Five-mile pavilion outside the city.
A flamboyant carriage is parked there.
A few men dressed as boys were guarding around the carriage, and there was no movement inside the carriage.
The pedestrians passing by saw it and consciously avoided it.
The carriage waited from noon until it was dark before turning around and heading back to the city.
The following morning, it came out of the city early again and waited.
As midday approached, one of the guards in front of the carriage came forward and was about to persuade those inside to return when the sound of galloping hoofs rang out in the distance.
The guard turned around and the man on the horse gestured from afar, and the guard immediately reported, “Your Majesty, the old man is here.”
Inside the carriage, the Emperor, who had closed his eyes to rest, snapped open his eyes.
The sound of horses’ hooves accompanied by the sound of carriage wheels approached from afar and soon approached the Five Mile Pavilion.
The guards strided over and blocked the front of the carriage.
The coachman jerked his horse and the old gentleman inside the carriage leaned forward, and before he could sit still, the guard’s voice rang out from outside, “Old gentleman, His Majesty has an invitation.”
The old gentleman expected the emperor to seek his intercession, but he did not expect to be blocked here before he even entered the capital, “Please tell the emperor that I, Xu, have rushed all the way back and have not washed for several days, I will go to the palace to pay my respects once I have returned to my home and washed.”
“I’m afraid I can’t ……”
With those words, the guard walked over to the carriage and lifted the curtain so that the old man could see the carriage in the distance, “His Holiness was waiting for you yesterday.”
The old gentleman narrowed his eyes.
Motioning for the others not to move, he himself got down from the carriage and followed the guard to the carriage on this side, just as he was about to salute, the Emperor got down from the carriage and personally held him up, “Old sir, I am making amends on behalf of that rebellious son.”
The old gentleman stepped back and gave a big salute, “Your Majesty has spoken too highly, I cannot afford it, Xu.”
“I know that the old gentleman has anger in his heart, don’t worry, I will punish that rebellious son properly, but could the old gentleman come to the pavilion and listen to me for a few words.”
The emperor had already put down his face by stooping to this place to wait for him, if he refused again he would be ungrateful, the old gentleman understood in his heart, “Your Majesty please.”
The pavilion had been wiped clean and a pot of tea and two tealights were laid out on the stone table.
After taking his seat, His Majesty personally poured a cup of tea for the old gentleman, “I have already heard from that rebellious son about Qingping County, he was encouraged by the Duke of Qi to go there, wanting to seize the secret recipe of several businesses of the Gu family, and did not want to kill anyone, he was completely unaware of the murder of the Gu family. It’s just that now that the Duke of Qi is dead, I seem to be shirking responsibility for that rebellious son by saying this, but it’s true. The reason why I am waiting here is that firstly, I am making amends to Old Sir on behalf of that rebellious son, and secondly, I want to ask Old Sir to be merciful and keep him alive, and as long as Old Sir lets go, I promise that I will punish him severely and also give compensation to the Song family.”
The old gentleman had thought of many reactions from the emperor on this journey, thinking that he would be partial to the third prince, thinking that he would clear the third prince’s name, but he did not expect that the emperor would directly admit the third prince’s crime, which made the anger burning in his heart subside a little.
“Your Majesty does not need to make amends to me, what the Third Prince has wronged is the 113 members of the Gu family. They are just an ordinary merchant family, having earned that family business through decades of hard work, only to have it all burned down in a fire overnight, and to lose their lives… If Your Majesty does not increase the punishment, I am afraid it will chill the hearts of the world.”
“I know, I give you my word that I will never forgive him lightly! I will send him to a bitterly cold land and never let him return to the capital, I only ask that he be left alive.”
Beg?
The old gentleman’s face was as normal, but his heart was in shock.
It was said that the Emperor favoured the Third Prince, but he did not believe it before, after all, there were two other princes above him, each with extraordinary abilities, who had done a lot for the Emperor since they were barely adults, but the Third Prince had not done much.
If he was only suspicious before, he was now completely convinced.
If they insist on asking the third prince to pay for his life, the downfall ……
“What does the emperor want me to do?”
……
Half an hour later, the emperor came down from the pavilion and got into his carriage to return to the palace.
The old gentleman sat in the pavilion for a little while before returning to the carriage.
Seeing his heavy face, Mr. Xu Er knew that things were indeed as he had guessed, and that the Emperor had come to put pressure on his father.
“Father ……”
The old gentleman waved his hand and instructed the carriage driver, “It’s not far from the city, there are many people, just walk slowly.”
The coachman answered, raising his whip high and dropping it gently as the horse walked up unhurriedly.
Inside the carriage, the old gentleman spoke the words of the Emperor just now.
“Let’s not say that what the Third Prince said is true or not, the Duke of Qi is dead, and it is easy for the Emperor to press all the charges on his head. Now, the emperor can personally come to the Five Mile Pavilion to wait for us, it has already given us a great face, if we don’t know any better, I’m afraid ……”
He didn’t say the last words, but Mr. Xu Er and Xu Yan also understood that since ancient times, there were no generous people who were the emperor, and a random excuse could wipe out the Xu family in a flash.
“Is it possible to just let him go?”
Xu Yan’s heart was reluctant.
“He will be relegated to a bitterly cold place, never to return to the capital, and never again to have a chance at the throne. We have to think of the Song family in the long run.”
There was a moment of silence in the carriage.
Several people went straight to the South City.
Song Wan Yue guessed that the old gentleman and his party would soon arrive, so she asked Song Si to take leave and wait with her at home.
When they heard the sound of horse hooves, the two of them quickly came out of the courtyard, just in time to see the old gentleman and his group get off the carriage.
After all, the old gentleman was already old and even if he covered himself up, he could not hide his tiredness.
Song Wan Yue stepped forward to help him and said to Xu and Song Lin, “Father, Mother, you help Grand Grandmother to rest in my house first, and I will help Grand Great Grandfather to go to Big Brother’s house.”
The old man didn’t push back and allowed her to help him to Song Si’s house.
Mr. Xu Er and Xu Yan also followed him in.
After taking his seat, the old gentleman was about to tell her about the Emperor’s visit to Wuli Ting when Song Wan Yue opened her mouth first, “Yesterday, the Emperor asked Niang Fei Niang to be his lobbyist, saying that we should take a step back, which I agreed to do.”
Several people froze slightly.
Song Si brought in a few plates of snacks and placed them on the table, then turned around and went out to bring tea.
Song Wangyue took a piece of pastry to the old man, “It’s just come out of the pot, you can try it.”
The old gentleman took a bite and nodded his head, “Delicious.”
Song Wan Yue sat down, “That day when I sped back to the capital, I had the intention to beat the drum and sue the Imperial Court. But yesterday I changed my mind after the words of Consort Xian. She was right, the dead have passed away, so we must think of the living. After thinking about it, I thought it would be good to make some conditions while I had the chance, such as asking for a million taels of silver in compensation.”