Chapter 264 Zhao Yingluo secretly investigates
In the early morning of the next day, the sun shines through the gauze-like clouds and shines on the bluestone floor of Pingjiang Mansion Office, and the breeze blows, bringing a little coolness.
Weng Yanguo stood in front of the government office, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he was a little worried. He waved his hand and called his master Fan Qing.
"Fan Qing, have the account books been properly handled?" Weng Yanguo asked in a low voice, with a hint of unnoticeable nervousness in his tone.
Fan Qing smiled slightly and replied respectfully: "Sir, please rest assured, I have carefully processed the account book, and there is absolutely no flaw in it. Even if the imperial court sends people to check, there will be absolutely no clues."
After listening to Fan Qing's words, Weng Yanguo felt relieved a little.
He took a deep breath and looked far away, seeming to be thinking about his next plan.
In the past few days, due to the arrival of Her Royal Highness the Princess, he had to rein in his former debauchery and temporarily bid farewell to the singing and dancing in the brothel. He could only pretend to handle official business seriously in the government office.
For seven consecutive days, the spies he sent would report to him the whereabouts of Her Royal Highness the Princess every day.
According to the spies, Her Royal Highness seemed to be just wandering around the Pingjiang Mansion without any unusual behavior. This made Weng Yanguo breathe a sigh of relief. As long as the great god could be sent away safely, he could continue his romantic and happy life.
As night fell, there was silence in the Pingjiang government office.
After Weng Yanguo finished handling official duties for the day, he took some time off. He called Fan Qing, and the two of them sat in the study, lit sandalwood, and began to calculate the income for the relief effort.
"Fan Qing, there are 80,000 taels of relief silver allocated by the imperial court this time. After excluding the 10,000 taels given to the powerful princes and the 20,000 taels distributed to the counties, the remaining 50,000 taels have all fallen into our hands. in the hands.”
Weng Yanguo said with a proud smile on his face.
Fan Qing also smiled and complimented: "My lord is wise. I was able to succeed this time thanks to your careful planning."
Weng Yanguo waved his hand, indicating that Fan Qing did not need to compliment him.
He pondered for a moment and then said: "Fan Qing, you have done a great job this time, and I will give you five thousand taels as a reward. But you must remember that this matter must not be leaked. Otherwise, you and I will both Risk your life."
Fan Qing agreed with a smile on his face after hearing this: "Sir, please rest assured that I, Fan Qing, am by no means an ungrateful person. I will definitely keep this matter secret and will 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 for a few more words, Fan Qing said goodbye and left the study.
Weng Yanguo sat alone in the study, the smile on his face gradually fading.
He knew that although he got a lot of money this time, he also got into a lot of trouble.
The arrival of Her Royal Highness the Princess made him feel an unprecedented pressure.
He must deal with the next situation carefully, otherwise once things are revealed, the consequences will be disastrous.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel palpitations. But then he shook his head and threw these troubled emotions behind him.
No matter what, he had already reached this point and had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue on. He believes that as long as he is careful enough, he will be able to avert danger and survive this crisis safely.
Weng Yanguo's worries quietly gathered in his heart like dark clouds.
He always felt that there seemed to be some unknown secret hidden behind the princess who seemed to be leisurely strolling around eating and drinking.
And this uneasiness finally turned into reality ten days later.
On this day, the sun casts mottled light and shadow through the clouds, and the streets and alleys of Pingjiang Prefecture are still bustling and noisy.
Zhao Yingluo was walking in the market, dressed in elegant clothes, accompanied by guards and maids.
Her eyes seemed to scan the various products 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 the relief fund. Over the past few days, they have gone deep into the people, conducted overt and covert investigations, and finally uncovered those greedy and powerful children one by one.
At this moment, Wen Boyuan was rushing to meet Zhao Yingluo with a heavy list.
Zhao Yingluo took the list, unfolded it and frowned.
The names of the powerful children and the amount of relief money they embezzled were clearly recorded on the list.
She never expected that all the money that was supposed to be used to relieve the victims would actually fall into the pockets of these dandy boys.
"Wen Boyuan, where are those county magistrates? Have they all been caught?" Zhao Yingluo asked in a deep voice, with a trace of anger that could not be concealed in her tone.
Wen Boyuan replied respectfully: "Back to Your Highness, the county magistrates involved in the case have been taken down by us one by one. They will be escorted to Pingjiang Mansion tomorrow to await your decision."
When Zhao Yingluo heard this, a cold light flashed in her eyes.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm down the anger in her heart.
She knew that this time things were far more serious than imagined.
Those powerful sons and county magistrates who dare to be so blatantly greedy for money and money must have more complicated interests entangled behind them.
"Very good, I will interrogate them in person tomorrow." Zhao Yingluo said, carefully putting away the list, "Send the order and let everyone prepare, and make sure that tomorrow's interrogation is flawless."
Weng Yanguo paced back and forth in the government office, anxious in his heart. Ten days have passed, but there is still no response from the people he sent out.
Wuxian County is the closest to Pingjiang Mansion. On weekdays, we can go back and forth at high speed, but it only takes three or two days, but this time it was surprisingly quiet.
He was suspicious and felt an ominous premonition.
At this moment, there was a hurried knock on the door, and someone asked for permission. Weng Yanguo waved his hand and motioned for his servants to bring him into the main hall.
He sat on the Taishi chair with a sullen face and stared at the visitor with piercing eyes.
The visitor was Niu Er, the young servant used by the Wu County magistrate to convey messages to him.
Niu Er disguised himself all the way and went through a lot of trouble to sneak into the city. At this moment, his face was full of anxiety.
As soon as he saw Weng Yanguo, he couldn't wait to say: "Sir, it's bad! The county magistrate Fan Jian has been captured by Her Royal Highness the Princess!"
Weng Yanguo was shocked when he heard this. He suddenly stood up from his chair and said in a voiceless voice: "What? Fan Jian was arrested?"
There was a panic in his heart. The magistrate of Wu County was arrested, which meant that other county magistrates had probably fallen into the hands of Zhao Yingluo.
In this way, wouldn't his crime be exposed?
Niu Er nodded and said breathlessly: "It's absolutely true! I saw with my own eyes that Her Royal Highness the Princess personally led people to arrest Magistrate Fan. It is said that magistrates from other counties have also been arrested. Now Arriving at Pingjiang Mansion soon.”
Weng Yanguo felt like the world was spinning and he almost fell to the ground.
He held on to the armrest of the chair, barely able to stand firm, and said in a trembling voice: "What should I do?" His heart was in a mess, and the idea of escape emerged spontaneously.
However, Niu Er shook his head and said, "Sir, I'm afraid it's too late to escape now. Her Royal Highness's troops are already inside and outside the city, and it's hard for us to fly."
After hearing this, Weng Yanguo slumped down on his chair, his face ashen.
He regretted it endlessly. Why did he do it in the first place if he had known today? If he hadn't coveted those relief funds, how could he have ended up like this?
Seeing him like this, Niu Er thought for a moment and said, "Sir, the only way to stop this now is to stay silent. As long as we fight to death and refuse to admit our guilt, Her Royal Highness will not be able to do anything to us."
Weng Yanguo's eyes lit up when he heard this. He nodded and said, "You are right! As long as we insist on distributing all the money, there is nothing Her Royal Highness can do to us."
