Chapter 2594 - 2568: Entanglement

Manbao said, "Cold palace syndrome is not a small issue. In the future, when you get married and have children, this condition must be treated early, and even if not for the future, the pain of an attack is not good."

The palace maid clutched the medicine bottle, her eyes slightly red.

Manbao took two more bottles of medicine from the medical kit and handed them to the two eunuchs, "For you."

She didn’t say what kind of medicine it was and asked with a smile, "You know how to use it, right?"

The two young eunuchs nodded repeatedly with flushed faces.

Manbao then left carrying the medical kit.

After she had gone far, and the two palace maids also left, one young eunuch whispered to his companion, "Actually, I know what Young Master Zheng is doing, he’s practicing speaking. But he has to say one sentence back and forth to get it correct, and often accidentally muddles things up. Next time Dr. Zhou comes, I’ll tell her."

"I’ll go with you."

Zheng Erlang was out of danger, so Zheng Wang and the others left the palace.

They were waiting for someone from the main branch of the Zheng Family to come and take Zheng Erlang away.

However, Zheng Erlang’s escape from danger was just the beginning of the matter.

In the evening, Manbao quietly whispered to Bai Shan, "Senior Brother Tang said this matter is related to land enclosure. What does it have to do with enclosure?"

Bai Shan shook his head, also puzzled.

"Is it alright for you to bring County Magistrate Guo into the palace to see Young Master Zheng?"

"It’s alright, even the Crown Prince knows about it and didn’t stop it."

Hearing that, Bai Shan felt relieved.

The next day was a small court meeting; officials like Zhou Man and County Magistrate Guo didn’t need to attend it. So while the ministers were at the small court meeting, Manbao directly brought the person to Young Master Zheng.

In front of Young Master Zheng were set pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. He looked up at County Magistrate Guo, and after they exchanged courtesy, they sat apart.

County Magistrate Guo said, "Young Master Zheng, the Zheng Family suspects there are other hidden motives in the matter of your injury. I also want to find out the truth and give you an explanation. Hence, there are some things I want to ask you personally."

Young Master Zheng nodded.

County Magistrate Guo asked, "Who reminded Young Master Zheng to go to the estate?"

Young Master Zheng thought for a moment before writing, "After a long drought, sudden spring rain fell in the capital. As I heard that a tenant in the estate had just died, I wanted to go and offer some comfort, so I asked to go myself."

"Then who told you there was a deadly brawl at the estate?"

Although that piece of land belonged to the Zheng Family, Zheng Fei was not often in the capital; there were managers to handle matters. He was there to study and prepare for exams, so he shouldn’t be handling these affairs.

Young Master Zheng wrote, "I overheard Manager Zheng dealing with it, thus I learned of it."

He paused before continuing, "I also know City Lord Lian’s judgment."

"Do you think my judgment was unjust?"

Young Master Zheng nodded and then shook his head, "I asked the manager who initiated the fight. It was said that it was the head of the homestead who started it; the two sent by the Chief were all injured by people from my estate."

Therefore, Young Master Zheng did not express disagreement with this judgment, but someone died in the estate, and the ruling was equal to that of the other party, so he needed to comfort the tenants, which is why he went personally.

This was a spontaneous decision; he didn’t think anyone could grasp his thoughts. If someone deliberately set this up, then there should be a problem on the estate’s side.

To have another fight occur on that day by chance.

County Magistrate Guo asked many questions. As the doctor who needed to observe Young Master Zheng’s emotional fluctuations, Manbao sat by and watched the entire process.

County Magistrate Guo placed the answers he had written on one side of the table and unconsciously tapped the tabletop with his fingers. After a while, he said, "I heard the Zheng Family recently acquired new land in Qizhou, totaling ten qing in size. It coincides with land purchased by the Wang Family of Hejian. But I also heard that last year you strongly opposed the family’s purchase of this land and even decided to come to the capital early to prepare for exams. Is that right?"

Young Master Zheng did not answer County Magistrate Guo’s question. He directly placed the pen back on the pen mountain, crossed his hands over his abdomen, and quietly looked at County Magistrate Guo.

County Magistrate Guo raised his head to look at him, and the two locked eyes without backing down for a long while.

Manbao looked at one, then the other, wanting to ask if the strained relationship between the Zheng and Li families started with the land in Qizhou?

But since neither of them spoke up, it was not her place to interrupt.

Finally, it was County Magistrate Guo who first looked away, nodded slightly, and said, "I understand."

Understand what?

Manbao looked at him expectantly.

County Magistrate Guo ignored either of the two, got up, collected all the written words of Young Master Zheng, and turned to leave.

Manbao thought for a moment and said to Young Master Zheng, "Don’t get agitated; keep calm and rest well. I’ll go see Colonel Guo off."

Manbao went after County Magistrate Guo.

County Magistrate Guo paused in the courtyard and waited for Zhou Man. As soon as she arrived, before she could speak, he asked, "Can Young Master Zheng’s injuries be fully healed?"

After a pause, Manbao replied, "There’s a possibility."

"What are the odds?"

Seventy to eighty percent? Manbao said, "Fifty to sixty percent."

County Magistrate Guo looked at her skeptically, "Is your probability accurate, or did you lower it?"

Manbao said with a serious expression, "What do you think?"

She said, "Am I that kind of person?"

County Magistrate Guo thought about it and decided to trust her. He sighed, "Let’s hope Dr. Zhou can fully heal him."

"Why is that?"

"Because he could indeed be a pillar for the country."

Wei Zhi also thought he could become a pillar of the nation and told the emperor, "This case should be heavily punished."

At this time, the emperor was amused by the drama and was somewhat reluctant to intervene, saying, "The struggles between eminent families, if I intervene, it may neither be accepted by either side. Better to let them fight it out themselves."

Wei Zhi couldn’t bear his schadenfreude and rebuked, "Your Majesty, everyone in the world are your subjects, be it nobility or commoners, they are all your people. Regardless of the reason for their disputes, you should stop it according to the law, how can you let it go unchecked."

The emperor snorted internally, when a joke was made in his family, weren’t you all watching the show quietly?

Why didn’t you remember they were subjects then?

But to maintain the emperor’s dignity, he solemnly nodded in agreement with Wei Zhi and then asked, "What would you have me do?"

Wei Zhi thought for a moment; it was sensitive, and the emperor shouldn’t interfere directly, but he could make a final ruling. He suggested, "How about letting Lord Yin handle it with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice and Punishments, find out everyone involved, and get justice for Zheng Erlang?"

The emperor thought about it and agreed that Zheng Erlang was more useful than the head and eldest son of the Zheng Family, so he nodded and said, "Alright."

Bai Shan took advantage of his position to investigate the newly purchased land of the Zheng Family in Qishan but couldn’t find any anomalies. However, the land purchased by the Hejian Wang Family was transferred a few times and eventually ended up with the Ministry of Revenue.

Bai Shan found it very surprising, so when delivering documents for approval in the Imperial Secretariat, he detoured to the Ministry of Revenue and ended up chatting with the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

The Left Assistant Minister, hearing Bai Shan mention this, said, "Usable official fields around the capital and Yongzhou are becoming scarce, so Minister Li intervened and bought some land in Qishan. After preparing it, it was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue, and future new officials may need to be allocated official fields in the Qizhou area."