As for the youngest daughter, her betrothal was to the even more prominent Qi family. Alas, the Qi family was incredibly wealthy, and the emperor might have been secretly plotting against them, hoping to seize their wealth. The Qi family, known for their cautious approach, would undoubtedly find a way to cancel the marriage to avoid being affected by the disaster at the Yongding Marquisate.
In this early morning, when the light of dawn was just breaking, he had noticed more than once that the steward of the Qi family was wandering in front of the gate of the Duke of Huguo's mansion.
Hao Ren was secretly proud of himself. He believed that the Duke of Huguo's Mansion would soon be able to regain its former glory. Jiang Shu, Jiang Dinglian and the Yongding Marquis Mansion would all become his stepping stones to help him climb to the pinnacle of power!
Just as he was immersed in the beautiful spring and the infinite prospects that were about to come, suddenly, the sound of galloping cavalry came from afar like thunder, breaking the tranquility of the mansion.
The servants in the mansion looked panicked and ran towards the main courtyard without knowing where to go. Their faces were full of fear, as if they were fleeing.
Seeing this, Hao Ren couldn't help but frown, straightened his sleeves, stood up, and asked in a low and serious voice, "What happened? Why is there such a commotion?"
A butler came running over breathlessly, looking back frequently and vigilantly at the rear. This made him stagger and he almost tripped over the gravel under his feet several times.
After hearing the three words "Jinyiwei", Hao Ren's heart was also filled with panic. His instinct drove him to find a hiding place, because the arrival of Jinyiwei often foreshadowed something ominous. Once they came to the door, it would inevitably be accompanied by blood and rain.
However, the Jinyiwei, dressed in gorgeous Feiyu uniforms and with embroidered spring swords hanging from their waists, rushed in like a tide and quickly surrounded him.
The young and stern Jinyiwei commander Ji Cheng slowly walked out from the crowd in the chaos.
"My Lord, what should we do..."
The personal maid who was originally massaging his shoulders now hid behind him trembling with fear.
Hao Ren waved them aside anxiously, trying to remain calm. He forced a smile and said, "I didn't realize the Commander-in-Chief was visiting. I'm really disrespectful."
However, Ji Cheng just glanced at him coldly and ignored him, as if his existence was insignificant.
Despite such cold contempt, Hao Ren dared not show the slightest anger. Instead, his heart was filled with fear and trembling. Although this young man was over twenty years younger than him, the cold aura that seemed to come from the depths of the imperial prison made him feel uneasy.
Ji Cheng waved his hand to signal the neatly arranged Jinyiwei behind him to start the action, "Search."
Although it was only one word, Hao Ren's heart instantly rose to his throat.
In this brief moment, he recalled almost every brick and tile of his Protectorate Mansion, and his face turned pale. Although the Protectorate Mansion was no longer prominent and no longer caught the emperor's eye, it was not something that could withstand a search by the Imperial Guards!
How many of the civil and military officials in the court could withstand such a thorough search by the Embroidered Uniform Guard?
Which family doesn’t have some secrets that may not be exposed?
Moreover, he had been looking forward to the Yongding Marquis Mansion being raided, and never imagined that the Jinyiwei would suddenly come and search his Huguogong Mansion. He was completely defenseless and unprepared!
"Respected Commander, have you misunderstood? Aren't we originally investigating the case at the Yongding Marquis' Mansion? How could you have set foot in our Protectorate Mansion for no apparent reason?"
Although Hao Ren was already over forty, he had never witnessed such a shocking scene. His eyes were red with anxiety, almost tears in his eyes, and he desperately wanted to clear himself of suspicion. "I have already dissolved my marriage with Jiang Shu. This is the decree signed by His Majesty himself. What does the actions of the Yongding Marquis' Mansion have to do with our Huguogong Mansion? Look, the Huguogong Mansion is now in a desolate state. When Jiang Shu divorced and returned to her family, she took away all her property that once belonged to the Yongding Marquis' Mansion. If you want to thoroughly investigate the Yongding Marquis' Mansion, I'm afraid you will find no clues here."
Ji Cheng glanced at him meaningfully at this moment and said, "We are here to investigate the Duke of Huguo's Mansion."
Hao Ren couldn't help but shudder all over, and stumbled. "This...how can this be true?"
He originally thought that the reason why the Duke of Huguo's Mansion was searched was because it was implicated by the Marquis of Yongding's Mansion, but after hearing what Ji Cheng said, he realized that things were far from as simple as he had imagined.
He was puzzled. The Duke of Protectorate's Mansion was now just a shell in name only, with neither wealth nor power. What secrets were there that were worth such a big fuss to search for?
As his thoughts raced, how could he imagine that Jiang Dinglian, relying on the military power he held, would openly raise the banner of rebellion and overthrow the government?
However, Ji Cheng, who was sitting opposite him, chose to remain silent in response to his inquiry.
Hao Ren couldn't help but grit his teeth inwardly, and slowly took out the still warm banknotes from his wide sleeves. He cleverly used his sleeves to cover the banknotes and quietly handed the stack of banknotes to Ji Cheng.
He had heard that the newly appointed commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard lived in extreme poverty, living in a slum alley. He was extremely frugal when traveling, using even copper coins with great care, and could hardly take out even a tiny bit of silver. It was obvious that he was short of money.
Sure enough, after Ji Cheng took a glimpse of the banknote, he took it without hesitation.
"Are you bribing me?" he asked in a cold tone.
Hao Ren secretly criticized the Jinyiwei commander. He was a stubborn stone. Despite his prominent position, his methods were limited. He didn't know how to use his power to make money, and he lived a very hard life. Even his conversations were straightforward, without any tact, and he seemed unafraid of attracting criticism.
"That's right. I hope you will accept it with a smile and tell me a little bit of the news." Although he was unhappy in his heart, Hao Ren still maintained a humble smile on his face.
However, Ji Cheng simply waved the banknote in his hand and said in a cold and hard tone: "In the Jinyiwei, if a commander accepts bribes, his crime will be doubled."
Hao Ren was stunned on the spot, his astonishment was beyond words.
In the unspoken rules of officialdom, how could such things as secretly giving away silver and banknotes be so openly exposed?
Don't people just accept it secretly, silently take the banknotes, exchange information silently, and if they don't accept it, pretend it never happened?
He even guessed that Ji Cheng might have secretly embezzled the banknotes and kept the news to himself, but he never expected that he, a notorious Jinyiwei, would show such a... clean and upright side?
Hao Ren cursed Ji Cheng's entire ancestry inwardly, then suddenly realized why Ji Cheng had always lived in such poverty. Others acted as pawns, shouldering the stigma and secretly reaping the benefits, while he perpetrated all sorts of evil deeds without ever taking a cent. This was sheer lunacy!
The Jinyiwei searched everywhere in the mansion, rummaging through drawers and cabinets, while Hao Ren paced in the courtyard with his hands in his sleeves, feeling anxious.
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