Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

After Wang Lian and others left, Zhang Jingwei walked out from behind the screen in the back hall.

Lu Hui held the imperial edict in his hand with an expressionless face.

"Fake?" Zhang Jingwei asked.

The probability of something like an imperial edict being fake is very low. After all, the "Nine Clans Certification" is no joke.

Lu Hui: "Really!" He said to Zhang Jingwei with a firm look in his eyes.

Zhang Jingwei looked puzzled and asked, "Is it true that the teacher will come back tonight?"

Lu Hui suddenly laughed, showing a sly smile, and said: "Fake!"

Zhang Jingwei's eyes widened, and he asked in confusion, "Then how dare you say that? Aren't you afraid that Wang Lian will accuse you of disobeying his orders?"

Lu Hui snorted disdainfully and said, "I don't care about him! Just drag it out for one night. Tomorrow, when the censor from Taiyuan arrives, you have to go out of the city to welcome him. By then, whether to kill or keep Han Ye will be left to the adults to decide." After that, he turned around and left the government office.

……

Back at the inn, Jiuer was changing the medicine on the wood in the room. Zhang Jingwei pushed the door open and scared Jiuer.

"Thank you so much, Miss Jiuer!" Zhang Jingwei greeted her politely.

But Jiuer didn't appreciate it at all. She snorted coldly, packed up her medicine box and left.

After a while, Wang Ergou entered the room with a nervous look on his face.

Wang Ergou said solemnly, "Master, I have some bad news."

Zhang Jingwei frowned and asked, "What's the matter?"

Wang Ergou took a deep breath and replied, "Today, news came from Yaozhuang that Song Geng from the garrison was transporting saltpeter back to the city when he was robbed by a group of bandits. They wiped out all the bandits and captured their leader!"

Zhang Jingwei said puzzledly: "If I heard correctly, this should be good news."

Wang Ergou quickly explained, "Master, it's not that simple. Song Geng privately interrogated the thief leader, and according to him, this gang of thieves are just scattered members of a Jianghu gang, with no special qualities. They're all here for the bounty from the King of Jin. It's said that the bounty is as high as ten thousand taels."

Zhang Jingwei narrowed his eyes slightly and said thoughtfully, "So, the King of Jin wants this batch of saltpeter."

Wang Ergou shook his head and continued, "The value of this batch of saltpeter and armor is far less than the bounty."

Zhang Jingwei suddenly understood, slapped his thigh and said, "I think I understand what you are trying to say."

Wang Ergou anxiously advised, "So, Master, please move back to the Marquis' Mansion. It's too dangerous outside!"

A few hundred kilograms of saltpeter can be collected for only a few thousand taels. As for armor, a set of armor made with gold will cost less than ten thousand taels.

There is only one possibility, the reward includes someone's head!

Zhang Jingwei looked puzzled. "What do you mean by the Jianghu sect you just mentioned? Why haven't I heard of it?"

Wang Ergou smiled and replied, "Young Master, you may not know this, but this vast Celestial Empire has hundreds of martial arts sects. Initially, some salt merchants in the north recruited a group of unemployed vagrants to serve as their guards. However, these guards were paid very little and held low status. So, the unemployed banded together and formed an organization called the Salt Gang, specifically responsible for protecting their clients' businesses. Later, this Salt Gang gradually grew and became a massive martial arts sect."

Zhang Jingwei suddenly realized: "Oh! So that's how it is. Isn't this the underworld? They can only do things that are not allowed to be seen in public."

Wang Ergou was speechless and quickly explained, "Master, you can't say that. Although the Salt Gang sometimes does things that violate the law, they also have their own rules and moral bottom line."

Zhang Jingwei nodded, indicating that he understood. Then he asked, "By the way, did the bandit leader say whose head he wanted?"

Wang Ergou hesitated for a moment, then spoke up: "According to the thief's confession, Jiangnan's 'Thousand Hands' was also involved!"

Zhang Jingwei frowned slightly: "What's the story?"

Wang Ergou said solemnly, "'Thousand Hands'! Jiangnan's number one killer! To this day, no one knows his real name!"

Zhang Jingwei swallowed his saliva. After hearing this news, he really wanted to go back to the Huangfu family.

Wang Ergou said solemnly, "By the way, there is another matter concerning the young lady."

Zhang Jingwei frowned and said, "Tell me quickly."

Wang Ergou took a deep breath and said slowly, "Today, a lieutenant general from Jinzhou came to the Marquis' Mansion. He didn't say much, but just delivered a letter to the young lady."

Zhang Jingwei's eyes narrowed, and he asked in a deep voice, "Have you learned the contents of the letter?"

Wang Ergou shook his head and said, "I don't know. But I heard from the maid that the young lady was very happy after reading the letter."

Zhang Jingwei remembered some things. That night in the Water Defense Camp, Zhao Wuchuan talked about a rumor about the prince and Huangfu Ling.

Zhang Jingwei asked suspiciously, "What's the name of the Prince of Jin?"

Wang Ergou, who was standing by, scratched his head and replied, "Prince Jin, Sima Qi!"

Hearing this name, Zhang Jingwei's eyes suddenly lit up, and he murmured excitedly: "That's right, it all matches, Brother Qi!"

Zhang Jingwei patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder, looked grateful, and said, "Ergou, you did a good job!"

Wang Ergou bowed and said, "I will devote myself to serving the young master."

……

In the official inn's residence, a pretty maid was washing Wang Lian's feet. Although the sun was setting, she still went to bed early. Wang Lian's habit was to lie in bed and read after dinner.

I usually like to read some poems and essays, and when I go to bed I like to read some strange magazines.

Just as he was reading with great interest, there was a knock on the door.

Wang Lian put the heavy books on the desk beside the bed, and then went to open the door barefoot.

A burly man bowed respectfully and shouted, "Chief Secretary!"

Wang Lian looked at the burly man and asked in confusion, "General Luo, why are you here? Did that girl follow you again?" A rare expression of surprise appeared on his face.

General Luo looked panicked. He pulled Wang Lian into the house and then fell to his knees on the ground.

General Luo lowered his head and said, "I am guilty of this crime. The princess and I followed quietly. The princess asked me to deliver a letter to the Northern Marquis, but in the blink of an eye, the princess disappeared. I searched all day in the small Yunzhou City and couldn't find her!"

Upon hearing this news, Wang Lian was immediately furious and shouted, "You! Is there anyone else who knows about this besides you?"

General Luo quickly shook his head and replied, "No, I didn't announce the princess' disappearance. I was really at a loss, so I came to seek the Chief Secretary's help!"

Wang Lian angrily cursed, "Luo Hong, oh Luo Hong, I don't know what to say to you. If anything happens to the princess, I will chop off your dog head!"

……

At this time, a handsome young man was strolling leisurely on the main street of Yunzhou.

He casually asked a passerby, "Fellow countryman, is there anything fun to do in Yunzhou City?"

The passerby said to him with a smirk, "Hey, handsome man, if it's fun, then it's definitely Yunzhou Flower House!"

He asked curiously, "What kind of place is that, Hualou?"

The passerby, with a lewd smile on his face, praised the brothel profusely, "What a fun place! Those scholars often recite poems and compose couplets there, reveling every night. They're so happy!"

After saying that, he pointed to the brothel not far away that was decorated with lights and colorful decorations, "If you want to go, just bring enough silver!"