The playboy county magistrate

"The best course of action now is to cut our losses as soon as possible."

Left Chancellor Ren Jianxiao raised his head and gave orders to his subordinates who were kneeling respectfully on the ground awaiting his commands:

"Immediately send someone to contact the rest of the personnel in Jinling, destroy all hidden ledgers, and cut off all clues related to the manor. If it weren't for the princess protecting Gao Huai'an, he would have been a handful of dust long ago. Now, by abandoning Gao Huai'an, we can save the overall situation. Even if the princess likes him, she has no choice but to accept this outcome."

"Stop the loss?" A cold female voice rang out from outside, directly interrupting Left Prime Minister Ren Jianxiao's words. "Too late."

"Since Li Xuanzhi has set his sights on Jinling City and even went there to investigate personally, it means he already knows who is behind it. Cutting off the leads now would only give others ammunition to criticize him."

When Ren Jianxiao saw that his wife, the princess, had returned, he breathed a huge sigh of relief, but his brows furrowed.

"But if we let him investigate further, he will surely find our household within ten days. At that time, we will be confronted before the Emperor, implicated in corruption, and imperial relatives will bring disaster to the court. The consequences will be unimaginable!"

The princess coldly swept her gaze over Ren Jianxiao. "Don't think I don't know what you mean. You simply want to use me to bring down Li Xuanzhi and eliminate Huai'an at the same time. Ren, don't forget whose power you owe your current position to."

Ren Jianxiao clenched his fists tightly, feeling a surge of humiliation rising within him.

"Does the princess mean to... take action again? But Li Xuanzhi is currently in Jinling, with guards by his side, and he is extremely vigilant. The last ambush on the official road failed, so it will probably be even more difficult to succeed this time."

"The last time it was a rogue assassin who acted hastily; he is nothing to fear."

The princess raised her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them. "This time, I, the princess, will personally mobilize the troops."

"He wants to trace the source of the accounts and seek justice. Then I, the princess, will leave him to stay in Jinling City forever, never to return to the capital."

At this point, the princess leaned against the table, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Li Xuanzhi's new wife is so beautiful. Once Li Xuanzhi falls completely, I, the princess, can grant you a favor and give you Li Xuanzhi's first wife, Pei Qingyuan, to be your plaything."

At this point, the princess paused, then her eyes flashed with a warning.

"If I find out again that you intend to make things difficult for my people, don't blame me for being impolite. A good-for-nothing who barely managed to get to the position of Left Prime Minister through my connections but still has no real power should know what the right thing to do is."

The princess was also quite annoyed.

If it weren't for Li Xuanzhi's trip to Jinling to investigate the case, she would have really wanted to use the excuse of praying for blessings to sneak into Jinling to catch up with her Gao Huai'an.

She was tired of seeing all the men in the capital.

I should have known better than to let Gao Huai'an go to Jinling to guard it; it's made her feel so lonely.

The inn in Jinling City has been exceptionally busy these past few days.

The inn's courtyard was brightly lit, and several side rooms had been converted into temporary accounting offices.

The long tables were joined together and piled high with several thick stacks of business ledgers, cash flow records, and purchase details.

The paper was piled up like a mountain, and the scent of ink mixed with the musty smell of cooking filled the entire courtyard.

The three experienced accountants that Tang Zheng had found overnight sat at the table. All of them had gray hair and were veterans who had been working in accounting for decades or even longer.

All three were of impeccable character and had never been affiliated with Gao Huai'an; they were forcibly hired to work as accountants in the business.

Now, having heard the details of the case, and seeing the rumored imperial envoy Li Xuanzhi, who was supposedly promoting the new policies, personally overseeing the proceedings, everyone was extremely excited, burying themselves in their work and meticulously calculating each page.

Li Xuanzhi sat quietly in the main seat, a solitary lamp on the desk illuminating his clear and sharp features.

Interrogations by day, audits by night. The relentless work and exhaustion have left his eyes bloodshot.

Time passed slowly, and for what seemed like the umpteenth time, a faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon.

Suddenly, the old accountant on the far left raised his hand and stopped writing, his fingertips pressing firmly on a yellowed page of the account book. His breathing quickened slightly, and he looked up to report.

"Sir, we've found something suspicious."

Li Xuanzhi's gaze sharpened slightly, and he leaned forward: "Speak."

"This is the ledger for the special procurement of the Linghe River repair project two years ago."

The old accountant pointed to the details on the pages, "The government reported the purchase of over 30,000 cubic meters of bluestone, over 2,000 logs, and tens of thousands of catties of lime. All of these were top-quality materials, and the funds were fully allocated. However, the actual purchase records of the merchants show that half of the materials were defective or sold at a discounted price, with the difference amounting to over 11,000 taels of silver being embezzled."

He turned the page, his fingertips tracing the densely packed income and expenditure records, and continued.

"Moreover, a fixed amount is withdrawn from the special funds allocated for canal maintenance and river dredging every quarter. This is anonymously transferred under the guise of 'miscellaneous expenses' and 'transit losses.' There are no merchants involved, no withdrawal vouchers, and no detailed breakdown."

Another accountant immediately chimed in, opening another year-end ledger in his hand.

"My lord, I've been checking the bank statements for the past three years. Every autumn and winter, a huge sum of silver quietly travels north. It goes through private channels, bypassing the government's treasury audits. The destination is completely obscure, but the secret marks on the banknotes subtly correspond to the private estates of powerful figures in the capital."

Gao Huai'an embezzled public funds, while businesses secretly manipulated accounts, and private funds were secretly transferred north. Every link was meticulously planned, and every transaction concealed shady dealings.

Li Xuanzhi stood to the side, and after reviewing the account details, a chilling aura emanated from his eyes.

"The amount of anonymous silver sent north, which is only the tip of the iceberg, has already exceeded 100,000 taels. This is definitely not something that Gao Huai'an could decide or control on his own."

Li Xuanzhi continued to gaze down at the dense numbers and hidden marks on the page, his fingertips gently brushing across the mottled pages.

The princess in the princess's mansion was a favorite of the late emperor, and she had never openly caused trouble for the emperor over the years.

Moreover, the princess is a woman and poses no threat to the throne. She has also accumulated considerable prestige over the decades.

Although she was somewhat lecherous, she never forced any man and caused any problems.

Holding a high position, enjoying the emperor's bounty and the people's wealth, who could have imagined that he would secretly condone his subordinates' local entrenched power, using the guise of river engineering and canal transport to embezzle treasury funds year after year, exploiting the people and turning public funds into his own private property?

Corruption is not the most hateful thing; the most hateful thing is the neglect of river defenses.

The use of substandard materials and perfunctory construction methods have resulted in annual leaks and dangerous situations in the waterways of Nanjing.

The people along the river suffered greatly from the floods, and even in a prosperous city like Nanjing, countless people were displaced.

"Immediately organize the account books, seal the ticket stubs, compile them into an iron-bound confession, and send it to the capital!" Tang Zheng shouted, waving his fist.

"No rush." ​​Li Xuanzhi raised his hand to stop him, his gaze still fixed on the account book, his tone calm and composed.

"The accounts are still incomplete, and some key year-end general ledgers and private invoices are missing, which should have been taken away and hidden in advance."

Li Xuanzhi knew perfectly well that the emperor must have had some suspicions before sending him to Jinling to investigate.

If the emperor were to return to the capital to claim credit for finding only a little information, it would certainly not be the outcome he desired.