Chapter 71: Double Dwelling 5 "Zhu Song, you are so nice."
Painter Zhang was sick and resting at home, so they had to go to his house to invite him. So while waiting, He Qing told Zhu Song about the news he knew.
He Qing said, "When we were chatting with those prisoners earlier, someone said they weren't bandits at all, but were helping the noble make some kind of medicine."
Zhu Song asked, "Refine medicine?"
He Qing thought carefully. They were all drunk at the time, and he hadn't taken the words to heart, so his memory was a little fuzzy. "It was some kind of elixir of immortality, I think."
Elixir of immortality, this is quite new. Zhu Song asked again, "Anything else?"
He Qing said, "They were bored in prison, chatting all day long. They talked a lot, but this is all I can remember."
Zhu Song nodded, "Alright, you should rest for now. When Painter Zhang comes, you should cooperate with him."
He Qing replied: "Don't worry, sir, I will cooperate with you."
Zhu Song told this to Xu Songlan, who frowned. "Since ancient times, people's passion for elixirs has never diminished. Is there really an elixir of immortality?"
Zhu Song wasn't particularly interested in the elixir of immortality; he simply wanted to uncover the truth. He said, "To make medicine, one must have a large quantity of medicinal materials. The Xu family's Xinglintang is the largest medicinal material store in Liang State. I want to use the Xu family to uncover the person behind this."
Xu Songlan finally understood what he meant and agreed, "I will order all the account books from various places to be sent over."
Zhu Song warned, "This must be done in secret. Don't alert the enemy."
Xu Songlan nodded, "Don't worry, sir."
Things went on in an orderly manner. In the evening, Painter Zhang finished painting the token and handed it to Zhu Song. Zhu Song took it and looked at it. He found that the pattern was very blurry.
Painter Zhang said, "I can only draw to this extent. The royal token has very few patterns, and even a little difference is not acceptable."
Zhu Song nodded, "Okay, that's it for now, you go back and rest."
Painter Zhang bowed and took his leave.
Zhu Song took the portrait to Gu Huaiyu and asked, "Take a look, can you recognize it?"
Gu Huaiyu took it and looked at it carefully, frowning slightly, "This is too blurry."
Zhu Song said: "That's why I came to you, otherwise I could have found it myself."
The royal tokens are all in fixed numbers, especially the gold medals given out as rewards, which are recorded in detail in the Ministry of Personnel.
Gu Huaiyu carefully read it once, then read it again in reverse, and hesitated a little, "This token..."
Zhu Song knew he had seen through it when he heard it, and asked quickly, "How is it?"
Gu Huaiyu slammed the portrait on the table and said directly: "I really can't tell."
Zhu Song's happiness faded in an instant, "Oh no."
"But..." Gu Huaiyu dragged out his words, and Zhu Song became impatient. "Just say it directly. If you keep beating around the bush, I'm going to get dizzy."
Gu Huaiyu said quickly, "It's too blurry to tell, but this token looks very similar to the one the late emperor gave Jiang Shen when he returned from the disaster relief mission in the Northern Desert five years ago."
Gu Huaiyu then said, "It's just a resemblance, so vague. I can't guarantee that what I said is 100% accurate."
Zhu Song frowned slightly and whispered, "Jiang family?"
The two of them looked at the portrait on the table at the same time. If this matter was related to the Jiang family, would it only be related to the Jiang family?
Gu Huaiyu knew what Zhu Song was thinking, "I heard that the virtuous king wrote a letter today requesting to go to his fiefdom."
Zhu Song frowned, "What fiefdom does he have?"
Gu Huaiyu said: "Because there is none, that's why I have to write a letter."
Zhu Song asked, "Where does he want to go?"
Gu Huaiyu said: "I don't know about this matter."
Zhu Song asked again: "Did the emperor agree?"
"This..." Gu Huaiyu shook his head.
Zhu Song breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."
If the epidemic case involves the virtuous king, it will be difficult for him to investigate once he goes to his fiefdom.
"I don't know. Who else would know about this except the emperor himself?" Gu Huaiyu said, and then continued, "However, from my observation, the emperor would probably agree."
After all, the wise king was the popular choice before, and now he asked to leave the capital, so there was no reason for Wen Fengxuan to refuse.
Zhu Song also felt that what he said made sense, so he hurried back to the palace.
When he arrived at the Qinzheng Hall, Wen Fengxuan was sitting and reading memorials. He looked up at the sound of footsteps and smiled at him in a good mood. "Your Excellency and I are so in tune with each other. I was just thinking about you, and you came."
Zhu Song bowed and saluted, "Your Majesty."
Wen Fengxuan waved at him, "Come here."
Zhu Song refused to step forward, "Your Majesty, this is unreasonable."
Wen Fengxuan didn't force him, but asked him, "The virtuous king has written a letter requesting a fiefdom. Which place do you think is suitable?"
Zhu Song bowed and said, "I came here for this matter. The epidemic case involves many things, and I would like to ask Your Majesty to temporarily detain the wise king for a period of time."
"This." Wen Fengxuan looked embarrassed.
Seeing that he seemed reluctant, Zhu Song explained the case, "Your Majesty, although there is no direct evidence to prove that this case is related to the virtuous prince, a deeper investigation may reveal it. If the virtuous prince leaves the capital, it will be difficult to investigate."
Wen Fengxuan said, "Before you came, I had already promised the virtuous king that he would be allowed to leave the capital in three days."
Zhu Song secretly thought, can the truth be found out in three days?
Seeing that he was in a dilemma, Wen Fengxuan said, "However, if you are willing to make me happy, it won't be difficult for me to keep him for a few more days."
Zhu Song looked up and strongly disagreed with his words, "Your Majesty, this is not what a wise ruler does."
Wen Fengxuan said: "I have never claimed to be a wise ruler."
Zhu Song paused, then asked, "I wonder what Your Majesty wants me to do?"
Wen Fengxuan propped up his head with his hands and sighed mournfully, "It's been cold lately, and I've been so busy that I've had a headache. It's been pricking me. Li Qiutong said massage can help, but I don't like people getting close to me, so I've been putting it off."
Zhu Song frowned when he heard this, "Where are Li Qiutong and Xie Ningyuan?"
Wen Fengxuan said: "I don't want to."
Zhu Song went forward and massaged Wen Fengxuan's head. Wen Fengxuan leaned back in his chair and looked up at him, "Zhu Song."
Zhu Song replied, "Your Majesty, please speak."
Wen Fengxuan asked him, "Are you very busy?"
Zhu Song paused and replied, "The materials haven't arrived yet, so I'm not busy today."
Wen Fengxuan smiled, his eyes full of anticipation, "Then would you like to stay in the palace today?"
Zhu Song lowered his eyes and happened to meet Wen Fengxuan's gaze. He looked away quickly with a guilty conscience, "Your Majesty, this is against the rules."
Wen Fengxuan pursed his lips, looking unhappy. "But I really don't feel well. I don't feel well at all." He pulled Zhu Song's sleeve and said, "You can stay with me for one night, okay?"
The words of refusal were on the tip of Zhusong's tongue, but he just couldn't utter them. Finally, he changed it to "Okay," and then he returned to normal.
Wen Fengxuan was immediately happy, "Zhu Song, you are so nice."
Looking at his satisfied smile, Zhu Song smiled in his heart, but did not show it on his face.
Zhu Song agreed to stay in the palace. Wen Fengxuan did not approve the memorial and pulled him back to the Yangxin Palace. "I'm so sleepy, let's go to bed."
Only then did Zhu Song refuse, "Your Majesty, please go to sleep. I will accompany you."
Wen Fengxuan held him tightly, "Together."
Zhu Song still said the same old thing, "Your Majesty, this is against the rules."
Wen Fengxuan was unhappy, and his voice became deep, "Rules, rules, are there only rules in your mind?"
Zhu Song lowered his eyes and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, as the ruler of a country, should set a good example for the people of the world."
Wen Fengxuan shook off his arm and asked coldly, "Zhu Song, have you never liked me?"
Zhu Song didn't know what to say, so he simply didn't say anything. It was obvious that his attitude made Wen Fengxuan even angrier, and he shouted coldly, "Look at me."
Zhu Song didn't want to upset him, so he looked up at him, but only for a moment before he bowed and said, "If your Majesty has nothing else to do, I will take my leave."
Zhu Song turned and left. Wen Fengxuan ran up to him with a sullen face and stopped him. "Zhu Song, you've never liked me, have you? Answer me."
Zhu Song still didn't say anything. Wen Fengxuan frowned, "You like Gu Huaiyu, don't you? You're extremely reluctant to interact with me, but you're enthusiastic towards him."
At this moment, the more he explained, the more unclear it became, so Zhu Song just frowned and said, "Your Majesty, be careful with your words." Then he walked around him and left.
"Blessings."
Wen Fengxuan's furious voice was heard, but Zhu Song did not stop and went straight out of the palace.
Zhu Song was upset, and when he returned to the Dali Temple, he wrote a memorial of resignation. He wanted to submit it immediately and leave Beijing the next day, but when he thought of the dead, he held himself back.
At least, justice should be given to them.
Zhu Song didn't even sleep and urged Xu Songlan to transfer the account book of Xinglintang.
Xu Songlan knew that the matter was urgent, so he urged everyone to do it.
The next morning, account books from all over the country were continuously delivered to the Dali Temple, one cart after another. The yamen runners even joked, "It would be great if we could get gold from this."
Zhu Song began to check the accounts. After Gu Huaiyu knew about this, he also came to help. The two of them looked at it day and night for three days and finally found the problem.
There is a buyer named "Bai Yu" in Xinglintang's account book. He has bought medicinal herbs from basically every Xinglintang. He has bought all the medicinal herbs that Xinglintang has, and he has been buying them continuously since eight years ago.
Bai Yu single-handedly increased Xinglintang's revenue, but it was not so obvious when it was scattered among various pharmacies. But when viewed as a whole, it became very obvious.
It would be easy to solve the problem once it was found. Zhu Song stood up and said, "I'll go find Xu Songlan."
"I'll go with you." Gu Huaiyu staggered as he stood up, almost falling. Zhu Song quickly supported him. "What's wrong?"
Gu Huaiyu waved his hand and said, "I feel a little dizzy. Forget it, you go by yourself. I'll go back to my room and rest for a while."
Zhu Song was worried and said, "I'll help you go."
Gu Huaiyu didn't bother to be polite with him. Zhu Song helped Gu Huaiyu to his room. On the way, Gu Huaiyu sighed, "I'm getting old. When I was young, I could endure ten or eight days without any problems. Now, I can't endure two or three days."
Zhu Song disagreed with his statement, "Come on, you're only in your twenties and you're already old, what about those in their fifties and sixties? You're just weak from being sick before, just take good care of yourself."
Gu Huaiyu smiled and said nothing.
After Zhu Song sent Gu Huaiyu to the room, he called Xu Songlan over to show him the body. After making sure that there was nothing wrong, he talked about the case with Xu Songlan.
Zhu Song asked Xu Songlan, "Do you know this Bai Yu?"
Xu Songlan shook his head. "Although he was a big customer of Xinglintang, except for the initial appearance, he always wrote directly to specify the herbs and quantities he needed, and we sent someone to the designated place to get them. One year ago, my father wanted to invite him to dinner, but he refused the invitation even though he sent him one."
Zhu Song asked again, "Aren't you suspicious that he bought so many medicinal herbs?"
Xu Songlan said, "At first we thought he was in the same business, but later we realized he wasn't. He offered a high price, and since we could make money, we naturally wouldn't ask any questions. After all, we're not government officials."
This made sense, so Zhu Song asked again, "How do you know he's not from the same industry?"
Xu Songlan explained, "Because he hasn't opened a shop in a few years, and he hasn't gained any fame."
Zhu Song nodded. As long as the person was identified, it would be easy. He could find out his identity by going to the bank.
Without further ado, Zhu Song personally led his men to the bank. The Dali Temple was so familiar with the bank that it would be considered dereliction of duty if they didn't come two or three times a year.
The bank was very efficient, and within two hours, they had thoroughly investigated Bai Yu's money transactions. Unsurprisingly, Bai Yu's money came mostly from the Jiang family.
Zhu Song obtained Bai Yu's portrait from the bank owner, and then the Dali Temple issued an arrest warrant to capture Bai Yu across the country.
Since this matter was related to the epidemic and was even very likely to be the source of the epidemic, the people of Liang State actively cooperated and confirmed Bai Yu's location in just half a day.
At this time, Bai Yu was at the border between the capital and Qingzhou.
Zhu Song rushed over without a word after receiving the news. When Bai Yu was arrested, he was still drinking in the restaurant, hugging the girl and getting drunk. "Come on, drink with me."
The people who were drinking with him stood up quickly when they saw Zhu Song coming and said, "Sir, we were afraid he would run away, so we kept him safe."
The girl who was hugged by Bai Yu also pushed him away, "Yes, sir, we put a lot of effort into keeping him here."
Zhu Song replied in a businesslike manner: "Thank you for your hard work. Let's go back to the Dali Temple together."
After Zhu Song captured Bai Yu, he rushed to the capital day and night. Halfway through the journey, Bai Yu sobered up.
Zhu Song then asked him, "Who are you making the elixir of immortality for?"
Bai Yu's eyes dodged, "I...I don't know what the Great Wall Elixir of Life is."
Zhu Song also expected that he would not tell the truth, so he did not ask any more questions. He would have plenty of time to interrogate him when he returned to the Dali Temple.
As night fell, snow began to fall again. Due to the cold, the group walked slower and slower. Bai Yu was freezing and made a suggestion. "Master Zhu, I'm freezing to death. Can we find an inn to rest for the night and continue our journey tomorrow?"
As soon as he finished speaking, an arrow broke through the air and flew straight towards Bai Yu. Zhu Song concentrated his mind and reached out to grab the arrow that was already in front of Bai Yu.
The arrow had already reached Bai Yu's face. If it had gone an inch forward, it would have pierced Bai Yu's head. Bai Yu was so scared that his legs went weak and he almost fell off his horse.
"It seems someone wants to kill you to silence you." Zhu Song threw the arrow away. "As long as we catch the assassin, all our questions will be answered." He then ordered the yamen runners, "Pursue the assassin with all your might."
When Bai Yu heard that they were going to give up on him, he quickly grabbed Zhu Song's arm and said, "Master Zhu, it's Jiang Shen. I need more evidence. You must protect me."
Zhu Song said: "Everyone obey orders and protect the suspect."
The yamen runners were about to chase after him, but when they heard Zhu Song's words, they stopped and surrounded Bai Yu.
Another arrow shot towards him. Zhu Song chopped it off with his sword and chased after it on horseback. The yamen runners were worried and said, "Sir."
"It's okay, keep an eye on Bai Yu." Zhu Song said and rode forward. After walking about half a mile, he suddenly heard a faint shout, "Brother Song."
Zhu Song turned his head and saw a man in black jumping down from a tree. He pulled down the black scarf on his face and it was none other than □□Xing.
"But I'm freezing."
Zhu Song said gratefully, "It's urgent, there's a prison."
□□ Xing said, "We're all brothers, you're being polite. But you were right. There really were assassins lurking in ambush, and I took care of them all. Do you want the bodies?"
Zhu Song said: "Bring it back to the capital."
□□Xing said: "You bring it yourself?"
Zhu Song said, "I'm bringing quite a few civilians with me, and I'm afraid they might get scared. So you should lead them."
□□Xing agreed, "Okay, let's go back to Beijing quickly, it's freezing cold."
"Be careful on the road."
"The same to you."
After the two separated, Zhu Song returned to the team. The yamen runners asked with concern, "Sir, did the assassin escape?"
Zhu Song replied, "Yes. The road is not safe, so hurry up and return to Beijing as soon as possible."
After this happened, no one dared to complain about the cold anymore, even Bai Yu urged them to walk faster.
The next morning, the group returned to the capital safely.
Zhu Song interrogated Bai Yu, and Bai Yu negotiated with him, "Master Zhu, I say yes, but you have to keep me safe."
Zhu Song replied, "Don't worry, even if the case is solved, I will still be responsible for you to the end."
Bai Yu didn't quite believe it, "Really?"
Zhu Song said: "Why would you lie to me about this?"
At this point, Bai Yu had no choice but to tell the whole truth.
Bai Yu was born in the Bai family of Ganzhou. He is a distant cousin of Jiang Guojiu's wife. Such a distant relationship should have been impossible to establish, but the Bai family has always wanted to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy. Eight years ago, they sent Bai Yu, the most talented of their generation, to the capital to recognize their relatives.
At first, Bai Yu was prepared to be ridiculed, but he didn't expect that the Jiang family was very polite to him. Not only did they treat him with delicious food and drinks, they even introduced him to the wise king.
Bai Yu was flattered, and the Bai family also rose rapidly thanks to his face. From then on, Bai Yu started to do things for Jiang Shen, that is, buying medicinal herbs.
Zhu Song asked, "Do you know what this herb is used for?"
Bai Yu said: "I am only responsible for buying medicinal herbs and delivering them to a specific place after buying them. I don't care about other things."
Zhu Song asked again: "Who is the person you are in contact with?"
Bai Yu replied: "I don't know him."
Zhu Song slammed the table and raised his voice, "You don't know this, you don't recognize that. I think you're not going to accept my toast and you'll have to drink the forfeit."
Bai Yu said quickly, "Sir, I really don't know them. They are all ugly. Besides, I sent people to deliver the goods, and I didn't go myself. Besides, sir, if you want to arrest someone, arrest Jiang Shen. Those people are just small fry and worthless."
Zhu Song asked, "Then you know nothing?"
Bai Yu said, "That's not possible. After all, I've been doing this for so many years, I must have heard some rumors."
Zhu Song looked at him coldly, and Bai Yu didn't dare to say anything more. "They set up a turtle sect, and it seems they want to make an elixir of immortality."
Turtle, longevity.
Zhu Song now understood why there was a turtle on the door of Yuling Gate. So this is what it meant.
"Present the evidence you have."
"oh."
Bai Yu moved quickly, handing the evidence to Zhu Song in a short while. It was all correspondence with Jiang Shen. With this, arresting him wouldn't be a problem. However, Jiang Shen was a powerful figure, so arresting him would require permission. Zhu Song wasn't keen on entering the palace right now, and even if he were to arrest Jiang Shen now, he'd probably stick to him and not involve the virtuous king.
Zhu Song then asked, "Have you refined the elixir of immortality?"
"Well..." Bai Yu hesitated again. Zhu Song frowned. "Not telling the truth?"
Bai Yu quickly explained, "No, because I'm not responsible for this matter, I just heard it from hearsay."
Zhu Song said: "Speak."
Bai Yu said, "I heard that they have made a medicine, but whether it is the elixir of immortality or not is unknown."
Zhu Song asked again, "Who will test the medicine?"
"Sir, you are so professional." Bai Yu praised Zhu Song seriously. Zhu Song said unhappily, "Let's get down to business. Don't ramble on."
Bai Yu said: "I also heard this."
Zhu Song said: "Speak."
Bai Yu said, "I heard that they pretend to be lame or blind, or have some kind of disorder, and then lure people to a secluded place and kidnap them."
When Zhu Song heard this, he immediately thought of Xia Yunqing. This must be the reason why he became like this.
"If you knew, why didn't you report it to the police?"
Bai Yu blinked his eyes, looking somewhat innocent, "Sir, I am in the same group with them, how can I report it to the police?"
Zhu Song was secretly annoyed. He was out of his mind to ask such a question.
"Tell me anything else."
Bai Yu shook his head. "It seems that there is nothing more. That's all. Anyway, these are just some random hearsays. I'm not sure if they are true or not."
Zhu Song snorted coldly, "You're trying to shift the blame."
Bai Yu argued, "I really just heard it from hearsay."
Zhu Song said: "Alright, go to jail."
Bai Yu was extremely shocked, his eyes widening. "Sir, I've already made meritorious contributions while serving my sentence, and yet I still have to go to jail?"
Zhu Song said: "If you had reported the case before, it would be considered meritorious service."
Bai Yu couldn't believe it, "Then what am I now?"
Zhu Song said, "You are wise enough to know the situation. Otherwise, you would be talking to me while tied to the rack in the Dali Temple right now."
Bai Yu realized it later, "So you said you would keep me safe?"
Zhu Song said, "Since you are so cooperative, I will try my best to get you a life sentence."
Bai Yu almost fainted upon hearing this, "This little thing of mine isn't enough to warrant a beheading, right?"
"You're the main culprit in such a serious case, but you're not worthy of being beheaded?" Zhu Song was even more speechless than him. Then he waved his hand and said, "Alright, I'll give you two copies of Daliang Law. Go study them in the prison."
"ah?"
Zhu Song had the yamen runners take him away. Bai Yu kept shouting, "Sir, sir, can I redeem myself from my crime and earn merit?"
Zhu Song asked him, "Do you have anything else?"
Bai Yu quickly said, "I have someone who can help."
Zhu Song rolled his eyes at him, and the bailiff quickly took Bai Yu away.
After Bai Yu left, Zhu Song asked the people who had drunk with Bai Yu in the restaurant before, but found nothing. Zhu Song asked them to stay in the capital temporarily and leave after the case was settled.
Everyone agreed readily, "It's our duty to cooperate with the Dali Temple in handling the case."
Zhu Song said, "The Dali Temple will reimburse you for your food and lodging expenses, but don't overpay."
"Don't worry, sir."
Zhu Song nodded and said, "Go ahead."
After Zhu Song watched the few people leave, he began to think about it. Now Jiang Shen’s guilt was a foregone conclusion, but there was not enough evidence to prove that the wise king was the mastermind behind the scenes.
In order to avoid any further trouble, Zhu Song thought for a long time and decided to visit the Prince Xian’s mansion tonight.
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