Volume 2: Eagle vs. Dragon Chapter 77: Long Line Big Fish
Wu Chengjian said, "Sister-in-law." He didn't say any nonsense like "Why are you here?", because he knew that his family would come to see him as long as they had the chance.
Cai Qiaozhu saw that although the cell was cleaned, it was not uncomfortable for ordinary people, as it was just sleeping in a cramped room. However, Wu Chengjian had been accustomed to a life of luxury for more than 20 years, so he would probably feel uncomfortable.
She sighed, opened the lunch box, and placed the food on the coffee table.
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Home food still tastes better. Fortunately, I didn't eat the food that Lao Xu brought." Lao Xu was the jailer.
Cai Qiaozhu saw him pick up the chopsticks and eat the food, and said, "You are really careless!" Then she lowered her voice and asked, "Is the box empty?"
Wu Chengjian smiled bitterly and shook his head: "No. Yi Jin has many clever ideas, but he is not a god. I didn't expect Cai Qinghua to have the courage to persuade Governor Zhu to use troops to surround the entire Thirteen Hongs. If we could have predicted what happened today, we wouldn't have to tamper with the boxes. Wouldn't it be more convenient to just move the boxes somewhere else?"
Cai Qiaozhu was a little disappointed: "Why did you put it in Xingcheng Bank in the first place? Can't you put it somewhere else?"
"Then where should we put it?" Wu Chengjian said, "Now that everyone knows that the Governor's Office has surrounded and searched the Thirteen Hongs, they feel that it is inappropriate, but before the incident, the warehouses of the Thirteen Hongs were the most strictly inspected in the whole of Guangzhou, and they are also the place we can control the most. Apart from the warehouses of the Thirteen Hongs, it is more likely to cause accidents if we put it somewhere else. Should we put it at home? If it is searched, it will be even more difficult to explain. Qichengli and Guangdong Customs are good places, but unfortunately the Guangzhou general and Jishan are not stupid, they will not touch these deadly "stolen goods" with their own hands. If we put it farther away, such as Macau, the government is a little out of reach, but our Wu family is also out of reach , and it will be even more fatal if any trouble happens."
Cai Qiaozhu said: "Is this...really the 'stolen goods' from the palace?"
"I don't know." Wu Chengjian said, "I didn't open it, but... most likely."
"Then that thing can kill people." Cai Qiaozhu tried to stay calm, but she couldn't hide her anxiety: "What should we do now? Can't we just leave it to fate and let them convict us?"
"Sister-in-law, don't be anxious." Wu Chengjian said, "Tell father when you go back that the most important thing now is not to be anxious."
Cai Qiaozhu said: "It's already like this, how can we not be anxious. The box hasn't been opened yet. Once it's opened... then the evidence will be irrefutable and he will be sentenced to death!"
"But the box hasn't been opened yet, has it?" Wu Chengjian said leisurely, "This is the 'opportunity' that Master Cai and Governor Zhu behind him deliberately left for me."
Cai Qiaozhu was stunned when she heard this.
Wu Chengjian said, "Sister-in-law, think about it. Since Mr. Cai got the red goods, why didn't he open them and check them on the spot? He caught me, a thief, but why didn't he take me to the Governor's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi, but left me here in Guangzhou? It would have been fine if he just left me here, but he didn't tell anyone and didn't keep me under strict supervision, and let you in so easily. Why is that?"
Cai Qiaozhu said: "Yes, why, I can't figure it out either."
Wu Chengjian said, "I was still in the Xingchenghang warehouse. When Master Cai sealed the red goods without checking, I didn't understand it. But when he didn't arrest me and took me back to the Governor's Mansion, I suddenly understood it. When he let the prison be so lax, I became more certain of my thoughts."
"What do you mean?" Cai Qiaoju asked.
"He did it on purpose." Wu Chengjian said, "Sealing without investigating is to avoid finalizing the matter, leaving us with opportunities to operate and turn the situation around. Not strictly monitoring is to allow others to have the opportunity to come in and see me."
Cai Qiaozhu asked: "Why would he do this?"
"Because I am not their target at all." Wu Chengjian said, "I am just a bait. The one they want to catch with me as bait is the real big fish!"
Cai Qiaozhu was released from prison and could no longer leave the city, so she returned to her parents' home that night. When she arrived at Daxing Street, she heard the night watchman beating the drum and singing, "The weather is dry, be careful with fire."
Cai Qiaozhu thought to herself: "It's autumn again..."
Autumn is the most comfortable time in Guangzhou. Lingnan prefers dry weather but hates humidity. However, when autumn came, Cai Qiaozhu felt very uncomfortable.
After settling down at home, Cai Shiqun and his wife sent away all the outsiders before going into the room to have a private conversation with their daughter.
Cai Qiaozhu originally didn't want to reveal more about the matter, but Cai Shiqun said, "Master Cai's move is like Xiang Zhuang dancing with a sword, aiming at Pei Gong."
Cai Qiaozhu unconsciously asked, "What does father mean by this?"
Cai Shiqun said, "I heard that something was found in Xingchenghang during the day. The Governor-General's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi spent so much effort, but when the thing was found, they let it go. This is unreasonable. I guess that a mere Thirteen Hongs' guarantor merchant is not qualified to make the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi go to war, so the Governor-General's real target should not be Haoguan."
Cai Qiaozhu didn't expect her father to have guessed it, so she didn't deny it anymore: "Dad, do you have any solution?"
Cai Shiqun said: "The difficulty here is that we don't know what Governor Zhu wants to do. If we don't know what he wants to do, we can't prescribe the right medicine. Qiaozhu, when you went to deliver food to Haoguan, did he say anything to you?"
"No." Cai Qiaozhu shook her head: "He just told me not to worry. But...but what I am most worried about is that he doesn't have a solution, but wants to take on everything himself."
"That's possible. Hao Guan is a chivalrous man after all." Cai Shiqun knew that they had a good relationship between uncle and sister-in-law, so he casually praised him, "But if he doesn't say anything, it will be difficult for us to help. However... although I can't say more specifically, I can roughly guess who Governor Zhu's target is."
The Cai family mother and daughter asked at the same time: "Who?"
Cai Shiqun lowered his voice: "Heshen, He Zhongtang!"
When the Cai mother and daughter heard the name, they held their breath at the same time.
Cai Shiqun whispered, "Only Heshen and Zhongtang had the opportunity to repeatedly steal imperial items from the palace and force the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Guangdong Customs to sell the stolen goods. Similarly, only Heshen and Zhongtang had the qualifications to make Governor Zhu risk being reported for violating the rules and mobilize the Green Camp army to surround the Thirteen Hongs on this day of peace."
Cai's mother said, "If this really involves He Zhongtang... then this matter is going to be a big deal !"
Unexpectedly, Cai Shiqun sneered: "Do you think that it only involves He Zhongtang? I'm afraid it's more than that!"
Cai's mother was shocked and asked, "Is there anyone more involved than Heshen?"
Cai Shiqun said: "This is not the first time that the imperial treasures have been stolen and sold. As far as I know, it has been going on for at least ten years. It may even have existed longer ago. So this matter may not have been led by Heshen, but rather it is a dirty business that has always existed in the Imperial Household Department. Heshen was the head of the Imperial Household Department, so he just went with the flow."
Cai Qiaozhu said, "So what Father meant is that this matter involves many people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs?"
"That's right." Cai Shiqun said, "Since this is a long-standing dirty business in the Imperial Household Department, it is possible that it is not just Heshen's corruption, but involves many powerful figures in the Imperial Household Department over the years, the eunuchs in power in the palace, and even some princes, beile, and beizi."
Cai's mother was shocked and said, "This... this... if all of this were revealed, it would be a shocking case."
"Yes." Cai Shiqun said, "That's why Hao Guan didn't want to say a word about this matter. He would rather take all the responsibility himself. If he gritted his teeth and took the blame, although he would inevitably be beheaded, the crime would only be committed by one person. But if he really wanted to make up a story and dragged so many people from the royal family and the palace into it, then the entire Wu family would be doomed."
Cai Qiaozhu was actually quite clever, but after all, she had been in the inner palace for a long time, and she didn't like disputes or power. Although Wu Chengjun and Wu Chengjian would occasionally tell her about things outside, she had no interest in those things by nature, so her understanding of external affairs was inevitably separated by a layer. This was the difference between her and Ye Youyu.
After listening to Cai Shiqun's analysis, Cai Qiaozhu felt that it was very accurate. She was afraid that even if it was not correct, it was almost right. The situation was more dangerous than she expected. She thought: "My father's scheming must be worse than Haoguan's. Since my father has seen it, Haoguan should know it clearly. Not only Haoguan, but also Qiguan, Daguan and others should know it clearly."
Yin said: "If it involves such a big matter, then I'm afraid... I'm afraid that Qi Guan and Da Guan will have other plans for my Wu family."
Cai Shiqun said: "If the matter may involve the royal family or the palace, then both the Pan family and the Ye family will definitely stay as far away as possible. If you were not my daughter, I would not dare to get involved in this matter."
Cai's mother sighed, "If this is the case, then Hao Guan will be in great danger."
Cai Shiqun said, “In fact…if we want to save the Wu family, or even save Haoguan, there may be ways.”
Cai Qiaozhu asked hurriedly: "What do you mean?"
Cai Shiqun said: "It's nothing, it's just a matter that your mother wanted to talk to you about last time, but you refused to listen."
Cai Qiaozhu said, "Father, I was upset at the time, so I didn't listen to what mother said. We are all family, so please don't hold it against me. Just tell your daughter."
Cai Shiqun said: "To put it bluntly, it is just the four words 'change of gate'."
Cai Qiaozhu's heart was slightly shaken: "Change...gate..."
