Chapter 256 What the Emperor Thinks
Xiao Qing and Xiao Yan basically attended the same classes taught by the Grand Tutor.
At this moment, Xiao Qing asked Xiao Yan what he thought, and Xiao Yan instinctively wanted to speak.
Xiao Qing looked at him with a smile, "Don't try to fob me off with polite words, Your Majesty."
Xiao Yan opened his mouth and then closed it again.
What exactly does my elder brother want to do?
My brother changes every day, what does he want from him?
Even though ten-year-old Xiao Yan was much more mature and composed than his peers due to his childhood hardships, he often felt like his head was a complete mess ever since Xiao Qing changed his attitude towards him.
He remained silent for a moment, then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhao Youchen and Zheng Fangxiu staring at him expressionlessly, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I would never dare to evade your request. It's just that I have never been involved in these matters before. Your Majesty is kind and benevolent. Whether I am right or wrong is secondary. It's just that I really... have no idea where to start and have nothing to say."
He lowered his head with a sense of helplessness and shame, saying, "Your subject believes that Commander Zhao is right. This matter still needs the Grand Tutor's consideration."
Xiao Qing raised an eyebrow, her expression unchanged.
“That makes sense. From now on, I will stay by my brother’s side and observe politics.”
Xiao Yan looked up in surprise, but when he saw the extremely serious look in Xiao Qing's eyes, he was actually bewildered.
Is Your Majesty serious?
Xiao Qing looked at Zhao Youchen and Zheng Fangxiu.
"Tell me what happened on the road that requires setting off fireworks."
She didn't say what to do with the gold bars and ledgers she found, nor did she mention the Grand Tutor.
“No, Minister Zheng, let’s start from when you first began investigating the case.” She sat there upright, her gaze calm, clearly deep in thought.
Only then did Zheng Fangxiu have the opportunity to fully recount everything that happened after she returned to Dali Temple from Mengshan Villa.
Immediately afterwards, Zhao Youchen recounted everything that had happened on the road, with Zheng Fangxiu adding to some parts.
Xiao Qing listened carefully to every detail, and a vague inspiration began to form in her mind.
"How are the three members of the Hu family and Madam Sun doing now?"
They also paid attention to this aspect when they returned.
Zhao Youchen quickly replied, "With the Imperial Guards guarding the area, they can't get out, and no one can get in. Moreover, so far, no one has requested an audience."
"Madam Sun is Li Bo's daughter. Li Bo's son-in-law, Sun Cheng, committed suicide by poisoning himself at the Li family's home. Madam Sun, Li Bo's daughter, denounced the Li family for being heartless on the spot." Xiao Qing slowly ran her thumb across the knuckles of her other hand.
"Didn't Li Bo want to see his daughter?"
Moreover, no one from the Sun family expressed a desire to see her.
Zheng Fangxiu thought for a moment, "I have heard a rumor, but I don't know if it's true or false."
“Minister Zheng, please speak freely.”
"Yes. Although Madam Sun is Lord Li's daughter, I heard that she was not raised by Lord Li's side since childhood, so they are not very close. Moreover, I heard that Madam Sun is jealous, and Lord Sun is a womanizer. After his marriage, several women wanted to take him into the household, but Madam Sun ruined them all."
Zhao Youchen thought to himself, "I didn't expect the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to be such a gossipy person, even knowing so much about the affairs of other people's private quarters."
Xiao Qing smiled.
"Minister Zheng, how do you think this case should be investigated?"
Zheng Fangxiu knelt down with a "plop".
"Your Majesty's will is my humble servant."
Xiao Qing stood up, slowly walked to the window, and pushed it open even wider.
Winter is bleak, and winter nights are especially cold.
A few stars hung in the dark sky, exuding a chilly atmosphere.
In the distance, leaves rustled, and every ten meters outside the door, a palace lantern stood, its candlelight flickering gently in the dim light.
This seemed to be the only warmth on the winter night.
"Fifty thousand taels of gold, coming from the national treasury, must be pure gold. Outside, one tael of gold is generally worth ten taels of silver, but the national treasury's pure gold is worth more than ten taels. Even using the common people's conversion, fifty thousand taels of gold is equivalent to five hundred thousand taels of silver. An ordinary family can live relatively comfortably with three hundred taels of silver a year for living expenses. I remember when I first arrived in Nanhua, the tax silver collected by the national treasury..."
She turned to look at Xiao Yan, "Brother Yan, do you still remember?"
Fu Mingyi emphasized practical skills in his classes, which he mentioned.
Xiao Yan felt he had nowhere left to retreat.
"Equivalent to approximately three million taels of silver."
Zheng Fangxiu's heart skipped a beat.
It is common knowledge that the national treasury is not well-funded. While the reasons for this are related to the Great Depression and the need for recuperation, another very important reason is related to powerful families.
By listening carefully to the underlying meaning, he vaguely guessed what the young emperor was thinking.
The young emperor, however, remained calm and composed as he spoke, neither hurried nor impatient, neither sad nor happy—his temperament was more precious than his thoughts.
Xiao Qing looked at Zhao Youchen, her gaze sharpening in an instant. "Are you ready?"
Zhao Youchen was startled, knelt on one knee, and clenched his fist in front of his chest.
"Your subject is ready."
Xiao Qing nodded and slowly walked to the box of account books.
"Withdraw the imperial guards who were watching over Madam Sun and the Hu family of three, and tighten the guards on the outside."
She squatted down and picked up a book to flip through.
"Summon Prime Minister Wang and Grand Tutor."
Zhao Youchen accepted the order and left.
Xiao Qing casually picked up two more books and walked to Xiao Yan's side. "Brother Yan has always been good at divination. Take a look at these." With that, she handed the two books to Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan took the ledger, still finding it unbelievable. "Brother, being good at calculations and being able to understand an account book are two different things." He couldn't help but say.
Xiao Qing smiled and said, "That's true. So, my brother will mention to the Grand Tutor later that you should ask the teacher to teach you something useful."
Zheng Fangxiu lowered her head, her mind racing with thoughts.
"By the way, does Minister Zheng have any experts in auditing accounts in the Dali Temple?"
Zheng Fangxiu nodded, "Of course we have them, but their rank is limited, and they are not currently at Mengshan Villa."
In his daily work investigating cases, he naturally had some people with special talents under his command. However, not everyone was qualified to enter the Mengshan Villa and accompany him on hunting expeditions.
Xiao Qing nodded, "It's alright. This matter is extraordinary. The Dali Temple will still handle the case, but the location has been moved to Mengshan Villa. Lord Zheng can arrange the necessary personnel himself."
She paused, then said, "I will not allow anyone to take them away, so I need Lord Zheng to examine these account books carefully."
Zheng Fangxiu accepted the order and quickly left.
Ma Hong stood outside the door, and soon saw Prime Minister Wang and Grand Tutor walk over together.
As soon as Wang Xiang entered, he saw a box full of account books. Being a shrewd old man, he guessed at a few glances that things were probably about to get out of control.
People from both the Sun and Li families came looking for him earlier, but he didn't see any of them.
Just like last time.
At this moment, he was once again grateful for his keen sense of smell.
He is now reflecting on whether he and the Wang family could have left any traces in these account books.
The Wang family will probably have to pay a price.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty and Prince Yan."
"Prime Minister, please rise. Grand Tutor, please rise."
Fu Mingyi glanced in Xiao Yan's direction, then quickly looked away.
"These are the account books that Lord Zheng found in Sun Cheng's residence, recording... some of his business dealings."
Xiao Qing gestured for them to take a look.
Wang Xiang slowly picked up a book, while Fu Mingyi was slightly slower.
"In addition, it was discovered that 50 million taels of pure gold came from the national treasury."
Wang Xiangzheng saw a name appear in the ledger.
His hands trembled slightly.
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