Chapter 221 Let’s Go Back to Xi’s House Together
The flood in Jiangnan is true, so there are naturally many clues. The most obvious one is that the grain merchants in Beijing have already purchased grain and are transporting it to the south.
When Xiao Ji arrived at Yang Mansion last night, Mr. Yang had already received a letter from his grandson. As expected, two prefectures in Jiangnan had suffered from floods, and the prefecture where his grandson was located was also affected. However, because of early preparations, the disaster was not serious.
Hearing that Xiao Ji was going to expose the matter and report it to the emperor, Yang Gong was stunned for a moment before placing another piece of evidence in front of him. That was the evidence of embezzlement of funds for repairing rivers and canals in the disaster-stricken prefecture.
"If those canals had been carefully dredged, this year wouldn't be like this... The governor of this prefecture, Liu Kuan, is the uncle of Prince Ning's concubine."
Xiao Ji met his grandfather's eyes and took over this heavy piece of evidence. He knew that once he handed this evidence over, it would mean that he had officially broken off relations with King Ning. When the other kings met their end, there would be no turning back.
The young prince's fingers gently stroked the account book. The roughness of the paper seemed to carry the weight of blood and tears. He nodded heavily.
"I will present this evidence to the king, Prince Ning. If he wants revenge, then he can come."
When she returned to the palace, Qingwu had also returned. She told Xiao Ji about her trip to the princess's mansion. While she was speaking, she stared at Xiao Ji, trying to see any reluctance on his face, but unexpectedly the young man smiled with relief.
"It's just right. Once I expose this matter, that person will probably be really angry with me. Since grandma is willing, I will go and discuss it with grandpa tomorrow."
However, that night, Xiao Ji received news from his father-in-law, Xi Jianan. He had escorted the ancient tripod to the capital! It was only a three-day journey to the capital, and he had sent this letter as fast as he could to prepare Xiao Ji.
Knowing that his father-in-law had adopted his method and actually found a real tripod, Xiao Ji felt relieved. The next day, while sending a message to the princess's residence, he immediately entered the Zichen Palace with evidence of the flood in Jiangnan.
All parties started to move. Xiao Yuluan had already ordered people to investigate the secret army, and also summoned Shen Yushan.
"Do you know about the floods in several prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River?" Perhaps other people in the court did not know about it, but Shen Yushan, the Minister of the Chancellery, must have known about it.
Shen Yushan knew that Xiao Yuluan couldn't hide this from him, so he bowed and admitted, "Yes, I noticed some clues yesterday."
"Then why did you conceal it?"
Xiao Yuluan slammed her hand on the table, anger unconcealed in her eyes.
Shen Yushan lowered his head for a long time. "I haven't received any clear documents. If I report it rashly, there may be errors."
However, Xiao Yuluan simply didn't believe it. She was somewhat disappointed. "When did you become such a person who disregards human life? Do you know that the court was unable to provide timely assistance to the flood-stricken areas? You still hesitated and concealed the news. How many more people will die?"
"I know."
"Then why did you do this?"
Amidst Xiao Yuluan's questioning, Shen Yushan raised his head, his eyes already reddened, his Adam's apple rolling as he said, "I want to report back in seven days."
Seven days later is Xiao Yuancheng's birthday, the emperor's longevity festival.
"Are you crazy?!" Xiao Yuluan blurted out subconsciously. Reporting such news on the emperor's birthday was such a bummer! The incompetent might be punished on the spot, and even if not, the emperor would be extremely disgusted.
"I'm not crazy. To accomplish great things, there must be sacrifices. Princess, if we want to rebel, we need a reputation. This tragic news on the emperor's birthday will let everyone in the world see clearly that this emperor is unworthy of his position!"
A hint of determination flashed in Shen Yushan's eyes. "By then, public resentment will boil over, shaking his power. This will also be the best excuse for us to start a rebellion later."
"If we report this according to common sense, His Majesty would at most send an imperial envoy to provide disaster relief, and then life would resume as usual. Only by revealing this bloody truth at the moment of his greatest triumph can we shock the entire government and the people, and completely lose their hearts!"
But Xiao Yuluan still didn't agree: "Do you know how many more people will die in these seven days?"
"I've been thinking about this ever since yesterday, and I'm uneasy." Shen Yushan's voice choked with sobs. "But if I report this now, I'll just find a few scapegoats. The funds for repairs in the prefectures below will still be embezzled, and floods will still occur. As long as this person is still in this position, nothing will change."
After serving as the Minister of the Chancellery for several years, Shen Yushan knew exactly what Xiao Yuancheng wanted. He wanted him to live a few more years and be emperor for a few more years. He wanted his last days in office to be peaceful and prosperous, and for his name to go down in history.
Therefore, he was unwilling to rectify the civil service, unwilling to carry out reforms, and let many things go unnoticed, and countless people were gradually suffering.
Thinking of this, Shen Yushan suddenly knelt and kowtowed heavily: "I am willing to bear this lifelong resentment and eternal infamy to help Your Highness achieve the throne!"
Thunder roared outside the window, and suddenly heavy rain began to pour down. Xiao Yuluan looked at the man kneeling before her, speechless for a moment.
He really felt that she wanted the throne, and he really intended to risk everything to help her get to that position!
At this moment, she thought that if she could really take that person away and then give him to someone else, he would be disappointed, right?
Forcefully suppressing this thought, Xiao Yuluan still disagreed with this matter. "We still have time. He has already taken Mingxu's elixir. He won't last more than a year."
Mingxu's pills nourish a person at first, but they consume the body's energy in advance. Over time, a disease may very likely take his life.
"But if he lives one more day, many things will change. If he secretly appoints a crown prince..."
Just as the two were arguing, a servant knocked on the door, "Your Highness, a secret letter has been sent from Prince Zhao's Mansion!"
The two of them fell silent at the same time. When someone came in in the rain, Xiao Yuluan quickly opened the letter. After reading ten lines at a glance, she smiled.
"Now, your plan has failed."
Xiao Yuluan handed the letter to Shen Yushan, who read it quickly. Knowing that Xiao Ji had collected evidence and went to Zichen Palace, Shen Yushan stood there for a long time, and finally showed an expression that was both relieved and like a wry smile.
"Prince Zhao is still as true to himself as he was when he was the crown prince. But with his actions like this, His Majesty will surely be fed up with him, right? Is this the heir you've chosen? After this action, even if His Majesty secretly appoints the crown prince, I'm afraid it won't even be his turn."
"Not necessarily. Look at this page."
Xiao Yuluan handed over another piece of letter paper. Shen Yushan glanced at it and was shocked again, "Xi Jingzhou sent a tripod to the capital? The Longevity Tripod?"
"If you want to kill him, you must make him crazy." Xiao Yuluan smiled faintly and looked at Shen Yushan, "With Xi Jingzhou's Longevity Cauldron, Xiao Ji will be fine even if he is scolded for a few days."
Xi Jingzhou is now Xiao Ji's official father-in-law. If he wins the emperor's favor, Xiao Ji will naturally benefit.
"Now, all you have to do is go to the palace and speak for Prince Ning."
As soon as a look of doubt appeared on Shen Yushan's face, Xiao Yuluan handed him the last page of the letter. The letter also contained some evidence that the governor of the flood-stricken prefecture had embezzled funds for repairing rivers and canals.
Shen Yushan immediately understood what Xiao Yuluan meant, bowed, turned around and left.
At noon that day, Xiao Yuancheng learned about the flood in the south of the Yangtze River. Xiao Yuancheng summoned Prince Ning and the Minister of the Chancellery to question him. Prince Ning's concubine's uncle was embezzling money. Prince Ning was in the Ministry of Revenue and could not escape.
The specific situation inside the Purple Palace is unknown. We only know that the two princes almost fought each other after they left the Purple Palace. In the end, they were forcibly separated by the Jinwu Guards, and the flood issue was fully handed over to the Shangshu Ling for handling.
Once the news spread, it immediately caused an uproar, and countless families were mobilized.
King Wen just sneered, "That fool actually dared to be the first to speak out..."
Xiao Yuancheng of Zichen Palace was indeed very unhappy. "Jiangnan is prone to rain, so why make such a big fuss about the flood? The official document from the prefecture hasn't arrived yet, so why is he so anxious? He cares more about the people than I, the emperor, do."
Bai De'an lowered his head, not daring to respond. He bent down to take the tea brought by the maid, then took out a pill from the jade bottle and said softly, "Your Majesty...it's noon, it's time to use the elixir."
Seeing the elixir, the anger on Xiao Yuancheng's face dissipated a little. He did feel more energetic than before after taking the elixir these two days.
"Okay, bring it here."
When Xiao Ji returned to his mansion, he briefly mentioned the incident in the Purple Palace, without mentioning the cold reception he received. As for how the court would provide disaster relief or deal with corruption, he didn't care at all. He just took leave and stayed at home until Xi Jianan arrived in the capital.
"Qingqing, let's go back to the Xi family together."
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