Yao Ziying's heart skipped a beat. Before he could react, the masked leader had already presented the wooden box to him.
"..." Yao swallowed hard.
Although he really wanted to see it, he didn't dare.
"Read." After a moment of hesitation, Yu Nanqing uttered a single word softly. Although his tone was indifferent, it left no room for doubt, making Yao Ziying feel a chill run down her spine.
Faced with the pressure from those in power, Yao Ming should not dare to disobey.
He swallowed the panic in his heart, stepped forward, and opened the wooden box with slightly trembling hands. Inside was a whole stack of account books.
Yao picked up the top book, slowly opened it, and with just one glance, his head went blank, and he felt as if the sky had collapsed.
He couldn't believe it and hurriedly flipped through a few more pages, his face growing paler with each page, and his heart filled with despair.
His legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness...Your Highness, I'm innocent! This...this is all...this is all a false account fabricated by Bai Yixun to drag me down with him!"
"Oh?" Yu Nanqing asked curiously, "What's written on this?"
"Your Highness... Your Highness..." This question left Yao Ziying completely bewildered.
Can he say it?
Does he dare to say it outright?
He closed his eyes, not daring to even think about it: "Your Highness, spare me! This humble official... this humble official really doesn't know anything!"
He banged his head heavily on the ground: "Your Highness is wise and discerning; you must do justice for Your Highness!"
Those ledgers contained detailed records of his private transactions with Bai Yixun, with bribes recorded down to the smallest detail.
The details of what happened, what benefits were received, what promises were made, and what was done were all recorded.
Yao Ziying was both angry and timid at this moment. That bastard Bai Yixun actually left such a big handle for Yu Nanqing to catch him red-handed.
If it weren't for the fact that it was the middle of the night, and if he weren't the only one in the hall, if all the officials of Fuzhou were to unite, they might not be unable to contend with Yu Nanqing!
Yao Ziying appeared flustered, but in his heart he was already thinking about how to escape from Yu Nanqing's clutches.
No...no...
Yao Ziying reconsidered and rejected his idea. Yu Nanqing had brought an army with him, and he was now like a trapped beast, unable to rely on anyone.
Not only can we not count on them, but it's also possible that... everyone else has already been taken into custody by Yu Nanqing. Otherwise, why is it so quiet outside when there's such a commotion here?
No...that's not right!
Yao Ziying seemed to realize something, his eyes widening suddenly. This was clearly a purge operation.
Bai Yixun... Bai Yixun might have already been captured by Yu Nanqing.
Otherwise, why would these things have been found by Bai Yixun?
In other words, while they were testing Yu Nanqing with the Bai family mansion, Yu Nanqing had already planned everything. No wonder... no wonder he remained silent, no wonder he allowed the rumors to spread freely throughout the city.
Bai Jiaojiao's marriage was nothing more than a blatant pretext, designed to lower their guard so that they could then take action against them.
Thinking of this, Yao Ziying felt a chill run down his spine.
What is Yu Nanqing planning to do? Does he intend to investigate all the officials and merchants in Fucheng?
Yao Ziying's hands trembled violently for no reason. If that was the case, then Yu Nanqing had come prepared. His mind went blank, and he felt that his life was over.
"What has Lord Yao thought?" Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Yu Nanqing's cold voice jolted him back to reality.
He looked up cautiously and saw that Yu Nanqing's playful smile concealed a deep and unfathomable meaning.
Suddenly, Yao Ziying had a sudden realization and hurriedly said, "If Your Highness trusts me, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly to prove my innocence!"
After saying that, he kowtowed heavily to the ground again.
"I am new to Fu City and unfamiliar with many matters here, making the investigation quite difficult. If I could receive Lord Yao's assistance..."
Yu Nanqing spoke slowly and deliberately, without continuing.
Yao Ziying immediately replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will spare no effort to assist you. Whatever Your Highness desires of me, please just say the word, and I will go through fire and water to fulfill my mission."
As if afraid that Yu Nanqing would change his mind, Yao Ziying spoke with great conviction and sincerity.
“In that case.” Yu Nanqing’s tone was unreadable: “Thank you for your trouble, Lord Yao.”
"This humble official dares not!" Yao Ziying prostrated himself and kowtowed.
However, after he finished speaking, he knelt for a long time, but Yu Nanqing did not respond.
When they looked up again, Yu Nanqing was nowhere to be seen in the hall, and even the leader in armor had left the inner hall at some point.
The dark, exquisite wooden box sat quietly on the desk, facing the Yao character, as if reminding him of what he had just said to Yu Nanqing.
Yao Ziying was stunned for a long time. Only when he was sure that Yu Nanqing was really gone did he dare to slump to the ground and breathe a sigh of relief, feeling utterly hopeless.
When I touched my forehead, I realized I was drenched in sweat.
The rest of the people weren't as lucky as Yao.
The Dragon Flag Army took control of all the officials who were supervising Fucheng, and sent people to guard them all night. More than half of the mansions in Fucheng were brightly lit, and the old, weak, women and children in the mansions were so frightened by the scene that they dared not breathe.
As for those important officials who were under control, Yu Nanqing neither questioned them nor imprisoned them.
That's how they were monitored, keeping them up all night.
God knows, this was worse than killing them. They were on tenterhooks all night, from initial suspicion and confusion to thinking of their explanations, and then to thinking through everything they had done in the past twenty years.
In the end, all they could think about was how to get off the hook and how to protect their families.
The more I thought about it, the more panicked I became, and the more panicked I became, the more agonizing it was.
But as time passed, no one appeared except for the soldiers pointing their spears at them.
In just one night, everyone seemed to have aged more than ten years, as if they had endured years of torment.
At Prince Gong's residence, Su Wanyan also didn't sleep all night.
Pot after pot of flower tea was drunk, plate after plate of snacks brought by Qiuye were eaten, and four or five comic books had already piled up on the table.
It wasn't until the sky began to lighten that Yu Nanqing appeared in the main courtyard with steady steps.
He was slightly taken aback when he saw Su Wanyan reading a book in the courtyard.
"This servant greets Your Highness." Upon seeing Yu Nanqing, Qiu Ye and Huang Ye quickly curtsied.
Su Wanyan looked up and saw that Yu Nanqing was already in front of her: "Didn't I say you didn't need to wait for me?"
He took the comic book from Su Wanyan's hand and reached out to tuck the stray hairs from her forehead behind her ear.
Su Wanyan smelled the fresh scent of soap pods emanating from his palms. His moon-white brocade robe accentuated his noble air. She took his large hand and rubbed it against her face, making the faint fragrance even more pronounced.
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