In the early morning of the second day, the sun shined through the light veil-like clouds on the bluestone floor of Pingjiang Mansion, and the breeze blew through, bringing a little coolness.

Weng Yanguo stood in front of the yamen, frowning slightly, as if he was a little preoccupied. He waved his hand and called Master Fan Qing.

"Fan Qing, has the account book ever been handled properly?" Weng Yanguo asked in a low voice, with a hint of imperceptible nervousness in his tone.

Fan Qing smiled slightly and replied respectfully, "My lord, please rest assured, I have carefully handled the account book, and there is no flaw in it." Even if the imperial court sent someone to investigate, there would be absolutely no clues. ”

After listening to Fan Qing's words, Weng Yanguo relaxed a little.

He took a deep breath and looked into the distance, as if pondering his next plans.

In the past few days, because of the arrival of Her Royal Highness the princess, he had to restrain his past bohemianism, temporarily bid farewell to the red songs and green dances of the Qinglou, and could only pretend to be serious in the palace to handle official business.

For seven days in a row, the spies he sent would report to him every day on the whereabouts of Her Royal Highness the Princess.

According to the spies, Her Royal Highness seemed to be just hanging out in the Pingjiang Mansion and did not show any unusual behavior. This made Weng Yanguo breathe a sigh of relief, as long as he could send this great god away safely, he could continue his romantic and happy life.

As night fell, there was silence in the Pingjiang Mansion.

After Weng Yanguo finished his day's official business, he was idle. He called Fan Qing, and the two sat in the study, lit sandalwood, and began to calculate the income of the relief silver.

"Fan Qing, this time the imperial court allocated a total of 80,000 taels of relief silver. Excluding the 10,000 taels given to those powerful sons and brothers, and subtracting the 20,000 taels distributed to the counties, the remaining 50,000 taels fell into our hands. ”

Weng Yanguo said, a smug smile on his face.

Fan Qing also smiled and complimented: "My lord is wise, I was able to succeed smoothly this time, thanks to my lord's careful planning." ”

Weng Yanguo waved his hand, signaling that Fan Qing did not need to be complimented.

He pondered for a moment and then said, "Fan Qing, you have made a lot of contributions this time, and I will give you five thousand taels as a reward." But you have to remember that this matter must not be leaked out of the slightest rumor. Otherwise, you and I will be killed. ”

Fan Qing agreed with a smile on his face when he heard this: "My lord, please rest assured, I, Fan Qing, am by no means ungrateful. I'm going to keep my mouth shut about it, and I'll never let anyone know. ”

Weng Yanguo nodded with satisfaction and said, "That's very good." Fan Qing, you have been with me for so many years, and I have always trusted you. As long as you do things well, your benefits will naturally be indispensable in the future. ”

After the two chatted a few more words, Fan Qing said goodbye and left the study.

Weng Yanguo sat alone in the study, and the smile on his face gradually converged.

He knew that although he had won a lot of money this time, he had also caused a lot of trouble.

The arrival of Her Royal Highness the Princess made him feel a pressure like never before.

He must be careful and cautious about what follows, otherwise the consequences will be dire if the matter is revealed.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a palpitation. But then he shook his head again, and threw the troubled emotions behind him.

In any case, he has already come to this point, and he can only continue to walk hard. He believes that as long as he is cautious enough, he will be able to turn the danger into a safe and secure situation.

Weng Yanguo's worries quietly gathered in his heart like dark clouds.

He always felt that Her Royal Highness the princess, who seemed to be leisurely shopping and eating and drinking, seemed to have some unknown secrets behind it.

And this uneasiness finally turned into reality ten days later.

On this day, the sun shines through the clouds and casts dappled light and shadow, and the streets and alleys of Pingjiang Mansion are still bustling and noisy.

Zhao Yingluo was dressed in an elegant dress, accompanied by guards and palace maids, and strolled through the market.

Her gaze seemed to scan the various goods on the stall casually, but there was a sharp light in her eyes.

Secretly, she had already sent Wen Boyuan and others to investigate the whereabouts of Ji Yin.

In the past few days, they have gone deep into the people, investigated and secretly visited, and finally found out those greedy children of the powerful one by one.

At this moment, Wen Boyuan was hurrying to meet Zhao Yingluo with a heavy list.

Zhao Yingluo took the list, unfolded it, and frowned.

The list contains the names of the sons of the powerful and the amount of money they have coveted.

She never expected that all the money that should have been used for relief of the victims would fall into the pockets of these gentlemen.

"Wen Boyuan, what about those county magistrates? Have you caught them all? Zhao Yingluo asked in a deep voice, revealing a trace of anger in her tone that was difficult to hide.

Wen Boyuan replied respectfully: "Back to Her Royal Highness the Princess, those county orders involved in the case have been taken down by me one by one. Tomorrow, they will be escorted to Pingjiang Mansion to wait for the whereabouts of Her Royal Highness the Princess. ”

When Zhao Yingluo heard this, a cold light flashed in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger in her heart.

She knew that this time it was far more serious than she had imagined.

Those powerful children and county magistrates dare to be so blatantly greedy for ink and silver, and there must be more intricate entanglements of interests behind them.

"Very well, tomorrow I will interrogate them myself." Zhao Yingluo said, carefully putting away the list, "You pass the order, let everyone be ready, and make sure that tomorrow's interrogation is foolproof." ”

Weng Yanguo paced back and forth in the palace, anxious in his heart. Ten days have passed, and there has been no response from the people he sent out.

Wu County is the closest to Pingjiang Prefecture, and it is fast on weekdays, but it can go back and forth in three or two days, but this time it is surprisingly silent.

He was suspicious, and he felt a sense of foreboding.

At this moment, there was a quick knock on the door of the house, and someone asked to see him. Weng Yanguo waved his hand and motioned for his subordinates to lead people into the main hall.

He sat on the Taishi's chair, his face calm, and his eyes stared at the visitor like a torch.

The person who came was Niu Er, a little girl who was used by the county order of Wu County to pass a message to him.

Niu Er dressed up all the way and went all the way to sneak into the city, and his face was full of anxiety at the moment.

As soon as he saw Weng Yanguo, he couldn't wait to speak: "My lord, it's not good! The county commander Fan Jian has been captured by Her Royal Highness the Princess! ”

Weng Yanguo was shocked when he heard this, stood up from his chair suddenly, and said in a lost voice: "What? Fan Jian was arrested? ”

There was a panic in his heart, and the arrest of the county order of Wu County meant that other county orders were likely to have fallen into the hands of Zhao Yingluo.

Wouldn't his crimes be exposed?

Niu Er nodded, panting and said, "It's true! Xiao saw it with his own eyes, and Her Royal Highness the princess personally led people to arrest Fan County. It is said that the county magistrates of other counties have also been arrested, and now they are about to arrive in Binh Giang Province. ”

Weng Yanguo only felt that the sky was spinning for a while, and he almost fell to the ground.

He held on to the armrest of his chair, barely stood on his feet, and said in a trembling voice, "How is this good?" His mind was in a mess, and the idea of escaping came to him.

However, Niu Er shook his head and said, "My lord, I'm afraid it's too late to escape now." The city and the city are already full of Her Royal Highness's men and horses, and it is difficult for us to fly. ”

Weng Yanguo sat down on the chair when he heard this, his face like ashes.

He regretted it in his heart, why did he have to do it in the first place? If he hadn't coveted the money in the first place, how could he have ended up like this?

Seeing him like this, Niu Er thought for a while and said, "My lord, the only way to do this now is to brake quietly." As long as we bite to death and don't admit it, Her Royal Highness the princess can't do anything about us. ”

Weng Yanguo's eyes lit up when he heard this, he nodded and said, "You're right!" As long as we insist that we will distribute them all, Her Royal Highness will not be able to do anything about us. ”