Chapter 498 Corruption
Zhongli Zhou didn't expect that King Xuan would kill himself without his help.
It’s also his fault that his uncles all have dirty hands.
Otherwise things wouldn't be so easy.
"When do you think it would be appropriate to give it to the Emperor?"
"It's up to you. Now that I've given you the things, I want you to make the decision."
Xie Siheng originally wanted to hand it in himself.
But in the current situation, he suddenly felt that handing it over to Zhongli Zhou would be more effective.
"There's a palace banquet tomorrow, why not wait until after? Otherwise, it'll be really frustrating."
Thinking of the last palace banquet, Ji Changying frowned and offered some suggestions.
Zhongli Zhou thought the same thing and nodded. "Then after the palace banquet! I'll show this to Grandfather Huang then."
"Well, I'm leaving now." Ji Changying came here today just to see how the prince and princess were doing. Now that there was nothing else, she should go back.
Zhonglizhou beckoned Lieutenant General Yang to come over and said, "Send the princess back."
"No, it's just a short distance. I can walk by myself."
Ji Changying rejected Zhonglizhou's kindness.
Xie Siheng glanced at her and said, "I'm on my way, let's go together."
Zhongli Zhou thought about it and didn't insist.
The two walked together on the street at night. Xie Siheng seemed much quieter than before, with a colder aura and more taciturn.
"You know?" Ji Changying glanced at Xie Siheng's face and asked in a low voice.
Xie Siheng's body stiffened, and he understood what Ji Changying was saying almost instantly.
His jawline suddenly tightened and he fell silent.
Although he didn't say anything, his reaction said it all.
"In fact, not everything the other party says can be trusted. You need to figure out the details yourself."
Ji Changying didn't know how to comfort her, but one thing was certain: whether it was Nanny Lai or Marquis Xuanping, what they said might not be entirely the truth.
The two of them walked to the door of the princess's mansion in silence, and Xie Siheng suddenly spoke: "I know."
He knew that those words might not be entirely true.
"Even if it's not all true, I can be sure of one thing: they... are brother and sister."
After saying this, he turned and left. His shadow was stretched out very long by the lanterns on the street and was gradually submerged in the night.
Ji Changying sighed, glanced at the gate of the princess's mansion, turned around and quietly walked into the alley. After thinking for a while, he put on the black hood on his head, turned around and went straight to Prince Xuan's mansion.
She would take advantage of today to return all the weapons that King Xuan had privately hoarded to their original owners, so that she could confirm the evidence in Zhonglizhou's hands.
When she arrived at Prince Xuan's Mansion, she happened to see Cui Taibao and Cui Lingze coming out of the Mansion, both of them had very solemn expressions.
It's already the middle of the night, why aren't these two people sleeping after just coming out of Prince Xuan's Mansion?
Ji Changying watched them get on the carriage and head towards Duke Cui's mansion. Neither of them spoke a word, as if they were immersed in their own thoughts.
She followed them for a long time, but neither of them spoke. She couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Please tell us what is on your mind!
But the two of them didn't say a word until they got home.
She had no choice but to give up, and walked around Prince Xuan's palace. She found a place with weaker defense, and sneaked in with a tiptoe.
It is impossible that such a huge palace does not have a secret room. Ji Changying used his mental power to search and found a secret room in the basement of a remote courtyard.
There was actually a lot of gold, silver and treasures inside! When he opened a box at random, the glittering jewels inside made Ji Changying gasp.
She looked at more than a dozen boxes in succession. The things in each box were more valuable than the last, and her expression became serious.
How could a prince like King Xuan get so much gold, silver and treasures?
Two words flashed through her mind involuntarily: corruption.
Thinking about it this way, she instantly felt it made sense.
If there is no corruption, where does the money come from to support private soldiers and stockpile weapons?
She took a box of gold and silver as a reward, and left the rest there as evidence. She also quietly put the weapons in the space back in before leaving.
——
From the day the palace banquet began, the atmosphere of the entire capital seemed to be aroused.
The streets were crowded with people, and the queues entering the city were so long that they stretched as far as the eye could see.
The shops and vendors on the street were all grinning from ear to ear, as everyone was preparing to make a fortune before the New Year so that they could have a prosperous New Year.
Yanyun came in with a group of maids carrying clothes and jewelry, and everyone's face was filled with joy.
"Princess! These are the clothes and jewelry sent by the Empress. Please choose some to wear when you enter the palace."
Ji Changying looked at the gorgeous crane cloaks and embroidered jackets, feeling a little dazzled. "So many?"
Yanyun replied with a smile, "These are the ones I carefully selected. There are many more in the storeroom. The eldest lady said that since there is only one young lady in the family, you can wear whatever you want!"
Ji Changying felt a little overwhelmed after hearing this. These clothes did look nice, but they were too complicated and gorgeous, making it a bit inconvenient for her to walk or move around.
Unless she was attending a palace banquet, she would still prefer to wear comfortable and simple clothes.
After picking out two pieces at random, Yanyun asked someone to take out the rest of the clothes, and then started asking people to help Ji Changying wash and change her clothes.
After all the trouble, it was almost time to enter the palace.
Ji Fengyi's family, Ren Dongnan and Lao Lu stayed at home.
Ji Fengshou took their family of four to the palace.
Zhou looked at the crowds outside and asked Aunt Hua in surprise, "Are there always so many people in Beijing during the New Year?"
Ji Changying also looked outside. Apart from the dense crowds of people, she couldn't see clearly what was being sold on the street.
Aunt Hua said cheerfully, "Maybe it's because today is the 29th, so everyone is rushing to buy what they missed today. By tomorrow there won't be anyone left to sell, so there are so many people!"
With the experience from the last time, Emperor Mingde was very cautious and chose to hold the palace banquet in the Imperial Garden which was farther away from Piaomiao Garden.
He ordered the place to be nicely decorated and arranged, and sent many guards to guard it, with one guarding every ten steps.
Ji Fengshou and Ji Changchuan were men, and after arriving at the place, they were led by eunuchs to the place for men.
Nanny Hua took Zhou to the gathering place of the ladies from various families, while Ji Changying was taken by the palace maid to where the young lady was staying.
As soon as I arrived at the warm pavilion, I heard a haughty voice: "A young lady like you who came from a barbaric land is worthy of wearing the same color as me? Take off her clothes for me!"
"Wait! It's just the same color, not the same style. Even if you are a princess, you can't bully others like this!"
When Ji Changying heard this voice, he was surprised.
Why does this voice sound like Kou Yunyi's?
Without stopping, she walked into the warm pavilion.
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