59 Chapter 59

◎Leaving Fuliang◎

The autumn rain falls silently.

Jiang Qing walked into the yard holding an umbrella, went to the eaves, folded it up to shake off the rain, leaned it against the wall, and took out a newspaper from her arms.

"Sir, the latest issue of the newspaper is out."

Xie Mingzhuo took it, glanced through it quickly, and couldn't help but smile.

Since the advent of glass windows, glassware and glass mirrors have appeared in the capital, and now a new type of "叆叇", which is glasses made of glass, has been launched.

The 叆叇 had already appeared in the previous dynasty. It was mostly made of polished crystal and was very expensive. Only wealthy families could afford it.

As glass manufacturing technology matures and costs decrease, these daily necessities will become affordable and of good quality.

This process may take a while, but as long as you start and have the right direction, you will be able to achieve it.

The newspaper's front-page headline also announced the delegation's arrival in Beijing.

The Emperor's birthday is approaching, and all countries and regions are preparing to send delegations and teams to Beijing to offer congratulations. Some of those far away are already on their way.

The capital will definitely be very lively by then.

"Sir, there's a letter from the capital." Yang Yunkai stepped forward and presented an envelope.

There was a thick stack of words in the envelope, and I don’t know how many words were written on it.

Xie Mingzhuo started with a smile.

The most talkative one was undoubtedly the second brother. In his letter, he wrote at length about interesting things happening in the capital and said that the newspaper was going to solicit contributions from the public, with the theme being "A Few Things About Me and the Diplomatic Mission."

Huitongguan was the imperial court's institution for receiving foreign guests, and its officials were familiar with the living habits and behavior styles of diplomatic missions from various places.

However, Xie Mingshuo believes that official-level contacts are not enough to fully understand the situation, and exchanges between ordinary people are more valuable for reference.

Seeing this, Xie Mingzhuo's mind moved. Yes, she could use the newspaper office to gather ideas.

Whether it is the issue of post stations or the issue of private mines, they all involve people's livelihood, and only the common people have a real say in these issues.

Officials in the court, including her, her parents and brothers, were in high positions and had long been out of touch with the common people. It was impossible for them to understand the specific conditions in each place.

It would be better to use the name of the newspaper to solicit ideas from all over the country.

Many talented people who care about the country and the people and have practical experience are unable to present their ideas to the court because they do not hold official positions. This way, they are given the opportunity to speak out.

She just doesn't believe that such a great country has no one who can solve the problem.

"Ayu, grind the ink for me."

She wrote down all her thoughts in a letter, gave it to Yang Yunkai, and said, "Send it to the palace as soon as possible."

Yang Yunkai accepted the order and did not retreat immediately.

"Sir, Yan Dong has been imprisoned. He denies any connection with the Sun Moon Sect and claims to be a member of the Wu Nei Xiang's staff. Anyone who dares to torture him is opposing the Wu Nei Xiang."

Wu Nei Xiang was Wu Shanqing, the eunuch who held the seal of the Imperial Household Department and was also a favorite of the emperor. People at that time respectfully called him "Nei Xiang".

"Oh?" Xie Mingzhuo asked with interest, "Is it really related to Wu Shanqing?"

"This matter concerns Master Wu, so I dare not make any rash comments."

Xie Mingzhuo: "When I have time, I'll go see him. How's Lou Kun doing?"

"After Li Ping'er and Lou Kun fled the Lou family, I sent someone to secretly follow them and discovered their hideout in the south of the city. They were planning to leave the city."

Xie Mingzhuo nodded: "Not bad, continue tracking."

After the father and son of the Lou family confessed, Lou Kun asked to redeem himself for meritorious service and joined the Sun and Moon Sect to become an insider for the government.

After his happy life was shattered, he hated the Sun Moon Sect. For two years, he had been playing cozy with Yan Dong, Li Ping'er and others, waiting for the right opportunity, and not forgetting to leave a way out for himself.

According to his understanding, except for the top leaders of the Sun and Moon Sect, the followers below are a group of "fools" who have been bewitched by the doctrine. They can only provide hard labor and play no key role in the development and growth of the sect.

There was a lack of talent within the church, and Lou Kun felt this was an opportunity.

During these two years, he used many means to open up many trade routes for the Sun and Moon Sect and made a lot of money.

Being good at making porcelain is just one of his uses.

Li Ping'er did not forget to take him with her when she escaped, because she was reluctant to leave her purse behind.

Without him, these trade routes would be difficult to continue operating, so he could not die, nor could he be arrested by the government.

As long as the Sun and Moon Sect wants to make money, it has to use him.

No matter how much you guard against him, he will always find an opportunity to expose their shady villains to the light of day.

The rain stopped at 3 p.m.

Xie Mingzhuo came to the Jinyiwei Yamen and met Yan Dong in prison.

Due to his status and "backers", the Jinyiwei did not torture him. He sat on the bench in the cell, tapping the ground with his feet, looking fearless.

"Oh, here comes another assistant, and she's a woman." He looked up and down at Xie Mingzhuo with contempt in his eyes.

Yang Yunkai brought over a chair.

Xie Mingzhuo sat down and faced Yan Dong's provocation, saying slowly: "How did you, a eunuch, show off your power when you were indulging in the pleasures of life?"

Yang Yunkai: “…”

He still underestimated the princess.

Yan Dong's face flushed red. He hated being mentioned as a eunuch the most in his life. If he had not been in the Jinyiwei prison, he would have ordered people to drag him away and chop him into pieces and feed him to the dogs.

"As the Supervisor of the Imperial Porcelain, instead of helping His Majesty, you threatened the Lou family to sell tribute porcelain for your own benefit. Do you really think the people behind you can protect you?"

Yan Dong sneered: "How dare you offend Wu Neixiang?"

"I dare." Xie Mingzhuo didn't beat around the bush. "Not only do I dare to offend him, I dare to chop off his head. But if you deliberately make false accusations and spread them to Wu Shanqing, I'm afraid it won't be that easy for you to die quickly."

"Who are you?" Yan Dong saw that she was not trying to scare him, and his contempt disappeared.

Xie Mingzhuo asked in return, "Who is Li Ping'er?"

The winter is silent.

"You've already been abandoned by them, yet you're still trying to hide it for them?" Xie Mingzhuo coaxed him gently. "The imperial court has a strict ban on the Sun Moon Sect. Anyone who colluded with them will be executed by slow slicing, and all nine generations of their clan will be exterminated. Confess and you might be spared from the slow slicing, and earn some merit for your clan."

Yan Dong narrowed his eyes and said, "I am the Inspector of the Pottery Works appointed by the Emperor himself. You are just a fourth-rank official. You have no right to interrogate me."

"Provoke me?" Xie Mingzhuo chuckled. "Yang Ti is handsome."

Yang Yunkai took out the long-forgotten badge, on which were clearly engraved the words "Jinyiwei Commander Yang Yunkai", which was like a sharp sword, instantly piercing Yan Dong's defenses.

If he is the commander, then what is the identity of the person who can order the commander around?

It must be someone from the royal family.

There are also distinctions among royal family members, and the only one who can make Yang Tishuai wait so willingly is the emperor's lineage.

She is Her Royal Highness Princess Rong'an!

Yan Dong's defenses were completely broken. He slid down from the bench, knelt on the ground, and trembled like a sieve: "This old servant pays homage to Her Royal Highness, Princess. May Your Highness live a thousand years, a thousand thousand years, a thousand thousand years."

"Yan Dong, it will do you no good to continue hiding it."

"This old slave deserves death."

Yan Dong knew that he could no longer hold on to any chance, so he told everything he knew.

What he knew was just the tip of the iceberg.

The Sun and Moon Sect has a branch temple in Raozhou Prefecture, but the master of the temple is unknown. They set up a hall in Fuliang County, and the master of the hall is the historian Sun Xiang.

Li Ping'er and Li Zan'er, who had bewitched him, both obeyed the orders of the hall master.

The robbers who robbed the Lang family were Sun Xiang and his men. The case of the Xu family clinic was also framed by Sun Xiang.

"Why did he want to harm the Lang family?"

"Boss Lang has created a new pattern. When I heard about it, I asked him to present it to me. If it's really top-notch, it can be included in the tribute. The date was set for the beginning of the Si hour, but he was so excited that he came early and accidentally heard about the private sale of tribute porcelain."

No wonder Lang Qing said his father had been sighing constantly those days; he must have been struggling with whether or not to report the matter to the authorities. For ordinary people, reporting the matter to the authorities takes a lot of courage, especially for such a sensitive matter.

Xie Mingzhuo continued to ask, "You are a pottery inspector with plenty of money and power, so why are you colluding with the Sun Moon Sect?"

Yan Dong was about to open his mouth, but after looking at her, he closed it again.

"What can't be said?"

"I'm afraid it might pollute His Highness's ears."

Xie Mingzhuo: "Just say it."

"They can make this old slave..." Yan Dong gritted his teeth, "become a man again."

Yang Yunkai: “…”

Can you believe this kind of deception?

Xie Mingzhuo remained calm and asked, "Who did you sell the tribute porcelain to?"

"I really don't know. I just need to provide the post token to facilitate their work and then wait for the profit sharing. I really don't know the rest."

Xie Mingzhuo turned and ordered, "Arrest Sun Xiang."

A cult thief was able to sneak into the government and become the Dianshi in charge of arrests. Fuliang County is no different from a fishing net, with loopholes everywhere.

Yang Yunkai took the order and left.

Not long after, he came back to report: "Sun Xiang ran away."

"Notify Yu Hong and have him clean up the county office as soon as possible, report to the government office, issue a wanted notice, and search for Sun Xiang, Li Ping'er, Li Zhan'er, and Lou Kun with all your might, eradicating all the evildoers."

"yes!"

Xie Mingzhuo had no plans to stay in Jiangxi for long. If the Lang family case had not involved so many problems, she would have bought the porcelain and returned to Beijing long ago.

Collaborating with the Sun and Moon Sect was tantamount to treason, a serious crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of the clan. Privately selling tribute porcelain was also a capital offense. Yan Dong, Lou He and other people involved in the case were all escorted to Beijing.

After interrogation, it was confirmed that Xu Zhixiu was indeed unaware of the incident and had already divorced Lou Kun, so she was acquitted.

Only after she left the cell did she realize what had happened.

"Master Meng, what will happen to my father... Mr. Lou?"

"As long as Sun Xiang and the others are not brought to justice, the case is not considered closed. He will remain in the Ministry of Justice's prison awaiting sentencing."

Xu Zhixiu shed tears: "Can I visit the prison in the Ministry of Justice?"

“Only relatives can.”

"Mr. Lou has been kind to me, and he's old. I can't bear to see him alone in prison. Lord Meng, could you please be lenient?"

Xie Mingzhuo felt somewhat helpless. Lou Kun divorced Xu Zhixiu just to keep her away from these dirty things, but after the divorce, they were no longer relatives.

She thought for a moment and said, "Although I can't visit him, I can send him some necessities every month and ask the jailer to pass it on."

"Really?" Xu Zhixiu was overjoyed. "Thank you, Master Meng!"

"Are you planning to move to the capital?"

"Um!"

Since she had made her decision, Xie Mingzhuo stopped asking questions and reminded her, "The Sun and Moon Sect is in the dark, and you have a special relationship with Lou Kun. Take care of yourself."

"I know, but even evil cultists wouldn't dare cause trouble under the emperor's feet," Xu Zhixiu said shyly. "It's just that the journey is long, and I don't dare to be careless. Can I follow the escort team into the capital?"

Such important criminals are usually escorted by the government office. If there are not enough people, they will be transferred from the county office.

To be on the safe side, the Jinyiwei will also be involved this time.

Following the escort is indeed safer than walking alone.

Xie Mingzhuo was willing to give her this convenience, so he said, "I'll call them, and you can go with them."

Xu Zhixiu immediately knelt down to express his gratitude.

The Inspector of Pottery fell, the Lou family also fell, and the people in the Imperial Kiln and various private kilns in Fuliang County were in a panic.

There is nothing we can do about this. We can only wait for the court to send a new supervisor of pottery.

Fortunately, Yu Hong was not afraid of taking responsibility. He volunteered to take charge of the supervision of pottery. After one decree after another was issued, the Imperial Kiln and the folk kilns were soon restored to their original state.

It seems that he has not been living in a muddle for the past six months.

Xie Mingzhuo was quite pleased with him, and before he left, he encouraged him: "County Magistrate Yu, I hope you will work hard and strive for success, soaring to the top in the future."

There are still two and a half years left in his term. I hope he can cherish it.

"Lord Meng's kindness in giving me a new life will be remembered in my heart. I will definitely live up to your expectations." Yu Hong bowed to the ground, "I respectfully bid you farewell, Lord Meng."

Xie Mingzhuo took several sets of porcelain and set out from Fuliang County, heading north.

"Your Highness, I saw Ah Qing and Ah Qing crying secretly last night." Jiang Qing was also a little reluctant, "I don't know when I can see them again."

The Xu family's roots are in Fuliang County, so it is impossible for them to move to the capital like Xu Zhixiu did. Lang Qing is still young, so he can only stay in Fuliang County and be protected by the Xu family.

Before leaving, Xu Qinglang gave a lot of ointments and powders. Each bottle had instructions and uses written on it, including those for self-defense and treating external injuries.

"That's all I know, Lord Meng. Please don't despise me," she said with red eyes. "I did some wrong things before, stealing food from other people's homes. I remember every single one of them. When the clinic reopens, I'll go and provide free medical treatment to earn their blessings, and then travel around to improve my medical skills."

Jiang Qing even joked at the time: "You also stole our food."

"When my travels are over, I will go to the capital and stay with you for the rest of my life."

A few people knew that she was sincere, but they didn't take it to heart.

They didn't save people for any reward, and there were many people willing to serve the princess.