Mo'er gave a mocking smile, "These things have gone through several layers of intermediaries, so you can't find them at all without careful inspection."
Moreover... the Prime Minister has served two dynasties and cultivated his influence in the court for many years; his influence is not to be underestimated.
The Ministry of Justice might not be willing to investigate further. If someone secretly gave instructions, they would turn a blind eye, since those properties were no longer considered Zhu's, and it wouldn't matter if they weren't found.
Do you think the saying "officials protect each other" is just a joke?
They are protecting the interests of the civil service system.
Besides, when the Zhu family's property was raided, a considerable amount of silver was seized. Who would have thought they had secretly transferred so much more out over the years?
Rong Ning rubbed her temples, looking somewhat tired. "This court is far more complicated than I imagined."
“Yes…” Mo’er replied.
"Do you think the Prime Minister is involved in the affairs of the North?" Rong Ning asked again.
Upon hearing this, Mo'er laughed and answered without hesitation, "There probably is, but there's no evidence! Prefect Zhu is tight-lipped and would rather drag the entire Zhu clan to ruin than not take full responsibility, so there's no way to investigate this matter any further!"
But we seem to have found a breakthrough: one of Zhu's concubine's children hasn't been implicated. This might be why Prefect Zhu dares to take all the blame.
Rong Ning nodded. "Where is this mistress now? Have you found her?"
“No…” Mo’er shook her head, “There’s not a trace of him, it’s like he’s vanished into thin air.”
Rong Ning tucked the ledger into her bosom and said coldly, "It seems... the person behind this is quite powerful. As long as we don't let this mistress be found, we can keep the prefect in check and hold out until the case is closed!"
But if that's the case, how can anyone be content with it?
If this concubine's daughter is a handle that can make the prefect change his testimony, then we should do everything we can to find her.
"Mo'er, pass on my order: use all intelligence networks to search for Zhu's mistress and her son. Be careful during the operation, and don't alert them!"
Mo'er stood up and said solemnly, "Yes, Your Highness!"
"Thank you for your hard work!" Rong Ning patted Mo'er's shoulder. "Have A Ying escort you out. Be careful in everything!"
Mo'er nodded, "Okay! You take good care of yourself too!"
The moon, which had been hanging in the sky, suddenly fell, and the night became as dark as ink. Aying and Mo'er disappeared into the night.
Half an hour later, A-Ying returned to report, "Your Highness, Miss Mo'er has been sent back!"
"good..."
Rong Ning sprawled out on the chair, saying leisurely, "Let's wash up and go to sleep. We'll go to the East Palace first thing tomorrow morning!"
It would be difficult for Rong Ning to find the person in a short time on her own, so she needs the Crown Prince's help.
If it weren't for the fact that it was already late at night and the palace gates weren't locked, Rong Ning would have rushed into the East Palace to find the Crown Prince right now.
It was getting late, and Rong Ning, not wanting to go back to the courtyard, decided to make do with sleeping in the study since she wouldn't get much sleep.
There was only one couch in the study, which Rong Ning and A Ying each took half of and fell asleep immediately.
After a long day, I fell asleep quickly and slept well, waking up refreshed the next day.
After tidying up and instructing the steward of the princess's residence to take good care of Xie Xizhu, he went to the palace without stopping.
Rong Ning's status was what it was; she didn't need to pay her respects to the Consort when she entered the palace again after a long time. She also didn't want to see the Emperor, since she wouldn't be able to say many nice words anyway, and it would only waste the father-daughter relationship. So she went straight to the East Palace.
When the palace maids and eunuchs of the East Palace saw her arrive, their eyelids twitched. The head eunuch respectfully ushered her in. "His Highness the Crown Prince has gone to the Taiji Hall and hasn't returned yet. This servant doesn't know when His Highness will return. Your Highness, would you like to send someone to invite His Highness back?"
“Alright…send someone over there to check. If there’s nothing urgent, call His Highness the Crown Prince back, just be careful not to disturb His Majesty…” Rong Ning waved her hand. “I’ll wait here for the Crown Prince to return. Have someone prepare some food.”
"Yes, sir!"
The person in charge accepted the order and left.
Rong Ning plopped down on the floor. She had come in such a hurry that she hadn't had time to eat anything, so she would just have to make do with a meal at the East Palace.
The Crown Prince returned very quickly; Rong Ning hadn't even finished her bowl of porridge when he rushed back.
Seeing Rong Ning enjoying her meal, he was somewhat speechless.
He was busy with the morning court session and hadn't eaten yet, but this little girl was quite unceremonious, treating the Eastern Palace like a princess's residence, feeling extremely comfortable.
He gestured to the palace servants to prepare another set of bowls and chopsticks before slowly walking over and plopping down. "Didn't you swear yesterday that you wouldn't be coming to the palace for a while?"
"Something's up!" Rong Ning finished a mouthful of porridge in one gulp. "I have something to tell you, you..."
"Wait!"
The crown prince raised his hand to interrupt, "Let me eat something first."
Given Rong Ning's personality, she wouldn't run into the East Palace for no reason, and the fact that she ran in so early this morning must mean something important.
The crown prince felt he needed to eat his fill first, otherwise he wouldn't be able to eat later.
Rong Ning nodded. There was no rush, so she put down her chopsticks and watched him eat.
However, the Crown Prince was well-mannered and did not eat as quickly as Rong Ning. He ate slowly and deliberately. Rong Ning watched for a while and couldn't stand it anymore. She tapped the table and said, "Eat faster! It's just a bowl of porridge and a few snacks. Can't you finish it in a few bites? Why are you acting like you're enjoying delicacies?"
cough......
The prince choked... He couldn't catch his breath and his face turned red.
Rong Ning sighed heavily, walked over and patted him on the back, "What are you doing? Why are you acting like a three-year-old while eating?"
"It's all your fault!" The prince finally calmed down. "I'm just eating something, why are you rushing me!"
Tsk...
Rong Ning wanted to slap him on the forehead, but she held back in the end. After all, there were so many people watching, and she had to give him some face.
He exhaled, waved away all the servants, and then told Ah Heng and Ah Ying to watch.
"Then you eat your food, and I'll just listen to what I'm saying!"
"Alright...then tell me!" the prince continued eating. "What's so important that you came all this way so early in the morning?"
"The Zhu family has a concubine who is well-cared for and hidden away. This time, when the Zhu family was imprisoned, he was not implicated!"
"What did you say?"
The crown prince immediately stopped eating. "What did you say? The Zhu family has a concubine?"
"Hmm... things that those incompetent officials in the Ministry of Justice haven't found out!!"
The Crown Prince slammed his chopsticks down. "They're not just good-for-nothings; they're hypocritical. If Prefect Zhu hadn't taken the blame alone, the entire court would have been shaken, and the interests of the civil service system would have been harmed. They've thought it through; they're not afraid to hide some crucial information that's not easily noticed!"
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