Golden Branch

Governor Cui had never met Princess Langya.

However, based on this incident alone, he vaguely guessed something:

The young noble lady, who lives in luxury, is innocent and unaware of the sufferings of the world.

He is young and has a delicate personality. He spends his days eating, drinking and having fun. He also likes to read storybooks written by down-and-out scholars.

What talented men and beautiful women, what standing up for the people, what revenge... After seeing it so many times, I started to take the stories as true.

It would have been fine if she was just a servant, but thanks to her biological mother, she suddenly rose to the top of the family and became a royal daughter.

Now, when he met a poor woman who was "seeking justice", he couldn't help but feel chivalrous.

Based on his little understanding of Wang Heng and Ah Man's report, Governor Cui formed an image of an innocent and kind young noblewoman in his mind.

Oh my God.

After finally getting out of the house and encountering injustice, he wanted to uphold justice and show his power.

Governor Cui silently painted a "portrait" of Wang Heng and secretly sighed: "Although this Princess Langya is naive, the people around her know the rules!"

Yes, for an old fox like Cui Shishi who has been in the officialdom, what Ah Man is doing at this moment is quite good.

She revealed the matter in front of Governor Cui.

Her meaning, or that of the Duke of Qi behind her, was very clear: this matter ends here!

It will not be expanded or investigated in depth.

As long as it is confirmed that what the pearl-diving girl said is true, the people directly involved: the fishing tyrant and the county magistrate, can be dealt with according to law.

Princess Langya and Duke Qi were not imperial envoys sent on patrol, and they would not subvert the entire officialdom in Dengzhou.

As a veteran in the officialdom, Governor Cui was not afraid of high-ranking figures with distinguished backgrounds, but was afraid of some young people who were self-righteous and did not know the rules.

What incognito visits, what sting enforcement... ordinary people may find it gratifying to hear about them, but in fact, they are all breaking the rules.

Once he was sure that the other party abided by the rules, Governor Cui was willing to cooperate actively.

He acted very righteously: "I had no idea that under my rule, there were such lunatics who disregarded the laws and exploited the people."

"Please rest assured, Duke Qi, this matter will be thoroughly investigated. No wrongdoers will be spared, and justice will be served to the victims!"

Inspector Cui even thought that even if the county magistrate was not so corrupt and had only made minor mistakes, he would still punish him just to satisfy Princess Langya and Duke Qi!

Lou Yu smiled warmly and bowed slightly, "I'll have to trouble Governor Cui with this matter!"

"The princess is young, but she has a pure heart. A sage's world should be a peaceful and prosperous one. Officials who occasionally commit dereliction of duty should be thoroughly investigated and punished."

Lou Yu’s meaning was very clear. His Princess Langya was not a soft-hearted and kind person. She was more concerned with maintaining the dignity of the saint and defending the laws of the court.

"Yes! Duke Qi is right! The princess is loyal to the saint and cares deeply about the world. She is truly a royal lady and a role model for women today!"

When Governor Cui heard Lou Yu's protection for the innocent little princess, he quickly said with a smile.

Lou Yu's smile remained unchanged, but a dark light flashed in his eyes:

This Governor Cui must have misunderstood something.

Does he think Ah Heng is a naive little girl who is ignorant of the world?

Did she help the pearl diver just out of kindness?

His Ah Heng is indeed soft-hearted and kind, but she is not just a "goody-goody"!

"Misunderstanding? That's fine! It would be better for Ah Heng if my true nature wasn't seen through!"

Lou Yu thought secretly and handed the matter over to Governor Cui to handle.

At most, Lou Yu would secretly order someone to pay a little attention.

After all, it was the first time that Ah Heng wanted to interfere in local government affairs. Since Ah Heng wanted to make the decision for the pearl-diving girl, she had to do it to perfection.

……

Governor Cui acted quite decisively, at least in this case.

In less than three days, Governor Cui had thoroughly investigated Ah Zhu's case and arrested all the culprits.

"...Azhu is a pearl diver. A few months ago, she accidentally found a golden pearl of excellent quality in the sea—"

Pearls of different colors are already very rare, not to mention the golden color that symbolizes nobility.

The pearls are very large, almost as big as lychees.

The size is large, the individual pieces are perfectly round, the color is pure, and there is almost no flaw.

Such pearls can be presented to saints as "auspicious signs".

It's a pity that it's a crime to possess a treasure.

This golden pearl brought disaster to Azhu's family.

The fishing tyrants robbed and plundered, and even took lives in order to get the treasure.

The corrupt official who was in collusion with the fishing tyrant came from a poor family. He had wasted more than ten years as a county magistrate and had no hope of promotion, so he simply indulged his nature.

He is greedy for money and lustful.

The powerful families and evil forces under his rule catered to his wishes and dragged him into trouble completely.

He protected the fishing tyrants and oppressed the people, and was a typical "family-ruining county magistrate."

Inspector Cui originally wanted to take the opportunity to please Princess Langya and Duke Qi. After confirming that the county magistrate was not innocent, he dealt with him without any mercy.

"I have already detained him and listed all his crimes one by one. I have reported them to the Ministry of Personnel and am just waiting for them to verify and deal with him!"

"Also, the stolen property involved in the case has been safely recovered and can be returned to the victim!"

Governor Cui's actions were indeed thorough.

He came to the inn to report, not only reporting the investigation and results of the case, but also brought the golden pearl.

On the tray, there was a box, and inside the box was a round, golden pearl.

Lou Yu had seen too many treasures, and when he saw such a natural golden pearl, he couldn't help but take a second look.

It's really good!

Ah Heng has jewelry made of white pearls, pink pearls, purple pearls... and other colored pearls, but the only thing missing is a gold pearl.

Even if you don't make jewelry with it, it's still nice to play with.

"Inspector Cui is indeed clear-minded and handles cases with great speed."

Lou Yu casually looked through the confessions, testimonies, etc., and then put the case aside.

He also discussed with Governor Cui the matters concerning the construction of ports and docks, and asked Governor Cui for help in recruiting laborers and boatmen.

After all, on the surface, Lou Yu came to Dengzhou to do things for the prince, it was official business!

"...Han Zhang, don't worry. I will take good care of this matter."

After meeting two or three times, Governor Cui and Lou Yu became familiar with each other.

Governor Cui no longer respectfully addressed him as "Duke of Qi", but instead addressed him by his courtesy name in a more intimate manner.

Lou Yu also responded politely: "I'll leave all matters concerning Dengzhou to my uncle!"

Yes, although Lou Yu and Madam Cui had long been enemies.

However, when you go outside and interact with the Cui family, you can still treat them as relatives.

"This Mr. Cui is a smart man!"

Back in the guest room, Lou Yu placed the results of the case and related evidence in front of Wang Heng.

Wang Heng glanced at him casually and sighed, "He and Cui Shi are quite different."

Cui is arrogant and even a little stupid.

However, Governor Cui is shrewd and mercenary, and is completely an old fox who can thrive in the officialdom.

"A prominent family with many descendants. The Cui family is still able to stand tall in the imperial court, so they must have some outstanding qualities."

Lou Yu gave a fair evaluation.

Unlike the Wang family, Xie family and other families that have long since declined, the Cui family is now moving to a higher level.

Although the Cui family has fools like Madam Cui, Cui Zai, and Cui Shi, there are many more smart people like Inspector Cui!

The Cui family does not rely entirely on women, there are many more "Cui governors".

They may not have held high positions yet, but they have become the solid foundation for the Cui family to remain a top-tier family.

"Ok!"

Wang Heng nodded. "After all, I don't have any life-or-death feud with the Cui family, and the Cui family no longer has any connection with the Wang family."

"As long as Cui can be clear-headed and stop getting entangled with the Wang family, I won't bother with her."

When she was young, Cui Shi did plot against her and even caused her to be exiled to Zhuangzi.

However, Wang Heng also got to know Lou Yu because of this, and grew up safely and comfortably on the farm.

Wang Heng didn't want to thank Cui. After all, it was true that Cui did evil things. It was not Cui's credit that Wang Heng had such a fortuitous encounter, but she herself was lucky enough.

Wang Heng simply felt that since this person was not important to begin with, and now that they no longer had any legal or ethical relationship, she didn't need to pay any more attention to him.

He would not vent his anger on the entire Cui family because of a former stepmother.

In Dengzhou, she met Governor Cui by chance and received his "service". In a sense, this was also a "reconciliation" between Princess Langya and the Cui family.

From then on, the two families no longer had any hatred, but became allies who could cooperate.

……

"Azhu, the case has been investigated. Your family's injustice has been redressed."

"The fishing tyrant, the county magistrate, and other people who bullied your family have all been brought to justice."

"And this golden pearl, return it to its rightful owner!"

Wang Heng called Ah Zhu and handed her the results of the trial of the case by Governor Cui and all the physical evidence involved.

Ah Zhu couldn't read, but she recognized the pearls she fished out of the sea.

This is it!

The rare golden pearl in the world brought disaster to her and her family.

The injustice was cleared and the treasure was returned, but her home was gone and all her relatives were dead!

Ah Zhu, who had avenged her great hatred, held the golden pearl in her hand, but she felt inexplicably bewildered.

What should I do next?

Oh!

correct!

I have become a disciple of the princess and a "guest official" in the princess's palace.

They were not slaves, but servants who could come and go freely.

The princess did not rely on her status to take advantage of the favor, but let her sell herself into slavery and repay the favor with her life.

The princess gave her enough protection. With the princess's mansion as her backing, even if she was just a lowly pearl diver, an orphan without a father or a mother, she would never be bullied again!

She even got back what was hers.

The princess became greedy without even seeing the treasure. Princess, she is a good person!

thump!

Holding the box, Ah Zhu knelt in front of Wang Heng again.

She raised her hands high, "Princess, I am willing to present this to you!"

Golden pearls are auspicious for noble people.

For a lowly person like her, it is a jinx that can bring disaster.

She couldn't protect it, nor did she want to guard this precious pearl stained with her family's blood any longer.

Present it to the princess as a reward for saving her life!

Wang Heng: ...Okay! Golden pearls are indeed rare.

Moreover, this is not just a pearl, but also Ah Zhu's true heart of seeking refuge with her.

This trip to Dengzhou has yielded quite a few results...