Chapter 194 Another Marriage
"Doctor, there's a letter from the Third Prince."
An Zhicheng handed the envelope to the man and said in a deep voice, "I just noticed that there is no tail behind him."
Xie Suzhou nodded slightly, raised his hand to take the envelope, his eyes lingered on the letter for a while, and his brows slowly frowned.
"What's wrong?" Seeing that he looked upset, Su Cheng hurriedly asked in a low voice, "Did something go wrong with the Third Prince?"
"There's something fishy going on in the Lin family." Xie Suzhou handed the letter to her, his expression darkening slightly. "Concubine Zhe's father is Lin Rusheng, the head of the Lianghuai salt merchants. He controls salt coupons from six provinces and is as wealthy as a nation. He's colluded with several salt merchants and is planning to raise the price of salt, creating panic and unrest among the people."
"From the common people's homes to the imperial palaces, salt is used everywhere." Xie Ming's eyes were as deep as the long night outside, and his brows were furrowed. "What does this scholar Lin want to do?"
"Raising the price of salt is just to fill his own pockets, isn't it?" Xie Jinyu lazily leaned back in his chair, a hint of death between his eyebrows and eyes. "He's already rich as hell. If he's honest, the money he saved would be enough to support the Lin family for several lifetimes. He's so anxious to raise the price, he must have other ideas."
"Does it cost money to recruit soldiers and buy horses?"
Xie Suzhou's gaze shifted to Su Cheng, who had just spoken. "Does stockpiling food and fodder cost money? Do weapons cost money?" Su Cheng tossed the letter on the table and said slowly, "The Lin family is about to rebel. Is it that hard to tell?"
"In the beginning, Concubine Zhe was not favored. She endured in the harem for more than ten years and became an invisible person for most of her life. It was not until Yan Mu grew up that her ambition began to rise." Su Cheng lowered his eyes, looked at the handwriting on the letter paper, and murmured, "Concubine Zhe is a thoughtful person with great patience. She would not tell her son about this unless she was absolutely sure."
"If a child says he wants to go to the toilet, he's probably already wet his pants. We have time to discuss this here, why don't we check the price of salt outside the capital?" Xie Jinyu crossed her legs, looking nonchalant. "If the Lin family wants to recruit soldiers, it means they are not on the same side as Huo Beiting. That would make things easier. If the four families join forces, what will become of us?"
"I will investigate the salt prices in various places. Today at 1:15 PM, Mr. Lin will host a banquet at Zuixianlou. If we can get close to him, we can find out how many people he has colluded with."
Xie Suzhou spoke slowly, his dark eyes looking at Xie Ming who was sitting opposite him, and said in a deep voice, "Ah Ming, you and Jin Yu should go to Zuixianlou. I will be taking up my new post tomorrow, so I won't be able to show up."
"Okay." Xie Ming nodded heavily, looking serious.
Xie Jinyu shook her legs and curled her lips slightly, "I have to take action."
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Tinggu Lane
"Has there been any letter from Yuemei?"
Rong Qing held a threaded silver needle in her hand and lowered her head to sew a handkerchief. "It's been a long time since we last met. Why haven't I seen her?"
"She sent someone not long ago to say she wanted to meet the princess." Su Cheng sat beside her, patiently watching her mend things, holding a handful of freshly roasted sunflower seeds in his hand. "She's in Zuixianlou."
"Really?" Rong Qing's eyes lit up, and he looked more energetic. "Does that mean I can go out now?"
"Those two people in the northwest have been arrested. Although I don't know if there are rats in the dark, it's not so bad that they can't even get out." Su Cheng pursed her lips and smiled, and replied obediently, "I have a way to disguise the princess. She can go out openly. If she keeps staying at home all the time, she will inevitably get sick."
Rong Qing threw away the needle and thread in his hand and said impatiently, "How do I change my appearance? Hurry up, I haven't left the house for a long time!"
After a while, when the door was opened again, the two looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.
"How did you get yourself so dark?" Rong Qing covered his mouth and laughed non-stop when he saw the girl in front of him. "You look like you just crawled out of the mud."
"How can a princess be any better?" Su Cheng chuckled, revealing a row of clean white teeth that made her skin look even darker. "Matchmaker mole, thick black eyebrows, sausage mouth..."
Rongqing's smile faded and he hurried to look for the bronze mirror.
The next moment, a woman's scream erupted from the room, "Su Cheng, I'll kill you!"
The culprit slipped out of the house early.
Inside Zuixianlou, the lights were dazzling, the pearl curtains were swaying gently, and waiters and servants were moving around in the private rooms.
Rongqing had never left the palace before she got married, and now that she was married, she had finally escaped back to her hometown. Everything she saw was new to her, and she looked around like a child.
Su Cheng looked at her with a smile and explained carefully, "The food at Zuixianlou is very expensive, and the only people who sit here are ordinary people who only come occasionally. Those who are well-off should go upstairs. Miss Zhang is waiting for us in the private room on the second floor."
Rong Qing nodded, his eyes filled with unconcealable curiosity.
As they went up to the second floor, the two maids waiting at the door suddenly changed their expressions and looked at them with vigilance.
Su Cheng knew that her disguised appearance was too embarrassing to be seen by others, so she chuckled twice, took out Zhang Yuemei's secret letter, and handed it to one of the maids.
The maid read the letter carefully, then looked at Su Cheng again, and her frown relaxed. "It turns out to be Miss Su. Our master has been waiting for a long time. Please come in."
The door opened and closed, and Rong Qing, who was following behind, saw the woman sitting at the round table and called out, "Yumei——"
Hearing the voice, Zhang Yue raised his eyebrows, but was suddenly startled. He stood up suddenly and grabbed the long sword at hand, "How dare you! Who are you?"
"Yuemei Yuemei...it's me, Rongqing."
Zhang Yuemei froze, her eyes slowly widening as her gaze fell on the somewhat presumptuous-looking woman. She blinked dully and muttered, "Rong... Qing?"
Rong Qing walked over quickly and made a face at her that only the two of them understood, "It's me."
Zhang Yuemei suddenly smiled, her eyes curved, "I thought you were a ghost, how did you become like this?"
"It's still Su Cheng!" Rong Qing glanced behind him and whispered, "I'll only dare to leave the house after you change my appearance."
Su Cheng came forward, scratched his head awkwardly, and whispered, "I'm not very skilled yet, and I can't draw a pretty face yet, but I guarantee with my life that now, no one will be able to recognize the princess."
Zhang Yuemei was amused by the two of them and laughed non-stop, holding her stomach. "It's rare to see Rongqing get humiliated. Su Cheng, ah, Su Cheng, you really have something."
Rong Qing secretly glared at Su Cheng, then patted Zhang Yue's brow, his face showing dissatisfaction, "What's the matter with you calling me out?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yuemei immediately suppressed her smile and lowered her voice, "It is indeed important. According to rumors, the Northwest has reported your escape back to the country. In order to consolidate the peace between the two countries, the Queen Mother is preparing to select another princess to be sent as a marriage."
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