"My eldest brother sought me out before his departure and inquired extensively about matters in Jiangnan. I surmised he was investigating the affairs of the Grand Canal Administration, so I recounted everything about Sister Banxia, including our thorough inspection of the New Year's gifts, which revealed no anomalies. When I was in Jiangnan, I overheard much about the scandalous lives of local officials from the common folk. Thinking it might be useful, I shared it all with my eldest brother."
Bai Xiang rubbed the black stone in his hand, his expression unreadable, yet his mind was racing.
Elder Xu, standing beside him, listened with a bewildered expression and repeatedly asked, "Who is Sister Banxia?"
"The daughter of the Huaiyin Censorate Commissioner, Sun Banxia."
Upon hearing "Huaiyin Censorate Commissioner," Elder Xu's previously jesting face instantly fell. He turned to Prime Minister Bai and said gravely, "I received news this morning that the Commissioner Sun has disappeared."
"What?"
Disappeared? Prime Minister Bai's brow furrowed even deeper. It seemed likely that Sun Banxia's act of delivering New Year's gifts had been exposed, leading the Wei family to have him killed? Or perhaps he had orchestrated a clever escape, disappearing without a trace?
Anything was possible.
"Do you know where he disappeared from?"
Elder Xu shook his head. "It was an accidental discovery by a minor official I had planted in the Grand Canal Administration years ago. As you know, Huaiyin is at least a thousand li from Dongdu City, and it's not the season for the Grand Canal Administration to collect grain. So, it's normal for him not to be seen for ten days to half a month."
"Then when was it discovered that Commissioner Sun was missing?"
"Three days ago. After realizing something was amiss, he specifically went to Sun's residence to investigate. Indeed, the man was not at home, nor at his official yamen. He vanished into thin air, so to speak."
Elder Xu hadn't paid much attention to this news initially, as it was merely overheard by chance at Prince Ding's secondary residence. He had no connection to the Grand Canal Administration and therefore wasn't particularly concerned.
If it hadn't been brought up today, he might have considered the man's death a mere accident.
Now, it seemed a carefully woven net was being cast to conceal all the unsavory dealings of the Grand Canal Administration!
Upon hearing this news, Feng Jinyao couldn't help but gasp.
Because of her rebirth, some matters seemed to be unfolding differently from her past life.
For instance, in her previous life, it was this Uncle Sun who, after failing to gain favor, had turned against her father, leading to his tragic demise. Now, the Grand Canal Commissioner was dead, and he had disappeared. She wondered who was behind it.
However, by all accounts, the Wei family was the most suspicious.
"Grandfather, if Uncle Sun has disappeared, wouldn't Sister Banxia's family also be in danger?"
She and this Commissioner Sun shared a deep-seated animosity. But Sister Banxia was different. She had never been involved in the affairs of the Grand Canal Administration and had even offered her assistance when the Feng family fell into ruin. Feng Jinyao remembered this kindness and naturally worried about her safety.
"Since the Sun family is implicated, they will remain relatively safe until Commissioner Sun is found. However, they will be under close watch. You mentioned before that he possessed ledgers detailing the corruption within the Grand Canal Administration. His disappearance is undoubtedly linked to this matter. Therefore, instead of trying to find him, it would be better to keep a close eye on the Wei family. They will surely be more anxious to find him than we are!"
Elder Xu nodded, agreeing with Prime Minister Bai's words.
"I will handle this matter."
Elder Xu spoke, not revealing his connection to Prince Ding. Currently, only he and Prime Minister Bai were aware of Prince Ding's secrets. Everyone else believed Prince Ding to be frail and on his deathbed.
Therefore, the more people who knew his affairs, the greater the danger. It was best to remain silent.
Prime Minister Bai nodded gently at him, their understanding unspoken.
Meanwhile, the study remained a scene of deep contemplation, while Prince Ding's mansion was in a state of heightened alert, like a battlefield preparing for war.
"The Great Khan of the Di Rong, Du Ke, has died suddenly. The newly enthroned Prince Ke Da is a warlike individual. He is currently plundering and expanding his territory across the steppes. Before I left the northwest, the Di Rong were on the verge of unifying the grasslands."
The person speaking was a spy stationed in the northwest by Prince Ding's army, who had rushed back to report. However, half a month had passed since he left the northwest.
By now, it was likely that the Di Rong army had unified the various tribes of the grasslands and their next target would be the northwest of Da Jin.
"Hmph, Prince Ke Da is merely a man of courage but no strategy. His strategist behind the scenes is the truly formidable one."
Xiao Tingyi had been ambushed by him during the war in Southern Yue. Even the incident of him being framed was inseparable from this strategist's machinations. It could be said that the strategist was an implacable enemy of the entire Prince Ding's mansion, and even Prince Ding's army.
"He is quite swift. After Your Highness's decisive victory in Southern Yue, the King of Southern Yue was reportedly enraged by the heavy losses of his elite troops and insisted on sacrificing him as a flag. Unexpectedly, he managed to escape. He vanished for ten years, and we couldn't track his whereabouts. Now he has appeared among the Di Rong army, truly seeking death!"
Yang Zhao harbored immense hatred for him. His schemes back then had nearly cost the Prince his life in the southwest. If not for Shou Bo's timely treatment, the Prince's bones would likely have long since turned to dust.
How could Yang Zhao not hate him?
Su Cheng also wore a look of outrage. "Although the northwest is not Da Jin's granary, it is rich in mineral resources, especially the three major iron mines under the Feng family's control. If they fall into the hands of the Di Rong, who knows how many weapons they will forge to march on Da Jin, and how many lands will suffer bloodshed!"
He was no longer the dissolute young master Su Cheng known to the world, but Su Cheng, the deputy commander of Prince Ding's mansion's secret guard camp. His expression was solemn, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.
In the mansion, there were also two generals from Prince Ding's army in the southwest, who had been appointed to the imperial court this year: Mu Chun, the commander of the Qi Feng Battalion, and Hong Tao, the commander of the Jing Lei Battalion.
Mu Chun was around thirty years old, with the appearance of a handsome scholar, delicate and fair-skinned, like a freshly steamed bun, not at all resembling a soldier.
Hong Tao appeared much older, in his forties, with a thin scar on the left side of his face, a mark left from the bloody battlefield of the Southern Yue war.
Physician Zhang had wanted to remove it with medicine, but Hong Tao, deeply cherishing it as an honor, refused to let him, and so it remained.
Paired with his full beard, he looked like an enraged Vajra, albeit somewhat fierce.
"Your Highness, allow me to go and face the Di Rong army. I will surely send them fleeing in disarray!"
Hong Tao's voice, like his name, boomed like a great bell, echoing through most of the study. Fortunately, the guards of Prince Ding's mansion were strictly disciplined; otherwise, with such a voice, Prince Ding's secrets would be revealed without any need for reconnaissance.
His words were resolute, his spirit soaring, possessing the iron-willed majesty of a general!