Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1694 Unpredictable Turbulence!

Pulling himself back to his senses, Ye Mingsheng pondered for a moment before speaking:
"Wang Chong was promoted by Zhang Zhiwen, the Provincial Governor of Youyan. Zhang Zhiwen had written to me several times before, praising the development of Zhuoxian County and saying how much income these factories had increased and how many jobs they had created for Zhuoxian County. This is why we came to Zhuoxian County!"

"Wang Chong is just a county magistrate. He doesn't have the ability to bring these factories to Zhuo County, let alone the audacity to help them illegally requisition land and recruit workers. There's a high chance that someone is backing Wang Chong up!"

Although Jingren wasn't particularly perceptive about politics, he realized something after Ye Mingsheng's words and spoke up:
"Father, are you saying that Zhang Zhiwen is Wang Chong's backer?"

Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly and said:

"That's most likely the case!"

"So I'm telling you this now, Jingren, if you think about what Wang Chong just said, what do you think Wang Chong meant?"

Hearing his father say this, Jingren also seemed to feel that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Watching his son racking his brains but failing to grasp the key points, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but have a thought pop into his mind.

If Jingxuan were here, he could definitely quickly pinpoint the crux of the matter!

Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng directly stated:

"I just gave him one last chance, hoping he would confess about Zhang Zhiwen!"

"Wang Chong clearly understood what I meant, but he gave up this opportunity to confess and receive leniency. Instead, he said he was beyond redemption and asked me to punish him..."

Hearing this, Jingren finally realized what was happening and immediately spoke up:

"Father, I understand. Wang Chong is protecting Zhang Zhiwen!"

Hearing his son finally give the answer he wanted, Ye Mingsheng felt no joy whatsoever. In contrast to Jingren, who was somewhat smug about answering the question, Ye Mingsheng's expression was quite complicated!
"Jingren, now that you know Wang Chong is protecting Zhang Zhiwen, why do you think Wang Chong would protect Zhang Zhiwen? What are the possible reasons for this?"
Faced with this question, Jingren fell into deep thought once again, and only after a cup of tea had passed did he speak:
"Wang Chong was grateful to Zhang Zhiwen for his promotion and cultivation, so he wanted to take the blame himself to protect Zhang Zhiwen!"

"Is this one of the other types?"

Jingren thought for a moment and then said:

"Wang Chong is thinking that Zhang Zhiwen will save him?"

Upon hearing this answer, Ye Mingsheng smiled but still said:

"It barely qualifies as one!"

"Then why do you think Wang Chong wanted to protect Zhang Zhiwen, Dad?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng thought for a moment and then said:
"Wang Chong knew very well that he would die once the matter was exposed, so he stopped struggling in vain. Now he only wanted to protect Zhang Zhiwen so that Zhang Zhiwen could take care of his affairs after his death!"

"I see! So, Father, what do you plan to do with Wang Chong and Zhang Zhiwen?"

"Let's see the specific investigation results. Zhang Hu only investigated the general outline of the matter. We need to see the specific results before making a decision..."

After Ye Mingsheng finished speaking, a guard hurriedly entered the room and handed him a secret letter.

Ye Mingsheng took the secret letter, opened the envelope, pulled out the letter inside, and glanced at the contents. Ye Mingsheng was also somewhat surprised.

Upon seeing the secret letter, Jingren noticed the change in his father's expression and curiously inquired:

"What happened to Father?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng waved his hand and said:
"It's nothing, you should go back and rest. Tomorrow we're going to visit some real local workers!"

"Yes!"

After Jingren left, Ye Mingsheng took out the letter again and read it.

The letter, sent from the Attendant's Office, contained the Kipchak Khanate's intention to establish a marriage alliance.

Compared to the last time when the Kipchak Khanate merely sent someone to inform Gao Shen, who then reported the situation to Ye Mingsheng, this time the Kipchak Khanate appeared to be much more formal.

Under the instruction of the Great Khan Habib, the Golden Horde has officially dispatched an envoy, Akkin, to Ye Mingsheng. Akkin has once again brought a personal letter from Habib, with the intention of establishing a marriage alliance between their children!
In addition to this information, the Joint Operations Office also revealed to Ye Mingsheng that, in order to ensure the success of the marriage alliance, Habib had arranged for Chen Zhongshu, a former government official who had defected from the Great Qian Dynasty to the Golden Horde, to secretly follow Akkin to the Great Qian Dynasty to ensure that Akkin could accomplish this task!
According to intelligence gathered by the Joint Investigation Department, Chen Zhongshu will come to Daqian under the alias A Yiding in an attempt to deceive everyone!

Upon seeing this, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but wonder why Habib was so keen on a marriage alliance with him.
If Habib's previous desire for a marriage alliance was intended to sow discord between the Great Qian and Luo Bei, then what is Habib's motive now...?
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Just as Ye Mingsheng was pondering in Zhuo County why Habib was so persistent in wanting a marriage alliance, in the imperial palace of Yijing, An Miaoyi looked at Chu Zhiyi and Chu Zhaoshi before her and smiled kindly, saying:

"Inspector Chu, Madam Chu, were you both unharmed last night?"

Upon hearing An Miaoyi's words, Madam Chu Zhao seemed about to reply, but before she could, she seemed to remember something and looked at her husband beside her. Chu Zhiyi then spoke in a deep voice:

"Luckily, one of our nannies noticed in time last night and shouted for help, which saved our whole family from disaster!"

An Miaoyi nodded slightly and said:

"It's good that everyone is alright. How are the family's house and assets?"

Faced with An Miaoyi's question, before Chu Zhiyi could answer, Chu Zhaoshi, who was standing to the side, couldn't hold back her tears and said:

"Your Majesty, our entire family is gone! Everything was burned to ashes!"

Seeing his wife's loss of composure, Chu Zhiyi frowned and said:

"This is the palace! Can't you calm down?!" Chu Zhiyi's words only made Chu Zhao Shi explode:
"Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down?"

"I told you not to offend so many people, but you insisted on saying that a clear conscience fears no accusation. Look at us now, they've set fire to our whole family's house. If we hadn't been lucky, we'd all be dead by now..."

Hearing his wife's complaints, Chu Zhiyi frowned but said nothing.

Upon hearing this, An Miaoyi glanced at Granny Huang, who immediately handed a handkerchief to Chu Zhao Shi.

Chu Zhaoshi took the handkerchief and wiped away the tears on her face, knowing that she had been impolite in front of An Miaoyi. She then spoke:
"Your Majesty, I apologize for my rudeness!"

Upon hearing this, An Miaoyi smiled and comforted her:
"It's alright! It's only human nature! I understand. When the An family had their troubles back then, I felt the same way you did!"

Upon hearing An Miaoyi's words, Chu Zhaoshi was immediately moved. She had long heard that the current Empress An was a virtuous empress who could understand the people's opinions and bring benefits to the people, but she never expected that the Empress would be so understanding.

At this moment, An Miaoyi changed the subject and said:

"Madam Chu, you shouldn't blame Inspector Chu too much. He is a model of civil service in our Great Qian Dynasty. There are far too few people like him in our Great Qian court who are strict with themselves and do not show favoritism!"

"His Majesty often says that Inspector Chu is a role model for all of China. If China could have more people like Inspector Chu, the world would surely be more peaceful and prosperous!"

Hearing An Miaoyi say this, Chu Zhiyi was somewhat surprised, but after the surprise, he was also pleasantly surprised.

At this moment, An Miaoyi continued:

"Madam Chu, rest assured, although your house was burned down this time, I will immediately have the Inner Court arrange a new house for you, one that will be bigger and better than the previous one!"

"Rest assured, the imperial court will absolutely not mistreat a loyal and righteous person like Lord Chu. The imperial court will also definitely bring the mastermind behind the scenes to justice and give you and Lord Chu an explanation!"

Hearing An Miaoyi's righteous and earnest guarantee, Chu Zhao was moved to tears, while Chu Zhiyi frowned and said:

"Your Majesty, matters such as the selection of residences should be handled by the Ministry of Revenue..."

Hearing Chu Zhiyi emphasize this matter to her at this time, An Miaoyi was somewhat surprised, but after carefully considering Chu Zhiyi's reputation, she was not surprised at all, and smiled as she spoke:
“I know it was arranged by the Ministry of Revenue, but they might have to go through procedures. I’m worried that if your house burns down, your whole family will have nowhere to live!”

Chu Zhiyi replied without hesitation:
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Our family is allowed to stay at the post station according to regulations!"

Before Chu Zhiyi could finish speaking, Chu Zhaoshi, who had heard that Chu Zhiyi wanted her and her children to stay at the post station, chimed in:

"Your Highness is being so kind, Chu Zhiyi, why don't you appreciate it? Do you really want us to stay at the post station with you?"

"Even if my daughter and I can stay here, my mother is too old. Can she stay in the inn?"

Hearing his wife mention his mother, Chu Zhiyi frowned slightly. Seeing this, An Miaoyi said:
"Lord Chu, I know you are a good and honest official, and you would never give anyone a handle to use against you. But I am different. I am the Empress. Others may bestow favors upon you in an attempt to bribe you, but I bestow favors upon you out of gratitude for your integrity and loyalty. This is a fundamental difference! I hope you can understand this!"

"Besides, it's fine for a grown man like you to stay at an inn, but it's inconvenient with so many women around. They are your closest relatives, and you should always think about them and make sure they have a better life..."

Having just calmed down, Chu Zhao Shi, hearing An Miao Yi's empathetic concern for her, couldn't help but shed tears of gratitude again, saying:

'Your Majesty!'

Seeing his wife like this, Chu Zhiyi felt conflicted. He felt guilty towards his family for their state, and seeing his wife like this only intensified his guilt.

However, accepting An Miaoyi's reward would be contrary to the rules he respected.

An Miaoyi seemed to sense Chu Zhiyi's hesitation and immediately said:
"Lord Chu, how about this: I'll arrange a house for you and your family to live in for now. Then you can go through the procedures at the Ministry of Revenue. Once the procedures are completed and the new house is approved, you can move in and return the old house to the Inner Court."

Hearing An Miaoyi say this, before Chu Zhiyi could speak, Chu Zhaoshi, who was standing to the side, also complained:

"Since Lady Chu Zhiyi appreciates you so much, don't be ungrateful and take her kindness for granted!"

Hearing his wife say this, Chu Zhiyi still felt somewhat uncomfortable, but he could only bow to An Miaoyi and say:

"Thank you, Queen!"

"It's alright! Having a subject like Lord Chu is a blessing for the Great Qian Dynasty. This is what I should do!"

Hearing An Miaoyi say this, Chu Zhiyi felt a warm glow in his heart, feeling that his actions had finally been recognized, that his persistence had not been in vain, and that the imperial family had seen it all.

After comforting the family for a few more minutes, Chu Zhiyi took his leave from Chu Zhao Shi, and Qiqige went to An Miaoyi's side...
Upon seeing Qiqige return, An Miaoyi immediately asked:

"Who did this? If they did it, why didn't they do it more efficiently and wipe out their whole family!"

Qiqige, who grew up with An Miaoyi, was very familiar with her mistress's personality, so she wasn't surprised that An Miaoyi would say that, and immediately explained:
"It was Zhao Jian who did it! Zhao Jian somehow found out that Chu Zhiyi was investigating him, so he sent one of his advisors to try and get Chu Zhiyi to make an exception for him. But Chu Zhiyi wouldn't give him any face, so his advisor carried out the second plan!"

Upon hearing Qiqige's words, a strange light flashed in An Miaoyi's eyes. After pondering for a moment, she asked:
"Does this have anything to do with them?"

Although An Miaoyi didn't say who they were, Qiqige knew perfectly well who An Miaoyi was asking about. She nodded and said:
"Although they didn't participate in this operation, I heard that before Zhao Jian sent his advisor to find Chu Zhiyi, he secretly returned to Yijing once and met with them, but we don't know what they talked about!"

Upon hearing this, An Miaoyi said with a half-smile:
"These guys have finally learned to use their brains. They even know how to poke the silly dog ​​onto the wall, which is an improvement!"

After finishing her sentence, An Miaoyi continued to ask:
"Where is the advisor that Zhao Jian sent?"

"We don't know yet, but he's probably hiding somewhere out of the way. The Yijing government is currently searching the entire city, and we should be able to apprehend him soon. Your Majesty, what do you think we should do about this?"

"What should we do? What does this have to do with me? If they had the guts to do it, they should clean up their own mess..."