Chapter 90 Something's Wrong
Just as everyone was at a loss, Lin Fu hurriedly came in from outside and bowed to Xiao Yunzhan and Cui Yanwu.
"Your Highness, Lord Cui, your deputy general requests an audience."
Cui Yanwu had just picked up his teacup to drink when he heard this, so he put it back down and said, "Let him in."
A short while later, the deputy general was led in.
Cui Yanwu: "Military matters?"
The lieutenant bowed to Cui Yanwu and said, "Reporting to the general, this is not military business."
"If it's not military business, just say so." Cui Yanwu picked up his teacup again.
The lieutenant clasped his hands in a fist salute again, "General, Wang Jingzong, the elder brother of the Wang family, has entered Yangzhou."
We just entered through the East Gate; we should be almost at the Xu residence now.
Cui Yanwu sneered, "He's quick on his feet."
Pei Zhiwei was taken aback, then asked, "Just now, the general said that someone had arrived?"
“Wang’s elder brother, Wang Jingzong.” Cui Yanwu interrupted before the deputy general could speak.
Pei Zhiwei frowned and asked, "Is it Wang Jingzong, the military advisor of Xuzhou's granary?"
Cui Yanwu: "What, you know each other?"
Xiao Yunzhan explained, "On our way to Yangdu, we shared a room with him at an official post station."
A murder occurred at the official post station that very night.
Wang Jingzong's whereabouts were unusual that night. Although it was later found that he was not involved in the murder, but...
Before he could finish speaking, Cui Yanwu gestured with his chin to his deputy: "Go out and keep watch. Don't let anyone unrelated get close."
The lieutenant clasped his hands in a fist salute, replied "Yes," and quickly retreated.
Once only a few of them remained in the hall, Cui Yanwu leaned back in his chair, his fingers resting on the hilt of his sword.
"Wang Jingzong is forty-four years old this year. He was recently transferred to Xuzhou to serve as a granary officer, a seventh-rank official."
"Your Highness, do you think this is reasonable?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Jixian straightened up from the pillar, reached out to cut off their line of sight, and waved his hand forcefully.
"Hey, wait a minute, my brain isn't quite working."
Wang Jingzong is Wang's older brother, that is, a direct descendant of the Hedong Wang clan, right?
Given the Wang family's background, even if he wasn't very capable, he should have been able to become a fifth-rank official in the capital by his forties, right?
How could he only be a seventh-rank military officer in charge of grain storage?
Does he have some major flaw? Like... like he's not very bright?
Even if someone is stupid, they shouldn't be climbing this slowly, right?
Xiao Yunzhan glanced at him, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "The point is, he's not stupid at all."
Xie Ji gasped. "Huh! So, the Wang family did this on purpose?"
Are they determined to get involved in the canal transport?
My uncle was the military governor of Huainan, and he held the lifeline of the Grand Canal transport in his hands.
They see my uncle as an obstacle, so they're using the Xu family's case to try and bring down both my uncle and the Cui family?
That hits the nail on the head.
Pei Zhiwei's heart sank as well.
The power of the Wang family in Hedong should not be underestimated. If they really set their sights on the Grand Canal and then use the Xu family's affair to drag Cui Yanwu into it, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Xiao Yunzhan turned to Cui Yanwu, "It seems the Wang family is about to make a move. Lord Cui, what are your plans?"
Cui Yanwu pondered for a moment, then pressed his thumb against the tip of the sword hilt.
"Regarding those people pretending to be bandits I mentioned a few days ago, should you send someone to capture them, or should I send a message directly to have the people watching them arrest them and secretly send them over?"
Xiao Yunzhan did not hesitate: "In urgent situations, we should act expediently."
My men going to the Wang family's dowry shop from here and back is too slow; it's more convenient for you to do it yourself.”
"What about Xu Chu?" Pei Zhiwei suddenly asked.
Xiao Yunzhan: "Xu Chu has been kept under surveillance in Yangdu. We can take him anytime we want. Let's leave him for now."
He then turned to Cui Yanwu and added, "When making the arrest, be sure to do it secretly, and don't alert the Wang family."
Cui Yanwu scoffed, picked up his sword, and said, "Do I need you to teach me?"
After saying that, without waiting for anyone's response, he strode out.
Xiao Yunzhan watched his retreating figure and let out a sharp whistle into the air.
A dark figure quickly appeared, hanging upside down from the eaves of the main hall without stepping down. He clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Your Highness."
"Keep an eye on Wang Jingzong, but don't let him discover your whereabouts."
"Yes." The person responded and then disappeared without a trace.
Pei Zhiwei looked at him and said, "Wang Jingzong is actually Wang's elder brother? We really do have some kind of connection."
But with his arrival, the waters of Yangzhou are likely to become even muddier.
The next morning, before dawn, because Xiao Yunzhan had ordered the Xu residence to allow only entry and no exit, the Xu family...
So Wei Wu came to report that Wang Jingzong was requesting an audience with Prince Rui, Governor Zhang, and Lord Liu.
Without lingering, the group boarded a carriage and headed towards the Xu residence.
They arrived at the Xu residence gate almost simultaneously, one after the other.
As soon as they arrived at the gate, they saw a minor official waiting there. Upon seeing them, the official quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness Prince Rui, Lord Liu."
My lord's illness is recurring, and he is really unable to go out.
He said that if it concerned Xu Fengyan's case, everything should be decided by Lord Liu, and there was no need to consult him further.
Xie Ji chuckled: "Zhang Xuren's illness is quite sensible; it always comes on its own."
Xiao Yunzhan didn't say anything and walked straight towards the main hall of the Xu residence.
The main hall had been decorated to resemble a mourning hall, with white cloths hanging on the walls and Xu Fengyan's memorial tablet on the table.
Wang was dressed in plain clothes and sat in the second seat on the right below. Her face was calm and her emotions were unreadable.
Wang Jingzong, dressed in a dark blue brocade robe, immediately stood up and bowed to Xiao Yunzhan and Liu Jingchang upon seeing them enter.
"Your humble servant Wang Jingzong greets His Highness Prince Rui and Lord Liu."
Your Highness, how have you been?
"I never imagined we'd meet again like this after our last parting at the official post station."
Xiao Yunzhan didn't exchange pleasantries with him and went straight to sit down in the chair at the head of the table.
Wang Jingzong wasn't embarrassed. He found a chair, sat down, and got straight to the point: "Lord Liu."
My younger sister is a woman, and ever since her husband got into trouble, she has been completely disoriented and unable to take care of many things.
I asked on her behalf: "My brother-in-law's case should be almost over by now, right?"
"So much time has passed; the body can't stay in the mortuary forever. It should be returned to the Xu family so they can hold a funeral."
Liu Jingchang subconsciously looked at Xiao Yunzhan, and seeing that he had no objection, he said, "Okay."
You can send someone to the mortuary today to retrieve Xu Fengyan's body.
Wang Jingzong sighed again, "There's one more thing."
I had intended to trouble Prefect Zhang, but I just heard that he is seriously ill and has entrusted the entire case to Lord Liu. Therefore, I must trouble Lord Liu to make the decision.
"What is it?" Liu Jingchang asked.
“My brother-in-law is the richest man in Daliang. According to the rules of Daliang, his body should be kept in state for forty-nine days.”
Wang Jingzong spoke sincerely.
"But as you know, my brother-in-law was killed by his unfilial son Xu Ren, which is a huge family disgrace."
Moreover, the body has been kept in the mortuary for quite some time, and it probably can't be delayed any longer.
Therefore, I would like to request Your Excellency's permission to keep the body at your residence for only three days before proceeding with the burial, so that my brother-in-law may be laid to rest as soon as possible.
Liu Jingchang hesitated for a moment, his brows furrowing: "According to the rules, this kind of thing should have been approved by Governor Zhang himself, who would grant permission to keep the body in state for three days, and a copy should have been sent to the prefectural government for record-keeping."
"Prefect Zhang is not here now..."
“Lord Liu, there’s no need to worry,” Xiao Yunzhan suddenly said.
"You handled this case from beginning to end."
Furthermore, Lord Zhang has said that all subsequent matters will be handled by you; your issuance of the imperial edict is in accordance with regulations.
Liu Jingchang also sighed, and reluctantly said, "Alright, I'll have someone draft the approval document right away, and I can give it to you today."
Wang Jingzong quickly cupped his hands in thanks, and Wang Shi also stood up and bowed to Liu Jingchang, saying softly, "Thank you for your leniency, Lord Liu."
After leaving the Xu residence, Xiao Yunzhan secretly increased the number of people he had deployed to keep a close watch on everyone entering and leaving the residence.
Whether it was someone brought by Wang Jingzong or a servant of the Xu family, they would immediately report any unusual activity.
The Xu family was extremely busy for the next two days.
Servants bustled about, setting up the mourning hall and preparing offerings.
Many officials, merchants, and members of the Xu family came to pay their respects, and the courtyard was packed with people.
Pei Zhiwei and Xiao Yunzhan did not go to the Xu residence again. They only learned from the reports of the secret guards that Wang Jingzong had become the de facto head of the Xu family in the past two days.
I was busy running around and met a lot of people.
But because they were afraid he would find out, they were too far away to hear what they were saying.
The very next day, Liu Jingchang told him that Xu Fengyan, being the richest man, had been killed by his rebellious son.
According to custom, Zhang Xuren, the prefect, should have had a "cinnabar seal" nailed to the side of the coffin at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) on the day of Xu Fengyan's funeral.
However, since Zhang Xuren was seriously ill, Liu Jingchang changed the procedure and used blue sand to seal the coffin. After Zhang Xuren recovered, he submitted a "Provisional Statement" to the Ministry of Justice for record-keeping.
Pei Zhiwei had never seen such a demotion and sealing ceremony before, and she was a little curious.
However, Xiao Yunzhan was a prince and could not attend the funeral of a merchant.
So on the morning of the third day, before dawn, he went to the Xu residence with Xie Ji.
Xie Ji used the excuse that his father had a past relationship with Xu Fengyan, and that he was there to offer condolences on his father's behalf. The two were then escorted into the mourning hall by servants.
A large crowd had gathered outside the mourning hall, mostly members of the Xu family, along with several fierce-looking laborers dressed in short-sleeved shirts with very muscular arms, standing around the coffin.
Pei Zhiwei's gaze fell on the coffin. Although Xu Fengyan was the richest man, he was ultimately just a merchant.
According to regulations, the coffin was made of fine pine wood and painted black.
There were no words or patterns engraved on it yet; only white cloth was tied to the four corners.
Liu Jingchang, dressed in official robes and holding a small box containing a blue sand seal, stood at the end of the coffin, talking to the yamen runner beside him.
"Let's begin," Liu Jingchang said, and a bailiff handed him a small hammer.
He carefully took the blue sand seal out of the box and nailed it to the end of the coffin.
The movements were slow and steady, as if afraid of making any mistakes.
The people around him were infected by his presence and became somewhat tense, trying to breathe as quietly as possible, afraid of disturbing him.
Fortunately, the seal was successfully affixed, and the time for its release—the hour of Mao (5-7 AM)—was fast approaching.
Eight fierce-looking laborers came over, rolled up their sleeves, each grabbed the wooden poles on both sides of the coffin, shouted a work chant, and together they lifted the coffin up.
Pei Zhiwei was standing at the back of the crowd, watching the laborers walk out the door, when she suddenly felt something was wrong.
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