Chapter 171 Revealed
The door opened, and Xue Han stood inside: "Did Aheng bring red bean cakes?"
"Um."
"Thank you, I really like them." Xue Han took the snacks Qiu Heng was carrying and invited her inside.
Hu Si stared at the closed door, his mouth twisted with anger.
Do adults have no self-control at all?!
Feeling indignant, Hu Si lightly slapped his own mouth: It's all his fault for being too self-disciplined. Poor red bean cake that was right in front of his mouth!
Inside, Qiu Heng and Xue Han sat facing each other.
Xue Han poured her a cup of tea: "It's cold outside, have some hot tea to warm yourself up."
Qiu Heng took a sip of tea, smelled the aroma, and looked at the young man opposite her. Not knowing where to begin, she pointed to the oil paper package and said, "It's freshly made."
Xue Han also had many questions to ask. Now that they were sitting face to face, he didn't know how to start. Hearing Qiu Heng say this, he felt a sense of relief from temporarily escaping and reached out to open one of the oil paper packages.
The neatly arranged red bean cakes were a familiar sight to Xue Han. He picked up a piece and ate it; it was fragrant, soft, and sweet, a taste he knew all too well.
Now that things have been made clear today, things will definitely be different between him and Aheng.
"Is it good?" Qiu Heng asked, seeing his serious expression.
Xue Han snapped out of her daze: "Delicious."
Qiu Heng smiled and said, "Commander Hu seems to be tired of the food. I'll ask him what he likes to eat later and bring some of his favorites next time."
“He’s not tired of it.” Xue Han, of course, couldn’t really avoid the question, so she spoke first. “He suspects that you are not an ordinary young lady, and because of his duty, he doesn’t dare to accept your kindness.”
Ah Heng's request to meet him at this time was clearly related to Fang Xiang.
She probably felt the same way he did, unsure how to take the first step. Then let him take that first step.
"Commander Hu... suspects I'm a spy?" Qiu Heng wasn't surprised.
As Xue Han's confidant, Hu Si naturally knew that Xue Han had arranged for someone to keep an eye on her.
"And what about you?" Qiu Heng asked.
"Me?" Xue Han met his gaze, his eyes frank. "I've had my doubts too."
Qiu Heng was taken aback.
She thought that this meeting should start with some verbal probing, and if all went well, they would eventually reveal their respective attitudes.
Xue Han was more frank than she had imagined.
If that's the case, she should at least show some sincerity.
"So you sent someone to keep an eye on me?" the girl asked with a smile.
Xue Han fell silent for a moment.
It turns out that Ah Heng had already discovered it.
However, the fact that she asked this question shows that she also wants to have a proper talk.
"It's our duty." Xue Han paused, then recounted the previous night, "My men on watch discovered someone breaking into the Prime Minister's residence at night, so they followed them. Yesterday morning, they spotted one of them leaving the city, arrested him, and brought him back to the Imperial City Guard. After interrogation, they revealed they were from Northern Qi. Their reason for breaking into the Prime Minister's residence was—"
Qiu Heng continued, "Bribe Fang Xiang to get General Huang transferred away from the border."
"You know about this too?" Xue Han was somewhat surprised.
He speculated that Aheng's meeting with him was related to Fang Xiang, but how did Aheng know about this secret conversation?
Xue Han's confession made Qiu Heng no longer hide anything: "I secretly sneaked into Fang Xiang's study, and I was present when they plotted."
Xue Han was surprised.
He knew that Ah Heng, who could hold her own against him, was capable, but he never expected her to be this capable.
"Has Fang Xiang taken any action?" Qiu Heng asked.
Whether at the Prime Minister's residence or back at the Yongqing Earl's residence, Qiu Heng had no chance to learn about the plans made in the Prime Minister's study.
"Yes. Yesterday, Prime Minister Fang suggested to His Majesty that General Huang be summoned back to the capital. Several officials stood up to oppose it, and His Majesty is still hesitant."
"Xue Han, what are your plans?"
Xue Han did not hesitate: "Fang Xiang colluded with the Qi people, so he should be punished accordingly."
“But I heard—” Meeting the boy’s dark eyes, Qiu Heng swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
When asked whether Xue Quan, who was on good terms with Fang Xiang, would oppose his adoptive father, he replied...
That's unnecessary.
If he was just trying to coax her into being honest, but was actually on Xue Quan's side, then she would only get lies if she asked him.
If he puts the people before his own interests and is determined to bring the treacherous minister to justice, her questioning would only cause him trouble.
"What did you hear?" Xue Han asked.
"I have heard that the current emperor relies heavily on Prime Minister Fang."
Xue Han smiled and said, "His Majesty also relies heavily on Han Wu and Yuan Chenghai, but he did not show any mercy after finding evidence of their crimes. Fang Xiang is different from these two. He is suspected of colluding with Northern Qi, and there are arrested Qi people as witnesses. As long as the bribes he received are found in the Prime Minister's residence, His Majesty will not let him go."
If we can uncover hidden accounts, we'll be even more confident.
After becoming the Imperial City Envoy, Xue Han gained some experience. He knew that anyone who had been embezzling and accepting bribes for a long time would have a secret record. This was to prevent any omissions from causing discord when dividing the spoils, thus maintaining a balance, and also to use it as leverage to keep those on the same boat quiet.
Not to mention someone like Fang Xiang, whose secret wealth is probably comparable to that of a country. If there are only public accounts and no private accounts, long-term chaos will breed many man-made disasters.
Just as Xue Han was thinking this, Qiu Heng said, "I know where the ledger recording the items sent by Northern Qi is."
Xue Han: ?
"After accepting the bribe, Fang Xiang ordered his men to leave, then opened a secret room in his study, took out an account book, and made a record."
Xue Han's eyes lit up: "The secret account is in the study's hidden room?"
"Yes, there is a switch. I saw how Fang Xiang is turned on."
Xue Han: !
After calming himself down, Xue Han made a decision: "If that's the case, then we can act first and report later."
"Act first, then report later?"
"Prime Minister Fang is no ordinary official. I originally planned to use witnesses to ask His Majesty for permission to search his residence, but that carries considerable risk..."
Qiu Heng nodded.
Fang Xiang's own power, the support of his party, the risk of destroying the account books, and even the consequences of not finding the account books.
"If you really want to do this, aren't you afraid that you won't end up finding any ledgers?"
"I'm afraid." Xue Han didn't try to be brave; the slight smile on his face even revealed a hint of vulnerability. "But there are some things I'm afraid I have to try."
When dealing with the powerful and influential, caution is usually necessary, but there are times when caution alone is not enough.
We need to take a gamble and go all out.
He was lucky; Ah Heng handed him the trump card, giving him enough confidence when facing Fang.
"Now that we know where the account books are, we should not delay. Tomorrow, when Prime Minister Fang goes to court, I will lead my men into the Prime Minister's residence, retrieve the account books, and then report to His Majesty."
"I will also return to the Prime Minister's residence tomorrow."
"Aheng, let's discuss some details to avoid contradictions in our statements later."
"good."
The two discussed in hushed tones for a long time, and by the time they parted, the tea had long since gone cold.
On the way back to the Yongqing Marquis's residence, Qiu Heng touched the account book she kept close to her body.
She needed to see Xue Han go to the Prime Minister's residence with her own eyes before she could truly feel at ease handing over the account books to him.
Xue Han, please don't let me down.
The next day was cloudy.
Qiu Heng had just finished breakfast when Granny Su personally came to take her back to the Prime Minister's residence.
"Granny Su must have slept well last night; she looks better than she has a few days ago."
Granny Su managed a weak smile.
Ever since that girl performed the ritual to summon the Third Young Master's soul, I feel like she'll drift in through the crack in the door every time I close my eyes at night. No wonder I can't sleep well.
I slept soundly last night!
The carriage stopped.
"We've arrived." The girl lifted the car curtain and looked out, her smile bright.
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