The cannon fodder heiress trembled with fear after being recognized as a member of her family.

Gao Xiaolan was taken aback. "The Marquis went to chase after the Prefect's family and didn't tell us to call you."

After Han Cuiyin finished packing and ate something simple, she said, "Let's go see the princess first. If everything is alright there, you and Granny Chu can help the princess. I'll go find the Marquis."

The governor of Changxing County fled, which did not happen in the previous life.

Perhaps her rebirth changed too much, and many things changed.

Since this person dared to escape, he must have something to rely on; otherwise, how could he dare to commit such a treasonous act?

Although Changxing County is the fiefdom of Princess Mingxia, the officials here are all appointed by the imperial court. Of course, Princess Mingxia's opinions will also be taken into account.

The prefect here is replaced every five years. This prefect is a successor to the previous one. This is the seventh year, and his name is Meng Zhiping.

This man came from a poor family, and his ancestors had produced officials of the second rank, but the family had fallen into decline.

Things started to improve with Meng Zhiping's generation.

The Meng family was dwindling in number, and Meng Zhiping's parents only had him as their son.

Twenty years ago, Meng Zhiping passed the imperial examination and ranked among the middle-ranking scholars. Later, when officials were selected, he did not stay in the capital but was directly assigned to a post outside the capital. Some of his contemporaries who passed the imperial examination were desperate to stay in the capital.

This Lord Meng was also ambitious. The place he was assigned to was not prosperous. During his tenure, he was diligent and cared for the people. With his enthusiasm, he gradually transformed that remote county into one of the top ten counties in terms of political achievements in the Great Ye Dynasty.

This matter initially alarmed Emperor Chu Yuan, who, appreciating talent, wanted to keep Lord Meng in the capital.

Later, for reasons unknown, Emperor Chu Yuan still sent him to a post outside the capital.

The place chosen for his posting was Changxing County.

He rose through the ranks from county magistrate to prefect.

Princess Mingxia, knowing Emperor Chuyuan's intentions and having heard of Meng Zhiping's deeds, also agreed to entrust Changxing County to this capable official for governance.

Over the years, the harvest in Changxing County has increased year by year, and other taxes have also grown steadily, with a considerable amount reaching Princess Mingxia.

Yesterday, Luo Jingqian casually mentioned it, and Princess Mingxia remembered to look through the account books from previous years. It was not intentionally aimed at Meng Zhiping.

In previous years, the people sent to audit the accounts were from Luo Yuan's side. Now that the couple is divorced, it is the Princess's mansion that has to take over.

Princess Jinghe may have known something, as she selected several skilled accountants from the accounting department to accompany her this time.

This time, it's not because of suspicion towards Meng Zhiping that old grievances are being brought up.

There must be more to this story than meets the eye.

Princess Mingxia also realized that Changxing County's finances might not be as they appeared on paper.

As the two walked and talked, Gao Xiaolan quickly recounted all the information she had heard from Granny Chu.

Han Cuiyin suddenly asked, "How is the situation in Lord Meng's private quarters?"

“These servants don’t know; we’ll probably have to ask the servants at the prefect’s office.” After learning about the situation there, Gao Xiaolan stayed with Han Cuiyin.

Although she knew her young lady was extraordinary, with Granny Chu not around, she had to guard the courtyard to prevent anyone from coming in and causing trouble.

The two walked at a brisk pace, and in less than a quarter of an hour, they arrived at Princess Changyun's courtyard in the vast Princess's mansion.

A large number of people were already kneeling in the courtyard.

The people kneeling at the entrance are all dressed in uniform, both men and women, and look like servants from the prefectural governor's mansion.

The people kneeling in front are officials in their official robes.

Princess Changyun sat in the center of the main hall, without any screen in front of her, showing her true face directly.

At her feet lay some ledgers.

The edges of the ledgers were stained with black ash, some were missing their title pages, and some were half burned.

Princess Changyun kept her eyes fixed on the ground, ignoring the people kneeling in the courtyard.

"Princess!" Han Cuiyin entered the main hall. "Is there any progress?"

The prefectural magistrate, kneeling in front, dared not raise his head. He could only see the hem of the light green skirt and knew from the voice that the person was a young girl.

Princess Changyun's rumored sickly son did not show up. We don't know who this girl is. It would be great if she could speak up for them.

The official kneeling alongside the prefectural magistrate had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead and was extremely uneasy.

The adults who were once high and mighty were now kneeling on the ground in a sorry state, not daring to move at all.

"Did these people say anything useful?" Han Cuiyin didn't know what those people were thinking, but seeing the mess, she knew something was wrong in Changxing County.

She had lived in Yanjiacun for many years and had never been to the prefectural city. She knew nothing about the prefectural city and did not even know the name of the prefect.

In my previous life, nothing happened in Changxing County, and Princess Changyun had never been here.

"These people haven't revealed any useful information yet." Princess Changyun's voice was deep and different from usual, carrying an air of royal authority.

The kneeling officials became even more anxious upon hearing this. Since the princess was not asking any questions, they dared not say anything more, for the more they said, the more mistakes they would make.

“This man seems to have a higher official rank, so let’s let him answer! Also, let Qingshan interrogate the servants in the courtyard. Once I have more information here, I’ll go help Jingqian arrest the Meng family.”

Han Cuiyin realized that this couldn't go on forever. After being ignored for so long, someone would eventually give in.

Some of the servants in the courtyard were already trembling with fear. They weren't born into the Meng family; they were all under long-term contracts. Now that they were in this mess, they were too busy trying to save their own lives to hide anything.

After hearing this, Princess Changyun changed her mind, "We'll do it your way! Magistrate Wang, you may rise!"

Qingshan had his guards take the servants away from the princess's courtyard, and Granny Chu went along to help.

The courtyard remained quiet, with fewer breathing sounds and a more relaxed atmosphere.

Han Cuiyin whispered a few words to Gao Xiaolan, who nodded and hurriedly left.

Wang Juncheng wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, his eyes secretly glancing at Han Cuiyin.

The girl before them was veiled, her true face unknown, yet her aura was extraordinary; no wonder the princess listened to her advice.

Wang, the prefect, had already made up his mind and dared not underestimate this princess.

"Has Meng Zhiping been diligent in governing Changxing County? Is there anything unusual about him? Has he embezzled a lot of money?"

The anger hidden in Princess Changyun's voice startled the group.

"Your Highness, Lord Meng has been diligently managing Changxing County these past few years, and the people under his rule live in peace and prosperity. I have not discovered anything unusual. As for embezzlement, I dare not speak of it."

Wang, the prefect, spoke the truth, but his heart was pounding. This royal princess was no ordinary woman; she was so imposing.

"And what about you?" Princess Changyun asked the other officials, dissatisfied.

The others also shook their heads, saying, "What you said is the same as what Magistrate Wang said."

"How about this, I'll have a chat with all of you, starting with Prefect Wang," Han Cuiyin suddenly suggested, and Princess Changyun did not object.

Everyone was even more shocked. Who was this girl? How could she have such a big face in front of the princess?

These people didn't take her seriously until they went to a nearby room and complained bitterly.