The words "tung oil" and "cloth" were like two red-hot branding irons, deeply imprinted in Lin Wanwan's mind, keeping her tossing and turning all night.
She knew that beneath Regent Xiao Yuan's gentle and refined facade lay a face of utter madness. He wasn't just plotting a rebellion; he intended to turn the entire palace into a fiery inferno!
Finding accelerants alone is not enough to definitively condemn him. That would at most be considered a dereliction of duty due to "inadequate oversight." What she needs is irrefutable evidence that directly links these incriminating facts to the Regent himself.
She needs to find the key that can unlock all the shackles.
"Check the accounts!"
The next morning, Lin Wanwan gave new instructions to Qin Zheng, who had come to report back.
This time, her goal was clearer and more dangerous.
"Focus on all the accounts of the Imperial Household Department," Lin Wanwan's eyes were as calm as a deep winter pool, "especially all the funds related to palace repairs, purchases, and construction projects in the last six months. I don't want to look at the general ledger; I want to see the detailed breakdown of every expenditure! I want to know who ultimately pocketed every single penny!"
This was an extremely large and tedious task. The accounts of the Imperial Household Department were vast and intricate, having undergone countless manipulations and were already flawless. Trying to find a flaw in them was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
But Lin Wanwan believed in Qin Zheng.
She trusted this first lady-in-waiting, who came from a merchant family and had a beast-like intuition for numbers.
Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Zheng immediately accepted the order and left. She knew that this was the Empress's trust in her, and also the ultimate test of her abilities.
For the next two days, Qin Zheng was almost constantly restless, burying herself in the mountain of account books in the Imperial Household Department.
She and her most capable female officials, in the dimly lit archives room, by the flickering candlelight, turned page after page and checked each entry one by one.
At first, everything seemed normal.
The accounts were meticulously maintained, with income and expenditure matching, and every transaction had a legitimate purpose. Whether it was the cost of stones for repairing the palace walls or the labor for replacing glazed tiles, everything was clearly recorded.
However, Qin Zheng's keen business intuition allowed her to detect a discordant note in these seemingly perfect accounts.
Too many!
The repair costs are too high!
Although the palace is large, there have been no major palace renovation projects in the past six months. However, the total amount of these scattered "renovation funds" has already exceeded the cost of building a brand new palace last year!
There's definitely something wrong with the money!
This discovery gave Qin Zheng a jolt of energy. She immediately changed her strategy, no longer focusing on the specific purpose of each expenditure, but instead singled out all the huge expenditures disguised as "renovation funds" and began frantically tracing the ultimate beneficiaries of these funds.
Finally, late at night on the third day, when Qin Zheng pieced together the last clue, a result that even she found chilling came to her spine.
These enormous sums of money, after going through many twists and turns, eventually ended up flowing to several seemingly unrelated people—several Imperial Guard captains who held real power in patrolling the palace!
At that moment, Qin Zheng felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.
The regent is not only manufacturing weapons privately, but he has also extended his reach into the core of the Imperial Guard responsible for protecting the palace! He is using these ill-gotten gains to bribe the emperor's gatekeepers!
The discovery was so astonishing that Qin Zheng dared not delay and immediately reported the results to Lin Wanwan in secret.
Kunning Palace, inside the study.
Lin Wanwan looked at the list Qin Zheng presented, her expression more solemn than ever before.
Each name on the list was like a poisonous thorn, deeply embedded in the flesh of imperial power. These people were responsible for the safety of the palace on ordinary days; if they were to defect, the consequences would be unimaginable!
"Do you have any evidence?" Lin Wanwan's voice was cold and calm.
Qin Zheng shook her head, her expression grave, and said, "Your Majesty, the accounts are too clean. All the payments were ultimately made to several fictitious private businesses under the guise of 'wages' or 'material costs.' We... have no direct evidence to prove that this money ultimately ended up in the hands of those captains."
Without evidence, it means everything is just speculation.
These accounts alone are not enough to bring down those officers who hold military power; on the contrary, they will only alert them.
Lin Wanwan's fingers tapped lightly on the table.
"If there is no evidence, then... let the evidence 'come out' on its own."
She raised her head, looked at Qin Zheng, and a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.
"Of these people, which one is the easiest to deal with?"
Qin Zheng immediately understood Lin Wanwan's meaning. After a moment of contemplation, she pointed to a name on the list and said, "Your Majesty, it should be this one, Lieutenant Wang. He is greedy and lustful, but relatively dull-witted and the least wary."
“Okay.” Lin Wanwan nodded. “Let’s start with him.”
A daring fishing plan targeting the "black ledger" quickly took shape between the master and servant.
...
The following day, an unexpected "distinguished guest" arrived at the residence of Wang Defa, a captain of the Imperial Guards.
A female official from Kunning Palace, accompanied by several young palace maids, arrived at the Prince's residence carrying several boxes of precious gifts.
The imperial edict read aloud by the female official left Wang Defa flattered. It turned out that the Empress had heard of his recent arduous patrols and had specially bestowed upon him some precious medicinal herbs and silks.
Although the Empress has lost power, she is still of noble status. Wang Defa dared not be negligent and quickly invited the female official into the most luxurious study in the mansion to serve tea.
Just as Wang Defa was beaming with joy at the several boxes of gifts, the female official in charge "accidentally" slipped while rising to bow, and the teacup in her hand slipped out of her grasp!
"oops!"
With a gasp, scalding hot tea was spilled all over the expensive Persian carpet in the study.
"My lord, please forgive me! This servant deserves to die!" The female official immediately knelt down in panic and kowtowed repeatedly.
Wang Defa's good mood was interrupted, and he was somewhat displeased, but seeing the maid's frightened face, he didn't really make a scene. He just waved his hand impatiently and said, "Alright, alright, it's just a carpet. Clean it up quickly!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" The female official was overjoyed and hurriedly called to the maid to wipe the soaked carpet.
Just as she was wiping the carpet and lifting a corner of it, a sharp-eyed palace maid suddenly exclaimed "Eh!"
Her movements stopped.
Her gaze was fixed on the seam of the wooden floor beneath the carpet.
There, on the edge, seemed to be hiding something.
Under the stern gaze of the head maid, the young palace maid seemed frightened and quickly lowered her head to continue wiping. But in a corner unnoticed by anyone, a glint of triumphant gleam flashed in the head maid's eyes.
The entire process was flawless.
That evening, Qin Zheng personally delivered a detailed copy of the secret report to Lin Wanwan.
It was a copy of an account book.
The record clearly shows how many bribes Lieutenant Wang received from the Regent's steward on several occasions over the past year; how many cronies he placed for the Regent using his power; and even how much military equipment he resold!
Every single word, every single sentence, was enough to warrant the execution of his entire family!
This is a walking "black ledger," and now it has come into Lin Wanwan's hands.
Qin Zheng solemnly handed the copied account book to Lin Wanwan, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement: "Your Majesty, we succeeded!"
Lin Wanwan took the heavy copy and slowly flipped through it.
Each name recorded above represents a bomb buried beside Xiao Che, ready to explode at any moment.
This is a veritable "death list".
However, there was no joy on Lin Wanwan's face.
She just watched quietly until she turned the last page.
She slowly closed the ledger, raised her head, and looked out at the deep night.
"Not enough."
Her voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth.
Qin Zheng was slightly taken aback: "Your Majesty?"
Lin Wanwan turned around and looked at the "death list" that was enough to make several high-ranking officials of the Imperial Guard roll their heads. Her eyes became even deeper and even more... hungry.
"A black ledger can only prove the corruption of a few captains. The Regent can easily sacrifice the pawns to save the king, claiming he was misled by his servants. I don't want these small fry."
She reached out and tapped the list lightly, her voice so cold it seemed to freeze the air.
"What I want is something that will ensure he can never recover..."
"Ironclad evidence!"
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