Chapter 216 Angry
Luo Yan led the group into the palace in the plum grove. A warm fragrance wafted over, and Qi Yuxuan subconsciously covered her mouth and nose.
"Cough cough... What is this smell? It's so pungent."
She frowned and waved her handkerchief. Luo Yan was taken aback and quickly ordered someone to remove the incense from the hall.
This is excellent incense to enhance the atmosphere. Since the princess is already willing to come along, there's no need for incense.
Luo Yan invited the guests to take their seats, and all the young male prostitutes below, who were performing sword dances, playing musical instruments, and composing poems, stopped what they were doing and obediently bowed their heads and knelt down to pay their respects.
Seeing Princess Chang Le's pretty face slightly flushed as she looked at the various handsome young men kneeling before her, Luo Yan knew she was indeed interested. He stopped standing there obstructing her view and said quite respectfully:
"Princess, these are teas specially prepared for you to relieve boredom and fatigue. If you see which cup you would like to try, just ask someone to fetch it. I will take my leave now."
"Hey, Lord Luo, wait a moment."
Luo Yan's heart skipped a beat. How come the princess's voice was still so calm even though she looked so dazzled?
He looked up in astonishment.
But upon closer inspection, it became clear that Princess Chang Le, sitting at the head of the table, had lost all trace of her earlier shyness; all that remained was a calm disgust.
"What does the princess mean by this?!"
Qi Yuxuan raised her hand, and a lean, masked youth leaped in from outside the door. He knocked Luo Yan unconscious with a single palm strike, then grabbed him by the back of his collar, dragged him a few steps, and threw him to the ground.
The group of male prostrate men were waiting for the princess to bestow her favor, but they didn't expect to hear a muffled groan behind them. Lord Luo, who had been running rampant in Lancheng for a long time, was dragged in front of them like a dead dog.
"These people?"
Ren Shun frowned and glanced at the thinly dressed, trembling male prostitutes kneeling around him, then asked for instructions.
"Let's talk outside."
Luo Yan had already fainted. Qi Yuxuan didn't even glance at the person kneeling on the ground. She strode out and saw that Ren Shun had locked the house from the outside, confining dozens of male prostitutes and the unconscious Luo Yan together. Only then did she ask as she walked out:
"Have you received the case file yet?"
"Those files are fake."
Ren Shun's voice was strained. He had thought that these collusion between officials and businessmen and the protection of each other among officials would be difficult to investigate, but he did not expect that one link after another would lead to the fact that almost all the clues had been lost.
"Actually, I came here on my own yesterday. After looking at a part of it, I spent some time checking it. Only after comparing it again did I find that none of the recorded numbers, names and ages matched. It is clear that the document placed in the Lancheng government office was a cover-up."
Qi Yuxuan paused, then let out a long sigh.
Now she had to admit that, as a bald princess, she had no real power and could not deter officials, let alone investigate them personally.
As she passed through most of the government offices, a minor official saw her and immediately went to greet her.
"Princess, where is Lord Luo? Is the tea not to your liking?"
The other party's cautious attitude clearly showed that he knew exactly where the back was. Qi Yuxuan gave a forced smile: "Lord Luo was delayed by something and will be here soon. If you are really worried, why don't you go and take a look at the back yourself?"
The minor official shut his mouth and stopped mentioning Luo Yan.
"The case file hasn't been compiled yet? I came to the government office specifically for this matter. I sent someone to tell you about it the day before yesterday. Why haven't you found it yet?"
She was no longer the gentle and easy-going person she had been when she first arrived; her tone was now irritable.
Those in the government office who heard her voice felt uneasy, thinking that Luo Yan must have said or done something wrong and offended the princess.
"Your Highness, please understand that the government offices are short-staffed. We are already working hard to find more people. Please wait a moment longer..."
Qi Yuxuan said impatiently, "How much longer do I have to wait?! Do you have to have the Qilin Guards come out before you'll hand it over?!"
The clerk turned pale with fright and was stammering when Lord Yao walked over from the front yard. When he saw that Luo Yan had disappeared, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
"Why is Your Highness angry? It's only a matter of a few cups of tea. Your Highness is already here. How dare we refuse to let you access the files?"
After Lord Yao finished his evasive maneuvering, he thought Princess Chang Le would at least give him some face, but to his surprise, the other party's anger only intensified, and her face turned red with rage.
Qi Yuxuan: "Fine, Lord Yao is now giving me the runaround. Do you think that because I have no real power now, you all look down on me?!"
Lord Yao was taken aback. "Your Highness, what are you saying? We are too busy welcoming you to possibly disregard you. Please calm down, Your Highness, I will go immediately..."
Princess Chang Le flicked her sleeves and said, "No need to say anything more! First, Lord Luo Yan thought I was just here to plunder the people for my own amusement, and then you guys kept making excuses. I've finally seen it clearly: the Lancheng government doesn't take me, Princess Chang Le, seriously at all, which is why they keep making fun of me."
"I'll go back right now and write a memorial to send to the capital. You all better remember this!"
The willful and domineering young girl finished speaking angrily, then turned and walked outside. Whether it was because Lord Yao and the others were too old and their legs were not nimble, or because they did not want to chase after her, they stopped after running a few steps and watched helplessly as Princess Chang Le went out.
"See what I said yesterday?"
Lord Yao glanced at the gate of the government office, where everyone had completely disappeared, and stroked his beard.
If she wants to take advantage of the situation, she'll have to see if she has the ability.
On the very first day Princess Chang Le arrived in Lan City, he had thoroughly investigated her background.
An orphan girl who grew up among the common people until the age of fourteen was recognized by the Xiao family but was not favored. Instead, she curried favor with the eldest princess and was granted the title of princess. With the eldest princess's help, she gained a reputation in the capital for being intelligent and kind-hearted and dedicated to serving the people. However, in his eyes, who had seen countless people, those were all child's play and had no comparison with the outstanding talents who came out of the imperial examinations.
If she had just stayed in Lancheng for a month or so, that would have been fine, but she insisted on getting involved in things she shouldn't have.
If we let her come here today, she either has to obediently accept the male prostitutes and the gold and silver and leave, or she has to wait here indefinitely. They only agreed to let her come to check the files, but when she finds them and which ones she can see are all up to the people in their government office.
On the carriage, Lanxin and Bihui had no idea what had happened in Meilin. After staying in the guest room for a short while, they were asked to leave. When they came out again and saw the princess, she was yelling at a group of government officials, as if she had been greatly wronged.
"Princess?"
Looking at the princess, who had been sulking just moments before, but whose expression immediately softened as soon as the carriage curtain was lowered, what else could the two not understand?
Why did you perform that play just now? Did you discover something?
Lanxin was the first to ask, while Bihui was a step behind, staring at her princess with her big, round eyes full of curiosity.
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