Chapter 9 Not a Beast
"Who wrote this letter? The handwriting is so ugly!"
Zhao Hong...
“It was written by your wife, Ms. Song, and it also has her signature on it.”
"That's impossible. My wife's handwriting is neat and beautiful, not this ugly. Besides, she always affixes her personal seal to her letters."
There's no personal seal on this, so it's definitely not my wife's handwriting.
Li Mu categorically denied it, speaking with conviction.
After a long silence, Shen Cong raised an eyebrow and looked over upon hearing this.
"evidence?"
Li Mu stepped forward, rummaged in his pocket, and pulled out a small purse.
The purse was opened, revealing a pile of papers folded into heart shapes.
Shen Cong narrowed his eyes slightly when he saw the heart-shaped paper.
Li Mu casually picked out a heart, opened it, and handed it to Chen Cong.
"Your Highness, please look, this is a poem my wife wrote for me, with her signature and personal seal below."
The letter contained a poem.
You should be like a rock, and I should be like a reed. The reed is as resilient as silk, and the rock will never move.
The back has Song Yi's signature and a small plum blossom seal with the character "Yi" engraved on it.
Seeing the prince stare at the seal for a moment, Li Mujun's handsome face showed a hint of smugness.
"I carved this personal seal myself. It is the only one of its kind in the world. Does Your Highness think it is beautiful?"
Shen Cong ignored him.
Li Mu didn't feel embarrassed at all, and pointed to the letter asking for help.
"The writing on this piece looks like it's been swept away by a strong wind; it's completely disfigured and ugly beyond recognition, far inferior to my wife's handwriting."
He then peeked out and took a closer look, thinking to himself: "These words look familiar, like I've seen them somewhere before."
But he didn't say it aloud.
Shen Cong nodded, signaling the Imperial Censor and Zhao Hong to come forward and examine the matter.
After reading it, the group of censors came to a conclusion.
"It was definitely not written by the same person."
Li Mu carried his letters with him and folded them into heart shapes, clearly indicating that they were written by his wife.
Therefore, the so-called letter of appeal for help in Zhao Hong's possession, which is supposedly a confession on behalf of someone else, is invalid.
The Imperial Censor frowned and asked Zhao Hong, "Where did your wife get this letter? It's not in Madam Li's handwriting at all."
Zhao Hong's face flushed red, and he secretly complained that Song Hui was unreliable.
Why wasn't the letter delivered written in Song Yi's own handwriting?
What was even more unexpected was that Li Mu actually carried with him love poems written by Song Yi.
What kind couple writes love poems for fun?
He could only grit his teeth and awkwardly explain, "Perhaps my wife made a mistake. I'll send someone back to ask her right away."
Having said that, he was still not convinced and pointed to the Ministry of Revenue's sign-in book and warehouse register to question Li Mu.
Why is your handwriting on the Ministry of Revenue's sign-in book and warehouse register completely different from your handwriting in your letters?
How do you explain this?
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Mu's expression suddenly changed, and he stammered, unable to explain himself clearly.
Zhao Hong was overjoyed and suddenly raised his voice.
"Could it be that you really know two handwriting styles and are deliberately using a different font in the Ministry of Revenue's records to cover up your crimes and evade responsibility?"
"I......"
Li Mu opened his mouth, then seemed to remember something and closed it again.
Zhao Hong became increasingly convinced that Li Muhui possessed two different handwriting styles.
"If you cannot provide a reasonable explanation today, the Censorate will have no choice but to report the facts to His Majesty, who will then decide your case as a case of embezzlement."
Thump, thump.
Shen Cong tapped the table with one hand, a hint of impatience on his pale face.
His voice was filled with undisguised irritability and coldness.
"I hate lying more than anything else in my life. Li Mu, I'm only giving you this one chance. I'll count to three. If you don't tell the truth, your whole family will be executed."
Having said that, he gently raised one finger.
"one!"
Li Mu immediately became anxious.
“A true man takes responsibility for his own actions; how can a prince be implicated?”
"two!"
Li Mu gazed at the young man sitting at the head of the table.
He was wrapped in a cloak, his face pale, but his eyes were cold and sharp.
One glance at him would not make you think of his age at all; it would only make you tremble.
Recalling the rumors circulating in the court about the young Prince Xuan's ruthlessness, Li Mu shuddered and watched as he raised his third finger.
He gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and shouted, "I'll confess everything!"
Shen Cong's third finger, which had been bent in mid-air, slowly retracted, and he quietly observed him.
Li Mu's eyes darted away as he shouted with his eyes closed, "I only like the gentle breeze and bright moon; I don't like serving in the court."
Especially for those working in the Ministry of Revenue, they had to sign in at dawn and not leave until dusk. Sometimes, if the goods arriving at the warehouse were late, they had to stay on duty at night.
Getting up earlier than the rooster and sleeping later than the dog—even oxen and horses couldn't withstand being used like this.
Shen Cong frowned almost imperceptibly, as if he was trying his best to endure it.
The third finger, which had just been retracted, slowly extended again.
"so?"
Li Mu lowered his head and said in a low voice, "So the Ministry of Revenue's records were signed by someone on my behalf."
"What? Speak louder!"
“I said that the Ministry of Revenue’s records were signed by someone I asked on my behalf.”
Li Mu closed his eyes, looking like he was ready to go all out.
There was a moment of silence in the air.
All the censors in the room stared at Li Mu in disbelief.
They listened with a deep sense of empathy, feeling that even the most exhausted beasts of burden hadn't complained so much.
But what did they just hear?
Zhao Hong's voice was so shocked it almost shattered.
"You had someone sign it for you? Impossible. You were transferred to the Ministry of Revenue in March of this year, which is only five months ago."
I checked the handwriting samples from the past five months, and they all match. It's impossible that you had someone else sign for you the entire time, right?
Li Mu's eyes darted around, and he stammered.
"Also...it's okay."
Shen Cong suddenly spoke up, "Which way does the door of the Ministry of Revenue face?"
Li Mu glanced at his expression and whispered, "South...or west...or east? We can't go north, can we?"
Goodness, he guessed all four directions.
Shen Cong closed his eyes impatiently.
There was nothing else that no one understood: Li Mu had never been to the Ministry of Revenue; he even had someone else sign the attendance book for him.
So where do you go to collect bribes?
Zhao Hong was so angry that his face trembled.
"Li Mu, you...you've neglected your duties!"
Li Mu whispered, "If you say so, then so be it."
Zhao Hong...
I'm so angry!
Before he could say anything more, Shen Cong tugged at his cloak and gave him a cold glare.
"Is this the corruption case that the Censorate has been investigating with such fanfare? The Censorate is responsible for supervising all officials, yet it conducts such a frivolous investigation, with evidence that is disorganized and comparisons that are haphazard and careless."
"Showy but impractical, all show and no substance! Not only stupid, but also incompetent!"
Zhao Hong's face turned pale, and he knelt down on the ground with a thud.
Showy but impractical!
All show and no substance!
Stupid! Incompetent!
If any one of these words gets out, his career will be over.
Shen Cong got up and walked outside. As he passed the Imperial Censor, he casually uttered a remark.
"Wash your eyes more often before going to the yamen in the future, and you might be able to judge people more accurately."
The Imperial Censor's legs went weak, and he knelt down, his gaze towards Zhao Hong filled with deep resentment.
Zhao Hong shrugged and slunk away from the government office, returning home dejectedly.
As soon as she entered, Song Hui eagerly came to greet her, her face full of anticipation.
"So? With that letter of distress, is Li Mu's embezzlement charge going to be confirmed?"
Is the entire Marquis of Anping's family going to be exiled?
The mere thought of Song Yi being exiled and enduring all the torment she had experienced in her previous life made Song Hui's blood boil with excitement.
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