Chapter 171: Why is he so proud? (Part 2)

The Pei Mansion is quiet and cozy, but the Duke of Xin’s Mansion is different.

Pei Xingju's arrival brought the truth about Hezhou's illegal tax system to light, with irrefutable evidence in black and white. As for the officials escorted from Hezhou to Beijing, no one knew how Pei Xingju interrogated them, but they all confessed everything and signed and sealed their names, pointing the finger at He Qin, the Minister of Revenue.

"They pointed fingers at the Ministry of Revenue, and they almost pointed fingers at you, Duke. These people..." Marquis Cheng'en said in unison, "If it weren't for your promotion, Duke, would they be where they are today? They used to act tyrannically in Hezhou, embezzling the people's money, and when things went wrong, you were the one who cleaned up their messes. Now, now that the truth has been revealed, everyone wants to throw the dirty water on you."

Duke Xin sat at the head of the table with a gloomy face, remaining silent for a long time.

The staff member said, "We must find a way to deal with it as soon as possible. Fortunately, it is the end of the year and the emperor is not suitable for major actions, but it is hard to say after the beginning of the year."

"What else can we do? That's tens of millions of silver in taxes." Marquis Cheng'en spread his hands and said, "I'm just confused. How can there be so much silver in taxes? I'm in charge of the account books, and the amount sent to the capital every year is less than one-third."

At this point, he felt even more sorry for Duke Xin. "Tens of millions of taels of tax silver, those people embezzled so much, and the rest was sent to the capital, and it all went to the Empress Dowager. Over the years, the Empress Dowager has worshipped Buddha and built temples, and the tens of thousands of incense money, which one didn't come from Duke Xin's pocket?"

"Nowadays, when something happens, everyone avoids it."

After he finished speaking, Duke Xin's expression became even darker.

After a moment, he said, "The Ministry of Revenue can no longer be saved. If the Emperor investigates, I'm afraid my title as Duke of Xin will be difficult to preserve."

"But..." the aide asked cautiously, "Didn't the Emperor agree to make Miss Yixin his empress? After all, you're his father-in-law, so you wouldn't..."

"Hmph!" Duke Xin sneered, "This move is still a bit risky."

Although the Emperor agreed to make Yixin his empress, the prerequisite was that Yixin must be loyal to the Liang family. However, in recent days, his daughter has locked herself in her room and refused to see him, her father. I'm afraid she has become alienated from him. Even the Duke's wife has begun to complain about him.

But who was he doing all this for? It was all for his Liang family! For the future generations of his Liang family! But these children were so ignorant, planning everything for them, but they never appreciated it.

Thinking of something, he asked, "Have you found out the whereabouts of the prince?"

The staff member was stunned: "Not yet."

"Investigate as quickly as possible and find him or her alive or dead!"

"yes."

.

When Zhuang Wan returned to the capital, not only Pei Xingju but also Qiu Tan were happy.

On New Year's Eve, she followed Zhuang Wan like a happy little bird, accompanying her in preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.

Pei Xingju heard that Zhuang Wan was going to cook the New Year's Eve dinner herself, and while she looked forward to it, she couldn't bear to see her work so hard. Zhuang Wan, however, didn't agree. In her previous life, she'd always prepared the New Year's Eve dinner with her parents, and doing it herself felt more ceremonial. She left Pei Xingju reading in the study, donned an apron, and dove into the kitchen.

For a moment, the backyard was so lively that it seemed as if a big pot of rice was being prepared. The servants passing by would lean over the door to take a look at the kitchen.

In comparison, the study in the front yard seems very deserted.

The imperial court sealed the books and locked the government offices. Pei Xingju had nothing to do so he took a book from the bookshelf to pass the time.

After a while, he caught a glimpse of a sneaky figure out of the corner of his eye, and when he looked up, it was Shen Yi.

"Why are you here again?" he asked in surprise.

This sentence was undoubtedly a critical blow to Chen Yi. He felt a chill in his heart. Not long ago, he was extremely popular in Pei Mansion, but how come he became an eyesore now?

Pei Xingju asked, "Today is New Year's Eve. Do you plan to let the princess spend it alone?"

Chen Yi walked in with a nonchalant expression: "Why can't she spend her time alone? She's not a three-year-old child who needs company."

As soon as he finished speaking, a maid was led to the door. Shen Yi turned around and saw that the maid was Princess Wu Jing's personal maid.

"Is there something?" He spoke first.

"Sir," the maid bowed, "the princess asked me to ask when you will be back."

"Why did she ask me to go back? I have things to do here."

The maid moved her lips, hesitant to speak, and said, "The princess sent me to ask what my son-in-law would like to eat for the New Year's Eve dinner so that the princess can prepare it."

Hearing this, Shen Yi frowned, still a little suspicious: "She is not planning to cook the New Year's Eve dinner herself, right?"

The maid smiled and said, "That's exactly what the princess thinks."

Wu Jing has always been a fanciful person, sometimes enjoying horseback riding, sometimes enjoying opera. Recently, she found some recipes from somewhere and has started to enjoy cooking.

Shen Yi had eaten the food she cooked once and almost sent himself away.

At this moment, Chen Yi's face was full of indescribable expression: "I don't have anything I like to eat, just let her make what she likes."

The maid asked, "Will the uncle be back soon?"

"Let's talk about it later." Chen Yi waved his hand impatiently: "Go back and tell her that I'm busy here and will come back when I'm done."

"Yes, I understand."

After the maid left, Pei Xingju asked him, "What else are you busy with?"

"What are you busy with?" Chen Yi squinted at him unhappily. "Miss Zhuang has been so obsessed with you since you came that you've even forgotten about important matters?"

He couldn't bear to see Pei Xingju looking so smug, so he immediately brought up the matter of the Hou party again.

"Duke Xin has sent people everywhere to look for Liang Jinxian. He even sent out Duan Hongyuan's secret guards, but Liang Jinxian is still nowhere to be found. Where do you think Liang Jinxian could have gone?"

"I don't know where he went," Pei Xingju said, "but what is certain is that Liang Jinxian must have gone into hiding. If he wanted to hide, it wouldn't be surprising that Duke Xin couldn't find him."

Speaking of this, Chen Yi asked again: "Is Liang Jinxian really related to Changguo?"

Pei Xingju: "His mother is from Changguo, but Liang Jinxian's identity is still unknown."

"Then should we disclose Liang Jinxian's affairs to Duke Xin?"

"Don't worry, wait a little longer."

"Wait until when?"

"Wait until the heat is right." Pei Xingju said, "Right now, the rear guard is in a state of panic. If I'm not mistaken, Duke Xin might have to sacrifice his chariot to save his king."

"He wants to protect the Ministry of Revenue?" Chen Yi asked, "Now that the evidence is irrefutable, how can Duke Xin protect it?"

"That depends on how cruel Duke Xin is."

Chen Yi pondered for a moment, then suddenly understood: "You mean, Duke Xin wants to abandon the one in Yongning Palace? If that's true, I'm afraid it will be disadvantageous to us."

"Not entirely." Pei Xingju turned a page of the book.

Seeing that he wasn't in a hurry at all, Chen Yi felt his teeth itching: "Then tell me, why don't you just lie to me all day long?"

"Duke Xin's move certainly saved the day, but he forgot that the real source of his power lies not in the Ministry of Revenue but in the Holy Heart. If he were to become enemies with the one in Yongning Palace, he would have no chance in the palace."

"But don't forget, the daughter of Duke Xin will soon become the Queen. Compared to the Queen Mother, the one by the Emperor's side is his most powerful weapon."

"That depends on whether he uses this sharp weapon." Pei Xingju closed the book and said, "People's hearts can be alienated, and blood relatives can become enemies. With just a little manipulation from us, this sharp weapon can also become a murder weapon."

After the words fell, Shen Yi glanced at him quietly, his eyes somewhat unbelievable and somewhat scrutinizing.

Pei Xingju was puzzled: "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Chen Yi tutted twice and said slowly, "You are full of evil intentions. Did you deceive girls in Hezhou in the same way?"

“........”

"Have you finished talking?" Pei Xingju stood up and said, "I will not accompany you any longer after that."

Chen Yi asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm different from you, so I naturally have my own place to go."

“…”

Shen Yi felt sour in his heart. Why was he so proud?