Chapter Eighteen: A Shocking Turn of Events in the Palace
midsummer.
Yangzhou was shrouded in continuous rain, the Grand Canal was shrouded in mist, and even the windows of the Tingxuexuan Pavilion in the Shen Mansion were covered with a layer of damp and cold water vapor.
Shen Rulan was working at her desk, checking the shipping manifest for the Southeast Asian trade. Her fingertips traced the words "three thousand bolts of silk and five hundred boxes of porcelain," calculating the profit distribution after the goods arrived at the port. Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the window—it was her trusted servant, responsible for relaying messages from the capital, who rushed into the study with a sealed letter in a flustered manner.
"Young Master! Urgent news from the capital!" The servant knelt on one knee, holding the secret letter high above his head, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
Shen Rulan's heart tightened. Her old acquaintances in the capital were always composed and would never use such an urgent sealed letter unless it was something extremely important.
She put down her wolf-hair brush, quickly stepped down from the main seat, and personally took the secret letter. When her fingertips touched the coolness of the sealing wax, she trembled slightly.
The sealing wax of the secret letter bore the private seal of an old friend of the Shen family. Shen Rulan carefully pried it open with a paper cutter and unfolded the letter—but the few lines of text made her pupils shrink and her aura instantly turn cold.
The letter reads: "An epidemic has suddenly broken out in the palace, and several noble ladies below the rank of Consort have fallen ill. His Majesty has also been affected, suffering from a high fever that has not subsided for three days. The Emperor is furious and has ordered the Imperial Hospital to thoroughly investigate the source of the epidemic. They have discovered that a batch of substandard medicines procured by the Imperial Household Department has been found! This batch of medicines was procured by the Cao family. Now, the Cao family father and son have been arrested and imprisoned by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. They have been ordered to conduct a thorough investigation into their past embezzlement and misappropriation, and it is feared that they will have no chance of redemption."
“The Cao family…” Shen Rulan murmured these two words, her knuckles turning white from gripping the letter so tightly.
She had known for a long time that the Cao family had lost power due to impeachment, but she never expected it to collapse so tragically. The palace epidemic was already a sensitive issue, and the involvement of substandard medicines had touched a nerve. This time, the Cao family was truly doomed.
But she had no time for reflection. As the head of the Yangzhou salt merchants, her first thought was the potential chain reaction of the Cao family's downfall: the Cao family had been operating in Jiangnan for many years and had dealings with many salt merchants and officials. Once the imperial court thoroughly investigated, it was highly likely that "pulling out a radish would bring out the mud along with it."
Although the Shen family had a grudge against Cao Jin, they were inevitably indirectly involved, especially since the second uncle, Shen Keqin, had some shady dealings with the Cao family in private. If these were to be discovered, it would definitely bring trouble to the Shen family.
"Shen Fu!" Shen Rulan suddenly looked up, her voice carrying an undeniable authority.
Shen Fu, who was guarding outside the door, immediately pushed the door open and entered: "This old servant is here!"
"Immediately notify the accountant, warehouse manager, and the manager in charge of external liaison to assemble in the front hall within half an hour!" Shen Rulan handed the secret letter to Shen Fu, speaking rapidly. "Have them bring all accounts, letters, and contracts related to the Cao family. Investigate everything, especially those few 'cooperations' with the Cao family that Second Uncle handled before. They must be completely wiped clean, leaving no trace! Also, send someone to notify the salt shops that cooperate with us, and have them also investigate their dealings with the Cao family. Report any problems immediately!"
"Yes! This old servant will take care of it right away!" After reading the secret letter, Shen Fu's expression also became solemn. He dared not delay in the slightest and turned to leave quickly.
Half an hour later, the front hall of the Shen residence was brightly lit.
The accountant held the thick ledger, his fingers flying across the entries, occasionally marking suspicious items with a red pen.
The warehouse manager was taking inventory of the goods related to the Cao family, and categorizing the documents involving the Cao family separately.
The liaison officer meticulously checked the correspondence, word by word, for fear of missing any clues.
Shen Rulan sat in the main seat, her gaze sweeping over everyone, her tone icy: "Today's matter concerns the life and death of the Shen family. All the accounts and letters that have been uncovered are sealed and will be handled by me personally. Anyone who dares to leak a single word or deliberately conceal anything will face my wrath!"
The crowd responded in unison, "Yes!"
The efficiency of the Shen family's operations was on full display at this moment—in just three hours, all traces of dealings with the Cao family were completely wiped clean, suspicious accounts were redone, and letters and contracts involving the Cao family were burned to ashes, which flowed down the drainage ditch in the backyard and into the continuous rainwater of Yangzhou City.
At the same time, in the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office, in the inner hall.
Zhao Dexian was holding the news from the capital, his hands trembling so badly that he almost dropped his teacup.
“The Cao family… how could the Cao family suddenly fall from power? And how could they be implicated in substandard medicinal herbs?” Zhao Dexian muttered to himself, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead. His dealings with the Cao family were far deeper than with the Shen family—when Cao Jin’s father was in power in the capital, he would send him lavish gifts every year, and the Cao family would often give him information about the Imperial Household Department’s procurement, allowing him to profit from it; even when he tried to exploit the Shen family, it was Cao Jin who instigated it behind the scenes. Now that the Cao family has fallen, if the court thoroughly investigates, all his shady dealings will inevitably be unearthed sooner or later!
"Sir, what should we do?" The clerk stood to the side, his face equally pale. "Should we...should we get rid of everything related to the Cao family?"
"Deal with? How should we deal with it?" Zhao Dexian paced back and forth irritably. "My dealings with the Cao family are not as simple as a few letters and a few sums of money! If the court really wants to investigate, there will always be traces to follow!"
He suddenly stopped, a calculating glint in his eyes. "That's right... Shen Rulan! The Shen family has a grudge against Cao Jin and was even framed by him before. Perhaps... perhaps we can form an alliance with Shen Rulan! Let her help us cover things up and pin some of the dirty work on the Cao family!"
Without hesitation, Zhao Dexian immediately ordered a generous gift to be prepared—a Hetian jade ornament, two bolts of brocade, and five hundred taels of silver notes. He personally carried the gifts and braved the heavy rain to the Shen residence.
Standing before the gates of the Shen residence, Zhao Dexian looked at the tightly closed vermilion gate, took a deep breath to suppress his panic, and asked the gatekeeper to announce his arrival.
A moment later, Shen Fu came out and said calmly, "Lord Zhao, my young master is dealing with important matters. Please come with me."
Zhao Dexian followed Shen Fu into the study and saw Shen Rulan sitting at the table with an account book spread out in front of her. She looked calm and unaffected by the news from the capital. Zhao Dexian felt even more uneasy.
“Young Master Shen, I apologize for my intrusion in visiting. I hope you will forgive me.” Zhao Dexian placed the gift on the table with an extremely humble posture. “I’m sure you’ve heard about what’s happening in the capital… The downfall of the Cao family may affect innocent people. We are both officials and merchants in Yangzhou. If we can help each other, we should be able to get through this crisis safely.”
Shen Rulan raised her eyes, a cold smile flashing in them, but her expression remained gentle: "Lord Zhao is joking. The Shen family has always acted in accordance with the law and regulations. We only have business competition with the Cao family and have no private dealings. We should not be affected. As for you, sir, you are an upright official and deeply loved by the people. The court has its own judgment, so why worry?"
Her words, seemingly reassuring, were in fact a complete severing of ties with Zhao Dexian—neither admitting any involvement with the Cao family nor responding to the topic of "mutual support," leaving Zhao Dexian no chance to even speak to her.
Zhao Dexian was rebuffed and felt extremely uneasy, but he dared not say anything more. He could only awkwardly get up and take his leave: "Since Young Master Shen is so confident, then I will not disturb you any longer. If you need anything in the future, please feel free to ask."
Watching Zhao Dexian's disheveled departure, Shen Rulan's gentle expression vanished, replaced by a cold glint in her eyes—how could she not know Zhao Dexian's intentions? He merely wanted to drag the Shen family down with him; at a time like this, how could she allow the Shen family to be embroiled in unnecessary trouble?
News of the Cao family's downfall also reached Yongsheng Escort Agency.
Lin Zhennan sat in the main seat of the lobby, holding a map of the transportation routes in Jiangnan in his hand. His fingers tapped lightly on the map, and his eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Father, the Cao family has fallen. The transport routes they used to control are now a vacuum!" Lin Xiao stood to the side, his voice excited. "Especially the silk transport route from Jiangning to Hangzhou, and the medicinal herb transport route from Yangzhou to Anqing. The Cao family used to control them, but now no one is in charge. If we can take over, the escort agency's business can at least double!"
Lin Zhennan nodded, his eyes full of approval: "You're right. The Cao family has been operating in Jiangnan for many years, with deep-rooted influence. Now that they've suddenly collapsed, the resulting vacuum of interests means whoever can seize it first will be able to establish themselves in Jiangnan. Our Yongsheng Escort Agency has close ties with the Shen family, and their influence in the salt market and business circles can provide us with a lot of help. Moreover, our reputation in the martial arts world is much stronger than those small gangs that are taking advantage of the situation. This is a great opportunity for us to expand!"
He paused, then said to Lin Xiao, "You must prepare immediately—first, send people to Jiangning, Hangzhou, Anqing, and other places to contact local businesses and tell them that Yongsheng Escort Agency is willing to take over the transportation business at a price 10% lower than the Cao family's previous price; second, dispatch the agency's elite escorts to patrol those routes to prevent small gangs from taking the opportunity to steal business; third, go to the Shen residence and tell Young Master Shen about our plan, asking him to put in a good word for us in the business world so that those businesses can feel at ease cooperating with us."
"Yes, Father! I'll take care of it right away!" Lin Xiao bowed and replied, then turned and quickly left.
In less than ten days, Yongsheng Escort Agency successfully took over the five main transport routes previously controlled by the Cao family, and the number of escorts expanded from fifty to one hundred, making it one of the most powerful escort agencies in the Jiangnan region.
Lin Zhennan specially hosted a banquet to thank Shen Rulan. During the banquet, he raised his wine glass and said to Shen Rulan, "Young Master Shen, thanks to your help, Yongsheng Escort Agency has been able to reach its current scale. If the Shen family needs anything in the future, Yongsheng Escort Agency will certainly not refuse!"
Shen Rulan smiled and raised her glass: "Chief Escort Lin, you're too kind. Yongsheng Escort Agency has achieved what it has today through its own strength and reputation. The Shen family and Yongsheng Escort Agency are allies; it's good for you, and it's good for me too."
The two men smiled at each other and drank their wine in one gulp—the alliance between the Shen family and Yongsheng Escort Agency became even stronger at this moment.
During the continuous rainy days, the mourning hall in the Su family courtyard had long been removed, leaving only an old locust tree in the courtyard, its leaves wet with rain, looking particularly desolate.
Su Moqing knelt before her father's memorial tablet, lit three incense sticks, and looked at the words "The Tablet of My Late Father Su Wenyuan" on the tablet, her eyes welling up with tears again.
Today marks the end of her mourning period.
During the three months of mourning, she stayed at home and spent her days either paying respects to her father or sitting at her painting table to paint. Most of her paintings depicted the orchids and bamboos that her father loved most, and her brushstrokes were full of sorrow.
Now that her mourning period is over, she has to face reality—the savings her father left behind have long been used up, and her family is destitute. If she wants to survive, she must find a way to make a living.
Just when she was at her wit's end, Manager Chen of "Moxiangzhai" knocked on the door of the Su family's courtyard.
"Miss Su, please accept my condolences." Manager Chen entered the courtyard, looked at the thin Su Moqing, and sighed. "I came today because I have something to tell you—Scholar Li from the south of the city, who once served in the Hanlin Academy, has now retired and returned to his hometown. He wants to find a tutor who is proficient in calligraphy and painting and has a calm temperament to teach his grandchildren calligraphy and painting. I thought of your painting skills and character, so I recommended you to Scholar Li. This Scholar Li is kind and generous, and the tuition fee is also generous, fifty taels of silver per month, plus room and board. It is a rare opportunity."
Su Moqing's heart stirred.
She had heard of Li Xueshi before; he was a famous scholar in Yangzhou, known for his integrity and widespread reputation.
Being a tutor in his household would not only be a prestigious job with a stable income, but it would also keep her away from the gossip of the city, away from the Shen family mansion, and away from the people and things that bothered her.
But she also knew that Scholar Li's residence was in Guazhou Town outside Yangzhou City, which was thirty miles away from Yangzhou City. If she were to take up the post, she would have to leave the Su family courtyard where she had lived for many years, or at least leave Yangzhou City temporarily.
"Manager Chen, please allow me a few days to consider this," Su Moqing said softly.
Manager Chen nodded: "Alright, I'll give you three days. But Miss Su, this is indeed a rare opportunity, so think it over carefully."
Over the next three days, Su Moqing pondered repeatedly—if she stayed in Yangzhou, she could only make a living by painting, but the work at "Moxiangzhai" was unstable, and she would often hear rumors about her and Shen Rulan; if she went to Guazhou Town to work as a tutor, although she would be far from her hometown, she could have a stable life, concentrate on teaching calligraphy and painting, and stay away from trouble.
In the end, she decided to accept Manager Chen's recommendation.
On the night before his departure, Su Moqing sat at his painting table, looking at the blank sheet of Xuan paper on the table. After hesitating for a long time, he finally picked up his brush and wrote a letter to Shen Rulan.
She didn't write much, just a simple thank you for his help on his many occasions, informing him that she would be going to Guazhou Town to take up a post, and wishing him good health.
The tone of the letter was calm and distant, as if the two were just ordinary friends.
The next morning, Su Moqing handed the letter to the postman at the door. Watching the postman's departing figure, a complex emotion welled up in her heart—a sense of reluctance, gratitude, and a touch of inexplicable loss.
She packed her simple luggage, locked the gate of the Su family courtyard, and turned to walk towards Guazhou Town.
.
When Shen Rulan received Su Moqing's letter, she was processing the transportation cooperation contract sent by Yongsheng Escort Agency.
She unfolded the letter, looked at Su Moqing's neat handwriting, and paused slightly with her fingertips—"I am deeply grateful for your many assistances, young master. Now that my mourning period is over, I have been hired by the Li family in Guazhou Town as a tutor, and will be leaving Yangzhou soon. I hope you will take care of yourself and have a bright future."
"She's leaving..." Shen Rulan murmured, a strong sense of loss suddenly welling up in her heart, as if something important had slipped through her fingers.
She almost immediately got up and sent someone to bring Su Moqing back, to tell her not to leave, and that the Shen family could help her solve her livelihood problems.
But reason quickly prevailed over impulse.
She knew that the position of tutor in the Li family was the best way out for Su Moqing—there were no rumors or gossip there, no pressure from the disparity in status, allowing her to live in peace and focus on calligraphy and painting.
She had no right or standing to try and keep him.
Shen Rulan walked to the desk, picked up her pen to reply, and held the pen tip over the rice paper for a long time before finally writing only a few words: "Understood. Take care in your future. If needed, the Shen family will always be there for you."
She stamped the letter with her personal seal, handed it to Shen Fu, and said softly, "Send it to the Su family courtyard. If Miss Su has already left, then give it to Manager Chen and have him pass it on."
"Yes, young master." Shen Fu took the letter, looked at Shen Rulan's lonely figure, sighed in his heart, and turned to leave.
Shen Rulan stood by the window, looking at the continuous rain outside and listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the window frame. For the first time, she felt that this magnificent Shen Mansion was so empty and desolate.
In the study, there was also a painting of orchids by Su Moqing. The orchids grew in a secluded valley, elegant and noble, just like her.
She didn't know when Su Moqing would return, nor whether the rift between them would ever heal.
But she knew she would wait—wait for her to come back.
The rain continued to fall, and the mist on the canal grew thicker and thicker, as if it were about to envelop the entire city of Yangzhou.
But in Shen Rulan's eyes, there was no confusion, only determination—no matter how many storms the future held, she would protect the Shen family and this hard-won bond.
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