Qi Jin and uncle Xie Xiaoguo arrived in Shuozhou early, three days earlier than Rong Cang.
For three days, they visited various counties and towns in Shuozhou non-stop. Shuozhou had sunny days and sunshine for several consecutive days, with only two days of light rain.
The golden rice swayed in the wind. The harvest season was about to come, and it was not flooded at all.
The so-called disaster is naturally false.
Mr. Chen knew of their arrival and did not stop their investigation or set up any obstacles. In the first three days, some people followed them secretly but did not show up.
It wasn't until Rong Cang arrived in Shuozhou and met with Qi Jin and Uncle Xie Xiaoguo that Mr. Chen sent someone over.
First, they arranged the best villa for them and sent six beauties. Later, they sent 10,000 taels of silver notes, saying that His Royal Highness, Prince Qi and Uncle Xie Xiaoguo had come all the way and they must eat and drink well in Shuozhou. Well, let them fulfill their duty as landlords.
They never mentioned the purpose of the three people coming to Shuozhou.
From that day on, Rong Cang knew that the Gu family didn't mind letting them know the truth, probably because they were too confident and too strong, and expected that the court would be helpless against them.
They didn't even care about the whereabouts of Rong Cang, Qi Jin and Uncle Xie Xiaoguo. They could go wherever they wanted and check as much as they wanted. The more they checked, the better. The more they understood the Gu family's sphere of influence here, The less they dare to act rashly.
Of course, they will not be too arrogant, and they still have the proper etiquette. At least on the surface, Master Chen will still greet them respectfully and show the attitude he should have as a courtier.
Rong Cang stayed in Shuozhou for three days. Chen Shan personally arrived at the other courtyard with two beauties. After greeting each other, he knelt down and cried bitterly: "This official is incompetent. He has been coerced by Commander Xu for the past three years. He With the military power in hand, and the Duke Protector and King Yu as backers in the capital, the subordinates dare not offend him. It was Commander Xu’s intention to lie about the disaster for the past three years. I beg His Highness, the King of War, to be aware of it. Your Highness, the King of War, must be aware of everything!"
The dignified second-grade official was crying and calling for injustice while presenting the evidence of his crime. He was obviously well prepared.
Rong Cang read through the account books. The amounts involved in the account books were not small. They included the amount of money Xu Teng had illegally embezzled by taking advantage of his position, the bribes Xu Teng sent to Prince Yu and the Protectorate, and their past years. Letters exchanged, every piece of evidence is evidence.
Once these evidences are presented to the emperor, King Yu and the Duke Protector's Mansion will have no choice but to die.
But they are not innocent.
Although the amount of money that appeared in the account book was very different from the amount he estimated, and it was obviously unreasonable for Chen Shan to blame Xu Teng for all the crimes.
Whether it is reasonable or not is actually just a matter of Rong Cang's words. Rong Cang said it was reasonable, then it was reasonable, and it was also reasonable if it was unreasonable.
Rong Cang only thought about it for a moment and then said: "I want to see the master behind you."
Mr. Chen's expression changed: "The master behind me is the emperor, and there is no one else."
"In that case, there is nothing more to say." Rong Cang coldly announced the end of the conversation, "I can stay in Shuozhou for a month, three months or half a year, and wait until the master behind you is willing to talk to me. , you just ask him to come directly."
Mr. Chen only persisted for a long time before giving in.
"If His Highness the War King is willing to send these evidence to the capital, the people behind me will take the initiative to come and pay homage to His Highness."
This is not too much to ask.
Because Rong Cang came to investigate the case not just against the Gu family, but he would not let go of any officials involved. Since Lord Protector and Prince Yu were involved, they naturally could not escape their involvement.
So Rong Cang readily agreed, and that day he arranged for his men to quickly send back the evidence of the crimes of King Yu and the Protector.
But until today, he has not met anyone from the Gu family.
"The evidence of Prince Yu's crime has been sent to the capital. Counting the days, it should be in the hands of the emperor." Uncle Xie Xiaoguo said in a gentle voice, "The Gu family probably wants to make sure that His Highness is indeed cooperating with them before they are willing to show up."
Qi Jin frowned: "I always feel that the Gu family still has a trump card."
Rong Cang said nothing, his eyebrows deep and unpredictable.
As soon as Qi Jin finished speaking, a familiar voice hurriedly sounded outside: "His Royal Highness the War King, His Highness the War King!"
A middle-aged man in official robes came in a hurry, with a big belly and a round waist, and a smile on his face. When he arrived in front of the court, he stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
Fortunately, the young boy behind him was smart and stepped forward to help him, which prevented him from falling and eating shit.
"Open it, open it!" The man waved away the boy's paw and stepped into the palace door, "His Royal Highness, the King of War, a letter from the Gu family in Jizhou, a letter from the Gu family!"
He sounded like he had nothing to do with the Gu family. As soon as he came in, he knelt on the ground and respectfully presented a letter: "I don't dare to read it. Please take a look at it, Your Highness."
Qi Jin and Uncle Xie Xiaoguo sat aside, looking at his deliberately ugly look with cold eyes without saying a word.
Rong Cang took the letter and scanned it.
There were only a few words in the letter: My father passed away recently, and my brother was very sad. Although he learned that the cousin of the King of War had arrived in Shuozhou, he was unable to go because of the funeral. I will apologize when I meet him, and I hope that the cousin of the King of War will be considerate. Sincerely, my brother Gu Chengye.
Rong Cang tore up the letter after reading it, frowned and asked, "The head of the Gu family passed away?"
"Yes." Chen Shan sighed, "Jizhou is not far from Shuozhou, and the news spread quickly. I was shocked when I heard the news that day. I guess the Gu family is also very busy these days."
The head of the Gu family passed away suddenly and was over fifty. His eldest son, Gu Chengye, was just in his thirties and was recently elected as the temporary head of the family. However, the Gu family does not have the eldest son inheritance system and has always chosen capable heirs.
During these years, the eldest son, the second son and even the concubine were all secretly planning and planning.
The competition is fierce and the calculations are cruel, no less than the princes competing for the throne in the palace.
After all, everyone wants to sit in that position where everyone can promise nothing.
And the head of the Gu family's accident happened too suddenly, and he didn't have time to establish an heir. Why don't the sons use all their strength to fight for a chance for themselves?
Gu Chengye had no choice but to temporarily become the head of the family. The elders in the Gu family did not want to start internal strife at this juncture and give the court an opportunity, so they decided to unite to deal with the outside world first and resolve the external troubles before settling the internal affairs.
Therefore, even if the Gu family knew the news of Rong Cang's arrival in Shuozhou in advance, they would not have time to intervene for the time being. In any case, Shuozhou could not hide the fact that it lied about the disaster. It was impossible to temporarily create a disaster scene.
So they were allowed to learn about the situation in Shuozhou City. As long as the responsibility was finally put on King Yu, the Gu family could still be alone. Of course, the premise of this shirk of responsibility was that Rong Cang was willing to cooperate.
Rong Cang said calmly: "When will Gu's son arrive?"
"Jizhou is not far from here. It's enough to work hard all day and night. We should be able to arrive early tomorrow morning." Chen Shan apologized, "At that time, I will book a table of wine and food at the largest restaurant in Shuozhou City to welcome His Highness the War King and Mr. Gu. .”
Rong Cang nodded slowly: "You should step back first."
"Yes." When Chen Shan stood up and left, he looked at the two women who were still kneeling in the room, "Are these two people not satisfied with His Majesty the King of War?"
