Phi-Fic Chapter 635 An Excellent Opportunity!
Chapter 635 An Excellent Opportunity!
Now you can probably guess whose people they are working for.
Duanmu Chuze looked at the intelligence he had received and simply smiled slightly. "Ten thousand shi of grain! They really were planning this."
"Your Highness, shall we make our move?" Zi Yi asked impatiently.
"No rush. This is not something we should interfere with. Let the Crown Prince know and let his people take action. Tell him that 200,000 shi of grain from the Lu family has been stolen. The entire Lu family is in shock."
"Yes, Your Highness. But isn't it a pity to give such a good opportunity to the Crown Prince?"
"What do you know? The Crown Prince has been on guard against the Prince of Ming for so long. He has finally found an opportunity to deal with the Prince of Ming. How could he possibly give up? I want to see how my elder brother, the Crown Prince, plans to deal with the Prince of Ming."
"Your Highness, isn't it 100,000 shi of grain?" Zi Yi was a little confused.
"Since the Lu family's rice supply is dependent on me, I should at least get some interest back for this, right? You can't just scheme against my people and lose so many of my secret guards and spies, only to recover your principal? Don't you all need to eat and drink?"
Duanmu Chuze gave him a disdainful look, as if to say the word "idiot".
Zi Yi choked for a moment. Well, his brain was indeed not as sharp as the prince's.
Upon receiving the news, the Crown Prince of the capital immediately dispatched troops stationed in Jiangnan to subdue the enemy forces. However, upon careful inventory, they found only 100,000 shi of grain.
Moreover, the escort agency responsible for transporting the grain was just a local security company, and they had no idea where the grain came from.
Left with no other choice, the government had to first send the 100,000 shi of grain back to the Lu family's grain storehouse, and then continue the investigation. Soon, they found another 100,000 shi of grain in a large warehouse not far from the dock.
This caused an uproar throughout the entire Jiangnan region.
Because it does indeed bear the mark of Lu family's rice and grain, and combined with the previous 100,000 shi, the numbers now match up.
The second master of the Lu family had already arrived in Jiangnan. After carefully having people take stock, he naturally expressed his deepest gratitude to the government. However, the Crown Prince's men felt that something seemed amiss.
However, without much thought, they went straight to the emperor's ears, saying that they had helped the Lu family recover 200,000 shi of grain, and that the case was now closed.
Of course, the government was very tactful in its dealings, simply stating that during the pursuit, they were short-handed, which allowed the mastermind to escape. However, recovering the grain was still considered a decent outcome.
Now, the Emperor had no choice but to pay close attention to this matter.
After all, such a large amount is unprecedented since the founding of the Great Yong Dynasty!
He never imagined that someone would have the audacity to steal 200,000 shi of grain! That's enough to feed an army of 100,000 for a month!
The emperor certainly didn't believe that such a big case could be committed by a commoner. Why would they steal so much grain?
Even if they did have the guts, where would they put all that grain? How could an ordinary family possibly hide such a large amount of grain?
Naturally, the Emperor thought of the Ming Prince, who was far away in Xingzhou.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince's men in court began to impeach Prince Ming, implying that he harbored treacherous intentions and should be severely punished.
However, at this point, there was not a single piece of evidence to prove that this was King Ming's idea.
Therefore, all those involved in this case were escorted back to Beijing.
The Crown Prince didn't think much of it, but the Crown Princess couldn't contain herself any longer.
The Ming King, far away in Xingzhou, was always a thorn in her side, making her feel uncomfortable all over.
As long as this Ming King is not eliminated, she will worry about the future of the Crown Prince and her own son, and whether they will die at his hands.
Therefore, the Crown Princess secretly sent a message to the Xie family, asking them to find a way to coerce and entice those people to reveal that their mastermind was Prince Ming. Only in this way could they pin a huge accusation on Prince Ming, making it impossible for him to ever recover in this lifetime.
The Crown Princess's secret operation was kept from even Duanmu Chen.
Over these past few days, the Crown Princess had come to understand that the Emperor harbored some dissatisfaction with the Xie family. However, she didn't believe the Xie family had gone too far. After all, hadn't the Luo family been just as arrogant and domineering in the capital before?
But why has the Emperor not punished the Luo family in any way?
The Emperor is clearly showing deliberate favoritism towards the Luo family. Is it because of that princess, or because the Luo family is related to Prince Ming by marriage? Only the Emperor himself probably knows the answer.
These days, the Crown Princess seems to have no better way to avoid the Emperor's sternness than to keep a low profile.
The long-term repression made her previous sense of superiority yearn to resurface.
She didn't want to always be in that position.
She was the Crown Princess, and should have been revered and worshipped by thousands. But what has she gained now?
In the past, with the Ming King in the capital, she was naturally extremely careful in everything she did, almost to the point of being trembling with fear. But now?
What did the Ming king gain in return for leaving the capital?
The Emperor and Empress did not give their Eastern Palace a second glance because of this; on the contrary, they repeatedly expressed their dissatisfaction with her.
Each time, the Empress's attitude was clear: it was dissatisfaction with the Xie family, not with the Crown Prince's palace.
But in the Crown Princess's eyes, she was originally surnamed Xie, she was a daughter of the Xie family, and dissatisfaction with the Xie family was also dissatisfaction with her as the Crown Princess.
She is the mistress of the Crown Prince's Palace, and dissatisfaction with her means that they are also dissatisfied with the Crown Prince's Palace.
It has to be said that sometimes, a woman overthinking is really not a good thing. Just like now, the Crown Princess is already somewhat obsessed.
"What do you think of the Crown Princess's instructions?" Madam Xie glanced at her husband. After all, this matter was neither a big deal nor a small one.
If things go wrong, it could bring big trouble to the Xie family.
But on the other hand, once this matter is accomplished, the shadow that has troubled the Crown Prince for many years will be completely eliminated!
After all, this time, it was 200,000 shi of grain. Although it belonged to the Lu family, no one except the Ming King would have thought that such a large amount of grain would be done by some commoner.
Although there is no evidence at the moment!
But it is precisely because there is no evidence that the Crown Princess needs the Xie family to take action, isn't it?
Should we let such a great opportunity slip by?