Chapter 118 Why go through all this trouble if you want a divorce?

The next day after court, Zhuang Ziyang specially accompanied Li Yang to the Imperial Punishment Office.

Li Yang got off the carriage and wanted to go inside, but was stopped at the door.

The guard at the door wasn't very enthusiastic, so Zhuang Ziyang patted Li Yang on the shoulder to signal her to wait a moment.

Li Yang understood; working in this sweltering heat, wearing a full suit of armor, would put anyone in a bad mood. He didn't mind, though, as he was only anxious to see Chen Junbo. His grandfather's encouragement calmed him down, and he decided to wait.

Those yamen runners rarely saw the Prime Minister and naturally didn't recognize him; they were just there to announce his arrival.

The other party had specially sent a manager to wait here today. The manager answered the call and, upon seeing the person who had arrived, immediately bowed and led the person inside.

Li Yang prepared a lot of money bags, and handed out a bag at each checkpoint he passed. When he reached the last gate, he pulled the manager aside, took a silver note and stuffed it into the manager's hand. The manager was delighted to see this.

The yamen runners, seeing how respectful their supervisor was, knew exactly what was going on.

Seeing that the family was generous again, Li Yang felt much better. When they arrived at the prison cell where Chen Junbai was being held, Li Yang turned around and slipped some silver to the person leading the way, saying, "Sir, my husband is in poor health, so please bear with us."

The other party accepted the silver without any objection, and pretended not to see the large bag that Li Yang had brought in.

After the jailers left, Li Yang quickly put down his bundle and walked a few steps to Chen Junbai.

Chen Junbo raised his hands, letting her examine him from head to toe. Only after she saw that he had no wounds on his body did he hesitate before asking, "Are you alright?"

Chen Junbo smiled and said, "It's nothing."

At this moment, Zhuang Ziyang said, "Ziqian, time is of the essence. Have you already made a judgment on this matter?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yang quickly turned to look at Chen Junbo, nodding earnestly in his eyes, signaling him to speak quickly.

Chen Junbo: "Grandfather, Ziqian has been carefully analyzing the situation in prison these past two days. It seems that he has been reported for the Yu Liyin matter."

Zhuang Ziyang frowned: "Yu Liyin?"

Chen Junbo also mentioned the surplus silver, as well as the embezzlement of the salt administration treasury.

Li Yang quickly said, "Grandfather, Chen Junbo was wronged."

Zhuang Ziyang's voice was heavy as he said, "If that's the case, I'm afraid it will be difficult to handle."

Li Yang was puzzled, and Zhuang Ziyang said, "If the Yu Li silver is reported, it must be the work of that despicable Zhang Youdao. This person is making false accusations first, and he must have framed Ziqian for this. It won't be difficult to overturn the case, but overturning the case will inevitably implicate the case of the embezzlement of treasury funds." He seemed to have thought of something, "Ziqian, were you involved in the whereabouts of the treasury funds?"

Chen Junbo's face remained calm. "Grandfather, Ziqian has never embezzled or broken the law."

Zhuang Ziyang breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."

“However, if the reason why the treasury has such a deficit is implicated, a number of people will likely be implicated.” Chen Junbo also frowned.

Zhuang Ziyang: "That's exactly what I was worried about. Zhang Youdao is trying to put you on the opposite side of all the officials! That scheming scoundrel is truly hateful!"

After cursing a couple of times, he said, "Ziqian, don't worry. The prison warden is my student. You are safe here."

Chen Junbo nodded, then turned to Li Yang, "Zhao Zhao, there is an account book at home in Songshan Town that records the whereabouts of the treasury's silver over the years. I would appreciate it if you could go home and retrieve it and keep it safe. It might come in handy at a critical moment."

Upon hearing this, Li Yang's anxiety, which had been heightened by their conversation, eased slightly. "Alright, alright, I've already sent a letter to Bi Fang. I'll send him another letter tomorrow, and then I'll head to Songshan Town."

After hearing her words, Chen Junbo's eyes showed a hint of a smile, as if he was pleased.

Li Yang looked at his smile, and his face became even more grim.

“Zhaozhao, go find Lord Lin first after you get back. I haven’t heard them mention Lord Lin these past two days, so perhaps it hasn’t affected the Salt Commissioner. Lord Lin is trustworthy.” Chen Junbai stroked her hair and added, “Bring Bi Fang with you too. He’s familiar with the officials in the capital who handle salt affairs. Let him help you.”

Li Yang could only force his eyes open and reply, "Okay, okay, I'll go find Lord Lin. I'll bring Bi Fang with me to the capital."

As she spoke, a tear fell from her eye.

Chen Junbo covered her face with his thumb and wiped away her tears. "Zhaozhao, don't be afraid, I'm fine."

“They’ve all been arrested, how can they say nothing’s wrong?” Another tear rolled down Li Yang’s cheek.

Chen Junbo leaned his head close to hers and whispered to coax her, "These past few days have only involved interrogation and questioning, which means the case hasn't been finalized yet. I know the situation above the salt administration; the salt merchants have absolutely not engaged in any corruption or illegal activities, so everything will be fine."

Hearing this, Zhuang Ziyang nodded and his expression softened considerably. "Zhaozhao, Ziqian is right. As long as there is no final verdict, we can still find a way."

Hearing both of them say this, Li Yang still had a sullen face, but he finally regained some spirit and nodded.

Seeing that the two had something to say, Zhuang Ziyang left the cell, went to find the steward to give him a few instructions, and then went to the carriage to wait for Li Yang.

After everyone left, Li Yang looked at Chen Junbo and felt increasingly aggrieved.

Chen Junbo pulled her into his arms. "Madam Zhang's trip to the capital is because Lord Zhang's term has ended, and she wants to make some connections to pave the way for his next term."

It just so happens that you and I bumped into each other in the capital, and because of my grandfather's connections, we learned about Lord Zhang's character, so their wishful thinking fell through.

I knew they would retaliate, given their nature, but I never expected them to choose this method.

Upon hearing this, Li Yang felt a pang of regret and sobbed, "It's all my fault. If I hadn't told my grandfather those things, he wouldn't have suppressed Lord Zhang in court. I'm the one who ruined you."

Chen Junbo's chest trembled, and he chuckled softly, "Then you are not Zhao Zhao. The Zhao Zhao I know would never stand idly by."

“But you always say that the common people can’t fight against officials, and I just didn’t listen to you.” Li Yang felt extremely upset. She blamed herself for everything, feeling that she was the one who had caused Chen Junbo to go to jail. “Now, now you’re implicated because of my affairs and have been arrested…”

Before she could finish saying the word "catch," she burst into tears.

Chen Junbo felt both sorry for him and amused. "How can you blame yourself? If you and your grandfather Chen Qing hadn't cleared up Zhang Youdao's evil deeds, and he had actually become an official in the Ministry of Revenue, who knows how many more people would have suffered. Zhao Zhao did a good thing."

"But you've been arrested. I'd rather not care about this than see you suffer like this." Li Yang was deeply remorseful, rambling incoherently and blaming himself.

Seeing that she was stuck in a rut, Chen Junbo straightened her up and said seriously, "Zhaozhao, this is not your fault. Even if it weren't for this, Zhang Youdao would have found a chance to take revenge on me once he came to power. This is Zhang Youdao's fault, not yours, do you hear me?"

Li Yang felt a pang of sadness, but his words persuaded her to go inside. She nodded and said, "I know, I know, but I can't bear to see you here." As she spoke, she hugged his neck.

"Then, I'll wait for you to come and take me home."

Li Yang buried her head in his neck, and when the stinging in her eyes subsided, she turned her head and kissed his cheek before stepping back to look at him. "Okay, I'll see you again when I get back from Songshan Town."

"I need to say a few words to my grandfather. Would you please call him over?" Chen Junbai said to Li Yang with a smile. Li Yang then went to the carriage and called Zhuang Ziyang.

Zhuang Ziyang entered the cell. "Ziqian, what's the matter?"

Chen Junbo took out a piece of paper and stuffed it into Zhuang Ziyang's hand, "Grandfather, don't let Zhaozhao know."

Zhuang Ziyang was puzzled. He opened it and his pupils contracted as he looked at Chen Junbo.

Chen Junbo nodded and said, "Grandfather, I don't know whether this matter will end well or badly. If something goes wrong, then have Zhaozhao sign this divorce agreement."

"Ziqian, I will do everything in my power to protect you, so why do this?" Zhuang Ziyang tried to persuade him.

“Grandfather, Zhaozhao is your granddaughter. If the other party uses this matter to implicate the Zhuang family again, then I will be guilty of a heinous crime.”

You keep this. If I am safe, I will use this divorce agreement as a vow to treat Zhaozhao well for the rest of my life. But if something happens to me, I will use this agreement to protect Zhaozhao.

"Grandfather, you and I both understand that the treasury deficit isn't just a minor matter involving a few officials. How the Emperor will ultimately judge the situation is unknown, but Zhaozhao shouldn't have to bear this burden with me."

These words were reasonable and shut Zhuang Ziyang up. The latter nodded sadly and said, "I will keep this book for you. When you are released from prison, I will give this book as a congratulatory gift."

Chen Junbo knelt down and performed a deep bow, saying, "Thank you, Lord Zhuang."

This statement concerns not only family matters, but also national affairs.

The next day, Li Yang came to the teahouse again to look for You Feng.

"Youfeng, let's send another letter to Bifang, and then I need to go back to Songshan Town. I'll leave the teahouse to you." Li Yang was in a much better mood than the previous two days. Finally, she had something definite to do that could help Chen Junbai, and this sense of certainty gave her strength.

While the two were still writing letters, the person who had delivered the letter brought back a reply.

"So fast!?" Li Yang couldn't help but be surprised. The two places were far apart, and normally it would take at least ten days for a letter to be exchanged. But now, he had received a reply in just six or seven days.

The two exchanged a shocked glance.

Youfeng hurriedly stuffed a handful of silver into the messenger's hand, but the man, upon seeing the silver, continued to grumble and curse.

The two found it amusing. It turned out that Bi Fang, upon receiving the letter, knew something was terribly wrong and immediately wrote back, handing the letter to the person and promising a reward of one hundred taels of silver if it was delivered on time. If it was delivered a day early, an additional one hundred taels would be added, and if it was delivered a day late, twenty taels would be deducted. However, the payment would only be made after the other party saw the letter.

Upon receiving the letter, Youfeng, as agreed, gave the other party two silver notes and said that the previous silver would be used to buy hay and feed the horse. He also invited the other party to rest at the shop and have a free meal, which finally stopped the man's cursing.

Turning back to the counter, she asked Li Yang, "Young Madam, what did Steward Bi say?"

After Li Yang finished reading the letter, he handed it to You Feng.

Youfeng quickly finished reading the letter. "Brother Bifang is coming to the capital?!" But then she frowned deeply. "Lord Lin has been detained, and the other salt merchants have also been detained... This..."

Li Yang simply nodded; the letter was both good and bad news for her.

Lin Yihuai was detained, and Zhang Youdao now held absolute power over the salt administration in Songshan Town. Bi Fang's letter clearly stated that when he left the Chen family, he was guarded by someone and not allowed to take anything out.

That means the ledger is gone too...

Li Yang had barely mustered the strength she needed for a day before running away from home. Suddenly, both of Chen Junbai's helpers were gone. Fortunately, Bi Fang had already set off, but without the account books, she really didn't know how else she could help Chen Junbai.

Just thinking this made tears fall one by one. Seeing this, Xiao Lu hurriedly comforted her, "Young Madam, Butler Bi will be in the capital soon. Since he's coming to the capital, he must have a way. When we go to see the young master together, maybe we can solve the problem. Don't worry."

Li Yang pursed his lips, twitched a few times, and took the handkerchief that You Feng handed him to wipe his mouth. "I know, I know there will always be a way. He didn't do those things, we can't just let someone falsely accuse him. But I just can't help it."

When Youfeng saw this, she couldn't help but cry along with her.

The two young ladies sat behind the counter, tears streaming down their faces. Their eyes were red as they collected money and settled accounts, which didn't look good at all. Li Yang sat there for a while before returning to the manor.

These days she has been staying at the Zhuang residence, living alone in the teahouse, looking at the room where the two of them used to live. Youfeng worked hard during the day at the teahouse and had to keep her company at night, which was too much for him.

So she listened to her mother's advice and moved back to the Zhuang family. Besides, Zhuang Xiangguo had already decided to help Chen Junbo get out of the case, and his background would eventually be brought up again. So they simply stopped trying to hide it. It would just be some gossip, and at this point, it wouldn't be so scary to hear a few words of gossip.

Li Yang wasn't entirely familiar with the intricacies of the capital's social circles. Back in Songshan Town, Zhuang Shi and Li Lang never intended to return to the capital, so when raising their daughter, they didn't want to be comfortable with the capital's etiquette. As a result, they didn't even teach her the full range of arts and crafts, let alone the intricacies of these aristocratic circles.

But Li Yang was very clever. She had been through the ups and downs of life on the streets of Songshan Town, so she compared the tips and tricks that Zhuang had been telling her these past few days to the gossip of the women on the streets of Songshan Town, and found that they were not too far off.

When she had nothing to do, she would tell Zhuang about what she had seen and heard on the streets over the years.

“Mother, although Zhuang Jielong often teases me, she’s not a bad person. In the end, she’s just like Er Ya at the village entrance who likes to say something when she sees other girls with hair ties. It’s okay.”

When Zhuang Shi saw her analogy, although it felt somewhat incongruous, it wasn't a bad idea. So she talked to her about other people's affairs, and soon, Li Yang had memorized some of the relationships in the capital.

Upon returning home, Li Yang told Zhuang Ziyang and Zhuang Shi about the letter he received that day. The whole family was astonished that the other party had already cast such a large net.

Seeing that there was no better way at the moment, Li Yang originally wanted to visit Chen Junbo in prison a few more times, but then he thought that he had used his grandfather's connections and was afraid of causing trouble again, so he did not mention it again.

Just a few days later, someone was sent to deliver the items. Seeing that the clothes brought back were intact with only some dust and stains, he was relieved.

After waiting for quite some time, in early August, Bi Fang took a boat to the capital.