Chapter 217 Governor

"If it weren't for that, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to leave the government office today."

Qi Yuxuan briefly shared her thoughts, and both maids, being intelligent, understood immediately, though their faces looked somewhat listless.

"So what do we do now? It's a pity that the princess only has a title and no official position. Otherwise, if she were ordered to supervise, they wouldn't dare to be so evasive and perfunctory."

"So I went back immediately and wrote to my mother and cousin in person, asking for the right to supervise."

She can't find the corrupt officials herself, but she has powerful backers.

Lancheng government office.

Not long after Princess Chang Le left, Luo Yan and a dozen or so male prostitutes of various styles were released from outside.

Ren Shun didn't use much force, and Luo Yan was dizzy for a while. Hearing the noisy voices and footsteps, he woke up on his own before anyone came to pinch his philtrum.

He looked up at the faces of more than a dozen colleagues and was so frightened that he crawled back several steps.

Unexpectedly, in just a few steps, his sleeve was torn by the sharp crack in the brick on the ground. Everyone heard a "ripping" sound, and the thing in Luo Yan's sleeve fell out.

Lord Yao stared at the scroll of silver notes that he had personally handed to Luo Yan to give to Princess Chang Le, and suddenly slapped his thigh.

"I knew it! Princess Chang Le had run off without you. Turns out it was you who lined the pockets and pocketed the money! If you bribed her with gold, silver, and men, how could you possibly have failed to deal with a mere maid like her?!"

Luo Yan was also startled. Ignoring his headache, he hurriedly picked up the scattered silver notes, holding them in his hands and kowtowing repeatedly.

"My lord! How could I dare to embezzle the silver! This was for Princess Chang Le. I wouldn't dare even if I had ten thousand lives. It was clearly a reward given to me by the princess after she refused my offer. However, before I could even refuse, I was knocked unconscious by Princess Chang Le's men. I know nothing about what happened after that. Please investigate, my lord!"

Lord Yao didn't believe it and kicked the man over, yelling, "Go to hell!"

"The box containing the silver notes is gone. Are you telling me that Princess Chang Le wanted the box but not the silver notes?!"

Lord Yao saw through Luo Yan's greedy, lustful, and glib nature at a glance. Although things were going as expected, he was unsure how the capital would react to Princess Chang Le's complaint. He was extremely frustrated and had no intention of giving Luo Yan any face. He kicked him hard in the heart again.

Luo Yan was kicked twice. Seeing that all his colleagues around him were following Lord Yao's lead and no one came up to persuade him, he knew that he might have messed things up.

He dared not rummage any further, tossed the silver notes aside, and kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "My lord, please calm down! I beg you to give me a chance to redeem myself, at least to shut Princess Chang Le up first!"

What Luo Yan said, by sheer coincidence, coincided with Lord Yao's idea at that moment.

He's right. Why should they just wait here for the results from the capital? The dead are the safest people to talk to. If Princess Chang Le were to die, who would be willing to continue the investigation?

The capital is a thousand miles away. At worst, if one comes, one dies; if two come, both die. Eventually, Jiang Shi will run out of ideas and the matter will be settled peacefully.

As for the guards from the Princess Chang Le's residence and the Qilin Guard who came with Princess Chang Le? Although it is said that the Qilin Guard can fight ten people at once, it is just a legend. People are made of flesh and blood. As long as enough people go, why worry about not killing them all?

Lord Yao narrowed his eyes: "I remember, didn't a group of vicious bandits emerge from Nanshan last month?"

Luo Yan immediately replied, "Yes, yes, taking advantage of the approaching end of the year, they recently sent a large number of men down the mountain to rob and plunder, seizing a lot of grain and gold..."

A brilliant plan simultaneously popped into everyone's minds.

A few days after Qi Yuxuan sent her letter, she received a reply from the capital regarding the letter that the Qilin Guard had sent some time ago.

Along with the reply came an imperial edict.

Princess Chang Le was appointed as the temporary governor of Longxi, assisted by ten Qilin Guards, with the Northwest Xiahou Army cooperating in the deployment. A thorough investigation was launched into sixteen suspected crimes, including buying and selling official positions, bribery, and other offenses, in the Longxi government office and Lancheng government offices. Once the crimes were verified and the individuals involved were convicted, they were immediately escorted to the capital.

The dark imperial edict landed in her hand, and Qi Yuxuan felt its weight before slowly coming back to her senses.

The Governor of Longxi? Her rank was comparable to that of an Imperial Censor. When she investigated cases in the local area, it was as if she were meeting the Emperor or the Crown Prince. No matter how high-ranking the other party was, they had to cooperate with her investigation.

Although it was only a temporary official title, the documents and seals symbolizing her official position also fell into her hands. Qi Yuxuan still felt that everything had come too far beyond her expectations.

Not to mention that there has never been a precedent of a woman holding an official position since ancient times, what virtue or ability does she, a little princess who has hardly ever appeared before the emperor, possess to shoulder such an important responsibility? She pondered wildly as she opened the crown prince's reply.

Qi Yuxuan read quickly, skimming through the text, and the weight that had been hanging over her heart finally lifted.

The Southern Yue was preoccupied with internal strife over the succession of the throne in the past few months and had no time to harass the Great Qi. As a result, the army led by the Xiahou family moved from the southwest to the northwest last month. This time, not only did the Crown Prince win an opportunity for Qi Yuxuan, but it also gave the Xiahou family an opportunity to establish their prestige in the northwest.

"Has General Xiahou received the imperial decree?"

The Qilin Guard who came to deliver the message immediately replied, "The army's encampment is still a hundred li away from Lancheng. If we ride at full speed, we can deliver it today."

Qi Yuxuan glanced at the sky. It was only Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the time when the morning light was just beginning to break. She estimated that it would be at least tomorrow before Xiahou Shi's people arrived.

Following Princess Chang Le in receiving the imperial decree, the Lin family members all had somewhat complicated expressions; some were filled with pride, while others were lost in thought.

Qi Yuxuan didn't pay close attention to the Lin family's expressions. She already knew from the Huoshu Yinhua Fang incident that the Lin family had a deep-rooted collusion with the government. If they were to be completely eradicated, the Lin family would definitely suffer heavy losses.

Only Old Madam Lin smiled and saw off the Qilin Guards who were on their way to the government office. She then turned and took Qi Yuxuan's hand, saying kindly:

"His Majesty has entrusted such a crucial task to my granddaughter, which shows that Yuxuan has always been a reliable person in the capital. Very good, very good..."

Seeing that the Lin family members were also offering their congratulations and showing their support, Old Madam Lin waved her hand and said, "Go back to your work. You've all benefited from Yu Xuan's good fortune, so you'll be more reliable in the future."

After the Lin family members dispersed, Old Madam Lin pulled her granddaughter into the house and sat down on her daybed. The ease and pride on her face gradually faded, leaving only worry and solemnity.

"Now that you've taken this job, you must be extra careful. There are many officials in the government offices who are just sitting on their laurels and not doing their jobs. They have powerful backers, and if you do one thing, it will have far-reaching consequences..."

As she listened to her, a thought popped into Qi Yuxuan's mind.

Did your maternal grandmother know the Lin family's role in this? Or did she even tacitly approve of it?