Chapter 117 The Salt Monopoly Case: The Arrest of Jiangnan Salt Merchant Chen Junbai Assists in the Investigation...
Knock knock.
"Go in," Chen Junbo called out.
The door opened slightly, and Fei Ye, dressed in black, entered.
Zhuang Shutong slowly rose to greet him, but froze the moment she looked up. Just as she was about to speak, the person who entered the room spoke first, "Sister-in-law, it's been a long time."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Shutong breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and said, "This humble woman, Zhuang, greets Your Highness, Second Prince."
Fei Ye simply smiled and said, "There's no need for formalities outside the palace."
Seeing that the other party did not deny it, Chen Junbo and Youfeng bowed. Youfeng followed the example of how Li Yang had demonstrated to her how to bow to the emperor, and performed a grand bow, which startled Fei Ye so much that he jumped up and said, "I can't accept such a grand bow."
The whole room burst into laughter.
After sitting down, Xiao Lu went out to prepare tea, fruit, and snacks.
“Sister-in-law, Li Zhen came here today specifically to see you.”
Li Yang: "How did Master Fei know my mother was here?"
Li Zhen smiled without saying a word, but Zhuang Shutong looked displeased. "The Xuanwei have even resorted to their methods against me. Your Highness has really given me a lot of face."
Li Yang didn't quite understand and wanted to ask again, but Chen Junbo pulled on his sleeve, thus losing the opportunity.
"Sister-in-law, please don't be angry." Li Zhen cupped his hands in greeting. "I would like to discuss the matter of Lang Ge with you."
Zhuang Shutong looked at him, her expression unreadable.
Suddenly, a loud commotion broke out downstairs.
The group left the side room and went to the main hall.
The Golden Guard?!
"What are you doing here again!" Li Yang looked at the group with annoyance and disdain.
A member of the Imperial Guard stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, “Miss, the Imperial Guard is here by imperial decree to arrest the criminal. Please step aside.”
Li Yang scoffed, "It's the same old trick again. Didn't you learn your lesson from last time when you came here looking for a criminal? What kind of minor criminal did you bring this time?"
The man ignored her, took out a portrait to compare with his own, and then beckoned to the two guards behind him. One of them stepped forward, grabbed Chen Junbo, and was about to leave.
Everyone was terrified.
Upon seeing this, Li Yang darted forward and spread his wings like a hen to block Chen Junbo's path.
"What are you trying to do? What right do you have to arrest people like this?"
The leader seemed impatient, and simply opened the portrait, saying, "Are you Chen Junbai?"
Chen Junbo frowned and looked at the portrait.
Upon hearing the other party's name, Li Yang was speechless for a moment. He could only block Chen Junbo from retreating step by step, bumping into the person behind him. He looked around helplessly.
As the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family, Madam Zhuang put on an imposing air and cleared her throat, saying, "I wonder why Your Excellency has arrested this person?"
The leader glanced at her, somewhat hesitant, but after observing her for only a moment, he said, "By imperial decree, we are investigating the salt certificate case and arresting Chen Junbai, a salt merchant from Jiangnan, to assist in the investigation."
The words "Salt Certificate Case" struck like a thunderbolt, leaving everyone present stunned.
"Go!" The Imperial Guards behind Li Yang shouted, pulling Chen Junbo along as they prepared to leave.
Li Yang simply rolled over and pounced on him, preventing him from leaving.
She heard Chen Junbo whisper in her ear, "It's okay, don't be afraid."
Li Yang stood there, tears streaming down her face, but Chen Junbo's voice remained gentle, "Zhao Zhao, don't worry, it's alright."
Ultimately, they couldn't stop the Imperial Guards from arresting people as ordered.
Inside the teahouse, chaos erupted.
The Imperial Guards took the man away, and Li Yang was also taken back to the Zhuang family by the Zhuang family.
Upon hearing about today's events, Zhuang Ziyang said in a deep voice, "The other party said it was a salt certificate case?"
“Yes.” Li Yang wiped away his tears. “It must be Zhang Youdao! He was already ripping off the profits back in Songshan Town and didn’t get along with Lord Lin or the salt merchants. Now that this case has come up at this critical juncture, it must be his doing.”
Li Yang kept talking.
Seeing her father remain silent, Zhuang Shutong tugged at Li Yang and shook his head at her. Seeing that the latter had stopped talking, she said, "Father, regarding the salt certificate case, Ziqian must know the most about it. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to talk to Ziqian. Is there any way to meet with him?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Ziyang nodded slightly and pondered, "I will try to find a solution. It must have happened after the morning court session today. After seeing Ziqian, I will also go to the palace to inquire about it."
Li Yang's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly in approval.
Now, all she wants to know is whether Chen Junbo is alright and whether he is being mistreated in the place where he was taken to detention.
Li Yang still had the mindset of an ordinary citizen; she had never experienced anything like this before. At this moment, the only thing holding her together was the desire to rescue Chen Junbai.
Seeing his daughter so distraught, Zhuang Shutong frowned and sighed, "Zhaozhao, don't be afraid. With your grandfather here, Ziqian will be alright. We'll go see Ziqian in a couple of days. See if you can send him some clothes or something, and get everything ready."
Having received the specific details, Li Yang felt a little more at ease. "Okay, okay, I'll go back and pack now."
He was about to return to the teahouse when he was stopped by Mrs. Zhuang and rested for the night. He was only able to return to the teahouse the next day.
Upon entering, one sees Xiao Lu waiting inside the shop. "Young Madam."
"You're back? It's been a long time. Where have you been?" Li Yang asked, packing his clothes without stopping.
After climbing a few steps, he seemed to remember something, "Oh right, I should send a letter to Bi Fang and tell him what happened here, and see if he has any news on his end."
"Oh, and make sure he's the only one who knows. Don't spread it around," Li Yang added, not wanting to let it go unnoticed.
“Young Madam, Xiaolu has come to say goodbye.” She knelt down with a thud. “Xiaolu is getting married.”
Li Yang turned around, stared at the kneeling deer, and after a few breaths said, "Married in? Not Bi Fang?"
"Xiao Lu and the butler were just childhood friends." The person kneeling on the ground seemed to have made up their mind.
Li Yang helped the girl up, looked her up and down, and saw that she was a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, in the prime of her youth. "Who is this person? Has he treated you well?"
“Young mistress, Zhang Lang is now an official in the capital and will surely rise to prominence in the future. He treats me very well and has already bought me a house in the city, along with several maids and servants. Zhang Lang said that from now on I am a proper mistress and will no longer have to do the work of a servant.”
Li Yang frowned.
The work of a servant?
"Have you thought it through?"
Xiao Lu: "Young Madam, Xiao Lu has already pledged her love to Zhang Lang, and has come today to say goodbye."
Li Yang nodded slightly, and Xiao Lu bid farewell and turned to leave.
Youfeng darted out from behind the counter, saying, "Young Madam, I'm going to deliver a message to Butler Bi," and then quickly followed Xiaolu away.
Zhang Lang?
Hopefully it's just a coincidence.
They went up to their private room, which was where they had been living since their wedding night. The room was quite tidy.
Li Yang wandered around the room, grabbed some clothes, and spread them on the bed.
When he saw that he had grabbed a handful of outer garments, he felt it was inappropriate. Chen Junbo was in jail, and the weather was hot and humid at the end of July, so he should prepare more inner garments.
He started rummaging through drawers and cabinets looking for his underwear, cursing under his breath.
This person is usually very particular; even the slightest water or tea stain will make him come back to change his clothes.
But this kind of person only usually has three sets of undergarments. Now, having to prepare clothes for him for who knows how many days, Li Yang had to rummage through his chests and cupboards to find some newly made undergarments that he hadn't worn yet.
He figured he'd frown and look disgusted when he saw these brand-new undergarments, and thinking this, Li Yang couldn't help but chuckle.
Chen Junbo is really a strange person. While others love new clothes, he prefers old-fashioned undergarments.
After the two shared a room, Li Yang was astonished to see that while the rich man wore fine silks and satins on the outside, his inner garments were tattered and worn.
When he heard this, he only said that the fabric of the new clothes was uncomfortable to wear, so it wasn't that the undergarment had a hole in it, and he absolutely refused to change it.
Li Yang also complained that she only wore these two outfits over and over, so she had to wash and dry them immediately after changing them, otherwise she would soon run out of clothes to change into.
She turned the box upside down and finally found it at the bottom. She leaned half her body inside the box and reached for the clothes at the bottom.
My fingers can't reach the clothes.
She rolled over and reached inside, her feet off the ground, struggling to hook a corner of her clothes. A tear fell onto her garment.
Just as she took out her clothes and stood up straight, Youfeng entered the room. "Young Madam, the letter is finished."
Li Yang put down the clothes in his hands, took the letter, read it two or three times, and felt there was no problem. "Send it to Songshan Town as quickly as possible."
Following Li Yang's instructions, You Feng's fear from yesterday's young master's arrest subsided somewhat.
Clutching the letter, she walked to the door, then turned back and said, "Young Madam, don't worry, Young Master will be alright."
Li Yang paused as he walked towards the bedside, lowered his head, and after a moment turned back to look at You Feng. His eyes were filled with gratitude through his tears. He blinked, trying hard to control his tears, and nodded solemnly, "Mm."
Upon seeing this, Youfeng was also moved to tears.
While Youfeng went to deliver the message, Liyang had already packed his clothes. After thinking for a moment, he stuffed some silver notes into his pocket, then picked up his bundle and went downstairs.
Youfeng stood at the counter waiting for her. "Young Madam, teahouse?"
Li Yang stopped and thought for a moment. "This teahouse has nothing to do with you, young master. You Feng, let's continue preparing for its opening." Then he said leisurely, "At this time, it's always more convenient to have more money on hand."
Youfeng nodded emphatically!
As I stepped out of the teahouse, the farmer's carriage was waiting by the roadside.
Originally, when leaving the manor, she was thinking of avoiding suspicion and wanted to hire another car. But Zhuang Ziyang spoke up, saying that there was no need to be concerned about such trivial matters now, and that Li Yang should just focus on her work, and that he, as her grandfather, would do everything in his power to protect her and Chen Junbai.
At that moment, Li Yang felt a pang of sadness in his heart. His family, whom he had lost and then regained, was his strongest support, like a sliver of light breaking through the clouds in a gloomy day.
Sitting in the carriage of the Zhuang family mansion, holding the clothes prepared for Chen Junbai, Li Yang's heart gradually calmed down.
She rested all night yesterday, and since leaving home this morning, she's been thinking about Chen Junbai the whole time. Anyway, he's already been arrested, her grandfather has said he'll definitely rescue him, and now she's sent a letter to Bi Fang. Once she sees Chen Junbai, he'll surely have a way; that person always has the best ideas.
A few days later, around dinner time, Zhuang Ziyang brought back news that he had used his connections and that he could visit Chen Junbai in prison the next day.
Furthermore, the other party kindly informed them that Chen Junbo was only detained for questioning, and no orders were given to torture him.
Hearing this news, Li Yang breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as everyone is alright, that's all that matters.
She glanced gratefully at her grandfather and murmured, "Thank you."
Zhuang Ziyang's originally serious face softened instantly. "Silly child, why thank me? Grandfather believes that Ziqian is a good child and would not embezzle or break the law."
Upon hearing this comment, Li Yang could no longer hold back. She pouted, and tears streamed down her face, landing on the back of her hand.
"Grandfather~" Her voice was still choked with emotion at the end.
When Zhuang Ziyang saw her like this, his eyes also filled with tears.
Zhuang Shutong hurried over and wiped away her tears. "Silly child, why are you crying? Your grandfather is here, your mother is here, it's alright, don't cry. Your grandfather is old and can't bear sadness. Stop crying, eat well, go to bed early, and be in good spirits to see Ziqian tomorrow."
The family ate their dinner with tears mixed with rice, and only then did they go to rest.
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