Rich Peasant Girl: The General's Wife Has Space

"May I ask, Your Highness, why have you visited me so late at night? I didn't know you were in Luo'an City, and I apologize for my poor hospitality." Although Yang Huai was an upright person, he was also very tactful in speaking about the officialdom and would not offend anyone easily.

"Master Yang, please sit down and talk." Li Mingyue raised his hand and pointed to the place where his hands would be.

Yang Huai bowed again to express his gratitude before sitting down. Steward Yang also brought his maids to serve tea and snacks, and then led his men out, leaving only Yang Huai, the Second Prince, and the guards.

Li Mingyue told Yang Huai what happened today. As the second prince spoke, Yang Huai's mouth opened wider and wider, and the astonishment in his eyes was about to overflow.

He could no longer sit still and fell to his knees in front of Li Mingyue. He never imagined that in Luoan City, where he thought the people lived and worked in peace and prosperity, there were actually traitors who were colluding with the Yilan Kingdom.

Yang Huai broke out in a cold sweat. This was a serious crime. How could such a thing happen?

He knew the Qu family that the Second Prince was talking about. The head of the Qu family, Qu Hongsheng, had always been a major taxpayer in Luoan City. He was also kind and generous, and cooperated very well with him as the prefect.

During the holidays, Yang Huai would gather together several wealthy families who performed very well on weekdays and entertain them, which was a harmonious expression of the family ties between officials and the people.

Privately, he had never accepted bribes from the Qu family, including several other wealthy families. He just hinted that they should help the government office with things like providing porridge and repairing roads.

Rather than money, Yang Huai prefers the love of the people and good political achievements.

But today, the second prince came to visit late at night and actually said that there was something wrong with the Qu family and that they were collaborating with the enemy and committing treason.

This scared Yang Huai. He was so confused that he didn't know that there was something wrong with the Qu family and he would get together with them on weekdays.

Oh no, the Second Prince wouldn't think that he has an affair with them, right? The people in Luoan City all know that the Qu family and other wealthy families have dinner with him.

The people usually thank the Qu family for their kindness and righteousness and praise them endlessly.

Now that this happened suddenly, Yang Huai was so confused that he couldn't think straight.

"This... Second Prince, I, your humble servant, truly do not know anything about the Qu family. Normally, they are extremely generous, building bridges and roads, distributing grain and porridge, and they have participated in every aspect of their work. However, they have committed such treasonous acts, and I, your humble servant, am truly guilty of negligence and punishable by death."

After saying that, he knelt heavily on the ground, buried his head in the ground and dared not lift it up.

Li Mingyue remained silent for a long while before speaking: "Master Yang, please stand up first. You are indeed responsible for oversight of this matter. You are so negligent in your oversight of the people under your rule. Moreover, you are usually too close to the Qu family and others. This has a negative impact. However, considering that you have devoted all your efforts to governing Luo'an City, I will allow you to atone for your sins."

"The Qu family is still in the Qu Mansion, but they have all been imprisoned by my people in the firewood room in the backyard. Send someone to guard the Qu Mansion. I will send a few people to you privately. You will fully assist them in investigating the situation of the other merchants in Luoan City and keep the news secret. Don't leak it to anyone."

When Li Mingyue finished speaking, there was a hint of pressure in her tone.

He was a little angry. He really didn't know what to say about Yang Huai. The Qu family's affairs were so serious, but he didn't know it. He got close to them without finding out the details. It was really foolish of him.

According to the information Ying Yan found out, Yang Huai was a relatively honest and fair official, and he held a very high position in the hearts of the people.

Under his governance, not only did the people of Luoan City live and work in peace and contentment, and the people were honest and kind, but he also ranked first in tax collection. Therefore, he was a good official with a promising future.

The only thing that people criticize him for now is that he is too close to the wealthy people in the city. He himself has not accepted any bribes, but it is still detrimental to his reputation.

Li Mingyue didn't want to lose a good official because of this small mistake, so although his attitude was gentle, there was still some pressure in his words.

After hearing this, Yang Huai hurriedly knelt down and said yes. He was terrified, but he knew that the Second Prince was deliberately not going to pursue the matter of his close relationship with the Qu family and others. However, he had to work hard to make up for it.

He breathed a sigh of relief and helped the Second Prince settle down in the mansion. After the Second Prince waved his hand to let him leave, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and left.

After leaving, he did not dare to delay and ran to Ying Mo to inquire about relevant matters. Then he quickly mobilized a team of night shift staff in the mansion and personally led them to the Qu family.

When he arrived, the gate of Qu Mansion had been sealed. Because it was almost evening when it was sealed, the people still didn't know what was happening in the city.

Ying Yan was already guarding the Qu family. Seeing Yang Huai bringing people here, Ying Yan directly divided them into two teams. One team continued to be on duty while the other team rested first, and they would change shifts every few hours.

Yang Huai did not meet the Qu family. The matter with the second prince had been settled, so there was no point in him meeting the Qu family again.