As soon as August arrived, the weather in the capital became much cooler. The suffocating summer heat gradually dissipated, and the golden osmanthus was fragrant. The wind brought bursts of refreshing osmanthus fragrance. Emperor Yuanfeng was unable to go to the summer palace that year. The reason was simple: by the time he finished his work in the capital, the weather had turned cooler.
But after all, he had not left the capital for several years. Emperor Yuanfeng waved his hand and decided that since he could not go to escape the summer heat, he might as well take advantage of September to go to the imperial palace for the autumn gathering.
The civil officials were fine, and some nobles and military officers were overjoyed. It had been a long time since Emperor Yuanfeng had held an autumn siege, and their skills had become useless. In the past, every autumn siege was a time for military officers to show off their skills. Now that Emperor Yuanfeng was finally willing to move, everyone was excited, and even the civil officials began to wonder if they could be included in the list of escorts. Everyone was happy.
Gao Ping was no exception. He was the Minister of Justice. Whether it was because of the emperor's favor or his status, his name would definitely be on the entourage list. When he returned home this time, he specifically told his wife to bring her favorite children with her: "The emperor has already said that the fifth prince, the eleventh princess, and several younger princes will go. Since they are all going, they naturally need young playmates. This is a good opportunity."
Even if he couldn't get along well with the princesses and princes, this was also a good opportunity to get to know people - he wanted to take his children with him, and so did other people. In the past, when they were trapped in the capital, they could only choose from a limited number of families, but those limited families might not have children of the right age. Now that there was an autumn fair, every family would bring their children along, and if they saw someone they liked, they could start to inquire about the situation and test each other's feelings. Wouldn't that be a great thing
Mrs. Gao also laughed, took the clothes Gao Ping handed over, and helped him change into his home clothes. Then she asked him, "Are you going to have dinner at home?"
Unlike other officials, Gao Ping has always been a family-oriented person. Everyone knows that if he has nothing to do, he will usually rush back home to have meals with his elderly and children.
But this time Gao Ping shook his head: "I have to go out today to see Old Sun."
Sun Yongning had been unemployed at home for quite a while, and today was his birthday. Gao Ping was both his colleague and friend, so naturally he should go and congratulate him. However, Sun Yongning did not set up a banquet or invite anyone, so there was no need to make a big fuss about a gathering with good friends, and they could just do it like usual.
Mrs. Gao responded, nodded and said, "That's great. I found some ginseng for his brother Cai. You can take them with you."
The two families had a good relationship, and Mrs. Gao's family produced ginseng, so she was naturally concerned about Sun Wencai's illness.
Gao Ping agreed and was about to go out with the ginseng. Before he got into the sedan chair, a middle-aged man in official uniform ran over breathlessly and stopped him. He stood in front of him and called him "Sir" breathlessly.
Gao Ping was startled, but when he saw that the person in front of him was Feng Hao, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, he realized that something must have happened, and asked hurriedly, "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Something happened!" Feng Hao panted for a while, not bothering to explain clearly, and shook his head: "Sir, go back to the government office and take a look, something big has happened!"
Gao Ping frowned, looked at the ginseng in his hand, and finally waved to the steward: "You personally take the things to Lord Sun's house and apologize for me. Say that I have something urgent to do here and cannot go to celebrate his birthday. When I am done, I will go to him in person to apologize."
After the steward had listened to the instructions and left, he signaled Feng Hao: "Let's go."
Feng Hao wiped the sweat off his forehead in embarrassment: "Sir, my sedan chair was blocked on the street ahead and couldn't get through, so I ran here by myself... I'm afraid we still have to find another way to get to the government office."
Gao Ping was a little surprised: "What do you mean?"
Why is the street ahead blocked for no reason
In front of his house is Zhengyang Street!
Feng Hao smiled bitterly: "Speaking of which, it is somewhat related to the affairs of our government office. You will know when you go there. Do you remember the magistrate of Xiangtan County?"
Of course he remembered it. After all, he was the one who had chosen Chen Chong, the magistrate of Xiangtan County, for the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. How could he not remember it
"He's dead!" Feng Hao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "His wife came to the capital to file a complaint. She knelt all the way from Zhengyang Street to the Ministry of Justice. She attracted countless people along the way. The Wucheng Military Department didn't know her identity at first and wanted to drive her away and detain her. Later, she incurred public anger... ... The matter became a big deal!"
Gao Ping's right eyelid twitched suddenly.
An official appointed by the imperial court died in office for no apparent reason, and his wife came to the capital to file a complaint. This is even more exciting than what is written in a drama.
He also knew why Feng Hao was so anxious, and immediately said to him, "Get on my sedan chair, and we'll talk while we walk!"
When Gao Ping arrived at the Ministry of Justice, the entrance to the Ministry of Justice, which was usually extremely quiet because of the shifts on duty by the Jinwu Guards, Yulin Guards, and Jinyiwei, was already crowded with people watching the fun.
Most people would only encounter this once in their lifetime, and if they did, how could they resist their curiosity? In the morning, the gate of the Ministry of Justice was surrounded by crowds of people.
So when Gao Ping got off the sedan chair, he was shocked by the huge crowds of people.
My goodness, I haven’t seen such a scene in years. It’s even more grand than when he tried King Zhuang’s witchcraft case.
This Mrs. Chen... is really not simple!
Feng Hao then got out of the sedan chair, and was busy asking the yamen runners to make way for them, while he himself protected Gao Ping and walked in. "The matter has become serious. Madam Chen cried all the way here, and stopped every sedan chair she saw. She stopped the sedan chairs of the Prime Minister, the Second Prime Minister, and the Duke of Ping respectively... She cried about her grievances without caring whether people were willing to listen or not. Before the Prime Minister could react, she was surrounded by the people who rushed over. Those people spoke up for Madam Chen and begged for mercy. The Prime Minister was in a very awkward situation..."
Gao Ping's eyelids twitched. He hadn't even officially known what had happened, but Mrs. Chen had already given him a warning.
Madam Chen has created such a big fuss that the case has attracted unprecedented attention. I’m afraid the emperor will know about it tomorrow.
As they were talking, they finally squeezed to the front. Gao Ping saw the back of a woman in plain clothes and mourning clothes, kneeling on the steps holding a tablet. He couldn't help but nodded in his heart.
No wonder it could cause such a commotion. Just looking at the outfit makes people feel a little sympathetic.
He coughed and cleared his throat: "Mrs. Chen?"