Chapter 407

Jin Ling, Qingyin Pavilion.

When Jia Cong's carriage arrived at the entrance, he saw Jiang Liu greet him as soon as he got off.

He said: "Cong Sanye, that Wu Sao who buys rouge and flowers on the street is known by many people nearby. According to your instructions, we have found out that she lives in Chongsheng Lane.

But when I took people to look for her, there was no one at her house.

I asked the neighbors nearby, and they said that a stranger came to Wu Sao's house two days ago.

Since then, they haven't seen Wu Sao again, but the gate of Wu Sao's courtyard is locked; it is possible that she left home herself, perhaps to visit relatives."

Jia Cong frowned slightly when he heard this; he had kept it in mind since Wu Sao recognized Zou Min'er at the entrance of Qingyin Pavilion that day.

Zou Min'er stayed at Qingyin Pavilion in the name of being sent by the Ministry of Rites, and he communicated through Qingyin Pavilion with Zou Min'er, which was a way to cover people's eyes, but it was also a well-known fact.

He could not rule out that those who were suspicious of him would set up eyes and ears at Qingyin Pavilion to spy.

This Wu Sao happened to appear suddenly at the entrance of Qingyun Pavilion and recognized Zou Min'er when she was completely unprepared.

As the daughter of Zou Zou Huaiyi, Zou Min'er's identity in Jin Ling was sensitive; Jia Cong had to guard against whether this scene would fall into the eyes of those with ulterior motives.

That was why he asked Jiang Liu to take people to find Wu Sao's whereabouts, but he didn't expect such a result.

……

Qingyin Pavilion, in the elegant room on the third floor.

When Jia Cong entered, Zou Min'er was already in the room, examining a portrait in her hand.

Jia Cong saw that the man in the portrait had regular features, a high nose bridge, and a short beard, looking imposing.

Jia Cong felt as if he had seen this appearance somewhere, but he was not very sure.

Zou Min'er saw Jia Cong looking at the portrait with a confused expression, probably guessed his thoughts, and pulled out another portrait from the document on the table and handed it to Jia Cong.

"Look at the difference between these two portraits?"

When Jia Cong saw the second portrait, he understood why the first portrait made him feel somewhat familiar.

"This is Zhou Zhou Zhengyang's portrait!"

Zou Min'er replied: "That's right, the people we sent to search for traces of Zhou Zhou Zhengyang along the river carried the first portrait, which is the portrait of Zhou Zhou Zhengyang filed by the Ministry of War.

A few days ago, people from the Central Vehicle Department found several people close to Zhou Zhou Zhengyang to identify it, and they said that the first portrait only looked five or six parts like Zhou Zhou Zhengyang himself.

So, I asked the best painter in Jin Ling to redraw the second portrait according to the description of those who were very familiar with Zhou Zhou Zhengyang's appearance.

I asked those people to identify it, and they said that the new portrait already looked eight or nine parts like Zhou Zhou Zhengyang himself.

I understand a little now why the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Ying Tian Prefecture could never find Zhou Zhou Zhengyang's tracks; perhaps it has something to do with the deviation in the original portrait."

She looked at the first portrait and asked thoughtfully: "You said that the portrait filed by the Ministry of War is very different from Zhou Zhou Zhengyang himself; could it have something to do with Zhang Kangnian?"

Jia Cong thought for a moment and replied: "It's hard to say. I once observed politics in the Ministry of War in the Love Shenjing and know a little about the Ministry of War's procedures.

The Ministry of War establishes detailed personal files for military officers above the fourth rank, which will include the person's portrait; however, such things are handled by the clerks of the Ministry of War's file department.

High-ranking officials like the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War cannot touch such basic chores; if he, with the dignity of a Vice Minister, wants to do such things, it is very easy to leave behind evidence."

Since two years ago, when Jia Cong entered the Zou residence to arrest Zou Zou Huaiyi, Zhang Kangnian had entered his line of sight from that time on.

And this person had an unclear connection with Zou Zou Huaiyi's suicide in the hall.

……

After this, the Court of Judicial Review and the Court of Investigation had secretly investigated this person, but none of them could find any flaws.

After Jia Cong arrived in Jin Ling this time, he also asked Zou Min'er to use the power of the Central Vehicle Department to screen Zhang Kangnian.

Although some suspicious connections were found, there was still no solid evidence.

Therefore, even though Jia Cong was handling official business under a secret decree and Zou Min'er had the power to control the Central Vehicle Department in Jin Ling, they could not act rashly against Zhang Kangnian without any solid evidence.

Zhang Kangnian was not only a high-ranking official of the Ministry of War of the third rank, but also a very close in-law of the current Zhao Wang, and Zhao Wang had a special status, with everyone inside and outside the court regarding him as the future crown prince.

Once Zhang Kangnian is punished without guilt, if there is no solid evidence of his crimes, it will involve the prince who can be the crown prince, which would be a monstrous disaster.

With Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's schemes and depth, by that time, in order to maintain the prestige and dignity of the royal family, even if Jia Cong was deeply favored by the Emperor now, he would have to be treated as a scapegoat and cannon fodder.

Therefore, although Jia Cong and Zou Min'er had always been paying attention to Zhang Kangnian's movements, neither of them had taken any substantive actions.

It was because the involvement behind this person was really too great.

……

Zou Min'er said: "Our Central Vehicle Department does not have enough manpower in Jin Ling; we need four or five people to go to the various prefectures along the river to find our people and replace the old portraits."

Jia Cong said: "I have manpower on hand; I will handle this matter."

Zou Min'er had long guessed that Jia Cong would say so; in fact, she had always been curious why Jia Cong would carry so many people with him.

Jia Cong said: "Miss Zou, that Wu Sao recognized you last time; I sent someone to check her residence and learned that she met a stranger a few days ago, and then Wu Sao disappeared."

Zou Min'er was shocked when she heard this and said: "How could she suddenly disappear!"

Jia Cong said: "I don't think it's such a coincidence. She just recognized you, then a stranger came to the door, and then she disappeared.

I suspect that the stranger was likely targeting you; he should have been asking Wu Sao about you.

For the sake of safety, you had better not leave Qingyin Pavilion alone recently, or it would be safer for you to live in my residence."

Zou Min'er suddenly blushed: "I live in your house...."

Jia Cong saw Zou Min'er's expression and quickly explained: "Don't misunderstand, I don't have any other meaning; it's mainly for your safety.

The Xinglong Lane is all inhabited by noble families of Jin Ling, and the old Jia residence is very safe; Lingguan and Douguan also live there."

Zou Min'er said: "Better not; I will be careful during this time and will not leave Qingyin Pavilion alone. There are strong women guarding the backyard here, and outsiders cannot enter, so it should still be safe."

She pondered slightly for a moment and said: "If someone wants to deal with me, I would rather they come to the door, at least I can know what their purpose is; is it just because I am my father's daughter?"

Jia Cong frowned slightly when he heard this and said: "If they really come to the door, they want your life; if you are even dead, what is the use of knowing the purpose."

Zou Min'er did not reply when she heard this, just looked up at Jia Cong, and then turned her gaze away.

She had already died once when she was demoted to the Imperial Music Office as a singing girl.

She would be a lowly registered person in the Imperial Music Office for the rest of her life, and even if she entered the Central Vehicle Department, she could not get rid of the stain.

And this young man in front of her, whose knot with her was hard to resolve, was a hereditary Count, and the two were as different as clouds and mud.

She smiled indifferently, her pretty face brilliant, but the smile was indifferent and empty, making Jia Cong feel a little palpitation.

Jia Cong remembered the innocent and shy young girl he first saw in Ziyun Pavilion.

The noble daughter who was crying loudly while holding her father's corpse in the Zou residence, helpless and hopeless.

Now she had developed a cold and hard heart; in order to find out the details she wanted to know, she could use herself as bait and ignore life and death.

Jia Cong had a slight sigh in his heart; her character was twisted and suppressed like this, perhaps because of the ups and downs of fate, and there were also his own inducements in it.

……

Jin Ling, Taiping Gate.

A young man was driving a mule cart, with a middle-aged woman sitting on it, appearing inconspicuous among the flow of people leaving the city.

The young man was seventeen or eighteen years old, a very strong young man with clear eyes and a hint of honesty in his expression.

"Mother, it's not easy for me to come back once, why don't you let me accompany you at home for a few days, and you are in such a hurry to go to the second uncle's house in Changzhou; what is the matter that you are in such a hurry to leave."

The woman replied: "Mother is afraid in her heart; I will hide at your second uncle's house for a few days, otherwise I won't be able to sleep peacefully at night."

The young man asked curiously: "Mother, what happened to you? Your son is here, what are you afraid of?"

The woman replied: "I met Miss Zou at Qingyin Pavilion a few days ago; I heard long ago that she was sold to the Imperial Music Office in the Love Shenjing.

I originally thought that the young lady might not be alive, and if she was alive, she would be in the Love Shenjing; I didn't expect to meet her in Jin Ling."

The young man's eyes lit up: "Mother, you are talking about that high official of the Water Surveillance Department, whom you worked for as a cook in their residence for several years."

The woman sighed: "Isn't it him? I heard that the old Master Zou colluded with Japanese pirates, killed people and robbed ships on the high seas, and I don't know how many lives he owed.

Later, the imperial court wanted to punish him, and old Master Zou cut his own throat and committed suicide.

It's a pity for the mistress and young lady in the residence, who were all sold to the Imperial Music Office by the imperial court, and the mistress died of anger in the prison.

The mistress was a good person and was very generous to the little people; it's really that good people don't get good rewards.

Miss Zou is also a clever and beautiful girl; a good daughter of an official family, to be sold to the Imperial Music Office to be trampled on by others, it's really a sin.

The day I recognized Miss Zou, a stranger came to ask about the young lady's news the next day, and I saw that he was not well-intentioned.

People in Jin Ling say that the gold and silver snatched by old Master Zou piled up like a mountain, but until he died, no one ever found these gold and silver treasures.

That man was asking about Miss Zou's news so eagerly, how could he be a good person? We are all ordinary people; if we get involved in such things, we might lose our lives in a muddle.

Do you think Mother still dares to stay at home?"

……

The young man finally understood why his mother was in such a hurry to pack her bags and let him send her to his second uncle's house in Changzhou as soon as he got home.

Since the disaster struck the family, his father suddenly died of a serious illness, and his mother lost her job as a cook.

The well-off family that had enough food and clothing suddenly became difficult to make a living; his mother had been frightened too much, and her character had become timid and fearful, and she would become nervous at the slightest disturbance.

The young man said: "It's good for Mother to live at Second Uncle's house for a while; when your son comes back from the sea next time, I will go to Changzhou to pick you up. These silver pieces are what I saved; Mother, you take them to spend."

The woman took the money bag handed over by the young man and counted it carefully; there were actually thirty taels of broken silver.

She asked in surprise: "You have only been running sea ships for half a year, how can you have so much silver?"

The young man said happily: "Mother, you don't know, these days, Liu Linjiang Xian, the big steward of the Zhen family, heard that he was ordered by the third young lady of the Zhen family to rectify the Zhen family's sea fleet.

Now the fleet likes new sailors like us, who are quick-handed and obedient.

And they also raised our wages quite a bit; I work the hardest, and the fleet steward even gives extra rewards."

The woman was happy when she heard this and said: "That's great; this is more silver than I earned when I worked in the Zou residence back then."

After the mule cart left Jin Ling city, the young man looked towards Longtan Port and said: "Mother, I will send you to Changzhou, and when I go to sea again this time, it may take a longer time before I come back.

Because the Zhen family fleet wants to build a new pier on an island on the high seas, so that the Zhen family sea fleet can stop there on the way in the future; I heard that the third young lady of the Zhen family values this matter very much.

The steward on the ship said that this time when we go to sea, we will transport a lot of materials for building the pier, and it will take three months to come back...."

……

Jin Ling, Rongyu Lane, Zhen residence.

This month, the 28th of the eighth month, is the 68th birthday of the Old Lady of the Jin Ling Zhen family; these days, the inside and outside of the Zhen residence have begun to be decorated with lanterns and colored streamers, and the festive atmosphere is increasing day by day.

The major noble families in Jin Ling, officials from various government offices who are on good terms with the Zhen family, and old friends and relatives of the Zhen family in the Love Shenjing have all sent people to send birthday gifts.

Zhen Zhen Shiwen, the third young master of the Zhen family's first branch, was implicated by the Embroidered Uniform Guard because of the private storage of firearms these days; Zhen Zhen Yingjia is currently confining Zhen Zhen Shiwen at home to avoid trouble.

Zhen Zhen Yingjia let his son be responsible for distributing birthday invitations and receiving guests who came to the residence to send birthday gifts.

In Zhen Zhen Shiwen's view, such chores should be done by women and children in the inner house, such as his cousin; now he is asked to let his dignified eldest son of the first branch do such trivial things.

Instead, his cousin never stays in the inner house steadily and is most keen on calling the wind and rain in the family business.

Just as he was dealing with the guests who came to send birthday gifts without any nutrition, Chen Qiong, the steward of the first branch, came to him.

"Cong Sanye, you have been behind closed doors in the residence these days, and the shops outside are in chaos. The third young lady and Chen Linjiang Xian have already withdrawn all the dividends and deposits of the second branch in the shops this year.

A total of 580,000 taels of silver were withdrawn, and it is said that they were all exchanged for silver notes to be used in the business of the newly opened Xiuwen Pavilion.

In addition, the third young lady has been rectifying the sea fleet these days and dismissed many people she was not satisfied with, many of whom were people planted by the Cong Sanye; now the fleet has entered a batch of new sailors.

I heard that the fleet is about to go to sea to do a big business, but our people have all been cleared out by the third young lady, so we don't know what big business they are going to pick up at all.

Moreover, Liu Linjiang Xian has been taking inventory of various businesses in the family recently, including some idle industries; I don't know what they are for, but it should be under the instructions of the third young lady."

Zhen Zhen Shiwen's face became extremely ugly after hearing this news.

He was confined at home because his third sister instigated it in front of the Old Lady, calling it letting him hide from the limelight at home; it turns out she had planned it long ago.

He had long known that his cousin wanted to withdraw the deposits from various shops; although he felt very distressed that 580,000 taels were withdrawn at once, it was not unexpected.

But she suddenly rectified the Zhen family's sea fleet, which was far beyond his expectations.

The Zhen family made a huge fortune from sea trade, and the Zhen family's sea fleet is the foundation of the sea trade business, occupying an extremely important position in the Zhen family's business chain.

This sea fleet was built by Zhen Zheng Yingquan himself, and the captains and deputies on each ship were basically the old people cultivated by the second branch back then.

Five years ago, when Zhen Zheng Yingquan had an accident, the first branch of the Zhen family was able to intervene in the sea trade business created by the second branch in a grand manner.

Zhen Zhen Shiwen also had some schemes and plans, and he saw the importance of the sea fleet to the sea trade business early on; although his third sister was in charge of the business, he could not move the captains and deputies on the sea ships.

But he had planted many people among the helmsmen and sailors below over the years.

He really didn't expect that his cousin would take advantage of his confinement at home to catch him off guard and cleanly sweep all the people he planted out of the house.

Moreover, she also added many newcomers to the fleet; together with the original captains and deputies, the fleet's personnel were stabilized at once, and it would be very difficult for him to plant people again.

Did she do such a thing at this juncture just to clear out his eyes and ears in the fleet for that big business going to sea, and also to prevent news from leaking?

What kind of business is it that makes his cousin so cautious?

But these were just Zhen Zhen Shiwen's own speculations, and he couldn't figure out any clues at once. (End of chapter)