Chapter 46 Shui Luo I'll come out after changing the medicine, you'd better give this bowl of porridge...
A corner of the curtain was lifted, and Zhou Ting'an saw another person lying on Fang Yilan's bed, and he stopped in his tracks.
Fang Yilan wanted to stand up: "Master Zhou, let's go to another place to discuss in detail."
But the person behind him held his hand tightly. "Alan, I have stood by you from the beginning to the end. I have never lied to you about this."
Afraid she still wouldn't believe him, Zhao Huaixu added, "He Huaijiu is also involved in this matter."
Fang Yilan felt the warmth of his palm, which was still scorching hot. She felt a little uneasy about leaving him there, so she looked at Zhou Ting'an again and asked, "Master Zhou, is it convenient for us to talk here?"
Zhou Ting'an's gaze swung between the two men, finally landing on Zhao Huaixu's face. He lowered his eyes and said, "This is a case investigated by the imperial court. Since Your Highness the Seventh Prince knows the inside story, there's no harm in discussing it here with us."
Fang Yilan did not delay any longer and told Zhou Ting'an everything she had experienced in the cave.
Zhou Ting'an listened carefully, thought for a moment, and said, "Your guess is correct. The amount of government silver seized from the Jinyu Restaurant is far from enough to cover the difference in relief funds. It seems more likely someone deliberately left it there to lure us in."
"This mysterious individual must be someone who knows the inside story of what happened back then. Why doesn't he just reveal his identity and tell us the truth? Instead, he uses such a roundabout method?" Fang Yilan frowned, and analyzed, "Even the Ministry of Revenue can't figure out his identity. He must have a thorough understanding of the situation in the capital, which is why he's been able to do so without leaking anything. He must have considerable influence in the capital."
Zhou Ting'an nodded in agreement. "From what we can see now, He Huaijiu already has connections to both the He and Yuan families, and the people handling the official silver happen to be from these two families. It's very likely that the person behind this is one of these two people."
This was also where Fang Yilan found herself most perplexed. Several assassinations along the northwest border seemed to point to the Yuan family as the culprit. But since returning to Shangjing, she'd discovered that the Yuan family wasn't as covetous as she'd previously imagined. Of course, it wasn't impossible that they were just pretending to be aggressive, trying to lower her guard.
On the contrary, both my father and brother have close ties with the He family. But if it was really the He family's work, why would they hate the Fang family so much?
Zhao Huaixu continued, "He Huaijiu has never revealed the mastermind behind this. On the contrary, he becomes extremely fearful whenever the person behind this is mentioned. That kind of deep-rooted fear couldn't be formed overnight; it must have been the result of years of constant intimidation. He Huaijiu's relationship with the He family must be much closer than we see on the surface. The person behind him must be the He family, not the Yuan family."
Fang Yilan frowned, "If it was just for food, why did he just give it to Wen Bin instead of keeping it for himself?"
Outside the tent, Shadow lowered his voice and reported, "Your Highness, I have something important to report."
"Come in." Zhao Huaixu responded in a deep voice.
Shadow presented a secret letter with both hands. Zhao Huaixu reached out to take it, took out the letter paper, and as soon as his eyes touched the content of the letter, his face instantly became as cold as frost.
He raised his eyes, a cold look in them: "He Huaijiu died in prison, and none of his family members were spared."
It is obvious that someone knew that He Huaijiu was detained and was afraid that he would reveal the secret, so he was so cruel and killed him to prevent future troubles.
Fang Yilan's eyes darkened. If something happened to He Huaijiu, the Ding'an Marquis Mansion would not be safe either. Fang Yilan hurriedly lifted the curtain and called Xunyun over, whispering instructions to her.
Then he saw Liang Qian and Yang Hao rushing back together.
Yang Hao was extremely anxious. He walked past Fang Yilan and rushed into the tent. "Your Highness! You really scared me. If anything happens to you, how will I report to His Majesty?"
Liang Qian bowed slightly, his smile a little forced: "Your Highness and the General are very fortunate to have returned safely this time."
Fang Yilan: "Master Liang, since we still have some money left, why not use it to repair the dike and do good for the people? That would be making the best use of it, what do you think?"
Liang Qian seemed to be struck by these words. His eyes widened instantly and he opened his mouth to speak: "Your subordinate..."
Fang Yilan patted his shoulder and said gently, "Sir Liang, for some things, I don't ask for forgiveness, but I ask for a clear conscience. Now that it has happened, don't dwell on it."
Liang Qian stared at Fang Yilan's retreating figure, his vision shimmering with the recurring imagery from his dreams for the past few nights. The heroic young man in his dream offered neither magnanimous understanding nor harsh criticism. The young man simply glanced deeply at him, then resolutely turned, spurred his horse, and set off on his journey.
After a month of rain, the heavy haze gradually dissipated.
With Zhao Huaixu present, Yang Hao dared not act rashly. Fang Yilan personally inspected every damaged section of the dike, commanding officers and soldiers to repair the dike and stone bridge in an orderly manner. The residents of Anshui Village were also properly relocated to a safer location and began to build their new homes.
The people of Wenbin, who had been with Fang Yilan and his party day and night, saw their hard work. Although their remaining food was running low, they still took out their stored food, lit a fire and cooked porridge, and sent pots of rice porridge to the soldiers.
Fang Yilan had just returned to Wen Bin's courtyard when she heard a voice behind her calling, "Alan, it's time to change the dressing on your wound."
Fang Yilan handed him the hot porridge that was forced into his hands at the city gate and warned him sternly, "After I change the medicine and come out, you'd better finish this bowl of porridge."
Zhao Huaixu listened to the threat with a smile in his eyes: "Okay." He put the porridge on the stone table and followed Fang Yilan into the room.
"What are you doing here? I can do it myself."
"Alan, are you sure?" Zhao Huaixu let her take the medicine bottle away. "You're always perfunctory when applying the medicine, and this wound has been torn before, so we can't be careless."
Fang Yilan placed the medicine bottle heavily on the table and pushed him: "Who can you blame for the tear? Shut up and get out of here."
Zhao Huaixu was like a weak and frail young man from a wealthy family. He staggered back a few steps, holding his chest, and suddenly burst into a violent coughing fit, his cheeks turning red from coughing.
Fang Yilan rolled her eyes and turned her back to him before sitting down at the table: "Stop pretending. I won't fall for your tricks every time."
Zhao Huaixu stopped pretending and took her into his arms, holding her hand from behind with his fingers one by one as she was about to apply medicine.
Fang Yilan vaguely recalled that day in the Ding'an Marquis's Mansion, when he had hugged her from behind, pinching her jaw and kissing her...
Zhao Huaixu stroked her furrowed brows with his fingertips: "Alan, don't frown..." After saying this, he tried the same trick again and leaned forward half an inch.
The next moment, the door was roughly opened from the inside, the person was pushed out, and then closed heavily.
The secret guard looked at Zhao Huaixu, who was sitting obediently on the stone table outside the house and drinking his porridge seriously. There was still a large red mark on the side of his face. He could only hold his forehead and smile bitterly.
The sound of horse hooves came from afar, and a luxurious carriage was approaching.
The carriage door opened, and the two Shao Wan sisters got off first. Shu Xue jumped down next. Her originally neat bun became a little loose, with a few strands of hair frizzling out. When she saw Fang Yi Lan, her eyes instantly turned red. She quickly threw herself into her arms, crying and shouting with a face full of grievance, "Miss!"
Shao Wan said respectfully, "General, you are truly foresighted. A few days ago, someone really set fire to the study in the Marquis's mansion at night. However, Miss Shuxue didn't know that you had handed the account books to me, so she was so focused on putting out the fire that she accidentally burned her hair."
Fang Yilan touched Shuxue's burnt hair and comforted her: "It's my fault. I didn't have time to tell you."
Shu Xue, in turn, comforted Fang Yilan: "It's better that Miss didn't tell me. I was so scared at the time, those bad guys must have thought the account book was in the study. This way, the account book was actually saved."
Fang Yilan scratched her nose and said, "When we get back, I'll ask a craftsman to make you a headdress that will cover this area completely."
"Okay, okay!"
Shuxue's eyes accidentally swept over to Zhao Huaixu, who was not far away. As if she had discovered some incredible secret, she hurriedly took small steps towards Fang Yilan and asked in a very low voice with a hint of gossip: "Miss, Master Zhao... Oh no, the Seventh Prince is here too?"
Fang Yilan raised his eyebrows and glared at him.
Shu Xue shrank her neck, curled her lips in embarrassment, and quickly turned to look at the Shao sisters. The two sisters were like smart people, looking up at the sky at the same time.
Shao Xian happened to see Xun Yun returning to the team after finishing his work. After greeting Fang Yilan, she immediately ran towards Xun Yun and said, "Master, I haven't finished teaching you the moves you taught me last time! I've been thinking about them for the past few days, and there are still many things I don't understand. Can you please explain them to me again?"
Looking at the lively scene, Fang Yilan felt her tense nerves relax a lot. She nodded slightly to Shao Wan, indicating that Shao Wan should follow her.
"Have you brought the account book?"
"I brought it with me. I've been keeping it close to me."
Fang Yilan took the account book and said, "I need to check the amount of money I have accumulated in the past six years."
Shao Wan said confidently, "General, you can just ask me directly. The account books have huge gaps in the income and expenditure. Take Yixianglou's daily expenses, for example. The amounts in the accounts are ridiculously high and completely unreasonable. If we calculate from the sixth year of the business, the deficit is as high as 7 million taels."
The Jinling Restaurant's deficit was only seven million taels, but that was still almost half the actual shortfall. Could it be that, as Zhao Huaixu had previously suspected, the money coming in from the source hadn't reached the expected amount?
Fang Yilan couldn't help but look at Shao Xian in admiration: "You actually remember everything?"
Shao Wan explained with a smile, "I deal with money every day, and after a long time, these account numbers are naturally memorized."
Fang Yilan asked again, "Do you have any dealings with the owner of the Golden Feather Restaurant?"
"Golden Feather Restaurant? I've heard their owner is from the southwest, and it's only been open in Beijing for a year. I've never seen it before."
"Southwest?" Fang Yilan murmured in a low voice.
Seeing Fang Yilan lost in thought, Shao Wan suddenly remembered something else: "General, the carriage came in a hurry this time, and Wenbin City is in urgent need of silver to help with the disaster. Why don't you come with me to the Wenbin Bank to withdraw some money, which will help us solve our urgent needs."
"this..."
"Don't worry, General. The last thing I lack is money. My sister's life is worth more than ten thousand ounces of gold. You have done us sisters a great favor. These are just trivial matters."
Fang Yilan no longer refused and went to the money shop with Shao Wan and successfully withdrew five million taels of silver.
The two men brought the huge sum of money to Liang Qian's mansion. As soon as they stepped into the mansion, they heard a violent cough.
Liang Qian became increasingly thinner, and his already frail body looked as if it could be blown down by a gust of wind. He was covering his mouth and coughing non-stop. He looked extremely weak, as if he had a serious illness.
Fang Yilan bowed and said, "Master Liang, take care of yourself."
Liang Qian's voice was slightly hoarse: "I'm fine, I just caught a cold, it's nothing serious."
Fang Yilan's tone became more serious: "Master Liang, if you don't care about your own health now, how can you continue to work for the people in the future?"
Liang Qian's eyes were red, and he seemed to want to say something, but was interrupted by a cough.
Fang Yilan waved his hand and said softly, "Alright, it's getting late now, you should get some rest first. I'll come with the Left Judge tomorrow to discuss the use of the silver with you."
Liang Qian looked at Fang Yilan's back again and made some decision.
The next day, Fang Yilan, Zuo Tongpan and others came to Liang Qian's residence. They knocked on the closed door, but no one answered.
Fearing they might mind, the Left Assistant Magistrate hurriedly explained to Fang Yilan and Zhao Huaixu, "It must be that the flood relief effort is finally over, and Lord Liang can finally have a good rest. Lord Liang never married or had children, and he doesn't have many servants in his mansion. He only has an old woman who cooks, and she's severely hard of hearing."
Fang Yilan smiled back to show her understanding.
The Left Assistant Magistrate pushed open the door and strode towards the bedroom, shouting at the top of his voice, "Master Liang, are you still awake? General Fang and His Highness the Seventh Prince are here to visit!"
Still no response. Judge Zuo walked to the door and knocked again, but the room was still dead silent.
At this moment, he couldn't help but feel a little panicked. After hesitating for a moment, he reached out and pushed open the door.
"Liang Da...ah!" When Judge Zuo saw the room, he felt as if all his strength had been drained from him. His legs gave way, and he stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. His eyes were wide with fear, and his finger trembled as he pointed towards the room.
Hanging from the beams, a figure in a white robe swayed in the wind, appearing particularly eerie and sinister. On a nearby table, an inkstone rested steadily on a piece of paper. Upon closer inspection, it revealed a letter of apology.
General Fang,
I've witnessed everything you've done for the people of Wenbin. When He Mingzhi approached me, I was told the treasury was empty, with only 12 million taels allocated for Wenbin's disaster relief. I thought this was enough, but He Mingzhi added that the grain harvest was poor, and much of it had been requisitioned and shipped to the northwest. With only this amount, it would be impossible to purchase enough food for relief. On one side were the Northwest Army, and on the other, the people of Wenbin, trapped in dire straits. I felt torn between the two, and no matter which choice I made, I felt guilty.
That disaster relief money, hidden in the mountains, I initially dared not touch. However, as people's livelihoods declined, and countless expenses required money, I was forced to withdraw it repeatedly, and the amount I withdrew gradually increased. Only then did I realize that my undoing was my deepest greed. In my youth, I had great ambitions, vowing to be an honest and upright official. Who could have imagined that now I would become the very person I once despised?
A few years ago, I had the privilege of meeting your brother. His features bore a striking resemblance to the general's. I suspect the general would have hated me to the core if he knew what happened. But the general didn't. Instead, he offered comfort and reassurance. The only people I can't face in my life are the Fang family. I'd rather you hated and scolded me, but I can never forgive myself. That was the high-spirited young general of Ruining, but he perished in a foreign land because of my selfish desires.
But if I had to choose again, I would choose to save the people of Wenbin. Even if I have to bear the infamy and guilt for a lifetime, I will not regret it.
Liang Qian
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