Chapter 195 Bamboo Tube

Chapter 195 The Bamboo Tube

Song Tingzhou tore open the envelope and swiftly read the letter. For the first time, he didn't react to Meng Wan's sweet words.

Wu Zhaoyuan saw him reading the letter over and over, and asked, worried, "What's wrong? Did something happen to your husband at home?"

Song Tingzhou slowly shook his head. "No, everything's fine at home." But his brows furrowed in confusion as he stared at the letter.

Meng Wan's letter had only a few lines about family matters, which wasn't unusual—their letters were always like that. Since Song Tingzhou had been away so long, it made sense for Meng Wan to write about how Chang Jinhua and A Yan were doing. But at the end, Meng Wan mentioned a memory, saying he missed the Yunpian cake from Yangzhou and asking Song Tingzhou to bring some back to Heshan.

They'd only been to Yangzhou once, when Song Tingzhou visited Xiang Yun and Lin Yi on his way to his post. They hadn't stayed long and had never eaten Yunpian cake there. Why would Meng Wan suddenly bring that up? Song Tingzhou couldn't help but be puzzled.

"Then what's bothering you?" asked Zhu Zenning.

Song Tingzhou said firmly, "This letter's been tampered with."

Wu Zhaoyuan was shocked. "How is that possible!"

Song Tingzhou ran his fingers over the wax seal. "Wan'er and I adopted a son who's very skilled at preparing medicines. Every time Wan'er writes, he mixes a little medicinal powder into the wax. The powder isn't poisonous, but it fades when exposed to heat."

Someone had opened the letter and resealed it with new wax, but the old color still showed through underneath. The bright red wax now had a pinkish tint, a clear sign it had been tampered with.

Zhu Zenning was hosting a small get-together that day, and the three had agreed to have a few drinks at his home and stay overnight. But Song Tingzhou, unsettled by the tampered letter, excused himself and immediately took Tao Shiyi to the courier station.

"You're looking for letters from Heshan to the capital? Only this young man picked one up just now." The station attendant pointed at Tao Shiyi.

Without hesitation, Song Tingzhou asked another question, "And are there any letters from Yangzhou to the capital?"

The attendant looked him up and down. "Plenty. Thousands of letters are delivered from Yangzhou to Shengjing every day. What do you mean, sir?" He was used to people snooping; one look at their clothes told him their status.

Song Tingzhou wore a worn cotton robe, and his outer grey cloak was of decent quality, but far from the finery of the nobles. He seemed like someone from a well-off but low-ranking family.

The attendant's judgment was indeed sharp—with just one look, he had guessed the Song family's circumstances fairly accurately.

The courier station didn't require ID to collect letters. It had its own procedure: to pick up a letter, you just had to give the sender's name and origin and then sign the log.

So Song Tingzhou asked, "I also have a relative named Yun who sent a letter from Yangzhou. Could you help me find it, my friend?"

He spoke politely, and the attendant, a minor clerk, softened a bit. "Of course, of course. May I ask your honorable name, sir?"

Song Tingzhou wasn't entirely sure. He hesitated, about to make up a random name, when a courier galloped up to the station on horseback, shouting, "Urgent express from Yangzhou! Delivery!"

The station attendant hurried over. "Wow, that's huge! Where's it going?"

The courier carried a long tube about two meters high strapped to his back. All the way from the city gate to the station, it had drawn much attention. A few idle young gentlemen had even followed out of curiosity, betting on what it might be.

"What's there to guess? It must be a scroll painting."

"No, I've seen long scrolls, but never one this tall. How could anyone paint on such a large sheet of paper? It must be a rare silk fabric, rolled up because the embroidery is too fine to fold."

Someone agreed, "Yangzhou embroidery is famous throughout the country. There's some logic to Brother Wang's reasoning."

The crowd buzzed with discussion, but the courier struggled to dismount with the long tube on his back. The station attendant set up a stool to untie the cloth ropes from the courier's back. Two men came over to lift the item down and carry it into the station.

The courier dismounted, twisted his stiff neck, and reminded them, "Be careful; it's valuable; the sender paid triple the postage, and it must be delivered immediately to the home of Vice Minister Lin of the Ministry of Rites in the capital."

Upon hearing it was to be sent to Lin Congrong's home, Song Tingzhou suppressed his excitement and silently stepped back, blending into the crowd.

Tao Shiyi, puzzled, followed him.

The station attendants were busy arranging for the item to be delivered to the Lin residence, and for a while, they paid no attention to Song Tingzhou. They harnessed a cart, changed the courier, loaded the item, and set off toward the Lin family.

Song Tingzhou, along with a few idle gentlemen, followed the cart toward the Lin residence.

"Brother Wang, you're going to lose. You can't escape treating us to drinks tonight."

The man named Wang was unwilling to concede. "The outcome is uncertain. How do you know it's not the silk I guessed?"

"This item came from Yangzhou to Vice Minister Lin's mansion. Don't you understand now?"

Wang was confused. "What's the connection?"

His companion, looking at him like he was hopeless, said, "Let me ask you: who is Vice Minister Lin's mother?"

At this, Wang's eyes lit up. "You mean... this is a painting by Vice Minister Lin's mother, Madam Xiang?"

The crowd stirred. Since Madam Xiang had retired from painting due to old age, no works had surfaced for many years. Although there were other great calligraphers and painters in the Yu Kingdom, the fact that Xiang Yun, as a woman, had made a name for herself was highly legendary. And now she had produced a new painting?

This drew even more people. Some of Madam Xiang's admirers, quick to get the news, ran directly to the entrance of Lin Congrong's home to wait.

So when Lin Congrong returned from his office, he found the alley outside his residence crowded with people. His servant struggled to push through. "My lord is back! Why are you all gathered here? Clear the way at once!" The carriage could not even pass.

The courier, pulling a handcart, was stuck at the gate and said helplessly, "Make way, everyone. I need to deliver this and get back."

With so much upheaval in both the court and the capital, Lin Congrong got out of his carriage at the alleyway. Frowning at the crowd, he asked, "What's all this?"

The courier, overjoyed to see him, said, "Lord Lin, this was sent express from Yangzhou. Please inspect it."

"Yangzhou?" Lin Congrong's first thought was that his parents had sent something, but he wasn't sure what.

"Open it."

When the servant and the courier together removed the several layers of oilcloth wrapped around it, they revealed a thick bamboo tube. Bamboo tubes were common, but one this thick was rare. It appeared to have been specially polished, the whole thing coated with clear oil, not a single splinter.

Lin Congrong noticed a character 'Wan' at the bottom of the tube. He stopped the servant. "Wait."

He leaned in to make sure it was indeed 'Wan', then asked the courier, "You said this was sent from Yangzhou?"

The courier replied, "Yes, from Wang's Grain Shop in Yangzhou, at Yunxiao (Cloud Peak)."

Lin Congrong murmured the words to himself, then scanned the crowd and immediately spotted the tall figure of Song Tingzhou.

"Alright, carry it into the residence."

The courier finally completed his task. "Lord Lin, I take my leave."

"Don't go in yet, Lord Lin! Is it a masterpiece by Madam Xiang? Let us have a look too!"

The Lin family had a good reputation, so the commoners dared to speak up jokingly.

Lin Congrong raised his voice slightly. "Everyone, please disperse. It's not my mother's painting; it's from my junior fellow apprentice."

As soon as they heard it wasn't by Madam Xiang, many people quickly dispersed.

"So it is a painting, but not by Madam Xiang?"

"Who is Lord Lin's junior fellow apprentice? I've never heard of him."

"It's no wonder you haven't. The two disciples Madam Xiang took on before were also not famous."

Come on, Wang, you lost the bet—you're buying.

"I'll treat you. A bet is a bet. Please, gentlemen."

"Let's go, let's go. Stop watching. Magistrate Lin has already entered the mansion."

After the crowd dispersed, Song Tingzhou looked at the closed gates of the Lin residence, then went around to a small side door. He knocked, and a servant who had been waiting for a long time let him in.

—

In March, all the local officials who had participated in the imperial audience completed their assessments and left the capital one after another. Prefect Liu did not get a promotion, but was transferred to Lin'an Prefecture, a post with more perks. Lin'an had a strong literary culture, and having several successful candidates in the imperial examinations under him would be a feather in his cap; he was grinning from ear to ear.

Song Tingzhou had been his subordinate for three years, so before Prefect Liu left the capital, Song Tingzhou made a special trip to see him off outside the city.

On the eighth day of the third lunar month, Song Tingzhou, who was still in Shengjing, suddenly received the emperor's oral decree. Because of his outstanding performance in Heshan County, the emperor specially summoned him to the palace.

The night before entering the palace, Song Tingzhou didn't sleep well. Before dawn, he got up, washed up, changed into his official robe, hung his identity token, and adjusted his attire in front of a blurry bronze mirror.

This was Song Tingzhou's first formal entry into the palace since the imperial examinations. He recalled the etiquette he had learned in the Baohe Hall, his Adam's apple involuntarily bobbing, and his breath coming in short, uneven gasps. Evidently, even a composed person like him would be nervous when formally meeting the most honorable person in the world.

His gaze swept over the envelope by the bed. He pressed it tightly against his chest, taking a deep breath to steady himself. By the time he left the room, his expression was unruffled.

Tao Ba drove the carriage and brought Song Tingzhou to the outer gate of the palace. Ordinary low-ranking officials were required to dismount and enter on foot at the outer palace gate, but high-ranking officials above the second rank and imperial relatives could proceed a bit further to the inner palace gate.

At the outer gate, his identity token was checked; at the inner gate, the guards also checked his identity and searched him.

After that, Song Tingzhou was led by a palace attendant toward the Wende Hall, where the emperor was summoning ministers.

"You're such a young official. How come I've never seen you in Shengjing?"

A clear male voice spoke from behind Song Tingzhou. He turned his head, his eyes catching a flash of red four-clawed python robe, and above it, a leather crown sewn with colorful jade beads. Instantly recognizing the speaker's identity, he knelt and performed a grand bow, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

The palace attendant beside him knelt and replied, "Prince Lian, greetings. This is Magistrate Song of Heshan County. His Majesty is to receive him in the Wende Hall."

"I see. Magistrate Song, please rise."

Prince Lian was the fifth prince, twenty-four years old, four years younger than the crown prince, in the prime of his youth. He personally helped Song Tingzhou up.

"I've long heard of Magistrate Song. Seeing you today, you are indeed a handsome and spirited fellow."

Song Tingzhou's expression was steady and respectful. "You flatter me, Your Highness."

Prince Lian appeared to be a gentle, easy-going young man with a clear brow and bright eyes. Women selected as imperial consorts had to meet comprehensive criteria including family background, virtue, talent, and age. Not necessarily all were peerless beauties, but a dignified appearance was the bare minimum; the princes were all good-looking.

Prince Lian was handsome and genial, without much royal arrogance in his manner.

"Magistrate Song, your abilities are remarkable. Dealing with a few human traffickers in a remote place like Heshan is truly a waste of your talent. I've heard that Magistrate Chai and you were both successful candidates in the same year, and he's now a fifth-rank capital official…" While you are only a county magistrate in Lingnan—a world of difference.

The rest went without saying.

Song Tingzhou lowered his head slightly, not surprised that Prince Lian was testing him through Chen Chong. In a cautious manner, he said, "Magistrate Chai was the top scholar (zhuangyuan); naturally, I am not comparable to him."

Seeing that he didn't take the bait and brushed off his advances, Prince Lian's eyes turned cold. "You are indeed self-effacing. With such a lack of ambition, you indeed cannot compare to Chai Jun."

"Your Highness is right." Song Tingzhou's tone did not change.

Prince Lian was also heading in the direction of the Wende Hall. Song Tingzhou lagged two steps behind him, deliberately increasing the distance. After Prince Lian entered the hall, the palace attendant led Song Tingzhou to a side chamber to await the summons.

At that moment, seven or eight court ministers were already seated in the Wende Hall, discussing some pending government affairs.

"Your Majesty, the case of Wu Qianzhang, a secretary in the Ministry of Rites, accepting bribes is well proven, but the Ministry of Justice has been delaying the verdict."

"Your Majesty, please see clearly. There are still doubts about the evidence and witnesses in Wu Qianzhang's case. I am merely handling it impartially and have no intention of shirking responsibility."

The emperor, with a few streaks of white at his temples, sat on the dragon throne, staring sternly at the Vice Minister of Justice. "Since the Ministry of Justice is making slow progress, this case will be tried by the Court of Judicial Review." The emperor's word was law; the two men arguing below dared not disobey. "We obey Your Majesty's decree."

At this moment, Prince Lian walked in with a smile, knelt before the throne, and performed a bow. "Your son wishes Your Majesty good health."

Seeing his son, the emperor's eyes held a hint of a smile. "Rise."

Prince Lian stood up cheerfully and sat in the empty seat next to the crown prince. "Brother, you're early… Oh, the young Marquis Qin is here too."

Qin Jiao, a burly man in his twenties and the proper heir of a marquis, was deliberately called "Young Marquis" by him—who knows who he was trying to annoy.

Qin Jiao had always disliked his pretentious manner, and recalling that it was Prince Lian who had schemed against him, causing him to be sent to Lingnan by his crown prince brother-in-law… Although these three years had been somewhat interesting, he had yet to vent the anger of being falsely accused!

Standing behind the crown prince, he perfunctorily clasped his hands. "Greetings, Prince Lian."

Prince Lian, seemingly oblivious to the disgust in his eyes, continued to speak to him. "I heard that the young Marquis Qin was run ragged by some county magistrate in Heshan. That magistrate is really too ungrateful." The crown prince said blandly, "He went to Lingnan for training, not for comfort. They were county soldiers sent by our father; naturally, the local county magistrate could command them. There's nothing ungrateful about that."