After Mrs. Shen's funeral, Shen Yuyao moved back to Prince Ning's Mansion.
The Ning Prince's Mansion in Kyoto is much smaller than the Ning Prince's Mansion in Yanjing.
After the move was completed, Shen Yuyao's things were moved back to Chunhuayuan.
Zi Su was busy for a long time before she finally packed up all the things.
Hearing that Xia Yu was still in the study, Shen Yuyao went straight to find him.
After returning to Kyoto, the two only met briefly at Mrs. Shen's funeral, and they didn't even have the chance to exchange a few words about family matters. Xia Yu returned to the Guard Bureau and continued to be busy.
"Your Highness should have received the two censors' memorials accusing the Minister of Revenue." Shen Yuyao said as she entered the room, "I have already made arrangements for their families."
Xia Yu looked up at her.
Shen Yuyao didn't notice Xia Yu's expression and said, "Guo Heng is really too bold. He actually divided up the taxes of two prefectures! That's a whole year's autumn grain in western Zhejiang!"
Xia Yu put down the secret report he was reviewing and asked, "Do you know the exact number?"
"Yes, the total amount of autumn grain that should have been turned over to the national treasury that year was 450,000 dan, but only a little over 200 dan actually entered the treasury." Shen Yuyao said these shocking figures calmly.
"The princess's report is so accurate?" Xia Yu was also shocked by what Shen Yuyao said.
However, he was shocked that Shen Yuyao knew everything about the complaint that had just been sent to him, even down to the exact numbers.
This was a fact that took the Black Dragon Guard two full months to find out.
How did Shen Yuyao find out?
"I also know that the incident started when the Imperial Censors Yu Min and Ding Tingju jointly reported that officials from the Kyoto Provincial Administration and the Provincial Surveillance Department, along with the Minister of Revenue, Lord Guo, were involved in corruption."
"The Emperor originally handed the case over to the Dali Temple for trial, but the results of the Dali Temple were not satisfactory to the Emperor, so he ordered the Black Dragon Guard to investigate the case."
Xia Yu nodded.
What Shen Yuyao said was absolutely correct.
"If I am not mistaken, the memorials and secret reports on Your Highness's desk are all related to this matter."
Xia Yu raised his eyebrows and said, "Princess, your guess is correct. I have compiled the results of my investigation into this case and will report it to my father for his disposition at court tomorrow morning."
"The timing is exactly as Xiaoxian said." Shen Yuyao muttered to herself.
"What?" Xia Yu only heard the three words Xia Xiaoxian.
"It's nothing. If Your Highness doesn't blame me, I would like to continue guessing the results of the investigation!" Shen Yuyao's eyes were fixed on Xia Yu's.
"Oh? Princess actually knows the memorial I just wrote?" Xia Yu couldn't help but feel curious when he heard this.
Unless Shen Yuyao was a god, there was no way she could know the contents of the memorial he had just compiled.
"First, Lord Guo and his men privately divided up all the taxes from Zhenjiang, Taiping, and other places."
The first sentence Shen Yuyao said made Xia Yu stand there in a daze.
"Second, Lord Guo and his men privately divided up 2.5 million dan of autumn grain from western Zhejiang."
After hearing the second sentence, Xia Yu already began to doubt his ears. He opened his eyes wide and stared at Shen Yuyao.
"Third, Lord Guo colluded with local officials to collect miscellaneous taxes under various pretexts, such as treasury fees, fees for deities and Buddhas, fees for bamboo baskets, and so on..."
After Shen Yuyao said this, Xia Yu was so shocked that he stood up immediately. He picked up the memorial he had just written and read it again.
He had just written it, and Shen Yuyao had copied it word for word?
If this isn't a god, could it be a ghost?
"Fourth, Lord Guo also colluded with officials from six ministries to privately mint paper money."
Shen Yuyao ignored Xia Yu's shock and continued.
"Fifth, Lord Guo also colluded with some eunuchs and palace officials to steal food, jewelry, and banknotes from the national treasury."
The memorial he had just written slipped from Xia Yu's hands, and he sat down dejectedly on the chair.
"The princess is not only very resourceful, but also has an extraordinary memory..." Xia Yu sighed softly.
"Your Highness, do you know how many people will be implicated by the memorial you submit tomorrow?"
"According to the Black Dragon Guard's investigation, almost all officials from the six ministries are accomplices of Lord Guo." Xia Yu was also shocked by the results of the investigation.
"Not only that, those implicated in this case will also include officials from various state governments, as well as large grain growers, wealthy families, and big businessmen!"
When saying this, Shen Yuyao couldn't help but admire Xu Yunxuan's foresight.
Every time she appeared, she was disguised, and those merchant accounts were all held by someone else.
"The Black Dragon Guard has only tracked down officials from the six ministries, most of whom are accomplices of Lord Guo. As for the provincial officials and wealthy merchants, they haven't pursued them further for now."
She knows it even if I don't tell her, so why not hide it? It will make communication easier.
Xia Yu walked up to Shen Yuyao, stopped, and gently put his arm around her shoulders.
"Your Highness, don't you think there are many suspicious points in this matter?" Shen Yuyao looked up and met Xia Yu's gaze, only to see that Xia Yu's eyes were full of tenderness and joy.
Xia Yu shook his head. "The case has been thoroughly investigated. There is nothing suspicious."
"Your Highness, let me ask you a few questions. Your Highness, please give them some thought."
Seeing Xia Yu nod, Shen Yuyao turned around and said to him, "First, Lord Guo has only been the Minister of Revenue for a year. How could he have won over the officials of the six ministries and made them follow his orders?"
Xia Yu's heart sank.
"Secondly, the annual treasury revenue of the Great Xia Dynasty is only a little over 24 million dan of grain. How could Lord Guo dare to embezzle over 22 million dan and only leave 2 million dan for the Emperor? Is he crazy, or are all the officials in the six ministries crazy?"
Xia Yu's heart sank even more.
"Third, a few years ago, after the emperor abolished the prime minister system, he personally made all decisions, big or small. How did Lord Guo manage to evade the emperor's presence and instead be reported by two mere censors?"
This is almost impossible!
Xia Yu's expression also became heavy, and he quietly withdrew his hand from Shen Yuyao's shoulder.
"Fourth, in the Great Xia Dynasty, if an official embezzled even a mere sixty taels of silver, he would be beheaded. Some officials would even be skinned and stuffed with straw for public display. Lord Guo is truly the most outrageous person there is."
Xia Yu and Guo Heng had also had several interactions, and no matter how you looked at him, he didn't seem to be such a crazy person.
Xia Yu couldn't help but shake his head again.
"Fifth, ordinary people always hope that as few people as possible will know about their crimes. But why is it that Lord Guo, as if he were afraid that no one would know, has forcibly recruited officials from all six ministries to become his accomplices?"
Xia Yu's face was already covered with dark clouds, and he began to pace around the room again.
"Sixth, Your Highness, the Black Dragon Guards you now command are already omnipresent. I even heard that you painted portraits of officials while they were drinking and having fun in their own homes and presented them to the Emperor. So when did the crimes of Guo Heng and his accomplices only become known today?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com