The Thing Inside the Rag Doll
Qiao Zihua, who was waiting outside, hurried over.
"Second Uncle."
Qiao Zheng looked at him and frowned, "What's wrong with you? Why are you so dirty? And there's blood? "
"It's nothing, I just fell down." Qiao Zihua smiled awkwardly and hid his bloodied sleeve behind his back.
Being beaten up by someone, how shameful!
Qiao Zheng was not in the mood to care about this. He waved his sleeve, "Alright, go back.
”
Then he left.
Qiao Zihua followed closely behind.
In the hall, Jing Rong put away his meaningful smile and pondered.
Lang Po walked in and cupped his hands.
Jing Rong asked, "Did you hear everything?"
"Yes!"
"Then what do you think?"
"According to what Lord Qiao said just now, Lord Peng purposely submitted the memorial in order to avenge the First Prince and point the finger at Prince Yi. Lord Qu, on the other hand, had the same concerns as Lord Qiao – he was worried that Prince Yi was too ambitious and would be exposed sooner or later. That was why he and Lord Peng re-cultivated and joined forces to deal with Prince Yi. This explanation seems reasonable, but …"
"Speak."
"Officials in the imperial court are different from this subordinate who was born as a general. They know how to steer according to the situation and are meticulous in their calculations. If there is no one behind them or pushing them, it is impossible for them to openly oppose Prince Yi." Lang Po voiced out his thoughts.
Jing Rong was silent for a while. He gently tapped his thigh with one finger and softly muttered, "Peng Yuanhai? Qu Jiang? Mingshan Academy? Teacher Yu? "
What was the connection between these two?
Who was the one who created the power that was gradually forming behind him?
He thought for a while and ordered Lang Po, "Inform Lu Jiang to investigate the background of Peng and Qu Jiang. Also... which official positions did the students from Mingshan Academy hold in the imperial court? Make sure to investigate thoroughly. "
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Lang Po accepted the order and was about to leave when the attendant of the relay station came.
The attendant handed over the tidied up information.
"Your Highness, this is what Official Lin has sorted out. All the records of the goods that went in and out of the relay station on the day the relief funds were delivered are here."
His efficiency was quite high.
He took it, flipped through it, and nodded. "Go back and tell your Official Lin that if there's anything else related to the disaster relief funds, we'll look for him again."
"Yes."
Then, he retreated obediently.
There were several copies of the information that had been sorted out. After all, there were goods going in and out of the relay station every day without a break.
He flipped to one of the pages, which recorded the date and time of the first shipment of disaster relief silver a few years ago. Below it, there were also many densely packed records.
Ten loads of tribute rice, from a certain place to a certain place, to whom, for how long, how many relay stations in between to arrive at the relay station in Yufu, and how long it could be stored.
They were all recorded in detail.
There were also porcelain from Xuancheng, umbrellas from Beiliang, and jade from the Shen family in Luzhou …
Jing Rong closed the book. His head was throbbing. He rubbed his temples and rested his elbows on the table beside him. He lowered his head and closed his eyes.
Lang Po stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, why don't this subordinate take a look at it? If there's anything suspicious, I'll sort it out and bring it to you so that you can go through it again."
"There's no need. This prince will be fine after a short rest. You can leave first and inform Lu Jiang of my instructions."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Lang Po left.
Five in the morning!
Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the stifling sky. Dark clouds pressed down on the top of their heads, and a strong wind blew. The leaves swayed left and right in the face of the light rain. It became more and more intense, and the rain also became heavier.
Ji Yunshu was caught off guard by the sudden rain. She hurriedly ordered the servants to move the bones from the courtyard into the room, but the bones were still soaked.
The white cloth dripped with water, dripping down the edge of the table and onto the floor.
A large patch of water was left on the clean floor.
Aunty Xie used her own clothes to wipe the bones over and over again, tears streaming down her face.
Ji Yunshu looked outside and saw the doll on the white cloth rolling beside a pot of flowers, drenched by the rain.
She rushed out of the room without another word.
"Teacher Ji?"
Zhuang 'er hurriedly picked up an umbrella and chased after her, hitting her on the head.
She picked up the rag doll from the ground. The already dirty cloth became even dirtier, and the cold rainwater seeped through the cotton cloth that was gradually becoming heavy.
She clenched her fists, wanting to wring it dry.
But …
Just as she exerted some strength in her palm, before the doll could be squeezed into a ball, something in the cotton bumped against her, and she loosened her grip.
"Teacher, what's wrong?"
"There seems to be something in it."
Zhuang 'er was surprised. "What could be in this doll?"
Ji Yunshu furrowed her brows and pinched it a few times. There was indeed something hidden inside the cotton ball. It was very small, but it was very hard. She touched it and found that it was oval in shape, but at the end of the oval was a triangle. It looked like … a fish!
Yes, it was in the shape of a fish.
She suddenly remembered what Qiao Zihua had said before. Ye'er had been in contact with a man who wore a fish-shaped jade pendant. Could it be that the fish-shaped thing in the doll was that man's jade pendant?
She wanted to pinch it again!
But Aunty Xie rushed out and snatched the doll away. She looked at Ji Yunshu with a panicked expression.
"Teacher Ji, there's … nothing to see in this doll." Her voice trembled.
Ji Yunshu didn't say anything. She just pushed the umbrella on top of her head. "Come, let's talk inside."
After entering, Ji Yunshu wasn't in a hurry to make things clear. She asked Qiao 'er to cook two bowls of ginger soup.
"Aunty Xie, have a bowl of ginger soup."
She nodded, not letting go of the doll in her hand.
After she finished drinking, Ji Yunshu said, "The doll is soaked. Why don't you give it to Qiao 'er and let her dry it by the stove?"
Qiao 'er hurried forward. But Aunty Xie suddenly leaned to the side and hid the doll behind her. She lowered her eyes.
"There's no need. I won't trouble you."
"It's alright. It's no trouble at all. It's just a few steps. Give it to me." Qiao 'er went forward to take it.
Who knew …
"I said there's no need." Aunty Xie's tone became heavier.
Qiao 'er was stunned. Her hands froze in mid-air. She didn't know whether she should extend them or retract them. In short, she was frozen in place. Then, she looked at Ji Yunshu, wanting to ask for her opinion.
Ji Yunshu waved her hand. "The two of you can leave first."
Qiao 'er and Zhuang' er looked at each other and left with the bowls of ginger soup.
They waited for them to leave.
Ji Yunshu's gaze fell on the doll in Aunty Xie's arms. She slowly said something.
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