Lonely non-good minister

What she said was very general, but Song Yuan didn't say a word.

After Mu Wantang left, Wei Yan saw that she had been silent and said: "The national mourning is coming to an end soon, and His Highness's wedding cannot be delayed for too long. His Highness should think about it by himself. There are many people who are concerned about His Highness's marriage. , although the Crown Prince is presiding over it for His Highness, in the end it is up to His Highness to make his own decision."

"It's time to think about it." Song Yuan also realized that her marriage could no longer be postponed. She originally wanted to let Mu Wantang take the initiative to terminate the engagement during the national mourning period, but now it seems that this is not possible. Since it is not possible, then the matter will be over. Have to make other plans.

Although according to Song Chun's wishes, marrying a girl with a good family background as his head wife would be helpful for him in the court, but how could such a girl be so easy to handle?If you delay in consummating the marriage, the other party will definitely be dissatisfied. It will not be good for you if it makes a big fuss. If your daughter's identity is exposed again, how can the other party be willing to endure decades of injustice and hide the secret for you?I'm afraid that I will use this to blackmail myself.

Therefore, it is better to have a lower family background. Not only must the family background be low, but one must also be obedient and capable, be of the same mind as oneself and be able to cope with the chaotic relationship in the royal family. Mu Wantang is a good candidate. She does not have an outstanding family background. , and be sincere to herself. Although it is extremely unfair to her, she is indeed a good choice.

Song Yuan thought carefully for a few days and then wrote to Xiao Shen to communicate first. This kind of matter must be informed by Xiao Shen to prevent others from intervening.

After the letter was sent, all the affairs in Xihai were almost settled. The situation was stabilized, and the remaining officials who were left to manage temporarily could handle the remaining matters. She had to continue her inspection, and Mu Wantang was leaving. Traveling with her is also to Zhangye.

They were all riding on horseback. Even Mu Wantang abandoned the carriage and followed the horseback. However, her riding skills were not very skilled. She could go slower. Once she rode too fast, she would not be able to control the horse underneath her. She was so shocked that she broke out in a cold sweat, but she didn't cry out or beg for mercy. Instead, she gritted her teeth and followed along, refusing to fall behind.

After rushing all the way to the border of Zhangye, Song Yuan thought that the people from Tingwei Mansion had left, but that night, Huo Ying came to the post house.

He was covered in dust and looked tired, but even so, his face was still clean and there was no trace of stubble. He stood in the yard and looked at Song Yuan who opened the door and smiled, even clasping his fists in a somewhat casual manner.

"I have a few questions that I need to ask Your Highness for help."

Song Yuan held the door frame and hesitated for a while before letting him in. The furnishings of the post house were very simple, and even the tea was bitter and hard to swallow. The tea in front of Song Yuan was not touched yet, and Huo Ying had already drank a cup.

He frowned slightly, his expression quickly recovered, and he looked at Song Yuan with calm eyes and said, "Does Your Highness know how the imperial court dealt with the officials in Xihai County?"

"I know, my sixth brother and eighth brother have also been dealt with. Mr. Huo is really fast in doing things." She praised politely, and then waited for Huo Ying to ask questions.

The corner of Huo Ying's mouth twitched slightly: "When I was checking on Master Six, I discovered something. During last year's autumn harvest, there was a huge amount of cotton that passed through Master Six's hands, as much as tens of thousands of kilograms. This is not a small amount. According to my understanding, so much cotton was purchased by the imperial court. I checked the accounts of Northwest China last year and found that a lot of cotton was missing. Does your Highness know about this account?"

Sure enough, it was his fault.

"I did it." Song Yuan admitted happily: "The total cotton harvest reported by the officials was tens of thousands of kilograms less than the actual total harvest. This is the premise. The situation at that time was that except for Zhangye, no other counties were planting. Food, so the food in the northwest is facing an extremely dangerous situation.

I need merchants to transport grain into the northwest, but the way for merchants to enter the northwest has to pass through Liu Ge's territory. When I first came to the northwest, I heard about some of Liu Ge's actions. I knew that the Huns' cavalry entering the country to harass the caravans had something to do with him, so , in order to ensure that merchants can transport food smoothly, I used cotton to reach a deal with Sixth Brother and asked him to ensure that the merchants' road to the northwest is unimpeded. Huo Ying nodded: "This is consistent with the investigation by the official, but His Highness's move is still a bribe." "

"So Master Huo wants to impeach me?" Song Yuan stared at him: "If that is the case, I hope Master Huo can delay for a few days and wait until I finish touring the northwest before impeaching me. The situation in the northwest is not good this year, and it is the autumn harvest. Due to the season, there are countless things waiting for me to decide in the next month, and I don’t trust leaving these matters to others.”

Huo Ying was surprised: "Your Highness, why don't you just defend yourself?"

"Everything has been done, so what is there to defend? Besides, I have a clear conscience. Even if I am convicted of bribery, my starting point is for the sake of the people in the northwest. I don't think I am wrong. Since I am not wrong, Then there is no need to defend.”

Huo Ying thought for a while: "Then according to His Highness's wish, after the thorough investigation of Zhangye's matter is completed, I will submit the bribery matter to Jingzhao. Your Highness is responsible. Don't blame Your Highness."

"Thank you very much." Song Yuan clasped his fists and thanked openly: "But I'm curious, where did the cotton go after it passed through Brother Six's hands?"

Huo Ying's eyes flashed slightly: "Leaving the country."

"Sure enough." Song Yuan's suspicion was confirmed: "So, it's not just Bage who is the collaborator, Sixth Brother is the mastermind behind it, but he hides it deeper, right?"

Huo Ying looked at her carefully: "His Highness knows these things? Then I must suspect that Your Highness deliberately used cotton to bribe Mr. Liu and had a plan for a long time."

"Huh?" Song Yuan smiled: "Why does Mr. Huo think so?"

Huo Ying poured some hot tea for himself: "Actually, I had this guess from the beginning. His Highness knew that the Sixth Master was related to the Huns' loose cavalry entry since entering the northwest. His Highness must have guessed that the Sixth Master would take risks to smuggle cotton for the Huns. , His Highness spent tens of thousands of kilograms of cotton, and the reason is perfect, it is to allow merchants to pass smoothly, but His Highness himself will know if there are other motives in this."

"You think too bad of me." Song Yuan was helpless, but her denial was not firm. She admitted that when she bribed her sixth brother Song Pun, the thought of digging a hole for him did cross her mind, but it was only a flash in her mind. However, she couldn't be sure whether Song Pun would really give the cotton to the Xiongnu, so she didn't make any long-term plans.

Huo Ying couldn't figure out her expression, so he drank tea and stood up: "I will report these speculations to His Highness the Crown Prince now."

Tell brother?I want to remind eldest brother that no one in the northwest is clean. I want to see if eldest brother is willing to deal with it severely.

Song Yuan looked up at him, not sure what Huo Ying was thinking, so he could only nod his head: "This is the official business of Tingwei Mansion, Mr. Huo can do as he pleases."

"Your Highness is familiar with the laws of Wei. He should know what can and cannot be done. Please take it seriously."