lcionline Chapter 169 Getting in the way
Chapter 169 Getting in the way
In the ready-made clothing shop, there was a royal blue brocade garment embroidered with auspicious clouds in gold thread, which looked very suitable for Ning Yunxiao.
"Shopkeeper, how much is this dress?"
"You have good taste, young lady! This is our shop's most valuable treasure!" The shopkeeper came over with a smile on his face and explained, "This is a fashionable style among the nobles in the capital. It has been shipped here from thousands of miles away, and the travel expenses alone must have been quite a lot. I see you like it, so here it is, ten taels of silver, no cheating!"
Jiang Lige and his companions fell into the tomb of the Chi clan. The documents and money were all in the bags carried by the others. Jiang Lige had sold some jewelry to buy these things. Therefore, ten taels of silver meant very little to Jiang Lige...
It's a sky-high price.
Jiang Lige wanted to bargain down the price, so he chatted with the shopkeeper, "So what if they're from the capital? Didn't the prince who came today promise that they could get enough relief supplies in three days? If people can transport such a long distance in three days, how could you, who have been doing business all year round, not have some connections? How about this, five taels, no more!"
"Oh my, young lady! How can you believe the nonsense this nobleman from the capital says? To put it bluntly, even the 800-li express speed can't catch up, not to mention that the post station in our border town has been cancelled long ago."
Jiang Lige was stunned when he heard this, "Cancelled?"
"Yes, our border town is poor, and there are few urgent reports. Maintaining a post station is really a waste of money and labor." The shopkeeper said as he pushed the clothes towards Jiang Lige again. "I think the young lady is sincere in buying it. How about this, for good luck, eighteen taels!"
Jiang Lige repeated the shopkeeper's words silently, and finally discovered the key point that he had overlooked all along. He did not forget to say in passing: "Fifteen taels, if you don't want to sell it, forget it."
The shopkeeper looked embarrassed and played the role to the utmost, "Alright, I really didn't make any money from this order, girl. Come more often in the future!"
"Ah."
Jiang Lige responded indifferently, paid the silver, grabbed the wrapped clothes, and dragged Zheng Baoyao away. His movements were so fast that the shopkeeper only caught a glimpse of his afterimage when he looked up.
If the shopkeeper had not counted the amount of silver and found it correct, he would have almost thought he was being cheated.
On the other side, as soon as Jiang Lige came out of the garment store, he dragged Zheng Baoyao straight back to the official inn, and then went straight to Ning Yunxiao's house after entering the official inn.
At that time, Ning Yunxiao had just finished discussing important matters with Deng Sijiu. He rubbed his brows and leaned tiredly on the Arhat bed.
"Prince!" Jiang Lige hurried forward, looked around, and when he saw that no one else was around, he lowered his voice and said, "I suspect someone in the border town is trying to sabotage the flood control efforts."
Ning Yunxiao seemed a little surprised, "Why do you think so?"
"I just heard today that there's no post station in the border town for urgent mail delivery." Jiang Lige gulped down his tea and analyzed, "The ship carrying the supplies capsized in Zhangzhou, which isn't very close to here. If there weren't a post station in the border town, it would take at least half a month for ordinary letters to reach here, and today is only two days since the supply ship capsized!"
Ning Yunxiao also understood Jiang Lige's implication and continued, "So, either someone in the border town is privately operating a post station, or this person already knew when the supplies would capsize."
"That's right! Privately maintaining a post station would require a huge investment but yield little profit, so it's really unnecessary," Jiang Lige said firmly. "So, there's only one possibility left: someone is colluding with border officials to sabotage flood control efforts."
Ning Yunxiao pondered for a moment and said firmly, "The Wang family suffered a major setback in their last bandit suppression campaign, so they shouldn't be able to make any waves for a while. As for the flood control issue, it concerns the position of crown prince. Among the candidates, only Prince Xiaoping has the ability to extend his influence to the border towns."
"This Xiaoping King is so stupid and evil!" Jiang Lige rolled his eyes at the name, then couldn't help but worry after complaining. "While Xiaoping King doesn't have any real skills, he's a reincarnated man. The advisors and troops his father left him are all capable. If he's really determined to deal with you, it'll be troublesome."
Ning Yunxiao just smiled when he heard that, "It's okay, if the enemy comes, we will stop him with soldiers, and if the water comes, we will block it with earth."
Jiang Lige didn't have Ning Yunxiao's good attitude. He thought for a long time before saying seriously, "Border City connects the borders of the three countries. Why don't I go back to Nanchu? My uncle is currently working in Nancheng. If he can help us think of a solution, we might be able to solve the problem of disaster relief supplies."
"It's not appropriate." Ning Yunxiao shook his head. "After all, this is Shengling's internal affairs. It's not good to involve other countries and avoid gossip."
"That matter of supplies..." Jiang Lige paused mid-sentence. When he looked at Ning Yunxiao again, his face was filled with understanding. "Did the prince already have a plan?"
"Exactly."
Ning Yunxiao liked talking to smart people without any effort. He was about to share with Jiang Lige, but saw Jiang Lige shaking his head.
"Since the prince has a plan, I won't ask any more questions. We are surrounded by enemies on all sides. The fewer people who know, the safer we are."
Ning Yunxiao didn't insist and just said "Okay". After thinking for a moment, he said, "The rice and grain issue will take two days to complete, so there's no rush. Right now, I need the princess's help with something else."
When Jiang Lige heard that there was something to do, he immediately became excited.
"What's the matter?"
"When it comes to flood control in Border Town, supplies are secondary; solving the flood problem is paramount. Border Town has long suffered from flooding, until many years ago, when the current Censor Ye visited Border Town three times and built a complete water conservancy project along the river. This changed the history of yearly flooding in Border Town, and the people of Border Town willingly submitted to Sheng Ling. Censor Ye once said that this project would protect Border Town from flooding for a hundred years, but now, in less than thirty years, floods have once again broken through the dikes, leaving the people in dire straits. What do you think, Princess?"
"I don't know the full story, so it's hard for me to comment." Jiang Lige shook his head and asked, "How much do you trust Censor Ye's words, Your Highness?"
"Ten points." Ning Yunxiao said succinctly, "Censor Ye is a rare and good minister. Sheng Ling is very lucky to have him."
After hearing Ning Yunxiao's comments, Jiang Lige understood.
"So, the prince wants to check whether the water conservancy project has been sabotaged?"
"Exactly." Ning Yunxiao pointed to a mountain range on the map. "This project is built along this river and stretches for several miles. It's no small task to investigate. And now that we've entered the city in a high-profile manner, there will definitely be a lot of eyes on us. If we're discovered, wouldn't it alert the enemy?"
"So we have to catch him off guard!"
Ning Yunxiao nodded. "I'm an envoy, so I'm definitely under surveillance. Besides, I have to deal with border officials on a daily basis, so I'm afraid I won't be able to investigate this matter. After much deliberation, I think it's most appropriate to hand this matter over to the princess."
Jiang Lige patted his chest proudly and said, "Leave this matter to me, don't worry, my lord."