Xiao Lingyan Makes His Move
"Yes." Ma Sheng racked his brains and finally came up with a question, "Miss, the middleman knows about the house we bought. If someone really wants to find out, they'll be able to find out the locations of our three workshops, right?"
Zhao Ruxi smiled and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. They don't need to ask the middleman. As long as we frequently visit these three places, someone with ulterior motives can follow us and find out the secret."
"Oh? What should we do then?" Ma Sheng asked anxiously.
"Even if they know the location, there's nothing they can do. If they can't get into the workshop and learn the details, it's useless. What we need to do now is prevent the craftsmen from realizing this, intentionally noting down the parts they make, and then reassembling them after they quit. Only then will our secrets be truly leaked. Therefore, the finished parts must be collected and stored properly in a timely manner, and there won't be any problems."
Besides this method, Zhao Ruxi naturally had other ways to prevent the secrets from being leaked. However, she didn't plan to tell Ma Sheng and the others.
Ma Sheng seemed to understand, but he nodded nonetheless.
"Alright, everyone go and make preparations. Uncle Zhou will arrange the cook tomorrow and supervise the workshop manager to ensure everything is settled; Uncle Ma's task is to transport the three groups of people. I'll give Uncle Ma the addresses of the craftsmen later. After Uncle Ma settles the servants, he can bring the craftsmen into the workshop one by one."
"Yes."
After arranging this matter, Zhao Ruxi came out of the house and saw Qingfeng approach her and slip a note into her hand while avoiding others.
The academy was right across from the house, only a short walk away. Zhao Ruxi had originally planned to walk there to avoid trouble. However, in order to read and reply to the note, she boarded the carriage instead.
The note was still written in German, with very simple content and messy handwriting, clearly written in a hurry.
Xiao Lingyan said he already knew about the Earl of Zhongqin's Residence's affair and would definitely avenge her, crushing the Earl of Zhongqin's Residence and making them unable to cause trouble again, so she shouldn't worry.
Zhao Ruxi took out a charcoal pencil, quickly wrote a few lines of German, and handed it to Qingfeng: "When I get to the academy, take this note to that house from last time and put it under the flowerpot with the twining flowers in the main hall's corridor."
Qingfeng gripped the note tightly, her expression both tense and solemn. "Miss, I've remembered it."
"I'll send Uncle Gao and the others away in a bit. You can go with Uncle Lu." Zhao Ruxi said this as soon as the carriage stopped, then got off.
Today, her entourage included not only Gao Weiqiang, but also Gao Weiqiang's eldest son, Gao Sheng, and another guard from the Earl of Suiping's Residence.
Standing in front of the carriage, she said to Gao Weiqiang, "I'll be safe once I'm inside the academy. Uncle Gao, please take these two with you to the estate. Uncle Ma and Uncle Zhou are busy today and can't go to the estate, so please go and look after them for me this morning."
As she spoke, she took out a pen and paper and wrote down two names: "When you come back, bring these two back with you. From now on, they will be my guards. There aren't many guards in the manor to begin with, and since you came with me, there are practically none left. So once these two arrive, except for Gao Sheng Uncle Gao stays, you two can go back. Once the servants on the estate are settled, Uncle Ma will also return to my side. I have enough people around me."
One of the two was Ma Sheng's wife, Lady Luo. The other was a seventeen-year-old farmer's son named Lei Daniu, who was tall and looked quite honest. But judging from his training, he was quite good in terms of comprehension and other aspects.
Lady Luo was originally an inner bodyguard of the Earl of Suiping's Residence. She was skilled in martial arts, and being a woman, she could also ride a horse, making her suitable for protecting Zhao Ruxi. It would be convenient for her and Ma Sheng to stay by Zhao Ruxi's side, unlike Gao Weiqiang and Qingfeng, who had to avoid suspicion.
Gao Weiqiang held the note and watched Zhao Ruxi enter the academy before leading the other two to the estate.
Qingfeng then instructed Uncle Lu to drive the carriage towards the house first. Only after Gao Weiqiang and the others had disappeared from sight did he go to the house where Zhao Ruxi and Xiao Lingyan had met that day, and placed the note under the flowerpot that Zhao Ruxi had instructed him to put there.
Xiao Lingyan knew that Zhao Ruxi would definitely reply after reading his note, so he had already sent a man in gray to wait there.
Just as Qingfeng locked the door and boarded the carriage, the flowerpots behind him were moved aside, the note was taken away, and the carriage was quickly sent to the capital.
However, Xiao Lingyan was neither in the palace nor in the villa at this time. As a prince, he had entered the Ministry of Works, and even though his official position was not high, he still had to attend court.
Because the court session started very early, the academy was just beginning its classes, but the morning court was already coming to an end, and the important matters of the court were almost finished.
As the eunuchs shouted, "Speak if you have something to report, otherwise the court may adjourn," an imperial censor stepped forward and exclaimed, "I wish to impeach the Jia Songlin, Earl of Zhongqin."
Last night, Jia Songlin took his son to the palace to apologize, but was turned away at the gate. As a fourth-rank military officer in the capital, he naturally had to attend court, so he came this morning with a heavy heart.
At first, he was extremely nervous, but then he noticed that the emperor's expression was normal, and the other ministers seemed to be doing nothing unusual. They were still discussing the same few things, so he gradually relaxed. He was just thinking about how to speak, how to cry, and how to act pitiful when he led his son to the emperor after the court session when he heard the censor's words.
He was so scared he almost lost his mind.
How... why would they impeach him?
Not many people know what happened last night, right?
Before he could think too much, the censor had driven Ge Wu's Jia Junze to the brink of despair. Later, because of Ge Wu's matter, the censor threatened and humiliated Zhao Ruxi, Kang Shilin, and the Prince of Prince of Zhennan's Residence, and sent people to beg the Earl of Zhongqin to show mercy and let Fifth Miss Zhao go.
The court officials attended court every day, and they had many things to report. Sometimes they would argue with their opponents, and sometimes they would criticize their opponents. As a result, they all developed excellent oratory skills, not to mention the censors who made a living by talking.
At this moment, Censor Pan recounted the untold stories of Fifth Miss Zhao and the Heir of the Earl of Zhongqin in a dramatic and engaging manner, instantly energizing the court officials who were unaware of the matter and secretly slacking off.
Xiao Lingyan's face darkened, and he looked at Censor Pan with extremely unfriendly eyes.
He instructed Xiao Lingpu Censor Pan, but he didn't tell Censor Pan to say this! If you're going to attack, then attack; if you're going to impeach, then impeach. Why do you keep dragging Fifth Miss Zhao into this with that bastard Jia Junze? Are you looking for a beating?
Censor Pan inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly finished his last two sentences and delivered his closing statement. "Under the Emperor's very nose, in broad daylight, the Heir of the Earl of Zhongqin dared to publicly humiliate the daughter of a noble family, constantly threatening to ruin her family; the case of Ge Wu also proves his tyrannical and predatory nature. Besides Ge Wu, who knows how many others have been driven to ruin by him?"