weaving

Chapter 1498 Li Banghua

"Sister Huimei, why don't you come with me to find Madam and King Chuang?"

Faced with Huijian's interrogation, Huimei was speechless and lowered her head, two tears falling silently onto her clothes.

"Huijian, how can you speak like that?" Aunt Lu said at the right moment, "How could your sister Huimei not miss Madam and King Chuang?"

She walked to Huijian's side, took his strong arm, and gently squeezed it. She then said, "Miss Huimei is only in a hurry to find Madam and King Chuang because she is heavily pregnant and has many inconveniences."

Now that you have this idea and have received the permission of the Earl of Yongning, why not take our two hundred female soldiers and leave Kaifeng to find the Lady and the King of Chuang?

Second Aunt, I'll stay here to take care of Miss Huimei. After Huimei gives birth and recovers a little, we'll go together to find Madam and the Rebel King, so we can reunite with you, Huijian.

After speaking, Aunt Lü Er didn't wait for Huijian's reply before turning to Zhang Cheng and saying, "Earl Yongning, you agree, don't you think so?"

Zhang Cheng was taken aback by his question, thinking to himself: This Aunt Lü is indeed calm and collected, and has a meticulous mind. I must be wary of her.

However, he said aloud, "Of course, that's exactly what I meant."

But Huijian, being straightforward, couldn't understand the meaning behind Aunt Lu's words and stubbornly said, "Everyone has left with me, so who will protect Sister Huimei?"

Aunt Lu hurriedly explained, "Miss Huimei is safe here. The Madam will naturally protect Miss Huimei's safety, and the Earl of Yongning will not allow her to suffer any harm."

As she said this, her eyes remained fixed on the Earl of Yongning.

Seeing her like this, Zhang Cheng could only smile and say, "Aunt Lu is right. Madam will naturally protect Huimei. They are sworn sisters. Even I will protect Miss Huimei and will never let her suffer any harm."

Huijian's eyes were still full of hostility as she looked at Yongningbo, and even her tone was full of distrust: "I don't think they are so kind. Otherwise, why would they keep Sister Huimei with me for so many days? I might as well have them kill Sister Huimei as soon as I leave."

Aunt Lü was afraid that Uncle Yongning would change his mind, so she quickly tugged at Huijian's sleeve and said to Uncle Yongning with a smile, "Uncle Yongning, please don't take offense. Huijian is a straightforward girl who speaks her mind, but she has a good heart."

"Hahaha……"

Zhang Cheng burst into hearty laughter and said, "Don't worry, Aunt Lü, I'm not that petty."

He then turned to Huimei and said to her, "Huimei, I only returned to Kaifeng yesterday. I just came to visit today and have no other intentions. You should rest and recuperate. You don't need to worry about things outside."

As for the rebel leader, he has now led his army back to the Funiu Mountains area of ​​Ruzhou. I have not received any news of his injury, so he must be safe and sound. You do not need to worry about it.

"As for Huijian's suggestion to go back and find the rebel king, I understand. This matter is entirely up to you, Huimei. Including those two hundred female soldiers around you, if they all want to go back to find the rebel king, just have Aunt Lü come to me. I will send someone to deliver the travel documents and tokens, and I can even send a cavalry unit to escort them out of Kaifeng Prefecture."

Hui Mei was slightly moved when she heard Zhang Cheng say this. She stood up, leaned on the table, and bowed slightly to Zhang Cheng, saying, "Hui Mei is here. Thank you for your kindness, Marquis Yongning."

"Alright, you should get some rest too."

After finishing his sentence, Zhang Cheng got up and left, heading straight for the front hall.

…………

Before the Earl of Yongning entered Kaifeng, he was originally arranged to stay at the Plum Blossom Hall behind the Kaifeng Prefectural Government Office.

However, Lady Ji Xuanzhu, wife of the Earl of Yongning, had already gotten used to living in the guesthouse and did not want to go through the trouble of moving there, so the Earl of Yongning chose the former circuit intendant's office, which was right next to the guesthouse.

Although it only has two courtyards, it is fortunate that it is adjacent to the guesthouse where the Countess lived, and the middle part has been opened up, so the interior space is actually quite large.

Moreover, in order to protect the safety of the Lady of the House, spies and agents had long been deployed around the inn, and there was even a team of agents lying in wait at the nearby north gate.

In case of any unforeseen circumstances, we can seize control of the North Gate at any time!
The front hall of the Circuit Intendant's Office served as the office of the Yongning Earl's staff, while the back hall was the Yongning Earl's own office. His residence was within the guesthouse. Now, the Yongning Earl had returned to the back hall of the Circuit Intendant's Office, where Sun Shixiang and others were already waiting.

"Has Liu Yuchi not returned yet?"

Liu Chengzhu quickly replied, "Mr. Liu wrote that he has set off from Wu'an County and should arrive in Kaifeng in another day or two."

"but……"

Seeing Liu Chengzhu's hesitant expression, Zhang Cheng laughed and said, "What? Is there something you're afraid to say?"

"Commander, General Yuan has sent a letter requesting that Mr. Liu be kept in Xiao Yuan's camp to assist in military affairs."

Zhang Cheng smiled and shook his head, saying, "You write back to him for me, saying that I am even busier with military affairs here than he is, and I need Mr. Liu to help me with my painting."

"Here."

"Mr. Sun, has the visiting card for Chief Censor Li Banghua been written?"

"It's already written, just waiting for the commander to review it."

“I won’t look at it. Even if I did, I wouldn’t find anything wrong with it. Let’s skip it.” The Earl of Yongning then asked, “Mingyuan, have the gifts been prepared?”

“It’s ready,” Zhang Mingyuan replied.

"Oh, right. Also, bring Ling Yiqu's visiting card and gifts. Let's go and meet these two gentlemen from the capital today."

Seeing Zhang Cheng about to rise, Sun Shixiang quickly whispered a reminder: "Commander, it seems that Master Li and Master Ling are quite averse to the matter of presenting the sacrificial offering..."

Zhang Cheng smiled and said, "Let him dislike it, we'll give him ours, there's no conflict."

…………

Among the investigation team from the capital, figures such as Wang Tiaoding, the chief clerk of the Ministry of War's Department of Military Affairs, and Ma Jiazhi, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Revenue's Department of Henan Affairs, have already gone down to various prefectures and counties in Kaifeng to investigate the people's conditions.

Even Li Banghua and Ling Yiqu are leaving the prefectural city tomorrow to investigate various prefectures and counties, which is why the Earl of Yongning is in a hurry to visit them today.

The Censorate had been vacant until now, and it has become the residence and office of the investigation team.

As soon as Zhang Mingyuan delivered the visiting card, Yu Shangyou greeted him with a smile and accompanied Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng into the second courtyard.

Li Banghua and Ling Yiqu were already dressed and waiting here. They followed the Earl of Yongning into the second hall. After the Earl of Yongning sat down at the head of the table, they immediately knelt down in worship.

Zhang Cheng smiled and said to them, "Please rise, both of you. Today we're just catching up, so there's no need to stand on ceremony."

Although he said that, Li Banghua and Ling Yiqu did not dare to do as he said. After the ceremony, they went to the first seat on the left and right of the lower seat and sat upright.

“Ah, as I’ve already said, I’m just here to catch up. You two don’t need to be so formal.”

Li Banghua replied expressionlessly, "Earl of Yongning, you are mistaken. How can the court's etiquette be so easily disregarded?"

Zhang Cheng shook his head helplessly and said, "Since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush. May I ask how your investigation in Kaifeng is going, gentlemen?"

"We are entrusted with the Emperor's orders, and we must not reveal the slightest information to outsiders before reporting it to the Emperor." Li Banghua added with a righteous expression, "Even if the Earl of Yongning comes to inquire in person, we dare not reveal it."