Chapter 47

The women of Jiangnan are known for their gentle and tender nature, and a few words in the soft Wu dialect can melt the heart.

Lady Wang's voice was just like that, each word laced with a hint of softness, especially her pair of passionate eyes, which, even without deliberate effort, could always captivate a man's heart.

With eyes like those of a peach blossom, there are few women in the world who possess such a gaze. Thinking about it, Duan Zhengchun's luck wasn't too bad.

"Recently, I heard from my servants that my daughter was not taken by the female bandit. Is this true?" Lady Wang naturally wouldn't give Zhao Yougong a jade ruyi for nothing; her mind was preoccupied with finding Wang Yuyan, and she pressed on, fearing that Zhao Yougong might be hiding something from her.

Murong Fu's expression was also filled with sorrow as he clasped his hands and replied, "Your Highness, you may not know, but my cousin has a pure and kind nature and has never left Suzhou Prefecture. If Your Highness knows anything, I hope you will inform me!"

Zhao Yougong's expression wasn't too good. Hearing the tone of Li Qingluo and Murong Fu, it seemed they were suspecting him of lying. Closing the wooden box, he smiled somewhat displeased, "Lady Wang, don't worry. I am also deeply distressed about the matter of the Wang family's young lady. However, since she was taken, I have indeed not seen the female bandit with anyone. Of course, if the female bandit had hidden the young lady beforehand, I would not know about it!"

Although his expression wasn't good, Zhao Yougong's words were still sincere. Lady Wang's already furrowed brows became even tighter, and as she lowered her head, the faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes became clearly visible.

Time does indeed age a woman, no matter how well she takes care of herself, the marks of time will always remain.

That day, the apprentice and the little villainess fled in disarray. If they returned to take Yuyan and then kidnapped the Prince of Yongning in the capital, the timing would indeed be tight. If the little villainess didn't have Yuyan with her, who else could have taken Yuyan?

Lady Wang was deeply troubled, and she had no heart to drink tea. For so many years, she and her daughter had relied on each other, and her daughter was her heart's treasure. How could she not be heartbroken by this situation?

"Mr. Murong, do you know if Lady Wang has any enemies?"

Hearing Zhao Yougong's question, Murong Fu felt a bitter smile. Wasn't this a pointless question? Murong Fu had already investigated this thoroughly. Those who had grudges against the Wang family had almost never come to Suzhou Prefecture. The most suspicious were the apprentice and the little villainess.

"Alas, Your Highness is right. I thought the same, but after investigating many people, I found no leads. In desperation, I brought my aunt to trouble Your Highness!"

Lady Wang's mind was in turmoil, and with Zhao Yougong's fiery gaze, she found an excuse to leave. The boat drifted gently on Taihu Lake, and as Lady Wang left, Zhao Yougong muttered with lingering affection.

Zhu Mian couldn't understand why Prince Zhao's interests were so broad. If he had seen the Wang family's young lady, he might have been tempted to take both mother and daughter.

A Zhu instructed the servants to bring some wine and dishes. The dishes were not complicated but were elegant and refined, such as steamed goose feet, snow tofu, and shrimp with green vegetables. A taste revealed them to be fresh, tender, and fragrant, truly delicious. A Zhu's cooking skills were indeed excellent, and as he savored the Suzhou delicacies, Zhao Yougong couldn't help but think of Ying Ruo, whom he hadn't eaten food from for many years.

If compared, Ying Ruo's cooking skills were no less than A Zhu's, and her style was even more diverse.

A Zhu probably feared Zhao Yougong, for she didn't show up again after the banquet began. Although he enjoyed the drink, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

Around midday, the three of them had drunk enough, and the servants came to clear the table. Zhao Yougong, led by Murong Fu, went to the Qin Yun Pavilion. For some reason, A Bi was not there, and only a burly middle-aged man was serving him. The breeze blew gently by Taihu Lake, and the bamboo groves swayed, with clusters of flowers blooming brightly.

Sitting in the pavilion, the shimmering waters of Taihu Lake were at his feet. With a slight movement of his eyes, the middle-aged man brought a wooden box.

"Sir, this is what you asked for!"

Zhao Yougong didn't care what was in the wooden box; what interested him was the middle-aged man. Despite being a man, he had a faint feminine scent, which, though very light, couldn't escape Zhao Yougong's nose. It was the scent of a daffodil, which must be A Zhu. Knowing A Zhu's unparalleled skill in disguise, he was still amazed when he saw it in action.

The man had a steel-like stubble, a bronze-colored skin, and an ordinary face. It was strange that his appearance could be changed, but how did A Zhu, with her slender arms and legs, become so strong and muscular?

If A Zhu were by his side, with her skill in disguise, she could do many things. He had some ideas in mind, but his face showed nothing. He waved his fan and chuckled, "Mr. Murong, what's in the box?"

"It's not anything valuable. Manager Zhu usually likes to drink some light tea, so I prepared some bamboo shoot tea for him. If Your Highness has the same interest, I can give you some as well!"

Hearing that the box contained tea, Zhao Yougong immediately lost interest. Murong Fu smiled faintly, saying nothing more. The young prince was uneducated and had no appreciation for elegance, so he wouldn't like tea.

In fact, Zhu Mian didn't understand tea either, but with his high status, he always liked to indulge in elegant pursuits. Due to his background, he hated it when others said he lacked elegance, so he would pretend to be a noble.

"Alas, Manager Zhu, are there any interesting places in Suzhou Prefecture? Looking at flowers and plants all the time can be boring!"

Zhu Mian rolled his eyes inwardly. If you don't look at flowers and plants, do you want to go to the streets to watch passing women?

"There are interesting things. Tomorrow, I will go to collect some antiques. Is the prince interested?"

Zhao Yougong was puzzled. Zhu Mian knew nothing about antiques. Why would he go to collect them? After some thought, he understood. Zhu Mian must be planning to rob graves!

Zhao Yougong knew a bit about the Suzhou Supply Bureau. Since the establishment of the bureau during the Chongning period, Zhu Mian had been aggressively collecting interesting items to please Emperor Zhezong. To get more good things, the Zhu family had devised many schemes, such as forced buying and selling, accepting bribes, and the most extreme method was grave robbing.

The Zhu family's grave robbing was different from others. Others had to do it secretly, robbing unguarded tombs, but the Zhu family was more direct. In the Jiangnan region, there were many prominent families from the Sui and Tang dynasties, and the Zhu family targeted their family tombs. To make it sound better, they called it "relocating ancestral graves."

This move by the Zhu family was quite despicable, and the people of Suzhou Prefecture were filled with complaints. The common people even gave Zhu Mian a nickname: "Pig Grave Robber"!

Murong Fu naturally knew about Zhu Mian's deeds, but he wouldn't say anything. He let Zhu Mian do as he pleased, the more chaos he caused, the better. If the Jiangnan region fell into disorder, it would be an opportunity for Murong Fu.

Zhao Yougong showed great interest, closing his fan and leaning forward with a smile, "Collecting antiques? Yes, that's a good idea. Whose antiques does Manager Zhu want to collect?"

"Hehe, has the prince heard of the Lanling Xiao family? The Xiao family's ancestors were the royal family of the Western Liang, so they naturally have many valuable items!"

Zhao Yougong felt a chill. He admired Zhu Mian's audacity for planning to rob the Xiao family's ancestral graves. The Lanling Xiao family was the first prominent family in Jiangnan. Although their influence had waned over the centuries, they were not to be trifled with. Although he didn't know much, Zhao Yougong knew a bit about the Xiao family's major branches. During the Huizong period, the two largest branches of the Xiao family were in Yangzhou and Suzhou, with the Taihu Xiao family descending from the Southern Liang royal family, and their ancestral tombs were in Meili Town in the northeast of Suzhou.

If the Xiao family's ancestral graves were robbed, the gains would be unimaginable. Zhao Yougong was also somewhat tempted. What would happen if he claimed the treasures from the tombs for himself?

This thought, once it arose, could not be suppressed. Zhao Yougong desperately needed a fortune. Without a large amount of money, even if he could leave the capital, it would be difficult to achieve his goals.

"I know a bit. I heard that the Xiao family's ancestors included dozens of prime ministers?"

Zhao Yougong's words surprised Zhu Mian. It was not easy for the young prince to know these things.

"Your Highness is correct. The Lanling Xiao family is a thousand-year-old scholarly family. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Xiao family produced thirty-six prime ministers!"

Murong Fu's words were filled with admiration, but Zhao Yougong detected a hint of jealousy. The Xiao family was excellent, but the Murong family of Gusu was no less. Zhu Mian was stirring up the entire Jiangnan region, yet Murong Fu still praised him. What was his intention?

Zhao Yougong was clear about Murong Fu's intentions. He neither liked nor disliked Murong Fu, but he admired his ambition to restore the glory of his ancestors, a noble goal for a man.

He decided to accompany Zhu Mian to rob the Xiao family's ancestral graves tomorrow, not just to rob, but to dig deep.

Zhu Mian sipped his tea and chatted about some interesting things in Jiangnan, but he didn't take the Xiao family's matter seriously. No matter how glorious the Xiao family had been in the past, they couldn't resist the soldiers of Suzhou Prefecture now.

In the evening, the boat left the Qin Yun Pavilion and headed for the south shore of Taihu Lake. On land, Zhao Yougong walked with his fan, but he caught sight of two figures.

Seeing the familiar figure, Zhao Yougong first frowned, then chuckled.

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