"You should have met him a few times."
Tang Youyou had a vague impression of him, but couldn't recall his appearance for the moment.
Seeing her frowning, Rong Xun rubbed her slightly cold little hands and said softly, "Do you remember the person who was tripped at the banquet in the back garden in the second year after I ascended the throne?"
"Sure, that guy plunged headfirst into a flower pot and his face was covered in dirt."
"That's him."
Tang Youyou's eyes widened. She remembered that after this person was tripped, his head was full of dust, but he seemed like nothing had happened. He just patted the dust off his body and sat down to drink tea.
At that time, she thought this person was very calm. In that situation, with the king present and so many eyes watching him being deliberately framed and made a fool of, he could act as if nothing had happened. She truly admired him.
"So it was him. I thought this person was extraordinary back then, but later it seemed he didn't achieve anything particularly outstanding."
Rong Xun shook his head. "On the surface, he didn't, but he personally went to deal with the Yellow River breach that spring. He also actively proposed solutions to the locust infestation in summer when the common people had no harvest. And it was he who found the clues and took down those corrupt officials in the dark case in Nancao County."
Tang Youyou didn't know any of these things. This person's name was rarely mentioned in the court. The few times he was mentioned were when he was impeached. She never thought his achievements were so great.
"Although Prime Minister Song holds the position of prime minister, to outsiders, he inherited the position from his grandfather. The position is just an empty title without real power. However, he has always been a thorn in the side of some people. There are only four prime ministers in the Ming Dynasty. Although this one has no real power, the treatment he enjoys is real. This makes some people envious."
Tang Youyou immediately understood. Presumably, Prime Minister Song was quite aware of his situation, which was why he had remained silent all these years to avoid being framed.
"Did he tell you these strategies privately?"
Rong Xun shook his head again. "Not all of them. When it came to matters like the common people suffering disasters, once he heard about them, he would go to the local area to provide relief. He would disguise himself before going each time for fear of being recognized. Those solutions were all thought up on the spot. Only when dealing with those corrupt officials did he secretly submit a memorial to pass the information he had obtained to me."
Tang Youyou didn't expect this person to care so much about the common people. She wondered how he was now. Since Rong Xun's fake death, the entire court of the Ming Dynasty had been in a complete mess.
"Now he should have returned to his hometown. However, the battle of Rong Jiangyu might be able to invite him out again."
After all, Song Xumo was a man of both civil and military talents, and he attached great importance to the livelihood of the common people. It was just that this person really lacked ambition.
With his strength, he might have been able to dominate the court, but he didn't do so.
"It would be great if we could meet him. But if he saw you, would he be shocked?"
At that time, there was a national mourning for Rong Xun. For three whole months, no weddings or funerals were allowed throughout the country. Everyone thought he was no longer alive.
Rong Xun gave a soft laugh. "Maybe."
Maybe such a smart person wouldn't really believe that he was dead.
The heavy rain outside continued to pour, as if it were the voiceless complaints of many suffering common people.
"Why aren't they back yet?"
Tang Youyou was worried that Ye Yue and Zhui Feng might not have found what they were looking for since they still hadn't shown up.
Just as she was hesitating whether to go out and look for them, two children wearing large straw capes and bamboo hats appeared at the door. Behind them stood a wet man and woman.
"We're back." Ye Yue took off the straw capes on them, looked at Zhui Feng, and quickly walked over to Wen Xue. She grabbed his clothes and took them off.
"Here, put this on first."
Wen Xue dared not show his anger. This move of using someone else's thing to curry favor was really brilliant.
Tang Youyou also noticed that the atmosphere between these two was a bit unusual. Pretending not to care, she walked over to the two kids, crouched down, and said, "Are you cold? Hurry over and warm yourselves by the fire."
She held one of their hands each. Their little hands were freezing cold. Holding them in her palms made her heart clench.
"Come on, put on your clothes."
She took off her cloak and wrapped it around the two thin kids. She carefully wiped the dust off their faces with a handkerchief.
Seeing this, Rong Xun immediately took off his own cloak and put it on her.
"Don't catch a cold either."
The three people sitting on one side would look over from time to time. This really looked like a warm scene of a family of four. There was no room for them.
"How warm."
Zhui Feng propped her chin on her hands and stared at the "family of four" without blinking, her eyes full of envy.
Wen Xue scoffed and said, "If it's so warm, why don't you hurry up and find someone to marry? You're not a little girl anymore. If you keep waiting, no one will want you."
Hearing this, Zhui Feng was so angry that she immediately stomped on his foot hard. Seeing him wince in pain, she laughed triumphantly.
"Mind your own business. It serves you right to be in pain."
Ye Yue glanced at them, said nothing, and went inside to make some hot tea. After pouring it for Rong Xun and Tang Youyou, she poured a cup for Zhui Feng. When it was Wen Xue's turn, there was no more tea.
"If you want to drink, make it yourself."
Ye Yue placed the teapot in front of him, picked up her own cup of tea, and took a slow sip. But the next moment, Wen Xue snatched it away.
"You!"
He realized his voice was a bit too loud and quickly lowered it. The two of them fought over the cup of tea, but not a single drop of tea was spilled.
"I'm giving it to you out of charity."
In the end, Ye Yue couldn't compete with Wen Xue and had to admit defeat.
Rong Xun heard some movement outside and immediately became vigilant. The other three also quickly got into a battle-ready state.
Ye Yue went out first to check the situation. As soon as she opened the door, she saw three or four military horses passing by on the street. They didn't seem to belong to Rong Jiangyu.
"They're military horses, but not Rong Jiangyu's."
Rong Xun thought for a moment and slowly said, "They should be the men of the King of Xia."
The King of Xia was a very irritable monarch. After learning that Lan Er had rebelled and all his military horses had been occupied by Rong Jiangyu, he had been holding back. He must be planning to catch them all in one go.
But he couldn't act on the territory of the Ming Dynasty.
"Zhui Feng, take my warrant and quickly find the King of Xia. Tell him not to act on the territory of the Ming Dynasty. If he doesn't listen, tell the Wuya Pavilion to take action directly."
"Yes, sir."
Zhui Feng disappeared in a flash. Her speed was so fast that one's eyes couldn't keep up.
Tang Youyou knew something about all this, but she didn't expect it to involve the Xia Kingdom.
"What on earth is going on?"
Rong Xun pulled her to sit down. "Don't worry."
"No." Seeing that he didn't say anything, Tang Youyou pressed on. "I'm not worried. Just tell me what's going on."