Rongguo Mansion, Jia Cong’s courtyard.

As the sky in the east began to brighten, graceful figures moved back and forth in the yard, their skirts fluttering in the wind, and the maids began to move around.

Some people braided their hair and walked out of the wing room, some people fetched water and lit the stove to boil water, and some people went to the kitchen in the inner courtyard to urge for breakfast.

Jia Cong woke up at the appointed time, but today was the fifth day of rest, so he didn’t need to rush to the Meridian Gate before dawn.

He had just lifted the curtain and got out of bed when Lingguan, who was lying on the bed beside him, heard the noise, sat up, rubbed his eyes and got out of bed.

Jia Cong saw that she was wearing a light green thin silk dress, with a piece of goose yellow embroidered bodice showing underneath. Her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, and she looked sleepy, which made her look lovable.

Although she is only a young girl and has not yet fully grown, she comes from a theatrical background and has practiced vocal training, physical training and mental concentration all year round, so she has a natural aura and grace.

Even though she was young, she had a slender and graceful figure, and her manners were graceful and gentle, just like the young branches of spring buds in February, appearing unusually graceful and pretty.

Lingguan is very sleepy at her age. Even after she got up, she was still a little drowsy. Her slender white feet scratched on the ground for a long time before she found her embroidered slippers.

She hurried to the clothes rack, took Jia Cong’s robe and belt, walked around him for a while, and helped him put on his clothes.

Seeing her sleepy face, Jia Cong thought that if she were in later generations, she would probably be spoiled like a princess at her age, so there would be no need for her to get up before dawn to do things.

She smiled and said, “Girls are different from boys. At your age, you need to sleep more so that you can grow up. Let Qingwen and the others take over for a few more days. There are brothers and sisters in the yard.

From now on, I’ll make a rule that those who are younger than me in the yard are not allowed to stay up late or get up early in the next two years to avoid damaging their energy.

You go lie on the bed and I’ll wait for Wu’er and the others to come and take care of it.”

Lingguan said with a slight frown, “That won’t do. Sister Zhishao asked me to take over the night watch before she left. How can I sleep in when the Third Master is up?”

Jia Cong smiled and said, “In that case, from now on every fifth day, I won’t have to get up early to attend court, and you can come to guard the night. I’ll get up later, and we can both get more sleep.”

Lingguan smiled brightly, her beauty was so pretty that it dazzled everyone’s eyes. She chuckled and said, “Third Master, this is a very good idea. We will do it this way from now on. Don’t go back on your word.”

She looked so happy because according to the usual practice in the hospital, she didn’t have to work night shifts. It was only when Zhishao and others had reasons that they temporarily asked her to take over.

That was only ten days or half a month, and she would only come across it once in a while. Under normal circumstances, she would not come to guard every five nights…

Jia Cong asked, “Lingguan, what do you have to say to the maid who sent Zhishao and Xiuyan to the Muni Courtyard? Is Master Xiushan’s old illness getting better?
Lingguan said: “Mrs. Chen came back and said that the nun’s illness has been getting better and worse. A few days ago, the third master asked Doctor Zhang to prescribe medicine, and she has gradually improved in the past few days.

Because it will be Master Xiushan’s 68th birthday in a few days, Sister Zhishao and Miss Xiuyan will stay for a few more days and accompany Master Xiushan until the end of her birthday celebration before returning.”

Lingguan helped Jia Cong put on his clothes, and then helped him comb and tie his hair in front of the dressing mirror.

Although she had worked night shifts for Jia Cong several times, she was still new to the job and was not very familiar with Jia Cong’s daily life.

Every morning after she got up, Zhishao, Qingwen and other skillful people would come in to help Jia Cong comb and tie his hair.

For some unknown reason, Qingwen, who usually comes, has not come today. Jia Cong asks Lingguan and finds out that Qingwen was not feeling well yesterday.

Lingguan was good at helping Jia Cong comb his hair, but she was a little clumsy when it came to helping him tie his hair into a bun. She fiddled with Jia Cong’s head several times but couldn’t get it neat and proper.

Jia Cong was rubbed and scratched on the head by her little hands, and because of the itchiness, he couldn’t help laughing several times.

At this time, the door opened and Wu’er came in with a copper basin of hot water. Seeing Lingguan with her hair tied up, she couldn’t help but smile.

She said, “Lingguan, let me help Third Master tie up his hair. Please help me get ready to go early. Third Master has to go to the government office after he finishes his work.”

Lingguan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, but her little face still looked depressed and inevitably a little discouraged.

Wu Er smiled and said, “Men’s hair buns are different from ours. It’s okay if they are a little unfamiliar. You will get used to it after a few more times.”

After hearing this, Lingguan felt relieved, smiled, and went out of the room to prepare breakfast.

……

Wu’er undid Lingguan’s hair bun and combed it carefully with a comb.

She looked through the dressing mirror and saw Jia Cong closing his eyes contentedly, letting her fiddle with his hair, and she smiled knowingly.

The sky outside gradually brightened, and the bright morning light shining through the window lattice shone on the two of them, bringing a hint of early summer warmth.

The two figures were projected on the dark red jujube wood floor, leaning against each other, revealing an unspoken understanding.

Wu Er’s voice rang in Jia Cong’s ears: “Third Master, something happened in Second Madam’s yard yesterday. Third Master left the court late, and I didn’t have time to talk to him.”

Jia Cong asked, “What’s the matter?”

Wu Er said, “Yesterday, Madam Xue and Miss Bao came to see Second Madam, and Second Madam suddenly asked about the Zhen family in Jinling.

The concubine said that the Zhen family was in great danger now. The eldest son of the Zhen family was involved in the private manufacture of muskets, which was a crime tantamount to treason. It was rumored in Nanjing that the Zhen family would be punished and their property confiscated by the imperial court.

After hearing these words, the Second Mistress’s face turned ugly, and she looked very concerned about the affairs of the Zhen family in Jinling, as if it had something to do with her.

But I have been with her for some time, and I have never heard that the Second Madam has any relationship with the Zhen family in Jinling, so I find this a little strange.”

After hearing Wu’er’s words, Jia Cong opened his eyes suddenly.

After thinking for a while, he said, “It does sound a bit strange. My second sister-in-law has been married to Shenjing for some years, and I have never heard of her having any relationship with the Zhen family.

Although there has always been some friendship between the aristocratic families in Jinling, my second sister-in-law was born in the Wang family of Jinling, which is such an aristocratic family.
But when my second sister-in-law was in Jinling, she was just an unmarried lady who never went out of the house, so it was unlikely that she had a deep relationship with the Zhen family.

She is a very shrewd person and she never speaks or does things without reason.

She would specifically ask my aunt about the Zhen family. After hearing about the dangers of the Zhen family, she would still look like this. There must be a reason for it…”

Jia Cong thought carefully in his heart, because of his appearance, many people and things in the original trajectory had undergone drastic changes.

Everything was taking a completely new path, making it impossible for him to make an accurate inference.

He had some guesses about Wang Xifeng’s unusual behavior, but based on her interest in the Zhen family, the information was limited and he could not be sure for the time being…

Wu Er said, “I think that Third Master and Miss Zhen have a connection, and Miss Zhen cares a lot about Third Master, which is rare.

The Zhen family is about to be in trouble. Miss Zhen has returned to Jinling and no one knows whether she will suffer. The Second Mistress is suddenly involved.

I thought that if the Third Master knew about this, he would be prepared in case something went wrong. “

As Wu’er spoke, she swiftly helped Jia Cong tie up his hair, inserted a jade hairpin, and casually pulled the wrinkles of his clothes on his shoulders.

After hearing her words, Jia Cong pressed her gentle and slender hand on his shoulder and said, “It’s hard for you to be so thoughtful and think of everything for me.

Although Miss Zhen is a woman, she is quite strategic. When she was in Shenjing, she had already learned about the risks facing the Zhen family from other channels.

She dared to return to Jinling at this time, so she must have taken precautions, so I am not worried that she will suffer any loss. “

……

In fact, ever since Zhen Fangqing left the capital, Jia Cong had sent a letter to Qu Hongxiu in Nanjing, asking her to keep an eye on the affairs of the Zhen family.

He wrote to Qu Hongxiu not only to ask Jinling Xinchunhao to pay attention to the development of the situation, but also to find a way to help Zhen Fangqing in case of crisis.

Moreover, Jinling Xinchunhao has had a lot of business dealings with Zhen Fangqing in the past year.

This includes the new store opened by Zhen Fangqing in Jinling last year, which specializes in selling Xinchunhao products. Relying on the Zhen family’s business connections, the business was once booming.

However, this newly opened shop began to wind down its business last month and stopped purchasing new goods from Xinchunhao. It is currently in a semi-suspended state.

Another important aspect of the business dealings between the two companies is that the perfumes and other products made by the Xinchun are sold overseas through the Zhenjiahai fleet.

Now that the Zhen family is facing drastic changes, the business involvement between Xinchunhao and the Zhen family must be cut off and covered up to the greatest extent possible to avoid unnecessary involvement.

The two of them had planned this matter when Jia Cong saw Zhen Fangqing off that day.

This is not only a common business practice, but also stems from the ambiguous relationship and private friendship between the two.

With the last overseas cargo of Xinchun, Zhen Jiahai’s fleet disappeared in the open sea and no news was heard from it since then.

This matter spread rapidly in Jinling City through various channels and is now known to everyone.

This also caused the Xinchun to become a Jinling cargo merchant that suffered huge losses of personnel and cargo due to the Zhen family’s fleet, and to some extent it also cut ties with the Zhen family.

Even the Jiangnan branch of Jinling Xinchunhao has filed a huge claim against the Zhen family and has filed the documents with the Ministry of Internal Affairs…

……

Jia Cong said: “The affairs of the Zhen family are quite risky. Second sister-in-law is not as kind as you and Ping’er. She is shrewd and bold, and a little unconventional.

She has often overstepped the boundaries in the past, and I hope she will listen to her aunt and be more alert and not do anything inappropriate.”

Jia Cong smiled again and said, “But since you are helping me to watch over the West Mansion, I don’t have to worry too much. Nothing serious will happen.”

Wu Er smiled and said, “Qing Wen always says that I am a housekeeper. Third Master, don’t worry. Wu Er will definitely help you be a good housekeeper.”

Jia Cong leaned back, resting his head in Wu’er’s soft arms, and said with a smile, “I won’t just let you be the housekeeper.”

The reason why Jia Cong said this was that Wu’er had already performed the family ceremony to Lady Jia in Rongqing Hall. The maid who had accompanied and served Lady Jia since childhood now had a different status.

Wu’er’s pretty face turned pink, her heart was beating wildly, a charming smile appeared on her face, she bit her cherry lips slightly, and wrapped her arms around his neck passionately, holding him gently in her arms.

Jia Cong closed his eyes slightly, feeling at ease, and gently rubbed Wu’er’s delicate and soft hands, immersed in the sweet fragrance of honey. An unknown amount of time passed, and the sun gradually became brighter outside the window, until Lingguan prepared breakfast and came to call them to have breakfast.

……

Shenjing, the palace city of the Great Zhou, Qianyang Palace.

The summer was as hot as fire, and the originally cool hall became somewhat hot and stuffy.

Therefore, before noon every day, Guo Lin would ask the eunuchs to sprinkle well water around the hall to eliminate the accumulated heat.

Two brass ice jars were placed on both sides of the emperor’s desk, filled with crystal clear crushed ice, emitting bursts of icy mist, which quickly cooled the heat in the hall.

Emperor Jiazhao was wearing a bright yellow thin satin casual dress and a light and breathable golden-winged hat on his head. He was concentrating on reading various memorials.

Most of these memorials were from officials from various places forwarded by the Ministry of Public Administration, and some were review memorials urgently sent from Nanjing by the Three Law Departments.

Since the morning court session that day, officials from various departments have impeached the Jinling Zhen family for their illegal acts and demanded a thorough investigation and trial.

Emperor Jiazhao took advantage of the situation and issued an edict in court, instructing the three judicial departments to send officers, with the Dali Temple taking charge of the trial. They were required to go south within half a month to review Zhen Shiwen’s evidence of disobedience and confirm his guilt according to the law.

Over the past two days, the three judicial departments have been reviewing and reporting the memorials, working day and night and sending reports back to the capital one after another by express horses.

However, after reading these reports, Emperor Jiazhao felt disappointed.

Although the Royal Guard arrested Chen Rong, the steward of the Zhen family, and extracted evidence that Zhen Shiwen had deliberately manufactured firearms privately, the three judicial departments were able to confirm the facts after review.

However, the investigation into the major illegal firearms manufacturing case that shook Jiangnan last year came to an abrupt halt here, with no further progress.

Even with the shrewdness and ability of Wang Zhangjiang, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it would be difficult to resolve the remaining doubts in the case except for proving that Zhen Shiwen was the main culprit in the private manufacture of firearms.

Whether it is Yang Hongbin, the Dali Temple Chief who came to Nanjing for re-investigation, or Wei Guanyao, the Dali Minister who is in charge of the government office in the Shenjing.

They came into contact with various evidence documents provided by Jinyiwei, reviewed the clues of the major case of illegal manufacture of firearms, and were able to easily discover the key and strange things.

Although Zhen Shiwen, the eldest son of the Zhen family, was the main culprit in the illegal firearms manufacturing case, he was not the real mastermind behind the scenes.

They looked through the documents of the Xiuchun Street murder case in Jinling, as well as the confession of the maid of Zhen Shiwen’s mistress Yu Niang.

Zhen Shiwen and Yu Niang were killed in the middle of the night by someone who broke into their home. The move was quick and silent.

None of the gold, silver and other valuables in the room were missing, so it was definitely not the work of an ordinary thief. It was obvious that Zhen Shiwen was silenced.

The murderer was the real mastermind behind the Jinling firearms smuggling case, but all the clues leading to the final truth had been cut off in time.

Even though Wang Zhangjiang, Yang Hongbin, Wei Guanyao and others were experts in investigating cases and arresting criminals, they were at a loss as to what to do.

All doubts regarding the inspection and review of this case were described in detail in the memorials submitted by the three judicial departments.

Emperor Jia Zhao read the memorials of the three judicial departments and understood that this major case of privately manufacturing firearms in Nanjing had been investigated many times, but at present it could only be used to convict the Zhen family.

Those things that made him fearful, worried, and sinister, could never be uncovered, and he didn’t know when they would be revealed to the world…

……

Emperor Jia Zhao read the memorial and took a gray-white secret note from the imperial desk. It was a report from the Nanjing Central Chariot Division, which was delivered to the palace at noon after being sent by an express horse of 800 miles.

For major cases, the three judicial departments would conduct open investigations while the Central Vehicle Department would conduct secret investigations. This has always been the way Emperor Jiazhao handled things, in order to avoid partial listening and believing in one side, which would deceive his ears.

Therefore, after reading the memorials from the three judicial departments, he also read the secret reports from the Central Vehicle Department very carefully.

The contents recorded in the secret notes of the Central Railway Department are different from those in the memorials of the Three Law Departments and take a different focus.

The investigation of the Zhen Shi case was only briefly mentioned to avoid overlap with the memorials from the three judicial departments, and the secret notes contained more records of the circumstances surrounding the major case.

After the imperial edict was issued to Jinling, Zhen Shijia, the head of the Zhen family, was dismissed from his post and investigated, causing an uproar in Jinling City.

Because everyone believed that the Zhen family’s empire was about to collapse and that their property would be confiscated and their family would be exterminated, many merchants who had business dealings with the Zhen family cut off all trade with them.

Many merchants who owed money to the Zhen family gathered in various stores of the Zhen family, and even stormed the Zhen family mansion, demanding various business payments.

Liu Xian, the manager of the second branch of the Zhen family, had a hard time coping, but Zhen Fangqing, who was in charge of the Zhen family’s business, never showed up.

The CRRC’s secret agents conducted a secret investigation in the city and confirmed that Zhen Fangqing was not in Jinling City and her whereabouts were unknown…

When Emperor Jia Zhao saw this, he became suspicious and asked, “Guo Lin, according to your report, Zhen Fangqing left Shenjing more than ten days ago.

Even if the journey was slow, we should have reached Jinling long ago. But how come there was no trace of her now? Did something happen along the way?

Although the old Concubine Zhen has passed away, my father still has some feelings for her.

The court is currently handling a major case, and the charges against the Zhen family have not yet been settled. If something happens to her at this time, it will be embarrassing for me.”

Guo Lin said: “This matter is indeed a bit strange. The Jinling Central Vehicle Division has deployed a lot of people to search inside and outside Jinling City, but there is no trace of her.

More than ten family members from the Zhen family who left the capital with her have also lost contact and their whereabouts are unknown.

I will immediately send a letter to the Jinling Central Vehicle Division, asking them to intensify their search efforts and make sure to find Zhen Fangqing’s whereabouts.”

Emperor Jia Zhao pondered for a moment and said, “The Zhen family is facing a dramatic change now. Zhen Fangqing left Beijing to return home, but disappeared at this time.

If she was killed by a thug on the way, that would be fine, and it would just be a matter of catching the murderer.

If she deliberately concealed her tracks, then she must have other intentions. The old empress dowager’s great-granddaughter, although a woman, is no ordinary person.

To find her whereabouts, we should not only search in Jinling City, but also check all places along the way from Shenjing to Jinling.

Fortunately, although she is somewhat extraordinary, she is a woman after all, and has nothing to do with the overall situation. I will do my best to find it, and I will have an explanation to my father in the future.”

Guo Lin quickly responded, “I obey your order.”

……

After Emperor Jia Zhao had said this, he put it aside for the time being and continued to read the secret letter in his hand.

The secret letter then narrates that Yang Hongbin, the chief judge of the Dali Temple who was in charge of the case, was worried that the situation would escalate and lead to robbery and armed fighting, which would endanger the safety of the people in the temporary capital.

The Zhen family was a criminal under the imperial court, and their properties were yet to be dealt with. The debts owed by merchants would be dealt with according to the contract between the two parties, and any breach of contract would be ignored.

He sent a letter to Jia Yucun, the prefect of Yingtian, to mobilize runners from all over the city to guard the Zhen family’s store and mansion, suppress the merchants in the market, and protect them from any disturbance.

The appendix to the secret note of the China Railway Corporation contains a detailed list of merchants that have commercial disputes with the Zhen family.

Emperor Jiazhao browsed around casually and unexpectedly found a familiar name, the Jiangnan Headquarters of Huangshang Xinchunhao.

Emperor Jia Zhao spoke in a slightly cold tone, and asked, “Jia Cong is behind Xinchunhao. Does he also have business dealings with the Zhen family?”

Guo Lin was awed and replied, “Your Majesty, the Jinling Carriage Department has carefully investigated this matter. The Zhen and Jia families are old friends in Jinling and have had frequent exchanges over the years.

Last year, Jia Cong went to Nanjing to handle a major case involving the Wei army. He came to visit Old Madam Zhen as a courtesy and thus got acquainted with Zhen Fangqing.

The Jinling branch of Xinchunhao is now doing a booming business and is attracting much attention in Jinling, making it a leading business in Jinling.

Zhen Fangqing is in charge of the Zhen family’s business. When it comes to business, he naturally acts for profit. The Zhen and Jia families are old friends.

Both in public and in private, it is reasonable for her to have business dealings with Xinchunhao since she has the connections of Jia Cong.

According to reports from officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Xinchunhao was recorded in the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ accounts last year with an annual profit of over 300,000 taels.

In the early spring of this year, Xinchunhao Jiangnan Head Office borrowed the Zhenjiahai fleet to market perfumes and other products in overseas countries, making huge profits.

If this trend continues, this year or next, Xinchunhao will be able to fulfill Jia Cong’s original promise and achieve an annual profit of 500,000 taels within three years of establishment.”

When Emperor Jia Zhao heard this, his eyes brightened slightly, and he murmured, “I didn’t expect that he really did it…”

Guo Lin said: “But something unexpected has happened. Last month, the Zhenjiahai fleet left the port twice, loaded with a large amount of Xinchun’s commercial goods, and exported them to foreign countries as usual.

However, this time the fleet went out to sea and there has been no news of its return since then.

After the Zhen family incident, the Jinling Railway Company paid attention to the matter and sent personnel to investigate.

Later, it was reported that according to coastal ship owners, hurricanes frequently struck the sea around May of this year.

Many ships sank and perished after going out to sea. Most of the Zhen family’s ships had probably met with disaster and were doomed to fail.

Therefore, the Xinchunhao Jiangnan branch suffered heavy losses this time, and it appeared in the list of those seeking to recover the money from the Zhen family.”

Emperor Jia Zhao pondered for a moment and asked, “This is somewhat coincidental. He died at sea at this time. Is the information from the Jinling Zhongchesi reliable?”

Guo Lin replied: “Your Majesty, the Jinling Central Vehicle Division is led remotely by the Grand Supervisor of Shenjing, and the current head of the Jinling Central Vehicle Division is an old man who has been in the division for more than ten years.

He is smart and capable, and is trustworthy. His information will never be wrong.

However, what the emperor said makes a lot of sense. It is indeed strange that the Zhen family’s fleet happened to have an accident when the Zhen family’s crimes were settled.

I will issue another notice regarding this matter and ask them to increase the manpower to investigate.

No matter what the outcome of the Zhenjiahai fleet is, we must find out the exact result of life and death…” (End of this chapter)