Just a few days after arranging to arrest the person, his wife came pleading? It seems the entire Liu family knew about the counterfeit silver.
“Liu An’s wife, née Li, is the eldest legitimate daughter of the Shaoning Li clan.” Ji Cailiang practically dug out Madam Liu’s maiden name.
[Liu An’s wife… Xiangxiang, serve up the gossip.] Ji Yingying was already thinking about the juicy details.
[Okay.] Xiangxiang’s systematic voice rang out, and soon Ji Yingying heard: [Wow, this lady would indeed make a perfect brothel madam if she were in a brothel. Those poor girls, not only did she force them into prostitution, but she also made them take on undercover clients every day. When they died, they were just wrapped in straw mats and thrown out.]
[Over the years, who knows how many girls have died at her hands. And all the silver hidden in Gushi Village is blood money from those young women.]
[Wah… How tragic! Thankfully, thankfully I have my parents. My parents and my older brothers treat me so well. If it weren’t for them, with my “lie flat” attitude, wah… I’d definitely have died early and been reborn sooner. After all, that bitch didn’t even spare her own daughter—just because the commandery governor visited and took a liking to her daughter, she personally sent her own daughter to that sixty-year-old man’s bed, where she was tortured to death.]
[That bitch also has a fetish—she actually enjoys watching intimate acts between men and women, and the more she watches, the more excited she gets. She’s insane! She even secretly watches her own son’s bedroom affairs. When those girls were being forced by undercover clients, she was there watching too, observing a round every day. She gets her kicks, but those poor girls…]
[No, I have to remind the Crown Prince to have this bitch arrested. Otherwise, more girls will die. Those girls are so pitiful—some were sold into the prefect’s residence as maids but were tricked into becoming undercover prostitutes. Others were forced into it because they offended her. There are so many, it’s too tragic. The entire Liu family are terrible people.]
[Next, listen to my tall tale… no, my excuse… no, forget it, I’ll just make something up. Anyway, my dad believes me.]
“Ahem…” Ji Yingying coughed twice. After coughing, she found it strangely familiar, as if she heard someone else coughing like this every day.
“Does Third Young Miss need something?”
“Nothing… no, actually, yes. Yesterday, while sitting on the wall, I accidentally overheard someone saying this lady is ruthless and secretly runs an undercover prostitution business. Dad, what’s an undercover prostitute? Is it fun?” Ji Yingying looked innocently at Ji Cailiang, using her most guileless voice.
Ji Cailiang was used to it and didn’t mind, but Ning Qingran and Liu Yuanpan were somewhat at a loss.
What a perfect example of saying one thing while meaning another!
“My child, this isn’t suitable for you to discuss. Be good, let’s not talk about it.”
“Okay, I won’t say anything. Anyway, I overheard that she’s evil. Your Highness the Crown Prince, you must arrest her.”
“Mm, I will send someone to investigate.”
“Hehe, good. I… your subject wishes to return with my father for dinner. Your Highness, please rest well.”
Ji Cailiang took Ji Yingying away. That very night, several maidservants went missing from the residence, and Gushi Village was swiftly secured by An Er, An San, and Peng Rong leading a team of soldiers.
They uncovered a considerable amount of pure silver from the village.
Simultaneously, they found account books for the counterfeit silver and some correspondence with the Third Prince.
Meanwhile, An Yi directly apprehended Liu An’s entire family and rescued many young women. As for An Si and An Wu, they raided the mountain cave where the counterfeit silver was being produced.
In just one night, the sky over Qing City changed.
As for the memorial, it had already been delivered posthaste to the Emperor’s desk, along with a full account of what Ji Yingying had in mind.
After reading the memorial, the Emperor flew into a rage and immediately placed the Third Prince under house arrest.
…………
The counterfeit silver case was now closed. Upon receiving the news, Ji Yingying promptly climbed onto the wall again and began to daydream.
The section of the wall she occupied was so secluded that even a dog would struggle to pass by—she relied entirely on the heavens for any gossip to come her way.
“Miss, His Highness requests your presence,” Pingguo called out from below the wall, waving for her to come down.
“The case is already settled. What does he want me for now?” Though Ji Yingying’s tone was sharp and her expression sour, her descent was surprisingly swift.
“You’ll know once you go.”
[I don’t want to know. Right now, I just want to lie flat. My father said I could lie flat at home for the rest of my life. Why did this person have to come to our household?]
Pingguo, following behind her, kept her head lowered in fear, but her young mistress remained completely unaware.
“Your Highness, you summoned me?” Ji Yingying’s voice arrived before she did, causing the kneeling prefect’s face to darken further.
[Huh… there’s someone here?]
Ji Yingying walked in, offered a casual greeting, and quietly took a seat, helping herself to a cup of water. Her furtive manner was so pronounced that it drew a chuckle from Ning Qingran.
It would be wonderful if his own child turned out to be as adorable as Ji Yingying.
Indeed, the Crown Princess was already pregnant. It was still unknown whether it would be a boy or a girl, but Ning Qingran secretly hoped for a daughter—a sweet, lovely little girl.
[Is this the prefect? Why is he kneeling here?]
[Ah-ha~ So he was brought here for rape. Well, well, such a person should have been arrested long ago. Lust-blinded, ill-intentioned, a downright villain—it’s only natural he got caught.]
“You… &&… xx… cough~” He couldn’t speak, couldn’t utter a word, couldn’t even curse. Was the Great Ancestor coming to take him away?
[Huh, why is he putting on another performance? He shouldn’t be doing the choking act; he’d be better suited for the old man pushing a cart routine. But with that physique… hmm, paired with some young, beautiful woman from that cherry blossom country… tsk, beauty and the beast—still quite a spectacle.]
Ning Qingran suddenly no longer wanted a daughter. If his daughter turned out like Ji Yingying, he would surely die of frustration.
“Ji San, don’t let your thoughts wander. The prefect has come to invite me back to the Qingcheng prefectural office. Your family should also prepare to pack up and return to the capital with me.”
“What? Does my old man know about this?”
“I have already informed him. Your father is likely to be promoted.”
[Promoted? To prefect? That’s not bad either—a new wall to gaze from. Hmm, not bad at all!]
Ji San, couldn’t you aim a little higher? It would do you good to get out and about!
“Then what do I need to do?” Ji Yingying didn’t understand. Her father’s promotion had nothing to do with her, so why had she been summoned?
“Well, I just wanted you to meet the prefect.”
“Alright then!” Ji Yingying crouched down to face the kneeling prefect at eye level, then flashed a smile, raised her right hand, and waved at him, saying, “Hello there!”
[What’s there to know about this old man? A lecherous old fool, a corrupt official. Hmm, the whole family is full of decent folks, except for this one rotten apple. The children he fathered have no anuses, and the only two with anuses aren’t even his own.]
“Cough…” Ning Qingran, seated in the place of honor, couldn’t help but laugh. This talk of a green hat… how refreshing.
“Ji San, I shall depart tomorrow. You and your father will come to the capital in a few days. I’ll be waiting for you there.”
[A few days? Which few days exactly?]
“Alright then. I’ll meet you by the city wall when the time comes.”