RPAGF Chapter 527 Trading
Chapter 527 Trading
She knew that the transaction at midnight tomorrow was the key to capturing Lu Yuan and the only chance to save Cui Zhihao.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the study. Jinshu rushed in in a panic: "Your Majesty! Your Highness! Something terrible has happened! Lu Yuan has taken men to the Cui residence and said that if Miss Shi doesn't go tomorrow, he will kill Cui Yi and his wife!"
"what?"
Everyone was stunned.
Lu Yuan is so ruthless! Not only did he kidnap Cui Zhihao, but he also tried to capture Cui Yi and his wife, using their lives as leverage!
Shi Wanxia suddenly stood up, the blueprints in her hand crumpled in her fist: "I'm going to the Cui residence right now! I can't let anything happen to my uncle and aunt!"
"and many more!"
Shen Yuxi stopped her, "Lu Yuan just wants to throw you into a panic. If you go now, you'll only fall into his trap."
"What should I do?"
Shi Wanxia was so anxious that tears were about to fall. Cui Zhihao was still in Lu Yuan's hands, and now her uncle and aunt were in danger. She really didn't know what to do.
Shen Yanzhou pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke up: "I have a plan. There are already people around the Cui residence. We can have Cui Yi and his wife pretend to be arrested and follow Lu Yuan's men. This way, we can protect their safety and find out where Lu Yuan's stronghold is."
Lu Qingyi nodded: "This method is feasible. I will send someone to inform Cui Yi now and ask him to cooperate."
Seeing them making arrangements in an orderly manner, Shi Wanxia felt a little more at ease.
But she was still worried that if something went wrong, the Cui family would be in danger.
Shen Yanzhou seemed to sense her worry, walked to her side, and said gently, "Don't worry, I will personally send secret guards to keep an eye on the vicinity of the Cui residence to ensure the safety of Cui Yi and his wife."
"At midnight tomorrow, we will definitely be able to rescue Cui Zhihao and capture Lu Yuan."
Shi Wanxia nodded, but her heart was still pounding.
She watched the sky outside the window gradually darken, silently praying—tomorrow must go smoothly, and Cui Zhihao must return safely.
What she didn't know was that Lu Yuan had set up more than just an ambush at the abandoned dock.
He also held an even bigger secret—the Prince of Rongyang had not been captured, but was hiding in a cave outside the city, waiting for Lu Yuan to obtain the military defense map so that he could lead his troops back to the capital!
As midnight approaches, an even greater crisis is quietly creeping in.
The late spring wind, carrying the last trace of chill, swirled petals from the old crabapple tree in Jinghe Palace courtyard, landing on the disaster report about Jiangnan that Shen Yanzhou had spread out.
He picked up the pink and white petal with his fingertips, his fingertips brushing against the words on the paper: "500,000 taels of silver have been allocated for disaster relief, but the salt merchants in Jiangnan are hoarding grain, and there are still people starving to death." His brows furrowed involuntarily.
"Your Highness, Qin Feng requests an audience."
The young eunuch outside the hall spoke with a hint of timidity, as if afraid of disturbing the prince's contemplation.
Shen Yanzhou placed the flower petals beside the inkstone and said in a raised voice, "Let him in."
A gust of cold wind blew in when the curtain was lifted. Qin Feng was dressed in a black outfit, with dust still clinging to his shoulder armor, clearly having just returned from outside the palace.
He knelt on one knee, presenting a wax-sealed kraft paper envelope with both hands, his voice extremely low: "Your Highness, this was just intercepted from the Shuntian Prefecture post station. The messenger is a minor official, and we have detained him in a side courtyard. This letter... you must read it yourself."
Shen Yanzhou took the envelope and ran his fingertips along the crooked wax seal—it wasn't the dragon seal commonly used in the palace, nor the official seal of the Six Ministries; it looked more like a random lump of wax that had been pressed into the seal.
He used a paper cutter to pry open the wax seal, pulled out the letter inside, and after scanning only two lines, his previously relaxed brows instantly furrowed into a deep frown.
The handwriting on the letter was messy, and the ink was slightly smudged, clearly indicating that it was written in a hurry.
The contents, however, were like a thunderclap: "The Third Prince and Gu Wancheng, a salt merchant from Jiangnan, have a very close personal relationship. Of the 500,000 taels of silver allocated for disaster relief, the two of them actually embezzled 200,000 taels. Gu Wancheng has already hidden the silver in two secret vaults in Suzhou and Hangzhou, waiting for the storm to pass before dividing the spoils..."
The letter trembled slightly between Shen Yanzhou's fingers, not from fear, but from anger.
He had spent three years in Jiangnan and knew Gu Wancheng well. Gu Wancheng was very slick, but he didn't have the guts to collude with the prince, let alone embezzle disaster relief funds—that was a capital offense, and he wasn't that foolish.
"Where is the messenger?"
Shen Yanzhou pressed the letter onto the table, his knuckles turning white from the force.
"He was waiting in the side courtyard, so scared that his legs went weak. He said that he was forced to deliver the letter by a masked man, and that if he didn't deliver it, his mother would die."
Qin Feng looked up at Shen Yanzhou's expression and added, "I investigated the background of that clerk. His name is Li Er. He is a servant in Shuntian Prefecture. He only has an elderly mother at home. He does live in a dilapidated house in the suburbs. This morning, someone saw a man in black enter his house. Not long after, Li Er ran to the post station with this letter in his hand."
Shen Yanzhou stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the crabapple tree outside the courtyard.
In late spring, the petals are falling rapidly, much like the current situation in the capital—calm on the surface, but turbulent undercurrents are brewing beneath.
His position as crown prince was not secure. The third prince, Shen Yanlin, was always eyeing his position, and although the fifth prince was young, he had the support of the imperial concubine's family and the old ministers of the previous dynasty. Everyone had their own plans.
"Keep a close eye on Li Er, don't let him escape, and don't let anyone else come into contact with him."
Shen Yanzhou turned around, his eyes as deep as a bottomless pool. "Go and investigate Gu Wancheng again. See if he has been in contact with any suspicious people recently, and also check the whereabouts of the disaster relief funds in Jiangnan. Make sure you find out as soon as possible."
"Yes!"
Just as Qin Feng was about to get up, footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall, followed by the voice of Su Xin, the head maid of the Empress's palace: "Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress requests that you go to Kunning Palace immediately, saying that she has important matters to discuss."
Shen Yanzhou's brow twitched again.
Mother is always cautious; she would never suddenly summon him at this time unless something truly urgent had happened.
After all, being too close to the Empress could easily give others grounds to accuse him of "interfering in politics within the inner palace."
He gave Qin Feng a wink, signaling him to deal with Li Er's matter first, while he straightened his robes and followed Su Xin to Kunning Palace.
The warm pavilion of Kunning Palace was filled with the calming scent of sandalwood. Lu Shuyan sat on a soft couch by the window, holding a half-embroidered handkerchief in her hand. The phoenix wings embroidered with gold thread had only just begun to be finished, but the needle was stuck in mid-air.
Seeing Shen Yanzhou enter, she quickly put down her handkerchief, beckoned him over, and said with a hint of panic in her voice, "Zhou'er, have you heard? Minister Wen just went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation."
"Wen Yanbo?"
Shen Yanzhou sat down beside her and took her slightly cool hand in his. "Mother, are you saying that Wen Yanbo went to see Father? What did he go there for?"
Lu Shuyan sighed, glanced at the door to make sure no one was eavesdropping, and then lowered her voice to say, "Suxin just found out from the ladies in the Hall of Mental Cultivation that Wen Yanbo went to submit a memorial, and the memorial said..."
"There is a shortfall in the disaster relief funds for Jiangnan. An anonymous report was also attached, accusing you of colluding with salt merchants to embezzle disaster relief funds."
Shen Yanzhou's heart skipped a beat—sure enough, that secret letter was not an isolated case; someone had already complained to his father, the Emperor.
He was about to tell Lu Shuyan that he had also received the secret letter, but Lu Shuyan pressed his hand down and continued, "Don't rush to explain. Don't you know what kind of person your father is? He hates princes forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices, especially colluding with merchants—"
"Back then, when you implemented the state monopoly on salt and iron in Jiangnan, you cut off the source of wealth for many salt merchants. Now, some people are using this as an excuse to make your father, the emperor, suspicious of you."
"My son knows."
Shen Yanzhou nodded, "Qin Feng also intercepted a secret letter just now. The content is similar to the memorial submitted by Wen Yanbo. The messenger has been detained, and we are investigating who is behind it."
Lu Shuyan breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned: "We should investigate, but you can't show up in person. There are too many people watching you right now. If you make a move, it will only give them something to criticize."
"Also, your father sent Wen Yanbo to investigate the matter in Jiangnan. Wen Yanbo... although he is neutral, he is close to your third uncle, so you have to be careful."
Just then, Su Xin lifted the curtain and came in again, her face even paler than before: "Your Highness, Your Highness, the eunuch from Yangxin Hall has arrived. He says that His Majesty requests His Highness the Crown Prince to come to Yangxin Hall immediately for a meeting."
Shen Yanzhou's heart tightened. He had just received the secret letter, and his mother had just told him that Wen Yanbo had submitted a memorial, and now his father had immediately summoned him. Was he going to interrogate him face to face?
Or was he... testing him? He stood up, smiled at Lu Shuyan, and tried to reassure her: "Mother, don't worry, I'll be right back, nothing will happen."