Chapter 488

He Lingchuan asked her, "What kind of temperament does Fu Songhua have?" "He doesn't talk much, doesn't like socializing, and, and doesn't like to laugh, but he is shrewd and has his own ideas."

"How was he caught a few days ago?"

"It was hot, and he went home to have two bowls of plum juice before taking a nap, but suddenly someone rushed in from outside. Master Fu... Fu Songhua jumped over the wall to escape, and I immediately heard fighting and shouting outside. Not long after, someone came in and said Fu Songhua had been arrested, and we were all accomplices and, and all had to go to jail!"

"Have you seen Fu Songhua since you came in?"

Li shook her head.

"Who else is in his family?"

"I, I don't know. I haven't seen his family, and I haven't heard him mention them." Li said. "He usually went home after socializing outside, and he hasn't taken any concubines in these years."

"You don't know anything about his parents, brothers, wife, or children?"

"I asked before, and he only said his parents had long since passed away, and he had no brothers and hadn't married. If I asked again, he would become impatient."

As a good place for recuperation, many dignitaries would buy land and build houses here, and keep a small concubine on the side. It was not strange at all that this concubine had no contact with his family and only served them in Baishajuan.

If Fu Songhua did the same, it was not strange at all.

He Lingchuan leaned forward slightly and said softly, "Fu Songhua has already pleaded guilty. Do you know what this means?"

Li shook her head. She had been confused since she entered the jail, only knowing from the fragments of the bailiffs' words that Fu Songhua had committed a serious crime.

"Lingxu City has always severely punished enemy spies who cause trouble; beheading is the lightest punishment. Those involved will be implicated, and you won't survive either."

As soon as these words were spoken, Li's face turned pale, and she was shocked into silence.

"So think carefully: does he have any relatives? Even a tiny clue will do."

At the critical moment of life and death, Li finally racked her brains.

After a long while, she said, "Fu Songhua was not in Baishajuan during the New Year twice, and I don't know where he went. I asked, and he said he went to do business, but his managers were all still in the city."

New Year is a time for reunion; at the very least, there should be a living person around.

"Very good, anything else?"

Li thought for a while and said, "My maid, A-Mei, saw Fu Songhua buying things on the street twice. Once it was pine nut cakes that children like, and another time it was two toys, neither of which was cheap. I originally thought he took them to please the children of his clients, but now that I think about it, perhaps...?"

Perhaps Fu Songhua bought them for his own children.

Li couldn't say anything more. Before the jailer took her away, she begged for her life bitterly.

He Lingchuan could only say he would try his best.

Next, he interrogated the managers under Fu Songhua.

Only after asking did he know that Fu Songhua mainly operated an aquatic product business; that is, there were so many lakes, rivers, streams, and bays around Baishajuan that the fishing harvest was truly abundant. With both supply and demand thriving in Baishajuan and its surroundings, naturally, middlemen were needed to transport aquatic products from the fishermen's docks to the dining tables of the city dwellers, and there were plenty of merchants in the city doing this kind of fresh goods business.

Besides this, Fu Songhua also had a few side businesses to hedge during the off-season for aquatic products. Among these were oil and herbal medicine businesses, but they were only in small quantities, at least that's what the manager described.

In all of Baishajuan, there were at least three to five hundred people doing these three kinds of businesses.

The three merchants further confirmed the manager's testimony.

He Lingchuan also asked the manager, "Do you often go on business trips with Fu Songhua?"

"Yes, I have often accompanied him out for the past seven years."

"Which place does he often go to?" He Lingchuan raised his hand to stop the other party from speaking. "Which place is the one he has gone to most often in recent years?"

The last three words were emphasized.

The manager didn't think much and said, "That should be Shalun Town, sixty miles away. We go there three or four times a year. We haven't gone to other places as frequently."

"What do you do there?"

"Purchase goods. Shalun Town produces white lacquer, which can prevent decay."

He Lingchuan thought for a while and asked again, "Do you always stay at the same inn when in Shalun Town?"

"Yes, Dazhao Inn. Another inn is closer to the raw material production site, but Fu Songhua said Dazhao Inn is quieter. I originally thought he was trying to save money."

The last question: "Does he act alone while staying at Dazhao Inn?"

"Sometimes. He doesn't necessarily take me when socializing with merchants."

He Lingchuan finished asking.

After these people were taken away, he stared at the jail wall opposite in a daze.

The Baishajuan county magistrate had bumped into a few nails here and didn't dare to make a sound.

After a long while, He Lingchuan suddenly asked him, "After Zhongsunmou came to Baishajuan, which local families did he associate with most closely?"

The Baishajuan county magistrate was startled and immediately said, "How would this official dare to tail Lord Zhongsun's whereabouts?"

"I think you dare." He Lingchuan stared at him. "If not for eyes and ears all over the city, how did you discover the Inspection Envoy as soon as he arrived on your turf?"

Although Zhongsunmou was arrogant, he still had to do his job, right? He couldn't just flash his identity everywhere he went.

With so many outsiders in Baishajuan, how did the magistrate recognize the Inspection Envoy of Lingxu City? The magistrate hurriedly waved his hands. "Ah, this, how would this official have such ability?"

"You don't, then who does?" He Lingchuan looked at him, speaking earnestly. "Has County Magistrate Tian not distinguished between inside and outside yet? The Emperor's wrath, whether it's Zhongsunmou or these powerful and influential people in the city, cannot protect you!"

The admonition in his words was strong, and the Baishajuan county magistrate was in a dilemma.

Forget it, forget it; even if stretching the neck or shrinking the neck was a knife, he would get through this hurdle first. He secretly took a breath.

"It was the powerful and wealthy of Lingxu City who first discovered the Inspection Envoy's whereabouts. The news spread throughout Baishajuan in just a few days, so Lord Zhongsun has been busy with official business and socializing these past few days, unable to attend to everything."

He Lingchuan's eyes rolled. "I heard that high officials of Lingxu City also live in Baishajuan?"

"Isn't that so?" The officials in the city were all bigger than him; it wasn't easy for him to be a county magistrate.

"Do these powerful and influential people like to live in the northwest of the city?"

"Yes, the powerful and the super-rich also like to live there; the scenery is beautiful and the air is fresh." How did that saying go? Prosperity when going out, peace when entering.

He Lingchuan was thoughtful. "What kind of business do these wealthy families usually do?"

"As long as it's profitable in the Chiyan Kingdom, they probably have some of it; after all, they have money and connections." The Baishajuan county magistrate said with a bitter face, "Specifically, this official does not dare to spy."

"Don't dare to spy, but you must have 'heard' of it. Come, come, come, here is the pen, you write it." He Lingchuan pushed the white paper and pen and ink on the table in front of him. "Don't be afraid, there is no one else here, and I also guarantee to you that I will never spread it."

This paper and pen were originally prepared for suspects like Li; he didn't expect that in the end, the magistrate himself would use them.

The Baishajuan county magistrate grabbed the pen as if grabbing a hot iron, knowing he was powerless to resist, so he had to write like the wind.

He Lingchuan urged him from across the table. "Write it comprehensively; the more comprehensive, the better."

It was as if County Magistrate Tian was writing his own confession.

In an instant, he filled two large sheets of paper.

County Magistrate Tian put down the pen, pushed the paper over, and said in a low voice, "My lord, please take a look."

He Lingchuan picked it up and watched it carefully, asking him, "Are you sure there are no omissions?"

"This, it may not be comprehensive in a hurry..."

He thought He Lingchuan would reprimand him again, but he didn't expect the other party to smile. "No matter, it was I who asked for it in a hurry; you can come to me to check for gaps and fill in omissions whenever you think of them."

County Magistrate Tian was flattered instead. "Yes, yes."

"What I asked you today must not be spread."

County Magistrate Tian nodded immediately. "Definitely, definitely!" He couldn't wait.

He Lingchuan smiled at the fierce tiger lying on the ground. "Old Jiao, are you tired from this journey?"

Jiao Yu was already used to his style and remained indifferent. "What do you want me to do? Just say it."

"I need you to go on an urgent errand." He Lingchuan leaned close to its ear and muttered.

The Baishajuan county magistrate didn't dare to eavesdrop and instead stepped back two steps to avoid suspicion.

He saw the fierce tiger shaking its ears—He Lingchuan was leaning too close.

After finally waiting for him to finish, it hurriedly nodded. "Good, I'll go right now." It stood up, arched its back to stretch, and walked out with a tiger's gait.

He Lingchuan looked at its back and exclaimed, "Demons are truly honest; once they promise, they go, not playing those fake games."

The Baishajuan county magistrate felt he was being targeted and could only keep accompanying him with a smile.

He Lingchuan then stood up and stretched. "Alright, find me a place to stay; it must have good scenery."

County Magistrate Tian let out a long sigh of relief; he had finally reached the part he was best at!...

Early the next morning, He Lingchuan went out to enjoy the mountains and water.

He didn't hide his whereabouts, and many powerful and wealthy people in the city heard that the Crown Prince's Special Envoy had arrived, so they sent him invitations to meet.

He Lingchuan had no time to socialize and was just about to throw away all the invitations when he inadvertently saw the signature on one of them, so he tucked it into his bosom and went out.

This was sent by a retired official of the Chiyan Kingdom.

Baishajuan was unique in a world full of green mountains and clear waters, with fine-as-snow sandbars, flat lakes where ten thousand birds gathered, and ice springs that still emitted cold air in midsummer; it was indeed a holy land for living.

Today, it was still the Baishajuan county magistrate accompanying him.

After soaking in the hot spring and coming out, He Lingchuan straightened his clothes. "County Magistrate Tian, the scenery of Baishajuan is beautiful, truly living up to its reputation, but why is there renovation everywhere? This clanging sound is really not generally disappointing."

Along the way, he saw at least two scenic spots under renovation, as well as a temple, and three private mansions, all with craftsmen working in full swing.

Even the hot spring villa they had just come out of had a gatehouse under repair, and the gate had just been painted; it had a smell.

"My lord, Baishajuan is known as the confluence of a hundred waters; there are thirty-seven lakes of various sizes alone, not to mention rivers, streams, ponds, and marshes. There has been a lot of rain this spring and summer, and this water vapor erodes the wood severely, so it must be repaired frequently, right? Otherwise, if falling wood hits someone, it will be a big trouble."

There were too many local dignitaries; if a flowerpot or wood chip fell from upstairs, whoever it hit would be rich or noble.

He Lingchuan said "Oh." "I want to go to the Chaohu Tower; how far is it?"

"Very close, you can get there in a quarter of an hour on foot." The Baishajuan county magistrate recommended, "It's very comfortable to drink tea and watch the scenery there."

"Good, lead the way."

(End of chapter)