C69

The moonlight was like silver, accompanied by a few sparse twinkling stars. The cold winter evening wind blew on their bodies, bringing along a tinge of chilling coldness. The air was wet and the silent street was covered with snow. Under the moonlight, the street was covered in a layer of silver light, giving off a mysterious sense of beauty.

A grey figure moved forward neatly and sneaked into a rather quiet courtyard. There were rows of pine and cypress in the yard. Snow fell with the wind, and the man in gray's footsteps were light. He didn't stop after entering the hospital, instead, he walked into a dimly lit room.

"Greetings, Master!" The man's voice was low and low, his manner respectful.

Sitting in the hall was a thin man in luxurious clothing. His back was facing the light, and one couldn't see the expression on his face. His tone was flat and emotionless, unlike the atmosphere in the room, "How was the negotiation between you and that person?"

"He seems to be swaying, but according to this subordinate's observation, sooner or later, he will listen to master's orders."

"That's good. There is no need to be hasty. What is the result of the investigation you sent people to do? It was almost the end of the year, so why hadn't any detailed books been submitted yet? Don't you guys want to go back and celebrate New Year? " The man's tone was flat and unchanging, even though it was a question, as if he was born with it.

The man in gray bowed his head. "It's almost done. I've made some new discoveries in the recent days. If it's true, it will be extremely helpful to master's career."

"Really?" "I hope you are right. I will leave first in two days. After you have settled the matters with me, you must also withdraw. Do you understand that you cannot reveal your identity now?"

"This subordinate understands. Mistress, don't worry!"

The cold air outside grew stronger, and the grey-clothed person slipped out of the room and left quietly as he had arrived. The yard was silent, the wind had picked up a bit, and the people in the room were still sitting motionlessly on their chairs, seemingly deep in thought …

Everything was quiet in the Mansion of the Duke of Qin. After Zhou arrived at the Mansion, Yun Shengyue's heart seemed to calm down a lot. She felt a lot better after a few days.

Seeing that she was happy, Murong Yu didn't say anything more. The worries in his heart were still hidden, and with Zhou accompanying him, it wasn't good for him to guard Yunsheng every day. Coincidentally, something happened in the imperial court, so he couldn't just sit around idly by.

The reason was the corruption case of the city lord of Meng City. Two or three months ago, the imperial court had received reports of this case. At that time, two officials were sent to investigate and one of them died along the way.

However, the report was not blocked. There were still people reporting it. There were also a lot of strong evidence. In addition, there were two other second rank officials. As a result, Yun Chengling and the other officials from the civil court all sent out a letter asking for a thorough investigation of the matter. The result was that they gradually discovered that this corruption and bribery case was not just caused by the audacity of the city lord of Meng City, even the first rank officials of Huan City, Yucheng City and Jiangdu were all under suspicion.

However, the more they did not investigate, the more they found out, and the more they felt that the situation was getting serious. Looking at the officials overseeing the Royal Tomb, they found out that they needed money everywhere, and the Ministry of Revenue actually said that the treasury was not abundant, and did not have much left over money, so they needed to save money.

The emperor read through the reports one by one, feeling shocked in his heart. Although it was not important at the moment, if there was a war or the year of the disaster, the treasury would only grow weaker.

After thinking about it, he realized that he couldn't have an official investigate the matter. Therefore, he had a trusted aide advise him to send the crown prince or the prince himself, or to suppress the greed in the officials' hearts and investigate thoroughly.

If he were to issue an imperial edict, the three princes would all be willing to go, but for the crown prince, the empress would definitely oppose him, and he was not too confident in the crown prince's health. He could also go to Ming Wang Yuan to gain some experience, but the marriage was just around the corner, and they had only just returned to the palace for a short period of time.

This child had always been cold and impartial. He always did things swiftly and swiftly, so this matter shouldn't be a problem. For some reason, the emperor believed from the bottom of his heart that this silent son of his was the most trusting. Moreover, half a year ago, the king had mentioned something about embezzlement, bribery, and the sale of officials. However, at that time, he had not cared about it.

However, seeing that the new year was nearing, and that the imperial concubine was pregnant, the task of investigating the situation was not something that could be settled in a day or two.

"Does Lan Qing have any other candidates?" The emperor thought for a long time before asking the two overseers who were sitting at the foot of the table, the Grand Tutor of the two dynasties, the Blue Nation.

"This time, I am willing to send my son to deal with this matter, but he will not be able to handle it alone. Therefore, in my opinion, only the diligent king is the best choice, and with my son's assistance, we can investigate this case fairly and clearly."

"But... "It looks like the end of the year is approaching. Can you send someone else over until the year ends …"

"Your majesty, this matter cannot be delayed any longer. The previous messenger had alerted us. If it had dragged on for another month or two, then I'm afraid many pieces of evidence would have been destroyed without being able to be verified!" The Blue Nation was a bit agitated. Their grizzled beard was sticking out from the corner of their lips. Judging from his appearance, if it wasn't for their age, they would have taken the initiative to ask for an imperial decree.

The emperor's expression was uneasy. "Although the report said that an envoy was killed by a thief, it is very likely that it was that scoundrel who did it. I won't be at ease if I send my two children over!"

The Emperor does not have to worry, the Prince and the boy both have martial arts skills, and they should be able to travel in the dark this time. In the open, the Emperor has sent an ordinary messenger to investigate, and the report contains information on the suspected ministers of the imperial court, so the emperor sent such people forward, allowing them to deal with things perfunctorily and numb the attention of others. It turned out that the Blue Nation had an idea for a long time.

The emperor thought for a while and then nodded. "Lan Qing's plan is very good. I will draw up a secret decree immediately. With Shang Fang's sword for the king, it will not be enough for those bugs to stop the corruption."

"Your majesty is wise, your majesty is benevolent, but it's a pity that those traitorous vassals relied on the everlasting waters of the mountains to do things that break the law. Right now, they're already endangering the country, and if we don't punish them severely, there will be heavy grievances among the people, and the borders will be tight. I truly dare not imagine it."

"En, Yu'er and Ruo Cheng will handle this matter. I will not be disappointed, but Lan Qing will think things through for me. Next year's Imperial Examinations will give us a dozen percent chance to select some talented people."

"This humble subject understands, Your Majesty need not worry, in the middle of next year, I'll definitely be able to wipe away all the filth. I'll be able to rest my old bones for a while after using a batch of young people who are both capable and virtuous." The Blue Nation was a bit exhausted. He was an old man, and his body wasn't too bad. However, his ambition was already far worse than it had been before.

The emperor said, "Lan Qing has put in great effort. We will definitely not treat him unfairly. When Ruochen comes back from this errand, we will confer him the position of a first rank Imperial Physician."

The reason why this old subject has recommended him to accompany the King in his mission is because the young child has been traveling the martial arts world for a long time, so he knows the King very well in some cities. In addition, he knows the King very well, and the Prince has never abandoned him as a brother, so the old subject thought to let him protect the King in safety, and also let the King grind down his horse in order to learn from him.

Heh heh, Lan Qing's family is too humble. That kid from Ruocheng has an honest and chivalrous temperament. He has always been smart since he was young. Now that the world is at peace, if there's a war in the future, he must be a wise man." The Emperor had a smile on his face.

The serious expression on his face relaxed slightly as he thought of his son. He said, "Although this child is a bit smart, he is too naughty and has been spoiled by the other wives!"

Fortunately, Lan was extremely respected in the country, but his son was not doted on, and he was not able to do anything about it. Even though the four madams and seven older sisters were indulging him, he was so lucky that he did not turn into an embroidered pillow. Not only did he not have the scent of makeup, but his temperament was very strange.

He did not like making friends with the noble children, so he loved to mix in with the market, did not like to dress himself in fancy clothes, and would often travel the world in ordinary attire. He would smile all day, but his connections were extremely good, and it was unknown how many of his friends he had.

He was reluctant to be an officer in the court, as the Blue Nation had said before, but he was determined not to do so. Now that he knew his temperament, as well as his ladies', and understood his grievances as an official, he did not try to force him.

He was the only friend he had ever had, and although the Duke of Qin was a bit eccentric, he was still very fond of his character. Thus, the Kingdom of Lan had to submit a case to the investigation of the corruption of the officials in the city for the sake of their personal interests. Of course, he also believed in his son's ability and didn't blindly take advantage of it.