dognovel Chapter 119 The fish is dead and the net is broken
Chapter 119 The fish is dead and the net is broken
"Brother, can you take me back to the capital?"
Shen Shaobai clenched his fists, hating his own powerlessness.
He couldn't understand his parents' actions, and he couldn't understand why his second sister would target his eldest sister in every way after getting what she wanted.
When his second sister was found, he felt sorry for her and always gave in to her.
No matter how well you treat her, she is never satisfied and is always eyeing the things in her older sister's room.
He felt that there was something wrong with her mentality and was annoyed by her insatiable greed.
But thinking of all the suffering she had endured, he used his own savings to make up for it for her, one item at a time.
The older sister treated her very well, and whenever she found something good, she would give it to her.
They did everything they were supposed to do and never ostracized her.
Why does she still harbor such hostility towards her older sister?
Shen Shaobai said dejectedly, "I want to see my older sister."
Shen Shaoheng looked up at Shen Shaobai. He was wearing a black robe, tall and slender, yet with the thinness of a young man. His hair was tied in a ponytail, and his bangs were slightly messy, giving him an air of unruliness.
The boy was originally a frivolous young man, and now, upon hearing that Shen Qingtan had suffered and been wronged, he felt dejected because of his own powerlessness.
His eyes drooped, showing none of his former arrogance. He looked more like a big yellow dog with drooping ears, lying by the door.
“The disaster victims from Guanzhou have gone to the capital, and the Emperor has entrusted the task of providing relief to them to my second uncle. I came to Guanzhou specifically to check on the situation. If the disaster is severe, I'm afraid the disaster victims will continue to flock to the capital. My second uncle already has no food, and he will be even more overwhelmed.”
Shen Shaoheng said, "If we can find the officials who embezzled the grain and make them return it to help the disaster victims, the situation on my second uncle's side should be able to stabilize."
Shen Shaobai was silent for a moment, then asked, "Has the imperial envoy come to investigate the grain matter?"
“Hmm.” Shen Shaoheng replied, “If the officials in charge of managing the grain supplies fail to replenish the grain, they will all be punished.”
Shen Shaobai realized the seriousness of the matter. The imperial court had specially sent an imperial envoy to investigate, which would surely uncover the hidden Chengen Marquis's Mansion by pulling out the officials in charge of the granary.
Thinking of the chests of gold in the stable, he had an idea: "Brother, I have something to discuss with you."
Shen Shaobai lowered his voice and whispered a few words in Shen Shaoheng's ear.
A glint of light flashed in Shen Shaoheng's eyes. Remembering Shen Qingtan's instructions in the letter, he readily agreed.
-
After two days of rest, Yongyibo's condition improved slightly, and he prepared to go to the grain manager to have the grain transported out.
He was stopped by soldiers as soon as he stepped out of the inn.
The Earl of Yongyi was bewildered and couldn't figure out what was going on.
He recognized the leader as Lin Zhenxing, the Vice Minister of Revenue, and was about to ask him a question when he heard Lord Cao speak.
"Lord Lin, last year there was a famine in Guanzhou. We discussed opening the granaries to lend grain to the people. In this way, when the harvest is good next year, the people who are able to return the grain can fill the gap in the granaries, and the government will not have to spend money to buy and store the grain."
"Who knew that the Marquis of Yongyi would come after hearing the news and ask us to sell our grain to him, promising to sell it to the people at the normal price. We were naturally unwilling, but he threatened us by invoking the Marquis of Chengen, saying that if we did not sell our grain to him, he would remove our official hats."
“We still stubbornly refused to sell to him and even submitted a memorial to the court to impeach him. However, he intercepted the memorial and arrested our families. We had no choice but to sell the grain to him.”
“We planned to use the silver to buy grain from elsewhere to help the disaster victims. But the Earl of Yongyi has not given us a single copper coin so far. He only left a written note and a token when he took the grain away.”
"Even if we had these things in our hands, we dared not report them to the imperial court, because the disaster in Guanzhou was getting worse and worse. Even if we were forced, we would still have committed the serious crime of withholding information and protecting the Earl of Yongyi. We were hoping that he would settle the money as soon as possible so that we could buy grain for disaster relief, until now that this has come to light."
Lord Cao spoke almost in tears, recounting his bitterness and helplessness at being oppressed by high-ranking officials.
Lin Zhenxing held the document and token in his hand. The jade pendant was engraved with the words of the Earl of Yongyi, and the private seal and handwriting on the document were also the same as those of the Earl of Yongyi.
“Lord, you are highly suspicious. I need your cooperation in the investigation.” Lin Zhenxing waved his hand: “Take him away.”
When the Earl of Yongyi saw the token, what else did he not understand?
The granaries in Guanzhou were emptied by corrupt officials, and the disaster worsened. Refugees had fled to the outskirts of the capital, attracting the attention of the imperial court, which dispatched an imperial envoy to Guanzhou to investigate.
These corrupt officials couldn't cover their tracks anymore, so they had to find scapegoats.
Even if you're looking for a scapegoat, you have to find a suitable candidate.
Because the officials managing the granary and the Chengen Marquis's mansion hidden behind it could not be completely separated, and some traces would be left behind, the Chengen Marquis approached him.
Marquis Chengen knew that he was greedy for money and not very smart, and relying on the fact that the man trusted Marquis Chengen quite a bit, so he made a big promise to lure him to Guanzhou to take the blame.
He deliberately lied to him, saying that he had a batch of grain to sell, knowing that he would not be able to afford the money to buy the grain. He would then use his relationship with the Marquis of Chengen to buy it on credit, and then take the opportunity to steal his tokens and personal seal.
He was related to the Marquis of Chengen by marriage, and everyone in the capital knew that the Marquis of Chengen treated him very well. His use of the Marquis of Chengen's connections to empty the granaries of Guanzhou was somewhat believable.
His personal seal and tokens became irrefutable evidence against him.
So all the evidence of the Marquis of Chengen using his connections to empty the granary was shifted onto him, and the Marquis of Chengen was thus exonerated.
He became the mastermind and therefore had to bear the main responsibility.
In severe cases, the offender would have their property confiscated and beheaded; in milder cases, their title would be stripped.
Although the officials of the Marquis of Chengen's residence and those in charge of the granary were "unaware" and "forced," the matter was of great importance and they were suspected of dereliction of duty, so they could not escape blame. Even if they were to be held accountable, they could still save their lives and property.
Thinking of this, Uncle Yongyi felt a chill in his heart. He never imagined that his own sister and brother-in-law would want his life!
"Lord Lin, I have been wronged! Please investigate thoroughly and clear my name!"
Knowing he couldn't escape, the Earl of Yongyi didn't make a futile struggle. Instead, he gave his attendant a wink, hoping he would go to the Earl's residence in the capital to report the news.
Remembering Emperor Jing'an's instructions, Lin Zhenxing pretended not to see the Earl of Yongyi winking at his attendants, and only ordered his men to take the Earl of Yongyi away, without arresting his attendants as well.
-
A few days later, when Lady Yongyi heard the devastating news that her husband had been arrested, her vision went black and she staggered backward.
Fortunately, the maidservant reacted quickly and caught her, preventing her from falling to the ground.
"Marquis Chengen...you've gone too far!" Lady Yongyi gritted her teeth and said angrily, "Prepare the carriage, I'm going to the Marquis's residence myself!"
The maidservant hurriedly went to prepare the carriage.
Lady Yongyi went to the inner room to retrieve a letter and then went to the Chengen Marquis's residence.
A maid knocked on the door of the Marquis's residence, and Lady Yongyi handed a letter to the gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper delivered it to the Marquis of Chengen, and soon after, he hurriedly invited the Lady of the Earl of Yongyi to the study in the front courtyard.
When Lady Yongyi saw the sanctimonious face of Marquis Chengen, she could hardly suppress the hatred in her heart.
Instead of exchanging any more insincere pleasantries, she went straight to threatening him.
"My lord, over the years, our Earl has done a lot for you, hasn't he? Putting aside the fact that he is your brother-in-law, even if you were raising a dog, you should have some affection for it, right? How could you be so heartless as to send him to his death!"
Lady Yongyi's gaze was icy: "Fortunately, I had a backup plan. I kept evidence of everything the Marquis did for you. Your relationship with Tan'er is quite bad, isn't it? If I told her that she is not the Marquis's biological daughter, and then gave her this evidence, what would the Marquis's mansion face?"
Marquis Chengen's expression changed. If Shen Qingtan got her hands on these things, she would definitely destroy the Marquis's mansion!
“We were originally in the same boat. If you hand over the evidence, you won’t survive, and the Earl’s family will also be doomed. I never thought of breaking ties with you.”
At this point, Lady Yongyi made a harsh statement: "If the Marquis cannot replenish the granaries of Guanzhou and protect our Marquis, then we shall be prepared for a fight to the death!"