After the death of the previous emperor, the Empress Dowager became arrogant

Chapter 121 Investigating the case under the guise of protection

Yuzhou is the fief of the Third Prince, which was already drawn up in the book by Emperor Yuan Heng.

It is located in a remote area and has no war, making it a good place to cultivate one's body and mind.

But the Third Prince was unwilling to stay in Yuzhou, and even made a fuss in front of the palace.

In recent years, due to the excessive power of the princes, the local state governments have become in name only, and all military and political power is in the hands of the royal family.

It would have been fine if they were united in serving the country, but they each had their own ulterior motives, causing the Yuan Dynasty to fall apart and internal strife to continue.

Although the Third Prince died later, the benefits of Yuzhou still did not fall into the hands of the Yuzhou prefect.

No one knows where the benefits went, so we can only turn a blind eye and let it go.

The Yuan Dynasty was about to fall, and Song Liangcai did not want to be dragged into it, so when the struggle in the capital was the most intense, he volunteered to guard Yuzhou, thus saving the lives of his entire family.

This man is the type of court official who is good at protecting himself. As long as we explain the pros and cons to him, it will be no problem to get his help.

Moreover, she already had a clear goal. She would wait until everyone gathered together tomorrow and then she would see what kind of person this lackey who secretly controlled Yuzhou for his master was.

As long as we can find out the people who are benefiting from Yuzhou behind the scenes, we can nip the plan of taking advantage of Yuzhou's epidemic in the bud.

The next day, they sent someone to invite us early in the morning.

Because it is the first meeting, both parties usually just have a simple meal in the morning to get to know each other. They will not discuss the topic openly and will only get down to business in the afternoon.

So Yuan Qing did not go with them in the morning.

Most of the eyes that were watching in the dark were focused on Lou Haiping alone, and when he left, those people also withdrew.

She has her own way to get rid of the remaining few people.

Yuan Qing went to the Song Mansion and handed over a visiting card.

Song Liangcai thought that it was an official sent from the capital to investigate, so he hurried to greet him into the mansion in person.

He broke out in a cold sweat, wondering how he had attracted the attention of the people in the capital again.

"Don't worry, Mr. Guo. I'm here because someone asked me to do you a favor."

Yuan Qing took out the token that Lu Zhao had given her earlier, indicating that this trip was just to investigate the case on behalf of the Dali Temple and had nothing to do with party disputes.

Song Liangcai felt slightly relieved.

Yuan Qing took off his hood and said, "I heard that the household registration in Yuzhou is managed by the Guolao clan. This case involves multiple towns and villages, and the process cannot be too conspicuous, so I would like to ask you to help cover it up."

A case that can be investigated by the Dali Temple personally must be a big one. Although Song Liangcai does not want to cause trouble, he has never been vague on major issues.

When it comes to matters concerning the court and the people, he will not stand idly by.

“It is true that my nephew is in charge of the household registration, but his authority is not that broad, he is only in charge of a part of it.

But he is not at home now, and it will probably take another hour for him to come back."

Yuan Qing had never met Song Guolao's nephew.

She had only read in the original book that Song Helan was a rare loyal and good minister in the later period, and he and Kong Yu had been friends for many years. He was much more reliable than others.

Now that Mr. Song has said it himself, there is no need for her to mention it again.

It was still early for the Chamber of Commerce to officially start. If she stayed at the Song Mansion and waited for Song Helan to come back, she could explain everything to them, which would save her the trouble of making another trip.

Seeing Yuan Qing nod, Song Liangcai knew that he was planning to stay, so he ordered the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Song Helan had just returned home when he heard from the servants that his second uncle asked him to go to the main courtyard to discuss something.

Although the Song family did not have so many rules, it was the first time that he was asked to eat in the front. He usually ate in his own courtyard.

Even if we want to discuss something, we won't be in such a hurry.

He took the wet cloth, wiped his hands, and asked, "Did anyone come to our house today?"

The servant next to him bent over and said, "There is a man who came to see the master, but I don't know who he is."

Song Helan didn't ask any more questions. He waved his hand and asked him to leave. He changed his muddy coat, packed up briefly and left.

When he entered the room, he first called out "Second Uncle", and then looked at the delicate-looking young boy opposite.

With a childish face and shorter stature than the average man, Yuan Qing now looks like a child who has not grown up in Song Helan's eyes.

Song Liangcai pulled Song Helan to sit down and explained the whole story to him.

"So it's the Dali Temple that wants to investigate the case," Song Helan understood. "That's easy. We are checking the local household registration recently. Because of the auction in Jiangzhou, many new people have come to Yuzhou. The people in charge dare not slack off and are registering every household.

I wonder how Lord Lu wants me to cooperate?"

"Does Lord Song know Tai County?"

"I know. That's where I went today." At this point, Song Helan's mouth twitched slightly. "The people in Tai County are not easy to get along with. They will chase us away if they don't agree with them. We can't fight them, so we have no choice but to leave temporarily and find another way."

He was protected by many officers and soldiers and was hit several times on the back.

It's a headache every time it's my turn, it's really not a good job.

Yuan Qing was instinctively suspicious.

He even dares to hit people from the government. This can no longer be described as difficult to get along with.

"Then please go again tomorrow, Master Song. I will bring you masters from the capital, and they will protect your safety."

This is obvious.

She wants to investigate the case under the guise of protection.

Whether the Yuzhou issue can be properly resolved and the Song family can be removed without being affected depends on the cooperation of the three parties.

It was already afternoon when we left the Song Mansion.

The sun was shining brightly at this moment, and Yuan Qing felt bored, so he wandered around several nearby tea shops before slowly returning to the inn.

There were already attendants waiting in the inn. When they saw her coming back, they didn't even bother to drink water. They picked up the bag and pushed her out. "Come with me quickly. The owner of the house has been waiting for you over there. He said that he would take you there as soon as you come back."

"Shouldn't it be break time now?" Yuan Qing took the package from him. "I want to buy something else before I go. Hey, don't push me. I can walk by myself."

The two of them soon arrived at the guest house of Yuzhou Chamber of Commerce.

Lou Haiping seemed to be drunk and was carried to the couch by others.

I couldn't see anyone, only heard deafening snoring behind the curtain.

Yuan Qing followed the others, wrung out the face towel and handed it over, saying to the attendant, "After you clean him, go out first. I'll clean up here. Remember to bring in the sobering tea."

After the followers had all left, she leaned closer and asked, "Uncle? Are you really drunk?"

Lou Haiping grumbled twice as a response.

The sobering tea was quickly served and the attendant knocked on the door quietly.

Yuan Qing took it from him and said, "Thank you for your help. Go ahead and take a rest."

As soon as the door closed, Lou Haiping sat up.

He rubbed his forehead, took off his wet robe, and put on a new one.

"Luckily I was careful and didn't get drunk by them." Lou Haiping picked up the robe he had just changed and twisted it, and the strong smell of alcohol instantly dissipated. "In order not to delay things, I only took a sip of all the good wine, and the rest went into my clothes. What a pity."

Yuan Qing turned around, lit some incense, and opened the window, trying to get rid of the smell of alcohol in the room.

Lou Haiping knew that she went out alone during the day to gather information.

He pushed the sobering tea away, not wanting to drink it at all. "Close the window first. I have something to tell you."