Qingyao's husband's family, the Qin Mansion.Qin Mansion's business grew bigger and bigger, and it gradually gained the reputation of "a thousand miles of Grand Canal, thousands of Tiansheng Buildings".

Cai Qingyao's husband, Qin Ke, was already doubtful because his wife did not fall in love on the wedding night. Seeing that Zhang Taiyue, who had no relatives and no reason, frequently took care of his family, he went back to Jingzhou Mansion to ask around and guessed his wife's scandal.He knew he was wearing a cuckold, but he didn't dare to expose it.

He did not want to lose this layer of care in the officialdom, and he did not want to lose the overwhelming wealth.

I don't want to pinch my nose and suffer this humiliation.He wanted to put Cai Qingyao and Zhang Taiyue together.

So, he planned secretly and came up with a brilliant idea.

In the winter month of the 39th year of Jiajing's reign, heavy snow fell in Yangzhou, and Cai Qingyuan gave birth.

Qin Kou secretly threw away the evil offspring born to his wife, and stuffed his own child born from an aunt into a swaddling clothes, and handed it to Mrs. Qin.Mrs. Qin had a difficult delivery and was in coma for several hours. When she woke up and saw her son, she was very happy and named her "Mingxu".Wait for the sunny dawn in the Ming Dynasty, and watch the spring ice on the pond.

Everyone was kept in the dark.

Qin Ke was happy and generous. For many years, he regarded this "evil offspring" as his own.Recognize his status as the "eldest son" and let him manage the business and become the successor of the Qin family.

Because, that is his own child.

He enjoyed his wife's guilt, the help from the Cai family's in-laws, and Zhang Taiyue's special care.He married many concubines and wandered among the flowers.Treat his wife as a decoration that is of great help to the Qin family.

As the saying goes, if you are doing business, if you are doing business, there is no business without treachery.

He was satisfied with his masterpiece and was secretly proud of it for many years.

Zhang Taiyue was seriously ill and feared that he would not live forever, so he wrote to Cai Qingyao and asked to see his child.Cai Qingyao agreed and let Qin Mingxu go to the capital.Qin Ke knew all this.He was a little afraid that the secret would be revealed.But it soon became apparent that no one had any doubts.

Zhang Taiyue has regarded Cai Qingyao and this child as a knot for many years.

He has become an extremely popular minister and is in charge of the world. He stomps his feet and makes the Ming Dynasty tremble.This incident was his only regret.

He was full of debts and wanted to make amends.Therefore, when he met Qin Mingxu and called him "Qingyao", how could there be any doubt?

However, when Jin Yiwei commander Liu Shou took the midwife with him and threatened Qin Mingxu with his life to abolish the New Deal, he brought an unheard of news: the midwife said that the child she delivered had a red, palm-shaped birthmark on his heart.Folk saying is that if you have a birthmark on your heart, your life will be rich and miserable.Therefore, she only saw it once and was deeply impressed.

Zhang Taiyue remained calm on the surface and ignored the matter, but sternly rejected Liu Shou.

In private, he ordered the housekeeper to secretly check on Master Mingxu while he was bathing, under the pretense of giving him clothes.

The housekeeper reported to Zhang Taiyue: There is no birthmark on Master Mingxu’s heart.

On one side was a letter from his lover Qingyao, and on the other was the midwife's conclusive testimony. Zhang Taiyue didn't know what the problem was for a while.

Family and country affairs are very busy.At that time, there was a turmoil involving poisoning by a foreign imperial doctor in the palace, and the daughter of his old friend Xun Liangdao was injured. He went to the palace late at night despite his illness to question the Lord Long Live.This matter will be put aside for the time being.

But in the middle of the night when no one was around, he would dream about the child in his light sleep.

He is Zhang Taiyue's child.First child.

Where are you now?

Is it dead or alive?

That night, he entered the palace and alarmed the Cisheng Empress Dowager Li.Empress Dowager Li drove to the Palace of the Qing Dynasty and scolded Lord Long Live: "The mother is widowed and the son is weak, the clan is strong, and the border defense is not stable. If there is no Mr. Zhang, what can be done!"

Long Live Lord remained silent.

Empress Dowager Li shed tears and said: "Before the death of the late Emperor, he entrusted Mr. Zhang to assist His Majesty. Over the years, without Mr. Zhang teaching Your Majesty morning and night and devoting all his efforts to the country, how could you and I, mother and son, be where we are today? If Your Majesty had not treated Zhang If you show any disrespect at all, you are being unfilial to the late emperor and unkind to the people!"

Long live the Lord knelt on the ground: "Mother, my sons and ministers have absolutely no intention of doing this."

After hearing this, Mrs. Li will come to the rear.

Dali Temple came to report, and the Hu doctor confessed and was ordered by Feng Gao of Dongchang.

Long Live Lord took this opportunity to go downhill and made an impassioned speech, willing to hand over his beloved subordinate Feng Gao to Zhang Taiyue to show that he had no selfish intentions.

Zhang Taiyue agreed and sent out an order to kill Feng Gao with a stick.

Having been an official for many years, he knew that things were not that simple.But seeing that Long live the Lord had given in, he knew what was going on, and that was the end of it.Taking this opportunity to reduce Dongchang's power is also a gain.

In this battle, Zhang Taiyue narrowly won.

At the same time, in the streets of the capital, rumors of "the black-hearted prime minister lying on the dragon's bed" were rampant.This rumor is about Long Live Lord's biological mother, the empress dowager Li, and Jin Yiwei does not dare to neglect it.

Several groups of people were beheaded in Caishikou, and the rumors were suppressed.

Here, when I went to the Zhang Mansion with my gold pen to ask for Master Zhang, the servant girl in black told me that Master Zhang was in Dali Temple.

I asked her to take me to Dali Temple to meet Mr. Zhang.She hesitated.

I took out the gold pen and she agreed.She knew that the gold pen was an important thing to Mr. Zhang and would not give it to anyone else.

With Zhang's reputation, everyone in Dali Temple was very interested in it.

The maid in black said to me: "Mrs. Cheng, you can go in, but don't disturb Mr. Zhang's work."

I nodded hurriedly: "I know, don't dare to lose control." The jailer led us all the way in.

When they arrived at a secret room, the jailer retreated, and the servant girl in black went in to report. After a while, she came out and said, "You go in."

I walked into the secret room with heavy steps and was shocked by the scene before me.

Feng Gao was tied to a wooden frame, covered with bruises, and placed beside him was a bright red soldering iron.

He was tortured but did not surrender.

On an evilly beautiful face, his eyes were dark and he looked at Mr. Zhang provocatively.

Mr. Zhang, who was sitting in front of him, held his forehead and looked at him quietly.

The jailers who were inflicting torture were all sent out by Master Zhang for some unknown reason.

There were only two of them in the room, facing each other.

Master Zhang saw me coming in, raised his eyes and said, "Mrs. Cheng, why are you here today?"

I leaned over and said, "I beg you to be noble and spare Feng Gao's life."

Feng Gao, who was tied up, saw me begging for help, and his eyes showed pain: "You don't have to beg him!"

I ignored him and appealed to Master Zhang: "Sir, you are so wise. How could you not know that he did not do this? It is true that there is no unjust prison under the hands of a saint. Your Excellency, you are the most virtuous person in the Ming Dynasty. You know everything clearly. Let him go. From now on, he will definitely remember your kindness."

Master Zhang had a very complicated look in his eyes.

I can't understand that look.

After a long time, he said: "What is the connection between Mrs. Cheng and him? Huai Shi must not have known you were here. What kind of old past can make Mrs. Cheng put aside the harmony between husband and wife and come to intercede for him?"

I thought for a while and said, "To be honest, sir, I have known him since childhood."

"Oh?"

Master Zhang suddenly became very concerned and said, "Aren't you the granddaughter of the painter Xie Han? How could you have known him since childhood?"

"Sir, the woman is the adopted daughter of the Zhu family. Before that, she grew up in the acrobatic class of Dongchang Mansion."

I raised the gold pen and knelt down: "On that day, the civilian woman was painting in Zhang Mansion. Your Excellency once asked the civilian woman if she wanted anything, just say it. I beg you today, for the sake of this golden pen, spare his life." .I beg you to be lenient.”

"Dongchang Mansion...acrobatic class..." he murmured.

"Have you ever been to Yangzhou when you were young?" he asked.

I shook my head, wondering why he asked such a strange question.

After a while, he stood up and said to me: "This matter is important and I need to think about it again. Mrs. Cheng, you should not stay here for a long time. Please stay for a while and then go back."

He walked out the door.He looked back at Feng Gao a few more times.

The back is old and desolate.

After he left, I stood up and walked to Feng Gao.

"How come you don't know how to beg for mercy? Life is the most important thing, do you know that?"

I wanted to say something else, but when I looked at the injuries on his body, I was speechless and my eyes shed tears.

"Sister, please don't cry. This time, you believe me, which makes me so happy. Just now, you told Zhang Taiyue that we have known each other since childhood. You...do you remember?"

He looked at me expectantly: "Sister, if you think about it, these injuries on my body are nothing."

I didn't think about it.I just said this to beg for mercy.But at this moment, I can't bear to deny him.

"Sister, something strange happened today."

"What's the matter?"

"Zhang Taiyue was very cruel at first and asked the jailer to use severe torture on me. But when the jailer opened my clothes and stretched the red-hot iron towards me, he suddenly shouted to stop. Then he dismissed the jailer and sat motionless. There. Sister, tell me, what does Zhang Taiyue mean?"

I followed his open skirt and looked over, and there was a palm-shaped birthmark on his heart.

"What is this?" I asked.

He lowered his eyelashes and said in despair: "Sister, you must have not recovered your memory. How could you not know this birthmark? When I was a child, whenever I was sick, you would tell me that I have the Tathagata's palm print on my heart. He must be a Daluo deity who can turn misfortune into good fortune."

"Bean sprouts, I just wish you peace."

I whispered.

He was injured, just like the peach blossoms in the garden after a heavy rain, bright but desolate, charming but thin.

"sister--"

He raised his eyes slightly, looked at me slyly, and whispered in my ear: "Sister, don't worry, before I went to jail, I had a back-up plan. No one knows."

I look at him.

The corners of his lips curled up: "I have been in Dongchang for 15 years. If I didn't have some skills, I would have died many times."

(End of this chapter)