Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 711 Revealed
Sun Yuan limped into the courtyard, and the villagers immediately surrounded him.

"Supervisor Sun, you've finally come out."

Sun Yuan looked at each of them one by one, speaking to them warmly and asking when they had arrived and how long they had stayed before turning to Cao Yu.

Sun Yuan said with a hint of resentment, "Since you've come here, why didn't you come looking for me?" They should know that he had been released from prison and that he had been waiting at home, but Cao Yu had never come to his door.

Cao Yu didn't speak, but instead asked with concern about Sun Yuan's leg: "How is it? Has the doctor examined it? Is it getting better?"

Sun Yuan nodded perfunctorily, but the steward next to him said, "The doctor said that our master's leg cannot be cured and he will be lame from now on."

Sun Yuan frowned and scolded the manager with a reproach: "Shut up."

The steward wasn't afraid and continued, "Fortunately, that corrupt official is in jail and won't be able to get away this time. It can be considered... their retribution."

"What retribution?" Sun Yuan asked. "It is because the officials are wise that they have gone to such great lengths to investigate the case and punish all these corrupt officials."

At this point, a hint of emotion flashed in Sun Yuan's eyes. Cao Yu could probably guess what Sun Yuan was thinking. An official who had devoted himself to the court had finally not been let down and had waited for this day.

“Supervisor Sun,” Cao Yu said, “you have difficulty walking, let’s go inside and sit down to talk.”

Sun Yuan responded and was ushered through the door.

The women brought over freshly boiled water, and Cao Yu said, "We came here without bringing anything, not even a cup of tea."

Sun Yuan waved his hand: "Just drink water, why be so particular?"

After saying this, Cao Yu looked at Sun Yuan's legs again, then looked up to indicate that he wanted to take a closer look.

Sun Yuan let him have his way.

Everyone stared at Cao Yu's hand, and when he pulled up Sun Yuan's pants, revealing a section of his calf, everyone gasped.

Although the wound was covered up and its appearance was not visible, the dark and thin calf around the wound indicated the severity of the injury.

The steward continued to plead for his master: "They broke the master's leg, and then deliberately set the bone incorrectly. If it weren't for the money we spent a few days ago to bribe a doctor to set the bone, the master's leg would have been completely ruined."

Cao Yu had heard about the torture methods used in prison, and seeing it with his own eyes still left him bewildered and astonished. If even Sun Jianbo, who held an official position, was treated like this, what would happen to people like them if they went in?

“It’s all in the past,” Sun Yuan said, showing no sadness whatsoever and appearing remarkably carefree. “The fact that the court can send people to thoroughly investigate those officials means that the lives of the people will be much better in the future.”

The villagers nodded in agreement, their respect for the ship supervisor growing even stronger.

Sun Yuan continued, "I came here this time to see what your plans are for the future."

Cao Yu didn't hide anything: "Our matter has been resolved."

This time it was Sun Yuan's turn to be surprised. He paused for a long time before asking, "What did you say? It's resolved?"

Cao Yu nodded and said, "Wang Tianshi already knows about my smuggling business with people."

At this point, he thought for a moment and decided not to reveal everything Wang Yan had told him, as it was uncertain whether the petition would even be submitted.

“We were forced into this business. We have never intentionally harmed anyone’s life. The things we buy and sell are not prohibited items. Furthermore, everyone has filed a lawsuit. If it weren’t for the oppression of corrupt officials that left us with no livelihood, we would not have taken the risk of going to sea to make a living.”

The villagers nodded in agreement as they listened to Cao Yu's words.

Sun Yuan frowned and pondered for a moment, then said, "Has the Imperial Envoy Wang agreed to petition the court for your sake?"

Cao Yu replied, "That's about right." The villagers couldn't help but feel happy when they mentioned this matter, and Cao Yu was the same. He thought Sun Yuan would also feel relieved for them, but unexpectedly, Sun Yuan remained silent.

Upon seeing this, Cao Yu's heart sank, and he couldn't help but ask, "Does Supervisor Sun feel that something is amiss?"

Sun Yuan then came to his senses and said, "I just didn't expect that Wang Shishi, who has so many cases to deal with, would still be willing to inquire about your matter in detail. Originally, I had already written down your case and was preparing to submit it to the court."

He paused here: "When you met Wang Yan, was someone introduced to you?"

Cao Yu looked at Zhou Lanqi and said, "My wife has met a benefactor."

Sun Yuan immediately said, "Tell me in detail." He had been extremely busy lately, with all the case files related to Quanzhou being pushed in front of him. He was afraid that the contents of the case files would be leaked, so he had them locked in a courtyard and not allowed to come and go as they pleased until the case files were completely sorted out. Therefore, he knew nothing about them at all.

Cao Yu recounted the story of Lady Xie. Sun Yuan listened and nodded from time to time, but Cao Yu had a strange feeling in his heart. Sun Yuan, the supervisor, did not seem to agree with him as he appeared, but rather had some reservations about his choice.

Why is this?

This feeling was fleeting, as Sun Yuan returned to his usual warmth. He said, "Thank you, Madam Xie, for helping to capture the leader of the demon cult, which is a great service to the court. Furthermore... she has some dealings with Wang the Angel, so she can indeed speak on your behalf."

“However,” Sun Yuan said, “I don’t know much about that Lady Xie. Even Wang Shishi had only heard of her before, so you should think things through and leave yourself a way out.”

Cao Yu was surprised again, not expecting that Supervisor Sun would hint at him to be wary of Wang Yan. Wang Yan had only just released Supervisor Sun from prison after arriving in Fujian, so logically, Supervisor Sun should have thought Wang Yan was a good official.

how……

Could it be that after this incident, Supervisor Sun has become even more wary of people?

As a result, Cao Yu was unsure whether he should tell Supervisor Sun that he was going to be the head cook for Lady Xie for a year.

“Regardless, the case can be put on hold for now,” Sun Yuan said, “but you definitely can’t smuggle goods at sea anymore. Without this job, your future…”

Before Cao Yu could speak, a villager next to him said, "We want to go to sea with Madam Xie's fleet. If we do well, we'll never have to worry about food and drink again."

Cao Yu immediately looked at Sun Jianbo's expression, and sure enough, Sun Yuan's gaze had become even more somber.

"Madam Xie is going to be a maritime merchant?" Sun Yuan asked. "When did this happen? Isn't she the head of the porcelain business in Bianjing? How come... she's now eyeing maritime trade?"

Cao Yu explained, "With so many officials and sorcerers arrested, the sea trade routes were almost cut off. Someone sought help from Madam Xie, who happened to have some men under her command, so they assembled a fleet."

Seeing Sun Jianbo's strange expression, Cao Yu asked, "Is there... something wrong with this?"

Supervisor Sun shook his head: "No, I... I just didn't expect it."

After speaking, he gave Cao Yu a strange look and asked, "She doesn't have any ships, how is she going to organize a caravan?"

Cao Yu pursed his lips, and finally said under the watchful gaze of Supervisor Sun, "Perhaps... Madam Xie has other plans."

Although Cao Yu did not say it explicitly, Supervisor Sun guessed the result: "She wants to buy the ships of the sorcerer sect?"

Cao Yu remained silent, which was tantamount to acquiescing. He had overheard a few words from Wang Yan, who had someone appraise the ships belonging to the Demon Sect, just to sell them.
Where would Madam Xie's fleet of ships come from? The most suitable option would be to buy the large ships of the Demonic Cult from the imperial court.

Merchants outside wouldn't know about these circumstances; by the time they heard the news, Madam Xie had already bought all the boats.

Cao Yu knew this matter couldn't be leaked. If it attracted people vying for the big ship, wouldn't Madam Xie suffer a loss?

But Supervisor Sun was no outsider; he was an official, not a merchant, so it didn't matter that he knew in advance.