Chapter 73 Remnants of the Former Dynasty
With the combined support of "the goddess distributing porridge" and "mask prevention," the disaster relief work in Lin'an Prefecture finally got on track.
The people had food to eat and stopped causing trouble; the epidemic was brought under control and no more people died. This important town in southern China, which had been battered by storms for months, finally began to recover a little.
However, for Shen Jin and Jiang Mianmian, the real battle has only just begun.
Late at night, in the back hall of the prefectural government office, the lights were dim.
Shen Jin sat at his desk, with several account books seized from Liu Deshui's secret room piled in front of him, along with a stack of letters that had not yet been burned. His face appeared dark and inscrutable in the candlelight, and he exuded a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay.
Jiang Mianmian was lying on the other side of the soft couch, picking her teeth listlessly with a toothpick in her hand.
Is this ledger really that good?
[Shen Jin has been watching for two hours straight, without changing his posture. Isn't he tired? I'm getting sleepy.]
[But judging from his expression... tsk tsk, looks like this is a big story. What kind of shady business is that fat Liu Deshui hiding behind?]
"princess."
Shen Jin suddenly spoke, his voice a little hoarse, "Come here."
Jiang Mianmian slowly got up and sidled over: "What? Are you going to read me a bedtime story?"
Shen Jin ignored her banter and instead picked up a letter, handing it to her.
"Smell this letter... what does it smell like?"
"smell?"
Jiang Mianmian was taken aback.
Am I a dog? Why do I have to sniff you all the time?
Despite her complaints, she still leaned closer and sniffed.
A faint, yet uniquely sweet, fragrance drifted into my nostrils.
This taste...it's so familiar. Very familiar.
Jiang Mianmian's pupils suddenly contracted.
Holy crap!
This is not...
[Isn't this the "Daughter's Fragrance" that "green tea" Lin Wan'er loves to use?!]
Back in the capital, Lin Wan'er always brought with her this same fragrance, like background music, whenever she appeared, making Jiang Mianmian want to sneeze. This spice was extremely precious and had a unique formula; it was said that only the Lin family's specially made version had this scent.
"It's Lin Wan'er!"
Jiang Mianmian blurted out, "This letter smells like her! Like that green tea bitch!"
His usually composed gaze instantly turned icy cold.
really.
He had felt the smell was somewhat familiar, and after Jiang Mianmian confirmed it, his absurd yet reasonable guess was finally confirmed.
"The Lin family..."
Shen Jin looked at the letter in his hand, a bloodthirsty sneer curling at the corner of his mouth. "What a concubine's daughter from the Prime Minister's mansion, what a well-educated and reasonable Miss Lin."
"Who would have thought that she was behind the embezzlement of 100,000 taels of disaster relief funds in Jiangnan?"
Jiang Mianmian was also stunned.
[No way? Lin Wan'er?]
[Isn't she just a naive, innocent girl who only wants to marry into a wealthy family? How did she get involved in a corruption case? Isn't that a bit of a leap?]
Is she trying to save money for her dowry? Or...?
Jiang Mianmian leaned closer and glanced at the contents of the letter.
The letter was addressed to Liu Deshui; the handwriting was elegant, yet it conveyed a ruthless intent.
The letter essentially urged Liu Deshui to quickly convert the "goods" into gold and transport them to a secluded villa in the capital through secret channels. It also specifically warned that anyone who obstructed this would be executed without mercy.
Although there was no name at the end, a small, inconspicuous white lotus flower was drawn.
[It's confirmed. This art style can only be hers.]
But... what does she need so much money for? To rebel?
Shen Jin seemed to hear her thoughts, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
"rebel?"
He repeated those two words in a low voice, "As a mere illegitimate daughter, she naturally doesn't have that ability. But what if... she has someone backing her?"
"There's someone else?" Jiang Mianmian felt a chill run down her spine. "Who?"
Shen Jin pulled out a yellowed drawing from the very bottom of the pile of account books.
That was a topographic map.
The location marked on the map is not any city in Dagan, but an abandoned mine located deep in the mountains...
Beside the mine, four characters were prominently written in vermilion ink—
[The last surviving member of the previous dynasty].
Jiang Mianmian gasped.
[The previous dynasty? The Great Zhou Dynasty that was overthrown by the Shen family?]
[Holy crap! This plot is all wrong! Isn't this supposed to be a sweet romance novel? How did it suddenly turn into a political intrigue and revenge drama?]
[Lin Wan'er is a remnant of the previous dynasty? Impossible! Her father is the current prime minister! Could it be... that old man Jiang Zhan was also cuckolded? Or was Lin Wan'er adopted?]
Shen Jin looked at the picture, a knowing glint in his eyes.
"I see."
"No wonder Lin Wan'er has been trying every means to get into the Regent's Palace, even going so far as to poison you. No wonder Liu Deshui dared to defy the law and embezzle so much silver."
"So, they were... recruiting soldiers."
"This 50,000 taels of silver did not go into Lin Wan'er's pocket, but was transformed into weapons and armor and hidden in these deep mountains."
Shen Jin stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the dark night outside.
"The remnants of the previous dynasty have been rekindled."
"Lin Wan'er is merely a pawn they've placed in the open. The real mastermind behind it all..."
Shen Jin didn't continue, but Jiang Mianmian had already guessed what was going on.
[Empress Dowager?]
[No, although the Empress Dowager is wicked, she is the Empress Dowager of this dynasty, and has no reason to help the previous dynasty overthrow the old one.]
[That's... Lin Wan'er's mysterious birth mother? Or... the former crown prince who has never shown his face?]
[Oh my god, this is a really dangerous situation! I just wanted to eat West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce, I didn't want to get involved in this high-stakes case!]
Jiang Mianmian hugged her little arms tightly, trembling.
"Scared?"
Shen Jin turned around and looked at her cowardly appearance; the coldness in his eyes instantly turned into tenderness.
He walked over, pulled her into his arms, and rested his chin on the top of her head.
"Don't be afraid."
"With me here."
"No matter what remnants of the previous dynasty are, or what demons and monsters they are, as long as they dare to harm the common people, dare to harm my queen..."
His steady fingers gently caressed the back of her neck, his tone as soft as if he were whispering sweet nothings, yet the content was chilling:
"I will show them what it means to... wipe them out completely."
Jiang Mianmian snuggled against him.
Hmm...it sounds gory, but...it makes me feel very safe.
Since Lin Wan'er is the ringleader of the villains, shouldn't we... go back and deal with her?
[Just kicking her out of the manor last time was too lenient! This time I'll make her vomit up everything she's swallowed!]
Shen Jin chuckled softly.
No rush.
"Now that we've caught the tail, let's follow the vine and pull the melon... uproot it."
"Tomorrow, I will take you somewhere."
Where to?
"Let's go see... that so-called 'treasure treasury of the former dynasty'."
Jiang Mianmian's eyes lit up.
[Treasure?]
[Even though it's a weapon, could we also pick up some bargains? Like an antique vase or something?]
Shen Jin pinched her cheek helplessly.
"Little money-grubber."
"Don't worry, if there really is treasure, it's all yours."
A cool night breeze rustled the windowpanes.
That night, the corruption case in Jiangnan finally revealed its most hideous side.
Meanwhile, Lin Wan'er, far away in the capital, was putting on her makeup in front of the mirror, completely unaware that her meticulously woven dream of overthrowing the country was about to be shattered in the most cruel way.
Because she offended someone she shouldn't have.
One is a regent with the "mind-reading" cheat code. The other is a lazy princess with a "portable space" and "apocalyptic skills".
This is probably the greatest misfortune for the remnants of the previous dynasty...
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