“Lord Zhong, travel safely.”
“Your Excellency, please proceed slowly!”
…
Zhong Li sat in the carriage, looking at the many officials from the prefectural government who stood at the gates of Jinzhou City. She had only spent a little over a month with them, and as they parted, she felt a sense of reluctance to leave.
“Awang.” She looked at the tallest constable standing in the crowd.
Awang stepped forward a few paces upon hearing his name.
“The matters in Jinzhou have made me see you anew. Work hard, and you will surely achieve great things in the future,” Zhong Li encouraged him.
Awang nodded and said, “When you have time, Lord Zhong, I will definitely come to Jincheng to see you. Don’t turn me away then.”
“Why would I?” Zhong Li smiled and took ten taels of silver from her purse, handing it to him.
“This…” Awang was taken aback.
“I heard from your friends that your family has arranged a marriage for you. The betrothal gift requires sixty taels. The Crown Prince had promised you fifty taels, so you are still ten taels short, right? Take this!”
“No…” Awang tried to refuse.
Zhong Li had already pressed the money into his hand. “Before, I only knew about the official matters concerning my subordinates and never considered their personal circumstances, which led to an accident for someone who should not have died.
The Southern Yue Kingdom is in need of talent. Don’t decline this. Consider it… my recognition of your work.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency!” Awang was very happy holding the silver.
Zhong Li watched him rejoin the crowd and then focused her gaze on the most inconspicuous person.
The man’s face was pale, and he hung his head, lost in thought.
“Young Master Ren!” Zhong Li called out.
Ren Wenshu looked up and met her gaze.
Zhong Li glanced at Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie cast a sideways glance at Ren Wenshu and nodded.
Zhong Li jumped down from the carriage and walked up to Ren Wenshu.
“Lord Zhong…” Ren Wenshu’s thin lips parted, as if to say something, but in the end, he didn’t utter a word, lowering his head again.
Zhong Li looked down at his bandaged hand and casually took out a bottle of wound medicine from her purse, placing it in his hand. “I know you lack nothing, so I can only give you this.”
“Actually… I…” Ren Wenshu’s voice choked with emotion.
Zhong Li said, “Young Master Ren, I know your feelings, but some words, if spoken, might make everything disappear.”
Ren Wenshu’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“Take care!” Zhong Li patted his shoulder and turned to walk back to the carriage.
Lu Wuxie had already leaned out halfway, and with a natural motion, pulled her into the carriage.
Zhong Li did not look back again. She casually instructed the coachman, and the horses neighed before galloping away into the distance.
The lingering smoke from the incense burner, blown by the cold wind outside, dispersed and permeated the entire carriage.
Zhong Li put down the ledger in her hand and looked up at the man who was diligently examining it with her. “I truly didn’t expect that the secret ledger given to us by Wu You would contain so many secrets.”
Lu Wuxie heard this, waved the ledger in his hand, and agreed, “Earlier, I still thought Fu Chong might make a comeback, so I spared no effort to extract confessions from Wu You. Now… the direction of these corrupt accounts alone is enough to have the entire Fu family exiled.”
“By the way, do you remember the case of Li Kun from Lingshan Temple?” Zhong Li asked.
Lu Wuxie nodded, his eyes sweeping over the ledger Zhong Li had placed on the table.
Zhong Li said, “There was still a large sum of condolence money unaccounted for, and the ledger in the secret room was also flooded by water, wasn’t it? Now it has appeared here.”
Lu Wuxie’s sword-like eyebrows furrowed tightly. He angrily threw the ledger onto the table. People always said that greed is insatiable, like a snake swallowing an elephant. The silver Fu Chong had embezzled could fill half of the Southern Yue Kingdom’s treasury.
And what about the people of the Southern Yue Kingdom? Especially the people of Linzhou, who were still living in dire straits. If he were the Emperor, ten of Fu Chong’s heads wouldn’t be enough to be severed.
“If Fu Chong weren’t corrupt, how would the Wu family’s silver bank rise? And where would the subsidies for cattle and sheep meat given to Beidi every year come from?” Zhong Li gently patted his hand as she saw his reaction.
Lu Wuxie simply closed his eyes, trying to regulate his overly agitated emotions.
Zhong Li also put away the ledger, opened the small cabinet beside her, and took out a pot of "Ten Miles of Fragrance" given to her by Guo Xin. She also took out a few small dishes and placed them on the table. “It’s noon, let’s eat.”
Lu Wuxie waved his hand; after looking at those ledgers, he had lost all appetite.
Zhong Li didn’t urge him further. She picked up a wooden chopstick and ate while asking, “By the way, how does the court plan to deal with Ren Zhong’s matter?”
It was true that Wu Zhong and Wu You were captured through stratagem, and it was also true that Ren Zhong handed over his official seal, breaking the rules. The court was already aware of this, and Ren Zhong would certainly be punished.
Lu Wuxie replied, “Jincheng has already ordered that another official will be appointed as the Prefect of Jinzhou within a few days.”
Zhong Li nodded upon hearing this and picked up a piece of smoked meat, feeding it to Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie was preoccupied with Ren Zhong’s matter and ate absentmindedly.
“Actually, Ren Zhong’s personality is not suited for being a prefect. With his dismissal, it might be a good thing for both him and Ren Wenshu,” Zhong Li said.
“What do you mean?” Lu Wuxie’s attention was entirely captured when he heard Ren Wenshu’s name.
“With Young Master Ren’s current state, I think he needs to go out and travel, to change his mood. If Ren Zhong were still the Prefect of Jinzhou, he would certainly have no time. Now it’s good, he is free.” After speaking, Zhong Li put more dishes into Lu Wuxie’s mouth.
Lu Wuxie was starting to enjoy the food and picked up the chopsticks himself to eat.
Zhong Li smiled slyly as she saw that he finally had an appetite.
How could Lu Wuxie not know Zhong Li’s little tricks? He reached out and flicked her nose, then poured a cup of clear wine in front of her.
The aroma of wine, thick and intense, rolled in the fierce wind. The broken window curtain was blown back by the wind, and the moon peeked in, searching for a person.
From Jinzhou to Jincheng, even with a thousand-li express ride without stopping day or night, it would only take two to three days. However, it took Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie a full ten days just to reach Anding County.
As they had predicted, the journey was not peaceful. Several times, just as they left, pursuers caught up. Fortunately, Lu Wuxie had planned the route and made preparations in advance, taking an unconventional path on official roads and small trails, which helped them narrowly escape several bloody disasters.
Anding County was the last stop before Jincheng.
Since the Jia family incident, Magistrate Zhang had been dismissed and Magistrate Liu appointed. For Lu Wuxie, this place was safer than Jincheng.
“Your Highness, your subordinate has been waiting for you for a long time. I heard earlier that you narrowly escaped assassination by hidden guards along the way from Jinzhou to here. Your subordinate thought that if Your Highness didn’t arrive today, I would personally lead a group of men to the road to find you.”
Magistrate Liu welcomed Lu Wuxie, who had alighted from the carriage, and chattered incessantly, expressing his concern.
Lu Wuxie looked back at him and smiled. “Old Liu, we are old acquaintances. You know what kind of person I am. I don’t do anything without a sure chance of success. But thank you for your concern, Old Liu.”
Magistrate Liu’s cheeks flushed when he heard Lu Wuxie’s intimate address. He scratched his head and said, “Your Highness, please continue to call me Magistrate Liu. Otherwise, this address feels somewhat presumptuous to you.”
Lu Wuxie burst into hearty laughter, clapped Magistrate Liu on the shoulder, took Zhong Li’s hand, and walked towards the yamen.
Although Magistrate Liu was in Anding County, he was somewhat aware of the rumors in Jincheng, especially the affairs between the Grand Judge and the Crown Prince of the Prince of Xian’s manor. The twists and turns, from imprisonment to rescuing the beauty, were almost enough to be made into a storybook.
He invited them to sit down and placed two cups of clear tea on the table. “May I ask how long Your Highness and Lord Zhong plan to stay in Anding County?”
Lu Wuxie had just picked up his teacup when he heard Magistrate Liu speak like this. He put down the lid of the cup and said, “Old Liu never speaks like this. Is there something going on?”
Magistrate Liu’s gaze fell on Zhong Li, and he seemed hesitant to speak.
Zhong Li raised her willow-like eyebrows, preparing to get up and leave. Magistrate Liu quickly blocked her path. As she looked at him in confusion, he cupped his hands in a formal salute. “Lord Zhong, you have misunderstood your subordinate’s meaning. I am asking this because I want Lord Zhong to solve a case.”
“Solve a case?” Zhong Li turned and exchanged a glance with Lu Wuxie.