Chapter 161 A Stroke of Genius
Dou Wenyi swallowed hard, feeling that his sinister gaze was too sharp, as if he could see right through her.
It sends chills down your spine.
She calmed herself down and firmly told herself that she had not done anything to wrong Pei Siyan, and he would not do anything to her.
Even if he discovers anything unusual, she will resolutely deny it and refuse to admit it.
Dou Wenyi feigned nonchalance and forced a smile, "Second Brother, it's been a long time. When did you return to Tianning City? If you have important matters to discuss, I won't disturb you any longer."
Dou Ruzhang was very enthusiastic, "Fourth sister, don't be in such a hurry. Your second brother hasn't congratulated you yet. Um, cough, I brought back a lot of local specialties this time. If you have time, I'll send them to the East Palace tomorrow so you can try them?"
Dou Wenyi's gaze wandered, glancing at Pei Siyan. "His Highness is unwell and doesn't like to be disturbed. I'll go back to the Dou family to get it another day."
Dou Ruzhang rubbed his forehead, seemingly somewhat regretful, "It was my oversight."
Dou Wenyi felt a chill run down her spine. "Second Brother, the affairs of the Eastern Palace are complicated, so I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, she acted as if her eyebrows were on fire, rushing down the stairs in two or three steps and fleeing the scene like a gust of wind.
Only after getting into the carriage did she let out a heavy sigh of relief; it had been too close. Fortunately, Pei Siyan hadn't seen her alone with Shen Yanzhou in the room. When she got back, she would have to think of a good explanation and try to salvage the situation.
Otherwise, Pei Siyan might tear her apart!
On her way back, Dou Wenyi made a special trip to the West Market by carriage. Sure enough, the street, which originally had only about ten grain shops, suddenly had more than twenty more, and the number of people buying rice had decreased sharply.
Cuizhi ran back from the street, somewhat excited. "Miss, I just asked, and rice is only 100 wen per shi now. The man there even said he could give me a discount when he heard I wanted to buy grain. Maybe the price of rice will even drop further."
"That's great." Dou Wenyi nodded with relief. The famine had been effectively controlled, which meant that the number of innocent victims who died would also decrease.
I don't know what Pei Siyan and Dou Ruzhang have to talk about.
Just as she had expected, Yin Congjian and Dou Ruzhang only chatted briefly before parting ways.
Chaohua Hall.
Yin Congjian looked dejected and sighed, "Gu Zixiao is cunning and extremely cautious, making him very difficult to find fault with. Moreover, all those sunken ships have been cleaned up, making it quite difficult to catch him red-handed. What are those people in the Ministry of Justice doing? With so many grain merchants flooding into Tianning City, don't they have any leads at all?"
"What I can't understand is why Shen Jin, the Minister of Justice, suddenly impeached Prince Rui? This move was so ineffective, why did he do it? And he even got himself implicated. Has he gone senile?"
Pei Siyan looked tired. He rubbed his temples. He had been working non-stop for the past few days and was really exhausted.
"Back then, the granary incident already implicated the Tan family. If we investigate further, who else will we find out about?"
"Could it be Prince Rui?"
Pei Siyan gave him a half-smile, "Minister Shen's impeachment at this critical juncture may seem like a foolish move, but it's actually a wise retreat. How can he interfere in the granary case while he's imprisoned?"
At this point, he couldn't help but admire Shen Yanzhou; he was indeed extremely adept at understanding the emperor's mind.
The powerful families all thought he would submit a memorial to the emperor about the moldy rice, but he actually did produce a brilliant piece of writing.
That day, he went to the Chongzheng Hall to pay his respects with several plum blossoms on his head. When Emperor Muzong saw the plum blossoms on his head, he made a few jokes and naturally brought up the topic of plum blossoms.
The Imperial Advisor was also present at the time and said with a smile, "If we're talking about appreciating plum blossoms, the plum blossoms in Qionglin Garden are the most beautiful and magnificent."
Shen Yanzhou nodded repeatedly and said, "The plum blossoms in Qionglin Garden are exceptional, and what's most remarkable is that there are also hot springs inside."
A few words were enough to pique Emperor Muzong's interest: "Enjoying plum blossoms and soaking in hot springs are indeed elegant pursuits."
The Imperial Preceptor pressed his advantage, saying, "You can also attain enlightenment! Your Majesty works tirelessly day and night; why not relax a bit at the Qionglin Garden?"
Emperor Muzong then traveled incognito to Qionglin Garden, but as soon as he left the city gate, he was blocked by a group of disaster victims. The emperor had no choice but to send Eunuch Feng to investigate, and once he did, the moldy porridge scandal could no longer be concealed.
Afterwards, Shen Yanzhou naturally submitted his memorial, and no matter how much resentment those powerful and wealthy families harbored, they could not blame him.
Pei Siyan chuckled lightly, "Today I made a special trip to meet with Dou Ruzhang. He doesn't know much about the canal transport, yet Gu Zixiao entrusted him with the account books. He was only promoted to deputy transport commissioner last month. If Gu Zixiao's corruption is proven, how could his deputy be completely unaware and completely uninvolved?"
"Just so you know, he's kind of my brother-in-law."
"Your Highness, you mean...?"
Yin Congjian's expression changed drastically, and he broke out in a cold sweat. So, these people were not afraid of his secret investigation at all. Instead, they had already dug a pit for them to investigate, because the mastermind behind this would eventually frame the Crown Prince.
So, the crown prince is the scapegoat they're looking for?
"Prince Rui is too ruthless!"
Pei Siyan shook his head. "Dou Ruzhang's transfer was Prime Minister Meng's decision."
Yin Congjian was indignant. With the old fox Meng Xiang pointing the way for the country from behind, Prince Rui was practically given wings.
"What is the Emperor thinking? Prince Rui is of questionable character and incapable of shouldering great responsibilities. Doesn't he realize at all?"
Pei Siyan glanced at the pine and cypress trees outside the window and said sarcastically, "He has always been selfish and cold-blooded. With a single tactic of checks and balances, he can make people fight to the death."
The throne is like a bone; if any dog gets too far away, he'll deliberately bring the bone closer. But if any dog tries to snatch the bone, he'll immediately change his tune.
Yin Congjian fully understood his intention. "So, you're giving away the credit for this disaster relief effort to Prince Duan for nothing? Isn't Your Highness worried that Prince Duan might have ulterior motives?"
“What are you worried about? Prince Duan is weak and Prince Rui has never taken him seriously. After this battle, I’m afraid Prince Duan will become a thorn in his side.”
He wanted to see what tricks Prince Rui would play against Prince Duan.
Pei Siyan urged, "It's getting late, you should go back. You're not getting any younger, it's time to settle down and start a family."
Yin Congjian looked terrified, fearing that he would act as a matchmaker for her, and got up and ran away.
Chi Yan pushed open the door and came in, reporting in a low voice, "Your Highness, His Majesty went to Qionglin Garden overnight."
Pei Siyan chuckled softly.
Two days ago, the Imperial Advisor used the story of Shen Yanzhou's winter plum blossoms to urge the Emperor to go to Qionglin Garden, but to no avail.
Now, after sparing no effort, he has finally succeeded.
Qionglin Garden not only has winter plum blossoms and hot springs, but also women.
——
Dou Wenyi waited at Wutong Garden for most of the night, but Pei Siyan didn't come. She was extremely anxious, feeling as if a knife was hanging over her head, ready to fall at any moment...
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