Chapter 702

Jin Ling, Dazai Gate, Xinchun Firm Jiangnan Headquarters.

Qu Hongxiu said, "A few days ago, Miss Zhen sent a message through Liu Xian that Wang Dequan is safe and sound and will be able to return to Jin Ling in a while.

The goods we shipped by sea this time were sold out in foreign countries, and the profit was quite substantial.

Although Liu Xian didn't say it clearly, we all know very clearly that the Zhen family fleet left the port in May and has had no news since; it didn't capsize in the hurricane at all.

Their fleet must be safely anchored somewhere in the outer sea, having avoided the hurricane, and then set sail according to the original route; all maritime trade matters have been successfully completed.

According to the normal time, the fleet should have returned to Jin Ling long ago, but it has been stranded overseas until now.

The news of the fleet capsizing in the sea has been spreading like wildfire in Jin Ling city, and everyone believes it to be true; it must be that someone is fueling the flames and doing it on purpose.

It must be that Miss Zhen saw the family's crisis early on and took advantage of the fleet's departure in May to spread the word, using the excuse of the hurricane.

This was to hide and protect the Zhen family fleet, so that when the family disaster broke out, the huge fleet wouldn't be confiscated and occupied by the government.

Over this past year, others might not have noticed, but we noticed many traces early on; Miss Zhen had been secretly selling off idle family industries to cash out.

Our Jin Ling Xinchun Firm purchased many shops, mansions, and farms from her hands.

Now it seems that Miss Zhen was planning ahead early on; even if the Zhen family was punished by the court, she still managed to preserve a large portion of the family business."

Qin Keqing said, "Sister Xiu's speculation is half right; looking at it this way, Miss Zhen is indeed quite capable.

It's just that now the Zhen family's head has been exiled, all the Zhen family's industries have been confiscated by the court, and the entire Zhen family has been moved out of Jin Ling.

The fleet and family business assets in Miss Zhen's hands are now invisible and cannot be brought to the surface; it will only be very difficult for her in the future."

Qu Hongxiu smiled and said, "Miss Zhen needs a reliable ally the most right now, someone she can rely on, so that the family business she went to such lengths to preserve can be more stable and secure.

Given her origin with Cong Di, our Xinchun Firm is undoubtedly her best choice.

Cong Di has always been firm in his words, placing great importance on maritime trade, believing that this is the great future of the Xinchun Firm.

In the past half year, the Xinchun Firm's products have been sold to foreign seas, and the profit has been extremely abundant; Cong Di's vision is truly not wrong at all.

The Zhen family fleet has first-class maritime ships in Jiangnan, and more importantly, they have boatmen and sailors who are proficient in foreign sea water routes.

Our Xinchun Firm now also has silver and can build first-class maritime ships, but wanting to find such a group of boatmen and sailors is extremely difficult.

Miss Zhen is now in a difficult and distressed situation and needs our help; the Xinchun Firm needs her fleet and sailors; it is a matter that benefits both sides."

Qu Hongxiu suddenly said, "Keqing, Cong Di helping Miss Zhen like this, is it only for the future of the Xinchun Firm? He shouldn't be using public office for private gain, right?"

Qin Keqing couldn't help but burst into laughter and said, "I think he mostly is, but Cong Di just likes to use his mind.

If he dared to go against the current Emperor and really provoke and get involved with Miss Zhen, I would admire him."

Qu Hongxiu smiled and said, "You are right; he has just passed the jinshi examination and become a Hanlin scholar, and he is in the midst of his glory.

If he dared to flirt with Miss Zhen and cause any stir, and the old Emperor found out, he definitely wouldn't give him any good fruit to eat; let's see if he still dares to attract people recklessly."

The two were all smiles, seemingly very happy that Jia Cong was suffering in this matter.

Qu Hongxiu said again, "Speaking of the current Emperor, he is indeed shrewd and formidable.

Now the Ministry of Revenue is auditing and verifying the Zhen family's industries, and there are many meticulous people in the government; it is very difficult for Miss Zhen to completely hide the discrepancies she made."

Love Shenjing, Great Zhou Palace, Qianyang Palace.

Beside the Emperor's imperial desk was a three-legged jade tripod incense burner, in which was burning dragon saliva incense; the incense mist was curling, penetrating the heart and lungs, clearing the spirit and mind.

The Minister of Personnel, Chen Mo, with white hair and beard, sat peacefully on a embroidered stool to the left of the imperial desk, his expression calm, patiently waiting for the Emperor to browse the Ministry of Personnel's files.

Because Chen Mo was already sixty years old, the oldest among the heads of the Six Ministries, he had the honor of being granted a seat before the Emperor.

Other officials, even the Grand Secretaries Cai Xiang and Wang Shilun, although they had reached the pinnacle of officialdom, were all in their prime and rarely had the privilege of being granted a seat before the Emperor.

Today, Chen Mo entered the palace by imperial decree to report to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao on the appointment of new officials in the capital.

Because the major fraud case in the Spring Examination had broken out, a large number of officials involved in the Spring Examination were implicated.

Among the various offices of the Six Ministries in the Love Shenjing, the number of officials who were punished, dismissed, or demoted reached more than forty.

After these officials left their posts, new officials had to be replenished in time; after several months of screening, evaluation, and coordination by the Ministry of Personnel,

the list of these replacement officials was finally determined; although these new official positions were all in the middle-lower class and were not eye-catching positions in the Six Ministries' official allocation sequence,

because it involved a large number of new officials, the Emperor still had to ask a few questions according to the practice of governing.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao browsed the files of the replacement officials' resumes, and when he found questions, he opened his mouth to ask.

Although Chen Mo was sixty years old, his eyes were still bright and his heart clear; he was a top scholar with an excellent memory; as long as Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said the name of an official, he would answer fluently.

In the end, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao removed three candidates he deemed unqualified, and the remaining replacement officials were all appointed according to the Ministry of Personnel's selection.

As for which powerful figures had requested the recommendation of these three failed officials, or if it was the Ministry of Personnel's established procedure for selection, Chen Mo knew it well.

They could only blame their own bad luck; their personal resumes had obvious omissions, making it difficult to enter the Emperor's eyes.

Although the number of officials involved was not small, they were all ordinary middle-lower class official positions.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao would not make a big deal out of it and use the Zhongche Office to secretly investigate and distinguish every official, so as not to waste manpower and delay the daily official business of the Six Ministries.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao and Chen Mo agreed on the appointment of officials; Chen Mo had just resigned and walked out of the main hall when he saw Guo Lin holding a memorial and walking quickly into the main hall.

He said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Tongzheng Office has received an urgent memorial from the Jin Ling Ministry of Revenue; there are doubts about the confiscation of the Zhen family's assets in Jin Ling; please have Your Majesty browse and decide."

Chen Mo, who had just walked out of the hall door, happened to hear this sentence; his footsteps stopped involuntarily, his eyes tightened slightly, and then he walked away from the Qianyang Hall.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's gaze turned cold when he heard Guo Lin's report.

The Zhen family case in Jin Ling, except for not seeing blood at the blade's edge, the Emperor had already exerted the power of thunder, and his actions could be considered decisive and fast.

He thought this matter would be cut quickly and decisively, and from then on, it would be settled, but he didn't expect that the subsequent confiscation would still have complications.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao browsed the memorial he had received, his face turned iron-blue, and he said sternly, "The Zhen family truly has good methods, having planned ahead early on!

I thought the Zhen family's crimes were all in the main branch of Zhen Yingjia; I didn't expect the Zhen family's second branch to be the real deal!"

He said to Guo Lin, "Immediately summon the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander, Xu Kun, to see me!"

Less than two quarters of an hour later, Xu Kun walked quickly into the main hall to see Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao and wait for orders.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao asked, "Xu Kun, has the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Jin Ling received the report on the confiscation of the Zhen family's assets from the Ministry of Revenue in the auxiliary capital?"

Xu Kun replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Wang Zhangjiang has received the report from the Ministry of Revenue; the audit and verification of the Zhen family's assets have quite a few doubts.

Wang Zhangjiang has already detained the managers and stewards of several Zhen family shops to inquire about the truth; the secret report from the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard arrived at the Commander's Office this morning.

This subordinate was also about to enter the palace to report when I happened to meet Your Majesty's summons."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said, "According to the audit results of the Ministry of Revenue in the auxiliary capital, over the past year, the Zhen family's silver flow has been active and their movements strange.

The Zhen family's shops and farms have successively withdrawn large amounts of deposit silver, and the remaining silver on the books is merely to deceive the public.

The Zhen family has quietly sold off and cashed out their good fields, houses, and shops in various places, and most of the sales were outside Jin Ling, so they didn't attract attention.

According to the Ministry of Revenue's audit, this confiscation of the Zhen family's assets is actually just an empty shell.

At least fifty percent of the Zhen family's assets have been secretly withdrawn by someone, and the reasons all occurred before the Zhen family's incident.

Such ghostly tricks are breathtaking and the intentions are gloomy; has Wang Zhangjiang investigated the bottom line!"

Xu Kun replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, after Wang Zhangjiang received the report from the Ministry of Revenue, he interrogated the managers of the Zhen family's shops.

They confessed that over the past year, the steward of the Zhen family's second branch, Liu Xian, acting on the orders of Zhen Fangqing, successively extracted large amounts of deposit silver from various shops.

The use and direction of this deposit silver were all for the Zhen family fleet's maritime trade, but only a small portion was spent on purchasing goods, and most of the deposit silver should have been idle.

Including the sale of the Zhen family's industries in various places, everything was carried out very secretly, and the silver amounts exchanged were not entered into the Zhen family's public accounts; they must all be in Zhen Fangqing's hands.

In May of this year, the Zhen family fleet left the port and encountered a violent hurricane in the East Sea for several days; fishermen along the coast rumored that the Zhen family fleet had all capsized.

This huge amount of deposit silver used for maritime trade is now impossible to verify, and Zhen Fangqing has had no news since she left the capital.

Acting on Your Majesty's oral decree, this subordinate has searched everywhere along the way from the Love Shenjing to Jin Ling, but has not found any traces of Zhen Fangqing.

It wasn't until five days ago that I received a report that Zhen Fangqing had appeared on Chayuan Street in Gusu, but she lost her trace again afterwards."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said coldly, "I have always felt that she was just a woman and not worth worrying about; I really underestimated her!"

Xu Kun said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, according to the detailed list of the Zhen family's asset outflow audited by the Ministry of Revenue and the interrogation of the shop managers by Wang Zhangjiang,

this subordinate believes that last year, when Zhen Shiwen was involved in the private manufacture of firearms and died, Zhen Fangqing became vigilant.

She anticipated that the Zhen family would suffer the disaster of family destruction because of this, so she began to set up a plan to pull the firewood from under the cauldron.

She used a year to gradually transfer family industries and create a retreat for herself.

The Zhen family fleet's strange capsizing in the outer sea hurricane before the court punished the Zhen family is all too coincidental.

If this subordinate's speculation is the truth, this person is deep and gloomy, and her intentions are sinister; although she is a woman, she is a giant traitor and must be guarded against.

This subordinate has another speculation, but there is no evidence, so I dare not confuse the Emperor..."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's gaze was like a knife, and he said, "I forgive you for your mistake, just speak clearly!"

Xu Kun said, "This subordinate believes that Zhen Fangqing's ability to predict things like a god is perhaps not just because she is naturally intelligent and deep in thought.

It is because when Zhen Shiwen was involved in the private manufacture of firearms, she knew the truth of the matter early on, which is why she knew the harm so well.

Zhen Fangqing has always been outstanding in talent and is the person in control of the Zhen family's business; the wealth and power in her hands are greater than Zhen Shiwen's.

It is even possible that both she and Zhen Shiwen were involved in the private manufacture of firearms, but she has been hidden so deeply that she has never revealed her tracks.

Otherwise, why would she go to such lengths to create a retreat early on, and Zhen Shiwen was killed to silence him, which is still a mystery..."

As soon as Xu Kun said this, the temperature in the entire main hall seemed to drop by a few degrees, revealing a trace of unpredictable gloom.

The Jin Ling firearm private manufacture case lost its subsequent clues after Zhen Shiwen was killed.

Although Wang Zhangjiang was shrewd and capable, since he took over as the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commander, he had exhausted his efforts and used all kinds of methods.

But he could only verify that Zhen Shiwen had intentionally participated in the private manufacture of firearms, but he could not find the mastermind behind this matter.

And the speculative words of Xu Kun just now seemed very gloomy and deep, implying that Zhen Fangqing was the person behind the Jin Ling firearm private manufacture case.

And even that her cousin Zhen Shiwen was killed by her to silence him...

Although he had no real evidence, the words just now, compared with the cause and effect, seemed not to be without logic.

After all, Zhen Fangqing's plan to prepare for a rainy day, predicting things like a god, and planning meticulously, if thought about carefully, was also somewhat surprising and terrifying, making it hard not to make people suspicious.

Guo Lin, who was on the side, felt a chill in his heart when he heard Xu Kun's deep and dangerous words.

This Commander Xu really dared to speak; without any real evidence, he was implying in front of the Emperor that Zhen Fangqing was the person behind the firearm private manufacture.

Even if Zhen Fangqing secretly transferred family wealth, it was when the Zhen family had not yet been convicted and before the palace had issued an imperial decree.

Strictly speaking, it was considered disposing of private property under her name, yet she was actually crowned with such a huge crime.

Did Xu Kun not know that Zhen Fangqing grew up in the palace, was raised by Old Imperial Consort Zhen herself, and was valued and loved by the Retired Emperor?

Zhen Fangqing stood behind the Retired Emperor; if she was the mastermind behind the Jin Ling firearm private manufacture, wouldn't that also implicate the Retired Emperor...

Guo Lin was also an old man in the palace and knew very clearly that sixteen years ago, the father and son monarch's retreat and change of position, the change of imperial power, was superficially magnificent.

But the danger and bloodshed hidden within the palace walls, how many things were hard to tell others...

Did this Xu Kun not know the depth of this, daring to provoke such a gloomy taboo? He was playing with fire.

As Xu Kun said these words, the main hall was dead silent for a moment; Guo Lin could clearly feel an inexplicable suffocating pressure.

He peeked at Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's face and found that the Emperor was neither sad nor happy, his eyebrows were slightly raised, and his eyes were deep, revealing a bone-chilling coldness...

But as a confidant attendant who had been with the Emperor for many years, Guo Lin knew very clearly the Emperor's wariness and worries.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said, "Xu Kun, strictly order the Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commanders in various places to intensify the search for Zhen Fangqing's whereabouts; once traces are found, immediately invite her back to the capital.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard will issue a document to the Dali Temple, detailing Zhen Fangqing's various doubts, and the Dali Temple will set up a file to secretly investigate this matter; there must be no mistakes!"

Guo Lin understood clearly after hearing Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's words; although it was said that if the Embroidered Uniform Guard found traces, they would invite Zhen Fangqing back to the capital, it seemed that the words still left some room.

This was the Emperor leaving the last bit of face for the Retired Emperor in the Chonghua Palace.

But the Emperor also ordered Xu Kun to issue a document to the Dali Temple, letting the Dali Temple set up a case to strictly investigate Zhen Fangqing's matter.

The Dali Temple was the hub of the Three Judicial Offices; the intervention of the Dali Temple to investigate had already implicitly settled Zhen Fangqing's crime.

Once Zhen Fangqing was caught, I don't know what the Retired Emperor in the Chonghua Palace would think; I'm afraid the father and son monarch would have a confrontation...

The next day, the sky over the Love Shenjing was dark, with drizzling rain; the prosperity of the market was reduced by a few points, revealing a decadent and oppressive atmosphere.

The Dali Temple official office on Chongzheng Street suddenly opened its doors, and more than ten fast horses rushed out, galloping along the rain-drenched streets.

The riders on the horses were all wearing straw capes, hanging Dali Temple waist plates, and wearing goose-feather waist knives.

The horse hooves thundered like muffled thunder, and countless raindrops that hadn't yet hit the ground were splashed everywhere by the galloping horses.

When the horse team rushed to an intersection, it split into three paths; one path of seven or eight riders rushed straight to the Zhengyang Gate, which was the necessary road to go south.

The other two fast horses ran towards the east of the city separately, one of which was heading towards Ningrong Street.

Ningrong Street, Count's Mansion.

Jia Cong was still checking in at the Hanlin Academy this morning, but he hadn't been sitting in the official office for long when a minor servant from his home came to pass a message.

He said that Dali Temple officials had come to the mansion to visit, bringing a hand-order from the Dali Temple Minister, Master Wei, to ask the Count about important official business, and asked the Count to return to the mansion to receive them.

Jia Cong felt a slight movement in his heart when he heard it was a matter handled by the head of the Dali Temple; he thought the matter must be important, otherwise they wouldn't have let his family come to pass the message.

Although Jia Cong was a Count, his official rank was only Grade 5A, far lower than the Dali Temple Minister's Grade 3A; the rules of official etiquette could not be abandoned.

When he returned to the mansion and entered the main hall of the outer courtyard, he saw a Dali Temple official already waiting, and outside the door was a straw cape dripping with rainwater.

The official saw Jia Cong and stood up hurriedly, saying, "This subordinate is a Dali Temple Judge, Wu Hongtu, acting on the orders of my superior to visit the mansion and ask the Count about official business."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Judge Wu, there is no need for courtesy; since it is official business, please feel free to ask."

Wu Hongtu said, "Yesterday, the Embroidered Uniform Guard received an imperial decree to issue a document to the Dali Temple; the Ministry of Revenue in the auxiliary capital confiscated the Zhen family's assets in Jin Ling and verified a huge discrepancy.

According to the interrogation of the Zhen family's shop managers, from the ninth month of last year to the fourth month of this year,

Zhen Fangqing withdrew large amounts of silver from various shops of the family for maritime trade.

This amount of silver is huge, nearly half of the Zhen family's assets, and now it is nowhere to be found; Zhen Fangqing left the capital last month and has had no news since."

Jia Cong was secretly shocked when he heard Wu Hongtu's words.

All along, from Zhen Fangqing's words and actions, he had concluded that she had long anticipated and calculated the family's disaster and had already set up a way to deal with it.

Now he knew that she was much shrewder and more formidable than he had imagined.

According to Wu Hongtu, she began withdrawing huge assets from the Zhen family's shops in September of last year.

According to the time calculation, at that time, he was investigating the major case of the Guard Army in Jin Ling, and Zhen Shiwen's involvement in the private manufacture of firearms had just surfaced.

At that time, Zhen Fangqing had anticipated that Zhen Shiwen's involvement in the private manufacture of firearms would inevitably bury the root of disaster for the Zhen family and had long since begun to create a retreat.

Although she was a woman, she was deep in thought and far-sighted; her handling of affairs was rigorous, and her methods were decisive and neat, not at all weaker than a man.

Moreover, at that time, the Zhen family had not yet been convicted, and the imperial decree for confiscation was far from being issued; could disposing of one's own private property also be considered a crime?

Wu Hongtu continued, "The Emperor ordered the Dali Temple to thoroughly investigate this matter, and the Minister handed this case to the Temple Director Yang to take charge.

According to the Dali Temple's investigation, Zhen Fangqing's relatives and close friends in the capital are only the Prince Beijing's Mansion and the Count's Mansion.

Temple Director Yang, according to the Dali Temple's investigation practice, sent this subordinate and colleagues to both places to inquire about the matter.

The Dali Temple had heard that when Zhen Fangqing left the capital, the Count personally sent her out of the city.

This subordinate's visit today is also a routine matter; when Zhen Fangqing left the capital, were there any abnormal words or actions, or did she mention where she was going?

If the Count knows the inside story, please tell us all, so that the Dali Temple can investigate Zhen Fangqing's whereabouts, and this subordinate can report to Temple Director Yang when I return to the office."

The day Jia Cong sent Zhen Fangqing off, it was a matter seen by all, and he couldn't hide it from others at all; it was not strange at all that Wu Hongtu had these words.

Jia Cong heard that it was Yang Hongbin who was in charge of this matter, and he had a slight realization in his heart.

Years ago, when he cracked the major case of the Water Supervision Office in Jin Ling, he formed a friendship with Yang Hongbin and became close friends.

Now Yang Hongbin sent subordinates to the mansion to inquire about official business according to the Dali Temple's regulations, appearing upright and honest, and even adding a Prince Beijing's Mansion.

Some things were self-evident, and he knew the deep meaning well... (End of chapter)