Fu Zhi wiped the sweat from his face and said in a trembling voice, "This servant...this servant knew that Jiang was pregnant with the eldest young master's child, but this servant did not dare to tell the eldest young master, nor did he tell the madam..."
"Why didn't you tell Madam? She threatened your aunt's life, and you still didn't tell her?"
"Replying to Your Excellency, Jiang's misfortune was caused by this servant. She and her son are completely innocent. Moreover, the eldest son has developed feelings for Jiang. If Madam finds out, I'm afraid Jiang's life will be in danger..."
Fu Ting didn't speak again; the crackling of the candlelight could be faintly heard in the quiet night.
After a long while, Fu Ting raised his hand and said, "Get up and speak. Tell me the whole story about the Jiang family again."
Fu Zhi stood up, bowed slightly, and disappeared behind the candlelight, slowly recalling the past.
"The first time I saw Jiang, she was standing at the entrance of the village, staring blankly into the distance, saying she was waiting for her family to return. The villagers said that she was the stupid girl from the Jiao family..."
"Young Master has been poisoned and his life is in danger. I can only find a woman of good character to detoxify him. The first person I thought of was that silly girl from the Jiao family... Afterwards, I knocked Jiang unconscious, left her some silver, and took Young Master away."
"More than a month later, I saw Jiang again in Huaigu County. She was being drowned by the villagers because... Jiang had an affair with another man... I rescued Jiang and unexpectedly learned that she was pregnant. Judging from the time, it should be with the eldest son... I then discovered that Jiang was not stupid at all!"
"Later, the eldest young master met Jiang in Guyang Town. Jiang was clever and quick-witted, and he was unforgettable. I noticed that the eldest young master was gradually developing feelings for Jiang, so I wanted to stop Jiang from getting close to the eldest young master, but I never expected..."
Fu Zhi no longer concealed a single word, because he knew that Fu Ting knew far more than he thought!
"One last question for you: do you know that the Jiao family in Huaigu Village is the same family that adopted Yuan'er?"
Fu Ting's words were like a thunderbolt that struck Fu Zhi's head, making his vision go black and his legs go weak.
In an instant, he felt as if he had swallowed a handful of bitter herbs, his heart filled with unbearable bitterness.
So that's how it is! The so-called "ill-fated relationship" that he so desperately wanted to stop turned out to be an inseparable bond in this lifetime. He was wrong!
Fu Zhi swallowed the bitterness in her mouth with difficulty, and asked blankly, "Has the eldest young master... already found out?"
Fu Ting looked thoughtfully at Fu Zhiwan's cracked face and said, "Why do you think he sent you back to the Minister's residence? Fortunately, you're smart enough not to lose your bottom line, which is why you've saved your life!"
Fu Zhi remained silent for a moment, then suddenly knelt down, his hands pounding heavily on the ground. "My lord, this servant knows his mistake! This servant wishes to atone for his sins. Please, my lord, allow this servant to serve the eldest young master. This servant swears to be loyal to the eldest young master to the death!"
Fu Ting glanced at him and said, "You stay in the capital. The eldest young master will need your help someday."
Fu Zhishu looked up and immediately kowtowed in gratitude: "Yes, sir!"
Yuzhou West City Warehouse.
As bags of moldy rice were carried out of the warehouse, Prefect Leng's face darkened as if a storm was about to break, and the Yuzhou Chamber of Commerce members were even more distraught.
Imperial Censor Wu's expression was also grim. He shook his head and sighed, giving a cold glare to Magistrate Pei, who was wearing a mournful face. He said, "Is this how Magistrate Pei manages the granaries? Knowing that continuous rain and snow would cause the granaries to become damp, why couldn't you take precautions earlier? This is dereliction of duty! This is malfeasance!"
The steward, with a pained expression, cupped his hands and said, "Sir, I am innocent! Our master said earlier that such rainy and snowy weather can easily cause old grain to mold. It would be best to sell the old grain that is piling up in the warehouse and replenish it after the spring when new grain comes. But, Judge, sir..."
Magistrate Pei glared fiercely at the steward, who trembled in fear and shrank back several steps.
"My lord, it's all my fault. I failed to supervise properly, and the guards at the warehouse didn't notice the grain getting damp in time..."
Fu Wen snorted and said, "Our boss meant well. He not only asked the steward to remind the prefect, but I also suggested to the Chamber of Commerce that we sell one-third of the old grain in the granary to the people at a fair price during the rain and snow to help them get through the winter. What did Vice President Pei say? I made it clear beforehand that if the grain gets damp and moldy, it's not our city-state logistics' fault!"
Vice President Pei was furious and shouted, "You only said you wanted to sell the old grain and have the Chamber of Commerce find a way to replenish it, but you didn't mention that the grain in the granary would get moldy!"
Fu Wen chuckled and turned to look at Magistrate Pei: "Sir, did the warehouse manager tell you that Yuzhou would experience a prolonged period of rain and snow, and suggested selling the old grain to prevent it from getting damp and moldy? Are you and Vice President Pei not on the same side? Didn't you discuss the grain warehouse matters together?"
Vice President Pei nearly coughed up blood.
Magistrate Pei was anxious and wiped the sweat from his brow, saying, "My lord, I didn't know that this grain would get damp and moldy so easily... I was worried that after selling the old grain, it would still be half a year before the new grain was harvested. Yuzhou has always been short of grain. If the granary doesn't have enough grain, what if..."
"Knowing that Yuzhou is short of food, Vice President Pei's shops just sold several thousand catties of grain. Meanwhile, Boss Jiang of Jiang's Private Kitchen asked around to buy rice and donated a full two thousand catties of wheat flour. In comparison, I dare not say anything, but can only praise Boss Jiang for his righteousness!"
Fu Wen mercilessly exposed the lie that Magistrate Pei had made up, and in doing so, buried the Pei family in the process.
I'm going to rip you off without hesitation!
The chamber of commerce members expressed their opinions one after another, making their opportunistic and reasonable moves to kick someone when they're down seem both logical and natural.
Both Prefect Pei and Vice President Pei were ashen-faced, knowing they had been deliberately tricked, yet unable to defend themselves.
Ultimately, the two brothers dug their own grave.
Magistrate Pei was unaware that Vice President Pei had taken advantage of the rainy and snowy weather to sell off the grain stockpiled in the Pei family's shops at high prices. If he had known, he would have definitely stopped him!
Vice President Pei was unaware that the old grain in the granary had become damp. If he had known, he wouldn't have boasted to Imperial Censor Wu about how abundant Yuzhou's grain reserves were this year...
Imperial Censor Wu watched coldly, already having a general idea of what was going on. He said, "I will report this matter truthfully to the court. As for the affairs of the Yuzhou Prefecture, let Prefect Leng handle them himself! I must remind Prefect Leng that grain is a matter of national importance, and anyone who neglects their duties must be severely punished according to the law!"
"Your humble servant will remember your teachings, sir!"
After the imperial censors left, the members of the chamber of commerce looked at each other, and in the end, without exception, they all turned their anger towards Vice President Pei, whose eyes were filled with bitterness and gloom.
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