I play the role of Jiajing in Zongwu: What crime have I committed?

He directly ordered, "Summon Cao Zhichun to see me."

Yan Song quickly bowed and withdrew. A short while later, Cao Zhichun strode into the study.

"This servant, Cao Zhichun, greets Your Highness."

"Get up."

Zhu Houcong looked at Cao Zhichun and asked meaningfully.

"You were also involved in the Qingguo case. Did they really only find three million taels of silver in the residences of these traitors?"

Cao Zhichun, a man of great talent, immediately discerned the hidden meaning in Zhu Houcong's words with a quick glance.

He immediately proclaimed loudly, "Your wisdom is beyond reproach, Master."

"According to a secret investigation by the Eastern Depot, the assets of the Duke of Qing and his cronies could be confiscated at least five million taels of silver."

Five...five million taels?

Upon hearing this, Qi Min's brain immediately went blank. He stared wide-eyed at Cao Zhichun, his face full of disbelief.

This eunuch is clearly talking nonsense.

Where did the five million taels come from?

You just spout nonsense!

Cao Zhichun ignored his gaze and continued to smile.

No?

Then investigate the officials who confiscated the property of the Duke of Qing's cronies as well, and that will solve the problem.

Corrupt officials are as numerous as carp crossing a river, and he doesn't believe that every person investigating a case is honest and upright.

Chapter 102 Yan Maoqing, Emerging from Green Smoke

"More than five million taels?" Zhu Houcong frowned.

Cao Zhichun immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, in addition to the 3.1 million taels already reported, these officials handling the case have concealed at least another 2 million taels."

His words were truly shocking, directly framing the investigating officials.

Qi Min was shocked upon hearing this and immediately knelt down.

"Your Majesty is wise; what Eunuch Cao said is not true. I supervised the entire case and found no evidence of embezzlement."

"Oh?"

Cao Zhichun smiled sinisterly.

"Lord Qi is so certain, could it be that you personally visited the homes of each official handling the case to investigate?"

"Or is it that Lord Qi dares to guarantee that there is absolutely no foul play in this case?"

"If this is discovered, can you bear the responsibility?"

"I…"

The three questions left Qi Min speechless.

How could he dare to make such a guarantee?

Among all the officials in the court, who didn't know that confiscating property was the most lucrative task?

boom!

The next second, Zhu Houcong suddenly stood up and slammed his hands heavily on the table, making the memorial jump.

He leaned over the table, his eyes blazing with fury, and growled through gritted teeth.

"Well, more than two million taels of silver, all embezzled. It seems that the laws of confiscating property in our Great Liang Dynasty were made for their own profit."

As he spoke, he picked up the memorial and waved it wildly in the air, causing the paper to rustle loudly.

"My money!!!"

The roar shook the very beams of the palace.

"Yan Maoqing, emitting blue smoke!!!"

"In his memorial to the throne, he even said that in order to relieve the emperor's worries, he had specially allocated one million taels of silver for me to keep."

"They take two million, I get one million, and they expect me to thank them?"

[Imitate Jiajing +1, reward: Great Martial Arts Golden Elixir]

Zhu Houcong threw the memorial at Qi Min's face.

He was jolted awake by the impact, and the sharp edge of the memorial left a bloody mark on his face.

He immediately knelt down on the ground, trembling, not daring to even lift his head, let alone wipe away the blood.

At this moment, the hall was deathly silent.

All that could be heard was Zhu Houcong's heavy breathing.

Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Cao Zhichun's eyes, and his voice was filled with ruthlessness.

"My lord, please calm your anger. This servant will immediately take men to investigate thoroughly and recover every single one of those two million taels of silver for you."

"Well!"

Zhu Houcong looked coldly at Qi Min and said, word by word.

"This matter is to be investigated entirely by the Eastern Depot. Anyone who dares to divulge a single word before the truth is revealed will be executed without mercy!"

"This servant obeys the decree!"

Cao Zhichun kowtowed heavily, his forehead striking the gold brick with a dull thud.

Qi Min shuddered. He finally understood the last sentence; it was clearly meant for him.

He immediately prostrated himself and cried out, "Your Majesty, I will heed your decree!"

After Qi Min and Cao Zhichun left the study, the anger on Zhu Houcong's face instantly vanished.

The veteran actors almost burst out laughing just now.

In just a few words, another two million taels of silver came in.

Making money this fast is easier than drinking water.

Hey! It's just for fun!

As for how many people will be implicated in the corruption case, that's none of my business!

The imperial examinations are just around the corner, and there are plenty of people who want to become officials.

"Prepare the carriage for Yongshou Palace!"

He strode confidently to the outside of Yongshou Palace, and before he even stepped into the palace, he heard sobbing coming from inside.

The crying was intermittent, as if deliberately suppressed, yet it revealed a hint of grievance.

It was particularly clear in the palace gardens.

Zhu Houcong frowned slightly, waved for Yan Song and the others who were attending him to leave, and stepped into the hall alone.

Yuwen Nian was lying on the embroidered couch, her slender shoulders trembling slightly, and her white sleeves were soaked with tears.

Hearing footsteps approaching, she frantically looked up with tearful eyes.

This glance at him made Zhu Houcong's breath catch in his throat, and he froze on the spot.

He was right; Yuwen Nian's full appearance at this moment was truly breathtaking.

Tears still clung to her stunningly beautiful face, making her look fragile and delicate, like a pear blossom in the rain.

"Your Majesty...the Emperor."

At this moment, Yuwen Nian's helpless appearance made her look even more pitiful.

Endearing.

It made Zhu Houcong feel as if something had gently tickled his heart.

He looked her up and down, then smiled and said with his hands behind his back, "Like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally beautiful without any artifice, my Consort Xi is indeed extraordinary."

As she spoke, she reached out to wipe away the tears on Yuwen Nian's face, which startled Yuwen Nian, who quickly turned her face to the side.

"You look so lovely that I can't bear to look at you."

Zhu Houcong didn't mind, he just kept spouting cheesy quotes.

Yuwen Nian quickly took two steps back, her slender fingers twisting the hem of her dress, and said timidly, "Your Majesty, this humble woman does not wish to be a concubine; she only wishes to return to Southern Chu."

She raised her tearful eyes, her voice barely audible.

"I...I can tell you about a notorious traitor in the Liang Dynasty. Could you please let me go home?"

Zhu Houcong raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

Traitor?

There are too many treacherous officials in the court; he has no time to listen to such things now.

During mealtimes, we don't talk about work.

Every working person knows this!

But seeing the girl in front of him with tears welling up in her eyes, his heart softened for no reason.

"Then tell me. If it's true, I will allow you to return to Southern Chu."

Upon hearing Zhu Houcong's answer, Yuwen Nian's eyes immediately lit up with surprise.

He immediately knelt up and recounted how Xie Yu had hired someone to kill Zhuo Dingfeng's youngest son at Tianquan Manor and how he had been using the Zhuo family to eliminate dissidents all these years.

Zhu Houcong was stunned as he listened to Yuwen Nian recount Xie Yu's crimes as if they were his own.

Some things are secrets that even the Suspended Mirror Bureau might not be able to find out.

This guy, Yuwen Lin, the Prince of Southern Chu, actually found out so much about the matter.

No wonder she's my rival in love, she's put in a lot of effort!

At this moment, Yuwen Nian spoke again.

"Your Majesty, look closely at me. Don't I resemble Xiao Jingrui somewhat? This is..."

"Hey hey hey... Stop, stop."

Zhu Houcong's sudden interruption startled her.

Before him stood Emperor Liang, whose face was strange and whose eyes darted around, as if he had seen a ghost.

Little did he know, Zhu Houcong's mind was in turmoil.

After she said that, and looking more closely at Yuwen Nian's eyebrows and eyes, they did indeed resemble Xiao Jingrui somewhat.

Once this thought took root, the stunningly beautiful face before him gradually began to overlap with Xiao Jingrui's.

He was so frightened that he quickly shook his head.

This directly interrupted Yuwen Nian's spellcasting.

Suddenly, he wasn't so keen to hear the story anymore.

If I keep listening, once I accept the premise that the two look alike, wouldn't it just turn into a Sichuan opera?

How could he possibly do it?

Yuwen Nian was completely bewildered by his sudden reaction and could only stare at him blankly.

Zhu Houcong took a deep breath, trying to dispel the absurd association in his mind.

He then said, "Niannian, don't mention that you resemble Xiao Jingrui again. It's ruining my mood."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Nian was greatly alarmed and exclaimed, "His Majesty just promised that as long as I named the treacherous official, he would let me go home!"

"Yeah yeah!"

Zhu Houcong nodded with a smile.