Chapter 259 Test
The doctor stammered for a long time, finally completed his routine task, and went out wiping the sweat from his forehead.
As soon as the doctor left, Jiang Fei said, "Look, I told you everything is fine, right?"
"It'll always be reassuring to have a doctor take a look." Pei Jing pulled her to sit next to him. "I'm afraid it will take some time to resolve this matter. I'm sorry to bother you for now."
Since Jiang Rufei is dead, she can no longer appear in the public eye. She has to wait until the case is closed before she can appear in another identity.
"Did Princess Anping pass on the message for me?"
Pei Jing nodded. "Yes, but I went there a little late. I heard she cried for two days at home."
Jiang Fei felt a little guilty after hearing this. She only had such a close friend, and she had never thought of this when planning. When she came back, her voice was hoarse and she couldn't speak.
Later, they took out pen and paper and took a long time to recognize her handwriting. Then they secretly sent someone to inform Princess Anping.
Sure enough, two days later in the morning, someone came from the palace and said that the emperor had summoned him.
Pei Jing and Jiang Fei had not gotten up yet. To be honest, they had not left the house these days. They slept until noon every day and stayed at home all day long. Their life was so wonderful.
What's the point of being an emperor? It will only waste his time. If it weren't for saving his life, whoever wants to be the emperor can be the emperor.
When Jiang Fei heard that the emperor had summoned her, she suddenly came to her senses.
Pei Jing stood up first and pressed Jiang Fei's shoulder. "You don't need to get up yet. I haven't been to the palace for so many days. I should have taken almost all the bribes. I guess the matter of Pei Yi's bank has reached the ears of the emperor. I still have to go."
Jiang Fei nodded and warned: "Don't reveal any flaws."
"Don't worry." Pei Jing kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Just go back to sleep."
Pei Jing got up and changed his clothes. After washing up, Jiang Fei was still awake. Pei Jing stood beside the couch and touched her face. "What do you want to eat? I'll bring it back for you."
"Tanghus lu." Jiang Fei casually mentioned a common one on the street, so that he wouldn't have to take a detour on his way back.
Pei Jing took Duan Jiu away.
The palace had been in turmoil these days. When Pei Jing arrived, several imperial physicians had just left the bedroom, wiping their sweat.
When Meng Yuande saw Pei Jing, before he even entered, he warned him, "The Imperial Censorate has submitted a memorial to the Grand Prince, and the Emperor is very angry and has a headache right now. Your Highness, please speak carefully to the Emperor."
Pei Jing glanced at Meng Yuande, said nothing, and walked into the bedroom.
Emperor Zhaowen was half leaning on the couch, his face looking a little gloomy. Seeing Pei Jing coming, his expression softened a bit, "Here I am."
Pei Jing bowed and said, "I pay my respects to the Emperor."
Emperor Zhaowen waved his hand and looked at his arm. "Is your injury healed?"
Pei Jing raised his left hand and pinched it, "It's just a minor injury."
Compared with other princes, this one is really patient. If it were someone else, if they were injured, they would inevitably cry and make a fuss in front of him at this moment, and step on their enemy at the same time.
Emperor Zhaowen breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You... please accept my condolences."
Pei Jing raised his eyes and asked in confusion, "Excuse me, what are you mourning for?"
Emperor Zhaowen was stunned. "Jiang Rufei is Xiao Cui, she is not..."
"She's fine." Pei Jing said with a smile, "She's been very obedient these days and stays by my side every day."
The color on Emperor Zhaowen's face faded away in an instant. He looked at Meng Yuande beside him and felt shocked. His madness might have worsened.
The fire left only two mummies. The Jiang family buried three people in a funeral, and they had already been buried. I'm afraid he was hallucinating.
Emperor Zhaowen asked tentatively, "You said...Jiang Rufei is always by your side?"
Pei Jing nodded, a smile still on his face. "She used to love arguing with me, but now she's very well behaved. She just listens quietly when I talk, and doesn't talk back even when I'm angry."
Emperor Zhaowen was horrified. The person was dead, so he naturally could not respond to him.
Emperor Zhaowen was completely at his wit's end. Fortunately, it wasn't the first day Pei Jing had gone mad. He could only chuckle and say, "I'll ask the imperial physician to check your pulse later."
Pei Jing did not refuse, but instead asked, "What does the Emperor want me to do?"
Emperor Zhaowen was frightened by Pei Jing's madness and only then did he remember the important matter.
He picked up the letter beside the couch and handed it to Pei Jing without even glancing at it. "Take a look! I didn't expect Pei Yi to be so bold."
Pei Jing picked it up and took a look at it, then said, "There are too many words. I'm too lazy to read it."
Emperor Zhaowen was both angry and amused, and said to Meng Yuande, "Yuande, you speak."
"Yes," Meng Yuande said, "This matter must start with the Yufeng Bank. Over the years, the Yufeng Bank has opened nearly 60 branches in various places. On the surface, it is jointly established by various merchants, but behind the scenes it is controlled by the eldest prince."
"The bank maintains two separate accounts, open and hidden. They publicly claim the interest rates are legal, but in reality, they secretly provide special channels for officials affiliated with the court. These individuals deposit money using the open account, but when they withdraw, they receive a 30% higher interest rate using the hidden account. The difference is fully covered by the bank's other income. These officials are the Crown Prince's minions."
"As for the so-called 'other income', he exploited his status as a prince, using the pretext of the imperial court rectifying the canal transport system, to have banks lend money under the guise of 'supporting the canal transport'. In reality, the money never reached the canal merchant, but was instead invested in his own businesses. When the repayment date arrived, he would plead with the emperor, claiming 'canal transport losses', to have the court forgive some of the debt. In effect, he was using the national treasury's money to fill his own hole."
Emperor Zhaowen had already read the memorial, but after listening to it again, he was still so angry that he felt dizzy.
Meng Yuande quickly opened the box, took out a pill prepared by the imperial physician and gave it to Emperor Zhaowen to swallow.
Pei Jing played with the memorial in his hand, "How did these get exposed?"
Meng Yuande continued, "With the Crown Prince under house arrest, many officials have panicked and have been flocking to the banks to withdraw funds for days. Those who relied on these hidden accounts to earn extra interest are especially eager to withdraw all their money overnight."
Pei Jing smiled. He naturally knew that this news was sent out to make people feel uncomfortable.
If the commotion is too loud, it will arouse suspicion from the Censorate.
After investigation, they first found that the deposit and loan amounts of the money house did not match. Following the clues, they found out that he used his status as a prince to interfere with the operation of the money house. He used his privileges to profit his cronies and engaged in speculation in the name of the court, turning the money house into a tool to cultivate personal power.
This abuse of power for personal gain made the emperor far more angry than simply colluding with eunuchs. After all, the prince actually had his eyes on the national treasury, which was simply touching the bottom line of imperial power.
Emperor Zhaowen felt better after taking the medicine, and finally spoke: "After Pei Yi caused this incident, how can I trust him to rule the country? In terms of talent and composure, no one can match you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
