Chapter 250: The handle? Deposed Queen?
The Queen looked nervous, "Yun Zheng, don't try to frame me."
This is the evil person who filed the complaint first. He hasn't even seen the video yet, but he's already making false accusations to clear himself.
Yun Zheng's expression was subtle. "You burned down the Qiankunning Palace's accounting office. It looked like you were destroying evidence."
"But each palace keeps accounts, and the Imperial Household Department also has account books. What's the point of burning just one place? You have to burn them all together."
Once the accounts of all parties are compared, the results will come out soon.
The Queen naturally knew that this was too tight of a timeframe.
Moreover, based on her understanding of the emperor, for the sake of the royal family's dignity, he would stop there and not investigate further without the account book.
After all, she is the mother of a country and has four princes.
Most importantly, she has an amulet!
To touch them mother and son would shake the foundation of the country.
At most, she would suffer a little, endure some hardships, be put in solitary confinement for a few days, and be punished by copying the female code of conduct. These were not very painful punishments.
However, Yun Zheng refused to give in and instigated the emperor to continue the investigation!
She blamed everything on Yun Zheng, ignoring the bad things she had done and the emperor's vengeful character.
Yun Zheng handed over the paper covered with handwriting. "Your Majesty, please look at the figures I listed. These are the annual allowances given to the Empress Dowager this year, based on the accounts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
"Just the silk items: 2 pieces of python satin, 2 pieces of patchwork satin, 2 pieces of gold-woven satin, 1 piece of shimmering satin, 2 pieces of gold-lettered satin, 2 pieces of cloud satin, 4 pieces of plain satin, and 10 pieces of plain brocade."
"This is the account of the Cining Palace. The Queen Mother only received a small half."
The lines of numbers are in sharp contrast and clear.
The emperor took a closer look and saw one piece of python satin, one piece of mended satin, one piece of gold woven satin, one piece of cloud satin, four pieces of plain satin, and four pieces of plain brocade.
After comparing the accounts on both sides, except for the plain satin, all the others were cut in half, and there were still two items missing.
"The shimmering satin and the gold-lettered satin are not included in the account."
Yun Zheng was amazed. "Yes, she's already skimped on this one item alone."
In fact, it is so good that you can’t tell.
She pointed to other items, and the harshness of the situation was clear and shocking.
In the past few years, she didn't dare to go too far and did it secretly, but there was no response from the Cining Palace, and the queen became more and more daring.
The Cining Palace is isolated from the outside world and is blocked from the eyes and ears. She can hide the truth from both sides and get away with it.
"She even dares to defraud the Queen Mother, so what about the others?"
The emperor's face turned pale with anger. He picked up the thick account book and threw it at her, "Evil woman."
The evidence was conclusive and irrefutable. The queen did not dare to hide. The account book hit her shoulder. She gasped in pain, her face turned pale, and her mind raced.
"Your Majesty, I intend to wait until the holidays before presenting it to the Empress Dowager."
She found a reason that was barely acceptable.
But someone from the Mirror Department came in and said, "Report, we have all kinds of silk in the warehouse, except for shimmering satin and gold-lettered satin."
Yun Zheng raised an eyebrow. "The things are not in the Cining Palace or the Kunning Palace, but the Queen said that I can only bring them in next time. That's not right."
The queen glared at her fiercely and said, "You are always troublesome."
The emperor was furious, "Queen, explain where these things went?"
The queen tried her best to calm herself down, and she believed that there must be a way to resolve the situation.
"I have already given it as a reward, but I will make it up to you next time. It's just a few pieces of cloth."
Yun Zheng's lips curled up slightly. "Glitter satin and gold-lettered satin are the latest fabrics to be successfully developed. Only two bolts are woven each year, and all of them are sent to the imperial palace as tribute. The market price is already five thousand taels per bolt, and there's still no demand."
"Your Majesty, your queen has very high standards. She doesn't even look down on this. It's just a few pieces of cloth."
The emperor's eyes were filled with disgust. "You believe what a hypocritical person who is full of lies says?"
"If you really don't want it, you wouldn't do such a thing as withholding money. How can you be the mother of the nation? You're clearly a traitor to the nation."
This curse was so harsh that everyone wanted to cover their ears and not hear anything.
The queen's face turned pale and blue, her heart and liver were about to burst, and her whole body was trembling.
"I didn't steal it. I just distributed it in several times."
Yun Zheng glanced at her calmly and said, "My dear friend, according to palace rules, should the annual gift be given all at once or in installments?"
The chief eunuch was extremely respectful and said, "Since it's an annual gift, it's naturally a one-time thing."
The Queen hurriedly explained, "I was too busy to deal with it in time. I promise I won't do it again next time."
Yun Zheng played with her brush and demanded aggressively, "Who was the reward given to? There should be records in the palace."
The Queen's head was buzzing. "I can't remember clearly."
Yun Zheng chuckled, having been waiting for her to say this.
"Your Majesty, it seems that the Queen has become senile and confused, and is no longer qualified to be the Queen."
The Queen was furious. "Yun Zheng, do you really want to make things difficult for me?"
When she gets through this, the first people she will take revenge on are Yun Zheng and the Yun family behind her.
She could not get rid of the hatred in her heart unless she executed the entire Yun family.
Yun Zheng saw the murderous intent in her eyes and was shocked. This game is destined to be a fight between you and me!
But, with an innocent look on his face, "What are you talking about, Queen? I'm just checking the accounts."
The commander of the imperial guards walked in and said, "Your Majesty, we have interrogated all the servants in Kunning Palace. According to the confession of the Queen's confidants, they leave the palace once every two weeks to dispose of some tributes and excess items."
Extra stuff? That's really interesting.
"Golden satin and shimmering satin are extremely popular out there. Three pieces sell for thirty thousand taels."
"Over the years, I probably sold it for two hundred thousand taels of silver."
"And all this money is deposited with her parents, the Cheng'en Mansion."
It is customary for the queen's family to be granted the title of Duke Cheng'en.
As he spoke, the queen's expression became uglier.
She tried to stop it many times, but was ignored, and her heart sank.
The emperor looked puzzled. "You are the mother of a country, why do you need so much money?"
She has the best food, clothing and other necessities, and no one can shortchange her.
The queen's heart sank, and she retorted, "You are the ruler of a country, why do you want money?"
emperor:……
Yun Zheng suppressed her smile, looking at the sky and the earth, but not at them.
Unexpectedly, the flames of war soon spread to her.
The Queen roared indignantly, "You are the Emperor, and I am the Empress. Why does Yun Zheng earn mountains of gold and silver for you, but only gives me a few melons and dates to send off?"
What is worrying is not the lack of wealth but the inequality.
In front of the mountains of gold and silver, she was jealous and stimulated!
The emperor was really angry, "You still want to compete with me? Are you worthy?"
"Manager Zhang, go and search the Cheng'en Mansion."
Mr. Zhang dared not breathe, "Yes."
He took the order and turned to leave.
The Queen could not help but get anxious. "Your Majesty, please take back your order. My family has not committed such a crime. If you want to blame someone, blame me."
The emperor looked at her deeply and said, "The queen is seriously ill and cannot get up. From now on, all the concubines in the six palaces will come to Kunning Palace to attend to her."
As soon as these words were spoken, the scene became unusually quiet, and everyone looked horrified.
Like a basin of ice water poured over her head, the queen's fevered mind became completely clear, and her heart felt as if it had fallen into hell.
This isn't just about deposing the queen, he wants her to die of illness!
Her legs softened and she knelt down, "Your Majesty, I was just confused for a moment, I will make up for the shortfall, I was wrong!"
She burst into tears, "One night of marriage is a hundred days of grace. You and I have been married for more than 20 years. Please forgive me for the sake of our past love."
Seeing the emperor's indifference, the queen's eyes flashed with resentment. "Well, you forced me to do this! If you are unkind, I will be unjust!"
She is going to use ruthless tactics!
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