However, the most important thing at the moment is to find out the loopholes in the corrupt account books, and let go of the weirdness of the accounts a few years ago.

Ming Lanying searched for it along the vine, peeling off the cocoon layer by layer, and in two months, she really found all the loopholes, and she found that forty percent of these corrupt account books were fake accounts.

The food and salary were indeed greedy, but the amount of greed was not as large as they reported, and most of the food and salary that were greedy were not in the prince at that time, but in the household department, and were used in other budget allocations in the capital.

The person who does the accounting is also very shrewd and cautious, and the silver is very scattered, she can be very confident that the embezzled silver is in the budget of the capital, but this evidence is not convincing enough, and it needs to be supported by more data.

At that time, the inexplicable increase in the expropriation made her particularly mindful, it is a place where individuals always need to spend money on food, clothing, housing and transportation, and it is normal for the capital to have thousands of more people or tens of thousands of people per year, but the growth trend that appeared in just four years is far higher than the normal range, and from the perspective of the proportion of growth, the annual excess population consumption is at least between 50,000 and 100,000 people.

Can't tell her that the government at that time was advocating a policy of early birth and multiple births, right? Or was everyone rich then? Can an average of one cost twenty people? That's even more outrageous.

The embezzled food and salary were in the capital's planning budget, and at that time, there were inexplicably more "black households".

Ming Lanying frowned slightly, copied out the pages, and turned out other account books to compare them one by one, the more she looked at it, the more strange it felt.

Hebai should still be on the way back, Ye Jielu happened to be not there, and there were some questions that could not be asked for a while, Ming Lanying scratched her head, turned her head to look at Taiyi and Ning'er, who were in full swing in the yard making paper, and the wolf cub jumped around the two.

Suddenly remembered Tang Ning, who I hadn't seen for a long time, after the last time we met, Ming Lanying helped the emperor check the accounts, Tang Ning happened to go to the neighborhood to do business again, pinched his fingers and came back two days ago, Just ask this local in the capital.

"Ning'er, my mother went out to play with your sister Tang Ning."

Ning Er heard the words and looked at Tai Yi again, Ming Lan Ying found out the accounts in two months, Ning Er and Tai Yi were familiar with each other for two months, "Mother, Ning Er will accompany you!" ”

Taiyi was laying the pulp seriously, and nodded seriously to Ning Er, "Don't worry, little boy, you will definitely be able to produce two pieces of paper today." ”

"Hmmm! Ning'er is going to protect her mother, and the recycled paper will be handed over to Brother Taiyi! ”

"Yes."

Ming Lanying raised her eyebrows and smiled, it seemed that Taiyi and Ning'er were having fun, "Then leave it to Taiyi and the cub here, let's go." ”

The wolf cub whined, and the two of them went out, gesturing to the shadows, and a breeze blew, and the branches shook gently.

Ming Lanying knew Tang Ning's address, greeted the coachman in the mansion, and staggered in the carriage for a quarter of an hour to the side gate of the Tang mansion.

The coachman knocked on the door, and there was a sound, and in a moment Tang Ning came out with Fengchun happily.

"Lan Ying! Long time no see. ”

"Ah Ning, I'm here to take you to play, get in the car!"

Ming Lanying received Tang Ning and Feng Chun, and asked the coachman to send them to the teahouse last time, and asked for a private room with Tang Ning's identity.

Tang Ning's eyes bent, "It seems that you are very satisfied with this teahouse." ”

Ming Lanying snorted and beckoned Feng Chun to sit down and drink tea together, "Of course, the refreshments are sweet but not greasy, some are salty and crispy, and the new tea is very fragrant." ”

Tang Ning took a sip of tea, and saw that Ming Lanying's eyebrows were worried, "Did Lanying encounter something?" ”

Ming Lanying held her face with her hands, the corners of her mouth supported a stiff arc, and asked, "Ah Ning, do you know what happened in the capital six years ago?" Large-scale festivals and prayers or large-scale lantern festivals can make people from all over the world flock to the capital, and crowds of people gather like this? ”

"When it's crowded? No, even if it was New Year's Day or Hallowe, the emperor is diligent and thrifty, does not like to be extravagant, and attaches importance to filial piety, and six years ago he was still guarding the national funeral, and there can be no bustling time. ”

When Ming Lanying heard this, she sighed bitterly.

In the national funeral, it cannot be the cause of the population's fertility. Since there have been no large-scale events in the past ten years to make people flock to the capital, the strange tax revenue has appeared for some reason, and the embezzled money is spent in the planned budget of the capital. Judging from the books, the changes in the planning budget of the capital recorded by the household department are not large, and it is more obvious that other trivial expenditures are silver, but ordinary people will not care.

But Ming Lanying's experience made her care a little more, and after careful investigation, she found that something was wrong, she was sure that the flow of embezzled money was in the planning budget of the capital, but it was only her words, there was no strong and clear evidence, others would not believe the data when they saw it, and they would think that she was thinking too much.

Because the study of the East Palace was burned, there were some voices condemning her in the court, and she did not have so much right to transfer other accounts to the household department, so she could only give up.

"Well, it looks like this is not something I can handle."

"What's wrong?"

Ming Lanying shook her head, "It's a matter of accounts, since it was still during the national funeral six years ago, then I should have guessed that this matter is not in my hands." ”

"Accounts?" Tang Ning pondered for a moment, "Although I don't know what kind of problem it is, but since you can't manage it, then you can talk to Ye Jielu and let him help you check, the power in his hands is bigger than you think!" ”

"Huh?" Ming Lanying tilted her head, although Ye Jielu said that he would investigate, but she thought it was just a comforting word, after all, he was just a Praetorian Guard commander, "Then I'll talk to him at night and try it." ”

After eating tea, this morning's pianist was not there, listened to the story of the teahouse, and found that today's book was a little boring, Ning'er yawned, Ming Lanying asked Tang Ning to take them around the capital, and listened to Tang Ning talk about the new things encountered in this business while shopping.

Passing by a jewelry shop, Ming Lanying saw the last time she was fighting poems in the teahouse, and Ming Jiazhen was fighting poems in Wei Ping, and happily came out with a sandalwood box.

Ming Lanying's careful thoughts of gossip came out, "Ah Ning, is that the one who blushed last time when he fought with Ming Jiazhen during Wei Pingqi?" ”

Tang Ning took a closer look and sighed, "Really, look at him like that...... is another Ming Jiazhen's skirt subordinate. ”

"Huh? How do you know he's buying jewelry for Ming Jiazhen? ”

Tang Ning pointed to the jewelry shop, "This jewelry shop is one of the most famous in the capital, the jewelry is exquisite and high-quality, and the price is also smacking, and it is highly respected by the ladies of the high-ranking families." Wei Pingqi is a side branch of the Wei family in the capital Wupin Yunqi, and his family background is okay, but it is still a bit far-fetched to buy this family's jewelry. ”

"Looking at him full of spring breeze, towards the Huayi Lake, today there is a flower viewing party held by Ming Jiazhen in the Huayi Lake, invited the children of the family in the capital, Ming Jiazhen is so scheming, she took the lead in holding the banquet, will be a stepping stone to her reputation, this poetry meeting is not surprising and she is famous, and the people invited are just her foils."

Tang Ning said this and laughed, "Judging from the scene of the last teahouse fight, Ming Jiazhen hooked him with a single look, and a hairy boy like Wei Pingqi, Ming Jiazhen easily grasped it." ”

"Wow! It's amazing! ”

Ming Lanying and Ning Er applauded at the same time, Tang Ning smiled, and suddenly said, "By the way, the Wei family's Yunqi Lieutenant should be gone now, I entered the palace the day before yesterday and told my sister about this business, I heard my sister say that the Wei family was raided, and the Ning concubine who was sent to the palace set fire in the palace with bad intentions, and the emperor was demoted to a concubine in a fit of anger, and the Wei family in the capital was raided, and he was not implicated in this side branch, it seems that Wei Pingqi's family has a lot of means, and the family background should be thick." ”

The family was raided, and the general side branches would be implicated how much Ming Lanying was stunned, she forgot to ask Ye Jielu about the follow-up of being burned in the study, but now I know.

"It seems that Wei Pingqi's family is quite smart, this can protect himself, and he can pursue Ming Jiazhen without distractions."

The summer was scorching, and it was not yet the hottest time at noon, Ming Lanying raised her hand to block the dazzling sun, and said with all her heart: "But Ming Jiazhen can't look down on him, he has no illustrious family background, and he doesn't have the right to cover the sky, how can he bring her benefits, and what can make Ming Jiazhen satisfied is probably only more prominent than the Ming family, a family at the veteran level of the Three Dynasties." ”

The Ming family has always been like this, the first thing that children and grandchildren value in marriage is whether it can bring benefits to the Ming family, and Ming Jiazhen is the most outstanding among the mediocre heirs of the Ming family over the years, and the marriage object must be used well.

Tang Ning nodded, turned his head and saw the sugar water stall on the side, and wanted Feng Chun to buy two pots of sugar water, and then take the two of them to the bamboo forest on the other side of the capital to enjoy the coolness.

called Fengchun but didn't get a response, looked back suspiciously, but saw Fengchun's face pale, staring into the distance with heavy breathing, and the hand holding the handle of the knife at his waist trembled slightly.

"Spring?"

Ming Lanying and Tang Ning followed her line of sight, it was the fireworks and willow alley across the street, a man with a thin figure and weak feet, holding a charming woman with flowers and branches in his arms and getting into the carriage.

Seeing that the carriage was about to go away, Feng Chun was about to pull out the knife, but Tang Ning quickly held it down, "This is on the street, calm down!" ”

Ming Lanying asked Tang Ning suspiciously, "Who is that?" ”

Tang Ning held Feng Chun's arm with one hand, forcefully pulled her to the sugar water stall next door to sit down, and whispered to Ming Lanying: "The fourth child of the Ming family." ”

Ming Lan Yingdai frowned, and immediately understood why Feng Chun was suddenly excited, but Tang Ning was right, this was on the street, you can't make a rash move, the other party is still from the Ming family.

Ming Lanying approached Tang Ning and the two and whispered in a low voice, "Don't worry, although I can't kill him now, I have a way to make him half of his body for a while, and sooner or later he will pay for his blood debts." ”

The previous red vine has died, and now there is only Feng Chun, who has a deep hatred of the sea of blood, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a blood debt and blood payment.

Tang Ning glanced at Feng Chun, whose eyes were red, and patted Ming Lanying, "Okay." ”

Ning Er tilted her head and wondered what the two adults were secretly plotting about, but when she came to the sugar water stall, she came to drink sugar water, so she made her own decisions and ordered four bowls of signature sugar water, and when she saw that Feng Chun's face was not good, she pushed a bowl to her first.

"Sister Fengchun, has she been in the sun for too long and is uncomfortable? My mother said that if I was not feeling well at this time, I would drink some sugar water and rest for a while. ”

Feng Chun came back to his senses and saw Ning Er's worried gaze, lowered his head guiltily, and bent the corners of his mouth, "Thank you for your concern, the little one is fine." ”

After wandering around the capital for a day, when he returned home, he met Ye Jielu returning from his duties, and Ning Er rushed over to share with him what he had seen and heard today.

Ye Jielu held him with one hand and patiently listened to him, Ming Lanying and the others finished dinner and sent Ning'er and the wolf cub to eat, before asking Ye Jielu about his investigation.

"There are indeed Ming family henchmen in the household department, and they are very deeply hidden, and it will take some time to find out, but it will be too soon. As for the inexplicable increase in the total amount of taxes you mentioned in the past few years, I have already reported to the emperor, and the emperor will ask people to copy a copy of the account books of the previous years and send them, and then I will trouble you to spend some extra effort to check the accounts. ”

Ye Jielu paused, and looked at Ming Lanying's eyes with a hint of sharpness, leaving only softness.

"In addition, I also asked people to investigate the incident in the capital ten years ago, there was no major incident, there will be no crowds of people entering Beijing or migrating, the people you said suddenly appeared, I also asked people to start investigating, it takes a long time, it may take a while."

Ming Lanying was stunned, but she didn't expect that before she could speak, Ye Jielu had already taken the first step to do it, was he the roundworm in her stomach? The feeling is somewhat subtle.

"I found out the embezzled silver, and I can be sure that the money was used in the planning budget of the capital in the previous ten years, but the evidence is not clear enough to convince everyone." Ming Lanying looked serious, and said in an affirmative tone: "Those people may be some black households, and the household department does not record so much housing tax, and tens of thousands of black households suddenly appeared, and the capital may not be clean these years." ”

"That is, in the year when the emperor first ascended the throne, someone was planning this before I was exiled." Ye Jielu didn't doubt her words at all, his eyes lit up, "At present, their purpose is not clear, but it is unforgivable to fish in troubled waters at the feet of the Son of Heaven!" ”

Ming Lanying rubbed her face, and unknown black households appeared in the imperial city, either simply immigrating or wanting to rebel. In all dynasties, there will be rebels who want to rebel, she has no ability to manage this matter, she will only check the accounts, now the corruption account books have been clear, and the whereabouts of the money are also clear, so there is strong evidence that it will take a little more time.

Ming Lanying exhaled a breath of turbidity, "This thing can't be fast, take your time, there is still something to do in front of me, Hebai is not here, I want Taiyi to do it." ”

"You say." Ye Jielu also understood, calmed down his emotions, and he would fully support Ming Lanying in whatever he wanted to do.

"I want Taiyi to go to the Ming family to do something, beat the third room of the Ming family, the fourth child of the Ming family, the kind that is half unsuccessful, the kind that can't go to the ground for at least three months."

"The fourth child of the Ming family?" Ye Jielu was puzzled, what did this person do to provoke her, if he really provoked Ming Lanying, Ye Jielu would not let Taiyi beat him half of his body so simply.

Ming Lanying nodded, and told Ye Jielu about Fengchun vaguely, Ye Jielu breathed a sigh of relief, "I know, I will let Taiyi do it well." ”

That night, Ming Lanying once again saw Taiyi's mysterious and unpredictable low sense of existence, and as soon as Ye Jielu finished saying this, Taiyi, who was dressed in black, appeared in front of them out of thin air, nodded silently, took a step back and disappeared into the shadows, and then disappeared!

"Y-How did he show up?!"

"Taiyi has always been there."

“！？” Ming Lanying was shocked and looked at him in disbelief, "Then he heard what we just said?" ”

Ye Juelu: "...... Well. ”

Ming Lanying covered her face, her voice came out muffled, and she murmured: "Fortunately, I didn't say who it was, otherwise the sin would have been great......"

Ye Jielu: "......" still don't tell her that there are secret guards around her.

Actually, after Ming Lanying returned to the capital, she always followed two secret guards to protect her safety, although she wouldn't tell him everything, but he could also know a rough idea, including Tang Ning and Feng Chun.

When Ming Lanying said this vaguely, Ye Jielu guessed who it was, but Ming Lanying didn't say it explicitly, so he pretended not to know.

(End of chapter)