Chapter 105: The Third Brother, Guanzhou Secret Letter
Zhao Yi frowned slightly: "What did he find out?"
"We found nothing." Jiang Mu's expression was a bit strange. "After all, Second Mistress only complained to him, saying that you had a mistress in Nanshui Street. But she didn't instigate him to go to Nanshui Street to look for Zhu Yu, nor did she arrange for anyone to contact Zhu Yu. It's entirely their own fault for their bad intentions, and they're reaping the consequences."
Zhao Yi: “…”
"Instead, he found out that the wife of the Marquis of Cheng'en and Shen Mingzhu had been making things difficult for and persecuting Second Madam, but Second Madam had never done anything to them."
Jiang Mu continued, "The only thing she did was to support the principle rather than the relatives when the Cheng'en Marquisate was selecting a crown prince."
Zhao Yi inexplicably recalled Shen Qingtan's description of her as "weak and helpless." While it was true that she was helpless, the fact that she was weak still needed to be further investigated.
"Shen Shaohuai, this hypocrite, probably always thought that it was our Second Madam who was ungrateful and took revenge on the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion out of a vicious heart."
Jiang Mu curled his lips and said disdainfully, "This time the truth is laid out before him. Let's see if he still dares to claim to be righteous and condemn Second Mistress."
Zhao Yi sneered, "He'll blame your Second Madam for being so petty that she's actually arguing with Mother and her younger sister. She doesn't respect her elders, and she doesn't care for her children. This is truly contrary to the teachings of the Marquisate for so many years."
Jiang Mu: “…” The master’s evaluation of the hypocrite was truly spot on.
Zhao Yi asked: "Is there anything else?"
Jiang Mu quickly said, "I recently noticed some refugees outside the city gate. I only saw a few of them a couple of days ago. When I escorted Jiang Chao out of the city today, I found that their number had doubled."
He looked puzzled and asked, "During last year's famine, didn't the imperial court open its granaries to provide relief to the people? Everyone in the country has gotten through it, and the newly planted crops are almost ready for harvest. Why are there still refugees?"
Zhao Yi asked thoughtfully, "Where did these people come from?"
Jiang Mu said, "The accent sounds like Guanzhou."
"Guanzhou..." Zhao Yi's eyes were deep as he ordered, "You continue to follow up on this matter."
"Yes." Jiang Mu took the order and went down.
Zhao Yi was worried about the refugees outside the city, and even more worried about the letter of divorce, so he went to the front yard to find Duke Zhao.
The servant guarding the study greeted him and then said, "Second Master, the Master is out entertaining people and hasn't returned yet."
Zhao Yi nodded slightly: "If the master comes back early, you can go to Lanxue Garden to pass on the message. If he comes back late, there is no need to pass on the message."
The servant agreed.
——
The next morning, Liu Ruojiao prepared a generous gift, carefully prepared a visiting card and a gift list, put them in a visiting box, and took a carriage to the Duke of Zhao's mansion.
The maid got off the carriage first and knocked on the door, then handed the gift box to the doorman and asked him to help pass the message on.
After waiting for nearly two quarters of an hour, Tingxue came out from the side door and said respectfully, "Miss Cousin, the Second Mistress has asked me to come and pick you up."
Seeing this, Liu Ruojiao guessed that Shen Qingtan had calmed down.
She asked tentatively, "Tingxue, has my visit today disturbed my cousin?"
Tingxue replied, "When you handed in the invitation, Second Madam happened to be seeing off a guest. When she saw you were coming, she immediately arranged for a servant to come and pick you up."
Liu Ruojiao was immediately relieved. She knew that Shen Qingtan was kind-hearted and would not really ignore her.
She followed Tingxue into the mansion, passed through the hanging flower gate and stepped into the backyard, and she heard people talking.
"A lot of guests have come to visit Second Madam these past two days. Could it be that the Second Master has been asked to be crowned as the Crown Prince, and the concubines have come to congratulate him?"
"This matter is also related to the Second Master. I heard that the Imperial Censor of the Lianghuai Salt Inspection was investigated, and now there is a vacancy. Although the rank of this official is low, it is a very lucrative position, and many people are eyeing it. However, those who have been able to sit in this position have always been the emperor's confidants. The Second Master is favored by the emperor, and they want to use his connections and hope that the Second Master can help recommend them."
When Liu Ruojiao heard this, her mind became active.
The reason why the Salt Inspector was a lucrative job was that this official position was responsible for investigating corruption in the Salt Transport Bureau.
It is precisely because of this that many people are eager to bribe and can even use official silver to lend out interest to enrich themselves.
Her father held a sinecure, and if he could get the position of Salt Inspector through Shen Qingtan's connections, then their family wouldn't have to try to please others, but just wait to be flattered.
Liu Ruojiao had a plan in mind. She followed Tingxue silently to Lanxue Garden. As soon as she stepped into the house, she called out sweetly, "Cousin!"
Shen Qingtan smiled and said, "Jiaojiao, how come you have time to come here today?"
"Cousin, I've come specially to apologize to you." Liu Ruojiao gestured to the maid to give the gift to Tingxue, then walked over to Shen Qingtan and affectionately took her arm. "Cousin, you know what kind of person I am. I've never followed the rules since I was a child. I acted recklessly that day, but it was also because I was so close to you that I became a little presumptuous. The words I accused you of were all caused by anger and losing my mind."
Shen Qingtan fell silent.
Liu Ruojiao's heart was in her throat, and she said anxiously: "Cousin..."
Shen Qingtan interrupted her, "Ever since my second sister came back to her roots, you've become much more distant from me, and you've been getting closer to her every day. You two have similar interests and can talk to each other, so it's only natural that you listen to her."
"I didn't. Cousin, we're closer." Liu Ruojiao thought about the lucrative job, gritted her teeth, and expressed her loyalty to Shen Qingtan: "I came to you today, in addition to apologizing, I have another thing to tell you."
Shen Qingtan looked up at her, waiting for her to continue.
Liu Ruojiao leaned close to Shen Qingtan's ear and said, "You and your second cousin didn't get on the wrong sedan chair in the chaos. Instead, the Marquis' Mansion deliberately switched your marriages. Your cousin is the most protective of you, his sister. After learning the truth, he went to confront your aunt. Your aunt was afraid he might do something bad, so she had him kidnapped and sent to Guanzhou overnight."
Shen Qingtan's expression changed, and he slammed the table: "Shut up!"
She looked at Liu Ruojiao with a cold gaze: "Cousin, I thought you were young and just ignorant. Now it seems that you have sinister intentions and are trying to sow discord between me and my parents!"
"Cousin, if you don't believe me, you can ask my cousin." Liu Ruojiao said anxiously, "Our Liu family's ancestral home is in Guanzhou, and my cousin is imprisoned in the ancestral home."
Shen Qingtan's face turned cold, and he ordered her to leave: "Tingxue, I'm a little tired. You escort my cousin out of the house."
Liu Ruojiao regretted that she had messed up, and felt panicked and scared.
On second thought, once Shen Qingtan goes to check, he will know that what she said is true.
"Cousin, I'm the only one who truly hopes for your well-being."
Liu Ruojiao said this and left with her maid.
Shen Qingtan looked at Liu Ruojiao's back as she left, and couldn't help but think of that somewhat rebellious boy.
So there is someone in the Marquis' Mansion who is seeking justice for her?
At this time, Liu Yue came in from outside and whispered in Shen Qingtan's ear, "The person you sent out to investigate Cheng'en Marquis Mansion with Master Zhao San has received a message from Guanzhou."
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