Suppressing the violence in his heart, Shen Yunting's expression grew increasingly solemn.
He had always suspected something was amiss in the battle with the Xiongnu, but he never considered the possibility of an internal traitor.
Moreover, there has never been any evidence.
Only now does he realize that he didn't need to be so badly injured back then, and that his comrades didn't need to die so tragically.
He gritted his teeth and angrily rebuked, "I will never let the Zhao family and the Qian family get away with this."
His eyes revealed deep sorrow.
Seeing this, Qu Jingyun felt a pang of heartache and quickly reached out to gently pat his back.
He spoke in a reassuring tone, "What we should do now is to find out the truth and clear the names of those innocent victims. There is no point in wallowing in grief."
Shen Yunting's emotions finally calmed down a bit, and he let out a soft breath.
Turning to Qu Jingyun, he said somewhat apologetically, "I'm sorry, I didn't understand just now."
Qu Jingyun smiled in response, indicating her understanding.
The soldiers who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield that day were all people who had risked their lives with Shen Yunting.
They did not die honorably under the enemy's guns, but rather from the betrayal of those behind them.
This is something Shen Yunting absolutely cannot accept!
"According to the letter sent by Song'er, the Zhao family has already tampered with the grain supplies at the border in secret. It is no use to intercept them now. If the border supplies are running low and the Xiongnu invade again, it may be too late to send grains to the court in time."
Shen Yunting sighed softly and then said, "Not to mention that without solid evidence, I have no way to report directly to the Emperor. Moreover, rashly proposing to send a large amount of grain to the border would probably arouse the Emperor's suspicion."
"It will make him think that I have ulterior motives."
Now that the Emperor's attitude towards him has finally softened, it would be bad if this matter aroused the Emperor's suspicion.
Thinking of this, Shen Yunting's expression grew even more unpleasant.
Shen Cong, standing to the side, grew anxious and quickly said, "Then what should we do? We can't just do nothing."
"Is it too late to find evidence that the Zhao and Qian families have problems?"
Before his parents could even answer his question, he knew it was too late.
But there's no other way.
Shen Cong thought of something and quickly continued, "Yun Xiujin is currently in the Ministry of Revenue. I ran into him a while ago and saw that he looked troubled by something, so I asked him a few questions."
"Only then did I learn that the national treasury was not abundant. Although the Zhang family had been raided and a large sum of money had been obtained recently, it could only sustain them for a period of time."
"How could this happen?" Qu Jingyun asked in a trembling voice.
"His Majesty extorted so much money from me back then by taking advantage of Yunting's affair, and the Zhang family also embezzled a lot. In recent years, the country has prospered and the people have lived in peace and contentment. How could the national treasury be empty?"
Shen Yunting wasn't curious about this.
He sighed softly and then said, "Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has been wise and powerful, and has promulgated many policies that are beneficial to the people, such as building river ports to promote trade and reducing taxes."
"While people's lives are becoming easier, it also brings bigger problems, namely, expenditures far exceed incomes, which is why..."
Qu Jingyun nodded knowingly, then sneered, "Who told the Emperor to be so lazy and only know how to doubt loyal ministers instead of finding ways to make money to replenish the national treasury?"
"If things continue like this, we might have to resort to selling official positions to make money, just like the previous dynasty did. But if that happens, the country won't be far from its demise."
"You can't just say things like that," Shen Yunting quickly reminded him.
Even in your own home, you have to be extra careful to avoid being overheard.
But Qu Jingyun said bluntly, "I didn't say anything wrong. Besides, given the current situation, even if the national treasury has money, he might not believe that we agree to support the border. We still have to find a way ourselves."
As she said this, Qu Jingyun's lips slowly curved upwards, revealing a subtle smile.
Shen Yunting saw it.
He hurriedly asked, "Jingyun, have you come up with any good ideas? Tell me quickly."
Qu Jingyun nodded and took out another stack of letters from her bosom, handing them over.
He explained, "This is a letter that Yue'er sent back to me after she left the capital to travel."
Since leaving the capital, Shen Yue has been sending letters to Qu Jingyun by carrier pigeon every few days.
They recounted in detail the local customs and traditions they encountered during their travels.
Just by reading their words, Qu Jingyun could feel the joy in their voices.
Not long after arriving in Jiangnan, the Qu family's escort agency in Jiangnan received a shipment from Yunbei.
Shen Yue and her companion followed them, thinking they should check out another place.
Yunbei was the town closest to the Xiongnu border.
"Yue'er has only been away from Jiangnan for a short time. By the time I have someone send the letter to her by fast horse, she should have been away from Yunbei for about ten days. And in those ten days, we will have plenty of time to do a lot of things."
"There are plenty of shops and land belonging to the Qu family along the way. As long as we invest money, we should be able to stockpile enough grain to send to the border."
"Although we can't hold them off for a year or two, it's enough to wait until the Xiongnu invade. Once the Xiongnu arrive, the capital will have ample reason to send grain and fodder to the border."
"The grain we send over is just enough to last through this period, and it can also catch them off guard."
After listening to Qu Jingyun's explanation, Shen Yunting's gaze shifted repeatedly as he looked at her, a faint smile playing on his lips.
He then said, "Then I'll leave this matter to you."
"Based on the last incident with the Xiongnu, I suspect there might be a traitor within the army. I will write a letter and have a trusted person investigate this matter with Song'er. Ideally, we should turn the tables and make the Xiongnu and the Zhao family believe that their goals have been achieved."
After Shen Yunting finished speaking, a cold glint flashed across his eyes.
He had someone he could suspect, but he was somewhat hesitant to believe it.
Could it be that person?
"I will also use all the connections I have in the capital to secretly investigate the Zhao family. I hope it's not too late." Qu Jingyun's expression was equally solemn.
The family of three exchanged a glance, and each saw the flames of anger in the other's eyes.
Shen Yunting was tricked by them back then, so this time it's to avenge Shen Yunting.
Who would have thought that a little Zhao Xiangxue would cause so much trouble?
Without any hesitation, the group got busy with these matters, writing letters and conducting investigations as needed.
The results of the investigation will only make everyone feel more and more shocked.
A seemingly calm storm is slowly brewing in the shadows, but those at the center of it are unaware of it.
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