Yuwen Xian's trip to the palace immediately transferred the case from the Jingzhao Prefecture to the Ministry of Justice. Minister of Justice You Mingwang rolled his eyes. Did others not know? Did he not know? That Wan Hua Lou was run by that old bastard Tong Qian!
If he gets involved in Tong Qian's case, who knows how many more messy things will get into it. But if he doesn't, how will this case end?
Now the Emperor has been alarmed! *** is still pressing for a result.
"Prepare the sedan chair, I'm going to see Lord Tong!"
Unfortunately, he didn't even leave his residence; the entrance to the Ministry of Justice was packed with onlookers.
"This is the first time I've ever seen an official's wife so shameless, having affairs with other men outside!"
"Yes, yes, he's a princess's male concubine. Is he really that handsome? And is the princess really that generous?"
"Oh dear, those high-ranking officials and nobles were having a blast! They've been caught, but who knows how many haven't!"
There were so many onlookers that some even grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and cracked them open while chatting, looking quite relaxed.
Of course, these people were all street thugs who had been paid to cause trouble at the entrance of the Criminal Investigation Department.
Unable to leave, You Mingwang could only send someone through the back door to deliver a message to Tong Qian at the Ministry of Revenue. But Tong Qian was also in a bind. Xie Liwei came to him with an IOU for national debt owed by the Ministry of Revenue of Da Chen more than ten years ago, saying that he was now out of money and wanted to borrow some silver.
Everyone knows that this IOU is just a worthless piece of paper. More than ten years have passed, and apart from Xie Liwei, which family would dare to come to the Ministry of Revenue to ask for money?
"Your Highness, you don't understand politics, but although our Ministry of Revenue manages so much silver, not a single tael is beyond my control!" He put himself in an extremely humble position, which was very pleasant to hear. Anyone else might have been pleased by his flattery, but Xie Liwei was not.
"Lord Tong also said that I do not participate in politics, so I don't understand. I have an IOU, and you have the money, so why can't you pay me back?"
Tong Qian's mouth twisted in dissatisfaction. Was this guy pretending to be a fool? We're all seasoned foxes, what's with the act?
“Every penny in this treasury is useful. Don’t be fooled by its current state; it’s the rations for the various armies, the Great Wall that’s about to be repaired, and the waterways that need to be dredged!”
"What does that have to do with me? Just give me my share; I don't want any more."
Tong Qian stroked his beard and sighed, "Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue is truly broke. Think about it, you come to me with an IOU to ask for money, I give it to you, but then I run out of money. If others hear that you got money, they'll also come to me with IOUs. What will happen to that money? Where am I supposed to get it?"
Xie Liwei placed his hands together on his knees and said with a half-smile, "They say that those in a position should do their job, but it turns out it's rotten from the root."
Tong Qian was not angry when he heard him scolding him. He said, "It is common knowledge that the Ministry of Revenue is short of money. Even if you go to the Emperor, he will still find that the Ministry is short of money!"
"The Ministry of Revenue has no money, and Lord Tong has no money either?" Xie Liwei looked at him quietly.
For a moment, Tong Qian felt a sense of panic, as if this junior had seen through him. But he quickly regained his composure and said calmly, "I have served as an official for decades and have never taken money that I shouldn't have!"
But making money that shouldn't be made.
Xie Liwei folded the IOU and put it in his sleeve before getting up to leave.
"In that case, I will think of another way myself."
Tong Qian dismissed him, and a servant came to report: "Lord You's men are waiting for you at the back gate! They say they want to ask you what to do about this case."
Tong Qian took a sip of tea impatiently. "Let him stall for time. Let me go have a drink with Zhang Ying and have a chat."
Madam Zhang and Madam Lu cannot be allowed to live. As long as the case is classified as Madam Lu's own lustful desires, it will not implicate the Wan Hua Lou.
Unexpectedly, just as he and Zhang Ying finished their meal and left the restaurant, a servant rushed over and said, "Sir, something terrible has happened! Madam Zhang has confessed that the woman was prepared for her by Wan Hua Lou, and now the officials have booked the entire Wan Hua Lou!"
"What's going on! Didn't I tell him to stall? Why did he start the proceedings now?!"
"It was Princess Yongle! She stormed into the Ministry of Justice's prison and beat up Madam Zhang, saying that she dared to steal even her aunt's man and had no desire to live. At the time, Lord You led several doctors from the Ministry of Justice to stop her, and Madam Zhang, perhaps because she was beaten so badly, brought out the Wan Hua Lou brothel!"
"Ignorant woman!" He was furious!
Why did Princess Yongle have to go to the Ministry of Justice prison?
Yongle felt good after beating the person up, but he didn't understand why *** didn't go and beat the person up herself, but instead let her do it?
"Does Aunt really like that Lu Qingyu?"
Yongle was a little embarrassed, calling a girl younger than himself "aunt" was really awkward.
Yuwen Xian looked up at her, his gaze seemingly fixed on a winter snowscape, a scene of pure white that brought him peace of mind.
Just assume I like it.
"You don't like him? You don't like him, yet you take him around everywhere every day? You can't possibly use him to seduce someone like Madam Zhang, can you?"
After saying that, Yongle paused for a moment, as if he had really hit the nail on the head.
She stared blankly at Yuwen Xian, utterly bewildered.
What? Am I the only one in the entire Yuwen family who's brainless? How come Yuwen Xian, who's so much younger than me, has a brain?!
No, no, no, there's also Prince Yong, who's even less intelligent than her. He's definitely less intelligent than her, otherwise he wouldn't have been banished from the capital!
"Then why did Aunt use him to seduce someone like Madam Zhang?"
for what?
Yuwen Xian reached out and tapped her forehead, saying, "This is not something you should be thinking about. Go back after you finish eating. I have to meet someone later."
Yongle didn't ask any more questions. She finished her meal and left quickly, feeling that this place was a place of trouble.
After seeing Yongle off, Yuwen Xian had the carriage driven to the gate of the Jingzhao Prefecture, where he indeed saw the familiar carriage.
It was lunchtime at the yamen, and the Ministry of Justice's gates were still closed. Yuwen Xian walked a few steps to the carriage, leaped inside, and the woman inside was startled. Upon recognizing Yuwen Xian, she immediately shed two lines of tears.
"Your Highness..."
“Ruiniang, don’t go. I will avenge you. Just pretend nothing happened and go back to being a good Mrs. Yan. I will help you get a divorce and help you leave the capital. Don’t report it to the authorities.”
Rumors will kill this fragile woman.
"But I can't sleep! I hate it! Every moment I feel the touch of that disgusting man on my skin! It's so disgusting! I don't want to live anymore! I just want to die with them!"
Rui Niang cried uncontrollably, like a broken vase that, once shattered and glued back together, could never regain its former strength.
“Your Highness, someone has to expose the affair of Wan Hua Lou, otherwise Tong Qian and the others will still get away with it!” Rui Niang stared at her intently, her eyes filled with stubbornness and a willingness to die for her cause.
This is the only thing she can do for herself. Even if she is despised by everyone, she wants the world to know about the injustice she has suffered and to seek the justice that belongs to her.
“Rui Niang…”
Just as the two were struggling, they heard a loud drumbeat outside. Yuwen Xian lifted the carriage curtain to look and saw someone beating the drum at an ear-splitting volume.
"This humble citizen is suing Minister of Revenue Tong Qian, who has no money to repay his debts but has money to run a brothel and pimp for male prostitutes!"
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