In order to prevent any further mistakes, Ning Qiuze opened his mouth and wanted to convict Song Qianning.
Song Qianning had already seen Ning Qiuze's intention and before he could speak, she said, "Wait, Your Excellency, I have something to say."
"What else do you want to say?" Ning Qiuze suppressed his impatience and looked down at her condescendingly.
As if completely unaware of Ning Qiuze's impatience, Song Qianning smiled and said, "As far as I know, the prefect has only been in office for a short time. Before this, it was all Mr. Sun who was on duty. Later, Mr. Sun was promoted and left, and then the prefect took over."
"Lord Sun left in a hurry, and Lord Prefect took office in a hurry. Perhaps there were some oversights and omissions when the two prefects took over."
His face darkened, and Ning Qiuze said sternly: "Song Qianning, what do you want to say to me?"
"I just think that there may be some omissions in the handover between the two masters, which led to the mismatch in the accounts. Why not send someone to check it carefully again? Perhaps there will be some unexpected discoveries."
Hearing this, Ning Qiuze's forehead twitched. "This official and Lord Sun handled the matter very carefully, and there were no mistakes."
"Then how will the prefect explain the discrepancy between the two account books?" Song Qianning said enthusiastically, "The prefect has just taken office, so it's normal for some mistakes to occur. It's not something to be ashamed of."
"My Lord, please do as I say and send someone to investigate. This will help you find out as soon as possible if I have evaded taxes. If it is proven that I have evaded taxes, I will not hesitate to punish you."
Ning Qiuze was filled with impatience at Song Qianning's words. He opened his mouth to refuse, but forced himself to hold it back.
Now that Song Qianning has said this, if he refuses again, it would seem a bit anxious, as if he can't wait to convict her.
If this gets out, it will be bad for his reputation, but he is unwilling to agree to it.
Seeing Ning Qiuze remained silent, Song Qianning opened her eyes wide and said in surprise, "Sir, are you going to be like those corrupt officials in operas, convicting people based on speculation without even finding out the truth?"
"...Of course not." Ning Qiuze took a deep breath, his face was so dark that ink could drip out, but he still had to force a smile.
"That's good. I was mistaken. A magistrate like the prefect would never imitate the behavior of those bastards and incompetent officials in operas."
Song Qianning's face was full of trust in Ning Qiuze, so he couldn't find a reason to scold him, and could only curse him to death in his heart.
A long while passed, and just as Ning Qiuze was about to say something, Song Qianning spoke before he could, "Of course, I am a very enthusiastic person who likes to help others. If the prefect finds the reconciliation troublesome and doesn't want to send someone to look for it, then I don't mind looking for it for you."
As soon as these words came out, Ning Qiuze could no longer maintain the smile he had managed to force out. His expression changed immediately, and he slammed the gavel hard, shouting in a sharp voice: "What nonsense!"
"Song Qianning, do you know how valuable the government account books and other items are? Only government officials can view them. Other than government officials, ordinary people are not allowed to browse and view them at will, let alone you, a woman."
"You want to check the account books after just a few words? That's just nonsense! If I weren't kindhearted, I would have beaten you to death with dozens of lashes the moment you brought it up!"
After scolding her harshly, implicitly and implicitly scolding her for being ignorant and mischievous, Ning Qiuze said sternly, "Song Qianning, give up that idea. I will never let you check the account books!"
Knowing that Ning Qiuze was taking the opportunity to attack her and scold her deliberately, Song Qianning's expression did not change, not even a hint of surprise.
Only after he finished scolding did Song Qianning speak, wanting to say something else.
Just as she was about to continue speaking, footsteps suddenly sounded behind her, and everyone subconsciously looked over.
After seeing the owner of the figure clearly, Ning Qiuze's face changed again, and he swallowed the words he was about to scold Song Qianning.
He stood up himself, walked down the hall with a stiff smile, and greeted him: "Guard Changqing, how come you have time to come to our small temple?"
The person who came was Chang Qing. He stood beside Song Qianning and looked at Ning Qiuze coldly: "Prefect Ning."
"Why call me prefect? Just call me by my name, Guard Changqing."
Ignoring Ning Qiuze, Chang Qing said to himself, "The main reason I came here today is because of my master's order."
Knowing who the "master" he was talking about, Ning Qiuze stiffened a lot and raised his voice: "Hasn't the master already left? Why is he still..."
Glancing at Ning Qiuze, Chang Qing's tone remained unchanged: "Of course it was the order I left before I left."
"My master has personally instructed me to come here today. This is because he has instructed me to do so. Checking the accounts is not about changing them, and it's not a big deal. Prefect Ning can just ask Miss Song to go over."
Not wanting to let Song Qianning in, Ning Qiuze laughed it off and said, "Guard Changqing, it's not that I don't want to agree, but the government office is an important place with many files and account books. How can we let an outsider come in and out at will? It would be bad if something goes wrong."
"Song Qianning's account book doesn't match the government office's register at all. There's no point in checking further..."
Before Ning Qiuze could finish his words, Chang Qing glanced over and sneered, "Why, now my orders mean nothing to Ning Fuyin? When I see you another day, I will definitely have a good talk with him."
Because of Chang Qing's gaze, Ning Qiuze's voice stopped abruptly. He didn't dare to say another word. He could only say stiffly: "Guard Chang Qing is joking. His Excellency's orders must be taken seriously."
If Chang Qing was an ordinary guard of a minor official, Ning Qiuze would have kicked him out long ago, but he happened to be Qin Ye's guard and represented Qin Ye's face. Going against him was equivalent to going against Qin Ye.
No matter how arrogant Ning Qiuze was, he didn't dare to confront Qin Ye openly, so he had to swallow his anger.
He forced a smile and said, "Song Qianning, please follow me."
"Thank you, Your Excellency the Prefect." Song Qianning smiled.
Not wanting to see Song Qianning's face again, Ning Qiuze turned around and walked outside, his back revealing a sense of annoyance.
As they followed Ning Qiuze and the others forward, Song Qianning lowered her voice and said to Chang Qing, "Thank you so much for today."
Fortunately, Chang Qing arrived in time, saving her the trouble of arguing with Ning Qiuze.
"These are all my orders. Miss Song, you don't have to be polite to me."
Everyone came to the room where the account books were kept. Ning Qiuze snorted coldly, "I have fulfilled your wish. If I cannot prove your innocence in the end, I will not let you off easily!"
"Don't worry, Your Excellency. I will definitely prove my innocence."
Ignoring Ning Qiuze's ridicule, Song Qianning took a step forward and began looking for the account book.
Less than half an incense stick later, a voice rang out: "I found it."
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