In just one night, Fuchang County completely changed. Xiao Cheng and his accomplices, except those who resisted and were executed, were all arrested and brought to justice. The prison of the government office was overcrowded for the first time. Xia Jingyao took over the government and military affairs in the city and stayed at the government office to take command all night.
"My lord, I did not find Liu Yunfei in the governor's mansion. I asked the servants in the governor's mansion, but no one knew her whereabouts." Near dawn, He Wu came to the government office to report on Liu Yunfei's situation.
"Forget it if you can't find it. You go back to the mansion and report to Madam that you are safe. At the same time, tell Madam that I have not had time to go back to the mansion in the past few days. If there is anything important in the mansion, send someone to the mansion. Come deliver the letter." Xia Jingyao originally wanted to save Liu Yunfei's life for Liu Yunqing's sake. Since she is no longer in the magistrate's mansion, there is no need to waste time on her.
"Yes, young master." He Wu agreed and headed towards the Hou Mansion.
Ever since Xia Jingyao led people to chase Xiao Cheng, Liu Yunqing had been worried. During special times, all affairs within the government were handed over to Captain Sun. Liu Yunqing returned to Qingyun Court and couldn't sleep for a while, so he picked up the account book that he had not read before and read it. Haitang stood within three steps of Liu Yunqing, concentrating on guarding against him. In such a chaotic night, there might be bad guys who would take risks. Haitang's duty is to ensure Liu Yunqing's safety. After Liu Yunqing read the account book, he paced in the room. The longer the time went on, the more worried he became about Xia Jingyao.
When the sky was slightly bright, He Wu returned to the Hou Mansion. He Wu told Captain Sun a few words and then came to Qingyun Courtyard. Arriving at the door, He Wu knocked on the door. Hearing the knock on the door, Liu Yunqing hurriedly walked towards the door. Haitang quickly stepped forward and stopped Liu Yunqing.
"Who?" Haitang asked warily as he unsheathed his sword.
"Madam, this is my subordinate He Wu. Master asked me to come back to report that I am safe." He Wu replied outside the door. Hearing that it was He Wu, Haitang stepped forward and opened the door.
"Master Hou, are you not injured?" Liu Yunqing asked anxiously as soon as he opened the door.
"Madam, don't worry, the Marquis is not injured. Now all affairs in the city are decided by the young master. In the past few days, the young master should not have time to return to the mansion. The young master asked his subordinates to tell the lady that if there is an emergency in the mansion, he can order someone to go to the government office. Send the letter. My subordinates have told Sun Yang to strengthen the defense in the palace and will ensure the safety of his wife." General He Wu conveyed the instructions from Xia Jingyao to Liu Yunqing.
"It's fine that he's not injured. The Marquis is in the government office, so I'll ask you to take care of him." After a night of worry and worry, Liu Yunqing finally felt relieved and bowed to He Wu.
"Madam, don't worry, my subordinates will take good care of the young master and won't let him get hurt." He Wu gave Liu Yunqing a gift in return and assured.
"Lian'er, go and pack some of the Marquis's clothes and daily necessities, and ask He Wu to bring them to the Marquis." Liu Yunqing ordered Lian'er.
"Yes, miss." Lian'er agreed and went to clean up.
"Did Xiao Cheng catch it?" Liu Yunqing asked while Lian'er was packing her things.
"Caught, Xiao Cheng and his accomplices have been arrested. This time the young master has made great achievements, he should be able to return to the imperial capital and become an official in the court." He Wu replied with a smile. This time Xia Jingyao has made great achievements, and your Majesty will definitely give Xia Jingyao a promotion.
Hearing He Wu's words, Liu Yunqing felt a little complicated. She had always wanted to go to the Imperial Capital, and it seemed that she would soon be able to do so, but she suddenly hesitated. Deep down in Liu Yunqing's heart, she still felt a little inferior. She has no family background, no background, and only knows some business matters. She was afraid that when she arrived in the imperial capital, not only would she not be able to help Xia Jingyao, but she would also cause trouble to Xia Jingyao and make people look down on Xia Jingyao. Maybe Xia Jingyao marrying Zhao Zi is the best choice for him, Liu Yunqing suddenly had such an idea.
"Madam, I'm resigning." After Lian'er handed the baggage to He Wu, He Wu bowed to Liu Yunqing and resigned.
"Yeah, okay." After hearing He Wu's words, Liu Yunqing came back to her senses.
After He Wu left, Liu Yunqing lay on the bed. I thought I would fall asleep quickly after not sleeping all night. But he couldn't sleep for a long time. He was thinking about this and that, and all kinds of random thoughts made Liu Yunqing very irritable.
The people in the city were not affected at all. After dawn, the streets became lively again. The blood stains on the street have been cleaned up. The battle last night was as if it had never happened. It was just the seals on the gates of some mansions and the patrols wearing different clothes than before that made some thoughtful people realize that something big might have happened.
In the next few days, Xia Jingyao ordered people to interrogate Xiao Cheng and his gang members. Xiao Cheng acted very calmly and refused to admit any of the crimes Xia Jingyao listed for him. He knew that the things he had done were enough to kill everyone in his family. He believed that as long as he refused to admit it, the third prince would definitely save him. After all, he had done a lot of shady things for the third prince, and the third prince did not dare to abandon him easily.
The other officials, however, did not have his self-confidence. They confessed exactly what they had done before they were even tortured. With the confessions of these officials, it no longer matters whether Xiao Cheng pleads guilty or not. The confessions of these officials were enough to convict Xiao Cheng. Xia Jingyao ordered people to sort out all the confessions of these officials. After that, he wrote a memorial, and together with these confessions, they were rushed eight hundred miles to the imperial capital.
"Master, someone from the imperial capital is here." Two days after the memorial was sent out, He Wu came to Xia Jingyao and presented the invitation to Xia Jingyao.
"Let people come in." Xia Jingyao took the invitation and said after reading it.
Soon, He Wu walked in with a middle-aged man.
"When he was lowered to the post, Wei paid homage to the Marquis. "When the visitor sees Xia Jingyao, he bows respectfully.
"I don't know why you came to see me, sir?" Xia Jingyao asked, looking at the person in front of him.
"Master Hou, this." Shi Wei looked at He Wu, his intention was very clear, he wanted to talk to Xia Jingyao alone.
Xia Jingyao winked at He Wu, and He Wu retreated.
"Master Marquis, I am here on the orders of the Third Prince. I want to ask Master Hou to raise his hand and let Xiao Cheng go. As long as Master Hou is willing to raise his hand, Master Hou will be the ally of the Third Prince. From now on, if you have anything to do with him, you can contact him The third prince asked for help. From now on, the Marquis will be promoted to a higher rank, which will be just around the corner." When He Wu left, Shi Wei directly stated his intention.
"Master Shi came a step too late. My memorial has already been rushed eight hundred miles away and sent to the imperial capital." Xia Jingyao declined Shi Wei's proposal.
"It doesn't matter, it's not too difficult to postpone the submission of the memorial for a few days. The Marquis can completely write a new memorial and send it back to the imperial capital by the lower official, exchanging it with the Marquis' previous memorial." Shi Wei had already thought about it. Countermeasures.
"I'm afraid I will disappoint Mr. Shi. I will not rewrite the memorial. Xiao Cheng's crimes are too numerous to describe and he deserves to die. I will not let him go." Xia Jingyao expressed his attitude simply and clearly.
"The Marquis is still young and has a bright future. It is not wise to establish a strong enemy for Xiao Cheng. Sometimes right and wrong are not that important. In the officialdom, only interests and positions are the most important. Very important. Soon, the third prince will become the crown prince, and from now on he will be the king. The lower official believes that the Marquis should think twice before doing anything that he will regret." Shi Wei saw that the inducement was not enough and began to threaten.
"Master Shi, please come back. I only do things with a clear conscience. As for how high my official position is, I don't care. He Wu, see the guests off." Xia Jingyao didn't want to waste any more words and directly issued an eviction order.
"Please think again, Lord Marquis. I will come to visit you again tomorrow. I will resign." Shi Wei bowed and retreated.
Shi Wei was not surprised by Xia Jingyao's reaction. He lobbied many officials on behalf of the third prince. Most of them were tough at first, but in the end they all gave in. He has never seen anyone who has no desires, including fame, wealth, status, poems and songs, antiques, calligraphy and painting, fine wine and beautiful women. As long as there is someone he likes, he is confident that he can conquer the other person.
