Chapter 519
~ TWO-PRONGED APPROACH ~
As Mu Yunyao listened to Qi Yun’s words and looked at the hydrographic map of the river, her thoughts became complicated.
Jin Wang had been secretly observing her from time to time. A profound emotion flashed across his eyes from time to time, not knowing what he was thinking.
Yu Wang could not help but speak up, “If there’s no other way, we should move the commoners away first, Third Uncle. Otherwise, once the summer floods come, the consequences will be unimaginable.”
“It is hard to separate people from their homeland. It also requires a lot of manpower and material resources to move the people. Unless it is entirely necessary, you cannot use this method.”
Yu Wang gritted his teeth as his gaze swept over to irrelevant Ling Wang. “Eldest Imperial Brother, I can see that you look confident. Have you thought of a good idea?”
Ling Wang sneered: “Didn’t Imperial Father hand over this matter to Lord Qi? I have not studied much about the construction of riverbanks, and is unable to understand the reason behind the burst. I can see that everything will be under the control of Lord Qi.” Humph, from the looks of it, Qi Yun didn’t have the ability to build the dam before the summer flood season and failed to reap the credit. Instead, he would become a sinner that everyone cursed at. At that time, the Marquis of Wei’s good reputation would be ruined forever.
The corners of Yu Wang’s lips curled up, “Then I shall report this to Imperial Father and let him see Eldest Imperial Brother’s capabilities.”
“You …” Ling Wang was angry, “I am your Imperial Brother. Is this how you speak to your Imperial Brother?”
“Eldest Imperial Brother, you should wait until we return to the Capital before we pay more attention to these etiquettes. The riverbank is the most important here, and the commoners are the first. If Eldest Imperial Brother feels he can’t help much, you should return to the Capital first. It’s a nuisance to see you here.”
“You … You simply have no respect for your elders?”
“Eldest Imperial Brother can also report me in front of Imperial Father to sue me!” Yu Wang now sees Ling Wang and Jin Wang are not pleasing to the eye. If it weren’t for his identity, Yu Wang would have thought of a way to vent his anger.
Yue Wang had been silent the entire time. When he saw that Mu Yunyao’s gaze was fixated on the hydrographic map, he could not help but ask softly, “Yao’er, did you notice anything?”
Mu Yunyao slightly shook her head. “I’m not too sure either. However, I just think that the Linjiang River’s channel seems to be too curved. If this river channel curved, the dam will inevitably be difficult to repair.”
When Qi Yun heard these words, he suddenly raised his head and looked at Mu Yunyao with a burning gaze. “Princess, did you just say that the river channel is curved?”
“Yeah, but what’s wrong with that?”
Qi Yun’s eyes lit up. He grabbed the hydrographic map and looked at it. “The river channel curved. The river channel curved... If we wanted to build the dam as soon as possible, we might better cut the curve and straighten it! Right, cut the curve and straighten!”
Qi Yun could not hold in his laughter as he stepped forward to salute and thank Mu Yunyao, “Thank you, Princess, for your advice. I know what to do now.”
Mu Yunyao hurriedly got up to dodge, “What is Lord Qi doing? I only casually said that one sentence, and I didn’t think I would be able to help.”
“Princess, this unintentional sentence opened my eyes. This credit will definitely report it to the Emperor.”
“Lord Qi is too polite. I didn’t help much.”
Yu Wang watched his third uncle leave in a hurry again, and he was bewildered for a while. His third uncle’s specialty was studying water conservancy. Back then, he had obviously won the top scorer title, yet he had given up on being an official in the Capital and had wholeheartedly thrown himself onto the river work. Unfortunately, his grandfather had allowed him to do whatever he wanted and said he could serve the country wherever he went, so he went with him. As a result, he couldn’t see him all year round.
Ling Wang flicked his sleeves and stood up: “Since it’s all right, I will go down and rest first.” After speaking, he walked out directly.
Jin Wang stood up and looked at Mu Yunyao. “Yunyao, you’re so smart. There are so many women in the Capital, but none of them can compare to you.”
“There are mountains beyond the mountain, and there are people beyond the mountain. Third Imperial Uncle’s words are too excessive.”
Jin Wang smiled and turned to look at Yue Wang: “Fourth Imperial rother, I am also worried about the situation at the riverbank.Thus, I would like to take a look at the riverbank. Would Fourth Imperial Brother send someone to lead the way?”
Yu Wang walked forward and said, “Could it be that the Third Imperial Brother is confused? My third uncle is in charge of everything here. If you want to go to the dam, you can find me. I’ll find someone to help you lead the way. Let’s go.”
Jin Wang retracted his gaze: “Sorry to bother, Second Imperial Brother.”
Only Mu Yunyao and Yue Wang remained in the front hall.
“Fourth Master, what does Your Royal Highness Jin Wang mean by that?”
Yue Wang’s eyes were deep, “I don’t know if he sensed something was wrong or what. However, he has sent people to stare at me these past few days. He had even secretly investigated my relationship with Ni Yun Fang and Bu Xian Luo. It is truly a bit of a headache.”
Mu Yunyao’s eyes flashed with a cold intent, “Fourth Master, I haven’t been able to figure out one thing. You said the previous salt tax silver was replaced with clay mounds mixed with iron sand. What about the real tax silver?”
“I’ve been asking people to track it down, but I don’t have a clue.” It was as if all that silver had vanished into thin air, and there was no trace of it to be found.
Mu Yunyao couldn’t help but guess, “Could it be that they’ve already been transported to the Ccapital and aren’t in Jiangnan anymore?”
“With so much silver, it is relatively difficult to transport so much silver into the Capital. No matter how capable Jin Wang is, he will not be able to transport it away silently unless....” Yue Wang suddenly lifted his eyes, the deep light in his eyes making it seem as if there was no starlight in the night sky. “Unless we guessed wrong before, the counterfeit tax silver was not made after the outbreak of the salt tax case, but from the very beginning, the salt merchants had tried to hide it from the world by using counterfeit taxes silver. As for the silver taels should be paid, they have not been exchanged for tax silver at all. Instead, they are sent to the Capital in banknotes directly.”
Mu Yunyao’s heart sank. “If it’s truly the case, then it probably won’t be easy to investigate. Several million silver taels is extremely heavy, so it’s hard to notice even if you casually hide them, but several million silver banknotes aren’t.”
Yue Wang slightly furrowed his brows. “Indeed.”
Mu Yunyao pondered for a moment before suddenly raising her brows. “Fourth Master, the princes are currently in Jiangnan. It should be much more convenient to act in the Capital, right?”
“Yao’er, do you mean … a two-pronged approach?”
“I spent quite a lot of silver taels on my contribution for this matter, so I must find a way to earn some back. Fourth Master should ask the people in the Capital to look around and see if they can find any clues. It would be best if they could start from the bank.” If Jin Wang gets so many silver banknotes, he will inevitably exchange them with a portion of the silver tael. Thus, it would be best to intervene from the bank.
“Alright, I understand.”
A fast horse took advantage of the night and stealthily rushed to the Capital.
Mu Yunyao had fallen asleep when she heard a burst of noise coming from outside, “What’s wrong?”
Si Qin quickly walked in. “Reporting to Miss, His Royal Highness Jin Wang injured his arm to save a civilian who fell into the water. Blood was flowing profusely, and the Imperial Physicians have already rushed over.”