Chapter 253 Pretext
It was rainy and drizzling. After breakfast, Yu Zheng went to the study. When Jiang Shu was feeling bored, Yu Lan came.
"Sister." Jiang Shu stood up happily to greet her.
Yu Lan saw her belly and said, "The little guy has grown up."
Jiang Shu nodded and excitedly shared with her the first fetal movement last night.
Chu Yu Shuanghua served tea and fruits, and the two of them chatted in the room.
"I haven't seen Yijun for a long time. I really miss her." Jiang Shu sighed.
Yu Lan drank a sip of tea and said, "The wedding date is approaching. She has been detained in the mansion recently. I'm afraid she is also depressed."
Jiang Shu thought of Sun Yijun's impatient look and smiled. At the end, he sighed, "It's a pity that I'm pregnant and can't go to her wedding banquet."
Those who are pregnant cannot attend weddings and funerals.
Not only Sun Yijun's wedding banquet, but also Yu Lan and Zhou Boxu's wedding, she couldn't go.
"It's a bit regrettable, but the child is the most important thing, and everyone is looking forward to his birth." Yu Lan looked at Jiang Shu's slightly bulging belly with a gentle look in her eyes, and couldn't help but reach out and touch it.
Just at this moment, the little guy moved.
Yu Lan's beautiful eyes lit up: "He moved."
Jiang Shu also felt it, and said softly: "He must like his aunt."
"Smart ghost, he knows how to please people before he comes out." Yu Lan smiled and joked, and retracted his hand.
Jiang Shu raised her hand and stroked her belly, and whispered to Yu Lan about her dream.
"Oh? Then did you see clearly whether it was a boy or a girl?" Yu Lan asked her with interest.
Jiang Shu shook his head and blushed as he said, "Dreams are illusory. Even if you see them clearly, you can't take them as real."
"That's not necessarily true. I heard that prenatal dreams are very effective." Yu Lan looked very experienced.
Jiang Shu said with a smile, "What did my sister dream about when she was pregnant with her baby?"
Yu Lan tried to recall, "I don't think I dreamed of a child."
After so many years, his memory has long been blurred.
It was just a casual chat, and neither of them took it seriously, and they turned to talk about something else.
With someone to keep you company, time passed quickly. Before they knew it, the rain outside stopped.
Zhou Boxu stepped on the shallow water and crossed the front yard to Yu Zheng's study.
Yu Zheng put down the book in his hand, and the two sat opposite each other.
Zhou Boxu got straight to the point: "Xie Qi'an said that since yesterday afternoon, Cao Taishi's courtyard has been under strict security, and no one except Cao Qian is allowed to enter or leave."
Based on the scene when Cao Taishi left the table yesterday, and Zhou Taifu's inquiries, as well as his absence from the dinner, they guessed that Cao Taishi's condition had worsened.
Yu Zheng stared and thought, "So yesterday's birthday banquet was just a cover."
Zhou Boxu nodded.
The Cao family deliberately held a large birthday banquet and forced Cao Taishi to attend, just to make the world think that Cao Taishi is still in good health and can live for a long time.
"If Cao Taishi will not live long, the Cao family will definitely take action."
Yu Zheng said, "After returning home last night, I have sent people to keep a close eye on the Cao Mansion."
Zhou Boxu greatly agreed with this move.
Although they have spies in the Cao family and Xie Qi'an also has beautiful concubines, they can never be all-encompassing. Cao Qian's recent movements are particularly important and must not be taken lightly.
The two were discussing things when Zhufeng knocked on the door: "Master."
Yu Zheng responded and Zhufeng pushed the door open.
Zhou Boxu knew that Zhufeng must have something important to report, and asked tactfully: "Do you want me to step aside?"
Yu Zheng raised his finger, allowing Zhufeng to speak directly.
Zhufeng said respectfully: "There is progress on Zhang Li."
The last time Zhufeng brought Zhang Li back, he was only breathing his last breath, and it took a lot of effort to save him.
After Zhang Li recovered after a few days of recuperation, he took the initiative to surrender to Yu Zheng.
Zhang Li is not stupid, he understands that although Cao Qian abandoned him, he will never let him live. If Cao Qian knew that he was not dead, he would definitely kill him to silence him, so the only way left for him was to surrender to Yu Zheng.
And this was exactly why Yu Zheng threw him back to Cao's house.
Active surrender after seeing the situation clearly is much more useful than coercion and inducement.
"Speak." Yu Zheng listened attentively. Zhu Feng
said: "According to the clues provided by Zhang Li, we found a secret place where Cao Qian's party lent money."
"Send people to go deep, collect evidence, and find their bank and list of accounts." Yu Zheng gave the order decisively.
"Also, let Zhang Li continue to investigate."
"Yes." Zhu Feng bowed and responded and retreated.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows, and Cao Qian's party will definitely not have only one secret place. The ill-gotten gains from lending at high interest rates could not be deposited in the bank, so they must have built a private vault.
Looking at the closed door, Zhou Boxu asked in surprise, "Did the Cao family lend money at high interest rates privately?"
Yu Zheng nodded, "I just learned about this by chance recently, and I just found out something."
Zhou Boxu said coldly, "The Cao family's hands are really wide, they dare to do anything."
The court ordered officials to lend money at high interest rates privately, but it is a serious crime, and according to the law, the family should be confiscated and exiled.
Now that Yu Cheng is only the prince, the Cao family dares to be so bold and presumptuous. It is hard to imagine how the Cao family will behave when Yu Cheng ascends to the throne in the future.
"Making friends with officials, making arrangements, and stationing troops and raising horses all require a lot of money. The Cao family has no business to open up, so where else can they get the money?" Yu Zheng was not surprised by this.
Zhou Boxu frowned when he heard this: "I have investigated in many ways, but I haven't found any trace of the Cao family's private soldiers."
Keeping private soldiers is a capital crime that can lead to the extermination of a clan. Cao Qian was extremely cautious and would not let anyone find any trace of them. It was not easy for Zhou Boxu to find out about this.
Tapping the armrest with his slender fingers, Yu Zheng pondered for a moment and said: "If we can't find them, then force them to show up on their own."
Zhou Boxu looked at Yu Zheng after hearing this, not understanding what he meant.
Yu Zheng said: "There is no rush for this matter, let's take care of other things first."
It was almost noon, and the two of them finished discussing their business, and Yu Zheng got up to see Zhou Boxu off.
Zhou Boxu came out of the study and hesitated: "When I came here, I saw... your sister's carriage in front of the mansion."
Yu Zheng raised his eyebrows in surprise: "My elder sister is here?"
Zhou Boxu said in surprise: "You didn't know?"
He thought he sent him away on purpose.
Yu Zheng said calmly: "I don't know."
Yu Lan must have come to the palace to find Jiang Shu, and he was handling government affairs in the study, so it was normal that he didn't report it to him.
His dark eyes glanced at Zhou Boxu who was not moving, and Yu Zheng asked knowingly: "It's noon, do you want to stay for dinner?"
Zhou Boxu's eyes lit up and
he said: "Okay." He was waiting for this sentence.
Although he and Yu Lan had been granted marriage by the imperial decree, he didn't go to the Zhuang family to look for her for the feelings of the old lady Zhuang, and he hadn't seen her for a long time.
Looking at Zhou Boxu with a smile on his face, Yu Zheng was puzzled.
Now that he is so clingy and won't let go of any chance to meet, how on earth did he endure all those years before?
The two of them returned to the main courtyard together, and sure enough, they saw Yu Lan sitting in the house talking to Jiang Shu.
Perhaps because he was a little tired after talking for a long time, or perhaps because he was physically and mentally relaxed, Yu Lan rested his hand on his chin, looking lazy, like a sated cat.
The man's shoes and boots stepped on the ground covered with thin water, making a "staining" sound.
The two people in the house turned their heads when they heard the voice, one was happy and the other was surprised.
"Husband, Lord Zhou." Jiang Shu called softly.
Zhou Boxu often came to the palace to discuss matters with Yu Zheng, and Yu Zheng would occasionally go to Zhou's house to discuss matters, and Jiang Shu thought it was normal.
The only surprise was that Yu Lan happened to come today.