"In response to your question, sir, since taking office, Liu Yan has done nothing other than conduct routine inspections..."
"Hmm? Is it because he didn't take any action, or is it because you haven't found anything?"
A cold glint flashed in Cheng Yu's eyes as he stared intently at the person who had answered, his tone icy.
"This... please forgive me, sir!"
The man felt a chill run down his spine and quickly bowed to apologize.
Cheng Yu glanced at the man indifferently: "Hmph~, after you go down, investigate carefully. Don't be afraid of being exposed, understand?"
"Yes, I understand!"
Cheng Yu then asked, "What's the situation in Jizhou?"
"According to reports, Jia Xu and Shangguan have returned to Fanyang from Liaodong and have begun to make arrangements. The gentry of Qing, Yan, and Ji provinces are now under his surveillance!"
Cheng Yu's expression hardened: "Well done, Jia Xu! He's moved so fast without us even noticing. You all need to hurry up and make your preparations. This time, we absolutely cannot lose to that Jia Xu..."
"promise!!"
Everyone responded in unison.
Jin Cheng, the steward, looked at Cheng Yu and asked, "Shangguan... if Liu Yan really hasn't made any move, what should we do?"
Cheng Yu frowned and did not answer directly, but asked, "What are Bian Zhang and Beigong Boyu doing?"
"Reporting to my superior, Bian Zhang and Bei Gong Boyu have been quite active recently. They are buying large numbers of slaves in Jincheng and selling them to the Royal Trading Company at high prices."
Furthermore, they continuously transported various supplies to Dongqiang and even made contact with Tanshihuai in Juyan!
Cheng Yu's expression shifted: "Tan Shihuai? Have you found out what they were communicating about...?"
The official in charge of Jincheng shook his head: "They don't seem to have any correspondence, but I've discovered that several Xianbei people have recently infiltrated Jincheng..."
Cheng Yu pondered, "Right now is the season for trade. Neither Tan Shihuai nor Ma Yi will make any moves, and the trade season ends next March..."
"Does Shangguan mean... that they are planning to start an uprising next March?"
Cheng Yu nodded: "That should be the case. At that time, the Xianbei in the north and the Qiang in the west will be responsible for containing the border troops, while they can take the opportunity to start a rebellion. When the Han Dynasty is beset by internal and external troubles, they might actually succeed..."
As Cheng Yu finished speaking, everyone in the Investigation Division present changed their expressions.
"Shangguan, then... what should we do?"
Cheng Yu narrowed his eyes slightly: "The only way now is to stir up trouble and make them jump out prematurely..."
"What does Shangguan mean...?"
Cheng Yu smiled and said, "Didn't Han Ping and the others send people to investigate the refined iron matter? Then let them investigate Liu Yan..."
As for the people sent by the Yuan and Chen families, let them investigate Beigong Boyu and those Qiang chieftains.
"Shangguan's method is brilliant. Han Ping and others have always been dissatisfied with the imperial clan, and those powerful families also hate these Qiang people because of the purchase of slaves..."
In this way, we can drive them to their doom without much effort...
The more the person in charge spoke, the more excited he became, and his eyes were full of respect as he looked at Cheng Yu.
"Alright, all of you, don't waste any more time, go and prepare!"
As he spoke, Cheng Yu stood up and walked towards the back hall.
"promise!!"
The crowd responded in unison and then quickly dispersed.
In an instant, the entire Jincheng Detective Agency began to operate at full speed, making the already bustling Jincheng even more turbulent.
Jincheng, the prefectural capital of Liangzhou.
As the year draws to a close, Liu Yan, as the governor of Liangzhou, is not only inspecting and supervising local officials in Liangzhou, but also responsible for their performance evaluation. He is extremely busy.
As sunset approached, a weary-looking Liu Yan finally returned to the governor's mansion.
Liu Yan had barely sat down and hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath when his personal attendant, Liu Zhong, hurriedly limped over.
"Master, something terrible has happened! The secret chamber is over there...!"
"What's wrong with the locked room...?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Yan sprang to her feet as if from a spring, a hint of panic on her face.
Liu Zhong hurriedly said, "Master, I just went to the secret room and found that someone seems to have been there!"
"Let's go take a look...!"
Liu Yan's expression turned anxious, and he quickly walked towards the back hall, with Liu Zhong following closely behind.
Soon, Liu Yan and his companion arrived at the secret room located in the study.
As soon as Liu Yan entered the secret room, he looked at a row of large wooden boxes in the room. The leftmost box had been opened, and at a glance, it was filled with precious treasures and jade artifacts.
Liu Yan then quickly stepped forward and discovered that several expensive jade artifacts were missing from the wooden box.
Upon seeing this, Liu Yan's heart tightened. He then went behind the wooden box and groped his way to open a hidden compartment.
"fine....!"
Seeing that the letters in the hidden compartment were intact, Liu Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief and then put the secret letters into his pocket.
The letter was signed by Liu Kui, the Prince of Bohai, as well as the Lu family of Fanyang and the Gao family of Gaoling.
Liu Zhong, who was standing nearby, also stepped forward and said, "Master, this secret room is no longer safe. These things...?"
Liu Yan looked at the open wooden box and frowned: "These things are easy to deal with. What I'm concerned about is how that thief knew about this secret room...?"
Liu Zhong's expression shifted: "Does Master mean... there's a mole?"
Liu Yan nodded solemnly, then said coldly, "After you leave, immediately begin the investigation. Expel all the servants who have entered my residence since I took office in Liangzhou!"
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