Chapter 46: Persistent Torrential Rain
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Shen Jifeng gave them a little while to discuss the matter before saying leisurely, “A few days ago, a considerable amount of iron went missing from an iron mine in Chao County. Unfortunately, some of the craftsmen from our mine had also spent ten-odd days at that mine. When the Ministry of Justice investigates a case, it naturally has to question everyone currently working there, which is why they were brought to the Western Capital Prefecture. Once the Ministry finishes questioning them and clears them of suspicion, they will be back soon.”
The miners suddenly understood. They had been worried over nothing; their companions had merely been caught up in the matter.
“However,” Shen Jifeng continued, “you are miners, and some of you have worked at iron mines before. You all know perfectly well what iron can be used for. His Majesty is furious about this case, and it is a secret of the imperial court. Ordinarily, you should never have heard of it, but rumors have been spreading throughout the mine, so I have no choice but to come forward and clarify matters. Now, swallow what you have just heard and keep your tongues under control. If you are arrested for spreading baseless nonsense, do not blame me for failing to warn you!”
The miners shrank their necks like a flock of well-trained quails and nodded repeatedly.
“Rest assured, Princess. We know what is important and what is not. We certainly won’t go around talking nonsense.”
Li Leqi watched as Shen Jifeng combined kindness with authority and brought the miners completely to heel. His face blossomed like a chrysanthemum.
Shen Jifeng playfully winked at him, as if to say, See? I’m impressive, aren’t I?
Li Qingyao had witnessed Shen Jifeng’s skill at overcoming great difficulties with minimal effort, and he could not suppress the adoration in his eyes. He had originally thought that the princess merely possessed extraordinary vision and was exceptionally gifted at business. He had never expected her to be equally formidable at winning people over and resolving crises.
The rain had eased into a fine drizzle. Taking advantage of the lull, Shen Jifeng prepared to return to the Western Capital Prefecture. She had to see the people sent by the Ministry of Justice in person before she could set her mind at ease.
Jinchai helped Shen Jifeng remove her heavy straw rain cape. Her heart felt as though it had been sealed inside a jar—stifled and aching.
“You rushed to the capital the afternoon before last, hurried back yesterday, and now, before you’ve even caught your breath, you’re leaving for the Western Capital again. Even an iron body couldn’t endure this.”
Before she could finish, tears began to fall in torrents.
“You’re carrying such a huge enterprise all by yourself, inside and out.”
Shen Jifeng wiped away her tears. “That isn’t quite right. I must correct you. Uncle Li is at the mine, and so is Qingyao. Underground, there are craftsmen like Old Zhang the Simpleton. And by my side, I have you and Dongyang. I’m not carrying everything alone. All of you are helping me bear the load.”
“This servant cannot argue with you, Princess. But I insist on one thing: when you return to the Western Capital today, you must come home and rest properly for one night. If you refuse, then once the young commandery prince returns, I’ll report you to him.”
“All right, all right.” Shen Jifeng had not intended to return home in the first place, but she simply went along with the suggestion. “Tonight, I’ll do as our Aunt Jinchai says and spend the night at home.”
Jinchai hurriedly packed a few clothes for Shen Jifeng, only to discover that the little silver bead she always carried in her purse was missing.
Shen Jifeng searched everywhere and finally recalled that the last time she had seen it was in Chongwen Hall.
It had probably fallen there. If she could not find it, so be it. In any case, she would be able to refine a hundred or even a thousand times as much silver in the future.
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In the prison of the Western Capital Prefecture, the two guards Shen Jifeng had dispatched stood outside the craftsmen’s cell like guardian deities at a gate.
The prison warden had worked there for nearly twenty years, but this was the first time he had seen prisoners arrive with bodyguards. Stranger still, the prisoners’ meals were none of his concern; the guards brought everything in from outside.
Even a third-rank official did not make such a display!
The warden asked Registrar Sun, “My lord, what kind of people are they?”
Registrar Sun felt a chill whenever he looked at those two guardian deities. “Don’t poke your nose into matters you shouldn’t ask about. If you have a death wish, take some of it off my hands.”
The warden immediately fell silent. Registrar Sun had always been even-tempered, so why was he acting as though he had swallowed a firecracker today?
Registrar Sun, his heart full of resentment, went to complain to Huang Bai.
“My lord, with the princess’s guards standing watch like this every day, what face will our Western Capital Prefecture have if word gets out?”
Huang Bai was teasing the parrot he had finally managed to recover.
“What face? Will it help you get promoted or keep you safe?”
The Ministry of Justice intended to conduct its interrogation in the Western Capital Prefecture. At best, it would take three to five days; at worst, no one knew when it would end. The craftsmen were treasures of the silver mine. As long as they remained in his prison for even one day, if one of them were crippled, fell ill, or died, the princess would come looking for him.
Now that the princess had stationed people here, he did not have to concern himself with their food, drink, or any other need. In other words, whatever happened, he could remain entirely uninvolved.
What could be more delightful than those four words?
“Remember this: we are merely giving the Ministry of Justice a place to work. Everything else has nothing to do with us.”
Registrar Sun finally grasped the point. He raised his thumb.
“My lord, that is truly brilliant!”
The officials from the Ministry of Justice still had not arrived, so Shen Jifeng returned directly to the estate.
It had rained for two days straight, leaving the inside of the house as damp as the outdoors. Shen Jifeng simply sat in the pavilion and watched the rain.
Jinchai brought her a steaming cup of ginger tea, then draped a cloak over her shoulders and fussed incessantly.
“This rain seems determined never to stop. Princess, you mustn’t catch cold.”
Shen Jifeng cradled the teacup in both hands. Through the swirling steam, her expression seemed somewhat distant.
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“Jinchai, do you think the people from the Ministry of Justice didn’t come today because the rain delayed them on the road, or because someone is deliberately holding them back?”
“Oh, my princess, do you think everyone is like you, rushing back and forth between the Western Capital and the capital like a woman who never knows when to stop?”
Shen Jifeng sniffed. As the ginger tea slid down her throat, warmth spread through her limbs, and even the dampness seemed to recede a little.
“That’s true. Under normal circumstances, the journey might take a day, and with the rain on top of that, we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Jinchai shook her head. “It could take three days as well. I only hope the person coming isn’t one of those slow and sluggish types who rides for an hour, then rests for half of one.”
“That shouldn’t be the case. This matter has always been a thorn in Imperial Grandfather’s side. The Ministry of Justice wouldn’t dare neglect it.”
Outside the pavilion, the pattering rain began to grow heavier, splashing against the leaves of the ivy beside them.
Shen Jifeng remembered drinking with Ma Yao in this very place that night. Counting on her fingers, she realized he had been gone for four days. After he left, she herself had spent four days rushing about without pause. She wondered how things were going with his family. It had taken her so long to find someone who was so useful and easy to work with, and then he had gone running off. He still owed her twelve days, yet he had not even sent back a message. It was rather ungrateful of him.
Shen Jifeng waited in the Western Capital until the following afternoon, but the officials from the Ministry of Justice still had not arrived, and the rain showed no sign of stopping. She could not wait any longer. If it continued like this, something would eventually go wrong at the mine.
Cai Xin took the initiative to curry favor with Shen Jifeng, openly declaring that unless the Ministry of Justice summoned him back, he would help her protect the craftsmen.
On the road back to the silver mine, Shen Jifeng saw many fields that had been washed away by the floods. Thinking of Huang Bai, who was still at home amusing himself with his parrot, she became furious and spent the entire journey cursing him together with Jinchai.
The closer they came to the mine, the heavier the rain grew. The entire mining site was shrouded in a curtain of water, like an isolated island tossed about in a storm.
The earth had absorbed its fill of water, and every step left a shallow depression.
No! The workers could not be allowed to continue laboring underground!
Shen Jifeng issued a decisive order: everyone was to come up immediately, and all excavation was to stop.
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