Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 87
“Did you investigate me?” Zhou Shu’an asked.
Their eyes met and Shen Shu’s charming and provocative eyes played an absolute dominance. She only raised her eyebrows slightly, and the man’s eyes became a little darker.
Shen Shu frowned and complained, “I spent two hundred strings of copper coins to buy information about Lord Zhou, but I only got three words: Rongliang, from Jiaxing, Suzhou.”
“It’s indeed a bit expensive.” Zhou Shu’an said in a neither loud nor low voice.
Shen Shu nodded in agreement. “Perhaps the investigator also felt guilty. When he left, he gave me a Suzhou landscape painting with a poem at the bottom. It was very well written.”
Zhou Shu’an looked at her and asked, “What was written in it?”
“When you go to Gusu, you will see that the people are all resting on the river. The ancient palace has little idle land, but the water harbor has many small bridges
[mfn]
(When you go to Gusu, you will see that the houses there are all built along the river.
The houses in Gusu are connected, and there is no open space; even on the river branches, there are many small bridges.
Note –
Gusu: Another name for Suzhou
Few idle lands: Refers to dense population and connected houses. Since the establishment of Suzhou, the city has been crisscrossed with waterways and numerous fishing boats. Life on the water has always been the main life of the local people.
This poem was written to send someone off for a tour of Suzhou.)
[/mfn]
.”
Zhou Shu’an watched her small mouth open and close as she recited the scenery of Suzhou, and the line of his jaw gradually tightened.
Shen Shu paused and said softly, “Is this what Lord Zhou’s hometown looks like?”
The man chuckled.
And in the next moment, Shen Shu’s waist was restrained by a pair of strong arms, and her breath was taken away.
After four years of marriage, Li Di’s kisses were always gentle and a little flattering, but Zhou Shu’an’s were not like that. This hot, dangerous, suffocating coercion made her heart plummet and her throat tighten.
She could even feel his palm on her waist, trembling slightly. Shen Shu guessed that this was probably the natural instinct and instinctive excitement of men towards their prey.
The minister of the Dali Temple, who has connections everywhere, probably has leverage over countless people. If he wants to play these kinds of games, who would know?
There was a wall behind them.
From Zhou Shuan’s perspective, Shen Shu had long legs and a tall body. As long as he held her waist and lifted her up slightly, some things would be possible. He was already in his thirties, so he would not fail to understand Shen Shu, who was in her early twenties. He knew very well that if he wanted her today, she would not refuse.
Thinking of this, a fire suddenly burned from his throat to his legs, hard and hot. His delusions, his unattainable desires, were now in his arms.
The corner of Zhou Shu’an’s mouth curled up into a smile as he struggled against his instinct. He suddenly let go and stood up straight.
“Tell me, what do you want me to do?”
Shen Shu looked at him, breathing softly, her chest rising and falling.
After a long pause, she took out two pieces of paper from her sleeve and whispered, “This is part of the account book for the construction of the Tongji Canal. I copied it.” One piece of paper contained the silver allocated by the Ministry of Personnel, and the other piece was the evidence that Li Di had embezzled money.
“Although this is not irrefutable evidence, if we continue to investigate, we will definitely find something.”
Zhou Shu’an leaned forward again and whispered to her, “Don’t gasp, I didn’t hear you clearly, so please repeat again.”
This ambiguous posture of embracing each other’s necks was obviously meant to tease her.
Shen Shu gritted her teeth and followed his instructions, repeating word for word.
The man hummed, then put the paper in his arms and said, “I heard it clearly this time.”
Zhou Shu’an raised his hand and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, saying, “Is it difficult to do what you promised me?”
She promised him three things in total: not to enter the Taoist temple, not to let Li Di touch her, and the other was to have a private affair with him.
The first and the third were as clear. What he wanted to ask was only the second one.
“It was a lucky escape.”
What she meant was: since it was just a fluke, no one can guarantee whether there will be a next time.
They walked out of the Dali Temple Prison one after the other, the blinding sunlight shining on them. When she turned to leave, Zhou Shu’an grabbed her wrist and whispered, “If he bullies you…”
Shen Shu looked back at him, pulled back her hand, and whispered, “Lord Zhou, isn’t it too hard to handle two tasks at once? Why do you want to interfere in other people’s family affairs?”
After saying that, she got on the carriage without looking back.
All emotional expressions between men and women are formed through repeated trials; he takes one step back, and she takes one step forward.
He looked at the golden hem of her skirt and his eyes narrowed.
She did it deliberately, didn’t she?
——
Jingzhao Prefecture.
When Lu Yan took over the Governor post of Jingzhao Prefecture, the position of magistrate was naturally vacant. Jingzhao Prefecture was not part of the six ministries and was directly governed by the Emperor, so naturally anyone could be placed there.
The Crown Prince was smart and knew that institutions like Jingzhao Prefecture and Dali Temple could not be touched, so he avoided the issue of recommending talents early on. The Xu family tried to reach out, but ultimately backed off.
At a time of distress, Sui Yu, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, recommended a man to Lu Yan – Meng Wei.
Meng Wei is the youngest son of the former Minister of Agriculture Meng Haoyi. He is only nineteen years old and is known as a young genius. Three years ago, he was appointed as an eighth-rank county magistrate by virtue of his ancestors’ influence. It is said that he has outstanding abilities. Not only can he perform autopsies, understand medical skills, run fast, but he can also recite the Jin Dynasty Law.
In normal circumstances, with such talent, he should have made his mark in the capital long ago. However, the Meng family was no longer as prosperous as it used to be, and his three brothers were all cowardly, so he suffered a lot of oppression.
Of course, it is understandable that Meng Wei was suppressed. The county magistrate next to him was sweating as he was busy reading the laws to judge a case, while Meng Wei could recite the original text immediately. Who would not feel uncomfortable in this situation?
Meng Wei’s abilities just highlight the incompetence of others.
To elevate him, doesn’t that mean getting crushed under him?
When Lu Yan heard about this famous person, he nodded immediately.
After entering the palace to meet the emperor, Meng Wei was transferred to Jingzhao Prefecture. However, Meng Wei was still young and had never participated in the imperial examination, so he could not convince the public and naturally could not be directly appointed as the fourth rank official. Therefore, the word “temporary” was added after the title of magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture.
But even if it is a temporary replacement, it is something that others cannot obtain easily.
Lu Yan sat in the office, looking down at the files. Sun Xu coughed and said, “Lord Lu, Meng Wei is here.”
Lu Yan raised his chin and said, “Tell him to come in.”
Meng Wei looked neat, with a high forehead, youthful eyes, light steps, and his posture was perfect. One can tell at a glance that he is a well-behaved young man.
“Come closer.” Lu Yan said.
Meng Wei walked over and said, “Meng Wei greets Lord Lu!”
When he looked up, Meng Wei’s eyes flickered. Speaking of which, this young man’s admiration for Lord Lu was endless, like the surging waves of a river..
In Meng Wei’s opinion, if there was no Lord Lu in Chang’an, there would be no sunny and peaceful July in the 17th year of Yuanqing. If the plague had spread, there would probably be only misery everywhere.
Lu Yan looked at him and said, “I heard that you can do autopsies? And you also know medical skills?”
Meng Wei said: “I only have a basic understanding, not mastery.”
Lu Yan nodded. “Jingzhao Prefecture has many affairs to attend to, so I can’t give you much time to adapt. The coroner is on leave today. There are two bodies in the backyard. Are you willing to go and take a look?”
“Reporting to the Lord! I will do it!”
Meng Wei recalled that when he was in the local county government, the magistrate ordered him to examine corpses and dig up graves, but he never asked him whether he was willing to do so.
On the contrary, he didn’t even have the chance to touch the document files.
Sun Xu smiled and said, “Why are you still standing there? Follow the yamen official.”
Meng Wei just turned around when Lu Yan said, “Wait a moment.”
“What do you want, my Lord?”
Lu Yan tapped the case files with his wolf hair brush and said, “This stack is yours. If you don’t understand anything, you can ask Lord Sun or the registrar.”
Meng Wei looked at the pile of documents.
There were case files and complaints inside. For a moment, his nose felt sore and he almost cried. His blood suddenly became hot, it looked like he finally came to the place his heart desired.
Lu Yan frowned slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable, and waved at him, “Go.”
Meng Wei held the case file in his hand and said loudly, “Lord Lu and Lord Sun, I will never forget your kindness.”
Lord Sun nodded repeatedly, “Lord Meng, you are too polite. It was not me who promoted you, but our Governor Lu. Now that you have entered Jingzhao Prefecture, you should get along with us like family members in the future. There is no need to be so reserved.”
Seeing this scene and hearing these words, if Meng Wei was not a man, he would definitely shed tears.
After Meng Wei left, Lu Yan leaned back, his brows relaxed, and a hint of smile appeared in his worldly-wise eyes.
He was very satisfied with Meng Wei. He was almost as easy to fool as Shen Zhen.
How can I not be satisfied?
Meng Wei was young and promising, full of ambitions. No matter how much dirty and tiring work he did, he never complained. He looked at Lu Yan, Sun Xu and others, who had read the case files so many times that they made them vomit, with gratitude in his eyes.
As if these case files in front of him are the full trust of his superiors and a contribution to the Jin Dynasty.
Indeed, everyone has gone through this.
Sun Xu pursed his lips and smiled, “Isn’t Lord Lu too cruel? With those case files and two corpses, given Lord Meng’s temper, can he still sleep today?”
Lu Yan retorted, “Didn’t Lord Sun just say that you wanted to get along with him as family? Why don’t you go and help him?”
Sun Xu touched his nose and said, “I am just testing his ability. Seeing is believing.”
Lu Yan gave him a look that said “me too”, and then he took out less than half of the remaining case file and handed it to Sun Xu, “This is all because the local county government can’t handle it.”
Sun Xu is not a young and naive person like Meng Wei. He knows exactly how many cases Jingzhao Prefecture has to deal with in a day.
What he had, plus what Meng Wei had…
Lord Lu is…giving him all the rest!
Soon, a Lieutenant who had gone out and returned to the office, happened to catch Lu Yan leaving in a hurry. He couldn’t help but shake his head and sighed: “Lord Sun, can’t Lord Lu take a rest?”
Sun Xu raised the corners of his lips with a fake smile, patted him on the back, and said, “Look, our Lord Lu is off duty now.”
The Lieutenant nodded in sudden realization, “Lord Lu finally knows how to take a rest.”
Hearing this, Sun Xu was speechless.
Then he kept shaking his head………….
