Fourth Master looked at Du Zhiqian and knew that he was saying such things because he was unaware of his own identity.
"No need, I have a solution. Brother Du, why don't you go back and rest for a while? I'll go and bring your wife back, and then we can discuss it in detail," said the Fourth Master.
On this trip, Fourth Master and Du Zhiqian went to the rural areas of Xudu to inspect the local land conditions. The information they obtained gave them different ideas. Fourth Master discovered that Du Zhiqian was indeed a capable minister who could govern the country, and it was a pity that he was only serving as the Provincial Treasurer in Xiangzhou.
Upon hearing Fourth Master's words, Du Zhiqian cupped his hands in greeting and withdrew. Personally, he disliked associating with someone like Fourth Master, disapproving of his style of handling affairs on a personal level. However, during their recent rural research trip together, he had come to admire Fourth Master's abilities. It was a case of mutual appreciation for each other's abilities, but not for each other's character.
"Who?" Du Ziqian had just stepped out when he noticed the two people who had been eavesdropping pretending to pass by outside the door.
Upon hearing Du Zhiqian's shout outside, Fourth Master immediately signaled Ling Feng to go out and investigate, and he himself followed suit.
"What's wrong, Mr. Du?" Ling Feng asked.
"When I came out just now, I saw two people standing suspiciously at the door. When they saw me come out, they immediately pretended to be passing by and went over there," Du Zhiqian said.
"It seems someone has their eyes on us," Fourth Master said, walking out with a grim face.
"Master, shall I go after them immediately?" Ling Feng asked.
"No need, they should all be under the jurisdiction of the prefect. Ling Feng, go to the prefect's residence!" Fourth Master's face was as black as a pot lid, and he exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay.
Shui Ling knew that the Fourth Master was angry, and very angry at that, so she immediately retreated to the side and dared not utter a sound. Ling Feng was the one who drove the Fourth Master to the morning court every day. Although he did not serve the Fourth Master by his side every day like Su Peisheng, he was still the Fourth Master's personal coachman. At this moment, he also knew that the Fourth Master was extremely angry.
Du Zhiqian was unaware of Fourth Master's temperament. Seeing that he exuded a feeling of "don't approach" from his body, he immediately fell silent.
After Fourth Master left with Shui Ling and Ling Feng, Du Zhiqian stood there in a daze, staring at the man's back, a feeling of awe suddenly rising in his heart.
Who exactly is this person? Why do I feel so uncomfortable when I'm with him?
Meanwhile, the Fourth Master and several others got into the carriage and sped off towards the Prefectural Office. Shui Ling sat outside, but dared not face the Fourth Master at this moment.
When Ling Feng drove the carriage at breakneck speed to the gate of the Tongpan Prefecture, the guards at the gate saw an unassuming carriage arrive at the gate, but did not step forward to stop it.
After Fourth Master stepped out of the carriage, he led Shui Ling and Ling Feng through the gate, and surprisingly, they did not stop him. They had only taken a few steps when Lord Wang and Clerk Zhou, already dressed in their official robes, came to greet them.
"This humble official has failed to greet you properly. I pay my respects to Prince Yong!" Wang Huiling patted his horse-hoof sleeves and immediately gave the Fourth Prince a deep bow. Zhou, the clerk behind him, naturally did not dare to lag behind and had already knelt down with him.
The Fourth Prince stared at the two people in front of him. He thought they wouldn't recognize him, but they actually did! And they even dared to kidnap his concubine!
Looking at the two people, Shui Ling felt a sense of relief; she had been on tenterhooks for the past two days.
"Does Lord Wang recognize me?" Fourth Prince asked, somewhat surprised.
“Your Highness, Prince Yong’s reputation is so great that I have never had the chance to meet you. Please forgive me!” Wang Huiling said respectfully.
"Lord Wang, please rise!" said the Fourth Master.
Wang Huiling then got up, cupped his hands and said to the Fourth Prince, "Your Highness, I am overjoyed to learn of Your Highness's arrival in Xudu. Please come to my humble abode for a drink!"
The Fourth Prince had no interest in playing along with him any longer, and waved his hand dismissively, saying, "I'm not here today to have a drink with Lord Wang. Lord Wang, do you still recognize her?"
Wang Huiling looked at Shui Ling with a blank expression and said, "Your Highness, I have never seen this young lady before."
Upon hearing this, Shui Ling immediately became anxious and exclaimed, "My lord, your memory is truly terrible! Just a few days ago, when my concubine and I came here, I personally showed you that vase. Where is my concubine?"
Wang Huiling looked completely bewildered by Shui Ling's words and said to the Fourth Prince, "Your Highness, I have never seen this young lady before."
Shui Ling never expected him to be so shameless as to claim he didn't recognize her. She quickly pointed at Master Zhou and said, "Where exactly did you take our concubine? The Prince is here, how dare you deny it!"
“Young lady, I have never seen you before. Are you sure you haven’t mistaken me for someone else?” Master Zhou said with a wronged expression.
Fourth Master coldly observed them, but in his heart he began to ponder: This Wang Huiling actually refused to admit it, but he had no authority to search the residence of a fifth-rank magistrate! Moreover, they could easily move the people; even if they turned this place upside down, they probably wouldn't be able to find Lanqin and the others.
“Your Highness, they are all lying. I really did come here with Consort. It was Consort who told me to go back first, while she stayed behind to identify the antique shop. They…” Shui Ling hurriedly said to the Fourth Prince when she saw that the two grown men were completely denying what they had done, acting like shrewish women from the marketplace.
“Shui Ling, look carefully. This is Wang Huiling, a fifth-rank prefect. If you accuse him of kidnapping my concubine, that's a capital offense!” the Fourth Prince said. “If anyone dares to harm my concubine, I will spare no effort to get rid of them. But Shui Ling, you can't just falsely accuse a fifth-rank official of the court. You have to be careful.”
These words were spoken with unusual calmness, causing Wang Huiling to break out in a cold sweat. After all, the Fourth Prince was Prince Yong, and he, a mere fifth-rank local official, truly did not have the audacity to confront a prince.
Shui Ling seemed to understand the implication in the Fourth Prince's words, so she had no choice but to change her words, saying, "Your Excellency, I am a maidservant of the Consort. That day, I was the one who helped my Consort to report the case to Your Excellency. Has Your Excellency forgotten?"
Wang Huiling pretended not to know Shui Ling and said to Zhou, the clerk beside him, "Clerk Zhou, I went to the countryside for inspection a few days ago and wasn't in the mansion. Go and ask if anyone has seen this young lady?"
Master Zhou nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes, our master wasn't in the manor a few days ago, so he didn't see this young lady. Young lady, did you really come here? Did you see our registrar?"
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