In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

Upon hearing the name Zhang Jingyan, without Gu Zhao needing to explain what kind of personal grudge it was, the Emperor looked over meaningfully, his face full of "oh, oh, oh, oh, I see" expressions.

What else could it be?

It's for the sake of beauty.

I wonder just how beautiful that Madam Zhang is, that my cousin is so reluctant to part with her, and even hates her respectable husband.

With such refreshing gossip to listen to, the Emperor's anger subsided considerably, but he still had to ask the questions he needed to:

"Why is he the best candidate? The Jiangning Textile Commissioner is a fifth-rank official. He should be selected either from the Directorate of Ceremonial or from among other fifth-rank court officials. There's no way he, a commoner merchant, could be chosen. What advantage does he have?"

Gu Zhao replied:

"His greatest advantage is that he is a commoner merchant. In this court, he has no ties with anyone, and because he is a commoner, the ministers who came from the imperial examination system will certainly not consider him one of their own. Therefore, the only person he can rely on in the court is the Emperor. Secondly, Zhang Jingyan is quite good at business, which is his second advantage. When Zhang Jingyan took over the Zhang family business, the Zhang family patriarch left him with a huge hole, just like the Jiangning Textile Bureau today. But in just a few years, the Zhang family has risen to become the head of the eight major merchants, which shows that he is a person with real talent and ability in business. I am truly ashamed and should have put aside my personal grievances long ago and recommended him to share the Emperor's burdens."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor seemed to have a sudden realization, and thought to himself:

"Moreover, this Zhang Jingyan is loyal to me. He has no power base in the court, and even the person who recommended him is his enemy. From now on, he can only be loyal to me."

At first glance, it seems a bit absurd to appoint Zhang Jingyan, who doesn't even have the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), as an official of the imperial court. But thinking about it this way, it's true, as Gu Zhao said, that Zhang Jingyan is indeed the best candidate.

The Emperor's expression immediately brightened:

"Indeed, sparing his life back then was the right decision. Cousin, your recommendation was indeed excellent. Guards, prepare the imperial decree."

When the emperor ordered someone to write the imperial edict, Gu Zhao bowed and took his leave.

If I were to return to Wenyuan Pavilion at this time, the elders would certainly ask me more questions.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, and in case the news was leaked and other Grand Secretaries came to disrupt and intercept him, Gu Zhao left the Qianqing Palace and did not return to the Wenyuan Pavilion. Instead, he went around to the Donghua Gate, intending to wait until he saw the procession delivering the imperial decree pass by before returning.

As a result, Xiong Kun, looking extremely anxious, rushed to greet him as soon as he came out at the entrance of Donghua University:

"Your Highness, Lady Zhu has left! She has left the capital!"

Gu Zhao looked over in shock:

"When did this happen! Did they travel by land or water? Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on them? Why so suddenly?"

Xiong Kun was also helpless. He had no idea that Madam Zhu would act so quickly. He hurriedly said:

"Just now, the men I arranged saw two large carriages suddenly appear in front of the Zhang family's gate and came to report to me. When I went to check, the Zhang family had already loaded all their belongings, locked the gate, and the carriages headed towards the west gate. From seeing the carriages to them leaving, less than a quarter of an hour had passed, so I rushed here to report to the magistrate!"

Xiong Kun rode his horse at breakneck speed all the way here, almost bumping into a playboy along the way. Whether it was from riding the horse or from nervousness, he was drenched in sweat. It was a close call. If the person in charge of guarding him had dozed off even for a moment, he might have missed it.

The thought that if they really missed it, they might not realize something was wrong until the evening or the next day, by which time Lady Zhu and her party would have been out of the city gates for a long time, and they would have no idea where they had gone.

Upon hearing this schedule, Gu Zhao sneered:

"She's deliberately keeping an eye on me!"

The person was about to leave, and if he was any later he might not be able to catch up. Gu Zhao didn't care about anything else and turned to run towards Qianqing Palace. On the way, he met a eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree. The eunuch pulled him away and they hurried out of the palace.

The eunuch in charge of delivering the imperial decree was practically dragged along by Gu Zhao through the palace, not daring to shout loudly, only daring to whisper:

"Lord Gu, what's going on?"

Gu Zhao's words were concise and to the point:

"Send word: time is of the essence! I'll take you on horseback! Hurry!"

......

Gu Zhao was absolutely right. Zhu Qingyu had deliberately chosen this auspicious day to move her entire family, intending to leave the capital quietly and unnoticed.

Or to be more precise, to leave quietly without attracting Gu Zhao's attention.

She had gone to see the carriage a few days ago, but because she was worried that Gu Zhao was so smart that he might find out she was going to run away when she changed carriages, she deliberately didn't make a decision in order to avoid being discovered by Gu Zhao.

Then this morning, I took the money to the car dealership, bought the car on the spot, and ran away while Gu Zhao was on duty in the palace!

The plan was good, but as soon as I stepped out of the west gate, I was blocked.

Shen Xu was actually at the West Gate, with a carriage beside him and two Imperial Guards sitting in the carriage.

Although they were on the run, they had encountered each other, and it was impossible to pretend they hadn't seen them. Zhu Qingyu got out of the car and greeted Shen Xu:

"Lord Shen, what a coincidence."

Shen Xu laughed:

"It's not a coincidence, I deliberately waited for you here. Madam Zhu, where are you going?"

Zhu Qingyu was a little nervous because she wasn't very familiar with Shen Xu yet, and she didn't quite understand his condition. She was worried that if she upset him, he might go crazy and not let her leave, leaving her helpless. So she carefully answered:

"I'm going back to my hometown in Sichuan. If Lord Shen has time to come to Sichuan next time, please come and visit me."

We're thousands of miles apart, how can it be so easy for us to come and sit down together?

Knowing full well that Zhu Qingyu was just being polite, Shen Xu seemed to be in a very good mood today, and didn't even make things difficult for Zhu Qingyu, saying:

"Perfect timing. I have two subordinates who are going to Sichuan on official business. They can travel with you. If you encounter any trouble in Sichuan, you can contact them. Also, there are some things in the carriage that are parting gifts for Madam Zhu."

Shen Xu wasn't there to stop people, but to see them off!

Upon opening the carriage door, she discovered that the boxes inside contained the clothes and jewelry she had pawned in the first wave of sales.

In this situation, Zhu Qingyu really didn't know what to say. Whether it was arranging escorts or redeeming her clothes and jewelry, it was all out of his good intentions. So he quickly said:

"Thank you, Lord Shen."

Since Zhu Qingyu was about to embark on a long journey, Shen Xu didn't press the matter further, but instead said:

"Goodbye, my lady."

After seeing Shen Xu off, and traveling about ten li, just before reaching the Ten Li Pavilion, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from behind, and someone called out from behind:

"Congratulations, my lady!"

It was Miss Zhuang's voice!

The carriage stopped again, and Zhu Qingyu got off. Miss Zhuang had already ridden up to her, jumped off her horse, and took a box from her bag and handed it to her.

"I heard from my father that your family's case was closed and you no longer needed to send money to the imperial court, so I went to Qingyi Lane to look for you, but the door was locked. Your neighbors said you came from the west, so I thought I'd come and try to catch up, and sure enough, I caught up with you."

This box contains the beautiful jade that Zhu Qingyu gave to Miss Zhuang.

Zhu Qingyu refused to accept it and replied:

"This is my dowry for you; it's already yours."

Miss Zhuang practically shoved her into the car, laughing as she said:

"Yes, it's mine, so I've decided to give it to you as a parting gift. You need it more than I do right now. Take care, my lady."

Two groups of people saw her off, and Zhang Shen silently stayed by her side the whole time. After Miss Zhuang left, he smiled and said:

"My wife is quite popular; surely no one will come to see her off?"

Zhu Qingyu glared at him:

"Don't jinx it!"

She had intended to keep quiet, but the constant stream of people seeing her off gave Zhu Qingyu an ominous feeling, and she just hoped it would all happen sooner and sooner.

Unfortunately, the carriage was newly changed, and Uncle Lü hadn't broken in with it yet. He couldn't use his lightning-fast skills. After traveling for almost five miles, a series of rapid hoofbeats came from the official road behind them, passing the carriage and then suddenly stopping, forcing the carriage to a halt as well.

Uncle Lü quickly pulled the rope, and Zhu Qingyu swayed back and forth in the carriage. With great difficulty, she managed to get up and lift the carriage curtain, where she met Gu Zhao's eyes as he dismounted.

When Gu Zhao saw that it was her, his expression, which had been blank, suddenly turned into a playful smile.

Behind him, an old man, staggering and panting, said breathlessly:

"Zhang, Zhang Jingyan, receive, receive the imperial decree!"