Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Chen Shao looked at his departing figure and pondered silently. The governor of Wu County... She didn't know him, nor did she know his name. But judging from his expression when he left, he seemed to be a very important person. Retracting her gaze, Chen Shao asked deliberately, "What is the governor of Wu County's name?"

Zhang Zhongcai glanced at the door and saw that Li Tianliu had not returned, so he was relieved and said, "Call Master Geng."

Chen Shao: "Name."

Name? Zhang Zhongcai twisted his hands for a long time before answering hesitantly, "My name is Geng Yu."

Geng Yu. Chen Shao wrote down the name and asked, "Sir Geng, have you ever seen the true face of the great-great-grandson of the former crown prince?"

Zhang Zhongcai regained his composure: "I have seen you."

"Have Mr. Zhu and Master Zhu ever asked Lord Geng what the great-great-grandson of the former crown prince looked like?" Chen Shao asked.

"I have asked." Zhang Zhongcai replied calmly, "Lord Geng said that the great-great-grandson of the former crown prince is seventeen years old, six feet tall, and has a look that can be described as a rare talent."

Chen Shao asked in depth, "Is he seventeen this year, or was he seventeen when you met him?"

Zhang Zhongcai replied calmly: "When the master met him at the beginning of the fifteenth year of Yuanhe, he was seventeen years old."

Then this year he is twenty-three years old. Chen Shao continued to ask: "Did Lord Geng tell me what the surname and name of the great-great-grandson of the former crown prince was?"

Zhang Zhongcai said casually, "His surname is Huangfu. Lord Geng calls him Mr. Huangfu. I don't know his other name."

Huangfu is the surname of the former empress. This so-called great-great-grandson of the former crown prince wanted to restore the country, but used his mother's surname, which is quite interesting. Mr. Huangfu is 23 years old, 6 feet tall, and has outstanding looks. Chen Shao summarized the clues and then asked, "Mr. Zhu and Mr. Zhu both knew this great-great-grandson of the former crown prince through the Zhu family in Wujun?"

Zhang Zhongcai said yes.

"How did the Zhu family of Wujun know him?" Chen Shao asked slowly.

Zhang Zhongcai replied, "The Zhu family of Wu County knew him through Lord Geng."

Chen Shao glanced outside and saw that Li Tianliu had returned, but his expression was still as cold and sharp as when he left. Watching him approach step by step with his peripheral vision, Chen Shao asked immediately, "Did your master ask Lord Geng how he knew him?"

Li Tianliu walked straight into the main hall and sat down in the chair next to her. Zhang Zhongcai saw him, and his expression, which had been calm at first, gradually showed some nervousness. "I asked him. Lord Geng said that he took the position of Wujun prefect after he defected to the prince's party of the previous dynasty."

Chen Shao glanced at Li Tianliu, and seeing that he had no reaction, he continued: "You have also helped the princelings of the previous dynasty for so many years. Have the princelings of the previous dynasty ever given you any benefits?"

Zhang Zhongcai avoided Li Tianliu's gaze and answered: "The Lord Li before Lord Zhang was the one they transferred from Hongyuan County."

Ok?

As expected, Li Baozhong's departure was also closely related to the 15th year of Yuanhe! Chen Shao asked, "What did Lord Li do?"

Zhang Zhongcai said: "Lord Li found out about Changlefang, and also found out that the caravans of the Fan and Qi families were doing business with the Shan Kingdom."

Chen Shao questioned: "Your Zhu family and Gu family are ruining your family just because someone else accidentally took away their business. Lord Li has already found out about Changlefang, so how come you can leave without any harm?"

"Lord Li said that he had asked people to hide the clues he had found. If something happened to someone in his family, the clues he found would become known to everyone." Zhang Zhongcai disagreed, "The Zhu family, the Gu family, the Fan family, and the Qi family wanted to give him silver, shops, houses, and farms. That was a lot of money, more than he could earn in his entire life as an official, but he refused. The masters and others were forced to ask for help from Lord Geng. Lord Geng transferred him to Lingnan through the power of the prince's party of the previous dynasty. However, although he went to Lingnan, the masters and others also sent people to keep an eye on him. If he dared to spread those clues, the masters and others would let those who were watching him kill him to silence him."

After a pause, he continued, "He really has a lot of money. If he knew how to do things, he would be richer than the Ding family now."

It seems that he loves money very much. After looking at him calmly, Chen Shao tapped the armrest with his fingers bent. No wonder Li Baozhong was reluctant to reply. It turned out that the lives of his family members were always in the hands of others. However, he was still safe and sound for so many years, which showed that he had some skills. After thinking about it for a while and writing him another letter, Chen Shao asked, "Did the Ren family, Wen family, Ding family, Zhou family, Hu family, and Zhao family also join the prince party of the previous dynasty?"

Zhang Zhongcai corrected: "The Ding family, the Zhao family, the Zhou family, and the Hu family don't have it."

Chen Shao calmly probed, "That is to say, only the Zhu, Gu, Fan, Qi, Ren, and Wen families in Hongyuan County have joined the former princeling party?"

Zhang Zhongcai nodded: "Yes."

Chen Shao looked at him: "The Ding family, Zhao family, Zhou family and Hu family are also strong, why didn't they also join the former prince party?"

Zhang Zhongcai said disdainfully: "They don't have that ability yet."

Chen Shao asked: "Who said this?"

Zhang Zhongcai replied: "Master, they all said so."

Chen Shao continued to ask: "Do the Ding family, Zhao family, Zhou family and Hu family know that you have joined the prince's party of the previous dynasty?"

Zhang Zhongcai said, "I don't know."

Chen Shao wondered: "How did the Zhu, Gu, Fan and Qi families instruct Lord Ding to do things?"

"Master, they lied to him and said that they all surrendered to the General Fuguo, and those jades were given to the General Fuguo. The General Fuguo is the only one who has the most military command power besides Duke Chen..." Zhang Zhongcai's straightforward words suddenly stopped, and after Chen Shao signaled that it was okay for him to speak frankly, he continued uncomfortably, "The General Fuguo is the only one who has the most military command power besides Duke Chen's Mansion. Duke Chen's Mansion is already unable to support itself, and only by surrendering to the General Fuguo, after the war is over, can it rise to prominence."

Lie... Chen Shao pondered over this word while asking, "Are the Ren and Wen families also members of the former princeling party who joined forces with Lord Geng?"

Zhang Zhongcai shook his head: "No."

Chen Shao asked: "Who is that?"

Zhang Zhongcai said uncertainly: "Fourth Master said he was the governor of Shu County, Second Master said he was not. I don't know whether he is or not."

"The Zhu, Gu, Fan, and Qi families all have their origins in Jiangnan Road. They all got in touch with the princelings of the previous dynasty through Lord Geng. The Ren and Wen families all have their origins in Shu County. It makes sense that they got in touch with the princelings of the previous dynasty through the governor of Shu County. But it's quite interesting that the nobles and gentry who joined the princelings of the previous dynasty all have their origins in other counties." Chen Shao seemed to be talking to himself when he suddenly changed the subject and asked, "How many years has the Zhu family been in Hongyuan County?"

Zhang Zhongcai counted on his fingers and replied, "When the master was thirteen years old, he followed the old master to Hongyuan County. The master is four months away from eighty years old. The Zhu family has been in Hongyuan County for sixty-seven years."

Chen Shao asked casually, "Did the Gu, Fan, and Qi families come to Hongyuan County with the Zhu family?"

"The Gu family came along," Zhang Zhongcai replied, "The Fan and Qi families arrived half a year later."

Chen Shao asked: "What about the Ren family and the Wen family?"

Zhang Zhongcai replied: "The two families came to Hongyuan County when the master was 24 years old."

Chen Shao asked: "Why did the Zhu family come to Hongyuan County?"

Zhang Zhongcai thought for a while and said, "The old man didn't say it, but before he came to Hongyuan County, he had a big fight with his father."

Chen Shao half-believed and half-doubted, "Is it the same for the Gu, Fan, and Qi families?"

"No," Zhang Zhongcai answered seriously, "Our old grandfather and Old Grandpa Gu are better brothers than real brothers. When the old grandfather ran away from home with his wife, master, and young lady, Old Grandpa Gu also ran away from home with his family to show his loyalty. Old Grandpa Fan and Old Grandpa Qi followed us after hearing that our old grandfather and Old Grandpa Gu had set up their own families in Hongyuan County."

Seeing his serious look, Chen Shao couldn't help but wonder if he was stupid or if he was stupid himself. Such a poor excuse probably wouldn't fool even a three-year-old child. After holding back for a while, he reluctantly continued to ask, "After so many years, your master hasn't said anything?"

Zhang Zhongcai shook his head not quite understanding.

Chen Shao had no choice but to change the subject: "What do the princelings of the previous dynasty need so much green jade for?"

Zhang Zhongcai shook his head again: "I don't know."

Chen Shao coaxed him, "Think about it carefully, has your master ever mentioned it?"

Zhang Zhongcai thought for a long time, then shook his head and said, "The master never mentioned it."

Chen Shao signaled Fu Jiu to take out the jade objects she had brought out from the small treasury. After that, she picked up a jade pendant and asked, "Are these jade objects also given to the prince's party of the previous dynasty?"

Zhang Zhongcai looked up at the jade pendant in her hand and nodded, "Yes."

Chen Shao looked at him and asked, "Did the princelings of the previous dynasty ask you to buy these objects, or did you take the initiative to buy them and give them to him?"

"It was the princelings of the previous dynasty who asked us to buy it," Zhang Zhongcai replied.

Chen Shao's fingertips gently stroked the dagger-shaped flesh bun on the Buddha's head and asked slowly, "Was the flesh bun on this Buddha statue also carved into a dagger shape at the request of the princelings of the previous dynasty?"

Zhang Zhongcai denied: "No."

Chen Shao asked: "Since it was not the request of the previous prince's party, why did you carve the meat bun into the shape of a dagger?"

Zhang Zhongcai said: "It's not us, we bought it from Shan country and it's like this."

Chen Shao questioned: "Are all the jade objects I bought from the generals of Shan State like this?"

Zhang Zhongcai nodded in agreement.

Chen Shao asked him a few more questions, and seeing that his answers were all the same, he stopped asking. After asking him to clean up the account books of each account office, he left the Zhu family.

Li Tianliu followed her closely.

Standing in front of the carriage, Chen Shao stopped and asked, "What do you think?"

Li Tianliu said coldly: "I don't have any opinion."

Chen Shao glanced at him and told Fu Jiu, "Go to Luoyanju."

Li Tianliu refused: "Eat first, I have something to ask you."

Looking at his eyes filled with hostility, Chen Shao nodded: "Alright, let's go to Shiweizhai."

Since changing its business model, Shiweizhai's business has been booming. Not only that, three other shops around it have also opened restaurants.

As the carriage slowly slowed down behind the people queuing to buy food, Manager Zhou of Juxianlou suddenly came up with a sad face, clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Master Chen, please make a decision for me."

Chen Shao looked at his pretentious appearance and jokingly said, "Tell me, what is your decision?"

Shopkeeper Zhou said with a sad face, "When Huimin Pharmacy opened, I also contributed a lot. Why did Lord Chen favor one over the other and only give advice to Shiweizhai? Now the people in the city only know Shiweizhai and don't know Juxianlou. I'm afraid that in a few months, Juxianlou will be closed."

"If Juxianlou could be like Shiweizhai, its business would only be better." Chen Shao teased, "Would Shopkeeper Zhou be willing to do that?"

"I am willing to do so," Shopkeeper Zhou said in a pretentious tone, "but if Juxianlou becomes the same as Shiweizhai, you won't be able to find a quiet place to eat when you go out in the future."

Chen Shao laughed: "So you blame me?"

Shopkeeper Zhou immediately begged for mercy, "I dare not, I dare not."

"Alright," Chen Shao scolded with a smile, "Lead the way, we're going to Juxianlou to attract some business for you now."

Shopkeeper Zhou chuckled and said, "Thank you, sir."

After having dinner at Juxian Building and returning to the prefectural government, Chen Shao looked at Li Tianliu after taking a short rest. "Tell me, what do you want to ask me?"

Li Tianliu stared into her eyes: "What is your real purpose in coming to Hongyuan County?"

Chen Shao couldn't help laughing and said, "Investigating the case, didn't you know about it a long time ago?"

Li Tianliu said coldly: "I want to hear the truth!"

Chen Shao leaned back in his chair and said calmly, "Telling the truth is to investigate the case."

Li Tianliu snorted coldly: "What about lies?"

Chen Shao smiled and said, "What do you think I should do?"

Li Tianliu looked at her coldly: "I am asking you a question!"

Chen Shao nodded and said slowly, "I have already answered you."

"Then tell me, what's going on with those jades?" Li Tianliu sneered, "And what's going on with that great-great-grandson of the former crown prince?"

"Before I arrived in Hongyuan County, I didn't know what Qingyu was," Chen Shao said frankly, "Before I interrogated Zhang Zhongcai, I didn't know what the great-great-grandson of the former crown prince was."

Li Tianliu naturally didn't believe her words. He knew he was no match for her in interrogation, so he simply said, "Your second brother didn't die on the battlefield, he was murdered by someone!"

"You were in the army when my second brother was killed." Chen Shao said calmly, "You should know better than me how he died."

Li Tianliu said sternly: "I'm telling you now, he was murdered by someone!"

Chen Shao cooperated: "Who?"

Li Tianliu blurted out: "Princelings of the previous dynasty!"

Chen Shao looked at him calmly: "In other words, you already knew about the princelings of the previous dynasty?"

Li Tianliu said impatiently: "You don't have to beat around the bush with me. If I had known it long ago, why would I ask you!"

It was the same reason. Chen Shao nodded secretly and asked, "How did you determine that my second brother was killed by the prince's party of the previous dynasty?"

"The governor of Wu County is Geng Yu," Li Tianliu lost his usual calmness and spoke without stopping, "Geng Yu's eldest son married the second daughter of Wu Wenguang, the left imperial attendant. Wu Wenguang's second son, Wu Housheng, was the right general of the Right Guards. At the border, he was always under the command of the Duke of Chen's Mansion. The day your second brother died in battle, the commander of the army he led was Wu Housheng. In that battle, less than ten people survived, and Wu Housheng was one of them."

Chen Shao's heart suddenly sank.