How much was a judicial commissioner's legitimate daughter worth? Su Yao had worked it out

Su Yao's mind was already racing with numbers.

The customs duties, caravan tolls, salt permit verification, and post station supplies at the eighteen checkpoints of Jiannan Circuit —if one had the legitimate daughter of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner by their side, even if she had run away, that connection would...

Shen Ling'er made the first move.

He took out a clean silk handkerchief from his sleeve, walked three steps to Yun Shuyue, bent down, and gently wiped away the soot and mud from Yun Shuyue's face with the handkerchief.

"Young lady, you've been frightened." Shen Ling'er's voice was as gentle as a warm breeze in March. "Let me see the injury on your back, lest it become a chronic condition."

Yun Shuyue froze.

Ever since her mother died, she, the legitimate daughter, has been tormented, pursued, and bullied by others since childhood.

Her father, who favored his concubine over his wife, turned a blind eye.

For so many years, no one has spoken to her in that tone.

Goosebumps started running down my neck and up my arms.

Gu Moran watched as his wives' expressions changed one after another, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

These people have a keen sense of smell, even better than hunting dogs.

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Lady Wang.

Take a step forward and lower your voice.

" Madam Wang."

Lady Wang's back tensed up.

"I have something to say, though I'm not sure if I should," Gu Moran said softly, his voice barely audible to the person inside the sedan chair. "Your eldest daughter has been away for three years, and the whole neighborhood has witnessed it. Today, your remarried wife has ordered men to beat her in the street with sticks; by tomorrow, the news will have spread throughout Yi Prefecture."

Lady Wang's face paled slightly.

"The second wife beat and killed the legitimate daughter in the street..." Gu Moran paused for a moment, her smile unchanged, "Does Madam think this matter can be resolved easily?"

Lady Wang's lips trembled slightly.

She looked at the wailing guards on the ground, and then at the crowds of onlookers who had gathered on both sides of the street.

The eyes of those common people clearly showed excitement and anticipation for the "internal strife within the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's family."

Lady Wang gritted her teeth.

"Carry the sedan chair." She lowered the curtain, her voice forced out through clenched teeth, "Return to the manor."

Steward Zhang quickly instructed the remaining guards to help the five kneeling men to their feet, and then temporarily found two wooden sticks to prop up a piece of cloth to serve as the sedan chair's roof.

The group was in a terrible state.

Before leaving, Lady Wang took one last look at Yun Shuyue through the crack in the curtain.

His eyes were as cold and sinister as a snake's.

Yun Shuyue stood there, stunned.

The five cups of fruit tea in my arms were still full.

Her back was numb with pain, and her undergarments were already soaked with cold sweat.

But she didn't let go.

Murong Xue darted over from the side and hooked her arm around Yun Shuyue's neck.

"Well done, you didn't spill your tea after getting hit with a stick. That's about as much as I used to hold on tightly even after falling off a horse."

Yun Shuyue was pulled forward two steps by her arm around the neck, and the tea finally swayed slightly.

"No, don't pull me! It's spilled!"

Murong Xue took all five cups of fruit tea with her other hand, holding them steady as a rock.

"Alright, look how badly you're injured, and you're still thinking about takeout. Come back with me."

Yun Shuyue: "... Where to go back to?"

"The Prince's Mansion."

"I'm not..."

"If you don't treat the wound on your back, you won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow." Shen Ling'er walked over, her voice still gentle. "Come on, miss, I'll apply the medicine for you."

Yun Shuyue was supported by two people, one on each side, and her steps followed involuntarily.

She glanced back at Gu Moran.

This sickly child.

That good-for-nothing who's controlled by a woman.

Just now... I didn't seem so pathetic.

A side hall of the former prince's mansion.

Yun Shuyue lay face down on the long couch, a piece of her clothing on her back cut open, revealing a purplish-red welt across her waist.

Shen Ling'er squatted by the bed, wiping the bruises little by little with a cotton cloth soaked in medicine.

"The bone isn't broken." Shen Ling'er's technique was extremely light, but when she touched the center of the bruise, Yun Shuyue still let out a muffled groan.

"The subcutaneous bruising is quite deep; you'll need to apply the medication for three consecutive days."

Yun Shuyue gritted her teeth, gripping the edge of the bed tightly with both hands.

"Then... can I still deliver food tomorrow?"

Shen Ling'er's hand paused for a moment.

"You cannot run for three days."

But the wages...

"Alright, a legitimate daughter of the family, still thinking about that little bit of money."

Su Yao's voice came from the doorway.

Yun Shuyue turned her head with difficulty and saw a woman in a moon-white brocade robe leaning against the door frame, holding a handful of abacus beads in her hand, her eyes even more shrewd than the accountant of Yi Prefecture City.

"What's your name?" Su Yao asked as she walked in.

Yun Shuyue hesitated for a moment.

"... Zhou Xiaoyue."

"The legitimate daughter of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, your father's surname is Yun and yours is Zhou?" Su Yao's tone was calm. " Lady Wang has already shouted it out in the street, half the city heard it."

Yun Shuyue buried her face in the pillow.

It's over.

Her identity, which she had concealed for three years, was exposed by that wretched woman with a single sentence.

" Yun Shuyue," she said in a muffled voice.

Su Yao put the abacus on the table and pulled up a stool to sit on the edge of the couch.

" Yun Shuyue, the eldest daughter of Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Yun Zhengze. She left home three years ago." Su Yao said, enunciating each word clearly, "Do you have something in your possession that makes the people from the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's office so eager to arrest you?"

Yun Shuyue's back tensed up, not because of pain.

She remained silent.

Su Yao didn't urge her.

Outside the door, Gu Moran leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, listening to the sounds inside.

Lin Qingdai stood to his left, Xie Wanqing stood to his right.

"The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's eldest daughter," Xie Wanqing said softly, "If she completely breaks ties with Yun Zhengze, it will be very bad for us..."

"That's her family matter," Gu Moran interrupted her.

Xie Wanqing looked at him.

"The person was just hit with a stick, and blood is still seeping from their back." Gu Moran's voice was lazy. "Let Shen Ling'er heal her wounds first, then we'll talk about other things."

Lin Qingdai glanced at him.

"When did you develop this kind of patience?"

"It has always been there."

"You're kidding me."

Gu Moran smiled and didn't argue.

He turned and walked towards the front hall.

Liu Ruyan emerged from behind the moon gate in the inner courtyard, holding a narrow strip of paper in her hand.

"I found it." Her voice was very soft; you could only hear her when you got close.

" Yun Zhengze has people from the Prince An's Residence's Mansion relaying messages for him. During his tenure in Yi Prefecture, he had secret dealings with the Gan Clan of Chengnan and the East Mountain Ironworks."

Gu Moran took the note.

"The people at the Flower-Between Pavilion also said," Liu Ruyan looked up at him, "That half of Yun Zhengze's old salt tax ledger was missing during the imperial audit. They haven't been able to find it."

Gu Moran folded the note twice and tucked it into her sleeve.

Half a book of old salt tax accounts.

The Eye of Detection provided him with the answer.

The provincial inspector's eldest daughter ran away from home, taking with her her father's secrets.

No wonder Lady Wang went so far as to take action in the street today.

"Let's leave it for now," Gu Moran said. "If she wants to stay, she can; if she doesn't, we'll let her go. We won't mention the debt; let her bring it up herself."

Liu Ruyan nodded.

Gu Moran took two steps, then turned back.

" Ruyan."

Liu Ruyan stood under the moon Chancellery, her profile bathed in the afternoon light, the curve of her jaw clean and sharp.

"Send someone to keep an eye on the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's office." Gu Moran's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, "Especially that Zhao Wuxu."

Liu Ruyan lowered her eyes, her snow-white fingers clenching the corner of the paper.

"Good."

lobby.

Gu Moran had just sat down and hadn't even had a chance to drink some water when Chen Qing's voice came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Your Highness! Is Your Highness here?! Something terrible has happened! Something extremely important!"

Uncle Fu tried to stop her at the door, but Chen Qing skipped and hopped around him.

Chen Qing rushed into the front hall, followed by several laborers carrying boxes.

"Put it here! Put it here!"

Three heavy wooden crates were laid out in a row, and the brick surface shook when they were placed on the ground.

Chen Qing stepped forward and forcefully opened the box lid with both hands.

The gleaming silver ingots were stacked neatly, dazzling in the sunlight.

"The rest of the money has arrived, six thousand taels." Chen Qing raised his chin, his chest puffed out. "It was raised by my subordinates."

Gu Moran looked at the silver in the box and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the back of the chair.

The Second Prince's money.

The funds allocated by Prince An were obtained through Chen Qing.

"You've got quite a lot. You're quite capable," Gu Moran complimented.

Chen Qing was extremely pleased with himself, his smile stretching from ear to ear.

"Your Highness, I have a few words to say." He cleared his throat, adopting a posture of passionate discourse. "While I am not particularly talented, I believe I possess some ability in command. My thirty brothers have followed me, and their training has been effective and their discipline strict. I believe..."

He paused, his gaze fixed intently on Gu Moran.

"Your subordinate shouldn't just be in charge of thirty street guards. Your subordinate wants to participate in the political and construction affairs of Yi Prefecture. Your subordinate has great talent."

(๑·̀ㅂ·́)و✧

[Thanks to Donghai for the update reminder, Laiwang for the like, Shiyi for the flower, Lili for 2 flowers, Tuoqi for the flower, Jiji for the like, Chen Qing for the flower, and everyone else for their love and support.]

[I've been updating for two and a half months straight. I was thinking of taking a day off, but I'll ask for it next month. Thank you all for your support, I'm so touched!! Let's vigorously develop our great Chengdu and restore the Han Dynasty!]