Little Hibiscus Scheme
"You two turn around."
“It’s Minister Lu.” Ning Yan whispered to Sui Zhixu.
As Xu and his companion turned around, only the lower half of their faces were visible outside.
"How dare you trespass into the Dali Temple prison! Are you trying to break them out? Guards, arrest them!" Minister Lu stared at them, sneered, and waved for the jailers to take action.
"Wait a moment, Minister Lu." Sui Zhixu took out the princess's decree. "The princess has ordered that anyone who is arrogant and disrespectful to the princess is likely to be impeached by the censor."
The princess commands that all persons except the one holding the command must kneel twice and touch their foreheads to the ground as a sign of respect.
Princess Chaoyang was bestowed with an imperial edict, making her equal to the Emperor. The Emperor himself forged a princess decree for Princess Chaoyang; who could disobey it?
Inside the Dali Temple prison, officials of all ranks and prisoners in the cells knelt down and bowed, shouting "May the princess be well!"
"No need for formalities." Sui Zhixu withdrew her token and said slowly, "I am here on the princess's orders to visit Lady Pei. Please be aware of this. In addition, the princess is aware of the marriage between the Pei and Lu families back then, but the princess has always kept public and private matters separate. I hope Minister Lu will keep this in mind."
Minister Lu bowed, not daring to look directly at Prefect Sui's face, "This humble official dares not."
I didn't expect it to be the princess's person; I was careless.
Sui Zhixu said, "The governor of Luozhou has not yet been escorted to Chang'an. Your Excellency need not investigate the case prematurely."
"I am only thinking of the people of Jiangnan; they have waited too long."
"Follow the rules." Upon hearing his words, Sui Zhixu remained unmoved and indifferent.
"Yes, yes, I know I was wrong." He thought to himself, "Which of the ladies-in-waiting beside the princess has such a similar air to Her Highness?"
After Sui Zhixu and the other man left, he walked into the cell with a sullen face. He originally did not want to treat the Pei family's sons like this, after all, they were once related by marriage. But in his position, even without his permission, there would be people under him who would try to curry favor with him.
What can be done? When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down; this has always been the case throughout history.
"Keep an eye on it. How much patience does the princess have to deal with this? Let's talk about it later," he said to his subordinate beside him.
After Sui Zhixu and the other person left the cell, Ning Yan hugged her tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.
She patted Ning Yan on the shoulder and said, "I'll go investigate the governor of Luozhou. You go and find out how the evidence collection is going. Be careful with any unfounded accusations."
“I understand. I need to calm down. These are things I’m good at. Don’t worry, I can handle it.” Ning Yan took a deep breath and got up from Sui Zhixu’s embrace.
She dared not recall Pei Qingzhuo's appearance too much. The dignified and composed man was dressed in tattered clothes and had messy hair. If it were any other day, he would have been unable to bear it.
Pei Qingzhuo was dull and rigid from a young age, and had no interest whatsoever. When Ning Yan came of age, she was devastated to learn that Madam Pei intended to marry her to him.
The year she came of age, she took on her first case, a case from the Thirteen Territories.
The Thirteen Territories cover a vast area. In the martial arts world, it is common to refer to the Western Regions west of Yumen Pass and the Miao region in southwestern Hunan Province, except for parts of the Nanzhao Kingdom, as belonging to the Thirteen Territories.
They revered deities and specifically chose thirteen to signify auspiciousness and holiness.
That case was very difficult, and the Prefect of Qianzhou reported the case to the Jingzhao Prefecture in Chang'an overnight.
Normally, major cases reported by local governors are solved in the Jingzhao Prefecture in at least three months, but Ning Yan took a month, during which she traveled between the two places multiple times.
Because of the major case in the Thirteen Territories, she was favored by her father. How could she possibly propose marriage to Pei Qingzhuo at such a crucial moment?
The two older sisters in the family had been engaged long ago and were just waiting to embroider their wedding dresses and get married in peace.
However, she had been involved in the Dali Temple since childhood and knew all the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty by heart. She did a better job than many officials of the Dali Temple.
However, apart from the imperial tutor who disguised herself as a man to participate in the imperial examination, there were no other women in the court. Even the female officials in the palace were in charge of the Six Departments instead of the Court of Judicial Review.
She cannot become the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
She's not afraid of getting married. She doesn't care about conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law or marital disputes. She believes she can live well anywhere.
But when she learned that Madam Pei had taken a liking to her, she still didn't want to.
Even if she can't be an official now, she will still investigate the case.
She went to Pei Qingzhuo privately, wanting him to refuse the marriage proposal. That was actually the first time she officially met him alone.
As Ah Lian's best friend and younger brother, they had met many times, but only exchanged greetings.
Can you refuse this marriage?
"Why? We've known each other since childhood, and we're well-matched in terms of social standing. Or do you have someone else you love?"
“No, but I want to stay at the Dali Temple to investigate cases. If I were to become engaged to you, my father and your mother would no longer allow me to run around outside.”
"Just because of this? Our wedding can be postponed. I have no intention of preventing you from investigating the case, so you can rest assured. Go if you want, I'll handle the rest."
"But there are conditions. If you're going to do it, then take it seriously. You can't cheat or try to avoid the marriage. If I find out..."
"That's impossible!" Ning Yan angrily stepped forward and covered Pei Qingzhuo's mouth.
Pei Qingzhuo simply looked at her with a smile, tacitly approving Ning Yan's actions.
Ning Yan still remembers Pei Qingzhuo's eyes; they were gentle and tender, so much so that she dared not look directly at them. In her eyes, Pei Qingzhuo had always been a silent, towering tree, even more rigid and proper than his elder brother, Prince Pei.
Shouldn't he be telling her she's being rude and breaking the rules? Why is he smiling, and smiling so gently at that?
She had to admit that her heart beat for Pei Qingzhuo at that moment.
Madam Pei was extremely unwilling, but she compromised under Pei Qingzhuo's insistence.
Three years later, when Pei Qingzhuo went to prison, she solved many strange cases under Aye's command and fell in love with him. Unexpectedly, he became destitute after only two days in prison.
"I'll go and find out." Ning Yan shook her head to calm herself down; she needed to be wary of the Pei family's political enemies interfering.
Sui Zhixu nodded and watched Ning Yan leave before boarding the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Sui Zhixu spread out a map of the Great Qi on the table and took out a charcoal pencil to sketch the route.
When the Jiangnan region was flooded, the imperial court dispatched relief funds to the Yuhang warehouse, but they all disappeared overnight.
The silver was transported from Chang'an to Yuhang, and then from Yuhang to Luoyang and Hedong. The journey was full of twists and turns. She drew circles on the dim yellow map. How could several large boxes of silver have disappeared overnight?
The road from Chang'an to Yuhang is probably no longer there, but the account books record the magistrate of Yuhang County and the governor of Luozhou.
Who first leaked the information about the ledgers?
Danhong shook her head, "I don't know, but I remember that the account book disappeared along with the disaster relief funds."
"How's the investigation of the Mo Family compound going?" Sui Zhixu casually tapped the table, closing his eyes to suppress the irritation in his heart.
"We didn't investigate much; it was all information that was already public knowledge." Dan Hong handed the organized scroll to Sui Zhixu.
Yang Siqing, the Prefect of Luozhou, was 49 years old. He came from a scholarly family in Xuzhou. He was frugal and had one wife and one concubine, and two children.
"That's it?" Sui Zhixu rolled up the scroll and found the back blank. She was somewhat surprised. "Sui Chuke, being in Luoyang, only knows this much?"
"Uh? My lady, listen to me, these were organized by Lang Ning. He went with the head of the household to help Master Cheng. He said that if you can't even handle such a small matter, Young Master, you should let him take over."
Dan Hong spoke tactfully, and Sui Zhixu knew that Sui Chuke was not going to say anything nice.
"Alright, it's fine if he helps Cheng Zhijie; after all, it's helping the Pei family solve the case."
Whenever Chu Ke had free time, he would antagonize her. He was willing to do anything to surpass her.
Sui Zhixu picked up the scroll again, his fingertips lingering on Yang Siqing's name for a moment.
“Let them investigate first. If I interfere, he will definitely think that I am competing with him, which will not be conducive to the investigation.”
"Then what do we do now, my lady?" Danhong counted on her fingers. "If Lady Ning is going to keep an eye on the evidence, and Master Cheng and Master Sui are investigating the Prefect of Luozhou, then aren't we useless?"
“How could it be useless?” Sui Zhixu put down the scroll. “The matter of Yungang Village is not over yet.”
Dan Hong tilted her head in confusion, but after thinking about it carefully, she couldn't think of any unresolved issues in Yungang Village.
The military strategist Chu Feixuan and the Mo family joined forces to attack the mountain. Except for Xiaohe, who was protected by Cheng Zhijie, all the villagers of Yungang Village were imprisoned. They should have been exiled to the border to build city walls by now.
The mechanism in Lianyun Mountain has also been investigated and confirmed to be the work of the former head of the Mo family. Inside the coffin in Yungang Village is an inscription that reads: "In the fourth year of Tai'an, I met seventy-two people from Yungang Village in Jingzhou. Their simple and kind hearts impressed me, and I wished to use all my knowledge to save them. This is to commemorate my exquisite painting skills and mechanical abilities."
The specific facts are unknown.
Upon hearing this, Xu's brows twitched. It turned out that he had painted the mural. Combined with the array patterns used to suppress the spirits of the dead and the fact that the tomb opened, it was very likely to scare away outsiders.
He probably never imagined that a hundred years later, Yungang Village would no longer be the simple and honest villagers he was willing to save.
He Miao wasn't done yet. He fabricated stories about human sacrifice in Yungang Village, stole her mermaid pearl, and carelessly threw her sword into a cornfield.
Aye told her not to investigate Prince Xuanping, but to investigate He Miao.
Dan Hong's eyes darted around. "Isn't He Miao a man of the Prince of Xuanping? What's the difference?"
He knew that Xu had closed his eyes and could not hear.
"You're just burying your head in the sand."
"Be good, Little Apple, go stay over there." Sui Zhixu pinched Dan Hong's cheek. "I'll be right back."
"Are you going to see Fan Langjun again? It's only been two days."
Sui Zhixu waved his hand to stop the carriage, then turned to Dan Hong and said, "Just happened to be passing by."
The night before last, Fan Lingzhang delivered a stack of land deeds and bank receipts, but she was busy with the Pei family's affairs and did not reply.
Yesterday he sent another painting. In the painting, his wife was wearing a dark green dress and leaning against a chair. Gold threads were faintly visible, and the gold threads at the collar were like upright bamboo leaves, which made his wife's cold face more serene and gentle.
The young man on her lap suddenly had a pair of cat ears, with each black hair clearly visible, which looked quite adorable with his contented expression.
The inscription reads: "A Summer Day of a Cat Repaying Kindness."
Enclosed is a letter.
But she wasn't going to find the cat; she was using the opportunity to gather information.
When Xu entered the Fan residence, Fan Lingzhang was sitting in the backyard pavilion, holding a cat and admiring the flowers.
The courtyard is filled with lush jasmine, each petal gracefully unfurling in the blossoms. A gentle breeze carries their delicate fragrance through the air.
"You've come." The man and the cat looked up at the same time. His expression was gentle, lacking his usual flamboyant and unruly demeanor. Sui Zhixu stood at the foot of the old wall and looked at him, feeling inexplicably sad.
"I came to see you, why did you give me so many land deeds?"
Fan Lingzhang greeted her with a smile, a relaxed smile on his face, and took the cat in his arms into hers.
When it suddenly came into my arms, I was a little cautious, but to my surprise, it easily found a comfortable spot to curl up and sleep.
“Moon Slave has been fattened up by Mother, and she’s quite heavy now.” Fan Lingzhang scratched her chin, making a gurgling sound.
"Meow~" Yue Nu raised her tail and wrapped it around Sui Zhixu's wrist.
"She is very well-behaved."
“Of course she’s well-behaved in front of you; she’s usually quite wild.” Fan Lingzhang squatted down and continued to tease her.
Yue Nu's fur was a mixture of black and white, with a black back and a white belly. Her head was slightly raised, following Fan Lingzhang's hand, like a proud princess.
"You still haven't answered me?" Seeing that he was avoiding the question, Sui Zhixu poked his forehead with her fingertip.
"It's all because Yue Nu is being filial to Mother, isn't it?" Fan Lingzhang buried his face in Yue Nu's body, taking the opportunity to avoid Sui Zhixu's "pursuit".
Yuenu used her claws to push away his approaching face, which landed squarely on his mouth.
"Oh, you're angry? Don't you like Father? You like Mother and Grandma, but you don't like Father." Fan Lingzhang's words were resentful, his gaze occasionally glancing at the jasmine flowers behind her, his eyes growing even more displeased.
Sui Zhixu felt that he was implying something, so what had she done this time?
She let Yue Nu go, saying, "Go and have fun by yourself."
"What's wrong?" Sui Zhixu ran her fingertips across his profile, her tone as gentle as possible.
Fan Lingzhang leaned against her legs, in the same pose as in the painting, and suddenly a pair of black cat ears resembling Yue Nu appeared before her eyes.
"Most of it belongs to the governor of Luozhou and his family, and a few to the Pei family. Yuhang County is too far away, so they all turned it into silver and put it in a money shop. You're so badly injured, I can't help you much in the officialdom, I can only help you get more money," he said in a muffled voice.
"Does the governor of Luozhou have such a fortune?" Sui Zhixu placed his hand on his head, his fingertips sliding down behind his thin red ear.
"His wife is the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Luoyang. She has a rich dowry, and her land and shops are in good locations and doing very well. She can be described as making a fortune every day. I took this opportunity to steal several of them, but unfortunately I can't get back the mermaid pearls from his wife. Last year, the caravan didn't bring any mermaid pearls from the South China Sea. I'll keep an eye out for them this year."
Fan Lingzhang lay on Sui Zhixu's lap, avoiding Sui Zhixu's hand that landed behind his ear, "A-Ling, don't touch my ears, they'll tickle."
"The mermaid pearl he stole was different; it was a gift from Yue Ling and had analgesic properties."
Upon hearing this, Fan Lingzhang stood up, his eyes filled with worry. "I inquired at the Prince's residence and heard that He Miao has gone into seclusion and won't be out for a while. Is there any other way to relieve the pain? There are many medicinal herbs in the residence that I bought at high prices. I will send them to you if you need anything."
"It's no use."
After Fan Lingzhang stood up, Sui Zhixu could only look up at him. Her voice was very soft, but it weighed heavily on his heart.
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