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

Since Zhu Qingyu had fallen asleep, Zhang Shen instructed the driver to drive slowly. He had barely slept the night before and was also very tired. He carefully leaned against Zhu Qingyu and dozed off for a while.

He didn't know how long he had slept when the carriage suddenly stopped. Zhang Shen, who was half asleep, woke up immediately and asked:

"What's wrong?"

The coachman said:

"Master, there are eight official sedan chairs coming this way at the intersection ahead. The road is a bit narrow, and we might easily bump into them."

An eight-tiered sedan chair indicates an official of at least the third rank. The time between 3 AM and 5 AM is when ministers from various departments go out to court, so encountering such a person at this time is perfectly normal.

According to the established rites, the lesser should avoid the more powerful; there's no need to compete for passage with officials from the capital, lest one offend someone without even realizing it. Zhang Shen rose and gave the instructions:

"Let's move aside and wait a bit, make way."

The carriage stopped on the right, and Zhang Shen got out and waited to the side. The sedan chair that was coming from the opposite direction did not come over, but stopped at the intersection ahead.

When two people meet on a narrow path, the one with the higher rank wins; whoever has the higher rank goes first.

The sound of hooves came from behind again. For a third-rank official to give way, it must be some important figure who was about to go to court. Zhang Shen continued to wait on the side, letting the horses behind him go first.

The horses that had been galloping ahead suddenly stopped abruptly when someone shouted "Whoa!" and pulled on the reins.

Looking back by the light of the lantern in front of the carriage, Zhang Shen saw a man in red robes riding a black horse; it was none other than Minister Gu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Lord Gu stopped beside the carriage, his face expressionless, staring intently at the Zhang family's blue cloth carriage.

Zhang Shen was very nervous and quickly scanned his carriage, worried that if there was anything wrong with it, the upright and incorruptible Lord Gu might catch him.

Fortunately, the Zhang family's blue cloth carriage was the most ordinary model, with a simple and unassuming appearance, without any frills. In the capital, most ordinary people, whether they bought or rented, used such carriages.

Zhang Shen felt that his carriage had not violated any regulations, but Lord Gu had been staring at it for far too long, making Zhang Shen somewhat uneasy. He worried that there might be something he had overlooked, so he quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"This humble subject, Zhang Shen, greets Your Excellency, Vice Minister."

Gu Zhao turned around and discovered that there was another person standing next to the carriage, Zhang Jingyan, the Yangzhou general merchant who had been reported by Yan Pan yesterday.

Salt tax is the lifeblood of the nation, and the Lianghuai region accounts for the largest share of it. Therefore, after entering the Ministry of Revenue, Gu Zhao summoned all eight major merchants of Lianghuai to inquire about the salt affairs of Lianghuai.

Gu Zhao had previously thought highly of Zhang Jingyan. Although he was the youngest among the eight major merchants, he was worldly-wise, cautious, and spoke with substance, making him a useful person.

If Yan Pan's accusation that the Zhang family colluded with salt smugglers is true, it would be a pity. The Yan family's fate today is the Zhang family's fate tomorrow. The male members will be executed immediately, and the female members will be made government slaves.

However, whether it is true or false, whether it is a false accusation or something that actually happened, needs to be verified before we can know for sure, so there is no need to alert the perpetrator.

So Gu Zhao nodded and asked:

"Jingyan, it's freezing cold, what are you doing here so early?"

Zhang Shen had been summoned by Vice Minister Gu once, and the meeting lasted less than a quarter of an hour. He was surprised that the Vice Minister, so busy with state affairs, still remembered his courtesy name. So he quickly said:

"Your Excellency, I am returning to my hometown today and am heading to Tongzhou Port to catch a boat. That is why I left early to avoid being late."

Tongzhou Port is a full sixty li from the capital, so it was time to set off early. Gu Zhao exchanged a few pleasantries and wished him a safe journey, then urged his horse forward to the court. When he reached the intersection, he turned a corner, and after a short while, only the sound of horses could be heard, but no one could be seen.

After the eight sedan chairs in front of him had also left the intersection, Zhang Shen got back into the carriage. Inside the carriage, Zhu Qingyu was still half-wrapped in a blanket and leaning against the carriage wall, but her eyes were open, and she was already awake.

Zhang Shen helped her wrap the blanket up and asked:

Did I wake you up?

Zhu Qingyu woke up as soon as she heard Gu Zhao's voice. Remembering the gossip she'd overheard while seeing patients at the Gu family's house last night, she hesitated for a moment, then whispered:

"Was that the young master of the Gu family just now? I heard from the Gu family servants that the old lady of the Gu family fell ill, apparently because the Minister Gu took a concubine and that's what caused the trouble."

Zhang Shen was somewhat surprised:

"Isn't Lord Gu a monk? Yet he takes concubines. Oh, well, he has since left the monastic life."

Zhu Qingyu told him this not for gossip purposes, and added:

"The young lady that Vice Minister Gu wants to take in is surnamed Yan. She was originally from an official family, but was recently bought into the household as a servant. It seems that Miss Yan was unwilling or something and caused a scene in the household, and now she is to be sold. If her surname is Yan, Jingyan, do you think it could be the Miss Yan we know?"

Zhang Shen remembered that Zhu Qingyu hadn't liked this Miss Yan very much before, so why was she suddenly so fond of her now? He asked:

"Yan is not a common surname, and there are even fewer officials with the surname Yan. I only know of one, and it is most likely her. The Yan family members were escorted to the capital a month and a half ago. If you count the time, it matches up. Are you worried about her? Do you want to redeem her? If you really want to, I will go to the official broker to ask."

Zhu Qingyu hurriedly said:

"No, no, no, I don't like her. Don't bring back a troublesome person. I'm just worried that the Yan family's case might implicate you. After all, we've given the Yan family so much money."

Zhu Qingyu really disliked Yan Pan, and even the entire Yan family. She avoided dealing with them unless absolutely necessary.

After all, who would like someone who is arrogant, domineering, bosses people around, and constantly asks for money?

In the past, the Yan family would hold banquets every few days under various pretexts. They would even invite the wives of the heads of various merchant families to a banquet when Yan Pan's cat had kittens. Regardless of whether the women went or not, they had to give gifts. If the gifts were too small, the Yan family would openly send servants to their homes to demand more. In private conversations, everyone said they were suffering greatly.

Therefore, not only Zhu Qingyu disliked it, but Zhang Shen disliked it even more. Hearing this, he smiled and said softly:

"Don't worry, it's not like we're the only ones giving money. Every family in Yangzhou involved with salt has been asked for bribes by Lord Yan. Besides, the Yan family's case is closed. It was personally presided over by Vice Minister Gu, so there won't be any new trouble. In the end, it's all because Lord Yan is too greedy and his behavior is too ugly, forcing everyone to have no way to survive. Otherwise, why would things have come to this? These past few salt commissioners, sigh, the last one was lustful, and this one is greedy for money. None of them are good. I wonder if the newly appointed Lord Dai will be any better."

Since they were talking behind each other's backs, the two of them whispered in hushed tones, whispering privately in each other's ears. After leaving the city gate on the east side, they met up with the Zhang family's caravan waiting outside the city gate and headed to Tongzhou.

In the afternoon, Zhu Qingyu and her party finally arrived at Tongzhou Port, found their own boat, unloaded their luggage and loaded it onto the boat, thus leaving the strict rules and powerful elites of the capital city and heading towards the decadent and luxurious water town of Yangzhou.