Chapter 119: A life-or-death struggle
"Brother, can you take me back to Beijing?"
Shen Shaobai clenched his fists, hating his own incompetence.
He really couldn't understand what his parents did, and he couldn't understand why his second sister had to target his eldest sister even though she got what she wanted.
When his second sister was found, he felt sorry for her situation and gave in to her in every way.
But no matter how well she was treated, she was never satisfied and always stared at the things in her elder sister's room.
He felt that there was something wrong with her mentality and was fed up with her greed.
But thinking of how much suffering she had endured, he used his own private savings to compensate her one by one.
The elder sister treated her very well on weekdays. Whenever she found something good, she would give her a share.
They did everything they were supposed to do and never excluded her.
Why does she still harbor such hostility towards her elder sister?
Shen Shaobai said dejectedly: "I want to go see my elder sister."
Shen Shaoheng raised his eyes and looked at Shen Shaobai. He was wearing a black robe, with a slender figure, but with the thinness of a teenager. His hair was tied into a ponytail, and his bangs were slightly messy, revealing a sense of unruly.
The boy was originally a frivolous boy. When he heard that Shen Qingtan had suffered and been wronged, he felt depressed because he was powerless to do anything.
The corners of his eyes drooped, and he no longer had the frivolous look he used to have. Instead, he looked like a big yellow dog lying at the door with its ears drooping.
"The victims of Guanzhou have gone to the capital, and the emperor has entrusted the task of providing relief to my second uncle. I came to Guanzhou specifically to investigate the situation. If the disaster is serious, I'm afraid the victims will continue to flock to the capital. My second uncle already has no food, so he will be even more overwhelmed."
Shen Shaoheng said: "If we can find the official who embezzled grain and make him spit out the grain to help the victims, the situation on my uncle's side should be able to stabilize."
Shen Shaobai was silent for a moment, then asked, "Has the imperial envoy come to investigate the grain issue?"
"Yes." Shen Shaoheng replied, "If the officials in charge of government grain fail to replenish the grain, they will all be held accountable."
Shen Shaobai realized the seriousness of the matter. The court specially sent an imperial envoy to investigate, which would definitely lead to the discovery of the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion hidden behind the officials who managed the granary.
He thought of the boxes of gold in the stables and came up with an idea: "Brother, I have something to discuss with you."
Shen Shaobai lowered his voice and said a few words in Shen Shaoheng's ear.
A gleam of light flashed across Shen Shaoheng's eyes. Thinking of Shen Qingtan's instructions in the letter, he readily agreed.
——
After two days of recovery, Earl Yongyi's condition improved slightly and he prepared to find the grain manager to transport the grain out.
As soon as he stepped out of the inn, he was stopped by soldiers.
Uncle Yongyi was confused and couldn't figure out what was going on.
He recognized that the leader was the Minister of Revenue Lin Zhenxing, and was about to ask when he heard Lord Cao speak.
"Lord Lin, last year there was a famine in Guanzhou. We discussed opening the granary to lend grain to the people. That way, when the harvest is good next year, the people who can afford it can return the grain to fill the gap in the granary, and the government won't have to pay money to store the grain."
"Who knew that Earl Yongyi heard the news and came over, asking us to sell the grain to him, and he would sell it to the people at a normal price. We were naturally unwilling to do so, but he threatened us with the title of Marquis Cheng'en, saying that if we didn't sell the grain to him, he would remove our official hats."
"We still refused to sell the grain to him and even submitted a petition to the court to denounce him. However, he intercepted the petition and even arrested our family members. We had no choice but to sell the grain to him."
"We planned to use the silver to buy food from other sources to help the victims. But Earl Yongyi hasn't given us a single copper coin yet. He only left a receipt and a token of trust when he took the food away."
"Even if we had these things, we wouldn't dare report them to the court because the disaster in Guanzhou was getting worse. Even if we were forced to do so, we would still be guilty of the grave sin of not reporting what we knew and shielding Earl Yong Yi. We were hoping he would pay us back soon so we could buy food for the disaster relief, until now."
Lord Cao was almost in tears as he recounted the sadness and helplessness of being oppressed by high-ranking officials.
Lin Zhenxing held the document and the token in his hand. The jade pendant was engraved with the handwriting of Earl Yongyi, and the private seal and handwriting on the document were also the same as Earl Yongyi's.
"Master, you are a serious suspect. I require your cooperation in the investigation." Lin Zhenxing waved his hand and said, "Take him away."
What didn't Yong Yibo understand the moment he saw the token?
The granaries in Guanzhou were emptied by corrupt officials, and the disaster became increasingly serious. Refugees had already fled to the foot of the imperial city, attracting the attention of the court, which sent imperial envoys to Guanzhou to investigate the case.
These corrupt officials can no longer hold back and can only find scapegoats.
Even if you are looking for a scapegoat, you have to find the right person.
Because the official who managed the granary and the Cheng'en Marquis's Mansion hidden behind it could not be completely removed, some traces would be left behind, so Cheng'en Marquis came to him.
Marquis Cheng'en knew that he was greedy for money and not very smart, and relying on his trust in him, he made a big promise to lure him to Guanzhou to take the blame.
He deliberately lied to him that he had a batch of grain to sell to him. He was sure that he could not afford the money to buy the grain, so he would use his relationship with Marquis Cheng'en to buy him on credit, and then take the opportunity to cheat him of his token of love and private seal.
He was related to the Cheng'en Marquisate by marriage, and everyone in the capital knew that the Cheng'en Marquisate took good care of him. He used the Cheng'en Marquisate's connections to empty the granary in Guanzhou, so he was somewhat credible.
His private seal and token became irrefutable evidence against him.
Then all the traces of Marquis Cheng'en using his connections to empty the granary were transferred to him, and Marquis Cheng'en was cleared of the crime.
As the mastermind, he must bear the main responsibility.
In serious cases, the property will be confiscated and the person will be beheaded; in minor cases, the title will be stripped
Although the officials in charge of the Cheng'en Marquisate and the granary were "unaware" and "forced," they could not escape blame for the seriousness of the matter and the suspicion of dereliction of duty. Even if they were to be held accountable, they would be able to save their lives and property.
Thinking of this, Yong Yibo's heart sank. He never expected that his own sister and brother-in-law would actually want to kill him!
"Master Lin, I have been wrongly accused. Please be discerning and clear my name!"
Knowing that he could not escape, Earl Yongyi did not struggle in vain. Instead, he gave his follower a wink, hoping that he would go to the Earl's Mansion in the capital to report the news.
Lin Zhenxing thought of Emperor Jing'an's instructions and pretended not to see that Earl Yongyi had winked at his followers. He only had Earl Yongyi taken away and did not arrest his followers as well.
——
A few days later, when the wife of Earl Yongyi heard the sad news that Earl Yongyi had been arrested, her eyes went dark and she staggered and fell backwards.
Fortunately, the maid was quick to support her and prevent her from falling to the ground.
"Marquis Cheng'en...this is too much!" Lady Yongyi gritted her teeth and said angrily, "Prepare the carriage! I want to go to the Marquis' Mansion myself!"
The maid hurried to prepare the carriage.
The wife of the Earl of Yongyi went to the inner room to get a letter and went to the Marquis of Cheng'en's Mansion.
The maid knocked on the door of the marquis's mansion, and the wife of the Earl of Yongyi handed a letter to the doorman.
The doorman sent it to Marquis Cheng'en, and soon after, he hurriedly invited the wife of Marquis Yongyi to the study in the front yard.
When Lady Yongyi saw the hypocritical face of Marquis Cheng'en, she could hardly suppress the hatred in her heart.
She didn't say any more hypocritical words to him, but threatened him directly.
"My Lord, our uncle has done a lot for you over the years, hasn't he? Putting aside the fact that he's your brother-in-law, even if you were raising a dog, you'd still have some affection for him, right? How could you be so cruel as to let him die!"
The wife of the Marquis of Yongyi's eyes were icy. "Fortunately, I have a trick up my sleeve. I've left evidence of everything the Marquis has done for you. Your relationship with Tan'er is quite bad, isn't it? If I tell her that she's not the Marquis's biological daughter, and then give her this evidence, what will happen to the Marquis's Mansion?"
Marquis Cheng'en's face changed. If Shen Qingtan got these things, he would definitely destroy the Marquis' Mansion!
"We were originally in the same boat. If you hand over the evidence, you will die, and the Bo family will also be doomed. I never thought of breaking off relations with you."
At this point, the wife of the Marquis of Yongyi uttered a harsh word: "If the Marquis cannot fill the granary in Guanzhou and save our Marquis, then we will be doomed!"
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