Useless person
Zhang Ping brought a double to distract the enemy.
After receiving the route map from An Hongdou, he sent a message by carrier pigeon, informing her of his return time. He then went to the location indicated on the route map to search for the evidence that Chen Wenfang had hidden.
After obtaining the evidence, Zhang Ping rushed back before his stand-in to discuss countermeasures with Zhang Zhao.
Inside the study.
Zhang Zhao flipped through the account books in his hand, which contained evidence of collusion between the three prefectures of Jiangnan and many important officials in the court.
Originally, these were account books kept by merchants from Jiangnan to protect themselves from high-ranking officials who would take their money and then fail to deliver on their promises. Now, they have become irrefutable evidence in their trial.
However, it was not Zhang Zhao's decision to decide who to harm or not to harm.
His upbringing in a prominent family gave him an early understanding of the ins and outs of officialdom.
"Once this ledger is sent back to the capital, our mission will be complete. As for the rest, let His Majesty decide." The journey to Jiangnan was finally coming to an end, and Zhang Zhao sighed.
“But our return journey will surely attract their attention. If they find out that the ledger has been found, even though I come from the Zhang family, they will not let me enter the capital alive.”
Zhang Zhao was well aware of the importance of this ledger and the level of attention he was receiving. He needed to plan carefully if he wanted to return to Beijing safely.
"My lord, I have a plan. I wonder if you would consider it?" Zhang Ping recalled the ingenuity of An Hongdou hiding the route map and had an idea in mind.
“Lord Li’s wife is quite skilled at embroidery. She has been commissioned by Lady Feng of the Feng family to prepare a birthday gift for Old Madam Feng. Why don’t we give them the account books and let them use needle and thread to hide the gift in the gift, and send it to the capital under the guise of wishing Old Madam Feng a happy birthday?” Zhang Ping suggested.
"This plan is feasible, but I'm wondering how to securely deliver the account books to them?"
Zhang Ping's lips twitched, and he volunteered, "This humble official has a brilliant plan; please cooperate, my lord!"
Although Zhang Zhao did not know what Zhang Ping was planning, seeing his confident demeanor, he nodded in agreement.
The next day, at the crack of dawn.
Li Zeli was still asleep when he was grabbed by two men and thrown out.
"What are you two doing?" Li Zeli was completely baffled.
"The master has instructed that since you are of no use, you will not be allowed to waste food in the mansion. Lord Li may find his own way out."
After they finished speaking, the two left without looking back, slamming the door shut and leaving Li Zeli standing there bewildered.
"Please wait, gentlemen! At least return my belongings!" Li Zeli stepped forward and pushed the door open, only to find it locked. He could only bang on the door and call out.
When Li Zeli got tired of filming, he sat down on the steps in front of the door to rest and organize his thoughts.
"Lord Li, you might as well go home and fulfill your wish." At this moment, Zhang Ping walked over and tossed him a bundle.
"Lord Zhang, what's going on here today?" Li Zeli asked hurriedly.
"We've been colleagues, I'll take you home." Without waiting for him to ask any more questions, Zhang Ping waved his hand and left.
Li Zeli opened the bundle and searched through it, but found nothing unusual. After thinking it over, he decided to hire a carriage to go back to Qingyin County to see An Hongdou.
Li Zeli's tense emotions only began to relax after the carriage left the city.
Upon seeing Zhang Ping appear, he knew that Zhang Zhao had obtained what he wanted. He was indeed no longer of any use to them.
The fact that they suddenly agreed to let him go raises questions: was it as a reward for him, or were they using him to attract attention?
As Li Zeli was pondering whether his return to Qingyin County would cause danger, he heard someone calling him.
He got out of the car and saw that it was Zhang Ping.
"What are your orders, Lord Zhang?"
The man tossed him another bundle, saying, "You'll understand when you see it."
"Lord Zhang's voice seems different from usual?" Li Zeli noticed the unusual sound.
"Tsk, troublesome." The person who came was about to turn around and leave, but stayed after hearing this.
"I am Zhang Shun, Zhang Ping's younger brother. We both work for Lord Zhang Zhao. Remember to keep this a secret." After saying this, he left without waiting for Li Zeli's reaction.
Zhang Ping actually has a twin brother!
Li Zeli returned to the carriage and immediately checked the things Zhang Shun had given him.
Inside, there was an account book and two letters.
One letter to him, and one letter to Feng Qiang.
He opened the letter he had written to himself, in which he was instructed to take An Hongdou to Qingzhou County to find Feng Qiang, and to send the account book to the capital under the guise of delivering congratulatory gifts, and was promised many benefits after the matter was accomplished.
Li Zeli looked at the letter in his hand and fell into deep thought.
He never expected that this matter would involve An Hongdou.
Meanwhile, in Qingyin County.
An Hongdou, having almost finished half of the congratulatory gift in her hand, instructed Fengnian to write to Wu Linglong and arrange to meet her in Qingzhou County.
An Hongdou was going to Qingzhou, and Fengshu naturally went with her.
They brought two skilled embroiderers with them, checked all the necessary supplies, and after confirming that everything was in order, they set off for Qingzhou to meet up and prepare to complete the final steps of the gift-giving ceremony.
After An Hongdou and Fengshu left, Li Lai'er was entrusted with the relevant matters in Qingzhou.
When Li Zeli arrived in Qingyin County, he met Li Lai'er. After learning about An Hongdou's itinerary from her, Li Zeli rushed to Qingzhou County without stopping.
When An Hongdou arrived in Qingzhou County, Wu Linglong had been eagerly awaiting his arrival.
"Red Bean, you're finally here! I've been working day and night in Qingling County with the embroiderers lately, and without you by my side, I've been both exhausted and bored!"
"I also look forward to seeing you soon. Without you, there are many things I can't discuss with you."
"Go and set things up quickly, then bring out your embroidery pieces. Let's compare and see who has a better finish!"
"Alright, alright, let's discuss how to cleverly sew this gift together."
The two, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, had endless things to talk about as soon as they met.
After arriving in Qingzhou County, Li Zeli sent a formal letter of introduction to Feng Qiang in Zhang Zhao's name.
After Feng Qiang finished reading the letter, she gestured for Li Zeli to come with her.
Feng Qiang sent Feng Ye to find An Hongdou, and An Hongdou brought Wu Linglong with her when she arrived.
"Madam Li, to thank you for your hard work lately, I have prepared a gift, which I believe you will be very pleased with," Feng Qiang said jokingly to An Hongdou, keeping her in suspense.
"Madam is too kind. It's mutually beneficial, not hard work at all," An Hongdou replied politely.
Wu Linglong, on the other hand, was much more lively and asked, "Oh? What kind of gift is it? Why is there only hers and not mine? Is there something wrong with Madam about me?"
"No, it's not that. This gift is a gift for Madam Li, but for you, it might not be as appealing as the pastries in front of you!"
Working together during this period brought the three of them closer, and they were able to sit together and joke around.
"If Red Bean likes it, but I don't, what kind of gift could it be?"
"Of course, all we need are her things. We can talk about your gift after this is over."
"Lord Li, come in!"
As soon as Feng Qiang finished speaking, Li Zeli walked in.
Wu Linglong looked surprised, then delighted, and said to An Hongdou, "This gift is exactly what you wanted, please accept it!"
An Hongdou was somewhat incredulous. She had a thousand words on the tip of her tongue, but she became speechless. She stared blankly as Li Zeli approached, and only said one sentence: "It's good that you're back safe and sound."
"My wife has been working hard lately, and I'm so proud of you," Li Zeli said softly, gently stroking An Hongdou's cheek.
"Cough cough!" Feng Qiang's cough interrupted their reminiscing.
“Alright, I know you two haven’t seen each other for a long time and have a lot to say. But right now, the most important thing is to fulfill Zhang Zhao’s request. Things can get complicated if we delay, so we should get rid of those hot potatoes as soon as possible,” Feng Qiang reminded her.
Li Zeli handed the account book to An Hongdou and told them what Zhang Zhao wanted.
"This matter is of great importance and cannot be handled by others. Hongdou, you and Linglong will have to work hard." Li Zeli said helplessly. Although he felt sorry for An Hongdou, he really couldn't help with this matter.
“I can lend you the maple tree and maple leaves. Although they are not as skilled as you, they studied under famous teachers when they were young, which is enough for an emergency,” Feng Qiang said generously.
After several more rounds of work, the four of them finally transferred the contents of the ledger to the lining cloth.
Following the method of mounting a painting in three layers, An Hongdou hid this lining cloth inside the gift.
On the eve of her departure for Beijing, Feng Qiang sought out An Hongdou.
"Congratulations, Madam!"
"What's there to be happy about?"
"If things go well, it won't be difficult for your husband to stay in the capital."
"My husband and I dare not even dream of it."
"After I give the congratulatory gift, I will be returning to the capital soon. Since we will both be in the capital, we can visit each other often."
This is how Feng Qiang cultivated her favor. Although they were both wives of county magistrates, there was a significant difference in their connections and resources. The capital city was, in particular, Feng Qiang's comfort zone.
"Then I thank you in advance, Madam," An Hongdou said sensibly.
“You are a capable person, I have high hopes for you. Although your husband loves you, emotions are fickle, you should still keep some cards up your sleeve.” Feng Qiang had a heart that valued talent.
"Thank you for your guidance, Madam. I've taken it to heart."
Jiangnan, Zhang Mansion.
Zhang Zhao calculated the days, and Li Zeli should be setting off for Beijing.
"It seems we should go!" Zhang Zhao said to Zhang Ping and Zhang Shun.
That day, he and Li Zeli staged a play, misleading the enemy into believing that Li Zeli had not obtained intelligence from Chen Wenfang.
After sending Li Zeli away, Zhang Zhao continued to send people to investigate, on the one hand looking for traces left by Chen Wenfang, and on the other hand continuing to investigate clues of corruption.
They were able to keep the enemy's focus in Jiangnan, which allowed Li Zeli and his men to act smoothly.
It's time to get out of here, otherwise, if the evidence gets to Beijing, the enemy will be in big trouble, and they might be dragged down with them.
However, before leaving, they could use one more trick. Zhang Zhao changed his mind and instructed Zhang Ping to host a banquet for several major merchants from the three counties of Jiangnan.
During the meal, after several rounds of toasts, Zhang Zhao got down to business.
"I have been in Jiangnan for a long time without making any progress. Now it is Madam Feng's 80th birthday, and I need to return to Beijing to celebrate. I don't know how to explain this to her?"
The invited merchants took this as a signal of seeking peace and immediately understood, telling Zhang Zhao to return to the capital with peace of mind.
The following day, they presented precious gifts, including a top-quality Hetian jade Buddha and sandalwood prayer beads blessed by a master, as a token of their appreciation.
They also delivered the prepared scapegoat and evidence to Zhang Zhao.
When he returned to Beijing, everyone saw him off, and the atmosphere was joyful.
"If Chen Wenfang and the others hadn't stayed here forever, I would have thought this trip was just a sightseeing trip!" Zhang Zhao said somewhat sarcastically.
"Once Your Excellency returns to the capital, they will receive the punishment they deserve. If Chen Wenfang knew this in the afterlife, he would surely rest in peace," Zhang Ping comforted him.
Madam Feng, the birth mother of the current Empress.
Her 80th birthday banquet was yet another undercurrent of fame and fortune.
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