Too high to reach

Chapter 319 Bumped into Bad Luck
Li Jing went to Cangzhou.

Therefore, Consort Feng wanted to confess to him privately and ask for his forgiveness, but she couldn't find him at all.

No one paid attention to her suffering.

Granny Zhao thoroughly investigated the household's accounts, storerooms, and all its inhabitants from beginning to end.

Consort Feng went from being like an ant on a stove to being "a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water".

Because she realized she was being watched...

Even if no one is watching her, she probably can't do anything now; the tide has turned.

So when Granny Zhao finished checking all the accounts and counting the treasury silver, and the numbers didn't match, she completely tore off the mask.

Consort Feng sat there, her expression returning to its previous arrogance. She sneered, "The Prince instructed me to write down anything and tell him later. I accept the results of this investigation. You just need to hand this document to the Prince. I will personally explain to him then."

"Alright. Let's do it that way then." Granny Zhao wasn't in a hurry.

Li Jing's trip to Cangzhou was genuinely for business, not, as Consort Feng speculated, an attempt to avoid her...

After a few busy days, he returned to his residence and learned that the Crown Prince had "made a great contribution"!
Upon closer listening, I was truly furious.

Having received the information from the Mohists, he gathered his men to discuss the matter. After careful consideration, he sent people familiar with the area to secretly infiltrate and investigate. Tens of thousands of scattered soldiers were involved; they couldn't afford to alert them.

If we alert them, they'll all run away, and we'll never be able to catch the main culprit.

As a result, the Crown Prince's faction and the Empress's brother led their men there with great fanfare, but they probably scattered like birds and beasts as soon as they got close to the side.
In the end, all they managed to produce was some kind of Prefect Ma.

Although this official position is not too low, as a prefect, he could easily be corrupt and accept bribes, and support tens of thousands of scattered soldiers.
What should we do? What can we do?
Based on this alone, you think you can rebel?

This project, from design to implementation, can be described as both novel and thorough in its conception. It demonstrated ample patience and was indeed carried out discreetly.

This is a master!
As the Mohists said, there were indeed wealthy families with properties there, but in the end, not a single wave of trouble was stirred up...

They have connections in high places!
At first, he even suspected that the Crown Prince was behind it.

The military's influence is relatively weak under the Crown Prince's control, so it's possible he's secretly raising a private army. I was quite nervous for a while.

Because: If the Crown Prince can really think of and do this, he is quite formidable and difficult to deal with.

I never expected it to turn out like this... Damn it!
Mo Yi and Consort Tian have arrived.

"Your Highness, you're back?"

In fact, Mo Yi already knew about this news; it was her father and the Song family who came to tell her.

At the time, she suspected that Mo Yuan and her third uncle had leaked the information to the Crown Prince. This angered Mo Ruhai so much that he almost went to fight Mo Rusong.

Mo Yi stopped them.

Mo Yuan is best at these kinds of things...

Now that everyone is acting in their own self-interest, what can they possibly say to them?
Thinking about the Crown Prince and Princess's dirty deeds, Mo Yuan's interests were tied to theirs. Whether it succeeded or failed, what good would it do her?

Li Jing, unaware of Mo Yi's thoughts, launched into a rant, "Back then, there was a rumor circulating in the Song family that I even suspected was the Crown Prince's doing. I was genuinely impressed, but I never expected... this idiot! He tore the seedlings up right away, without finding the root cause. He didn't even catch many people; they scattered in panic and fled. Where did they go? These people are a major threat wherever they go! This dog is so ambitious and utterly foolish!"

The way he cursed had an air of absolute authority...

Mo Yi felt powerless. She opened her mouth, then closed it again; she didn't know what to say.

Someone came in and whispered in Li Jing's ear.

Consort Tian leaned closer and whispered to her, "I also received a letter from home. This time, the Crown Prince not only made a great contribution, but also made a fortune. He found grain in the granary and confiscated a lot of silver... When the Crown Prince reported it, he must have intercepted a lot of it. We've suffered a great loss this time. The meat that was almost in our mouths has escaped, and the Prince will definitely be angry."

Mo Yi was even more distressed upon hearing this.

Mo Yuan! I'm not going to talk to you anymore...

The person who had whispered to Li Jing had just left when someone came through the side door to report, "Your Highness, Consort Feng says she has urgent business to discuss with us."

Li Jing was furious. She looked at Mo Yi with a cold face and a question in her eyes: Why did she come to me?

"Your Highness, the accounts have been basically checked. Granny Zhao is still in the manor," Mo Yi said helplessly.

But in her heart, she thought, "Things are really coming one after another. This time, Consort Feng is really in trouble..."

She had just felt a surge of anger because of Mo Yuan, but now she felt a little calmer.

"Let Zhao Hui and Consort Feng come in together!" Li Jing's voice was loud and irritating. As a result, Consort Feng, who was outside the door, heard Li Jing's voice and came in directly. She called softly, "Your Highness!" Then, glancing at Mo Yi out of the corner of her eye, she said with some difficulty, "Your Highness, I have something urgent to discuss with you in private."

Li Jing's face darkened, and she asked in a cold voice, "About the audit?"

Consort Feng had already noticed Li Jing's attitude, but she assumed that Mo Yi had spoken first.

She nodded gently, "Yes...yes."

"Then let's wait for Zhao Hui to come and talk together!" Li Jing was already very impatient.

Consort Feng believed that Mo Yi had spoken ill of her, and her hands clenched tightly in her sleeves.

After a while, Granny Zhao came in.

"Your Highness, Your Highness's Consort." Granny Zhao bowed respectfully.

"Finished the investigation?" Li Jing took a sip of tea and settled down.

"Your Highness, the investigation is complete. Here are the results..." She handed them over with both hands.

Li Jing took it, calmed herself down, and then began to read...

Granny Zhao's notes were very simple. The first sheet showed that the amounts of silver in the accounts and silver in the treasury did not match.

The amount of silver in Princess Zhou's dowry, which was managed by Consort Feng, did not match up.

The difference between the two items is approximately 140,000 taels of silver.

Holding what she was holding, Li Jing looked at Consort Feng and asked, "How do you explain this?"

Consort Feng knelt down, "Your Highness, the silver isn't actually missing. I've temporarily used it for other purposes. I'll make it back within three days, ten days at most. And I can even cover the interest..."

She had barely finished speaking when Li Jing hurled the notebook at her head.

She didn't dodge because she didn't know the prince would hit her.

This hit him directly on the shoulder... and he fell to the ground.

"Do I need your interest? Even if you pay me back ten times, I won't even blink! Is this how you manage a household?" Li Jing was somewhat incredulous.

When has he ever treated himself like this?
Sadness and fear overshadowed hatred and embarrassment... Consort Feng burst into tears: "This is indeed my fault... Please punish me, Your Highness." She lowered her head and admitted her mistake.

"You dared to do this right under my nose... I entrusted this household to you out of trust, and you just embezzled it?"

"Your Highness!" Consort Feng blushed deeply. "I didn't..."

Granny Zhao stood to the side and said gently, "Your Highness, Zhao Hui also bears responsibility for this matter."

"Hmph!" Li Jing snorted, clearly very angry.

Consort Feng sobbed, "Your Highness, I only thought... it would be a waste to just leave the money lying around. So I kept enough for the household expenses and used the rest to buy some properties. All the deeds are in the box outside the door. Your Highness, I really didn't squander the money... nor did I steal anything. Over the years, I've actually earned quite a bit of money!"

Li Jing raised her chin at Granny Zhao.

Granny Zhao walked to the door and had the people outside carry the box in.

She opened it, took out some tickets and certificates, and handed them to the prince.

Li Jing took it and examined it briefly: "You're saying this is the property you bought? Your surname is Jiang?"

Consort Feng sat on her feet, her legs completely exhausted.

If she had previously considered confessing to the prince, settling the accounts, and handing over all the money she had earned, the prince would have taken a lenient approach, given her son and years of hard work, and without causing any loss, and then let the matter rest.

As long as we let her go this time, we still have Shao-ge'er; we can plan for the future.

But now...

“Your Highness, Li Niang was wrong…” she covered her face and wept bitterly, “I did this back then because… I was afraid that Your Highness would find out.”

"Are you afraid of being discovered by me, or are you planning to collude with outsiders to disguise the royal family's assets and put them into your own pocket?"

"No! Your Highness... How could I dare? Besides, what good would that do me? I'm worried that if others find out, they'll say that the concubine of Prince Qi's mansion is always doing these kinds of things... It will affect your reputation. Also! Your Highness, these properties aren't something we hold onto forever. If the price is high, we'll sell them. We've already done it many times; using this person's name makes the transfer of ownership easier..."

She used every excuse she could think of.

“Feng, I am very disappointed in you…” Li Jing’s words were truly sincere.