Bronze Tassel

Chapter 381 - 297: What Exactly is the Important Thing?

Chapter 381: Chapter 297: What Exactly is the Important Thing?


There are countless things people criticize Xu Yin for, and the situation with his own child that doesn’t involve Fu Zhen anymore isn’t even on the list.


She said, "We can easily find out about Xu Yin’s affairs outside, but what he does at home is unclear to us. See if you can locate Xu Yin’s son and subtly inquire about Xu Yin’s home life?"


Upon hearing this, Liang Xuan patted his chest confidently, "Leave it to me!"


After Fu Zhen saw him out, he sent Yang Tong to look for Mrs. Ning, and then finally sat down to wait for Zhe Yu and Liang Zhi.


Back when He Qunying asked the Ning Family to borrow a ship, Fu Zhen was wary that he might be smuggling illicit goods. Pei Zhan initially refused to lend it, but later, Fu Zhen persuaded him, with the intention of catching He Qunying’s misconduct should the need arise.


However, recently, Mrs. Ning reported that the two ships showed no anomalies, and He Qunying had been diligently loading cargo. Fu Zhen thus set aside his suspicions.


But now Jiang Lin had brought back this cargo list from Tanzhou—


Xu Yin secretly maneuvered and put He Qunying forward to borrow the ship, when in fact, he intended to use it himself, which isn’t surprising. What is surprising is that the ship borrowed by He Qunying set out from Hangzhou, yet the cargo list appeared at Xu Yin’s old residence in Tanzhou!


This list was issued by the boatman from the Ning Family when the cargo was loaded onto the ship and was only given to the person delivering the goods. The journey from Tanzhou to Hangzhou takes at least ten days to half a month, and the two ships have been on the water for about twenty days. Similarly, the journey from Jiang Lin from Tanzhou to the capital city takes at least half a month.


In other words, the day Jiang Lin retrieved this list from Zhou Yi’s pillow was at most enough time for a one-way trip from Hangzhou to Tanzhou. So, how did this list end up in Zhou Yi’s possession?


Was it deliberately sent over by someone?


Or was the item Xu Yin hid on the ship dispatched from Tanzhou?


Tanzhou has water routes, and the Xu family’s residence isn’t far from the dock. They could have navigated through the waterways to Hangzhou, waited there ahead of time for the ship to arrive, and loaded goods in He Qunying’s name—it was entirely feasible!


So, what exactly was Xu Yin trying to transport?


Why was he going through such a circuitous route via Tanzhou to bring it to the capital? It must have something to do with the backing of the National Guardian General Mansion behind the Ning Family!


So, what on earth is the item that cannot be seen in public?


Zhe Yu arrived before Liang Zhi.


After briefly recounting Jiang Lin’s experiences in Tanzhou, Fu Zhen’s face was full of shock: "Xu Yin is from Tanzhou, and when he first made the list, the court verified his identity and ancestry. Later, when discussing marriage with Yongping, Princess Rong sent people to Tanzhou for thorough inquiries. The findings, which matched Jiang Lin’s, showed no doubts about his identity.


"How could he be connected with the royal family of Dayue?"


It was already a common understanding that Xu Yin was not a good person.


But the clue Jiang Lin obtained was still astonishing. Dayue was a defeated adversary of Great Zhou, and although the Prince Yi family had a deep-seated grudge with the Emperor of Dayue, they were, after all, a royal family of an enemy nation. Great Zhou’s officials stood on different ground.


"The reason I asked you here is to recall whether those in Prince Rong’s Mansion know about Xu Yin’s affairs. It’s undeniable that Xu Yin harbors a huge secret, and we need to handle this cautiously."


If the people in Prince Rong’s Mansion knew, then they were in collusion.


If they didn’t know—given the frequent interactions and deep interconnections between the two mansions, for even those in Prince Rong’s Mansion to not know, it would mean Xu Yin’s hidden secret is even greater!


Zhe Yu lowered his head in thought for a moment and then shook it: "No, Prince Rong should not know. Even Prince Rong is unaware of Lian Rong’s origins. Xu Yin, doing these things, Lian Rong is the one who probably knows the most, right?"


"Got it!"


At this point, Liang Zhi returned: "Indeed it’s remarkable of you, the heir of Ning’s Trading House to calculate this so accurately, those two ships will arrive in Tongzhou by tomorrow evening. Since you informed Aunt Ning in advance, Ning Family’s shops along the route have been vigilant about those two ships. Based on the information left by the boatmen along the way, the ships would dock by tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, or at the latest, by early tomorrow morning!"


"And what about Xu Yin?" Fu Zhen asked, "Any movements from him?"


"He’s shown no unusual activity, just performing his duties as usual. However, He Qunying has already departed to Tongzhou this morning."


Fu Zhen thought for a moment, then said, "Then arrange for tasks under the city gate, and you also head to Tongzhou. Make preparations early, don’t let them exploit any loopholes!"


"I came in to convey just that," Liang Zhi replied, "I’ve already sent Xiao Si to notify Old Seven to keep watch at the city gate, and I’m about to leave the city!"


"Be careful!"


Fu Zhen cautioned him, watching him as he went out the door.


Zhe Yu stood up, "Is there anything I can do?"


Fu Zhen analyzed him: "We’ll definitely need you in the future, but first, make sure you fully recover. Prince Rong and Xu Yin will certainly search for you everywhere, so don’t rush to go out for now."


Zhe Yu opened his mouth to say something but ultimately held back, nodding solemnly.


Zhe Yu was taken back by Xiao Si in a carriage, with the sun already slanting in the west by then.


Meanwhile, a note was also delivered into Xu Yin’s hands.


The fiery red sunset shone through the lattice window, casting patterned shadows on one side of his face, like an actor’s mask on a stage.


"Is it a letter from General He about the ship’s situation?"


Lian Rong, who stood under the screen, noticed his silence and stepped forward.


"No." Xu Yin folded the letter, "The Crown Prince has summoned Zhang Shicheng to the palace."


Lian Rong lifted his head, looked at him for a moment, and said, "Isn’t this good news? His Highness has formidable means and has tracked down the Zhang Family in just a few days."


"But if this investigation continues, even before I can enter the Chamberlain’s Office, he might get a hold of my weaknesses." Xu Yin looked at him, "If he tracked down the Zhang Family, he would certainly track down me and Yongping, and the fire at Baihe Temple might not be concealed. It puts me in a passive position."


Lian Rong said, "It seems we need to find a way to achieve our goals quickly to address these hidden threats."


Facing the screen, Xu Yin stood with his hands behind his back for a while before suddenly asking, "How has Yongping been these past few days?"


Lian Rong bowed, "Madam has been faithfully attending the spirit offerings these past few days, everything seems normal. It’s just that when mentioning Master..."


There was no need to finish the sentence. No one understood better than his servants and him what Xu Yin represented to Yongping now.


"That was my fault for not being there to comfort her." A trace of sarcasm curled on Xu Yin’s lips as he burned the note and turned to leave: "To the Prince Manor. Bring young Lian along, and go to stay with the Princess."