readytorunbook Chapter 291 Dispatch Token
Chapter 291 Dispatch Token
Zhao Fangyu had received the news, and the Zhao family must have gotten the same news. Sending a letter back at this time would only cause trouble, so Zhao Fangyu wrote to the surrounding shops, asking them to inquire about Mei Zhanhui's situation locally, and if there were any major events in Chenzhou, he should also send a copy of the bi-day official bulletin.
In addition, some people were arranged to deliver Mei Zhanhui's portrait so that if anyone came to the shop asking for help, they could provide assistance.
The princess left with a wine jug in her hand. She looked at Shu Jie'er and thought of her own daughter...
Xingzhi helped Zhao Fangyu change his clothes. Zhao Fangyu closed his eyes and said, "Go to the fourteen states and ask if there is anyone whose ancestral home is in the Chenzhou area. Call them to see me."
It is not convenient to go back to the Zhao family at this time. Mei Xunyin has probably already returned to the Mei family. The house is in a mess, and there is also a little kid Zhao Xihuan. It is better to stay in the Hewang Mansion, bring more news, and then go back together.
She herself doesn't like to encounter people who can't help at all and just ask why when something happens, and she has to spend extra time to take care of them.
Even if you want to help, it can be a bit annoying.
A sister-in-law is different from a mother. No matter how close they are, there is still a layer of distance between them.
"Prepare the imperial physician, and don't let the matter of my sister-in-law's family disturb my elder sister."
Orders were issued one after another, and people hurried around the room. The small banquet had been cleared away, and Shu Jie'er had fallen asleep on Zhao Fangyu's bed.
After everyone went downstairs, Zhao Fangyu took out the token from Zhou Qinghe's study.
The outer courtyard was full of Zhou Qinghe's people. It was the first time they saw Zhao Fangyu coming in the dead of night with a token in his hand. No one dared to raise their heads. After carefully checking the authenticity of the token, the steward of the outer courtyard knelt in front of Zhao Fangyu.
The jet-black robe was like thick ink, almost invisible on the ground. The swaying shadows of the bamboo almost blocked out the moonlight. It was still bright outside, but it was too dark inside the bamboo forest.
In order to avoid alarming others, Zhao Fangyu did not carry a lantern and only wore an ink-splashed cloak.
In the dim light, the woman's unmade face looked like a bewitching female ghost or a cold-faced demon holding a knife.
As soon as she opened her mouth, the difference between her and Zhou Qinghe was revealed:
"We must find the Imperial Envoy Mei."
"If you encounter Jinyiwei, you can temporarily avoid the sharp edge, but you must bring back the people and evidence."
If Mei Zhanhui's disappearance was not ordered by the emperor, then there must be evidence of the Third Prince's party in Chenzhou that has not been destroyed, and it is not hidden very well.
If these things are really hidden well, and are not afraid of being discovered, why should we be afraid of the Jinyiwei and Mei Zhanhui?
Letting people in and searching openly will help clear them of suspicion.
It happened that he disappeared in front of Chenzhou, and the only missing person was Mei Zhanhui.
It’s hard not to overthink this.
If they don't hide well, with Mei Zhanhui as a glaring target in front of them, Zhou Qinghe's men can disguise themselves and enter Chenzhou, get the evidence and come back with it, and they can easily get the evidence to defeat the third prince.
A prince who exploits the people's wealth will never have the possibility of succeeding to the throne.
Zhao Fangyu left after giving the order, put the token back into the study, and lay down with Shu Jie'er in his arms, with information about Chenzhou constantly flowing in his mind.
Chenzhou can be said to be located near mountains and rivers, but unfortunately the land is too muddy, the weather is rainy, and miasma is easily produced in the forest, so the products are not abundant.
Successive officials tried many methods but failed to govern Chenzhou properly. It may not be because the governance was poor, but that the governance was intentional.
Zhao Fangyu extracted the information bit by bit in his mind.
There was a drought in Chenzhou and the people were starving. The third prince went to Chenzhou to provide disaster relief. After making the last bit of money, he left with a large amount of relief silver.
Many officials were beheaded in Chenzhou at that time, but the local nobles were unharmed. Even the court reports did not mention which big families were in Chenzhou.
The people who had endured the drought for half a year had no idea whether they got any relief food or how much they got. The bulk of the relief money went into the pocket of the third prince. In order to show their stance, the rest of the officials had to make some money even if they were unwilling to do so.
Otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to survive.
The new officials were in cahoots with the third prince and must have treated the people badly in the beginning, so now the evidence can no longer be hidden and the law cannot hold everyone responsible, so a massacre in the city cannot be carried out.
The people of Chenzhou lived a hard life. Perhaps they hated the imperial power deeply, but they had no ability to resist and were forcibly suppressed.
Now, the arrival of Mei Zhanhui is like a guillotine for these corrupt officials. Only when he is at their doorstep can they have this desperate fight.
Taking people as hostages.
At this point, everyone knows that there is something wrong with Chen Zhou.
Even if the emperor had to send troops, he had to flatten Chenzhou.
Otherwise, he could live well if he defied the imperial authority like this. Where is the dignity of the royal family when he is so provocative?
What Zhao Fangyu was afraid of was that the emperor had already given false testimony and put the blame on Zhou Qinghe.
He called a horse a deer and said that the unknown prince who suppressed the letter for help in the court was the always absurd Zhou Qinghe.
Zhao Fangyu did not sleep well that night. When he woke up early the next morning, he immediately sent invitations to several ladies in the Zongzheng Temple.
Invite them to appreciate the flowers.
What we are admiring is still the newly blooming weeping jasmine.
There was another post inviting the eldest lady and Mei Xunyin.
Zhao Fangyu pretended to know nothing and held a small banquet at home.
The advantage of being in a wealthy family is that no matter how busy they are, everyone is eager to do the work.
There was a rosewood couch with an octagonal window pattern and a small rosewood table in the middle. It was covered with a sky-blue satin tablecloth with a lotus leaf pattern, and on it were a variety of snacks.
There were many small tables and chairs on both sides, which were obviously prepared for the ladies.
There are many mosquitoes in the summer, so a very fine mesh tent was set up here two days in advance. A maid would go in overnight to kill the mosquitoes, then light insect repellent spices and fumigate overnight. The next morning, the refreshing Bingpo incense was replaced with the incense the next day.
When the ladies arrived, each of them had a pot of weeping jasmine with flowers blooming like clouds on her desk.
Zhao Fangyu went to pick her up personally. Mei Xunyin couldn't help but hold her wrist tightly when she saw her, her eyes slightly red. Zhao Fangyu shook her sleeve secretly: "Sister-in-law, you came so early, are you also coveting the good things in my greenhouse?"
The eldest lady exchanged glances with Zhao Fangyu and realized that Zhao Fangyu was no longer stabbing her in the heart, so she immediately took Mei Xunyin inside.
The eldest lady and Mei Xunyin arrived early, but when they saw Zhao Fangyu's generosity, they all looked sideways.
Zhao Fangyu explained, "We also invited several aunts from Zongzheng Temple to a banquet today. They are all used to big occasions, so we don't want them to be laughed at."
This thing is not common among ordinary clans, and is only seen frequently by the royal family. It is often seen during spring and winter hunting.
It's not that we can't afford it, it's just that it's too conspicuous and easy to be reported.
Although Zhao Fangyu said that he was afraid of being reported by the censor, he actually did everything he was supposed to do.
The eldest lady suppressed her doubts and went in with Zhao Fangyu. As soon as they entered, Mei Xunyin whispered in Zhao Fangyu's ear about Mei Zhanhui's disappearance.
After all, the Mei family is Mei Zhanhui's main family, and they know much more about the news than outsiders like Zhao Fangyu.
"Brother Hui was not assassinated. His attendant saw the Wu family's token on the assassin, and the Jinyiwei saw a pattern on the assassin's private part."
Mei Xunyin took out a piece of paper from her sleeve, on which was clearly drawn the pattern of the assassin. Zhao Fangyu felt that the pattern looked familiar.
It was a round pattern with dense vines inside and a strange-looking one-legged bird in the middle.
It looks like someone's family crest.
However, the family crests of the prominent families in the capital are common. If you just stop at the gate of the Fourteen Prefectures of Fanlou, you can see the family crests of most families in the capital in three to five days.
The eldest lady interrupted Zhao Fangyu and said, "There is no family in the capital that has the same family emblem as this one."
Zhao Fangyu thought to herself, no wonder she couldn't remember where she had seen this family emblem.
"The Wu family, is that the family that the Yang family has in-laws with?"
Zhao Fangyu has been dealing with the Yang family for a long time. Yang Gushan has several relatives on the surface, and those people he uses in daily interactions are also just useless.
There is no one in the Wu family who is an official in the capital, but they are a wealthy family. It is said that the two families have a long history, and they are said to be relatives by marriage, but in fact they are no different from retainers and subordinates.
"Have you checked the Wu family's family emblem? Also, how about checking their ancestral land?"
Family crests are very easy to find. Just squat at the door of someone's house and you can find it within three days.
"I have already sent people to do these things. Your sister-in-law came here mainly to ask for something."
Mei Xunyin was originally sitting on only half of the couch, but upon hearing this, she stood up from the couch, stepped off the steps, and bowed to Zhao Fangyu: "Many parties are involved, but the Mei family is the Mei family. Fourth sister is willing to help the Mei family. The Mei family is grateful and will repay you."
By the time of Mei Xunyin's generation, the Mei family had few promising sons and daughters. Compared with Mei Zhanhui, there was a world of difference between them. It can be said that how far the Mei family can go in the future depends entirely on how far Mei Zhanhui can go.
The importance of Mei Zhanhui to the Mei family is self-evident. Mei Xunyin did not want the Mei family to be involved in the fight for the throne because of her in-laws. Now, of course, she cannot ask Zhao Fangyu to help her unconditionally because of her in-laws.
Mei Xunyin was very clear about this, not to mention there was the previous relationship between Li Ge'er and Zhao Fanglan. Even if Mei Xunyin wanted to save face for once, the eldest lady would not allow it.
Zhao Fangyu didn't say anything. She just kept saying polite things like "relatives don't need to be like this." It would take real effort for her to help, and if you don't ask for anything, others will think you are aiming too high, or you are a complete fool.
Zhao Fangyu would never do such a thing as repaying evil with kindness.
"Sister-in-law, please sit down first. If there is anyone who can help, please let us know and we can discuss it together."
Mei Xunyin stood up holding the handkerchief and stood beside the eldest lady. She was only two steps away, but she had calmed down and there was no flaw in her expression. Only the wrinkles on the handkerchief twisted by her fingertips showed the unrest in her heart.
"Brother Hui fell into the Chuanshui River. The lower reaches of the Chuanshui River are Chizhou Prefecture."
"My fourth sister's Fourteen States is located in Chizhou Mansion. I want my fourth sister to help me find Brother Hui in the Chizhou area."
Zhao Fangyu patted his chest with one hand when he heard this, and turned to look at the eldest lady with a relieved look: "I thought it was nothing, I heard about this matter from Princess Hua Luan the other day, and immediately sent someone to write to the fourteen states of Chizhou Prefecture to make arrangements."
Then he turned to look at Mei Xunyin and said, "It's just that Master Xiaomei is now an imperial envoy. If he doesn't do his job well, he might not be able to report back. So I specifically instructed that we should not make a big fuss when looking for him, but we have sent people to guard the city gates. In addition, if Master Xiaomei comes to look for us, we will do whatever he wants."
Mei Xunyin fell into the water and didn't know if the pass was still on her. If it wasn't there, she might not even be able to enter the city gate.
If Chenzhou could do that, how could other places not send people to guard it? Especially the gates of the major cities.
When Zhao Fangyu said this, Mei Xunyin's eyes couldn't help but turn red.
Zhao Fangyu then continued, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. I have asked people from the fourteen states to hire a master from the escort agency to search for Xiaomei in various towns. If Lady Xiaomei fell into the water and was rescued, the village would be safer."
Mei Xunyin nodded. Indeed, there was no better way at the moment. She turned around and bowed to Zhao Fangyu again. Zhao Fangyu kept trying to avoid her and said it was impossible.
The eldest lady watched without saying anything and let the aunt and sister-in-law do whatever they wanted.
Mei Xunyin took a sip of tea peacefully, and soon the ladies from the Zongzheng Temple arrived.
Seeing this luxurious account that almost spread to the roof, everyone praised it.
These are all old royal families, and the Zongzheng Temple is a very lucrative place. These ladies would say that wearing gold and silver is too vulgar.
There was no gold or silver item on his body, but any one of them could be exchanged for a mountain of silver.
The skirts were swaying, the lights were sparkling, and several people came together. It was obvious that they were all acquaintances, and there was a hint of friendship between them.
The eldest lady and Mei Xunyin went to the place arranged by Zhao Fangyu and sat down. The servants removed the couch and brought up a new table.
Given Zhao Fangyu's age and seniority, it is somewhat inappropriate for her to sit in the main seat. After all, every one of the people present is older than her.
But she just sat there quietly, ignoring the strange looks that were spreading among the ladies of the Zongzheng Temple.
Instead, they were invited to taste this year's new tea.
The ladies tasted the delicacies while admiring the jasmine flowers in front of them that looked like hanging clouds. Maids came and went, and everyone ate and drank normally. It seemed as if this was just a normal flower-viewing banquet.
Until Zhao Fangyu said: "Aunts, I like it. Do you think this flower can be made into perfume?"
For a moment, the ladies from the Zongzheng Temple looked at each other, as if to say, how could Zhao Fangyu be so talkative?
The lady closest to Zhao Fangyu smiled and said, "This flower is naturally very good and wonderful, but I think it is very expensive. It would be a bit extravagant to make it into a scented dew."
Zhao Fangyu curved her lips and smiled. These people actually told her about extravagance.
It is obvious that they are the ancestors of extravagance.
Zhao Fangyu did not discuss whether it was extravagant or not, but only said: "Since the aunts think this is suitable for making perfume, then Fangyu is relieved."
"I have been hesitant before, but I don't know whether to change it or not. After all, this flower is expensive and I am afraid people will not like it."
Zhao Fangyu clapped his hands, and several beautiful maids brought brocade boxes to the table for everyone.
Zhao Fangyu fiddled with the snow-white jasmine hanging in front of him and smiled sincerely: "It's just a small gift, not a respect."
"My aunts have helped me a lot. I am young and have not seen as much of the world as they have. Naturally, I am not sure what the top ladies in Beijing like."
"My aunts have helped me a lot. I won't feel at ease if I don't accept this gift."