Qin Mohan frowned slightly after hearing what the man said.
"Xiao Tao, this person said all the shops, what's going on?"
"Your Highness, the Princess Consort, along with Old Master Cao of the Cao family and Manager Jia, have partnered to open many shops in the capital."
"The Cao family? Are they the imperial merchants?"
"Yes."
Upon hearing this...
Qin Mohan looked at the little guy.
"You're saying your entire Cao family mansion has been sealed off?"
The little guy nodded.
"Has your Cao family done anything recently?"
"I don't know either."
"Your Highness, what should we do now?"
Qin Mohan frowned.
"Let's go! To the capital city."
"yes."
Then.
Led by Qin Mohan, the group arrived at Jingzhao Prefecture.
Upon hearing that Qin Mohan had arrived, the Prefect of the Capital hurriedly came out to greet him.
"This humble official greets the Seventh Prince."
"Hmm! No need for formalities. I've come to inquire about the reason why so many shops have been suddenly shut down today."
"Your Highness, these shops all involve human lives."
"Human life?"
"Yes, the hot pot restaurant was the most serious. I don't know what ingredients they used, but several customers who ate there at noon died on the spot, and some even fell into a coma."
Furthermore, the rice sold in that rice shop, under my strict investigation, was found to contain a highly toxic substance. This morning, an elderly woman in the suburbs died from poisoning after eating rice from that shop.
There was also a cloth shop where a lady bought a bolt of cloth and had a dress made, but unexpectedly, after wearing it, she developed skin ulcers.
besides……"
The Prefect of the Capital rattled off a long list of all the shops' crimes.
Upon hearing this, Qin Mohan frowned deeply.
Xiao Tao and the others also looked incredulous.
"My lord, these shops have been in the capital for several years and have never appeared before. Are you sure you're not mistaken about what you're saying?"
The Prefect of the Capital shook his head: "I only closed the shop and arrested people after receiving a report."
"This... sir, please investigate carefully. So many shops have been affected at the same time. It must be the work of someone with ulterior motives."
"Yes! Don't worry! When I investigate cases, I always emphasize evidence and handle them impartially. I will never wrong anyone."
After hearing this, Xiao Tao nodded.
Qin Mohan then asked again, "Does all of this involve that imperial merchant?"
"Your Highness, according to my preliminary investigation, these shops all belong to that imperial merchant, but I still need to investigate further to find out the specifics."
After hearing this, Qin Mohan nodded: "In that case, I hope you will investigate this matter of the imperial merchants as soon as possible. This matter cannot be taken lightly."
"Yes, Your Excellency obeys."
"Um!"
Qin Mohan nodded, and then took Xiao Tao back to the manor.
"Xiao Tao, how does the Princess know that imperial merchant?"
"Replying to Your Highness, a few years ago Madam Cao had a difficult childbirth, and no one could help her deliver the baby. It was the Princess who helped her."
Seeing that the princess was a skilled physician, Old Master Cao decided to cooperate with her and Manager Jia.
One provided the funding, one provided the medicinal herbs, and one relied on their medical skills.
Gradually, the Princess's Ye Family Medical Clinic was established, and then Old Master Cao saw that the Princess's business methods were very good.
He then partnered with the princess to open many shops across various industries.
"I see."
"Hmm? If that's the case, then wouldn't the Princess Consort be considered the richest woman in the capital?"
Well…
Xiao Tao smiled awkwardly and nodded.
Seeing this, Qin Mohan smiled and shook his head helplessly: "I really didn't expect that my queen would be the richest woman in the capital."
No wonder she looked down on the power to manage the Prince's mansion; even the gifts bestowed by her father, the Emperor, were incorporated into the Prince's household.
"Your Highness, you have misunderstood the Princess. It's not that she looks down on her; she just doesn't want to work too hard."
"Hmm! I know. By the way, since the Princess is so wealthy, where does she keep her money?"
Um?
Upon hearing this, Xiao Tao trembled and her face instantly turned anxious.
"Oh no, Your Highness, I had forgotten that the Princess Consort had entrusted all the accounts to Master Cao for safekeeping."
All the income was kept by the Princess with Old Master Cao. Over the years, she only exchanged a few hundred thousand taels of silver for banknotes and kept them with her.
"What, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver notes?"
"Yes, no, Your Highness, that's not the issue now. The problem is that the Cao residence has been sealed off. What will happen to the Princess's money?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Mohan frowned and thought for a moment: "Do you know how many Princess Consorts have entrusted to the Cao family?"
"This servant does not know, but based on the average daily income, it should be one million taels."
"What? A million units?"
Qin Mohan's mouth dropped open in surprise.
"Yes."
"Your Highness, what should we do now? If something happens to Master Cao, will the Cao family's property be confiscated?"
Qin Mohan nodded: "According to the laws of our dynasty, his family should indeed be raided, and all the proceeds from the Cao family's property will be put into the national treasury."
"What do you mean by 'incorporating into the national treasury'? This... Your Highness, what about the Princess's money?"
Qin Mohan thought for a moment: "Do you have any accounts?"
Xiao Tao shook her head: "No."
"Without accounts, if the Cao family's property is truly confiscated, the princess will not be able to get her money."
"This...sigh! If the princess comes back, I don't know how heartbroken she will be."
"Don't worry! Maybe she'll have a solution when she gets back."
"Alright, you can go now!"
"Yes, this servant will take her leave."
This way.
After leaving Miaoyin Temple, Ye Qingcheng and her group encountered several more waves of assassins.
But they were quickly dealt with by Qinglong, Shisan, and Qingluan.
It can be said that the entire team that returned to Beijing this time consisted of top-notch individuals.
So their journey back to Beijing was relatively smooth.
Two days later.
They then arrived in the capital.
However, just as they reached the city gate, they were stopped by a group of soldiers.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
