Chapter 674: Fortune and Misfortune are Self-Invited

Gusu, Chayuan Street, Zhen family's small courtyard.

In the height of summer, the weather in Gusu is much hotter than in the Love Shenjing. The flowers and trees in the courtyard are sparse, lush and green, and the cicadas on the trees chirp clearly.

Zhen Fangqing sat on a lounge chair in the main room, wearing white gauze summer clothes, with a goose-yellow camisole faintly visible inside, rising and falling gracefully, making her look even more slender and intoxicating.

She wore a white printed thin silk long skirt on her lower body. In the afternoon summer breeze, the hem of the skirt fluttered and brushed with the wind.

In her hand, she was fiddling with a handwritten booklet sent by Jia Cong, which recorded several of Jia Cong's articles from the spring examination.

Every time she read it again, while feeling admiration, she also felt a bit of envy.

Naturally, if she were not a daughter, she would probably also study poetry and books hard, and go down to fight for this literary glory...

It was just that footsteps came from the veranda outside the main room. The maid Bei'er had a little sweat on her fair forehead and walked into the room quickly.

Seeing this, Zhen Fangqing scolded with a smile, "I let you go out to buy a perfume soap, and you only returned now. Where did you go to play and wander again?"

Bei'er pouted her small mouth and said, "Miss, it's my first time in Gusu, and the carriage driver is not familiar with the roads.

I finally found out that there are only two shops in the whole of Gusu that sell the exclusive products of the Xinchun Firm.

I let the driver turn around for a long time before I found one of them, the Fengxiang Firm. It really took a lot of effort, so naturally, I returned late."

Zhen Fangqing smiled slightly and said, "Miss Qu and Miss Qin are really good at doing business. I don't know where Yuzhang found them.

There are only two shops in Gusu that can sell Xinchun Firm goods. The price can be set at will."

Bei'er, as if offering a treasure, took out the newly bought perfume soap and placed it at Zhen Fangqing's nose.

She said, "Miss, this is the new perfume soap from the Xinchun Firm. It's different from what we used before. Smell it and see if the scent is good."

Zhen Fangqing inhaled and sniffed, quite intoxicated, and smiled, "This scent is both fragrant and cool, as if peppermint leaves were added.

The Xinchun Firm has many novel ways of doing business. It's no wonder that in just a few years, the business has grown so big."

Bei'er smiled, "I heard from the woman in the shop that this was a method thought of by their shop's manager, who asked the Xinchun Firm to customize the perfume soap.

That woman also said that their firm's manager is a young lady."

Hearing this, Zhen Fangqing was slightly stunned and said casually, "The Xinchun Firm is always exquisite. It seems they really like to use young ladies to manage affairs."

However, she just said it casually and didn't care in her heart, because she herself was a young lady, and wasn't she managing all the Zhen family's businesses?

The two mistress and servant were chatting when Zhen Fangqing was just about to use the newly bought soap to go in and bathe, when she heard footsteps coming from the door.

She saw Liu Xian's wife enter, dusty and tired.

Because Zhen Fangqing was worried that Chen Rong had already fallen into the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and that her cousin Zhen Shiwen's crime would be confirmed, the Zhen family's situation could not be reversed.

So after arriving in Gusu, she stopped her journey and did not rashly enter Jin Ling city, but watched the situation in Gusu.

She also sent Liu Xian's wife with her trusted servant Wang Hai to return to Jin Ling first to probe for movements.

Liu Xian's wife had been gone for two days, and her return now must mean she brought news from Jin Ling.

Zhen Fangqing saw that Liu Xian's wife had sweat on her forehead and looked tired, as if she were exhausted from traveling back and forth.

She asked Bei'er to pour a cup of hot tea for Liu Xian's wife and asked, "Auntie Liu, what is the news from Jin Ling?"

Liu Xian's wife said, "I have already seen our manager. Since he sent the letter to the Miss, he has been paying attention to this matter in the city.

He said that six days ago, Wang Zhangjiang had already returned to Jin Ling. Someone saw him get off the pier with their own eyes, but whether he caught Chen Rong is not very certain.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard's Thousand-Household Office is strict. It is not very easy for outsiders to find out who is locked inside.

But Chen Qiong's wife was suddenly released from the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison, which many people saw."

Hearing this, Zhen Fangqing's eyes flickered slightly, lost in thought.

Liu Xian's wife continued, "Our manager originally wanted to find Chen Qiong's wife to inquire about the news, but worried that it would alarm the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so he didn't dare to go in the end.

But on the morning of the second day, someone saw several Embroidered Uniform Guard riders galloping out of the North City Gate in a hurry, heading north.

Our manager guessed that Wang Zhangjiang must have caught Chen Rong and likely asked something from Chen Rong's mouth, so he was in a hurry to report to the Imperial Court.

Our manager also said the reason, saying that although the Embroidered Uniform Guard is powerful, the Eldest Master is a high-ranking official of the third grade.

The Zhen family is, after all, a prestigious clan in Jin Ling. Without the Imperial edict from the Court, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would not dare to move against our Zhen family..."

Hearing Liu Xian's wife's words, Zhen Fangqing's pretty face had already turned pale.

She said, "Manager Xian's guess is correct. Wang Zhangjiang must have caught Chen Rong and asked for a confession.

Likely, the third brother's crime has been confirmed. Even if Chen Rong truly didn't know the inside story, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has ways to make him confess what they want."

The Embroidered Uniform Guard riders galloped north five days ago. Their speed is much faster than ours going south.

Now they are likely almost at the Love Shenjing, or perhaps they have already arrived at the Love Shenjing, and the Imperial Court may have already learned the news.

For the Emperor to make a decision on this matter and for the news to be passed back to the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard, it will take five or six days.

That is to say, five or six days later, we will see what the fate of our Zhen family is."

Hearing this, Liu Xian's wife also had some sadness on her face. Both she and her husband were family-born servants of the Zhen family and had grown up in the Zhen family all their lives.

Subconsciously, they were members of the Zhen family. Now that the master's house was about to collapse, their hearts were naturally inevitably shocked and sad.

She said, "Miss, our manager said that the things you ordered before going to the capital have all been handled.

A few days ago, the amount of silver that could be extracted from each shop has already been extracted, except for leaving the necessary amount to cover up eyes and ears.

The idle properties in various places have also been sold and converted into silver, and the important items in various places were all loaded onto ships in batches and sporadically before the sea ships left the port last time.

The affairs in various places in the house have also been handled according to the Miss's wishes. Even if the Zhen family truly meets with disaster, the family business left by the Second Master will at least be preserved by seven or eight out of ten...

In addition, some time ago, the eldest wife asked people to withdraw silver from the shop. Because it was withdrawn from the main branch's share, my manager found it difficult to completely block it, so as not to make the eldest wife suspicious.

But he found various excuses, and the eldest wife didn't take away much silver."

Zhen Fangqing smiled bitterly, "The eldest wife still hasn't figured it out. As long as the Zhen family has an accident, no matter how much silver the main branch withdraws, they won't be able to keep a single tael."

Liu Xian's wife said again, "The Miss asked my manager to find a way to pick up the second wife out of the city. The carriage and horses and related personnel have all been prepared.

The Miss's meaning has already been told to the second wife, and the second wife has been asked to keep her mouth shut first.

It's just that the second wife said that if things are truly this dangerous, whether to pick up the Old Matriarch together, and whether the Eldest Master and Eldest Wife will be ignored..."

Zhen Fangqing smiled bitterly and said, "My mother is kind-hearted. It's not that I am unfilial and don't care about the Old Matriarch's life or death.

My mother used to return to her maiden home in Huizhou every year or two to stay for a while, and she came and went often. Even if she left Jin Ling, it wouldn't attract too much attention.

I am worried that she has always been sickly and cannot withstand the tossing and fright, so I want her to leave the place of right and wrong early.

Moreover, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is concerned with the people of the main branch. The orphans and widows of the second branch are irrelevant to the overall situation in their eyes.

But the Old Matriarch is different. The Old Matriarch is old and holds a noble position. Her sisters and brothers have all passed away. She hasn't left Jin Ling for almost forty years.

If she suddenly wants to leave Jin Ling now, what reason can she give? I fear that as soon as she moves, it will quickly make the Embroidered Uniform Guard suspicious, and then none of them will be able to leave.

The Old Matriarch is so old. Even if the Zhen family has an accident, the Imperial Court will not harm a person of seventy, so as not to hinder the Imperial hearing. I will find another way to settle her in these few days.

As for the Eldest Master and Eldest Wife, because of the third brother, the main branch has become the target of public criticism. Where can they go?

If the Zhen family has an accident, they will only be punished. The third brother is already dead, and the others are not death crimes.

If they want to escape now, others originally couldn't find a reason, but this would give the Imperial Court an excuse. At that time, I fear not a single person in the Zhen family will survive!"

Zhen Fangqing thought for a moment and said, "Auntie, I need you to work hard again and return to Jin Ling today.

My mother doesn't know the severity of it yet. You go into the inner courtyard yourself, explain these meanings to my mother clearly, and let her move as soon as possible.

If you meet family members when you return to the mansion, just say that I am reporting the news ahead of time, and I am following behind and still on the road, so as not to cause extra trouble.

These are all helpless moves. Only by doing this can the crimes suffered by the Zhen family be minimized. As long as everyone's life is preserved, there will be a long future..."...

Liu Xian's wife quickly agreed, and suddenly remembered something, saying, "Miss, when I left Jin Ling, our manager also mentioned an important matter.

He said that the eldest wife spent all day sorting out the main branch's valuables some days ago, packed more than a dozen chests of wealth, and went to the Jin Ling Wang family's main branch twice.

Our manager heard the wind, so he kept his mind on it and asked the second branch's steward maid to inquire in the inner courtyard, and then learned the news.

The eldest wife wants to send the main branch's wealth to the Love Shenjing Jia family for temporary storage, so that if something happens in the future, it won't be scattered.

Later, the eldest wife's younger brother came to the mansion several times, taking away a few chests each time.

Yesterday, her brother took a few servants from the main branch and had already boarded a merchant ship heading north."

Hearing this, Zhen Fangqing's face turned even paler, she bit her cherry lips tightly, and anger gradually appeared in her eyes.

She said, "Before the eldest wife transported the chests, she specifically went to the Jin Ling Wang family's main branch to move around. I can probably guess the reason.

The eldest daughter of the Jin Ling Wang family's main branch, whose given name is Wang Xifeng, has a spicy and fierce personality and married into the Rongguo mansion's main branch.

!

She is Yuzhang's eldest sister-in-law and helps Yuzhang manage the Rongguo mansion. The eldest wife must want to bypass Yuzhang and go through his sister-in-law's door to store these chests.

The main branch has already defeated the Zhen family, is it not enough? Could it be that even the Jia family is to be dragged into the water? How can she do such a stupid thing!"

Liu Xian's wife said, "Miss, those chests were transported out of Jin Ling yesterday. Now it is impossible to stop them."

Zhen Fangqing was lost in thought and said, "Although the eldest wife's brother divided it into several times to take these chests out of the Zhen mansion, it seems careful and cautious, not attracting attention.

But it was still noticed by Manager Xian, which shows that this kind of thing is very difficult to hide from those who care.

A person as shrewd as Wang Zhangjiang will definitely set up eyes and ears around the Zhen mansion. Will he know nothing about this?

I fear it is very difficult. Perhaps he just wants to catch them in the act...

I am worried that Yuzhang's sister-in-law will be bewitched by others and really accept these chests. That would cause trouble for Yuzhang."

Zhen Fangqing thought for a moment, walked to the desk, picked up a brush to write a letter, and after writing and putting it into an envelope, carefully pasted the seal.

She said to Liu Xian's wife, "Auntie, ask Wang Hai to send this letter to Yuzhang by fast horse. Wang Hai has been to the Love Shenjing several times and is familiar with the path.

Tell him to travel day and night, hoping to arrive before those chests, so that Yuzhang can see this letter.

Even if it is really too late, Yuzhang must see this letter. He will have a count in his heart to deal with it..."

Count's mansion, Jia Cong's courtyard.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, the Western clock in the room had not yet reached the hour of Mao, and the whole courtyard woke up, with young ladies and maids starting to walk back and forth.

In Jia Cong's main room, besides Zhen Ying Lian who was helping him comb his hair, Qingwen, Wu'er, and others were delivering water and taking clothes, with skirts bringing wind, entering and leaving the room.

When Jia Cong was studying for the examination, he got up early and stayed up late every day to study hard, so this situation often appeared.

But since he passed the Jinshi examination, he hadn't risen at the hour of Mao for some time, and his daily attendance at the office was after the hour of Chen.

It was not that he had developed the habit of oversleeping after passing the imperial examination.

It was just that now that he didn't have to study the classics hard, there was nothing to do if he got up too early.

Moreover, if he got up a little later, the young ladies around him would also be spared from getting up early. They were all in their youth, still at the age of deep sleep, and who didn't love to sleep.

Even when he was just granted the Hanlin academician, in the first half month of his attendance at the Hanlin Academy, he still maintained this relaxed schedule.

And, since he and Zhi Shao first tasted love, they were even more intimate than in the past.

Every time he met her on night duty, they would cuddle on the bed, somewhat reluctant to leave the fragrant softness of the couch, and he didn't want to get up early.

But until two days ago, he received an official document from the Ministry of Personnel, and after years of hard study, the relaxed days he had just possessed were announced to end once again.

Because according to the official document of the Ministry of Personnel, he is now a Grade 5A academician of the Hanlin Academy, at the same rank as Ge Hongzheng, the chief official of the Hanlin Academy, and according to the usual practice, he needs to attend the morning court.

According to the Great Zhou official system, officials above Grade 5A in the capital need to attend the morning court every day to listen to politics.

However, this morning court regulation has some discrepancies in details. Among them, Grade 5A officials attending the morning court need to be the heads of various ministries and offices. Grade 5A officials who are not heads of ministries and offices are not in the ranks of the morning court.

After all, the base number of capital officials is huge, and the number of officials above Grade 5A is considerable.

If they all went to the morning court to stand in ranks, I fear even the main hall wouldn't be able to stand, which would truly lose decorum, and it is unnecessary for listening to politics and discussing government.

Moreover, the Ministry of Personnel has had an unwritten convention for many years that Grade 5A officials, if they are not from the imperial examination background, are not in the ranks of the morning court unless there are special political circumstances.

Although this clause is not explicitly stated in the Great Zhou law, it is the consensus of the Great Zhou Imperial Court. The strictness of the hierarchy in the officialdom can be seen.

Back then, Zhou Junxing, the head of the Investigation Court, was the head of a Grade 5 office, but because he was not from the imperial examination background, although he was reused by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao.

However, the Ministry of Personnel never bought it and did not issue a morning court official document to Zhou Junxing. Even if Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was the supreme ruler, he couldn't say much about this.

It was not until Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao wanted to add to the power of the Investigation Court to deter the court, and overcame all dissenting views, that he exceptionally promoted Zhou Junxing to the rank of Grade 4B official, which made his attendance at the morning court to listen to politics logical.

This is also why Jia Cong had long been a Grade 5A official and the head of the Ministry of Works Firearm Office, but had never had to attend the morning court.

There is another important reason, which is that the Ministry of Works Firearm Office he presides over involves military and national secrets, and it is not suitable for public discussion at the morning court.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao had an indifferent attitude towards whether he attended the morning court to listen to politics. The Ministry of Personnel just followed the old rules, and Jia Cong himself had no wild ambitions, so he naturally enjoyed the ease.

But after he passed the Jinshi examination, he was granted the title of Grade 5A Hanlin Academician, and his official position was equivalent to the head of the Hanlin Academy. It would be somewhat indecorous to hide and not attend the morning court again.

Under this premise of success, the Ministry of Personnel naturally followed the rules of the official system and issued him an official document and edict for the morning court.

Since learning that Jia Cong received the official document from the Ministry of Personnel, the sisters all came to congratulate him, and Jia Cong's courtyard had been filled with joy for the past two days.

Zhen Ying Lian helped Jia Cong comb his hair and tie his bun, Qingwen served him to dress neatly in the official robes that had been ironed early, and Zhi Shao and Wu'er were all full of smiles, helping him organize his clothes and crown.

Perhaps to them, Jia Cong created some new type of firearm, they didn't understand too much, and didn't understand the significance of it.

In their eyes, after Jia Cong passed the Jinshi examination and obtained the qualification to enter the palace and attend the morning court, this was the true success in his official career.

After the second quarter of the hour of Mao, Jia Cong sat in a carriage and went to the Wumen, merging into the officials waiting for the morning court for the first time.

Just as he stepped down from the carriage, he became the youngest person in the Great Zhou court to bow to the Heavenly Palace, attracting the attention of many officials for a time.

When the sixth quarter of the hour of Mao arrived, as the Wumen slowly opened wide and the signal cannon shook, he followed the ranks of officials attending the morning court and stepped into the palace city with stacked palaces, starting the first morning court of his official career.

When he followed other officials into the Fengtian Hall, the etiquette and discipline official of the Ministry of Rites had already greeted him and designated his position in the ranks.

This etiquette and discipline official of the Ministry of Rites must have known that Jia Cong was attending the morning court for the first time, which is why he specifically came to point it out.

This official who maintained the discipline of the morning court would normally stop even high-ranking Grade 4 officials with a commanding tone if there was any loss of decorum.

But he was very respectful in his words to Jia Cong, perhaps because Jia Cong was a young man in his prime, but his position in the ranks was above the high-ranking Grade 4 officials of the whole court.

For Jia Cong, every detail of the morning court filled him with the curiosity of a newcomer.

When those officials who attended the morning court day after day were mostly sleepy listening to the court discussions between officials of various ministries and the Emperor, which had nothing to do with them.

Jia Cong listened with full attention and great interest, without any fatigue or boredom, and until half past the hour of Chen, he seemed to still have unfinished business.

Just at this time, an official walked out of the ranks, wearing a black gauze hat and a woven gold four-beast flying fish suit, about thirty years old, with a quite majestic demeanor and appearance.

Jia Cong heard him say loudly: "Your subject, Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Xu Kun, has something to report."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao on the jade throne remained calm and said in a deep voice: "Granted."

Xu Kun said: "A few days ago, the Love Shenjing Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander's Office received an urgent report from the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Thousand-Household Wang Zhangjiang.

It stated that Zhen Shiwen of the Jin Ling Zhen family was suspected of private firearm manufacturing. Recently, the fugitive suspect of the case was captured, and definite evidence was obtained, proving that Zhen Shiwen was one of the masterminds of the Jin Ling firearm private manufacturing.

The Jin Ling Zhen family, a prominent clan and an official family, is famous in Jiangnan. However, the eldest son of the main branch is involved in the crime of rebellion, which is shocking and a matter of great importance.

Your subject requests the Emperor to issue an edict to handle it strictly, to investigate the bottom of it, and to warn others!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 675 =====