Xu Guangzeng remained excessively interested, indifferent to her aloofness, and continued, "Yuan Yunzhong has not married, do you know that?"
She certainly knew.
Otherwise, even if it were fake, she would have used Yuan Yunzhong and then severed ties with him.
Thinking of the uncertain fate of Yuan Yunzhong, a dull pain began to emerge in her heart again.
Seeing her distressed expression, Xu Guangzeng suddenly leaned closer to her and whispered, "Miss Song, instead of worrying about Yuan Yunzhong’s life and death, you should worry about your own future."
What did he mean by that?
Song Jiyun’s mind was filled with Yuan Yunzhong, and she did not recover from his words for a long while.
She looked up at Xu Guangzeng.
Xu Guangzeng gave her a slight smile.
His smile carried the determination of a hunter chasing his prey, full of confidence.
Was he suggesting that since Yuan Yunzhong was more likely to face harm than luck, she should serve him intimately instead?
Song Jiyun, enraged, responded coldly, "Lord Xu, instead of worrying about my future, you should be more concerned about your own — if something happens to the imperial envoy of the Inspector General of Jiangxi, even if it originated from the Duke of Ding’s Mansion, as the Inspector General, you might not be able to dissociate yourself from it, right?"
Xu Guangzeng, upon hearing this, did not get angry but replied with a beaming smile, "Miss Song is indeed very clever. However, you might have misunderstood my meaning."
Song Jiyun did not want to pay him any attention.
She was now only concerned about how Yuan Yunzhong was doing.
If there were any findings from Magistrate Jiang.
She called over a young man who looked like a government official and softly asked, "Could you please help me check on the situation at Lord Jiang’s place?"
While speaking, she handed a few pieces of silver to the young man.
The young man gladly left.
Seeing this, Xu Guangzeng smiled and said nonchalantly to Song Jiyun, "Miss Song, the bitter medicine is good for health, and frank advice is disagreeable to the ear. Do not resent me for being too blunt. The Yuan Family is not an ordinary family, and being their only son, they would never let Yuan Yunzhong take a concubine before getting married."
He continued unbidden, "Of course, Miss Song, you might be planning to manage Yuan Yunzhong’s affairs in the capital city. All you need to do is be his ’wife’ in Liang County and Jingde Town. But have you ever considered, Liang County is not a remote small town, Jingde Town is also not a secluded poor village. Porcelain from here is constantly transported all around, and you have become one of the top people in this industry. If you do not want others to know, do not do it yourself. What if the Yuan Family’s people find out? What about Yuan Yunzhong’s future wife? And what about the Song Family’s business?"
Song Jiyun, finding him repulsive, glanced sideways at Xu Guangzeng, "Lord Xu, you have quite the persuasive tongue. But I wonder how you will explain things to the Emperor when something goes wrong under your administration? How will you explain to the Yuan Family and to the Duke of Ding? Did the Duke of Ding not instruct you before you left the capital to avoid creating trouble and acting recklessly upon arriving in Jiangxi?"
Xu Guangzeng was taken aback.
Ordinary people could not possibly know that he had been demoted to Jiangxi due to troubles he caused in the capital city.
"Did Yuan Yunzhong tell you this?" he guessed, his expression showing hesitation, "It seems that Yuan Yunzhong is indeed quite good to you. He even told you these things. No wonder you are willing to be his fiancée."
It was like talking to summer insects about ice.
Song Jiyun felt that responding to him was a waste of effort.
Fortunately, the young man who had gone to Magistrate Jiang to gather information for her returned, gasping for breath, and said, "Boss Song, a body was found with Prince Ning’s Mansion’s mark. Lord Shao has already chased after them."
Song Jiyun was overjoyed, "Is there any clue about Lord Yuan?"
The young man shook his head and said, "It was a few bodies away, they discovered several more bodies." Hesitating for a moment, he then said, "According to Deng Da, Lord Yuan must have fought his way out of an encirclement."
Song Jiyun was puzzled, "If he fought his way out of an encirclement, shouldn’t the place where the bloodstained clothing was found be the endpoint?"
The young man could not answer.
Song Jiyun pondered in her heart.
She always felt something was off about this situation.
She wanted to consult someone, but Magistrate Jiang and Shao Qing were very busy. Xu Guangzeng, who had some free time, bore responsibility for Yuan Yunzhong’s disappearance, but after all, it was not a matter of life or death, so his ability to help was limited.
After thinking it over, Song Jiyun once again asked the young man to help send a letter to Zheng Quan, "Just tell him I’m waiting for his news."
This young man was originally left by Magistrate Jiang to stay by Song Jiyun’s side.
He agreed.
Song Jiyun borrowed a charcoal pencil from the government official and briefly wrote a letter to Zheng Quan, which she handed to the young man.
The young man ran off like a streak of smoke.
Xu Guangzeng, unable to hide his curiosity, asked, "Does Boss Song perhaps have a good idea?"
Song Jiyun turned a deaf ear and looked around as if searching for something.
Xu Guangzeng kept watching her with interest.
After almost two Shichen, Magistrate Jiang and a few others returned, looking weary.
Seeing Song Jiyun with her eyebrows tightly furrowed and staring blankly at a distant shadowy forest that resembled a blot of dense ink, Magistrate Jiang sighed and said to Xu Guangzeng, "We can now be sure that most of those bodies are from Prince Ning’s Mansion. We’ll need your help with this; come with me to see Prince Ning. Let’s see if we can start from there and find Yunzhong’s whereabouts."
Xu Guangzeng was astonished and asked, "Didn’t he make any disguises or alterations?"
This ’he’ referred to Prince Ning.
Magistrate Jiang replied sarcastically, "He probably didn’t think it necessary! Everyone knows what happened to the Prefect of Nanchang, but has anyone impeached him or scolded him for it?"
Xu Guangzeng hesitated and said, "I’m just afraid Prince Ning won’t admit it."
Deng Chen frowned as he listened and said, "Even if he doesn’t admit it, are we just going to accept that? Besides, he might not care at all. We ask him, and he might just admit it."
Thinking of the historical madness of the princes of Ning, it was indeed a possibility.
Deng Chen was somewhat irritated by Xu Guangzeng’s fence-sitting, trying not to offend anyone and said, "Though there is a difference between the civil and military paths, sometimes we must share a common hatred. What if Lord Yuan is in his hands and he refuses to hand him over? Are we just going to watch Lord Yuan suffer and be humiliated?"
Xu Guangzeng reluctantly agreed.
Magistrate Jiang and the others discussed what to do when they met Prince Ning.
Song Jiyun half-listened at the side as Zheng Quan, dusty and weary, hurried over with two people.
She left Magistrate Jiang and the others and spoke with Zheng Quan and the two people he brought, then showed them around, pointing here and there.
Magistrate Jiang, finding it strange yet knowing Song Jiyun was not someone unaware of the seriousness of a situation, saw Song Jiyun using a tree branch to draw something on the ground as the two people who came with Zheng Quan nodded incessantly; he couldn’t resist walking over and asked, "Boss Song, what is this?"
As he spoke, his gaze fell on the "gibberish symbols" on the ground.
He was startled.
He had learned how to read maps.
What Song Jiyun was drawing was clearly a topographic map of the local landscape.
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