Chapter 425

Jin Ling, Apricot Blossom Lane, Yao Family Wine Shop.

The intense afternoon sun seemed capable of melting iron and turning gold to liquid, baking the bluestone slabs on the ground until they were scorching hot.

The shadows of the houses on both sides of the small lane were slightly distorted in the sweltering air.

On the sturdy, towering Chinese parasol tree at the entrance of the wine shop, cicadas shrieked hysterically, their sound singular and piercing.

In the past, these cicada calls would only highlight the ease and carefreeness of a summer afternoon, but today, they made one feel oppressed and uneasy.

This was Jia Cong's first time entering the Yao Family Wine Shop; he did not know if it was due to a preconceived notion, but this seemingly ordinary shop revealed many anomalies in his eyes.

A shop boy of seventeen or eighteen years was steaming and drying distiller's yeast on a drying rack at the entrance; under the baking sun, a strange aroma of wine permeated the lane.

At the corner of the shop's main hall, two sturdy men, bare-chested with knotted muscles on their arms, were pounding glutinous rice with a stone mortar and pestle.

A maid dressed in simple clothing was cleaning and wiping the tables, chairs, and utensils in the shop.

These people and the scene appeared completely unremarkable; it looked just like an ordinary brewery.

But Jia Cong was a practitioner of martial arts, and he could see that whether it was the shop boy at the entrance, the two sturdy rice-pounding men, or even the maid sweeping the floor—

all of these people possessed a nimbleness and dexterity in their movements that ordinary people lacked.

Jia Cong told the sweeping maid that he had been introduced by Miss Zou from the Clear Sound Pavilion; the maid's gaze tightened slightly, and she ran to the back hall to call someone.

……

In a room on the second floor of the wine shop, a man and a woman sat facing each other, the atmosphere appearing somewhat solemn.

The man was in the prime of his youth, full of vigor, peerlessly handsome, and of exceptional bearing.

The woman was in her prime years, beautiful and charming, alluring and enchanting, graceful and captivating.

On the table lay two dark iron plaques; one was an identity token of the Central Vehicle Office, while the other was the token of the Managing Commissioner of the Central Vehicle Office.

Xu Qiniang had carefully inspected that identity token and recognized it; when Zou Min'er first came to Apricot Blossom Lane to see her, she had shown her this token.

Zou Min'er had come down to Jin Ling to assist in the investigation of the major case of Zhou Zhengyang and, in this matter, had authority over the personnel of the Jin Ling Central Vehicle Office; although Xu Qiniang was a veteran of the Jin Ling Central Vehicle Office, she had to take orders from her.

However, Zou Min'er had never told Xu Qiniang that above the hierarchy of those assisting in this investigation, there existed a Managing Commissioner of the Central Vehicle Office.

That she did not inform Xu Qiniang of this matter was also the customary way of doing things for secret government agencies; important information was only circulated to necessary people when necessary.

What surprised Xu Qiniang even more was that this secretly appointed Managing Commissioner of the Central Vehicle Office turned out to be the long-renowned Count Weiyuan, Jia Cong.

As the person in charge of the secret files of the Jin Ling Central Vehicle Office, she had long known that Jia Cong had been ordered by imperial decree to enter Jin Ling to take charge of the Auxiliary Capital's Firearms Office, but she had never met Jia Cong in person.

She had even heard rumors that Zou Min'er was staying at the Clear Sound Pavilion and was in close and ambiguous contact with this young Count Weiyuan.

Originally, in her view, Zou Min'er, as a spy for the Central Vehicle Office, was likely using such romantic affairs as a cover for her role-playing, so she had not paid much attention to it at the time.

Even if Zou Min'er truly had a private affair with this Count Weiyuan, that was Zou Min'er's private business and had nothing to do with anyone else.

Xu Qiniang had been working in the Jin Ling Central Vehicle Office for four years and was considered by Zou Min'er to be a shrewd and capable person who could be a great help to Jia Cong's affairs in Jin Ling.

She was naturally a very sharp-minded person; as soon as she saw Jia Cong show Zou Min'er's identity token and explain his own identity,

she quickly connected many things and immediately judged some key information.

This Count Weiyuan before her must, like Zou Min'er, have received a secret imperial decree in the Love Shenjing and come down to Jin Ling to investigate the major case of Zhou Zhengyang.

As for coming down to Jin Ling to take charge of the Auxiliary Capital's Firearms Office, that was merely a facade for outsiders to see.

Xu Qiniang knew that Jia Cong had been in the limelight for the past two years, and this youth could now be considered to be in the Emperor's favor.

That the Emperor would secretly send even such a person to Jin Ling showed how much importance and attention he placed on the Zhou Zhengyang matter and the legacy of the major case of the Water Supervision Office from years ago.

Jin Ling was the core hub of half of the Jiangnan region, and the peace of Jin Ling City concerned the stability of the six prefectures and one province of Jiangnan; it was no wonder the Emperor would be so concerned.

Realizing these key points, Xu Qiniang's thoughts became somewhat profound, and she could not help but think of how she had been in Jin Ling for many years, painstakingly planning, separated from her kin, and the depth of her schemes….

……

While Xu Qiniang was thinking and calculating in her heart, Jia Cong was also secretly observing her expressions and demeanor.

This female shopkeeper of the wine shop, who appeared beautiful, bright, and alluring, was not as pleasing to the eye as she looked on the surface.

Jia Cong thought about how she, as a member of the Hidden Sect, had spent such a long time infiltrating the Central Vehicle Office, eventually transforming into a backbone and leader of the Central Vehicle Office in Jin Ling.

Facing such an extraordinary woman, Jia Cong had to be twelve times more cautious in his heart.

Jia Cong said, "Before Miss Zou passed away, she gave her identity token to me and asked me to see Wang Zhangshi Xu; in the future, the intelligence reports sent from the various prefectures along the river should be forwarded to me directly by Wang Zhangshi Xu.

In addition, Miss Zou left a message before she passed away that all matters regarding the handling of the Zhou Zhengyang case should be under my command and coordination of the Jin Ling Central Vehicle Office personnel in her stead."

Xu Qiniang's expression changed slightly, her moist and charming eyes shifting restlessly.

She said, "Lord Jia, there is no problem with forwarding the intelligence reports from the various prefectures along the river to you at the first opportunity.

Logically speaking, since you hold the token of the Managing Commissioner of the Central Vehicle Office, your position is above Qiniang's, and I should take orders from you.

However, the Central Vehicle Office has its own operational regulations, and the Love Shenjing Central Vehicle Office has issued an order for us to be under Miss Zou's command; now that Miss Zou has died unexpectedly,

according to the customs of the Central Vehicle Office, the Love Shenjing will issue another order to appoint a new person in charge; before the order from the office is issued, please forgive me for being unable to comply for the time being, and I ask Lord Jia to be understanding."

Jia Cong was not surprised to hear this; the Central Vehicle Office was an internal government agency with strict rules, not some gang of outlaws from the world of martial arts.

To think that just because of one token from Zou Min'er and a so-called dying message, the Jin Ling Central Vehicle Office would be submissive to him would be taking things too simply.

For Jia Cong, ensuring the connection of information between himself and the Central Vehicle Office before the Love Shenjing Central Vehicle Office learned of Zou Min'er's death and issued a decree, avoiding any gaps or leaks,

and not letting the original affairs stagnate or be interfered with, was the bottom-line purpose of his trip.

As for whether the personnel of the Jin Ling Central Vehicle Office led by Xu Qiniang would immediately and completely take orders from him, he did not force it.

Jia Cong said, "The Central Vehicle Office has its own regulations, so naturally, we will act according to the regulations; you may go ahead and report this matter to the Love Shenjing first, I have no objections.

I will not make things difficult for you regarding ordinary matters; you can wait for the new decree to be issued before acting according to the rules.

But it takes ten days for letters to travel between Jin Ling and the Love Shenjing, and during this period, I fear that changes may occur, affecting the progress of the arrest of Zhou Zhengyang.

Therefore, there is one urgent matter that I must ask Wang Zhangshi Xu to mobilize the Central Vehicle Office's manpower to handle as soon as possible."

In fact, Xu Qiniang knew clearly in her heart that as long as the news of Zou Min'er's death was reported back to the Love Shenjing, given the imperial favor Jia Cong currently enjoyed and the fact that he already held the title of Managing Commissioner of the Central Vehicle Office,

it was likely that the Office Head and the Emperor would logically let Jia Cong take over Zou Min'er's command of the Jin Ling Central Vehicle Office.

That Xu Qiniang had just spoken those words was merely the stance she had to take as a member of the Central Vehicle Office, so as not to leave any handle for others later.

This was also her customary style of handling affairs after many years in Jin Ling; when the false is true, the true is also false; even she had to believe it herself before she could make others believe it even more….

Since the polite words had been spoken, there was no need for Xu Qiniang to deliberately make things difficult for Jia Cong; she nodded slightly and said, "Lord Jia, please speak."

Jia Cong said, "I think Miss Zou must have made arrangements for you to keep an eye on the movements of Zhang Kangnian, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War."

Xu Qiniang replied, "Miss Zou said that when you went to the Zou residence to question Zou Huaiyi, Zhang Kangnian's reaction was very strange, and he seemed to imply with his words that the person should commit suicide, making him highly suspicious.

Moreover, his relationship with Zhou Zhengyang is somewhat unusual, so she asked me to arrange personnel to monitor his daily movements, but so far, no suspicious actions have been discovered."

Jia Cong said, "In addition to monitoring Zhang Kangnian's movements, we must also add one more person: Du Hengxin, the Regional Military Commissioner of the Jin Ling Regional Military Commission."

Hearing the name Du Hengxin, Xu Qiniang's heart jumped, and she asked, "Lord Jia, Du Hengxin is a Grade 2 official of the Jin Ling Regional Military Commission; could it be that he is also involved in the case?"

Jia Cong said, "At present, there is no solid evidence to show that he is related to the case.

However, Zou Huaiyi, a Battalion Commander of the Water Supervision Office, Zhou Zhengyang, a Guard Commander of the Jin Ling Guard, and even Zhang Kangnian, who was transferred to the Ministry of War, were all his subordinates.

His official rank is higher than Zhang Kangnian's, and the authority in his hands is naturally greater; at present, there is still no clue to Zhou Zhengyang's whereabouts, so it is reasonable to investigate him as a matter of course.

Moreover, fifteen years ago, when the Emperor first ascended the throne, he was transferred to the Love Shenjing and rose from a Squad Leader to a Company Commander.

But after being transferred back to Jin Ling, it took him thirteen years to be promoted to a Grade 2 Regional Military Commissioner; logically, since he was esteemed by the Emperor, he should not have been promoted so slowly.

Therefore, in addition to keeping an eye on his daily movements, it would be best to collect details of his service in Jin Ling for more than ten years…."

Hearing this, Xu Qiniang's thoughts swirled; that day, she had learned from an old clerk in Liuhe about the old affairs of the Du family and Du Hengxin's unusual background.

And indeed, many major events had happened that year.

She had once warned Zou Min'er that the Du family matter might involve the drastic changes in imperial power that year, and the danger was unpredictable, so she should not touch it easily.

She did not expect that Jia Cong would also happen to be paying attention to this person.

However, Jia Cong did not mention a word about the connection between Du Hengxin and the Jin Ling Du family, and Xu Qiniang had no reason to dissuade him, otherwise it would be too obvious.

Moreover, she did not know whether Zou Min'er had told Jia Cong about the secret affairs of the Du family.

For someone like Xu Qiniang, she would subconsciously weigh the risks of doing anything or saying anything; this had already become her instinct.

"My lord, rest assured, I will arrange personnel today to start handling this matter."

……

After Jia Cong finished speaking, he was about to turn and leave when Xu Qiniang said again, "My lord, Miss Zou and I worked together, and her unfortunate death was truly unexpected.

I heard that Miss Zou's funeral was handled by you, my lord; I wonder where Miss Zou is buried, so that I may go and pay my respects."

Jia Cong looked back at her, thinking that Zou Min'er was indeed careful and had thought of this step long ago.

And after he received her instructions, he had also been working tirelessly to handle this matter.

He even had Jiang Liu hide his identity and spend money to find an abandoned nameless female corpse from the mass grave west of the city, and carefully groomed her appearance.

Finally, he changed personnel and found another funeral home in the city that specialized in white affairs to bury the female corpse in a grave.

Even if someone were to open the coffin for inspection in the future, or even attempt to dig up old affairs, they would not be able to find any flaws.

He had specifically waited until the grave on Fuzhou Mountain was completed before coming to see Xu Qiniang, just to account for everything the other party might ask about Zou Min'er without missing a single detail.

Jia Cong said solemnly, "She is buried on Fuzhou Mountain on the west side of Taiping Gate, next to her mother's grave; this was also what she instructed before she passed away.

Judging by the appearance and martial arts skills of the assassin who killed Miss Zou, it is confirmed to be the female bandit Water Luo Sha under the command of the giant pirate Liu Ao of the East Sea; I ask Wang Zhangshi Xu to report this to the Central Vehicle Office accordingly.

In addition, the Central Vehicle Office needs to step up its tracking of Water Luo Sha's whereabouts; Miss Zou cannot have lost her life in vain, and we must make that woman pay for her blood debt!"

Seeing that Jia Cong was handsome and had been meticulous in his speech since they met, appearing scholarly, Xu Qiniang was surprised that his tone suddenly became grim at the end, revealing a gloomy murderous intent.

She felt a slight chill in her heart; that Zou Min'er had entrusted everything to Jia Cong before she died showed how deep her trust in him was; it was said that the two had always had an ambiguous private affair, and it seemed it was not false.

Xu Qiniang said, "My lord, rest assured, Miss Zou was a member of the Central Vehicle Office; that she was secretly harmed is the shame of the Jin Ling Central Vehicle Office; I have already arranged to search for Water Luo Sha's tracks in the city.

I have also destroyed two of Liu Ao's outlets in the city and eliminated five secret agents planted by Liu Ao in the city; although there is still no trace of Water Luo Sha, it can be considered as having vented some anger for Miss Zou."

Jia Cong's eyes lit up, and he asked, "So it was you who caused the murders at a grain store and an antique shop in the city a few days ago."

Xu Qiniang smiled slightly, looking enchanting, and said, "We also recently found out about these two places; these people were originally pirates who killed and looted.

After coming ashore, they also engaged in the business of fencing stolen goods and passing messages, all of which were crimes punishable by death; the Embroidered Uniform Guard has already found evidence from the two shops of their collusion with Liu Ao.

Once Miss Zou's matter is reported to the Love Shenjing, I believe these two cases will soon be dropped…."

……

When Jia Cong walked out of the Apricot Blossom Wine Shop, he felt a slight sense of relief in his heart.

This Xu Qiniang, over twenty years old, mature and charming, beautiful in appearance, and alluring, was a beauty selling wine at the counter on the surface.

Such a moist woman was probably a treasure for every man, and ordinary people would subconsciously lower their guard against such a woman.

But inside, this person was truly not simple; Jia Cong dealt with her and found that while she was gentle in her words to him, there was resilience in her bones.

Even though he had Zou Min'er's identity token and his position was higher than hers, she was still reasonable, neither humble nor arrogant; she was respectful on the surface, but inside, she did not lose the upper hand at all.

Moreover, as Jia Cong answered her, he could vaguely feel that every word she said, her speed of speech was neither fast nor slow, as if every word and sentence had been carefully considered; every word and phrase had a balance of advance and retreat, and her thoughts were quite profound.

Although Zou Min'er was also intelligent and shrewd, compared to Xu Qiniang's profoundness and sophistication, she appeared much more immature; this was determined by age and experience.

What's more, Xu Qiniang had been able to lie low for years, silently, and finally transform herself, a member of the Hidden Sect, into an operative of the Central Vehicle Office.

Without amazing perseverance and wisdom, it would be absolutely impossible to achieve.

But she never dreamed that there was a Qu Hongxiu by her side, just like the most complex game suddenly being cheated by someone.

Even if Xu Qiniang's disguise was more realistic, in his eyes, it was still a fake at a glance.

When Jia Cong walked to the entrance of Apricot Blossom Lane, he couldn't help but look back at the wine shop located in the middle of the lane.

Among the surrounding houses and shops, it did not appear to have anything special; it blended in with the crowd, completely unremarkable.

At this moment, the words Qu Hongxiu said swirled in Jia Cong's heart:

Xu Qiniang married into Jin Ling eight years ago, mostly arranged by the sect, planning this matter for a long time; I don't know which figure in the Hidden Sect set up such a long-term plan, I fear the goal is not small….

When he walked out of Apricot Blossom Lane, he merged into the bustling and noisy streets of Jin Ling City, the crowd like a flow, the market full of treasures.

He couldn't help but feel worried and emotional in his heart.

Jin Ling, a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, the place where the Great Zhou Taizu rose to power.

The core of the six prefectures and one province of Jiangnan, the most prosperous part of the Great Zhou, the location of the auxiliary capital of half the country.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's maritime policy originated here, and countless foreign barbarians who admired the brilliance of the Central Plains Han family sailed thousands of miles to stop and land here.

Such a magnificent and dazzling giant city, while emitting brilliance and splendor, also hid too much gloom and darkness. (End of chapter)