The empress disliked my achievements for overshadowing her own, so she turned her attention to the N

The two jailers looked somewhat bewildered and turned to look at Chen Nan at the same time.

Good heavens, it turns out the other party wasn't refusing to talk because their interrogation techniques were ineffective, but because Chen Nan hadn't asked any questions.

Just as the two were confused, Chen suddenly stood up and said, "Tell me everything you know, and I might consider letting you die with some dignity."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu's eyes widened, staring at Chen Nan in disbelief.

He thought that he could survive if he spoke out.

But to my utter surprise, after revealing everything, all I could do was die with a little more dignity.

"If I tell you, will Your Highness spare me?" Chen Yu asked pleadingly.

He wanted to live, he didn't want to die yet. Although Happy Forest was gone, the money he had collected there over the years was enough for him to live a carefree life for the rest of his days.

Chen Nan shook his head firmly: "You must die. If you tell me, you can die a quick and dignified death."

"Of course, if you don't want to die, I have countless other ways to inflict that kind of torture."

Chen Nan remained silent; he knew a great deal about those methods of torture.

He was also very confident that Chen Yu would cooperate.

After a moment of reflection, Chen Yu's face showed a pained expression.

"In that case, Your Highness, please be swift and decisive when the time comes."

"I still remember that when I first created Happy Forest, it was simply because I couldn't stand the constraints."

"However, not long after its establishment, the imperial court dispatched a large army to attack it."

"But the forest was very dense, and the army was not large, so I managed to escape."

"However, Happy Forest was peaceful for a while after that campaign."

As he spoke, Chen Yu's face showed full of panic: "After that, it seemed that the imperial court was determined to completely destroy Happy Forest."

"That time, the army alone numbered 20,000, along with several generals leading troops."

"I originally thought that was my last battle in Happy Forest."

"However, on one night during the siege, the entire army surrounding Happy Forest suddenly disappeared."

"The next day, a guest arrived at my Happy Forest."

"That man claimed to be the steward of the Qin family, and he demanded that I, Kuaihuolin, submit to his Qin family."

"Your Highness, I am merely a merchant; how could I possibly have the resources to oppose the imperial court?"

"In the end, I submitted to the Qin family, and this golden nanmu robe was also given to me by the Qin family."

"I really don't know the value of this garment."

“You’re lying. Although Qin Qingmin is powerful, he’s just a dean and has no reason to access the national treasury. How could he possibly have obtained this golden nanmu robe?” Hongming retorted excitedly.

Chen Nan nodded repeatedly, believing that what Chen Yu said was most likely true.

Although Qin Qingmin had no reason to enter the national treasury, that doesn't mean others didn't.

Throughout the entire Wei capital, Qin Qingmin knew and was familiar with 90% of the officials.

Faced with Hongming's decree, Chen Yu said helplessly, "Your Highness, I am telling the truth. If Your Highness really does not believe me, I can confront the steward of the Qin family."

Just as Hongming was about to ask more questions, Chen Nan gently tugged at her sleeve and whispered in her ear, "What he said is true. Come out with me first."

Hongming was slightly taken aback, but he didn't hold onto Chen Yu. He obediently followed Chen Nan out of the prison.

As soon as the two arrived outside the cell, Hongming couldn't wait to ask, "Why did you drag me out here?"

“That man was clearly lying. He was just convinced that we wouldn’t dare offend Qin Qingmin or confront him at the Qin residence.”

Chen Nan could completely understand Hongming's reaction.

After all, this golden nanmu robe was connected to her beliefs.

Chen Nan didn't dare to be careless and immediately explained, "Let's not talk about whether it's true or false for now."

"Speaking solely of Qin Qingmin, he indeed had no reason to enter the national treasury."

"Given his connections with other officials, it wouldn't be difficult for him to get people into the national treasury."

"What did you say? Who would dare help Qin Qingmin enter the national treasury to steal the golden silk nanmu garment?!" Hongming exclaimed in shock.

That's a piece of golden nanmu silk. If anyone dares to steal it, they can expect their entire clan to be wiped out.

Chen Nan first offered some words of comfort: "Don't worry, we can analyze it slowly."

“You see, Qin Qingmin is the dean of Longtu Academy, which is why he is familiar with every official.”

"But if you exclude the officials who cannot enter the national treasury, then there are very few people left."

"If you add people suspected of stealing, then there are even fewer."

"Also, don't forget, this thing was stolen for Qin Qingmin, not for us to keep for ourselves."

Chen Nan spoke several sentences in a row, leaving Hongming speechless for a long time.

"After all you've said, aren't you just implying that very few people are willing to bear such a serious crime?"

Chen Nan suddenly laughed: "You're right."

"As you know, stealing from the national treasury is a very serious crime."

"Although the Empress Dowager is not allowed to inspect the national treasury, there is always a chance of something going wrong."

"What if the Empress Dowager suddenly decided today to inspect the national treasury?"

"And the inspection was conducted in the presence of court officials?"

"You mean, let the thief come out on his own?" Hongming was delighted.

Everyone says Chen Nan is quick-witted, but she only realized today that Chen Nan's mind is just too fast.

"But how can we get the Empress Dowager to inspect the national treasury?" Hongming was at a loss.

She knew how to find the thief, but she didn't know how to get the Empress Dowager to voluntarily inspect the national treasury.

Chen Nan chuckled: "Don't worry, I'll take care of this."

"But do you really want to find out who's behind this?"

"Of course, I must capture this person. I want to see who is so bold as to covet even the national treasury."

Hongming gritted his teeth and answered, clenching his right fist and swinging it fiercely a few times.

Chen Nan rubbed his forehead and asked a strange question: "What do you think of Prime Minister Changsun?"

Hongming was stunned for a moment. He didn't know why Chen Nan would suddenly ask Changsun Du, but he still told him the truth.

"Chancellor Changsun made indelible contributions to the development of the Northern Wei Dynasty."

"Because of your arrival, the position of prime minister has been divided in two, and I still respect him."

"But why did you suddenly ask him that?"

After speaking, he looked at Chen Nan with a puzzled expression.

Seeing the anxious expression on Chen Nan's face, she belatedly realized and said, "You don't actually think that person is Changsun Du, do you?"

Chen Nan remained silent, staring at her without saying a word.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! How could Prime Minister Changsun be such a person!"

Hongming said this indignantly.

In her eyes, Changsun Du was not as talented as Chen Nan.

But he was extremely loyal to the Northern Wei Dynasty, so how could he possibly do such a thing?

Moreover, stealing from the national treasury is punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

Chen Nan blinked, a faint smile on his face: "What if it really is him?"