Chapter 444: Not a Natural Disaster, but a Man-Made Disaster
His words were met with immediate agreement from the crowd.
"Exactly!"
"If you ask me, there’s definitely something fishy going on in Qingzhou!"
"We must report this at once! Send more men to Qingzhou to investigate!"
"Who knows, we might even find other useful evidence!"
A wave of fighting spirit swept through the group; they were clearly set on a thorough investigation of Qingzhou.
Su Wei asked again,
"Second Miss Ye, when you returned to Qingzhou before, did you notice anything else unusual?"
Ye Chutang pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Nothing else really, except... it was raining continuously at the time, and the merchants for the autumn harvest were late, which caused the local farmers considerable losses."
Su Wei froze for a second.
He quickly realized something. "Second Miss Ye, are you saying... a major grain merchant went to Qingzhou to buy grain?"
Although he had never been to Qingzhou, he knew a thing or two about it.
It wasn’t exactly a poor, remote backwater, but it certainly wasn’t a wealthy region either.
Many of its people were farmers.
It was normal to have grain traders, but a small place like Qingzhou didn’t seem significant enough to attract someone like that...
Ye Chutang’s brow furrowed slightly. "I’m not entirely sure about that. I just happened to hear it from one of my brother’s childhood friends. From the way he described it, it seemed many people were distressed about it. We left Qingzhou after that, so I don’t know what happened in the end."
Su Wei’s expression grew increasingly grim as a thought occurred to him.
He clasped his hands behind his back, his brow tightly knitted.
"If that’s true, then there’s a problem!"
He turned his head to an official beside him. "Who is the county magistrate of Qingzhou?"
The man paused. "Well..."
Who would pay attention to such a small place?
Fortunately, another official quickly recalled, "I believe his name is Zuo Ci?"
Su Wei found the name somewhat familiar.
The man’s next words answered his unspoken question.
"He is a protégé of Mr. Jiang."
Understanding dawned on Su Wei instantly.
"No wonder..."
Jiang Zhao Yuan had served as the chief examiner for the imperial examinations several times, so he had a great number of protégés.
This Zuo Ci was still just a minor county magistrate in Qingzhou, so it seemed he hadn’t been particularly favored by Jiang Zhao Yuan.
At the very least, compared to those who could stir up storms in the imperial court, he was utterly insignificant and not worth mentioning.
And yet, Su Wei had a very strong impression of this man.
Funnily enough, it was because Zuo Ci had caused quite a stir when he came to the Capital City for the examinations.
The man came from a wealthy family and had publicly bullied and mocked a group of scholars from poor backgrounds. The incident had created a huge uproar.
Su Wei despised such behavior, which was why the name had stuck in his mind.
Later, when the results of the spring examination were posted, that Zuo Ci had just barely passed, ranking dead last.
But he had passed, nonetheless. Later, Su Wei heard he had made a special trip to visit the Jiang family, only to be denied entry at the main gate.
Zuo Ci felt no shame. Instead, he relentlessly went around proclaiming himself a protégé of the Prime Minister. After landing a position in the Ministry of Personnel, he began forming his own cliques.
But that didn’t last long. He soon offended someone and was demoted to a post outside the capital.
Once he left the Capital City, he never returned.
If his name hadn’t been brought up today, Su Wei probably would have never thought of the man again.
However... a small place like Qingzhou had little profit to be made. Could a man like Zuo Ci really stand to stay there?
Su Wei felt something was wrong.
He looked at Ye Chutang. "Second Miss Ye, did you ever meet him when you were in Qingzhou?"
Ye Chutang shook her head.
’That makes sense,’ Su Wei thought. ’After all, how could an unmarried young lady like her casually meet the county magistrate?’
Ye Zheng had certainly been an influential figure in Qingzhou, but he was dead now.
Who would pay any mind to his orphaned children?
Ye Chutang paused. "It sounds like... Lord Su knows him?"
Su Wei sneered.
If it were anyone else, he might not be so sure. But since it was Zuo Ci, he could say with certainty—there was definitely something fishy going on in Qingzhou!
"I wouldn’t say I know him. We’ve just crossed paths a few times."
Associating too much with such a person would only tarnish his own reputation.
As Su Wei spoke, his expression turned solemn.
"But if everything you just said is true, then Zuo Ci is suspected of dereliction of duty! I will certainly submit a memorial to impeach him!"
Ye Chutang was taken aback, surprised by Su Wei’s strong reaction to what she had mentioned so casually.
She thought for a moment, then said, "With the continuous rain, they were probably helpless. No one wants to see that happen. But how can man defy a natural disaster—"
Su Wei scoffed. "I fear it wasn’t a natural disaster, but a man-made one!"
He looked at Ye Chutang, his tone softening. "Second Miss Ye, we have noted everything you’ve said. Thank you for taking the trouble to come here today. We will send people to Qingzhou to investigate as soon as possible, and we will inform you immediately of any results."
Ye Chutang tactfully said no more and simply curtsied.
"Thank you, my lords."
When Xiao Wu was led out the door, she was still a little dazed.
’Is that it?’
She glanced back.
’My sister didn’t seem to say much, but when we left, all those men looked incredibly serious!’
Xiao Wu tilted her head.
’Oh well, whatever my sister does, she must have her reasons!’
Ye Chutang changed her path, leading Xiao Wu in another direction.
Looking at the unfamiliar road ahead, Xiao Wu slowly realized—’This isn’t the way home, is it?’
Then, Xiao Wu caught a faint, bitter scent.
’This is...’
Staring at the apothecary shop before them, Xiao Wu looked completely lost.
’After my sister returned to the Capital City, she hardly ever visited an apothecary. The few times she prescribed medicine for someone, she just wrote a prescription and had someone else fill it.’
’Why did she suddenly decide to come here today?’
The shop’s attendant suddenly spotted a graceful figure and thought she must have come to the wrong place.
"Miss, this is an apothecary, not a cosmetics—"
As her uniquely beautiful face came into view, the attendant’s face flushed red, and he was momentarily at a loss for words.
Ye Chutang glanced around.
"I need to get a few herbs."
The attendant finally snapped out of it and hurried forward to ask, "What would you like, Miss?"
Ye Chutang said, "Two taels each of angelica root, daphne flower bud, and poria, and one tael each of wild ginger, red peony root, and cassia seed."
These were all common herbs, so the attendant acknowledged her order and turned to gather them.
However...
"Miss, you’re not getting these according to a prescription, are you?" the attendant asked, his movements deft. He turned back to offer a word of caution. "Some of these herbs have conflicting properties!"
Ye Chutang smiled faintly. "I know."
Xiao Wu was also a little confused.
’These herbs aren’t particularly rare. If my sister wanted them, she could have just sent someone to buy them. Why did she have to come in person?’
Ye Chutang tapped her on her little forehead.
"When your Fourth Brother left, he took all those things with him. I don’t even have the ingredients to make some calming soup for your Third Brother."
Xiao Wu blinked.
’Calming soup?’
’Third Brother has a regular schedule. He goes to bed early and wakes up early. He seems to be sleeping just fine, doesn’t he?’
The attendant, however, suddenly realized something. He spun around and exclaimed in surprise,
"You’re... Second Miss Ye!?"