The person in the image?
Upon hearing these words, Manager Liu immediately stood up, forgetting the teacup in his hand, and spilled tea all over himself.
He paid no attention to the tea stains on his clothes.
"The image Miss Jun gave?" he asked to confirm.
The clerk nodded.
Manager Liu turned and took a ledger from a nearby shelf, extracting a piece of paper from it. This sheet, barely the size of a palm, depicted descriptions of two faces.
One had fair skin, resembling Yuan Bao from the imperial palace just now.
The other had a mustache—it was exactly the person matching Yuan Bao who had just walked in.
After Miss Jun left the capital, she sent this image to all branches of De Sheng Chang. The selected reception clerks were required to memorize the characters depicted, and once they were found, they were instructed to report promptly.
"It's him." The clerk pointed to the figure with the mustache on the image. "He just exchanged some money and left. He has a Shandong accent—seems like he's not from here—but he's familiar with the capital, pretending otherwise."
The reception clerks at De Sheng Chang weren't inexperienced apprentices; only those with at least three years of training could take up this post, with standards even stricter than those at the counters.
They were skilled at reading expressions and dealing with various types of guests.
Manager Liu nodded and put the image away.
"You'll come with me to see Miss Jun," he said.
......…
......…..
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, the emperor was reviewing a memorial while glancing at Lu Yunqi standing before him.
The curtains in the room were drawn, and the windows were wide open. The early summer morning brought a slight, lingering cool breeze inside.
"Lord Huang says that these refugees were aided by De Sheng Chang, and it wasn't Duke of Chengguo's initiative?" the emperor said slowly. "Is that true?"
Given the longstanding resentment between Huang Cheng and the Duke of Chengguo, the emperor didn't trust Huang Cheng's memorial, only using it when convenient.
At present, the emperor didn't plan to act against Duke of Chengguo. Ministers could be his tools, but he didn't want them wielding him as their tool.
Lu Yunqi stared at the memorial in the emperor's hand.
He thought of the borrowed carriage.
The carriage had been entrusted to Huang Cheng; whether it was borrowed had never been explicitly stated.
Borrowed or not?
The emperor looked at him as well.
"Hmm?" He frowned slightly. "Yes or no?"
"I don't know how to say it," Lu Yunqi raised his head to reply.
"Say whatever you have to say," the emperor tossed the memorial onto the table with some irritation. "What can't you say? Or is it that you won't say it?"
Lu Yunqi kneeled and lowered his head.
"The refugees were indeed brought to the capital by De Sheng Chang," he replied, "but it doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't orchestrated by Duke of Chengguo."
The emperor grunted.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked.
Lu Yunqi lifted his gaze.
"Miss Jun is now Duke of Chengguo's future daughter-in-law," he said.
The emperor let out an "Oh," and tapped on the desk.
"So, are you saying that Duke of Chengguo had De Sheng Chang do this because they're now family?" he asked.
Lu Yunqi lowered his eyes without speaking.
He only provided the information the emperor needed, never drawing conclusions for him or expressing opinions.
The emperor's gaze turned increasingly dark as he looked back at the memorial.
"Family," he muttered. "De Sheng Chang and Duke of Chengguo are going to be family."
He stroked the table.
"It was Miss Jun who cured the Young Master of Fang's illness, wasn't it?" he suddenly asked.
This story was long, widely circulated in the public, and could be recounted with extensive detail and numerous interpretations.
Lu Yunqi lowered his gaze.
"Yes," he replied.
The emperor chuckled softly.
"What a family that repays gratitude," he said. "For such a savior, surely they would repay abundantly, wouldn't they?"
"Yes," Lu Yunqi repeated. "Relief efforts in the northern lands, the forging of armor and weapons—all were funded by De Sheng Chang. For this, the silver vaults of seventeen De Sheng Chang branches in the northern lands were emptied."
The emperor grabbed the memorial and flung it at Lu Yunqi.
"Why weren't these matters reported!" he roared.
The emperor had never been so furious at Lu Yunqi before, and the eunuchs standing outside the hall were startled, retreating further from the gates.
Lu Yunqi bowed his head and remained still.
"Your Majesty ordered that no one inquire into De Sheng Chang's affairs," he said. "I dared neither intervene nor question further."
This was indeed correct.
The emperor, about to hurl another memorial, paused mid-motion, especially considering the existence of the first emperor's decree regarding De Sheng Chang.
Nevertheless, Lu Yunqi hadn't mentioned the decree; he simply adhered to his prior statement about not interfering.
All things considered, for now, no one was more reliable to the emperor than Lu Yunqi himself.
The emperor tossed the memorial back onto the table.
"You're right—don't concern yourself with De Sheng Chang's affairs," he said. "And there's nothing more to inquire about De Sheng Chang itself; everything stems from Duke of Chengguo's northern campaign."
He waved his hand.
"Keep an eye on Duke of Chengguo."
Lu Yunqi responded affirmatively, saluted, and withdrew.
Seeing Lu Yunqi step out, Jiang Qianhu and others waiting outside the palace gates quickly approached.
"Sir, is everything okay?" they asked softly.
The emperor's earlier roar had echoed out, and they were well aware of it.
"The anger wasn't directed at me," Lu Yunqi replied.
Jiang Qianhu and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then who?" one queried.
Lu Yunqi walked to his horse and mounted it.
"Duke of Chengguo," he said. "Gather people and keep a close watch on him."
Jiang Qianhu immediately smiled.
"That's good news," he said, raising his hand to signal the team, "Mount up and let's get to work."
Lu Yunqi stared ahead, his expression wooden, revealing no hint of emotion.
But in his solitary retreat back at the palace, the emperor's face was utterly devoid of any smiles. Sitting rigidly at the desk, his expression turned twisted as he swept a pile of memorials to the floor.
"Fate, you say—it was nothing divine, all human," he muttered through clenched teeth.
They should have died, but that woman surnamed Jun ruined it!
And because of her, Duke of Chengguo, who should have perished too, was spared!
Moreover, he gained immense credit!
Using his money to earn such accolades!
The credit should have been his alone!
De Sheng Chang, you dare to take my money and mount my merits!
You lowly merchants have overstepped your bounds!
If you act unjustly, don't blame me for acting ruthlessly!
"Summon Eunuch Yuan," he ordered sharply.
.........
......
Eunuch Yuan.
Miss Jun's hand rested on the image Manager Liu had handed her.
It was indeed Yuan Bao, unmistakably appearing in the capital.
"We're not sure where he came from, nor where he's headed," Manager Liu whispered. "But as long as he's taken our money and starts spending it, we can trace him."
Every money business had its own marked silver ingots—tracking someone was quite simple if desired.
He either just left the imperial palace or is about to enter it, but either way, he's certainly not just an old associate of the emperor's secret mansion.
If De Sheng Chang's actions in the northern lands had been carried out by any other money business, it wouldn't have mattered. It would simply have been seen as Duke of Chengguo's orders, earning praise for benevolence and civic-mindedness, aiding the nation and its emperor.
But given De Sheng Chang's undisclosed ties to the imperial family, the emperor's thoughts would now be far from favorable.
"I'll write a letter to Chengyu; have someone deliver it immediately," Miss Jun said.
Manager Liu acknowledged her instructions without hesitation.