The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 593: Chapter 593: A Letter

Shen Yanchuan kept his gaze lowered, his tone even as he spoke:

”This was a premeditated, secret plot. From start to finish, only a few grain merchants were ever involved on the surface. Even the common folk had no idea who was truly buying their grain, much less where it was being taken.”

Farmers depend on the heavens for their livelihood. When someone offered to buy their grain at a high price and handled everything for them, they were overjoyed. Why would they ask any questions?

”If the grain merchants hadn’t been late for their scheduled pickup last year, the locals probably would never have suspected anything was wrong.”

Emperor Muwu snorted.

”The commoners may have been ignorant, but don’t tell me the local officials knew nothing either!?”

’On a matter of this scale, the county magistrate must have been aware. It was even to be expected that he had secretly facilitated it.’

Shen Yanchuan paused for a moment.

”The county magistrate of Qingzhou, Zuo Ci, came from a humble background, yet he leads a lavish private life and is known to be a spendthrift.”

Emperor Muwu narrowed his eyes, deep in thought for a moment. ”Zuo Ci... I seem to recall that name. If I remember correctly, wasn’t he one of Jiang Zhao Yuan’s protégés?”

”He was.”

Emperor Muwu’s expression grew grim.

’A mere county magistrate could never afford such a lifestyle on his meager salary. Anyone with eyes could see that Zuo Ci must have had some illicit income on the side.’

”He took money from those grain merchants?”

As Emperor Muwu spoke, he suddenly paused, his brow furrowing.

”No, that’s not right... The last few years have been prosperous, with good harvests and low grain prices. For those merchants to expend so much effort hoarding grain at inflated prices, and even paying bribes... after all that trouble, they likely wouldn’t have made much of a profit. So why would they...?”

He suddenly thought of something, and his heart sank.

Shen Yanchuan looked up, his eyes serene, but his words carried a sharp edge that sent a subtle chill through the air.

”Hoarding grain isn’t always about making a profit. It can also be... a means to take lives. Or, of course, to save them.”

A person can endure poverty for a while, but without food, they will die within days.

It might not seem significant in normal times, but in the event of a famine, such a large stockpile of grain would be priceless.

The more Emperor Muwu thought about it, the more alarmed he became.

’There were so many things one could do with a grain stockpile that large!’

His brow furrowed. ”Have you discovered who this Zuo Ci has been meeting? What transactions he’s made?”

Shen Yanchuan shook his head.

”He was not the one dealing privately with the grain merchants. It was his Chang Sui, a man named Gao Yi.”

Emperor Muwu froze for a moment, not quite comprehending.

”A Chang Sui? That makes sense. As a county magistrate, he couldn’t get involved directly. Of course he would find a trusted proxy...”

”Your Majesty is mistaken.”

Shen Yanchuan spoke again.

”Gao Yi was not acting on Zuo Ci’s orders.”

”What?” Emperor Muwu was astonished.

Images of all he had heard flashed through Shen Yanchuan’s mind. He began to speak slowly. ”Zuo Ci has indeed taken bribes on more than one occasion. However, our investigation confirmed they were all from various merchants and wealthy citizens in Qingzhou, who gave him Silver Taels in exchange for his help in bending the rules.”

Emperor Muwu was stunned.

”He came from poverty and struggled to pass the imperial examinations, only to be assigned to a minor post. And while rumors claimed he was one of Jiang Zhao Yuan’s protégés, the truth is that the Jiang family has had very little contact with him over the years. Jiang Zhao Yuan, in particular, has protégés across the land. A man of Zuo Ci’s humble origins would naturally never have caught his attention.”

Emperor Muwu nodded. ”That’s true... Had Jiang Zhao Yuan ever intended to mentor him, he wouldn’t have been left to languish in a small post in Qingzhou for so many years.”

”Qingzhou is not a wealthy region, but as its county magistrate, he holds power, and there are always opportunities for graft. In the years since his appointment, he has maintained a low profile publicly, but privately, he has engaged in all manner of extortion and bribery, never missing a chance.”

Zuo Ci’s petty schemes might have fooled others, but they couldn’t fool the Black Cavalry Guard.

There was no need for Shen Yanchuan to go in person; his subordinates had already conducted a thorough investigation into Zuo Ci’s entire career. They even knew the exact amount of Silver Coins he had taken.

This was precisely why Shen Yanchuan had made a special trip to the palace to report today—he had not come to confirm Zuo Ci’s guilt, but to reveal that the grain-hoarding plot in Qingzhou was the work of another mastermind.

”Zuo Ci knew what the grain merchants were doing, but he paid it no mind.”

After all, such dealings were quite common.

’He was too busy wining, dining, and enjoying his life. Why would he concern himself with such matters?’

’Besides, the farmers were willing sellers, and the merchants were willing buyers. What reason was there to interfere?’

Thus, Zuo Ci paid the entire affair no mind.

”The grain merchants did try to bribe Zuo Ci, but they went through Gao Yi and never once set foot inside the County Magistrate Mansion.”

Swaggering in during broad daylight would have been far too conspicuous.

No merchant would be so foolish.

Gao Yi, as Zuo Ci’s Chang Sui, naturally became the key link in all this.

Emperor Muwu stared at Shen Yanchuan. ”Are you telling me that Zuo Ci was not aware of the grain hoarding in Qingzhou, and that it has nothing to do with the Jiang family?”

Shen Yanchuan smiled.

”Zuo Ci never had the connections to get close to the Jiang family. That Gao Yi, however, has a rather mysterious background.”

”Oh?”

’Emperor Muwu was surprised. What could be so extraordinary about a lowly magistrate’s attendant?’

”Is there something special about him?”

Shen Yanchuan nodded lightly.

”The man is a master of martial arts, to a degree that I doubt even Zuo Ci is aware of. But more importantly...”

He paused, then articulated each word with chilling precision.

”The Black Cavalry Guard engaged him once. They discovered... his fighting style bears a resemblance to that of the Wazhen.”

Emperor Muwu’s eyes flew open in shock.

”What!?”

...

「Ye Mansion.」

Ye Jingyan had resumed his studies and was now staying at the Imperial College.

With only Ye Chutang and Xiao Wu left at home, it had become uncharacteristically quiet.

The sky had cleared today. Icicles under the eaves glittered like crystal. In the courtyard, the freshly swept snow was dotted with a few withered leaves, creating a scattered yet charming pattern when viewed from afar.

Ye Chutang warmed her hands by the brazier before moving to a small couch by the window, where she sat down and took out a letter.

In truth, her health had improved considerably of late. She no longer felt a piercing chill when she went outside. The room was as warm as a spring day, and her hands and feet were already toasty.

Still, she had fallen into the habit of warming her hands before starting any task.

Ye Chutang glanced out the window, where a small figure was huffing and puffing in the courtyard, busy building a snowman.

Xiao Wu had boundless energy. Without her older brothers to play with, she had found ways to entertain herself.

A faint smile touched Ye Chutang’s lips as she lowered her gaze to the letter in her hand.

It was a letter from Shiluan City, signed by Su Pei’er.

’It had been a long time. I wonder how she’s faring over there?’

As various thoughts drifted through her mind, Ye Chutang’s slender, pale fingers nimbly broke the seal on the envelope.

Elegant handwriting covered the thin sheet of paper inside.

Ye Chutang’s gaze fell upon the letter, and her dark, shapely brows slowly drew together...