Shen Zhixiu walked closer and took a look. His slender fingers tapped the circled area, "It'll be easy now that we know where it is."
Su Qingyu asked, "What does Third Master plan to do next?"
She had a vague premonition that if this matter could be handled properly, she would be able to avenge the harm done to her by Chen Zhao in her previous life.
Shen Zhixiu stared at the location and said in a deep voice, "I'll have people surround those exits first, but we can't make a big fuss about this. I'll send a message to Song Hongshen later and ask him to go there to train his troops."
Now that Song Hongshen helps Song Zan manage the Five Cities Military Department, it makes sense for him to go out of the city to train the troops.
"Then what?" Su Qingyu asked again.
Shen Zhixiu smiled faintly, "Madam, please let me change my clothes. I need to go to the palace to apologize."
The sound of going to the palace to apologize made Su Qingyu's face change slightly, "Apologize? What crime?"
Shen Zhixiu stood up, took Su Qingyu's hand and walked out of the study, heading towards the inner courtyard.
A faint voice said, "Chen Zhao secretly purchased firearms and hid them in the mountains. I failed to teach my sons and nephews well, so I must confess my guilt."
"The emperor will then order us to go into the mountains and find these things. Song Hongshen happens to be nearby, so he'll be the one to receive this order."
Su Qingyu seemed to understand, "What about His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
Shen Zhixiu smiled and said, "I will only apologize to the Shen family. As for which prince is involved in this matter, it is up to the emperor to investigate. Even if the emperor asks me, I will defend His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
This is the way of being a minister. The Crown Prince is still the heir to the throne, and only the Emperor can find fault with him. As a minister, you must know what it means to be a monarch and what it means to be a minister.
Not knowing one's own position is a big taboo for an official.
Su Qingyu's eyes lit up, "Third Master, this is a good idea. It can also help the Shen family get out of this matter."
Shen Zhixiu sighed, "This matter must be made clear to the Emperor. Otherwise, once the Crown Prince's enemies reveal themselves, the Shen family will be in danger."
When it comes to weapons and military power, there is no small matter.
If the incident got out of hand and was exposed by others, even if it turned out to be unrelated to him, the emperor would be extremely disappointed in him and even have some suspicions. Once the seeds of suspicion were planted, it would be difficult for the emperor and his subjects to be of the same mind in the future.
Afterwards, Shen Zhixiu instructed Wen Zhu to deliver a message to Song Hongshen. Immediately afterwards, he boarded a carriage and left the mansion for the palace.
When Shen Zhixiu left the house, Shen Zhao was meeting someone in a secluded room in the outer courtyard.
The man was dressed in a neat short shirt, with a tight figure and sharp eyes.
"Master Shen, we discovered something unusual in the area today. Someone went to the river not far away."
Shen Zhao frowned and asked, "Did you see who it was?"
The man shook his head and said, "I didn't see it clearly. My subordinates and others guessed that it might be someone going up the mountain to chop wood or hunt."
In fact, they hadn't taken it seriously, but Lord Shen had instructed them to report anything that seemed amiss. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince then gave Lord Shen full authority over the matter, so he came.
Shen Zhao didn't know what was wrong with him today, but his mind was exceptionally clear.
He shook his head slightly. "The price of charcoal in the capital has dropped. Not many people go up the mountain to chop wood. Even if they do, they won't go that deep."
"Hunting in the spring...what can you get?"
But that person thought that Shen Zhao was overthinking it. This mountain was not closed. It was normal for someone to pass by the water.
Chen Zhao lowered his head and thought for a moment. "Go back immediately and take the things away. You are now at the West Mountain. Move the things to the intersection of the East Mountain and the official road. Hide for now and wait for my news."
The man bowed and replied "yes", then turned and left.
Shen Zhaoze asked Yuanbao, the servant at the door, "Is the princess back?"
Yuanbao shook his head and said, "The princess sent a message saying that she will stay at the Li family tonight."
These days, Li Chaoyun often stayed at the Li family's house, and Shen Zhao didn't think much about it.
"Prepare the car, I'm going to find the princess."
Li Chaoyun lived in Wangyue Tower before getting married, and she also stayed here whenever she returned home for a short stay.
I guess Li Yunzhou didn't take this seriously, so the people serving in Wangyue Tower were still the ones who served Li Chaoyun before.
Of course, maybe Li Yunzhou just didn't have the time.
At this moment, in the main banquet room of Wangyue Tower, Li Chaoyun and Chen Ping were sitting opposite each other.
Chen Ping had been discussing the details of various events in Northern Xinjiang. Li Chaoyun knew most of them, but he only asked about Li Yunzhou's methods in detail. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you contend.
"Princess, there's one more matter I've almost finished investigating. The batch of grain and grass I lost was robbed by Li Yunzhou's men, and later ended up in his hands."
Li Chaoyun was no longer surprised. Since Li Yunzhou had come this far, robbing a batch of food and supplies was not a big deal.
Chen Ping added: "Not only that, in addition to the food and fodder given by the court, he also received a batch of food and fodder."
"I have found out that it was sent by someone from the Lin's Trading Company. And the Lin's Trading Company is the maternal home of the Third Madam of the Shen family. Princess, please tell me if this matter is related to Lord Shen."
“According to my calculations, it should be that when I left the capital with the food and supplies, Elder Shen began to make plans.”
Li Chaoyun's expression finally changed. "You mean, Shen Zhixiu raised food and supplies to support Li Yunzhou's seizure of power?"
Chen Ping nodded and said, "I think this is very likely. The food and military supplies would cost a lot of money. Elder Shen didn't send the food through the Li family or the Ministry of War, but sent it to Li Yunzhou through a trading company."
"He said he has no ulterior motives, does the princess believe it?"
Li Chaoyun stood up and paced back and forth on the ground.
"The emperor is most afraid of someone trying to seize military power. If he knew that the Shen family was secretly supporting the Northern Frontier Army..."
As the second assistant minister of the cabinet, Shen Zhixiu's collection of grain and grass was not out of the ordinary. But his mistake was that he gave it to Li Yunzhou privately without going through the court.
Li Chaoyun's mind was working quickly, but suddenly he felt dizzy.
These days, she's been taking care of Princess Yongjia and dealing with Li Yunzhou in the mansion. She can't eat or sleep well, and has lost a lot of weight.
I felt a little dizzy from the excitement just now.
Fortunately, Chen Ping was quick to act and immediately supported her arm.
"Princess, are you okay?"
Li Chaoyun held onto the table on the small couch and shook his head. "I'm fine. I've been a bit stressed out these past few days. I'll be fine after some rest."
Chen Ping did not let her go. The arm in his hand was so thin and bony that he felt uncomfortable.
"No matter what, the princess must take care of herself. Why haven't I seen Young Master Shen? He should help the princess take care of the household affairs."
Li Chaoyun gave a wry smile when he heard that. "What can I count on him for? I'm glad he doesn't cause me any trouble."
Because of Jiang Chenyue's incident, the two of them were completely alienated. They only managed to live together for their own benefit. In fact, after that incident, Chen Zhao never touched her again. He often went to Pinghu Residence alone, missing that person.
Chen Ping felt a pang of bitterness in his heart, and asked softly, "Did the princess use the Adenophora I brought back for her last time? I dug them all myself."
Li Chaoyun nodded and said, "It's amazing that you still care about me." Thinking of his deceased eldest and third brothers, Li Chaoyun laughed at himself and said, "Not many people care about me now."
Chen Ping suddenly felt something was wrong, and after hesitating for a moment, he asked.
"He treats you badly?"
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