To divorce his wife, the top scholar preferred being cuckolded to wearing a red hat.

You Susu knelt on the ground and presented an account book: "Your Majesty, this is an account book that my people obtained from the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce. It records in detail the actual purchase price of the medicinal materials transported to Qingzhou City this time, as well as the price at which the Chamber of Commerce sold them to Qingzhou City."

The clever old man, Gao, handed over the account book.

The Emperor opened the account book, flipped through a few pages, and casually tossed it to Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Zhan flipped through a few pages and had to admit, the accounts were truly well-done. It seemed they had gone to great lengths to obtain the information from within. Aside from the prices being incorrect, the names of the transported medicinal herbs matched almost perfectly.

"May I ask, Madam You, where did you obtain these ledgers and data?" Xiao Zhan asked casually, his tone tinged with coldness.

"I am a merchant, and I have achieved some success over the years. I also have some friends outside. When my friends learned that I sent a batch of supplies to Qingzhou, but they were unable to enter the city and were instead bought up by the Chamber of Commerce at a low price, they were indignant on my behalf. They said that those people in the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce are simply ruthless, buying up supplies at low prices and then selling them to Prince Zhan at high prices."

"This humble woman fears that Prince Zhan will be misled, so she risks death to come and accuse the Kyushu Merchant Guild of such shameless profiteering during the national crisis."

"I recall that the president of the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce was also present today. Summon President Ling and have him examine these ledgers to see if they are genuine."

A moment later, Ling Fei, dressed in white, walked over.

"This humble subject, Lingfei, greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress." Lingfei knelt down to pay his respects.

Everyone assumed that the president of the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce would be a highly respected elder, so they were all taken aback when Ling Fei appeared.

He became the president of the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce at a young age.

I don't know his background or how he became the president of the chamber of commerce.

"Rise. Someone has accused your chamber of commerce of buying up goods at low prices and then selling them to me at high prices. These are the account books they sent over. Have the chairman take a good look at them and see if they are yours."

Ling Fei flipped through the pages casually and then laughed, "Such a clumsy way of keeping accounts, and you still want to cheat our Chamber of Commerce? You have some nerve."

"President Ling, take another look. It bears the official seal of your chamber of commerce. How could there be any mistake? Or are you playing a game of double accounting, giving the prince one copy while secretly making another? And this copy is the one you've been hiding, the one you're trying to keep secret."

“Madam You speaks with such conviction, as if she were working for our Kyushu Chamber of Commerce. But to accuse our Chamber of Commerce of profiting from the national crisis based solely on the account books is hardly convincing. I wonder if Madam You has any other evidence? If so, please bring it up so that His Majesty and Prince Zhan can examine it carefully.” Ling Fei was completely unconcerned about You Susu’s accusations.

“President Ling, I know that a single ledger is not enough to do anything to you. I naturally have other evidence that can prove that you have been operating in secrecy, not only profiting from the national crisis during this epidemic, but also treating human lives like dirt.”

"Anyone can talk the talk, but Madam, why don't you bring up all your evidence at once? That way, I'll be convinced, and the Emperor and the Prince will be more convinced."

"President Ling, don't think that just because I have no evidence here, I can't do anything to you. I have not only physical evidence, but also witnesses. Your Majesty, this humble woman begs for witnesses."

"allow."

A short while later, a middle-aged man came in.

The other party walked in trembling with fear, and upon seeing the current emperor, he was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and shouted "Long live the emperor!"

"Your Majesty, this is Steward Zhou, the manager in charge of purchasing medicinal herbs and supplies for the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce. According to him, he only buys the cheapest herbs, and he ruthlessly drives down the price whenever someone comes to discuss cooperation. The herbs and supplies he acquires are then sent to Qingzhou City by the Chamber of Commerce and sold to Prince Zhan at a high price. Steward Zhou, His Majesty and the Prince are right in front of you. Tell us how you purchase the herbs, how you drive down the prices, and how the Chamber of Commerce operates to make exorbitant profits."

With the Emperor and the Prince present, justice will surely be served for the people. This will also allow more people to know the true nature of the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce, thereby increasing public awareness, resistance, and the exposure of its true colors.

"Steward Zhou, is that right? Please explain in detail what happened. Think carefully. You must be responsible for your words. If any falsehood is found, it is the crime of deceiving the emperor, a crime punishable by death."

After hesitating for a moment, Manager Zhou said, "I am a purchasing agent under the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce. I am also from Qingzhou. Since the outbreak of the epidemic in Qingzhou City, I have been concerned about it and wanted to do something for the people of Qingzhou City. When I received the notice from the Chamber of Commerce to be in charge of purchasing, I was very happy, thinking that I could finally do something practical for the people of Qingzhou."

What I didn't expect was that along with the notice came a decree from the association chairman, stating that Qingzhou City was facing a severe shortage of medicinal herbs and that I must drastically lower the prices during the procurement process. The official explanation was that we were acting in the best interests of the people, selling at reduced prices to the citizens of Qingzhou, and asking everyone to consider the dire situation the people of Qingzhou were in and to push for lower prices.

After hearing this, the herbal medicine merchants indeed lowered their prices considerably. We bought the herbs at low prices and transported them to Qingzhou City, only to have the merchants sell them to Prince Zhan at high prices.

When the news reached the capital, and the emperor commended the Chamber of Commerce, this humble citizen decided to report them to the emperor, exposing their true colors and letting everyone know the true nature of the Chamber of Commerce.

“President Ling, this is Manager Zhou from your chamber of commerce. You don’t deny it, do you? As for what Manager Zhou said, His Majesty and the Prince are free to investigate. If he is wrong in any way, we will accept it even if it means being killed.”

“Manager Zhou, right?” Ling Fei nodded. “He did work in our chamber of commerce before, but he was dismissed for misconduct. Also, every time I issue a chairman’s order, I give them a token. I wonder what token Manager Zhou received when handling this matter? Why don’t you show it to me?”

Manager Zhou's expression tightened: "I..."

"Since Steward Zhou came prepared, it's impossible that he didn't bring the Chairman's order with him. I give a different token every time the Chairman's order is issued. Steward Zhou, it will be more convincing if you bring out your token this time."

You Susu also looked at Steward Zhou: "Steward Zhou, quickly take out your token and let the Emperor and the Prince see it."

Manager Zhou turned ashen-faced and immediately knelt down, kowtowing: "This humble subject deserves to die a thousand deaths. Those words were all made by Madam You. She said that if I were to come up and provide false credentials for the Chamber of Commerce, she would give me ten thousand taels of silver after the matter was completed. I lost a lot of money gambling a few days ago and owed a large sum of silver, so I had no choice but to follow her into the palace to cooperate with her."

A month ago, I was fired by the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce. I was never involved in any purchasing work; everything was at her behest. I deserve to die.

The crowd was in an uproar.