Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Zong Xian glanced at him, then quickly looked away, raising her hand to lift one side of the carriage curtain, deliberately changing the subject: "That Manager Fan from earlier shares the same surname as you, so you're practically from the same clan. Don't you know him?"

Fan Siyuan shook his head: "I don't know him."

He paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered Fan Jing's non-standard accent and added, "But I do know a woman named Fan Jing. She's from Guangdong and is considered a big boss in that waterway region. She's very well-known."

"But it's definitely not the shopkeeper I just ran into. Fan Jing is a complete shrew who robs people on the road and molests men. Shopkeeper Fan, on the other hand, looks like an ordinary woman with a young child by her side. Besides, I've never heard of that female bandit being married."

"Besides, she's not even a woman, who would want her?"

When Fan Siyuan mentioned this female gang leader, his tone was filled with hatred. Zong Xian had never seen him show such an expression before, so he couldn't help but ask, "Did that female gang leader make things difficult for you back then?"

Recalling those days, Fan Siyuan said bitterly, "Six years ago, I was on my way to the capital for the imperial examinations when I passed through her territory. She and a group of thugs robbed me, leaving me only with my underpants!"

"She left me penniless the whole way, unable to even afford an inn, and almost got kicked out of the city as a homeless person! Can you believe how awful that woman is?!"

Zong Xian: "...That's truly despicable. Didn't you report it to the authorities back then?"

Fan Siyuan looked disdainful and spat heavily: "The local officials and bandits are in cahoots. The local administration is rotten to the core. Reporting to the authorities is just asking for trouble!"

This is why Fan Siyuan refused to serve as an official in the imperial court and to join the corrupt officials.

Of course, besides this reason, there are also palace secrets involved, which we will not discuss for now.

"And then?" Zong Xian pressed on. He knew that Fan Siyuan had the petty-mindedness common to scholars, always wanting to get justice for everything.

Fan Siyuan snorted coldly: "Later, when I returned to my hometown and finished making preparations, I went back to settle accounts with her. I suppose she heard that I had become a third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination. As a newly appointed third-ranked scholar, it was not worth chasing after a female bandit. So I let it go for the time being."

"But if I ever run into her again, I will not let it go easily. I will make her suffer terribly and know what it means to wish she were dead!"

Fan Siyuan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, showing how uncomfortable the thorn in his throat was.

Seeing this, Zong Xian patted him on the shoulder reassuringly and didn't ask any more questions.

After his conversation, Fan Siyuan was completely consumed by the resentment he felt from the robbery years ago, and he didn't ask any more questions about Ji Mingyi.

...

When the carriage arrived at the Zong residence, two figures stood outside the gate.

One was the steward of the Duke of Ying, and the other was the most beautiful Hu woman at the banquet just now.

Fan Siyuan knew the other party's intentions without even thinking. He looked at Zong Xian, who was standing to the side, as if watching a spectacle.

Based on his understanding of him, Zong Xian was not a womanizer, and was extremely cautious; he would never accept a woman from outside the family.

The steward stepped forward, bowed, and said in a fawning voice, "The Duke knows that you are of noble status and should not indulge in pleasures outside. He was afraid that the banquet tonight would be rushed and might neglect you, so he specially ordered me to send the beauty to your residence."

As he spoke, he slightly turned to the side, making way for the Hu woman behind him: "If the Prime Minister finds it pleasing to the eye, he may accept it as a small trinket to amuse himself; it is also a small token of the Duke's goodwill."

The Hu woman beside her lowered her eyes timidly, her shoulders slightly hunched, deliberately adopting a docile and weak posture, completely unlike her bold and reckless behavior at the banquet.

Zong Xian had drunk quite a bit tonight. He squinted at the obedient woman in front of him, as if he saw someone in her, and remained silent for a moment.

Hu Ji noticed the man's gaze on her and blushed.

Fan Siyuan was stunned by what he saw: Could it be that they're really going to take it?

The next moment, Zong Xian said calmly, "I accept the Duke's kindness, but please leave now."

Zong Xian had regained his calm demeanor, so composed that it was impossible to discern his emotions. After speaking, he said no more and strode past the steward into the mansion.

Hu Ji's face turned pale instantly, and she bit her lip tightly.

-

That night, at Jingren Palace.

The Empress Dowager wore a plain brocade robe, her black hair neatly tied up, revealing a section of her slender white neck.

She stood before the white jade Buddhist shrine, her fingertips twirling prayer beads, her eyes gently closed, her lips slightly moving as she softly chanted scriptures.

Everyone, both in the government and among the people, secretly cursed her as an old hag, but in reality, she was still young, only twenty-eight years old, and not old at all.

She was originally the late emperor's empress dowager. She survived the palace coup by a hair's breadth and was able to firmly sit on the throne of empress dowager, holding immense power. Gradually, she was nurtured to develop a burgeoning ambition.

At this moment, a eunuch entered and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, this servant has discovered a woman who is having an affair with Zong Xian!"

"Speak." The Empress Dowager continued speaking without stopping her prayer beads, nor did she turn around.

The eunuch immediately reported the information he had gathered in detail.

"The woman's name is Ji Mingyi. She lives in the Zong family mansion and is said to be a distant relative of the Zong family. She has no family background or backing, and the servants in the mansion all call her Miss Cousin."

The eunuch abruptly changed the subject: "But the Zong family mansion is heavily guarded and never allows outsiders to stay casually! In my humble opinion, this must be a ruse!"

"The day before this woman left the capital, Zong Xian went to look for her, which shows that he had a very special feeling for her!"

The eunuch glanced at the Empress Dowager's retreating figure and seized the opportunity to offer a suggestion: "Why don't I immediately send someone to arrest her and bring her to the palace for interrogation, forcing her to reveal her true relationship with Zong Xian!"

The Empress Dowager then turned around, her expression calm and cold, her tone carrying a faint, almost mocking smile: "Arrest her? Interrogate her?"

Those two seemingly casual words sent a chill down the eunuch's spine.

"You've served me for so many years, yet you're still so short-sighted." Her voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, but every word carried an air of authority. "Do you really think that a mere ordinary woman with no family background or connections can control Zong Xian?"

"But Your Highness, Lord Zong treats her exceptionally well..."

"Different?" The Empress Dowager chuckled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "What kind of person is Zong Xian? He is shrewd and meticulous. He has climbed to where he is today step by step. In his eyes, power, calculation, and future are all more important than personal feelings. In his entire life, he has always controlled others, and no one has ever been able to hold him back."

"Furthermore, if he truly loved her, wouldn't he give her a proper status and keep her by his side? I really don't understand what you're thinking!"

The eunuch suddenly realized the truth, a thin layer of sweat breaking out on his back. He hurriedly kowtowed and begged for forgiveness: "This servant was foolish! This servant was narrow-minded and almost ruined Your Majesty's plans!"

The Empress Dowager's expression remained unchanged: "Ignore that woman; she's nothing but an ant, not worth mentioning. Your duty is to keep a close eye on Zong Xian's movements in court."

"This servant understands!"

-

The next day, Wutong Pavilion.

"What did you say! That bitch Ji Mingyi has already left the city?!" Yu was caught off guard, and her voice involuntarily rose a few decibels.

Cuizhu: "Replying to Aunt, Miss Cousin has indeed left, and Shuangxu Garden has been completely emptied."

Ms. Yu asked incredulously, "What about Ji Mingzhe?"

Cuizhu shook her head: "The headmaster of the academy said that he was taken away the day before yesterday. I inquired and found out that they were going to Qingzhou."

Only then did Madam Yu believe it, her face turning grim: "I underestimated this girl. She's so meticulous, always on guard against me. Let her go, and never come back! Otherwise, I will never forgive her!"

After a long and arduous journey of three days, Ji Mingyi finally arrived at the city of Qingzhou.

Looking up and seeing the three large characters "Qingzhou City" on the city gate, Ji Mingyi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense for days, finally settled down a little.

The group passed through the verification process smoothly and entered the city.

Although Qingzhou cannot match the grandeur of the ten-mile-long streets and bustling merchants of the capital, its streets are still teeming with people during the day, with vendors lining the streets and the air filled with the sounds of cooking fires, creating a unique scene that is hard to find elsewhere.

Yuegui and Ji Mingzhe looked around, their eyes filled with novelty and curiosity, and most of the fatigue accumulated from days of travel dissipated.

Mingyi then instructed his servant to find an inn to stay in, and the servant immediately went.

Before long, the group checked into an inn called Tianxianglou.

"I wonder if Young Master is still in Qingzhou. We've been rushing all this way, so we don't end up missing him," Yuegui said while tidying the bed.

Now that we've arrived in Qingzhou City, there's nothing to worry about. Mingyi poured himself a cup of tea and said unhurriedly, "I've already sent my servant to deliver a message to the prefect. If he's still in Qingzhou City, he must be staying at the prefect's place as a guest."

"If he is no longer here, it doesn't matter. We will just wait here for him to return from Kyoto."

Yuegui nodded, then casually added, "Just now, when I went downstairs to fetch water, the waiter told me that the daughter of the prefect of Qingzhou is getting married soon. It must be quite a lively affair!"