"No wonder you asked me to track them secretly. It's a pity that person was extremely cunning. After only three or four days of pursuit, all traces of him vanished."
Jiang Xun was somewhat annoyed. If he had known this person was so important to Prince Ding, he would have gone himself instead of letting him lose the trail.
Although they hadn't found Sun Zhong's whereabouts, discovering the lead of Wei Shaochen was still a good thing.
There was nothing that the secret guards of Prince Ding's mansion couldn't find out, so once they knew the name and the person, it was much easier for Xu Lin to act.
Xiao Tingyi said slowly.
"You should recuperate here. Whether you wish to return to Zhongzhou or go elsewhere in the future, this King can protect you for a lifetime, thus repaying the kindness of Prince Yi's brother back then!"
Princess Qianling was deeply moved. Hearing him mention her father, she felt a pang of sorrow.
Her father had no sons and had always trained her as his successor. Who would have thought that she would be ambushed by someone, and even cause Jiang Xun to rush around with her, abandoning the vast Zhongzhou army and the Jiang family?
She naturally felt guilty.
So she nodded and said, "Thank you, Imperial Uncle. I will consider it carefully."
This matter was of great importance, and she had to discuss it with Jiang Xun. Otherwise, making such a rash decision would not be good for either of them.
Xiao Tingyi nodded and then left the courtyard.
Xu Lin, who was behind them, did not follow them but went elsewhere. It was obvious that he was going to arrange for people to search for Wei Shaochen's whereabouts.
Yang Zhao had followed Xiao Tingyi for many years and naturally knew what he was thinking now.
"Your Highness, do you need me to notify our brothers in the capital to cause some trouble for the Wei family? Perhaps Wei Shaochen will then appear."
"No need. Stirring up trouble would be counterproductive. Instead, we can follow this lead of Wei Shaochen to catch the mastermind behind him. This King wants to see who it is that is manipulating everything in Dongdu City, even deceiving Duke Wei."
"Deceive? Your Highness means that the person Wei Shaochen has defected to is not the Ninth Prince?"
Xiao Tingyi sneered, "Duke Wei wants to help the Ninth Prince ascend the throne, purely for the honor of the entire Wei clan. However, the Ninth Prince is not a good choice. If Wei Shaochen had truly defected to him, he would not have remained hidden until now. I'm afraid even Duke Wei is being kept in the dark."
At this thought, Xiao Tingyi's mind became active.
He hadn't encountered any worthy opponents for a long time. Now, the person behind this was clearly orchestrating a grand scheme, and they might even be caught in it.
From the very beginning, perhaps this corruption case of the Grand Canal Administration was his doing.
He meticulously led them to focus all their attention on the Wei family, while he reaped the benefits. Such skill indeed made him somewhat impressed.
Unfortunately, such talent was not being used for good. To seek personal gain at the expense of the common people, even if he succeeded in ascending the throne in the future, he would be no good ruler.
With a suspect in mind, Xiao Tingyi stood with his hands behind his back, his mind calculating.
Meanwhile, Feng Jinyao finally received news about Sun Banxia.
This news was sent by Xu Mingyue.
Speaking of Sun Banxia, she was indeed a capable person.
Her father, Sun Zhong, had held the position of Censorate Commissioner in Huaiyin for so long, and many of his strategies were devised by her.
Since they arrived in Jinling City, Feng Jinyao had found a way to send messages to Huaiyin.
The two places were only a hundred miles apart, yet it took until today for news to arrive.
She didn't know what method she had used, but she managed to embed the message within a letter from the academy to Xu Mingyue. Xu Mingyue was greatly shocked when she saw the message, so she found an excuse and sent it over.
Upon opening the letter, it was indeed Sun Banxia's handwriting.
"To my sister A'Yao, personally," the six characters were written neatly, and what followed was astonishing.
It turned out that Feng Hai was not the only one who habitually shifted account books. Sun Banxia, while handling the Grand Canal Administration affairs for her father, had also made a copy and hidden it in Wenjin Academy.
Sun Banxia knew she was being monitored and that her family's lives were in danger. Her father's whereabouts were unknown and he had lost contact. Therefore, after learning that Feng Jinyao had come to Jinling City, she understood her intentions. After much deliberation, she decided to seek refuge with the Feng family using this item.
Although the Feng family was in opposition to the Wei family and might not be enough on their own, with the Bai family, Lin family, Prince Kang's mansion, and even the Xu family by their side, such a vast alliance would surely be difficult for the Wei family to handle.
This was why she took such action.
Afterward, Xu Mingyue saw several thick account books taken out from the bottom of a chest and handed them to Feng Jinyao.
"I found these items according to the location Sun Banxia described. Although I only managed the household accounts for a few days at home and am not deeply versed in them, I casually calculated a couple of entries and realized the extent of the corruption. Three out of ten, this is not just corruption, it's blatant exploitation! A bunch of parasites! Scourges!"
Even someone as refined as Xu Mingyue almost swore in public, let alone Feng Jinyao.
She carefully examined them for a long time, and was also immensely shocked.
If a mere Censorate Commissioner could embezzle so much, let alone the more than ten Censorate Commissioners in the Grand Canal Administration, not to mention other officials at various levels involved.
This had now exceeded her initial estimations. She calmed her mind and said to Xu Mingyue.
"Sister Xu, you must be very careful. Since Sister Banxia knew to send this through you to me, it's possible that the mastermind might target you. If you have nothing important to do these days, stay in this courtyard. It is much safer here than outside!"
Xu Mingyue was not a foolish person and naturally knew that Feng Jinyao's purpose for coming here was not to find a famous doctor.
Recalling recent events, she suddenly asked with a serious expression.
"Are you here with your second brother to investigate the corruption case?"
"Yes."
"Are you crazy? With no strength to even tie a chicken, aren't you walking into a tiger's den?"
Xu Mingyue's concern for her was evident. Feng Jinyao felt warmth in her heart. She hadn't chosen the wrong sister-in-law. Even before marrying in, she was so genuinely concerned for her, truly a perfect match for her second brother!
"Sister Xu, don't worry. Since I dared to come, I naturally won't come empty-handed. Rest assured."
For some reason, Xu Mingyue suddenly thought of Prince Ding. Wasn't he also recuperating in Jiangnan?
Could it be that he was also involved in this matter?
However, she couldn't say much in front of Feng Jinyao.
After all, Prince Ding had a deep friendship with her grandfather, a fact that few people knew.
She couldn't directly reveal the secret, so she decided to find an opportunity to visit the Min family and meet Prince Ding to inquire about the specific situation.
Feng Jinyao also kept quiet about her cooperation with Prince Ding.