811: You Need to Find Yourselves a Partner
The progression of the Divine Intent Army's training made her feel very satisfied, especially when it came to the proficiency that the members of the Divine Archery Group showed with guns. That caused her to watch on with respect. Over the course of just two days and one night, there were already people that could hit their targets with great accuracy. This caused Feng Yu Heng to have no choice but to admire her own ability to select people. Thinking about it, for people that were able to reach the pinnacle of archery, how could they be unable to grasp the basics of using a machine gun.
Seeing that everything was progressing normally for the Divine Archery group, she advised the Support Group of a few matters then quickly returned to the capital. She had planned to leave the capital before the 15th of the first month. There were too many things that needed to be taken care of. At the very least, she needed to find an opportunity to visit Xuan Tian Ge and her other friends. There was also Xiang Rong. That girl had expressed her own standpoint during the banquet. At the very least, she needed to advise Xuan Tian Ming to take care of her a little more.
Returning to the capital on the evening of the seventh, Xuan Tian Ge's group took the initiative to pay her a visit on the morning of the eighth. Xuan Tian Ge, Ren Xi Feng, Fung Tian Yu and Bai Fu Rong, not a single person was missing. They had all gathered in the imperial daughter's manor.
Xuan Tian Ge grabbed Feng Yu Heng's hand and said: "You made such a big decision without even letting us know. A-Heng, do you no longer think of us as friends?"
Feng Yu Heng was worried that she would say this, and she quickly explained: "It really isn't like that. First, this decision was made hastily. Second, there are indeed too many things that need to be taken care of. Look, I only just returned from the military camp last night."
This excuse was quite acceptable, and the group knew that she had gone to the military camp outside of the capital, thus they did not persist with the matter of not being told. Ren Xi Feng then said: "News of Hundred Herb Hall closing has already spread through the streets. Yesterday, after the citizens received word of this news, they were in quite a turbulent mood. They went and blocked the manors of the officials, and even the Sheng Palace was not spared."
Feng Yu Heng had also heard about this. The previous night, Wang Lin had reported to her; however, he did not speak too exhaustively. After all, he had not followed them over for the sake of avoiding risks. Also, with so many manors, how could he investigate all of them?
It was Ren Xi Feng that provided a far more detailed account, as she told Feng Yu Heng: "The entrances to all of those manors have been left in a poor state. They were not destroyed because the citizens were only throwing things like eggs. Although it would not result in them being destroyed, the sights were indeed quite disgusting. It's the new year, but those officials must have been quite angered."
"As I see it, it serves them right." Fung Tian Yu rolled her eyes, "A-Heng, you don't know this, but those shameless old guys even had the nerve to come to our prime minister's manor to complain and ask father to support them. Say, have their heads been filled with water? Could my father possibly concern himself with their matters? Right, there were even people that complained to the government office, but the governor said that even the Emperor has put away the imperial seal. They could not place any hope in him opening up for work."
Feng Yu Heng listened on and felt entertained, asking: "Then what was the situation at the Sheng Palace?"
"That's something I will have to talk about." Xuan Tian Ge smiled and said: "I also heard it from second brother. He secretly went to watch the liveliness. Apparently, the Sheng Palace mobilized a number of guards to surround the citizens. Unfortunately, not only did they not frighten the citizens, but they ended up angering them. The people were agitated from the start. After being surrounded, it was the equivalent of eighth brother admitting his guilt without being pressed. Thus some people began to curse loudly! There were even some that pointed at the Sheng Palace and said, 'Your Highness the eighth prince, are you wanting to rebel, using personal troops to surround citizens?' With that, things became quite lively. The citizens created an uproar, and their cries about His Highness the eighth prince wanting to rebel angered the one inside quite a bit. But there were too many citizens outside. Even if he was angry, there was nothing that he could do. He was already being accused of rebelling, so how could he dare to touch a single citizen?"
Ren Xi Feng added: "Things just continued like that until the afternoon. Only then did the people gradually begin to disperse. But they continued to brood over the closure of Hundred Herb Hall, but as I see it, that's the end of it all. They've caused a stir, but they can't change anything."
Bai Fu Rong asked with some worry: "A-Heng, are you really going to close Hundred Herb Hall?"
Feng Yu Heng nodded, "Of course, it will be closed. The clerks will then be brought to the fief to open a new one. The mess in the capital will be handed over to His Highness the eighth prince to see how he handles it and to see how he will handle it."
"Are you not afraid that he will grow stronger in the capital?" Fung Tian Yu was a bit worried, "Once he grows stronger, even if you want to come back, you won't be able to!"
"How could that be possible?" Before Feng Yu Heng could open her mouth, Xuan Tian Ge interjected: "He wants to gain strength, but is he the only prince remaining in the capital? Don't forget that my seventh brother is still here!"
"Isn't His Highness the seventh prince going to the East after the new year?" Ren Xi Feng was someone raised in a general's family, and she was sensitive to such things. "The current situation in the East is unstable. That side is lacking a general to keep things in check! Only leaving deputy generals over there for prolonged periods of time is not a good plan."
Xuan Tian Ge did not understand such things, and she could not help but look at Feng Yu Heng. Feng Yu Heng analyzed: "With this sort of thing happening, seventh brother should not be going to the East so quickly, but the possibility of the eighth prince using some underhanded tactics to start a battle in the East and force seventh brother to leave the capital cannot be ignored. That's why it should be said that us leaving the capital is also a risky plan. It's just a competition to see who is luckier! Now that the eighth prince has handed over his right to command troops, even if he wants to cause problems, it will be difficult."
Ren Xi Feng heard her say this and felt that it was reasonable. If a prince that did not have rights to command troops wanted to cause problems, it would be very difficult. Even if he was in the capital, and even if he commanded the imperial guards, there was not much point. After all, even if the seventh prince left the capital, the capital still had the eldest prince and the second prince. Also, there were also the governor and the army protecting the capital. Those were all His Highness the seventh prince's people.
The group felt more at ease from this analysis and turned the topic back to Feng Yu Heng leaving these friends.
Feng Yu heng comforted them, saying: "I am going to my fief to build it up and live a good life. Over there, I am definitely the ruler! You should feel happy for me. When I have built it up, you can head over if you ever feel bored. I will keep some courtyards open for you, so you can go and live there for a while at any time."
As she spoke, not only did they not feel happy, but they actually rolled their eyes at her. Xuan Tian Ge said: "Do you think that we're like you?! With nobody to concern themselves with you and being able to move about freely. Even wanting to go out is difficult for us. Have you ever seen any young miss go out of the province because they were bored? Also, at our age..."
With this painful matter being brought up again, Feng Yu Heng quickly stopped the topic in its tracks and said: "Sooner or later, that sort of day will come for all girls. Don't be so pessimistic. Even thinking more about it now is pointless, unless you're like Fu Rong, who has someone that she likes and can put in some effort. But you two don't even have anyone that you like. What are you worrying over nothing for? If there really comes a day when you can no longer persuade your family, we can talk about it then. There will always be a way to resolve things."
With just a few words, Bai Fu Rong's face was left bright red, but it also helped ease the nerves of the other three. Ren Xi Feng clapped her hands together, "Hah! A-Heng, you really are the smartest. I just keep feeling that this marriage thing is just missing a little something. I have just been worried that the person that my family chooses will be someone that I don't want to marry; however, I've never thought about who I really want to marry."
Fung Tian Yu nodded and said: "That's about how it is. We've all been neglectful."
Xuan Tian Ge fiddled with her fingers: "You mean to say that our most pressing matter is to quickly find someone that we find cordial. Then with this goal in mind, we put in some effort in that direction?"
Feng Yu Heng nodded, "That's right!" You don't even have a partner, so what are you foolishly worrying about? There were times that she really wanted to ask these people before her. Everyone said that the people of the ancient world began to mature earlier, and girls began to discuss the matter of marriage with their close friends at around the age of ten. For many families, marriages were decided on by the time they turned 12 or 13, and they would immediately get married when they became of age. But why were all of her friends so slow to mature? Even to this moment, they did not have anyone that they liked. Really...
"Alright! We understand." These words woke the three up, as Ren Xi Feng grabbed Bai Fu Rong's hand: "Fu Rong! Speaking of, out of our group, you're the only one that has been able to fall in love freely. Even A-Heng was ordered to get married. You will be responsible for telling us about this experience!"
Ever since Bai Fu Rong had recovered from her illness, she had gradually regained her original personality. At this time, she was looking at the three with great disdain: "What is there for me to tell you about? Go out and find one for yourself! Or just go home and think about it. Write down the names of all the men from the capital that have not yet had an engagement settled then just eliminate them one by one."
Feng Yu Heng could not bear to continue listening. These people really were kindred spirits when it came to this sort of thing! They were all... forget it. She smiled bitterly, "Let's not speak about this. I prepared some gifts for you. Just wait a moment."
After she said this, she moved to the inner room. The gifts had indeed been prepared, and they had been taken out of her space. They were placed inside a cabinet. Opening the cabinet, she called Wang Chuan and Huang Quan to help bring the things out, and many bundles of items were placed in front of the three.
"Each person gets two bundles. There's enough to last you for one year." While she spoke, she opened up a bundle. They were sanitary napkins. "You are not lacking in gold and silver items, and there'd be no point in me gifting those things. After thinking about it, let's be a little more practical. We are all sisters, and I have given you this sort of thing in the past. There's no need to say what it is, right?"
This group of people had received Feng Yu Heng's small gift before. Of course, they understood what they were. In an instant, they nearly leaped up with joy. It had to be said that people like them really were not lacking anything. When it came to gold, silver, jewels and money, giving such things would not have any impact. It was this sort of thing that was most personal to girls that enticed them the most. After all, the things that the girls of the ancient world wore were too crude and simple. Even if they were young misses from large families, they could not obtain anything particularly great. At best, they would just have things made of slightly better cloth, and the fluff inside would be of a slightly higher quality. It was because of this that they could not be compared to the sanitary napkins of the modern world.
Feng Yu Heng had brought out enough to last them a full year. This caused the girls to be extremely happy. Aside from this, Feng Yu Heng also prepared some commonly used Chinese and Western medicines, telling them: "If you fall ill, do what you can to take these sorts of Chinese medicines. If there is an emergency, use the white pills. Do you understand?"
The group did not understand, but Feng Yu Heng was a divine doctor. They naturally needed to listen to what she said. Feng Yu Heng saw them nod and brought out some other medicines: "It's not convenient for me to visit your manors. These other medicines are for treating and preventing illnesses that come with old age. There are also some medical plasters that can alleviate waist and leg problems. They were prepared for your family members."
Medicine was also prepared for their family members, and the group was very thankful. Xuan Tian Ge said: "Courtesy demands reciprocity, and we also prepared some gifts for you. You also said it. We are not strangers. That's why we won't give you anything meaningless. Here, take these." As she spoke, each of them retrieved a wooden box from their own maid servant's hands. All of them handed them over to Feng Yu Heng, except for Bai Fu Rong...
812: The Sisters' Secret Plan
Feng Yu Heng did not know what was inside those wooden boxes. Curious, she opened them to take a look. Alright, they were all banknotes.
Xuan Tian Ge, Fung Tian Yu and Ren Xi Fang were quite liberal in their spending, as each box had 100 thousand taels of banknotes. Ren Xi Feng took the initiative to say: "We sisters are not outsiders. There are some things that I will not hide from you and will speak openly about. I heard my father sigh quite a bit today about the instability of the situation in the South. On the day before yesterday, father revealed the truth to me and said that there will definitely be a battle in the South after the first month. It will also be a grueling battle. His Highness has received the troops in the South, and it stands to reason that he will be the one to handle it; however, this will leave His Highness the eighth prince in the capital. This is a lurking danger. Even if he is unable to establish a foundation in the capital, his former troops in the South will not listen to His Highness the ninth prince's orders so easily. He does not dare to openly rebel, but what is to be feared is him taking action in secret. With 300 thousand troops, it's hard to say how many spies there will be among them. The most important thing is that the eighth prince will definitely do something with the military supplies to cut off His Highness the ninth prince's retreat path."
Fung Tian Yu agreed, saying: "My father also did a similar analysis, and he had some secret reports from the South. This battle is most likely something that His Highness the eighth prince has already decided on with Gu Shu and the many small countries of the desert. All of it is for the sake of helping him ascend the throne."
"Of course, if this battle is able to see ninth brother die, that would be best." Xuan Tian Ge snorted coldly and said: "Such a grand ambition, I really don't understand how I could have this sort of elder brother." She said to Feng Yu Heng: "We talked about it beforehand. You aren't lacking for anything here, and there isn't much of an atmosphere to be created from us giving you something that girls would like. It would be better to just provide you with the money that we would personally use. We are clear that if ninth brother sets foot on the battlefield, it's impossible for you to remain on the sidelines without a single care. It's inevitable that you will end up taking care of the supply lines from the back. Take these banknotes. There will come a time to make use of them."
Bai Fu Rong did not make a sound the entire time, nor did she bring out any money. It was only at this moment that she spoke up, as she said to Feng Yu Heng: "A-Heng, my family does not have that much money, but you don't need to worry. I will definitely give some. My father and I have already come up with an answer, so just wait for the good news. A message will definitely be sent over within two days."
Feng Yu Heng was puzzled and looked at the group in confusion: "What are you trying to do?" They didn't learn from her and go out to commit robberies, right?
Xuan Tian Ge put on a smile, "We won't tell you for the time being. Either way, just wait a couple days. The money to provide supplies for ninth's brother's army, we will think of a way to prepare some more. No matter what sort of waves eighth brother causes in the capital, as long as we have money, there is nothing to fear."
Feng Yu Heng saw that there was nothing that she could do. The group firmly refused to speak, thus she could only helplessly remind them: "No matter what you guys are doing, you must be careful. Don't do anything that is a threat to your own safety. Do you understand?"
Fung Tian Yu laughed so hard that her belly hurt: "Oh, what is there that's dangerous about putting on a banquet!"
These words narrowly came out of her mouth, but she fell silent from being glared at by Xuan Tian Ge. She just covered her mouth and laughed. The group chatted and laughed for quite some time, and they even ate lunch at the imperial daughter's manor. The food made by the chef from Refined Deity Building always caused the group to eat until they could no longer move. Xuan Tian Ge burped while saying: "A-Heng, if you're going to your fief, you can't possibly bring all of the manor's servants, right? How about you give me this chef to be brought back to the palace! I definitely will not treat him poorly."
Feng Yu Heng rolled her eyes and shook her head: "No good, no good, if you took an interest in any maidservants or grannies, I could give them to you, but I will definitely be taking this chef with me."
"Stingy!" Xuan Tian Ge angrily pinched her, "100 thousand taels isn't enough to get a chef? If this palace princess went out to buy a chef, it would cost no more than ten taels of silver."
Once these words came out, even Bai Fu Rong could not bear to continue listening, "Tian Ge, how could a chef that can be bought for ten taels be compared to the Refined Deity Building? You don't even ask A-Heng how much the imperial daughter's manor pays him each month in salary."
Xuan Tian Ge became spirited and curiously asked Feng Yu Heng: "How much do you pay?"
Feng Yu Heng extended five fingers, "The same as when he was at Refined Deity Building."
"Five taels?"
"It's 50 taels."
Xuan Tian Ge burped once more. Although she had not been shocked by the 50 taels, she was a bit surprised by the amount that a chef could make. Normally speaking, the servants of the manor would generally make two taels of silver. Slightly more important personal servants would make three to five taels, and housekeepers would make eight taels. The kinder families would provide some more awards during the holidays. Of course, those that worked for large families would frequently be rewarded by their masters and other visitors. That was why, although it sounded like they did not make much in salary, people still wanted to be servants in large families. It was because there was quite a bit of grey money to be made!
But people like Feng Yu Heng, who paid a chef 50 taels each month, were truly too rare, but it was Refined Deity Building's chef! Anyone that had eaten at Refined Deity Building would know that the white rice that they made tasted better than what other restaurants made, much less the other dishes. When he worked in Refined Deity Building, he would receive 50 taels as salary, but he could also receive rewards from the guests. If Feng Yu Heng gave him any less, it would be unreasonable.
Xuan Tian Ge smirked and did not continue to bring up the matter of wanting the chef. After the group had eaten their fill, they began to say their farewells. Right before leaving, they secretively told Feng Yu Heng to wait for the good news, and it would definitely be a pleasant surprise.
Feng Yu Heng could not guess what sort of surprise it would be, and her mind was filled with the word "robbery," but it was just a thought. These people truly did not have the ability to pull off a heist. Helpless, she could only heed their advice and wait for the good news.
The group had come in their own carriages, and she had kept Xuan Tian Ge a little longer. When the other people had left, she finally entrusted Xuan Tian Ge with a matter, "I am preparing to send two people into the imperial palace's imperial physician's group that come from Hundred Herb Hall. Originally, I could have handled this matter myself, but I acted too late. Now, I don't have the chance. Take a look and see if you can help arrange it for me? I keep feeling that the atmosphere in the palace is a little off. I need to keep someone inside. Moreover, Imperial Concubine Mother Yun needs people to take care of her."
Xuan Tian Ge had thought that it would be some big matter, as she patted the back of Feng Yu Heng's hand: "Don't worry. Just have them head to the palace later on to find me. After the 15th of the first month, I will arrange for the two to enter the imperial palace. I guarantee that they will not startle the enemy. But don't send them on the 10th! I have a matter to attend to on that day." After she finished speaking, she waved her hand then climbed into her imperial carriage and left.
Feng Yu Heng felt that the matter Xuan Tian Ge had mentioned about the 10th would definitely be related to herself, but if they did not talk about it, there was nothing that she could do. Helpless, she returned inside the manor, but she was still quite enthusiastic about speculating with Wang Chuan and Huang Quan. This was also just a topic to relieve her boredom.
That night, she brought Zi Rui to the Yao manor to eat dinner. She then spoke about her plans to visit her fief, which caused her aunts and uncles to begin tearing up. Xu shi was still very worried about her wedding, saying to her: "No matter what the situation, you must come back to the capital to celebrate becoming of age. Aunty will take care of the preparations for your wedding. Don't worry, we will not be lacking anything."
The second aunt, Qin shi, also said: "On the day before yesterday, we happened to run into Lady Zhou from the Yu Palace out on the streets. She also brought up the matter of your wedding. She said that the Yu Palace is stepping up its preparations."
The third aunt, Miao shi, was rather worried: "Say, with you leaving, aren't things a little too rushed? Is it far from the capital to Ji An Prefecture? How many days will it take?"
Feng Yu Heng patiently said: "The fief is to the Southwest within the borders of Yu Zhou of the Yun Province. Leaving from the capital, it can be reached by horse within five to six days. By carriage, it would be around 15 days."
"That far?" The three aunts were a bit worried, but Feng Yu Heng was always someone that had her own ideas. Any plans that she had already made would not be changed so easily. The three knew that they could not change her mind. They could only quietly think about the things that they needed to quickly prepare for her, so she could bring them with her when she left. For a fief, countries normally would not invest any money for infrastructure, nor would it be a plentiful land. For their own child to go over there, they would definitely endure a bit of hardship. Fortunately, the Southwest was not like Huang Zhou. The new year had also arrived, and the temperature would gradually improve. It would be better than heading over in the middle of Winter.
Yao Jing Jun reminded Xu shi: "Prepare some money for A-Heng to bring along. There are still many things to do in a fief. Nothing will get done if there isn't enough money." Xu shi nodded, and even Qin shi and Miao shi arranged to go over to the treasury to take a look for things that were worth some money for their child to bring along.
Feng Yu Heng smiled wryly, "I am not lacking in money." She really was not lacking. Not only was she not lacking, but she was actually really rich. Not counting the money that she already had, just the amount that had been stolen from the Sheng Palace was enough to blind people. She had thought of emptying the imperial daughter's vault into her space. With her leaving, who knew when she would be coming back. Moreover, with her not being in the manor, the defenses would be lowered. She must not let someone with bad intentions make use of this opportunity. She was a money grubber. She had even begun pondering whether or not she should bring along the things in the manor that were valuable.
On this side, the Yao family forcefully rebutted her ideas, as Xu shi said: "What you have belongs to you. What we're preparing are the family's intentions."
Yao Jing Jun nodded: "When you have gotten married, you will be part of the Xuan family. The Yu Palace will naturally take care of things. But right now, you have not yet gotten married. You are my Yao family's child. If a child is setting out, the family will naturally need to make preparations."
Feng Yu Heng's heart was moved. Since coming to this world, aside from Xuan Tian Ming, there was only the Yao family that would make her feel this warm; moreover, this place also had her own grandfather.
She smiled at Yao Xian with her eyes squinted; however, Yao Xian did not say anything. He just silently downed cup after cup of wine. His granddaughter would be leaving the capital. It was because of this that he could not feel at peace. But what could he do about it? He was just a doctor. Was he capable of killing the eighth prince?
After the new year, Feng Yu Heng was only able to enjoy a meal with the Yao family on the eighth night of the first month. There truly was nothing that could be done. Fortunately, the Yao family understood her. Even her cousins treated her as if she was their own younger sister. They chatted and laughed, and it lightened the gloomy mood of her departure.
When leaving the Yao manor, she left Zi Rui on that side. She would be leaving the capital within a few days, and she wanted to use this time to have Zi Rui interact more with the Yao family to cultivate his feelings, such that he would not suddenly feel bad when she left.
Zi Rui was very understanding, and he went wherever she told him to go. When sending Feng Yu Heng back to her manor, he quietly said to her: "Elder sister, no matter where, the person Zi Rui will always be the one most worried about you. Elder sister, don't worry. Wait until I grow up. When Zi Rui grows up, I will stand at elder sister's side to protect you and will not go anywhere."
Feng Yu Heng felt choked up and quickly returned to the imperial daughter's manor. She did not sleep well for the entire night. She dreamt that something happened to Xuan Tian Ming on the battlefield in the South, and she dreamt of Zi Rui calling her elder sister while crying. It was only when the sky lit up that she was able to sleep properly. When she woke up, it was already late in the morning of the next day.
Wang Chuan took care of helping her get washed up, and Huang Quan ran back from the outside, telling her about some news: "Palace Princess Wu Yang sent an invitation to the madams and young misses of all the officials' families and only excluded our imperial daughter's manor."
813: Anti-Eighth Coalition
Huang Quan's words left Wang Chuan confused: "What invitation did Palace Princess Wu Yang send?"
"It's inviting the madams and young misses of each manor to the Wen Xuan Palace on the 10th, which would be tomorrow night, to participate in a banquet. Not only did she invite the manor's head madams and young misses of the first wife, but she also invited the young misses of concubines."
Wang Chuan raised an eyebrow: "But our manor didn't receive an invitation?"
"That's what I'm talking about." Huang Quan stomped her foot and said: "What sort of situation is this? Normally speaking, how could a banquet that is being held by Palace Princess Wu Yang not invite our young miss? Young Miss did you and Palace Princess Wu Yang have some sort of falling out?"
Feng Yu Heng rolled her eyes, "She just stole food and drink away from here just yesterday. Did you see any falling out?"
The corners of Wang Chuan's lips twitched. What was being called stole food and drink? Aside from the Bai family's young miss, could the 100 thousand taels that the others gave be considered as payment for the food? She suddenly recalled a matter, "Could it be that the secret plan that Palace Princess Wu Yang was talking about was this?"
Feng Yu Heng did not know. She asked Huang Quan: "Do you know what the theme of the banquet is?"
Huang Quan nodded, "It was said that it was to pray for good fortune for Da Shun, for the Emperor and for the Empress."
"This would be it." Feng Yu Heng laughed. She was a little able to understand what those girls were up to. With such a grand premise, who would dare to not participate in it? If it was spread that some madam or some young miss did not go, would that not be the same as not giving face to Da Shun and not caring about the safety of the Emperor and the Empress? Who could possibly shoulder that sort of burden? The method of praying for good fortune was money! When going to a temple to pray for good fortune, one needed to pay money. Xuan Tian Ge would not do any business that would lose her money.
She curled the corners of her lips up into a smile. Wang Chuan was also able to understand a bit of the situation; however, Huang Quan was still clueless. But she could see that her young miss and Palace Princess Wu Yang did not have a falling out, thus she did not continue to worry about it.
Feng Yu Heng ate a simple meal of plain congee and pickled vegetables for breakfast. This new year had gone by without any celebratory atmosphere, but the benefits that the servants of the manor had earned were still provided. Of course, this was not something that she needed to worry about. Everything was taken care of by the head housekeeper, Qing Yu. She also gave Qing Yu a great deal of power. For example, there was no need to report expenditures of under 1000 taels. She just needed to keep track of the accounts. Whenever it reached the new year or the Mid-Autumn Festival, the bonuses were taken care of by Qing Yu. This included the families of the servants. As long as they were in the capital or the outskirts, they could not be neglected.
As for Qing Yu, she was indeed a good choice for housekeeper. Not only did she think about those family members, but she would also provide bonuses based on the needs of each family. For those with children, some more candies would be provided. For those with elderly people, some supplements would be provided. The male servants that had wives, it would be easier if they worked together, but if they did not, they would be given the same gifts as the maidservants. There was no shortage of cloth and accessories. Aside from the salary and extra earnings, the servants would also be given some necessities such as food. It was very intimate.
Feng Yu Heng believed that she could not solely rely on money to obtain people's hearts. There were times when doing some small intimate things would be best to make those servants want to follow her. After all, her imperial daughter's manor could not risk having any spies. Even if they were not spies, discontent servants would also cause ripples in the pond. Small graces and favors would obtain the support of her servants, and she would definitely not be miserly with that bit of money. Aside from this, the servants of the manor could seek medical treatment from Hundred Herb Hall for free if they fell ill. The servants themselves did not need to pay a single cent. It was all paid for by the manor.
Now that Hundred Herb Hall was closed, and she was going to the fief, she could not possibly bring all of the servants from the manor. For the sake of keeping some people in the manor, she specifically had Wang Lin continue to pay a slightly older doctor, whose family could not move from the capital, and leave them in charge of the imperial daughter's manor, the Yao manor and the families of those that worked in her manor. When the servants heard this, they were all very moved, and they all expressed that they would take good care of the imperial daughter's manor and wait for imperial daughter's return.
As for those servants that were chosen to follow Feng Yu Heng to the fief, they spent these days packing up their things. All of them were filled with hope for the future.
Right now, news of Feng Yu Heng leaving the capital for her fief was not much of a secret. She did not intend to hide it, and she even had Wang Lin and Qing Yu spread this information. She also made sure to insinuate that she was being chased out of the capital by those old officials. As for who those officials were, the commoners naturally knew clearly. Was it not just the same ones that had forced Imperial Daughter Ji An to close Hundred Herb Hall? The people also would not forget that those people supported the eighth prince!
Over the years, Feng Yu Heng had never given up on her business reputation, and she had done quite a bit of benevolent deeds. There were quite a few people in the capital that had received her grace. Her medical abilities had also helped treat a number of officials' family members. Those people had originally been part of the neutral faction, but it was because of Feng Yu Heng's miraculous abilities that their hearts gradually began to shift in the ninth prince's direction.
The commoners spontaneously created an "anti-eighth coalition" that numbered in the thousands and dispersed. They went and blocked the gates of the officials that opposed Imperial Daughter Ji An. They were also smart. They did not rush inside. They knew that breaking into the manors of officials would result in them being executed. They just sat in front of their manors. Someone brought a small stool, and there were even some that brought waterskins full of water. When they became thirsty, they would just have a drink.
With this happening, there were 100-200 people blocking the entrance to every manor. The people were not just sitting there idly. From time to time, they would organize a chant and loudly shout toward the manor: "Give Imperial Daughter Ji An justice! Give us back Hundred Herb Hall! Why have you chased Imperial Daughter Ji An from the capital? The ones that should really scram are you!" The shouts rose one after another, and it was very lively.
When they were not shouting, the people would occasionally gather into groups and chat. As a result of the environment, the topic of their chatter was all related to Feng Yu Heng. The people still remembered the contributions that Feng Yu Heng had once made to the capital. Someone brought up the Winter disaster from two years previous, "That year, my mother was so cold that her body had become rigid. Fortunately, someone said that Imperial Daughter was handing out hot tea at Hundred Herb Hall's entrance. I carried my old mother to get tea. Imperial Daughter saw that my old mother had fallen ill and brought her inside to personally take care of her. She forcefully dragged my old mother back from the gates of the underworld. Even now, my old mother talks about Imperial Daughter Ji An being her benefactor. She always tells me that I must kowtow when I see imperial daughter."
After he finished speaking, someone else immediately said: "But of course! If it wasn't for Imperial Daughter Ji An thinking about us commoners in the North of the city, sending us food and helping find people to repair our houses, who would care if we lived or died? We would have all died in the snow."
Another person brought up the matter of the flood and what happened after, "During that year's flood, if it wasn't for Imperial Daughter and His Highness the ninth prince making a prompt decision to block all of the refugees outside, I fear that everyone in the capital would have gotten infected. That was an epidemic! Who could have survived after getting infected? It was Imperial Daughter and His Highness the ninth prince that saved the entire population of the capital."
"That's right! Imperial Daughter and His Highness the ninth prince are both good people. For the sake of not sending everyone outside to their deaths, they personally went to build tents for the refugees outside, even with their noble statuses. Is there a better prince and imperial daughter in this world?"
"That's right! Imperial Daughter also provided steel for our Da Shun. I heard that our steel weapons broke Zong Sui's iron essence weapons. It won us quite some prestige!"
"Imperial Daughter also conquered Qian Zhou!"
The commoners went back and forth, talking about all of the contributions that Feng Yu Heng had made over the years. This sort of discussion did not just occur in front of one manor. Instead, similar stories were told in front of all of the manors. The more people spoke, the more emotional they became, and the more they felt that Da Shun would only have hope with this sort of imperial daughter around. Only by having the ninth prince and Imperial Daughter Ji An work together to take care of the world, could they feel any hope for the future.
"But such a good imperial daughter is being chased out by this group of bastards!" Someone shouted emotionally. Standing up, they pointed at the manor before them and loudly cursed: "Are you really an official of Da Shun? Are you really a citizen of Da Shun? Are you a spy sent by some other country? Why are you chasing away someone that has treated Da Shun's citizens so well? Why are you unable to tolerate Da Shun improving with each passing day?"
With someone taking the lead, the others also began to stand up to curse. They even cried while cursing. In the end, it led to everyone facing in the direction of the imperial palace and pleading through tears: "Your Majesty! Look at these officials that don't care about the safety of Da Shun and the lives of the commoners! This sort of official must not exist in the courts! With them around, Da Shun will never prosper! Your Majesty! People's minds are unfathomable, and the eighth prince does not have a good heart! Would Your Majesty please investigate clearly! Your Majesty is a righteous ruler!"
Their repeated shouts shook the air, and everyone on the streets could hear it. With this sort of atmosphere, more and more people exited their homes to join the "anti-eighth coalition." The scene even caused the guards dispatched by the governor to feel goosebumps. There were even some that also went with the flow and kneeled.
When the governor saw this sort of scene, as the parental official of the capital, he should have immediately sent people to suppress it when the incident began, but as a member of Feng Yu Heng's faction, he knew that he should immediately go and report this matter. He should tell the Emperor about the situation outside. Regardless of whether or not it had any effect, the court had to know about this situation.
As for those officials that had been blocked inside, as well as their family members, their hearts were trembling. They all trembled with fear, and they were all gathered in one room. They began to speculate what sort of outcome would result from this in the end.
The officials that were more cowardly had already begun thinking about what they should do once they had been charged. Would they go to the eighth prince for help, or escape? The ones that were a bit bolder sent their servants out of a side door to have them sneak over to the city gates to report the commotion to the city guards and to have them send out troops to suppress the disturbance.
However, who knew that the one in command of the city guard was someone called Wang Zhuo. He was a lower fourth ranked general that had been personally helped by Feng Yu Heng. He had heard about the situation inside the capital, and he had also been present on the night of the banquet; however, he was unable to provide any assistance. He was a general, and his speaking ability could not compare to those government officials. He could only worry without being able to say a single word. However, he never thought that there would be people so shameless as to run over to ask for troops to suppress the commoners. Wang Zhuo angrily picked up the servant that had come to report and gave him a beating then tossed him in prison for the crime of destroying the city's defenses.
That person was quite unlucky, destroying the city's defenses? He had indeed destroyed something. Because he had fallen while running over, the guards had been bored and had stacked up a pile of bricks for fun. It just so happened that the five bricks were knocked over.
With such a huge commotion occurring in the capital, it was natural that it would reach Feng Yu Heng's ears, and the person that told her was the seventh prince, Xuan Tian Hua, who had just arrived one hour earlier.
814: Divine Thief of the Shadows
At that time, the two were seated in the yard and enjoying the winter sun. Wang Chuan and Huang Quan brought out rattan chairs. The chairs did not have legs. Instead, they used rattan strips curved in an arc. When a person sat on it, it could sway back and forth, and it was very satisfying.
The two were both quite good at martial arts, and both had internal strength. Even on a winter day, they would not feel cold if they sat outside for a long period of time. After Xuan Tian Hua finished speaking about the commoners and their "anti-eighth coalition" that had been formed, as well as the commotion currently being caused, he asked her: "Have you arranged for your own people to get mixed in to provide those people with a certain amount of guidance?"
Feng Yu Heng shook her head: "I was thinking about doing that. On the day that I had Wang Lin announce the closure of Hundred Herb Hall, I had prepared that sort of group. Unfortunately," She spread her hands, "They didn't get used!" As she spoke, a smile appeared on her face, and she looked quite pleased with herself.
Xuan Tian Hua looked at her smiling expression and could not help but laugh, "Just look at how pleased you are with yourself." But this girl should indeed feel pleased! Without needing to arrange for someone to guide these people, and without her doing anything to push these people to gather, they went ahead and did it on their own and shouted those sorts of things. It could be seen just how irreplaceable Imperial Daughter Ji An had become after these two years. He was proud of her!
"Does seventh brother feel that doing things this way is improper?" After all, causing such a disturbance during the first month, if the Emperor decided to assign blame, she bore a certain amount of the blame. "Say, Father Emperor won't blame me, right? If he really gets angry, if I go out and advise those commoners, can things be brought back?"
Xuan Tian Hua, however, shook his head, telling her: "Seventh brother is proud of you! Father Emperor will also feel proud of you! When I came over, I ran into Xu Jing Yuan. He was heading into the palace. Normally speaking, those officials should have been stripped of their position and had their homes raided, but you know that there were too many officials causing an uproar. Punishing one or two would be unfair, and if they were all punished, there would not be enough people to fill up those empty positions, and it would cause turmoil in the court."
"Then how will Father Emperor resolve it?" Feng Yu Heng thought for a bit, "Have them forfeit their salaries?"
"Un." Xuan Tian Hua nodded, "Forfeiture of salaries is the only way to resolve it. But this is just temporary. Father Emperor has not become senile. He is quite clear on that debt! Old eighth is his son, but those officials do not share any blood relation with him. For the time being, they will forfeit their salaries. Following that, just wait and see. One matter after another will be placed on them. I can imagine their stunned expressions when those matters come out. I can also imagine them being left with no chance to right a wrong when faced with Father Emperor's fury. Taking care of them one at a time, he will have time to find someone suitable to make up for the vacant spot. As for the new person to come in, they will definitely not be part of old eighth's faction." As he spoke, he stopped the swaying rattan chair and looked toward Feng Yu heng: "It's just that you have suffered a grievance, and you have no choice but to go to Ji An Prefecture. Only with you leaving can you avoid the turbulence of the court. Don't worry, even after the first month, when Ming'er heads South, the large capital will still have seventh brother. The things that should be had, seventh brother will make sure to protect it for you."
Feng Yu Heng gazed at Xuan Tian Hua. While looking at him, she suddenly felt a bit distressed. If possible, she really hoped to avoid getting someone like Xuan Tian Hua, who was a living deity, involved in something as filthy as a succession battle, spending entire days jockeying for power and focusing on the situation in the capital while speculating about the enemy's intentions. As she saw it, Xuan Tian Hua should spend his entire life aloof and without worrying about a single thing and without thinking about a single thing. He should live the life that he wanted to live. As for the current situation, it was definitely not what he wanted.
But what could she say? He was a prince and was born in the imperial family. He could not escape this fate. Even if he did not search for trouble, trouble would look for him. Even if he escaped to the edges of the world, the things that ought to come would come. For example, the sixth prince, he hid in the Northwest, but what came of it? The things that he needed to face were faced when he returned. Although he did not compete for the throne and did not want the throne, she still remembered Feng Fen Dai having sought out the sixth prince's birth mother, Noble Lady Li. At present, nothing had come of it; however, she did not know what sort of things would happen when she left the capital.
"There's no need for you to worry about me." Seemingly having guessed what she was thinking, Xuan Tian Hua faintly said: "Do what you want to do. Walk the path that you want to take. Don't worry about the dangers and hardships. As long as you continue to advance, seventh brother will always protect you."
Hearing Xuan Tian Hua speak like this was something that Feng Yu Heng absolutely could not endure, as she would feel choked up every time. Xuan Tian Hua was the finest and purest person that she had met since coming to this era. This sort of purity and fineness was something that even Xuan Tian Ming could not match. Unfortunately, he had chosen to protect her; however, there was nobody to protect him.
"Seventh brother." She once again had the rattan chair begin swaying once more and decided to change the topic, "The eighth prince's faction in the capital, what sort of people does it have? You should have nearly a full understanding, right?" Her eyes were squinted into thin lines, and they faintly gave off a hard-to-detect joy.
Xuan Tian Hua did not notice her expression and simply nodded, saying: "I do."
"Then can you provide me with a list of names?" She had become spirited. Stopping her chair from swaying, she grabbed the chair's armrests and pleaded with a smile: "Just write a list of names for me. Also, write down their official positions and ranks. Un, just the officials in the capital for now. Or there should still be some that are not officials. Either way, anyone that you know of that has connections to him, just tell me about all of them."
Xuan Tian Hua was puzzled: "What are you wanting to do?"
Feng Yu Heng said: "Not much, I just want to have an understanding. I need to know who is hidden behind me. The ones that acted up during the banquet was just a portion, right? There should still be a group that has not exposed themselves. Tell me, and I will think about it."
Xuan Tian Hua unconsciously went with it and nodded, saying: "Alright." He then got up, "Let's go inside. I'll write it for you right now."
The eighth prince's faction had a total of 23 people in the capital. Of that group, 15 were officials, and they were all from famously wealthy families, imperial businesses or leaders in business in the capital. They were all very wealthy.
Xuan Tian Hua was very thorough. Not only did he write down the positions and ranks of the officials on the back, but he also wrote down their businesses and sources of income. He also provided a rough estimate of their annual income. This caused Feng Yu Heng's eyes to light up. Staring at the annual incomes, she nearly began to drool. What caused her to rejoice the most was that one of the people was the boss of a private bank. It was the one ranked second in Da Shun, Sheng Yuan Bank.
She smiled so widely that she could not keep her mouth shut. Seeing Xuan Tian Hua finish writing, she pushed him out of the manor: "Seventh brother, I'm tired. I want to rest for a bit. You go back first. I will definitely go and see you before I leave."
Xuan Tian Hua did not understand what she wanted to do and was helplessly pushed out of the manor. He just thought to himself that this girl had many wild thoughts, and he advised her that she must be careful, no matter what she did. Xuan Tian Ming was still at the military camp. If she needed anything, she should go to the Chun Palace to look for him.
Feng Yu Heng sent him off with a smile then practically dashed back to her own courtyard. Sitting inside her room, she looked at the list of names and could not stop laughing foolishly.
Wang Chuan and Huang Quan were dazed by her laughter, as Huang Quan asked her: "Young Miss, is there a flower on the paper?"
Feng Yu Heng shook her head, "No flowers, but there is money!"
That's right, there was money, especially the bank. That made her even more hopeful. Her thoughts on the bank suddenly expanded. She then slapped her forehead, so stupid! How had she not thought of this point! She always felt that stealing gold and silver was most practical, and she would not touch the banknotes. After all, she had no way of trading them in. It was very easy to be caught, but if she stole the banknotes, she could use the name on the banknotes to secretly head into the bank and place the banknotes on the counter to take away the corresponding amount of money on her own. Was this not better? She could not openly trade it in, but why had she not thought of trading it in secretly? Immediately after stealing it, she would go and trade it in. She would not give them a chance to file a report and have the banknotes voided. Right, she would do it like this!
The more Feng Yu Heng thought about it, the more she felt that this path had a bright future. It was such that she laughed foolishly on her chair for an entire afternoon. In the end, the laughter brought Ban Zou out. The three believed their young miss had gone crazy and wanted to go find a doctor.
Of course, Feng Yu Heng could not lose face in that way and quickly regained her composure, waving to the three: "It's fine. It's just that seventh brother told me a joke earlier. The more I thought about it, the funnier it became, thus I could not control myself."
Ban Zou raised an eyebrow, "His Highness the seventh prince can tell jokes?" The two servants nodded, agreeing with Ban Zou's suspicion.
Feng Yu Heng did not care for such things. If she said that he could, that meant that he could. Even if he could not, he could! Thus there was nothing that the three could do and could only go along with it. They then watched her eliminate an entire leg of pork on her own for dinner.
Of course, Feng Yu Heng eating a little bit more was for the sake of making a move that same night. Oh, but it would not just be this one night. With so many families, it would take at least three to fives days, right? But thinking about it like this, it seemed that she would not be able to finish before the 15th. Either way, money was first. No matter how long it took, she would only stop when she had stolen it all.
She stood up and went to the warehouse of the imperial daughter's manor. For fear of not having enough room inside her space, she took out all of the chests that she had taken from the Sheng Palace and placed them inside the warehouse. It was only when the inside of her space was completely clean that she left with a content feeling. She then returned to her room and went to sleep. She slept until a little past midnight before waking up. Changing into clothes for moving around at night, she immediately used her space from inside her room to get free of Ban Zou. The poor Ban Zou believed that his master was still obediently sleeping in her room until dawn the next day. He had no clue that she had strolled around the capital all night and only returned when the sky was beginning to turn light.
Feng Yu Heng was not familiar with every name on the list. On this night, she chose to only target the ones that she was familiar with. Finding their manors, she went straight for their treasuries. Banknotes were easy to steal, and they were hard to notice. After the treasury had been robbed, she would search for the warehouse. No matter what was in it, it would immediately be emptied.
After robbing four homes in this manner, she checked how much she had stolen in banknotes and found that they were all to be withdrawn from the first or second bank of Da Shun. This made things easier to handle. Going based on the markings on the banknotes, she found the bank and boldly placed the banknotes on the counter. She then entered the vault without any feeling of unfamiliarity and very strictly took the amount of silver dictated by the banknotes.
Of course, Da Shun's first bank, Feng Hui Bank was the eldest prince's business. She could not possibly scam the eldest prince. That was why she took it out based on the proper amounts. It was also fortunate that the money in the vault was all proper amounts. It was very easy to obtain the right amount. As for the bank belonging to the eighth prince's faction, she was not as polite. She did not even leave the banknotes behind, directly entering the vault to completely empty it.
In an instant, her pharmacy was completely full. Even the bed in her rest room was completely covered in boxes. Feng Yu Heng was filled with satisfaction, as she returned to her manor to go to sleep. However, unbeknownst to her, rumor of a "divine thief of the shadows" began on that night, and it had spread all over...
815: Filing a Report
The Sheng Palace having been robbed was not something that many people knew about. The eighth prince had always believed that it was his own servants that had stolen the things that they had been entrusted with. With a spy appearing in his palace, wave after wave of people had been killed.
But it was only after the homes of countless officials and even the bank's vault had been emptied out that he found out that he had done something beyond stupid- he had killed the wrong people! But could it be that there really was a "divine thief of the shadows"? Someone that was so supreme that not even his counter to hidden guards could not discover them? Could they be so supreme that they could sneak so many chests out of the Sheng Palace?
Even if the eighth prince died, he would not believe it!
He maintained a certain suspicious attitude toward the divine thief of the shadows. After remaining calm for another four hours, he began another round of killing. He also developed a new view on the matter with the officials and the bank. All of this was the result of his advisor saying: "Your Highness, have you investigated this list of names carefully?" While speaking, he handed over a long piece of paper. At the same time, he explained to the eighth prince: "They're all members of Your Highness' faction. They all lost their manor's wealth. Your Highness must deliberate on this matter carefully."
Xuan Tian Mo did not react immediately and only said with a heavy expression: "That just shows that the thief is someone that opposes me. It can't be some divine thief of the shadows from Jiang Hu. This should be some sort of careful plot with the goal of cutting off my support."
The advisor heavily shook his head, "Your Highness, think about it from a different angle."
Xuan Tian Mo tightly furrowed his brow, from a different angle? The advisor's words seemed to have opened a window for him, as Xuan Tian Mo suddenly recalled that he had secretly gathered these officials shortly after returning to the capital. He was intending to raise personal soldiers in the South and needed a large amount of financial support. Although his faction's support was not of high rank, each family had found their own way of making money with his support. They were just waiting for the day that he would need this money, and they would be able to bring it out.
At that time, there was not a single person that refused. After all, the source of their income was reliant on the eighth prince. Everyone had an understanding in their hearts that the day would eventually come. At the time, they were still quite happy; otherwise, those officials would not have taken such a big risk during the banquet to oppose Feng Yu Heng, and it had obtained such a great result. But all of this was just on the surface. After all, those people had not turned over their wealth. The day of the handover was set for the 15th of the first month. As a result, this sort of thing ended up happening. Could it be... "You mean to say that they are collaborating?" He asked the advisor, "For the sake of not handing over this money, they lied and said that it was stolen?"
The advisor declined to comment, "Your Highness is very correct. There is no shortage of bold people in this world, but just having daring is not enough. For so many to have been robbed in a single night? When it comes to just the money in the bank, how many carts would that require? But if a procession of carriages was used, that could not have gone without notice."
Xuan Tian Mo felt that his advisor was quite rational, thus he assumed that it was definitely those people that were reluctant to hand over their wealth and had used this plot against him. But he could not act with undue haste. He needed to observe this matter for a few more days. After all, the Sheng Palace had also lost things in quite a strange manner. It seemed that the methods used were the exact same as what had happened to those officials. He could kill all of the servants in his palace to prevent future trouble; however, he could not kill that many officials all at once.
While the eighth prince was feeling hesitant and lacking in resolution, the officials that had been robbed were also terrified to file a report for the time being. Instead, they first told the eighth prince about it, and the response that they received was to quietly observe.
On the other side, Feng Yu Heng did not stop. For three straight days, she would leave the manor in dark clothes to move around at night. With the eighth prince's reminder, the ones that had not been robbed for the time being increased the defense of their warehouses. There were even some officials that did not sleep, as they moved a chair into the warehouse to personally stand guard!
With things like this, things should not disappear, right?
Unfortunately, it was pointless. Feng Yu Heng used her space to silently enter the warehouse then appear like a ghost behind the defender and chop at the back of their neck. As the official passed out on the chair, the entire warehouse of treasures was placed inside Feng Yu Heng's space.
Over the course of three days, all of the officials, wealthy merchants and banks that were part of the eighth prince's faction were thoroughly robbed by her. It was just that the bank only had an amount corresponding to the banknotes stolen. None of the other assets were touched. She felt that this was very ethical.
After three days, the eighth prince, Xuan Tian Mo, still wanted to keep the matter suppressed to resolve it himself, but in the end, there were people that could not sit still. The report was filed to Xu Jing Yuan's side. There were some that had planned to listen to the eighth prince's arrangements that were no longer as resolute because there was a rumor that said that everything was perpetrated by the eighth prince for fear that they would not hand over the money, thus he sent people to raid their houses.
The people angrily reported the loss of their things to the government office, demanding that Xu Jing Yuan give them an explanation. They also demanded Xu Jing Yuan to find the "divine thief of the shadows" that had managed to enter the capital.
Xu Jing Yuan was also quite interested in this matter. He felt that it was quite strange. How could so many homes have been robbed without anyone knowing about it? Also, it was the entire warehouse that had been emptied. Was that something that a single person could empty? At the very least, it would require a group of tens of people, right? But he was also curious. The other families were fine, as it was only these officials and merchants that had suffered. Did they think he was stupid? These were all people from the eighth prince's faction. Among them, there were even some that had caused Imperial Daughter Ji An trouble during the banquet, forcing her to close Hundred Herb Hall. She had also been planning to head to her fief in the next few days.
What did this mean? It was possible that this was all arranged by Imperial Daughter. With this case reaching his side, he would need to change his method for investigating.
Xu Jing Yuan made up his mind, revealing a fox-like smile on his face. He immediately set up for court. Slamming the gavel, he did not ask anything of the merchants and directly asked the officials- "You lost your money? How much did you lose? False reports will see you get punished."
The officials were dazed, "What false report? We really did lose that amount though? How could it be a false report?"
Xu Jing Yuan nodded his head with neither urgency nor hesitation: "Oh, it isn't a false report. That means that everyone's manor truly lost that much money?"
"Isn't this just a waste of words?" One of them was originally short-tempered. Now that he had been angered to such a degree, he immediately said: "Without that much money, how could it be lost?"
"Since that's the case, would my lords please go back and bring your account books over. This official will look through them." Xu Jing Yuan's face became stern, while his lips curled into a faint sneer.
"What do you want our account books for?" The people were confused, "What we lost is money, gold, silver, gems and banknotes. How is that related to our account books?"
"That's right! Our income comes from proper business."
The people went back and forth, with none of them understanding why Xu Jing Yuan brought up their account books. When these people finally calmed down a bit, Xu Jing Yuan finally said to the official that blustered the least: "Lord Zhao, based on what this official knows, your family's only businesses are a couple of cloth shops, and they cannot be considered among the higher-tier cloth shops in the capital. How much money could two cloth shops earn over the course of a year? I fear that even ten years would not account for all that you lost, right? And your shops have only been open for three years! This official wants to ask you, where did the money that you lost come from?"
"This..." Lord Zhao was speechless. Where did it come from? Either way, it did not come from proper paths. It was not that the account book could not be shown, after all, each family that did business had two account books, one that was kept in the open and one that was hidden. But for him, and all of the people that had come to file a report, they finally realized something: This Xu Jing Yuan was one of the seventh prince's people! Since he actually intended to investigate the accounts, how could he be unable to find the slightest problem? And once a problem was found, the origin of that money would need to be investigated. Just last year, he had pulled some strings to sell off a sixth rank official. Could this sort of thing be laid out in the open?
In an instant, the officials lost their spark, as they all began to beat the drum to sound a retreat. Someone even began to laugh, expressing that they would go back and investigate it on their own. Perhaps their family's madam had moved it. How could that much money have disappeared in a single night?!
Another person said: "Perhaps the banknotes sent to the bank were used by my family members elsewhere, and he would need to go back and ask about it."
With just a few words, the officials that had been shouting and screaming found an excuse and left. In the court, only the merchants continued to remain.
These merchants were not fools. For officials to have grey income, it would affect their career paths, but they were not afraid. They were purely merchants. How much money their manors had could not be controlled by the court, thus someone said: "Then Lord Xu needs to take care of our case of having been robbed, right? We do not receive a government salary!"
Xu Jing Yuan nodded, "Un, your matter does indeed need to be investigated carefully. Alright, you can go back and wait for it. When this official has finished investigating it clearly, you will naturally be contacted." With just a few words, they were sent off. Even when the merchants returned home, they did not think of anything.
Xu Jing Yuan, however, snorted coldly and quietly cursed these merchants for being stupid. They were just merchants. Da Shun was an association of agricultural, industrial and commercial units. Businesses were of the lowest rank. He might need to expend some energy when dealing with officials, but getting rid of some businessmen was too easy. Just wait, this case would need at least a year or two to solve. If you're nervous, just come every day and stick around.
When word of this reached the imperial daughter's manor, Wang Chuan became suspicious, carefully asking Feng Yu Heng: "I heard that those lords lost all of their belongings. Young Miss, was it you that did it?"
Feng Yu Heng was sitting on the swaying seat in the yard while eating pastries, and she shook her head, refusing to admit it, "No, no, did you not see me with you every day? When have I ever gone out?"
The corners of Wang Chuan's lips twitched: "You have always slept alone at night."
"Even if I went out at night, I would at least be discovered by Ban Zou!" Feng Yu Heng argued with strong reasoning, resolutely refusing to admit it.
Huang Quan was pushing the chair from behind. Hearing this refute, she felt that she could no longer continue to hold it in, thus she said: "But when this servant went to fold young miss' blankets today, I found that they were cold. Young Miss, you didn't even sleep overnight."
Feng Yu Heng facepalmed, "Can you be less thorough?" Are you lot wanting to take the test to become government officials or something? You even know how to conduct a trial.
"With this sort of master, would it do to be less thorough?" Ban Zou's voice suddenly drifted through the air, as a dark shadow suddenly appeared in front of them.
Feng Yu Heng pointed at Ban Zou and said: "Wearing black at night is indeed quite good, but it's too noticeable during the day."
Ban Zou ignored her and just asked: "You said that it was not you that did it? Then might I ask, where did those things in the underground storage come from?"