Chapter 146: Does His Family Even Deserve to Be Enshrined in the Imperial Temple

Bianjing

In the imperial palace, a high-ranking eunuch held a small bamboo tube in both hands, hurried into the hall, and respectfully said beside the Emperor: "Your Majesty, a secret report from Yang Zhou."

The Emperor continued reading the Zou Zhang on the desk, reached out, and now held a small bamboo tube in his hand; he opened it and poured out the small slip of paper inside.

After reading it, the Emperor frowned and said, "How short a time has passed, and yet things over there have become so chaotic?" The high-ranking eunuch beside him naturally dared not say much.

Pinching the small bamboo tube, the Emperor pondered for a moment before saying, "A few days ago, when Princess Pingning came to the palace, did she speak with the Empress about her husband's affairs?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, Princess Princess Pingning said that since her husband inherited the title of Duke of Qi, she has had no opportunity to show filial devotion to Your Majesty and the Empress; she discussed with the Empress that, as the end of the first lunar month approaches, she intends to voluntarily reduce her fiefdom to lessen the burden on the court."

Hearing this, the Emperor smiled and said, "Princess Pingning is indeed a child with a filial heart. Draft an edict: let the Qi family go to Jiangnan East Circuit to assist in handling this matter."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Also, send an invitation to the Yasi: have the Xiaqi Army of the Cavalry Corps dispatch one or half a battalion, and the Tianwu Army of the Infantry Corps also dispatch half a battalion, to follow alongside the Duke of Qi."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Xingguo Ward

The Residence of the Duke of Qi

The servants were clearing away the incense altar and other items used for receiving the imperial edict; the newly appointed Duke of Qi looked happily at Princess Princess Pingning and said, "Lady, I have troubled you."

Princess Princess Pingning smiled and said, "Husband and wife are one body; this is what I ought to do."

Rubbing his hands, the Duke of Qi looked at his Wu Da Da Niangzi and said, "Then, shall we have our family's fleet prepare immediately, so we may set out on an auspicious day?"

Seeing the serious look in Princess Princess Pingning's eyes, the Duke of Qi slowly fell silent.

"Husband, I often hear the Empress Dowager say in the palace that salt administration is a matter of great importance to the state, and salt tax is even more critical; how can we leisurely travel by boat? Moreover, Father the Emperor has dispatched cavalry..."

Hearing Princess Princess Pingning's words, the Duke of Qi also grew serious; after gazing at her for a moment, he said, "Lady, do you mean that I must ride horseback to Yang Zhou Prefecture?"

Princess Princess Pingning nodded and said, "Riding horseback requires two horses per person. Husband, only if we take such matters of state to heart and handle them with utmost dedication will Father the Emperor keep us in his heart. I will go immediately to the Xu and Cao families to explain this."

The Duke of Qi nodded heavily.

That very night, the vanguard scouts of the Xiaqi Army rode out of the city to notify the relay stations along the route to prepare provisions and mounts for the number of people traveling.

Early the next morning, the Duke of Qi, accompanied by three attendants, exited Bianjing's Yihua Gate and met outside the city with soldiers from the Xiaqi and Tianwu armies, each provided with two horses.

Looking at several young men in the procession, the Duke of Qi said, "Gu Gu Dalang, Cao Si Lang, why did your fathers send you?"

Xu Xu Zaiduan, mounted on his horse, clasped his fists and said, "Uncle Qi, Father told me to protect you from the front."

The Cao family member on the other side also clasped his fists in salute and said, "Father gave the same instruction."

"Excellent! All of you are fine sons of our Great Zhou; let us depart!"

With that, more than two hundred soldiers mounted their horses and began galloping along the exceptionally flat official road toward Yang Zhou.

Thanks to supplies from relay stations along the way and the system of two horses per rider, their speed was extraordinarily fast; in less than seven days, the group had already arrived outside Yang Zhou city.

The horses were fine, but the Duke of Qi and his attendants suffered greatly, the insides of their thighs chafed raw.

Shen Hour (4:00 PM)

Yang Zhou,

The Sheng Residence

Inside the Shou'an Hall, only the Old Lady, Xu Xu Zaijing, and Nurse Fang were present.

Listening to Xu Xu Zaijing's words, her expression gradually grew serious.

"Jing'er, are you saying that the head official of the Imperial City Bureau explained this matter to you in detail? And this happened at the Bai family's residence?" the Old Lady asked.

Xu Xu Zaijing nodded and said, "This grandnephew does not know why he spoke to me so clearly; although we fought bandits together side by side, by all rights this should have been the duty of their Imperial City Bureau."

The Old Lady fell silent for a moment, pondering, then said, "The various connections behind these merchants are intricate and complex; since their bureau has only recently been reinstated, there are surely things they cannot investigate. This is meant to warn our family. Nurse Fang, go fetch the Master and the Wu Da Da Niangzi."

After a short while, Sheng Hong and his wife arrived at Shou'an Hall with worried expressions; Wang Wang Ruofu was even more surprised to find that Nurse Liu had been ordered to remain outside the main hall.

Upon entering the bedchamber and seeing the Old Lady's extremely serious and grim face, the couple looked abashed and dared not speak.

The Old Lady spoke directly: "This old woman will not waste words with lengthy speeches; I will only ask you two a few questions: Has our family had any dealings with several salt merchants in Yang Zhou Prefecture? Have any of our enterprises ever accepted benefits from those salt merchants?"

Sheng Hong and Wang Wang Ruofu were both stunned; they had thought the Old Lady was angry about Sheng Hualan's affairs, never expecting such a question.

Sheng Hong's mind raced as he replied, "Replying to Mother, our family's business has had little contact with salt merchants; however, previously, due to the northern war, I had frequent dealings with the Bai family. Mother, what is happening?"

"Wu Da Da Niangzi, what about you?" the Old Lady asked, turning to Wang Wang Ruofu.

"Mother, I... I have not either. Previously, the Qi family did deliver something on behalf of several salt merchants, but... but because it was Linqi Pavilion that handled the matter at the time... they felt our family looked down on them, and thus a conflict arose with their family..."

Hearing this, and with Xu Xu Zaijing present, Sheng Hong's face became somewhat embarrassed.

"That is good then. Jing'er, please tell your uncle-by-marriage what you know."

"Yes, Great-Aunt. Uncle, ever since the head of the Bai family entered the salt estate trade in Yang Zhou Prefecture, his business has grown larger and larger; some Bai family members, drawn by his reputation, came to seek refuge with him..."

"Master Zhao of the Imperial City Bureau said that merely through the head of the Bai family's own investigation, it was discovered that those clan members who sought refuge deceived their superiors and misled their subordinates; for the previous ten-plus years, each year they underpaid nearly ten percent of the taxes. After the head of the Bai family went to Bianjing, they became even more brazen, actually colluding with several other salt merchants..."

Listening to Xu Xu Zaijing's words, Sheng Hong's face grew even worse. Even if the Bai family had corrupt elements, if the taxes they paid were still the full amount, then the problems with the other several salt merchants must be even greater.

As the Assistant Prefect of Yang Zhou, if he were implicated with these salt merchants, he would have no future prospects whatsoever.

"Officials have already been dispatched from the capital and will arrive in Yang Zhou within days. This matter is confidential; please, Uncle and Aunt, do not spread it abroad." After speaking, Xu Xu Zaijing clasped his fists; Sheng Hong and his wife did not put on any Zhu Zhu Jiazi but hurriedly rose to return the salute.

Through their mutual examination year-mates, natal families, and other information channels, this couple had not heard even a whisper of this matter.

Moreover, the look in Wang Wang Ruofu's eyes as she gazed at Xu Xu Zaijing seemed as though she did not recognize him at all.

After all, while Sheng Changbai, who is about the same age as Xu Xu Zaijing, is still diligently pursuing his studies, Xu Xu Zaijing has already become involved in major affairs concerning the official careers of prefectural officials; thus, her gaze toward the Old Lady became even more filled with awe.

After the major matters were concluded, Shou'an Hall fell silent; Wang Wang Ruofu glanced at Sheng Hong, and seeing he had no intention of speaking, she looked again at the Old Lady and said, "Mother, today at the thank-you banquet hosted by the Wu Wu Daniang of the Hou Fu, this daughter-in-law heard some..."

"When Brother Jing returned, he already told me; is it that some people are spreading rumors about our Huar?" the Old Lady asked.

"Yes, yes, yes! Mother, our family's Huar is such a fine Miss, yet in the mouths of that crowd outside, she has become an ominous person; if it were not for the banquet hosted by the Wu Wu Daniang of the Hou Fu, I!! What will become of Huar in the future!" Wang Shi spoke with some anxiety, frowning.

"Then do you know why it is precisely our Huar about whom such a reputation has spread?"

Wang Wang Ruofu froze and said nothing, but she glanced sideways at Sheng Hong, implying that his favoring of a concubine and allowing her to manage the household had turned her into the laughingstock of Yang Zhou.

The Old Lady sighed and said, "Just now when Huar came to pay her respects, she already knew that someone was coming to Yang Zhou; yet you, as the Wu Da Da Niangzi, know nothing at all?"

Just now, on her way back, Wang Shi's heart had been so filled with rage against Sheng Hong and worry over Hua Lan's future that she truly hadn't noticed how Hua Lan looked.

The Old Lady's single question left Wang Shi at a loss.

Seeing her daughter-in-law's bewildered expression, the Old Lady spoke with earnest gravity: "Do you know who the Education Commissioner of Yang Zhou is?"

Sheng Hong glanced at his wife but said nothing; Wang Shi, frowning, replied, "Surname Gao. He seems to be from Laizhou."

The Old Lady nodded and asked, "Do you know who this Commissioner's elders are?"

Wang Wang Ruofu thought for a moment, then straightened her back, glanced at Sheng Hong, and said, "It is said that among their family elders, during the late Emperor's reign, there was one capable minister who entered the Zhaoxun Pavilion, holding a status comparable to my father's."

"But what does this have to do with our Hua'er's reputation?" Wang Shi asked the Old Lady Sheng, puzzled.

"Brother Jing said that a few days ago, the eldest legitimate son of the Gao family's second branch arrived in Taizhou with his mother, and news has already reached Yang Zhou that they intend to seek a match for this young master."

Frozen stiff.

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(End of Chapter)