Chapter 391

Jin Ling Regional Military Commissioner's Yamen.

Early that morning, the personal guards dispatched by Jia Cong traveled day and night to deliver his handwritten letter into the Regional Military Commissioner's Yamen, which was shrouded in the morning mist.

In the Regional Military Commissioner's office, Du Du Hengxin frowned after reading the letter Jia Cong had sent, a look of anger faintly appearing on his usually warm and composed face.

There was another person in the office, a man in his thirties with a square face and black beard, his eyes bright and piercing; this was Sun Sun Zhongxing, the Assistant Regional Military Commissioner of Jin Ling.

Ever since Zhang Kangnian was transferred to serve as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War in the auxiliary capital.

Sun Sun Zhongxing, formerly the Guard Commander of the Songjiang Guard, had been recommended and promoted by Du Du Hengxin to Assistant Regional Military Commissioner of the Jin Ling Regional Military Commissioner's Yamen for his meritorious service in defending Songjiang against Japanese pirates.

Although Sun Sun Zhongxing came from a military background, he had earned the rank of Scholar in his early years and was known for his wisdom among the garrison troops.

Seeing Du Du Hengxin's displeased expression, he asked, "My lord, this Count Lord Weiyuan has never had any dealings with you; why has he suddenly sent you a letter from Gu Su?"

Du Du Hengxin looked angry: "This Luo Xiong is already a Grade 4 Guard Commander, yet he still acts without restraint in public. Jia Cong says in his letter that he is acting wildly and recklessly in Gu Su, actually attempting to forcibly purchase a female performer from a theater troupe.

As it happens, this female performer has exceptional skills and has caught the eye of someone from the Love Shenjing's Imperial Music Office. Jia Cong wrote to me asking me to step in and mediate, to make that Luo Xiong retreat in the face of difficulties."

Sun Sun Zhongxing said: "Rumors in the streets say that this young master of the Lady Rongguo family is naturally romantic. Not long after arriving in Jin Ling, he hooked up with a musician from the Love Shenjing's Imperial Music Office and often hangs out in the private rooms of the Qingyin Pavilion.

His trip to Gu Su this time is merely under the pretext of accompanying the Imperial Music Office musician to purchase female performers, while in reality, he is just engaging in romantic play.

Gu Su's theatrical arts are flourishing and full of talent; there is no reason for two families to clash over the same female performer.

This Jia Cong has committed many absurd acts regarding women. Last time he came to Jin Ling, he seduced a beautiful young nun from a convent to return to secular life, causing a scandal known throughout the court and the public.

This time, I see him repeating his old tricks. It is highly likely he has taken a fancy to this female performer and has actually had the whimsical idea to use the Imperial Music Office's selection of performers as a pretext to have you, my lord, step forward for his sordid affairs."

Hearing this, the expression on Du Du Hengxin's face relaxed slightly, and he said: "If Jia Cong were merely a man greedy for beauty, he would not have achieved so much at such an age.

This man became famous in his youth and is currently highly favored by the Emperor; he is not a person to be underestimated. The Emperor sent him to Jin Ling to handle official business, ostensibly to establish a branch of the auxiliary capital's Firearms Office.

But you must not forget that the current Emperor is wise and far-sighted. Sending such a person to Jin Ling—who can say for sure what he specifically intends to do?

With the Zhou Zhou Zhengyang incident having occurred, the Jin Ling Regional Military Commissioner's Yamen, which governs all the guards in Nanzhili, cannot shirk its responsibility. We are currently in a time of many troubles.

Over the past two years, the various guards under the Jin Ling Regional Military Commissioner's Yamen have seen a decline in talent and a lack of successors. Many of those who were outstanding in the past have met with accidents—either dead, fled, or transferred away.

Luo Xiong is somewhat inferior by comparison. He does have some capability, but he is unrestrained in his actions and sometimes too overbearing, which easily invites trouble."

Sun Sun Zhongxing heard the sense of despondency in Du Du Hengxin's words, his eyes flickering as he said: "My lord need not worry too much. These past two years have indeed been a time of many troubles, but once we weather them, things will be smooth again.

My lord is a minister who followed the Emperor to power; the fact that the Emperor entrusted you with the heavy responsibility of Jin Ling Regional Military Commissioner shows his exceptional reliance on you. Even if there are some flaws or setbacks, it will not diminish the Emperor's favor."

Du Du Hengxin heard this, his gaze deep and focused; the four words "minister who followed the Emperor to power" circled in his heart for a long time...

He said: "Write a letter to Luo Xiong on my behalf, telling him not to pester that female performer anymore. Do not provoke a person like Jia Cong over such a trivial matter."

Jin Ling, Mingde Fang, the Zhen family's main residence.

Miss Zhen San had finished reviewing the account books sent from the shop early in the morning and had picked up the hot tea brought by her maid, just about to rest for a moment.

Liu Wang Zhangshi came in hurriedly and said: "Third Miss, our master is at the Emperor Hongxuan Hall outside the second gate, saying he has an urgent matter to report to you in person."

Miss Zhen San was slightly stunned upon hearing this.

Because she managed the business left behind by her father, she could not, like ordinary young ladies of noble families, stay behind closed doors, always having to deal and converse with people.

But the Zhen family was, after all, a prominent and influential clan; the rule that young ladies of the inner chambers should not see men from the outside still had to be observed on the surface.

Under normal circumstances, if Liu Linjiang Xian had something to report, he would have his wife come inside the second gate to pass on the message.

Even when Miss Zhen San went out with Liu Linjiang Xian to handle business, she would disguise herself as a man to provide some cover, which was already considered a great indulgence within the etiquette of noble families.

The reason for this was that the Zhen family's second branch had no male heirs, and Miss Zhen San was born with a heroic spirit, managing the business left by her father so meticulously that others found it difficult to intervene.

Moreover, since Miss Zhen San took over the business, the profits of the Zhen family's business had increased rather than decreased; no one in the Zhen clan could compare to her ability.

Ever since the incident with the second master, Zhen Zheng Yingquan, the Jin Ling Zhen family's wealth had been difficult to maintain, and the fact that the public funds had grown richer year by year was all due to Miss Zhen San's credit.

In a massive clan like the Zhen family, with its complex and chaotic side branches, many people relied on the second branch's business to survive.

After the second master's incident, since someone was able to maintain the Zhen family's wealth, most people were naturally happy to see it happen. Who would care whether she was a man or a woman? Even if a very small number of people coveted her position, they lacked the strength to openly challenge her.

Furthermore, Miss Zhen San had been raised since childhood at the knees of the Zhen Old Empress Dowager and had a close and deep relationship with the palace. This background was no small matter, making her status in the Zhen family very special.

Therefore, the Zhen Old Lady, who managed the inner chambers of the Zhen family, would tacitly allow Miss Zhen San to show her face and independently manage the second branch's business.

Once the Old Lady had spoken, even the mistress and young masters of the first branch dared not say a word, at most only being able to worry and plan regarding Miss Zhen San's marriage.

Therefore, as long as she was at home, Miss Zhen San would mostly observe the rules for young ladies of the inner chambers, putting on a show to keep the elders' faces intact and avoid gossip from those with ulterior motives.

As the trusted steward of the second branch, Liu Linjiang Xian was well aware of this, so under normal circumstances, he would have his own wife enter the second gate to pass on messages.

But today, Liu Linjiang Xian was waiting outside the second gate, wanting to speak to her in person, so Miss Zhen San knew that something unusual was happening.

So she had her maid serve her, bound her hair and chest, changed into men's clothing, and then followed Liu Wang Zhangshi out of the second gate.

Miss Zhen San entered the Emperor Hongxuan Hall and saw that Liu Linjiang Xian had been waiting for a long time, his expression somewhat solemn.

She waited for the maid to serve tea and asked: "Uncle Linjiang Xian, is there some urgent matter?"

Liu Linjiang Xian waited for the maid to take the tea tray and leave the hall before saying: "Third Miss, that silversmith in Xianghe Fang has had some trouble!"

Miss Zhen San's gaze narrowed slightly upon hearing this.

That day, she had specifically asked Liu Linjiang Xian to find an old silversmith to investigate the Englishman that the third brother of the first branch had brought back, who was not a silversmith at all.

And why the third brother of the first branch would hide his identity was something Miss Zhen San had been keeping in mind.

Furthermore, the third brother of the first branch had recently borrowed the second branch's merchant ships twice to smuggle firearms. Although the quantity was only a few, it still carried the risk of disaster.

Therefore, this Englishman, who had arrived in Jin Ling along with the smuggled firearms, made Miss Zhen San even more concerned.

For these past few days, she had been having Liu Linjiang Xian arrange for reliable people to keep an eye on the Englishman's movements.

Now that Liu Linjiang Xian was being so solemn in reporting back to her, something must have happened.

Liu Linjiang Xian said: "For these past few days, I have arranged for capable people to keep an eye on the Englishman's movements, and it had been calm for the past few days.

But this morning, suddenly three people came to visit the Englishman. Two of them spoke with a northern accent, and the three of them carried a box into the courtyard.

They stayed for the time it takes to eat a meal, then carried the box out again, and then sat in a carriage heading toward the south of the city.

Our people did follow them, but the other party's carriage ran very fast, and we lost them halfway.

Before I came here, the Englishman had not returned to his residence."

Miss Zhen San muttered to herself: "People from the north..."

Liu Linjiang Xian added: "Of the two shop assistants I sent, one is a wounded musketeer who left the service. He said that the two people with northern accents had the posture and bearing of military men.

And the other assistant is an old hand in the shop; he recognized the other person, who seems to be Liu Qiu Xuan, who accompanied the second master out to sea all those years ago!"

Upon hearing this name, Miss Zhen San widened her eyes and asked in astonishment: "What did you say! It's Liu Qiu Xuan, who disappeared with my father!"

Liu Linjiang Xian said with a solemn expression: "I asked that assistant. He had seen Liu Qiu Xuan many times in the shop back then. Although five years have passed and his appearance has changed a bit, he could still recognize him.

Moreover, that person has the same characteristic as Liu Qiu Xuan: the little finger of his left hand is missing half a section. There cannot be such a coincidence in the world."

Miss Zhen San was always wise and quick-witted, unflappable in the face of change, but upon hearing the name Liu Qiu Xuan, her expression changed drastically. Her face turned slightly pale, and her eyes were red and moist, as if tears were welling up.

She said: "Uncle Linjiang Xian, you should know that Liu Qiu Xuan and you were the people my father trusted most. One managed external affairs, the other internal; you were my father's right-hand men.

Five years ago, Liu Qiu Xuan and my father went out to sea together, and since then there has been no news, whether they were dead or alive.

Our Zhen family not only dispatched our own fleet to search the seas but also offered a reward, asking the Regional Military Commissioner's Yamen to dispatch two military ships.

In the thousands of miles of sea from Jin Ling to Luzon, we spent more than a year searching back and forth several times, but there was no news at all. The two merchant ships my father took out, along with more than a hundred sailors and attendants, all disappeared.

Everyone concluded that they had encountered a sea storm, the ships had sunk, and everyone on board had perished. But now, this Liu Qiu Xuan has appeared alive in Jin Ling!"

The incident with Zhen Zheng Yingquan back then had a huge impact on the Jin Ling Zhen family and had also changed Miss Zhen San's destiny forever.

Before this, she had lived in the Love Shenjing for a long time, raised in the palace by the Zhen Old Empress Dowager. She was a noble daughter of the Jiangnan Zhen family and the most precious great-granddaughter of the Zhen Old Empress Dowager.

Even the Retired Emperor liked this little girl of the Zhen family, feeling that she was exceptionally gifted and, although a woman, possessed a heroic and wise spirit.

If it hadn't been for the dramatic change of her father going out to sea five years ago, requiring her to return to Jin Ling to serve her parents and fulfill her filial duties, she would certainly still be in the palace accompanying the Old Empress Dowager.

Perhaps in the coming years, the Old Empress Dowager would have planned to arrange for her to marry some Imperial Prince or grandson, allowing the Zhen family to produce another Princess and protect the Zhen family's wealth and glory for a long time.

Although Miss Zhen San despised having her fate controlled by others, if she could exchange it for her father's safety, she would be willing to sacrifice herself.

But for the past five years, even though she had made countless wishes and vows, begging the heavens to let her father return alive, what she got in return was long, endless, year-after-year disappointment, and even despair.

But now Liu Linjiang Xian was telling her that Liu Qiu Xuan, who had accompanied her father out to sea, had been discovered in Jin Ling.

If Liu Qiu Xuan was still alive, then was her father, Zhen Zheng Yingquan, dead or alive?

And most importantly, since Liu Qiu Xuan was able to return alive, why didn't he return to the Zhen family to explain the circumstances of their disappearance at sea?

Now that he had returned to Jin Ling, he was hiding his tracks and avoiding her!

Moreover, why was Liu Qiu Xuan involved with the Englishman who was impersonating a silversmith, and this Englishman was brought to Jin Ling from overseas by the third brother of the first branch on a merchant ship?

Could one indirectly infer that there was some vague connection between the third brother of the first branch and Liu Qiu Xuan?

Too many questions flooded Miss Zhen San's mind. The more she pondered and deduced, the more she felt that there was a terrifying and unfathomable danger hidden behind this matter.

Thinking of this, her heart pounded wildly, and her thoughts surged. Although she had always hoped that her father was still alive.

But reason told her that this possibility was extremely slim. Even if Liu Qiu Xuan was alive, it did not mean that her father was safe and sound.

If her father were alive, he could not have gone five whole years without contacting his family, leaving his wife and daughter to show their faces and struggle for survival for the sake of the family business.

Miss Zhen San asked: "Uncle Linjiang Xian, I asked you to find out the relationship between the third brother and this Englishman. Did you find out the details?"

Liu Linjiang Xian said: "I asked Steward Chen, who is by the third master's side, as well as several sailors who were on the ship. They all said they were following the third master's instructions to go to Nanyue to pick up this Englishman.

According to them, the third master was also entrusted by someone to go to the West Sea coast on a merchant ship for business, so he just brought this person along."

Miss Zhen San frowned and said: "What is going on with the third brother? Why is he always being entrusted by others to handle these shady matters? I don't believe this..."

"Uncle Linjiang Xian, send out all the capable people you have to search for this person who looks like Liu Qiu Xuan. You must find his whereabouts!"

"If he really is Liu Qiu Xuan, we will likely be able to find out my father's whereabouts from him."

Jin Ling, Xinglong Fang, the Jia family's old residence.

Jia Cong and the others took Zheng Zheng Xiaohai's passenger ship back to Jin Ling from Gu Su.

Because Zheng Zheng Xiaohai now knew that Jia Cong was an official, he originally did not dare to show off his ability to evade military ship inspections in front of him.

But Jia Cong told him to use his old methods to evade the inspections of military ships along the way.

Only, every time Zheng Zheng Xiaohai either docked or sailed into the reed marshes to evade water-patrol military ships, Jia Cong always paid attention to the corresponding time, as well as the locations and landmarks where the ship was hiding.

Along the way, with Zheng Zheng Xiaohai, this water-route expert who was almost a spirit, it was naturally calm and smooth, and they returned to Jin Ling safely.

After getting off the pier, Jia Cong told Zou Min'er that he wanted to settle Ling Qi Guan and Dou Qi Guan in the Jia family's old residence.

In fact, Ling Qi Guan and Dou Qi Guan were female performers that Zou Min'er had purchased for the Imperial Music Office, and it would be proper to take them back to the Qingyin Pavilion to settle them.

But Jia Cong said that settling them in the Jia family's old residence in Xinglong Fang would be safer and more appropriate.

Along the way, Zou Min'er naturally saw that Jia Cong was very compassionate and caring toward Ling Qi Guan. He probably felt that the flow of people in and out of the Qingyin Pavilion was too complex and couldn't bear to let Ling Qi Guan stay there.

Moreover, Ling Qi Guan leaving the theater troupe and causing such concern for Luo Xiong, the Regional Military Commander of Su Zhou, was really somewhat unreasonable.

If they stayed at the Qingyin Pavilion, she was just a weak woman herself. If something happened, whether she could protect Ling Qi Guan's safety was really hard to say.

Placing them in the Jia family's old residence was indeed more worry-free.

Xinglong Fang was known as the Noble Quarter in Jin Ling, and those who lived here were all old noble families. Without the guts of a leopard, no one would easily come here to cause trouble.

Ling Qi Guan heard that she was going to stay at Jia Cong's residence, so she naturally felt settled in her heart and had no objections.

As for Dou Qi Guan, she was just an eight or nine-year-old girl who had always loved to cause trouble and was not afraid of anything; she was at an age where nothing was taboo.

Furthermore, she felt that Jia Cong could protect Ling Qi Guan from being bullied, so he must be a very capable person, and following such a person wouldn't be a loss.

Ling Qi Guan was all smiles, and she was naturally happy to be a follower.

When they arrived at Xinglong Fang, Jia Cong took Ling Qi Guan and Dou Qi Guan off the carriage. Zou Min'er glanced at Jia Cong, then looked at Ling Qi Guan, whose small face was blushing and alluring, shook her head slightly, and took the carriage back to the Qingyin Pavilion.

Jia Cong had just entered Xinglong Fang and hadn't reached the west corner gate of the old residence when the gatekeeper saw him return and had long since run inside to report to the steward, Jin Cai.

Jia Cong brought the two little girls and had just entered the west corner gate when Jin Cai and his wife had already come out to welcome them.

As for bringing his wife out to welcome them, it was because the gatekeeper who reported the news said that Cong Sanye Cong had brought home new girls again... (End of chapter)