The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 345 - 293, Night Raid on the Commandery Princess

Mr. Sun, the Governor, a real oddity in the government arena, burst into a sneer and spread his hands, saying,

"Truly think that with a silver mine there's money to be had? Anyway, not a dime of that silver ever falls into our government office's hands.

This year our office is scraping by just to issue salaries, I've got nothing to gift the imperial envoy. Maybe you two gentlemen can spare a little from your overflowing pockets? Enough to provide for the envoy's food and drink?"

Old Liu the Inspector frowned:

"Mr. Sun, let's not talk nonsense. Where would my Inspection Department get any money?"

Gao Lian, sitting at the head seat, interrupted helplessly:

"Come now, no inflammatory remarks. In my view, this is probably the envoy's strategy.

As far as I'm aware, when Yama Zhao first entered the Imperial Court, he arrested a bunch of officials from the capital, pretended to seek bribes, and then ended up detaining those who offered him bribes.

Besides, how could the imperial envoy himself be a corrupt traitor? In my opinion, we should stand still. If the envoy wants to investigate, let him investigate."

Prime Minister Li Yanfu, in his secret letter, once mentioned this:

Should the Zhao thief seek bribes, do not be fooled.

Mr. Sun, the Governor, and Liu the Inspector looked at each other and nodded:

"That's for the best."

Gao Lian thought for a moment, then added with some worry:

"Mr. Sun, about the silver mine, you must keep a close watch. At such a critical juncture, we can't overlook any suspicious persons. By the way, who's currently in charge over there?"

"The Taicang County Chief." Sun Xiaozhun said:

"Rest easy. I've already repeated my orders emphatically."

As he spoke, the irritable Mr. Sun, the Governor, couldn't help but curse:

"Wang Chusheng, that damned beast! He's been pocketing money from corruption, but as soon as things blew up, he ran off, leaving me—a governor who's been in office for just a year—to carry the huge, black pot! How is that fair?

And on top of that, I still have to carefully serve this Zhao Imperial Commissioner. A bunch of bastards!"

This last sentence, it wasn't clear whom he was cursing.

Governor Gao and Liu the Inspector kept their eyes on their own business, as if they hadn't heard a word.

The three of them were like grasshoppers on the same rope now, forced to weather the storm together.

...

...

Prince Huaian's Royal Mansion had many shops and naturally also had some within the walls of Taicang Prefecture.

Xu Junling was staying at an inn belonging to the Royal Mansion.

And that very night, the inn received an unwelcome visitor.

In the ji�zi number room.

Xu Junling looked at the man in the black robes who had climbed in through the window, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Since when did Mr. Zhao learn the skills of a 'gentleman of the beams'?"

The man in black robes jumped in through the window, closed it behind him, and lifted his hood to reveal a handsome face.

Zhao Douan smiled and said, "Commandery Princess, your analogy isn't appropriate. Invading a lady's boudoir at night is more the deed of a flower-picking thief."

Shameless... Xu Junling spat in disdain, her robes neat as she sat at the table, putting down a roll of paper she had been reading, acting as if she had long anticipated his visit.

Before he entered the town, at a teahouse, Zhao Douan had told her of his plan, asking where she would be staying after entering the city, and had agreed on a room, saying he would come over at night.

"Mr. Zhao," Xu Junling could not hide her curiosity, "don't tell me you are here so late at night just to investigate a case."

This man had been quite peculiar in all his actions since entering the city.

Zhao Douan took off his black robe, walked to the table, picked up a water jug, gulped down a mouthful, then grabbed a piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth. Only then did he pull out a chair, sit down, and sigh with a smile, "As a dragon crossing the river, to investigate in a place that is solid as steel, how easy could it be? How could I not use some tricks?"

"So?" Xu Junling asked, "You snuck out of the post house to avoid the local officials' watchful eyes and make things easier for yourself?"

"Smart," Zhao Douan praised blandly.

This wasn't difficult to guess.

Xu Junling curiously asked, "Why go through all this trouble? You seem to be very wary of Gao Lian and the others."

Zhao Douan's joking mood faded a bit, his expression becoming slightly more serious as he smiled,

"Commandery Princess, what do you think is my mission here?"

"Naturally, to investigate the suspected corruption of the Taicang County Magistrate and the embezzlement of the nation's silver," Xu Junling said indifferently.

Zhao Douan fixed his gaze on the dignified Commandery Princess of the Imperial Family, whose eyebrows were drawn and hair styled, and said with a disappointed look,

"Why should Commandery Princess stick to such polite words? With your intelligence, you should know that a mere county magistrate isn't worth such a fuss from His Majesty.

The case of Taicang Silver Mine, first and foremost, is meant to serve as a warning. His Majesty needs to demonstrate his resolve, allowing local officials to see the determination of the court, ensuring smooth implementation of new policies…

Heh, while the new policy passed in the Capital, it is still struggling to take root locally."

"Secondly, what's of interest are the people behind this Taicang County Magistrate. Who's shielding him, and who's the mountain he leans on."

Xu Junling's expression remained unchanged as she stated,

"So, you suspect that the County Magistrate's backers are among the officials who welcomed you into the city. You don't trust these people, which is why you've decided to investigate secretly."

Zhao Douan snapped his fingers appreciatively and said,

"The Commandery Princess still understands me. Investigating a case is like playing chess; when you are part of it, it's easy to miss the forest for the trees and be led by the nose by these local officials.

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After all, I'm a dragon from across the river. Even with those two hundred cavalry, if they are blind, they are pointless."

Xu Junling spoke solemnly, "Then the rumor you spread about seeking bribes, was that to probe them?"

Huh, you're well-informed... Zhao Douan shook his head,

"Not really. No matter how foolish they are, they wouldn't bribe me at such a critical time. It was just a blind I threw to confuse them for a while, so they couldn't guess what I'm thinking and to buy some time."

Xu Junling nodded, half-convinced by this explanation, "And you sneaking out, aren't you afraid they'll discover the imperial envoy has disappeared?"

Zhao Douan smiled and said, "Who said I've disappeared? Ever heard of disguise? All I need to do is have my men disguise themselves as me, keep the post house occupied, and delay for a day or two."

Before leaving, he had taken a mask from the captured Thousand Faces God and given it to Shen Juan.

Now, Shen Juan was masquerading as him, playing the fake imperial envoy, attracting the attention of the entire town in the post house.

Meanwhile, the real imperial envoy had the freedom to carry out certain tasks.

As for communication, that was simple too. Before he left the Capital, he had taken a Suppressing Object from the Imperial Court's treasury, similar to a piece of paper, that could transmit messages within a certain range.

Xu Junling was greatly surprised and asked curiously, "May I ask, Mr. Zhao, how far have you progressed with the case?"

Zhao Douan sighed,

"Not looking good at all. Heh, according to what these local officials in Prefecture City say, a few days before the order from the Capital arrived, the Taicang County Magistrate Wang Chusheng, suspected of corruption, had already disappeared."