Chapter 145 Chapter 145 He didn't forget to criticize others for being spineless...

The wealthy merchants below exchanged bewildered glances, wondering why the Third Prince, who had just been offering kind advice, had suddenly changed his expression.

Seeing them, he casually twirled the teacup in his hand, giving the wealthy businessmen a very bad feeling.

"What are your plans regarding the request I just made? Will you agree or not?"

The wealthy businessmen exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and remained silent.

I didn't agree in the first place, and now it's too late to back out.

Someone stepped forward, bowed to Zhongli Shuang, and said, “We understand Your Highness’s heart, but 100,000 shi of rice is simply beyond our means. We are aware of the current situation and share your concerns. We are willing to donate 10 shi of rice to ease Your Highness’s worries.”

Upon hearing this, the others echoed, "This humble commoner is also willing to donate ten bushels of rice to relieve His Highness's worries."

Zhong Lishuang heard this but did not speak.

She threw the wine glass in her hand, and it landed on the ground with a crisp sound.

Do you know what was put in the wine you just drank?

Upon hearing this, the wealthy businessmen's expressions changed drastically.

"Third Prince, did you put something in the wine?"

"What? You think I'm deceiving you?"

The wealthy merchant who had originally led the group asked, forcing himself to remain calm, "May I ask, Your Highness, what exactly was put in the wine we drank?"

They suspected it was poison, but if word got out that the Third Prince had poisoned them, it wouldn't be good for his reputation.

"Don't worry, it's not poison, just a little bit of infertility medicine."

The wealthy merchant stared at Zhong Lishuang in shock, never expecting that the Third Prince would resort to such despicable means.

Several elderly wealthy businessmen looked much more relaxed as they thought about their daughters at home.

The younger women, who don't have children yet, don't look too good.

"Are you celebrating your children?" Zhong Lishuang looked at them, took the children's belongings from Ming's hands, threw them on the table, and let them see for themselves.

"Your Highness, you, you..."

"I don't have time to waste with you. You only have half an incense stick's time to think it over before you answer me."

Those people frowned deeply, whispered among themselves, and then one of them stepped forward.

"Your Highness, we are willing to grit our teeth and scrape together 100,000 shi of rice for you, we only beg you not to harm our child."

"No, I demand that each of you contribute 100,000 shi of rice. If it's less, I cannot guarantee that your children will return unharmed."

The group of people turned pale, but in the end they gritted their teeth and agreed.

Zhong Lishuang told them to hand over a portion each day tonight, and to finish the rest within three days, otherwise she couldn't guarantee the children's safety.

When the wealthy merchants returned home, they immediately went to check and found that the child who should have been sleeping in the house was indeed missing.

All the children in the family had disappeared, regardless of gender, even the infants.

The child went missing because the caregivers were drugged, which prevented them from being notified in time.

She hurriedly went to find a doctor to take her pulse and discovered that the Third Prince was not lying; she really could not have children.

Only then did everyone realize that the third princess was serious.

Having already learned that His Majesty the Emperor had sent the Third Prince, they guessed that they would inevitably be asked to contribute money and provisions. The families had already discussed that if the Third Prince asked, they would first feign reluctance, then contribute, in order to at least gain a good reputation for themselves.

They never expected the Third Prince to arrive so quickly, and to do absolutely nothing as they had planned, completely overturning their expectations. He even drugged them, held their children in his hands, and forced them to compromise.

There was no time to worry about anything else at the moment, so I hurriedly went to gather the rice for tonight.

After everyone left, Zhong Lishuang turned to Ming Er and asked, "How are the children?"

"I used a little sleeping potion, he'll be fine. His Highness's guards are here to look after him."

Zhong Lishuang nodded. "Just now, a secret guard sent a message that a group of guards encountered an assassin on the way. The attacker was very ruthless and was trying to kill me."

Moreover, they were not only ambushed by one wave of assassins.

Zhong Lishuang sat with Ming Er in the main hall of the county government office, waiting for the people to bring the rice over.

Watching the people carrying rice in and out of the county government office, Zhong Lishuang sneered, "The more they try to stop me from investigating, the more determined I am to investigate to the end."

Conventional methods are ineffective.

Then let's try something different.

In just one night, the rooms temporarily cleared out by the county government office were filled with rice.

The county magistrate was dumbfounded. She had made several trips back and forth before, but those people were unwilling to give her even a single grain of rice.

I never expected that the Third Prince would be able to get those people to offer him rice with both hands after only a few hours of his arrival.

"Your Highness."

"No need for further words, immediately summon everyone in the county government, set up soup kitchens, and notify all the disaster victims to come and collect food. Remember, have the yamen runners maintain order and prevent any looting."

"Yes, I will pass on the message immediately."

Watching the magistrate jog away, Ming Er looked up at the sky, where a sliver of white was beginning to appear in the east.

"Your Highness, it's almost dawn," Ming Er said.

Actually, the rice could be distributed directly to the disaster victims, but I'm afraid some people might not be able to protect their own belongings.

Zhong Lishuang dared not gamble with human nature.

Sending people from the county government to distribute porridge can also deter some people with impure intentions.

“Let’s go take a look too,” Zhong Lishuang said.

Ming Er followed.

As soon as he stepped out, he was stopped by a group of wealthy merchants. "Your Highness, we have already taken the 100,000 shi of rice. When will the child be able to return?"

"Yes, my child is timid and can't sleep without seeing me."

"The county government is setting up soup kitchens. You can help yourselves or send people to help. Whoever does well will have their child go home first."

After saying that, Zhong Lishuang left with Ming Er.

It left behind a bunch of wealthy businessmen sighing and lamenting.

Someone sighed, "This Third Prince's actions are truly extraordinary."

"Yes, every step they take is in places we didn't expect."

Their little schemes had no bearing on the Third Prince. If they angered him again, they would truly be in deep trouble.

Just like last night, if they had agreed to pool together 100,000 shi of rice, probably none of this would have happened.

They are now childless, and the children who were taken away are still in the hands of the Third Prince. For the sake of the children, they can only send people to help at the soup kitchen, and they have to be very diligent, hoping that the Third Prince will release their children as soon as possible.

Zhong Lishuang inspected each soup kitchen. The yamen runners had announced the event with gongs and drums beforehand, so the soup kitchens were now packed with people.

Some people were tempted to loot, but two armed constables stood in front of each soup kitchen, so even if someone dared to incite the disaster victims to loot, it would be useless.

Most people still didn't dare to confront the officials, especially since the officials themselves were distributing porridge, ensuring that everyone could have a meal.

Those who incite others are immediately arrested, taken away, and imprisoned by the big boss as soon as they have the idea.

To make a good impression, the wealthy merchants brought their husbands and servants to work busily at the soup kitchen.

Seeing Zhongli Shuang approach, he quickly smiled ingratiatingly, "Third Prince."

There were disaster victims queuing up in front of each soup kitchen.

A little girl knelt before a dying woman, holding a bowl of porridge. "Mother, the porridge is here. Drink the porridge."

The woman was too weak to open her mouth, but she managed to drink some, and then reached out to give it to the child.

The little girl kept feeding her mother, saying, "Mother, drink up, drink more. The county magistrate said a high-ranking official from the capital has brought us a lot of grain. Now we have plenty of rice to eat, and we won't go hungry anymore."

Upon hearing this, the woman drank a few more mouthfuls of rice porridge. After finishing half of the porridge, she felt more energetic.

She refused to drink the remaining half and pushed it to the child instead.

"It's alright, Mother, you drink. The yamen runner over there said to let you drink first, and I can get another bowl of porridge after I finish," the little girl said, pointing to the yamen runner not far away.

The constable also looked over, then nodded to the woman.

The woman then finished her porridge and gave the empty bowl to the child, saying, "Then you should go and drink your porridge too."

The little girl nodded quickly, took her empty bowl, went to queue up, got another bowl of porridge, and sat down next to her mother to slowly drink it.

The disaster victims smiled and asked the constables which high-ranking official had helped them.

The constable smiled and said, "It is His Highness the Third Prince."

Zhong Lishuang returned to the county government office and saw the local magistrate.

"Magistrate Fu."

"Your humble servant is here."

Zhong Lishuang sat down in the main seat. "Although this place is not wealthy, it doesn't deserve for an official like you to be dressed so shabbily. Where is your salary?"

To say they were poor would be an understatement; their clothes had several patches, and the cuffs were quite worn.

Fu An knelt on the ground, "Your humble servant, your humble servant..."

"Third Prince." Someone rushed over and knelt beside Fu An.

"Why are you here?" Fu An scolded her husband, "Go back now."

Jiang Ruyi shook her head. "My lady, we can't keep this from the Third Prince."

After saying this, Jiang Ruyi kowtowed to Zhong Lishuang, "Your Highness, please investigate. My wife is truly a good official and did not intentionally wear a patched official robe to meet Your Highness."

After hearing Jiang Ruyi's words, Zhong Lishuang realized that Fu Min's salary was given to those poor people, and she herself had not worn new clothes for many years.

"If what you say is true, then it is indeed commendable that you, as the county magistrate, have gone to such lengths for the people."

"I only did what I was supposed to do."

"But why haven't you reported this matter?"

Fu An kowtowed to the ground, "This humble official has written a memorial, but it has not been able to be delivered to the capital."

Zhong Lishuang's eyes darkened.

The fact that officials' memorials couldn't reach the capital suggests that the prefect's involvement is involved.

Zhong Lishuang rubbed her forehead. "There's been a sudden flood here, why hasn't the prefect come?"

Fu An remained silent, and Zhong Lishuang sent someone to invite the prefect.

During this time, he did not forget to instruct Magistrate Fu to organize the remaining survivors who still had the strength to pile up the corpses by the roadside and then burn them to prevent the spread of disease.

The bowls and chopsticks used for eating must also be boiled in boiling water.

They even brought in doctors from the city so that anyone found to have a high fever would be immediately isolated.

Magistrate Fu hurriedly took his husband to do his work.

After everyone left, Zhong Lishuang tapped her fingers lightly on the table. As dusk fell again, Zhong Lishuang's expression became increasingly impatient.

The guards who had gone there returned and whispered a few words to Zhong Lishuang, who then suddenly stood up.

"Ming Er, come with me."

Ming Er followed them, and they went to the prefect's residence that very night.

When she arrived, Zhong Lishuang did not reveal her identity, only saying that she had come to pay a visit to the prefect. However, the gatekeeper was very arrogant and said that the prefect did not receive guests.

They stood outside the door, yet they could hear the sounds of string and wind instruments coming from inside the mansion clearly.

Zhong Lishuang stepped back, and Ming Er stepped forward and kicked open the door.

The thick, heavy door was kicked down by Ming Er, and a crack appeared in it.

The gatekeeper trembled with fear, thinking to himself that this man was incredibly strong.

It took him a while to remember his identity, and he pointed at Ming Erdao, "This is the prefect's residence, how dare you..."

The gatekeeper, being watched by Ming Er, trembled for no reason and swallowed back the words he was about to say.

"Open the door, or I'll tear it down."

The doorman opened the door with trembling hands, and after taking another look at the cracked area, he still felt terrified.

Ming Er followed Zhong Lishuang inside.

They saw the prefect in the main seat, drunk, with a dancer in his arms, groping her.

"My lord, please don't do this, I'm scared," the dancer said sweetly.

The dancer's coy and alluring demeanor captivated the person in the main seat.

Ming Er took the slingshot and fired it, hitting the wine cup in the prefect's hand.

The wine glass suddenly shattered, spilling wine all over him. The prefect was startled and sobered up a bit, squinting at the uninvited guest who had barged in.

Even at this moment, he didn't forget to hold the dancer in his arms, let out a burp, and when he stood up, he was still swaying, his whole body almost leaning on the dancer.

She pointed at Zhong Lishuang and Ming Er, but couldn't get it right after pointing for a long time. Finally, the dancer turned her hand away.

"Sir, they're over there."

The prefect hummed twice in satisfaction, then let out a burp before saying, "How dare you! Who are you? How dare you trespass into my residence?"

Zhong Lishuang walked over with a cold face. "What, you don't even recognize me?"

The banquet suddenly fell silent, and the people looked at each other in bewilderment.

The prefect staggered as she tried to get down, and the dancer quickly went to support her, but she pushed him away.

Upon approaching, the prefect carefully examined Zhong Lishuang, and instantly sobered up considerably.

The man suddenly took two steps back, as if he had thought of something. He snorted coldly at Zhongli Shuang and waved his hand behind him, "Guards, seize this thief who is impersonating the Third Princess and execute him on the spot. This prefect will also report to His Majesty the Emperor about this man's evil deeds."

A group of people suddenly surrounded them. Zhong Lishuang stepped back, and Ming Er stepped forward. In just a moment, they took down the group of people.

Some people wanted to take the opportunity to slip away.

“Ming Er, anyone who dares to escape from here today will be killed without mercy. Leave one alive later and make them reveal the list of those who attended the banquet. If anyone is implicated, have them tied up and taken to the execution ground tomorrow and skinned alive.”

"Yes, Your Highness."

The officials who wanted to flee were abruptly stopped in their tracks, unsure whether to leave or stay.

She could sneak away, but what if someone else exposed her?

They couldn't afford to gamble on this situation, and for a moment, no one dared to take a single step out.

Ming Er walked over and said, "Prefect Qi, the Third Princess knows that you must have been drunk just now, which is why you mistook me for someone else, right?"

Prefect Qi remained silent, as if he were stunned.

Ming Er laughed, "It seems Lord Qi still hasn't come to his senses."

With that, he raised his knife and chopped off Prefect Qi's left little finger.

Seeing Prefect Qi clutching his finger and collapsing to the ground in pain, Ming Er asked, "Is Prefect Qi now conscious?"

Prefect Qi didn't say anything, but rolled on the ground, clutching his fingers.

When Zhong Lishuang turned around, everyone at the banquet knelt down in unison.

"Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me!"

Ming Er took a few people out, and when he came back, he was holding a list.

She called out each name on the list one by one, and each person whose name was called had to say something.

“Your Highness, everything is here,” Ming Er said, turning around.

Zhong Lishuang nodded. "You all seem to be enjoying yourselves here. Are you unaware of the floods in Yinzhou?"

"I...I know."

Zhongli Shuang smashed her cup and scolded, "Since you know this, why do you still dare to indulge in pleasure? Just how much of the imperial disaster relief funds have you embezzled?"

Those people all kowtowed to the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

The flood has been going on for some time, and these people have been covering it up. My mother has only arrested people from the capital area so far. They are acting with impunity because they haven't arrested people from here yet.

Zhong Lishuang's gaze fell on the prefect. "Ming Er, drag her away for interrogation until she tells the truth."

He then looked at the guards he had brought and said, "Search for me."

Ming Er responded and dragged Prefect Qi away.

"Your Highness, I am also an official appointed by the court. If you want to interrogate me, you must have a crime to charge me with, right?" Prefect Qi struggled desperately.

Ming Er grabbed her collar, "Prefect Qi, is the charge of assassinating the princess enough?" He then looked at the group of people kneeling on the ground and asked, "What do you all think?"

Everyone quickly bowed their heads in agreement, "Prefect Qi did indeed intend to assassinate the princess just now."

Prefect Qi's face turned deathly pale, and his legs went weak with fear. These damned bastards actually went back on their word at this moment.

Ming Er hadn't gone far either; in any case, Prefect Qi's screams were clearly audible to everyone else, making them tremble like leaves.

After an unknown amount of time, Ming Er returned with blood on his hands and a bone in his hand.

She threw the bone in front of the group of people; it was bloody, with bits of flesh still clinging to it. "Look at this bone of Prefect Qi, isn't it hard?"

When everyone learned that it was the bones of Prefect Qi, their faces turned pale with fright; they had actually dug the bones out.

"Don't be afraid, Prefect Qi is still alive." Ming Er pointed at everyone. "Who's next? Don't worry, although removing the bone will hurt a bit, I won't let you die."

Those who were a little more timid rolled their eyes and fainted immediately.

Some even kowtowed directly, pleading, "Your Highness, I'll tell you everything, please spare my life!"

Ming Er took away those who were willing to confess and then gave their confessions to Zhong Lishuang.

Just now, Ming Er only lightly made two cuts on Prefect Qi's back, and she had already confessed.

She did receive the disaster relief funds from the imperial court, but by the time they reached her, half of them were gone.

Of the million taels of disaster relief funds allocated, 70% were lost before they even reached the disaster area.

Prefect Qi only took half of the remaining amount. She kept only one-third for herself, gave one-third to her superiors, and the remaining one-third was divided among the people kneeling here.

Ming Er was truly capable of skinning them alive, so Prefect Qi dared not lie.

Prefect Qi told her everything she knew, but as for most of the disaster relief funds, she really didn't know where they had gone.

As for taking action against the Third Prince, it was because a message was sent that the Third Princess would not return.

She had originally planned to see the Third Prince in a few days, but tonight the Third Prince came looking for her himself, skipping the interrogation process and going straight to punish her.

That guy named Ming Er who's right next to the Third Prince, he could scare those cowards half to death with just a bloody pig bone.

Prefect Qi himself was spineless, yet he didn't forget to berate others for being useless.