Chapter 182 Reluctant to part with me?
Yao Qingling understood.
No wonder they want to go back to the new mansion.
The censor's wife sighed: "It's a pity that those few government slaves in the Ministry of Agriculture died because she was poisoned and executed."
Although the Ministry of Agriculture was a place where government slaves served, it was still under the supervision of officials. If a case of poisoning occurred, someone had to come forward and confess to the crime before the officials could close the case.
“Who says human life is not divided into different classes? Even slaves are not all the same, they are all different in fate…” The censor’s wife sighed a few times, and Qing Ling remained silent.
This is the truth.
Even she herself was doing everything she could to change her fate; no one wanted to be like an ant.
After a brief moment of gloom, the Censor's wife perked up and said, "I almost forgot, didn't you ask me to keep an eye on the reconstruction of Yongning Temple?"
"Hmm, any discoveries?"
"There haven't been any major discoveries, but their progress seems slow. The place is heavily guarded, and outsiders can't get in." The Imperial Censor's wife frowned. "But that's what's strange."
Initially, because the Censor's wife and Qingling had raised a considerable amount of money from among the noble ladies, the Censor's wife could visit the rebuilt Yongning Temple and chat with people without anyone stopping her. But later, this became impossible. Except for craftsmen hired by the Ministry of Works, no one was allowed to enter.
The temple reconstruction isn't a secret, so why can't we go in and see it?
“They kept saying that rocks might fall at any time during the construction site and they were afraid I would get hurt and they couldn’t afford the consequences, and then they said that temples are sacred and women can’t go in. Don’t you think that’s strange?”
Qingling nodded: "It is strange... Logically speaking, we all contributed money, so why can't we go and check on the projects we were involved in? This behavior is more like... more like..."
The censor's wife casually remarked, "Anyone who didn't know better would think they were secretly building a private residence."
Qingling nodded and sneered, "That's right! They're treating Yongning Temple like their own private temple."
Qingling was thinking about those iron ore.
Lin Shiyuan had visited Yongning Temple and taken a few stones to the blacksmith shop to inquire, but this time he was told that they were just ordinary stones.
The stones he had picked up at the city gate earlier had been confirmed to be iron ore, though of average quality; he had checked and found that those stones had ended up at Yongning Temple.
How did iron ore turn into ordinary stone?
Why are they so strict about preventing outsiders from entering and leaving the construction site?
Seeing her expression shift repeatedly, the Censor's wife asked, "Sister, are you hiding something from me? The Ministry of Works has taken over the temple reconstruction, so it shouldn't be our responsibility to keep an eye on it, but you've repeatedly told me to keep an eye on it... No, there must be something fishy going on there, right?"
"Girl, we're sworn brothers, we're in the same boat. I even invested in your shop, so you can't hide anything from me."
The censor's wife looked serious.
Qingling said, "Madam, it's not that I want to hide it from you, but I'm not entirely sure about this myself..."
She paused, her brow furrowing. "But if it's confirmed, it will be a big deal."
The Censor's wife knew that Yao Qingling was not joking, but she didn't understand why they had to get involved if something happened at Yongning Temple, which was none of their business.
“I told you, you’re about to give birth, why are you still worrying about these things? If it’s none of our business, just ignore it. Just focus on having and raising your child.”
Qingling glanced at the Imperial Censor's wife.
It would be plausible to say that this matter had nothing to do with her.
However, if she wanted to help Lin Shiyuan rise to a higher position, she had to provide him with "achievements".
Now that Lin Shiyuan is working in the Ministry of War, if the iron ore deal can be confirmed, it will be a great help.
But her close monitoring only aroused the other party's suspicion.
Qingling smiled and said, "What you say is true, Madam. We shouldn't concern ourselves with things that have nothing to do with us."
Her eyes flickered slightly, thinking that the other party's high level of vigilance must mean something very important, so she decided to put him on the safe side first.
She added, "Now that I am about to give birth, and you are also a shareholder of Hui Ba Fang, please visit the shop when you have time."
The Censor's wife chuckled, "Your maids are so cleverly trained. I don't know anything about business, so what would I do there? But I should take more ladies to the shops to buy more things."
The censor's wife had invested in the business and, in order to boost sales, she also began socializing with wealthy families, trying her best to win back the purchases she had lost from them.
Speaking of this, she started scolding Zhou Zhining again.
“She’s the one who manages Jinmantang. That explains why Huibafang has lost so much business. I may not like socializing, but I’m determined to go against her.”
She just couldn't stand seeing Zhou Zhining doing too well.
The censor's wife chatted with Qingling for a while longer, and Qingling invited her to stay for a meal. She didn't return until late afternoon.
In the afternoon, Qingling sat in the courtyard basking in the sun.
Holding the black and white cat in his arms, he stroked its soft fur intermittently, his fingers circling around its ears.
She had a question.
With such a large quantity of stone to be transported, it would have been more convenient to transport it by water to the city, and there were docks in the city. Why did they abandon the more convenient option and instead bring it in by land?
That evening, Lin Shiyuan came, and Qingling told him about it.
Lin Shiyuan said, "The waterway and the land route are under the jurisdiction of different departments. The person behind the scenes chose the land route, probably because they are not on the same side as the canal transport official... or that faction. The risk is too great."
Giving your opponent leverage is like handing yourself a knife.
"In addition, the waterways within the city mainly supply the city. Heavy objects like stones can easily clog the docks, which is inconvenient."
Qingling: "I know that. There are stone quarries in Jicheng, right next to the capital. Land transportation is also convenient..."
A possibility suddenly flashed through her mind.
"...Do you think it's possible that the ordinary stone being transported in came from the mines in Jicheng, and then the iron ore was mixed in with the transport convoy and made its way into the capital?"
Just like how she divided those bandits into batches and had them work in shifts, giving half of them new identities and hiding them in shops, and the other half hiding them in the manor.
Others can also use this method to transport the two types of stones in safely, avoiding inspection.
Lin Shiyuan's eyes lit up: "There are mines in Jicheng too?"
Qingling nodded: "You don't know?"
Then she remembered that Lin Shiyuan came from the south and did not yet fully understand the general situation around the capital.
She remembered it suddenly.
Lin Shiyuan said thoughtfully, "What you said is very likely... If we can go to Jicheng and confirm that the stones for Yongning Temple came from there, we might be able to find out where the other batch of stones came from."
Yao Qingling looked at him with pitiful eyes: "You're going to Jicheng right now, at this time of day?"
When she gave birth, wasn't he not in the capital?
She lowered her eyes, looking sullen.
She comforted herself, saying it didn't matter whether he stayed or not.
He's not the child's biological father; his future is more important.
Why should he put aside important matters and stay with her for someone else's child?
Seeing her drooping eyes and disappointed expression, Lin Shiyuan patted her head and asked, "Did I say I was going to Jicheng?"
He deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of "I".
Qing Ling's eyes twitched, and she lowered her eyelids, saying coyly, "If you don't go to Jicheng, who will? Such an important matter can't be entrusted to your few rookie subordinates, can it?"
Although he became a senior official in the Ministry of War, he was still a newly appointed official.
Each department formed its own faction, and Lin Shiyuan, a newcomer, was an outlier. Moreover, as a general from a humble background, he was already excluded.
If he were to send someone from the Ministry of War to Jicheng, the news would likely reach the ears of those involved before any action was even taken.
Lin Shiyuan looked at her with a smile: "You can't bear to part with me?"
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