Princess, something terrible has happened! The prince consort has attempted suicide again!

Zhang Xiaomeng immediately ordered the Imperial Guards to move all the items out.

He didn't bother to check the ledgers anymore, but picked them up and threw them in front of Qian Deming, sneering, "How are you going to try to deny it now?"

Qian Deming stared intently at Zhang Xiaomeng, angrily saying, "My son deliberately said the account book was hidden in a secret compartment—you taught him all of that!"

"Otherwise, this evidence would probably have been moved before we even got to the study."

Zhang Xiaomeng smiled and said something that was both hurtful and hurtful: "I have to thank you for your cooperation. If you hadn't tried to turn the tables on us, we wouldn't have been able to enter the Minister's residence so easily."

Upon hearing this, Qian Deming was not angry; instead, he threw his head back and laughed.

But there was a hint of sadness in his laughter.

"I, Qian Deming, have been a powerful figure in the officialdom for many years, but in the end, I have been defeated by a mere child like you."

"It's fate! It's fate!"

Feng Yi sneered, "Someone like you doesn't deserve to be an official."

Qian Deming neither argued nor resisted, and cooperated fully, saying, "Since things have come to this, take me away."

Just as Wang Dongjian was about to order his men to capture him, Zhang Xiaomeng stopped him.

"Does Prince Zhang have any further instructions?" Wang Dongjian asked.

"There must be at least several million taels of silver here, enough for half a year's taxes from the imperial court. Do you think a mere Minister of Revenue could have embezzled such a huge sum without anyone noticing?" Zhang Xiaomeng pointed to the mountain of boxes and slowly analyzed.

Wang Dongjian's expression shifted. "You mean, he has accomplices?"

"It's probably not just about accomplices; there might be even more powerful figures involved. He's just a scapegoat at best."

Zhang Xiaomeng looked at Qian Deming, "Am I wrong, Your Excellency?"

Qian Deming was greatly shocked, but he insisted, "Don't try to be clever, it was all my doing."

Wang Dongjian said coldly, "Leave it to me, I'll make him spill the truth."

Zhang Xiaomeng knew that the Embroidered Uniform Guard's prison had specialized interrogation methods, and that ordinary people simply couldn't withstand those tortures.

But his actions today are twofold: first, to seize the opportunity for revenge, and the fact that the corruption case was brought to light is purely coincidental; second, to escalate the situation to the point of being uncontrollable.

If Qian Deming were handed over, he would surely gain merit, which would go against his original intention of seeking death.

Since Qian Deming wants to be the scapegoat, then so be it.

So Zhang Xiaomeng waved his hand and refused, "Why bother with all that? I hate corrupt officials more than anything in my life, just behead them."

Wang Dongjian's expression changed, and he hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

"Absolutely not. According to the laws of our dynasty, if a high-ranking official is involved in a major case, the case must be jointly tried by the Three Departments and the Nine Ministers, and the final decision shall be made by the Emperor himself."

Zhang Xiaomeng insisted, "This process will take a long time to complete, and there may be unexpected changes along the way."

"Can……"

Wang Dongjian wanted to persuade him again.

Zhang Xiaomeng interrupted directly, his attitude firm, "It's settled then. If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility."

As he spoke, he took out a dagger, its cold light gleaming.

Qian Deming was terrified and roared, "Don't do anything rash! If you kill me, you won't live either!"

His reaction suggests that the person behind him is likely to help him get off the hook.

Even if things go wrong, at least you can save your life.

This further strengthened Zhang Xiaomeng's determination to kill him, and he prepared to take action.

Feng Yi stood in front of them and spoke calmly.

"You could have gained merit through this, but if you insist on killing him, you will be sentenced to death. The princess has ordered that you not be allowed to cause any more trouble."

Feng Yi strictly followed Princess Changning's orders and resolutely prevented Zhang Xiaomeng from taking any action.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaomeng knew he couldn't kill anyone under Feng Yi's nose, so he had no choice but to put down his dagger and said helplessly, "Fine, fine, I'll listen to you, I won't kill you, okay?"

Qian Deming secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but he was already covered in a cold sweat.

Just as everyone relaxed their guard, Zhang Xiaomeng suddenly raised his dagger again and stabbed it into Qian Deming's heart before anyone could react.

Everyone was shocked and stood there stunned.

"you……"

Qian Deming felt a sharp pain in his chest, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"If I, the young master, want to kill you, no one can stop me!" Zhang Xiaomeng's face turned fierce as he drew his dagger, blood splattering everywhere.

Qian Deming collapsed to the ground, dying with his eyes wide open.

"you!"

Feng Yi's face was gloomy and she was furious.

Zhang Xiaomeng slowly wiped the bloodstains off the dagger, grinned, and said, "Calm down, killing a corrupt official is nothing."

Feng felt a headache coming on.

He's really good at causing trouble; he's going to be blamed by the princess again.

"Young Master Zhang, you really are..."

Wang Dongjian could only smile wryly, unsure of what to say.

"I'll take full responsibility for this; it won't implicate you," Zhang Xiaomeng reassured him, patting his shoulder.

Then, their gaze shifted to Qian Youkang.

This guy witnessed his father's tragic death and was so terrified that he collapsed to the ground, filled with immense fear.

His voice trembled as he begged for mercy, "You...you said you'd let me go if I reported my father..."

Zhang Xiaomeng helped him up and brushed the dust off his clothes. In a gentle tone, he said, "Don't worry, I will not only not kill you, but I will also give you a chance to redeem yourself."

Qian Youkang, confused, asked blankly, "What opportunity?"

Zhang Xiaomeng said, "Go and report me. Tell them I abused my power and murdered your father."

When these words came out, everyone was stunned.

What kind of operation is this?

"You want me to report you?"

Qian Youkang looked surprised, thinking he had misheard.

"Yes! Go and report me now. This is your only chance to live. I've been good to you, haven't I?"

Zhang Xiaomeng's smile was harmless, but Qian Youkang was already terrified by his ruthlessness and shook his head repeatedly, "I...I dare not."

Zhang Xiaomeng immediately frowned and threatened coldly, "If you don't do as I say, I'll reunite you and your son right now."

"I'll do it, I'll do it!"

Qian Youkang dared not hesitate any longer and quickly nodded in agreement.

Zhang Xiaomeng smiled gently again, "That's more like it. Go ahead, I'll be waiting for your good news."

Qian Youkang could only remain skeptical as he limped out of the study.

"Young Master Zhang, brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Wang Dongjian suddenly exclaimed.

Zhang Xiaomeng was completely confused. He just wanted Qian Youkang to be an eyewitness so that his death would be more secure. How was that considered clever?

"Brother Zhang, I don't understand what you mean," Zhang Xiaomeng said, puzzled.

"I understand, I understand, don't worry, we will definitely cooperate with you."

Wang Dongjian patted his chest and guaranteed.

Zhang Xiaomeng wanted to continue asking questions, but Feng Yi interrupted him, "Take these stolen funds away first to avoid trouble."

As she spoke, she glanced at Zhang Xiaomeng unintentionally.

On the surface, he seemed to be letting Qian Youkang atone for his crimes by doing good deeds, but in reality, he was making him take the blame and walk into a trap.

No wonder he dared to kill Qian Deming directly; he had already planned a countermeasure. He was indeed far-sighted.

I felt ashamed that I had just blamed him for being reckless.

Without saying another word, the group worked together to carry boxes of stolen goods out of the study.

As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, a group of guards from the Minister's residence were already lined up and waiting to block his way.

Each of them held a weapon, exuding a murderous aura.

At the front of the crowd stood a noblewoman in brocade robes, who was none other than Madam Chen, the mistress of the Minister's mansion.

Her eyes were bloodshot, filled with grief and indignation, and she shouted angrily:

"You wicked people! You publicly mutilated my master! Today, none of you will step out of the Minister's residence!"