Yuan Yunzhong was speaking with Shao Qing when he saw Song Jiyun come in. He did not evade her but nodded toward her and continued to say to Shao Qing, "It’s decided then. The emperor will not handle Prince Ning casually, especially since Prince Ning’s ancestors had ’Dividing the River to Rule’ agreements with Emperor Yongle. The emperor could dispose of anyone casually but never him."
Shao Qing did not see any harm in letting Song Jiyun hear this.
In his heart, Song Jiyun was a very reliable person. Even if she knew, she wouldn’t gossip like ordinary women. Thus, he simply smiled at her, his eyes sparkling as he picked up where Yuan Yunzhong left off, "But his left and right hand men can be dealt with entirely by law."
Yuan Yunzhong nodded, his neatly contoured face as sharp as a knife, "Those who need to be killed, kill them; those who need to be plucked, pluck them. Don’t make loud thunder and little rain, making others think we are just playing around."
Shao Qin laughed cheekily, saying, "After all, we haven’t touched Prince Ning. Can’t we move against those lawbreakers?"
Yuan Yunzhong glanced at him indifferently, remarking, "Your brain is finally working."
Shao Qing felt somewhat wronged and said, "Who says I don’t use my brain? It’s just that my brain isn’t as fast as yours."
Then he turned to push Song Jiyun toward Yuan Yunzhong, "I have matters to attend to. Miss Song, Master, you both have your talk."
Song Jiyun greeted him with a beaming smile, and when she saw him leave, she turned to sit in the indicated Taishi Chair, smiling, "How have you been these days?"
Yuan Yunzhong nodded. After the servant boy had brought the tea and left, he casually said, "Playing with cats and dogs doesn’t take much effort. I stir things up when I remember, and it doesn’t matter if I forget."
Song Jiyun laughed.
This man had stirred up a storm in the Jiangxi bureaucracy, yet he spoke as if it were just a minor diversion.
While drinking her tea, she told Yuan Yunzhong about the Great Madam coming to seek her help to plead for Song Tao.
Yuan Yunzhong understood her feelings well, not only did he not misunderstand her, but he also remarked, "Don’t worry, this matter will be handled as it should be. If she is truly falsely accused by Old Grand Master Hong, there’s no need to kick her while she’s down. Such a person will destroy herself with her misdeeds. There will be plenty of opportunities for her to dig her own grave in the future!"
Song Jiyun felt the same, but she was still curious, "Is the Hong Family really involved in Prince Ning’s smuggling case? Was that small village where we were stranded their wild kiln?"
Yuan Yunzhong nodded and said, "I had it investigated as soon as we returned to the city. Initially, I wasn’t prepared to deal with Prince Ning, and thought that since those people were doing quite well, it was a livelihood, whether it was a wild kiln or not, there was no need to specifically target them. But the fact that they could pursue us shows they are no good. I originally thought to teach them a lesson would suffice. But when my men went there, they had all vanished.
"I was puzzled at that time. Even if they were discovered, there was no need for them to leave so thoroughly. The place looked like it had been in business for several years, to just give up like that isn’t something ordinary people can do.
"I figured if I could find the person in charge, I’d like to meet them.
"Unexpectedly, as I followed this lead, I found it was related to Prince Ning.
"Truthfully, if we hadn’t fallen into that situation back then, I might not have uncovered Prince Ning’s illicit activities so soon."
Reflecting on it now, Song Jiyun also found it quite extraordinary.
She laughed, "Does this count as a blessing in disguise?"
"It does!" Yuan Yunzhong agreed briskly, but that was where the conversation abruptly ended.
The study was momentarily very quiet.
Song Jiyun was inevitably puzzled.
Although their conversations often diverged in the past, there had never been a situation where it seemed there was nothing to talk about.
Could it be that Yuan Yunzhong has been too tired in recent days? Or was there something that was inconvenient to discuss with her?
Song Jiyun tactfully changed the subject, saying, "How are Lord Xu and Lord Deng’s military achievements? Does the Imperial Court recognize them?"
"Recognized!" Yuan Yunzhong said, "Even if the emperor doesn’t want to recognize them, with Duke of Ding’s Mansion and Duke of Ying’s Mansion, the emperor simply cannot deny them."
Deng Chen was a distant relative of Duke of Ying’s Mansion and had paved his way to Jingde Town through it.
Song Jiyun said, "Lord Xu and Lord Deng will likely get promoted? Wouldn’t that mean Jingde Town’s Inspectorate will soon have to change personnel again?"
Yuan Yunzhong merely grunted and fell silent again.
If it were before, even if he said nothing, he would have shown an expression as if to say "What are you worried about? I’ll take care of everything."
Song Jiyun was not foolish.
In a subtle way, Yuan Yunzhong was drawing a clear line between them.
When others returned from adversity, their relationships usually grew stronger. How come their relationship had instead grown more distant?
Was it because of her previous refusal?
Song Jiyun pondered this in her heart.
A servant boy, dressed accordingly, came in and announced that Eunuch Wan had come to visit him.
Yuan Yunzhong said impatiently, "What’s he joining the excitement for? It’s not yet time to deal with him."
Song Jiyun noted that the servant boy was unfamiliar and wondered whether he was originally serving beside Yuan Yunzhong or was transferred from another Yamen. The boy spoke rather boldly, saying, "I told him just that. There’s still a long list of third- and fourth-rank officials to be dealt with. How could it be his turn, a mere fifth-rank imperial eunuch, to come and confess his faults? Accustomed to servitude, he’s prone to acting up. Not only did he bribe me with several small ingots, but he also stripped to his upper garment and knelt at the door with a Jing branch on his back, claiming he wanted to admit his faults. Seeing the crowd of onlookers gossiping around, I feared it would tarnish the Song family’s reputation, so I let him in. If he wants to kneel, let him kneel in the courtyard."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Song Jiyun.
Song Jiyun then asked, "How may I address you, young man? Thank you for your trouble."
The servant boy hurriedly bowed to Song Jiyun, just about to speak when Yuan Yunzhong interrupted him: "Knowing he’s just posturing, yet you still allowed him to kneel in the courtyard — tell him to leave at once!"
The servant boy agreed and went out, but muttered quietly: "Isn’t it better to have him kneel a bit longer at the Song family, so everybody sees? Isn’t he embarrassed to come to the Song Family?"
Song Jiyun smiled lightly.
However, Eunuch Wan, still carrying the Jing branch, barged in despite being surrounded by other servant boys: "Lord Yuan, Lord Yuan, you must save my life! I really had no involvement with Prince Ning. The porcelain I sold to him was all directed by Lord Wan Shen."
As he spoke, he knelt down in front of Yuan Yunzhong with a thud, clutching Yuan Yunzhong’s right leg, his face smeared with tears and snot as he continued to cry out his innocence: "I still have the letter and official documents from the Manufacturing Office given to me by Lord Wan. I have also kept all the sales receipts for those porcelains. The affairs of Prince Ning’s Mansion have nothing to do with me. I am merely a facilitator!"
Yuan Yunzhong’s face turned green as he scolded: "Where are the people guarding the yard?"
Liu Zi ran in, both anxious and angry.
The sight of Liu Zi somehow calmed Yuan Yunzhong’s inexplicable rage, and with a glance at Eunuch Wan, he kicked him and said, "Stand up and speak!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
