Chapter 48 A New Man Has Appeared
Yan Wuxin glanced at Zhao Zhiyu, "Perhaps he's not following us, but one of us."
Zhao Zhiyu snorted, "Maybe they're following money, not people. Let's go. There are so many of us, and local soldiers are helping us along the way. I don't believe anyone would dare to make a move."
Even so, Zhao Zhiyu still stared wide-eyed like a copper bell when evening came.
On the first night, unable to rest at the post station, they had no choice but to set up camp in the wild.
The tents surrounded the silver wagons, and campfires were lit all around to protect them from wild animals.
The three had already held a private meeting, and they all understood that their purpose in coming here was to 'accompany the princess in her studies,' primarily to provide companionship. If Zhao Zhiyu hadn't come, they wouldn't have become special envoys.
Seeing that Zhao Zhiyu refused to sleep, Cui Mingfei tried to persuade him. The three of them came out of the tent and said, "Lord Cui, please rest. We will keep watch with His Highness."
Cui Mingfei didn't speak, but she didn't leave either. She sat there with a gloomy expression, like an old monk in deep meditation.
She really didn't want to take this assignment. The Emperor had arranged for the eldest princess, this troublesome young lady, to accompany her. Not only would she be implicated if the princess got injured or sick, but she wouldn't be able to explain herself even if the princess bumped or bruised herself. What was even more infuriating was that the eldest princess had also brought along three unruly young girls, all going through their rebellious phase, each one defiant and resentful.
She, a high-ranking official of the second rank in the imperial court, has become a father figure, worrying about the prince's daily life.
Cui Mingfei didn't leave, and Zhao Zhiyu didn't say anything either, and even chatted with Lu Jinlan and the others as if no one else was around.
"This is my first time going out on business, and it took a lot of effort to persuade the Empress. I shared your views on the matter of the Northern Continent with her. The Empress was very pleased to hear them, which is why she allowed us to come out together."
“I know what others think. They probably all assume I’m tired of being pampered in the capital and have come out to travel and enjoy myself. But that’s not me, and I know it’s not you either. So, I hope you can help me. Just like we said at the academy that day, let’s solve the problem at its root, investigate the matter of Beizhou thoroughly, and handle it clearly.”
Seeing Zhao Zhiyu say this, Yan Wuxin quickly said, "Just for those words, I will follow the Crown Princess's lead on this trip! There's a saying, 'We're not here to make money, we're here to save face.' I'm really fed up with some people treating us like a burden. Just you wait and see, this matter might end up being accomplished by us."
Xiang Ruzhen said, "Then let's make a vow: we won't return to the capital until the matter in Beizhou is resolved."
Lu Jinlan handed everyone a water bottle, saying, "Let's drink water instead of wine. No one is allowed to run away until the affairs of Beizhou are settled."
The four of them tilted their heads back and gulped down a few mouthfuls of water. Lu Jinlan caught a glimpse of Cui Mingfei silently shaking her head.
Lu Jinlan patted her on the shoulder. “Lord Cui, don’t be nervous. The four of us made the vow, and we didn’t take you with us. If you’re scared, you can always go back to the capital.”
Cui Mingfei snorted coldly, "Young Master Lu, you'd better not make such boasts so easily. If I return to the capital, I'm afraid you won't know what to do in Beizhou."
Lu Jinlan snorted, "The purpose of escorting disaster relief funds is for disaster relief. The first thing to do upon arriving in Beizhou is naturally to go to the Beizhou governor to complete the formalities and supervise their distribution of the funds. Of course, this is only one of the purposes of this trip. The second purpose is to find out why the disaster relief funds from the previous two years in Beizhou were not distributed and where the money went."
Xiang Ruzhen nodded and said, "The disaster relief funds couldn't just disappear into thin air. Whoever got them, we'll hold them accountable."
Yan Wuxin continued, "Let's first pry open that man's mouth and make him spit out the silver. Then we'll chop off the corrupt official's head as a warning to others."
Cui Mingfei chuckled, "Beheading is something that happens after the truth is found, but the key is how to find the truth. Do the three young masters have a direction for their investigation?"
Just as Zhao Zhiyu was about to speak, Lu Jinlan stopped her and asked Cui Mingfei in return, "Then may I ask, Lord Cui, do you have a direction for your investigation?"
Cui Mingfei rolled her eyes at her, "We haven't even arrived in Beizhou yet, how would I know where to start investigating?"
Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "So there isn't any? Lord Cui, you don't know where to start your investigation, but we do. We not only have a direction, but also suspects."
Cui Mingfei frowned. "Whom do you suspect?"
Zhao Zhiyu picked up a tree branch and wrote the character "凌" on the ground.
Zhao Zhiyu said, "The four of us have already calculated it during the day. What does Lord Cui think of this direction?"
Cui Mingfei's expression was complicated. She cupped her hands and asked, "May I ask what information Your Highness and the three gentlemen relied on and how they made their calculations?"
Zhao Zhiyu said, "A few days ago, Jinlan learned from the refugees that Beizhou had not distributed disaster relief funds for two years. So when I returned to the palace, I checked the court's allocation records for the past two years. Two hundred thousand taels of disaster relief funds were allocated in early July last year and at the end of June this year, but the disaster victims in Beizhou did not receive a single penny."
Yan Wuxin said, "So we wondered if the local officials were corrupt?"
Xiang Ruzhen said, "Yu Jifang, the governor of Beizhou, served for fifteen years and was an honest and upright official. The fact that the disaster victims were still able to receive disaster relief funds two years ago shows that it was not her fault. Moreover, when something happens in Beizhou, the court will first hold her accountable, and she would never be foolish enough to invite trouble upon herself. Therefore, she is not a suspect."
Lu Jinlan continued his analysis: "Anyone who dares to swallow 400,000 taels of government silver cannot be a small fry. After ruling out local officials, we thought of the garrison in Beizhou. Cheng Yuanqing, the garrison commander of Beizhou, is a trusted confidant promoted by Marquis Dingbei, Ling Zhijing."
Cui Mingfei shook her head. "But according to your logic, Cheng Yuanqing has been stationed in Beizhou for seven years, so there's no reason for him to suddenly have ulterior motives."
Lu Jinlan smiled and said, "Please let me finish. We won't draw conclusions based on this alone. Last March, Marquis Dingbei Ling Zhijing and Grand Commandant Ling Zhichong submitted memorials requesting increased military pay for the Ling family army stationed in various border prefectures, but the Emperor rejected them."
"Last May, Grand Commandant Ling Zhichong submitted a memorial impeaching the former garrison commander of Beizhou for dereliction of duty, and he was dismissed from his post. In June, Ling Xia, the cousin of the Ling sisters, filled the vacancy and took office as the garrison commander of Beizhou. Since then, all military power in Beizhou has been in the hands of the Ling family. If someone were to embezzle from the garrison, it would be very convenient."
"The Ling sisters had been complaining about insufficient military pay, but last October, the Jiang Kingdom raided Beizhou, triggering a small-scale battle. Logically, this should have been a good opportunity to request an increase in military pay again, but the two of them didn't make a move. Suddenly, they don't lack military pay anymore. Why do you think that is?"
Cui Mingfei was greatly shocked: "How did you know about these important court affairs?"
Yan Wuxin shrugged. "Lord Cui, this is exactly what we teach at the Royal Academy. Many outdated memorials are materials from our classes, especially those related to military affairs. You can find them with just a quick search."
Lu Jinlan smiled and said, "Well, Lord Cui, do we have a good idea of which direction to take?"
Cui Mingfei took a deep breath. She never expected that these young girls could draw such an amazing conclusion by simply following the clues based on some readily available information.
She quickly stood up, cupped her hands, and said, "This old woman underestimated you all before. Please forgive me, Your Highness and the three gentlemen. I apologize to you all."
Oh dear, he's a high-ranking official of the second rank in his forties, yet he's acting so humble. Zhao Zhiyu didn't think much of it, but Lu Jinlan and the other two were really embarrassed.
Young people react very directly; they respond better to gentle persuasion than force. If someone challenges them, they'll challenge them in return. If someone shows them kindness, they'll quickly reflect on their own behavior.
Lu Jinlan hurriedly said, "Lord Cui, you flatter me. You and my mother are about the same age. I really can't accept your courtesy."
Xiang Ruzhen said, "It's normal that you had some misunderstandings because we joined suddenly. We also said a lot of unpleasant things, and we should apologize to you."
Yan Wuxin echoed, "Yes, yes, we were too harsh in our words earlier, so it's understandable that you look down on us. I'm just a sharp-tongued person, please forgive my rudeness."
The two bowed to each other, signifying a truce. Cui Mingfei thought for a moment, then turned and solemnly knelt before Zhao Zhiyu, saying, "This old minister has something I have not told Your Highness, please forgive me."
Zhao Zhiyu hurriedly asked, "What is it?"
Cui Mingfei took out two letters from her bosom and said in a low voice, "These are secret documents that His Majesty personally gave me before I left. His Majesty said that if you have the ability to handle the matter, I can give you these secret documents. If you do not have the ability to handle the matter, I will decide for myself. After listening to what you and the three officials said just now, I feel that the success or failure of this matter rests on you and the other officials. It is time to take out the secret documents."
Zhao Zhiyu took the letter and saw that it was a letter from Yu Jifang, the governor of Beizhou, forwarded to the emperor in his private capacity. The letters both concerned the same matter: the theft of disaster relief funds. The two letters were sent a year apart, meaning that Yu Jifang had submitted a report each time the disaster relief funds were stolen.
Xiang Ruzhen frowned. "Strange, how come we haven't heard anything about such a big thing as the theft of disaster relief funds? I've looked through almost all the memorials kept in the academy, and no one has mentioned it at all."
Cui Mingfei said, "Because this is a secret case, it has not been investigated publicly, and I only just found out about it. The Emperor said that in the past two years, she secretly sent three imperial censors to investigate this place. Some of the three censors encountered a fire at the post station, some were robbed and died on their way back to the capital, and some simply disappeared. So this time, the Emperor sent us out in such a grand manner, hoping that we can return safely."
Zhao Zhiyu frowned and clenched his fists. "How dare the Ling family be so brazen? What face do they have for our royal family?"
Xiang Ruzhen said angrily, "Disregarding the law, treating human life like dirt, stealing disaster relief funds for personal use, is tantamount to stealing the country. The people of Beizhou suffer the most. Natural disasters and man-made calamities have caused countless people to die unjustly in the past two years."
Cui Mingfei advised, "His Majesty also said that this matter is of great importance, and the Ling family is already as powerful as a tiger. If we cannot find solid evidence, we must not act rashly. Our main purpose in this trip is disaster relief. As for the theft of the disaster relief funds, His Majesty's opinion is to investigate if possible, and let it go if not. Do your best, and don't act impulsively and make things uncontrollable."
Zhao Zhiyu closed her eyes helplessly, suppressing her surging emotions. "I understand. You may leave. I want to be alone for a while."
*
Having learned from the previous two instances of disaster relief funds being stolen, the team was even more cautious this time during the transport.
The four of them worked in pairs, taking turns on night watch. Their diligence and caution impressed Cui Mingfei. They lived peacefully for seven or eight days until they arrived at an official inn called Tingfengyi.
It was still two days' journey to Beizhou. Tingfeng Post Station was located in a remote area, surrounded by dense forests. The bleak autumn wind howled in the night, making the gate of the post station rattle.
Yan Wuxin couldn't help but complain, "It gets colder the further north we go. And this wind is weird; it sounds like ghosts howling. How can anyone sleep at night?"
Xiang Ruzhen sighed, "It's better not to be able to sleep than to sleep too soundly."
Lu Jinlan nodded, his expression quite solemn. "This place is too easy to breach. If I were the one with ulterior motives, I would consider making my move here."
As they were talking, Zhao Zhiyu came out of the room. The three of them greeted him with clasped hands, saying, "Your Highness."
Zhao Zhiyu waved his hand, "No need for formalities. This place gives me a bad feeling. Be careful tonight, or something might happen."
Sure enough, in the dead of night, the sounds of swords clashing came from the courtyard, followed by Xiang Ruzhen shouting, "Guards! Catch the assassin!"
Lu Jinlan, still in her nightgown and carrying her sword, rushed out and saw a group of men in black fighting with Xiang Ruzhen and Yan Wuxin, who were on night duty. She quickly joined the battle, and the guards also rushed out to help.
The imperial guards immediately protected Zhao Zhiyu's room, and Turing shouted, "Protect the Crown Princess!"
Zhao Zhiyu kicked open the door. "Why are you protecting me? Go downstairs and help."
The newcomer was skilled in martial arts, but no match for Lu Jinlan and her two companions. However, the three of them were only interested in capturing him alive, so they didn't kill him. After stabbing two of them in the arms, the newcomers leaped over the courtyard wall and fled.
Xiang Ruzhen and Yan Wuxin led a small team to give chase. Lu Jinlan hesitated for a moment and reminded them, "Be careful of being tricked. Don't fall for it. Keep an eye on the disaster relief funds."
A short while later, Yan and Xiang returned, cursing and swearing. Yan Wuxin said angrily, "Damn it! These guys are so slippery. They went out and ran into the woods. It's so dark, we can't catch them at all."
Xiang Ruzhen said, "They must have planned their retreat route long ago. They probably didn't come for the disaster relief funds tonight. Maybe they're just scouting ahead, or targeting someone."
Lu Jinlan looked at Zhao Zhiyu, "Your Highness, it would be better if you stayed in your room tonight. I'll go change my clothes and I'll keep watch for the rest of the night."
Lu Jinlan returned to his room and had just retrieved the external cannon in the dark when his keen hearing detected a subtle sound from the beam.
A sword thrust at her from behind. Hearing the sound, she flicked her wrist to block the attack, then immediately followed up with a Heart-Shattering Palm strike. She exclaimed in surprise, "It's a man?"
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Author's Note: A new character has appeared, and I've already thought of a super cool idea that I'm eager to write. I'll adjust my sleep schedule these next couple of days, and if it works, I'll update twice a day. If not, then never mind.
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