20demayo Chapter 402
Chapter 402
"the jiang family is truly despicable."
jiang yankun scolded angrily, turning to ma yiyang, who was seated below him, and said, "now that the ministry of punishment is under your control, quickly arrange for a few trusted subordinates to go to cang county..."
after jiang yankun entered the cabinet, ma yiyang had become the minister of the ministry of punishment, and now the entire ministry followed his orders.
ma yiyang immediately stood up: "rest assured, sir. i will ensure that we reach cang county before the emperor's men."
cang county, part of the capital, was located less than fifty miles below yunyang county and was known as the opera hub of great yan. cuiyu tower, which had gained fame many years ago due to a talented singer, was a household name.
ma yiyang knew the gravity of the matter and dared not delay. as soon as he left the jiang residence, he mounted his horse and hurried to the ministry of punishment.
he had two officials under him, both of whom he had personally promoted after jiang yankun's departure.
jiang yankun was excellent in every way, but his methods were not ruthless enough. he followed the path of a scholar, which made him suitable for the cabinet but not for the ministry of punishment.
ma yiyang was different.
he came from humble beginnings, having grown up among the lower classes and frequenting street gambling dens. his martial skills were taught by a few enforcers at the gambling house, combined with his own natural talent.
he had a fierce and unyielding demeanor, a kind of bandit-like aura that made people tremble at the sight of him.
he was more suited to be the minister of the ministry of punishment.
this was also the reason jiang yankun had promoted him when he left.
of course, the more important reason was that ma yiyang was fiercely loyal to the crown prince, the empress, and the jiang family.
for those in power, loyalty was the most important quality, even more so than ability.
and ma yiyang was a rare talent who possessed both loyalty and skill.
"giddy-up! giddy-up! giddy-up!"
several sleek black horses galloped past the entrance of the jiang family's main residence. ma yiyang noticed the constant stream of carriages at the gate and asked with some surprise, "is there a celebration at governor jiang's house recently?"
the two young men behind him reined in their horses and stopped as well. "sir, haven't you heard? the empress's eldest cousin is about to turn twenty. if she doesn't marry soon, the authorities will force her into a match. the governor's wife has been actively looking for a suitable family to marry miss jiang yunxia off!"
later, it was said that whenever ma yiyang saw the man on the streets, he would beat him up and even threw him into the ministry of punishment's prison, where he was tortured until he lost his mind.
with such a fierce brother, no one dared to marry the sister, and she remained unmarried to this day.
how could her family possibly agree to let her marry ma yiyang?
she didn't even dare to mention it, fearing that her parents might think ma yiyang had seduced her and go after him, ruining his future.
with his humble background, it had been hard enough for him to rise to his current position. if he were suppressed by the jiang family because of her, she would feel immensely guilty.
cang county—
following the address jiang yankun had provided, ma yiyang easily found lan xiaolou's home. but he was cautious. the emperor's men might arrive just a few steps behind them, leaving no time to cover for the empress.
so, he stopped a few children who were wandering the streets and some vendors at the city entrance, gave them some silver, and instructed them to direct anyone asking for the location of cuiyu tower to ji family village, next to lou family village in cang county.
"giddy-up! giddy-up! giddy-up..."
the galloping horses left a trail of dust in their wake. in the emperor's study, lan xiaolou, now dressed in male attire but still strikingly beautiful, stood in the center, his posture slightly bent. the emperor remained silent, and so did he.
after a long while, the emperor smiled and said, "should i call you master cui or master lan?"
lan xiaolou knelt on the ground with a straight back and replied, "your majesty, this humble one's surname is lou."
the xuanwu emperor didn't care about his surname; he had only spoken to break the silence.
"how old are you now?"
though the emperor knew he was the same age as yue'er, he still asked. lan xiaolou understood perfectly—the emperor's casual questions were meant to lower his guard.
once he was lulled into a false sense of security, the real questions would follow.
"this humble one turned nineteen this past march."
"how many people are in your family?"
"my parents passed away long ago. i am alone, with no relatives."
...