Emperor Liang Cheng sat down and shouted, "Ji Xueyi of the Censorate."
Ji Xueyi, being an imperial censor, immediately stepped forward upon receiving the order. Emperor Liang Cheng said, "Go and investigate this matter thoroughly for me. No matter who is involved, investigate to the end. I hereby bestow upon you the imperial sword, granting you the right to execute first and report later."
Those lying down and those standing looked at each other in bewilderment, and Ji Xueyi reluctantly accepted the imperial decree.
After the court session ended, Marquis Yongning walked out. When he reached the palace gate, the Third Prince called out to him, saying with a forced smile, "Marquis Yongning, your eldest son is indeed a capable man."
Marquis Yongning calmly bowed to the Third Prince and said, "Your Highness flatters me."
The Third Prince sneered twice and said, "One should be lenient when one can. I would appreciate it if you could convey this message to your grandson."
Watching the Third Prince swagger away, the Marquis of Yongning's eyes darkened. He understood that the investigation had reached the Third Prince, and he suspected that many things would not end well.
They were never really on the same side, and sooner or later they were bound to break off relations. Marquis Yongning felt much more at ease now. It was only a matter of time, so there was no need to be afraid. At worst, it would be a fight to the death.
Marquis Yongning flicked his sleeves and strode towards his carriage. After returning home, he invited several advisors to his study. It wasn't until the third watch of the night that the advisors went back to rest.
Marquis Yongning understood very well that the Third Prince had suffered such a great loss this time. Regardless of his purpose, whether it was to vent his anger or to get revenge, he would definitely take action against the Xu family. Whether it was the Xu family's arrangements in the court or some of their shops, it was always better to be prepared.
In the capital, the grand court assembly stirred up a storm, while Penglai, far from the capital, remained remarkably peaceful.
Xu Di goes to the county government office every day to report for duty, and when he gets home he helps Li Yuexi take care of the children. Because of Tong Zhubu's mother-in-law, everyone now knows that Lord Xu is a man who loves his wife very much.
Zheng Boyuan has already led his men on several sea voyages, and even wiped out a gang of pirates on an island. After bringing them back, the local people were overjoyed. They were all fishermen who sailed out to sea every day. If they encountered pirates and did not submit, they would often face certain death. Now that the pirates in the nearby waters have been eliminated, everyone can go out to sea to fish with peace of mind.
Zheng Boyuan's furthest trip took him to a dock at the southernmost point of Liaodong on the other side. After meeting with the officer stationed there, he agreed to visit each other frequently and train troops together before sailing back.
On one occasion, Zheng Boyuan returned from the sea and went to the back office to talk to Xu Di.
Xu Di had already left the yamen and was playing with the two children when he heard that Zheng Boyuan had arrived. Reluctantly, he went to the study in the front yard.
Zheng Boyuan smelled the milky scent on Xu Di and said with a smile, "People say that Magistrate Xu is a man who loves his wife and children. It seems that they are right."
Xu Di waved his hand and said, "What's so praiseworthy about this? This girl came all the way from the north to be with us. If I don't cherish her, who will? We're going to spend our lives together. As for the child, that's my child, the continuation of my life. If I don't cherish her, who will?"
After hearing these words, Zheng Boyuan went over them in his mind several times and repeated them to himself twice, and found them to be extremely reasonable.
Seeing his thoughtful expression, Xu Di nodded inwardly, thinking to himself, "I have to set a good example for you. I have to let you know that it is only natural to love your wife and children. You can't learn from those chauvinistic men and make your wife worry more and your children not be loved by you in the future."
After Zheng Boyuan had processed all the information, Xu Di asked him, "Did you make any discoveries on this voyage?"
Zheng Boyuan's expression turned serious, and he said, "On my way back this time, I encountered a Japanese ship that was out gathering information. We captured a few of them. Some of my men are fluent in the Japanese language. After careful interrogation, they said that someone from Daliang had contacted their leader, but they are just lowly soldiers and don't know the specifics of what they discussed."
Xu Di frowned and thought for a long time after hearing this, and said, "It seems that there really is a traitor inside. Don't tell anyone about this for now, and tell your people to keep it a secret. We still need to find a way to find out this traitor in Daliang."
Zheng Boyuan shook his head and said, "It's really difficult. Those Japanese pirates are nomadic, and it's very difficult to capture them."
It is indeed very difficult. The ocean is vast, and it is really not easy to find someone. But now, even if it is not easy, we have to find a way to help. Otherwise, it will be like a knife hanging over our heads all day long, and who knows when it will fall?
Xu Di thought for a moment and said, "What we need to do now is to wipe out the Japanese pirates in this sea area. I think that the people in the capital who are in contact with the Japanese pirates are probably going to sail from Dengzhou or Liaodong. In that case, we should guard the docks and see who is going."
Zheng Boyuan sighed and said, "Brother-in-law, you make it sound so simple, but do you know how difficult it is to do? Those boats that go out to sea are all local fishermen; who knows when they will set sail?"
Xu Di nodded and said, "I'm confident about our side, but I'm not so confident about other places. Have you ever thought that, given this situation, we could force them to set sail from Penglai?"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Boyuan laughed and said, "Brother-in-law, you must be joking. How could you force someone to sail from our side?"
Xu Di smiled and said, "I can't, but you can. If you can trap those Japanese pirates in one place, I think the people who went out to sea to find the pirate leaders and negotiate with them will have no choice but to compromise, right?"
Zheng Boyuan seemed to understand the underlying meaning and said, "Tell me, what should we do?"
Xu Di nodded and said, "It's already April, right? I heard that there will be frequent typhoons at sea in June. They will definitely have a meeting soon. The Japanese pirates look very different from us. For safety reasons, it will definitely be people from the capital who go to sea to negotiate with the Japanese pirates. You see, if you block off this area around the Bohai Sea, won't it be that only our side and Liaodong can smoothly make contact with the Japanese pirates after going out to sea?"
Zheng Boyuan looked at the large area Xu Di was pointing to, sighed, and said, "Brother-in-law, this is really quite difficult to do."
Xu Di said, "I didn't tell you to stay still. Just get your men moving their ships so the Japanese pirates won't dare to come over, and that will do the trick, won't it?"
Zheng Boyuan still felt that Xu Di was being a bit far-fetched. Xu Di sighed and said, "I have no other choice. I can guarantee that my little corner of the land is as solid as mine, but I can't guarantee that other places are as solid as mine. Whenever strangers come to my area, I have records of which fishing village by the sea has how many fishing boats, when they go out to sea, and when they return from the sea."
Zheng Boyuan nodded and said, "Brother-in-law, now we can only try anything as a last resort. Hopefully, God will be on our side and let us catch the man."
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