Chapter 279

Gritting his teeth, he growled low.

"Su Qiao, let's see what happens."

The next morning.

Qi Tai walked straight into the Donggong.

Zhu Yunwen, seated in the main hall, looked at the mountain of memorials to the throne piled before him.

He could not help but frown slightly.

"Ever since Mr. Su turned Jin Ling upside down, these memorials have only grown more numerous."

"Write a note later and ask Fourth Uncle if we should admit more candidates to this year's imperial examinations; every department of the court is short on hands."

The young eunuch at his side responded and departed.

Zhu Yunwen could not resist pouting and complaining.

"Sigh, it seems I truly am not cut out to be Emperor; Fourth Uncle handles the administration far more steadily than I do."

Qi Tai looked at Zhu Yunwen and clasped his hands, saying.

"This subject greets His Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Yunwen raised his head, looked at the Qi Tai before him, and hurriedly said.

"Someone, offer Master Qi a seat."

"Yes."

"Master Qi, do you have any other urgent official matters? Zhu Yunwen is nearly overwhelmed."

Qi Tai hurriedly drew a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Zhu Yunwen, saying.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Recently, an unusually large number of shipping firms have suddenly appeared in the suburbs of the capital, and people from numerous neighboring Junxian have flocked to the capital."

"Many counties have already issued wanted notices, and the Wucheng Military Command has petitioned to send troops out of the city to assist in investigating the shipping firms to check for wanted criminals."

Zhu Yunwen did not even lift his head.

"What is Master Qi's opinion?"

Qi Tai looked at Zhu Yunwen and spoke softly.

"If the Wucheng Military Command rashly goes out to investigate, it may be seen as disturbing the people... but these ships are all being prepared for sea voyages."

"If someone takes advantage of the loophole and escapes to sea."

"In the future, they will surely become a grave threat to Great Ming."

Hearing this, Zhu Yunwen also nodded and said.

"Master Qi speaks most wisely; in that case, I shall approve this memorial."

Upon hearing this, Qi Tai was immediately overjoyed in his heart.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"I shall immediately send it to the Grand Secretariat for the Son of Heaven's imperial approval."

Watching Qi Tai rise as if to leave, Zhu Yunwen could not help but laugh.

"Master Qi, you are confused, are you not? Grandfather the Emperor once said."

"Matters that are not of military or state importance may be approved by Zhu Yunwen and Fourth Uncle."

"If Master Qi goes off so rashly, will you not just cause Grandfather the Emperor to scold you again for no reason?"

Qi Tai then suddenly slapped his forehead and laughed.

"Oh my, look at my brain! Then I shall immediately send it to the Wucheng Military Command."

"That way we can settle this matter quickly."

"Very well, someone, escort Master Qi out for me."

"Yes!"

Carrying the memorial approved by Zhu Yunwen, it was quickly delivered into the hands of the Wucheng Military Command within Jin Ling.

And the Beicheng Military Command, besides receiving the memorial.

Also received a wanted notice from the Lishui area of the Yingtian Prefecture.

It stated that a tenant farmer had committed adultery with his landlord's concubine.

He then fled to a certain shipping firm in Jin Ling, preparing to seize the opportunity to escape by sea.

They even provided the name of the shipping firm.

That same evening.

The soldiers of the Beicheng Military Command directly surrounded the location of the shipping firm.

All apprentices and masters on the dock were apprehended on the spot.

And the Beicheng Military Command, "as expected," found a "suspect" within the shipping firm whose appearance matched the portrait.

The shopkeeper, the Proprietor, and that "suspect" were seized on the spot.

Everyone on the entire dock stood frozen in place.

And the most anxious was the Proprietor of the shipping firm.

"Your Excellencies, I am a fellow townsman of your Commander; please show mercy. We have orders pending here; we cannot afford a single day's delay!"

The leading Captain looked at the Proprietor with furrowed brows for a long time.

Then he clasped his hands and said.

"Shopkeeper Sun, is it? We are also acting under orders, and this is a case personally approved by superiors; even our Commander has no authority to intervene."

"Matters of life and death are at stake. Forgive the offense."

Having spoken, that Captain waved his hand.

Immediately, several men stepped forward and directly detained everyone at the dock.

They walked toward the distant prison of the Yingtian Prefecture.

The moment everyone was locked inside the prison, the Proprietor of the shipping agency had already collapsed, sitting on the ground.

"Soldier, how long must we stay here?"

The Proprietor looked at the jailer outside with near-despair.

The jailer casually picked up a file, looked at the Proprietor of the shipping agency before him, and then replied,

"About a month, I suppose."

"Mainly, someone needs to be sent from Lishui to verify identities. If the identities are confirmed in the end, proving you have no connection to this case, you can return."

Hearing this,

that Proprietor knelt to the ground with a "thud."

"Soldier, please have mercy. Our orders from that side are indeed extremely urgent. If we delay this order, the accounts at the Baochao Bureau cannot be settled, and my entire life's savings will be gone."

"I guarantee you, not a single person from our shipping agency will be lost."

"Just let us go back!"

Seeing this Proprietor kneel to the ground,

clearly the jailer panicked too.

A man has Huang Jin beneath his knees.

Especially this Shopkeeper; one could tell he had some connections in the Capital in his daily life.

Why was he suddenly forced to this extent today?

"No, Shopkeeper Sun, do not do this. I cannot bear it; this is all the Great Ming law."

"This case must follow procedure in the end. If something truly goes wrong, not to mention me, even our Commander cannot bear the responsibility!"

"Please get up quickly; there is no obstacle that cannot be crossed."

The jailer pleaded in every way possible.

Only then did that Proprietor struggle to climb up from the ground.

And the jailer fled the prison as if escaping.

He immediately ran toward the distant Military Command.

He met Wu Tingzan, the Commander of the Military Command, who was inside the Viceroy Yamen.

"My lord, that Shopkeeper Sun we brought back today seems, from the look of things, rather unusual."

"He is also your fellow townsman; if it is not possible, just let them return first."