GBP Chapter 302 Going South by Going North, The Person You Can Never Catch Up With
Chapter 302 Going South by Going North, The Person You Can Never Catch Up With
Amidst the surging river and the twilight, Jiang Wenqing stood on the deck of a larger official ship, touching his only possession, a jade pendant.
Over the years of wearing it, the jade pendant has become more lustrous, and with frequent polishing, its translucency seems to have improved as well.
If the jade pendant was once worth a hundred taels of silver, its value has at least doubled now, judging from its condition.
However, Jiang Wenqing would never sell or pawn the jade pendant. It was a gift from his son out of filial piety, and besides, he had worn it for so many years and had developed an attachment to it.
"Brother Jiang, so you've been here. Lord Wu wants us to go to the middle cabin for a meeting."
"Okay, come right away!"
Since the new ship was installed, Jiang Wenqing finally felt like he belonged in the group, and he was always invited to the Ministry of Works meetings.
Although he didn't understand river channel management, Mr. Sun did. Everyone had their own advisors, so he could certainly keep Mr. Sun by his side for a moment.
"Butler Wen, quickly go and summon Mr. Sun. Lord Wu has summoned the middle cabin for a meeting!"
"Yes, sir, I'll go and fetch Mr. Sun right away!"
Jiang Wen straightened his robes and followed Huangfu Zhongwen into the middle cabin of the official ship.
At this time, Minister Wu had already opened the reply from the capital and was waiting for everyone to arrive.
"Sir, everyone is here. Let's begin."
After Huangfu Zhongwen settled Jiang Wenqing in, he sat down beside him.
"The river patrol is nearing completion. Everyone has worked very hard this time. After visiting two more places, we can return to the capital to report back."
His Majesty the Emperor is extremely pleased with our Ministry of Works. Upon returning to the capital, I will certainly recommend you all for commendation.
"Thank you, sir!"
"Thank you very much, Lord Wu!"
Lord Wu waved his hand and continued, "His Majesty is already aware of the Fourth Prince's seizure of the ship. We need not do anything further; everything is up to His Majesty's will."
The officials of the Ministry of Works looked at each other, curious about His Majesty's decision, but they dared not ask. Minister Wu must know about it, right?
The atmosphere froze for a moment, after all, many people still remembered the humiliation of being forced off the ship that day. Of course, compared to Lord Jiang being forced to jump ship, they were in a better position.
Jiang Wenqing subconsciously gripped the jade pendant in his hand. It was true that he had accidentally fallen into the water, but even if he hadn't, he wouldn't have followed the official boat or the Fourth Prince.
He knew he was the only one who hadn't been forced off the ship with his luggage packed up; the Fourth Prince had no intention of forcing him off the ship like he had been driven away by the Ministry of Works officials.
He knew why; he was probably the only one who knew the Fourth Prince's filthy thoughts.
He didn't tell Mr. Sun, but only sent letters to his two daughters, telling them to be careful.
Jiang Wenqing couldn't understand why the Fourth Prince wanted to seize the ship before, but now he seemed to have a clue.
By traveling along the river to the sea, one can travel directly to Linhai County.
The magistrate of Linhai County is his eldest son-in-law, and his eldest daughter is currently serving alongside him in office.
It seems the Fourth Prince is after his eldest daughter. No, if I write another letter now, will it be delivered before the Fourth Prince arrives in Linhai County?
Jiang Wenqing was unsure, but he had already rejected the idea in his heart.
The fourth prince has been gone for several days and has likely arrived in Linhai County in the next couple of days. By the time he writes another letter and delivers it to his eldest daughter, it will be too late.
This was supposed to be a work summary and planning meeting for the Ministry of Works, but Jiang Wenqing was completely out of sorts throughout. Huangfu Zhongwen noticed his friend's unusual behavior and waited until everyone had left before asking him.
"Brother Jiang, is something the matter? You seem a bit distracted; are you thinking about the evil deeds of the Fourth Prince?"
Huangfu Zhongwen felt that Jiang Wenqing was suffering from the aftereffects of being forced to jump into the river by the Fourth Prince. Today, the Minister only mentioned the Fourth Prince a few times, and Brother Jiang acted strangely.
"Brother Huangfu, can I... can I trust you?"
Jiang Wenqing felt he needed to ask someone for advice. He would definitely talk to Mr. Sun, since Mr. Sun could directly contact his son, Jiang Mingfei.
Mingfei is smart; he'll definitely find a way to save his older sister.
But the son is just a child, and he is alone and powerless. If he doesn't have help, he might not be able to save his daughter, and he might also be killed.
Brother Huangfu is an official after all, and even if he's not the best, he still has some connections. Now that the two of them are quite close, he's a ready-made helper.
However, Jiang Wenqing was too embarrassed to bring up the cause and effect of this matter, fearing that others would misunderstand that his daughter was immoral.
It must be said that Jiang Wenqing has grown into an increasingly qualified father over the years.
"Brother Jiang, please speak freely. Even if I cannot help, I will not reveal your affairs."
Huangfu Zhongwen sensed Jiang Wenqing's inner conflict; he genuinely wanted to help if Jiang was in trouble.
"I trust Brother Huangfu's character, but alas, this matter is truly shameful to mention."
Brother Huangfu, do you still remember that the Fourth Prince once bought several young servants on the road?
"Young servants? I seem to remember them. It's said that they didn't have enough people brought from the capital, so they bought a few from human slave traders."
It seems they weren't bought from the same place. They went through five or six different groups of slave traders, and each time the personal eunuch Xiao Dezi personally went to select the slaves.
Brother Jiang, is it related to what you wanted to say?
Huangfu Zhongwen is meticulous and can remember things from long ago, let alone things that have happened in the last few months.
Although they did not participate, these people had to register before boarding the ship, and the clerk in charge of registration happened to be one of Huangfu Zhongwen's subordinates.
"Yes, I wonder if Brother Huangfu has seen these people again after they boarded the ship?"
"Now that you mention it, Brother Jiang, it really isn't true. Could it be... could it be that..."
Huangfu Zhongwen thought that he had been dealt with, and was shocked by the cruelty of the Fourth Prince.
"No, no, no, they're not dead. In fact, they're not only alive, but they don't have to do any hard or tiring work. They spend all day serving the Fourth Prince in his cabin."
"What? The Fourth Prince has palace servants he brought with him, yet he's using a few newly bought slaves? That doesn't make sense."
Jiang Wenqing gritted his teeth and finally told his most trusted brother the unspeakable thing.
"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous! This is a disgrace to the royal family!"
"Shh! Brother Huangfu, keep your voice down. Although everyone on the ship is on our side, it's not foolproof."
"Of all the officials in the Ministry of Works, I only dare to tell you this. This matter has been weighing on my mind for a long time, and I have to get it off my chest, but after all, it involves the royal family."
"Brother Jiang, we still need to discuss this matter with the Minister. Minister Wu is a good official, but now the Fourth Prince has made the entire Ministry of Works lose face."
He's done such a disgusting thing again, and it might even involve Brother Jiang's family. Now Brother Jiang is not only in cahoots with the Ministry of Works, but also shares a common enemy!
"What does Brother Huangfu mean?"
"Yes, sir, let's go to Linhai County too! No matter what, we can't let the Fourth Prince succeed!"
Previously, we didn't know his whereabouts, but now that Brother Jiang has provided a clue, I believe Lord Wu would be happy to make this trip and personally escort the Fourth Prince back to the capital!
Jiang Wenqing's eyes lit up; he thought it was feasible.