Master Jinghu glanced at Lord Xiang with a hint of disdain and said, "Stand up and speak!"
Lord Xiang did not get up, but pleaded grievously, "When Lord Bai was in charge, I couldn’t get a word in edge wise. If I had known that he would dare to harm his colleagues for his own selfish interests, I would never have indulged him..."
Master Jinghu felt a buzzing in his temples and said impatiently, "Get up quickly!"
Only then did Lord Xiang stand up reluctantly.
Meanwhile, Yuan Yunzhong was beckoning Song Jiyun over, saying, "Come over here and lend us a hand."
Song Jiyun was puzzled.
Yuan Yunzhong explained with a smile, "Haven’t you dealt with the Canal Transport officials before? Transferring fifty thousand people by water is no simple task. We need someone who is experienced in water transport to work out the regulations. I’m afraid we’ll have to rely on you for this."
She was willing to do something for these refugees.
Yuan Yunzhong then invited Lord Xiang to accompany Master Jinghu, "I have memorials to write, and I will have to trouble Lord Xiang to discuss the recent events with my maternal grandfather."
Lord Xiang, who was mulling over how to atone for his crimes, was naturally overjoyed at the request and repeatedly agreed with "Yes."
Yuan Yunzhong personally brewed a cup of tea for Master Jinghu, comforting him, "Maternal grandfather, please help me revise the memorial later."
Master Jinghu smiled helplessly and waved his hand, "Hurry up and be off with you!"
Yuan Yunzhong, along with Wang Zi and Song Jiyun, went to the study in the rear hall, all smiling.
Song Jiyun ground the ink for Yuan Yunzhong while discussing matters of Canal Transport, and Wang Zi drew a rough map of the Yangtze River.
The three of them got together again to deliberate for a long time, deciding on several locations suitable for relocating the fifty thousand refugees. Yuan Yunzhong then began to write the memorial, and after discussing it word by word with Wang Zi for a long time and revising several drafts, he finally put down his pen.
The coroners from the Three Counties had also arrived.
The coroners found a heavy blow to the back of Lord Bai’s head and unanimously concluded that Lord Bai had been murdered and then arranged to look like a suicide.
The matter then escalated.
Yuan Yunzhong wrote another memorial concerning the death of Lord Bai, which he would present to the Emperor along with the one about resettling the refugees when he was granted an audience.
As for Master Jinghu, he kept urging Wang Zi to accompany Yuan Yunzhong to the capital as soon as possible. Regarding the situation at Shijingshan, he said to Yuan Yunzhong, "I will keep an eye on things here. When you return to the capital, help me deliver letters to your great-uncle, your father, and several of my old friends. I have some favors to ask of them."
Yuan Yunzhong agreed, and after a moment’s hesitation, said to Song Jiyun, "You should come back to the capital with me as well. With all this chaos here, I won’t feel at ease if you’re not by my side."
Song Jiyun felt that there wasn’t much she could do if she stayed here, and regarding the Canal Transport, she had promised to exchange porcelain for rice, so she needed to negotiate specifically what kind of porcelain they required and where the trade would take place.
"Alright!" she agreed immediately.
Yuan Yunzhong sighed deeply.
He had noticed when they were in Jingde Town that Song Jiyun liked to help the poor and needy whenever she could, and he feared she would insist on staying here to distribute porridge. The killer of Lord Bai had not yet been found, and he was very afraid that Song Jiyun may get hurt because of it.
He left his guards with Master Jinghu and repeatedly exhorted him, "Always have people with you wherever you go, and don’t let your guard down."
Master Jinghu laughed while ruffling Yuan Yunzhong’s hair, "Kid, I taught you those tricks, and now you’re lecturing me."
He handed the letters he had written to Yuan Yunzhong and said, "Go ahead! I’ll see you off."
Yuan Yunzhong hummed softly in acknowledgment and left the council hall with Song Jiyun and others.
Zheng Quan was definitely going to follow Song Jiyun, and Wang Hua and others were busy preparing the carriage. Yuan Yunzhong helped Song Jiyun into the carriage. With Wang Zi on one side and guarded by the colonels, they began to slowly prepare to leave Shijingshan.
The refugees who had been joyfully surrounding and watching the unloading of grain became panicked upon hearing that Yuan Yunzhong was returning to the capital to be received by the Emperor. They rushed toward them and knelt down, pleading, "Lord Yuan, please don’t abandon us! When will you return to uphold justice for us?"
"Lord Yuan, you are the ’Great Master of Justice,’ rescuing the distressed. Without you, we have nothing!"
Some even pressed their children to kowtow to them, "Lord Yuan, this child’s life was saved by you. When he grows up, I’ll make him set up a longevity tablet for you."
A frail man brought an umbrella over and said, "Lord Yuan, we have nothing of value to give, except this Umbrella of the Masses, which isn’t truly the ’Umbrella of the Masses,’ to wish you every success and a smooth career." After saying this, he tore a ragged piece of cloth from his worn clothes and tied it to the umbrella handle.
Seeing this, others came to their senses and began tearing off pieces of cloth from their clothes or the hems of their trousers to tie onto the umbrella.
"Thank you! Thank you!" said Yuan Yunzhong, "I am just going to the capital to be received by the Emperor. I will return in no more than three days. I will not leave you unattended."
But those people still clamored, "Lord Yuan, then please take this umbrella you received from us back to the capital! Let everyone know you are a good official who champions the people’s cause!"
"Yes! Yes! Lord Yuan, please accept this umbrella!"
"Lord Yuan, you must come back soon!"
Soft sobs emerged from the crowd.
Song Jiyun’s eyes were a little moist.
All she had done was what should be done, yet it had earned her so much gratitude from the people.
She took out a handkerchief to dab at the corners of her eyes and noticed that Yuan Yunzhong’s eyes were also glistening with moisture.
She couldn’t help but let out a soft, "Pfft," of laughter.
Yuan Yunzhong had dismounted and solemnly took possession of the umbrella, which appeared even more tattered because it was tied with colorful strips of cloth.
Wang Zi also dismounted to hold Yuan Yunzhong’s horse.
Song Jiyun sniffled, tears mingled with laughter, yet her peripheral vision suddenly caught the figure of Master Jinghu.
He stood with his hands clasped behind him on the steps of the council hall, his back straight, watching Yuan Yunzhong with a subtle expression.
Song Jiyun humphed softly.
Having served as an official all his life, Master Jinghu probably never received an Umbrella of the Masses, right?!
As she was about to turn away, Master Jinghu’s gaze shifted, and unexpectedly, their eyes met directly in the air.
Song Jiyun arched an eyebrow.
Master Jinghu, however, slowly nodded to her with respect.
His demeanor was a far cry from his previous indifference, and he greeted her with a sense of regard,
as one would honor an adversary in a chess match.
Song Jiyun was taken aback.
Master Jinghu’s mouth gradually curved into a smile as he gave her a thumbs-up.
Song Jiyun’s jaw almost dropped in shock.
But Master Jinghu turned casually and strolled back into the council hall, hands still clasped behind him.
Could it be?
Was he acknowledging her?
Song Jiyun felt like a cat was scratching at her heart.
"Yun Duo! Yun Duo!" Someone was calling her softly at that very moment.
Snapping back to reality, she saw Yuan Yunzhong helping her to lower the carriage curtain, saying, "We are heading back to the capital now!"
Song Jiyun nodded.
As the carriage curtain was lowered, the coach slowly departed from Shijingshan.
Song Jiyun couldn’t resist lifting the curtain again.
Next to the carriage, Yuan Yunzhong rode on horseback, wielding the Umbrella of the Masses, leading her through the refugees who lined up to see them off.
In the distance, Lord Xiang was busily inspecting the grains that had been weighed.
Shao Qing stood beside the minor officials weighing the grains, loudly proclaiming, "A total of sixteen thousand five hundred and forty-three stones! Deliver them to the Bing Character Warehouse!"
A gaggle of children surrounded the straw hut, chasing each other in a game of tag, laughing "giggling" with delight.
The sun rose, casting a cheerful and bustling scene.
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