Chapter 91 "Are you okay?"
"Since Your Excellency is frightened, why don't you stay in the rear and take charge of this matter?"
Jia Ren was very thoughtful. Seeing Song Linsheng's worried look and the pale face of the man washing inkstone beside him, he thought of asking them to take a break first.
"Leave this matter to me."
Song Linsheng coughed lightly to hide his thoughts.
"Then I will prepare the 'million ounces of gold' mentioned in his letter."
He still has this money, so no matter what the other party's intentions are, it is always a good idea to prepare it in advance.
"Sir Song, this man is clearly trying to blackmail me. I can't implicate you!" Jia Ren had a serious expression on his face and spoke firmly, as if he was unwilling to accept the money.
"Master Jia, money is only a thing of the past. It's only useful if it can actually help you in some way." Song Linsheng knew Jia Ren's thoughts. He was simply afraid that he would give in to the evildoers. "The man who sent the letter to you, Master Jia, sent it to the entire Jiangyang government office."
Song Linsheng probably knew about Lord Jia's wealth. He was the Tongzhi of Jiangyang Prefecture for many years. Just relying on the monthly salary from the government office, where did he get so many gold taels?
Could it be that Lord Jia is really asked to raise this money alone?
What's more, Song Linsheng had learned a lot since he was a child, and his father and brothers also taught him that everyone prospers and suffers together.
He is the prefect of Jiangyang, and Lord Jia is the co-magistrate of Jiangyang. Such a terrible thing happened in Jiangyang's territory. Even though Lord Jia is deeply involved in it, Song Linsheng cannot escape blame.
"At this moment, is there still any distinction between you and me?" Song Linsheng was no less arrogant, and his tone was even more unyielding, leaving no room for argument, leaving Lord Jia no room for rebuttal.
No matter what doubts he had in his heart, at this moment, he and Lord Jia were colleagues, and they should help each other until the matter was clarified.
"Sir Song..." Jia Ren was extremely conflicted and could only call out helplessly, "Yes, thank you Sir Song."
In the end, Jia Ren agreed.
He... really doesn't have the money.
Not to mention him, even the entire Jiangyang Prefecture was not financially well-off. All the money in the treasury was tied up in the river, and the relief of the people also required money...
"I have a portrait of those people from yesterday. Please take a look, Lord Jia. If we investigate based on this, maybe it will be faster." Song Linsheng didn't forget this.
If it was done by the same group of people, then they can be investigated together. If not, then this matter must be investigated as soon as possible.
Yang Sheng, who had been waiting for a long time, heard this and hurriedly asked, "What portrait? If there is a portrait, it will naturally get twice the result with half the effort!"
As he spoke, he gathered around him, and Song Linsheng raised his hand to signal and give him instructions.
Then, Jia Ren also looked in the direction of Song Linsheng's movements.
"This is--"
Jia Ren paused, raised his hand and stretched out two fingers, swiping across the eyebrows and eyes of the person in the painting. When he encountered the hideous scar, he did not hesitate for a moment.
Song Linsheng stared intently, afraid of missing anything.
But Lord Jia's reaction seemed... nothing unusual.
"This is the ringleader of yesterday's attack. He has a scar running down his face, making him very easy to identify." Song Linsheng finished speaking, then added, "Although he was a bit arrogant yesterday, I'm afraid he'll be in a disguise now that he's revealed his face. We need to investigate more thoroughly."
"Of course." Yang Sheng responded. Although he didn't know what had happened before and how Lord Song got this portrait, since Lord Song was willing to help, it was really great. "Thank you, Lord Song."
Lord Jia's gaze no longer lingered on the portrait of the scarred man. He hurriedly flipped through the rest of the portraits, took a quick look, and had a general idea in his mind.
Then he raised his hand to put the scroll away. Yang Sheng, who was beside him, saw this and quickly helped him. When he put the scroll into his arms, Lord Jia's voice rang out.
"Go and dispatch the yamen runners, gather the troops, and then wait for me for a moment." Jia Ren instructed Yang Sheng.
Yang Sheng hurriedly agreed and left, leaving only Jia Ren, Song Linsheng and Xiyan in the room.
"Sir Song, please forgive me." Jia Ren clasped his hands together and bowed to Song Linsheng. "It's just that since I have to inspect the entire Jiangyang, you should be included."
"Please allow me to ask, is there anyone missing in your family? Or... murdered?" Jia Ren lowered his voice, as if testing something.
Xi Yan stepped forward upon hearing this. There were dozens of people in the Song residence, and the young master had just returned, so how could he take care of everything? These matters had been handled by Uncle Song in the past, and he had only recently followed Uncle Song to take over, so he knew more than the young master.
"Replying to Lord Jia, no one has gone missing from the Song residence. Thank you for your concern."
Song Linsheng remained silent. If Lord Jia wanted to investigate, he should start with him, but...
"Oh? Then why don't you see Miss Wen today?" Jia Ren's face was calm and his words were sincere. "She used to be always by your side."
Song Linsheng's heart sank. He hadn't expected Lord Jia to ask such a direct question. A chill ran down his spine, but he remained gentle in his response.
"Lady Wenyu was caught in the water last month and has been bedridden for the past few days. She hasn't gone out since."
Jia Ren did not ask any more questions, but tried to smooth things over. "Of course, of course. Since you are injured, you should rest well. As long as you are safe and your life is not in danger, that's all that matters."
With that, Jia Ren said goodbye to Song Linsheng. After getting Song Linsheng's consent, he left quickly.
Song Linsheng stayed in the hall, watching Jia Ren's departing figure from afar. He walked in the courtyard. The weeping crabapples on both sides of the wall were in full bloom, decorating both sides of the road.
Lord Jia seemed to be walking on a flowery path, but he didn't know where the path would lead to...
Song Linsheng sighed softly, supporting the table with one hand. He seemed to be exhausted, and even his shoulders, which had been straight all the time, sank a little.
"Young Master, are you okay?" Xi Yan reached out to support Song Linsheng, and asked with concern, "Young Master, you haven't slept all night. Why don't you sit down and rest for a while?"
He knew that the young master was weak.
In his early years, when the young master was young, a wandering sorcerer who came from nowhere said that the young master was weak and difficult to raise, and asked his husband and wife to take good care of him.
In the past, the young master strictly followed the rules set for him by his elder brother. There were strict standards for when to sleep, when to get up, and what to eat and use.
But ever since returning to Jiangyang, or rather, ever since meeting Madam Wen, the young master has never had a regular meal or rest schedule.
Counting the time when he came back from Houchun Mountain after offering sacrifices to the gods, and then the time when Madam Tongwen suffered disaster in Yuanshui, plus this time, it is the third time.
If he continues like this, it will cause great harm to his body. He is afraid that by the time Madam Wen returns, the young master will have collapsed.
Xiyan sighed in his heart, thinking that the young master might be seriously ill.
But before Xiyan could finish his words, Song Linsheng spoke up to stop him.
"If I rest for a moment longer, she will be in more danger. If I lose even half a bit, she will suffer even more."
Song Linsheng swallowed, as if swallowing all the fatigue and weakness into his stomach. He kept silent and never mentioned his current condition.
But Xiyan saw it all. The young master seemed to be easily defeated by the slightest breeze. What should he do if this continues?
However, Xi Yan did not continue to advise him. He knew in his heart that for the young master, the safety of Madam Wen was the most important thing.
But he didn't expect that the young master, who was so methodical and abided by the rules, would be so flustered for one person.
He promised today to give out ten thousand gold to help Lord Jia, but Xiyan could see clearly in his heart that the young master was obviously afraid that the letter was sent by the person yesterday, and that they would harm Madam Wen because they could not get the ransom.
It’s just that this money…it’s not that the mansion can’t pay it out, but the amount is too large. I’m sure the eldest master will notice this when he presents the account book next month.
Xi Yan shook his head. If the eldest master knew, then he knew. It was no use asking any more questions. When things here were settled, the young master would handle it himself.
He pushed all the distractions out of his mind and focused on the present moment, "Master, then we..."
"Wash the inkstone." Song Linsheng suddenly called out, "You speak first?"
After washing the inkstone for a moment, he could no longer recall what he had just said. "Sir, please go first."
Song Linsheng nodded slightly. The two of them were talking at the same time and had a conversation. According to Xiyan's habit, he probably forgot everything he said.
"When you were in the government office before, did you have any dealings with the young man named Yang Sheng who was with Lord Jia?"
"Hmm?" Xiyan hummed, not knowing why Song Linsheng asked this question.
"I see you two are about the same age, and I've seen each other quite often in the government office. I wonder if you've ever spoken to each other?"
Yang Sheng looked a little green and immature, but he was quite clever, and his speech and behavior were not like those of an ordinary servant or attendant.
"Young Master." Xi Yan pondered over his young master's words, but after filtering the memories in his mind, the doubt in his eyes became even more intense. "Young Master, it seems that I rarely encounter this person in the government office."
"Even during those previous meetings, he didn't seem to show up."
Hadn't he and the young master always been together? Since he had rarely seen him, the young master should have no impression of him, so why would he suddenly bring him up?
Never appeared?
Song Linsheng followed Xiyan's words and thought about it again, and found that it was indeed the case. Even on the day he first arrived at the government office, he had never seen Yangsheng by Lord Jia's side.
If he was a personal servant, why wouldn't he always carry him with him?
But if not, then how come they look so familiar? His tone and demeanor, including his habit of speaking in defense of Lord Jia, all show how close they are.
And why did he suddenly barge into the meeting room today? Could it be that he hadn't noticed that Xiyan and I had already arrived at the government office?
If so...
Song Linsheng's gaze went across the threshold, passed the weeping crabapple trees in the yard, and looked straight in the direction where Lord Jia and Yang Sheng left.
There was a moment of silence, and just when Xiyan was about to speak out to remind him, Song Linsheng spoke.
"Go to the government office and look for Lord Mu."
Song Linsheng glanced at the bandage on Xiyan's neck and saw that there was no new blood seeping out. He finally relaxed. Among the things that made him anxious, there was finally one thing that made him feel a little more at ease.
As for Lord Mu, Lord Mu has been working in Jiangyang Prefecture for longer than him, and must know more information. In addition to the things they had discussed before, he still has some other things to ask Lord Mu.
The originally quiet Jiangyang government office became busy with the actions of Jia Ren and Song Linsheng. The noises of people and horses being organized could be heard inside and outside, startling many birds in the courtyard.
It was like a silent scroll suddenly moving, and the people in the painting were moving in an orderly manner.
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