Chapter 69 She can finally avenge the grudges from her past and present lives.

"Mr. Qu, what makes you so happy?"

Yun Si was too lazy to guess, so she simply asked directly.

Mr. Qu didn't keep anyone in suspense.

"I know the Princess will be interested in the latest news from this morning's court, so I came here specifically to tell her."

"oh?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Si indeed became interested.

She thought she would only know the details when Qin Ye returned.

Mr. Qu rushed over... he certainly didn't come on his own.

Qin Ye knew she was worried about it, so he had Mr. Qu come and talk to her first, right?

Yun Si did not expose him, and walked to the main seat to sit down: "Thank you for troubling Mr. Qu, who made a special trip."

"You're too kind, Your Highness."

Lansing brought out the tea, and Mr. Qu took a sip before beginning his narration.

Today's court has been thrown into turmoil.

Mr. Qu put down his teacup, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness: "Today, Your Highness has presented the evidence of the switch of the repeating crossbows through the secret passage of the Armory."

"Those crossbows that were switched were secretly transported to Qingfeng Mountain in the north, where a camp for training private soldiers was hidden."

Yun Si tightened her grip on the teacup slightly.

In his previous life, King Jing led his troops to quell a rebellion at Qingfeng Mountain.

Unfortunately, Qin Ye didn't go in person, so she didn't find out who the owner of that private army was.

"However, the Shen family was indeed prepared."

Mr. Qu sneered, "They put forward a collateral branch to take the blame, claiming that it was the third branch of the Shen family that harbored malicious intentions and had nothing to do with the main family. To show their loyalty, the Shen family took the initiative to cede land and pay reparations, and gave up six important positions, including the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works."

"What should Your Majesty do?" Yun Si asked.

"All thirty-odd officials of the Shen family were dismissed, the entire third branch of the family was executed three days later, and the rest of the clansmen were exiled."

Mr. Qu succinctly stated, "Only the Shen Qian family was demoted three ranks but remained in the capital."

"They actually retained their official positions?"

Yun Si was puzzled.

"To keep a private army is treason, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. Why does Your Majesty..."

"There is a reason for this, of course."

What's the reason?

"Your Highness, you may not know this, but Shen Qian's grandfather, Old Master Shen, was His Majesty's mentor."

Mr. Qu gently stroked the teacup, a profound meaning flashing in his eyes.

"The struggle for the throne back then was extremely fierce. Old Master Shen devoted all his family wealth to supporting His Majesty. After His Majesty ascended the throne, the Shen family, which already had a deep foundation, became even more powerful in the court, and the collateral branches of the Shen family also rose rapidly."

Yun Si's eyes flickered slightly: "So Your Majesty is being sentimental?"

"Old flame?"

Mr. Qu scoffed, "Emperors have no old feelings."

That's true.

Yun Si nodded in agreement.

Mr. Qu continued, "When Old Master Shen was alive, the Shen family was indeed loyal, but the Shen family's collateral branches did not know how to restrain themselves. After they rose to power, their influence gradually increased. Although His Majesty remained outwardly calm, he had long been wary of them."

"so."

Upon hearing this, Yun Si understood the general idea.

"If the Shen family could be like Old Master Shen, wholeheartedly assisting His Majesty and not participating in factional struggles, His Majesty might still remember their past relationship and tolerate them a little."

A hint of admiration flashed in Mr. Qu's eyes.

Unexpectedly, the princess was quick-witted and understood things immediately.

"But once Old Master Shen died, the Shen family was eager to find a new patron and attempted to support the next monarch. How could His Majesty tolerate that?"

"That's right."

Upon receiving Mr. Qu's affirmation, Yun Si's eyes darkened.

From this perspective, Qin Ye's appointment to the Ministry of War as a powerless and idle position, seemingly a sign of disrespect and casual dismissal, was actually a strategic move by His Majesty.

Although Qin Ye did all of these things later, His Majesty's behind-the-scenes support was indispensable.

His Majesty wants to deal with the Shen family, but at the same time, he also wants to test Qin Ye.

If Qin Ye does not disappoint him, then he will definitely have other plans for the next step.

Just as Yun Si's mood became somewhat heavy, Mr. Qu's voice came again: "This matter is not over yet."

He suddenly smiled mysteriously: "The Shen family thought they had escaped a calamity, but Your Highness has produced evidence of the corruption case related to the floods in Jiangnan three years ago."

"What?"

The teacup in Yun Si's hand fell onto the table with a "clatter".

"Is it the evidence my father has?"

She knew that Shen Qian had burned down the Marquis's mansion some time ago, thinking he had destroyed the evidence. Little did she know that her father had already handed the evidence over to Qin Ye.

At the time, she asked Qin Ye what the evidence was, but neither Qin Ye nor her father were willing to tell her in order to protect her.

In fact, Yun Si had guessed that Qin Ye would let that evidence see the light of day today in order to ensure that the Shen family would be completely brought down.

It was hard for Yun Si not to be excited.

This means that the Hou family's injustice can finally be cleared, and my father and the others no longer need to hide.

They will be able to go home soon!

"yes."

Mr. Qu nodded: "The Marquis discovered two years ago that the disaster relief funds had been embezzled by the Shen family and used to support their private army."

I see.

Yun Si recalled that more than two years ago, her father suddenly told her that Shen Qian was not a good man and that she should give up marrying him.

At the time, she couldn't understand why her father would call off the engagement without any reason.

Before she could figure things out, Qin Ye suddenly intervened, completely severing her relationship with Shen Qian.

No wonder her father wasn't angry at all when she married Qin Ye; he even seemed somewhat relieved, which caused her to have a long argument with her family at the time.

"Back then, the Marquis knew that the Marquis's mansion was no match for the Shen family, so he kept that evidence hidden, hoping to bring down the Shen family in one fell swoop in the future."

Mr. Qu continued speaking.

"But unexpectedly, Shen Qian harbored resentment towards the Marquis for marrying you to His Highness, and after failing to win you over, he decided to frame you. If he had known earlier that the Marquis had that evidence, he probably wouldn't have let the entire Marquis's family leave the capital alive."

“He had already decided to kill me even before he knew about the evidence.”

If Qin Ye hadn't secretly sent people to protect her on the way to exile, her whole family would have died at Shen Qian's hands long ago.

Yun Si concealed her intense hatred deep within her eyes.

However, a hint of solemnity could still be seen on his face.

In his previous life, Qin Ye took five years to achieve this, but now he only took a few months.

Everything happened way ahead of schedule.

I don't know whether it's good or bad.

But no matter what, the Shen family has finally fallen, and she can now take revenge on the grudges from her past and present lives without any scruples.

"More than three years ago, there was a flood in Jiangnan. After Shen Qian embezzled the disaster relief funds, it had a great impact on the people. If it weren't for your maternal grandfather's kindness, who not only opened the granaries to distribute grain but also donated money to the refugees, this matter would have caused a great uproar. His Highness said that he would definitely help you get back all the undeserved disasters that the Marquis's mansion suffered."

Mr. Qu secretly acted as Qin Ye's mouth double.

Your Highness has done so much for the Princess, she should know some of it.

"He has already helped me get a lot back."

Yun Si was very content.

Upon seeing this, Mr. Qu's eyes revealed a look of relief.

"Want to know what the final fate of the Shen family was?"

Towards the end of the conversation, he became cryptic.

"In the past, the Shen family could shift the blame to collateral branches, but in this embezzlement case, all the evidence points directly to Shen Qian. Guess how His Majesty will handle this?"

Yun Si smiled.

Your Majesty should remember past favors, demonstrate your benevolence, and warn other powerful families in the court not to attempt to challenge imperial authority.

Only by being loyal to the emperor and loving the country can one preserve the family's honor and power; otherwise, they will suffer the same fate as the Shen family.

So she guessed, "They won't go so far as to wipe them out completely."

"Indeed, they didn't exterminate them all."

Mr. Qu said with a deep look in his eyes, "Shen's father collapsed to the ground on the spot. His Majesty was furious and demoted the entire Shen family to slavery, with the women becoming prostitutes."

"good!"

Yun Si was very satisfied with the result.

Spare their lives, let them experience despair first, then send their whole family to hell.

"By the way, the case of the Marquis's mansion has been reopened for investigation. We should be able to find some clues soon. Don't worry, just wait a few more days."

"I know."

Having waited this long, what's a few more days?

"There's one more thing."

Mr. Qu thought for a moment and made sure to tell Yun Si everything that happened in the court today without missing a single detail.

no way.

His Highness gave the order.

"It can be considered a happy event."

Mr. Qu smiled and said, "Prime Minister Jiang recommended Your Highness to take over the Ministry of War on the spot, and His Majesty approved it!"

It should be understood that His Highness, as a prince, has taken over the core authority of the Ministry of War and will directly liaise with His Majesty from now on. All affairs of the Ministry of War, including those of the Minister and other officials, will be under his control.

This is a real right.

Upon hearing this, Yun Si felt a slight tightness in her heart.

Prime Minister Jiang, Jiang Wanning's father!

Did he recommend Qin Ye?

His intentions are probably already quite obvious.

Shen Jiagang fell from power because of forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices. He doesn't seem to care about the suspicion or worry that this might arouse His Majesty's suspicion or apprehension.

However, judging from Mr. Qu's attitude, Prime Minister Jiang's actions seem to be in accordance with His Majesty's wishes.

Yun Si was getting a headache thinking about all the intricacies of court politics.

As long as it benefits Qin Ye, it doesn't matter.

"This time, the person behind Shen Qian must be furious."

Mr. Qu smiled reservedly.

"Not only were the private army camps destroyed, but the court's structure was also disrupted. From now on, Your Highness will be in charge of the Ministry of War, and the Minister of War will have no place to use his talents. We can find another opportunity to remove him from office, which can be considered as cutting off his left and right arms."

After saying his last sentence, he stood up leisurely: "Mission accomplished, I'll take my leave."

"Take care, Mr. Qu."

Yun Si rose to see him off.

After Mr. Qu walked away, Yun Si stopped waiting for Qin Ye.

Since he asked Mr. Qu to come back and tell her these things, it means that he won't be back for a while.

Yun Si ate a simple meal, then changed her clothes and went out.

She went to the Su residence.

My parents will be back soon. The Marquis's mansion has been burned down, so we need to make some preparations in advance.

After discussing it with Third Master Su, Yun Si decided to use her dowry to renovate the Marquis's mansion.

Anyway, she has more than enough dowry to use up; even a small portion of it could be used to repair ten marquis mansions.

Master Su originally intended to pay for it, but Yun Si insisted on using her own money, so he agreed.

"In the meantime, I will find skilled craftsmen as soon as possible and try to rebuild the Marquis's residence before my sister and the others return to the capital."

"Thank you, Third Uncle."

That's what Yun Si means.

After all, she wasn't good at finding skilled craftsmen.

More importantly, she had more important things to do.

Returning from the Su residence, just as Yun Si entered the gate, she saw a dark figure turn from the corridor to the corner of the wall.

They were acting furtively, yet they weren't deliberately hiding themselves.

A look of doubt flashed in Yun Si's eyes.

She walked over slowly and immediately noticed a black hem sticking out.

"Stop hiding, come out."