Chapter 155 Ke Meng Confesses
"You may not know this yet, but your good uncle has arbitrarily diverted the flow of the Dacao River and changed the direction of the water source. Not only the farmlands of the people downstream have been affected, but also Bibo Villa and Baiyun Airport Villa. Bibo Villa is the villa awarded to Yixiang Jun by the emperor, and Baiyun Villa is the villa where the emperor ordered people to conduct experiments." Zhuge Ling spoke word by word, and the prefect's face turned pale, and the more he listened, the more depressed he felt.
This Li Si, just a country gentleman, actually caused such a big trouble for himself. His sister was just a plaything in his backyard, a concubine who was engaged in business, how could he have the face to call himself his brother-in-law.
The prefect's face was livid, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he said tremblingly, "My Lord Prime Minister, I really didn't know about this matter. It was all Li Si's own fault. Please punish him as you please."
Zhuge Ling raised a sneer at the corner of his mouth and said in a mocking tone: "Oh...really? Without the protection of the prefect, how dare he do whatever he wants? The silver note he just gave to the prefect as a gift must be at least 10,000 taels. Tsk tsk tsk."
The prefect was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he knelt down with a plop. "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, you are innocent! Li Si's business encountered difficulties some time ago, so he borrowed the money from me. He came here today to pay me back."
Zhuge Ling sneered in his heart. This excuse was too lame, but he did not point it out. While he was talking, he calmly observed the surrounding environment. When he came in, he had already roughly looked around the mansion. He saw pavilions and towers, which were scattered in an orderly manner; small bridges and flowing water, which were arranged very exquisitely. Now looking at the interior, it was even more magnificent and magnificent. Many famous paintings and calligraphy were hung on the walls, and various precious antiques were placed in the treasure pavilion.
Zhuge Ling called Ke Meng, who was standing beside him, and whispered, "Go check the source of income for this prefect and see how long it will take to save up the 10,000 taels of silver."
When the prefect heard this, he looked up and noticed Ke Meng standing beside him. The prefect was originally an official in the capital, but he was demoted to Qingzhou Prefecture to serve as the prefect because he displeased the emperor. Of course, he knew Ke Meng, knowing that he was the eldest grandson of the Dali Temple Minister, and he must have learned a lot of skills and methods of trial from his elders. Thinking of this, the prefect was immediately frightened and broke out in a cold sweat.
The prefect trembled as he explained, "Your Excellency, please understand! This money is the dowry of my concubine. Li Si borrowed it and asked me to give it to her..."
Zhuge Ling glanced at the prefect and dropped the teacup in his hand with a clang, which broke the prefect's heart.
"Investigate." Zhuge Ling gave the order.
Ke Meng immediately took people to investigate.
At the same time, Song Shijie led people to restore the diverted water source to its original state, but this was a big project and the county government was far from enough staff. After Wang Hu learned the news, he led people from Bibo Villa to support, and Liu Zhuangtou of Baiyun Villa also led people to help.
Everyone worked hard for five days before finally restoring the water in the river to its original state. The river water finally flowed into the fields of Bishui Villa. Although it was a few days late, it was still in time for planting rice.
As for the matter of the prefect, Ke Meng quickly found out. This prefect had been bullying the people for years, and he had many concubines, all of whom were born in wealthy merchants and gentry families. Not only did they receive huge dowries, they also often accepted bribes from the concubines' families to do things for them, and never did their proper business.
Zhuge Ling presented the evidence he had obtained to the emperor. The emperor was furious and ordered the prefect to be dismissed and investigated, and all his property was confiscated. He also selected a new candidate for prefect, who would soon come to Qingzhou Prefecture from the capital to take up the post.
The prefect's family was driven out of the mansion, and the former glory and wealth disappeared like a passing cloud.
Thanks to timely rescue, the crops at Bibo Villa and Baiyun Villa were not greatly affected.
The people were so grateful to Zhuge Ling that they shed tears and praised him as an honest and upright official.
On this day, Ke Meng finally received a reply from the capital.
He couldn't wait to open the envelope. Looking at the familiar handwriting, a warm feeling surged in his heart.
In the letter, the mother expressed her strong interest in the girl mentioned in the letter. She curiously asked Ke Meng about every detail of the girl, as if she wanted to know more about her.
Ke Meng couldn't help feeling a little surprised and moved by this, because he knew very well that his mother had always been a calm and rational person, but this time she showed so much attention and enthusiasm for the contents of his letter.
He was thinking about how to answer his mother's question, and at the same time he realized his deep feelings for Shen Zhen.
In her mother's reply, Ke Meng's mother continued to express her concern and support for him, and encouraged him to bravely pursue his own happiness.
She thought Ke Meng should take the initiative to contact the girl and not give up his own happiness easily.
Ke Meng was deeply encouraged and grateful for his mother's support and understanding. He decided not to hesitate anymore and to face his feelings bravely.
Ke Meng found an opportunity to secretly go to the photo studio, but Wang Feng said that Shen Zhen had returned to Shitou Village, so Ke Meng chased her to Shitou Village.
Ke Meng knocked on the door of the Shen family. The person who opened the door was the girl he had been thinking about day and night. Ke Meng blushed immediately.
"Ke Meng, why are you here?"
As soon as Ke Meng heard this, he knew he had recognized the wrong person. It was obviously Yixiangjun who opened the door. It was strange. When he left Baiyun Villa, he clearly saw her still inspecting the fields. How could she go home now?
"I...I have something to discuss with Miss Shen." Ke Meng said awkwardly.
Shen Zhi recalled the last time she broke into Mr. Gu San's house at night to teach Xie Jiang a lesson. The man in black she met was Ke Meng in front of her. Could it be that something happened between him and her sister that she didn't know about?
Shen Zhi glared at him and said, "You can't bully my sister."
Ke Meng was stunned, looking slightly embarrassed, and said, "I won't bully her, don't worry."
Shen Zhi took Ke Meng to the side hall in the front yard, and then went to call his sister Shen Zhen over.
Shen Zhen was really surprised when she saw Ke Meng. She didn't even know his name, but he came to see her.
"My lord, is there anything you want to talk to me about?" Shen Zhen asked.
Ke Meng took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and then mustered up the courage to look at Shen Zhen and said, "Miss Shen, I fell in love with you at first sight. I have been thinking about you ever since we first met that day. I know it may be a little abrupt to say this, but everything I said is absolutely true."
Shen Zhen blushed after hearing what Ke Meng said. She didn't expect Ke Meng to be so straightforward. She lowered her head and thought for a moment, thinking about the difference in status between her and him. Then she raised her head and said to Ke Meng with a smile, "Thank you for your kindness, but I just want to focus on running the photo studio and not consider other things for the time being."