pjbooks Chapter 64 Pneumoconiosis
Chapter 64 Pneumoconiosis
Ye Ping'an has a special fondness for martial arts, but she is also aware that she has missed the best age to learn martial arts. In addition, she is of average talent, so even if she studies diligently, it will be difficult for her to achieve great things.
When this plan failed, Liu Shan's eyes lit up and he came up with another idea: "Why did you end up in a brothel? If you're willing to become my groom, I can grant you one request, any request you may make."
A trace of sadness appeared in Ye Ping'an's eyes as she softly said, "I was originally the daughter of an official, but my family fell into decline, and my parents died unjustly. A few days ago, my employer bought me from the capital. If you can help me find out the truth and clear my parents' names, I am willing to become your groom."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shan frowned, appearing hesitant.
Seeing this, Ye Pingan laughed self-deprecatingly.
"I have only one request," Liu Shan said.
Ye Ping'an: "Please speak."
Liu Shan said earnestly, "You must become my groom immediately, and I promise to help you find out the truth within ten years so that your parents' grievances can be redressed."
Upon hearing this, Ye Ping'an was stunned in surprise and couldn't help but ask, "Is it worth it just to make me a groom?"
does it worth?
Liu Shan himself wasn't sure, but he was clear on one thing: if he hadn't traveled through time, he would never have believed in metaphysics so much.
Since such an unbelievable thing as time travel has already happened, what reason does he have not to believe in metaphysics?
Moreover, simply finding servants and grooms with auspicious names is a far cry from true metaphysics.
“It’s worth it!” Liu Shan said confidently.
"Then I'll trust you for now." Ye Ping'an had no choice but to nod in agreement.
She originally planned to use her status as a courtesan to first attach herself to powerful figures, and then use her body to exchange for a chance to seek justice for her parents.
Now, all she has to do is become a stable boy to get a chance to seek justice for her parents, and of course she's willing to try.
Even if Liu Shan ultimately deceived her, she would simply be back to square one, having suffered no loss whatsoever.
Rather than wasting time in brothels, it's better to take a gamble. Ten years may be a long time, but if it can clear my parents' name, it will be worth it.
Ye Pingan silently prayed in her heart, hoping that her parents' spirits in heaven would bless her and reveal the truth as soon as possible.
And so, Liu Shan gained a new stable boy.
On the way back to the government office, Liu Shan asked, "The surname Ye seems to be quite rare."
Ye Pingan nodded, "The surname Ye was indeed very rare in the Xia Dynasty."
Liu Shan continued, "Can you drive a horse-drawn carriage?"
Ye Pingan shook her head to indicate that she would not.
"Then you'd better hurry up and start studying."
……
Back at the government office, Li Polu had been waiting for a long time.
When Li Polu saw that Liu Shan had brought back a young girl, he raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
Liu Shan explained the whole story in detail. Li Polu pondered for a moment, his expression serious: "This matter requires careful consideration. The blacksmith shop in Jinhua County has an official background. If we want to conduct a thorough investigation, we must obtain the prefect's approval."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shan said happily, "In that case, I will go and ask the prefect for his permission and make sure to get his support."
Li Polu nodded: "I will go with you."
The two walked out of the government office side by side. The night was getting darker, and the stars were twinkling.
On the way, Liu Shan suddenly remembered Fang Hao and asked him about his background.
Li Polu said in a deep voice, "As you know, Fang Hao is the eldest son of Fang Congzhe, the Minister of Personnel."
Liu Shan asked with doubt, "The Minister of Personnel is an official appointed by the imperial court. Why doesn't his eldest son take up an official post? Given his father's status, this shouldn't be difficult for him. Why would he choose to run a brothel in Cangzhou? Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"
Li Polu sighed slightly and said, "Regarding your first question, Fang Hao suffers from asthma, which is incurable. During the winter and spring seasons, he can only stay in warm and humid places, such as Cangzhou."
Liu Shan had some understanding of asthma, which is the modern form of asthma and is difficult to cure.
Li Polu continued, "Regarding your second question, because Fang Hao suffers from asthma, Fang Congzhe was worried that he would misbehave in front of the emperor, so he gave up the idea of letting him serve as an official. As for your third question, since he can't go into politics, he can only go into business, otherwise wouldn't it be a waste of Fang Congzhe's background resources?"
Liu Shan nodded. It seemed that he had been overthinking some things. Was it because of the excessive pressure he had been under recently?
He took a deep breath, trying to relax his mind and body.
Before long, the two arrived at the Yin residence.
Yin Nantian received the two in the living room.
After Liu Shan gave a detailed report, Yin Nantian's expression changed slightly, and his tone became heavy: "This matter involves a wide range of issues and is no small matter."
Li Polu laughed and said, "If this matter were not of great importance, we would not have come overnight to seek the support of the prefect."
Yin Nantian pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Ever since Liu Shan went to Jinhua County to investigate the Wang Pinlian case, I have received a secret report, but at that time the clues were limited and I was unable to investigate further."
Liu Shan's spirits lifted. Although Wang Pinlian was dead, he was an apprentice at the blacksmith shop in Jinhua County. If Prefect Yin mentioned this matter now, it must be related to the blacksmith shop.
He hurriedly asked, "What secret report is it? Can the Prefect tell me?"
Yin Nantian's expression was solemn: "The secret report says that Wang Pinlian's real cause of death was pneumoconiosis."
Liu Shan's heart skipped a beat. Pneumoconiosis is common among miners, so how could someone in a blacksmith's shop have this disease? Could there be another reason behind it?
He pressed on, "Sir, why would the blacksmith's assistant get this disease?"
“At first I was also confused. Later I specifically consulted the blacksmiths in the army and learned that iron ore is used when blacksmithing. If a large number of ironware are made in a short period of time, one may contract pneumoconiosis.”
Yin Nantian paused, deliberately lowering his voice: "I suspect that the blacksmith shop is secretly forging ironware and selling it illegally, otherwise why would they use iron ore so frequently?"
Liu Shan and Li Polu exchanged a glance, both of them startled.
It should be understood that illegally selling ironware, whether for civilian or military use, is a capital offense.
Thinking of this, Liu Shan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "If that's the case, we must find out the truth as soon as possible. I plan to go to Jinhua County tonight to investigate the blacksmith shop myself."
Yin Nantian was stunned. He had originally planned to send Li Polu and He Qiong along. He couldn't understand why Liu Shan was so eager.
"Liu Shan, are you aware of the dangers of this journey?"
Liu Shan replied, "This subordinate understands. Please send more men, sir."
Yin Nantian pondered for a moment and then ordered, "Liu Shan, the best constables in the government office are at your disposal. In addition, I will have Jiang Xiaoyong send a team of elite soldiers to assist you. We must find out the truth about the blacksmith shop."
Liu Shan accepted the order with gratitude in his heart, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your trust, sir. I will certainly not fail in my mission."
“Very good.” Yin Nantian continued, “This matter is very likely to involve many people. I need to inform Prince Kang and obtain his consent before you can take action.”