86 Chapter 86
◎Arrived in Sichuan◎
“Here it comes!”
In front of the Huangba Posthouse in Hanzhong Prefecture, Shaanxi Province, the postmaster, with his official hat straight and robes neat, led a group of officials and servants waiting respectfully. His face was calm and composed, but his hands were trembling slightly in his sleeves.
A few days ago, he received news that Princess Rong'an would be arriving in carriage. He could not sleep for several nights and led the officials of the post station to sweep the road thoroughly, striving to make sure there was not a trace of dust. The originally bumpy road surface was also filled and repaired.
When he heard yesterday that the princess had arrived in Hanzhong, he ordered all officials to be on their guard and not to offend the princess.
Especially those with ugly appearance, they should not appear in public when the princess enters the museum.
He waited from noon to noon, and when he was starving, the porter who had gone to inquire about the situation came back excitedly, shouting loudly.
The postmaster straightened his back instantly and looked over.
Soon, a carriage with hundreds of people came in a mighty procession, with guards of great power, pearls strung together, and fluttering flags rustling. In the middle of the uniform procession, a tall, wide and magnificent carriage came from afar.
On the left side of the carriage, a tall and strong woman, wearing red armor and silver armor, with a broad sword on her waist, riding a chestnut horse, with a solemn look and a dignified demeanor.
The postmaster thought to himself that this person must be Captain Jiang under the princess's command. It is true that seeing is believing.
When the convoy arrived at the gate of the posthouse, as soon as the carriage stopped, the postmaster led the crowd to bow to the ground and shouted "Long live the princess".
Everyone inside and outside the post house, whether it was the postmen, the grooms, or the veterinarian, all knelt down on the spot, bowed their heads and kowtowed, not daring to make the slightest sound when they heard the noise outside.
Jiang Qing and others are used to it.
Starting from the capital, passing through the prefectures of Henan, and entering the counties of Shaanxi, all the official post stations along the way practiced the same style. There were even secret competitions between the post stations, vowing to see who could serve the princess better.
Even though the princess stressed the need to avoid wasting people's time and money, the post stations in various places still did not dare to neglect their duties.
Huangba Posthouse is the last posthouse from Shaanxi to Sichuan. It is a transportation fortress and the posthouse is larger than other places, but it is still not enough to accommodate 500 guards.
Fortunately, the five hundred guards did not need to stay in the inn. They camped outside the inn and took turns guarding the inside and outside of the inn. They ate dry food they bought on the way and at most took some clean water to drink from the inn. They resolutely obeyed the princess's orders and did not cause any extra burden to the inn.
There was also information exchange between the post stations. The postmaster of Huangba Post Station had already known the princess's style of doing things, so he only ordered people to prepare water and send it over, and did not take any other action on his own.
After the princess checked in, the inn became exceptionally quiet inside and outside.
The other officials who happened to stay there came to the princess's room one by one to pay their respects and pay their respects. Even if the princess did not see them, they had to be very solemn and then return to their own rooms to try their best to reduce their presence.
Although Xie Mingzhuo is a grand person, he is a low-key person.
She got off the carriage and except for saying "Stand up," she didn't utter another word all the way to her residence.
Everyone in the inn lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at her. Therefore, until she entered the house, no one knew what she looked like.
The house was heavily guarded and no one dared to approach.
Inside the house, Xie Mingzhuo spread out the map and said, "After passing Huangba Post, the next one is Shenxuan Post in Guangyuan, Sichuan. We have discussed before that if someone wants to take action, they should choose to strike between the two places."
Officials have concerns and a sense of luck, so it is unlikely that they will act rashly.
The Sun and Moon Sect is not so particular.
She eradicated them once in Jiangxi and purged them again in the capital. The Sun and Moon Sect probably hated her to the core and was very likely to take action against her.
Along the way, they passed through Henan and Shaanxi, where there were many garrisons and sufficient troops. The Sun and Moon Sect might have been afraid and had never taken any action.
They were about to enter Sichuan, a place with rugged mountains and forests, and also a place she was inspecting. If the Sun and Moon Sect took action there, they could not only unleash their strongest power, but also put the blame on the Sichuan officials involved in the salt administration.
Regardless of whether the court believes it or not, what they want to see is to delay the progress of the court's investigation.
But officials would think the same way.
Assassinating a princess is indeed a crime punishable by the confiscation of property and extermination of the clan, but there may be people who are so foolish as to think that they can rest easy by killing a princess and then throw dirty water on the Sun and Moon Sect.
All in all, there were probably two groups of people who assassinated her.
"Your Highness, we are fully prepared. No matter how many groups of people they send, they will never return!" Jiang Qing rubbed his hands ready.
Feng Caiyu laughed at her: "You will be following His Highness by then, so how can you have time to fight?"
"That's right." Jiang Qing immediately put away her eagerness to try. The princess's safety was the most important thing, and she had to stay by her side to protect her.
"Ayu, Fanniang, everything from now on will be left to you. Just act according to the circumstances." Xie Mingzhuo instructed.
The two of them agreed solemnly.
The princess never left the house and did not order the postman to do anything. The other officials in the palace did not dare to go against the will and order the postman to do anything in front of the "Princess Sanyi".
The postmen at the post station had a rare relaxing day.
No one forced me to work, no one scolded me, no one asked me for money. It was like a god's day.
Although the life of the postmen at the post station became slightly better after the princess proposed the reform, and most officials did not dare to go too far openly, a few people were still arrogant and self-indulgent.
There has never been a day that is so peaceful and tranquil.
It would be great if the princess could live here every day.
The postmen had nothing to do, and the postmaster was afraid that they would offend the princess, so he did not dare let them wander around the inn. Instead, he drove them into their residence and prohibited them from leaving the house without his permission.
They simply lay down on the big bunk to rest and chat.
The topic centered around Princess Rong'an.
They could not use fancy words, but their simple speech was filled with praise and love for Her Royal Highness the Princess.
"These days are very peaceful."
"As soon as the princess leaves, I'll kill her."
"One day at a time, one day at a time. I think too much and am not happy."
"When are we going to have lunch? I'm starving."
"How can he still care about us?"
There was a sudden knock on the door. It was the postman from the post station, speaking in awkward official language: "Her Royal Highness the Princess has given us a lot of bacon. Get up quickly, there's meat to eat today!"
Everyone was stunned and looked at each other, no one spoke first.
"Are you mute? Why don't you come out and thank me?!"
Although the princess couldn't see, she still had to do what she had to do.
Everyone who was stunned by the "flesh" got up instantly, rushed out of the house, knelt on the ground, and said sincerely, "Long live the princess."
Before leaving Beijing, Xie Mingzhuo received many gifts.
There were weapons for self-defense, such as the new hand cannons sent by the queen mother and eldest brother; there were daily utensils, such as the new glassware sent by the great-aunt; there were also various kinds of food, such as the cart of bacon sent by Lu Er.
After more than half a year, the government-run pig farm became more and more prosperous and its scale had tripled. During the Chinese New Year, Lu Er led people to slaughter hundreds of fat pigs, which were sold to butcher shops in major markets in the capital.
Knowing that she was going on a long journey, Lu Er specially made a lot of bacon, filled a whole car with it, and gave it to her to eat on the road.
Xie Mingzhuo accepted the kindness and distributed it to the post stations from time to time along the way. By the time he arrived at Huangba Post Station, there was very little left.
It just so happened that there was a play to be performed next and the caravan needed to reduce weight, so she gave all the remaining pork to the post station so that everyone in the post station could taste the meat.
The Sichuan Chengdu Prefecture Government Office.
The governor, the commander-in-chief, the provincial judge, and the salt tax supervisor and others all gathered in the second hall and sat down.
Everyone present knew that the death of the chief inspector was just a prelude. The princess came to inspect in the name of an imperial envoy, saying that she was investigating the case of the chief inspector, but in fact she came to inspect the salt administration.
Who would have thought that a mere widow would go to the capital alone to seek justice for the kindness of her family who had taken care of her in the past.
An insignificant person like He Cui Niang could actually cause such a big mess.
It’s all the fault of those incompetent idiots who didn’t even change their official uniforms and just killed people to silence them!
Of course, it is no use to find out who is responsible now. What is important is how to fool the famous Princess Rong'an.
They had all heard of Princess Rong'an's deeds, and in the matter of selecting a son-in-law, the five ministers had indeed suffered a loss.
However, although she could act arrogantly in the capital, she could no longer call the shots in Shu.
At that time, all you need is good food and drink.
Only——
"Xiang Jingze is a very cunning guy. His whereabouts have been elusive. He has been in office for over a year. Who knows where he is? If he secretly finds the princess first, we will be in a passive position."
"Don't panic, who said he would definitely be able to see the princess?"
"You mean—"
"Alright, let's stop talking about irrelevant things. The most urgent thing is how to receive Her Royal Highness the Princess. We must not neglect her."
They discussed the reception for the princess for two hours. Just as they were about to finish, they heard hurried footsteps outside the door.
"Sir, urgent news from Guangyuan!"
Everyone stood up suddenly and stared at the messenger who came to report. They were very nervous and didn't know what expression to express.
"Hurry up and tell me!"
"Her Royal Highness the Princess was attacked on the way to Shenxuan Station!"
"What's wrong?" The person who asked the question had a trembling voice.
The messenger was heartbroken: "The princess...is missing."
Everyone gasped, not because they were worried about the safety of Her Royal Highness the Princess, but because "missing" was the most unfavorable situation for them.
The death was caused by the Shaanxi bandits, and had nothing to do with them. No matter how furious the emperor was, it would not affect them.
In the counterattack, the people caught were the Shaanxi bandits, who had nothing to do with them.
But now that the princess's whereabouts are unknown, they have become quite passive.
"Search! Pass the order down, gather the entire Baoning Prefecture's forces and make sure to find the whereabouts of Her Royal Highness the Princess!"
"yes!"
Someone asked, "The princess is missing, what about the others?"
"The princess's guards wiped out all the bandits, but after the scuffle, the princess and Captain Jiang disappeared. Meng Bandu and Ms. Feng were heartbroken and personally led the guards in a search, vowing to dig deep into the ground."
“…”
There is no fool present.
There was something wrong with this matter from beginning to end. The guards defeated the bandits but lost the princess. It was ridiculous no matter how you thought about it.
It is not ruled out that the princess wants to escape.
Either they find the princess first, or the princess finds out about the problem in the salt area first.
The provincial governor wanted to send out orders to search for the two young women traveling together, but how many women travel together? This would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
He then changed his tone: "Zhang Tiju, tell all salt districts to be vigilant and take precautions. If you see anyone unfamiliar, report it immediately."
"As you command."
Unfortunately, five days passed without any trace of the princess.
The news of the princess's disappearance was rushed from the post station to the capital over a distance of 800 miles. The emperor and empress were furious and immediately ordered the Huguang military governor to mobilize troops to Sichuan to search for the princess. If the princess was not found, she could not return to the capital.
Shaanxi is an important town for defending the border, and its troops cannot be easily withdrawn. Huguang is adjacent to Sichuan and has no worries about war, so it is appropriate to transfer them to Sichuan.
As for the garrisons in Sichuan...
The princesses were lost in Sichuan. The emperor was merciful in not punishing them. How could he let them take on such an important task?
After five days, everyone's lips were covered with blisters, but there was still no sign of the princess.
Officials in Chengdu were worried and couldn't sleep all night, looking haggard.
On the outskirts of Cangxi County.
Xie Mingzhuo and Jiang Qing changed their appearance, disguised themselves as dark-skinned porters in their early twenties, and sneaked into a merchant caravan from Shaanxi.
She had previously sent people to find out the salt merchants who were "reporting" between Shaanxi and Sichuan. After selecting a relatively honest caravan, she squatted by the roadside, demonstrated her "great strength" without leaving any trace, and then joined the caravan at the enthusiastic invitation of the caravan manager.
Salt merchants transported grain to designated granaries in border areas in accordance with the imperial court's investment notice and exchanged them for salt permits from the government, which was called "Baozhong".
Salt permit can be regarded as a certificate for the legal sale of salt.
This caravan was responsible for transporting grain to the border town of Shaanxi, exchanging it for salt permits, and then returning to the designated salt fields in Sichuan to wait for salt. After receiving the salt, it would be transported to designated areas for sale.
But only one tenth of this complete procedure remains today.
Transporting grain is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and guarding the branch depends on the attitude of the salt fields. More people divided the process into two parts, which gave rise to the practice of "intercepting and purchasing salt permits."
The manager of the caravan is also worried about this matter right now.
It was noon and the caravan stopped by the roadside to rest. He squatted beside the cart, holding a pipe in his mouth and puffing out smoke.
In the smoke, his dark red face was full of sorrow.
"Manager Zheng, what's wrong?" Xie Mingzhuo plopped down next to him and said in a hoarse voice, "I can't even smoke a cigarette."
Her hair was tied up with a coarse cloth, disheveled from half a day's manual labor. Her eyebrows were thickly drawn, her skin was completely blackened, and her figure was thin. Everyone had a preconceived notion that she was just a young man with a voice that wasn't deep enough.
Jiang Qing has tough edges and corners to his name, and he looks even more like a young man from a poor family than she does.
"Tiezhu, you don't understand." Manager Zheng, touched by her eager eyes, tapped his pipe and coughed, "Do you know what's on the car?"
Xie Mingzhuo shook her head. She was just a porter pulling a cart and moving goods. How could she know what was in the cargo box?
"It's a tribute." Old Zheng's eyebrows were furrowed. "If there is no tribute, we won't get any salt, you know?"
Xie Mingzhuo nodded, not quite understanding, and Jiang Qing also stood beside him, keeping him company.
"Manager Zheng, Tiegun and I only know how to work hard. We don't know anything else. Please teach us."
Tiegun is Jiang Qing's pseudonym.
"Well, I'll have a good talk with you so that you two won't offend anyone by being ignorant."
Manager Zheng puffed out mist and looked up at the vast sky. "It's good that we got the salt permit, but when we get to the salt field, without any respect, the salt masters will have the final say on how much we get."
"Oh." Xie Mingzhuo pretended to be confused. "Isn't it that the salt primer should be given as much as he says?"
"Look at you, you're so happy, even though you're being sold."
Xie Mingzhuo shut up and gestured to Jiang Qing, so Jiang Qing continued to ask.
"Then you have already received filial respect, so what are you worried about?"
Manager Zheng: "I'm worried about whether to sell this salt primer."
"What?" Jiang Qing was surprised. "Salt primers can still be sold?!"
"Keep your voice down," Manager Zheng raised his index finger and shushed several times. "Everyone's doing this, and I'm tired. From now on, I'll only transport grain and not salt."
"You're the manager. Those who can manage people are very smart. We'll all listen to you." Xie Mingzhuo said with a simple smile, "Then how do we sell it?"
"Very smart" sounds like a compliment, but Manager Zheng always feels something is strange.
He couldn't think of it, so he just gave up thinking about it. He tapped his pipe again and said mysteriously, "You'll know when we get there."
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