Ye Jingchen had been waiting for the day when the emperor would become suspicious.

There's no way around it; the basic laws of development prove that quantitative change will inevitably lead to qualitative change.

Although Xie Chang'an was very careful and discreet in his actions, as they engaged in more and more underhanded activities, they would eventually arouse the emperor's suspicion.

When that day comes, he must give the emperor a reasonable explanation and not allow the emperor to have even the slightest suspicion about the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!

He had been preparing for this day all along.

"Father, I have kept records of all the price changes in the capital over the past nine years, as well as other information they have given me. If you wish to see them, have them sent to Chengqian Palace after I return to the Eastern Palace," Ye Jingchen said to the emperor.

Since he decided to use Zhizhi, he naturally had made thorough preparations.

Despite hearing Ye Jingchen's explanation, the emperor still found it unbelievable, or more accurately, it was precisely after hearing Ye Jingchen's explanation that he found it unbelievable.

How could a noble and powerful family fall into the hands of an orphan whom no one cares about?

The emperor suddenly remembered that when the empress was alive, she also liked to help orphans who had no parents and no home.

The Ciyou Hall in the Imperial City was built during the Empress's lifetime.

She has helped many children, and some of them repay her in their own ways.

Isn't the Crown Prince's current personal bodyguard an orphan whom the Empress helped back then?

He had not undergone rigorous training as a bodyguard and was not qualified to become the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard. It was the Empress who appreciated his tenacity and determination that allowed him to stay by the Crown Prince's side and protect him closely.

Because of this secret guard, the other secret guards around the crown prince also escaped his control, so he could not always know the crown prince's movements.

Although the empress died when the crown prince was very young, the crown prince was still influenced by her and liked to protect the weak.

The bond between mother and child is truly wondrous!

In fact, after hearing the Crown Prince say that he had helped those orphans, the Emperor's suspicions and distrust had been greatly reduced. He believed that even if the Crown Prince had deceived him, it must have been for his own good and for the good of Dayuan!

He had neglected the Empress for several years because of her well-intentioned deception, causing her a lot of grievances. Only after the Empress passed away did he realize his mistake and regret it deeply. Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in this world, so he will not repeat the same mistake with the Crown Prince!

Actually, if you calm down and think about it carefully, apart from the trouble he caused with the marriage agreement, all of the Crown Prince's other little actions were beneficial to him and Dayuan!

Although his mindset had changed, the emperor was still very interested in those records, considering that he had never carefully studied the price changes in the capital.

"Then send it over for me to see!" the emperor said.

Ye Jingchen keenly sensed the change in the emperor's attitude. Although he didn't know why, it was a good thing that the emperor's attitude softened so quickly.

But that's not enough; he must completely dispel the emperor's suspicions today.

Otherwise, if the emperor sends people to watch them day and night, it wouldn't matter much else, but if the emperor finds out about Xie Chang'an's feelings for him, then they're all doomed!

"Father, do you know why Lin Yuan Bookstore, Tian Gong Pavilion, and Ci You Hall can all gather information?" Ye Jingchen asked.

The emperor thought to himself, if even an orphan can gather information, what's so strange about those three places being able to gather information?

But he was indeed quite curious.

Tell me about it.

"Linyuan Bookstore allows everyone to enter for free to read and practice writing, but in reality, most ordinary people don't realize the importance of reading and writing. Those who truly understand that reading and writing can change their destiny, but who don't have the opportunity to do so, are often people who have seen some of the world, such as servants of aristocratic families, waiters in restaurants and teahouses, or traveling merchants, craftsmen, and the like... They are often the most well-informed people, and the teachers at Linyuan Bookstore will approach them under the guise of teaching them, extract their identity information, and then inquire about valuable news."

"Tiangong Pavilion is similar in nature to Linyuan Bookstore, but Tiangong Pavilion has more contact with extraordinary people and collects extraordinary stories. Some of these stories are even more exciting than those in traditional storybooks."

"As for the orphanage, when the children there grow up, most of them will choose to sell themselves into slavery or servitude to wealthy families in order to make a living, and naturally they will be able to find out news about their masters."

Ye Jingchen explained to the emperor one by one.

These three places are indeed the sources of his information, and they do not conflict with Xie Chang'an's information gathering channels; they corroborate each other.

He meticulously categorized and recorded all the information he collected, showing no fear of the emperor's inspection.

As for how Xie Chang'an gathered the information, he didn't know, and he didn't want to know.

Xie Chang'an was also an emperor, and he was equally suspicious. In order to show his sincerity and demonstrate his trust in Xie Chang'an, he never inquired about these matters.

He didn't know how many people Xie Chang'an had under his command, how they passed messages, or how far Xie Chang'an had infiltrated the Dayuan court.

All he knew was that the powerful families now had fewer and fewer henchmen in the imperial court, and their influence on Dayuan was also diminishing. Many powerful families that had oppressed the people had been punished, and the land had returned to the hands of the common people.

In short, people's lives are getting better and better.

Under such circumstances, he didn't care what Xie Chang'an did. Anyway, with the elders of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion keeping him in check, he couldn't possibly become a traitor. In the end, wouldn't the emperor be the one to benefit?

The era he lived in was different from this one, and the education he received was also different from this one, so his behavior and way of doing things were also completely different from this one.

For him, doubt and suspicion are unnecessary internal conflicts; as long as everyone shares the same goal, different paths can lead to the same destination.

Thinking of the special nature of Linyuan Bookstore and Tiangong Pavilion, Ye Jingchen added: "Although Linyuan Bookstore and Tiangong Pavilion were set up for me by the Duke of Anguo's mansion, since they opened, my uncle has handed over all the land deeds, house deeds and indentures of all the employees to me. They have not interfered in anything since then."

The emperor chuckled and said, "You don't need to explain, I'm not that suspicious!"

After he finished speaking, he fell silent.

If he weren't so paranoid, why would he have gone several nights without sleeping?

If he weren't so paranoid, Ye Jingchen wouldn't need to explain so much to him!

The most terrifying thing is that even if Ye Jingchen explained so much to him, he would still have the Imperial Guards investigate these three places afterward to verify the credibility of his words.

He knew perfectly well that he was sick!

Ye Jingchen was also taken aback for a moment, but he quickly recovered and said, "Of course I believe you, Father. The reason I said all this is that I no longer want to hide anything from you!"