Chapter 232: Gathering Power to Burn the Heavens

The Zongren Office is located in Huihong Ward, eastern city.

The current Zongren Commissioner is Prince Prince Zhongshun; though not born of the same mother as His Majesty, the two have been close since childhood.

When His Majesty ascended the throne, Prince Prince Zhongshun and Marquis Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding both served as loyal followers, and thus have long been held in high esteem by His Majesty.

Prince Prince Zhongshun has held the position of Zongren Commissioner for a decade, firmly seated; though a prince, he displays no arrogance or luxury, is extremely diligent in governance, and nearly every day sits in the office handling official business.

Prince Prince Zhongshun is solemn and strict, often reprimanding and despising the decadence and idleness of imperial clansmen; most royal kin and noble families in the capital hold him in awe.

Having sat in office for over a decade, even the restaurants and taverns outside the Zongren Office know his dietary preferences intimately.

Everyone knows this prince favors fresh delicacies—for instance, the newly opened Northern Sichuan lamb shop, fifty paces to the left of the office, is particularly to his liking.

Many know that for the past month, every noon, Prince Prince Zhongshun has sent his personal attendant to that lamb shop to order a dish of Seven Treasures Wine-Braised Lamb Ribs.

So Jiang Liu easily learned of this matter.

"It's Qi Qi Guan, the performer who showed off his skills three months ago at Chunyang Pavilion in the Eastern Market—he played the dan role, his posture, his beauty, absolutely exquisite, more feminine than any woman, hehe."

One of the two diners said: "Young master, rest assured—we make our living off this sort of thing, it's not our first time. The other side heard the words clearly—no problem at all."

…

In a nearby alley, a dark-complexioned boy waited there; his figure was agile, his felt hat pulled low, his eyes bright and sharp, fixed on the alley's entrance.

The attendant waited listlessly; steam rose white from the steamer, the aroma of the wine-braised lamb ribs grew richer, and the two diners at the small table outside chatted as usual.

The attendant suddenly snapped to attention, hurried to take the food box from the owner, and when he turned back, the two diners had tossed a silver shard onto the table and were already far away.

The owner told him to wait a moment longer—the Seven Treasures Wine-Braised Lamb Ribs needed another half-teacup's time of steaming to reach perfect doneness.

"The prince's lamb ribs are ready—you'd better hurry back with them; if left too long, the flavor fades, and the prince is an expert."

One of them smiled deferentially: "Young master, rest easy—we've been in this business long enough to know the rules. We won't ruin our own livelihood, nor risk our lives."

"Who did you meet?"

The three men left the alley separately; the boy walked a while, then slipped into the back of a shop, emerging moments later without his felt hat, wearing a different coat, his dark face now clean and pale.

Soon after, two men entered—the very same two diners from the lamb shop.

"You wouldn't know this, but precisely because the place is remote—I heard he bought land and a house there, living with someone…"

The boy asked: "Is the matter settled?"

He walked to a spot near the Zongren Office and saw over a dozen guards rushing in, followed by a four-man palanquin exiting the office, heading east with the guards.

"How could a famous actor like him appear in a backwater like Zitan Fortress in the eastern suburbs?"

On this day, Prince Prince Zhongshun's attendant came as usual to order the Seven Treasures Wine-Braised Lamb Ribs.

"Yesterday I visited relatives in Zitan Fortress in the eastern suburbs—do you know who I met there?"

The owner naturally greeted him warmly; Prince Prince Zhongshun was a regular patron, a man of high status—he dared not show the slightest neglect.

The attendant waiting nearby for the lamb ribs to be served, upon hearing the name Qi Qi Guan, widened his eyes and involuntarily strained his ears.

"Here's twenty taels of silver—go spend it. Don't say I didn't warn you—if you let slip a word and someone comes after you, I can't save you!"

Seeing this, the boy sighed in relief; Jia Cong had told him that morning that Zhang Shou'an would be tried at the Dalisi today, and it wouldn't be long before he confessed to Jia Rong.

…

Since the day Jia Cong rescued Feng Shi and Liu Ping from Zhen'an Prefecture, he had ordered Jiang Liu to find out from Zhen'an's populace who had commissioned Zhang Shou'an to target Xiuniang Perfume Shop.

When Jia Cong was in Jin Ling, he had closely interacted with the Jin Ling Prefectural Office while searching for Zhou Zhou Suqing, and thus understood its personnel structure well.

He thus guided Jiang Liu's direction: such clandestine matters, Zhang Shou'an would never let many know—but those ordered to arrest and interrogate would surely know the truth.

That person was most likely Zhang Shou'an's trusted constable captain.

So Jiang Liu spent half a day circling around, and confirmed Liu Liu Erzhen as the man.

On that day, many had witnessed Liu Liu Erzhen arriving to make the arrest.

Following Jia Cong's suggestion, he found a lively horse trader from the Western Market, offered him a reward, and had him invite Liu Liu Erzhen to dinner under the pretense of gathering information.

The result: for only a hundred taels, he learned the man colluding with Zhang Shou'an was none other than Jia Rong of Ningguo Prefecture.

As for the horse trader—he was from the northwest, returned home after the deed, and came back to Love Shenjing only once every few years, posing virtually no risk.

Jia Cong knew Prince Prince Zhongshun regarded Qi Qi Guan as a forbidden treasure, yet Jia Rong had consorted with him.

Jia Rong conspired with officials, schemed to seize Xiuniang Perfume Shop's secret formula, and subjected Feng Shi to brutal torture—no matter how one viewed it, Jia Cong had no reason to let him go.

Yet based on his understanding of Jia Rong, he seemed incapable of such cunning and boldness; the one behind him must be Jia Zhen—this was self-evident.

He needed to eliminate the threat of being targeted and ensure Qin Qin Keqing was completely free from danger—he must confront the entire Ningguo Prefecture.

But even if Zhang Shou'an confessed Jia Rong's guilt at the Dalisi, it still might not be enough to touch Jia Rong—he was the heir of Ningguo Prefecture, with Jia Zhen behind him and ancestral blessings shielding him.

Then let us light another fire with Prince Prince Zhongshun!

…

Since the Dalisi began interrogating Zhang Shou'an, he knew he could not escape punishment; his entire career of bureaucratic scheming was now over, and all he wanted was to save his life.

Before the Dalisi even resorted to torture, he fully confessed how he had imprisoned the owner and staff of Xiuniang Perfume Shop and coerced them for the secret formula.

These events were already common gossip—he had no reason to conceal them further.

To lessen his own guilt, he also revealed everything: how Jia Rong of Ningguo Prefecture had bribed him with vast sums to seize the shop and its formula.

Thus, the Dalisi completed its investigation into the Xiuniang Perfume Shop case in just one day, compiled the official dossier, and submitted it for review and signature by the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate.

News that Jia Rong of Ningguo Prefecture was the mastermind behind the Xiuniang Perfume Shop case spread rapidly through every channel.

Ningguo Jia, a top noble house, long favored by imperial grace, had a hereditary scion whose heart was so cruel and violent, so lawless—it drew many surprised glances.

Yet no government offices stirred; all seemed to wait and observe.

For this matter involved the highest-ranking aristocratic families of Zhou, with ties to the entire network of the Four Princes and Eight Dukes; His Majesty had ruled for over ten years without acting lightly, let alone others.

The Ning and Rong Jia families, one house with two dukes, had ancestors who fought alongside the founding Emperor since the dynasty's inception—their lineage ran deep.

No one could be certain whether this incident would ultimately shake the foundation of Ning and Rong.

As for the Xiuniang Perfume Shop case, current attention focuses on Prefect Zhang Shou'an's corruption and harm to the people; after all, no one died, and even if Jia Rong were convicted, the severity of punishment remained uncertain.

In court, Ning and Rong had many disciples and old associates; more still were fence-sitters and centrists. Officials, still unclear on the situation, naturally would not risk betting.

Even the Censorate's gossiping censors grew more cautious.

They waited for the Dalisi 's verdict to enter the imperial palace, to hear His Majesty's voice, then act accordingly.

(End of Chapter)