Chapter 52: Change with the Wind
King Zhao Jiang of Nanyue was not tall, with sunken eye sockets. He greeted the people from the Forbidden Cavalry Division who came to his house with his almost full-term belly. His skin looked like he had been sunbathing under the scorching sun for a long time. Tang Ying thought that at first glance he looked like a plump and happy potato, or the kind with a deep bud pit. After being dug out and dried for two days, the moisture buried in the ground had long been gone. If a facial mask was put on him, one might even be able to hear the sound of his skin drinking water.
The climate in the capital of Southern Qi is relatively dry in winter, and the King of Nanyue seemed to have difficulty acclimatizing. While he was sitting and chatting with Fu Chen and others, he had nosebleeds twice.
In contrast, the Crown Prince of Nanyue, Zhao Ji, not only adapted well, but also felt like a fish in water.
Moreover, the appearance of this Prince of Nanyue probably took after his biological mother. Except for a slight shadow of the King of Nanyue between his eyebrows and eyes, the rest of his appearance was the opposite of his biological father. He was tall and slender, with fair skin and peach blossom eyes. He held Yuan Jian's hand affectionately as if they were sworn brothers who had not seen each other for eight hundred years.
That’s right, Yuan Jian was the unjust person who was pushed out by the Ministry of Justice to handle a diplomatic case.
"I had a long conversation with His Highness the Fourth Prince yesterday. After returning home, I stayed up half the night and benefited a lot."
——Is it because the concubine in your room is too beautiful?
Tang Ying couldn't help but complain.
As soon as she stepped into the Sifang Pavilion, she saw Yuan Jian being held by the Nanyue Prince who looked like a playboy. It was said that this guy treated the Fourth Prince as if he were an official in charge of reception in the Honglu Temple. After just two days, he had pestered the introverted young Yuan Jian to the point of being miserable. When he saw her, his eyes lit up and he almost blurted out "Second Brother Zhang". He did not say anything until Tang Ying's eyes stopped him.
But during the short time they were in the front hall, Fu Chen was busy socializing with the King of Nanyue, and Yuan Jian had already looked at Tang Ying for help several times.
Zhao Ji kept on talking: "...I heard that there are many places to have fun in the capital, and someone has come to take over. Why don't you go with me, Your Highness, so that I can broaden my horizons?"
The introverted otaku Fourth Prince: “This…” To be honest, he might not be as familiar with the entertainment venues in the capital as the newly arrived Prince of Nanyue.
It has only been three days since this prince moved into Sifang Pavilion, but it is said that he has not returned home overnight twice, and he has added two new confidantes to his romantic account. The Fourth Prince, who left the palace at the beginning of the spring, is still a good young man with a clean mind and body.
Faced with Yuan Jian's pleading eyes, Tang Ying rushed over to rescue the Fourth Prince who was in dire straits.
"You don't know, the Fourth Prince is devoted to learning and has always been obsessed with books. If you want Your Highness to take Prince Zhao to tour the capital, you can probably only take Prince Zhao to places with a good reputation for books and ink."
"Who are you?" Zhao Ji was originally unhappy about someone interrupting him, but he didn't expect that when he looked up and saw Tang Ying, his attitude immediately took a 380-degree turn, and he was so attentive that he almost held Tang Ying's hand.
Tang Ying: "I am Zhang Ying, a subordinate of the Forbidden Cavalry Master."
Yuan Jian had originally guessed in his mind the relationship between Fu Chen and Tang Ying. When he heard that her main job was not a beggar but a member of the Forbidden Cavalry Division, he secretly felt fortunate that he did not despise Second Brother Zhang's background.
Tang Ying washed her hands and face today. She tied up her hair and fixed it on top of her head, revealing her smooth forehead and crystal clear eyes. She wore a black official uniform with narrow sleeves. She was tall and thin, which made her waist look even slimmer. With a long sword hanging from her waist, she exuded an indescribable sense of competence and bravery, which made Zhao Ji, who was used to seeing delicate and weak girls, eyes light up.
His eyes almost smiled out numerous little hooks, wishing to hook Tang Ying's soul: "It turns out to be Lord Zhang, I am so sorry for my disrespect."
Hong Xiang laughed out loud: "What kind of adult is she?"
Prince Zhao has always been tolerant of beauties. He was much more enthusiastic than the perfunctory greeting he gave Fu Chen just now: "What does it matter? Miss Zhang is obviously a person of outstanding ability. She will surely rise step by step in the future."
This is exactly what Hongxiang has been worried about recently.
Yao Niang obviously values Zhang Ying more, which makes her feel a sense of crisis and she has to compete with the newcomer in every way. What's more, this newcomer could be provoking anyone else, but he has to be intimate with Fu Chen, which makes her even more unhappy.
She snorted coldly and turned away.
Tang Ying smiled and said, "Thank you for your good words, Prince Zhao." She said calmly, "In fact, the Fourth Prince has been busy investigating cases recently and may not have the time to accompany Prince Zhao on a tour of the capital. How about I recommend someone to Prince Zhao who has a similar personality to him?"
Weibei Marquis Shen Qian is devoted to eating, drinking and having fun, so it seems that he would be able to hit it off with a romantic figure like Prince Zhao.
Prince Zhao tried his best to get close to Yuan Jian, but Yuan Jian was so boring that he talked about books every three sentences and mentioned important cases in the Ministry of Justice every five sentences. It was obvious that they were not like-minded. His enthusiasm was extinguished when he heard about the great achievements of Weibei Marquis's confidantes all over the capital. He even urged Tang Ying: "I wonder when this prince can meet this Lord Shen?"
Fu Chen greeted the King of Nanyue while keeping his ears open to what was happening on Zhao Ji's side. When he heard that Tang Ying was going to introduce Shen Qian to the Prince Zhao, the corners of his lips curved slightly - the little girl was too mischievous. In order to save the Fourth Prince, she was willing to sacrifice Shen Qian.
He beckoned Xiong Yu over and ordered, "Go and ask Lord Shen to come over. If he refuses to come, knock him out and carry him over."
Tang Ying: “…” What a good brother.
After the pleasantries, the formal discussion of the case began.
The King of Nanyue said, "To be honest, my son has an ivory ball with a hundred flower patterns, which has seven layers. It was left by his biological mother and he never leaves it. He even tucks it under his pillow when he sleeps. If it was just an ordinary accessory, it would be fine, but I must get this ball back, so reported it to the police with great fanfare."
The ghost ball is actually an ivory ball. From the outside to the inside, the ball is made up of several layers of hollow balls of different sizes. It looks like a sphere, but there are layers within layers. Each layer of balls can rotate freely and have the same center. Each layer of balls inside and outside the ivory ball is carved with exquisite and complex patterns. It is easier to carve the surface of the outer layer of the sphere, but it is extremely difficult to carve the inner layer due to the limited construction space.
It is said that the famous contemporary sculptor Gui Shisan can only carve to four layers, and it is difficult to find such a ball. The best ghost ball on the market only has three layers. As for the ghost ball that can reach as many as seven layers, its carving craftsmanship alone is considered the best in the world, and it would be enough to cause a sensation in the capital if it were to be known.
The pattern of the Hundred Flower Pattern Ghost Ball had already been drawn and handed to Fu Chen. He looked down at it carefully and asked in detail about the size of the ball.
King of Nanyue: "The wonderful thing is that this devil's ball is both ingenious and small, only the size of a chicken egg, and very easy to carry with you."
This was a token of love between him and Zhao Ji's biological mother, so it has always remained with the child.
Now that he had seen the stolen items, Fu Chen had to patiently ask Prince Zhao about the time and place where they were lost.
Poor Prince Zhao, since arriving in Beijing, has been like a wild horse running wildly towards entertainment venues. Although he has servants to accompany him, he also has times when he gets drunk in his room. When he talks about the place where he lost the Ghost Ball, he himself is a little dazed: "Maybe it was in Sifang Pavilion, or Yuanyang Tower... or maybe he met a thief on the streets of Beijing? In any case, it was lost..."
Fu Chen: “…”
The Imperial Cavalry Division has always only dealt with officials who violated laws and regulations, and trivial cases of lost items have always been the responsibility of the Jingzhao Prefecture. If the other party's identity was not extraordinary, such as the prince of a vassal state, he would not bother to find a solution.
"Since the prince can't remember where he lost the ball, we will start by searching the prince's family members. I will then lead people to search Yuanyang Tower. If we really can't find it, we will have to search the entire city."
The King of Nanyue had no objection to this. He seemed to have a very good temper, was fat and easy-going, and was also very easy to talk to: "Then I'll trouble you, Master Fu. As long as you find the ghost ball, I will definitely reward you handsomely."
Fu Chen did not come here for the generous reward from the King of Nanyue: "Your Highness, you are welcome." He assigned people: "The three of you go to the residence of Prince Zhao's concubines and search carefully. There must not be any mistakes or omissions."
Tang Ying, Hongxiang and Wanyu accepted the order and wanted to leave, but were stopped by Prince Zhao.
"Wait a minute." Zhao Ji was probably spoiled by the King of Nanyue and became lawless. He still had the instinct of a naughty kid when he grew up. When he heard that his family members were to be searched, he jumped up and said, "What's the logic? This prince came to Nanqi to celebrate the emperor's birthday and lost something. You didn't go to the place where you lost the things, but went to search the people around this prince. Do you suspect that there is a thief in this prince's backyard? Or do you suspect that this prince has hidden something but reported the theft?"
Yuan Jian leaned back in his chair silently, trying to distance himself from Zhao Ji.
This is why Jingzhao and the Ministry of Justice were defeated one after another.
Prince Zhao lost something and shouted loudly, wishing that everyone in the capital would know about it, but he would not allow the Jingzhao and the criminal department's investigators to search his inner house. They were only allowed to search for the lost property outside, and no matter how much he tried to persuade him, it didn't work.
Fu Chen took a deep breath - it turned out that good things didn't happen to the Cavalry Banning Division.
He was just trying to patiently persuade Prince Zhao to agree to search the concubines when he saw Yuan Jian approach Tang Ying and ask in a low voice while Prince Zhao was arguing with him, "Are you okay after your injury last time?"
Tang Ying was surprisingly friendly and showed no sign of alienation. She almost bumped her heads against his and said in a low voice, "They are all grown up."
Yuan Jian didn't believe it. She wasn't made of mud. She couldn't be healed by covering herself with mud after being injured.
He took out a small round box from his sleeve pocket and handed it over: "This is the best medicine I asked the imperial physician for. It can not only heal wounds, reduce swelling, stop bleeding and promote tissue regeneration, but also remove scars. I heard that it is very effective. You can take it back and use it."
Ever since she jumped off the carriage in the middle of the night last time, Yuan Jian has been worried about her and even went to the imperial physician to ask for medicine. Fortunately, the Fourth Prince is often summoned by His Majesty and can participate in grand court meetings. Seeing that His Majesty shows favor for this son who has been forgotten for many years, everyone changes their attitude towards him.
Tang Ying took the small round box and patted Yuan Jian's shoulder casually, looking like a good brother. "Your Highness has been doing well recently. I will follow your Highness in the future!"
Suddenly, Master Fu's tone was stern. He ignored Zhao Ji's jumping and gave the King of Nanyue two choices: "The Imperial Cavalry Division is busy with official duties. If Your Majesty sincerely wants the Imperial Cavalry Division to help investigate the case, then let this humble official search the deceased prince's family. If Your Majesty does not allow, then I will have to resign before Your Majesty. The Imperial Cavalry Division cannot do this. Your Majesty, please find someone else!"
For a moment, the room was silent.
