Chapter 924: Chapter 922: Wasting Time for Nothing
The Crown Prince woke up leisurely after the second wave of screening in the mansion, just as dawn was breaking.
Due to being hungover from the previous night, the Crown Prince awoke with a splitting headache. Realizing it was almost time for the morning court, he listened absentmindedly as Eunuch Li and Tan Weixian informed him that a thief broke into the mansion last night, which prompted him to first scold the guards of the Crown Prince’s Mansion.
Upon hearing that the thief had actually entered the outer courtyard and his bedroom, he couldn’t bother with anything else and hurriedly rushed to his bedroom. Not knowing what he touched, he opened two secret compartments and checked them. While he breathed a sigh of relief, his expression didn’t look too good either.
These thieves were truly blind. They sneaked into the Crown Prince’s Mansion at the risk of losing their lives, yet they only looked at these things. Besides possibly causing him to lose some face as the Crown Prince, what else could these things do?
Although the Crown Prince’s expression was unpleasant, Tan Weixian, who had followed him, still had to brace himself and ask for instructions: "Last night, I made an excuse that it was too late, and since there was no loss in the mansion, I didn’t make a big deal out of it. When people from the court came to inquire, I just said it was a few small-time thieves who came in to steal and were chased away by the guards of the mansion. I don’t know what Your Highness intends, should we notify the Five Cities Military Command or the Imperial Guard Camp to apprehend these thieves?"
Tan Weixian didn’t even dare to mention that the thief headed straight for the Crown Prince’s study and bedroom, fearing that the Emperor might suspect something if he found out.
He just claimed that it was a few small-time thieves who accidentally stumbled upon the place, realized something was off, and ran away immediately. Since there was a night curfew and no losses were incurred, they didn’t dwell on the matter.
The Crown Prince, looking pale and with a tired gaze, was not in good spirits. Seeing that it was getting late, he hurriedly summoned a servant to assist him with washing and changing clothes.
While he was quite impatient with Tan Weixian’s report: "Just notify the Five Cities Military Command, what’s worth apprehending in small-time thieves?"
If they were actually caught, then what? Would they expose the existence of two account ledgers in his mansion? Or claim that there are inappropriate items in the secret compartment of his bedroom? Ultimately, it’s the incompetence of the guards in this mansion!
Thinking of this, his expression darkened, "Even for small-time thieves, daring to steal from the Crown Prince’s Mansion is a crime punishable by death. Go and ask Xu Hu how he arranged the manpower, how could they not manage to capture even a few small-time thieves? Does he not want his head anymore!"
Tan Weixian hesitated for a moment. Although he had publicly dismissed it as a few small-time thieves, those who knew better understood the depth of the situation. The fact that the Crown Prince’s secret compartments were easily discovered and opened suggests it wasn’t the work of mere thieves.
Sighing internally, Tan Weixian had to make things clearer: "These people came here mysteriously, climbing roofs and walking walls, heading straight for Your Highness’s study and bedroom. I suspect they were after something specific, possibly sent by someone like Prince Fu or Prince Yu. It could even be someone from Lih Mian’s group. Your Highness should be prepared."
"Once I ascend the throne, Lih Mian’s miserable life will be the first to go." The Crown Prince spoke angrily, mentioning only a dog loyal to the Emperor, "Alright, alright, I understand. Just ensure the guards are properly arranged. If someone comes in again, capture them directly. What can’t be extracted through questioning? Since they didn’t succeed this time, regardless of the mastermind, even if it’s the Imperial Father, without tangible evidence, what can they do to isolate me as the Crown Prince?"
The two talked past each other, never considering checking if the crucial items were still in place, as the Crown Prince hurriedly left the mansion for court.
Currently, the atmosphere in the Imperial Court remains tense; the coastal garrison is holding back, the drought in Yuanzhou shows no sign of reduction, the riots in various regions have been mostly controlled, but the disaster remains, leaving the Emperor in a foul mood.
In court, all the officials trembled in silence. There was some commotion in the Crown Prince’s Mansion the night prior, but the people from the Crown Prince’s Mansion attributed it to a common mistake by small-time thieves. In such severe circumstances, no one paid excessive attention.
Thus, the court proceedings followed the standard agenda, and after the session concluded, everyone left the main hall.
Jinrong appeared as usual, dutifully heading to the Ministry of Personnel to perform his assisting duties.
The Crown Prince, enduring a splitting headache, reluctantly went to the Ministry of Revenue. Forcing himself to enter the Ministry, once inside his private room, he closed the door and collapsed onto a reclining chair.
In the hall where the three officials sent by the Cabinet were working, none of them personally reviewed the accounts. Instead, they brought several scribes who went through the ledgers page by page, calculating and recording.
These three, holding their tea, were quite troubled. This task was indeed difficult, as examining the Ministry of Revenue meant examining the Crown Prince. Checking the ledgers at the Ministry of Revenue was essentially causing trouble for the Crown Prince.
If issues were found, they could indeed report to the Emperor, but they’d also offend the future Emperor. If they couldn’t find anything wrong... they couldn’t fabricate evidence to falsely frame the nation’s Crown Prince.
If ultimately no clues were found, the Crown Prince would be fine, but what about reporting to the Emperor? How would they explain?
The three planned to see Treasurer Hao Ruhai today to check the final few ledgers in storage.
The three were sipping tea, chatting idly, when they saw Hao Ruhai in the distance, holding a few ledgers, walking towards their hall across the courtyard.
As he reached the center of the courtyard, Hao Ruhai suddenly staggered mysteriously, almost tumbling forward onto the ground.
Luckily, two people passing by supported him, allowing Hao Ruhai to steady himself.
"Be careful, Lord Hao." The person was Li Zheng, a scribe in charge of tributary taxes. After Hao Ruhai steadied himself, Li Zheng bowed slightly, intending to take his leave.
Jiang Yifan, accompanying him, also greeted him, casually kicking a small rock aside, muttering, "I wonder who’s on duty to clean the courtyard today, this is too careless."
Although Jiang Yifan held no substantial power in the Ministry of Revenue, he still had the title of Deputy Director, ranking higher than Hao Ruhai.
Hao Ruhai bowed to Jiang Yifan in return, expressed his thanks, and then aligned the somewhat disordered ledgers in his hands before continuing to the hall where the three inspecting officials were.
Presenting the ledgers to the superiors, Hao Ruhai said, "Here are the recent material transfer records you requested, sirs. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I will speak of whatever I know without reservation."
The three officials certainly didn’t take Hao Ruhai’s words at face value. They’ve been stationed here for some days, hearing such pledges frequently. No one in the entire Ministry of Revenue was willing to reveal even the slightest bit of substantial information.
This being the Crown Prince’s domain, pressing too hard was out of the question, leaving them stuck in their current predicament.
One must admit, the Crown Prince and his faction were exceedingly cautious and prudent in their actions. Practically everyone knew there were oversights or embezzlement in the Ministry of Revenue, yet not a single clue could be found.
Among the three, the leading one was Qin Hao, the deputy of Liu Chengzhi.
Qin Hao, disinterested, pointed and said, "Just place the ledgers here. The officials at the Ministry of Revenue are indeed very meticulous in their work, making us admire them."
The sarcasm in his tone was palpable, laced with a hint of anger.
Hao Ruhai was unhurried, offering the stack of ledgers, bowing in response: "Your praise, sir, but it’s merely our duty."
Qin Hao casually flipped through the ledgers and handed one to each of the two men at either side, "Please have a look, gentlemen." It was expected to be another meticulous ledger, and despite the inspection, nothing was likely to be found, merely wasting everyone’s time.
He instructed Hao Ruhai, "Alright, Lord Hao, you may go about your business. We will review these and you can collect them at the end of the day."
Hao Ruhai bowed and departed. As he straightened and turned to leave, he suddenly noticed Qin Hao pulling a different book from the ledgers, distinctly unlike the others.
His eyes immediately narrowed upon sweeping a glance over it.