Chapter 473 Defection
Sun Shaozong followed the two concubines from a distance and was about to reach the courtyard where the prince was recuperating, when suddenly a man from the side blocked his way. Looking at his short and fat figure and fawning expression, who else could it be but Wang Dexiu, the chief clerk of the Zhanshi Palace?
"Thank you, Lord Sun, for reporting this for me just now!"
Wang Dexiu bowed deeply, then pointed to the front yard and said, "Just now when you were ordered to go and welcome Princess Beijing, someone in the front yard sent a message saying that your housekeeper Zhao brought a young woman to visit you, and it seemed that they had something important to report."
Zhao Zhongji came here with a young woman?
Sun Shaozong felt a little puzzled when he heard this, because the Prince's Mansion was not far from the Sun family, and it was not strange that Zhao Zhongji ran to report to him when he encountered something difficult to decide - but what about that young woman?
Although he had some romantic debts outside, they were all people with families and would never dare to come to him in broad daylight.
He was suspicious, and it happened that he had to wait until Princess Beijing left before he could ask the Crown Prince for the truth. Now that he had nothing to do, he might as well go and see what Zhao Zhongji was up to.
So Sun Shaozong thanked Wang Dexiu and hurried to the front yard.
Because the drizzle was like fog, it floated everywhere when blown by the wind. Even when walking in the corridor, I was still wet after walking in and out twice.
So when he arrived near the courtyard gate, Sun Shaozong first took out a handkerchief from his sleeve pocket and wiped the rain off his face, and then he walked into the gatehouse with a stern face.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw Zhao Zhongji sitting stiffly in the corner. He was obviously intimidated by the reputation of the Prince's Mansion. He was hunched over, with his hands on his knees, stiff as a clay sculpture or wooden statue. Only his eyes were darting around nervously.
In comparison, the young woman seemed very calm. She sat opposite Zhao Zhongji with confidence and did not feel embarrassed at all to be alone in a room with a man.
"Is it you?"
Sun Shaozong was stunned at first when he saw the woman's appearance, then he suddenly realized something and asked, "Are you here for Wei Ruolan as well?"
The woman stood up and bowed to Sun Shaozong. However, she did not bow as usual. Instead, she put her hands together and chanted the Buddha's name: "Amitabha. Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from Lord Sun's eyes."
It turned out that this woman was no one else but Miaoyu, the fake nun from the Rongcui Temple.
But today she was not wearing her iconic patchwork clothes, but a plain white wide-sleeved fairy dress. Her jade-white hands were clasped together, and the two thin cicada-wing sleeves fluttered in front of her body. Combined with her usual cold temperament, she looked even more otherworldly.
This change...
Even if Wei Ruolan could escape this time, she might not be able to get her job back. If things go wrong, her future might be ruined.
As a result, the marriage with the historian naturally ended in failure.
Could it be that the fake nun felt that there was an opportunity to take advantage of the situation, so she simply changed even her attire so that she could marry smoothly into the Wei family in the future?
Sun Shaozong was thinking about this in his mind, and asked Zhao Zhongji with a straight face: "Why did you come here with Master Miaoyu?"
Zhao Zhongji had already jumped up when Sun Shaozong entered the room, but seeing that Sun Shaozong's attention was on the woman, he tactfully stood in the corner and did not say a word.
When Sun Shaozong asked, he immediately bowed and reported: "This girl came to our house and first asked to see the first wife, and then mentioned that she wanted to see the second master. Because the first wife said so, and I happened to have something to report to the second master, I brought her here together."
Given Jia Yingchun's weak character of hiding when faced with trouble, if she had known that Miaoyu wanted to cause trouble for her, she would definitely not agree to let her see her - she guessed that this fake nun probably did not tell her the truth.
Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong flicked his sleeves, and Zhao Zhongji immediately retreated obediently to the door.
"Tell me about it."
Sun Shaozong sat down in the main seat with a majestic look, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and said calmly: "Why do you think I can save him, and why do you think I will help him?"
"Sir, you are known for your ability to make accurate judgments. This case has many strange aspects. If you are willing to personally take action, you will surely be able to..."
"Stop."
Seeing Miaoyu's empty words, which were not convincing at all, and she didn't even understand the most basic court system, Sun Shaozong couldn't help but interrupt her and shook his head, saying, "Let's not talk about whether it's strange or not. As Wei Ruolan's boss, I should avoid suspicion according to the rules. There is no way I can get involved in this case."
"But there is always an exception!"
Miaoyu argued: "Even if the court does not allow you to participate in this case, you just need to secretly investigate and find some evidence, and then hand it over to the person investigating the case, isn't it?!"
hehe.
Risking offending the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice, secretly investigating the evidence, and then handing the credit to others...
Why?!
Sun Shaozong couldn't help but roll his eyes and said speechlessly: "Again, what makes you think I will save him? Don't forget, he has been trying to challenge me in the Criminal Law Department, and the Wei family and my family have always been at odds."
"But privately, Young Master Wei actually admires your ability!" Miaoyu saw that what he said was unquestionable, and she became a little excited. She thrust out her chest and said anxiously: "Besides, when the heavenly dog swallowed the sun..."
"cough!"
Sun Shaozong coughed dryly and interrupted her again.
Miaoyu also knew that she had said something wrong, so she hurriedly skipped over this part and said vaguely, "He also wants to get along with you. Although your brother and Commander Wei have old grudges, they are now far apart and have no conflicts of interest. Why don't you take this opportunity to reconcile the two families?"
What a good idea of 'harmony is the most valuable'.
It’s a pity that this fake nun didn’t understand the complexity of the matter at all.
That’s right, the initial feud between the Wei family and the Sun family was indeed caused by the conflict of interests between Sun Shaozu and Wei Rushong, but now, the biggest crux of the hostility between the two sides is no longer this, but the conflict between Prince Beijing and Prince Zhongshun!
The big guys behind both parties are at loggerheads with each other. As vassals, can the Sun and Wei families resolve their differences in private?
Perhaps because she could see Sun Shaozong's disapproval, Miaoyu became even more anxious. She no longer cared about what was reasonable or not, and begged, "Please save him, sir. Master Wei is... a good man!"
Good person?
There are countless cases of good people not being rewarded, and this is no exception.
Sun Shaozong wanted to sneer immediately and decisively rejected this ridiculous request.
But when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he suddenly changed his mind. The Crown Prince and Prince Zhongshun had always been on good terms, and Princess Beijing had come to the Crown Prince's residence to seek help. If the Crown Prince finally promised to come forward to protect Wei Ruolan, Prince Zhongshun would naturally not stop him - in this case, if he flatly refused at this time, wouldn't he be a bad guy in vain?
Thinking of this, the sneer on his lips was immediately replaced by a look of indecision, and he said thoughtfully: "This matter is of great importance. How can you make me risk my life just because you say I'm a good person?"
As he spoke, he stood up and walked around the room a few times. Just when Miaoyu looked anxious and confused, he stopped and said, "How about this, you wait here for a while, let me think about it carefully, and then give you a definite answer before noon, how about that?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he walked out on his own without waiting for Miaoyu's response.
"Second Master."
Zhao Zhongji was guarding outside the gate like a god. When he saw Sun Shaozong coming out, he bowed to greet him.
Sun Shaozong did not answer, but walked to the middle of the corridor on the left. He then stopped and turned to Zhao Zhongji who was following closely behind him and asked, "Didn't you just say that you had something else to report?"
"That's right, Second Master."
Zhao Zhongji said hurriedly, "After you left this morning, a beggar came to our house, claiming to be Hong Jiu, saying that he had something very important to report. Since you were not at home, I questioned him several times, but he refused to speak clearly and insisted on waiting for you to come back before reporting in person."
Does Hong Jiu have something important to report in person?
Sun Shaozong's expression suddenly became serious. Others might not know it, but since he had established Hong Jiu as the signboard of the 'Beggars' militia system', he would naturally pay attention to Hong Jiu's every move.
After the initial discomfort, Hong Jiu became more and more experienced in his job as the village chief. Also, because he was the first village chief supported by the government and even had a relationship with Zhao Wuwei, some of the village chiefs who were appointed later, even if they did not follow his lead, had to give him some face.
Therefore, by now, Hong Jiu has become the leader of thousands of beggars in the capital. He is no longer the little beggar who had to rack his brains for a few taels of silver.
Although in Sun Shaozong's eyes, Hong Jiu is still just a chess piece that cannot be on the stage, but in terms of information channels alone, he is probably more informed than the government.
Now Hong Jiu ran to the Sun family and said that he had something important to report in person. Even if he exaggerated a bit, it was probably not a trivial matter - if it was really a trivial matter, he would not dare to find Sun Shaozong.
But Sun Shaozong had just arrived at the Prince's Mansion and was really busy, so he had to ask Zhao Zhongji to keep Hong Jiu at home and treat him well, and then he would ask him the reason in detail when he returned.
"Second Master."
Zhao Zhongji was about to return home after receiving the order, but when he glanced at the gatehouse, he stopped and said hesitantly: "Then Master Miaoyu..."
"Don't worry about it. If the eldest lady asks about her, just say she has returned to Rongguo Mansion."
Only then did Zhao Zhongji bow and take his leave.
After sending Zhao Zhongji away, Sun Shaozong estimated that the prince's work should be almost done, so he rushed to the backyard without stopping.
As a result, as soon as I arrived at the alley outside the courtyard, I saw Princess Beijing walking out of the courtyard accompanied by two maids.
Sun Shaozong was about to step aside when he heard Princess Beijing take the initiative to call out, "Master Sun, please stay!"
As she spoke, she took two long steps and hurriedly came forward. She bowed first, then forced a smile and apologized, "I'm sorry for offending you just now. I hope you will forgive me."
This arrogant and respectful attitude...
Did the prince approve her request and prepare to send himself to interfere in the case, so she was busy trying to please him; or did the prince already reject her, so she was desperate and turned to him for help?
Sun Shaozong was unsure whether it was the former or the latter, so he just bowed and replied indifferently: "How dare I."
The smile on Wei's face froze, and Sun Shaozong could even hear the clattering of her two rows of silver teeth. But after a moment, she still forced a smile and said, "Sir Sun is young and promising, and his future is limitless. It is natural that I don't need to point out the truth that it is better to resolve a feud than to create one. As long as you can handle everything impartially, the palace and the Wei family will definitely reward you."
From the sound of it, it seemed like the prince had already approved her request.
But I don’t know what chips she is offering?
The prince is already like that, it’s impossible that he is selling his body, right?
Although he was thinking wildly in his mind, he still bowed calmly on the surface.
Seeing how frugal he was with his words, Wei finally gave up trying to persuade him and left angrily with her two maids.
Her palace skirt was originally loose, but now it was soaked with rain and dew, making it look much tighter. From behind, her skirt looked like two petals of a peach, trembling slightly with her steps, like a ripe fruit on the branch, sending out signals that it was waiting to be picked.
It seems that she not only has a pair of long legs, but also a buttocks...
"Lord Sun."
Just as he was watching the 'ripe fruit' go further and further away, another eunuch came out of the courtyard and said, "Your Highness, please come in and talk."
Sun Shaozong withdrew his gaze as if nothing had happened and followed the eunuch into the room.
When they arrived at the prince's bedroom, they saw that the princess did not avoid him, but stood at the head of the bed with dignity and grace. When she saw Sun Shaozong coming in from outside, she nodded slightly out of habit, and then her face turned a little red with embarrassment.
"Your Highness, mother..."
"My dear, there is no need to be so polite!"
The prince seemed very excited. Before Sun Shaozong finished his greeting, he rushed to say, "That fierce woman came here to pay her respects to me! "
After listening to his incoherent talk, Sun Shaozong realized that Shui Rong really spared no expense to protect his brother-in-law Wei Ruolan.
Not only did he make a promise to the prince through Wei, he would also write a letter to denounce the censors who linked the solar eclipse to the prince's misconduct, and point out the suspicion on the Niu family.
He also promised to visit King Zhongshun in person and submit to him.
In the future, I promise to follow the orders of Your Majesty and the Crown Prince.
"That old man..."
"cough!"
The prince was so excited that he almost blurted out the words "old hag". Fortunately, the princess was there and interrupted his nonsense in time.
He then changed his words stiffly: "The Queen Mother probably never dreamed that her most beloved grandson would stab the Niu family in the back!"
No wonder the prince is so proud.
Just like the imperial grandson fabricated by Sun Shaozong, there were actually quite a few people in the court who suspected that the Niu family was the mastermind behind the incident. However, due to the relationship between the empress dowager and the emperor, no one dared to break this window paper without evidence.
Prince Beijing Shui Rong was an exception. No matter how angry the empress dowager was, she was reluctant to take action against her only grandson.
However, when Sun Shaozong heard this, a thought suddenly occurred to him: Could it be that Wei Ruolan really killed Niu Jizong's eldest son? !
