Chapter 309 Don’t Believe in Coincidence

"It's the Lord Marquis!" The Marquis's steward, standing beside Aunt Gui, exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the young man approaching on horseback.

Aunt Gui stepped forward a few paces, blinking back tears.

News from the south had quickly reached the capital, and her emotions had been up and down. Hearing that the Lord Marquis and young master Xin had done great things for the country and its people brought her genuine joy. But deep down, she thought it would have been fine if they hadn't done such big things; the most important thing was their safe return.

He Qingxiao got off his horse and hurried over to Aunt Gui.

"The Lord Marquis has returned," Aunt Gui smiled, holding back the worry that had built up over days.

"Aunt Gui, you've gotten thinner," He Qingxiao noticed her slimmer figure and felt guilty.

"Has the Lord Marquis eaten yet? The hot water's ready; go wash up and eat something."

"Thank you, Aunt Gui."

After washing up and changing, He Qingxiao went to the flower hall.

The table in the flower hall was full of dishes; there were at least a dozen: steamed duck, Longjing shrimp, Kung Pao rabbit, ham and bamboo shoot soup.

Each dish was small but top-notch in looks, smell, and taste.

Though not a food lover, He Qingxiao couldn't resist eating everything. After cleaning up, he got ready to go to the Northern Pacification Office.

"Are you going out again, Lord Marquis?"

"I need to go to the office to deal with some piled-up work."

Most importantly, the abandoned temple incident and how the investigation is going.

Aunt Gui knew she couldn't stop him and sighed to herself.

If the Lord Marquis had a wife, she could convince him to take care of himself.

"Lord Marquis, where is the late Empress's coffin? I want to pay my respects."

"It's at the villa. I'll go with you tomorrow."

"No need, you're busy. I can go alone," Aunt Gui declined, urging He Qingxiao to go and return early.

He Qingxiao rushed to the Northern Pacification Office.

Voices greeted him as he walked through the office.

Entering the office, He Qingxiao asked Huang Cheng, "How's the investigation going?"

"My Lord, after looking into it, Zhou Ming isn't suspicious, just greedy and tricked by Wang Peng. Qian Da also shows no signs of abnormality for now, likely just dragged in by Wang Peng's words. Wang Peng took over his uncle's position five years ago. His uncle has a son and a daughter; the daughter is already married, and the son is still in school."

Huang Cheng detailed the situation of Wang Peng's uncle's family, then paused before continuing, "Their family seems normal, but digging deeper, their spending doesn't match their income. Does the Lord Marquis remember Director Tong from the Ministry of Personnel?"

He Qingxiao quickly caught on, "Does Director Tong have connections with Wang Peng's uncle?"

When the female members of the Zhou and Ji families were enslaved, Director Tong from the Ministry of Personnel wanted to buy Ji Cailan and Zhou Ningyue, thus catching the attention of the Jinlin Guard.

Under He Qingxiao's orders, the Jinlin Guard had not alarmed him but kept him under surveillance.

"Director Tong meets with various people daily, and those assigned to watch him have records. He recently met with Wang Peng's uncle once, which wouldn't normally be suspicious, but because of Wang Peng, we looked into his uncle..."

From the standpoint of keeping an eye on Director Tong, it’s unlikely that everyone he meets would be suspicious. And when digging into the close contacts of Wang Peng’s uncle, one wouldn’t immediately focus on someone who had just met him once. But when both of them are on the Jinlin Guard’s radar, it’s way too coincidental.

The Jinlin Guard doesn’t buy into coincidences.

"I hurried back to the capital to nab Wang Peng’s uncle, but he was already dead—officially, a sudden heart attack, but really, he was taken out."

"What about Director Tong?" He Qingxiao wasn’t shocked by Wang Peng’s uncle’s death.

Wang Peng botched his attempt to kill Lady Xin with a venomous snake, and the people behind him would naturally eliminate anyone who got exposed. In their view, with the death of Wang Peng’s uncle, the trail would end.

Too bad for them, they didn’t know the Jinlin Guard had been watching Director Tong for a while.

Right now, those forces think the trail ends with Wang Peng’s uncle, not realizing Director Tong’s been compromised. Meanwhile, the Jinlin Guard is waiting on He Qingxiao’s next step.

"Director Tong seems to be acting normal and is still at the office."

He Qingxiao’s face was calm, but his eyes were icy: "Don’t tip him off. Grab him on his way home and bring him straight to the Jinlin Guard."

Director Tong, like Dong Sheng before him, is clearly just a pawn for those forces. The real question is, who’s the big fish we can reel in through Director Tong?

Over at the Northern Pacification Office, things seem quiet, and officials and nobles are all focused on the two hundred bandits Xin You brought in.

"How did two hundred bandits get into the city? What’s the Military Command even doing?" one official angrily asked.

Another official smiled bitterly: "What else could they do? Arrest them right in front of the Emperor?"

"Arrest them? You must not have heard—the Emperor’s given Lady Xin five hundred acres of prime land just to settle these bandits."

"This, this is really—" The official, about to curse, caught himself and shut his mouth.

The next day at court, several officials spoke up against giving these bandits such special treatment.

After listening, Emperor Xingyuan coldly asked the opposing ministers: "Are you saying we should burn bridges, kill the rabbit after the chase, and put away the bow once the birds are gone?"

Faced with the Emperor’s rhetorical question, the ministers subtly twitched their lips.

The Emperor’s bias for Lady Xin is glaring, throwing out three idioms back-to-back.

"Morality is for ordinary people, not for bandits who disregard the law—"

"Who says morality is used this way? My leniency towards these bandits is to show those who have strayed that there is a chance to turn back. In the future, if we need to rely on such people again, they will cooperate willingly, rather than thinking of the fate of Wuyun Village and resisting to the death."

Emperor Xingyuan looked expressionlessly at the ministers with varying expressions, his words firm and resounding: "These bandits have contributed to quelling the rebellion, their merits offset their faults. Why can’t they stay in the suburbs of the capital as law-abiding citizens?"

An unyielding official excitedly said: "After all, they are of bandit origin. Considering their contribution to quelling the rebellion, not holding their past against them is already Your Majesty’s grace. How can they be worthy of cultivating the fertile land granted by Your Majesty!"

Emperor Xingyuan gave the speaking minister a subtle look of disdain and said lightly: "Lady Xin has resolved the court’s worries about the rebels and saved many commoners during the flood. Is it not appropriate to reward her with fertile land for such great merit? Since I have granted her the land, as long as she does not break the law, how she uses it is her business."

An official was about to speak again, but Emperor Xingyuan’s face darkened: "A hero’s origins should not be questioned. This matter is not to be discussed further. Court is dismissed!"

Most officials obediently walked out, while ministers like the Minister of Rites were kept behind to continue discussions at the Qianqing Palace.

These ministers looked at each other, guessing what Emperor Xingyuan wanted to discuss.

This is about the burial of Empress Xin in the imperial mausoleum!