Chapter 52: The Identity of the Courtesan

The jailer’s wife lowered her voice and said to Princess Ning’an:

“This person is… His Royal Highness, the Jing Prince.”

“What!” Li Ning’an was genuinely taken aback that she was connected to her uncle, the Jing Prince.

His youngest son had just been born not long ago.

How could he allow his subordinates to harm those infants?

This matter concerning her uncle was quietly suppressed.

Her father, the Emperor, had never mentioned what to do about the Jing Prince, only ordering him to be confined within the palace.

His entire family was also kept in the palace, seemingly well-fed and cared for.

Li Ning’an was so furious that she wanted to whip them a hundred and eighty times right then.

“I must tell Father about this.”

Standing nearby, Yuan Ze remained calmer. “Princess, the Dali Temple must have reported this matter to His Majesty already.”

Only then did Li Ning’an sit back down; her source of information would be difficult to explain to her father.

It was better not to expose the jailer’s wife easily.

“You did well, Hong Xiu. Give her some silver; if anything comes up, let this princess know.”

Li Ning’an instructed Hong Xiu to give the jailer’s wife five hundred taels.

The jailer’s wife happily accepted, saying, “I will definitely go back and tell my husband, and I’ll pass any news to you.”

“Hmm, you can also look for someone named Zhang Biao outside.”

Ma Nu Zhang Biao was someone she bought from the teeth shop; originally meant for Yan Ziqi, but he refused and returned him to the outer residence.

She had also received all the contracts for this group of people.

Zhang Biao was very loyal to her and would facilitate communication with the jailer.

The jailer was clever and likely wouldn’t let his wife pass messages in the future.

Seeing the pleased expression on the woman’s face, it was clear she wouldn’t be able to keep secrets.

Li Ning’an let her leave first, and after another couple of tea breaks, she finally departed.

Fortunately, she had chosen a private room on the second floor of the tea house, so no one outside knew what the jailer’s wife had said.

In Qian Kun Palace, Emperor Mingde almost spat out blood in anger.

He considered himself to have treated his younger brother and sister decently, yet the Jing Prince harbored such intentions.

Raising troops to rebel, and committing such heinous acts.

What use could the money earned from those rouge shops possibly have?

It must have been used by the Jing Prince to raise soldiers.

The report from the Dali Temple arrived just in time.

Initially, Emperor Mingde intended to show leniency, at least allowing the newborn to remain.

That would preserve a bloodline for the Jing Prince.

But he wouldn’t allow himself to accumulate merit in that way.

Thinking it would damage the royal family’s reputation, he had Minister Qiu pinned the blame entirely on that big landlord.

The Jing Prince and his family were to be charged with treason and executed after autumn.

As for the nine clans, it was impossible to take the Emperor’s head as well.

With the Jing Prince matter settled, anyone under his command who surrendered was thrown into the Capital Garrison.

In Da Qi, aside from the Jinwu Guard responsible for patrolling and safeguarding the capital, the Capital Garrison was stationed there.

Although there were only tens of thousands, it was enough to deter those with ulterior motives.

On normal days, the Capital Garrison remained in their camp, training daily and assisting the Jinwu Guard in maintaining stability in the capital.

They would also rotate to various military units, where officials would send their sons to gain experience.

Once said, it was akin to holding an official position.

This group was called the Reserve Army.

Emperor Mingde wanted to abolish it but found it difficult to operate.

He had to consider the reputation of the prominent families.

After all, every family had a troublesome child.

Those like Wen Di could be placed in the Reserve Army.

Emperor Mingde was unsure where to place the soldiers brought back from Xitong County, and Grand Tutor Wen suggested this location.

Letting them disband locally would be risky, as they might secretly gather and become a considerable force.

It was better to keep them under close watch.

That group of young nobles should have a comparison.

Otherwise, they might think the Capital Garrison belonged to their families and act with impunity.

A few days ago, someone had knocked over a commoner’s stall, claiming there were urgent military matters and that the other party couldn’t afford delays.

Not to mention compensation, they didn’t even bother to apologize before leaving.

His Majesty, managing countless affairs, naturally couldn’t attend to such trivial matters.

Without victims, there was no way to deal with those people.

When Li Ning’an returned to the palace, the imperial decree had already been issued. She knew her father was not soft-hearted; giving her uncle another chance, she let out a sigh of relief.

Li Ning’an was quite free at the moment; she had heard a story outside. After much hesitation, Wen Di finally took the position in the Warehouse Department.

The Minister of Revenue, upon learning of this, didn’t say much and simply assigned the previous person to another task.

That was good.

This fearless young man, Wen Di, might help lighten his burden.

Being pursued for money was truly unbearable.

Wen Di had stayed in the Warehouse Department for three days without seeing Li Ning’an.

Unable to hold back, he inquired and found out that Li Ning’an had gone to Yan Ziqi’s outer residence.

Wen Di decided to take leave; to be precise, he didn’t inform anyone and simply didn’t show up, and the Minister of Revenue tacitly accepted his absence.

During these days, Wen Di cursed out loud; it seemed every trivial matter had someone reporting to him for approval.

Even Fu Minglang felt his workload had lightened significantly.

Fu Minglang had initially thought of inviting Wen Di for tea, and upon hearing he wasn’t around, felt it was a pity.

A colleague who got along well with Fu Minglang asked, “Brother Fu, you’ve earned the favor of Grand Tutor Wen, why are you still associating with this young man?”

Although Wen Di had done some good things for the Ministry of Revenue, he was known to frequent brothels, gamble, watch operas, and enjoy performances.

If it weren’t for Grand Tutor Wen’s recent strict oversight, who knew what he would be up to.

One shouldn’t get too close to someone like that.

Fu Minglang wanted to argue, but it was true that Wen Di fit that description.

He might pretend to be unwell today and go somewhere he shouldn’t.

Those who had passed the imperial exams hated such people who relied on family connections to get ahead.

Fu Minglang casually responded without fully agreeing with his colleague’s viewpoint.

He didn’t think gossiping behind someone’s back was the act of a gentleman.

Meanwhile, Wen Di had arrived at the outer residence where Li Ning’an stayed in Yongxingfang.

Li Ning’an thought about checking out the Manxuan Tower. Just as she changed into her male attire to go out, a maid reported from outside:

“A young man named Wen, claiming to be your friend, insists on coming in and is already waiting in the flower hall.”

Li Ning’an had no choice but to hurriedly change her clothes and head to the flower hall.

She sat down in the main seat with annoyance and asked, “What are you here for?”

Wen Di, having just surveyed the flower hall, plopped down beside her as soon as he saw her enter.

“Did Yan Ziqi really keep you on the side?”

Wen Di recalled that Yan Ziqi had a favorite courtesan at the Zuichun Pavilion and even sent money to the matron at the border.

He wouldn’t let anyone accompany him for drinks, nor could he even call her to take a look.

Who knew where the matron was hiding?

That would truly be a mistress.

Li Ning’an’s situation was purely self-appointed.

Wen Di shared what he knew with her.

“He…” Li Ning’an suddenly felt uncertain.

Could it be that Yan Ziqi genuinely had feelings for someone else?

What would she do then? Withdraw and let someone else take her place?

Yan Ziqi indeed didn’t acknowledge her status.

Otherwise, she could directly pressure her father into granting a marriage decree.

But that wouldn’t be good.

If that guy truly caused a ruckus and eloped with the courtesan, where would she find them?

Li Ning’an’s expression changed, and Wen Di laughed heartily.

“You really do care about him.”

Wen Di leaned back in his chair and casually said, “In my experience, he hasn’t had a woman yet.”

There was a difference between casual encounters and serious relationships.

Yan Ziqi, who had wandered through the flower gardens without touching a single petal, must be waiting for someone.

“By the way, aren’t you curious why that courtesan has such great charm?”

“Perhaps Yan Ziqi is really waiting for her.”

“Should we go take a look?”

Li Ning’an felt that Wen Di’s intentions might not be good, but she was also very curious.

In this life and the next, Yan Ziqi had always protected her.

Who was the courtesan, Leng Shuang, from Zuichun Pavilion?