novelraw Chapter 1279: 1278: Pretending to Be Drunk
Chapter 1279: 1278: Pretending to Be Drunk
Chapter 1279: Chapter 1278: Pretending to Be Drunk
Wang Yongzhu didn’t care what these maids thought; in this residence, the ones she trusted the most were Gu Yu and Old Madam Ding.
Old Madam Ding was in charge of food, while Old Granny Wu went to the Gu Family to accompany Old Granny Zhang.
Thus, only Gu Yu remained at her side to be of use.
So she let Gu Yu follow her, and the two first tidied up the valuables to avoid chaos later on.
In the evening, Old Madam Ding casually sent some food for them to make do.
When Old Madam Ding delivered the food, she mentioned that people in the courtyard were uneasy, many had run out to inquire about the news.
Wang Yongzhu simply instructed Old Madam Ding to keep an eye on the kitchen and not to bother with anything else.
They were headed to Chicheng County, and they wouldn’t bring the Duke’s servants, so whatever they wanted to do, let them be.
Song Chongjin arrived home very late.
On usual days, regardless of how late it was, upon his return, the place was always brightly lit, with many people waiting for him.
Along the way, as soon as they spotted him from afar, the servants would kneel by the side, with greetings constantly ringing in his ears.
Today, from the moment he entered the residence, although it remained brightly lit, the road was much quieter.
The servants met him face-to-face, greeting and inquiring about his well-being.
But those farther away, upon seeing his silhouette, would quietly avoid him.
Song Chongjin noticed but pretended not to see, just as he entered the residence, he happened to meet Song Hong’s people heading to Deyue Tower to fetch him back. Seeing him return, they hurriedly led him to Song Hong’s side.
At Deyue Tower, it was a farewell gathering for him, he was forced to drink quite a few cups right from the start. He pretended to be drunk and sat in the corner feigning sleep, resolutely staying asleep regardless of others’ attempts to rouse him.
With Gu Zikai, his cousin, protecting him, everyone had to let him be.
Ultimately, as they were already here, the banquet had just started, it couldn’t just end, could it? Everyone was familiar with each other, so they treated it as a colleague gathering and continued, not to mention Deyue Tower’s wine and dishes were top-notch, everyone had contributed, so they must eat their fill.
Hence, no one felt disappointed; instead, they loosened up a bit.
Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was something else, initially it was just one or two people complaining, but later on, everyone started expressing grievances using the excuse of being drunk.
Especially today, when someone started, many expressed this was a provocation from the Military officers against the Civil officials.
Gradually, as the night went on, quite a few became passionately indignant, even wishing to report to His Majesty and expose the alleged wolf-like ambition of the Military officers.
Song Chongjin pretended to be asleep, yet listened closely, occasionally shifting his posture, hiding behind his sleeve, with just squinted eyes, observing how these fellow officials transitioned from pitying him to gradually being incited into the civil-military dispute.
He silently memorized those who were steering the conversation.
Gu Zikai, his mind still clear, saw the conversation becoming more inappropriate and noticing it was getting late, he made the excuse to send Song Chongjin back, wobbly getting up and dragging Song Chongjin out.
There were also some sharp-minded ones who took the opportunity to bid farewell.
Exit onto the carriage, after a breeze blew away some of the alcohol fumes off the two, Song Chongjin opened his eyes.
Gu Zikai then said, “This situation doesn’t seem right; I feel someone is intentionally using your matter to stir up trouble?”
With only the two of them, Song Chongjin naturally stopped pretending to be drunk, opened his eyes, clear-eyed, and leaned close to Gu Zikai’s ear to whisper a few words.
Gu Zikai’s expression changed, nodding knowingly.
After dropping off the people at Duke Weiguo Residence’s gate, he left.
Meanwhile, after Song Hong returned from court, he too was busy until nightfall. Upon hearing about the colleagues from the Hanlin Academy holding a farewell gathering for Song Chongjin at Deyue Tower, he frowned without commenting.
When it was completely dark and Song Chongjin still hadn’t returned, just as he dispatched personal soldiers to fetch him, he heard reports saying the Princely Heir had returned.
He summoned Song Chongjin to the study, smelling the alcohol scent on him but seeing Song Chongjin’s expression still fairly clear, he relaxed a bit.
The father and son faced each other in silence.
After a long while, Song Hong said, “I have penned a letter, dispatching someone to the station near Chicheng City. The commander there was once under my command, rest assured.”
“This is your first assignment, being a county magistrate is a hefty responsibility, many eyes are watching, remember to be cautious. I’ve sent someone to find an experienced Master for you; let him handle the daily matters, just focus on the donkey-horse issue.”
“As long as the donkey-horse numbers recover, it would be a major accomplishment! With His Majesty’s commendation, see who dares criticize then!”
With that said, he quietly advised on various matters, feeling like there were countless topics, seemingly endless.
Song Chongjin knew these were all experiences from Song Hong, and he remembered them carefully.
After conversing for a while, Song Hong remembered, “You went to the Ministry of Personnel today, what did they say, did they mention the departure date?”
Song Chongjin took out the appointment and handed it to Song Hong.
Song Hong took a look, seeing it stated he had to assume office by the end of October.
After calculating, a three-month home leave, and then traveling from Jing County to Chicheng County, it would take at least a month and a half.
It’s early May now, meaning his time in the Capital City is less than five days.
“So urgent!” he could only complain.
If he failed to assume office on time, it would be a crime of deceiving the Emperor.
Therefore, Song Hong could only keep it brief, “Very well, I’ll select twenty personal soldiers to escort you back to your hometown, then escort you to Chicheng County. These twenty personal soldiers will be yours, they have been with me for years, crawled out of death heaps, their loyalty is unquestionable.”
“Treat them well, familiarize yourself, eventually, these people by my side will be handed to you!”
Song Chongjin’s eyes flickered for a moment, agreeing without being hesitant.
Even though these personal soldiers were loyal to Song Hong, the situation in Chicheng is still unknown; until he had a fallout with Song Hong, these personal soldiers were more useful than others.
Song Hong had noticed the changes in Song Chongjin in recent days, seeing him accepting the personal soldiers without distancing, he was relieved a lot.
With these personal soldiers protecting him, his safety was at least ensured.
“It’s getting late, we’ll talk more tomorrow, I’ll consider what else you need over there. You should go rest!” Song Hong sympathized with all that Song Chongjin had endured today, realistically showing some fatherly concern, gesturing for him to retire.
Song Chongjin then took his leave.
Once Song Chongjin left, Song Hong’s formidable aura disappeared, slumping in his chair, suddenly revealing a bit of desolation and aging.
He silently dazed for a while, then sat up, rubbed his face, restoring his usual demeanor before calling someone in.
That night, the lights in Song Hong’s study stayed on continuously, the front yard bustled with people coming in and out, orders being dispatched, and messages being sent…