Upon hearing this, Lu Yonglin looked at the person standing behind him in shock: "Lu Ping, you actually betrayed me!"
"Master!" Lu Ping was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground.
The master had previously said he wanted to come to the princess's residence to have his fortune told, which terrified him. He was worried that the princess would expose his past and kept trying to persuade the master not to come.
As a result... the master valued solving the case above all else.
Even though this matter reached the princess's ears, and the master would be punished for dereliction of duty, she still came.
Lu Ping kowtowed as he said, “Master, I had no choice. I never thought of betraying you, but... but you are penniless. I have served you for many years and haven’t even received a penny. My son is about to get married, but I can’t even afford the bride price. I’m truly at my wit’s end.”
Lu Ping dared not deceive Lu Yonglin and told him everything in detail.
Besides, Ye Xianya's calculations were thorough, so he wouldn't dare to hide anything.
At times like this, all we can hope for is leniency for confessing.
“Master, the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion gave me three thousand taels of silver and asked me to steal your key to them. I kept the silver with me and didn’t dare to use it.” After Lu Ping finished speaking, he immediately took out the purse he had been carrying in his bosom, which contained three one-thousand-tael silver notes.
"It's not that you're afraid to use it, it's that you haven't had time to use it yet!" Lu Yonglin was furious. "You servants, although you haven't enjoyed any riches and honors following me, I've treated you well. I've never shortchanged you by a single penny in your monthly allowance, and you've received rewards during festivals. Especially you, Lu Ping, you've been by my side for over thirty years, and I've given you the most rewards, yet you can't even afford a bride price to marry your son."
Lu Yonglin's eyes widened as he spoke: "Impossible!"
Unless Lupin's son marries a woman from a prominent family.
But how could those young ladies possibly marry the son of a steward?
Girls from ordinary families would certainly not ask for too much dowry.
Because they couldn't afford such a large dowry.
"Master...Master, my mother fell ill a few days ago and has been taking medicine. My savings are all gone..." Lu Ping hurriedly explained.
"Nonsense! As long as they are elderly people in the manor, once they get old and need to be cared for, their food, clothing, housing, and even medical care are all paid for by the manor. The manor has this expense every month. You are servants, and your mother is old and also cared for by the manor. Last month, the manor gave an extra sum of money to these servants who are cared for, and the madam told me about it. I remember this." Lu Yonglin said loudly.
They lived a frugal life, and the extra expense made his wife feel bad, and she even complained to him about it.
He couldn't offer any help, so he could only comfort his wife and then give her the three hundred taels of silver he had painstakingly saved this year.
Lu Yonglin is now truly penniless.
"Please forgive me, sir!" Lu Ping kowtowed and begged for mercy.
The family lived a frugal life, so the master knew all about these things and couldn't be fooled at all.
"His savings were all gambled away by his son, emptying his family's coffers. His son wants one hundred taels of silver for a bride price to get married. Lord Lu, Lu Ping knew you couldn't give him that. When you refused to accept the bribe from the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, he was tempted. He took the initiative to go to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, asking for three thousand taels of silver, and then helping them steal the key," Ye Xianya said calmly.
"You bastard! I've been blind all these years, trusting you so much and considering you my confidant!" Lu Yonglin was furious.
He never dreamed that Lu Ping would find the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence on his own.
“Master…Master, please calm down. I’m at my wit’s end. My good-for-nothing son lost money gambling the other day and owes the gambling den two hundred taels of silver. If he can’t pay it back within three days, they’re going to make trouble at the Lu family’s house. I really have no other choice…” Lu Ping said, tears streaming down his face.
After listening, Lu Yonglin couldn't help but pat his chest.
He was absolutely furious!
As the master, he doesn't even spend two hundred taels of silver a year. Lu Ping's son is simply a good-for-nothing and a spendthrift!
Even his own son wouldn't dare to do that.
"What are you all standing there for? Take him to the Jingzhao government office. I'm reporting this to the authorities!" Lu Yonglin ordered another attendant.
He couldn't possibly protect Lu Ping in such a serious matter; he was going to sue Lu Ping and the Marquis of Zhongyong's family to the Jingzhao government.
This is absolutely outrageous!
That old bastard, Marquis Zhongyong, is utterly inhuman.
Now things are really messed up. Not only will his son have to pay with his life, but the title of Marquis of Zhongyong will probably be lost as well.
They brought this on themselves, they deserve it!
"Thank you, Princess!" Lu Yonglin kowtowed in gratitude.
"Lord Lu, please get up. I helped you because I saw that you are a good official. If it were someone greedy and insatiable, I would have sent him to the capital's yamen," Ye Xianya said with a smile.
Officials like Lu Yonglin are actually quite rare.
Therefore, even if he failed in his duties, it is understandable.
Even a saint cannot guarantee that everyone around him is good.
“Your Highness is all-knowing and all-seeing. As long as Your Highness wants to know something, no one can hide it from you. Your Highness… I have a request.” Lu Yonglin said as he knelt down.
"Your Ministry of Justice has accumulated so many unsolved murder cases over the past thirty years that you can't even count them all. If I were to agree to help you solve these backlogged cases, it would take at least ten days to half a month to finish them all. Let's talk about it later." Ye Xianya could tell what Lu Yonglin was thinking just by looking at his expression.
Of course, since this person was selfless, Ye Xianya did not refuse.
Solving those long-standing murder cases is also a way of accumulating good karma.
"Thank you, Princess." Lu Yonglin was extremely excited and quickly kowtowed.
I'm willing to wait as long as the princess is willing to help.
The Empress is about to give birth, and the Princess is currently unavailable.
He was actually a little hesitant to speak just now, after all, the princess's status was there, and there were just too many cases, which would be annoying for anyone.
To my surprise, the princess actually agreed!
"The cases in your Ministry of Justice are manageable, but the cases piled up in the Capital Prefecture are truly staggering. Apart from murder cases, I can't handle the other trivial ones either." Ye Xianya decided to make her position clear beforehand to avoid the prefect of the Capital Prefecture coming to her again.
She won't take any cases other than murder cases!
“Your Highness is truly righteous. On behalf of those wronged souls and victims, I thank Your Highness!” Lu Yonglin quickly bowed.
He really found the right person today; not only did he solve his own troubles, but he was also able to resolve the cases that the Ministry of Justice had accumulated over the decades.
The princess is truly a divine being!
Lu Yongning couldn't help but think to himself, even the gods in heaven could only do this much.
The emperor is truly lucky to have gained such a wonderful daughter. Not only did he ascend the throne smoothly, but with the princess by his side, his throne is very secure and no one can take it away from him.
I heard that Prince An has other intentions; he's practically asking for death!
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