60. Plunder
◎The prince is a smart man◎
Chapter 60
"Husband?" Seeing that he still didn't respond, Jiang Qiuye called out again.
After hearing this, Ji Ci suddenly let go of his hand, turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Qiuye felt his emotions and knew that this was not a good place to talk, so she just shook her head slightly.
It was late at night when the group returned to the house. After settling Princess Anyang and a group of girls, a sudden noise of chaos was heard outside the courtyard.
Tian Qulai reported that County Magistrate Liu had surrounded them with the officers and soldiers from the county government. He must have delivered a batch of goods to Ji Ci yesterday and had agreed to conduct a financial transaction with him today, but he didn't show up. Feeling that he was being tricked, he rushed over angrily.
Ji Ci rubbed his forehead. He had originally intended to use the deal with Magistrate Liu as bait to lure out the Governor Gao behind the scenes. He had never imagined that his wife would be so busy that it would lead to this.
After instructing Jiang Qiuye not to leave the main courtyard, he followed Tian to the gate. He unbolted the door, but the yamen soldier was caught off guard and fell directly at his feet, landing flat on his face.
It turned out that a group of miscellaneous soldiers were discussing how to break into the house.
When County Magistrate Liu saw the door open, he immediately rushed in, belly protruding. He was furious and yelled, "Ning's son, I gave you all the goods, but where's the money today? You know I waited for you at Huaishan River all afternoon, and you dared to play tricks on me!"
Ji Ci stood with his hands behind his back, silent. Magistrate Liu, feeling humiliated, ordered his soldiers to advance with swords drawn. Unexpectedly, before they could even touch Ji Ci, Tian Qu kicked him in the wrist, sending his sword crashing to the ground. Before he could react, Tian Qu kicked him in the chest, sending him flying several feet away.
County Magistrate Liu roared in anger and drew his sword himself, but he was out of breath as he moved like a fat pig. He raised his sword and slashed at Ji Ci. Ji Ci remained motionless, his eyes cold. A crossbow arrow shot from behind him, piercing through County Magistrate Liu's black gauze hat and penetrating the wall behind him.
County Magistrate Liu, startled by the sudden attack, sat down on the ground. He turned to look at the arrow, still trembling with fear. But before he could calm down, Ji Ci's icy voice reached his ears: "The evidence is irrefutable that he illegally participated in the looting, and coupled with the assassination of a royal prince, he is subject to death penalty. Tianqu, separate this man from Governor Gao and detain him until he returns to the capital for trial."
"Yes! Your Majesty!"
Tian Qu twitched his lips and couldn't help but shudder. He hadn't expected that the prince had just stopped here just to add the crime of assassinating the prince. He stepped forward and grabbed the magistrate Liu, who hadn't figured out the situation yet, and took him away.
As the surrounding government soldiers were at a loss, a guard raised his voice, "This is His Highness Prince Qi, who has concealed his identity and come to Huaixi to personally investigate a case of looting and trafficking. The masterminds, Inspector Gao and Magistrate Liu, have both been executed. His Highness knows that you were deceived by Magistrate Liu. If you surrender now, you will be forgiven for participating in the assassination of the Prince."
After hearing this, the soldiers were terrified and surrendered their weapons and knelt down.
…
Jiang Qiuye and her maids prepared dinner, but Ji Ci still hadn't returned. She wasn't worried about Magistrate Liu's group of soldiers. She waited for an hour, but Ji Ci didn't return. Instead, Princess Anyang and the other girls did.
When Jiang Qiuye heard that they were requesting to meet the Princess outside the main courtyard, he immediately went out to greet them.
Under the firelight, their faces were no longer as pale as they had been in the warehouse, but their eyes were still lifeless. Princess Anyang stood at the front, leading the other girls in a deep kneeling homage to Jiang Qiuye.
When leaving the Lotus Palace, no one dared to relax, and only after they truly realized they had been saved did they finally burst into tears of joy. They had never imagined that it was the Princess of Qi who had entered the enemy camp alone that saved them, so they discussed coming to express their gratitude.
Jiang Qiuye felt a little uneasy. She felt that she couldn't accept such a generous gift from everyone. After all, her original intention was to destroy Wangyou Tower and quickly solve the case and return to Shengjing to get the antidote.
"You, what are you doing? Get up!"
She immediately stepped forward and lifted Princess Anyang up, and asked the girls who were kneeling on the ground to stand up as well.
Princess Anyang shook her head and said, "This is what we deserve. If it weren't for the Imperial Aunt, we wouldn't know how much longer we would have endured torture and pain. We were tossed from place to place, living in darkness all day long, and we thought this might be the end of our lives."
A young girl nearby added, "Yes, we are lucky. Because of our good looks, we were sent to the Lotus Palace first. Unlike some of the other sisters..."
As he spoke, he began to cry and tears could not stop flowing.
Jiang Qiuye was distracted. Speaking of which, the missing sister of the Pan family has not been found yet, and she is probably in great danger this time.
Someone else said, "I was originally a daughter of a wealthy family, but now I've been through this and lost my virginity. Even if I go back home, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to find a good husband."
At this point, everyone looked at each other. Although they were saved, the future was still dark.
Jiang Qiuye glanced at the group of girls, not knowing that they were much luckier than himself, and even luckier than the girl who died at his hands during training at Feiyan Pavilion.
She felt unbearable and said solemnly, "So what? Are you going to die if you can't find a husband? His Royal Highness Prince Qi's new policy has been implemented for three years. It has continuously encouraged women to engage in business, widows to remarry, and dowries are not considered the property of the husband's family. These measures are all aimed at allowing women to live a good life on their own."
"You know, you're lucky to be free now. Some of those who were trafficked long ago, and whose whereabouts are unknown, are still fighting for their lives. To them, innocence means nothing; simply being alive is a luxury. But now you are not only alive, but also free."
Freedom... something she still hasn't achieved.
These words moved all the women, and a spark of hope was planted in their hearts, making them more hopeful about the future.
Princess Anyang looked at the imperial aunt who was only three years older than her, using herself as bait and going deep into the enemy camp alone, and the imperial aunt who comforted her in her ears when she had a mental breakdown.
With a woman like this, it’s no wonder that the emperor’s uncle, that thousand-year-old wooden man, likes her.
After sending the girl away, Jiang Qiuye kept Princess Anyang for a while and asked, "How exactly was the princess kidnapped? Didn't she leave the palace without any servants? What exactly happened?"
Princess Anyang shook her head. "To be honest, I'm baffled. I often like to sneak out of the palace to play, and I do it quite often. Every time, I disguise myself as a man and take my personal eunuch, Hu Hai, with me. I did the same thing that day, but for some reason, Hu Hai disappeared while I was walking. As I was looking for him, a man suddenly appeared and knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, I found myself on a boat with many other girls."
After seeing Princess Anyang off, Jiang Qiuye frowned, realizing that there were some suspicious points that were puzzling.
Firstly, according to the princess, she must have disguised herself as a man when leaving the palace, and the kidnappers would be able to see through her female identity.
Secondly, this was Shengjing City. If this had happened in a place like Huaixi, it would have made perfect sense. However, Shengjing City had strict laws, and looting had never been reported in the city. Even Feiyan Pavilion acted cautiously, yet these kidnappers had openly abducted the princess and escaped the city without incident.
Jiang Qiuye returned to the food table and saw that the food was already cold, but Ji Ci had not returned yet, so he asked someone to take the food away first.
After leaving the main courtyard and asking the old woman at the gate, she learned that something seemed to have happened in Shengjing. Ji Ci had left the house after receiving the news and had not returned since. Near midnight, the old woman hurried to tell Jiang Qiuye that Ji Ci had gone to the study after returning. Jiang Qiuye immediately went to the study to look for him, but it was empty.
Just as she was about to return to her bedroom, she happened to meet another guard who usually followed Ji Ci. After asking again, she learned that Ji Ci went directly to the room where Governor Gao was imprisoned, apparently to interrogate him.
Jiang Qiuye suddenly recalled the words of Governor Gao during the day that she did not understand, as well as Ji Ci's strange mood. Now that she came back, she wanted to interrogate Governor Gao.
Didn’t you say that we would wait until we return to Shengjing for the trial?
Thinking of this, she quietly went to the side room where Governor Gao was imprisoned.
When she arrived, for some reason, there were no guards around, not even Tian Qu. The candlelight flickered in the side room, and Jiang Qiuye's heart suddenly sank. She approached with light steps, listening to the conversation drifting out from the side room, and then peeked through the tiny crack in the door.
Governor Gao sat on the bedside with a scoundrel look on his face and said, "Your Highness, you went to my house tonight and searched it. I don't have any silver hidden except for the money I use on a daily basis. All my most valuable money is in the Lotus Palace."
No silver? Logically speaking, isn't Governor Gao the mastermind behind the looting ring? He should be incredibly wealthy.
Ji Ci closed his eyes, pressed his solar plexus as if he had a headache, and said, "So, there is someone behind you, and most of the money has been taken away."
Governor Gao raised the corner of his mouth, without a trace of feeling like a criminal being put on trial. "Your Highness, I believe you have already guessed and found out who is behind me."
"Yes, I did find out that the money you obtained ended up in Shengjing... the home of the Minister of Revenue."
"Hmm." Governor Gao raised an eyebrow. "Your Highness is indeed a prince, a pillar of the country. He has found the Minister of Revenue so quickly. I believe Your Highness knows what this Ministry of Revenue represents."
Jiang Qiuye unconsciously covered her mouth. Although Governor Gao hadn't said it explicitly, even she understood that the Minister of Revenue would never dare to do such a thing under the feet of the Emperor of Shengjing. How could a Minister of Revenue possibly hide such a large amount of money in his home?
And what does the Ministry of Revenue represent? It represents the national treasury, the emperor's purse.
Therefore, the real mastermind behind this looting group is actually... the emperor himself!
But why did the emperor send Ji Ci to Huaixi to investigate the case? He even resorted to kidnapping his own daughter, Princess Anyang.
But one thing is certain, the emperor does not trust Ji Ci.
Governor Gao continued, "Your Highness is a wise man. You dare not investigate this case, nor can you. Especially if it is brought to light, with the three judicial organs holding a joint trial. How could that be possible? Let me be clear, I am most terrified of torture. If I am tortured, I will confess everything. In the end, it might be Your Highness who will be the one to suffer."
Jiang Qiuye bit her lip and cursed in her heart at the arrogant and smug look of Governor Gao.
Ji Ci was silent for a long time, and finally said: "You are right. Compared to the case of this robbery group, this king does not want to see the country in turmoil because of the truth of this case."
Governor Gao laughed even more upon seeing this. Ji Ci ignored his smile and continued, "In that case, then the case will be left to you. There is no need for the three judicial officials to conduct a joint trial. I have examined you and confirmed that you are the mastermind behind this."
Governor Gao was stunned. "What? What are you talking about, Your Highness? Returning to Shengjing, even if Your Highness doesn't want to, there will be a public trial according to the rules. The best solution is to let me go. Your Highness, can't we just live in peace?"
"How can you believe I will let you go? This case is destined to be completely crushed by you. As for what you said, since you will confess if you return to Shengjing, causing unrest, then apart from the best strategy, I have no choice but to choose another best strategy, which is... to execute first and report later!"
"What?"
Governor Gao was stunned, unable to react. He was still pondering Ji Ci's proposed strategy when he saw him draw his sword from his waist. The blade shone white, its sharp edge piercing his bones. He swung it directly at Governor Gao, leaving him no time to dodge. His head fell to the ground, tumbling several times before coming to a stop, staring at Ji Ci in disbelief. Blood gushed from the severed neck, covering Ji Ci's body and face. Soon, his neckless body collapsed, limp.
Ji Ci glanced at the crack in the side room door and threw the sword to the ground. Before Jiang Qiuye could react in shock, the side room door was opened. He came out covered in blood. Her surprised expression met his cold and ruthless eyes.
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