Luō Shēng was silent and speechless. Because he opposed her getting close to the boatmen's gang, it was clear that he would not go help her pay attention to this matter.
Xie Wan looked at Shen Tian, he was a restless person who moved around a lot and should have known more news.
But Shenda scratched his head and ears, but he couldn't come up with an answer at all.
Luo Ju said: "This should be easy to find out. I'll go out for a while and come back to report to the young lady."
Xie Wan sat down and drank a bowl of tea, then Luo Ju came back.
"Now in charge of the canal transportation is actually Heda, Duke of Protecting the Country. The original troops stationed at the dock were from the Five Cities Military Command, but after Heda took over, because the Duke's residence itself held military power, they used people under the Heda family's command. As for not seeing them, it was because they had changed into casual clothes."
"Protector of the Country?"
Xie Wan was also slightly startled when she heard the three words "Huguo Gong".
How could Guo Gong not know!
If it's said that the current state of the meritorious families is already a norm, then the Guardian Duke Manor is an absolute exception. The great-grandfather of the current fourth-generation Guardian Duke, Huo Da, was a founding merit subject who followed the Taizu Emperor in battle and made great contributions to the establishment of the Great Yu Dynasty. It's said that at the time, the Taizu Emperor granted titles to nine dukes, but over the generations, the other eight dukedoms have gradually declined, leaving only the Guardian Duke Huo family still standing tall in the imperial court.
Huo's family also has an exceptionally good fortune.
In the past dynasties, there was no precedent for a minister or general with great achievements to overshadow the emperor. More than 20 years ago, when war broke out along the eastern coast, the Emperor not only appointed Huo Da to lead a large army to defend the east coast but also frequently rewarded him with gold and silver, and instructed the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War to prioritize supplying his troops with rations.
After ten years, Huo Da finally defeated the Japanese crown and returned to the court in triumph. The emperor thought for a long time, but couldn't think of anything else to reward him with. So he brought out the merits of the ancestors of the Huo family again, and posthumously conferred the title of King of Zhongshan on them. Then, he arranged for the crown prince to marry the eldest daughter of the Huo family as his princess consort.
The prosperity of the Huo family is an absolute anomaly.
The court and the people have been guessing for decades when the Ho family will fall out of favor. Including Xie Wu and several trusted officials by the emperor's side, no one guessed correctly. The emperor's favor towards the Ho family was genuine, even if there were suspicions that it was to maintain stability and appease the hearts of the ministers at first. But if a ruler who sits on the throne can be so anxious and have bad intentions for generations to appease a military general, then it would become true even if it wasn't originally.
The Huo family has such a transcendent status, and after generations of operation, it also has an unattainable foundation in the imperial court. It is no longer something that people can guess or question. His position in the meritorious circle is like a god flying up to heaven in broad daylight, making people look up to him with admiration. And his position among the military officers is like that of a great master, making people willingly surrender to him.
As for how the civil officials view it in their hearts - the literary and martial factions are like well water that does not offend river water, each having its own domain. Nowadays, in this peaceful era, civil officials are already valuable, but a country must have someone to take charge of military power. Although the imperial family trusts them so much, they do not have any conflicting interests with themselves. As long as they do not make mistakes, and can avoid giving them handles to grasp, why would they care about such trivial matters?
As a result, the topic of this family, which was completely out of the ordinary, gradually became something that no one mentioned again in private, in Xie Zhu's heart, who had been dealing with officials and wealthy merchants all his life. The existence of the Protector General's Manor seemed more like a legend.
Everyone knows that the salt and grain transportation departments are lucrative, but now suddenly hearing that the grain transportation has also fallen into Huo Da's hands, Xie Wan had a feeling that the Guardian Duke's Mansion had become an immortal beast in an instant.
However, no matter how powerful the Huo family is now, it still has no impact on her life, and she only understands a little more about the transportation business. It will also be beneficial for her to operate in the future.
All she needs now is how to get her rice stall up and running.
Thinking of this, she said: "I'll take a rest first. You all go down."
Luo Sheng and others walked to the door, she suddenly said: "Shen Tian Luo wait a minute."
The two walked back. She stood up, paced twice and said: "Just now that whiskered man left, I saw him go into a small wooden building on the left side of the dock. Shen Tian, you go check again in these two days, what is that small wooden building used for."
After Shentian left, she said to Luozhu again: "Just now when we mentioned the Duke of Protection, it reminded me of something. The young master of the family of Wei Bin, the participant in the government affairs you mentioned last time, go and ask if there is really someone who meets the conditions like that."
She had indeed been thinking about this matter all along, and although Luo Ju said that he heard halfway that Wei Bin's youngest son's maternal family was in Hejian Prefecture and often went there, it was not clear whether it was true or not.
The two of them left as promised.
More news arrived by dawn the next day.
The window was a sheet of white in the early morning, and when I pushed it open, the north wind blew in with a whoosh. A few snowflakes fell on my face, icy cold.
Snowflakes were dancing in the air, and a plum blossom tree under the building had already fully bloomed, quietly releasing its fragrance. Shen Tian walked through under the tree, stomping his feet as he climbed up the stairs.
Xie Wan closed the window, and Yu Xue walked in with a bowl of hot water: "Miss is awake? Shen Tian has returned."
Shen Tian went out yesterday evening and stayed overnight at the dock, returning early this morning.
She wiped her face, and Shentian had already arrived at the door.
"As for the girl's words, I've already inquired about it. It turns out that the whiskered man is a deputy leader of the Huo Bang gang, responsible for five cargo ships under the gang. His surname is Luo and he ranks seventh in the gang, so everyone calls him Master Seventh Luo. The building he went to is his residence, where he usually handles business and rests. There's nothing unusual about it."
Xie Wan couldn't think of anything out of the ordinary either.
So he just nodded and let him go back to the house to rest and have breakfast.
Xie Wan ate and then strolled around the back streets again, but still didn't see Luo Ju.
It stands to reason that the Wei family living in the capital is much more convenient than Jishuitan, not to mention that they should have returned last night, and it's already morning, there should be news.
She told Yufang to ask Luo Sheng.
Yu Fang returned with an uncertain expression: "Boss Luo said that Luo Ju went out yesterday and has not come back until now."
Xie Wan held her tea bowl and sat quietly for a while before saying, "Let Wu Xing go take a look around the Wei estate."
Luojixing's actions are relatively stable, last time he came to the capital alone and everything was fine, she didn't think anything big would happen. But he hasn't returned for a long time, it also makes people feel anxious.
Wu Xing went out for less than a moment and came back with his feet slipping as if on rolling oil.
"Miss! Something's happened! Luo Ju has been tied up on the street!"
Yu Fang was so frightened that she let out a loud cry.
Xie Wan stood up: "How is he? Has he been beaten? Who tied him up?"
"The person is indeed awake, but it's unclear whether they were beaten or not. There are people guarding the place, but I don't know who they are!"
"What's going on?"
Luo Sheng also walked in upon hearing the news. Although he didn't appear overly panicked, the concern in his eyes was still evident.
Xie Wan put on her cloak and said, "Let's go take a look."
"Even if you want to go, it's the younger ones who should go, Miss, you stay here!"
Xie Wan pushed him away and strode out of the doorway.
Those around him had been used to it for a long time, and there was no need to give orders. Yu Xue and Yu Fang automatically stayed in the house, while Wu Xing drove the carriage away with Shen Tian and Luo Sheng helping Xie Juan into the carriage compartment. Then they sat at the front of the carriage and sped off towards the street head that Wu Xing had pointed out!
They soon arrived at the place where Luo Tuo was tied up.
This is a small alley with tall houses on both sides, and both ends are connected to the main street. Luo Wei was tied under a large phoenix tree at the bottom of the wall, covered in half-body snowflakes, with an indignant expression, but also helpless.
Two men with a dignified appearance stood by, their clothing and accessories were of good quality, suggesting that their master was also a person of status.
To the right of the large wutong tree is a small gate, half-closed, with winding paths leading to a secluded mansion, which should be the residence where these two household servants are on duty.
Xie Wan affirmed that this was indeed the Wei Bin Mansion. And this door should be the side door of the Wei Mansion, presumably Luo Ju was caught while inquiring about Wei Zhao.
She got off the horse carriage and walked straight towards Luo Wei.
The family's youngest son saw her walking over and frowned, saying: "Go play somewhere else!"
"Miss!" Luo Ju stared blankly at Xie Wan.
Xie Wan didn't say a word and walked up to untie his rope.
The servants were shocked and rushed forward to stop him: "What are you doing? Be careful or I'll hit you!"
Xie Wan's face sank as she glared at him: "A member of the prestigious Imperial Censorate, you recklessly bind people and even claim to want to beat them. Are you intentionally trying to tarnish your superior's reputation or do you think that the laws of our great dynasty are just for show?! Do you think that all imperial censors are just freeloaders?!"
The servants were only following orders and did not expect this little girl to suddenly speak such great truths, leaving them speechless.
"I didn't know you had such insight!"
Just as they were speaking, the small side door suddenly burst into applause, and a dark shadow flashed by, and out came a young man in brocade clothes.
Xie Wan just saw this person, and was immediately stunned. The young man looked only twelve or thirteen years old, but he already had a tall and slender figure, his eyebrows and eyes still slightly childish, yet with one smile, he had a captivating charm.
He said, "What you say makes sense. But I have to ask you, do you think it's okay for your underlings to sneak into my home and snoop around? In the Daoguang era, although the law is strict and officials can impeach each other, there must be evidence. If we take this case to the Shuntian Prefecture, I will have the upper hand."
The young man spoke fluently and unhurriedly, without any sense of urgency or panic, and even the sharpness in his eyes seemed to carry a hint of mischief.
Luo Ju came to inquire about Wei Qian on her behalf, and from his words, it seems that he is indeed Wei Qian. The same Wei Qian who rescued her from the pine tree, applied medicine to her wounds, put shoes on her feet, and escorted her back to the mansion?
Xie Wan stood in the snowy ground and thought of this possibility, her heart suddenly warmed up.
Looking at him again, he was like a piece of jade in front of him, exuding the aura of a noble young master from a wealthy family.
Matching in age, matching in appearance, although she can't remember what he looked like specifically when they were on the mountain, who else could it be but a handsome young man surnamed Wei, living in the capital, having the opportunity to often go to Hejian Prefecture, and being a noble son with guards by his side?
Xie Wan didn't remember Wei Gongzi's appearance, but now that she took a closer look, she felt it was even more lifelike.
