Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

"Did your father invite Bao Chengle to be his aide, or did Bao Chengle take the initiative to ask to stay with your father and be his aide?" Chen Shao stopped and stared into her eyes.

It was just a casual question, but I didn't expect it to lead to such a crucial clue.

From the prince's reply, she knew that the reason why Zhang Boshan came to Hongyuan County to take up the post was because he was swapped with Li Baozhong, but she didn't know that there was such a relationship behind the swap.

Zhang Chunhua finally sensed something was wrong. She had doubted the care and promotion of her father by Lord Luo and Uncle Bob, but Uncle Bob said that they were not only from the same hometown, but also classmates, and they should support each other and form a camp to make further progress in the officialdom. Occasionally, he would tell her some interesting stories about their time in Beijing to take the imperial examination. He spoke sincerely, so she believed him.

But when I think carefully about Chen Shao's questions, I realize that many things simply cannot stand up to scrutiny.

As her emotions became complicated, Zhang Chunhua no longer cared about defending Bao Chengle. "It was Uncle Bob who asked to stay. My father tried to persuade him, but he didn't listen and insisted on staying. My father was worried that Lord Luo would blame him, so he wrote a letter to Lord Luo, taking all the blame on himself. Lord Luo received the letter, but he didn't blame my father. He took the initiative to say that it was he who asked Uncle Bob to stay with him. Not long after that, my father was promoted to the governor of Kaiyang County. My father knew that it was Lord Luo's credit, so he arranged for someone to send Lord Luo three carts of local specialties of Kaiyang County. Lord Luo also gave my father three carts of jewelry and silk in return."

After a pause, he continued, "In this way, father gradually came into contact with Lord Luo. Under Uncle Bob's deliberate promotion, Pan Shaozhen and his ilk not only dared not to criticize father anymore, but also found various excuses to give father all kinds of gold, silver and jewelry. Under Uncle Bob's persuasion, father accepted these gestures of goodwill. As time went by, father gradually developed from resistance at the beginning to enjoyment, and finally began to actively ask for it. However, whether it was passive acceptance or active request, most of the bribes received by father were passed on to Lord Luo. After Lord Luo accepted those benefits several times, he found a way to transfer father to Hongyuan County."

After listening to her rambling about the friendship between her father, Luo Wanyou, and Bao Chengle, Chen Shao calmly clicked his tongue twice and confirmed, "Are you sure it was Luo Wanyou who transferred your father to Hongyuan County?"

Zhang Chunhua nodded: "Before my father took office in Hongyuan County, he took us to visit Lord Luo's house. Lord Luo asked my father to work hard in Hongyuan County and gave him two...beautiful maids."

Chen Shao raised his eyebrows slightly: "Give your father a beautiful maid?"

"Yes." Zhang Chunhua looked at the tip of her shoes, and said with a subtle bitterness, "Lord Luo said that spreading out branches and leaves is like being an official, and you can't fall behind others."

"Did your father accept it?" Chen Shao asked.

Zhang Chunhua was silent for a long time before she said, "When my mother gave birth to my sister, she was too weak and could no longer carry on my father's family line. Even if Lord Luo didn't ask, my father would have taken a concubine sooner or later."

Before their father was promoted to the position of Kaiyang County Magistrate, they wore coarse linen clothes and ate stale rice porridge like children from ordinary families. After their father was promoted to the position of Kaiyang County Magistrate, under the guidance of Uncle Bob, their lives became better day by day, and they gradually became like wives and daughters of officials.

Since she was enjoying such a life of luxury, she naturally could not blame her father for being "heartless and disloyal".

Even if my father becomes more and more ridiculous day by day.

Even if the number of concubines in the mansion increases.

Chen Shao asked without comment: "After your father arrived in Hongyuan County, did he still keep in touch with Luo Wanyou?"

Zhang Chunhua nodded.

"Since you have been in contact for a long time," Chen Shao asked slowly, "after your father was imprisoned, did you ask him for help? Or did he send someone to comfort you?"

Zhang Chunhua hesitated for a moment and replied, "My mother sent someone to Shu County to look for him, but he said that you acted fairly and if my father was wronged, you would release him and restore him to his original position after investigating. If my father was not wronged, then there was nothing he could do."

Luo Wanyou was going to abandon him. But Chen Shao couldn't understand why Luo Wanyou took so much trouble to transfer him from Kaiyang County to Hongyuan County? Or, did Zhang Boshan really have nothing to do with those gardens?

After thinking for a moment, Chen Shao asked, "Where did your mother get those jades that she sold?"

Sensing the harshness in her words, Zhang Chunhua quickly replied, "My father bought it from a merchant Uncle Bob knows who has business dealings with Shan State."

"What's the name of the merchant and where is his home?" Chen Shao asked repeatedly, "What did your father buy it for?"

"The merchant should be called Ma San, that's what my father called him. I don't know where he lives," Zhang Chunhua answered hurriedly. "My father bought it because Uncle Bob said that those jades were tribute items from the Shan Kingdom in the past. It was because of the war in Datong that the Shan Kingdom stopped paying tribute, and then they gradually flowed to the people. When the war ended and the Shan Kingdom resumed paying tribute, it would be difficult to find a good piece of jade even if you had a lot of gold. My father thought of buying more good jades and hoarding them. After the war ended, he could sell them at a sky-high price and make a fortune."

Chen Shao looked into her eyes again: "Did Bao Chengle tell your father anything like the General of the State and the Prince of Guangling?"

Zhang Chunhua shook her head.

Chen Shao saw that she didn't seem to be lying, and after frowning, he changed the subject at the right time: "I remember the last time you came to me, you said that your father was wronged and asked me to show leniency."

"It was Chunhua who was ignorant last time," Zhang Chunhua knelt on the ground and apologized with great courtesy, "I hope you will be magnanimous and not bear a grudge against Chunhua."

Chen Shao admired her knowledge and tact, so he quietly took two steps to the side to avoid her gift. After letting her stand up, he slowly asked, "What bribes did your father receive in Kaiyang County and Hongyuan County?"

Zhang Chunhua took out two account books from his sleeve and handed them over respectfully.

After Chen Shao took it and glanced at it, he looked at her in surprise.

Zhang Chunhua lowered her eyes and explained, "Father has always had the habit of keeping accounts. These two account books contain all the records of bribes he received in Kaiyang County and Hongyuan County. I have looked through these records many times in recent days, and there is no transaction related to those gardens."

Chen Shao refuted: "There is no record of your father's dealings with those gardens. Perhaps your father knew that the matters of those gardens were very important, so he did not record them or made separate records. In other words, these two account books alone cannot prove that your father was not involved in the affairs of those gardens."

"If my father was involved in the affairs of those gardens," Zhang Chunhua mustered up her courage and raised her head, "I'm sure the Lord would not just imprison him, but would have chopped off his head long ago like he did to the Wen, Zhu, and Gu families."

Chen Shao joked: "I won't chop off his head, maybe he still has other uses."

"If father really has other uses," Zhang Chunhua said boldly when she saw that she did not reprimand him, "I believe that adults will not just lock him up and do nothing about him."

"Then tell me," Chen Shao asked with a smile, "Since your father was not involved in the cases of those gardens, why did I keep him in custody and ignore him?"

Zhang Chunhua's face turned pale as she said, "It was probably my father's greed and inaction that led to the tragedy in those gardens."

Chen Shao looked at her steadily.

Zhang Chunhua quickly took two steps back and knelt on the ground again.

After a while, Chen Shao looked at the account book in his hand and spoke again, "I remember the last time you came to me late at night, you were planning to sacrifice yourself to save your father. Why did you suddenly change your mind this time?"

Zhang Chunhua's face flushed instantly. She glanced at her own shadow from the corner of her eyes, then at the shadow of the Yulin Guard next to her. After a long while, she said with difficulty, "In the vernacular novels, there are always stories of people selling themselves to save their fathers, and then achieving happiness that others can hardly obtain. I..."

I couldn't say the following words.

Chen Shao was stunned for a moment, looked her up and down for a long time, and then chuckled: Novels are harmful to people, and it has been like this since ancient times.

Looking at the account book in his hand, Chen Shao turned around and asked, "Who was the matchmaker for your marriage with Master Gao?"

Zhang Chunhua stood up quickly with a burning face, followed her footsteps and answered: "We haven't got married yet, but Madam Gao has mentioned to mother twice that she wants to ask for me to marry on behalf of Mr. Gao, but mother hasn't agreed yet."

"In other words, Bao Chengle was not involved in this matter?" Chen Shao asked.

"Mother asked Uncle Bob," Zhang Chunhua answered honestly, "Uncle Bob said that if we must marry someone from the academy, we should choose one of the two Mr. Luos."

Chen Shao said: "Luo Zhengxin's two sons?"

Zhang Chunhua nodded, then realized she couldn't see, and immediately replied, "Yes."

Chen Shao paused and asked, "That is to say, Madam Gao was right. Your father did know that Madam Luo had forced the second Miss Luo to marry the second Master Wang and forced the second Miss Luo to marry Luo Zhengxin as a concubine?"

Zhang Chunhua's heart tightened, and after a long while she answered, "I'm not sure whether my father knew or not. It was only after the incident between Mr. Wang and Miss Luo that I learned about Mrs. Luo's forced dissolution of their marriage."

This matter has been resolved. Chen Shao just mentioned it casually and had no intention of accusing her of this matter. After hearing her denial, he did not pursue whether it was true or not, and changed the subject again: "Are the bribes your father received still there?"

Zhang Chunhua replied cautiously: "Most of them are still there."

Chen Shaoshun said, "If I ask for everything to be returned, will your mother and sister agree?"

Zhang Chunhua quickly said, "It's someone else's property, why are you unwilling?"

"That's true. Whether they are willing or not is never within my consideration." At this point, Chen Shao suddenly asked, "Have you ever been educated?"

Zhang Chunhua didn't understand what he meant, but she still answered honestly: "I have read it."

Chen Shao asked: "What books have you read?"

Zhang Chunhua read out all the books she had read one by one.

After listening to this, Chen Shao suddenly asked, "If you need to sell yourself to pay off the part of the bribe you embezzled, would you be willing to do so?"