The rural doctor bought a husband who was very treacherous

Chapter 227 Contest

"The design of the garden here is more delicate and exquisite than that in Kyoto. The few green bamboos over there were planted by my grandmother when she lived here..." As the two walked into the courtyard, Qi Lingheng explained the scenery of the garden to Su Tang.

"This mansion was not destroyed when the family was raided."

"Although this mansion has a plaque of the Qi Mansion, the house is under the name of my grandmother and is not considered private property of the Qi family."

"Master." As the two were walking, Qi Yan came quickly from outside the yard. He walked up to Qi Lingheng and bowed to the two of them.

"What's the matter?" Qi Lingheng turned around and asked.

"The prefect of Yangzhou and several officials from Yangzhou are asking for a meeting outside the mansion." Qi Yan replied.

"You came quite quickly." Su Tang raised her eyebrows slightly and turned around to look towards the door.

When they entered the city, many officials in the prefectures and cities along the way knew in advance that the Prince of Qi and the eldest princess had gone to the south of the Yangtze River.

But when we arrived in Yangzhou, no one from the city came to greet us.

On the contrary, they had just entered the Qi Mansion when the official of Yangzhou City came with his subordinates.

Su Tang didn't believe it was a coincidence.

"Ignore them. If they rush us, just say we just arrived and are still packing up, and ask them to wait." Su Tang pulled Qi Lingheng to continue walking around the mansion. She hadn't finished touring the Qi mansion yet, and these people didn't come to greet them just now, leaving them alone for a while.

Qi Yan looked at Su Tang and Qi Lingheng who had turned and left. He was stunned for a moment, then he grinned with the corners of his mouth towards his ears and laughed foolishly twice.

He also turned around and walked slowly towards the gate of the mansion.

When he reached the door, he whispered a few words to the guard at the door and turned back into the mansion.

The guard at the door received Qi Yan's orders and, as if he didn't see the people at the door, he closed the door and stood at the door like a stone statue.

"What's going on?" The Yangzhou officials waiting at the door asked in confusion. They had just seen a guard go in to report, so why was the door closed now?

Moreover, the person who just came out from inside obviously said something to the guard at the door, and then, nothing happened.

Just leave them at the gate of Qi's house?

A man with a mustache beside the Yangzhou prefect whispered in the prefect's ear: "Master Hong, do you think we should stay here and wait, or go back first?"

"Everything has been reported. Wait." Prefect Hong looked at the door plaque of the Qi Mansion with his eyes slightly narrowed.

They are all thousand-year-old foxes. How could he not know that the people inside were trying to intimidate him?

Originally, he was thinking of leaving King Qi and his men alone. After all, he heard that they were just coming to Jiangnan for sightseeing. He was like a local emperor in Yangzhou, and the real power in his hands was much greater than those princes in the capital who had little real power.

So even though he knew that the King of Qi and his men would arrive in Yangzhou today, he did not go to the city gate to greet them like officials from other cities did.

He wanted to pretend that he knew nothing about it, and it was not until the King of Qi and his entourage entered the city that he came to the outside of the Qi Palace with his subordinate officials who had been notified long ago to ask for a meeting.

After hearing what Prefect Hong said, the officials who followed him remained silent and stood behind Prefect Hong, waiting.

The crowd, dressed in official uniforms, was waiting at the gate of Qi's mansion, which had attracted the attention of many people in the city.

But the people only dared to watch from afar and no one dared to get close. Prefect Hong and these officials in Yangzhou were people that the people of Yangzhou dared not to provoke.

However, when the sun rose and set, the gate of Qi Mansion was not opened again.

Some older officials' calves were already shaking from standing.

The man with two mustaches beside Prefect Hong was one of those who couldn't help but ask, "Master Hong, do you think we should go and report it again? I'm afraid the people inside didn't pass on the news that we've arrived?"

Magistrate Hong didn't look at the people beside him. His forehead was already covered with sweat, but he was not very old. Although his legs were a little stiff, he could still hold on for a while.

He wanted to see how long the other party would make him wait.

Just when some people behind Magistrate Hong began to collapse, the door of the Qi Mansion finally opened.

Qi Yan glanced at the people at the door and said, "My King Qi invites you all to enter the palace."

The people around Governor Hong breathed a sigh of relief immediately. Governor Hong, who was standing nearby, could hear those people breathing a sigh of relief.

He frowned, patted his stiff legs, and then walked towards the gate of Qi Mansion.

The officials behind immediately supported each other and kept up.

Qi Yan led the way in front. It was also the first time for Magistrate Hong and his companions to enter the Qi Mansion.

Although the Qi Mansion is a mansion located in Yangzhou, no member of the Qi family has lived there for a long time. On weekdays, there are only some old servants cleaning the mansion, so the door of the Qi Mansion is closed all day long.

Moreover, all the officials in Yangzhou knew the origin of the plaque on the Qi Mansion.

This also meant that no matter how powerful people in Yangzhou City thought they were, they never dared to come to the Qi Mansion to cause trouble.

"The garden in this mansion is much more beautiful than Lord Hong's mansion." Someone suddenly said in a low voice.

"Shh, you don't want to live anymore!" someone exclaimed in a low voice.

Although these people spoke in low voices, the garden of the Qi Mansion was very quiet at this time, so their voices still reached everyone's ears.

Those who came with Prefect Hong all looked at him. Fortunately, Prefect Hong seemed not to have heard anything and his expression did not change.

Qi Yan, who was walking in front of the group, of course also heard the discussions of the crowd. There was no change on his face, and he just led the way in front of the group.

“It is said that the King of Qi came to Jiangnan with the Grand Princess. Today, the guard at the city gate came to report that someone was holding the King of Qi’s token, saying that the King of Qi had come to Yangzhou City.

I just wonder if the Grand Princess has also entered Yangzhou City this time?" Prefect Hong was walking in front of the crowd, closest to Qi Yan who was leading the way. He pondered for a moment, and finally couldn't help but asked tentatively.

Hearing this, Qi Yan, who had been walking steadily forward, suddenly stopped, then slowly turned around, his eyes like a torch, scanning straight at Prefect Hong behind him.

There seemed to be an invisible pressure in that look, which made Governor Hong feel nervous.

After a moment of silence, Qi Yan asked with a half-smile, "What else? Could it be that Lord Hong thinks that the Grand Princess and the Prince of Qi have been together all the way, but separated only after coming to Yangzhou?"

Some people did not expect Qi Yan to stop suddenly. Although those who were following closely stopped in time, those who were following behind did not stop. In an instant, the group of people who had been quiet just now bumped into each other.

These people had been standing for half a day and their legs were still weak. They just walked completely mechanically.

When they collided, several people fell to the ground immediately. When they stood up again, their official uniforms were in disarray.

Magistrate Hong glanced at the people lying on the ground behind him, and a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

When he gets back, he will find a way to replace all these useless ones.

Qi Yan also glanced at the group of people lying on the ground, snorted lightly, turned around and ignored them, and walked forward quickly.

Those who had fallen to the ground immediately supported each other to get up and trotted after them.

Finally, everyone was brought to the front hall of the Qi Mansion, where Qi Lingheng and Su Tang were already sitting at the top seats.

Looking at the group of people coming in, Qi Lingheng's expression did not change.

At this time, there were only two chairs at the top in the front hall, and no other seats in the hall.

"Your subordinate, I am Hong Zhenhai, the prefect of Yangzhou, and I, along with a group of Yangzhou officials, would like to pay my respects to the Grand Princess and the King of Qi." Hong Zhenhai said loudly and bowed to Qi Lingheng and Su Tang who were sitting at the top.

As Hong Zhenhai finished speaking, the officials standing behind him shouted in unison: "Your subordinates, greet the Grand Princess and the King of Qi."

"It is a great honor for me to have the chance to meet all the officials of Yangzhou today!" Qi Lingheng said slowly with a stern face and a cold voice.

His cold eyes swept across everyone present, as if he could see through their thoughts.

Hong Zhenhai and other officials standing by were naturally not stupid people. They immediately heard the coldness and hardness in Qi Lingheng's tone.

However, what was surprising was that in the face of such obvious dissatisfaction, no one present showed the slightest sign of panic.

Hong Zhenhai had a flattering smile on his face, and he immediately bowed and said, "Haha, King Qi, you are really too kind. It is our great honor to be here to welcome King Qi to Yangzhou!"

As he spoke, he observed the changes in Qi Lingheng's expression, trying to guess what the prince was thinking.

"Okay, I just arrived in Yangzhou today. I was exhausted from the journey. You can discuss your matter another day. I am tired and need to have a good rest." At this time, Su Tang suddenly stood up and said to Hong Zhenhai and the others.

"Yes, I dare not delay the princess's rest, so I will take my leave now.

We came here in a hurry today. Tomorrow, when the princess has had enough rest, I will host a banquet at the Jinchun Restaurant in Yangzhou City to entertain the princess and the King of Qi.

I hope the princess and the king of Qi will be able to show their hospitality and give me the opportunity to fulfill my duties as a host." Hong Zhenhai said with a bow.

"Do you think I'm a llama and can recover in half a day?!" Su Tang suddenly shouted angrily.

The voice was full of energy and did not sound tired at all.

He seemed more energetic than these old ministers who had been standing for half a day.

But what Su Tang said was a bit harsh. She actually rejected Hong Zhenhai's invitation in public, which was a disgrace to Hong Zhenhai.

Hong Zhenhai's face was a little embarrassed because of Su Tang's scolding. After a while, he calmed down and said with a sigh of relief: "It is my fault for not thinking it through. I will wait for your instructions at any time."

"Well, go down. My eyes are tired from watching." Su Tang waved her hand, turned around and pulled Qi Lingheng out of the front hall.

All the officials were left alone in the front hall.

For a moment, the only sound in the front hall was Hong Zhenhai's heavy breathing.

"The princess and the King of Qi have met you all, so you can leave first." Qi Yan stood in front of Hong Zhenhai at some point and said to everyone in the room.

Hong Zhenhai and the officials looked at each other. Although he still had a smile on his face, it was unusually stiff. "Well, I will go back and wait for the princess's letter."

Qi Yan made a gesture of invitation and did not respond to Hong Zhenhai.

Although Hong Zhenhai was the prefect, his rank was only fourth grade.

Qi Yan was also a deputy general in the army and a second-rank official in the court, so he didn't need to pay attention to Hong Zhenhai.

But Hong Zhenhai didn't know Qi Yan's identity. He only thought that Qi Yan was just a guard following King Qi. Although he didn't dare to get angry and scold Qi Yan for his neglect, he secretly took note of it and thought that he must find a chance to teach Qi Yan a lesson. Then he knew how to be a servant.

As if sensing Hong Zhenhai's anger and calculations, Qi Yan suddenly looked at Hong Zhenhai with murderous intent in his eyes.

It was the first time that Hong Zhenhai saw someone looking at him in this way. He was immediately shocked and trembled, and his steps unconsciously quickened a lot.

Qi Yan looked at Hong Zhenhai who was walking away, with a disdainful smile on his face.

After Hong Zhenhai and others left, Qi Yan did not see them off in person, but he called an old servant from the Qi Mansion to take everyone away.

After leaving Qi Mansion and watching the door close again, the person following Hong Zhenhai asked in a low voice, "Master Hong, what does the princess mean by this?"

"Can't you understand what I mean? It seems that you need to replace your seat with someone who can understand." Hong Zhenhai glanced at the man. It seemed that he had finally found a place to vent the anger he had suffered in the Qi Mansion.

He glanced at the man with a mustache beside him and said, "Go back and find someone smart to replace him."

The man with the mustache immediately nodded in agreement.

When the others saw this, they followed Hong Zhenhai, but no one dared to plead for that man.

"Hong, Lord Hong, what did I do wrong?" The man who was dismissed from his official position on the spot by Hong Zhenhai looked at Hong Zhenhai in fear and horror, his face full of disbelief.

He just went to Qi Mansion with Hong Zhenhai today and said just this one sentence today. Why was he dismissed from his official position?

Although his official position was not high-ranking, he made a lot of money.

He had just taken two concubines and had three children to support at home. Now that he had been stripped of his official position, how would he support his family in the future?

"Master Hong, please see where I have done wrong and punish me. You must not give this position to anyone else, Master Hong..."

"Shut up!" Hong Zhenhai turned around, glanced at the man who was about to argue and shouted.

Turning the corner, a group of carriages carrying officials were parked not far away.

Today, Hong Zhenhai and his companions took a carriage to a street and then walked to Qi's mansion.

Now they saw their respective carriages. Everyone waited respectfully for Hong Zhenhai to get on the carriage and leave. Then they got on their own carriages and left one after another.

"You, tell me, what did you ask just now? You have no vision at all." The man with two mustaches shook his head as he looked at the man who had just been demoted.

This guy probably has no idea how he offended Hong Zhenhai. He can only blame him for being so short-sighted.

He could see that Hong Zhenhai had just been upset in the Qi Mansion and was taking it out on this man.