Phoenix Dance: The Eldest Daughter's Physician Consort Shocks the World

After learning about the conspiracy to embezzle military rations that her father had discovered years ago, Su Yao immediately discussed the direction of the investigation with Lin Yu and Princess Pingyang.

Su Yao frowned, her eyes resolute, and said, "Young Master Lin, Princess, this matter concerns the very foundation of the court. We must find the mastermind behind this as soon as possible. In my opinion, the supply of military rations involves many links, from procurement to transportation and storage. There must be something to investigate."

Lin Yu nodded in agreement: "Miss Su is absolutely right. I have already sent people to investigate the officials in charge of military food procurement. I have heard that Vice Minister Liu of the Ministry of Revenue has been making frequent moves in military food procurement recently, which may be related to him."

Princess Pingyang asked suspiciously, "Why is this Vice Minister Liu so bold? How dare he tamper with the military rations? Isn't he afraid of being discovered?"

Su Yao said coldly, "They must have someone backing them up. Driven by profit, they have disregarded the law and the lives of their soldiers. We must be careful this time and not alert them."

A few days later, Lin Yu brought news: "Miss Su, our people have discovered that Vice Minister Liu has been in close contact with a mysterious merchant. Large quantities of grain are frequently entering and leaving the merchant's warehouse, which is heavily guarded. There may be something wrong with it."

Su Yao's eyes lit up: "This is an important clue. Let's find an opportunity to sneak in and take a look. Maybe we can find crucial evidence."

So, under the cover of night, Su Yao and her companions disguised themselves and sneaked into the merchant's warehouse. The warehouse reeked of decay, and piles of grain were stacked high. Upon closer inspection, Su Yao discovered that much of the grain was moldy and spoiled, yet had been disguised as high-quality grain.

Just as they were preparing to gather evidence and leave, they were suddenly discovered by a group of guards. The guards, armed with sharp blades, surrounded them, and the leader shouted, "You audacious thieves! How dare you steal here! Seize them!"

Lin Yu quickly stepped in front of Su Yao and engaged the guards in combat. Princess Pingyang was not to be outdone and joined the fight. However, the enemy outnumbered them, and they gradually found themselves in a difficult situation.

Su Yao was extremely anxious and shouted, "Young Master Lin, we must get out of here! We can't be trapped here!"

Lin Yu fought his way out, and the three of them managed to shake off the guards, but all of them suffered minor injuries.

Back at her residence, Su Yao was not discouraged. She said to Lin Yu, "Although we almost got into trouble this time, it confirmed our suspicions. We need to inform the Emperor of this matter as soon as possible, but before that, we need to find direct evidence of Liu Shilang's collusion with the forces behind him, otherwise it will be difficult to bring them all down in one fell swoop."

Lin Yu replied, "Miss Su, rest assured, I will continue to investigate. In addition, I heard that Vice Minister Liu is going to a manor outside the city to meet with that mysterious merchant. Perhaps this is an opportunity."

Su Yao nodded: "Okay, this time we need to be fully prepared and can't afford any more mistakes."

On the day of Liu Shilang's meeting with the merchant, Su Yao and her group lay in ambush around the estate. They saw Liu Shilang and the merchant sneak into the estate and not come out for a long time.

Su Yao and the others quietly approached, only to hear arguing coming from inside.

“You’ve been acting too conspicuously these past few days. If we’re discovered, we’re both doomed!” Minister Liu said angrily.

"Hmph, isn't it because you were pushing so hard? With so much military rations, how could there not be any problems?" the merchant retorted.

Su Yao was secretly delighted, knowing that their plan had been thwarted. Just then, a group of soldiers rushed into the manor and surrounded Minister Liu and the merchant.

The leading general shouted, "By order of the Emperor, arrest Vice Minister Liu, who embezzled military rations, and the unscrupulous merchants!"

It turned out that the Emperor had also received some information and secretly sent people to investigate, which coincided with the actions of Su Yao and others.

Seeing that all was lost, Minister Liu and the merchant collapsed to the ground. Su Yao searched their residence and found letters linking them to various forces, including one involving a high-ranking prince.

Su Yao was startled: "I didn't expect that the prince was involved behind the scenes. This matter is becoming more and more complicated."

Lin Yu's expression was solemn: "Miss Su, the Prince's power is immense, we cannot act rashly, we need to plan carefully."

Princess Pingyang said worriedly, "What should we do now? This prince is not easy to deal with."

After a moment of contemplation, Su Yao said, "We will first present the evidence to the Emperor and see how he decides. At the same time, we must also strengthen our defenses in case the Prince acts rashly."

Su Yao and her companions entered the palace with evidence, presenting the Emperor with a detailed account of Vice Minister Liu's collusion with the merchants and the Prince's involvement. The Emperor was furious and immediately declared that he would thoroughly investigate the matter, but also warned Su Yao and her companions to proceed with caution, as the Prince had many followers and his power should not be underestimated.

Back at her residence, Su Yao knew she had to find more support as soon as possible to counter the Prince's power. She remembered several local officials she had met during a disaster relief effort; they were upright and highly respected in their communities, and perhaps she could win their support. Therefore, Su Yao wrote several letters detailing the events and sent them by reliable people.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu was also actively contacting some ministers in the court who were dissatisfied with the prince's autocracy, secretly discussing countermeasures. One day, Lin Yu brought back a message: "Miss Su, several ministers are willing to join forces with us, but they are also worried about the prince's retaliation. We need to present more compelling evidence to put their minds at ease."

Su Yao nodded and said, "I understand. I will continue to look for evidence of the prince's embezzlement of military rations. In addition, I think we can start with the prince's family members, which may reveal some useful clues."

During her investigation of the prince's family, Su Yao unexpectedly discovered that one of the prince's concubines had close ties with a mysterious sorcerer. After further investigation, she learned that this sorcerer was skilled at forging accounts and letters, and Su Yao suspected that the prince might be using him to cover up his crime of embezzling military rations.

Su Yao told Lin Yu about this: "Young Master Lin, if we can capture this charlatan and get him to confess the prince's crimes, we will have more compelling evidence."

Lin Yu immediately arranged for people to capture the sorcerers, but the prince seemed to have sensed something, so he moved the sorcerers in advance and strengthened the guards of the prince's mansion.

Su Yao and her group's operation reached a stalemate, but they did not give up. Su Yao then thought that since the prince was involved in the embezzlement of military rations, he must have left some clues along the ration transportation route. So, she and Lin Yu carefully investigated along the ration transportation route and finally discovered some altered transportation records and a hidden warehouse at a remote post station, which contained a large amount of grain ready to be smuggled out.

Su Yao was overjoyed: "Young Master Lin, this time we must protect the evidence well and not give the Prince another chance to destroy it."

Just as they were preparing to take the evidence back, the prince's men suddenly appeared and surrounded them. The prince sneered, "Su Yao, do you think you can easily bring me down? None of you will leave here alive today!"

Su Yao said without fear, "Your Highness, your crimes will be exposed sooner or later. It's not too late for you to stop now."

Enraged, the prince ordered his men to attack. Lin Yu, protecting Su Yao, fought a desperate battle against the prince's forces. At the critical moment, Princess Pingyang arrived with reinforcements, and they became embroiled in a chaotic melee with the prince's men.

Taking advantage of the situation, Su Yao broke through the encirclement with the evidence. She knew that the battle with the prince had entered a fierce stage, and she was getting closer and closer to the truth...