Chapter 1641: A Boomerang

"Absurd!" After returning to the Youhu Small Abode, her smile didn't fade. "I am now convinced that He Xiao's goal is indeed consistent with ours!" Even if the King of Yao didn't know she was planning to rise up in secret, both the grain famine and the Emperor's Flowing Nectar could trigger riots. At this juncture, one shouldn't be stingy with that little money or grain, let alone dismiss people rashly! Tianshui City suddenly had tens of thousands of strong laborers with no work to do, no money to earn, and no grain to eat; what a terrifying hidden danger this was!

He Xiao was as cunning as a ghost; how could he not know the stakes?

Yet at this very moment, the Tianshui eastern expansion project stopped work and drove people away. It was hard for Qingyang not to suspect whether He Xiao wanted to make Tianshui City even more chaotic, adding fuel to the fire on the night of the Emperor's Flowing Nectar? If Qingyang were the King of Yao, she would definitely override all objections at this time, even if it meant digging into the military granaries to provide grain, and order the Tianshui project to continue, anyway, it was only a few days until the Emperor's Flowing Nectar erupted.

Stopping work because of the Emperor's Flowing Nectar was understandable, and anyone could comprehend it.

In her view, working for a few more days was better than nothing, but in the eyes of the King of Yao, it was saving a few days of cost.

This old thing wasn't too stupid, but too greedy! The national treasury had already made a fortune, yet he couldn't bear to let the farm workers eat a few days of white rice for free.

Greed blinds the mind!

"I've actually been arm-wrestling with this kind of goods for half a year?" Qingyang mocked herself. "I really am old."

Yuan Xuan hurriedly said: "If not for the strength of the whole country, the King of Yao would not be a match for you at all."

Qingyang snorted: "By the way, is there any news about Wu Xianlong?"

Yuan Xuan: "I was just about to report, it has already been dealt with, the impact should no longer expand, at least it won't implicate... important figures."

Most of the officials involved in their plan were just receiving instructions from their superiors or were coerced, not knowing what the big figures at the top wanted to do, or even what kind of trouble they were involved in.

Qingyang's calculations were too secretive; how could there be many true insiders?

This also made it easy for them to control the source of information; whichever level leaked the news, they would just cut it off at that level.

"Bai?"

"General Bai is safe."

Qingyang took a light breath: "The King of Yao has already become suspicious. Perhaps our plan needs to be advanced."

This was also a helpless move. If the King of Yao was suspicious, how could he not think that the night of the Emperor's Flowing Nectar was the best opportunity for a riot? If everyone was aiming for that day, Qingyang wouldn't gain any advantage.

Man proposes, God disposes; she never dared to say her plans were foolproof. No matter how good the plan was, it had to change according to the times and circumstances.

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Next, more than twenty officials were taken away, detained, and interrogated by the Tingwei and palace guards in their offices.

Half of them never returned to their offices.

The kiln granary and the grain inside were gone. To appease the panic and suppress grain prices, the King of Yao urgently ordered the rapid transport of grain from other surrounding granaries to supply Tianshui City.

At the same time, the Yao Court launched a thorough investigation of national grain reserves.

Logically speaking, this order was fine, a timely move. Without a re-investigation, how could one know the true situation?

Who knew that this order was like chanting a curse; within two short days, five public granaries in the country suddenly caught fire one after another, just like the kiln granary, burning to the ground, leaving no evidence behind.

The whole country was shocked.

Immediately after, three officials in Tianshui City hanged themselves overnight, not giving the Yao Court a chance to arrest and interrogate them.

Two state officials in Mangzhou also had their homes mysteriously catch fire, and not a single member of their families escaped.

People died, and many things were settled once and for all.

Even the dullest person could feel that something was wrong.

The dignitaries of Tianshui City went to have tea with He Lingchuan, and they all sighed when talking about this. How much grain was originally left in these granaries? No one knew anymore.

Gu Xuan sighed: "Fierce, burning so many granaries in a row!"

Jing Yuanxun sneered: "At first, the one who set fire to the kiln granary might have been—"

Gu Xuan shushed him, shushing away the name, but Jing Yuanxun still said the words that followed: "—but the ones behind might not necessarily be."

Who told the King of Yao to open the granaries to distribute grain and investigate the family assets? He Lingchuan knew what he wanted to say; the kiln granary might have been burned by someone Qingyang found, but the four granaries behind might not necessarily be.

This was the King of Yao's second major mistake:

He misjudged the situation.

No matter how good a policy is, its introduction depends on the timing.

He didn't do well with the two words "choosing the opportunity."

Thus, the discussions among the people reached the palace.

Since Regent Qingyang stopped reporting, officials hadn't been this fearful for a long time.

But this time, the one initiating the investigation was the Monarch.

And while the King of Yao strictly ordered the investigation, the prices of goods in the Yao Nation didn't stop soaring.

With so many granaries burning one after another, could there still be grain behind? The people were restless, and the commoners were terrified.

These officials arrested by the Yao Court were wishy-washy, offering a pile of names, but if one investigated them one by one, most were dead ends, and the investigation couldn't continue.

There were a few that could be traced, and the Tingwei dug deeper, only to find that they were officials who had purchased the Youhu Villa! These officials were summoned for interrogation, all crying out in injustice, swearing to heaven that there was no such thing, and that they must have been framed by villains! The King of Yao read these reports, and the more he read, the angrier he became, unable to help but slap the table, followed by a wave of dizziness.

The old palace servant Qiu Long hurriedly stepped forward to support him: "My King, health is important, rest for a night first."

The granaries in places like Mangzhou and Zhuo'an have less than forty percent of their stock remaining.

They were all a bunch of useless things! "Continue the investigation for me; I don't believe we can't find anything!"

"Yes." Qiu Long replied in a low voice. The Monarch was in a fit of rage, inevitably somewhat impulsive; in fact, everyone knew that these things couldn't withstand investigation.

Investigating corruption is like a boomerang; sooner or later, it will hit one's own subordinates.

Why did Qingyang wave the reporting stick some time ago, and the officials were in awe? Because none of them were clean.

Now that this involved money, grain, and the national treasury, investigating one clue could uncover a hundred problems!

Qiu Long knew that, in fact, the King of Yao wasn't annoyed about not finding clues, but worried that the tangled web of relationships would be exposed, making it impossible for the Yao King's Court to catch the true mastermind! Who could be an ordinary force to have such energy to frantically speculate on grain across the country?

After the King of Yao gulped down a few mouthfuls of warm water, he slowly came to his senses.

"The most critical priority is to recover the grain first." He quickly clarified his thoughts. "So much grain couldn't have disappeared into thin air; it must still be in the country, definitely hidden somewhere."

Investigating corruption and even catching the mastermind behind the scenes could wait until autumn to settle accounts, but right now, the problem of grain usage had to be solved first.

"By the way, have all the officials who had contact with Qingyang over the past few months been investigated?"

"Checked one by one, but the highest level reached was Bao Wei." That was the deceased Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. "The arrested City Patrol Guard Chief Tu Huan just confessed that he received instructions from the Ministry of War to change the night patrol guards outside the East Palace Gate! This order was signed by Bao Wei."

"East Palace Gate?" The King of Yao said "good" three times in a row. "Audacious, really trying to rebel?"

"My King..."

The King of Yao raised his hand to interrupt Qiu Long, pondering for a long time, the anger on his face slowly subsiding, replaced by gloom.

"Order it down, I want to move back to live by the Yuquan Palace."

It was winter now, and the Yuquan Palace was freezing. Qiu Long was slightly surprised, but didn't show it on his face: "Yes. When do you plan to move back?"

The King of Yao said decisively: "Today."

I don't know if it was because the old pear tree was no longer there, but the Yuquan Palace was even colder this winter. The King of Yao couldn't stand it originally; why did he want to move back now? However, Qiu Long knew that he shouldn't even ask: "Yes, I will send people to reopen the Shuangxian Hall."

The King of Yao's original Imperial Study was adjacent to the Yuyin Palace, which was the Shuangxian Hall. And this time, the King of Yao wasn't just going back to work, but actually moving in directly.

The charcoal fire, food, and utensils here could not be neglected in the slightest, and not a single piece of official data could be missing. All those mountains of memorials and charts had to be moved in! After the palace servants busied themselves for two or three hours, the Shuangxian Hall was finally reopened.

The first thing the King of Yao did after moving back to his Imperial Study was to pick up his brush and write, while saying to Qiu Long: "Find the Qinghong Treasure Seal for me, and bring a festival banner." ===== CHAPTER 1642 =====

Investigating corruption and greed, or even catching the masterminds behind the scenes, can wait until after the autumn harvest to settle accounts, but the issue of grain usage must be resolved immediately.

"By the way, have all the officials who have had contact with Qingyang over the past few months been investigated?"

"They have been checked one by one, but the highest-ranking person reached was Bao Wei." This refers to the deceased Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. "The arrested City Patrol Chief, Tu Huan, just confessed that he received orders from the Ministry of War to replace the night patrol guards outside the East Palace Gate! This order was signed by Bao Wei."

"The East Palace Gate?" The King of Yao said the word "good" three times in a row. "Audacious to the point of heaven, do they really want to rebel?"

"Your Majesty..."

The King of Yao raised his hand to interrupt what Qiu Long was about to say. After deep thought for a long while, the anger on his face slowly subsided, replaced by a sinister gloom.

"Give the order; I am moving back to live by the Jade Spring Palace."

It is currently winter, and water freezes into ice at the Jade Spring Palace. Qiu Long was slightly surprised, but he did not show it on his face: "Yes. When do you intend to move back?"

The King of Yao said decisively: "Today."

He did not know if it was because the old pear tree was no longer there, but the Jade Spring Palace had become increasingly cold this winter. The King of Yao could barely stand it before, so why move back now? However, Qiu Long knew that he shouldn't even ask: "Yes, I will send people to reopen the Frost Immortal Hall immediately."

The King of Yao's original imperial study was right next to the Jade Sound Palace, known as the Frost Immortal Hall. And this time, the King of Yao was not just going back to work; he was actually going to live directly inside it.

The charcoal fire, food, and utensils here could not be neglected in the slightest, and not a single piece of office material could be missing. Those mountain-high memorials and charts all had to be moved in! After the palace servants busied themselves for two or three hours, the Frost Immortal Hall was finally restarted.

The first thing the King of Yao did after moving back to his imperial study was to pick up his brush and write, while saying to Qiu Long: "Find the Qinghong Treasure Seal for me, and bring a ceremonial banner."