Chapter 514: Evidence Falling From the Sky

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Ruyi heard the guard’s report and went to the entrance of the posthouse to see the woman. She was in her thirties and kept looking around cautiously.

When the woman saw Ruyi, she forced a smile and revealed a pleading expression. “Steward Zhou, my master is Lord Zhou’s classmate. Master asked me to send some food to Lord Zhou.

Ruyi glanced at her to see what she was up to. “Okay, please come in.”

When the woman heard Ruyi let her in, she hurriedly followed her into the posthouse. After entering, Ruyi turned to look at the woman. “Tell me! Why are you looking for my master?”

The woman glanced at him and bowed. “I want to see Lord Zhou. I have something to report.”

“My master won’t see you. Tell me if you need anything. I’ll tell him.”

The woman looked at Ruyi and hesitated. She thought to herself that Young Master finally sent out the news. If she screwed it up, how would she face Young Master?

Ruyi looked at her indifferently. “Since you don’t want to say it, please leave!”

The woman looked at Ruyi and gritted her teeth to make up her mind. She took out a letter from the compartment of the food box and handed it to Ruyi. “Little brother, please hand this letter to Lord Zhou. Little brother, it’s urgent. Please don’t delay it.”

Ruyi took the letter and glanced at the woman. “Alright, leave!”

The woman bent her knees and bowed. “Little brother, my family lives on Bamboo Street in the west of the city. There’s a white jade orchid tree at the door of the fifth house in Causeway Lane. My husband’s surname is Wu. After you read the letter, go there and look for me. Lord Zhou has to come personally.”

Ruyi nodded. “Alright, after I show the letter to Master, I’ll look for you if anything happens.”

The woman took out the food from the food box and handed it to Ruyi. “Little brother, this is the rice cake I made myself. Try it.”

“Okay, thanks.” Ruyi took the rice cake, looked at her, nodded, and turned to leave.

Ruyi put the letter in his pocket and returned to the courtyard. He glanced at the rice cake wrapped in lotus leaves and placed it on the table. He said to the secret guard sitting quietly in the chair, “Brother Chen, I have something to do. ”

The secret guard nodded. Ruyi turned around and came out of the courtyard. Before long, he discovered someone following him. After thinking for a moment, he simply brought the person into an alley and hid to the side. When he caught up, Ruyu suddenly appeared and grabbed the person, and threw him over his shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground. Ruyi stepped on his chest and shouted, “Tell me, who sent you?”

The person looked at Ruyi self-righteously and roared, “Does this road belong to your family? What right do you have to hit me?”

Ruyi knocked him out with a punch and walked through the alley towards the small courtyard at the bridge.

When he arrived at the small courtyard, he opened the letter and realized that it was a page torn from the account book. It recorded the amount received on a certain month and day, and the amount that was sent away. From the quantity, it was a lot.

In the margin below, it said: If you want to know what this is, find the messenger.

Ruyi looked at Zhou Jia. ‘Master, the woman who sent the letter lives on

Bamboo Street. I think she has something to tell you. Shall we look for her?” “What if it’s a trap they set?” Zhao Cai felt that it was better to be careful.

Zhou Jia held the thin letter in his hand. Since he had read the contents repeatedly from other sources, he guessed that the record should be the iron ore transaction. Could it be that the Cheng family had also sold the iron ore?

“Let’s go! Let’s take a look,” Zhou Jia said to them.

Zhao Cai looked at Zhou Jia. “Master, I think we should go and investigate first.

Zhou Jia raised his hand and said, “If you’re worried, go first and check before I go in.”

The round-faced secret guard went to pull out the cart. Before dark, the four of them arrived at Causeway Lane. A faint magnolia fragrance spread in all directions.

Ruyi got out of the car and walked under the flowering tree. He knocked on the courtyard door and saw the woman and a tall man standing behind her.

The woman looked behind Ruyi and let him into the courtyard. She asked anxiously, “Is Lord Zhou here?”

Ruyi saw that the courtyard was not big. There were three main rooms and four rooms. There were also two children sitting in the courtyard. He glanced at the man. “Is this Brother Wu?”

The woman’s eyes reddened. “This belongs to my husband. He’s been poisoned mute and can’t speak. Little brother, believe me. We’re not bad people.”

The man also nodded at Ruyi. Ruyi nodded back in acknowledgment and walked to the entrance of the courtyard. Zhou Jia and the round-faced secret guard walked in. Zhou Jia glanced at the woman. “Tell me! Why did you use the account book to lure me here?”

The woman looked at the bearded Zhou Jia and said boldly, “I have to see your seal before I can tell you.”

Zhou Jia took out a small seal from his pocket and handed it to the woman. “I only carry this small seal with me.”

The man took it with both hands. After looking at it, he nodded at the woman and returned the small seal to Zhou Jia. The woman turned around and walked into the house. Soon, she came out with an oil paper bag and handed it to Zhou Jia.

“Lord Zhou, my young master handed this to us for safekeeping two months ago.

“The two of you don’t have to be so polite. You’ve scared the children.” Zhou Jia hurriedly placed the things in Ruyi’s hand and helped the man up. The woman hurriedly ran to pick up the children.

Zhou Jia looked at the woman. “Who’s your young master? Where is he now? Where did he get these things?”

The woman glanced at the man, who nodded to indicate that she could say, “I was originally the personal maidservant of the Third Madam of the Cheng family. Ten years ago, Madam let me go. The third branch of the Cheng family was birthed by a concubine. My young master secretly recorded these things. Young Master said that they were very important. After the head of the Cheng family left, the eldest master of the Cheng family took charge and detained Young Master’s family.”

It seemed that the third and second branches of the Cheng family were not on the same side. As soon as Old Master Cheng left, Master Cheng could not wait to eliminate the dissidents.

“I’ll do my best.” With that, he turned around and left. Ruyi and the secret guards also escorted Zhou Jia out.

When Zhou Jia returned to the small courtyard, it was already dark. He returned to the room and opened the oilcloth bag. He saw that there were 30 to 40 ledgers wrapped in it. On them were intermittent records of some accounts of the Cheng family selling iron ore privately for many years, as well as evidence of colluding with Magistrate Feng to sell iron ore.

It turned out that the Cheng family had been mining iron ore for the Imperial Court since the late emperor was in power and even sold iron ore privately. It was only after Chu Yuhao took over that they were stopped. The Cheng family had only stopped for two years before they began to steal iron ore privately.

Chu Shan had only found out that the Cheng family had stopped working on the surface. After His Majesty removed the Cheng family’s mining rights, the Cheng family rested for two years on the surface, but they had secretly prepared to continue mining in a hidden place..

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