Chapter 771
Intercepting the Secret Letter
Pan Xiaohei dashed to Cao Jixiang's roof, gently lifted a tile, and peered down.
Cao Jixiang did not sleep.
It's safe to say that very few people will be able to sleep tonight.
Yang Shan was an upright and honest man. He refused their welcome banquet and simply registered and handed over the documents according to the rules, but this kept them busy all day.
After the gifts they brought back from Japan were inspected and found to be correct, the Maritime Trade Office would issue a certificate, and the gifts would be registered and sent back to the capital together.
The Ryukyu prince and his entourage needed to be arranged so that they could form a new delegation as soon as they landed and go to the capital to pay their respects to the emperor.
The mission was ambushed by pirates twice at sea, and they had to take statements and hand over pirate prisoners, physical evidence, and statements.
Oh, the third point is incomplete because there are many items among the physical evidence, including but not limited to cannons, muskets, and crossbows.
These things are something that not only the prefectural government and the naval government want, but even Cao Jixiang would want to fight for.
Not to mention, the four bandit leaders, who were imprisoned together, seemed to have confessed something incredible.
Cao Jixiang glanced at the statement given by Prefect Lu while standing next to him, and his heart has been pounding ever since.
Those people spoke unclearly and gave no detailed confession, but the words "Prince," "Wang family," and another family—just hearing those sounds made his heart feel as if it were being squeezed. He vaguely guessed what was going on.
Cao Jixiang couldn't sleep, and Lu Mingzhe couldn't sleep even more.
He complained to his advisor in the study: "The sea ban hasn't been lifted yet, and all sorts of monsters and demons have come out. I already feel that my official hat is in danger. If the sea ban is lifted, do you think I can keep my head?"
The advisor said, "The most dangerous time is when it is about to open but not yet open, and the policy is not yet determined. If the imperial decree is issued, it will be dangerous but not dangerous. If you do not want to get involved in this mess, you should withdraw now."
Lu Mingzhe sat motionless in his chair, remaining silent for a long time before shaking his head and sighing softly, "So be it. I'll do my best to hold on and at least give the people of Quanzhou an explanation. Rebels are eyeing us covetously, and treacherous officials are also lurking. If we were to appoint a new prefect now, who knows if he could hold Quanzhou?"
The clerk was startled: "Sir, are you worried that those people will open the door and let in thieves?"
Lu Mingzhe: "I never underestimate their audacity. What wouldn't they do for profit?"
The advisor swallowed hard. "Then let Lu Mingzhe stay."
The clerk pondered for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Should we send the madam and young master away?"
Lu Mingzhe pondered for a long time before nodding: "The New Year is approaching, and we should indeed go back to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors and elders. Let Madam take the young masters and ladies back with her, and find an excuse to stay in our hometown after the New Year."
He sighed softly, "I don't ask for much, I just hope they are safe and sound."
Pan Xiaohei, who was perched on the roof, belatedly realized something was wrong. It had given its true form to Pan Jun, so why was Pan Jun saying such things about it?
She used the spiritual realm and gained merit, but she was also losing out. When she first drove it out of its original body and forced it to take refuge in the cat's body, she was ready to exterminate it. Only later did they reach a tacit understanding.
It does want to work hard to break the seal, but only if she can get it back to its original form!
Now it needs her permission before it can enter the main body.
What kind of family are we? What kind of unity are we?
Pan Xiaohei stared at Lu Mingzhe below with teary eyes. Someone like him was truly a family…
Despite his resentment, Pan Xiaohei got up, pushed the tile back, and went to find the next person to keep watch.
The next person is Yang Shan.
He was easy to keep an eye on because he was fast asleep, the only one among those Pan Xiaohei was spying on who could actually sleep.
Pan Xiaohei felt relieved and slipped off the roof to go to the prison to see the pirates who had been imprisoned.
Meanwhile, Pan Yun, working at the Maritime Trade Office, was performing a hand seal with the yellow talisman left by Wang Cong. As soon as the spell was completed, a golden thread flashed before Pan Yun's eyes. Pan Yun immediately got out of bed, pushed open the door, took the yellow talisman, checked the direction, and flew onto the roof, leaving from there.
When Pan Xiaohei left, the Imperial Guards in the Maritime Trade Office did not react. As soon as Pan Yun left, Imperial Guards immediately appeared and flew onto the roof.
But she flew too fast, and he lost her after following her for a while.
Embroidered Uniform Guard: ...
He silently returned to the Maritime Trade Office and reported to Cao Jixiang.
Pan Yun followed the direction indicated by the yellow talisman all the way to the Ping An Inn.
Pan Yun raised an eyebrow, knowing that there was a formation inside the Ping An Inn, so she carefully avoided the formation points and slipped inside.
She twirled the yellow talisman in her hand, then looked finally at a window where the light was still on.
She put away the yellow talisman, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then leaped up and landed steadily outside the window.
She clung to the wall and window frame, carefully moving closer. She took out a piece of iron, reached it through the window crack, gently pushed it open, and then gently pushed the window outward with her fingers. A gap appeared in front of her, allowing her to see the scene inside the room.
There was only one middle-aged man in the room. He was of medium build, with chubby hands, feet, and belly. He was quite round and approachable, and looked like a typical businessman.
But at this moment, he looked serious, writing a letter at his desk, which gave him a somewhat gloomy appearance.
Pan Yun watched quietly as he wrote and revised the letter repeatedly, until half an hour later he burned the two scraps of paper, dried the last piece of paper he had written, and stuffed it into a bamboo tube.
He walked towards the window with the bamboo tube in his hand.
Pan Yun flipped herself onto the roof.
He frowned slightly as he opened the window, glanced at the latch, and immediately peered down. He looked to the left and right, but found nothing unusual. Just as he was about to pull his head back, he suddenly looked up. Above him was a protruding roof, but nothing unusual there either.
Pan Yun was lying motionless on the roof when she heard a whistle sound from below, and a pigeon flapped its wings and flew over.
Pan Jun glanced at the pigeon and thought it was as plump as its owner, and looked rather delicious.
The pigeon flapped its wings, landed uneasily on the window, and shifted its legs.
The sulfur merchant didn't notice anything amiss. He grabbed it, tied the bamboo section to its leg, gave it some food, and then released it.
The pigeons flapped their wings and flew away. Pan Jun, who was lying on the roof, smiled slightly. Hearing the sound of the window closing below, he immediately got up and flew in the direction the pigeons had gone.
She chased it all the way to the outskirts of the city before leaping up from a tree, grabbing it, and landing.
She untied the bamboo joint and examined it carefully, discovering that he had sealed the joint with red clay. If she moved, the trace would inevitably be noticed.
"Be cautious."
Pan Jun grabbed a handful of Pan Xiaohei's snacks and fed them to the pigeon. He tied its legs to the side, then took out a small knife and gently removed the red mud to open the opening.
She unfolded the letter and took a look.
"In just over three months, the silver amounted to approximately 180,000 to 210,000 taels, all of which was transported to the Maritime Trade Office and presented to the emperor;
Wang Cong was a promising talent and had a great interest in sulfur.
The wolf has been captured. Should we rescue it or silence it? Please give us your instructions, Lord.
The mouse tried to escape. (End of Chapter)