Zhu Mo returned home, and Zhu Qi had been waiting for a long time.
"Young Master, I found her."
Zhu Mo pulled him to sit in the pavilion.
Zhu Qi smiled and said, "That old woman surnamed He was still in Yan Shifan's mansion five years ago, managing the food and lodging for his wives and concubines... I've already brought her to Chaotian Temple. When will Young Master have time to interrogate her?"
Mm-hmm.
"I'll go now."
He didn't want to delay this matter at all, for fear of another incident of silencing a witness.
...
Upon arriving at the back courtyard of Chaotian Temple, in the杂房.
A woman in her fifties sat anxiously in the room. Although she was embroidering a handkerchief, her hands and feet trembled.
As soon as Zhu Mo saw her, he knew she had been a procuress. Seeing her eyes widen with terror when she saw him, he seized the opportunity and went straight to the point, asking:
"Who is Song Yin'er to you?"
Madam He's face changed drastically, and she stammered, "I, I don't know what you're talking about..."
Zhu Mo knew that such old women appeared harmless but were actually the most vicious. How many people had they harmed? He immediately waved his hand and slapped her.
With a crisp sound!
The old woman knelt down with a thud, clutching Zhu Mo's legs, and cried, "It's not that I won't tell you, I'm afraid to tell you... Young Master Zhu, I'm afraid to tell you..."
"You can tell me. If you do, I'll send you to Yunzhong Academy in Datong Prefecture to settle down, and I guarantee no one will find you. If you don't speak, no one will know..."
The old woman's eyes rolled, and she replied:
"Young Master Zhu, I'll tell you, I'll tell you, but you must keep your promise, right?"
Zhu Mo nodded.
The old woman said:
"Yin'er was the daughter of a disgraced official who offended the Junior Grand Secretary and was banished to a malarial region. Yin'er was then sent to the Jiaofang Division. Later, I redeemed her, and she was favored by the Junior Grand Secretary at Chunshui Hall and brought to his mansion as a maid. The Junior Grand Secretary favored her for a while, but then his interest waned.
Later, the Prince of Raoyang came to visit the mansion and took a liking to Yin'er, so the Junior Grand Secretary gave her to him. I heard she went to Datong Prefecture, and later married the Prince of Dai. I was also happy for her."
Zhu Mo thought: Yan Shifan wanted to use Prince Raoyang at that time, so this was naturally his method. These people were always so dirty, it was not surprising. This part seemed to be true... As for being the daughter of a disgraced official, that was also likely true. This procuress was probably specialized in trafficking female slaves from the Jiaofang Division. Yan Shifan was also involved in this. I should submit a memorial later to investigate the trafficking of women from the Jiaofang Division.
He then took out the jade buckle and the poem and asked:
"Have you seen this? Tell the truth."
The old woman's face changed again, showing great alarm. But after calming down a little, and thinking about the current situation, she knew she had to speak. If she spoke, this Young Master Zhu was said to be a man of his word and would likely keep his promise. Hiding in a royal Taoist temple on Mount Wudang would surely be safe.
"Young Master Zhu, Yin'er always wore this. When I asked her, she never said anything. I thought her father gave it to her. I've never seen this poem..."
Zhu Mo thought: Perhaps she really didn't know...
"Lao Qi, prepare a confession for her, and then send someone to take her to Datong Yunzhong Academy as a servant..."
Actually,
He also knew that after the Princess of Dai died, and Prince Raoyang remained silent, the line connecting Yan Shifan to treason was broken, making it difficult to obtain direct evidence.
However, with the secret letter from Yan's family sent by Anda and the old woman's confession, it was enough to convict him. Yan Shifan thought he had silenced the witness, which was far too optimistic. When it was revealed one day, he would be so terrified that his soul would scatter.
...
The sky was still early when he came out. After wandering for a while,
He slowly returned home.
As soon as he reached the entrance, he saw the old Taoist and Third Master Li sitting in the pavilion.
Haha.
"Old Taoist, Third Master Li, it feels like so many years have passed since we last parted..."
Zhu Mo truly felt that the journey had been fraught with near-death experiences, and he was still recovering from the shock. People often said that time felt like an eternity, and this feeling had been with him for the past two days. Seeing these two friends of his later years today made it even stronger.
Third Master Li still had a kind expression and smiled, "Young Master Zhu, we've really missed you... We only found out yesterday that you were back, so we rushed over, hehe...
Today, the Taoist wants to have a drink, so I didn't bring Longjing tea. Young Master Zhu, would you prefer tea, or join the Taoist for a drink?"
From their tone and expression, Zhu Mo sensed that—
Both of them were in a terrible mood today...
Especially the old Taoist, whose eyes, normally bright and clear, were now much dimmer. He held his wine cup, and it was unclear if he was drinking at all...
He had always regarded them as friends and wished to console them. He smiled and said, "Old Taoist, I'll join you for a drink. Third Master, have you eaten yet?"
Third Master Li, after being busy for a while, sat down and said, "The Taoist usually doesn't eat after noon. As for me, I couldn't resist, so I ate a bowl of noodles before coming..."
The old Taoist's mood improved slightly when he returned to the familiar atmosphere of home.
It should be known that
He had always believed in "kings do not meet kings." After being granted a royal title at the age of two or three, he had never seen Prince Jing again. Prince Jing stayed in the capital for a few years, and somehow became influenced by others. For a few years, he even participated in the struggle for succession. After the incident, he was sent to his fiefdom in Anlu.
He was away for several years, and it was said that he went mad soon after. They didn't want to imprison him within high walls, but they couldn't bear to see him suffer, so they let him stay in a royal farm.
Just now, Wu Feng reported that the Prince of Raoyang had died. He was not surprised. What surprised him was the jade buckle mentioned by Zhu Qi. It sounded like an imperial item, and the inscription of "Jing" made him feel deeply saddened. His first thought was: Prince Jing must have encountered trouble...
In his profound sadness, he then thought of Zhu Mo, and had Third Master Li bring him over.
At this moment,
Seeing Zhu Mo smiling and talking, his face had matured considerably in less than two months, with a resolute expression and an air of determination that he would not give up until his goal was achieved, he finally found some comfort and said with a smile,
"Zhu Mo, last time you left without saying goodbye and went so far away, without even saying what you were going to do... Li San and I only found out later from others that you went to negotiate with the Rong people... Hehe, young people, such a significant matter, and you didn't consult anyone. It must have been very dangerous this time, right?"
As he spoke,
He felt a pang of heartache and gulped down a cup of wine. Li San poured him more, but it was only half a cup.
Zhu Mo knew that he was in a bad mood and deliberately said with a smile,
"Of course, it was dangerous. They were all Yan Song's men, and they even had private soldiers! They were plotting to harm me every day. Hehe, fortunately, I had the help of a few veteran guards, otherwise, I really don't know what would have happened!"
Seeing that they were still dispirited, he wanted to tell something interesting and said with a smile, "Do you know how I persuaded Anda?"
Li San chuckled, "That must have been a brilliant strategy..."
"Mm-hmm, I told him that I was a Taoist from Qingxu Temple and that I should chat with friends who were horse herders, just like Qiu Chuji... Haha, then Anda really said that he was a horse herder... Hahaha."
Hahaha.
The two of them finally laughed.
The old Taoist laughed for a while and said, "Indeed, that's the truth. He is just a horse herder... But how did Anda later agree to that so-called Fenggongzhou? I heard Lan Shenxian and the others discussing it, and they all felt something was amiss. They were all saying there was something behind it..."
Zhu Mo had expected that many people would not understand the matter of Fenggongzhou, and he had long wanted to ask the old Taoist to inform Lan Shenxian so that the Emperor could be made aware of the truth.
So he replied:
"Old Taoist, I was just about to ask you to inform Lan Shenxian about this matter, so it would be easier to explain if the Emperor asks in the future... Uh, this Fenggongzhou, in the end, is not about Anda ceding territory, but about both sides developing it together.
My intention is to assimilate them through economic means under the military advantage of the Great Ming. This way, the period of peace will be longer, perhaps twenty years or so, and then we will have the capacity to handle matters in Jiangnan. In the future, they will rebel again, but the situation will still be favorable to us. If this method works, it will also be used in Liaodong later..."
Mm-hmm.
The old Taoist and Li San exchanged glances: what they had anticipated was roughly the same...