Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

Jiang Sese tentatively took a small bite. The crispy and fragrant outer skin combined perfectly with the tender and juicy fish meat inside. The simple saltiness and spiciness brought out the freshness just right, without any fishy smell.

"Delicious!" Jiang Sese's eyes lit up instantly.

The seasickness I was feeling has largely subsided.

Just as Jiang Sese was munching on grilled fish, a small post boat quietly pulled up to the stern of the fleet.

After finishing the grilled fish, Jiang Sese and Xie Jue went to the temporarily set-out book compartment.

The book compartment was not large, but it was very well organized. Two clerks stood by, who were responsible for collecting and copying official documents.

Although they were on vacation, if it involved top-priority matters such as canal transport, salt administration in the north and south, the treasury in Jiangnan, impeachment of officials, floods and border defense, the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Cabinet would send trusted messengers to follow the fleet along the canal and deliver secret memorials to the ships.

Xie Jue then wrote down his proposed opinion and ordered the courier to send it back to the capital immediately.

Soon, Xie Ping led a dusty courier across the ship's side and presented three well-sealed urgent documents into the cabin.

Because Jiang Sese was there, a screen was also set up.

The clerk stood respectfully outside the screen, holding a lacquer tray in both hands, his eyes downcast. He had been working in the cabinet for five or six years, handling many errands, from the capital to the provinces, from the court to the government offices.

But I've never seen such a spectacle before.

Since ancient times, official duties in the imperial court and confidential matters in the cabinet have been the domain of men, who were forbidden from having their wives or concubines present. Not to mention the Grand Secretary's office, even the desks of ordinary county officials would never have a woman standing by and watching.

Throughout history, officials and ministers have always adhered to the principle of clearly distinguishing between public and private matters and between internal and external affairs. No high-ranking official has ever allowed his female relatives to stay close to him in important positions where urgent military and national affairs were being handled.

But this Lord Xie made no attempt to hide it.

The clerk delivered the folding booklet for the canal transport.

The Tongzhou section of the canal was silted up, causing grain ships to be stranded. The Grand Canal Transport Commissioner urgently requested the Cabinet to approve a dredging plan.

Jiang Sese glanced at it and asked, puzzled, "Wasn't the siltation in the Tongzhou section already cleared once last year?"

Xie Jue said, "Last year, the northern section was dredged, but this year the southern section is silted up. The Grand Canal Transport Commissioner wanted to clear the silt before the spring flood season, but the Ministry of Revenue has been slow to allocate funds... They want to save the money for repairing the Yellow River dike in the autumn."

Jiang Sese simply said "oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

Xie Jue glanced down at the book in her hand: "Where are you reading?"

Jiang Sese smiled and said, "I read that after the Grand Tutor of the previous dynasty was demoted, he wrote a letter to the emperor from his place of exile, saying that although he was demoted, his heart was still with the court."

Xie Jue slightly curved the corners of his lips: "After that Grand Tutor was demoted, he did write quite a few letters to the Emperor. However, the Emperor only replied with six words—'I know, behave yourself.'"

Jiang Sese was taken aback: "How did you know?"

"The cabinet archives contain official documents and letters from the previous dynasty. I've flipped through a few pages when I had nothing else to do," Xie Jue said while continuing to look down at the documents. "If you like these, I'll have a clerk copy out the interesting ones for you when we get back to the capital."

"It's a deal then!" Jiang Sese's eyes lit up, and she looked down at the book in her hand, sighing, "So your cabinet even keeps gossip from the previous dynasty. If we dig it all out, there will be so many famous scenes."

A memorable scene?

Xie Jue looked at Jiang Sese's eager expression and a faint smile appeared in his eyes.

The clerk cautiously raised his eyes and quickly glanced at the two figures swaying behind the embroidered screen.

A soft, gentle female voice came from behind the screen, followed by Lord Xie's voice: "That emperor was indeed heartless, but the Grand Tutor was later reinstated, which saved him some face."

The clerk quickly lowered his head, but his mind was in turmoil.

Good heavens, is this still the same Lord Xie who was in the imperial court?

The tone of his voice was different; it was as if he were a completely different person.

He recalled hearing gossip from those who had attended the wedding banquet a few days ago, saying that the marriage was not forced and that Lord Xie had even dismissed his personal maid in order to marry this young mistress. At the time, he was half-believing and half-doubting.

Who is Lord Xie? He passed the imperial examinations at the age of sixteen and entered the cabinet at the age of twenty-one. Who in the capital doesn't know that Lord Xie is dedicated to the country and its people? When would he care so much about a woman?

Now, hearing Lord Xie speak so gently and casually about anecdotes from the previous dynasty, and even promising to copy some interesting documents for her to read, the clerk felt that the rumors outside were not exaggerated at all, but rather too subtle.

Xie Jue handed the approved memorial to the clerk and instructed, "Send these two copies back to the capital immediately. Attach the draft for the grain transport document and have the Ministry of Revenue allocate the funds within three days. Just say it was my order."

The clerk bowed and agreed, then took the folded book and left.

After several days of sailing, the boat reached the canal lock, where the sounds of water and people mingled into a noisy cacophony.

The massive fleet was blocked by the narrow waterway and the slowly opening and closing sluice gate ahead. The boats, large and small, were packed tightly together, their hulls swaying slightly with the current and making dull thuds as they collided with each other.

Jiang Sese stood on the second-floor viewing terrace, with light gauze hanging down, which both blocked the view from the outside world and did not obstruct the view.

Just then, a heart-wrenching cry of a woman came clearly from an ordinary civilian passenger boat that was right next to their official boat.

The cries were heart-wrenching, filled with helplessness and fear, drawing the attention of people on nearby boats.

Jiang Sese frowned, thinking that she had encountered some kind of abduction of a woman, and immediately asked Fuyun to inquire about it.

Fuyun nodded and left.