TGCFNM -Chapter 488 The Imperial Inspector Comes to Investigate

Wan Sanjin had walked a ways and only then, seeing that Zhuque hadn’t caught up, did he finally exhale in relief.

“Young Master Xiao had her assist with the investigation, but she took it to mean surveillance. Every move we make, she overthinks and worries we might side with Young Master Fu… What use could we possibly be? Why bother keeping an eye on us?” Wan Sanjin said.

Chu Ling replied softly, “It is indeed strange. Compared to when we met her in Changzhou, she’s become much more sensitive and suspicious.”

Part of this was probably due to Chu Rou’s influence. Chu Rou could fight and even foresee events, making her more convenient for Young Master Xiao to use than Zhuque. Naturally, Zhuque felt threatened.

It was regrettable, but also pitiable.

At that moment, someone by the roadside waved at them. The two glanced around cautiously before following the person. They stopped outside a house deep in an alley and were invited inside.

“Master Chu, Young Master, please take a look.”

A middle-aged steward handed over a letter. Chu Ling opened it directly—it was the report from the imperial inspector.

Indeed, Perfect Yang’s trusted aides had been transporting grain from this location and colluding with the local magistrate. As a result, the magistrate had embezzled a fair amount.

Chu Ling put the documents away. “Have the other locations been checked as well?”

The steward nodded. “All of them, as instructed by Young Master. Every location has confirmed evidence and witness testimony.”

Chu Ling nodded. “Thank you for your hard work.” With that, she and Wan Sanjin left the alley, disappearing into the crowd to continue their stroll.

“By the way, why didn’t Young Master Fu send anyone this time? Does he trust us?” Wan Sanjin asked curiously.

Chu Ling thought for a moment. “There are a few possibilities. One: he trusts us. Two: he knows we won’t find any rebels this trip. Three: he wants to gain our favor. Four: he has his own way of investigating.”

Wan Sanjin looked up at the sky. “Any of those could be true.”

Ghost Scholar spoke softly as a reminder: “Back when we found the moon token on the Qingyang flower boat, didn’t we say that organization had long been abandoned? Now that Fu Qingyu has become the orphaned crown prince, perhaps the organization is currently under his control. In that case, he really doesn’t lack manpower.”

Bai Su added quietly, “Fu Qingyu may not lack people, but he acts as if he has none—completely alone. Is that really wise?”

Chu Ling had always been puzzled by this. Logically, one must appear strong to gain the court ministers’ support and eventually seize the throne.

But as things stand, merely the identity of an orphaned crown prince isn’t enough to sway the ministers. In fact, Young Master Xiao still has quite a few supporters.

“Exactly!” Ghost Scholar said confidently. “Judging by the sudden mood swings of the Emperor regarding Fu Qingyu, I suspect the Emperor has had a few unpleasant incidents… At this time, the Emperor is sensitive, suspicious, and harbors a bit of guilt. So, a solitary Fu Qingyu is the best arrangement.”

Bai Su asked in surprise, “Then the ministers who support Young Master Xiao are like a thorn in the flesh. Won’t they be removed sooner or later?”

“Isn’t this the opportunity?” Ghost Scholar said, looking at Chu Ling. “Master Chu has likely felt it too. I estimate that as long as we follow Chu Yue’s steps, this thorn will soon be removed.”

Chu Ling knew this naturally, but she didn’t want it done too quickly—at least not until the innocent were safe.

Moreover, she didn’t want Fu Qingyu to ascend, both because he had changed and because of the mysterious Master Fu behind him… that person gave her an inexplicable sense of danger.

After Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin finished their round of inspections and had gathered evidence, they ate lunch and then proceeded to the next location.

Zhuque rode along somewhat absent-mindedly, trying a few times to catch up to Chu Ling, but he kept avoiding her.

It wasn’t until they reached the next location, deep in the night, that Zhuque came to find them again.

Chu Ling spoke candidly: “Miss Zhuque is no fool. Once she breaks free from her constraints, she’ll see everything clearly… What Chu Rou wants, what Young Lord Xiao wants, and what you want yourself?”

“To put it plainly, Chu Rou doesn’t see you as a rival. She looks down on you, but she’s cautious around you. That means you have an irreplaceable advantage. As for what that advantage is, Miss Zhuque can figure it out herself—but don’t interfere with my investigation. Once I finish this case and return to the capital, I might even climb a little higher.”

By appropriately revealing her own ambition, Chu Ling put others at ease rather than raising suspicion.

Zhuque then took her leave and, in the days that followed, no longer watched them so closely. After all, sometimes when Chu Ling discovered something, she would share it.

Through the course of Tianxia Zhi’s investigation along the way, Chu Ling had Su He record at least three county magistrates involved, and the amount of silver implicated was considerable.

Finally, the day came when they arrived at Liangzhou.

Chu Ling had her team enter Liangzhou in batches, temporarily splitting up to investigate quietly so as not to alert anyone. They disguised themselves as merchants, stopping and moving along the way, and eventually entered the Fulai Inn.

The innkeeper at Fulai had long received notice and, after placing the group in separate private courtyards at the back, went to prepare lunch.

Wan Sanjin set down his pack and exhaled: “Finally at the place. Tianxia Zhi’s investigation is probably almost done too.”

Chu Ling nodded; Tianxia Zhi’s work was always reassuring.

Wan Sanjin asked next: “Master, what’s the next step?”

Chu Ling looked at him: “Perfect Yang committed suicide out of fear. The Liangzhou magistrate is likely equally intimidated, especially since handling such a large stockpile of stored grain immediately would be impossible. At this point, if the Wan family takes action, the Liangzhou magistrate should be very willing to cooperate.”

Wan Sanjin sat down and poured himself a cup of tea: “Master, so you want our Wan family to do the fishing?”

“Exactly, and the eldest young master will certainly be willing,” Chu Ling said confidently.

Wan Sanjin hummed in agreement: “Once the innkeeper comes over, I’ll send the message—have the Wan family ‘fish’ for the Liangzhou magistrate. Meanwhile, we secretly leave for Cangning.”

Chu Ling poured herself a cup of tea as well: “Simply put, Liangzhou is a case of cooperation between two local governments, with bribery and corruption. Cangning, however, really does have rebels.”

“The Cangning place… even if there are rebels, they probably can’t make it to the capital… Master, why bother?” Wan Sanjin sighed, still puzzled.

“Who says they can’t?” the Ghost Scholar chuckled. “With insiders and external coordination, toppling the royal family isn’t that hard.”

After Chu Ling repeated it, she lifted her tea cup: “There are people in the palace, and people in the imperial guards. When the time comes, open the city gates, open the palace gates, seize the emperor directly, and force him to abdicate.”

Wan Sanjin shivered: “Master, you really say everything without hesitation.”

Chu Ling smiled. In fact, she had already planned the strategy: “Tomorrow, we go see Xuanwu and say that we found the Liangzhou magistrate’s confidant secretly going to Cangning. To avoid alerting anyone, have Xuanwu come daily to maintain the illusion that we’re still here, while we secretly go to Cangning to handle it… Also, I think we’ll still need the Wan family’s help.”

Wan Sanjin nodded: “Eldest brother said he would help. He seems to have guessed what you plan to do.”

Chu Ling shrugged: “Your eldest brother is clever; otherwise he wouldn’t be so good at making money.”

Wan Sanjin nodded firmly, thinking the same.