The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 56 - 55
Chapter 55
Mu Manor, Qingyun City.
Mu Yingying sat on a chair outside the balcony, reading the reports sent directly from the capital, laughing as she did so. Her small face bore a mocking smile, her big, round eyes sparkling with amusement. She hadn’t expected the capital to be thrown into such chaos from just a minor distraction. If she drove the second nail in, wouldn’t the entire capital be thrown into an even greater turmoil?
“The Su family has begun to take action, Miss. They are using their connections to investigate unusual financial transactions of major power factions. They’ve also ordered government officials in the southern regions to search for the culprits,”
Lu Jiu reported calmly, his eyes reflecting admiration for his young miss’s skill in unsettling their enemies.
“Let them scurry about,” Mu Yingying laughed softly, then continued, “They’ll never find anything anyway!”
“Currently, our people are hiding in a safe house outside Qingyun City. There’s no way anyone can find them. Moreover, the promissory notes haven’t been deposited into Fengkong Repository. No matter how they investigate, they won’t be able to trace anything back to us,”
Lu Jiu nodded, agreeing with her words. They had executed their plan meticulously; even if the Su family turned the world upside down, they wouldn’t find a trace.
Mu Yingying smiled briefly, reaching out to pick up another set of reports from the table.
“I’ve given the Su family a month to rest. Now, it’s time to drive the second nail...”
“Another significant source of the Su family’s revenue comes from illegal salt trade, generating millions of taels. This operation involves several officials, from high-ranking to local ones, making it difficult to trace back to the Su family. However, if this matter is exposed, it would cut off another of the Su family’s income streams and eliminate their allies simultaneously.”
“The main hub of this illegal salt trade is at Xijing Port in the western part of the region. From there, it’s distributed to various port cities in the west, extending into Basui Region,”
Mu Yingying read the report as her smile turned cold. “It’s quite a large-scale operation.”
“The illegal salt trade operation is extensive. Even we managed to uncover it. Wouldn’t other power factions and the royal court find it as well?”
Mu Yingying looked up at Lu Jiu questioningly, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Lu Jiu smiled faintly and explained, “It’s not that they can’t find it. This issue involves multiple factions. It’s not only the Su family benefiting from it; other power factions gain from it too. Since it involves various factions, the royal court remains neutral to maintain political balance.”
"If His Majesty were to bring up this issue, it might push many factions to think about rebelling against the throne. On the other hand, if any minister submitted a petition, those factions wouldn’t let it slide either.”
“Because this is a significant matter involving many powerful factions, it’s no surprise that it hasn’t come to light. All sides turn a blind eye to maintain balance...”
Mu Yingying listened to his analysis intently, visualizing the situation. Soon, she understood the underlying details of the illegal salt trade. She turned her attention back to the documents and voiced her thoughts.
“The royal court wouldn’t want to overlook this matter. It’s like letting officials trample over the Emperor. But to maintain balance, they have no choice. But what if we gave the Emperor a choice?”
“He wouldn’t need to bring up the issue himself. Instead, someone could report it, leaving His Majesty to make the decision. That way, no one could blame His Majesty, avoiding conflict between the Emperor and the officials!”
“But who would dare to submit such a report?”
Lu Jiu raised his eyebrows slightly, prompting his young miss to think carefully about her plan.
Mu Yingying pondered for a long while before an idea sparked in her mind, her eyes instantly sparkling. “Other officials might fear these powerful factions, but let’s not forget there’s someone who’s always been above the fray. Though this person rarely gets involved in politics, no one would dare oppose him if he spoke up.”
“This person is Duan Wang!”
Years ago, during a war between regions, Duan Wang volunteered to be the principal commander, leading a million soldiers to the border, earning the title of the Invincible Commander. He’s a living legend; any place he stepped foot in would be drenched in blood, a story told across the land.
Duan Wang’s ancestors were commanders who fought alongside the first emperor of the Chen dynasty of Qingzhou Region. For their service, the first emperor granted them the title of Duan Wang, to be passed down through generations.
Duan Wang Palace has always remained neutral, staying out of politics, intervening only in times of war between regions. Their primary duty, according to their ancestral vow, was to protect the land of Qingzhou Region.
Despite many factions attempting to build alliances with Duan Wang Palace, none had succeeded. Ministers had long since given up trying for many generations, and they also dared not create trouble for Duan Wang Palace. Besides having the Invincible Commander, Duan Wang Palace also had a specialized, well-trained military force capable of fighting enemies at a ratio of one to ten.
Furthermore, Duan Wang Palace was highly respected and admired by the people. The virtues and good deeds performed by each generation were well recognized by the populace. Because of this, whenever Duan Wang Palace made a move or spoke up, it was as if an edict had been issued, and no one dared to oppose it. Even the royal family must show considerable respect, so how could any officials dare to confront them?
“As far as I know, Duan Wang Palace has been silent for many years with no activity. Will Duan Wang even be willing to help us?”
Lu Jiu furrowed his brows slightly, finding it surprising that his young miss intended to involve the legendary Duan Wang.
“They will help! Duan Wang’s residence must help!”
Mu Yingying revealed a sly smile, not intending to conceal it. “If I’m not mistaken, Sister Liting returned to her true status about four months ago, didn’t she?”
“Oh, so that’s how it is.” Lu Jiu immediately understood her goal. She planned to seek help from an ally.
Four months ago, a significant event took place in the capital once again: Duan Wang’s only daughter, who had been missing, returned!
Since a year ago, Mu Yingying had ordered her people in the capital to discreetly release information to Duan Wang Palace occasionally and create opportunities for them to encounter and gradually suspect Cheng Liting’s identity. Finally, four months ago, Duan Wang Palace confirmed their daughter’s identity and publicly revealed the truth, officially welcoming Cheng Liting back to Duan Wang Palace.
Cheng Liting changed her surname from Cheng to Meng, becoming Meng Liting, and was given the title of Miss Fei Yang.
During this period, Mu Yingying had kept in touch with Meng Liting. Even though Meng Liting’s status had changed, their relationship remained the same. Meng Liting still remembered how much this little girl had helped her.
“I guess I’ll have to ask Sister Liting for help,”
Mu Yingying said with a warm smile, feeling a wave of happiness uncontrollably as she recalled the times spent with Meng Liting.
“Even if Miss Fei Yang helps, will Duan Wang actually agree to assist?”
Mu Yingying nodded. “He definitely will. Duan Wang is a man of his word. He repays kindness and avenges grievances. Moreover, what I’m asking for concerns the region. He won’t refuse me.”
“Since we’ve already stirred the waters, why not make them even murkier? This way, the Su family and others won’t have time to trouble my eldest brother. This issue alone should keep them preoccupied for months, so when my brother returns to the capital, it’ll be easier to deal with.”
Mu Yingying reclined in her chair with a relaxed demeanor. Her big, round eyes gleamed cunningly, like a little fox.
After Mu Yingying had formulated her plan, she wrote two forged letters. One was in her handwriting, addressed to Meng Liting, asking her to request Duan Wang’s help for her brother. The other letter was written in her brother’s handwriting, to be sent to Duan Wang along with evidence and witnesses.
Once the matter was resolved, Duan Wang Palace did not disappoint her. They accepted Mu Yingying’s request exactly as she had hoped and quickly submitted a petition to the Emperor, catching their enemies off guard!
The already chaotic capital immediately became even more turbulent. Various factions were restless, quickly dispatching their agents to handle the situation and prevent any investigation from leading back to them. The Su family, in particular, wore dark, worried expressions due to the problems that had beset them over the past month.
Before they could come to terms with the loss from their looted businesses, they were hit again by losses from the illegal salt trade. Millions of taels had vanished, and the Su family had to eliminate many of their own people to prevent the authorities from tracing the matter back to them.
Though many officials were furious and wanted to eliminate the person who had submitted the petition, they could do nothing when they discovered that the one submitting the petition and leading the push for this major investigation was none other than Duan Wang himself!
Who would dare provoke the Invincible Commander, who could kill without batting an eye and command a personal force capable of surrounding and capturing anyone at their home at any time? The various factions could only swallow their anger and remain powerless.
The Su family, in particular, suffered significant losses. Though the authorities couldn’t directly trace back to them, they had lost their money, their people, and their long-established trade routes. In just two months, the Su family had incurred immense losses!
The royal court took this opportunity to completely eradicate the illegal salt trade’s routes, purging many local officials who served as informants for various factions. While the capital’s officials simmered with rage, the person on the dragon throne was quite pleased with the outcome, as was the mastermind in Qingyun City, who watched the unfolding events with amusement...
The Left Side Chancellor Su’s Manor, Capital City.
The Su Manor had closed its doors to visitors, refusing to receive anyone! The losses the Su family had suffered recently were far beyond anything they had ever anticipated. Even the old official, Su Anming, had been wearing a grim expression for many days, and the oppressive aura he exuded only grew stronger.
"Is everything handled?"
Su Anming’s icy voice asked his son, his eyes radiating a bone-chilling coldness.
"It’s all taken care of, Father. The authorities have arrested the local officials, but our people have already silenced them and burnt down destroying any evidence that could lead back to us," Su Hankai reported with a tense expression, feeling immense pressure from the situation.
"Good! Pin the blame on some scapegoat so the matter can be put to rest," Su Anming said with a ruthless tone.
Right now, he was genuinely infuriated, having been manipulated into a rage. In the past two months, two major incidents had occurred. If he hadn’t paid much attention, Su Anming wouldn’t have thought much of the exposure of the illegal salt trade operation. However, upon closer inspection, the first incident involved damage to the Su family’s businesses, and the second concerned the illegal salt trade. Although many parties suffered losses, the greatest damage was to his own Su family!
From his experience, Su Anming was confident that there was definitely someone pulling the strings behind all this!
And the target of that person was the Su family!
Moreover, if that person could get Duan Wang to step in, it must be someone extraordinary...
"Send people to keep an eye on Duan Wang Palace. If there is any movement or contact with anyone, report to me immediately," Su Anming ordered his son, his eyes glinting coldly.
Su Hankai raised his eyebrows upon hearing this. "Father, do you suspect that Duan Wang is behind all this?"
"Not Duan Wang, but someone connected to him. Whoever that person is, they must be remarkable to get Duan Wang to step in like this,"
Su Anming said, lowering his gaze slightly as he contemplated. "Whoever that person is, they’ve struck at us twice now, so there will surely be a third time. Send more people to watch over our other trade routes and businesses. We can’t afford to lose any more!"
"I’ve already sent twice as many people to guard the mines, and I’ve increased the security for our other businesses as well. If the enemy tries to strike again, it won’t be easy,"
Su Hankai reported truthfully. Since the first attack, he had increased the number of guards at their shops, and after the illegal salt trade incident, he had tightened security at the secretly mined mines.
"And what about the investigation I ordered?" Su Anming asked with a stern expression.
"We haven’t found any irregularities in the financial routes we’ve investigated. It seems the enemy hasn’t deposited any money in the trading houses. As for the people...it’s as if they’ve vanished into thin air," Su Hankai replied softly, glancing at his father’s increasingly dark expression.
Gnash~
Gritting his teeth so hard that it made a sound, Su Anming’s eyes turned red with rage, resembling a fierce demon. His heart was filled with burning anger. Whoever was responsible for this, he would drag them back to pay for what they’d done!
In just two months!
In these two months, the Su family had lost over six million taels!
Whoever it was, he would drag them back to pay!
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