The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 116 - 115

Chapter 115

After Ding Yang escorted Mu Cui Ming back to his residence, he returned to report to his master in the study inside his quarters. As he entered the study, Mu Gongzhen was signing and stamping the document of separation.

“Take this document of separation to Second Sister and Ying’er for their signatures,”

Mu Gongzhen handed the document to Ding Yang after stamping his seal to confirm his identity. Once the document of separation was fully signed, the separation from the family would be complete!

“Yes, Young Master,” Ding Yang accepted the document and then asked, “What should I do about the ledgers inspection, Young Master?”

“Even though we have separated from the Mu family now, if the Mu family collapses at this moment, it will surely affect my future plans. The Mu family must remain as a shield, taking the blows from our enemies for us...”

Mu Gongzhen responded coldly with a hint of icy malice in his eyes. He could take this opportunity to make his father pay for what he had done to the three siblings. However, the Mu family was like a chick in his grasp, to be dealt with whenever he wished.

Since the Mu family could no longer pose a threat to him, why hurry to get rid of his own father?

Wasn’t it better to let his father live on, serving as a front line to take the brunt of their enemies’ attacks?

That would be a fitting retribution for what his father had done to the three of them. Let his father live in constant fear; whatever his father had inflicted on his sisters, he would slowly return the favor.

The disgrace...

The despair...

He would personally make his father taste them all!

Mu Gongzhen lowered his gaze slightly to hide the cold gleam in his eyes, then calmly instructed his close aide, “Have our people inside the Investigation Bureau secretly swap the ledgers we prepared earlier with the fake ones.”

“...But if we swap them now, the inspecting official will surely notice. The other party should have already examined a portion of the ledger. If we swap it now, the contents won’t match,” Ding Yang cautioned.

“Don’t worry. The ledger I prepared is copied from the fake one my father created. I’ve only altered the details in the second half to differ from the original. The inspecting official won’t detect any discrepancies.”

Mu Gongzhen explained. After Mu Cui Ming came to seek his help the other day, he had already made preparations. He had his men, who were infiltrated by the Investigation Bureau, secretly copy the ledgers that the Mu family had sent to the bureau.

As he had predicted, his father resorted to the desperate measure of forging the account books to save himself this time. Mu Gongzhen then prepared another ledger to replace the one his father had forged. The ledger he prepared was copied from the fake one of the Mu family, but he adjusted the content of the second half to be more plausible, with clear evidence for the details.

In essence, it was still a forgery, but Mu Gongzhen’s forgery was more seamless and backed by substantial evidence, making it appear authentic and undetectable by the inspecting official...

Upon hearing this, Ding Yang immediately understood that his young master had planned everything meticulously in advance. He accepted the order and promptly went to carry out his assigned task.

The Throne Room, Royal Palace.

After over five days of official investigation, the final results were finally ready. Zhao Chundi presented a petition to the Emperor with the summarized report this morning. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

As a result, today’s morning court session was particularly tense. Officials hurriedly dressed at dawn and rushed to the royal palace. As a large number of officials gathered in the royal court, they discussed the recent events with curiosity.

The officials allied with Shin Wang watched Zhao Chundi with strange looks, some mocking his stubbornness, others annoyed by the trouble he had caused them over the past few days.

However, most of them were well aware that Shin Wang had already taken care of the matter, so they felt at ease and were not worried about it anymore. They simply waited to see Zhao Chundi humiliated and held accountable for the commotion he had caused.

While the people of Shin Wang were relaxed and unworried, Mu Cui Ming was restless and anxious, fearing that his son might not succeed in helping him. His face was visibly tense, his lips pressed tightly together, and his hands under his sleeves were sweaty.

Despite the continuous murmuring of the officials, the topic of their whispers was none other than Zhao Chundi. However, he stood motionless, unfazed by the rumors around him.

The hand holding the petition under his sleeve tightened slightly, a fleeting smirk crossing his eyes unnoticed.

Soon, the eunuch’s announcement rang out, signaling the arrival of the sovereign. The officials fell silent, arranged themselves neatly, and prepared to show their respect.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

"Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand, ten thousand years."

Chen Feng Yue, who strode in and seated himself on the majestic golden dragon throne, quickly scanned the hundreds of officials before him. He then spoke in a calm voice,

"You may rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

With the permission granted, the officials rose to their feet in unison. Those with urgent matters to report to the Emperor stepped forward one by one to present their reports continuously. Discussions and solutions were exchanged and concluded. Finally, when no one else stepped forward to report, Zhao Chundi stepped out.

"Your Majesty, the investigation results have been concluded."

As Zhao Chundi’s voice fell, the atmosphere in the throne room turned silent immediately. All eyes instinctively focused on Zhao Chundi’s back, but he stood straight with dignified demeanor, showing no signs of worry.

"What are the findings, Master Zhao?" Chen Feng Yue asked in a flat voice, his expression unreadable.

"Your Majesty, here is the report."

Zhao Chundi presented the petition report and supporting documents to a eunuch, who then passed them to the Emperor. He then began to explain the findings as he spoke.

"From the investigation of the Mu family, it was found that they indeed had financial issues as previously suspected and had frequent meetings with Shin Wang, as the rumors suggested. Therefore, I exercised legal authority to inspect the financial accounts of the Mu family..."

As Zhao Chundi continued his report, Mu Cui Ming jolted in shock upon hearing this. His heart tightened with fear and pressure, his hands clenched so tightly they turned pale. Seeing that the ledgers were about to be discussed, his anxiety heightened, causing him to hold his breath, his face visibly paling.

"The final inspection results have confirmed that the Mu family had indeed incurred debts with the Fengkong Repository. The funds used to settle these debts came partly from a loan taken by the Elder Mu Furen from a known merchant, another part from selling valuable possessions and family heirlooms in the market, and the last part from the profits accumulated from the businesses under the late Mu Furen’s dowry, Your Majesty."

Zhao Chundi explained each detail in a measured tone. As he finished, Mu Cui Ming, who had been holding his breath, exhaled in relief. The weight on his chest dissipated entirely.

So...Mu Gongzhen hadn’t lied. He had indeed helped him escape this disaster!

Likewise, some other officials in the throne room were surprised that the Mu family had escaped unscathed, others remained indifferent, and some cast curious glances at Mu Cui Ming intermittently.

"Your Majesty, the findings just presented provide evidence that the Mu family is innocent and has been cleared of the allegations of accepting bribes from the royal family," Zhao Chundi summarized in a calm voice.

When he first received this report, he couldn’t help but be surprised. Had the person responsible for the investigation not been someone he trusted, Zhao Chundi might have suspected that they had been bribed by the Mu family. However, after double-checking and finding no discrepancies or suspicions, he accepted the results and wrote the summary on the petition truthfully.

As Zhao Chundi finished speaking, a minister from Shin Wang’s faction immediately stepped forward. "Your Majesty, since the investigation has shown that the rumors are untrue, please punish Master Zhao for defaming the royal family!"

"Please punish Master Zhao, Your Majesty!"

The officials from Shin Wang’s faction loudly petitioned, hoping to pressure the Emperor into punishing Zhao Chundi to diminish his power and eliminate a virtuous official.

However, before the Emperor could respond, Master Zhao glanced at the officials and let out a cold chuckle.

"Hmph! All the ministers, you are too hasty. I haven’t finished my report, and yet you are already demanding His Majesty punish me."

"Master Zhao had promised His Majesty that if the investigation disproved the rumors, he would take responsibility for defaming the royal family...Are you planning to go back on your word?" The official turned to demand for his promise boldly.

"Go back on my word? When have I ever done such a thing?"

Zhao Chundi replied, laughing lightly, though his laugh was cold and mocking.

"Since the investigation has concluded and Master Zhao himself said that the rumors are untrue, meaning the Mu family did not receive bribes from Shin Wang, which means Shin Wang hadn’t bribed him either, then why haven’t you followed through on your promise? It’s a pity that His Majesty placed such trust in you," the official retorted, showing no respect, and other ministers nodded in agreement.

Master Zhao glanced coldly at those officials before turning to address the Emperor. "Your Majesty, I have not finished my report, which is why I have not yet fulfilled my promise."

"Then continue, Master Zhao,"

Chen Feng Yue, who had been watching the exchange, responded calmly. His sharp eyes slightly lowered to conceal a strange glint. Just like Mu Gongzhen, who stood silently observing the scene as if he were watching a farce.

"Your Majesty, from the investigation of Shin Wang’s financial accounts, there was no evidence of bribing the Mu family as I previously suspected..." Master Zhao reported steadily before pausing briefly.

In that moment, the officials in Shin Wang’s faction, who had been smirking to themselves and preparing to pressure the Emperor to punish Zhao Chundi, suddenly froze as if doused in cold water upon hearing Zhao Chundi’s continued report.

“...However, I discovered suspicious financial transactions that were not previously recorded. Normally, the financial routes of the royal family are meticulously documented in the Secretariat, but the transactions I found involved large sums of money with unclear origins, which were never recorded in the Secretariat!”

Zhao Chundi reported sternly, his face unusually grave. His report sent shockwaves throughout the throne room in an instant, leaving all the officials visibly alarmed and significantly increasing the tension.

Typically, the finances of the royal family were allocated by the Emperor and meticulously recorded in the Secretariat. Even if a royal engaged in private business, those activities still had to be documented for transparency.

If a member of the royal family had unclear financial routes without records in the Secretariat, it strongly suggested the possibility of rebellion!

“Nonsense! Master Zhao, you can’t just make baseless accusations. Besides defamation, these claims could have you charged with slandering the royal family!” an official from Shin Wang’s faction, who regained his composure first, immediately refuted Zhao Chundi.

“Nonsense? I have already presented the ledgers submitted by Shin Wang Palace to His Majesty for review. Whether it is nonsense or not, only His Majesty can decide,” Zhao Chundi retorted with a cold smile before continuing his report.

“Your Majesty, besides the unclear financial routes, I also found numerous large expenses with no detailed explanations.”

At this, the faces of Shin Wang’s supporters turned pale. Large unexplained expenses could be linked to many negative implications, especially something as serious as funding a private force!

Chancellor Gu, who had been silent, immediately signaled to a eunuch standing in the corner, who quickly left the throne room. Chancellor Gu himself also looked visibly uneasy.

He had not expected the situation to escalate like this!

If this continued unchecked, it might be too late to resolve!

“Your Majesty, this is a serious matter with wide-reaching implications. Please do not rush to a decision,” Chancellor Gu stepped forward and advised calmly, seemingly to warn the Emperor not to make hasty decisions before the matter was clear.

“Do not rush to a decision?” Zhao Chundi, who had never feared anyone, repeated in a raised voice before replying firmly.

“A matter of this magnitude is not something I would claim without basis. The evidence is in His Majesty’s hands as well. Yet, Master Gu advises not to rush to a decision? Such a significant issue, if left unresolved, will only cause further turmoil.”

"Master Zhao, what you have reported is no small matter. Without thorough investigation and more substantial evidence than just one book, shouldn’t we avoid rashly disturbing the current peace?" Chancellor Gu turned and spoke coldly, his eyes revealing an unhidden chill.

If it were anyone else, they might have been intimidated by Chancellor Gu’s power. But definitely not Zhao Chundi!

He turned to address the Emperor again, this time with a firm demeanor. "Your Majesty, this matter concerns the peace of the land. I implore you to temporarily revoke Shin Wang’s authority so that the Investigation Bureau can thoroughly investigate this matter!"

"Your Majesty, please temporarily revoke Shin Wang’s authority to allow a thorough investigation,"

The virtuous officials knelt in unison, pleading with the Emperor following Zhao Chundi’s lead. Realizing there was a suspicious issue that couldn’t be ignored, the once silent virtuous officials suddenly became fervent.

As the virtuous officials began to take action, the atmosphere in the throne room became stifling, causing many to feel suffocated. Shin Wang’s men began to sweat under the pressure, their faces paling repeatedly in panic.

Amidst the tension and pressure, everyone anxiously awaited the Emperor’s decision. However, Chen Feng Yue remained silent, merely sweeping his gaze over the officials.

Just as he was about to speak, the doors of the throne room suddenly opened, and a figure walked in gracefully. The person’s face still bore a gentle smile, as always, when they appeared.

But today, there was a slight furrow in their brows, revealing concern and urgency, contrasting their usually calm and composed demeanor.

"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

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