Chapter 28 Ledger

  Wang Siping seemed to feel that Zhang's shock was not enough, and added a few more sentences: "The people who were originally serving in the study of the Beijing government mansion were outside the house when the Duke had an accident, and it is unknown whether they saw or heard anything. Before the seventh day after the Duke's death, they were all dismissed and replaced with people used by the Marquis and his wife. These people are different from others who were dismissed, as others were driven to the outskirts of the city, while they were driven to a manor in Shandong Province. On the surface, it was because they were incompetent and panicked when the Duke fainted, but in reality, before the third seventh day after their arrival in Shandong, they were killed on the road by someone sent by the Marquis's wife. This matter was done secretly, and outsiders did not know about it, including their relatives and friends, who probably thought they were still working at the manor in Shandong."

  Zhang was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a while.

  If Zhang Chaoyi raised this question to her, it's possible that he hated Zhao Kuang extremely and had a mind to advise Zhang Shi to fight for the marquis title for his grandson, so he couldn't wait to pin more crimes on Zhao Kuang. Then Wang Siping's words indirectly proved that Zhao Kuang was directly responsible for the death of the Duke. Otherwise, why were all the servants who were dismissed from their posts the ones serving in the study? Also, thinking about the twenty million taels of silver that disappeared from the accounts of the shops managed by Zhao Kuang and his wife, it's likely that they did something extremely wrong, which led to the Duke's anger. Even the Duke, who usually loved his son dearly, would feel angry, so it must be a big mistake, one that Zhao Kuang might rather bear the reputation of having caused his father's death than let people know about it.

  Zhang bit her teeth and asked Wang Si Ping: "On the day that Duke Jun passed away, since you were in charge of checking the accounts, where are the account books?" Perhaps she could find some clues from above and uncover the truth.

  Wang Siping bowed down: "The account book of the shop was taken back by the madam that night, and as for the preparatory account book made after the final accounting to be shown to the Duke, only half of it was done. The madam also wanted it, and I, a humble servant, had no reason not to obey my master's orders. So I carefully copied the finished half of the account and handed it over to the madam along with the key to the account room an hour later."

  "What's written?" Zhang looked at Wang Si Ping.

  Wang Siping smiled slightly: "Yes, copy, the words on the draft are too messy, since it's to be presented to the lady, how can it not be rewritten clearly?"

  Zhang scolded him with a curse and asked directly: "Where is the original manuscript?!"

  "Let the old slave take it away." Wang Siping had a premonition that day that something was not right. He was a person promoted and reused by the county public master, although he was emotionally inclined towards Xiaolongfang, but in some matters, he still had a bottom line. In order to prevent any accidents, he secretly hid the original manuscript of the account book made from the accounting results in an extremely secret place, not even his wife and children knew about it, nor did he mention that day's affairs to anyone else until today when Zhang Chaoyi brought it up, and he was abandoned by Zhao Jiong again, had already made up his mind to join the Zhang family.

  Zhang asked about the specific hiding place, but Wang Si Ping refused to say anything, only saying: "If the old lady needs it, I will take it out immediately after returning to Beijing and hand it over to the old lady."

  Zhang knew that he was asking for a guarantee, fearing that she would also be like Zhao Jiong, abandoning him after using him. Although she didn't like Wang Si Ping in her heart, this time she was able to successfully expose Zhao Jiong's true face in public, and Guangping King was naturally the biggest reliance. Wang Si Ping also had merits that couldn't be ignored, so she gladly agreed to give him a good ending. If her ancestors could re-enter the Jiangnan Marquis Manor, they would continue to use him as the chief steward, and let his children and grandchildren go out to become good citizens. If her ancestors were unable to retake the manor, they would also give him a sum of silver, allowing him to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

  Wang Siping finally looked satisfied, and solemnly revealed the location of the hidden item: "In the house temple where the Duke's body is laid to rest, in the rear hall's main room, there is a statue of Guanyin. On the west side of the beam behind the Guanyin statue, there is a small black lacquer box. The original ledger is inside the box. I was able to put it there when I was helping to prepare the Duke's funeral chamber, using the ladder to climb up and hang the curtains as an excuse."

  After listening, Zhang let out a sigh of relief. The temple was different from others and was originally located on the surface of Zhao's family property. The surrounding land was bestowed by Emperor Taizu, and unless the Zhao family committed a heinous crime, it would not be possible for the emperor to reclaim it. The temple was also dedicated to the ancestors of the Zhao family, which had been rebuilt two years ago, so it was unlikely that anyone would disturb it again in the next decade or so. Moreover, the beam above was a secret place, and who would dare to climb up there without reason? Even if someone were to look up at the back of the Guanyin statue, the possibility of being discovered was extremely low, and Wang Si Ping must have considered this point as well.

  "Tell Wang Si Ping: 'This matter cannot be handled by a third person. After things are settled here, you return to the capital and find an appropriate time to take out the thing and hand it over to me.'"

  Wang Siping agreed.

  When he left the main house, he secretly wiped away his sweat, but his eyes involuntarily revealed a joyful expression. He had also stood firm, and even if Duke Zhao Jiong wanted to remove him, at least he still had the Zhang family as a way out, with some silver to take. Having been the head steward for so long, he had personally seen how much the late Duke loved this concubine, because his legitimate son couldn't inherit the title, and in order to make up for it, the Duke hadn't spared any expenses on Zhang Shi all these years. His eldest grandson had already been released by the Duke's mercy, and as long as he could erase the slave status of his son and daughter-in-law, they would be able to live a comfortable life as a wealthy family, so why bother continuing to serve others?

  For this dream, he can't relax yet.

  Wang Siping decided to send a few more people to the East Wing, where Zhao Kuang was currently recovering from his injuries. After returning to his hometown, he originally lived in the main house of the Front Hall, but after the city gate incident, Zhang's family moved into the backyard of the Front Hall, and Zhao Kuang fell off his horse and got injured. Gao Cheng was afraid that if they lived too close to her, she would have the opportunity to do something, so he specially moved the master to the empty East Wing, which actually gave Zhang's family a peaceful environment. Wang Siping sincerely hoped that Zhao Kuang's injuries wouldn't heal too quickly and worried that they would take advantage of the situation to harm Zhang's ancestors, so he kept a close eye on them.

  Gao Cheng again invited a doctor for Zhao Kuang, but they had been rude to the old doctor who was good at orthopedics before, and the news had spread. Some famous doctors with a bit of pride were unwilling to come, and those who came with ulterior motives heard that Zhao Kuang's injury was very serious and were afraid that if they couldn't cure him, they would be held responsible, so they hesitated and didn't dare to come. In the end, the one who came was someone whose skills were mediocre but had no great self-awareness. He pretended to take Zhao Kuang's pulse for half a day, and dropped his medical bag several times. Gao Cheng didn't understand a single word, and Zhao Kuang was in so much pain that he couldn't listen to anything. In the end, the doctor wrote a prescription, and after Zhao Kuang took two doses, he found that the pain on his body was getting smaller and smaller, and gradually, it didn't hurt anymore.

  Zhao Kuai was overjoyed, thinking that he had recovered. Not only did he praise the doctor as a divine physician, but he also gave him a large sum of gold and silver, plus several carts of silk fabrics and precious medicinal materials. The doctor was pleased with himself, feeling that he was very skilled and could be considered the number one person in Fengxian's medical community. He thought that even in Shanghai Prefecture, there were only a few people who could compare to him. Fortunately, his father knew how much he weighed and persuaded him to leave Zhao's house on the pretext of returning home to study medical books and come up with new prescriptions, taking the rewards with him. Then, under the cover of night, he packed up his belongings and escaped.

  The doctor ran away, and Zhao Jiong only started to feel that something was wrong. Although he didn't hurt anymore, he also had no sensation, stiffly lying on the bed. When Gao Cheng accidentally touched his wound, he couldn't feel it either. At first, he thought it was the medicine he drank that had anesthetic effect, but after stopping the medicine, the feeling still hadn't recovered. This time he panicked. The old doctor's words that he would be paralyzed were still ringing in his ears. Could it really have come true? He hastily called Gao Cheng to invite the previous doctor back, only to find that he was nowhere to be found.

  Paralysis of fear overwhelmed Zhao Kuang's rationality, and he became irritable and easily angered. He scolded the servants and maids around him at the slightest provocation, and even Gao Cheng, who had been waiting in front of him for a long time, couldn't escape his wrath. Gao Cheng secretly lamented his fate and could only try to persuade Zhao Kuang to let him invite back the old doctor who was skilled in orthopedics to diagnose and treat him again. Compared to the previous doctor who had run away, this one at least had some real skills.

  The old doctor only took a look at Zhao Kuang's injury, then looked at the prescription written by the previous doctor, didn't say a word, and turned around to leave. As soon as Zhao Kuang saw this, his heart sank. Gao Cheng hastily chased after him: "Doctor, Doctor, how is our young master's injury? Why aren't you saying anything?"

  The old doctor said, "I warned you early on, but you didn't believe me. This medicine is also not to be taken recklessly! I don't know where you invited this quack doctor from. If we say that the Marquis of Jianan still had a chance of being cured before, now even that chance is gone. Since I can no longer cure him, why shouldn't I leave quickly? Are you waiting for me to be driven away with big sticks?" After finishing speaking, he hastily left.

  Gao Cheng stayed in place for half a day, only hesitantly walking back and forth. He didn't dare imagine how Zhao Jiong would react if he knew about this matter. He was so worried that he didn't notice other servants nearby had overheard his conversation with the old doctor and quickly reported it to Wang Siping.

  Wang Siping reported to Zhang, and Zhang still replied indifferently: "I said I wouldn't care about his affairs, and I absolutely won't. Whether he's paralyzed or dead has nothing to do with me." Then she ordered Wang Siping: "Please invite Commander over."

  The Prince of Guangping couldn't be without his guards, so he sent his guard commander to Zhang's side, which was already a great face-saving gesture. Now the entire Zhao family knew that Zhang had the Prince of Guangping backing her up, and even the county magistrate of Fengxian had heard about it. If not for the mourning in the Zhao family, they might have come to curry favor with them directly. However, the commander was not one of Zhang's people after all, so he stayed for two days and should return now. Seeing that the Zhao family was still calm at the moment, he decided to temporarily leave four guards to protect Zhang, while the others would follow him back to the Prince of Guangping. Zhang had countless secrets to consult with the Prince of Guangping, but unfortunately, she couldn't leave herself, so she could only write a long letter, repeatedly weighing her words, and then entrust the guard commander to deliver it to the Prince of Guangping, taking the opportunity to bring her granddaughter back as well.

  Zhao? received the news that her grandmother was coming to pick her up when she had already been staying with the family of three, Guangping Wang, for four or five days. For four or five days, she hadn't seen her own relatives and had been living under someone else's roof. If it weren't for the kindness of Guangping Wang and his wife, and the cuteness of their son, Gao Zhen, she would have been feeling miserable a long time ago. But even though life was going well, she still hoped to return to her grandmother and little brother's side.

  Gao Zhen got a taste of being a teacher for the first time, and was addicted to it. Under his "teaching", Zhao not only memorized the entire "Three Character Classic" and " Hundred Family Surnames", but also mastered two sets of fist techniques. It's just that Gao Zhen was young and didn't know what it meant to stop while ahead, so he thought this intensity of teaching was no big deal. Zhao felt miserable, and when she heard her grandmother was coming to take her away, she immediately ran towards the courtyard where the Guangping King and his wife lived, stumbling as she went.

  (The heroine can be counted now, does this break my record? The record of "number of chapters without the heroine appearing"...)