Chapter 59: Sir, we really don’t know…
When we arrived at the Maritime Customs, it was getting dark and the rain had stopped long ago. I didn't know when the sky was covered with clouds and turned a bright red.
Fang Wenhai and Wan Yu happened to be there, and both of them looked surprised, wondering why Zhao Changning had come back.
"Hey, Nv Shu Ling." Wan Yu rushed forward. "Nv Shu Ling, why are you here now? It just so happens that the banquet is ready. Please take a seat."
Zhao Changning shook his head and said with a smile, "I have a heavy responsibility today, Lord Wan, let's do it another day."
Fang Wenhai squeezed in and said with a smile, "The Nüshu Ling has returned today. I'm afraid she's anxious about this shipment of goods. The imperial tribute of silk and porcelain has already arrived at the port of Nanjing and will soon be setting sail."
Zhao Changning's face was filled with admiration. "Really? You two are truly capable officials. You've accomplished so much in such a short time."
After the three of them had a few pleasantries with each other, it was finally time to get down to business.
Fang Wenhai couldn't quite contain his laughter. He held up the booklet and said, "Since this is urgent, please ask the female scribe to take another look at the list."
He enunciated his words carefully, "Everything in here is on the boat. I wonder if the Secretary wants to go take a look on board or sign and report directly back to the palace."
It’s definitely impossible to get there by boat, it’s so far away, but of course Zhao Changning wants to read the booklet.
There are all kinds of cloths on it, and the main ones are indeed Nanjing brocade and Shanxi Lu silk. There are also porcelains, most of which are Jingdezhen porcelains, especially Liuxia cups and Luanmu cups.
She sneered in her heart as she read. There were only a few pieces of precious kesi silk inside, but they were all written on it. What was the young master of the Gao family wearing?
There are also those porcelains that come from official kilns, each of which is a fine product. The spiral egg-shaped cups through which you can vaguely see your hand are even more valuable.
I wonder how much cargo is left on the cargo ship and how much money can be brought back?
Zhao Changning watched quietly. She didn't say anything, and the other two naturally didn't say anything either. Only the maid came over to pour tea and water. Her light footsteps brought up an imperceptible breeze.
Soon, there was movement outside.
The imperial edict has arrived.
It finally came, Zhao Changning breathed a sigh of relief.
Yun Hui glanced at her aunt and swallowed nervously. Fortunately, she had been trained by the late emperor, so she was able to finish reading the decree peacefully.
The decree was just as Zhao Changning had expected, that is, the emperor ordered the Maritime Customs to deliver the imperial tribute silk and porcelain to the palace as soon as possible without any delay.
When this imperial edict came out, some people were happy and some were sad.
Wan Yu was completely dumbfounded, so dazed that he couldn't even move his eyes, while Fang Wenhai gave Zhao Changning a meaningful look.
Zhao Changning quickly winked at Yunsheng.
Yunsheng immediately stood up, his face filled with fear, and he shouted in a low voice, "This, this is impossible."
Zhao Changning looked at him speechlessly. Was his voice strangled by a ghost?
Yun Hui frowned as she folded up the imperial edict and handed it to Fang Wenhai. "This is the Emperor's will, and it's beyond our ability to guess. Please accept the order, Lord. I still need to return to the palace to report."
Fang Wenhai hurried forward to take the imperial edict, wanting to find out more about the situation, and then sent Yunhui out.
Wan Yu took the decree in his hand and read it several times. His face turned pale and he trembled all over. He muttered, "Impossible, impossible! The oral decree was delivered a few days ago. The things have been loaded onto the ship..."
"Yes, it's an oral order." Wan Yu suddenly raised his head and walked towards Zhao Changning. "Nu Shu Ling, what's going on? Didn't the emperor say that he doesn't want any of it?"
Yunsheng thought he was going to hit someone, so he quickly put his aunt behind him and shouted, "What are you doing?"
Zhao Changning also pretended to be distraught. "Yeah, how could this happen? The emperor clearly told me to reject all of them. How could this happen?"
Her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes were full of disbelief and disappointment.
Seeing her expression, which did not seem to be fake, Wan Yu began to have doubts and was uncertain. Everyone knew that passing on a false order was a crime, so how could she, a female scribe, dare to do that?
He said anxiously, "Nu Shu Ling, please tell me quickly, what happened? You just left the palace not long ago, right? How did the emperor's decree come here with you? What happened in the palace?"
Seeing him in a hurry, Zhao Changning sneered in his heart, but did not show it on his face.
"Nothing happened, Lord Wan, nothing really happened. Before I left the palace, everything was peaceful, but..."
Wan Yu was so anxious that his tone changed. "Nu Shu Ling, oh, it's already so late. If you have something to say, just say it quickly."
In order to appear authentic, Zhao Changning was so distraught and panicked that he could not speak.
Seeing this, Yunsheng remembered what his aunt had told him in advance and pretended to be surprised and stupid when others asked him questions.
He took over the conversation and said innocently, "Sir, we really don't know, but some time ago, it was discovered that the Queen was pregnant. The Emperor was very happy and wanted to reward her, but unfortunately..."
When Wan Yu heard this, he felt that there seemed to be some truth in it. His legs suddenly went weak and he took several steps back, almost losing his balance.
"Impossible! The Emperor is kind and loving, and his words are as good as gold. How could he go back on his word like this? There must be something going on here that I don't know."
He looked at Zhao Changning, his eyes red. "It must be you. You falsely conveyed the emperor's order, didn't you? You falsely conveyed the emperor's order and did this on purpose..."
Zhao Changning was immediately furious, feeling that this person was truly vicious. Besides loving money, his mind was also very quick. Did he think that by putting the blame on her, he could get away with it?
"Wanyu, please stop slandering me."
Wan Yu's mind was full of money and brains at this moment, and he was furious.
"It must be you. Do you know what sea transportation is? What do you know? Let me tell you, if we have to transport it back to Yujing again this time, do you know how much more money it will cost? The porters and carriage fees alone are a huge sum of money. Who will pay for it? You? It was you who misspoken the order and caused this result..."
Zhao Changning's eyes flashed slightly. In this situation, Wan Yu still had the energy to think about this level. He really had some ability.
"What do you mean I caused it? Wanyu, I was delivering the emperor's oral instructions, not just a random sentence. Pah, with just a few words, you think you can kill me? You're dreaming..."
Yunsheng desperately tried to stop Wan Yu, who had already lost his mind, and said, "Hey, stop fighting. Let's sit down and talk it over."
Zhao Changning noticed that Wan Yu was in a bad mood and was a little too angry. You know, there were a lot of people involved here, but why was he so scared?
"Wanyu, let me tell you, do you remember the shad you treated me to? Do you remember that red ginseng? I must hand it over to the emperor for his decision..."
Wan Yu was so stimulated that his eyes were about to burst, and he screamed, "Bitch, you are talking nonsense, ah..."
As soon as Fang Wenhai came in, he saw Wan Yu about to hit Zhao Changning, and was so scared that he hurried forward to stop him.
"Oh, Lord Wan, please don't be impulsive. This is the Imperial Female Secretary's Order..."
"Oh, forget it, stop fighting, I don't even want to fight."
When Zhao Changning heard Fang Wenhai speaking anxiously in dialect, his chubby face trembled, but his action of stopping him was perfunctory and he couldn't hold it in for a moment.
She didn't want to be beaten, so she shouted, "Master Fang, I was the one who delivered the order, but I wasn't the only one who heard it in the palace. If you don't believe me, ask him."
Yunsheng was frightened by his aunt's pointing finger and nodded subconsciously, "Yes, I also served in the imperial court and heard it too."
Wan Yu was finally held down by Fang Wenhai, and he was completely exhausted.
Fang Wenhai was also a little puzzled and sighed, "Master Wan, why are you in such a hurry? If there's anything, let's sit down and discuss it. Everything will be resolved. It's just a matter of shipping the things back, not asking us to pick the moon from the sky."
Zhao Changning took advantage of the situation and said, stroking his chest, "Yes, yes, Lord Fang is right. If there is anything, we should discuss it together. If you start a fight first, won't you be waiting for the emperor to hold you accountable?"
Wan Yu's lips were trembling. He looked at Zhao Changning, and in horror, he managed to hold it back.
"I'm sorry for the offense I caused earlier. It was my fault for being so careless. Please don't blame me, Nv Shu."
Zhao Changning could clearly see that his panic was not fake. It seemed that this kid had taken a lot for himself, otherwise he wouldn't be so scared.
"Did you guys do something in there?"
Fang Wenhai immediately waved his hands, "Nu Shu Ling, you can eat whatever you want, but you must not say anything you want. How could we possibly tamper with this? This is an errand assigned by the Emperor. We wouldn't dare to do anything."
Zhao Changning pretended to collapse and asked, "What happened? Did something happen on the ship?"
She turned her eyes and lowered her voice, "Although I am in the deep palace, I also know the ways of being an official. Besides, the Maritime Customs Office is a lucrative position. My lords, if there is anything, you must tell me."
Fang Wenhai was fearless. "I'm fine. Besides, I've been at the Maritime Customs Office these days. Lord Wan is in charge of everything in Nanjing."
Seeing the two men looking at him, Wan Yu hurriedly denied it, but the panic in his eyes could not be hidden.
"Oh, what went wrong?" Zhao Changning tried hard to act like a fool, looking at Wan Yu's rolling eyes, sneering in his heart.
"My Lords, the Emperor did indeed deliver the order, I am certain of that. But this order, this order, ah, perhaps I really did deliver it wrongly, I must have delivered it wrongly."
Zhao Changning's face was also filled with worry, and he admitted helplessly, "Alas, it's because we are servants."
Her words were ambiguous, and coupled with her sighs, they were quite meaningful.
Fang Wenhai and Wan Yu looked at each other.
Zhao Changning didn't delay any longer and prepared to say goodbye. "I have to return to the palace. I must apologize to the emperor. You said this was the cause of this matter. Alas, I have no words to defend myself."
The two men didn't say anything, but one could understand from their expressions. They must have suffered a lot in the officialdom, and now they felt the same way.
The muscles on Wan Yu's face twitched as he flattered her, "Nu Shu Ling, you're walking before the emperor, so at least you can get more information. If you have anything to say, please remember us and share what you have."
Zhao Changning agreed repeatedly, secretly took the banknote he stuffed into his hand, and said solemnly: "Please rest assured, Master Wan."
After she and Yunsheng came out, they went straight back to the palace.
Yunsheng covered the bump on his head, feeling a little worried. "Auntie, seeing how scared Wanyu is, everything must be gone. Can this thing still be accomplished?"
Zhao Changning sneered, "They're a wealthy family, and even a rotten boat still has three pounds of nails. You only have a few thousand taels of silver on you, so why are you worrying about them?"
She has already brought out the emperor's biggest sword, so she is not afraid that they will not bow their heads.
When I returned to the palace, candles were already lit on the street, illuminating the towering city walls. In the inky black night, I couldn't see how high the palace walls were. It was like I was only able to glimpse a corner of a fairy palace in the sky.
Zhao Changning originally wanted to go back to her residence first, but unexpectedly Yun Hui was waiting for her.
"Aunt, the emperor is still waiting for your reply in the Qinzheng Palace."
Zhao Changning could only rush to the Qinzheng Hall. Unlike the previous emperor, the emperor rarely stayed in the Qinzheng Hall at night, and would not review memorials until dawn.
But the candles lit for her in the Qinzheng Hall today still made her uncontrollably excited. She was only at the sixth rank now, but she would continue to climb higher.
"Your Majesty." Zhao Changning walked forward and touched the celadon tea bowl. Finding it was cold, he changed it for another cup.
The emperor remained silent as his men carefully collected the last of the money. Then he said, "Well, what's going on? I heard that Wan Yu hurried home."
Zhao Changning smiled and said, "With the Emperor's majesty, things will naturally go very smoothly."
The emperor listened to her flattery, smiled and shook his head, rubbed his aching wrist, and said with a faint smile: "Do you want me to send someone to Nanjing to intercept the ship?"
Seeing Zhao Changning's silence, he added, "Aren't you afraid the ship will actually disappear? If we really lose everything, it will be difficult to save money and increase revenue."
Zhao Changning held up the teacup and offered it. "Your Majesty, I can tell from their movements that this is a profitable business. Otherwise, they wouldn't be trying so hard. This time, why not use this as an excuse to clean up the Maritime Customs Office and prepare for increasing revenue?"
Seeing the emperor's deep gaze, she hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, Changning is just talking nonsense. You still have to make the decision. If I'm wrong, please don't blame me. Just think of it as Changning's little daughter's wild imagination."
The emperor scraped off the tea foam and said, "Speak now. I won't blame you."
Zhao Changning steeled his resolve and said in a deep voice, "This time, they only have two choices. First, plead guilty and admit they stole the imperial tribute. Their life or death will be at the Emperor's discretion. Second, grit their teeth and bear the consequences, patching up the losses themselves and deceiving the Emperor. Judging by this trend, they're most likely to choose the second option."
"Oh?" The emperor chuckled. "Why?"
Zhao Changning continued, "They've been entrenched in the Maritime Customs for years. They must have stolen a lot of things, not just a small amount. If they really admit it, no one can bear it. Confiscating their property is the least of their worries. Beheading is a very serious possibility."
The emperor nodded slightly and took a sip of tea. "So, how do you plan to clean up the Maritime Customs Office and prepare for opening up new sources of revenue?"
Zhao Changning could see the appreciation in the emperor's eyes. At this moment, she knew her mission and she had done it very well. It all depended on the final result.
This time, she wanted to eradicate all the termites in the Maritime Customs.
"If Your Majesty wishes, you can make them suffer neither fate nor fate. First, make them pay to fill the hole, and then use this as evidence to convict them. After all, Your Majesty has already taken control of that ship, right?"
Zhao Changning gently raised her eyes and looked at the emperor. She had indeed guessed what the emperor was thinking, and could even feel the irritation that he had long been unable to bear.
The emperor wanted to change this court more than she did.
When the emperor saw that she spoke out his thoughts, which were even more ruthless than his own, he did not feel angry at all because his thoughts were guessed. Instead, he looked at her still gentle and beautiful appearance and laughed.
"Changning, I really can't believe that a little girl like you could have such courage."
Zhao Changning pursed his lips and chuckled, "I've been by the Emperor's side every day, and I've learned a lot from him. It's all thanks to the Emperor that he's taught me well. Changning is grateful for the Emperor's trust."
The emperor felt refreshed and relaxed after hearing her pleasant words.
He was clearly smiling, and the appreciation in his eyes was genuine, but his tone suddenly turned cold, "Someone, drag her out and lock her up."
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Changning: [Cracked][Vegetable Dog][Vegetable Dog]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
