Bai Zhi’er looked up and down, nodding her little head: "There’s nothing wrong here."
The Minister of Revenue smiled with his skin but not his eyes: "Please turn a page, Princess."
On the second page was an old man nad Chang Zhongniu, aged fifty-three.
Yet, according to governnt records, the silver tael given to him annually amounted to eighty taels, along with ten acres of good land.
The Minister of Revenue said indignantly: "There are so many loyal soldiers who have worked hard for Great Chu, why does this Uncle Chang receive so much subsidy?"
"I suspect there is corruption involved, so I investigated thoroughly and discovered that this Old Soldier Chang, before retiring, was following Prince Qing, part of the elite team under his command!"
"Your Highness, I have reason to suspect that soone is using the Prince’s influence to gain personal profit."
"I humbly request the Princess to issue an order to search the ho of this Old Soldier Chang imdiately, we will surely uncover more evidence."
The surrounding ministers were all in an uproar.
How dare the Minister of Revenue speak ill of Prince Qing!
Could it be that the Emperor secretly ordered an action against Prince Qing?
Recently, there has been frequent turmoil regarding Prince Qing.
So say that Prince Qing’s mansion in the Capital is even larger than the Imperial Garden.
Others say he was seen squandering thousands of gold in gambling houses, living a dissolute life.
Still others claim that his mansion is filled with nurous concubines, living in excess and debauchery.
The fact that the Minister of Revenue dared to openly demand an investigation into Prince Qing’s forces at the morning court shows that he ca prepared.
Bai Zhi’er, however, did not rush to answer, her little face steeped in contemplation.
She asked softly: "Shouldn’t we thoroughly investigate the specific reasons before deciding whether to search the house?"
After all, searching a ho like this is equivalent to raiding a house.
It is usually used to deal with traitors and corrupt officials.
The Minister of Revenue opposed: "An old soldier, if not protected by soone, how would the governnt dare to give him so much silver tael and fertile land?"
"It can be seen that even if we investigate, there will still be soone to exonerate that old soldier and cover up the wrongdoing. Therefore, in my opinion, only by directly raiding the house can we seize the evidence."
Bai Zhi’er appeared sowhat in a bind.
The little one thought for a while, looking toward Feng Fuce.
"Brother Fu Ce."
Feng Fuce stepped forward, waiting for her instructions.
The young one said: "Then you, this afternoon, take the Xiuluo Guard to this old man’s house and see what you find."
Feng Fuce nodded: "Alright."
The Minister of Revenue quickly said: "Your Highness, should we arrange for the Imperial Guard and governnt soldiers to accompany as well?"
Bai Zhi’er waved her little hand: "No need to mobilize so many people, I trust Brother Fu Ce can handle it."
Thus, the Minister of Revenue had words on his lips but eventually had to give up and retreated back among the civil officials.
The morning court dispersed.
Bai Zhi’er bypassed the screen behind the Dragon Chair and ca to an inconspicuous little room.
The officials had no way to pass the Dragon Chair, so naturally they didn’t know there was a room behind it.
As the door opened, there was a handso, upright man, dressed in a scarlet Dragon Robe, sipping tea in contemplation.
"Father!" Bai Zhi’er rushed into Bai Xilie’s arms.
The little one blinked her big round eyes, looking up and said: "Everything was just as you predicted, Father, soone really accused Uncle!"
Bai Xilie gently stroked his daughter’s soft hair with his large hand: "Zhi’er, well done."
He had suspected sothing early on when he heard that during the construction of the Fengchao Mansion, Prince Qing had sent people to cause trouble.
Prince Qing was his youngest brother, and although they had their share of disagreents, Bai Xilie knew Prince Qing’s character very well.
He was not the type to engage in secret plots.
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