Chapter 1041

Since the city gates opened at dawn, countless commoners from outside the city have been pouring in.

Carriages and horses formed a continuous line, moving slowly outside the Pingcheng Gate.

On the day of the New Year, the Emperor must perform sacrifices, the various ministers must pay homage to the Emperor, family elders must receive the respects of their juniors, and family reunions must be held.

The day after the New Year is for the ceremony of "He" (congratulations).

"Ye" (homage) is the visit paid by subordinates or juniors to their elders and superiors.

"He" is the mutual visiting between peers.

Therefore, there are an exceptionally large number of people on the long streets of Luoyang City today.

They are all people exchanging congratulations, carrying gifts to visit the homes of close friends.

At dawn, Duan Yu, having changed into a brand-new robe and wearing a high mountain cap, walked out of his residence and boarded the carriage already prepared at the door.

Inside the carriage sat two wooden gift boxes.

"Is everything prepared?"

After Duan Yu boarded the carriage, he asked the attendant standing outside.

The attendant bowed his head hurriedly: "Reporting to my lord, everything has been prepared according to your instructions."

"One box contains ten strips of dried meat, and the other contains a five-spice platter, two boxes in total."

Duan Yu looked at the two vermilion-lacquered wooden boxes inside the carriage and nodded slightly.

Subsequently, the attendant closed the carriage door, and the carriage headed all the way toward Yongheli.

The ten strips of dried meat are what is known as meat jerky.

There is venison, rabbit meat, beef... ten types in total.

The five-spice platter is also called the Spring-Greeting Platter or New Year Platter; the platter contains five pungent vegetables: garlic, small garlic, chives, rape, and coriander. "Xin" (pungent) is a homophone for "Xin" (new), signifying bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.

For an official of the Nine Ministers rank like Duan Yu to pay a congratulatory visit to a friend, there is naturally no need for money, headwear, or utensils.

Especially since the person Duan Yu is visiting today is Zhang Feng.

Zhang Feng might lack many things, but he is the one person who would never lack money.

As one of the Ten Eunuchs and one of the people Liu Hong trusts most, Zhang Rang receives a massive amount of money every New Year.

The people wanting to send gifts to Zhang Rang could literally block the alley in front of his house.

Zhang Feng's residence.

Since the New Year yesterday, the carriages coming to the residence to deliver gifts have been endless.

However, Zhang Feng has long been accustomed to this.

The gatekeeper, steward, and the attendants and servants in the residence moved the gifts one by one into the storehouse.

It didn't even take a day to fill the storehouse.

Even the courtyard in front of the storehouse was piled high with a massive amount of gifts.

Just the names of the people sending gifts filled an entire book.

But Zhang Feng was not interested in any of this.

The back courtyard of the residence.

In that secluded small courtyard, the gate was locked from the inside.

This situation was extremely rare.

Generally, this small courtyard was only opened at night; it was very rare for it to be opened during the day.

And it was even locked from the inside.

There was not a single person around the small courtyard, and the same was true inside.

The courtyard was tidy, and even the blue bricks on the ground were scrubbed very clean.

Only a solitary withered tree stood in the courtyard.

Yet, bursts of wailing screams kept coming from the room inside the courtyard.

Inside the room.

Two bloody bodies were tied to a torture rack.

From the spots not stained by the mottled blood, one could still see fair, pink skin.

Two figures with disheveled long hair, heads bowed, and blood continuously flowing from the corners of their mouths, had faces that could not be clearly seen.

But the clothes on their bodies, which had been whipped and torn, seemed similar to what He Lingman usually wore.

With bloodshot eyes, shirtless, and stained with large patches of blood, Zhang Feng was currently using a rag to clean the blood off his body.

The clear water in the wooden basin had already been dyed red by blood.

The expression on Zhang Feng's face was ferocious, his features twisted out of their original positions.

However, as the blood on his body was cleaned away bit by bit, that ferocious and twisted expression gradually returned to calm.

By the time he changed into a brand-new white robe and became the gentle and refined Imperial Physician once again, the expression on Zhang Feng's face had completely returned to normal.

Before walking out of the room, he put away the record book, glanced back at the unknown, half-dead maid wearing He Lingman's clothes, and then slowly closed the door.

As the door closed, the light passing through the door gradually closed as well.

Everything was as if it had never happened.

Just as Zhang Feng walked to the courtyard gate, he heard knocking from outside the side courtyard.

The moment he heard the knocking, Zhang Feng's brow furrowed.

"My lord, Grand Coachman Duan Yu is here to visit."

Duan Yu.

Upon hearing the voice outside, Zhang Feng's brow finally smoothed out.

Subsequently, he opened the lock on the courtyard gate.

Outside the courtyard, an old servant in a black robe stood bowing.

Zhang Feng glanced at the old servant, then looked back at the closed door behind him.

"Clean the inside."

Holding the book in one hand, Zhang Feng walked toward the front courtyard.

The old servant bowed and replied with a "Yes."

In the hall of the front residence.

Duan Yu was sitting behind a low table, holding a teacup and sipping tea gently.

Seeing Zhang Feng walk in from outside the hall, Duan Yu immediately stood up, bowed to Zhang Feng, and said: "Brother Zhang, I have come to offer my New Year congratulations."

Zhang Feng was as graceful and polite as ever, returning the bow to Duan Yu: "Many thanks, Brother Duan, I have yet to go and offer my congratulations to you."

Although on the surface Zhang Feng was as he always was, the look in his eyes was always somewhat different.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhang Feng took his seat, and the two began to drink tea and chat.

As it happened, just as the two were talking, He Lingman, wearing a bright red robe with a white gauze coat over it, a golden dangling hairpin in her black hair, and a figure becoming increasingly charming and mature like a ripe peach, happened to walk by.

"Madam."

Zhang Feng called out after seeing He Lingman.

He Lingman, passing by the door, stopped and saw Zhang Feng and Duan Yu in the hall.

The moment she saw Duan Yu, the joyful expression on He Lingman's face instantly fell, and her eyes were filled with disgust.

"Madam, Brother Duan has come to offer congratulations, why don't you come over and have a cup of tea?" Zhang Feng said with a smile.

Yuan Ji.

He Lingman's dark brows furrowed tightly.

The conflict and struggle between the Yuan clan and Duan Yu have been long-standing; this is known to all of Luoyang.

It is not the first time Yuan Kui has been dismissed from the position of the Three Excellencies because of Duan Yu.

And then there is Zhang Feng...

"I don't have time."

After leaving those words, He Lingman turned and left without looking back.

Zhang Feng's pupils contracted sharply, and his fingers gripping the teacup increased their strength.

"It is of no matter, Brother Zhang," Duan Yu said with a smile: "I heard that Liangzhou Governor Duan Yu has collaborated with the Grand General on the business of white paper and snow salt, and now it is your Madam who is in charge of this item."

"For your Madam to be able to gain the Grand General and..." Duan Yu's eyes watched Zhang Feng's expression.

Sure enough, when this sentence was halfway through, a look of anger surged in Zhang Feng's eyes.

"Brother Duan, are you doing this on purpose?" Zhang Feng narrowed his eyes and looked at Duan Yu. ===== CHAPTER 1043 =====