good season

Zhao Shiqing learned about Yang Shengqiu's trip to the Ministry of Works from Zhao Tingluo.

She was stunned. In the life Xiao Zhen dreamed of, Lang Qiubai was in the Ministry of Works.

In this life, Yang Shengqiu achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination and was highly regarded by Feng Ke. Upon entering the Six Ministries, he went to the Ministry of Revenue.

But what's going on now?

Is this the beginning of his destiny returning to its rightful course?
why?
Xiao Zhen once said that all the changes in this life originated from her.

So, what about Yang Shengqiu going to the Ministry of Works?
Zhao Shiqing thought of the person she had recently helped—Feng Yalan!

But she only found Feng Yalan a helper at the Zizhu Temple, and never mentioned the Ministry of Works.

Could it be.
A glimmer of light flashed through her mind, growing brighter and brighter until it exploded like fireworks. Amidst the dazzling brilliance, Zhao Shiqing realized a possibility.

Like Xiao Zhen, Feng Yalan also had that dream about her past life!

In Xiao Zhen's dream, Yang Shengqiu entered officialdom and served in the Ministry of Works. When Tongzhou was flooded, he went to Tongzhou with the Fifth Prince and drowned.

Zhao Shiqing had no idea what tricks Feng Yalan had played, and in this life, Yang Shengqiu had also gone to the Ministry of Works.

Zhao Shiqing found this matter increasingly interesting. She looked at Xiao Luoluo and asked, "Did he get into the Ministry of Works through Chief Minister Feng's connections?"

Zhao Tinglu shook his head: "No, that's not it. Last year, the Imperial Observatory received a letter saying that there would be a major flood in the Tongzhou area this summer. The letter was unsigned, and no one knows who brought it in. The Imperial Observatory investigated for a long time but couldn't find the person, so the matter was dropped."

Zhao Shiqing was taken aback: "Such a big matter is just being left unresolved? They're just treating it as if it never existed because they can't find the source of this letter?"

Zhao Tinglu said helplessly, "Yes, those lazy bums at the Imperial Observatory do nothing but clamor that outsiders have entered the important grounds of the Imperial Observatory."

As for the contents of that letter, it was neither reported to the emperor nor verified for authenticity; it was simply suppressed.

Just the day before yesterday, the old lady of Wu Yushi, the newly appointed head of the Four Great Generals of the Censorate, went to Baiyun Temple to offer incense. Guess what? The moment the old lady kowtowed, the Patriarch appeared, shedding two lines of bloody tears. Then, a piece of yellow paper floated out of the Patriarch's hand, on which were written in cinnabar the four large characters "Tongzhou Flood."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shiqing knew who had caused it.

Xiao Zhen!

Xiao Zhen had long ago decided that in this life, he would personally go to Tongzhou.

In the previous life, Tongzhou suffered a flood that killed and injured more than 10,000 people, and countless families were destroyed.

In this flood, human error outweighed natural disaster, a pain that Xiao Zhen could never erase from his heart.

Feng Yalan may have known about the flood in Tongzhou, but she was inside the Zizhu Temple. Even with help, she could only stay within the temple. Baiyun Temple was dozens of miles away from Zizhu Temple. This was a grand gesture involving both divine intervention and tears, something she couldn't do herself.

In Zhao Shiqing's view, this miracle was just a deception of the believers. As long as Xiao Zhen bribed one or two Taoist priests, the matter could be handled flawlessly.

She asked, "And then, did Imperial Censor Wu report this matter to the Emperor?"

"That's right. Before Madam Wu even got home, she sent someone with that yellow paper to the Censorate at top speed. When Censor Wu got the yellow paper, he went to see the Emperor without saying a word."

His status was not high enough for him to be able to see the emperor whenever he wanted, so he kowtowed until his head bled outside the palace gates before the emperor knew he had arrived and finally saw him.

The Emperor, upon learning of the Ancestral Master's divine intervention, took it very seriously and immediately summoned the Imperial Astrologer. The Imperial Astrologer finally remembered the letter they had received the previous year. Presumably fearing the Emperor's discovery, he readily confessed. Needless to say, he was reprimanded by the Emperor, and all those who had seen the letter were penalized with a full year's salary.

Zhao Shiqing breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, those good-for-nothings were punished, otherwise she would have been so angry that she couldn't eat.

The letter from last year, without a doubt, was also written by Xiao Zhen.

Xiao Zhen had put in a lot of effort, but those people just let it go.

"Then wouldn't even fewer people want to go to the Ministry of Works now?" The Ministry of Works was already the least prominent of the six ministries. Now, with the rumors of flooding, those officials who were desperate to get into the six ministries would probably have to be careful, for fear of accidentally ending up in the Ministry of Works.

Zhao Tinglu laughed and said, "Actually, there are floods of all sizes every year, otherwise there would be no river works in various places. The Ministry of Works has been doing a lot of work for no reward for a long time. It's just that this time, the incident in Tongzhou was caused by the manifestation of the ancestral master and the secret message from the Imperial Observatory. It has caused quite a stir. Both the Emperor and the Ministry of Works should pay attention to it."

Therefore, Yang Shengqiu had almost no obstacles in getting into the Ministry of Works. He went to Feng's residence the day before yesterday, and the transfer order came down yesterday.

His move to the Ministry of Revenue was arranged by Chief Minister Feng. If he wanted to leave the Ministry of Revenue, he would certainly have to go through Chief Minister Feng as well. However, it was quite unexpected that Chief Minister Feng would allow him to go to the Ministry of Works.

Zhao Shiqing smiled and said, "Feng Ke also believes in the ancestral master's divine intervention, so it's not unexpected. The only question is which prince will be sent. Among the princes who have come of age, the only ones we can use are the third and fourth princes."

This time, it was Zhao Tingluo's turn to be stunned. He stammered, "Will they really send a prince?"

Zhao Shiqing said confidently, "If you don't believe me, just wait and see if they will send a prince over."

The next day, Zhao Shiqing went to find Xiao Zhen. She knew that Xiao Zhen had been extremely busy lately, and she also knew why he was so busy: because he was anxious to return and stand by her side in his true identity.

Thinking of this, Zhao Shiqing curled her lips and smiled.

Xiao Zhen was indeed not there again, and Zhao Shiqing did not leave immediately. She strolled over to Su Ji Tea House, but as soon as she sat down, she heard a commotion outside.

Sister Ping looked outside and said, "Riding a horse in the middle of the city, she didn't hit anyone, but she fell off the horse herself. Serves her right!"

Zhao Shiqing's eyes lit up. There was such a commotion! Of course, she had to go and see for herself.

She pulled Lingbo and ran outside. The teahouse was already surrounded by people. Zhao Shiqing couldn't squeeze in and was getting anxious when she saw more than a dozen people running over from a distance. They looked like servants from some family.

As soon as these people arrived, they started shouting, "Get out of the way! What's there to see? Everyone, get out of here! Stop looking!"

The onlookers were mostly ordinary locals. Seeing these people acting like wolves and tigers, bossing others around, the crowd dispersed.

Zhao Shiqing and Ling Bo also entered the shop and sat by the window, looking out through the open window.

Two people were carefully helping the injured person up from the ground. The injured person was swearing, so it was clear that the injury was not serious.

The man was dressed in a flamboyant bright red, like a wounded rooster.

Someone rushed to the carriage, and when the man was lifted onto the carriage, Zhao Shiqing saw his face.

Wei Wubing!
He is Wei Ya'er's twin brother, and the grand-nephew of Old Madam Wei!
A while ago, Wei Wubing was looking for her everywhere, which made her afraid to go out unless she disguised herself. It wasn't that she was afraid of this guy, but that she didn't want to get into trouble.

Zhao Shiqing's gaze was cold. Since arriving in the capital, she had seen quite a few sons of noble families, but none were as arrogant as this Wei Wubing, except for that dead eunuch Zhu Yu. Today, he was riding a horse in the bustling city, while last time, it was outside the Imperial Academy.

Madam Wei is truly like a hen with a plague; she can't lay good eggs.

Zhu Yu was like this, and so was Wei Wubing.

Fortunately, God had mercy today and no innocent people were harmed.

Wei Wubing left cursing, and the matter was considered closed.

Zhao Shiqing never expected that Wei Wubing would die that very night!

When the news arrived, Zhao Shiqing thought she had misheard.

"That's right. He fell off his horse during the day and broke his leg. The bone has been set and he's fine. The imperial physician told him to rest in bed and take good care of himself. Who would have thought he would die that night?"

The loach told everyone the news it had heard on the street.

"By the way, the Lady of Changling was so heartbroken that she killed the horse herself."

Princess Changling is Wei Ya'er, and also Zhao Tingxuan's fiancée.

Everyone gasped in shock; they never expected that this Lady of Changling County would be so ruthless.

Zhao Shiqing asked, "Does anyone know how Wei Wubing actually died? Broken bones and tendons don't kill people."

Zhao Shiqing's question was quickly answered, and the answer, of course, came from Zhao Tingluo.

Wei Wubing was injured and unable to get out of bed, so he threw a tantrum in bed, shouting and yelling, and even smashed two maids with a medicine bowl.

Wei Ya'er felt sorry for her brother. Seeing that he refused to drink the medicine, she personally brought him the soup.

Wei Wubing gave her face and drank the bowl of medicine in one gulp. Not long after, he died with blood flowing from all seven orifices.

The Wei family has blocked the news, but that didn't stop Xiao Luoluo; she still managed to find out everything.

Zhao Shiqing: "No wonder Wei Ya'er wanted to kill the horse in public; she was trying to shift the blame."

Zhao Tinglu: "Maybe so. After all, she's getting married next year. Even if the murderer is someone else, she was framed. Wei Wubing died at her hands. If this gets out, her reputation will be ruined."

Zhao Shiqing's heart stirred. Whether Wei Wubing died from a fall or from illness, or was killed by his enemies, his death would not affect Wei Ya'er.

But what if he died at the hands of Wei Ya'er?

Just like now, Wei Ya'er brought him medicine, and he died after drinking it.

Even if it is found that Wei Ya'er was framed, Wei Wubing will still die at her hands.

Zhao Shiqing's heart was pounding. She was thinking of her sister!
Zhao Tingluo didn't notice the change in Zhao Shiqing's eyes. He continued, "This Wei Wubing is also utterly wicked, sister. Do you know? There's an old man who runs a stall on Porcelain Street. Because he's sick, he had his grandson take over the stall for him. His grandson is only fourteen years old and has delicate features. For some reason, Wei Wubing took a liking to him. The day Wei Wubing went there, his granddaughter happened to be delivering food to her younger brother. Wei Wubing saw that both the siblings were good-looking, so he actually snatched them both away!"
A few days later, the two were brought back, both covered in injuries. The Wei family gave them twenty taels of silver to have their wounds treated.

That very night, the older sister hanged herself, while the younger brother, though alive, became mentally impaired.

The old man was already quite ill, and he died of anger.

Now, even filing a complaint is impossible. One of the two aggrieved parties has died, and the younger brother, though alive, is mentally impaired and sits on the street every day, relying on kind people for food.

Zhao Shiqing was furious and wished she could drag Wei Wubing up and whip his corpse.

The Wei siblings did not live in the Baoqing Marquis's mansion. The Wei family originally had a residence in the capital. Wei Ya'er was often summoned to the palace by Consort Li. Wei Wubing was a man and could not live in the palace, so he lived in the Wei family's residence, which became the place where he committed evil deeds.

"Does Wei Ya'er often stay in the palace?" Zhao Shiqing asked.

Zhao Tinglu shook her head: "When she first arrived in the capital, she stayed in the palace with Old Madam Wei. Later, rumors spread, and the Empress made her go back to the Wei family."

Zhao Shiqing was taken aback: "What gossip?"

Zhao Tingluo: "It's about the matter of Empress Wang's niece back then. Some people compared Wei Ya'er to the younger Empress Wang."

Zhao Shiqing remembered that Empress Wang was the deposed empress of the retired emperor, and it was because of this incident that she was deposed. Xiao Wangshi was her nephew, who often lived in the palace at that time. Later, she became the crown prince's wife, not only giving birth to a child of unknown father, but also causing the crown prince's death. As a result, many people believed that Xiao Wangshi's child was the retired emperor's child.

Emperor Yongjia valued his reputation most and naturally did not want to follow in the footsteps of the Empress Dowager. It was fine for Madam Wei to live in the palace, but Wei Ya'er was still an unmarried girl, so he could not let her stay in the palace.

Zhao Shiqing asked, "So, even if Wei Wubing is dead now, Wei Ya'er will still live in the Wei residence?"

Zhao Tinglu nodded: "Yes, besides, she can't leave after such a big incident. She still has to arrange Wei Wubing's funeral."

"Little Luoluo, are you planning to sell the news that Wei Ya'er killed Wei Wubing?" Zhao Shiqing asked.

Zhao Tinglu's little eyes darted around: "Sister, if it were anyone else, I would have sold it long ago. But this person is Wei Ya'er, who is your future sister-in-law. If you don't want me to spread this, then this matter will end here and stay in my heart. I promise I won't tell anyone."

"No!" Zhao Shiqing said, "Don't give me face. You have to spread this news immediately. Can you sell it to more companies, or can you only sell it to one?"

Zhao Shiqing was unfamiliar with the market.

Little Luoluo: "I can sell more, but I'll have to pay less to each store. If I only sell to one store, I'll sell more, but it'll all be about the same. My sister told me to sell more, so I'll sell more!"

Zhao Shiqing smiled: "Okay, I hope this news will spread throughout the capital within two days!"

Xiao Luolu patted her chest and said, "Sister, if you're in a hurry, I'll ask Zhao Tinggang and Zhao Tingyu to help you."

Zhao Shiqing remembered that the Gangyu brothers had a group of little beggars under their command.

However, if she did that, Xiao Luolu would lose money.

Zhao Shiqing had Lingbo bring over five hundred taels of silver notes, which she then stuffed into Zhao Tingluo's hands: "Take this and have Zhao Tinggang treat those little brothers to chicken. You can use the rest to buy candy."

Zhao Tingluo accepted the silver note without ceremony and said, "Sister, don't worry. I guarantee this matter will be discussed at the court meeting in two days, not just in the streets and alleys of the capital."

"Alright, it's up to you now! If you don't have enough money, just tell me. I may lack many things, but I certainly don't lack money!" Zhao Shiqing spoke with the air of a nouveau riche. (End of Chapter)