Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

General House

In the study, Mu Jinchen looked around, searching for hidden compartments. He first looked at the calligraphy and paintings on the wall, then at the shelves on the floor, and finally, his gaze fell on the bookshelves before he walked over.

"I've looked at this bookshelf, it's not there."

Mu Jinchen ignored it and looked closely. Then, he swept all the books off the floor and found a clue: a small crack appeared on the wall, which would be hard to notice if you didn't look carefully.

Mu Jinchen gently knocked on the wall, which was hollow. He figured the ledger was inside, so he tried to find a way to open it.

Mu Jinchen looked around, and finally his gaze fell on a painting. Without thinking, he walked over and gently pressed on the sun in the painting. Then, with a "click," the hidden compartment was opened, and the account book inside came into view.

Mu Xinchen took out the account book and praised, "As expected, it has to be Fifth Brother." After saying that, he handed the account book to Mu Jinchen.

Mu Jinchen took it, opened it, and after confirming that it was an account book, he didn't linger and walked out. However, before leaving, he gave the account book to Mu Xinchen.

Mu Xinchen opened it and took a look, then followed him and said, "This ledger does not mention Prince Qing, so we can't do anything to Prince Qing, but Li Qiming can't escape."

Mu Jinchen did not respond and strode out.

Mu Xinchen asked, "Where are we going now?"

"Prison".

Then, the two went to the Ministry of Justice prison and found Li Qiming.

"I've met the Regent. I wonder what brought him here?" Li Hong remained remarkably calm, whether out of confidence or because he had long since become indifferent to life and death.

"General Li is so calm because he is certain that we will not be able to find the account books, and therefore he cannot do anything to you."

"What ledger? This humble general does not understand what the Regent is saying."

“You embezzled military funds but did not sell them. This shows that there must be someone else behind you, and that person is undoubtedly Prince Qing.”

"If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext."

"Whether it's a fabricated charge or not, General Li knows perfectly well," he then added, "General Li really thinks we can't find the account books."

Mu Xinchen then took out the account book and asked, "General Li, does this look familiar?"

Li Qiming was shocked. "How did you find it?"

"I must say, General Li was indeed very good at hiding his true intentions, but unfortunately, he ran into my fifth brother."

Li Qiming chuckled, "As expected, the Regent is indeed capable."

"I have a few questions, and I hope General Li can answer them."

"This humble general knows nothing and is afraid he cannot answer Your Highness's questions."

"General Li, if you don't think about yourself, don't you think about your family? Now that Madam Li is over sixty, do you think she can endure the suffering of exile?"

"His Highness means that if I tell the truth, he will spare my family."

"It is not impossible."

"Your Highness, please speak freely, and I will answer all your questions."

"The person behind the scenes is Prince Qing."

"Yes".

"Why didn't you leave a letter?"

"It was written by someone else, so what's the point of keeping it?"

"If it was written by someone else, how can we know it wasn't forged by someone else?"

"Because of Prince Qing's private seal."

Mu Jinchen thought of the seal on the ledger and said, "The seal on the ledger belongs to Prince Qing, not you."

"Yes".

"You've been working for him for so many years, haven't you found a single thing to use against him?"

"Prince Qing is a cautious and meticulous person who never leaves any handles for others to use against him; otherwise, he wouldn't have had his letters written by others."

"Do you know who wrote this letter?"

"He was an advisor to Prince Qing, and also his most trusted person, named Qi Ling."

Afterwards, Mu Jinchen asked a few more questions before leaving the prison.

Prince Qing's Mansion

In the study, Mu Qiyang was reporting to Prince Qing, saying, "Father, this morning the Regent went to the General's Mansion in person. Although he only stayed for a quarter of an hour, after leaving the General's Mansion, he went to the Ministry of Justice prison and met with Li Qiming. It seems he found the account book."

“That ledger only has my personal seal on it, nothing else. And I have never revealed my personal seal to outsiders. Therefore, Mu Jinchen cannot find anything on me.”

"But what if Li Qiming tells him?"

"Tell me, it's fine. A single seal is not enough to convict me."

“Your Highness, although Li Qiming has no evidence, he knows a lot. If he tells us everything, the Regent will surely follow the clues and find something. Therefore, to ensure that nothing goes wrong, Li Qiming must die.”

"Mr. Qi is right, Second Brother, go and make the arrangements immediately."

“Yes,” Mu Qinian replied.

Then, Qi Ling said, "Your Highness, the horse farm is probably not safe now. We should arrange for an evacuation as soon as possible."

"Yes, do as Mr. Qi says. Third brother, go and make arrangements for them to evacuate in batches. They must all be evacuated to Qishan before dark. Be quick, but keep a low profile and absolutely do not get discovered."

"Yes, son, I'll make the arrangements right away," Mu Qixian said and then walked out.

Then, Prince Qing looked at Mu Qiyang and said, "Elder, you go out first. I have some things to discuss with Mr. Qi."

A hint of dissatisfaction and displeasure flashed in Mu Qiyang's eyes, but he said nothing, replying, "Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave," and then walked out.

Qi Ling noticed his mood, so after he left, she said, "Your Highness, no matter what, the eldest son is the heir apparent, you shouldn't treat him like this."

"Ha, if he weren't born to the Princess Consort, when would he have ever been chosen as the heir apparent?" Prince Qing made no attempt to hide his disdain for Mu Qiyang.

Hearing this from outside the door, Mu Qiyang clenched his fists, but in the end, he could only leave unwillingly.

In the Imperial Study, Mu Jinchen was reviewing memorials.

Mu Xinchen rushed in and said impatiently, "Fifth Brother, Li Qiming is dead."

Upon hearing this, Mu Jinchen did not react much, as if he had expected it, and asked, "How did you die?"

"Poisoned to death."

“Prince Qing is really quick. I left just moments before he silenced me.”

"Now that Li Qiming is dead, it is even more impossible to prove that he was involved in this matter. What should we do?"

"A fox will eventually show its tail."

"I thought I could get some leverage over him this time, but it was all for naught. Was Prince Qing some kind of slippery eel in his past life? He's so slippery, there's no way to catch him."

"It's not entirely a waste of time. Now that Li Qiming is gone, and with the more than 60 million taels that were just repaid, he must be in dire straits. Therefore, he will definitely try to get money, and this is an excellent opportunity. In addition, Qi Ling is a strategist by Prince Qing's side and is deeply trusted by him. He must know a lot of things. So, you should find a way to capture him, but don't let Prince Qing know."

"Okay," he said to himself, "What do you think he needs so much military pay for? And what about the more than 60 million taels he borrowed from the Ministry of Revenue? That's enough money for several years' worth of military expenses." After saying that, he seemed to have been enlightened and looked at Mu Jinchen.

Mu Jinchen also realized what was happening and immediately ordered, "Have someone go to Prince Qing's various horse farms to gather information immediately, and be quick about it."

"Yes," Mu Xinchen replied without delay and immediately went to make the arrangements.