bookcurios Chapter 111: Killing two birds with one stone, a good plan
Chapter 111: Killing two birds with one stone, a good plan
Fang Shuo's original wife gave birth to a pair of twin daughters. The elder sister Fang Yue'e was timid by nature, while the younger sister Fang Yuemei was very lively.
When they were six years old, they went out to play and one of them got lost accidentally. The other one returned home and refused to eat or drink. It was only after many years that she slowly got over that memory.
But she seemed to have forgotten what happened that year and gradually became cheerful, her laughter could be heard across several courtyards.
Only then did they realize that it was their eldest daughter who was missing.
Later, someone brought a girl from the mountain to Fang’s house, saying that she was the young lady of the Fang family.
Fang Shuo carefully identified the girl in front of him and finally recognized that she was his eldest daughter, Fang Yue'e, who had been missing for many years.
She is still the same as she was when she was little, timid and quiet, always hiding at the back when something happens, and her voice is as soft as a mosquito's.
No one knew what happened in between, but Fang Yue'e was spotted and followed by Lu Jiankang when she was out.
The next day, rumors that the eldest daughter of the Fang family had completely ruined her innocence spread throughout Jiangzhou City.
Under pressure, Fang Yue'e married Lu Jiankang and moved into a house of the Lou family in the city, where she began to have close contacts with the Lou family.
She got the news that Fang Shuo was appointed as the prefect of Jiangzhou. When she thought of her past life, her heart began to beat fast.
She put aside her plan to go to Yuzhou to investigate the case in person, changed direction, and rode straight to Jiangzhou with Mu Xiaoxiao.
Although it was stopped in time, being led like this was still too passive.
[I previously thought that the woman who showed kindness to the soldiers guarding the city gate was the well-educated Fang Yuemei, but looking at her later behavior, her personality is very similar to Fang Yue'e.]
Yuan Qing picked up the pen and circled the two names.
[What needs to be determined now is, was it Fang Yue'e or Fang Yuemei who was forced to marry Lv Jiankang in the previous life? ]
We have to find a way to make her reveal herself.
In fact, the ultimate root of the problem lies with Lu Jiankang.
Lu Nian was the eldest lady of the Lou family who was married into the family in a sedan chair carried by eight people.
If Lu Jiankang were dealt with according to the national law, Mrs. Lu, who was eager to protect her son, would definitely make a fuss, which would surely lead to trouble.
If the punishment is lenient, the Lou family's reputation in the hearts of the people of Jiangzhou will decline, and the Lou family's foundation will be damaged. If things go wrong, it may cause sparks and cause a prairie fire.
The current Lou family cannot withstand any storm.
The best way is for the Lou family to discuss and solve the problem themselves.
As for her, she would rather not speak.
If anything, we should use official business to hint at them so that they can understand the pros and cons themselves and deal with it appropriately.
A few hours later, Lou Haiping came out with the account book, and Lou Jiangping followed behind him. Both of them looked very gloomy.
Yuan Qing poured them some tea to moisten their throats. "How's the investigation going? Did you find it?"
Lou Haiping nodded, "I found out that the problem occurred in Yuzhou."
Yuan Qing was surprised and puzzled. It was Yuzhou again. How could it be such a coincidence?
Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Lou Haiping explained: "Originally, only my father and I knew about this.
The main producing area of tobacco and tea is Jiangzhou, but there are also small producing areas in the south of Yuzhou, which is adjacent to Jiangzhou.
The area is small and weak, and the quality of tea is not as good as that produced in Jiangzhou, so it has always been difficult to sell it at a good price. In previous years, it was usually resold through my Lou family's business channels.
A few years ago, the Yuzhou Chamber of Commerce extended an olive branch to the Lou family, saying that it was willing to transfer the sales rights of Yuzhou tobacco and tea to Jiangzhou. They would be responsible for collection and transportation, and the final profits would be split 30% and 70%.
I didn’t fully agree, but just tried to cooperate and test their bottom line. This is the third year.”
As he spoke, he wiped his face and said, "In another month, I will go to Yuzhou in person to discuss with them..."
After the negotiations, the tobacco and tea business between the two states was basically a done deal.
Once the agreement is reached, Yuzhou will become a stumbling block for the Lou family. If anything goes wrong, the Lou family will not be able to escape the blame.
As expected, they not only wanted to harm Wen Chengyu, but also wanted to use this incident to frame the Lou family for the crime of murdering the emperor.
"Kill two birds with one stone," Yuan Qing lowered his eyes and smiled, his eyes full of coldness, "What a good plan!"
"Qing'er, you tell us what to do, we'll listen to you." Lou Haiping asked in a deep voice.
"Although I have a plan, I am not completely sure." Yuan Qing looked at the account book in his hand, "I need to send someone to report back to Your Majesty and make clear His Majesty's will before making a decision.
She paused, then said, "Don't tell my cousin about this. Lu Jiankang is already a headache for him. Don't let this matter mess up his mind."
What she really meant was that Lu Nian must not be told, and all possibilities of information leaking must be eliminated before the situation became clear.
When closing the door to catch a thief, this door is the most important part.
……
There is only one day left until the public trial.
When Mrs. Lu heard that her son was imprisoned in the prison, she took her clansmen to make a fuss for a while, but when she saw that the people in the government office were unwilling to make concessions, she turned around and took people to the Lou family.
The clan leader, leaning on his cane, stood at the back and hesitated, “Old Fourth’s family, the incident was so serious the day before yesterday, and the Lou family didn’t show any mercy at all, are you sure this will work?
Don't make things worse and ruin this marriage."
Xiao Nian married into the Lou family as the principal wife. If her grandson-in-law inherits the family business in the future, she will be the real mistress of the house.
This is the blessing that our ancestors have obtained through burning incense for several lifetimes.
To be honest, he felt inexplicably nervous today and always felt that something was going to happen.
Mrs. Lu was very calm about this. "I married my daughter who I had raised for more than ten years to their family. It was just a small matter of asking the official to let me go. I asked them in person. How dare they refuse?"
The gatekeeper saw the noise outside through the crack in the door. He quietly closed the door and went back to report to the master of the house.
Lou Haiping called Lou Jing over and said to him, "This is your business. I won't interfere. You decide for yourself."
Lou Jing responded in a deep voice.
When he walked out of the yard, he remembered his wife's red eyes and her soft and gentle pleading last night.
Ask yourself if he would save the Lou family if they were in trouble?
The answer is beyond doubt.
Even if he had to give up his life, he would never abandon his loved ones.
Several people blocked the door and let the Lu family make a fuss outside without saying a word.
Seeing Lou Jing coming over, they all whispered, "Young Master."
Lou Jing nodded and motioned for them to open the door.
The red door made a heavy sound. Mrs. Lu quickly got up from the ground and brushed the dust off her butt.
"Son-in-law, it's you who came out," she raised her head and looked inside, "Where's my father-in-law?"
"Dad has something to do."
Without Lou Haiping's presence, Mrs. Lu felt much less oppressed.
Looking at her son-in-law's respectful attitude, she straightened her body and asked in an elder's tone, "Xiao Jing, where is Nian Nian?"
"She is in the backyard with her mother admiring the flowers," Lou Jing looked at the dozens of people who came with her, "why don't you go into the mansion first?"
He could also guess the purpose of his mother-in-law's visit.
Lu Jiankang's case involves too many people and is no longer something that the Lou family can control.
As the heir of the Lou family, he cannot compromise or give in at all on matters of right and wrong.
Mrs. Lu saw his determination.
Since there was no way out for Kang'er, there was no need for her to care about the face of the two families.
Anyway, the Lou family is a well-known wealthy family in Jiangzhou, and their reputation is much more precious than that of people like them.
Now, what matters is how ruthless you are.
As long as I can save my son, ruining a marriage doesn't matter.