Chapter 335 Arrival at the Grassland
"It seems you don't know."
The man in black seemed to sigh, but his sigh was full of chilling mockery.
"Do you know that the 'burden' you mentioned, surnamed Xiao, is Princess Yongning, the legitimate daughter of the current Emperor and Empress?"
Zhao Heng's blood seemed to freeze instantly; he opened his mouth wide, but no sound came out.
Fear gripped his entire being, and he vaguely sensed that he knew a shocking secret.
The royal guards would certainly not be so negligent.
Only the dead can keep secrets!
Zhao Heng knew all of this. He wanted to open his mouth to beg for mercy, but fear made him grab his neck and almost lose his voice.
The man in black stepped forward, squatted down, and looked directly at the limp Zhao Heng. A cold killing intent finally flashed in his otherwise calm eyes.
"And you, you blocked the imperial carriage in the street, uttered foul language, and attempted to coerce the Empress... Zhao Heng, how many heads does your Zhao family have enough to chop off? Hmm?"
"No...no...it can't be...she...she's a widow...she..."
Zhao Heng was incoherent and on the verge of collapse.
"The Empress has left the palace to recuperate; how dare you, an ant, insult her?"
The man in black stood up, his tone regaining its indifference.
"The Emperor's decree: Zhao Heng and his accomplices shall be arrested immediately, transferred to the relevant authorities, and all their illegal activities shall be thoroughly investigated and punished severely according to the law."
"All of the Zhao family's properties have been seized. Once the case is clarified, those that should be confiscated will be confiscated, and those that should be compensated will be compensated."
He added, "The Emperor also said, 'I'll let you die knowing why.'"
“If you touch her, you will break her hands and feet; if you insult her, you will rip out her tongue.”
"Your words spoken in the street today are enough to kill your entire Zhao family ten times over... Take them away."
Two other men in black stepped forward and dragged the completely limp Zhao Heng away.
What awaits him is the dark and oppressive prison and the harshest trial under the law.
Inside the study, only the leader, dressed in black, remained.
He walked to the window, looked out at the empty space above Suzhou, and whispered a reply:
"Your Majesty, I will take care of the cleanup later without disturbing your peace."
A night breeze swept by, and the figure in black vanished, as if he had never been there.
——
In the backyard of Tingyun, the narcissus was still awake.
She sat by the window, writing a letter to the capital by the light of a solitary lamp.
It wasn't for Emperor Zhaoheng, but for Shuixiu, to let her know she was safe and sound, to chat about the sights and sounds of Suzhou, and incidentally... to mention that she had recently encountered a rogue who was harassing her, but she had managed to resolve the situation, and told her not to worry.
As she finished writing, she paused, then started a new line and added a few words.
"Suzhou is damp and cold in winter; it must be even colder in the capital. I hope... Your Majesty takes good care of yourself."
She put down her pen, blew on the ink to dry it, and folded the letter neatly.
Outside the window, the moonlight was like water, and all was quiet.
She knew that the royal guards had entered the city, and she also knew that Zhao Heng would never have a peaceful day after tonight.
The man did not appear in front of her; he simply stood silently behind her, smoothing out any thorns she might encounter.
Perhaps, true freedom is not about being alone and helpless.
Narcissus sighed softly and put the letter into the envelope.
——
The Zhao family's downfall was as swift as a torrential downpour.
The day before, Jinyun Manor was bustling with activity.
However, the next morning, before dawn, squads of officials dressed in black robes and carrying steel knives at their waists quietly sealed off all of the Zhao family's properties in the city.
The leader was no longer a yamen runner from Suzhou Prefecture, but a stranger with a cold and stern face, holding an arrest warrant issued by the Supervising Censor of Jiangnan Circuit.
Search, seal, and arrest!
Completed in one go.
On the same day, at the Suzhou Prefectural Government Office.
The prefect was having breakfast in the back residence when he suddenly heard a commotion in the front office. Before he could get angry and ask any questions, a group of officials dressed in scarlet robes and exuding an imposing aura had already barged into the back hall.
The head of the Jiangnan Circuit Censorate displayed a gold medal and an imperial edict, publicly reading out his crimes, including "accepting bribes from merchants and bending the law for personal gain." He then removed his official hat and robes on the spot.
The fact that his most favored concubine had invested in Jinyun Manor was also made public as key evidence.
The Zhao family, a seemingly thriving and prosperous tree, was snapped in an instant by the imperial court's unexpected and swift strike.
The property was quickly confiscated and inventoried, all the main male members were imprisoned, and the female relatives and children who were not involved were dismissed.
Zhao Heng himself was punished for multiple crimes and was ultimately sentenced to exile three thousand li to the coldest mines in the northern border to perform hard labor, with no possibility of being pardoned.
The emperor's thunderous wrath was met with applause from the people who had suffered greatly at the hands of the Zhao family.
When the news reached Narcissus's ears, she was in Tingyun's backyard organizing the last few victim testimonies.
Upon hearing this, he paused for a moment, then looked up at the bustling street outside the window.
The sun was shining brightly, and everything seemed normal.
She put down her pen and let out a soft sigh.
Narcissus felt little joy at having avenged her great grudge; instead, she felt a sense of peace as if the dust had settled.
In the end, she still relied on his help.
But she did not stop there.
The Zhao family fell, cutting off one of the sources of usury. But the IOUs that had already been signed were still there, the victims who were suffocating under the weight of compounding interest were still there, and the exploitative network that spread throughout Jiangnan was still there.
She re-transcribed and bound the data she had collected over the past few months.
After completing the report, she summoned Yuan Chiyu, who was about to return to Beijing.
"Young Marquis, please secretly present this item to the Emperor."
Shui Xian handed the sealed report to Yuan Chiyu, her tone solemn, "There's no need to mention me. Just say that someone from Jiangnan Road collected and organized it."
Yuan Chiyu took the thick booklet; it felt heavy in his hand.
He gave Narcissus a deep look and nodded: "Don't worry, Fairy Lady, Chi Yu will personally deliver it."
Several days later.
The capital city, the Qianqing Palace.
Yuan Chiyu bowed and presented the report. Emperor Zhaoheng dismissed his attendants and sat alone behind his desk, carefully reading the report page by page.
The handwriting is by Shui Xian herself, and it is neat and elegant.
Each and every case is shocking.
He saw Madam Lin, and many more Zhangs and Li the Craftsman who had no names, only code names...
He read very slowly, his gaze lingering on certain passages for a long time.
When he turned to the last page, he slowly closed the report.
The Imperial Study was eerily quiet, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire.
After a long while, Emperor Zhaoheng finally raised his head and looked at Yuan Chiyu, who had been standing with his hands at his sides. His voice was low and hoarse: "Is she... alright?"
Yuan Chiyu replied, "Your Majesty is well."
As for anything else, Shui Xian didn't ask him to convey it, and Emperor Zhaoheng didn't inquire further, so Yuan Chiyu didn't say anything more.
Emperor Zhaoheng slowly lowered his eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Tell her that I saw it. I will handle this matter."
With the Zhao family's affairs settled, Shui Xian no longer had any attachment to Jiangnan.
Tuoba's caravan was about to return north and warmly invited her to go to the grasslands with him to experience a world completely different from the misty rain of Jiangnan.
Narcissus readily agreed.
She temporarily shut down Tingyun and distributed the remaining embroidery patterns and papers to familiar embroiderers.
She sold that small shop to a young widow who had lost her husband and was raising her young child alone for a very low price.
The night before her departure, she received an ordinary letter bag without any markings.
When you open it, there's only a plain sheet of paper inside, with familiar, powerful handwriting that belongs exclusively to that man.
There was no title, no signature, just a short sentence.
"The north is windy and dusty, take care."
"Qingyan and Qinghe have been clamoring to learn how to ride horses, so I have prepared small saddles for them. If it is convenient, I can let them see their mother riding a horse with great skill."
As the narcissus fingertips gently brushed over each word, it seemed as if one could see the adorable faces of the children.
She carefully folded the letter and kept it close to her body.
The grasslands are indeed vast.
As far as the eye can see, there is an endless sea of grass that stretches to the horizon where it meets the sky.
The wind was refreshing and strong, carrying the scent of grass seeds and earth, howling past without any obstruction, making people's clothes flutter and their long hair fly.
Narcissus followed Tuoba back to her tribe.
The tribe's yurts are scattered like white clouds along the river bend, with herds of cattle and sheep and galloping horses, everything is full of wild and vibrant life.
The Tuoba people were warm and hospitable, and they welcomed the narcissus very much.
Shui Xian quickly adapted to life here. She changed into a narrow-sleeved robe that Tuoba had prepared for her, which was easy to ride in, and braided her hair into a simple braid, which gave her a unique and dashing style.
She wasn't just a guest.
Soon, she discovered some problems in the trade between the tribe and the Central Plains.
The most prominent issue is the disorganized accounting.
Tribal elders were accustomed to recording transactions orally, which was incompatible with the written accounting methods used by merchants from the Central Plains. This often led to disputes, and the tribes usually suffered losses in these situations.
Narcissus offered to help tidy up.
Instead of using a complicated ledger format, she designed a simple and clear table, which she used in collaboration with Tuoba, with annotations in two languages and graphics to clearly outline several large trade transactions over the years, making the profits and losses immediately apparent.
"Xian'er! You are truly a lucky star for our grasslands!"
Tuoba happily put his arm around her shoulder and patted her hard, "How did you come up with this brain? It's much better than those cunning merchants from the Central Plains! Stay here, I'll make you a high-ranking official!"
Narcissus was amused by her and shook her head, saying, "I'm just an outsider with a clearer perspective. If we really want to do business, it has to be you guys."
Aside from these important matters, Narcissus's biggest challenge was learning to ride a horse.
Tuoba chose the gentlest mare for her and taught her how to ride it.
Even so, Narcissus still fell several times, and her whole body ached.
But her indomitable spirit kicked in, and after falling, she dusted herself off and, amidst the good-natured laughter of the Tuoba clansmen, climbed back onto her horse.
From being led along shakily, to being able to jog slowly on her own, and finally being able to gallop a short distance on the grassland in early spring, facing the biting wind, she made tremendous progress.
As she listened to the whistling wind and watched the seemingly endless grassland rushing past, an unprecedented sense of exhilaration swept over her.
free.
So this is what it tastes like.
Narcissus took a deep breath and urged the horse to gallop.
Her braids were flowing freely, and her expression was carefree—a freedom she had never felt in both her past and present lives combined!
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