Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

Lu Changshen waited outside and saw the people inside go in, obviously starting to eat. He couldn't help but look anxious.

Just then, Lu Zhaodi and her family of three arrived.

Lu Zhaodi stepped forward and grabbed Lu Changshen, asking, "Changshen, how did it go? Did His Highness the Crown Prince punish that magistrate? Did he say when he would reward you?"

Lu Changshen frowned, feeling somewhat impatient. He said indifferently, "Aunt, my cousin just had a miscarriage. You should take her to the clinic first. If she develops a chronic condition, her life could be ruined."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaodi's face turned pale. Chang Shen's words made sense.

She immediately called to Liu Youcai, and together they pulled the donkey cart away from the county government office and headed towards the clinic.

Lu Changshen and others waited outside.

Zhao Yongquan walked up to him, his eyes filled with a sinister glint, and sneered, "You don't actually think you can use this to get back into officialdom, do you?"

Upon seeing him, Lu Changshen, unafraid of offending him, said, "Once Miao Shuo falls, who will you rely on?"

Everyone knows that Zhao Yongquan is Miao Shuo's dog.

If Zhao Yongquan hadn't been lucky enough to marry Miao Shuo's niece, would he have become the garrison commander?

Zhao Yongquan gave him a meaningful look and said, "You used to be just a lowly ninth-rank clerk, how much could you possibly know?"

Lu Changshen frowned, instinctively sensing that there was something more to his words.

Zhao Yongquan sneered and walked away.

Meanwhile, in the living room, after the Crown Prince asked that question, Miao Shuo knelt down with a thud, and the county magistrate and others followed suit.

"Your Highness, I am innocent! I have received the great favor of the late Emperor and His Majesty. How could I have committed such a heinous act? I beg Your Highness to see the truth!"

Miao Shuo said earnestly.

The Crown Prince nodded. "Good. The late Emperor and Father Emperor both trusted you, and I trust you too. Magistrate Miao, please get up and have your meal."

"Your Highness, may I ask who has framed me?"

The Crown Prince pointed outside the door, "There's a man surnamed Lu named Lu Changshen."

"This person dares to frame the magistrate! Your Highness, I must excuse myself," the county magistrate immediately stood up and said.

The crown prince nodded slightly.

The county magistrate got up and walked out, glanced at Lu Changshen, and went straight to Zhao Yongquan.

"What's going on?" the county magistrate asked in a low voice.

Zhao Yongquan's expression turned slightly serious as he recounted the events to the county magistrate.

The county magistrate frowned, looking at Lu Changshen with murderous intent. "Guards, this man has framed an official of the imperial court. Arrest him and throw him in jail."

Lu Changshen's expression changed, and he was about to shout for help when the constables quickly gagged him and dragged him away.

"County Magistrate Du, the Crown Prince and Marquis Xuanwu will definitely investigate Mingxi County," Zhao Yongquan said.

The county magistrate looked at him and said, "Mr. Zhao, what do you intend to do?"

Zhao Yongquan narrowed his eyes slightly. "This Miao Shuo is a real nuisance. With him around, we have to be wary of him in everything we do. Why don't we take this opportunity to get rid of him?"

The county magistrate nodded: "That will work. From now on, Mingxi County will only have our own people left."

Zhao Yongquan nodded, "That's excellent, but who should be the new magistrate...?"

Zhao Yongquan glanced at him. "Naturally, it's up to me. Does Magistrate Du intend to become the magistrate?"

"No, no, I had no such idea. Mr. Zhao, I know you are that person's man. It would be much easier to handle things in the future if you were to be the magistrate."

However, if you want to become this magistrate, you need a reason!

"The pretext is easy to explain. If the Crown Prince is assassinated by Miao Shuo and I save him, that would be a meritorious deed."

"Mr. Zhao, that's a good idea. Then let's..."

Apart from asking Miao Shuo once during a meal, the Crown Prince never mentioned the matter of the 300,000 taels of tax silver again.

After finishing his meal, Miao Shuo tentatively suggested, "Your Highness, it's getting late, and it's not advisable to continue our journey. Why don't we stay at the county office tonight, rest for the night, and set off again tomorrow?"

The Crown Prince nodded: "That suits me perfectly. Miao Shuo, you say you haven't embezzled, but others say you have. You'll have to provide some evidence to punish those who frame you, otherwise, the people are watching!"

Miao Shuo bowed and agreed.

The Crown Prince and his entourage stayed at the county government office for a while.

Late at night, a dark figure flashed past the Crown Prince's bedroom door.

The prince opened the door and saw a stack of account books outside.

He picked up the account books and carried them into the house, looking through them one by one. After a moment, he couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.

He turned off the light.

Half an hour later, another figure sneaked out of the room. He had only taken a few steps when he was blocked by another figure.

"Your Excellency, it's the middle of the night. What are you doing there? Are you perhaps going to the outhouse? Which direction is the outhouse in?"

The county magistrate suddenly appeared and blocked Miao Shuo's way.

Miao Shuo squinted at him for a moment and said, "The county magistrate is quite right. I was just confused and went the wrong way."

After saying that, he turned back.

Miao Shuo returned to his room with a sullen face, and was startled as soon as he entered.

He saw that Ying Yufu was sitting in the room where no one had been when he left, drinking tea.

"Princess Anguo!"

Miao Shuo patted his chest.

Ying Yufu asked, "Was Lord Miao stopped by someone when he went out?"

She has sharp ears and eyes; she heard everything.

Miao Shuo looked at her warily.

"Lord Miao, what exactly is the situation in Mingxi County? And what about the 300,000 taels of tax silver?"

Or rather, what is Lord Miao's actual situation in Mingxi County?

It's late at night, and everyone's asleep. Why don't you tell me what's going on?

Ying Yufu got up and walked towards him.

Miao Shuo looked at her, his small eyes gleaming. He seemed to be weighing things up. After a moment, he suddenly spoke, saying, "Has Princess Anguo come to see me on His Highness the Crown Prince's orders?"

Ying Yufu said, "I will represent him."

Miao Shuo gritted his teeth: "Then, Princess Anguo, please come with me."

After saying that, he lifted the bed board and pressed a button.

An entrance, large enough for one person to pass through, immediately appeared beneath the bed board.

Miao Shuo went down first.

Ying Yufu followed immediately.

It was pitch black below, but Ying Yufu had excellent eyesight, while Miao Shuo should be very familiar with the place and could move freely even in the dark.

Before long, they arrived at a hidden door, pushed it open, and entered a secret room.

In this secret room, besides several boxes of account books, there were also several boxes of silver, estimated to be nearly 50,000 taels.

"Princess Anguo, all this silver was stolen by me!"

Ying Yufu: ?

Just as she was about to ask Xiao Dian what was going on, she heard Miao Shuo say, "Princess Anguo, this 50,000 taels of tax silver came from the corruption of all the officials in Mingxi County."

All I can keep is this fifty thousand taels.

The remaining tax revenue was all sent to the higher authorities.

"Above?" Ying Yufu pondered the words. "Cang Mingze?"

A glint flashed in Miao Shuo's eyes, and he smiled: "It seems Princess Anguo knows, that makes things easier."

He suddenly became very excited. "Princess Anguo, look at these account books. They are evidence of their exploitation of the people. Over the years, they thought they had done a clean job, but little did they know that I was also very discreet."

He looked smug.

Just then, footsteps approached softly. Ying Yufu turned her head and saw the woman carrying a candlestick as she walked in.

"uncle."

The woman said.

Miao Shuo looked at the woman with a face full of guilt and pity, "Princess Anguo, she is my niece Miao Jiaoniang. A large part of these account books were collected by her from Zhao Yongquan."