Upon hearing this, Yuan Yunzhong frowned displeasedly and said, "Find an excuse and send him away."
Shao Qing was anxious and said, "Lord Wang mentioned that he comes for matters concerning Prince Ning."
Yuan Yunzhong grew even more impatient, "What could possibly be his issue? Did he slit his throat or jump into the river? Even if the man were dead, the case should be investigated and reported according to the regulations, what’s there to monitor day and night?"
Shao Qing still had something to say, but then Lord Wang himself burst out, anxiously raising his voice, "My Lord Yuan, while you are here calmly waiting for the fish to bite, you are unaware that the fish have already slipped away."
Yuan Yunzhong looked towards him.
It wasn’t clear whether he couldn’t be bothered with others or had never intended to, he directly said to Yuan Yunzhong, "Prince Ning left Jingde Town suddenly this morning, the people from the Inspection Division didn’t dare to stop him, and those from the Inspectorate pretended not to know. Calculating the time, he should have already reached Lake Entrance by now."
Yuan Yunzhong, unruffled, said, "Has His Majesty ever decreed that he must not leave Jingde Town?"
Lord Wang was stunned for a moment and replied, "He has not!"
Yuan Yunzhong then asked, "Has he violated the laws and acted outrageously and maliciously?"
Lord Yuan said again, "He has not!"
Yuan Yunzhong laughed in extreme exasperation, "Then, Lord Wang, what’s the rush?"
Lord Wang was embarrassed and said, "I was just worried. If he returns to Nanchang, who knows what kind of waves he’ll stir up! Not to mention, those Nanchang officials who once relied on him will undoubtedly have people who recant their testimony. Moreover, he has sent someone to the Capital City to pull strings. Who knows how long this case will be dragged on? What if His Majesty changes his mind? Wouldn’t we have been busy for nothing?"
This time, in the Prince Ning smuggling investigation, he sided with Yuan Yunzhong.
To be precise, he sided with both the Yuan Family and the Wang Family.
Yuan Yunzhong was unconcerned and said, "Then it will be a good opportunity to see who the opportunists are."
Lord Wang was at once both amused and chagrined, "Lord Yuan, please have mercy on us without powerful connections or means. If the case against Prince Ning is successfully prosecuted, you will certainly be fine, but as for us, it’s hard to say. On top of me is my eighty-year-old mother, below me is my three-year-old child, I can’t stand this turmoil."
Shao Qing on the side couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.
When Lord Wang saw it, he could only feel embarrassed.
His servant boy ran over like a whirlwind, gasping for air and said, "My Lord, My Lord, there’s trouble! You had the Legal Advisor keep an eye on where Prince Ning’s boat was heading, and he has sent word back that Prince Ning wasn’t on board at all. He left in the middle of the night, midnight of the night before last. By now, the man must have reached either Jiujiang or Nanchang."
Lord Wang sighed and said, "Understood!"
Then he let the servant boy go.
Yuan Yunzhong, with a cold and indifferent look, said, "Your servant boy doesn’t hesitate in the least."
Had he seen through his ploy of trying to get Yuan Yunzhong to detain Prince Ning, ensuring a certain verdict in the smuggling case?
Lord Wang’s face turned red, but he still, unabashedly, said, "What else could I do?"
Yuan Yunzhong said, "Rest assured, the person he sent to the Capital City hasn’t even passed through Nanjing yet!"
"That’s good to hear!" said Lord Wang. It seemed only now did he have the mood to notice the person beside him and pointed at Song Jiyun, "This is Boss Song, isn’t it? I didn’t realize you had made plans to go out together today. It was remiss of me, it was remiss of me. However, it’s quite a coincidence, as I’m hosting a feast today. Let’s all try the new dishes at Boundless of Moon Wind."
This was not Song Jiyun’s domain.
Song Jiyun smiled and gave him a bow, saying nothing.
Yuan Yunzhong, however, looked at him sideways as if to say "Enough chatter, just leave quickly."
Lord Wang pretended not to see, and continued to speak, "Now, bamboo shoots and broad beans are in season. There’s no shortage of bamboo shoots in the woods, and although we’re not lacking these in the Capital City, it’s rare to encounter them this fresh. The Hong Family’s confiscated assets have also been settled for the moment, and the Hong Family’s assets will be reclaimed by the Ministry of Revenue next. I was thinking, right now we’re short on silver, what use would land or woods be to us? I’m discussing with Magistrate Jiang about just selling it off."
How else to say that this Lord Wang was able to hold a third-grade official position?
He knew full well that Song Jiyun was eyeing the forests of Hong Family Mountain, but the words he spoke sounded as if he was asking Song Jiyun for help, "Speaking of which, I’m not familiar with Liang County, and Magistrate Jiang has just taken office. We indeed have the intention to do a good deed for the Yamen by simply selling the forest and converting it into county revenue, but how to sell it? To whom? Whether there is anyone who can swallow it in one gulp, I’m afraid we still need to consult with Boss Song."
He also implied with a hint, "It is said that the Hong Family owns a piece of forest particularly suitable for firing Dragon Kilns, and Boss Song is one of the wealthiest households in Liang County. If Boss Song is interested in these forests and can take them all at once, that would indeed be doing me a great favor."
Song Jiyun certainly wouldn’t let Lord Wang use this as a favor to her.
She laughed and said, "Now that you mention it, I’m actually quite interested. But to say if I have any ideas, I think, ’Governing a big country is like cooking a small dish’, following the old rules is probably the most appropriate. What was done before should still be done now."
The implication was that even if the Song Family won the land of the Hong Family, they would be following the rules, not owing you any favors.
She also modestly said, "This is the first time I’ve encountered such a thing. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’ve also thought along those lines, though I’m not sure if it’s correct. I must have made you laugh."
Lord Wang’s smile instantly became less brilliant, and he was about to say something when his servant boy came running over at this moment.
However, this time he didn’t make a loud fuss but instead whispered a few words into Lord Wang’s ear.
Lord Wang’s expression immediately changed drastically, and he turned solemn as he said to Yuan Yunzhong, "Lord Yuan, Prince Ning didn’t go to Nanchang but diverted from Lake Entrance to Anqing."
Anqing is within the Huizhou region.
Vassal kings must not leave their allotted lands without an imperial summons.
Yuan Yunzhong’s expression turned cold as he said to Shao Qing, "Go check if he had a secret edict."
Shao Qing also realized the severity of the issue, responded solemnly, and quickly left.
Lord Wang broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead.
Yuan Yunzhong looked at Song Jiyun with a full face of apologies and said softly, "I’m sorry. I did say I would go climbing with you..."
Song Jiyun wasn’t a person who enjoyed physical activities in either of her lives.
Her climbing the mountain was simply because the person climbing with her was Yuan Yunzhong.
She laughed, "It’s okay, you go do what you need to do. We can make another appointment another time."
Yuan Yunzhong nodded earnestly and said, "I will definitely arrange it properly next time."
Song Jiyun thought for a moment and then laughed, "Then when you come back later, help me buy two boxes of Song Ji’s walnut pastries from East Street."
She didn’t particularly like walnut pastries, but their family’s walnut pastries were made with walnuts from Tianmu Mountain and were particularly fragrant. Moreover, only a few trays could be made each day, and it was often necessary to queue up to buy them due to their scarcity.
This was also a punishment for Yuan Yunzhong having to leave in the middle of their appointment.
Yuan Yunzhong’s eyes gleamed as he said, "I got it. Rest assured, I’ll definitely buy two boxes for you when I return."
Song Jiyun nodded.
The group descended the mountain.
Seeing Yuan Yunzhong still following behind Song Jiyun’s carriage, Lord Wang asked, "Where are you going? Is the Yamen this way?"
Yuan Yunzhong shook his head, "I’ll escort Boss Song home first."
Seeing the three layers of guards inside and outside the carriage, Lord Wang asked in confusion, "Isn’t that a lot of people? What are you worried about?"
Yuan Yunzhong couldn’t be bothered to explain and proceeded to escort Song Jiyun back first.
Lord Wang watched their retreating figures and couldn’t help but mumble to himself, "Is she that delicate? Now that she’s entered the city, does she still need an escort back home?"
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