Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1747 The tea grows cold when the person leaves!

Lin'an in Jiangnan
As Liu Yufeng, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, was reviewing official documents, his personal clerk, Liu Zexiang, entered and handed him a document, saying:
"My lord, Hu Chaozhong, the prefect of Guangling, has sent a document."

Liu Yufeng didn't even look up when he heard this. He continued to review official documents while asking:

What documents did he send?
Hearing Liu Yufeng's question, Liu Zexiang hesitated for a moment before saying:
"Sir, please see for yourself!"

Upon hearing Liu Zexiang's words, Liu Yufeng looked up at his personal clerk with some suspicion, while Liu Zexiang handed over the documents.

Without hesitation, Liu Yufeng took the document and began to read it. However, after only glancing at the contents, a hint of anger immediately appeared on his previously refined face. But in order not to lose his composure in front of his subordinates, he suppressed his anger and waved to Liu Zexiang beside him.

Upon seeing this, Liu Zexiang immediately walked out of the cell as if he had been granted a pardon. As soon as Liu Zexiang left, Liu Yufeng could no longer hold back and slammed the document hard onto the ground.

"You brat! How dare you bully me!"

After Liu Yufeng finished cursing, he felt unwell and stood up unsteadily from the chair, sitting down on the sofa next to him.

Leaning back on the soft sofa, Liu Yufeng finally felt a little better.

A while ago, a gang of notorious bandits appeared in Guangling, specializing in robbing wealthy families in the area. They not only robbed them of their money but also of their virtue. Three daughters of local gentry were violated by these men, and one of them, unable to bear the humiliation, jumped into the river and committed suicide. This incident caused a very bad influence in Guangling, and the news even reached the ears of Liu Yufeng, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner…
Liu Yufeng also attached great importance to this matter and ordered Hu Chaozhong of the Guangling government to catch the gang of thieves within a month, or to severely punish them.

After giving his instructions, Liu Yufeng was expecting Hu Chaozhong to bring the thief back to him, but instead of the thief, he received this document from Hu Chaozhong.

In the document, Hu Chaozhong stated that the perpetrators were all martial arts experts, ruthless and skilled in disguise, making the case extremely difficult to investigate. Therefore, it was unrealistic to apprehend the criminals within a month. They had already captured one criminal, while the remaining two were still at large. He pleaded with Liu Yufeng to expedite the process, promising to capture all the suspects.

On the surface, Hu Chaozhong's words seemed to have no problem, but in the eyes of Liu Yufeng, the provincial inspector, they were a blatant provocation.

He told me that it was unrealistic to expect him to solve the case within a month or be severely punished, which meant that I, the provincial inspector, was wrong.

Liu Yufeng never expected that Hu Chaozhong, who was always so submissive in front of him, would be so bold as to provoke him like this!
This is truly intolerable!

Thinking of this, Liu Yufeng's instinct was to call Hu Chaozhong over and see if that kid had gotten himself into a lot of trouble...

However, Liu Yufeng soon realized a problem: Hu Chaozhong, who was usually so obsequious in front of him, probably knew something was wrong to dare to provoke him like this!
Upon realizing this, Liu Yufeng, who had been furious just a moment ago, immediately deflated like a punctured balloon.

Although Murong Yuliang handed himself and Wei Gaojie, the Provincial Governor of Huainan, over to the Yijing court as the culprits behind the Wanfu Bank's embezzlement, the appointment and removal of officials at the level of Provincial Governor and Provincial Surveillance Commissioner required Ye Mingsheng's approval.

Therefore, without Ye Mingsheng's orders, Liu Yufeng remained the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangnan, and Wei Gaojie was also the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Huainan.

Because of this scandal, Murong Yuliang, the governor of Jianghuai, wanted to handle it secretly to minimize the impact. Therefore, Liu Yufeng thought that not many people knew about his affair with Wei Gaojie.

However, judging from this document from Hu Chaozhong, the prefect of Guangling, it seems that Hu Chaozhong already knew that he was in trouble!
Otherwise, even if Hu Chaozhong had the guts, he wouldn't dare to be so presumptuous in front of me!
Thinking of this, Liu Yufeng smiled bitterly. Calculating the days, the imperial envoy from Yijing would arrive before the end of the month, which meant that he, the Jiangnan Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, would be escorted back to the capital in less than ten days.

Glancing at the documents he had thrown to the ground, Liu Yufeng unconsciously shook his head. As the provincial inspector with less than ten days left, there was no need for him to concern himself with these matters anymore…

With this in mind, Liu Yufeng stopped handling official business in the jail and returned to his residence to find his son, Liu Hong.

Upon seeing his son, Liu Yufeng couldn't help but ask:

"Did you get the goods?"

Under his father's expectant gaze, Liu Hong nodded and took out an account book from his pocket, handing it to Liu Yufeng.

Liu Yufeng excitedly opened the ledger and began to read its contents.

However, as he looked on, the look of surprise on Liu Yufeng's face gradually faded, and a hint of suspicion appeared on his face.

Upon seeing this, Liu Gong couldn't help but ask:

"Is Father's account book incorrect?"

Instead of answering his son's question directly, Liu Yufeng asked in return:
How did you get your hands on this ledger?

"I took it from Chen Mengmeng's room!"

"Tell me in detail how you got it!"

Although he didn't know why his father was curious about this, Liu Hong still answered without hesitation:
"Chen Mengmeng told me that she used this ledger as her trump card to save her life. Although we were lovers, it was just a casual affair. So I knew that if I asked for it directly, Chen Mengmeng would definitely not give it to me!"

"So I first tested her, but Chen Mengmeng was very wary and didn't let anything slip, so I had no choice but to drug Chen Mengmeng and then search her room!"

Hearing Liu Hong say this, Liu Yufeng flipped through the account books again. Seeing his father's actions, Liu Hong could no longer help but ask:
"Father, I found this myself in Chen Mengmeng's room. There shouldn't be any problem with the account book, right?"

Liu Yufeng was silent for a moment before saying:
"I don't know if there's a problem, but my gut feeling is that something's wrong!"

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know either, I just feel like something's wrong..."

Hearing his father say this, Liu Hong was speechless. Just then, Liu Yufeng seemed to have thought of something and asked again:
"Did Murong Yuliang leave all the gifts that others gave her with Chen Mengmeng?"

"Father, you know that Murong Yuliang has more than just Chen Mengmeng as a mistress. Chen Mengmeng probably has some, but not all of them. His other mistresses should also have some!"

Liu Yufeng nodded slightly, then asked again:

"Have you seen those things?" "No!"

"Then how do you know Chen Meng dreamed about it?"

"Chen Mengmeng told me that all the gifts that others gave to Murong Yuliang were kept in the cellar!"

"In the cellar? Didn't you go down and check?"

As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. Hearing his father ask this question, Liu Hong chuckled and said:

"Of course I wanted to see what good things those merchants had given Murong Yuliang, so I tried to sneak into the cellar, but Chen Mengmeng found out!"

"She sent me back home, and it took me a long time to coax her back to a happy mood!"

Hearing his son say this, Liu Yufeng realized that his son had been cheating on Murong Yuliang. If it were before, he would have been terrified, but at this moment he only felt relieved. Murong Yuliang treated him like this, so he should be given a big green hat!

Thinking of this, Liu Yufeng handed the account book back to his son and instructed him:

"Take this ledger and hide!"

"Then what will you do, Father?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yufeng shook his head with a wry smile. Seeing this, Liu Hong understood the meaning behind his father's bitter smile, and then gritted his teeth and said:

"Father, how about we run away...?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yufeng shook his head and said:

"The whole world is the king's land, and all people within the borders are the king's subjects. Where can I run to?"

"Father, I have a few friends who work on ships. I think they can help us leave Jiangnan! Once we get on a ship, we can go to Southeast Asia, where no one can catch us!"

Hearing his son say this, Liu Yufeng was somewhat tempted, but he quickly regained his composure and said:
"With so many people in our family, trying to run away would make us too conspicuous. Besides, Murong Yuliang isn't someone to be trifled with at the Joint Command Office. There's no way we can escape!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong said:
"Father, what should we do?"

"It's inevitable that Father will be sent to the capital in prison, but if you manage to escape with the account books, then there's still a chance to salvage the situation!"

At this point, Liu Yufeng's gaze deepened as he spoke in a deep voice:
"Murong Yuliang desperately wants to be the Grand Secretary!"

"This incident involving Wanfu Bank has caused him to lose too many points in His Majesty's eyes, leaving him with no advantage in the competition for the position of Grand Secretary. Now that the issues in the account books have been exposed, he will have no chance of becoming the Grand Secretary at all!"

"So this ledger is the key to dealing with Murong Yuliang! Hong'er, you must hide well and listen to your father. Try not to contact those friends. You can't rely on any of them. When Murong Yuliang sends people to find them and investigate you, they will definitely betray you!"

"After you hide, keep an eye on your father's situation. If he dies on the way to the capital, immediately hand over the account books to the Censorate! Only in this way can we save our family's lives. His Majesty's methods aren't as ruthless as before after he became emperor; at most, he'll only take my life. But Murong Yuliang is different..."

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Licheng Fuxing Inn

In the private room, Sun Ning'er was massaging Ye Mingsheng's back as he lay on the bed. Although she knew nothing about massage at first, seeing how much Ye Mingsheng loved it, Sun Ning'er really studied it very seriously.

She was able to become one of the best among the Jiangnan "slender horses" because she was a very smart girl. So her massage and manipulation skills have improved rapidly in the past few days. She can now accurately control the parts, but she doesn't have much strength, which makes Ye Mingsheng feel a little unsatisfied.

Seeing Ye Mingsheng enjoying the massage with his eyes closed, Sun Ning'er's hands, which had been tapping his back, became restless and launched a surprise attack on him.

Ye Mingsheng slowly opened his eyes and looked at Sun Ning'er, who was full of provocation.

After an incense stick had burned, Ye Mingsheng lay on the bed, feeling somewhat weak, while Sun Ning'er was in his arms, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng also said directly:
"What do you want to say?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Ning'er bit her red lips lightly, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke:
"Your Majesty, do you consider me a slut?"

Hearing Sun Ning'er ask this question, Ye Mingsheng was somewhat surprised. Since their first battle, Sun Ning'er had been the one initiating challenges, forcing him to accept them all. To be honest, he was starting to wonder if Sun Ning'er's fighting spirit was a bit too strong...
However, under the gaze of Sun Ning'er's large, watery eyes, Ye Mingsheng naturally couldn't reveal his true thoughts and simply said:

"Ning'er, you're overthinking it!"

Sun Ning'er, who was initially a little nervous, immediately relaxed after hearing Ye Mingsheng's words and mustered up her courage to speak:

"Your Majesty, I want to have your child!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng, who was contemplating philosophy, looked at Sun Ning'er in his arms with some surprise.

Now that she had already expressed her thoughts, Sun Ning'er decided to go all out and continue speaking:
"I am of meager means, and to have been able to serve Your Majesty for this period of time is already the greatest fortune of my life. I should be content, but I am a little greedy. I want to serve Your Majesty for the rest of my life!"

"Your Majesty, you are currently inspecting Qilu, but you will eventually return to the palace. There are three thousand beauties in the palace. Once Your Majesty returns, I'm afraid you will soon forget about me!"

At this point, Sun Ning'er's gaze towards Ye Mingsheng turned resentful, and she nestled her head against Ye Mingsheng's chest, saying shyly:

"So I wish to bear Your Majesty a child, so that even if Your Majesty only cares about the child, you won't discard me like a worn-out shoe!"

Hearing Sun Ning'er's idea, Ye Mingsheng was speechless. He didn't expect that this girl would want to use a child to tie him down!
However, she probably didn't know that since Ye Jingyan's birth, she had slept with many women, but none of them had become pregnant...