Chapter 133 It's good that things are in chaos
Jiang Yu was naturally experienced in investigating cases. Based on the evidence and clues at hand, she would make reasonable inferences and then investigate in the direction of her deductions. Of course, if her inferences were incorrect, she would try her best to gather more evidence and investigate from a different angle.
Jiang Yu currently has limited evidence, and she will continue searching for relevant evidence in the armory tomorrow. At the same time, she needs to investigate where the military headquarters has entrusted the manufacture of military supplies such as spears and armor.
Having found a direction, Jiang Yu summoned Li Zhong and put him in charge of investigating the matter. Upon hearing her instructions, Li Zhong was so shocked he couldn't speak. After regaining his composure, he asked Jiang Yu incredulously, "Miss, is this true?"
Jiang Yu: "Why don't you just look it up and find out?"
"This is too audacious! This is military funds! It's a crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the entire family!" Li Zhong couldn't help but mutter.
Jiang Yu thought that perhaps after the investigation revealed the truth, the emperor would not confiscate their property and exterminate their entire clan.
...
Prince An's Mansion
After leaving the Armory, Prince An and Prince Rui parted ways. Once home, he sat in his study, deep in thought. The questions Jiang Yu asked Old Liu, seemingly casual, took on a different flavor when put together. She seemed particularly interested in the forging of spears, armor, and other military supplies.
It is said that Jiang Yu was assigned to the archives to organize official documents.
Prince An chewed on those three words several times, then his eyes widened. The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of all accounts related to the court's finances, including detailed accounts of military supplies. The Ministry of Revenue also managed the household registration system, including military registers.
He was naturally quick-witted and had been in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for so long that he knew that even a small detail or loophole could potentially lead to a major case.
"Jiang Yu discovered the problem with military supplies in the warehouse," he told himself with certainty.
Prince An got up and paced back and forth in the room. If he found any problems with the military supplies, it would definitely be due to embezzlement of military funds. With the expansion of the army in the past two years, military expenses have increased significantly, and perhaps someone will take this opportunity to embezzle military funds.
Who could it be? The eldest brother? The third brother? Or the King of Lingnan? It's unlikely to be the King of Lingnan; his influence doesn't extend that far. But it's hard to say; they've already engaged in smuggling salt, so embezzling military funds isn't out of the question.
He was almost certain that the mastermind behind the salt smuggling was the Prince of Lingnan. However, lacking concrete evidence, he did not report this to the Emperor. But did the Emperor not suspect anything? Certainly, and he most likely suspected the Prince of Lingnan.
After thinking for a while, he called out for someone, and immediately a black-clad imperial guard pushed open the door and walked in, "Your Highness."
Prince An waved to him, and the Imperial Guard approached. Prince An lowered his voice and said, "Keep an eye on Jiang Yu and the Duke of Chu's mansion."
Thinking back to today, when Jiang Yu carried a seven- or eight-pound spear as if it were nothing, he added, "Be careful."
"Yes." The Imperial Guard responded and withdrew. Prince An stood by the window, looking at the night outside. He could sense that Daqian was about to descend into chaos, but he was also secretly excited.
It's good that things are in chaos; chaos gives people like him a chance.
...
The next day, Jiang Yu arrived at the archives at 3:45 AM as usual, then found the official document she wanted to read and sat down at the table by the window to carefully examine it. After a while, she felt like someone was watching her.
She was alone in the room. She turned to look out the window; everything seemed normal. She frowned slightly, then lowered her head to continue reviewing official documents. At 8:45 AM, Li Zheng arrived for his shift, just in time.
“I’m telling you, how come you’re a woman and you get up early every day to go to work? It’s freezing cold, aren’t you afraid of the cold?” Li Zhengze said to Jiang Yu, leaning against the desk.
Jiang Yu glanced at him, "Your Jinyang Marquis's residence doesn't have charcoal?"
"It's warm inside but cold outside!" Li Zhengze yawned.
Jiang Yu glanced at him, wanting to ask him some questions about the First Prince, Kang Wang. Li Zhengze, that纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled brat), was very knowledgeable about gossip in the capital. But fearing it would arouse his suspicion, she gave up the idea. No one should be underestimated, not even a纨绔.
She kept her head down, continuing to read the official documents, of course not taking any notes, lest Li Zhengze notice anything amiss. At this moment, Li Zhengze leaned slightly towards her and lowered his voice, saying, "Let me tell you, something interesting happened yesterday."
Jiang Yu was already used to his gossipy nature. Because of him, even Jiang Yu, who was far removed from the women's circles in the capital, knew quite a bit about the inner lives of many families.
"What's up?" Jiang Yu asked casually.
Li Zhengze didn't mind her less-than-enthusiastic attitude; he was mainly bored on duty. Besides, in the entire Ministry of Revenue, Jiang Yu was the only one of similar age and background to him, so he could only chat with her to pass the time.
Of course, there was another reason. Although Jiang Yu's reputation was mixed, Li Zheng found her quite easy to get along with. She didn't look down on him because he was a playboy and didn't do anything productive, nor was she intimidated by his unconventional ideas. On the contrary, she respected him very much.
In short, Jiang Yu is a very easy friend to him.
"Have you heard about Xie Ning'an from the Xie family getting engaged to Princess Yalin?" Li Zhengze asked.
When the Xie family was mentioned, Jiang Yu raised her head and looked at Li Zhengze, saying, "Everyone in the capital knows about this!"
“Hehe,” Li Zhengze chuckled twice, then lowered his voice and said, “Yesterday was the day they were to take a concubine. Xie Ning’an publicly promised that he would not take a concubine and that he and Princess Yalin would be together for life.”
Jiang Yu was taken aback. This was no easy feat for a man in ancient times. But Xie Ning'an might be able to do it; a person with ambition, shrewdness, and composure could endure to the extreme in order to achieve their goals.
Of course, it's also possible that Xie Ning'an truly loves Princess Yalin.
"Tsk tsk, can't compare, really can't compare." Li Zheng muttered to himself, "He can even make a promise not to take concubines in order to curry favor with the royal family. This time, I admit that Xie Ning'an is quite something."
Jiang Yu: "It's just that we won't take a concubine, it's not like we're going to kill him."
Li Zheng wanted to refute her, but seeing her delicate features and realizing that she was not of the same gender as him, he shut his mouth. Seeing Jiang Yu looking down at official documents again, he sighed and sat down to the side, pulling out a bag of sunflower seeds from somewhere and cracking them open.
Jiang Yu frowned. "Go eat over there."
Li Zheng glanced at the official document in her hand, muttered "bookworm," and left with his sunflower seeds. Silence returned, and Jiang Yu continued to intently read the document.
She integrated the military registration data with the supply data, and then she discovered another problem: the increase in the number of soldiers did not match the increase in the number of weapons and armor.
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