After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

"You designed the brocade bamboo too, right?"

Cao Yuan looked at them calmly. She knew that only if Jinzhu was gone could their plan be successfully completed, and she could also go and rescue the women that Qin Sima was selling, killing two birds with one stone.

Yuecui and her sisters exchanged glances, their faces turning somewhat grim.

After a long while, Yue Cui slowly spoke, "I guess so... We originally just wanted to lure Jin Zhu out so that she wouldn't ruin our plans. We forgot that these past few days have been the days when that old man was kidnapping women in the neighboring villages."

"I never expected to run into Miss Jinzhu."

Upon hearing this, Cao Yuan felt a surge of anger rising within her.

"Really?" Cao Yuan asked in a low voice, clearly not believing it.

Chu Yan tugged at her wrist, applying some force, as if to remind her of something.

"Forget it, let's go back. We still need to check the Governor's Office's accounts."

Cao Yuan let out a long sigh, and could only give up looking at these unfortunate women.

Li Chengye led his troops to ransack the mansions of the three men, finding their family treasures inside, comparable to tributes from the national treasury.

Cao Yuan and the other two thoroughly examined the Governor's Office's documents, finding them meticulous and comprehensive.

"We've been doing this for so many days, and there's been absolutely no progress."

Cao Yuan sat in the inner hall, head bowed, sighing.

At this moment, Yue Cui and the others slowly walked in from outside carrying bundles.

"Your Highness, we have come to bid you farewell," Yue Cui said in a heavy tone.

"What are your plans next?" Cao Yuan stood up and walked over to them.

After a moment of silence, everyone spoke up in response.

"go home!"

"do not know!"

"I didn't think about it!"

"If you can go home, then go home; if you can't, then you can only take it one step at a time."

These answers made the whole scene unusually solemn.

Most of these women had not received much formal education.

"And you, Yue Cui?" Cao Yuan looked at her. Over the past few days, Cao Yuan had noticed that Yue Cui was different from other women.

“I want to go to the capital to find my relatives. I was arrested in Anzhou on my way to the capital.”

Cao Yuan nodded and called out, "Jinzhu!"

Jinzhu brought out the pre-divided money bags from the back room.

"These are the travel expenses I've left for you."

They picked up the money bag from Jinzhu's tray, and its heavy weight startled them.

They looked at each other's money bags, which were full of gold.

"Your Highness, isn't this too much!"

Yue Cui opened her mouth wide in surprise, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"This gold may not guarantee you great wealth, but it will also ensure you live a comfortable life."

Her voice was calm and firm, giving people a sense of inexplicable peace of mind.

"If you meet a man you like in the future, you can get married and live a good life. If you find that you have entrusted yourself to the wrong person, you can take this money and live alone."

"But I hope you'll be more careful in the future and not tell anyone about this money. Maybe it can help you if you ever really have nowhere else to turn."

"Your Highness, you are such a good prince! No one has ever been so kind to me before."

Yue Cui and the others were moved to tears and knelt down to express their gratitude.

"Your Highness has shown us a life-saving grace, and we will remember you for the rest of our lives!"

"Alright, alright, stop crying." Cao Yuan helped them up.

"Even if I save you, it's an opportunity you earned yourself."

"Don't feel bad about spending this money on me. It all came from those three corrupt officials, so don't feel bad about me."

Cao Yuan helped Yue Cui wipe away her tears.

"By the way, Your Highness, these are our own handwritten notes."

"Hand-twisted?"

"They often made us drink with officials, so we took notes of what they said. We heard from other adults that you were collecting evidence against corrupt officials, so we wanted to see if it would be of any use!"

Cao Yuan took the note and examined it carefully. She was surprised. "These...you guys have been a great help."

Yue Cui smiled easily. "That's good. Actually, those corrupt officials thought we were women from ordinary backgrounds, and many of us were illiterate, so they didn't take us seriously."

“We learned a lot of characters from Yuecui a long time ago. We know what officials can and cannot do, so we wrote them all down.”

"Thank you all. I will personally deliver this letter to His Majesty," Cao Yuan said solemnly.

Hope shone in the eyes of Yue Cui and the others.

After seeing them off, Jinzhu asked in confusion, "Your Highness, why did you say it was their money? It was clearly Your Highness who paid for it."

"That's what they deserved; they're all pitiful people. They shouldn't feel burdened before they leave."

Chu Yan happened to be passing by outside the door.

"Stop right there! You were eavesdropping on our conversation!" Cao Yuan called out to him.

"Is it appropriate for me to come in while you women are talking together?" Chu Yan said helplessly.

"They just gave me a notebook, do you want to take a look?" Cao Yuan proudly waved the notebook, looking quite pleased with herself.

Chu Yan raised an eyebrow and walked in with some curiosity, taking the journal from her hand.

However, he had only been looking at it for a short while when his expression changed slightly, and a hint of panic appeared in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Cao Yuan noticed Chu Yan's unusual behavior and asked curiously.

"What kind of person is your imperial brother?"

"If he ascends the throne, he will naturally be a wise and benevolent ruler!" Cao Yuan said with great certainty.

"But why are you asking this? What have you discovered?"

"So how exactly did he die back then?"

"How would I know? I'm not even in the capital."

“This should be a conversation between Chief Secretary Liu and the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince said that he has already informed the Crown Prince…” Chu Yan looked at Cao Yuan without speaking.

"Looking at something, you're being hesitant." Cao Yuan walked over and snatched the note, her eyes widening in surprise.

She read softly, "The Fourth Prince's allocation of funds for provisions was approved by the Crown Prince. He even sent him a woman for this..."

"Impossible!" Cao Yuan stood up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief. "This is absolutely fake!"

She forcefully threw the journal in her hand aside.

"My imperial brother... how could he possibly be?"

Cao Yuan murmured to herself, her voice trembling noticeably, "He has always been helping Father Emperor handle court affairs with utmost dedication, never slacking off in the slightest. How could he and Fourth Imperial Uncle do such a despicable thing?"

She couldn't believe that her once kind and upright elder brother, who had always been so loving and caring towards her, would be colluding with her fourth uncle.

“The notes were written by the concubines themselves, so they shouldn’t be fake. There must be other hidden stories behind them,” Chu Yan explained.

"Could it be that Bai Lu was lying to us before? Wasn't Bai Lu a gift from the Fourth Imperial Uncle to the Imperial Brother?" Cao Yuan asked.

Chu Yan fell into deep thought.

"We'll find out about these things when we return to the capital and see Bailu. Right now, we should prioritize Anzhou."

Cao Yuan's mind is now like mush, so she can't possibly focus all her attention on Anzhou.

That was her elder brother, the Crown Prince, whose name was synonymous with virtue and benevolence.

No minister in the court could say a single bad word about him.