Qingyun Marquis frowned, "Has the Emperor handed over the matter to the Supreme Court for strict investigation?"
"No rush to investigate. If they were aiming at offending higher authorities, there must be a reason. If it's for profit, the risk is too great. Unless they have intentions against the court, generally, no one would dare to take such a risk."
"I suspect they came prepared."
"Your Majesty already has clues?" Qingyun Marquis inquired.
"Let's not talk about Zheng Fu for now. There are signs that his two adopted sons, Su Kui and Liu Sheng, have colluded. The discrepancies in the medicinal herbs and the accounts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs first appeared two years ago, almost around the same time as the first embezzlement record of Shi En."
"So this matter is still related to Shi En?" Qingyun Marquis furrowed his brows tightly. "The Ministry of Revenue manages the accounts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so it's likely not clean either!"
"Exactly!" The Emperor raised an eyebrow. "In the recent recommendations for vacancies in the Ministry of Rites, at least three were recommended by the Censorate, including Tian Peng. Tian Peng's family happens to be a prominent clan in Longyang Prefecture, Emerald Valley. It's evident that the Tian family has connections with Liu Sheng."
"Furthermore, I found out that Tian Peng's cousin is the wife of He Sheng, the younger brother of He Qing. This means that Tian Peng and He Sheng are indirectly related."
"If Liu Sheng conspired with Su Kui to create the incident with the aged herbs, Tian Peng's recommendation would also implicate Su Kui, Liu Sheng, and He Sheng."
"Earlier, I summoned He Sheng, and he claimed that the matter of the vacancies had nothing to do with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, for the past two years, the accounts that should have been submitted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Ministry of Revenue have always been delayed by a month."
"Therefore, if the case against Shi En is indeed fabricated, it will require cooperation from various parties. Currently, these parties all have suspicions."
Qingyun Marquis contemplated, "In that case, I can go investigate Liu Sheng immediately."
Then he added, "However, if Shi En is truly framed, where did the embezzled funds come from?"
"Although part of it came from embezzling military funds, it's not as much as a hundred thousand taels. So, the price difference formed by the Imperial Pharmacy's purchase of these aged herbs—did it go into Su Kui and Liu Sheng's pockets, or was it used to fabricate evidence of Shi En's embezzlement?"
"It's a simple principle. Accusing someone of embezzlement requires the presence of embezzled funds. Even if a portion of it can be withdrawn from the Ministry of Revenue, it can't be as much as a hundred thousand. So where did the rest come from?"
"So, when fabricating this charge, they simultaneously created this incident of substituting aged herbs for fresh ones. The purpose is not to deceive the Emperor, but to firmly suppress Shi En. Firstly, the difference in this purchase price can be added to Shi En's embezzled funds, and secondly, it can be used for damage control after exposure. If the matter is exposed, the flow of these embezzled funds will become one of the pieces of evidence against Shi En."
"Finally, with the flow of funds, Shi En will also be implicated in tampering with the Imperial Pharmacy, committing a grave offense against the Emperor!"
"It's simply perfect."
The Emperor pondered for a moment, "Barry, the Vice Minister of Revenue, seems to have some information. His son, Fang Qu, doesn't seem too bright. Perhaps there's something Fang Qu can reveal to Barry."
Hearing Fang Qu's name, Qingyun Marquis couldn't help but think of the fight between Grace and Xu Chong that day. He nodded thoughtfully.
After a pause, the Emperor suddenly asked, "When can Ziyi return to the capital?"
Ziyi was the courtesy name of Zhao Zhi, the eldest son of Qingyun Marquis. He had recently left the capital to deliver a decree to the Emperor's second brother in the south. Qingyun Marquis calculated the journey, "It may take another three or four days."
The Emperor thought for a moment, "Then this matter can only be handled by you, the Grand Marshal. There's a medical hall called Hui'an Hall at the gate of Jiguan Alley. It's run by the daughter of Chen Taiyi, who used to work at the Imperial Hospital. She provided a lot of clues about these medicinal herbs. First, figure out the situation, then contact her. The Chen family has a wide network in the field of medicinal herbs."
Qingyun Marquis was taken aback, "Doctor Chen?"
"Do you know her?" the Emperor asked.
"Oh, I haven't interacted with her yet," Qingyun Marquis stretched, "But my sister-in-law has been having some skin issues these days and invited her for treatment. Her medical skills are good. My sister-in-law's swelling was quite severe initially, but after one treatment from her, it improved a lot overnight, and she's lively again."
The Emperor paused with his fan for a moment before saying leisurely, "Is that so."
...
Qingyun Marquis wasn't wrong. Although Lady Ning hadn't replied yet, she had already achieved a phase of victory and seized the opportunity to foster a father-daughter relationship with Qingyun Marquis. Wasn't Grace jumping with joy?
Of course, the revolution hasn't succeeded yet, and comrades still need to work hard.
Grace had given Lady Ning five days, not a day more, after all, the night is long and full of dreams.
It was inconvenient to go out anyway, so she spent these days studying diligently at home and also paid attention to the movements of Meiying Pavilion.
Today, after finishing writing, Hua Xiangrong entered cautiously, "Miss, people from Madam's room have been wandering around the main courtyard these past two days."
"Wandering around for what?"
"I can't say for sure," Hua Xiangrong leaned closer, "But I heard that Madam has been cooking herself these past two days, and she only goes in the evenings. She usually doesn't cook, only making some soup or snacks. But tonight, she made four or five dishes."
Female guards are good in this aspect; they can see through the matters in the inner courtyard clearly.
When Grace heard that Lady Ning was cooking, her brain, which had seen countless plots of supporting female characters, immediately understood: "Offering kindness for a purpose, either to gain favor or for some ulterior motive?"
After all, her father was a rare handsome uncle! Lady Ning had been dealing with these calculations for so many years, she must have a plan. Moreover, with her husband gone and Qingyun Marquis in need of a wife, why wouldn't she harbor such thoughts?
Even without pursuing power, a man of such upright character and imposing appearance as Marquis Qingyun would be a good choice!
Grace glanced at the darkening sky. "Are they still here?"
"They're about to leave."
"And where's the Marquis?"
"He's in his study, just saw off Grand Academician Zhang."
Grace slapped the table and stood up. "Then let's go prepare some food!"