Zhao Baiyang, the prefect of Songzhou, was still unaware of what had happened. His face was ashen as he knelt in the center of the hall. He glanced at the others in the hall and then spoke in a low voice: "I don't know why Your Majesty has arrested me, or what law I have broken?"
Although Sima Yuan was kidnapped earlier, didn't the Emperor give him time to recapture him? What's the meaning of arresting him again now?
Zhao Baiyang was completely baffled. Ye Lingfeng's eyes were sinister and terrifying as he glared fiercely at Zhao Baiyang. Zhao Baiyang was terrified and lowered his head, not daring to look the emperor in the eye.
Ye Lingfeng's cold, bloodthirsty voice rang out: "Zhao Baiyang, do you recognize who this person next to you is?"
Zhao Baiyang hadn't noticed at first, but upon hearing the Emperor's question, he quickly looked up and saw a pitiful, delicate woman kneeling not far from him. She was so delicate that one glance would make you want to protect her, and she was glaring at him with eyes that seemed to want to devour him. Zhao Baiyang thought seriously, who is this woman? Then he shook his head. This woman was quite beautiful, and if he had seen her before, he would definitely remember her. So he had never seen this woman before.
"Your Majesty, I do not know him."
"She is Shui Linglong, the daughter of Shui Qi, the Prefectural Commandant of Songzhou. Now that you know her, do you?"
The moment the Emperor spoke, Zhao Baiyang was startled. He stared in shock at Shui Linglong to the side. Shui Qi was someone he had ordered killed. Now that Shui Linglong had appeared, he knew without a doubt why. It must be that Shui Linglong had accused him before the Emperor. Thinking this, Zhao Baiyang coldly glanced at the officials in Songzhou. They hadn't even sent anyone to inform him. The officials who had been glared at were somewhat helpless. It wasn't that they didn't want to send him a message, but the Empress had sent people to keep an eye on them. They were on his side, and if he were arrested, they wouldn't fare well either. Who wanted him to be arrested?
Zhao Baiyang started crying and loudly defended himself.
"I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly. I do not know Shui Qi's daughter and have no idea what this matter is. Your Majesty, please do not fall for this woman's tricks!"
Hai Ling felt disgusted by the ugly behavior of Zhao Baiyang, the prefect of Songzhou. She waved the bright yellow book in her hand and said indifferently, "This is the account book left by Shui Linglong's father, Shui Qi. The amount of money you embezzled is all in this account book. What else do you have to say now?"
Upon hearing the Empress's words, Zhao Baiyang opened his mouth wide and forgot to cry. They had killed Shui Qi and the Shui family in order to find this account book. They never expected that the account book would be given to Shui Linglong by Shui Qi. No wonder they couldn't find it. Now that the account book had fallen into the Emperor's hands, he was afraid he was doomed. Thinking of this, Zhao Baiyang was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty the Empress, spare my life!"
Hai Ling glanced at Zhao Baiyang below, who had been completely bewildered earlier but was now crying his heart out and utterly helpless. It seemed that this corrupt official was also a coward who feared death.
While begging for mercy, Zhao Baiyang wondered if there were any other people on the ledger. If not, even if he was caught, if he refused to confess, someone would surely save his life.
Ye Lingfeng ordered the guards outside in a deep voice: "Men, immediately search the Zhao family's mansion and find out how much embezzled money is inside."
“Yes,” someone at the door replied, and went to search and confiscate everything belonging to the Shui Zhao family.
Here, Ye Lingfeng coldly looked at Zhao Baiyang and slowly spoke, word by word: "Zhao Baiyang, do you have anything to say? If you can say something, perhaps I will show leniency?"
Hearing Ye Lingfeng say this, Zhao Baiyang felt even more fortunate.
It seemed there were no other people on the ledger, so he didn't need to worry. The person behind him would definitely find a way to save him. He had handed over most of the gold and silver he had embezzled over the years, so that person would surely save his life. Thinking this, he was no longer very afraid, as if his life had been saved, and then he spoke.
"Your Majesty, I deserve to die. I shouldn't have been greedy. Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!"
Upon hearing Zhao Baiyang's words, Ye Lingfeng knew that Zhao Baiyang was still hoping for a lucky break, wanting Zhongli behind him to save him. Unfortunately, he didn't know that Zhongli's name was already on the ledger, so Zhongli was in dire straits himself. However, the reason he asked this question was only to lull Zhongli into a false sense of security, so as not to make him desperate and to deal with that old bastard when they returned to the capital.
"Guards, take Zhao Baiyang away."
Zhao Baiyang, the prefect of Songzhou, was taken away. Ye Lingfeng then ordered the soldiers of Songzhou to throw several officials implicated in the account book into jail. He also transferred an official from the prefectural government to temporarily replace the prefect and perform his duties. In coordination with the water conservancy officials on this southern tour, they began to dig canals and irrigation ditches in Songzhou. In addition to the local troops, they encouraged the local people to participate, providing them with food and wages. Although the pay was low, the people of Songzhou were already struggling to get enough to eat. Furthermore, the emperor had eliminated the corrupt official Zhao Baiyang, so the people were very happy. Moreover, the construction of the irrigation ditches was now the responsibility of the people of Songzhou. They not only had food to eat but also received wages. Therefore, early in the morning, after the government issued the notice, a large number of people from various estates flocked to participate in the construction of the irrigation ditches.
As for the gold and silver confiscated from the Zhao family, it was only a very small portion compared to the amount Zhao Baiyang embezzled; it seems that a large portion ended up in Zhongli's pocket.
On the day the canal was opened, Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling did not appear, but ordered the accompanying officials to take over their duties.
Although they are currently in Songzhou, danger has not left them, so they must be careful in everything they do. The night before last, Ling Feng and Hai Ling inspected the fields of the manor and revised the previously drawn blueprints. There were some shortcomings, and the officials who were knowledgeable in water conservancy also reported them to him. So now he does not need to go to the various manors, but can just stay in the post station to rest.
The next morning, after Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling got up and had breakfast, Hai Ling stayed at the inn to rest, while Ye Lingfeng led two of his men, who had changed into civilian clothes, to the manor to investigate.
Hai Ling stayed at the inn. Ye Lingfeng was afraid that someone would harm her, so he left a lot of Feather Guards to protect her in secret. He only left the inn after confirming that everything was safe.
Hai Ling was over seven months pregnant and quite heavy. The previous incident involving assassins and the embezzlement by Zhao Baiyang the day before had left her feeling exhausted. However, she couldn't fall asleep while staying at the inn, so Shi Mei found some unofficial histories for her to read. Hai Ling was comfortably reading while leaning back on the couch when she heard voices coming from downstairs. The voices could be faintly heard coming up, and it seemed to be a woman pleading with the guards downstairs.
Hai Ling raised an eyebrow and asked Shi Mei.
What happened downstairs?
Shi Mei responded and went out to peek out. She then turned back into the room and respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, it is Shui Linglong who complained to you yesterday. She is begging the guards to let her see the Empress."
"oh?"
Thinking of Shui Linglong, although her background was very pitiful, she looked like she was made of water, which made people feel sorry for her. However, upon closer inspection, it was not difficult to see the foxy charm in her bones. Hai Ling smiled. Since she had nothing to do, she might as well listen to what Shui Linglong wanted to see her for.
"Go and call her in."
“Master, why bother with her?” Shi Mei disagreed. Although the woman’s family had been killed and her life was very tragic, there were many people suffering in this world. Moreover, the master had helped her by capturing Zhao Baiyang, so there was no need to pay attention to her anymore. What if she developed some inappropriate thoughts? Who could blame them for the emperor’s handsome appearance? Ordinary women simply couldn’t resist his charm. The reason why she and Shi Lan were not affected by him was because they had been with him since the beginning and had become accustomed to seeing him.
"I just wanted to ask her what was wrong?"
Hailing knew Shimei's thoughts and that everything she did was to protect her, so she didn't blame her.
Seeing that her mistress had made up her mind, Shi Mei stopped trying to stop her. Besides, she was also curious about why Shui Linglong insisted on seeing her mistress. Thinking about this, she went out and leaned out to order the guards downstairs: "Her Majesty the Empress has decreed that Miss Shui be brought up."
"Yes, Miss Shimei."
Shi Mei was the Empress's personal maid, so the guards treated her with the same respect they would show the Empress, and dared not be careless in the slightest.
Watching all this from downstairs, Shui Linglong couldn't help but feel envious. If she could follow the Empress in the future, she would not only be able to see the handsome and outstanding Emperor, but also be so respected. How wonderful that would be! With this thought in mind, an idea formed in her mind. When the guards led her to the second floor, a woman dressed in silk and satin, with beautiful features and a cold gaze, was waiting outside the corner on the second floor. As soon as she saw her come up, she waved her hand to signal the guards: "You can go down now. I will take Miss Shui up."
"Yes, Miss Shimei."
The guards withdrew, and Shi Mei led Shui Linglong to the second floor. She remained silent the whole way. Her personality was not easy to get close to. Even the Empress was not someone she was close to. It was only after she got to know her and liked her that she became close to her.
"Miss Shimei, have you always served the Empress?"
Shui Linglong asked quietly, and Shi Mei nodded, then glanced at her, wondering why she asked that question.
The two walked to Hailing's door. Shimei gestured for Shuilinglong to wait a moment, then went in to report and quickly came out to lead Shuilinglong inside.
The room was filled with the pleasant scent of flowers, luxurious and extravagant. On a lavish couch, a beautiful woman reclined, her hair slightly loose, her dark locks cascading down one side, making her already delicate and pretty face even more charming and endearing. Her dark eyes were bright like jewels, captivating and enchanting. Shui Linglong was stunned. She had been so focused on complaining that she hadn't noticed the Empress's appearance. Now, she realized that the Empress was a stunning beauty, a perfect match for the Emperor.
Shui Linglong felt a pang of sadness. She never expected that the Emperor and Empress were such a perfect match. She had even heard that the Emperor had promised the Empress that he would never take another concubine. Why hadn't she met such a devoted man, especially such an outstanding one?