Dressed in a black bodysuit, Qu Qingxi evaded the palace guards and sneaked into the Empress's Phoenix Palace in the dark.
Smelling the calming incense in the room, Qu Qingxi's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. "Can't sleep already? The worst is yet to come."
There were many good things in Fengyi Palace, but many of them had imperial marks, so Qu Qingxi couldn't easily sell them even if she took them. So she only picked out the expensive items that didn't have any marks. Perhaps because the Empress often rewarded the eunuchs and maids in the palace, there were many gold melon seeds and gold peanuts, as well as some silver notes and loose silver. Qu Qingxi took them all.
After sweeping through Fengyi Palace, Qu Qingxi went directly to the national treasury.
Qu Qingxi felt that the emperor's position was too secure, and he had nothing to do every day, so he thought of meddling in other people's family affairs and decided to keep him busy.
The location of the national treasury is very hidden. Qu Qingxi had only heard about it once by chance before. The guards are very strict, but Qu Qingxi doesn't take them seriously at all.
LOL. In modern times, even machines can't detect themselves when necessary, let alone a group of people.
Once inside the national treasury, Qu Qingxi realized what truly valuable items were. Compared to the previous treasury of the Marquis of Dingguo's residence, the national treasury before her was dozens of times larger.
Real gold and silver, rare paintings, and all sorts of valuable items were available here. Qu Qingxi did not hold back and collected almost half of the national treasury's wealth.
The reason why she didn't accept her partner wasn't because Qu Qingxi was particularly kind, but because she felt that the emperor was a wise ruler in matters of state, and leaving some things for the time being was also a way of giving He Liufeng face.
Looking at the almost completely filled space, Qu Qingxi left with satisfaction. She wasn't worried that the matter of the national treasury would affect anything. The country had been at peace for many years, and presumably some corrupt officials in the court had considerable wealth. As long as the emperor was willing, the treasury would naturally be filled again very soon.
The next morning, Qu Qingxi was having breakfast when Qingdai nervously approached her and whispered, "Your Highness, something has happened."
"What's wrong? What happened? You seem so worried," Qu Qingxi said casually.
“Last night, the Empress’s Phoenix Palace and the national treasury were both robbed. Almost half of the contents of the national treasury disappeared without a trace.” Qingdai’s expression turned serious as she spoke.
"When His Majesty heard this news during the morning court session, he was so angry that he smashed a lot of things. The Prince has not yet returned and is leading people to investigate the matter at the national treasury. It is said that all the guards of the national treasury have been imprisoned."
Qu Qingxi paused slightly as she poured the tea, then casually remarked, "Those who guard the national treasury are truly pitiful."
"Tch, what's there to pity? The people in charge of guarding the national treasury are from the Wang family in the capital. The Wang family, relying on their position as guards of the national treasury, have done countless bad things behind the scenes. Even the servants in their mansion are arrogant and haughty."
I heard last time that the son of the Wang family's steward forcibly abducted a woman in public. The woman's family reported it to the authorities, but it was no use. After hearing about this, the Wang family's steward directly hired assassins to kill the woman's entire family." Qingdai's face was filled with anger when she mentioned the Wang family.
"With such a huge commotion, is there no one in the court to care about this? This is the capital, right under the emperor's nose!" Qu Qingxi looked at Qingdai in surprise. This was the capital, right under the emperor's nose, and those people dared to be so presumptuous?
With so many powerful and influential people in the capital, is there really no one willing to step forward and handle this matter? This is utterly absurd.
"Your Highness, you don't know, the Wang family is the Empress's maternal family. The Emperor dotes on the Empress, so everyone turns a blind eye. However, this time, the national treasury has run into trouble, and I'm sure the Wang family won't be able to stay." Qingdai lowered her voice, her eyes full of pleasure. Those beasts in the Wang family should have died long ago; they're just disgusting to be alive.
So that's how it is. Qu Qingxi was originally worried that the national treasury issue might implicate some innocent people, and wondered if she should try to make amends. Now it seems that those people deserved what they got.
However, Qu Qingxi was certain of one thing: Qingdai's claim that the emperor favored the empress was problematic.
If you truly love someone, how could you condone their family making such a fatal mistake?
The fact that the Wang family steward forcibly abducted a woman and bribed assassins to kill her family suggests that the emperor couldn't possibly be unaware of this. Knowing full well that this was wrong, he still turned a blind eye and condoned such behavior. It seems that the claim that the empress was favored by the emperor might not be true.
Indulgence can sometimes be a form of overpraise that leads to ruin.
"Qingdai, you just said that the Prince is in charge of investigating this matter?" Qu Qingxi recalled Qingdai's words. He Liufeng's health had not recovered and he was still considered a patient. He usually handled matters at home after attending court.
Everyone knew about this matter, and the emperor usually wouldn't assign He Liufeng any heavy tasks. No one expected that he would be entrusted with this matter this time.
It seems the emperor still values his younger brother highly, but the theft of the national treasury is destined to be a fruitless matter, regardless of who is responsible.
"Yes, that's right. The Prince's body still has some residual poison, and he should be resting properly. Who knew that the Emperor would suddenly hand this matter over to the Prince for investigation?" Qingdai was also puzzled.
"Besides the national treasury, how come the Empress's Phoenix Palace was also robbed?" Qu Qingxi asked knowingly.
“Yes, it’s very strange. There are so many guards, maids and eunuchs in the palace, yet not a single one noticed anything unusual. This shows that the thief is very skilled. What’s even stranger is that only the Empress’s Phoenix Palace was robbed, while the other concubines’ palaces were untouched.” Qingdai also found it strange.
Logically speaking, if a thief could successfully sneak into the palace without being discovered, it means he was capable of exploring the entire palace. Why did he only steal from the Fengyi Palace?
"Your Highness, do you think this thief has a grudge against the Empress? Otherwise, why would it be only the Phoenix Palace that was robbed, and why is it that the person guarding the national treasury is from the Empress's maternal family? The royal family cannot escape responsibility for the theft of the national treasury. Perhaps this person really is the Empress's enemy, or has some deep-seated hatred with the Empress's maternal family," Qingdai analyzed.
The more Qingdai spoke, the more she felt that this was the truth of the matter, and her originally surprised and confused eyes gradually became clear and firm.
Qu Qingxi: ...
She never expected that it would cause such a beautiful misunderstanding.
If Qingdai could think this way, I'm sure everyone else would be able to figure it out if they thought about it carefully.
Qu Qingxi raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking that she had inadvertently rid the people of a scourge. She poured herself a cup of tea, but it was hard work for He Liufeng, who was busy with all sorts of things but wouldn't get any results.
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