Chapter 254: So What If She Is a Princess

"Why are you all silent?"

Xiao Nanchen walked in expressionlessly. "I vaguely heard you all chatting happily earlier. Why are you all silent?"

He looked towards Shen Ning, and Shen Qingbai very tactfully moved a seat to the side, and His Royal Highness Prince Ding walked over and sat down.

Shen Ning poured him a cup of tea, and his expression immediately softened. He raised his hand to take it, very naturally: "How is it, are you used to this Beihai Mansion?"

No matter what, she is his, and he still takes care of her face in front of outsiders.

Shen Ning smiled and hummed: "Not bad."

Xiao Nanchen asked, "What were they talking about just now? Why are they all so confused now?"

Of course, it’s because you are here that they dare not continue to say those shameless and fearless words.

Chen Ning curled her lips: "Speaking of County Magistrate Liu's accusation that he failed to supervise properly, causing the accounts of the Shipbuilding Department and the Coal Mine to be burned."

County Magistrate Liu, who had just pretended to say "I have failed in my duty", was sweating profusely.

"The accounts were burned?" Xiao Nanchen asked.

County Magistrate Liu stood up and nodded with a wry smile: "It was an accident, it was an accident..."

But then he heard the second half of Prince Ding's words: "The accounts of such a huge shipyard and coal yard are all gone. This prince believes that you must have been corrupt and are now afraid that Princess Yong'an will find out, so you are destroying the evidence."

Magistrate Liu knelt down hurriedly with a thud: "Your humble servant is innocent, your humble servant is innocent!"

"Unjust?"

Xiao Nanchen asked: "Where is the evidence?"

Magistrate Liu was speechless. "The evidence, the certificates... the account books are all gone. They were burned."

"oh."

His Royal Highness Prince Ding took a bite of food and ate it while slowly picking up some food for Shen Ning: "Eat and talk while you eat."

Shen Ning responded and started eating. Next to him, Shen Qingbai also started eating.

The three of them ate their meal leisurely and calmly, while the others at the table were silent as a mouse and dared not move.

Liu Zhixian knelt on the ground with a pale face and cold sweat dripping down his face: "Your Highness, I am truly wronged...but the accounts are all gone now..."

"So you think there's no evidence?"

Xiao Nanchen raised his eyelids and glanced at him.

County Magistrate Liu repeatedly confessed his crimes.

"In that case, then we won't investigate." Xiao Nanchen said calmly.

Magistrate Liu felt as if he had been pardoned and was about to kowtow in thanks when he heard His Royal Highness Prince Ding say, "Drag him out and chop him off."

County Magistrate Liu was stunned for a moment, then kowtowed desperately, begging for mercy: "Your Highness, spare my life, Your Highness, spare my life, the shipyard's account books are back..."

"Zhixian Liu deserved the punishment for neglecting his duties and having his accounts burned!"

Nie Rang suddenly interrupted Magistrate Liu and pleaded with Xiao Nanchen, "But he has worked hard, and he has a wife and children to support at home. I beg Your Highness to show mercy."

As soon as Nie Rang said the words "wife, children, and the elderly", County Magistrate Liu's face turned pale and he couldn't utter a word.

After Prince Ding rejected Nie Rang's plea, County Magistrate Liu no longer begged for mercy and was dragged out like a dead dog, his whole body limp...

He knew he was going to die.

If he insisted that the accounts were gone and took all the blame, his family could still survive... But if he revealed that there were still accounts, the whole family would probably die.

As the man was dragged out, Xiao Nanchen suddenly remembered something and said, "Take him to the street and chop him up. Don't dirty the Princess's Mansion."

"yes."

After County Magistrate Liu, who had just been acting so effortlessly in front of Shen Ning, was dragged out, the flower hall suddenly fell into silence, with only the sounds of Xiao Nanchen and Shen Ning eating.

After His Royal Highness Prince Ding came forward, Shen Ning didn't say anything else. She ate as usual, and didn't forget to pick up some food for Xiao Nanchen and Shen Qingbai: "Eat first."

The three of them ate leisurely, while the others at the table were sweating profusely.

Finally, the prefect, Nie Rang, wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Your Highness, Prince Ding, when I return, I will have someone bring the official seals of the shipbuilding department and the coal mine to the princess. What do you think?"

Xiao Nanchen didn't even raise his eyes: "The princess is here, you can talk to her yourself."

Nie Rang smiled apologetically and said respectfully, "What do you think, Lord?"

Shen Ning smiled: "Trouble you, Master Nie."

"Of course I should."

Not long after, Shen Ning and the other two finished their meal and put down their bowls and chopsticks. Xiao Nanchen slowly wiped his mouth with a piece of silk: "Do you have anything else to do?"

Nie Rang said hurriedly, "Nothing, nothing. Then, I won't disturb His Royal Highness Prince Ding and the Princess. I and the others will take our leave."

The others also hurriedly took their leave, bowed, and slid out of the flower hall and left the Princess's Mansion directly.

Not long after leaving the Princess's Mansion, I saw a pool of blood on the street. Soldiers were washing the ground with water, and on the cart next to them was the headless body of County Magistrate Liu.

Several people looked grim. County Magistrate Zhou asked in a low voice, "Sir, what should we do?"

The emperor is far away, and a princess who doesn't know how long she will stay is nothing to be afraid of. But behind Princess Yong'an is Prince Ding... He is not someone they can contend with.

Even if she was the Queen, would she discipline her own son for a few trivial matters like these?

Beihai Prefecture is such a desolate and barren place. If there were no huge benefits to be plundered, why would they have stayed here and suffered for many years?

If there are no benefits, why would they serve as officials in this godforsaken place?

Nie Rang gritted his teeth and whispered, "Prince Ding is a powerful figure, he won't stay in Beihai Prefecture for long. Now Princess Yong'an just wants financial power, so just give it to her... The coal mine and shipyard are just a mess, so she can take them over if she wants."

Beside him, Zhang Duo, the general of the Beihai Prefecture Army, frowned: "Then after that..."

Nie Rang interrupted him with a sneer, "Hasn't there ever been a time for her to beg us for help? Don't forget, Princess Yong'an's good brother was ordered to build the city defenses... Without us, he can't do anything."

The other people reacted immediately and their expressions suddenly became gentle.

Yes, Princess Yong'an is still too young and doesn't understand the principle that a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake.

So what if she is a princess?

When Shen Qingbai builds the city defense, he still has to rely on these local tyrants for all the materials... If they delay for a moment and miss the deadline, he, Shen Qingbai, will be the one to be punished.

Princess Yong'an will eventually learn her lesson, huh!