Chapter 8 — Crown Prince Concubine Sweet Mouth

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for verifying the origin of all evidence. So the three companies supervise each other, no one dares to be lazy. In less than a day, Dai Ly temple had already interrogated the oral confession of the food escort officer with the problem. He said he received a secret order from the Eastern Palace at Thanh Chau station. But according to the station's records, during those few days heavy rain damaged the official roads, and Thanh Chau's translation station had no messengers from the capital at all. The police investigated eighty boats carrying relief supplies that did not sink. Before entering Hoai Chau, they changed their flag and moved to a wharf that belonged to the Second Prince's maternal family. The Imperial Palace immediately found something suspicious. That dock changed ownership half a year ago, the owner was apparently a salt merchant. Dai Ly continued to interrogate the salt merchant and found out that his brother-in-law was working in the Second Prince's palace. Because the third company wanted to prove that they were more useful than the other two, this person investigated faster than the other. By the evening of the second day, my father's table was filled with evidence. For the first time, people learned that courtiers competing vigorously and winning was not entirely a bad thing. However, eighty thousand of the most important food stones have not been found yet. The natural disaster situation in Hoai Chau is becoming more serious every day. If food is not brought in, even if it is possible to return the Crown Prince's innocence, countless people will still starve to death. My father impatiently walked around the study room. Patriarch calmly sat next to him and drank tea:

“I have investigated the flag-changing ship, what happens next?”

“Then go to the salt merchant's dock. But there are only a few empty warehouses left at the dock.”

"Eighty thousand grains of food is not eight pounds. If you want to hide it, want to transport it, you still have to wait for the right opportunity to sell it. A merchant who dares to receive that amount of food will certainly not rely on just one dock."

My father stopped walking. What the salt merchant understood best was not the manor, but the waterway. He immediately ordered an investigation into private grain warehouses along both banks of the Hoai River. But the Ministry of Justice said that without a holy order, you cannot arbitrarily search. Dai Ly himself said that there must be real evidence first. The Royal Palace suspected them of taking the opportunity to harass the people. Seeing that the three places were about to argue again, my father slammed the table:

“Your words all make sense.”

The room immediately fell silent. Right now, what the three adults are most afraid of hearing is this sentence. My father said gently:

"If everyone is afraid of taking responsibility, then let me bear it. The search order is signed by me. If I cannot find food, I alone will complain to His Majesty. If I find it, the credit belongs to the three companies."

This time no one spoke up. The Middle School Emperor frowned:

"Lord Khuong, this is not a matter of settling things. If you fake the holy will, you will really lose your head."

My father sighed:

"But if we wait another day, people in Hoai Chau will starve to death. My head is the head, the lives of the people are also the lives. What's more..."

The person looked at the three great men and revealed a very sincere smile:

“My father will surely save me.”

The patriarch sitting behind the screen almost choked on his tea. That night, the three companies moved out at the same time. In seven food warehouses downstream of the Hoai River, they found the lost food supplies. Outside the warehouse full of new sacks, planning to wait for Hoai Chau food prices to increase to the highest level to exchange the bags and sell them. On the books is not only the name of the salt merchant, but also the personal seal of the Chief historian of the Second Prince's palace. At the same time, people sent by Tieu Thua Canh also found an old lost letter in the Song family's underground bunker, along with a wax mold left over from forging the East Palace seal. The evidence is complete. On the morning of the third day, my father carried a box of documents to the palace. The civil and military officials are all waiting for someone to declare who the mastermind behind it is. But he knelt down first:

“Your Majesty, I would like to immediately open the warehouse and send food to Hoai Chau.”

The emperor frowned:

“The case has not yet been decided.”

"The prisoners in prison cannot run. The food in the warehouse also cannot open their mouths. But the victims cannot wait."

My father said:

"First let food save people, then let evidence determine guilt. The two things do not hinder each other."

Rarely in the court does no one speak up to object. The Emperor looked at my father for a long time and finally said:

“Correct.”

At that moment, my father did not pray for himself first, nor was he in a hurry to exonerate the Crown Prince. The person who chooses the most important thing in a chaotic mess to solve first. Later, my father said, that was the day my father truly learned how to be an official. Not for someone who can make everyone happy. But because you finally understand, there are times when you don't need to wait for everyone to be satisfied. ## 9 After the case was clearly investigated, Tieu Thua Du was stripped of his royal title and imprisoned for life. His uncle and a group of related officials were all thrown into prison. Tong Van was also escorted to Dai Ly temple. The Emperor personally went to the Eastern Palace to lift the blockade. Tieu Thua Canh knelt outside the palace, his back straight, his expression calm. The Emperor stood before him and asked for a long time:

“For the past three days, have you resented me?”

"The evidence all points to my son. It is also the right thing to do for your father to be suspicious."

“You're always like that.”

The emperor sighed tiredly:

"There is resentment in my heart, but I refuse to say it."

I stood behind Tieu Thua Canh and couldn't help but whisper:

"Your Highness is not unwilling to say anything, but is afraid that if you say it, it will hurt your Majesty. Your Highness is very filial."

Tieu Thua Canh turned his head to look at me. The Emperor also looked at me. My father stood next to me and blinked frantically, his eyelids almost twitching. I had to keep my mouth shut. The Emperor suddenly burst out laughing:

“This daughter of the Khuong family is truly nothing like old General Khuong.”

I honestly answer:

"My god's breath is similar to my father's. My father's god's breath is for your majesty to calm the world, and my god's breath is for your majesty to watch over the Crown Prince's meals. Although one person uses a military talisman and the other uses breakfast, it's all for your majesty to reduce your worries."

“…”

The emperor laughed even louder.