Zhou Shuren took the two handkerchiefs with him and did not return to the study, but went to Mr. Meng's yard. He accepted Meng Jie as his apprentice in exchange for Mr. Meng's ten years of hard work. Mr. Meng helped him a lot in many things in the past two years.
Mr. Meng took the two handkerchiefs and took a deep breath. He was not concerned about the map, but the other handkerchief. "How daring! They can even take away the serious criminals who were detained and exiled by the court. It seems that it has been more than one or two years. It is also normal that some people died in the place of exile."
Zhou Shuren leaned back in his chair. "It looks like they've been fishing illegally for a long time. Catching a large number of skilled fishermen will easily attract attention. It's easier to cover up by catching serious criminals."
Mr. Meng put down his handkerchief and said, "The officials in this dynasty use serious criminals or prisoners on death row to fish for pearls. Is this a tip from the officials?"
Zhou Shuren took a sip of tea and said, "Who knows? I'm just afraid that the serious criminals these people took away were not all for fishing."
Mr. Meng was silent. Indeed, what they saw were just messages. How much message could be written on a handkerchief? It would be wrong to give important hints. No one could know the specific data.
Since the establishment of the dynasty, countless noble families have been raided and countless people have been killed. It is estimated that there are no way to count how many prisoners are being held in custody.
Zhou Shuren pressed his brows. He wanted to find out who was plotting against the Zhou family, but now it seemed that the tail was too thick, making him irritated. "Please help me sort it out. I need to write a memorial."
Mr. Meng: "Okay."
Before going to bed at night, Zhulan didn't wait for Zhou Shuren to come back. Zhulan was no longer sleepy. She patted her son from time to time, but her mind was on the Xu family. The Xu family could find so many things, which showed that Mr. Xu was not a simple person. So the method he used to plot against the Zhou family last time was too clumsy.
Now that I think about it, the Xu family did it on purpose, just to sever ties with the Zhou family, and then make a secret move!
Zhulan was full of admiration and felt a sense of urgency, reminding herself that there were too many smart people.
In the middle of the night, Zhulan felt that there was someone next to her. She opened her eyes suddenly and saw Zhou Shuren had just laid down. Fortunately, the moon was full today, otherwise she would not be able to see Zhou Shuren clearly.
Zhou Shuren was stunned for a moment, patted Zhulan's back and said, "I was scared."
Zhulan calmed her violently beating heart for a while and took a deep breath, "Ah, I was a little scared. The main reason is that what I learned today is fatal. I dare not sleep too deeply."
Zhou Shuren expressed his understanding. Zhulan's psychological endurance was pretty good. He even took a deep breath today. "The memorial has been sent away. This matter is not something I can interfere with."
Zhulan asked, "Have you also given away the handkerchiefs?"
Zhou Shuren nodded, "Yeah."
Zhulan finally breathed a sigh of relief. After the fright, her heartstrings relaxed and she was no longer nervous. She hugged Zhou Shuren tightly and her heart gradually calmed down. As long as they were together, it was fine. She soon fell asleep again.
Zhou Shuren didn't sleep. He hugged Zhulan tightly and thought that the memorial should have been sent to the palace. The one sent to the palace was left for him by the emperor for emergency use because it would be useless if exposed once.
Zhou Shuren had been using his brain for several hours. His brain was tired from using it so much that he fell asleep in a daze.
In the palace, the emperor who had just rested was called up. He did not look at the person kneeling on the ground, but quickly read the contents of the memorial with a fierce look in his eyes. He glanced at the map on the handkerchief, put it away with a cold face, and said to the person on the ground, "You don't have to go back."
"yes."
The emperor and his companions left. His hands, holding the memorial paper so tightly that their joints turned white, said to Eunuch Liu, "Call Lord Di."
Eunuch Liu: "Yes."
The Emperor said, "Wait, no need, you can go down."
Eunuch Liu couldn't wait to get away. The more he understood the emperor, the more he knew that this was the time when the emperor was most angry. "Yes."
The emperor asked everyone to leave, and when there was no one in the room, he spoke, "Go to the place of exile and check the names and information of all the detainees. I will only give you three days."
There was a response from the empty house, "Yes."
The emperor sat on the chair. The candlelight illuminated his face, but it couldn't remove the gloom on his face. The emperor closed his eyes. It seemed that the power of the previous dynasty had not been cleaned up. I don't know who took it over. The emperor picked up the vermilion pen and wrote the word Yao, crossed it out, threw down the pen, and said softly, "No, the timing is not right. He has patience, patience."
The emperor picked up the brush again, tore off some paper, wrote a short letter, folded it, and called someone over, "Give it to Lord Zhou. You will stay with Lord Zhou in the future."
"yes."
The emperor stood up and felt much better. He felt that Zhou Shuren was his lucky general. This chess piece of Zhou Shuren helped him so much. He should have used tough measures, but the problem was solved smoothly because of Zhou Shuren. What a lucky general! It's a pity that Zhou Shuren is not young anymore. But it's okay too. He just hopes that Zhou Shuren can always know when to advance and retreat!
The next morning, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren got up, and Jinyan, who was beside Zhou Shuren, arrived and said in a low voice, "Sir, someone is coming from the capital."
Zhou Shuren, "Let's go."
In the study, there stood a man with an ordinary face, who looked to be in his thirties. It was easy for people to ignore him even if he was just standing in the study. Zhou Shuren sighed, the emperor had so many treasures in his hands, and this man had such a low sense of presence.
The man bowed his head and said, "Sir, the emperor has ordered that I will replace Bing San and stay by your side in the future."
Zhou Shuren had already figured out the ranks of these spies. They were A, B, C, and D. Jin Yan and the others were from the D generation. "Who are you?"
The man said respectfully, "Yi Shi."
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard. The rank of the people around him increased very fast. Now they have reached the Yi generation.
Yi Shi had a blank expression on his face, but he was uneasy in his heart. One must know that people of the Yi generation all keep an eye on first-rank officials or dignitaries, and this was the first time he followed a fourth-rank prefect. Yes, follow, not stare.
Others were watching, but the ministers and dignitaries had no idea.
Zhou Shuren had no idea what Yi Shi was thinking. Even if he knew, he would still brag about it because he was more capable.
Zhou Shuren took the letter from the emperor, asking him to take good care of Jinzhou. This time he didn't have to cooperate secretly, but had to cooperate openly. The emperor gave him the name of a minister and asked him to accept the investigation of Jinzhou. The emperor really trusted his ability. This letter had to be destroyed, so he lit a candle and burned it.
As for Yi Shi, Zhou Shuren didn't need to make any arrangements. This person was still the one the emperor reserved for him for emergency use.
While having breakfast, Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren. Seeing that he walked briskly, she felt relieved and had some appetite.
Zhou Shuren went to the government office. Lord Wang saw Zhou Shuren and said, "Your Excellency is in a good mood."
Zhou Shuren, "... Lord Wang is letting himself go more and more."
Ever since this person realized that he could no longer pretend, he has been particularly willing to provoke him and test his mood from time to time. However, one has to admire that Lord Wang is really meticulous and is right five times out of ten.