Chapter 19 Happy Dragon Boat Festival Happy Dragon Boat Festival

Zhou Hu was frustrated, but could only endure it.

On the way back to the city, Qiu Shuzhi asked, “Are those ore thieves who were caught earlier still in prison?”

Dai Yun shook her head: “Stealing from state mines is a serious crime. Those ore thieves have either been exiled or sent to serve in the army. Those who died died, those who ran ran, they’re long gone from Yanshun County.”

Qiu Shuzhi wearily rubbed her brow: “So, there’s really no one who knows the background of those ore thieves anymore?”

“That group of ore thieves was extremely cunning, appearing and disappearing mysteriously. My lady, it’s best not to waste time on them.”

Qiu Shuzhi closed her eyes, leaning slightly against the window frame behind her and letting out a low sigh: “I suppose that’s all we can do. Thank you for your trouble in accompanying me on this trip, my lady.”

Dai Yun looked at Qiu Shuzhi’s tired and helpless appearance and smiled: “Not at all, assisting my lady in investigating cases is this official’s duty.”

Returning to the room in the back hall of the government office, as soon as the door was pushed open, a faint fragrance wafted in. The scent was not like ambergris, but the light fragrance of high-quality agarwood.

This morning she had only casually mentioned liking agarwood, and it had been changed so quickly?

While Dai Yun was incompetent in dealing with ore theft, she was quite efficient when it came to catering to her preferences.

“An Dai, Ji Mei, you two should rest early,” Qiu Shuzhi instructed.

An Dai had followed Qiu Shuzhi around the entire mine today and was already exhausted. Upon receiving Qiu Shuzhi’s order, she immediately returned to the side room to sleep. Only Ji Mei remained in place.

Qiu Shuzhi sat at the table, drinking the high-quality Longjing tea that the government office had prepared in advance, and asked, “Why haven’t you gone back yet?”

Ji Mei, hand on his sword hilt, said: “My lady, that Zhou Hu is not right.”

His hand gripped the sword hilt tightly, rubbing against the calluses formed over years of practice on his palm. He shouldn’t have said much, but on the way back, after much deliberation, he decided to speak up.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating Ji Mei’s lowered brows, unyielding and resolute.

Qiu Shuzhi looked at him deeply: “You think I don’t know?”

She watched the faint smoke rising from the agarwood: “Not just Zhou Hu, even Dai Yun is the same.”

“Officials colluding with bandits, so brazenly. Why doesn’t my lady immediately arrest them?” Ji Mei’s brows furrowed tightly.

Qiu Shuzhi sighed: “You think this matter is just about officials colluding with bandits? The entire village, even the whole of Yanshun County is not clean.”

Ji Mei was stunned: “Why?”

“Because of money. Zhou Hu and the entire village are ore thieves, covering for each other, protecting each other. The silver they dig up is divided layer by layer, even ordinary villagers can get a share. Even though the villagers get only the tiniest of benefits, it’s still more than they would earn in a year of hard work.”

“No wonder the fields were abandoned and uncultivated all along the way.” Ji Mei’s expression grew darker, his grip on the sword hilt tightening.

“My lady!” Ji Mei knelt on one knee: “My lady, those thieves are likely to act again tonight. Please order this lowly one to go and capture those thieves.”

Qiu Shuzhi quickly helped him up: “After capturing those thieves, how do you plan to deal with them?”

“Naturally, to execute them on the spot as a warning to others,” Ji Mei said with a face full of hatred for evil.

Qiu Shuzhi shook her head lightly: “It’s too risky for you to go alone.”

“This lowly one can lead a team of soldiers to go.”

“Even the soldiers won’t do. They are all under Dai Yun’s command and won’t follow my orders. Instead, they might turn against us.” Ji Mei clenched his fists tightly and said angrily, “Are we just going to watch these people do as they please?” Qiu Shuzhi hadn’t expected this seemingly quiet and reserved guard to be so indignant against evil. Thinking of his background as a former bandit, it was remarkable that he could still have such loyalty to the throne despite being ostracized everywhere in the Shuntian Prefecture.

“I understand your feelings, but haven’t previous officials done the same?” She saw the fire in Ji Mei’s eyes that wouldn’t subside and sighed, “People have been killed batch after batch, but in the face of profit, they still can’t resist taking risks, and even start bribing officials, resulting in the thorny situation we have now.”

Ji Mei stood frozen in place. As a former bandit, he hadn’t read many books. He only knew that corrupt officials should be killed.

But Qiu Shuzhi’s concerns were something he had never considered before.

“It’s getting late, you should rest early.” Qiu Shuzhi sent him out of the room. The agarwood burned quietly, its fragrance making her heart troubled.

The ore theft in Yanshun was just one part of the issue. Ji Mei didn’t know that Qiu Shuzhi had come to Yanshun County in an isolated state. Gu Zheng had deliberately thrown her, without any foundation, into this quagmire.

Even if Qiu Shuzhi really had the heart to round up all the officials and villagers involved in ore theft, Gu Zheng wouldn’t give her any troops to deploy.

Gu Zheng just wanted to watch her sink deeper into it.

If she remained clearheaded and focused on negotiating with Dai Yun, Zhou Hu, and others, it would take three to five years to determine the outcome.

If she went along with Dai Yun and accepted bribes from the villagers, she would fall right into Gu Zheng’s trap.

Once she submitted a report of corruption, she would never be able to hold her head up again.

Qiu Shuzhi lay on the bed fully clothed, staring at the ceiling beams. She was extremely tired, yet had not a bit of sleepiness.

Her head ached! It ached terribly!

In the Imperial Garden, a hundred flowers competed in beauty, the whole garden full of vibrant life.

The young Emperor Yue Shen hadn’t started selecting consorts yet, so the entire back palace was very quiet. Qin Qing rarely had the interest to come appreciate flowers in the Imperial Garden. He dismissed the numerous cumbersome palace attendants behind him, leaving only Yu Ye to attend at his side.

“Empress Dowager, look, how beautifully the flowers have bloomed this year,” Yu Ye said.

Qin Qing glanced casually and said lightly, “These flowers are blooming nicely, but it’s a pity they’re so disorderly, just like vulgar powder.” They slowly walked forward, and when they reached the lotus pond, they saw a tall, slender figure standing by the pond.

He stood under an apricot tree, looking up at the few remaining apricot blossoms on the branches. His white clothes moved with the wind, his sleeves fluttering, exuding an extreme coldness.

“I didn’t expect Prince Yue to come appreciate flowers too?” Yu Ye found it a bit strange, as Yue Guanyi had never been interested in such things before.

“Prince Yue has come to appreciate flowers as well?” Qin Qing slowly approached.

Yue Guanyi turned around, bowing slightly as apricot blossoms fell from his shoulders: “Greetings, Father Empress Dowager.”

“It’s just us few, no need for formalities.” Qin Qing smiled.

He wasn’t much older than Yue Guanyi, and every time he heard him respectfully call him Father Empress Dowager, he always felt a bit uncomfortable. He wasn’t even thirty years old yet, but was being addressed in such an old-fashioned manner.

Looking at the apricot blossoms scattered all over the ground, he inexplicably thought of Qiu Shuzhi. At the Qionglin Banquet, with an apricot blossom hairpin in her waterfall-like hair, that fleeting glance still lingered in his memory.

He wondered how Qiu Shuzhi was doing in dealing with the ore theft matter in Yanshun County?

He began to regret sending her to that difficult place.