Lin Qinghua colluded with officials of Songfeng County and interfered in civilian trials. The Censorate found out and wanted to bring him back to the capital for interrogation.
Presumably, the Censorate had already gone to the Qili County government office and obtained the details of the case from Jiang Feng, so he didn't need to appear in court and therefore hadn't been told.
Song Liyun frowned slightly: she had sent a message to Lin Qingyuan a month ago, telling him to be careful about her personal safety and property.
Unexpectedly, the entire Lin family mansion was raided and sealed off, and the property was to be taken back to the capital...
Oh no, Lin Qingyuan will definitely be taken away too!
Song Liyun's expression changed. Just as she was about to tell him about Lin Qingyuan, she saw the people she had left outside being brought over by the Wan family's servant.
Fang Zheng first bowed to Steward Wan and Wan Yanming, then walked to Song Liyun's ear and whispered, "Young Madam, when I arrived at the Lin residence, I saw that there were guards surrounding the house, so I did not go forward."
I went to Ruzhu Pavilion as you instructed, and everything was normal inside. I left a coded message for the manager, instructing him to meet Young Master Lin at the Guixiang Building's private room at the hour of Wu (5-7 PM).
Song Liyun nodded. As long as Ruzhu Pavilion remained silent, and with Lao Lu and a few other guards around, Lin Qingyuan should be fine.
While the two were talking, Steward Wan and Wan Yanming were sitting on the side.
This kind of whispering was somewhat impolite, but the Wan family uncle and nephew were tactful enough that one drank tea while the other admired it, and they both turned away.
After Fang Zheng finished speaking, he stepped back and waited for instructions.
Song Liyun told him to go and rest. The news had already spread, and now they could only wait and see if Lin Qingyuan could appear at Wu Shi (5-7 AM).
However, she still needed to find out more about the Lin family's situation from Steward Wan.
When they were on the Dilu grasslands, Lin Qingyuan had mentioned his family affairs, but there were many veiled details and he spoke vaguely. Song Liyun didn't want to pry into a man's family matters.
"Uncle Wan, this business deal of ours is related to Lin Qingyuan of the Lin family. Do you know anything about him?"
Song Liyun didn't mention the Lin family's house being sealed off; instead, she inquired about Lin Qingyuan's character.
Upon hearing Lin Qingyuan's name, Manager Wan's brows furrowed instantly.
Song Liyun had asked this person before, and the Lin Qingyuan he knew was a good-for-nothing playboy.
But now that you're asking again, given Song Liyun's temperament, she'll definitely discover something suspicious.
After thinking for a moment, Steward Wan stopped talking about the inner quarters of the Lin family and said, "The Lin family's official career is so-so, but their financial luck is good. They are a big merchant family in Pingyang Prefecture. Moreover, since they married into the Qi family, a royal merchant family, they have taken on some business of selling grain to the Di Lu grasslands, and now they are doing very well."
Song Liyun frowned as she listened: No wonder Lin Qingyuan said he could transport grain in the future; he has connections and resources, and we can't afford to lose him.
Manager Wan then recounted what he knew about the relationship between the Qi family, the imperial merchant family, and the nobles in the capital, before finally saying, "I heard that before the late emperor passed away, Consort Qin was highly favored, and her family also benefited from it."
Although the Qi family were only relatives of the Imperial Concubine, they also received a quota of imperial merchants.
Because the Qi family was responsible for collecting rare and precious treasures for the nobles in the palace, they had the privilege of traveling through the Xiashi Pass to the grasslands.
He paused for a few moments before continuing, "Actually, the Qi family's in-laws took the opportunity to smuggle grain, tobacco, and alcohol."
Some say these caravans even carried fine iron and people. Of course, this is just a claim; no one has actually seen it with their own eyes.
Or rather, those who witnessed it are already dead.
After saying this, Steward Wan said very seriously, "Miss Song, you are close to the garrison, so you should know these things, but you can't know everything either. It's better to pretend you don't know."
Song Liyun's palm tightened: the sale of grain and salt was an agreement reached between the two sides, and there was no problem with the secret trade. The Di tribe had also sent a lot of horses to the Wu Dynasty.
However, refined iron is a strategic resource, and even the Wu Dynasty has explicitly prohibited its private possession, yet the Qi family dared to sell it privately.
As for the population... it's not something a single family can control. It's hard to say that border troops who had their pay cut and were looking for other ways to make a living weren't involved.
Now, Manager Wan is reminding her not to tell anyone, lest it bring trouble upon herself.
Song Liyun was lost in thought at this moment, and according to her previous ideas, she might have ignored it.
The Qi family were imperial merchants, and with no evidence and the support of the Imperial Concubine, even Luo Lun was powerless to help them, let alone a mere military household girl like her.
But now...
Song Liyun smiled as she recalled the ceremony of returning slaves to their owners on the grassland.
Whether it's the Imperial Concubine or the Duke of Anguo, these are things that the nobles in the capital should worry about.
The Uda tribe's decision to send back the slaves is sure to cause a huge uproar.
The people most panicked are probably the human traffickers, and they'll be showing their faces soon.
She hummed twice and said, "Uncle Wan, don't worry, I know what's important. I shouldn't talk to people about things without evidence."
Steward Wan interrupted her, saying, "Even if you have evidence, you can't say it. Commander Luo is just a garrison commander. If you cause trouble, he can't guarantee your safety."
Song Liyun smiled and said, "Uncle Wan is right. This is a very important matter. I won't cause trouble for Commander Luo."
Manager Wan had no idea which Di tribe Song Liyun was connected with, and only assumed that she mainly relied on the Broken Gold Guard.
Luo Baihu's abilities were limited. If other garrisons and passes were trading with grassland tribes, even if he found out, he would be powerless to change the situation and would only bring about his own death.
Song Liyun certainly wouldn't go looking for Commander Luo. She was only concerned about whether Lin Qingyuan could escape after the Lin residence was sealed off.
Putting aside the Lin family's affairs, Song Liyun went straight to the point about wanting to expand the fur business and also to send wool to the southeast.
In the southeast, where there is a large population and limited land, textile production is highly developed in the countryside. Weavers use silkworm silk as raw material and have a set of mature techniques and tools to spin exquisite yarn, which is sold to various parts of the Wu Dynasty. Even the grasslands have traces of silkworm yarn.
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