Chapter 308 Witness Found, Targets All Disappear!
Che Mingyuan knew his old friend was teasing him, but he wasn't angry and even laughed a few times.
"This is all thanks to Brother Wei. Without Brother Wei, I would still be recuperating at home."
Wei Jie looked at Che Mingyuan in surprise. After not seeing him for several years, this ice-cold man was actually joking?
He glanced at Shen Lanxi without leaving a trace. As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black." Only by following the right people can one have such a relaxed attitude!
"With so many people around, I won't say much more. Congratulations!" Wei Jie said sincerely.
Che Mingyuan accepted the gift with a smile: "My official robes and yours haven't been finished yet. Once they are, we will come to the Dali Temple every few days."
Wei Jie understood. His old friend was saying that Shen Lanxi wouldn't come to Dali Temple every day.
This reduced a lot of his stress.
After all, it was really inconvenient for women to go in and out of a place like the Dali Temple every day.
"Thank you for your consideration, Lord Shen, and thank you for your kind words, Brother Che."
Shen Lanxi smiled. Wei Jie was the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, her direct superior. Wei Jie was a sensible man; he understood that making things convenient for her was making things convenient for himself.
Moreover, Che Mingyuan is indeed a rare talent, and she is grateful for his recommendation.
Led by Wei Jie, he went through the motions at the Dali Temple, enduring the angry but unspeakable glares of the Dali Temple officials, and thus completed his official appointment.
From then on, everyone who came to the capital with her, including her, had a job in the city.
Using her title as Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and with the Emperor's decree, she openly entered and exited the Ministry of Revenue's treasury to investigate the case of the Wei family army's provisions.
She actually found some clues. It was impossible for two convoys transporting grain to leave the city openly without any trace.
"Bring Zhang Younian, Feng Qing, and the others who are guarding the city gate here for questioning immediately."
Two convoys left the city that day, and these same people were guarding the city gates. However, the exit records only show one convoy. She has found witnesses who can prove that two convoys did indeed leave, and that they were all dressed as soldiers.
The evidence is conclusive and there is no way to deny it.
Such a significant breakthrough had to be reported to Emperor Renxiao to demonstrate her loyalty as his subject.
Her subordinates had barely gone to arrest her when her memorial was sent to the palace.
The imperial edict summoning the person and the arresting officers arrived almost simultaneously.
"Lord Shen, something terrible has happened! All those people have disappeared. I've asked around, and they all left the city using different excuses."
The imperial guards heard the imperial decree with their own ears, and Shen Lanxi went to the palace with them to explain.
Before leaving, he left a message: "Surround the residences of these people and call anyone who knows them to the Dali Temple for questioning."
"yes."
Upon hearing the news, Emperor Renxiao was furious. He then angrily exclaimed in an incomprehensible tone, "They are court officials, how could they do such a thing?"
Do they realize what they are giving up? It's an official position that countless people would fight tooth and nail for, an opportunity for rapid advancement.
The thought of the name "Zhou Tianzi" suddenly ignited Emperor Renxiao's fury.
"Very well, they've already reached right under my nose. Lanxi, investigate for me. I will immediately issue an edict ordering the Six Ministries to fully cooperate with you in capturing this thief. If you encounter this thief during the arrest, I will allow you to mobilize troops from any government office in the capital."
Shen Lanxi: "Your subject accepts the decree!"
This decree, while seemingly granting great power, was merely a title with little practical use. An official office was staffed with no more than thirty people, including clerical positions like clerks; the actual number of people one could actually command was at most a dozen or twenty.
Even if all the people in all the government offices in the capital were gathered together, it wouldn't be enough to fill a single unit of the Imperial Guards.
The latter point is completely useless, while the former point, which requires the cooperation of the six ministries, is somewhat justifiable.
What Shen Lanxi didn't know was that no sooner had she left than Emperor Renxiao summoned Zhou Ruyuan into the palace.
"There is a treacherous minister who claims to be the Emperor of Zhou and has already extended his reach into the court. I have ordered Lanxi to thoroughly investigate this matter. However, as a woman, it is inconvenient for her to investigate the case. Therefore, I order you to investigate this matter with her. There must be no mistakes!"
Zhou Ruyuan felt inexplicably excited: "Thank you, Father Emperor."
He thought he would be sidelined for a long time after returning to the capital, but he didn't expect his father to arrange a job for him so quickly.
The Emperor's intention in arranging for him to be with Shen Lanxi was self-evident.
However, when Zhou Ruyuan thought of Wei Dongzhu beside Shen Lanxi, his eyes darkened again.
The imperial edict in his hand was not as easy as he had initially imagined.
In less than an hour, Shen Lanxi received the news of the joint appointment, and with a cold smile, she casually tossed the imperial edict aside.
So that imperial edict wasn't very clever; it turns out it was waiting for her here.
"My lord, is this His Majesty's decree?" Che Mingyuan understood in his heart but did not speak aloud.
Shen Lanxi said without any scruples: "They are trying to hinder, control, promote me in name only, and demote me in reality, all to step on me and make Zhou Ruyuan rise to the top."
Startled, Che Mingyuan quickly looked to his left and right. Thankfully, they were all his own people.
"Sir, shall we go to the Dali Temple now, or visit those people's homes?"
Shen Lanxi: "Let's visit!"
"yes!"
After receiving the imperial decree, Zhou Ruyuan went to the Dali Temple to meet up with Shen Lanxi, but as expected, he found no one there.
"Do any of you gentlemen know where Lord Shen has gone?"
The officials of the Dali Temple were tight-lipped about Shen Lanxi, but when they heard that Zhou Ruyuan had come to assist in the investigation, they all understood the situation perfectly.
"We don't know where Lord Shen went. Since men and women are different, it's not appropriate for us to talk to Lord Shen too much."
"We haven't spoken to Lady Shen since she first entered the Dali Temple."
Since His Majesty has that intention, and the Prince of Zhennan has that intention, they probably don't want to see women showing their faces in public and having too much contact with men!
"Your Highness might want to ask Lord Wei. I have no other intentions. Lord Wei is our superior. I imagine he will inform Lord Shen of his whereabouts."
Zhou Ruyuan thanked the official who spoke and immediately went to find Wei Jie.
Shen Lanxi spent most of the day visiting all these people's homes.
Che Mingyuan: "These people either lost their family members early or their family members are not in the capital. They usually act as if they are very familiar with their neighbors and colleagues, but upon closer inspection, they do not have much interaction."
Shen Lanxi suddenly had a bold conjecture.
"Is it possible that these people are all impersonating others?"
Che Mingyuan noticed it too.
"These people all have one thing in common: they are either widowed or unmarried, and they are all alone!"
"I'll have someone inquire about their past right away."
Shen Lanxi's eyes were sharp: "If it's not an impersonation, then these people have been obeying someone's orders and being manipulated by someone for a long time."
Che Mingyuan found the second scenario terrifying and thought it would be better to impersonate someone else.
If it was truly planted from childhood, then how long ago did the person behind it start this game?
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