Chapter 40
Ji Qingzhou stood there radiating heat, his mood incredibly complicated.
He felt that he had become stupider lately—he hadn’t even noticed such an obvious ruse.
No wonder people always said pregnancy made one dumb for three years…
The moment he thought of the word “pregnancy,” Ji Qingzhou felt awkward again. His face, already flushed from the sun, turned even redder. His skin was naturally fair, so any hint of color was glaringly obvious, making it impossible not to notice him standing there.
Li Zhan’s gaze lingered on Ji Qingzhou’s face for a moment. Seeing that the youth’s red robe was soaked through with sweat, he said in a low voice, “Go take a bath and change your clothes.”
“Thank you for your concern, Wang Ye, but that won’t be necessary,” Chi Zhou quickly interjected, thinking Li Zhan was speaking to him. “I’ve knelt this long already—if I leave now and come back in clean clothes, wouldn’t all this kneeling be for nothing?”
Originally, Chi Zhou had planned to kneel until afternoon. He hadn’t expected the Regent to be so considerate—letting him in after less than an hour and now even suggesting he bathe and change clothes… Chi Zhou felt deeply moved. He had always thought the Regent looked cold and severe, but it turned out he was very caring toward his subordinates.
Li Zhan gave Chi Zhou a glance, his expression rather complicated, but he didn’t bother to explain.
“You may all leave,” Li Zhan said after a moment.
Ji Qingzhou quickly bowed and withdrew from the study.
Outside, he ran into Xiao Shan, who was carrying two bowls of mung bean soup. Xiao Shan handed one to a junior attendant to bring inside for Chi Zhou, while giving the other to Ji Qingzhou.
“I never realized it could get this hot,” Ji Qingzhou muttered as he drank the soup. The heat in his body eased a bit, but he still looked pale. Xiao Shan, afraid he might have heatstroke, didn’t let him bathe right away. Only when Ji Qingzhou’s sweat had evaporated did he allow it.
“You haven’t looked well lately. Are you too tired?” Xiao Shan asked with concern.
Ji Qingzhou’s eyes flickered, and he replied, “I haven’t noticed anything… Just don’t go making me any more tonics.”
“If your body’s weak, of course you need to replenish it,” Xiao Shan said matter-of-factly.
Ji Qingzhou frowned. “I’m afraid I’ll gain weight… It would ruin my appearance.”
Xiao Shan burst out laughing. He had no idea Ji Qingzhou was worried about his body changing too quickly due to the pregnancy—he simply thought Ji Qingzhou cared a lot about his figure. “Don’t worry. I’ll prepare ingredients that nourish the skin and keep you looking radiant without putting on a single pound.”
Ji Qingzhou: …
He had the feeling his image in Xiao Shan’s mind was already completely distorted…
Inside the study, Chi Zhou took a document from his robe and handed it to Li Zhan.
Li Zhan unfolded it—it was a long list of names, each followed by a corresponding position.
“The people outside the palace have been identified. Naturally, we could trace them back to the ones inside,” Chi Zhou explained. “But I didn’t dare alert the suspects, so I could only find out which attendants in each department of the Inner Attendant Department were involved. As for whether the quantity of goods they procured matches what we found outside the palace, I’m afraid Wang Ye will have to send someone to investigate further.”
Since Chi Zhou was from the Office of Judicial Review, he had no jurisdiction over the Inner Attendant Department.
If he acted rashly, it would only alarm the suspects.
“All items procured by the Inner Attendant Department are recorded in ledgers. Just compare the actual quantities bought by the people on this list to what’s recorded, and the problem will reveal itself,” Li Zhan said.
Chi Zhou nodded. “Exactly.”
The items procured by the Inner Attendant Department were extensive and varied. Since both purchasing and distribution were handled internally, it was all too easy to manipulate the numbers. After procurement, the goods were broken up and distributed to various palaces. Each one only knew roughly how much they received and wouldn’t question the specifics.
Over time, the discrepancies would accumulate and become untraceable—a complete mess impossible to audit.
Only by starting with the items that had just been procured and had yet to be distributed could they uncover any shady dealings.
“You’re certain you didn’t alert anyone in the Inner Attendant Department?” Li Zhan asked.
“Please rest assured, Wang Ye. I’m absolutely certain. In the entire palace, besides Wang Ye, only I know of this matter,” Chi Zhou said. After hesitating for a moment, he added, “Last time at the teahouse, Young Master Ji was also present… so he knows a portion of it as well.”
Li Zhan nodded slightly at that, furrowing his brows and falling into deep thought for a moment.
“What does Wang Ye plan to do?” Chi Zhou asked.
Seeing that Li Zhan didn’t respond, Chi Zhou seemed to realize something and asked, “Wang Ye isn’t planning to send Young Master Ji to investigate the Inner Attendant Department, are you?”
“You think that would be inappropriate?” Li Zhan looked at Chi Zhou.
Chi Zhou thought for a moment, then replied, “With all due respect, Wang Ye, this matter is not a small one… Young Master Ji is, in terms of talent and ability, certainly no less than others—he even surpasses many current officials at court. However—”
“Speak freely,” Li Zhan said, lifting his eyes to glance at him.
“Though I haven’t had much personal interaction with Young Master Ji, judging by the late Grand Tutor Ji’s wisdom and virtue, his sons surely wouldn’t be the kind to cling to life and fear death, nor would they throw away the family’s dignity just to survive,” Chi Zhou said. “Has Wang Ye never once suspected that Young Master Ji, in choosing to endure humiliation by entering the palace instead of facing exile, might have ulterior motives?”
Li Zhan furrowed his brows, and after a long silence, replied in a low voice, “I won’t pretend I haven’t considered it.”
“Since Wang Ye suspects him… then why keep him so close?” Chi Zhou asked, puzzled.
Li Zhan sank into silence again and didn’t answer for a long time.
Chi Zhou was a perceptive man. He knew he had said all that needed to be said, and Li Zhan had clearly taken it to heart, so he added, “I’ve overstepped, Wang Ye. Young Master Ji is exceptionally intelligent and was the most beloved son of the late Grand Tutor. If he can serve Wang Ye wholeheartedly, it would indeed be a blessing. What I said may just be groundless worry. I trust Wang Ye knows what you’re doing.”
Li Zhan gave a nod and changed the subject. “How is the Ji family’s young lady at your residence?”
“Young Lady Ji is straightforward in nature, and her conduct is quite reminiscent of the Grand Tutor’s unrestrained style. Even I, as a man, can’t help but admire her,” Chi Zhou said with a smile, then added with a touch of regret, “It’s just a pity… According to the law, once someone enters the Jiao Fang Department, they cannot be redeemed, otherwise…”
Li Zhan watched Chi Zhou’s expression for a moment before asking, “It’s troublesome for now, but thank you for looking after her. The future can be discussed later.”
Chi Zhou quickly cupped his hands and said, “I shall not fail Wang Ye’s trust.”
They chatted idly for a few more moments before Qin Zheng returned and asked to be received.
Chi Zhou had already said everything he needed to. Since the act still had to be kept up, he composed himself and left Yinghui Pavilion with a face full of “indignation.” That day, rumors quickly spread both inside and outside the palace that Chi Zhou had clashed with the Regent.
The young Assistant Minister of the Office of Judicial Review, though sharp and outspoken, had clearly met his match in the cool and decisive Regent—and had come away worse for it.
Qin Zheng read over the list that Chi Zhou had compiled with great care, and his expression turned to one of surprise.
“Didn’t expect the people in the Inner Attendant Department to have such a huge appetite,” Qin Zheng remarked.
“It’s not the Inner Attendant Department that’s greedy,” Li Zhan replied calmly. “It’s the people behind them.”
Qin Zheng closed the ledger and asked, “Shall I lead the investigation?”
“You might not be the right fit to investigate the Inner Attendant Department,” Li Zhan said.
Qin Zheng looked at him, understood instantly, and asked, “You’re planning to send Ji Qingzhou to investigate?”
Li Zhan didn’t respond, but the look in his eyes said it all.
“Tsk.” Qin Zheng clicked his tongue, sighed, but didn’t argue. Instead, he offered, “How about this? I’ll transcribe the list into a clean copy, but only give him half. Let him check the inventory records in the storage room, but don’t let him see the full procurement list. When he’s done, we can compare the results. What do you think?”
“You want to test him?” Li Zhan said mildly.
“If he truly has no hidden agenda, then everyone wins,” Qin Zheng said. “It’ll also give him a chance to prove himself.”
Li Zhan gave a quiet chuckle and neither agreed nor disagreed.
Qin Zheng studied his face and commented, “That’s not like you. Even I had to work hard to prove my loyalty to stay by your side. Why is Ji Qingzhou getting such an easy pass? I’m getting jealous here.”
“Or… is it that Wang Ye actually has no faith in him at all, and you’re just setting him up to fail?” Qin Zheng asked.
Li Zhan thought for a moment, then said, “Let’s do as you suggest.”
Qin Zheng’s concerns weren’t unlike Chi Zhou’s. In fact, he had hinted at this topic to Li Zhan before, though Li Zhan had remained ambiguous and unreadable, so Qin Zheng hadn’t pushed the issue.
If this were any other matter, Qin Zheng might’ve stayed out of it. But this situation was far too serious, and he couldn’t afford to take chances.
If Ji Qingzhou really could prove himself, Qin Zheng would finally be able to relax…
After all, he quite liked Young Master Ji.
That very day, Qin Zheng copied half of the name list.
Before nightfall, Li Zhan summoned Ji Qingzhou and handed him that half-list.
Ji Qingzhou had overheard parts of Li Zhan’s and Chi Zhou’s conversation back at the teahouse, and Li Zhan had also mentioned the task to him afterward. So when Ji Qingzhou saw the names on the list, he immediately understood what Li Zhan wanted.
“Although you haven’t been at the Inner Attendant Department long, Chief Steward Yao is your teacher, and you’re on good terms with Tu Dayou. That should make this task smoother,” Li Zhan told him.
Ji Qingzhou read through the list and replied, “There are a lot of details involved. We’ll need to verify inventory counts in the storerooms—it may take some time.”
“How long?” Li Zhan asked.
“Ten days,” Ji Qingzhou said.
“That’s too long. If they realize what you’re doing, they might use that time to tamper with the evidence,” Li Zhan said. “I’ll give you three days. You may mobilize anyone you need from the Inner Attendant Department and Yinghui Pavilion.”
Ji Qingzhou was stunned but quickly cupped his hands and said, “Understood.”
Seeing that Li Zhan had no further instructions, Ji Qingzhou was about to take his leave, but Li Zhan suddenly called out to stop him.
“Wang Ye?” Ji Qingzhou looked at him, puzzled, waiting for him to speak. But instead of answering, Li Zhan stood up and walked over to him from the desk.
Li Zhan stared at him for a while, noticing that the redness on the youth’s neck still hadn’t faded. It must’ve been from standing out in the sun too long earlier—he might’ve even been sunburned.
“You…” Li Zhan hesitated for a moment before simply saying, “Do your task well.”
Ji Qingzhou looked a bit puzzled upon hearing that. He felt like Li Zhan might have wanted to say something else, but since Li Zhan didn’t speak, he didn’t press the matter. He simply nodded and then withdrew.
Early the next morning, Ji Qingzhou gathered a few people at Yinghui Pavilion, then personally went to find Tu Dayou.
There were several departments in the Inner Attendant Department that he felt confident he could investigate on his own, but some were complicated and involved many entanglements. He dared not be overconfident, so he sought Tu Dayou’s help. No one knew the relationships between the departments better than Tu Dayou.
“Let me take a look at your list,” Tu Dayou said.
Ji Qingzhou handed over the list. After glancing it over, Tu Dayou casually pointed to a few names Ji Qingzhou had already crossed out and said, “These few have been in the palace longer than I have. Leave them to me. I’ll handle those. The rest you can manage yourself.”
Hearing that, Ji Qingzhou immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, “The Regent entrusted me with this task, but honestly, I was quite nervous about it.”
“What’s there to fear? I’m here to make sure you get it done right,” Tu Dayou said confidently.
The two then spent about an hour identifying people within the Inner Attendant Department. Together with those Ji Qingzhou had chosen at Yinghui Pavilion, they assigned each person to specific inventory-checking duties. Ji Qingzhou didn’t dare be careless — he personally inspected almost every location, fearful of any mistakes.
That night, Ji Qingzhou personally organized the inventory results from each department’s storeroom and then made a clean copy.
Earlier, when Chi Zhou had spoken of the Inner Attendant Department’s purchases and hinted at many irregularities, Ji Qingzhou had thought it was just minor skimming. But now, comparing the inventory to the ledgers, he discovered that just the discrepancies for this single quarter were shockingly large.
If things had been like this for years, who knew how much silver had carelessly slipped into other people’s pockets inside the palace? No wonder Li Zhan intended to fully investigate the matter. Even Ji Qingzhou felt a pang of pain just thinking about that lost money.
“Are two lists missing?” Ji Qingzhou asked after finishing organizing a stack of records.
“They’re all here, Young Master Ji,” an attendant answered.
Ji Qingzhou glanced at him briefly and said, “I recall there are nineteen departments in total, but only seven were inventoried today. Why are there only five lists here?”
“Oh… Brother Dayou said that two departments’ storerooms were quite messy. It took a lot of time just to sort them out. Their lists might only be ready tomorrow,” the attendant explained.
“Alright, understood.” Ji Qingzhou smiled faintly and didn’t ask more.
Once all the lists were compiled, Ji Qingzhou walked to the window, opened it, and gazed out at the night. He let out a heavy sigh. The young attendant standing nearby thought something was wrong with the lists and asked a few questions, but Ji Qingzhou smiled bitterly and said nothing.
Outside, the cool summer night breeze stirred the leaves into a soft rustle, yet the deep darkness seemed to envelop everything.
But no matter how deep the night, it must end. The sun would rise again…
The next two days, Ji Qingzhou was so busy he barely touched the ground with his feet. Thankfully, the people Tu Dayou recruited were capable. By the third nightfall, they finally finished inventorying all the Inner Attendant Department’s storerooms.
That same night, Ji Qingzhou handed the copied lists to Li Zhan.
Li Zhan glanced over them once, said nothing, and dismissed Ji Qingzhou.
After Ji Qingzhou left, Qin Zheng compared the new lists with the original ones Chi Zhou had given him. Half an hour later, he placed a list marked with several red circles in front of Li Zhan.
Li Zhan’s eyes settled on those circled sections, but his expression remained unreadable.
“The numbers mostly match, but these problems are serious,” Qin Zheng said. “Chi Zhou’s investigation showed that the quantities the Inner Attendant Department purchased were far lower than what the ledgers recorded. Yet Ji Qingzhou’s team’s inventory list matches the ledgers almost exactly. Where did the extra items come from?”
Li Zhan said nothing but looked at the circled areas, his expression inscrutable.
In a small courtyard, Ji Qingzhou carried a food box inside. Tu Dayou had just been about to rest but brightened immediately upon seeing him.
“The Regent’s task is finally done. I came especially to thank you,” Ji Qingzhou said with a smile.
Tu Dayou hurriedly pulled him inside. Opening the box, he was surprised to find wine.
“You have… your condition. You shouldn’t drink,” Tu Dayou said.
“No matter. Live for today, not tomorrow. One more drink won’t hurt,” Ji Qingzhou smiled as he poured wine for them both.
Tu Dayou’s face changed slightly as he reached to stop Ji Qingzhou’s glass.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Qingzhou asked.
“Qingzhou…” Tu Dayou’s smile faded. “You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”
Ji Qingzhou set down his glass with a wry smile. “It was obvious. Not just me—anyone could see it.”
Over these three days, they had inventoried the storerooms of all nineteen departments of the Inner Attendant Department. Most showed significant discrepancies between inventory and ledgers, except for four that looked fine—coincidentally, the four Tu Dayou’s team checked.
“You can tell because you know what I did, but others have no proof. How would they see it?” Tu Dayou asked.
“The Regent didn’t just hand me the ledger and list to investigate, did he?” Ji Qingzhou said. “I told you early on, the Regent’s methods are far smarter than you think. If he decided to investigate the Inner Attendant Department, he had solid evidence. Guess what it was?”
Tu Dayou’s expression changed. “What was it?”
“The purchase quantity lists from outside the palace matched against the Inner Attendant Department’s,” Ji Qingzhou said.
In other words, Li Zhan had the sellers’ lists and was verifying the buyers’ inventories just to gather evidence. Tu Dayou had tampered with this step, which caused the buyers’ quantities to appear larger than the sellers’. If Li Zhan wasn’t blind, he’d easily spot the problem.
“How could this be?” Tu Dayou said. “He has no one in the Ministry of Justice or Office of Judicial Review. Who could help him investigate so thoroughly?”
“How do you know he has no one in the Office of Judicial Review?” Ji Qingzhou asked.
Tu Dayou paused and said, “Chi Zhou?”
“Yes,” Ji Qingzhou said. “When the Regent gave me the list, I guessed it was only half.”
Tu Dayou finally understood and asked, “He wanted to test you?”
“That doesn’t matter. If I were him, I’d hide things too,” Ji Qingzhou said. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have had a chance to pull such a trick for your master.”
Tu Dayou’s face turned very ugly. He stared at Ji Qingzhou speechless for a long time.
Ji Qingzhou drank down his wine, his expression tinged with sadness.
“What do you plan to do?” Tu Dayou asked.
“I picked the people. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility,” Ji Qingzhou said. “Don’t worry, Brother Dayou, I won’t let you get hurt.”
Tu Dayou was utterly confused and said, “Qingzhou, I don’t understand what you mean.”
“When I came to you three days ago, I was already thinking of today,” Ji Qingzhou said. “I warned you before not to keep working for your master… You agreed, but I know you never really left.”
Tu Dayou said, “So you’re using this chance to test me?”
“I don’t want you to die. The Regent has already started making moves. If it involves you, it will be too late,” Ji Qingzhou said. “I don’t know what your hardships are, but surely they aren’t more important than your life.”
Tu Dayou sighed bitterly, “He promised he’d find a way to get you out of the palace so you wouldn’t have to abort the child and could keep it.”
“Why are you so attached to the child’s survival?” Ji Qingzhou snapped angrily. “I told you I won’t keep it.”
“But he is also blood of the Ji family… I can’t bear it,” Tu Dayou said.
Ji Qingzhou was nearly enraged. He poured himself another cup of wine and drained it, then said, “I’ve already handed the list to the Regent. By now he surely knows someone tampered with it.”
“You…” Tu Dayou’s expression changed sharply but he quickly swallowed his words, realizing the root of the problem was his own mistake. “I’ll go to the Regent to beg forgiveness myself. You won’t get involved.”
Ji Qingzhou smiled. “I said I did this so you could live. If this succeeds, you’ll serve the Regent alongside me. If it fails, the two of us… and the Ji blood in my belly, will all go together.”
Ji Qingzhou had kept Tu Dayou’s situation close to his heart, always wanting to find the right moment to fully confront him. Otherwise, Tu Dayou would only sink deeper. Tu Dayou was the closest person Ji Qingzhou had in the palace, and he couldn’t just stand by.
So after much hesitation, he decided not to let this rare opportunity slip away.
He had to take a gamble—if he won, Tu Dayou’s troubled heart would finally be eased…
“Qingzhou…” Tu Dayou grabbed him and asked, “Do you really have a way?”
“No way, just a bit of luck,” Ji Qingzhou said.
“Luck at what?” Tu Dayou asked.
“Luck that the Regent won’t kill us,” Ji Qingzhou replied.
Yinghui Pavilion.
Li Zhan put down the list, his face betraying no hint of frustration from betrayal.
“Where’s Ji Qingzhou?” Li Zhan asked calmly.
Qin Zheng replied with a scowl, “Most likely ran off.”
No sooner had he spoken than an attendant reported Ji Qingzhou and Tu Dayou were requesting an audience outside the hall.
“He still dares come back?” Qin Zheng looked shocked.
Li Zhan, however, seemed to expect it, a faint smile touching his lips.
Qin Zheng caught that smile and, nearly breaking down, asked, “You can still smile at a time like this?”
“If not laughing, then crying?” Li Zhan glanced at Qin Zheng, seeming in good spirits, and asked, “Wanna bet?”
“I’ve never won a bet with you,” Qin Zheng grumbled but couldn’t resist. “What’s the wager?”
“Guess your reaction after Ji Qingzhou finishes making his excuses,” Li Zhan said.
Li Zhan sounded relaxed, showing no sign of having just been betrayed. If anything, he seemed almost pleased.
Qin Zheng: …
This guy’s either gone mad or lost his mind!
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